‘Stop The Train,’ Residents Chant At Luxury South Beach Condo Tower

Miami-Dade officials held a meeting last week in South Beach on the proposed Metromover extension to the neighborhood, but were faced by opponents who shouted in opposition to the plan.

The county presentation on the Baylink system took place at a luxury South Beach condo tower, according to Miami Herald reporter Doug Hanks.

A video showed residents loudly chanting “stop the train” at the meeting – despite gridlock traffic in the surrounding area on a near daily basis.

Another county Baylink presentation was scheduled at the Miami Beach Public Library in South Beach on February 16, but has been postponed. “As a result of overwhelming community interest in the Baylink project, the allowable capacity at the library was exceeded,” an email from the city said.

A Baylink presentation was also made to the Miami Beach Commission this month, where residents spoke in support of the plan.

According to Better Streets Miami Beach, two Miami Beach commissioners have publicly stated they are against Baylink, while two are in favor.

Among the claims now being made by opponents is that Baylink would better serve employment centers in Miami Beach if routed through mid-Beach. Studies uploaded by Better Streets Miami Beach showed that wouldn’t be the case, however.

 

 

 

 

 

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South Beach resident
7 months ago

BUILD THE TRAIN!

Azarius
7 months ago

South of Fifth residence fear it will bring the poor too close to their doorsteps

Huh?
7 months ago

The poor are already at their doorsteps. Has anyone been to south Miami Beach recently?

Jose
7 months ago

Recently? The poor have always been there.

Angela Perino Sansone
7 months ago

Thank You!

Anonymous
7 months ago

I remember when South of Fifth residents WERE the poor.

Lola
7 months ago

I do remember too. The luxury stopthetrain crowd evicted them. Now they want to evict the youth at the park. Their buildings are fortresses but they want to own the park and the streets too.

Papa ache
7 months ago

Me 2

Angela Perino Sansone
7 months ago

They’re already sleeping on them, so what’s the point. Miami is a dirty city. They should be concerned about cleaning it up.

Andre
7 months ago

Miami is a dirty city compared to? NYC? San Francisco? Los Angeles? Seattle? Las Vegas? I don’t know what Miami you live in but you should lay off the hallucinogenic’s

Armie Gonzalez
7 months ago

All cities have a dirty side
NY has the rats Miami has cockroaches!

Anonymous
7 months ago

NY has both. Haven’t seen either in Miami thankfully.

Anonimato
7 months ago

It’s not south of fifth . It’s mostly the condo tower by the entrance to south beach whose residents don’t want to see the train go by past their pool deck and windows …. Lol

Armie Gonzalez
7 months ago

They are already there!

Miami City Gays
7 months ago

The traffic should subside once Miami opens gay bars in downtown and Brickell. It seems they go to Miami Beach for the gay scene but many of them live in Brickell Downtown and Midtown

Downtowner
7 months ago

Yes, please. Would someone open a gay bar on the mainland!? We want it.

I’ll open one!
7 months ago

I’ll open one!

YAS Miami
7 months ago

Near Coral Way or the new River District in Brickell, these are great up-and-coming parts of Brickell that would thrive with more activity. There are also so many parts of downtown that could be another great spot. Why open just one? We could have a few with the amount of interest here.

Angela Perino Sansone
7 months ago

🤣❤

Anonymous
7 months ago

Back in the day every neighborhood in Miami Dade had a gay spot or twi. I miss that so much.

Gay Downtown / Brickell
7 months ago

So do we! Miami used to have so many gay clubs and hangout bars on the mainland. I heard Brickell had one. We end up just going to straight places now most the time because Miami Beach and Wilton Manor are kind of far.

Jaime
7 months ago

Yes built the train period

Anonymous
7 months ago

These people are insane. We desperately need the Metromover extension to South Beach and we also need it to run through Miami Beach from south to north.

Bruno
7 months ago

We?
Need?

Why?
Miami Beach is as close to.100% hotel occupancy as any city in the USA. It may come as a surprise (or maybe no one thinks deeply anymore), but people manage to find and visit Miami Beach without difficulty.

They have been finding a way to arrive in Miami Beach for over 3 decades.

You may WANT a train, or a pony, or a Golden Ticket, but is not a NEED.

One more lane bro
7 months ago

“Thinking deeply” = everything is fine as it is and nobody should want or need to change or improve anything. Truly conservative.

