An ex-Miami city commissioner has threatened to recall his former colleagues now that $10 million from developers meant to build new parks citywide was shifted to maintain one park already under construction.
At a public meeting Thursday, Miami city commissioners voted to lock in $20 million from the owners of the pro soccer club Inter Miami to be used exclusively for improvements and maintenance of Miami Freedom Park — which the Inter Miami owners are responsible for building on the site of the former Melreese Country Club.
READ MORE: Inter Miami now says long-awaited, oft-delayed new stadium will open in 2026
Ken Russell, a former commissioner who voted on the city's lease with the Freedom Park developers, said the move was a "bait and switch." He argues that the commission voted three years ago that half the $20 million would go toward the creation of new parks on city-owned land, and this new resolution contradicts the commission's own pledge.
Russell told WLRN he will be involved in a recall effort for Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, who sponsored the resolution.
"If the promise of this deal is broken, I will be the first signature on any recall for any elected official who tries to break the promises of this deal," Russell told commissioners and the mayor during the public comment portion of Thursday's meeting.
The deal
When retired soccer player David Beckham and his partners — brothers Jorge and José Mas of the construction firm Mastec — approached the city to build a soccer stadium on the city-owned Melreese golf course land, the idea was met with pushback from residents and some elected officials.
Residents lamented the loss of one of the largest parcels of publicly-owned green space in the city. The Melreese land was a whopping 131 acres.
To get over the hurdle, the developers (operating under Miami Freedom Park LLC) offered to build a 58-acre public park adjacent to the stadium, to be called Miami Freedom Park. They also agreed to a number of public benefits.
The deal went to a referendum and 60% of Miami voters agreed to allow the city to negotiate with Miami Freedom Park LLC for a 99-year lease — if the developers agreed to build the park and pay the city $20 million "for a 58-acre public park or other green space."
On April 28, 2022, the city commission held a special meeting to approve the lease agreement with the Mas brothers and Beckham. After a heated debate, they agreed on the lease with an additional carveout proposed by then-commissioner Russell — $10 million from the developers would go to improvements at Miami Freedom Park, and the other $10 million would go toward the creation of new parks on city owned land.
"My recommendation would be that half of the $20 million stay in District 1, and then two and a half be a set aside for each of the no net loss parks," Russell said at the 2022 meeting.
The carveout was meant to satisfy the city's policy of "no net loss," meaning any green space lost because of a development must be replaced.
Four properties were identified in different city districts that would receive $2.5 million each to begin converting them to parks:
- 1680 Northwest 5th Street
- 1950 Northwest 12th Avenue
- 3851 Rickenbacker Causeway
- 150 Northeast 19th Street
The rest of the commission stood with Russell on this amendment.
"I agree with you, fully agree with you, that it should be used for the no net loss. And if you want to make that part of it, I have no problems with it," Commissioner Joe Carollo said at the 2022 meeting.
A transcript of the April 28, 2022 meeting can be found here.
The commission voted 4-1 in favor of the lease with the extra conditions for the $20 million. Mayor Suarez even clarified the vote.
"Madam Chair, if I may just say then that the motion as made previously, is amended to include the additional conditions by Commissioner Russell," Suarez said at the time.
But that amendment did not make it into the final lease agreement that Suarez signed — as first reported by the Miami Herald.
Three years later, those additional conditions have now been undone, and the taxpayers of Miami may be on the hook for citywide park improvements.
Freedom Park fund
Suarez's resolution creates a special revenue fund for maintenance and improvements at Miami Freedom Park, where the entirety of the $20 million payment will go. In explaining his item, Suarez argued that while Russell did ask to carve out portions of the $20 million for new parks, that was not the will of the voters.
"The referendum language was very clear that $20 million was going to a 58 acre park OR other green space," Suarez said at Thursday's meeting, contending that the money was meant to go one way or another, but not both.
"My position is that the money should be restored based on what the voters voted on," he said.
Suarez told the Miami Herald the intention behind the deal was always for the $20 million to go solely to Miami Freedom Park, and not to other districts.
Suarez amended his resolution on Thursday to direct the City Manager to find $10 million by the mid-year budget cycle to divide evenly between Districts 2, 3, 4, and 5 to be earmarked for parks, in order to make up for any perceived loss of park funding. As Miami Freedom Park will be in District 1, that district receives the entirety of the $20 million payment from developers.
Commissioners approved Suarez's resolution with the amendment in a 4-1 vote, with Commissioner Damian Pardo casting the sole "no" vote.
