‘Secret’ plan for Rickenbacker reboot makes Miami-Dade mayor seek bids

‘Secret’ plan for Rickenbacker reboot makes Miami-Dade mayor seek bids
  • Sumo

Is this a push to privatize our public beaches?

A secret and unsolicited pitch for a redo of Rickenbacker Causeway has driven Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava to ask the commission this week to issue a request for proposals for the redevelopment of both the Rickenbacker and the Venetian causeways.

This means she probably likes the secret idea proposed in March by architect Bernard Zyscovich — who has been trying to push his self-titled “Plan Z” for Rickenbacker for almost a decade — and wants to open it up to the competitive bidding process so it doesn’t look like the giveaway it already is. Get ready for the theater.

An item on Thursday’s commission meeting agenda to seek proposals for the redevelopment of the Rickenbacker and Venetian causeways includes a replacement of the Bear Cut Bridge, improvements to transportation, recreation and sea level resiliency, an increase bicycle and pedestrian safety, a “viewing platform,” a number of courtyards or plazas and expansion of parkland and beachfront.

But it also sounds very much like an effort to privatize certain uses at these public and open spaces. There’s no talk about what it might cost, other than the first $500,000 from toll revenues to advertise and rate the bids. Not even an estimate. There is, however, an indication that there would be some privatized uses for “P3” partners to get a return on their investment.

It all feels so, oh, Carlos Gimenez.

“The proposed project is anticipated to generate future revenues for [the Parks and Recreation Department] and the department anticipates that all expenses related to the development and issuance of the competitive solicitation, including review of submitted proposals, shall be reimbursed from the revenues generated by this contract,” reads the memo from La Alcaldesa.

This “secret” proposal could be the same thing that Zyscovich pitched in 2014, which was to turn Rickenbacker — which is infamous for the number of fatal cycling accidents — into a cycling-friendly linear park with a road through it. The plan then was to remove a traffic lane in each direction — narrowing it from three to two lanes — and provide bicycle lanes buffered by vegetation.

Nobody — outside the panel of professionals, ahem, who reviewed the unsolicited proposal — knows for sure that’s what he’s pitching this time. But Ladra will take bets from anyone who disagrees.

Know more: Key Biscayne, activists watch closely as boat show begins

This is not cool with everyone in Key Biscayne. They already have to deal with massive traffic normally and dead stopped parking lots during typical fender benders, hurricane evacuations, tennis matches or music festivals.

Key Biscayne resident: “They want to do what?”

The island’s elected leaders have been in discussions with Zyskovich about improvements to the causeway, but they said the item on Thursday’s county commission agenda caught them by surprise. Mayor Mike Davey said he planned to go to County Hall to ask that the Key Biscayne — where the council voted against supporting the project in May — be consulted.

In the past, other ideas for the reboot of the causeway was to increase tolls. But there has been pushback on that because it would make access to the Key Biscayne and Virginia Key beaches too expensive for poorer residents.

La Alcaldesa’s memo — signed and obviously written by the real mayor, Chief Operaitons Officer Jimmy Morales — describes the Zyscovich consortium’s idea as being “a compelling financial solution that would allow the County to move forward with the project under a public-private partnership.”  These “P3 projects” bring in private investors who fund infrastructure projects in return for leases and concession or operation contracts.

In other words, Zyscovich, who is said to have done all this pro-bono, sees the ka-ching coming.

It also could represent a “compelling financial solution” to the county commissioners who need campaign contributions for their re-election or next political office gig. Ka-ching, ka-ching.

After all, why should Miami city commissioners have all the fun and get all the graft in backroom deals for the long-stalled request for proposals on city marinas? (More on that later.)

15 Responses to "‘Secret’ plan for Rickenbacker reboot makes Miami-Dade mayor seek bids"

  1. The Matheson family donated much of the land for Crandon Park with limiting conditions for development, road improvements and master planning. They have threatened lawsuits in the past when things like this come up. Someone needs to poke that bear.

  2. Another scam. Remember elected officials forced the taxpayers to pay over $3 Million for the Marlins Stadium? And they let the Marlins keep 100% of all revenues? This Plan Z looks like another scam.

  3. Plan-Z is an expensive solution in search of a problem. It duplicates the existing infrastructure, while solving few safety problems on the Rickenbacker causeway. The bike lanes along the causeway are some of the safest in the county. In fact, the four fatal cycling accidents occurred outside the initial scope of Plan-Z. These areas have been made safer with the introduction of wider bike lanes on the Bear Cut bridge and Crandon Boulevard where the fatalities occurred.
    The remaining issues can be addressed incrementally by professional engineers for far less cost than the architect’s grandiose vanity project. The money saved could be spent on the less picturesque streets of Miami where 40 cyclist died between 2010 and 2014. Finally, where will the money come from? It is likely the bait-and-switch tactics employed for the Underline will be used. That is, convince the public they want a project, then say the only way we can do this is to sell development rights.

  4. Brian May registered to lobby on this scam? Al Dotson? Busted. All the evidence any prosecutor needs to know a crime or crimes are being committed.

  5. Manuel ,

    Someone once told me that in Miami-Dade there are only predators and prey and the average working , tax paying , law abiding citizen is prey.

    The predators are politicians and countless officials .

  6. In THE NO RFP COUNTY ? Welcome to MDC (FRAUD & CORRUPTION) Hall Where Lobbyist and Consultants RULE . Why do we Need Beach Space in Miami Dade ? Must of Our Causeway have Beach space But Restricted NOT like the West Coast ? PAY TO PLAY !

  7. The Rickenbacker Causeway has been a Triple P from the day it opened. County Commission Chairman Charlie Crandon, WW II hero Eddie Rickenbacker and the Mackle Brothers cut the deal in a rowboat while fishing. The Mackle’s donated the land for Crandon Park, they got the ability to develop Key Biscayne which was a copra plantation at the time and Rickenbacker got the name rights to the Causeway. The County floated the bonds to build the road. The rest is history including the Seaquarium, tennis center, UM Rosenstiel school, NOAA, MAST Academy, marinas, Marine Stadium, restaurants, Cape Florida Park, Virginia Key Beach Park, regional sewer plant and more. Give the new proposal a chance to be aired. Roger Carlton

  8. This was always about the free use for 5,000 +/- recreational bikers paid for by beach visitors, residents, employees and businesses

  9. $200 Million? $300 Million? Privatize public beaches. City of Miami commissioners are already approved a NO BID 75 year lease to give away 27 acres on the north side of the Rickenbacker Causeway. Yup. A giveaway of 27 acres. Public be damned.

  10. It never ends in Miami-Dade County. A small number of rats coming up with ideas on how to rig the system and out do each other to make a buck.
    Meanwhile property taxes are going through the roof. Add to that the cost of insurance and for business owners, the constant governmental fees for licenses, etc.
    And where does all that money go if not in the pockets of the rats and those who make a living out of obtaining every benefit our socialist style of government has to offer?
    There was a time when middle class people could make a decent living here. Not so anymore. There’s hope though. Many other rural areas of this country offer clean living and fresh air away from this sewer. Give it a try and you will be rewarded. Let the rats fight for scraps.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.