Angela Perino Sansone
7 months ago

That Deep south Hillbilly Florida Man mindset has to go. Build the ducking train and get better means of public transportation and just grow, grow grow. Stop stifling Miami from becoming great.

Victor
7 months ago

They’re the same close minded folks stiffling growth in Brickell because some legislative thing decades ago.

Way back in the last century, the legislatures thought an overhead “track” would divide a neighborhood, they probably looked at a 2D map and didn’t realize the height haha.

WhereS in every other city a metro stop is the central gathering point. In many backwards parts of Florida people would never ever cross over a railroad track and someone must have seen this track as a barrier to community interaction. They didn’t realize it’s an above ground attraction and would become a vibrant park. I saw young people all dressed up playing ping pong at the Underline this weekend.

It’s such an outdated and ignorant policy to want to use aboverail as borders. It doesn’t work in reality because people walk across them. Above ground rail systems do not divide neighborhoods, they become the center of them!

Choo Choo
7 months ago

Never stopped them from building new highways lol

Abba
7 months ago

Comparing highways to the tracks used for rail is in fact, worse than comparing apples to oranges. You failed.

Bruno
7 months ago

Hold up…
Brickell is NOT growing? Do you have any evidence of that, or just imagining things?

Bruce
7 months ago

Brickell IS growing, but not as robustly as it would probably if the DDA expanded its zone and the city/county didn’t try to negatively rebrand some parts as being separate (which isn’t working, but creates confusion.) There are three cranes with new buildings going up, mix of luxury residential, school, retail, restaurants and office space. There’s many plans for super talls one broke ground recently. Brickell IS growing and there are still about a dozen tear down unsalvageable structures that will probably be purchased and redeveloped soon.

Bruno
7 months ago

No, thinking deeply means evaluating ideas respectfully and thoughtfully.

Many people opposed to the government train have thoughtful reasons why they don’t want the government train traversing the McArthur Causeway to the barrier island.

They are not “insane”.
Miami Beach does not “desperately need” a train.

If people WANT a train, how much will it cost?
Who is going to pay for it?
What if the costs are far more than the benefits?

Bruce
7 months ago

Create a ferry to Jose Martí Park and test ridership and fee structure. Then decide how to proceed.

Anonymous
7 months ago

You’re arguing with children. Their world does not extend past their noses and they don’t have enough real world experience to understand how the real world works or how to grasp the real world scenarios you have presented. All they know is GimmieGimmieGimmie.

Anonymous
7 months ago

You’re arguing with tax payers that are seeing money taken taken taken. We just want the services owed to us.

That’s why we have a county and city government…

anon
7 months ago

the cost of building a train is substanially less than millions of people riding around in their own private car. common sense

Ex-Londoner resident in 33132
7 months ago

I moved to downtown Miami 21 years ago…they were talking/studying a metromover to South Beach then! It’s all talk and no effing action.

Bruno
7 months ago

That’s about right.
The people of Miami Beach put it on a ballot, and voted against the government train back then.

About 21 years ago,
Proponents said we NEED a government train, or Miami Beach won’t grow.
Opponents said, BS….we don’t NEED a government train to grow.

The facts and evidence stare anyone with open eyes in the face.

Miami Beach has grown better, with incredible parks like South Pointe Park, a Boardwalk extending from one end-to-end the other, a world class Convention Center, New World Symphony Park, etc etc etc. All without the Government train.

Cooke
7 months ago

Bruno, you’re missing a few marbles if you think a few nice landmarks is anything of value is comparison to SEVERAL causeways that get packed and backed up for any event Miami Beach hosts. Unlike you all living in your towers that probably sip cocktails in your pool on a Tuesday afternoon. Some of us have to actually earn a living with our the old fashioned way and commute into the beach. (Because the price to live there is too damn high)

As someone who almost lost his job in McArthur Casey traffic (yes I leave early) I think the BayLink would be genius. Wake up and smell the coffee -Miami Beach is now becoming an area that’s less desirable to commute to for work because of the traffic. Residents love the business the hotels and restaurants bring in but don’t want to allow ease for people working in those establishments to get there.

Something’s gotta give!!!

Dana
7 months ago

Why doesn’t Miami Beach just develop more affordable housing units so people don’t have to commute? People who work in mainland Miami usually live close by in the City of Miami because the beach is further away.

