Clueless county commissioners admit they don’t know what they did
Over the holiday weekend, there were TV news reports about the airport bouncing back and air travel almost having returned to pre-COVID levels. Now, we see news clips about the anticipated holiday travel crunch.
So why are Miami-Dade Commissioners giving rich concessionaires with contracts at Miami International Airport no-bid extensions and breaks on their rent?
They don’t even know.
“I’m just too confused, now,” said Commissioner Joe Martinez, voting no the first time, which later didn’t count.
“I don’t know what we’re talking about right now,” said Commissioner Eileen Higgins, seconding the motion to reconsider. “I don’t know where we are.”
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“I’m so confused that if you ask me what was in front of me, I can’t tell you,” said Commissioner Rebeca Sosa.
Officially, they were actually confused as to which vendors got how many years extension. There was a three tier system suggested by Commissioner Danielle Cohen Higgins (I think) that gives international travel-dependent vendors like duty-free, the Safewrap concession and the currency exchange a six-year extension, other contract vendors five years and the month-to-month businesses four years.
The commissioners who defended this noted that the contracts are normally awarded for eight years with an option for two more. There are also no minimum annual guarantee payments and participation rent is reduced up to 30%. Concessionaires will have to produce hardship affidavits and the county’s aviation director has discretion (read: everyone is going to get the breaks).
After reconsidering the first vote because they were so confused on what they were voting on, the commissioners approved the amendment to the lease and concession agreements at MIA.
And then Cohen Higgins blew kisses to someone in the audience.
We’re lucky they didn’t give the vendors — like Mayor Daniella Levine Cava had suggested — the freedom to price gouge customers any more than they already do. Have you ever bought chewing gum at MIA? Or a Diet Coke?
This is all to offset and make up for the losses these businesses suffered in the last two years as travel has crashed during the COVID-19 pandemic and the administration is selling this as a win-win situation. Airport businesses get thus break and the mayor gets to fulfill her promise of a living wage, because it’s a condition of the breaks.
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The only people who lose are the taxpayers. Like always.
Why doesn’t La Alcaldesa give Fulano de Tal a break? Like maybe a 20% discount on property taxes? Or half off a park kiosk for a birthday party? Forgiving fines for bulky waste pick-up violations?
“Businesses around the airport want to know what kind of help they get,” Sosa said, adding that they had also suffered ripple effects from the decline in travel. “There are business that are closing Sundays because they don’t make enough.
“We’re discriminating.”
Miami International Airport vendors get no-bid, rent breaks for ‘COVID relief’ added by Ladra on
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