Latest news with #HeraldEditorialBoard
Miami Herald
5 days ago
- Business
- Miami Herald
We got a look at radical Rickenbacker Causeway plan. Here are the pros and cons
Miami-Dade County Commissioner Raquel Regalado calls her proposal to re-envision the Rickenbacker Causeway a 'beautifully crazy idea.' Miami does need outside-the-box thinking to address the traffic congestion and need for more green space that affect our quality of life. 'The Shoreline' is Regalado's plan, designed with help from a developer, to build a 25-foot-tall viaduct to split vehicles traveling to and from Key Biscayne from pedestrians and cars stopping at Virginia Key. Significantly, it would also increase waterfront recreational space. 'Any meeting that you have in Key Biscayne, the No. 1 complaint will be the Rickenbacker,' Regalado told the Herald Editorial Board. 'I've gotten stuck in it a million times as a county commissioner who has to go out there.' Her proposal falls somewhere between innovative and pie-in-the-sky. It has been well received by officials and residents in Key Biscayne, and it's worthy of consideration, if Miami-Dade can pull it off. That's a big if. The Shoreline is still in its very early stages — it hasn't even been presented to the full County Commission — so it's too soon for the Editorial Board to endorse it or oppose it. We recently met with Regalado and project designers and were left both impressed and with lingering questions. The project would send roughly 28,000 high-speed vehicles that head daily to and from Key Biscayne and fast bicycle pelotons to the top of the viaduct, which would have two lanes in either direction, plus 10-foot-wide shoulders. The viaduct would begin at the east end of the Powell Bridge and stretch the full length of Virginia Key to Bear Cut Bridge before it comes to ground level at the Crandon Marina entrance. The area below would be used for slower local traffic headed mostly to and from to Virginia Key (roughly 12,000 vehicles per day), bike and pedestrian paths. That would clear space for more beach, park and parking spaces. The project's intentions are noble; it would not only improve traffic but also pedestrian and bike safety, which is sorely needed given how dangerous the causeway currently is to anyone who's not in a car. 'We're creating, by elevating this [viaduct], an opportunity for mobility and for the free flow of traffic at higher speeds that do not affect or create a friction with those of us... riding our bikes or walking or just going to the beach,' Shoreline designer Juan Mullerat told the Editorial Board. The project also calls for traffic circles each at MAST Academy and the Marine Stadium entrance, which has no crosswalk, and vehicles would no longer cross bike lanes to get to the beach area. Regalado also envisions connecting the new recreational area of Rickenbacker to the Underline, a gem of a linear park in Miami, where underutilized space beneath the Metrorail is being transformed into 10 miles of bike and pedestrian paths and recreational areas. 'This vision is exactly what the Underline, we, hoped would happen,' Friends of The Underline founder Meg Daly said of the Shoreline. 'This inspirational approach to solving larger problems in having these hybrid projects really makes sense.' There are questions, though, about how much the Shoreline would cost. The Herald reported a figure of $475 million but a final estimate is not available yet. We suspect the project would cost a lot more than what's been reported. There's no direct comparison in terms of scope but the Interstate 395 'Signature Bridge' in downtown Miami is costing $840 million. And, then, by making it easier to reach Virginia Key and Key Biscayne, would the new Rickenbacker add pressure to increase development on these two environmentally sensitive islands? Developer David Martin, CEO of Terra Group, paid for the Rickenbacker plan design and has a vested interest in it — he recently purchased the old Silver Sands hotel property on Key Biscayne, the Herald reported. Some Rickenbacker users have also wondered whether the viaduct would be aesthetically pleasing. Another potential hiccup: Miami-Dade County already has been working on a master plan for the causeway that's not yet public. The county also just started a three-year planning process for a Bear Cut bridge replacement, the Herald reported. How easily could Regalado replace those plans? The Shoreline could spur a much-needed transformation of the Rickenbacker Causeway and its surroundings. It just has to be feasible. Click here to send the letter.
