Governor Scott to decide if Palmetto Bay receives State Money for its Multi-Modal project

The legislature placed the money in the budget, but the final decision belongs to Governor Rick Scott.

The money made it into the budget, but do NOT start counting the chickens. The question is whether the multi-model money will survive Governor Scott’s line item veto pen.

The Multi-Modal line item was discussed at our March Regular Village Council meeting when I set up an extraordinary telephone call in report from our State Senator Jose Javier Rodriguez.  We also thank our Representative Michael Bileca who sponsored this appropriation in HB 3821.

See Miami Herald, Which local projects in the state budget will survive? It’s up to Gov. Scott’s veto, by Elizabeth Koh And Steve Bousquet, March 13, 2018.

As stated:

Scott’s pen is the final hurdle for hundreds of local projects sponsored by lawmakers for constituents back home — but it is a high hurdle to vault. The governor has slashed more money from the budget — about $2.3 billion in line-item spending, not counting last year’s school budget — than any other Florida chief executive, calling much of that spending unnecessary or wasteful.

Many of those local projects are standard municipal fare, including money for water and sewer projects, housing, transit, emergencies, and local cultural and educational projects. They are also a fraction of the projects proposed by legislators every year during session — others never even make it into the state budget, blocked by legislative leaders who have final negotiating power on its contents before it is sent to the governor.

We are working to try to survive the 2018 veto pen. 

Here is a link to the 2018 legislative priorities that I prepared and sponsored this year. It was approved unanimously  See: (CLICK HERE) Palmetto Bay Resolution 2018-17.

Palmetto Bay hit with the LINE ITEM VETO!

The Florida Legislature giveth, but the governor took it away (line item Veto). The Palmetto Bay appropriation for the Multi-Modal project was vetoed by Governor Scott today (Friday, March 16, 2018).  

The entire veto list can be viewed online.  Governor Scott Vetoed $64 Million worth of line items.

This is why we don't count our chickens.  This post is in follow up of the prior post of March 14, 2018, Governor Scott to decide if Palmetto Bay receives State Money for its Multi-Model project.

Thank you to our State Representative Michael Bileca and State Senator Jose Javier Rodriguez for their assistance.

We move on, living within our budget means.

Important Thalatta Estate feasibility meeting set for this Thursday. I encourage the village staff and council to get the feasibility study online for taxpayer review in advance of this meeting

There is an important meeting for all to view this Thursday, March 29, 2012, regarding the expenditure of millions of village tax dollars out of reserve savings up front as well as the potential for addition long term debt. It would be an understatement to say that this is a very important meeting.  This meeting is so important that the business cannot wait to be taken up at a regularly scheduled council meeting; the presentation is being made at this special meeting. Bottom line is that you will be information deprived at the following regular council meeting if you do not take in the information presented Thursday.  "Know before you go."

Will this current Village Council preserve free bay front access?  That decision is not yet clear.

Will Thalatta Estate remain a park or will it be a "park" in the technical sense, but a commercial pay for use/access event site in reality.

Do promises and commitments made in the past have any meaning?  The documents will be telling in regarding to the "feasibility" (or excuses) to convert the park from ourselves and our youth and place it out to the highest bidder.

 I have one important concern and that is access to the important documents.  The agenda and more importantly, the supporting documents such as the feasibility study, should be placed online no later than this Monday, March 26.  This would allow proper study of the feasibility study by the interested public in advance which is important due to the fact that the Thalatta project is a very contentious and speculative project.

CLICK HERE to view the online notice for this upcoming special council meeting.  And please note that this website may be updated to properly include the full agenda and supporting documents (and it should be updated)

Council Meetings

March 29, 2012, 7:00 pm

Special Council Meeting

9705 E. Hibiscus Street

NOTICE IS HEREBY given that the Village Council of the Village of Palmetto Bay, Florida will conduct a Special Council Meeting of March 29, 2012, beginning at 7:00 p.m., at Village Hall, 9705 E. Hibiscus Street, Palmetto Bay, FL to and to hear the feasibility studies on the Multi-modal center (garage/retail) and  the Thalatta property. 

Today is the day 3:00 PM – unsolicited bids submissions relating to Mixed-Use Downtown Development for the Village of Palmetto Bay will be opened/unsealed today

Zero hour is 3:00 PM today, Thursday, 3/7/2019. 

We will see what various bidders envision for the Palmetto Bay Downtown area, including the adjacent Palmetto Bay Municipal Center parking lot (which is a targeted site for proposed multi-modal mixed use garages - phase II of the municipal center).  

This could be positive news as perhaps this was done at request of a qualified company that is serious about putting in a bid on UP No. 1819-00-002 for a project that will make Palmetto Bay proud. We will also be able to examine whether there were any negotiations that occurred behind the scenes that led to project plans are being modified and resubmitted or submitted by other bidders with additional information.

Personally, I look forward to the opening of the proposals. This process has generated significant rumors among current village insiders and the result has even triggered attempts to modify how Palmetto Bay manages unsolicited bids.  CLICK HERE to view prior posts relating to this Unsolicited Bid Proposal as well as background information relating to Unsolicited Bid procedure.

