Wednesday, November 27, 2013

We Don't Care How Handsome You Are: We Ain't Payin' for Your Soccer Stadium Dave. By Geniusofdespair

I don't care how good you look in your underwear, we aren't paying!!! We already paid for that crappy baseball stadium. We are done
Proposed site of stadium.

This is a bad idea on several fronts:

The port needs revenue clearly the group proposing the stadium will want a lower than market rate land lease -- or worse -- FREE LAND. It is not the highest and best use of this land which would have and should have a more commercial utilization to maximize potential revenue to the port.

The recent downgrading of the port bonds underscores the fact that they need to look at maximizing revenue not utilizing land in this manner.

Public-sector just spent over $1 billion building the port tunnel for the most part to lessen impact of traffic this will only exacerbate the traffic going in and out of the port. I assume most of the games will be played on weekends the very time when thousands of people will also be trying to access the port to get on cruise ships. Parking also will become problematic as people try to access both the soccer games and parking for cruises. If parking and traffic congestion becomes too much of a problem along with accessing the port for cruises -- it's very easy for the cruise lines to redeployed their ships to other ports north of the port of Miami ..therefore losing revenue as opposed to maximizing revenue.

Now add to the stadium and the cruise traffic two new museums ..a potential Genting casino ..alongside potential events at the performing arts Center,the American Airlines Arena and Bayfront Park and you have a traffic/parking cataclysm -- maybe the first in the world.

Did I mention we weren't paying for it David? Beckham, my advice to you, take it to Broward...although an autographed shirt would go a long way with my nephew Michael (another soccer superstar) and might convince me to not write about it -- are you listening lobbyists.

Gimleteye loves soccer, I see a fight on my hands.

38 comments:

Anonymous said...

Notice how all the existing stadiums, FIU, Sun Life, etc are not good enough. They just assume that the public will pick up the dime. Based on past experience of course.

Anonymous said...

It's not about a soccer stadium, its about the condo hotels, mega-yacht marina and surrounding casino. He's just the latest Music Man to show up. The Port land was the County's idea, I'm sure, to shore up the Port's debt-ridden finances and create traffic (and tolls) for the Port Tunnel we couldn't afford. Get with the program.

Anonymous said...

Dear Soccer Dude: Here in Miami we are facing a catastrophe known as Climate Change Sea Level Rise. Sorry you missed the WLRN series on it. It is a tale of a drowning foretold. Putting your thingy on a spit of fill in the middle of Biscayne Bay is a bad idea.

Anonymous said...

Forgive my ignorance, but can one play professional soccer in a baseball stadium?

Anonymous said...

According to the Herald article, Juan Zapata wants to give away County Owned land next to FIU which I think is outside the UDB. It didn't mention the exact location so I am assuming because I don't know what other land is next to FUI is available other then that section.

Dear BCC - don't do it. 30K soccer fans aren't going to make up for the debt downgrade, which will get worse.

The funny thing is, the GOP wants Obama to cut spending and not raise the debt ceiling yet our BCC keeps kicking the can down the road with our bond debt, making it worse at a local level then the National if you were to really look at the number. But, that would mean the BCC would have to learn how to do math and understand bonds aren't free. The hypocrisy is amazing.

Geniusofdespair said...

Moody's just lowered the outlook for Dade County --- it's in the paper today.

Anonymous said...

I can count on one finger the amount of people I know who like Soccer.

Anonymous said...

Town and Country Mall on Kendall Drive would be an ideal location for a soccer stadium, why cram everything in downtown?

Anonymous said...

Why don't they built it off of Krome Ave. & Kendall Dr. on the Brown property, across the street from the Cemex mining on the Shoma Homes site. Or, do this stadium instead of the build it they will never come Parkland development in between and next to all that land owned by DR Horton on Krome......The possibilities are endless. Then the soccer fans during off times could hang in the 8 1/2 sq. mile area to watch illegal cock & pit bull fighting, and give Alice Pena a thank you note for her eggs which can be used to throw at opposing team fans. See, that will work just great.

Anonymous said...

Anon:
You mean the "number" of people you can count.

Anonymous said...

Miami is known around the world as a schemers paradise. If Beckham knew anything about Miami he would stay miles away. I suspect the Miami schemers approached him. Somebody needs to warn that dude he's in for massive trouble. Shaq could tell him that.