Miami Herald
7 days ago
- Politics
- Miami Herald
No ‘foreign invasion' as the American flag flew high at South Florida protest
At the 'No Kings' protest on Fort Lauderdale Beach Saturday morning, the real story was evident from the countless American flags of all sizes being waved: This was an American protest, not a foreign invasion. President Donald Trump claimed to soldiers at Fort Bragg on Tuesday that sending Marines to Los Angeles was justified because protesters there were actually 'rioters bearing foreign flags with the aim of continuing a foreign invasion.' But on Saturday in Fort Lauderdale, the protesters lining State Road A1A were braving the hot sun to push back against the Trump administration's escalating anti-immigrant offensive and abuse of power. These weren't invaders but people who took to the streets to exercise a right that's as American as it gets: to protest their government. The patriotic display was fitting given that Saturday also marked Flag Day, which commemorates the adoption of the American flag on June 14, 1777. 'We're here to protect the Constitution,' Nina McCamley of Davie told a member of the Herald Editorial Board. McCamley is a registered Democrat but was a Republican until Trump's first election in 2016. She said she was particularly upset about the 'mass deportations of people who have done nothing wrong.' On one side sitting next to her was a woman wearing a shirt and hat emblazoned with the American flag. On the other side was Deter Partington of Fort Lauderdale, originally from London and a naturalized U.S. citizen. He said when he immigrated to the U.S. 40 years ago he felt a 'relief' that his rights were protected by the Bill of Rights. (The U.K. does not have a single written constitutional document like the U.S.) Now, he said, the Bill of Rights is 'being written all over.' With protests across the country scheduled on the same day as the military parade in Washington, D.C. — a frivolous and expensive show of military might catering to the president's ego — and coinciding with Trump's 79th birthday, the protesters in South Florida decried Trump's growing embrace of authoritarian tactics with chants like 'Let's let it rain on his parade' and signs like 'No kings since 1776.' As cars drove down A1A, many honked in support. And, yes, flags were also waved from other countries, such as Mexico and Ukraine, as well as from Puerto Rico — symbols of America's and South Florida's multiculturalism. This is a country where you can be as proud of the Stars and Stripes as you are of your heritage. The Fort Lauderdale demonstration attracted at least hundreds, with the Sun Sentinel reporting a crowd of 2,000 people. In Miami Beach, hundreds of people streamed into Pride Park Saturday morning at another rally. Monica Tracy, a 67-year-old retired real estate agent who organized the event, told the Herald: 'Our founding principle is that we didn't want a king, and now we have one.' There were other rallies, too, including one at the Torch of Friendship in downtown Miami, where thousands gathered, the Herald reported. The protests across the country and in Florida are a sign of the growing clash between visions for the United States. There's no question on which side Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis falls. He has embraced Trump's vision as a way of trying to get back in the president's good graces after challenging him for the Republican presidential nomination last year. He warned earlier in the week that law enforcement was at the ready, and that protesters would be arrested if they blocked streets or destroyed property. He even went so far as saying that drivers who run over protesters who block roadways likely wouldn't be at fault under the state's anti-riot law passed in the wake of the Black Lives Matter protests in the summer of 2020. This country cannot afford the continuing divisiveness and anger, a point driven home by the assassination attempts against Trump and, on the same day as the protests, the shooting of two Minnesota legislators in 'what appears to be a politically-motivated assassination,' according to Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. Patriotism takes a lot of forms, and protest is one of them. No side of the political aisle owns patriotism. Protests sometimes get out of hand or become violent — in California last weekend, protests devolved into violent clashes. Demonstrators need to stay peaceful to be heard. But these protests, stretching across the country, need to be heeded. Trump's authoritarian tendencies are clear in the way he is handling immigration, in his craving for a military parade, in his shrugging off of due process. Protesters are drawing the line and exercising their right to criticize their government. Click here to send the letter. Click here to send the letter.
Miami Herald
27-05-2025
- Business
- Miami Herald
The worst budget crisis since 2008 and Miami-Dade couldn't see this coming?
Miami-Dade County is facing the worst budget shortfall since the 2008 Great Recession — nearly $400 million out of the county's $3.6 billion general fund budget that pays for core services such as public safety and parks. And who's to blame? The county is dealing with what Mayor Daniella Levine Cava described as a 'perfect storm.' There's the cost of converting three county departments — elections, sheriff and tax collector — into independent agencies run by newly-elected constitutional officers. (The county couldn't have stopped this change, forced by a 2018 statewide referendum.) There's less money expected from the state and the Trump administration, no more COVID federal dollars and inflation has made the cost of running government more expensive. With the mayor now talking about budget cuts and austerity measures such as department mergers and hiring freezes, we wonder: Where was this fiscal conservatism when Miami-Dade was flush with cash, including $1 billion in federal pandemic funding and rising property tax revenues? The responsibility to plan for the end of the financial bonanza was on the mayor and the 13 county commissioners who approved two property tax cuts that cost $42 million in revenue from this year's budget, the Herald reported. 