Miami Mayor Francis Suarez is reportedly planning a commission meeting this week on the Miami Freedom Park project.
The meeting is scheduled for on March 10 at 2:30 PM. As of today (March 8), the city still hasn’t published the agenda, terms, or proposed legislation.
If commissioners do approve, the property will be turned over in a no-bid deal (without allowing competing bids from other developers).
Here are some of the issues still to be addressed:
- Why not publicly publish the terms of the deal prior to the commission meeting?
- The developers are proposing to pay just $3.57 million in rent (plus a small revenue percentage) with strict caps on increases, on a property said to be valued at $200-$250 million. In addition, Miami property values have increased significantly since it was last appraised in 2018, so is it enough?
- City law requires parkland to be replaced. How will this be accomplished?
- Will the Federal Aviation Administration and Miami-Dade County approve a soccer stadium next to the airport, and if not will the developers still end up keeping the land?
- Why build a development that will likely create significant traffic next to the airport, which is already heavily congested?
Here is a link to a website by the developers who are promoting the project.