Kokomo
7 months ago

Dana… if they don’t want transit going into Miami Beach, do you really think they’ll be gung ho about affordable housing?

Affordable Housing in Miami Beach
7 months ago

They don’t have a choice. Or maybe they do metro line or affordable housing. They’re crazy not to want both. Every community in Miami must have affordable housing nearby, otherwise we just get ghetto neighborhoods if we cluster it all together. If they are integrated right you wouldn’t even know the difference, it just elevates the entire community and studies show it raises property values.

Sam Cooke
7 months ago

Plenty of moderately priced apartments along Meridian. Find and rent one.

Anonimato
7 months ago

You are wrong ! Residents voted for it!! Check your facts. Everybody wants the baylink except for the residents in the tower at the entrance to south beach who can’t objectively say yes because the train will pass by their pool deck.

Anonimato
7 months ago

It’s criminal ! Miami Dade residents voted for it in 2002. There must be some kind of mafia trying to delay it since!

Lola
7 months ago

They have chauffeurs that drive them in their Bentleys. Now they just need robots to make good chauffeurs and good butlers.

Anonimato
7 months ago

“These people” are the residents of the tower at the entrance to south beach . The train will go past their pool deck and windows ….. everybody else wants the bay link! It’s the only missing piece to make the Miami metropolitan area a world class city!

Anonymous
7 months ago

We need the Metromover extended to Midtwon, Wynwood also

Melo, the true giga chad
7 months ago

Tram is better and cheaper

Choo Choo
7 months ago

Metromover is better b/c of grade seperation

Pol
7 months ago

yes and west to little Havana via Flagler st.

FreeFlorida
7 months ago

We have waited way too long for this. Traffic is horrible and it will only get worse we need this train. They have don’t several studies dating back to the 1980s it is about time they build this thing. It will make Miami and Miami Beach a better place to live.

Benny?
7 months ago

We?

Juan
7 months ago

Embarrassing and shameless. These are the type of folks who hold Florida back with their “F you, I got mines” mentality.

Brickell Anon
7 months ago

Like the Brickell Bay crew that don’t want to help other parts of Brickell as they are being developed and refined.

Anonimato
7 months ago

It’s only the residents of the icon tower at the entrance to south beach ! The train will go by their pool deck! Everybody wants baylink!!! We voted for it in 2002 and have been eagerly waiting for it!

City Real Estate
7 months ago

Get over it! Many luxury condos have rail next to the pool deck, and they sell for big money. It raises property value to have a metro nearby.

Anonymous
7 months ago

NIMBYism at its best.

Anons
7 months ago

If anyone should be NIMBY it’s Downtown and Brickell. We have more to lose by having access to transient party goers and homelessness from Miami Beach to nicer parts of Miami City.

That said, I can see it being successful if done nicely, with a fee to ride, and Miami Beach leads and funds for the project.

Kitty W.
7 months ago

Fools.

Anon
7 months ago

I have lived on the beach for over 20 years, The stop the train crowd is ridiculous. During the pandemic, South Beach was probably one of the most crime ridden neighborhoods in the whole county. (national headlines were disgraceful) The train will benefit primarily the hotel and restaurant staff that are critical to the beach’s economy. In addition to the tourists going downtown for Heat games, etc. After every game, the buses going back to Sobe are above capacity. County needs to move ahead with projects ASAP.

Based Knower
7 months ago

The metromover doesn’t have the capacity to move meaningful numbers of people anyways.

Lola
7 months ago

and the students that go to UM and FIU, and the elderly who do not drive. Everybody!

Anon
7 months ago

We need to watch over our elderly. I’m so happy to see elderly affordable units being built right now in our community in Brickell. We should have more like this by the bay and downtown and all over Miami.

Anonymous
7 months ago

Put the broke oldsters in Gables Estates and Key Biscayne on taxpayer dime while you’re at it. Also, buy me a new Corvette while you’re at it. I’m a swell guy too, ya know. Have a heart. Signal that virtue.

Yo NIMBYS
7 months ago

If they can be in Brickell on tax payer dime they can be anywhere. Don’t be so callous. Don’t put them all in one spotS it’s a huge problem to fix now.

