The Virginia Key Advisory Board waved red flags Tuesday over redevelopment projects that would dramatically alter the Rickenbacker Causeway, recommending that the City of Miami take a closer look before moving forward. 

The board asked the City Commission to tell Miami-Dade County it should delay consideration of the Seaquarium redevelopment until there’s a stronger public engagement process. However, Luis Casamayor, appointed by Key Biscayne mayor Joe Rasco, chose to abstain from the vote due to a conflict of interest in the ongoing redevelopment proposals. And Board Member Nicolas Lopez-Jenkins, a Key Biscayne resident appointed by Commissioner Raquel Regalado, also abstained — without giving reason.

“I abstain from that. I’m very involved in all the construction projects throughout Key Biscayne,” Casamayor said. “I know the projects, so I rather abstain because I know maybe too much information for this.”

Casamayor’s abstention set off alarm bells for some Key Biscayne residents who questioned if Casamayor should resign if he has other alliances or conflict of interests. 

The advisory board said the County should put the Seaquarium lease before voters and defer a scheduled November hearing. Members also advised that the Miami City Commission prohibit dredging beyond the existing depths of four to five feet and only allow maintenance dredging and vessels over 120 feet in length. 

Alarm bells: Dredging, Community Input 

Greg Frankel appeared before the board with a concern: does the public have a meaningful say in decisions over the future of Virginia Key and the Rickenbacker Causeway? 

Frankel, an attorney, and real estate developer Aaron Stauber are suing the County to stop the $100 million plan to renovate the Seaquarium. They allege a referendum is mandated by the County charter. In a court filing, they argue the proposal would add 56 acres of County bay bottom that is not part of the Seaquairum lease for a commercial marina.

Developer David Martin’s Resilient Aquarium LLC told the Miami Herald that Article 7 “specifically exempts both the Seaquarium and marinas from any referendum requirements.” 

Laura Reynolds, a member of Friends of Biscayne Bay, also gave a presentation. She challenged a claim made by Martin at an Oct. 21 webinar he hosted on the project, saying there wouldn’t be dredging. She pointed to the company’s own report, in which she said there will be maintenance dredging to the depths of eight to nine feet. The marina’s existing limit to dredge is about four to five feet, she said. 

She then linked the Seaquarium deal to another public fight over an $80 million proposal to renovate the Rickenbacker Marina and Marine Stadium basin. She said there has been a lack of transparency about both projects.

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“This is something that really is ringing alarm bells for Friends of Biscayne Bay because this is going to affect the aquatic preserve and the critical water area,” she said. “Maintenance dredging is code for regular dredging” Reynolds said, referring to the Rickenbacker marina proposal. 

City of Miami voters are deciding whether to OK the proposed marina, part of a redevelopment plan for 27 acres surrounding the Miami Marine Stadium basin. The project is directed by Virginia Key LLC, a joint venture involving Suntex Marinas and RCI group, The lease would be 45 years.

“It is our job to advise the best use of Virginia Key,” advisory board member Steven Leidner said. “ I hope the rest of this board will join me, that this [Rickenbacker] marina as proposed is not in the best interest of Virginia Key.” 

The County Commission is expected to vote Nov. 19 to finalize approval of the $100 million Seaquarium project, which was part of a deal involving a bankruptcy case of the former tourist attraction. 

The lease would be 99 years.

Editor-in-Chief

Tony Winton is the editor-in-chief of the Key Biscayne Independent and president of Miami Fourth Estate, Inc. He worked previously at The Associated Press for three decades winning multiple Edward R. Murrow awards. He was president of the News Media Guild, a journalism union, for 10 years. Born in Chicago, he is a graduate of Columbia University. His interests are photography and technology, sailing, cooking, and science fiction.