Turf wars keep Miami commissioners from setting new district boundaries
The site of a major riverfront project downtown has become a new flash point in the complicated debate over how to redraw the city of Miami’s district boundaries.
The land that could host Riverside Wharf, a proposed entertainment complex that would include a luxury hotel on the east bank of the Miami River, is the subject of a tug-of-war between Commission Chairwoman Christine King and Commissioner Alex Díaz de la Portilla. It’s the latest disagreement in a redistricting process that has created friction on Miami’s commission and mobilized a group of Coconut Grove residents to call for their neighborhood to be left intact.
After a daylong hearing Friday, commissioners are no closer to a resolution — they may be further apart. By the end, they decided to push back a final vote on the maps, setting a new hearing for 2:30 p.m. on March 24.
▪ The riverfront area is in dispute. The site of Riverside Wharf, a massive proposed project that will require a second voter referendum, is currently in King’s district. The adjacent stretch of riverfront land had been moved into Díaz de la Portilla’s district in a previous draft plan approved by commissioners, though King said she was not clearly understood when she asked the city consultant to keep that area in her district.
“Let’s be clear. I’m not changing anything,” said King, amid the debate with Díaz de la Portilla. “I am keeping what is in my district already.”
The development, if approved and built, would likely be a new economic boost for whichever district it’s in.
▪ Commissioner Manolo Reyes said he was comfortable ceding ground on the western border of the Grove to satisfy the community’s desires. Residents advocating to keep “One Grove” together notched Reyes’ statement as a win.
“It gives us some much needed wiggle room,” said Grove resident Mel Meinhardt.
But the change could require a more drastic shift in boundaries on the north end of the Grove and into south Brickell, which could be moved into Commissioner Joe Carollo’s district.
▪ Commissioner Ken Russell wants to keep the whole Grove intact by pushing the boundaries of Carollo’s district further east into west Brickell, a plan Carollo and other commissioners have opposed. The different sides argue about the impact the new population would have on the district’s demographics.
By the end of the hearing, the city’s consultant, attorney and lobbyist Miguel De Grandy, noted that commissioners were not on the same page enough to give him clear direction on what to change in the next draft. De Grandy told commissioners he was going to come back with multiple maps.
“I’m going to bring one alternative for each commissioner,” he said.
This story was originally published March 11, 2022 at 7:49 PM.