{"id":393151,"date":"2026-09-07T21:42:09","date_gmt":"2026-09-07T21:42:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/393151\/"},"modified":"2026-09-07T21:42:09","modified_gmt":"2026-09-07T21:42:09","slug":"virginia-key-miami-has-waited-long-enough","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/393151\/","title":{"rendered":"VIRGINIA KEY: MIAMI HAS WAITED LONG ENOUGH"},"content":{"rendered":"

Let me tell you where I stand.\u00a0Miami Community Newspapers supports this proposal, and I am voting YES on November 3.\u00a0I don\u2019t say that lightly. We have looked at the numbers, looked at the proposal and looked at what Miami gets out of the deal. My conclusion is simple: Virginia Key needs investment, it needs improvements and it needs a long-term plan. This proposal provides all three while the City of Miami keeps ownership of the land. To me, that\u2019s a deal worth supporting.<\/p>\n

I have been covering Miami for more than 40 years. I\u2019ve watched this city change dramatically. I\u2019ve watched neighborhoods change, businesses come and go, and I\u2019ve watched Miami become one of the most important cities in the country. I\u2019ve also seen something else over those years \u2014 Miami can take forever to get things done. We talk. We have meetings. We have studies. We have lawsuits. We have arguments. And sometimes, years later, nothing has changed.\u00a0I don\u2019t want Virginia Key to become another one of those stories.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s start with the biggest misconception.\u00a0The City of Miami is not selling Virginia Key.\u00a0The City keeps ownership of the approximately 27.6 acres of waterfront. What changes is the operator and the investment. The proposal calls for approximately\u00a0$80 million in private investment\u00a0into City-owned property. That\u2019s private money. Not taxpayer money. Not another City-funded construction project. Someone else is putting up the money to improve a City asset. In today\u2019s Miami, where every taxpayer dollar matters, I think that deserves serious consideration.<\/p>\n

And Miami gets substantially more money in return. The current operator\u2019s guaranteed base rent is approximately\u00a0$360,000 a year.\u00a0The new proposal guarantees at least\u00a0$2.2 million a year, with annual increases. The City also receives\u00a06% of gross revenues.\u00a0Based on projected revenues, the initial annual rent is estimated at approximately\u00a0$3.8 million.\u00a0Over the first 45 years, the City is guaranteed approximately\u00a0$204 million in rent \u2014 before the percentage rent is added.\u00a0Those are not small numbers. That\u2019s real money going into the City of Miami.<\/p>\n

Now let\u2019s talk about the \u201cgiveaway\u201d argument. I have heard it. I\u2019ve read it. And I think voters need to look past the political language and look at the actual numbers. Yes, the procurement process started years ago. But\u00a0the market valuation did not.\u00a0The City commissioned an independent appraisal in 2026. The appraisal found that the proposed annual rent of approximately\u00a0$3.516 million was 4.7% higher than the appraiser\u2019s market-rent conclusion.\u00a0That\u2019s above market. So when someone says this is a below-market giveaway, I have a simple question:\u00a0Where is the evidence?\u00a0Because the independent appraisal commissioned by the City doesn\u2019t say that. It says the proposed rent is above the appraised market value.<\/p>\n

And let\u2019s put the rent increase in plain English. The existing guaranteed base rent is approximately $360,000 a year. The proposed guaranteed base rent is at least $2.2 million. That\u2019s more than six times the current guaranteed amount. Then you add the percentage rent. Then you add the annual increases. Then you add approximately $80 million in private improvements to City-owned property. You don\u2019t have to be a financial expert to understand that the City is getting substantially more out of this property than it gets today.<\/p>\n

The long-term lease expired in\u00a02016.\u00a0Ten years ago. Since then, Virginia Key has continued under a short-term arrangement based on an outdated agreement. I keep coming back to that because it matters.\u00a0Ten years is too long.\u00a0How much longer are we going to wait? Another five years? Another ten? At some point, you have to stop asking what might happen and decide what should happen. Somebody is willing to make an approximately $80 million private investment. That\u2019s an opportunity Miami should not casually throw away.<\/p>\n

And I don\u2019t want to hear that improving Virginia Key means taking it away from the public. That\u2019s not what this proposal does. The City keeps ownership. The plan calls for a\u00a0public waterfront path, outdoor gathering areas, public parking, restaurants, retail, improved boat ramps and launches, wet slips, dry storage and upgraded marina facilities.\u00a0I want families there. I want residents there. I want boaters there. I want paddlers there. And I want people who don\u2019t own a boat to have a reason to visit Virginia Key and enjoy the waterfront.<\/p>\n

The Rusty Pelican is outside the proposed lease area and would remain in place. Project proponents have also said they want Gramps Getaway to remain part of the improved waterfront destination. That\u2019s the kind of Miami waterfront I want to see \u2014 active, accessible and welcoming, with businesses and public spaces working together.<\/p>\n

Now let\u2019s talk about a NO vote. Because voters need to understand what NO actually means. It means this proposal is rejected. It doesn\u2019t mean another $80 million investment is waiting around the corner. It doesn\u2019t mean a better financial agreement automatically appears. It means the City still has to figure out what comes next while the property remains under a short-term operating arrangement. Maybe something better comes along. Maybe it doesn\u2019t. But after ten years, I\u2019m not interested in another decade of \u201cmaybe.\u201d<\/p>\n

I have spent more than four decades in the community newspaper business. I\u2019ve learned that you have to ask tough questions, look at both sides and then make a decision.\u00a0I believe this proposal is good for Miami.\u00a0The City keeps the property. The City gets substantially more guaranteed revenue. The City receives a percentage of revenues. And approximately $80 million in private money goes into improving a City-owned waterfront property.<\/p>\n

Miami has some of the most valuable waterfront in the world. We should improve it, not leave it sitting in limbo.<\/p>\n

Virginia Key has waited long enough.<\/p>\n

On November 3,\u00a0Miami Community Newspapers supports YES #290, and I urge Miami voters to vote YES.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s get Virginia Key moving<\/p>\n


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