Miami Mayor Suarez declines veto of Virginia Key board takeover, making it final
Miami Mayor Francis Suarez has let stand a vote that will allow the City Commission to take over management of historic Virginia Key Beach, despite opposition from Black business and civic leaders concerned about the impact on the only beach that was open to Black Miamians during segregation.
The mayor could have issued a veto but took no action, which allows the takeover to automatically become law.
In a written statement to the Miami Herald on Monday, Suarez said the commission spoke “decisively” when they voted 4-1 to take over the board. The commission can override a mayoral veto with a 4/5 vote.
Now the five-member commission, led by Chairwoman Christine King, will form the majority of a new seven-person board where King can appoint two more members. The new board’s current makeup means that at most there can be three Black members, while the previous oversight agency was majority Black.
“I have great trust and confidence in Chairwoman King, as does her community which elected her,” Suarez said. “I have no doubt that she will lead the Virginia Key Beach board with integrity, efficiency, and inclusiveness.”
Last week, 14 Black business and civic leaders signed a letter to Suarez asking him to veto the commissioners’ Oct. 13 vote to oust the Virginia Key Beach Park Trust’s current leadership and install themselves as the new board. Suarez had until Sunday to veto the vote, sign the legislation or do nothing. The coalition of leaders wrote in the letter that the change would replace a board that reflects the voices of the Black community with a majority-Cuban board.
N. Patrick Range II, the board’s outgoing chairman and one of the leaders who signed the letter, said in a statement Monday that the group was disappointed that King supported the change and Suarez’s decision made matters worse.
“Our disappointment was compounded by Mayor Suarez’s unwillingness to help the community to avoid this chaos,” said Range, grandson of Miami’s first Black commissioner, Athalie Range. “Black Miami leaders will continue to fight for community control of the Virginia Key Beach Trust. It is too precious for our legacy.”
READ MORE: Black leaders urge Miami Mayor Suarez to veto takeover of Virginia Key Beach board
The takeover came months after the trust’s leadership criticized the commission for approving a proposal to build “tiny homes” on Virginia Key for people experiencing homelessness, a concept that has since been shelved. Commissioners said the vote was not related to the trust’s criticisms, instead citing problems identified by an audit that found accounting issues and lack of proper record keeping, among other items.
Commissioners also criticized the lack of progress toward development of a civil rights museum on Virginia Key, a project that has stalled for years. Miami-Dade County has about $20 million set aside for construction that has not yet been used. Suarez said he plans to work with Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava to move the museum plans forward.
“Over the coming months, I look forward to supporting the mission of the new board — including its engagement and interaction with all stakeholders,” Suarez said. “I am confident with ample community input, it can deliver a better future for Virginia Key Beach, one that honors its unique and important history.”
This story was originally published October 24, 2022 at 6:34 PM.
