Florida International University's sprawling Biscayne Bay Campus has one serious problem, President Mark Rosenberg said— there's only one way in and one way out. And complicating the issue, he said: There are three public schools on the only access road that adds to the traffic.
“We are sitting on a very dangerous situation,” he said Sunday, referring to what would happen if there is an emergency situation and people had to evacuate along 151st Street. “My highest priority is student safety.”
To fix the problem, the university, for years, has tried to open up a second ingress and egress on Northeast 135th Street. That option, however, means having a road through land that North Miami has dedicated as a nature preserve.
In 2011, a push to get state legislative support failed after North Miami lobbied against the option — saying opening the road to vehicular traffic would ruin the tranquil street. The city also argued it strips it of the their “home rule” ability to control its own land.
But in light of the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland that left 17 people dead, the issue has gained new momentum — this time focusing on security. The amendment already made it through the house and could go up for a vote in the senate Monday.
Read more at our news partner, the Miami Herald.