Anonymous said...

Bay-bee! Welcome to da 3 0 5!

Anonymous said...

There are a number of problems with this site that would have to be overcome: conflicts with Port masterplan, and County's development masterplan, the original legal charter for Port would never allow it, numerous other legal, environmental, traffic, parking issues, and port demand for limited acreage. Nevertheless with the political machine with commission/mayoral political funding/lobbyist hiring, being what it is, not to mention Port Director-to-be corrupt Juan Kuryla, the taxpayers of Miami-Dade should prepare for another royal shafting.

Anonymous said...

You can bet scheming, corrupt Port Director-to-be Juan Kuryla is involved in this: he schemed to get himself a massive County Director's salary while the current Port Director remains in his job and while all other employees get cuts. Kuryla's background includes reassignment from his Public Works post to a remote field location because of improprieties, personal bankruptcy, coworker love affair leading to divorce, shady dealings with potential port vendors and clients resulting in Inspector General investigation, an embarrassing episode in Dubai on County business, inability to show up for work before 10am, aggressive behavior toward law enforcement at traffic stops and other unstable episodes. He is favored by this administration and commission because of his ability to cater to their needs, including numerous junkets to foreign locations using a $500,000port budget item. The 2014 Port budget also includes a $5million item for payment in a legal judgment against the County for a judges ruling that the Port of Miami has a way of doling certain business permits illegally protecting incumbents -- ``creating a handful of entrenched privileged companies". The judge said evidence showed other ``established, qualified, competent and trustworthy,'' companies were denied permits even as some incumbents who didn't use their permits received automatic renewals. Kuryla works the backchannels and selection process, where privileged insiders are awarded business while those who are not tied into the system of lobbyists, commissioner aides and certain County staff are denied.

miaexile said...

It's another head shaker moment in Miami - Dade! The traffic situation today is already awful going into downtown from any angle! Why can't they use Sun Life stadium? Seems a perfect fit for the tri-county area fans!

Gimleteye said...

Yes I love soccer, and I've blogged on the David Beckham experience …

Anonymous said...

Look, we just want to make our money while the getting is good! You guys will be left holding the bag and we will be gone, gone, gone . . .

Anonymous said...

Wait a sec! How can there be left over acreage for such frivolity as a soccer stadium at the Port when tax payers have paid hundreds of millions to expand the Port for the coming age of super freighters from the expanded Panama Canal? Remember the breathless prediction from County officials about Miami capitalizing on world markets/free trade extravanza? A new Singapore? Wasn't it just last week the Mayor touted as much? Were we sold a bill of goods? What about our investment in new rail lines, a port, tunnel and post Panamax size gantry cranes? Did we change our mind? Is it now soccer that will put us on the map?

Anonymous said...

How about this idea, get Carnival, Royal Caribbean or Norwegian to entirely pay for a stadium and get naming rights forever.

Anonymous said...

PortMiami doesn’t seem like the best place for a 25,000 capacity Soccer Stadium.
Where are they going to park all those cars?
How are cruise ship passengers going to be effected?
How much time will it take Soccer fans to drive in and especially drive out of PortMiami?

outofsight said...

what about port security3/ or have we forgotten about that issue already.
?

Anonymous said...

Marlins! Miami Marlins! Has everyone forgotten the $3 BILLION owed on the bonds to pay for the Marlins Stadium and Garages? The deal were 100% of all revenues go to the privately owned Marlins?

Anonymous said...

Handsome? I would say OK face, average body, and sadly disfigured by tattoos.

Anonymous said...

oh-- and there doesn't seem to be much contained in those $15 briefs, either.

Anonymous said...

Just like bowling pins set to be knocked down.

miaexile said...

how about we take the empty land at the port and create a living memorial for all the innocents lost to GUN violence in MD county? we give the perps 3 meals and a bed for life, don't the victims deserve rememberance?

Anonymous said...

Fill in that unused boat slip just north of the AA Arena and have a soccer stadium next door right in downtown Miami. Putting a soccer venue right downtown will just increase the pressure to develop smarter transit access into, out of and through downtown. Metrorail and Metromover are already in place. Eventually we should ban unauthorized vehicles from entering the urban core...transit and a little walking to all the venues should be encouraged.

Geniusofdespair said...

