Thursday, September 05, 2013

Has Anyone Heard from City of Miami Manager Johnny Martinez And What is Going on With Parcel B? By Geniusofdespair



City Manager Johnny Martinez suffered a minor stroke in early July and was expected back at work soon. Not yet. Anyone know how he is doing?

PARCEL B: Waterfront of American Airlines Arena (was supposed to be Soccer Fields).


According to Miami Today: Vacant county land beside American Airlines Arena, targeted in the past for many uses, is now central in talks of a Cuban Exile History Museum.

"A series of substantive, detailed and prolonged discussions" of the Cuban museum concept have been ongoing with Miami-Dade County and other officials, a county resolution states.

The use is planned for county commission discussion Sept. 17. It's the first formal plan for the site since the county studied a Bay of Pigs Library and Museum there in 2008.
When the county, the City of Miami and Miami Heat owners the Arison family cut an arena deal in November 1996, materials seeking voter approval on land use showed the site as parkland, including soccer fields. But the land never became park — or anything else.

The Heat Group retained development rights, paying the county $175,000 a year for the rights as it planned retail stores and an amphitheater and sought a retail partner.
 In Committee Audrey Edmonson wanted no park. She "asked the county's Recreation and Cultural Affairs Committee to again look away from park use and add to a cluster of new museums along the waterfront that includes science and arts museums just to the north. The committee, however, did not meet because it lacked a quorum." That is bizarre. Has she been to Bicentennial Park lately?

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

The county pays $6.4 million on the American Airlines Arena operating costs. Heat Profits never hit the threshold of profit sharing in the bad deal negotiated by the county. How much more successful could a team be? That money would go a long way in constituent services. The Heat should donate it to the County.

Anonymous said...

How many museums can we have? They already have a history and art museum in Bicentennial Park. Why not add another floor to the history museum for Cuban history? How about a Syrian history museum? Or a Nigerian history museum (sorry we already have that). People come here for sun and surf not to be in a stuffy museum.

Anonymous said...

Miami: The Detroit of the South.

Anonymous said...

Parcel B is Alex Penelas' broken promise. It needs to be exactly what was sold to Miami Dade County: soccer fields. This town is a horror.

Anonymous said...

Johnny Martinez is superfluous to running the city. He was always a figurehead. The real City Manager is Regalado. I wish Johnny well in his recovery.

Anonymous said...

Johnny Martinez never did anything without Tomas Regalado's permission. Danny Alfonso is doing well as the Interim Manager. Johnny Martinez can stay home collecting his $250,000 annual pay and benefit plan AND he can continue to let the taxpayers pay for all his medical expenses. Johnny looks forward to getting fat retirement checks, like all City of Miami employees.

Anonymous said...

Honestly -- they will never get a referendum passed again if this kind of bait and switch goes on .... YUCK

Anonymous said...

Now the Miami Heat want to take Parcel B, which was promised as a soccer field, and give it to some broke Cubans. For another broke museum. Barf.

Kiki said...

I cannot believe that Danny Alfonso is the acting city manager. It was a little more than a decade ago when he was a county transit revenue collector. He wore a little uniform and picked up coins from MTA buses. But then he found his way into the George Burgess crony corps and "voila!" ... he has been promoted from job to job ever since without the inconvenience of actually applying for a posted job or going through a competitive interview process like the rest of us do.

If you have any wonder why our local governments make stupid decisions and are rife with corruption, look at the system of cronyism that they use to hire their incompetent executives.

Anonymous said...

Johnny Martinez deserves everything coming his way!

Anonymous said...

Johnny Martinez is scared of his own shadow. He refuses to stand up for the citizens. He has yet to say No to a lobbyist. He won't use the mens room without Regalado's permission.