A November ballot referendum will ask voters to green-light a new operator for the Rickenbacker Marina on Virginia Key in Miami.
PHOTO BY AL DIAZ
adiaz@miamiherald.com
Waterfront vote
The city of Miami’s long history of mismanagement of public waterfront assets is well-known. For decades, our public lands have been exchanged in secretive, questionable deals. This is precisely why the City Charter requires public referendums on waterfront leases — including Referendum 3.
Vulture capitalists have identified Virginia Key Marinas as underperforming assets. Under the misleading banner of the “Save Virginia Key” campaign, out-of-town corporations and equity investors are trying to secure 27.6 acres of valuable public land for up to 75 years.
Don’t be deceived by the official ballot language. While it presents enticing projections of investment, development and job creation, those figures are purely aspirational and not legally binding under the lease. The only guaranteed term is a base rent of $2.2 million — an enormous giveaway, especially considering that the value of Miami’s prime waterfront land has doubled over the past 10 years since this initiative began.
Don’t mistake a polished corporate multimedia sales pitch for a good deal. Miami deserves better.
Vote “No” on Referendum 3.
Charles Collins,
Key Biscayne
Living wages
How much is a human life worth?
Most people would say that a human life is invaluable; no price can be set on it. But if one were to assign a monetary value, logic would say that a human life is worth at least what it costs to sustain it. A living wage should not be a lofty goal to which we aspire; rather, it should be the bare minimum standard. The minimum wage should be a living wage, everywhere.
I read with dismay and sorrow Max Klaver’s Oct. 1 print article, “As Miami-Dade living wage ends, thousands of workers could drop from $22 an hour to $15.” A political party for years proclaimed the gospel of local control. Now that it controls all aspects of our state government, it has eviscerated local control on several fronts.
Florida’s Legislature has banned municipal governments from requiring companies doing business with them to pay a living wage. Our governor and legislators who voted for this should be ashamed. This is a moral issue as much as it is a political and economic one.
Frank Corbishley,
Coral Gables
Rivera’s sentence
Re: the Oct. 2 story, “Former Congressman Rivera gets 10-year sentence after plea to not die in prison.” Cry me a river with Rivera’s alligator tears. Ten years are not nearly enough time. He is only 61 and will have plenty of years to spend and enjoy his ill-gotten gains once he’s out.
I am sick of the local Republican cabal controlling our politics for decades, enriching themselves and improving their lives all while doing nothing to improve greater Miami-Dade County and the good people who continue calling it home, managing to hang on to what is left of what it once was.
They mock those who truly are “public servants,” giving it a bad name. People of Rivera’s ilk have shown no remorse for their corrupt and misleading actions over the years.
Democrats will hopefully be in control soon, once again cleaning up the GOP’s self-serving messes.
Linda Wanshel,
Miami
Data centers
Re: the Oct. 3 story, “FPL tells regulators rate structure complies with data center law.” Under FPL’s rules, a data center pays 100% of the cost of new power generation built to serve it, signs a 20-year contract and owes an exit fee if it leaves early. That’s the right standard. Florida families shouldn’t foot the bill for big tech’s power.
New power plants take years to build and these companies want to plug in now. But there’s a faster way that helps everybody. Let data centers pay for residential solar and home batteries in nearby homes. That’s new power that can come online in months, not years and backup power for families when the next hurricane hits.
Palm Beach County just paused big data centers for a year. Whether to host one is a local call; who pays for it shouldn’t be.
Sam Romain,
chairman,
Americans for Energy Dominance,
Lakeland
Go west, Metrorail
Miami-Dade County must prioritize the westward expansion of Metrorail to alleviate our suffocating traffic congestion. While our downtown core benefits from rapid transit, thousands of residents commuting daily from West Kendall, Doral and Sweetwater are completely stranded in gridlock on the Dolphin Expressway.
Elected officials frequently promise sustainable infrastructure, yet our transit investments continue to lag far behind our rapid population growth. Relying solely on express buses is an outdated, half-measure solution that fails to address the sheer scale of the problem. Extending Metrorail west to Florida International University and beyond would completely transform the daily commute for thousands of workers and students.
Our local leaders must stop delaying these vital infrastructure projects and fully fund the westward extension. We need a modern transit system that connects all of Miami, not just the east urban center, like downtown.
Ryan Torralbas,
Miami
Change in the air
The numbers don’t lie: the GOP has had a state Senate majority since 1995, a state House majority since 1997 and the governor’s mansion since 1999.
If you have concerns as to which way Florida is headed regarding the cost of living, insurance and other aspects, and you are looking to cast blame, then make sure you aim your angst in the right direction.
Statistics, it has been said, are a lot like a lamp post for a drunken sailor — more about support than illumination. But the aforementioned statistics are rather telling when disappointment and disapproval take hold.
A light shines very brightly as to where the blame lies. Vote accordingly.
David Magnusson,
Coral Gables
Seeking justice
Hope Florida is an abomination. Gov. Ron DeSantis and his wife should be indicted. They robbed children and the people who need help the most.
When will justice prevail?
DeSantis will soon leave the governor’s mansion. How will he and his wife be held accountable for their rampant theft?
Keep up the good work, Miami Herald. You are as good as the New York Times and Washington Post during Watergate.
Peg Evans,
Biscayne Park
Inspiring story
As a stutterer, I was inspired while reading the Sept. 27 article, “Venice student grateful for debt-free path to speech career,” about Kaela Coye, who is studying for a master’s degree in speech-language pathology (SLP) at the University of South Florida. The article emphasized the importance of SLP’s in our society, as they help not only people who stutter but also children and adults with so many diverse speech issues.
That Coye is active with the National Stuttering Association is good because its many chapters throughout the U.S. do so much to support people who stutter. The Stuttering Foundation (www.StutteringHelp.org) offers resources for the Spanish-language community at www.tartamudez.org.
The main English-language site of the Foundation is well-known for all the free resources it provides, such as e-books, streaming videos and tutorials. One downloadable brochure on the site is “Stuttering and the Bilingual Child,” which many Hispanic parents have found helpful.
Over the last 20 years, Stuttering Foundation representatives have traveled to Cuba and distributed their materials in Spanish to people in the health and education departments in the Cuban government.
Stuttering affects 1% of adults and 5% children. It does not discriminate. Every population is affected in the same numbers. Coye should be commended for choosing a career to help her fellow stuttering community. She will have a special kind of empathy that will help her patients immensely.
Juan Gardea,
South Bend, IN