Week of May 13, 2010
TV TARGET: A Hispanic electronic media production company would see $841,167 in county incentives if it chooses to expand here and creates 40 promised high-paying jobs. County commissioners agreed to the incentives with no discussion last week. Discovery Networks Latin America is rumored to be the mystery firm. The company, which the county calls one of the largest media-sector employers in the region, plans to make a $42 million capital investment and create 40 new jobs at an average $80,000 salary. But, the mystery firm is considering other locations for the expansion, including in Latin America. PLAYHOUSE PLAN: After the City of Miami made a move for a leadership overhaul at the long-shuttered Coconut Grove Playhouse, Miami-Dade County commissioners are also looking for a way to end the lengthy intermission. On top of awarding grants to the playhouse to develop a recovery plan, the county has $15 million in general obligation bonds and $5 million in convention development tax bonds committed to "address the [playhouse's] capital needs," documents say. Commissioners on the county's recreation committee OK'd a proposal Monday asking the administration "to recommend the most effective course of action to accomplish the goals of the plan for the reconstruction, management and operation of the Playhouse as soon as possible." HOMERUN SO FAR: The new Marlins ballpark rising in Little Havana remains on time and on budget, according to a May 11 report on first-quarter 2010 construction. Also, there's been "sufficient contract bidding completed to minimize the risk of future overruns," County Manager George Burgess wrote. Construction continues at a "brisk pace" toward a planned 2012 opening day, he wrote, adding later that "No project of this magnitude can be expected to reach completion without hiccups and challenges. The most complicated portions of the ballpark construction are still ahead of us, especially as work begins on the retractable roof." |
Top