Don’t Sell the Naming Rights, Name the Park After
an Activist!
[Re: “Selling Out,” by Angie Hargot, published March 20.]
Before
Miami sells out Museum Park to the highest corporate sponsor,
may I suggest the park be named Braman Museum Park to honor
Norman Braman’s civic leadership as he challenges our
representatives’ decisions through the court system? Apparently,
he is flying solo on this mission. That’s the shame of the
issue.
It’s
strange that a high percentage of free folks sit on their sofas
in air-conditioned comfort refusing to publicly demonstrate
their opposition to the billion-dollar remake of downtown
Miami
and Marlins Stadium. The fact that our elected officials believe
they have the power to do as they please has infected
politicians across the nation, even up to the White House. Miami
is in need of a Boston Tea Party, but that is as far as that
metaphor goes in our community.
“Storming
the Bastille” is old French history. Freedom and civil rights
marches got old in the 1970s. Sometimes public gatherings
(recall the WTO in Miami) get overprotected by the police.
However, since “runs” are the thing to do, perhaps 20,000
civic-minded folks could walk or run (even the physically
disabled could use their wheels, crutches and canes) and gather
at Miami’s City Hall and make their way over to County Hall on
some quiet and peaceful Saturday morning.
This way,
Norman Braman might receive moral support for his idealism and
our closed-minded commissioners might reconsider their
expenditures of tax dollars and ax the construction of their
Albert Spear metropolis.
Robert
Fournier
Miami
Miami Cannot Afford the Megaplan
It is a shame that Commissioner Tomas Regalado and Norman Braman
have to champion the fight against this megaplan.
The courts have to get involved and rule that the voters must
decide for or against a project of this size. There is no need
to fund the Marlins stadium considering that so few people
attend the games because of lack of interest or because tickets
are too expensive.
The tunnel to the port is also not required. If we need any
tunnels they should be under the
Miami River
to help alleviate traffic on our streets. The Port of Miami is
losing market share. I suggest that we work with and not against
Port Everglades, which should specialize in cargo, while the
Port of Miami specializes in cruises.
I also recommend that
Miami study the efforts of Key Biscayne to better control its
zoning and development. It has passed a vote to mandate
elections for major zoning changes since they no longer trust
the decisions of their elected officials. This curtailing of the
elected officials’ powers has come as a result of the damages
inflicted on that community with zoning decisions like removing
the Sonesta Beach Hotel and eliminating that powerful economic
and entertainment engine.
Miami
is also creating a monster by not mandating more parking for
unit owners in all the new condos that have been built and are
in the works. Most condos only have one parking space per unit,
even if the unit has two bedrooms.
Miami
cannot afford the megaplan.
Miami
cannot afford more changes in zoning that permit more
unnecessary condo units.
We need more employment, more business, improving downtown,
better transportation, restaurants, entertainment, police and
fire protection. We need a downtown full of life, business,
safety and entertainment.
Gusman is the heart and soul of downtown; it deserves to be
managed by professionals and not the Parking Authority. We need
Gusman to book quality performances almost every afternoon and
evening. We need to locate a viewing platform or restaurant at
the top of some of our tallest buildings, like that of the Four
Seasons. We don’t need a helium balloon ride that reminds the
world that
Miami
is turning into a circus.
We can’t afford to build our economy on erecting more condos,
selling the naming rights to public buildings and parks, or
selling every wall space, bus, billboard and Metrorail vehicle
as advertising space.
Harry Emilio Gottlieb
Coconut Grove
Miami Beach Needs to Expand Building Probe
[Re: “Operation Renovation,” by Ben Torter, published March 20.]
The
disturbing revelations concerning bribery and corruption by
three city officials (the former building code compliance
officer, the structural plans examiner and the planner assigned
to assessing development impact) have raised a number of
questions within the preservation community. The alleged
criminal actions of these employees raise the specter of
additional illegal activities in the Building Department,
specifically involving demolition of historic properties both
preceding this investigation and during the same time period
that led to the arrests.
The Miami
Design Preservation League’s Executive Committee hereby requests
that the city of Miami Beach
not only investigate existing building construction for signs of
unlawful activities but also examine the issuance of demolition
orders by the Building Department during this same period.
Specifically, what comes to mind was the spate of demolition
orders issued for properties throughout the city.
Miami
Beach
prides itself in not tolerating any illegal activity by city
staff. This expanded investigation would assure the preservation
community that our city’s historic architectural treasures are
well protected and that their fate is not for sale! We in Miami
Beach pride ourselves on our civic attitude toward historic
preservation and we must take steps to ensure that we are doing
all we can to safeguard our irreplaceable architectural
treasures.
William
Farkas
Executive
Director
Miami
Design Preservation League
