The city of Miami and its minions never cease to amaze me. City Manager Pete Hernandez, who seems to think he is Fidel Castro and Miami is actually Havana, ordered the parks department to start charging people $5. per car for entering the Virginia Key Beach area. On its face there doesn't seem to be anything wrong with that, but like everything in Miami there is a back story from many years ago.
About 15 years ago, the city decided to charge for Virginia Key parking and everybody was on board with that program, but there was a hitch. Jimbo's, the venerable waterfront eyesore that has the best smoked fish and the coldest beer, and has more history than all of the rest of Miami, would be severely impacted.
Then Commissioner J.L. Plummer suggested, and the commission adopted by resolution the city allow anyone going to Jimbo's a waiver on the parking fee. It has been that way for years--until this year when our esteemed city manager decided to collect $5 from everyone even though the city commission never changed the resolution. In other words, the city manager overrode the legal will of the commission, and even worse than that, he did it on August 1, fully knowing that the commission would not meet again in regular session until the second Thursday in September. That way the move would be in force for at least 1 1/2 months.
This is not the first time that Hernandez, a Mayor Manny Diaz personal minion, has overruled or ignored commission action. Commissioner Tomas Regalado has been complaining about it for years, but the commission itself has had no spine to do anything about it.
And just for good measure Hernandez threw a red herring into the mix. He ordered Jimbo's to clean up the place and come into code compliance or be shut down, although no one is quite sure what the zoning on Jimbo's is.
I agree that the place could use a little cleanup, but this is Hernandez and it is not about cleanup. It's about harassment. He could have just as easily sent a city official over and had a talk with Jimmy to see what could be done and worked it out quietly. With his arbitrary move Hernandez might have opened a can of worms that he cannot close. And considering the fact that he might not be city manager much longer as mayoral candidate Tomas Regalado, leading in the polls, has vowed to get rid of Hernandez.
What Hernandez doesn't seem to know is that Jimbo's, owned by Jimmy Luznar, and his shrimp boats were a fixture at the old docks behind the property when the Miami Herald bulding sits. The city wanted to redevelop the property in 1954 and summarily ran Jimbo's off without even a kiss. Unfortunately for the city, many of the area's heavy hitter politicians, lawyers, businessmen and movers and shakers bought their bait from Jimbo's before heading out into the ocean for a day's fishing. They were none too pleased when their favorite bait shop was run off by the city.
A group of attorneys, one of whom was the late U. S. Senator George Smathers took the city to task and after several legal rounds where the city was slapped silly, agreed to let Jimbo's set up shop where they are today on Virginia Key. The other part of the deal was that Jimbo's would be give the first shot at a lease on Watson Island when the city developed that property.
That was 1954. 55 years later, Watson Island sits mostly undeveloped. I guess Jimbo's hasn't gotten the call from the city about their new lease on Watson Island.
Jack King
15 comments:
Jack & Eye On Miami: Thanks for all of your help in speaking out for our beloved Jimbo's.
Possible Solutions To Jimbo's Dilemma With $5 Toll Booth Entrance Fee To Virginia Key. There is no need for a Toll Booth and operator.
I doubt that he has much to do all day and doesn’t even collect enough to pay his own salary.
1. Move Toll Booth to entrance of beach parking lot and only charge those wishing to attend the beach.
2. Remove Toll Both and don’t charge fee, just like there is no charge to use beach on Rickenbacker Causeway or even Miami Beach.
3. Have Jimbo’s provide some kind of validation stamp that reduces the parking fee or returns the fee to the person upon departure.
Remember, Saturday, November 14th, Jimbo's friends are meeting at the toll gate at the Virginia Key Road to show there support and help clean up. If you want to help in this civil and polite demonstration, pass the word that it's time for all good friends of Jimbo to stand up and be counted.
Bring a sign. Bring lawyers, guns and money. Call your friends, call your city commissioners. Call the mayor and city manager. Let them know you support Jimbo's right to operate his business.
Event: Stand Up For Jimbo - Stop The $5 Fee
Date: Saturday, November 14, 2009
Time: noon to 1pm
Location: Virginia Key Toll Booth
Suggestion: Bring a sign that says "Save Jimbo's" or "No Fee For Jimbo's"
Afterwards: Volunteer Cleanup
Jimbo's friends will volunteer to clean up the area around the shrimp shack and have a small celebration. Food and drinks will be provided by sponsors.
For any questions please conctact:
Robert A. Burr
rob@robertburr.com
Joe Sanchez will save Jimbo's! He has fought against Manny for years
If the City insists on collecting $5 for going to Jimbo's then the City should clean up the mess around Jimbo's. I've always wondered why there wasn't any maintenance in surrounding areas.
I implore everyone to go out and vote.
Jimbo's is not what it used to me, now there are more drunks then ever and the place is a pig sty. Yes, worse than ever. Jimbo is hardly there, it is run by the intoxicated staff. There are squatters everywhere, living there without facilities. The cute Bahamian (brightly colored) shacks are fallen in. No more photo shoots. Go there. Maybe with the $5 the city will clean it up. It is an accident waiting to happen.
Jack's year may be incorrect. I recall the mid to late 60's that Jimbo moved to its current site.
The north beach next to Jimbos is litter and trash free. Jimbos area needs some refuse removal around the shack as well as the channel into the harbor. It never looked this bad until recently. Since Jimbo pays no rent or fees to the city, the least he should do is keep the area clean and safe.
Doesn't Jimbos end once Jimbo dies? The man is in his 80s, any changes can wait.
Changes can wait? The lagoon is for Manatees not feces.
Jimbos is a dump. Obviously he does not care for nature and obviously he does not care for beautiful Virginia Key. There is graffiti covering every surface and the place just looks like a dump.
It appears Jimbos is just another squatter looking for something for nothing.
Isn't it amazing how Pete Hernandez' trained pack of thugs pop to offer an opinion to bolster their criminal master's position. But the fact is that Hernandez is overstepping his authority by issuing a directive in direct contradiction to the laws enacted by the commission.
I do not work for Pete Hernandez but I have seen Jimbos and Jimbos is a dump. Obviously Jimbos has no pride for the place to have gotten so disgusting.
By the way, the City of Miami is broke. $300,000 per year firemen don't ya know. So the City needs every penny it can find.
Anonymous; since you don't have a name, your assurances have no value. As far as the world is concerned you could BE Hernandez.
Jimbo's being a dump is not relevant to the discussion. Adherence to the law is the topic of the conversation. Hernadez' lack of regard for due process is unacceptable.
"It appears Jimbos is just another squatter looking for something for nothing."
He had other land and was moved to the current location, so not exactly something for nothing.
However, how many heroin addicts live in that camper now?
Who is inspecting Jimbos?
The DEA? Health Department?
I do think that by working in a team, it will make it easier for you. The passion moves away from you and to the team of writers, the hate will move with it. Being a part of a groupblog would be a good solution.
Post a Comment