There’s been a lot of criticism and second-guessing aimed at the incoming chairman-elect of the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau, Don Peebles, relating to his public/private Royal Palm Hotel deal with the City of Miami Beach. One has to wonder if the two Beach commissioners who have been the most critical, Saul Gross and Simon Cruz, are just suffering from a case of lingering sour grapes.

Back in the mid 1990’s when Peebles first responded to the city’s RFP to develop an African-American owned convention-style hotel, both Gross and Cruz were consultants and/or lobbyists for two competing developers also vying for that $10 million plus subsidy.

The city’s selection committee and commission both voted to award the deal to Peebles, leaving the two developers that Gross and Cruz were working for not too happy.

It wasn’t just Gross and Cruz who were competing for those big bucks being offered by the city to build the hotel. Craig Robins was also a consultant for one of the competitors and Michael Milberg was a lobbyist for Peebles. Milberg then became the lightning rod for all of those back and forth allegations between former mayor Neisen O. Kasdin and Peebles. You figure.

Speaking of Michael Milberg, the controversial lobbyist must be a little on edge over the Security Exchange Commission’s probe into that bond sale at Mount Sinai. Betcha a hundred nickels that Milberg is hoping the SEC never views the tape of the commission meeting when his involvement as a lobbyist in the bond deal was disclosed, causing a tumult that bounced from the dais to the hospital board room. In a surprising twist, Neisen O. Kasdin declared a conflict of interest at the meeting and it was later reported that the lobbying controversy got Milberg canned from the deal.  

The Maison Grande hosted a gathering of the Condo Alliance where a number of issues, including the BayLink, were discussed. In a show of hands, only three or four of the eighty residents in attendance were in favor of the Baylink. The Alliance also announced it would be endorsing candidates in the next Miami Beach election. 

The City of Miami Beach’s Neighborhood Services Department held a community meeting at Biscayne Elementary School to address quality of life issues. The one issue that seemed to be of most concern was the possibility of the 63^rd Street flyover coming down. The city representative told the residents that it would be three to five years before it would happen. In another show of hands for support of the BayLink, only about four of the thirty North Beach residents in attendance seemed to like the idea. 

At the community outreach BayLink meeting at the police station on Washington Avenue, only two or three of the twenty residents and business interests in attendance liked the idea. Even a few of the early South Beach train supporters had reversed their positions.   

The resident component of Miami Beach Mayor David Dermer’s Blue Ribbon Panel on Tourism is once again about to dip into the paint cans. After the successful all-volunteer effort that gave the boardwalk a new paint job, the resident sub-committee is getting ready to brush a free coat of paint on the fence surrounding Fienberg-Fisher Elementary School.  

Hyping Up 

Last Friday a press statement went out claiming there would be a “press conference” on the status of Memorial Day on the fourth floor City Manager’s Conference Room of city hall.   Turned out, in the words of Miami Beach Assistant City Manager Christina Cuervo, the occasion was just an “internal meeting” between administrators and the Umoja Festival’s main proposers: record producer Luke Campbell, concert producer Kevin Brown, Carl Collins of McCall Enterprises and Hotel and Hospitality President Liz Wagner.  As the few media representatives who braved the chaotic boat show parking to attend—including a Channel 7 cameraman—were shooed out, one friendly city official offered this advice:  If there is a press release about a press conference at City Hall, make sure it’s from the City of Miami Beach. 

Opiate Update 

The special master hearing on the fate of Opium Garden, the controversial roofless nightclub that, neighbors say, noise flows out of late at night in a fashion similar to that of a volcano, has now moved been moved forward to March 6 at 2 p.m.  At stake: thousands of dollars in fines and, just maybe, the club’s license. Location set tentatively in the city manager’s 4^th floor large conference room. 

Orange Alert 

Thought that the Orange Alert was just hype?  Tell that to the Miami Beach Police Department.  Last Sunday morning the MBPD shut down an alleyway behind Mango’s Tropical Café after someone reported a “mysterious package,” according to a police spokesman. After the Miami-Dade Bomb Squad was called in to inspect the package, it was determined not explosive in nature and “Ocean Court” was re-opened. 

Vive Le France? 

Have you benn asking yourself, “Gee, I wonder what John Buchanan is up to?”  Well on Thursday, February 20 Buchanan—the ex-Miami Today journalist turned energetic freelance nightlife guy—will be organizing a grassroots press conference regarding his plans to have President George W. Bush impeached. Something to do with opposing the coming war in Iraq?  You betcha.  In fact, Buchanan has claimed responsibility for an upcoming phone campaign bent on “paralyzing the government” by having people flood the phone systems of the White House, the U.S. House of Representatives, the Department of State and (is this a good idea during Orange Alert?) the Department of Defense with cries of “Stop the War!!”   The campaign also encourages phone calls slamming the war to the British Embassy – and to the French, German, Russian, Belgian and Chinese embassy complimenting them on their “courage” in opposing the war. (The Chinese government was, after all, courageous against the bloodthirsty Tibetans.)