By rssfeeds-admin During the Feb. 13 meeting, the Miami City Commission approved two resolutions to secure funding for the maintenance and enhancement of the 58-acre public park component of the Miami Freedom Park. The measures include creating the LeJeune Gardens Community Development District to finance improvements and establishing a $20 million fund exclusively for the public park, ensuring the developer meets its commitments from the 2018 referendum that approved the broader development.
The resolutions are central to the Miami Freedom Park development, which was approved by a public vote on the lease for the city-owned property in 2018. The referendum received 60% voter approval, allowing the city to negotiate a 99-year lease with Miami Freedom Park LLC, contingent on the developers agreeing to build the park and contribute “$20 million for a 58-acre public park or other green space.”
The commission ultimately voted 4-1 last week to ensure the full $20 million would be used exclusively for the public park’s maintenance and improvement. However, the discussion sparked debate over a past commission decision that redirected $7.5 million of that funding to four other parks across the city.
In April 2022, commissioners designated $7.5 million of the $20 million for park projects across three city districts to meet the city’s “no net loss” policy, which ensures that green space lost to development is replaced. Former Commissioner Ken Russell, who helped negotiate the original plan, criticized the change as a “bait and switch,” arguing that the city had broken its previous commitment.
“This was debated on April 28, 2022, about two years ago,” Mayor Francis Suarez said during the Feb. 13 commission meeting. “It was $12.5 million that was allocated to that [58-acre] park, and the balance, which was $7.5 million, was allocated to three districts. Zero to District Four, $2.5 million to District Two, $2.5 million to District Three, and $2.5 million to District Five.” The 58-acre public park and Miami Freedom Park are in District One.
Mr. Suarez defended the decision to reserve the full funds for the future 58-acre public park, stating the 2018 referendum language allowed the entire $20 million to go toward its improvement and maintenance, and the city was honoring the voter mandate.
“There’s been people out there saying that this item takes $20 million of funds from parks across the city and reallocates them to this park. That’s false. There’s been people that have said this is going to the developer. That is also false. This is a city park that the residents voted in favor of allocating $20 million to,” Mr. Suarez said.
He continued, “Having said all of that, I understand that maybe a voter or a resident in District Two or a resident in District Five or a resident in District Three might [ask] … what about the $2.5 million that were supposed to come to me?”
To address concerns over lost funding for other districts, Mr. Suarez proposed an amendment directing City Manager Art Noriega to find $7.5 million in the mid-year budget cycle to replenish those projects. “What I’m requesting is that an amendment be made to the resolution that the manager come in the mid-year and allocate $7 million to those funds so that no resident feels disenfranchised by the fact that we’re fully funding one of the largest parks in our portfolio,” he said. The proposal was further amended to include an additional $2.5 million for District Four, which was not included in the 2022 allocations.
“I want to make clear the $20 million is not going to build the stadium,” said District One Commissioner Miguel Gabela. “The money is going toward maintaining the 59-acre parcel that the stadium will turn over to us, with greenery and a walkway. The $20 million is for its improvement and maintenance, and I want to assure my residents, the taxpayers, that this money is going exactly where they voted it to go.”
“I’ve reviewed minutes, I’ve reviewed video,” District Two Commissioner Damian Pardo said, referencing the April 2022 meeting where funds were allocated to different parks. “There’s a lot of conflicting information I haven’t been able to verify. I was hoping for a deferral, but I see there’s pretty much consensus, so I’ll be voting against.”
The measure passed 4-1, reserving the $20 million for the 58-acre public park at Miami Freedom Park with an amendment to allocate $10 million to parks in Districts Two, Three, Four and Five through a mid-year budget resolution.
Commissioners also approved the creation of the LeJeune Gardens Community Development District, a special taxing district to finance infrastructure and park improvements within the 130-acre Miami Freedom Park project. This measure enables the developer to petition Miami-Dade County to create the district, which would be responsible for funding onsite and offsite infrastructure improvements and maintaining the public park adjacent to the development.
The post Development district to finance Freedom Park improvements appeared first on Miami Today.
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