'We've already begun to economize,' Levine Cava told the Herald Editorial Board. 'We are focused on greater efficiency, finding savings for residents, improving operations, cutting red tape... Already this year, we've asked every department to identify savings in their budgets, both for this year and in next year's projected budget.' Why, then, why is Miami-Dade treating the $46 million it has committed in direct funding and services to the host committee of the 2026 FIFA World Cup as though it's untouchable? If programs that directly impact services for our citizens could be on the chopping block, so should money for the soccer tournament, even if Miami-Dade officials made a financial commitment as one of the Cup's 16 host cities. Moving forward, the burden of frugality will fall not only on the mayor and commission but also on the new constitutional officers. Levine Cava said that the budget proposals submitted by some for approval by the county 'are significantly outpacing the growth rate that we project and that we think is reasonable.' Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz, for example, is asking the county $110 million more than last year's Miami-Dade Police Department budget, according to budget documents from her office. That increase is partly driven by merit salary increases Levine Cava's administration negotiated in 2023, overtime increases 'due to less deputies' and money to hire 54 additional civilian positions — the first significant increase in that workforce 'in decades,' according to a Sheriff's Office document. Tax Collector Dariel Fernandez hasn't yet submitted his budget, but his office is in the process of taking over the county's beleaguered driver-license offices from the state, and he's promised to hire more staff and reduce wait times. Fernandez also plans to exercise his office's authority to keep 2% of property-tax money from the county — totaling $107 million — to fund the new services. He said he will refund a significant portion of that money at the end of 2026 but he hasn't said how much. To be sure, spending money to reduce the outrageous wait times at DMV offices or hire more people to improve public safety may offer clear public benefits. Likewise, some of the programs Levine Cava created to help people during the pandemic and struggling in Miami-Dade's housing crisis were necessary. The same can be said about public transit expenses, responsible for a big chunk of Miami-Dade's budget woes. The rapid-transit bus system in South Miami-Dade, a much-needed project expected to open this summer, has an annual operating cost of about $12 million, the Herald reported. After years of being buoyed by pandemic funding and the hot real estate market, Miami-Dade may be finally learning the lesson that we can't pay for it all — tax cuts, social programs, the World Cup — all at the same time. Click here to send the letter.
Miami Herald
21-05-2025
- General
- Miami Herald
Left behind: These pets ended up in shelters, thanks to South Florida's housing crisis
Austin's family lived in an apartment and were facing eviction, so last June they surrendered their energetic shepherd and Siberian husky mix to an animal shelter in Fort Lauderdale. Frankie, a 3-year-old domestic shorthair cat, and his brother Mellow were left outside the same shelter, Abandoned Pet Rescue, in April with a handwritten note: 'We've had such a wonderful time with our owners but unfortunately with the changes in the economy, they have to relocate back home to Jamaica.' These 'changes in the economy' — the higher cost of housing and living coupled with the expenses of feeding and paying for veterinarian care for a pet — are driving people to surrender their animals to local shelters in high numbers, shelter managers told the Herald Editorial Board. The stories can be heartbreaking, like the email sent to Abandoned Pet Rescue from the owner of a 50-pound 'super-friendly' dog named Marley saying, 'We would never give her up, a member of our family, if we had a choice.' But more than heartbreaking, these stories also reflect the damage South Florida's housing and affordability crisis has done to families, including our beloved domestic animals who can become collateral damage when humans have to make tough choices about their financial situation. It's all part of the Shrinking Middle — the name of the Herald Editorial Board series highlighting the challenges of affording a middle-class life in South Florida. And who picks up the slack? Taxpayers who fund government-run animal services and nonprofits like Abandoned Pet Rescue and others. Individuals can help, too, if they're able to foster or adopt. Housing crisis Increasingly, shelter operators say, the decision to give up a pet is being driven by having to downsize, move out of state or move in with family where they cannot bring their cats or dogs. One-time pet fees charged by apartments can run upwards of $500 and monthly pet fees charged by some make already expensive rents even harder to manage, Kara Starzyk, shelter manager at Abandoned Pet Rescue, told the Herald Editorial Board. 'In these situations, they really love their pets,' she said. Financial hardship isn't the only reason pets end up at shelters. Irresponsible or abusive owners and the over-breeding of dogs for financial gain are also part of the problem. But the housing crisis has contributed to overcrowding at Miami-Dade's largest animal shelter, run by the county, according to Animal Services Director Annette Jose. In 2024, there were 300 dogs and cats surrendered to Animal Services because of housing-related issues, Jose told the Editorial Board, and so far this year, the number has reached 130 pets. These numbers are important because Miami-Dade's shelter on Northwest 79th Street in Doral is already over capacity, forcing the county to use an overflow facility in Medley. In 2019, the county normally housed 200 to 300 dogs. Last Thursday, there were 572 dogs, Jose said. Pandemic effect The COVID-19 pandemic was a disruptor and a turning point. Early in the pandemic, Miami-Dade and other governments paused or reduced spaying and neutering services, likely leading to new pet births, the Herald reported. Toward the end of the pandemic, housing and rent prices began to skyrocket. Beyond that, there's been a fundamental change in how people live in Miami-Dade, Jose said. 