Miami

Center of Controversy

The community center at Little Haiti Park will bear the name of Arthur Teele Jr.

By Angie Hargot

The Miami City Commission voted Thursday to rename Little Haiti Park’s future community center after the late Commissioner Arthur Teele Jr., who is credited with securing more than $22 million to build it.

In 2005, Teele fatally shot himself in the lobby of the Miami Herald building, amid a swarm of controversy surrounding allegations that he accepted roughly $100,000 in contractor bribes as chairman of the city’s community redevelopment agency and a conviction for threatening a police officer that was overturned after he died.

Residents suggested the initiative to District 5 Commissioner Michelle Spence-Jones, who then proposed the measure to the commission on April 24.

“I wanted to thank all of the district commissioners for joining us … for the grand opening of the park [on April 26],” Spence-Jones said Thursday. “It was truly, truly a wonderful celebration, and I’m glad that you guys were a part of that.”

The commission also voted unanimously to rename the park’s soccer field after Haitian soccer player Emmanuel ‘Manno’ Sanon, whom Commissioner Joe Sanchez described as “one of Haiti’s greatest soccer players.”

Comments? E-mail angie@miamisunpost.com