Yo Adrian
7 months ago

They shouldn’t be on Brickell with tax assistance, yep that’s the point

Bandit
7 months ago

My favorite part of their BS argument is the “undesirables” part. Because the idiots with their insanely loud mufflers speeding, blasting music or driving drunk are super desirable.

Desirable
7 months ago

Miami Beach already has a huge population of undesirables. I’m afraid they would be coming from the beach to Brickell or Downtown. I’d support if Miami Beach pays and make sure it’s nice.

BeachResident
7 months ago

It’s also full of mentally ill homeless people hanging about.

Anon
7 months ago

These folks are are the vocal
minority. Let’s not let them hijack the conversation. If you live/work in miami beach let your reps know you support Baylink.

Bruno
7 months ago

No they are not a vocal minority.
The train was brought to a vote when I lived there over 15 years ago.

Miami-Dade County tried to ram this down Miami Beach residents throats then, and the majority of MB residents voted no.

Anonymous
7 months ago

do these fools understand its not a train….and like it or not its absolutely necessary and long long overdue

Anonymous
7 months ago

comment image

anonymous
7 months ago

Stop the stupidity!

Anonymous
7 months ago

If they don’t want it, then extend it to Wynwood first.

Anon
7 months ago

no – sobe needs this badly

Miami
7 months ago

If SoBe needs it, SoBe should pay for it.

Bruno
7 months ago

Sobe does not need it, nor do the voters want it. They certainly do not want to pay for it.

Miami Beach resident
7 months ago

Build the train!!!

Melo is sigma and Chad
7 months ago

Just ignore them and build it

Progress
7 months ago

Its time for action! Miami beach needs this, and even expand it all the way up on Miami Beach.This train project should have started yesterday – start building!!!!!!

Anons of Miami
7 months ago

Miami Beach should want to pay for it and the City of Miami should allow it as long as it’s nice, quiet, and fast.

Not Anonymous
7 months ago

I hate NIMBYS. May they be forever stuck in traffic.

Melo, the true giga chad
7 months ago

They’re retired, so they cruise in their Bentleys during working hours, not rush hour. Which is why they don’t care! Lol

Yo NIMBYS
7 months ago

They also sit on this site and post NIBYISM all day. It’s a pain and damaging to the city.

Anon
7 months ago

The train was there first.

Gerard Moeller
7 months ago

I’m a resident of South Beach and I say BUILD THAT TRAIN ASAP!!!

Another South Beach Resident
7 months ago

BUILD THE TRAIN!!! These people don’t speak for most of us

Downtowner
7 months ago

I just gotta say something because people are making ignorant comments about tax dollars. This is the COUNTY’s project, NOT the City of Miami’s project, nor the City of Miami Beach’s project. All cities are part of Miami-Dade County. Therefore, it’s not MIAMI taxes paying for transit to MIAMI BEACH. Please inform yourselves about Greater Miami and its different jurisdictions before making uninformed comments.

The Truth
7 months ago

Name another supposedly “global” city and supposed “economic hub” anywhere in the world that has as little public transit as Miami.

I’ll wait…

This city won’t reach its full potential until there is viable public transit.

Plantain Town
7 months ago

MiMo District 2.0.
“We are white and rich, we don’t want the masses near us”
Obviously, Our elected commissioners will comply with their claims.

Anonymous
7 months ago

Leave race out of this.

Nick
7 months ago

Basically yes… and people wonder why public transportation sucks in Florida

Anon
7 months ago

the masses have been all over the last 3 years – the Stop the train crowd is clueless

ParkingHater
7 months ago

Suck on my automated mover

anonymous
7 months ago

I’m a taxpayer of City of Miami and this train extension purely benefits South Beach only. i could care less if the traffic is eased so people can get to the entertainment or convention center. If they dont want it than lets take the money and extend the metromover all the way into Midtown/design district/edgewater.

Anonymous
7 months ago

You kidding? Imagine all the tourist who will easily be able to come to Miami and spend money here instead of the beach. It benefits both and the cost should shared equally.

Downtowner
7 months ago

Miami has its own pool of refined tourism that is growing on its own, maybe it doesn’t want it to be the kind of touristic hub that Miami Beach has become. We could maybe agree if Miami Beach pays for it.

Bruno
7 months ago

All of the hotel occupancy/ADR/RevPAR data suggests that tourists are easily coming to Miami Beach.

