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FYI
Miami is a weekly feature of Miami Today, keeping readers ahead
of the news. Here are highlights from the most current edition. |
KUBIK'S RETURN: The proposed Kubik at Morningside development is to return to Miami city commissioners at 6 p.m. today (5/6) at City Hall. The request for a major use special permit was postponed last month to allow opponents time to voice concerns. The $180 million project on a 3.7-acre triangular patch between Northeast 56th and 58th streets along Biscayne Boulevard is one of a handful of projects started before the city approved a temporary building moratorium for the Upper Eastside. Two designs for Kubik are under consideration.
SILVER BLUFF BAN: Miami commissioners are to take a final vote at 4:30 p.m. today (5/6) on a 90-day construction moratorium along Southwest 27th Avenue from Coral Way to US 1. It would take effect immediately for the busy corridor in Miami's Silver Bluff neighborhood. A five-member committee has been created to consider code changes for the corridor. Development restrictions suggested to block further high-rise projects were sparked by a 14-story development, Catalonia, planned next to single-family homes.
15% FOR FLORIDA: Miami city commissioners today (5/6) are to consider the state's demand for 15% of rent collected from the massive Island Gardens project on Watson Island. The state wants a share of the city's revenue in exchange for allowing commercial use of the manmade island given to the city for public use. Voters approved the project in 2001. According to the lease, the city could collect $1 million a year during construction and $2 million annually once construction is finished. If the city approves, the deal still would need approval of a trust overseeing public lands composed of Gov. Jeb Bush, Attorney General Charlie Crist, Chief Financial Officer Tom Gallagher and Agriculture Commissioner Charles Bronson.
PLANNING BOARD BALKS: Miami's Planning Advisory Board rejected a recommendation to change the land use for two parcels on Watson Island from recreational to restricted commercial. The issue is to return to commissioners at a planning and zoning hearing at 3 p.m. today (5/6) at City Hall for a final reading. The changes initially were approved Jan. 22.
AIRLINE ADDS ROUTES: Dutch Caribbean Airlines has added two routes and several flights to its service at Miami International Airport. Beginning June 1, the airline will offer one daily flight to Santo Domingo and three weekly flights to Aruba. It expects to carry about 90 passengers on each trip, according to General Manager Hubert La Croes. Dutch Caribbean Airlines is owned by the government of Curacao, one of three island nations in the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The carrier has operated out of Miami International for more than 30 years, offering daily service to Haiti and Curacao.
FUEL CONTRACT: County commissioners have approved a $107.9 million contract with a subsidiary of Tampa Pipeline Corp. to manage fuel services at Miami International Airport. Allied Aviation Holding Corp. is expected to start work in June as part of the seven-year deal. The company won the job after a Jan. 12 request for proposals. The county advertised for a manager of the airport's bulk fuel storage and terminal hydrant system. Allied put up a $1.5 million bond and met several other requirements, according to its president, Robert Rose. The company manages fuel systems at 25 airports, including John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, he said.
BANKATLANTIC CONCLAVE: BankAtlantic Bancorp, parent of BankAtlantic, will meet with vendors, shareholders and customers to report on its 2003 performance. The annual celebration and expo is set for 3:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Broward County Convention Center. The publicly traded corporation says last year brought significant stock appreciation in all of its four subsidiaries, which include Levitt Corp., its homebuilding arm; Bluegreen Corp., a resort operator; and BFC Financial Corp. The group operates 73 BankAtlantic branches in Florida and 13 in Miami-Dade County. Details (866) 528-2323.
NAP INVESTORS: Terremark Worldwide Inc. of Miami, operator of the NAP of the Americas, closed on a $10 million Series I 8 % convertible preferred-stock offering last month. Since a reverse merger in AmTec Inc. in April 2000 through Dec. 31, 2003, Terremark has incurred net operating losses of about $219.7 million and has considerable outstanding debt, according to an April filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Investors in the recent 400-share stock offering were Louisa Sarofim, 80 shares (20%); Guazapa Properties Inc., 48 shares (12%); CRG LLC, 100 shares (25%); Asturpizza SA, 20 shares (5%); CIG Investments LLLP, 40 shares (10%); and Promociones Bursatiles SA, 28 shares (7%).
NO NAP OF THE OUTBACK: A developer paid Terremark $3.8 million for one-year exclusive rights to develop a net-access point center in Australia, but the project fell through. Terremark kept the non-refundable fee, which will be recognized in the quarter that ended March 31.
BRICKELL-BOUND: Squire Sanders & Dempsey LLP is to move this summer from downtown Miami after 10 years. The law firm plans to leave 201 S. Biscayne Blvd. for larger offices, 11,800 square feet at One Brickell Square, 801 Brickell Ave.
GUARDING HOME: Miami Dolphins guard Jenorris "Jeno" James has paid $1.3 million for a five-bedroom, 5.5-bath home in Broward County, according to Keyes Co. agent Marta Dupree. The 5,754-square-foot house is in Plantation Acre's Vintage Creek, a Centerline Custom Home Development.
ARTS HONORS: The Maryland Institute College of Art is to award an honorary doctor of fine arts degree to William Banchs, president of the Miami-based National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts. The event is set for the Maryland school's commencement ceremony May 17 in Baltimore. Mr. Banchs has worked with the foundation since 1986 and has headed it since 1991.
HISTORIC SITE SOLD: The former Bliss House site has been sold for $6.2 million. BAP Development, led by architect Willy Bermello, and developer Gustavo Miculitzki plan to build a high-rise at the bayfront property on Northeast 28th Street in Miami's Edgewater neighborhood, according to the seller, Intrepid Real Estate Co. The 40,000-square-foot property was purchased for $4 million in August 2003, and the 1916 house once there was destroyed in October in spite of opposition.
EUROPEAN FOCUS: The International Roundtable next week will examine how a Free Trade Area of the Americas might alter Miami's ties with Europe. Panelists will be Jaap Donath, assistant vice president of research and strategic planning for the Beacon Council; Alfonso Goyeneche, executive director of the Spain-US Chamber of Commerce; JoaquÌn Roy, co-director of the Miami European Union Center at the University of Miami; and John R. Wright, vice consul and head of the United Kingdom Latin American/Caribbean Coordination Union of the British Consulate. The 5 p.m. session May 13, sponsored by the Beacon Council and Mosaico restaurant, will be at Mosaico, 1000 S. Miami Ave. Reservations: Claudia Fernandez, (305) 358-1008.
LOSS OF OVERHANGS OVERSTATED: George Childs in a letter last week wrote that covered walkways in downtown Miami had decreased 80% in a 50-year span. A typographical error increased the figure to 800%.
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