'We have gone from a mostly single-family house residential community to now we have so many condos, and that's a change that's happened maybe in the last decade,' she said. With condos come pet fees and restrictions on size or type of pet, such as pitbulls. Jose told the Editorial Board that Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava has contacted the Miami Association of Realtors to work on removing barriers to pet ownership in housing. 'Obviously, we need homeowners associations and property management firms to buy into this and help us promote pet ownership, because it's going to improve the lives of their residents,' Jose said. We agree. Miami-Dade's overcrowded pet shelter isn't just a logistical issue — it's a moral one that requires collective action. Likewise, our housing crisis isn't just a real estate phenomenon. It impacts every facet of the lives of South Floridians, and the pets are feeling it, too. Pet adoption information: Miami-Dade Pet Adoption and Protection Center: 3599 NW 79th Ave., Doral; call 311 or 305-468-5900; adoptmiamipets@ pet search: Miami-Dade's Medley Shelter: 7401 NW 74 St., Medley; call 311 or 305-468-5900 Abandoned Pet Rescue: 1137 NE 9th Ave., Fort Lauderdale; 954-728-9010; info@ pet search and adoption applications:
Miami Herald
28-03-2025
- Politics
- Miami Herald
In the name of media accountability, Florida bill would make it easier to revisit history
A proposed Florida law that purports to hold media outlets accountable would actually make facts 'airbrushable' from history, as Bobby Block, executive director of the First Amendment Foundation, told the Herald Editorial Board. Think of the murder charges against Casey Anthony related to the death of her daughter and those against George Zimmerman in Trayvon Martin's death. Both cases were widely covered in the media before the accused were found not guilty. If Senate Bill 752 is approved by the Florida Legislature, experts say, it would allow former defendants like Anthony and Zimmerman to require media outlets to take down news content about the charges against them because they weren't convicted — even if those stories accurately described the facts at the time of their arrest. That's one bizarre consequence of SB 752 — and it goes even further than that. The proposal would make it easier for subjects of news reporting to require that entire online articles be removed from a website within 10 days 'if any part of the online article is inaccurate' — no matter how small or inconsequential the error — Kara Gross, legislative director and senior policy counsel at the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida, wrote in a statement. That means taking down 'entire articles, even if only one sentence is disputed,' James Lake, a defamation lawyer, told the Senate Judiciary Committee on March 12. A correction or apology alone would not be enough to avoid punitive damages in court, Miami-based First Amendment lawyer Thomas Julin told the Board. This would affect not only the 'liberal mainstream media' that Republicans dislike, but also the vast network of Florida's conservative news organizations, many of them small, that would be hard-pressed to afford the legal costs of defending themselves from defamation lawsuits. The religious communications group National Religious Broadcasters has warned the legislation would be weaponized against against Christian broadcasters. In the end, if entire articles are taken down or the press ends up self-censoring to avoid legal issues, the public loses its ability to be informed. The bill, filed by Sen. Corey Smith, R-Tallahassee, undermines what's known as 'fair reporting privilege.' Under the law, reporters have legal protections if they report on judicial and public records in a fair and accurate way. That includes statements made during court proceedings, public meetings or a police report when someone is arrested. The bill states that if a newspaper, TV station or other outlet 'publishes a defamatory statement on the Internet with no knowledge of falsity of the statement,' they are required to take down that statement if they 'receive notice that such statement has been found in a judicial proceeding to be false' — a judicial proceeding could be interpreted to include an acquittal from criminal charges — 'or receives notice of facts that would cause a reasonable person to conclude that such statement was false.' If the news outlet fails to do so, they lose their fair reporting privilege. SB 752, and its House companion, have been sold as a remedy for people whose reputations were ruined because of news stories about crimes they were accused of, even when those charges were later dropped or the defendants were found not guilty. Certainly, being accused of a crime shouldn't ruin anyone's life, especially if they aren't convicted. But the problem is how broad the legislation is, and how it revisits what the truth means. When law enforcement charged Anthony in 2008 with murdering her daughter, for example, those were the facts reported in the media at the time. Her subsequent acquittal doesn't change those initial events. '[The bill] would require you to go back and edit history,' Julin said. Another problem is how the legislation addresses statements that 'a reasonable person' would find false. That standard is 'often a matter of perspective or opinion,' the National Religious Broadcasters wrote in a letter to Senate leadership, Fox News reported. These outlets would be at risk of facing lawsuits because they 'often take positions that are at odds with views of certain elites within society,' NRB general counsel Michael Farris wrote. If lawmakers truly want to help people whose reputations have been harmed, then a bill that narrowly addresses that would make more sense. This legislation seems more geared toward a broad and dangerous goal of chilling speech. Click here to send the letter.
