There is also conflicting legislation sponsored by Commissioner Esteban Bovo on the same agenda 2A, he wants a museum. NOT AS GOOD but better than Soccer Stadium.
The final May 15 agenda (where the items will be available on-line) should be available at this link .
Please be advised that Commissioner Audrey Edmonson’s Parcel B legislation has been scheduled for the May 15, 2014 Economic Development & PortMiami Committee (EDPC) at 2:00pm in the Stephen P. Clark Center, 2nd floor Commissioner Chambers.
The EDPC members are as follows: Lynda Bell (8) Chair; Javier D. Souto (10) Vice Chair; Commissioners Jose "Pepe" Diaz (12), Barbara J. Jordan (1), and Juan C. Zapata (11)
If you could alert individuals who agree with the concept of public open space on the waterfront downtown, it would be very helpful.
If you attend, please fill out a speaker card. If anyone cannot attend the meeting in person, you may also email your comments to the Mayor and Board members.
Thank you Audrey Edmonson for caring about the needs of the public for open space. Lets not clog our waterfront with a wall of buildings like Sunny Isles Beach.
Traffic in this area will be unbearable if stupid David Beckham and his money men get their way to build their Soccer Stadium here on the waterfront (that no one will go to like the Marlins Stadium). However, Bekham has been working for Sheldon Adelson (Republican mega donor) of the Sands in Las Vegas promoting casinos. Maybe this isn't about soccer at all, instead it is a way to get the gambling foot in the door. Why else do they need waterfront land? SOCCER DOESN'T NEED WATERFRONT. Are we dumb or what? I see a boutique, exclusive casino in our future on the site.
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| David Beckham has been working for Sands owner Billionaire Sheldon Adelson. |
36 comments:
There is some serious fear-mongering and tin-foil-hat-wearing going on when you have to rely on making connections to Sheldon Adelson and speculating about this being a ruse to put a casino on the site when Beckham has been pursuing a team and stadium here behind the scenes for some time.
I don't think it's a great idea either, but you're seeming particularly crazy in the way you go about opposing this.
Anon above, you seem particularly willing to ignore the facts. In case you missed it, there has been a lot of interest by Sands and others in legislation allowing for destination casino resorts in downtown Miami. The fact that Sands has partnered with Beckham, he have been insisting on waterfront property in downtown Miami, and the game of soccer has absolutely no relationship to water, might make one wonder what the end game is all about.
Imagine, in year 11 of a 40-year lease the soccer franchise folds. Well, what are we to do with this event facility on the waterfront in downtown Miami? Hey, how about using it for casino gambling.
To willingly overlook the relationship between Beckham and Sands is crazy. It is time to expose who all the interested parties are in this effort.
Thank you Anonymous 2. We have been lied to for too long and been manipulated BY THESE PROMOTERS. THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO NEED FOR SOCCER ON THE WATERFRONT AND YOU SHOULD ALL BE SUSPICIOUS OF MOTIVES.
The promoters shouldn't rule we should. Look at Parrot Jungle as an example. It is a banquet hall. Were we told that? Did we know that PAMM was going to hold private parties at night? We are always lied to. The Sands had a lobbyist down here, was it Brian May? Maybe you should put on a foil hat and jump in the slip when they fill it in.
Beckham talks about more than just Soccer, he talks about recreation and restaurants. How about a Soccer stadium and a casino above it? or below it? It could be built with that in mind.
I'd say, spare the bother and just sign over the state of Florida to Sheldon Adelson, the GOP godfather.
This soccer stadium is just a smokescreen for Adelson, the way that the Miami Herald has been for Genting.
It's interesting: you've got an American playing in Asia (Macau) and a Chinese playing in America (Genting).
The dollars involved are so much bigger than anything else in play.
So what to the politicians have to bank on? More housing in wetlands? That game is mostly over.
The only problem with this whole scenario is that the common man gets screwed. But what the hell, the common man is watching Fox News.
"There is also conflicting legislation sponsored by Commissioner Esteban Bovo on the same agenda 2A, he wants a museum."
Commissioner Bovo, I respectfully ask you withdraw this. We don't need another museum. We need open space as promised when the AA Arena was built, or the soccer stadium on Parcel B which is too small for the massive project Fuller and his investment team want being pushed by a snake oil salesman named Beckham.
Question: How many of you posting in defense of open areas for the public ever visited Bicentennial Park?
There is no Casino Connection. Adleson would need 40 acres or more to put what he wants in, and he won't settle for anything less. He has Beckham to appeal to the Chinese because David Beckham is one of the most popular figures in China, like Michael Jordan used to be.
M
P.S. - The Genting folks are Malaysian
Malaysian are Chinese. You are a lobbyist on this so I don't believe you. I am talking about a foot in the door.