Do you want to make my blood boil: suggest we should fill in the slip. After spending $60,000,000 on the sea wall do you really want to fill it in?
Why don't we fill in the Everglades too and your bathtub...

Anonymous said...

Such a lack of planning coming from Carlos Gimenez and his lightweight assistants. It was Carlos who encouraged Steve Ross and the Dolphins into scheming to take tax payer dollars to fix up Steve Ross's property. I noticed Carlos never demanded a cut of any profits? Now Carlos and his staff want to hand over more waterfront land? Land that could be used to create full time jobs? Duh.

S. Rice said...

That slip is the last remaining slip of the WW2 Naval base that was located on Biscayne Bay. In WW2, the naval training center and the Key West Naval base were located along the bay. We should be building a memorial/museum to the military that were training and housed in Miami and Miami Beach, not filling-in the very last vestige of our history that reflects the efforts of the brave military during that war.

For you who don't know, over 400 ships were sunk off our shores during WW2.

People sat on their butts on the beaches drinking cocktails from Jacksonville south down the coast.

They actually watched as merchant marine ships burned, like it was some sport. German subs were in the waters off the coast and there are even tales of the crews visiting the Mainland in Miami.

Please leave that slip alone and actually make the effort to tell the story.

Anonymous said...

Re: S. Rice, How about instead of a Bay of Pigs museum next to the AA Arena that the county commission are proposing, A WWII museum highlighting S. FL contribution? My then-19 yo uncle trained on Miami Beach before being shipped to Germany where his B-17 was shot down and he, as the only survivor became a German POW? Training Ammo from that time has been dredged up around Miami Beach, and lots of local submarine spotting went on during the war. I'm sure there is much more of local interest that would fill a museum. The bay of pigs could be a smaller side annex. No disrespect, Just sayin.

Anonymous said...

Our waterfronts, especially our waterfront park land, should be preserved and cherished. All too often some shyster or some promoter from out of town wants to build on our parks BECAUSE THE LAND DOESN"T COST THEM ANYTHING. People, meaning low IQ elected officials, should learn to respect green space.

Anonymous said...

Is the bay of pigs museum the one run by Com. Bovos son?

S Rice said...

I think that slip needs to be recognized... As long as no one knows what it is and the serious wartime contributions of this community, it will always be a target to be filled--- just like the other two were.....

Anonymous with the uncle from WW2 --- can you contact Gensis and give her your email so I can contact you?

Anonymous said...

Any Cuban Museum should be built in Havana just as soon as the Castro's leave. Leave Miami's waterfront pristine and unspoiled.

Anonymous said...

(with uncle from WWII) re: S. Rice, (S.Rice from Air Museum?) don't know Gensis. Uncle from WWII was captured after bombing Munich RR Sta and interrogated. Accused of being traitor of German homeland, because he had German ancestry. There are news articles about him.

Anonymous said...

Soccer Hooligans aka soccer parents and their private clubs in public parks....
November 12, 2013
To Agents of Record, Coaches, Administrators, violence
Over the past six months there have been an unusual high number of reported incidents of spectator misconduct. These incidents include spectator verbal and physical abuse (fighting) between each other and towards the game officials and site personnel. This type of behavior has no place in the game and will not be condoned. This behavior must cease immediately. Since spectators are not registered members of FYSA and at times their identity or team affiliation is not known, FYSA will hold all coaches and managers listed on the game day rosters, individually and jointly responsible for the behavior of all “spectators” identified with their team. Effective immediately, any reported misconduct documented in either a game report or report from a site director, field marshal etc. will result in the entire staff (coaches and manager) of the team as listed on the game roster receiving game(s) suspension. The number of games will be assessed based on the seriousness of the incident. Coach(s), it is your full responsibility to control the spectators. I recommend that all coaches and managers have a heart to heart discussion with your parents and spectators or face the consequences of suspensions. The violence must stop.
Respectfully yours, Marino Torrens President Florida Youth Soccer
http://www.fysa.com/

anonymous said...

They should play at FIU's Stadium. It's a perfect size, brand new, with ample parking, easy access to all the major freeways, and close to the majority of fan base (i.e. young kids and families involved in soccer, large south american communities, etc.). Also, this should keep the ticket prices low because the rent on the stadium would be much lower than funding a new stadium.