Over and over, county OKs big last-minute deals minus facts

As commissioners last week remade Miami-Dade government without reading the fine print, I sensed déjà vu: complex legislation arrives late, officials complain, then pass it unread.

There’s always a tight deadline. There’s always a reason for a hard last-minute choice. There are always assurances from the few involved. And there’s always the frustration of being a puppet rather than policymaker.

Last week’s 90 minutes of frustration was over five deals with five new constitutional officers as commissioners agree to ground rules about how they and the mayor will relate to former county agencies and workers leaving for five fiefdoms.

The agreements stem from a state constitutional amendment that forces the county to divorce five units of government. That must happen. The technical and highly detailed accords to make it happen were the issue, as commissioners got swamped in documents after midnight before a morning meeting.

As I watched unbriefed commissioners sign off on vast deals that will help shape the future of Miami-Dade, my mind slipped back 15 years to when commissioners agreed to spend almost $3 billion to build the Marlins a baseball stadium that ranks as the county’s worst fiduciary decision ever.

The county last week was facing a Dec. 17 deadline to either sign an accord on the status of 5,000 workers who will go under control of new Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz or risk having to lay them all off and pay a $180 million separation cost.

The county 15 years ago was facing a Marlins’ deadline to either build them a stadium or see the team decamp for Las Vegas, a move that was never going to happen but that officials were conned into believing.

Commissioners were told last week that they got details in a mind-blowing 1,600-page accord barely eight hours before they met at 9:30 a.m. because the county was hammering out the deal with the new sheriff, who was not present to answer their questions.

“I understand that it is the interlocal agreement,” said Commissioner Danielle Cohen Higgins, “but I don’t know what is contained within it. So, if someone could give me an outline, CliffsNotes, I would greatly appreciate that summary.”

“It’s a very difficult agreement to get through,” replied Commissioner Oliver Gilbert III, who had helped negotiate it. “We knew it would be complicated for a county of this size and a department of that size, with nearly a $900 million budget.… This is a baseline.”

Fifteen years ago it was even worse: County Manger George Burgess told commissioners they had full details of stadium costs as for six hours they sought facts he kept insisting he had sent. He never cited a figure and certainly never the word ‘billion.’ Two days after the vote passed, he admitted he’d never sent the multi-billion figure. 

Commissioners got assurances last week that the accord with the sheriff was fine, and they accepted those assurances.

The 5,000 county employees going under the sheriff’s control “will be protected, through the agreements, terms and conditions of employment which the sheriff has agreed to adopt, and so we hope and we pray that they have a smooth transition,” was the assurance from Carladenise Edwards, the county’s chief administrative officer.

“I do feel comfortable moving forward because I spoke to the sheriff and I’ve spoken to the administration,” said Commissioner Juan Carlos Bermudez. 

No commissioner claimed to have read all 1,600 pages in the deal that passed.

In the case of the stadium, commissioners voted 9-4 to commit almost $3 billion – most of which the county 15 years later still must pay – because Marlins President David Samson told them everything was just fine in the deal (he later laughed at their gullibility) and officials told them the stadium would send the economy of Little Havana soaring (which has yet to happen).

As for the frustration of being a puppet, four commissioners 15 years ago asked for details of the deal. The other nine later distanced themselves from the ballpark and said they had no idea it would cost so much for so little return because they had no information.

On Friday, several commissioners made clear that they are being forced to rubberstamp legislation because they get information far too late.

“It’s a very bad habit – we knew this day was coming for a long time,” said Mr. Bermudez. “So now we find ourselves at the 11th hour and I agree with Commissioner Cohen Higgins that unless we get a speed-reading class, I don’t see how anybody’s going to review 1,600 pages.”

“It was supposed to be presented to us a year ago,” said Commissioner Raquel Regalado, “and the idea was that the candidates [for the five new offices] were supposed to review it and there was supposed to be a process so we didn’t have this now-appears-endless 11th hour discussion, like if I had a nickel for every time a commissioner up here complains about a 1:30 a.m. agreement that we got in an email…. It lessens the power of this body by making us a ministerial rubberstamp.”

That, commissioner, is how we got a $3 billion stadium albatross and why commissioners must join Ms. Edwards in hoping and praying that the deal with the sheriff works out better. It makes the county look like a college student who starts a term paper eight hours before it’s due – and it’s the same for every class, year after year.