Auto Magnate Norman Braman In Full Battle Mode To Halt Mega Plan City County Hatched In Secret

Principle outweighs Norman Braman’s well-known affection for sports and the arts in his crusade against the City of Miami’s and Miami-Dade County’s global agreement, the auto magnate, art collector and former Philadelphia Eagles owner says.

After the governments in December announced plans for a multi-billion-dollar "mega-plan" of projects to be backed directly or indirectly by community redevelopment dollars, Mr. Braman shifted to battle mode. His campaign and lawsuits against the plan aim to overturn an agreement he says violates taxpayers’ rights on several levels.

Aside from his crusade, Mr. Braman heads car dealerships in Florida and Colorado and remains active in causes such as Holocaust awareness and education. He was instrumental in bringing the Holocaust Memorial to Miami Beach and last year helped have slain journalist Daniel Pearl’s name etched into the monument.

The Norman and Irma Braman Family Foundation helped create the Braman Breast Cancer Institute at the University of Miami in 2002, and Mr. Braman still sits on the school’s board of trustees as vice chair.

He was interviewed at his Biscayne Boulevard dealership and offices by Miami Today staff writer Risa Polansky. This is an excerpt from the weekly profile article published in Miami Today. To read the entire article in full, order this issue or subscribe to the print edition of Miami Today. Advertisement