Other commenter: I have been to bicentennial park hundreds of times over the years. You would not recognize it now.
I go there a lot and yes quiet most of the time. Just as quiet a parts of Central Park in Manhattan.
But then there dozens of annual events which take place there and fill the park up
Nobody says it has to be totally passive open space, you can still stage events. Look at South Beach. Lots of empty space during the slow season, then packed with events like the food and wine thing.
The point is it's preserved for the public and future generations. Plus with the downtown boom in full swing again open space is critical.
Ever since that restauraunt owner in Bicentennial Park had his throat slit it fell into disrepair. Then they put in all those roads for the racing. They they let all the homeless live there (Pottinger). Now it is new and beautiful. Go see it. And because open space is not up to your standards does not mean that we should give it away or sell it. It is for the future. Central Park could be all shops and offices with that kind of thinking.
I've commented against this land grab by private entities of our public waterfront land and I've been to Bicentennial Park too many times to count because I work downtown a few blocks away.
I would also love to see you tell Malaysians that they are Chinese. Now we are just getting offensive to make a point? I love you guys at EoM, but this is starting to sound like the musings of a senile grandfather.
What is the issue with PAMM holding parties? Or Jungle Island holding banquets? I seem to be missing all of the juvenile points being made on this thread.
Stadiums, museums and Jungle attractions and other large footprint or non water dependent facilities should not be on any waterfront and Miami has the Carollo Ordinace which forbids Miami from leasing land to those types of institutions. Miami got around this by leasing Bicentennial Park land to the Miami Exibition and Sports Authority and they lease to the museums. I think it was the same for the Childrens Museums. Parcel B belongs to the County because the residents of Miami were dupped into selling it during our last financial crisis. Problem is, even though it was shown to be green space on the front page of the Herald the day of the vote, the County has never zoned it as park land. IF it was park land it would have park protections under County ordinance.
It is extremely important that it get zoned as park land.
Sydney has four or more stadiums , huge stadiums, fancy stadiums with all kinds of multi use facilities. One even has its own micro brewery. NONE are on the their waterfront. They are all successful.
I believe the main, perhaps only reason Beckham desires a site on the water is because the rest of Miami is such an eyesore that he would be embarased to have a stadium elsewhere as it would not attract higher income clientel for games or other ueses. Let's face it folks, somewhere between 50-75% of Miami population lives in poverty and poverty neighborhoods do not attract investment unless there are great incentives.
We can not afford to sell or giveaway any more of our waterfront.
I suggest the land west of Marlins field of Flagler Dog Track or convert the Marlins field when the team folds.
Miami needs to stick to their Comprehensive Plan. That is the law.
An urgent message from
Steve Hagen, Miami Green Park Advocate
Dear Friends who I believe vote and or own property in the City of Miami. If you do not vote or own property in the City, please forward to some friends who do.
If you agree Miami leadership is not doing enough for Miami parks, then please take action. The time is now before our parks and water front are
totally leased away to private interests.
1) Take 30 seconds to sign a comprehensive petition named More Parks For Miami NOW at http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/more-parks-for-miami
PLEASE, if you live or own property in the City of Miami, sign with your physical address and email address. Note you may have signed a similar petition on other site, but please sign this one because the new web site does more for helping the cause than the previous site.
2) Take 30 more seconds to keep informed and add your comments by joining the Facebook GROUP https://www.facebook.com/groups/MoreParksForMiamiNow/
3) Lastly, take 30 seconds to copy and past this important email and send to at least ten friends who live or own property in the City of Miami.
If you think your action is not necessary, consider the following. Why do we have a shopping center on the bay called Bayside? Why do we have AA Arena on the bay which is inward looking? Why do we have three museums on the bay which are inward looking? Why do we have a Jungle attraction
on Watson Island that can not afford to pay rent? Why are we about to have a banquet hall (potential casino) with massive parking structure on the bay in Coconut Grove? Why do we not have proper water access to our bayfront in Miami backed up with great green landscaping? Why has Virginia Key sat for decades without residents being able to fully access the water? Why do we have the Joe Carollo ordinance to protect our waterfront lands, but our leaders use various scams to get around the ordinance? Why?
David Beckham and his handlers say they wanted up to 36 acres at PortMiami - 10-12 acres for soccer and the rest for "development". (Casinos?) Remember, Beckham and his financial backers are from out-of-town and even from out-of-the-country. If they get a toehold on Bicentennial Park they will take over 100%. Casinos, in the future, are a very real fear.
Just a stadium?
http://m.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2014/03/24/david-beckham-led-miami-expansion-group-releases-plans-opulent-bayside-stadi
Don't insult the blogger deleted.
