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| County Commissioner Audrey Edmonson receiving an Orchid Award from the Urban Environment League for "Dedication to downtown open space and waterfront access" |
I listened to Daniella Levine Cava speak at the Urban Environment League's Orchids and Onions affair (She was the featured speaker). I was inspired. Not just by Levine-Cava's words but by her speaking ability. She is so damn smart. I thought she was really amazing. It was not a stump speech, finally, it was one from the heart. She said: “Miami is an iconic place, and let's make sure we continue to lift up not only its amazing diversity of culture and design, but also its natural beauty, making it accessible to residents as well as visitors."
I really think we will be seeing changes at the County Commission.
County Commissioner Audrey Edmonson, who received an award seems to 'get it' now. Maybe other County Commissioners will too. By December things will start changing. Even the Mayor has softened that disrespectful "I know it all attitude". Is there hope for better government at the County without a mean spirited commissioner leading the pack. I am hoping for a more moderate efficient body, or am I being overly optimistic?
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| Bruce Matheson also received an award for "Defending the integrity of County parks and open spaces" I really admire Bruce. He is dedicated to the park and property that his family sold or traded to the county (per Dusty Melton). You would think the County would respect him more. |
10 comments:
Commissioner Audrey Edmonson was quoted in the Miami Herald last Sunday as stating she was not opposed to forcing the taxpayers to pay $300 Mil for another Black Museum AND she was OK with it being located on the newly renovated Museum Park. Hopefully she was misquoted? She has a lot to learn.
Bruce Matheson's family did not give or gift Crandon Park to the County. That's a fanciful myth. In 1940, three of Bruce Matheson's forebears, in commercial transactions, swapped some of their Key Biscayne land for the County's promise to build the Rickenbacker Causeway, the Bear Cut bridge and Crandon Boulevard to his forebears' remaining property. When motorists could drive to Key Biscayne for the first time ever, those three forebears became rich from the County's purchase of a portion of their properties. You would think you would get your facts straight. These come from the public record. Do your homework before perpetuating this particular myth, which is a lie.
So far, Judges have been siding with Bruce Matheson's interpretations of the various legal agreements. Clearly, the Matheson Family never wanted to see Crandon Park handed over to the IMG's of the world just so they could pave it and make more money for IMG's out-of-state owners. Haven't politicians ruined enough of Florida already?
You know things are changing if the top 2 choices for commission chair are Javier Suarez and Audrey Edmonson. That's a compliment to both.
A wish: The Commissioners gather together to implement a checks and balances. They hire a forensic budget analyst to verify the information put forth by the Mayor's Budget Office.
Commissioners need better staffers. Everyone is too "fat and happy". No one has the courage to speak truth to power.
I'm not clear as to how trading land for a bridge is necessarily a bad deal for the County. There are many examples of individuals "gifting" a portion of their land in exchange for the opportunity to develop the balance of the site. The Nature Conservancy cuts those types of deals regularly. The construction of the bridge benefited the County in many other ways also by providing access to newly created waterfront public parks on Virginia Key and Key Biscayne, the County's Virginia Key water and sewer plant, RSMAS, etc... which all benefited the public. In retrospect, I would suggest that the exchange was a fair one. Perhaps, our County and political leaders might try to do a better job on the deals they are cutting with developers today for prime waterfront lands on Coconut Grove, Watson Island and Downtown Miami.
According to Miami Today dated September 25, 2014 citizen Bruce Matheson and his attorneys crushed the for-profit International Players Championships and its attorneys. According to Miami Today Judge Schumacher, in a recent ruling, gave orders completely favoring Bruce Matheson. Perhaps Crandon Park can stay greener longer? The tennis tournament reportedly makes a fortune for its owner the NYC based IMG and it has another nine years left on its lease.
Black History Museum on the water? Is Edmundson going to give back her award??
Dennis Moss wants i.e. he demands that the taxpayers spend $100 Mil ($300 mil after interest expenses) for a Black Museum run by his buddy the octogenarian Dorothy Fields. Moss and Audrey Edmonson want this new Black Museum on waterfront park land. On newly renovated Bicentennial Park.
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