I am so tired of schools being used by Developers -- and Lowe's -- as bribes and bargaining chips! Just fund the f--king schools By Geniusofdespair

If it isn’t the gambling lobby it is Lowes Big Box Home Store trying to bribe the neighborhood and the commissioners to get zoning perks: in the name of schools. Bullshit.

And Commissioner Gimenez you had it wrong in the article the “Sky’s the limit for county freebies.” Gimenez said about funding charities:

“If it’s a bona fide, true charity, we do that all the time.”

First because you do it all the time doesn’t make it right. Let us do the giving ourselves Commish. And the newspaper reporter Charles Rabin brought up a good point that you should consider all you County Commissioners:

“Which brings up another interesting ethical question: Should taxpayer money be given away to charity without the approval of the Voters?”

I say HELL NO! If you want to use my taxpayer money for something, use it for schools so we don’t face the bribery time and time again from every single developer. Earnestly they always say “We will build a school.” They don’t fund it, they don’t staff it. They offer to build it. The rest of the cost just takes money away from existing schools.

The merits of Lowe’s Store is not going to be decided tomorrow on whether or not the Urban Development Boundary should be moved. It won’t be decided on the recommendations against it by a score of professional planners on County Staff. No way. Lowe’s is not going to be decided on whether or not it is in wetlands and it is not going to be decided upon the fact that it is too close to our wellfields. The Commission won’t take into consideration that Lowe’s ALREADY HAS ENOUGH LAND INSIDE THE BOUNDARY (but it isn’t square enough lamented Lowe's lobbyist/mouth-piece Juan Mayol).

No, the Lowe’s store will offer perks instead. The Commission will spend more time negotiating the perks than looking at the actual dysfunctional plan.

Here is how it will be decided:

On the merits of a school Lowe’s isn’t even going to pay for. The merits of Lowe’s selling land at their cost, the over-inflated price they paid for it (you are getting robbed county and the whole deal involves wetlands that will have be filled in at over $1,000,000).

Former County Chairwoman Gwen Margolis had balls. When Home Depot said to her we can’t build a store like the one you want in North Miami — we need A, B and C. She said you are going to have to build it this way, end of subject. And they did. They were cut off at the knees.


If this County Commission had Gwen’s balls, the Lowe’s store would have been built on the acreage they already have inside the line 2 or 3 years ago. But the Commission’s waffling gave the stupid chain hope that they can get what they want if they beg:

We will give you a school (almost), we will build a cistern, we will even wipe your asses but don’t make us build a rectangular store.

I guess I am too mad to write. Do I seem angry? Tomorrow is the meeting where 4 properties are trying to move the UDB line. Come on down, tune it in...it will be pontification central!

P.S. It sounded like Robert Meyers found his balls, read Nov. 26th Miami Herald: "Sky's the Limit For County Freebies."

The Miami Herald just released an article online by Chuck Rabin, you will now see I am almost always right:

"Attorney Juan Mayol represents Lowe's, now making its fourth attempt to build in far West Miami-Dade. If approved, the home improvement store promises to bring a new charter school to the neighborhood that will accommodate up to 2,000 students.

Mayol said the company's plan will address key area issues: ``Namely, the lack of retail services and the lack of a high school.''

The argument has swayed County Commissioner Jose ''Pepe'' Diaz, who said the area where Lowe's wants to build is infected with nonnative melaleuca. Residents, Diaz said, are ''overwhelmingly'' in favor of it."

I say to Pepe: HOW ABOUT THE RECOMMENDATION OF YOUR PLANNING STAFF YOU BIG OAF! WHAT ABOUT THEIR ARUGMENTS AGAINST THIS LOWES?