FYI Miami: June 2, 2016

Below are some of the FYIs in this week’s edition. The entire content of this week’s FYIs and Insider sections is available by subscription only. To subscribe click here.

HOTEL ROOM REVENUE TOPS: Revenue per available hotel room and average daily hotel room rate for Miami-Dade were highest in the nation for the first four months of this year, though both declined from their levels of 2015. Revenue per available room was $194.13, down 4.6% from $203.40 in 2015. The average daily room rate was $235.24, down 2.7% from $241.75, according to the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau. Miami’s average daily room occupancy was second in the nation at 82.5% of rooms occupied through April, down 1.9% from 84.1% in the first four months of 2015, the bureau said. The county’s hotels sold 5,192,819 room nights in the four months, up 1.9% from 2015 but not rising as quickly as the number of total hotel rooms in the county, which rose 3.9% to 52,437 from 50,492 total rooms in 2015 as more hotels opened.

BID PROTESTS PUT OFF: Hung up on the process called for in the city code to deal with bid protests, Miami commissioners on May 26 deferred until June 9 a decision that impacts the marinas on Virginia Key. The debate came late in the meeting after Commissioner Francis Suarez had left, and it appeared the commission was headed for a tie vote on whether to allow a losing proposer to present information not filed by the protest deadline. Last summer, the city requested proposals to redevelop Virginia Key Marina and Marine Stadium Marina. Three companies submitted proposals and after evaluation by a selection committee, Virginia Key LLC, also known as RCI Group, was chosen. Commissioners are being asked to approve the decision of the Department of Real Estate and Asset Management director to deny the protests by New Rickenbacker Marina LLC (also known as Tifon) and Virginia Key SMI LLC (also known as Suntex).

PARKING AGENCY AWARDED: The Miami Parking Authority won the International Parking Institute’s Award of Excellence for Innovation in a Parking Operation or Program for its “Park Your Art” program. Art and parking were intertwined when eight winners of the first edition of Wynwood’s Park-Your-Art contest got their creative juices flowing to turn parking meters into pieces of art last November when they painted their artwork live before the public. “We are honored that the IPI has recognized our agency for its vision in integrating parking into public art in the heart of Miami’s urban core,” said authority COO Alejandra Argudin. “MPA understands the value of artistic expressions and how these opportunities can shape communities in a positive way.”