I have no further information other than what has been contained in this legal notice and updates  published by the Village of Palmetto Bay Clerk - all legal/official communication is per statute/village code and as specified by the village, including that information as provided by the Village Clerk, see generally www.palmettobay-fl.gov or CLICK HERE to view the pending proposals page.

The curtain is pulled back at 3:00 PM today for all to see. Will anyone be attending?

"Curiouser and curiouser" - it appears that the new council will get its wish - no community center in a commercial area, recovery of the money spent on that land, and the delivery of a charter school they alleged was never going to happen.

This was quite an unexpected letter. One might say "curiouser and curiouser." I am looking forward to the response from the Mayor and remainder of the Village Council.  Ho Ho Ho - for Christmas, the current Mayor and Village Council may bring us - a charter school!

We have continuously been told (assured?) by the current mayor and vice mayor as well as their supporters that a Charter School was never going to go there.  If true, than this letter can be described as the $2,950,00 bluff or the $2,950,00 double down.

My fear is that the Charter School is close to happening. Why? I 'm counting past votes.  Here is what I am considering - and you should as well:

• 2 current members of this village council - Vice Mayor DuBois and returning council member Patrick Fiore voted IN FAVOR of the charter school back in 2014 - see zoning resolution, 2014-30, approved March 17, 2014 as discussed in background provided far below.  
• 2 current members of the council - current Mayor Karyn Cunningham and Vice Mayor DuBois voted against purchasing the land away from the charter school. 
• Candidate and now council member Marsha Matson was publicly opposed to the purchase of this land away from the charter school.

CLICK HERE to download and review the entire December 20, 2018 correspondence from the developer of the Shores of Palmetto Bay LLC to the Mayor and Council. Please pay particular attention to the second paragraph of this letter: 

Shores of Palmetto Bay LLC ("Buyer") would be willing to acquire the School Site from the Seller (Palmetto Bay) for case for the same price ($2,950,000) that the Seller purchased the School Site in 2018.

Note further that this is a conditional offer - make no mistake about it - the specifics are clearly defined:

"The closing would occur upon issuance of site plan and building permits for the charter school on the School Site."

This intent to put a charter school on this property is clear: 

"We (meaning the "Buyer") have a high performing charter school organization that is ready to commence development and construction permitting of the 1,400 student charter school."

The campaigns are over and now it is time for delivery. Its time to put up or (be quiet).

I will note that, in my opinion, this is/was the last piece of property available to keep the promise of the Community Center - part of the strategic parks master plan of 2007. I doubt that the community wants a Community Center to be placed deep into a residential neighborhood.   This property would also serve our community well as a multi-modal transportation center, but there appears to be no vision, no will, for anything to happen that would serve our community.

Well, we're waiting!

BACKGROUND RELATING TO THE CHARTER SCHOOL - I am providing some background on the long and winding history of the Charter School. CLICK HERE to review some prior blog posts, but for those who don't like to research I offer the following: 

The facts are undisputed that David Singer, Larissa Seigel Lara and I removed the Charter School through the only legal means possible: we purchased the property out from under them and negotiated a private (and enforceable) covenant with the owner of the remaining property that no school would go on the remaining property.

So what are the facts about the Charter School? I put out the facts during the campaign as as part of my rumor control. I posted the zoning resolution, 2014-30, approved March 17, 2014, that cleared the way for a 1,400 seat Charter School to be located at the "third parcel from the NE corner of SW 97th Avenue and SW 180th Street, Palmetto Bay" - that's legalese for identifying the Shores property.  (CLICK HERE and review in detail). The Zoning resolution was signed by then Mayor Shelley Stanczyk based upon the unanimous 5-0 vote of that Village Council - Voting yes were then mayor Shelley Stanczyk, Vice Mayor John DuBois and the council members serving on that council: Patrick Fiore, Tim Schaffer & Joan Lindsay. The Village attorney at that time was John R Herin, Jr., Esquire.

Note the findings made by Mayor Stanczyk and the Council regarding the Charter School:

"That the Mayor and Village Council find, based on substantial competent evidence in the record, that the application for the charter School is consistent with the Village of Palmetto Bay's Comprehensive Plan and the applicable Land Development Regulations."

Page 1, lines 20 - 22 & 34 - 35. 

'b. The rules that govern the conditions upon which a charter school is permitted to be configured and operated are found at Section 30-120 of the LDC "Public Charter School Facilities." After hearing the applicant and the applicant's experts, the Village Council finds the charter school request consistent with those standards.'  

Page 1, lines 37 - 40. 

 "c. The Applicant’s traffic study indicates that the number of trips generated by the proposed use does not cause the adjacent roadway to exceed the maximum capacity thresholds establish by Miami-Dade County. The Village's traffic engineering consultant and the Traffic Engineering Division of Miami-Dade County accept this finding with conditions as noted in the staff report."  

Page 1, lines 42 - 46. 

Again, all this information is available online throughout the official village archives, my past blog posts and official Miami-Dade County Court records.