Should taxpayers from Sweetwater pay taxes to make it easier-er to get to 110% occupancy on Miami Beach?

Or is the idea to get more tourists to raise the prices so young and poor people get priced out of the market?

Anonymous
7 months ago

I think we need the extension to the beach AND Midtown etc. why pick one over the other?

Miami Tax Payer
7 months ago

Agree! I am also a tax payer for the city of Miami, and I think Miami should not have a fiscal role in this, aside from having a say in efficiency and aesthetic.* It’s primarily a Miami Beach enhancement.

The few times I’ve gone to Miami Beach there has been NO traffic. There is worst traffic in northern Miami that needs to be addressed by improving and promoting luxury development around existing metro movers, like in Riverside.

The country needs to take a step into the city to help with public facing parts of these developments that would ease up traffic and improving our roadways in and around the city!

Anon
7 months ago

I have looked for parking on Miami Beach for an hour+ more than once. The traffic here is some of the worst in the country, it’s becoming borderline embarrassing on the national stage.

Miami’s transit is a joke full stop. Build the damn train.

BeachResident
7 months ago

I live in Miami Beach. Aside from driving at 2 am or so on a Sunday, there is NEVER “No traffic.” This is especially true during events like Art Basel, Winter Music Festival, causeway accidents, DUI checkpoints, NYE, spring break, etc., I get that you want the train in your neighborhood, but don’t be dishonest about our own situation.

Miami Lifer
7 months ago

We have the train in our neighborhood but the city and county aren’t doing enough to bring higher end development to our metro area or improve these systems.

I’m sure you’re right, we have crazy traffic in Miami too. Instead of refining the metro areas it seemed that the city focused on adding luxury resort developments away from them… that’s been the MO throughout Florida since forever, but Miami is now a metropolitan city rather than a resort town. Now they are realizing that was not sustainable and are refining the metro areas and building extensions.

Bruno
7 months ago

The City of Miami portion of your property taxes has nothing to do with Miami-Dade County Public Transportation.

(For you new to market people..)There is no City of Miami income tax.

Bruce
7 months ago

So we pay a lot of county property taxes but if we live in an urban neighborhood with no DDA and just walk everywhere we never see the benefit of those taxes? Those taxes get dispersed to a broad gov that may not even live here? It makes me so sad that there may not be any public funding for where we live… How do we know if our neighborhood will ever get public facing improvements or if our community is being managed and maintained?

Help Tax Collectors
7 months ago

Why do we pay county property taxes and not city property taxes?

I think anyone living in the city should only pay city property taxes. The county has such different interests than the city. I feel like I’m paying property taxes to a gov that doesn’t represent me and is out improving far away suburbs rather than the city. Why would the county overstep and lead the city? It’s like taxation without representation!!! Hopefully my concern is unwarranted, but please let me know!?

Anonymous
7 months ago

I told you guys there would be resistance to this, whether right or wrong.

Melo, the true giga chad
7 months ago

hahahahahahaha hahahahahaha ahahahah.

AKA we don’t want poor people coming to miami beach

KevinNash92
7 months ago

They should be protesting at the airports then. Or better yet, right there on Ocean Drive during Urban Beach Weekend. But they’ll never do that since they are cowards. This whole anti-train anti-Miami stunt is just a circlejerk for them to smell each others smug farts.

Anonymous
7 months ago

Truly poor people don’t take airplane flights or vacations.

A duck who flew from Miami Lakes
7 months ago

Alright provide the funding for the Midtown extension then

Robert
7 months ago

If you live anywhere other than the Omni, your “train ride” is anything but quick. BRICKELL residents will first have to walk to a station, wait for a train, transfer to the Omni loop, than go past 4-7 stops before they land on 5th street, another transfer to their final destination. Times that by 2 for both coming and going.

Weather
Commercial users have no benefit
Multiple stops no benefit
Elderly won’t use
These cars have few seats and go 20 mph at best
$2,000,000,000 to build
$25,000,000 annually to operate
1600 people per day use the airport station
Dozens of other cities have seen nothing but big promises and little results after spending billions.

Nice idea but it’s not going to reduce congestion, will likely make it worse

Darren
7 months ago

Ageee! We need a smart high speed rail that goes straight to Brickell, or a 24/7 iconic Ferry stop at Jose Martí Park