Right. I got deleted for calling you out on your immature handling of this subject, and for disagreeing. Cardinal sins of Eye on Miami blog.
I have to say, I've been reading for years but I haven't commented much. I'll go back to that if I even read at all. I'm not surprised in the waning influence of this blog, especially when everything is a call to action because developers are taking over Miami.
There is a right way to do things and a crazy way to do things. I've worked with many like you before and noticed that you get more results acting like adults. Thanks to the poster above who at least explained in detail how the leases of the land worked. I learned more from that than the constant fear-mongering about the stadium that is on the blog elsewhere. Have a good morning, folks.
The fear of putting this stadium in a working class neighborhood, where actual soccer fans dwell, is very revealing. Wanting an iconic waterfront site where the elite can dine and be seen is entirely incongruous with real soccer. But, very appropriate for casino types.
I say put the pitch in a part of town that needs development, would be improved by the increase in foot traffic. Keep in mind this is a for-profit franchise. If you want "free land" Mr. Beckham, you may not be able to be so damn picky. Next to Marlins Stadium is where this belongs, en mi barrio.
Me thinks the Casino interests protests too much about this blog revealing a truth behind the so-called soccer stadium. First they laugh at you....then they fight you....then this whole thing fizzles out because it was a ruse to begin with to get our public waterfront land and the truth was exposed in time, this time.
Forgive us if we are somewhat skeptical of all these promises...of "really good" public parkland, as we have been snookered in the past and are still paying for it and will be into bankruptcy court possibly.
Time for some real community leaders to speak up and defend the public's right to our own public parkland.
Not called out for those things and you know it. You insulted the blogger directly. Read the rule. It is my blog and I make the rules. I suggest you get your own blog and make your own rules. I work for free and I'm allowed to take some perks.
The differing comments pro and con seem to indicate some truth in the possibility of the port site not only having a soccer stadium, but some other development that seems to include restaurants, retail, office, and hotel space. It is not too far a stretch to understand the Sands gambling initiative in Miami that somehow fits into the site footprint. I do not believe a soccer stadium alone will make enough money to justify the $250m investment, however, a casino on the water next to the Genting site will more than make it worth it.
On another note, the City of Miami, the County, and other state entities have pumped hundreds of millions of dollars into the FEC slip and Museum Park. It is just about ready to reopen to the public. What sense does it make to suddenly change the plan to allow out of town and foreign businesses to make a profit on land owned by the people for public use.
The hotel industry is behind the convention center plans in Miami Beach. Check your history in Miami Beach for the Jackie Gleason theater. All these projects get pushed by the hotel interests. It is in the old newspapers. It is a fact. It started in the 1950s.
Beckham should be asked to play the simple rule of exposing and disclosing every possible partner in this game. If you want free land, it requires an open, transparent negotiation. The fact that the real partners in this deal trotted out their supermodel from the very beginning made me suspicious. He should have been brought in to close the deal, not shield the real players with his star power.
The museum Bovos wants is run by his son.
Wow! It just gets curiouser and curiouser -- Beckham in Wonderland. Hope the commissioners take a deep breath and just say NO!!
Does Bovo have a son old enough to run a museum? His oldest child is only 21 years old?
Wish you guys spoke Spanish. Mayor Regalado is on the air right now on 1080 AM saying, "It Ain't Gonna Happen!"
Back in the 70s there was this Mayor in Sunrise that wanted to build a big theater out in the middle of nowhere. Literally there was nothing west of the theater except the glades.
Anyway this mayor, John Lomelo said he had connections and he could get "A" list stars to come down and perform. He claimed it would put sunrise on the map.
Turned out what he was really building with tax payer money was a casino. There was a whole secret second floor of the theater built over the lobby and restaurant. It was all closed in during construction and nobody knew it was there. Built like a bomb shelter to hold the weight of all the gaming tables.
Turned out Lomelo was hooked up alright, with the Chicago mob.... Sinatra, Sammy Davis the whole rat pack came and performed for a couple years meanwhile special-interest were working feverishly in Tallahassee to legalize casinos. And guess who was sitting pretty with a ready to go Las Vegas style casino sitting on the edge of the Everglades.
Unfortunately as we know Tallahassee didn't legalize casinos and John Lemelo went to jail for some other misdeeds. In the end the theater folded, I heard it was turned into a church and the rest was lost to history
But the point is politicians with secret agendas and gambling have a long and colorful history in south Florida. No tin hat needed.
Siri
The port is still the best site
http://www.miamiherald.com/2014/05/13/4115439/will-soccer-stadium-threaten-existing.html
Carlos Curbelo, stop lobbying here for Genting and get back to running your campaign for Congressman of District 26.
David Beckham is being paid by the Sands Casino group. A casino? On Miami's waterfront?
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