Power struggle between politicians, activists boils over at heated Pinecrest meeting
Tensions in the tony village of Pinecrest boiled over at a Tuesday night meeting where the mayor considered suing critics for slander and asked police to escort out the leading advocate of a push to strip the Village Council of its power to change certain rules around development.
“You’re telling us the sky is red,” Mayor Joe Corradino said. “That’s absolutely ridiculous, but that’s the way this whole thing has gone forever. It’s just one lie after another.”
Much of the frustration from Corradino and the Village Council was directed at Concerned Citizens of Pinecrest, a neighborhood group that, through a petition, has triggered an upcoming voter referendum that would transfer the power over zoning code changes from elected officials to voters.
In a March special election, Pinecrest residents will decide whether voter approval should be required for future changes to the zoning code and land development regulations. Under the proposal, attempts to increase density, height and floor area ratio and to create new zoning districts would have to be approved by 60% of voters participating in a given election.
On Tuesday, the council unanimously approved a resolution opposing the charter amendment.
“I think it’s important for the community to know, for those people who voted us in and have faith in us, that we think this is a terrible idea,” Councilmember Katie Abbott said.
Councilmember Shannon del Prado led the resolution.
“Perhaps you’ve received emails warning about looming high-rises that the council is going to allow in Pinecrest,” del Prado said. “The photos and the emails are crafted to scare residents and lure them into voting for a referendum that fundamentally changes the way Pinecrest has governed itself for 27 years. But the problem with crying ‘the sky is falling, the sky is falling’ is that ultimately you have to deliver.”
Laura McNaughton, an accountant and former seafood industry executive, founded Concerned Citizens of Pinecrest. During the meeting, she said the proposed charter change “puts the power in the hands of the residents, because we no longer trust your judgment.”
“Everyone is prepared for the optics that you planned tonight,” she told the Village Council. “It is a farce.”
Later in the meeting, Corradino ordered a police officer to escort McNaughton out. She said he ousted her after she commented “hear, hear” in response to another resident who suggested the Village Council withdraw their resolution.
“This group, with this false, misleading information, has created tremendous distrust,” Corradino said, adding that the Village Council has received threats from community members, including comments that they “should go to the guillotine.”
“It’s shameful, for crying out loud,” he said.
Soon after that, Corradino — referring back to a suggestion from another attendee — turned to the village attorney and asked about the possibility to sue residents.
“If the behavior keeps up and we were to sue the people who are slandering us, could we collect the legal fees for that?” Corradino said.
Village Attorney Mitch Bierman said defamation law is “outside of my area of expertise.” Del Prado, also an attorney, declined to answer the mayor’s question.
‘Almost impossible to undo’
The council vocalized three major concerns about the charter change: that it would hinder the village’s ability to function efficiently; that it would give too much power to developers, who can use money to influence referendums; and that it would be costly for taxpayers.
According to Village Manager Yocelyn Galiano, each future referendum could cost upwards of $63,000 — $28,000 for a vote-by-mail election and $35,000 for an “education campaign” to inform the residents. (Village spokeswoman Michelle Hammontree said the $35,000 figure is based on “past experience.”)
McNaughton has described a “sense of mistrust” between Pinecrest residents and elected officials due to their “willingness to support land development regulation changes increasing density and adding mixed-use.” She said her group created the petition after a town-hall meeting where the mayor presented plans for the Pinecrest Parkway Vision Plan.
At that time, the county’s Bus Transit Zone ordinance threatened to introduce mixed-use development into single-family-zoned neighborhoods. The county later watered down the ordinance in response to backlash, and the village also restricted building heights to four stories.
The proposed charter language mirrors a provision in Key Biscayne’s charter, except Key Biscayne requires a simple majority approval rather than 60%. In November, Key Biscayners voted down a referendum 62% to 38% that would have also allowed a super-majority on the Village Council to approve zoning code and land development regulation changes.
But Pinecrest Vice Mayor Anna Hochkammer said Tuesday that Key Biscayne is “in crisis,” and noted that Miami Beach has similar rules like requiring a referendum for certain increases to the floor area ratio.
“Let’s look at what’s happening in Miami Beach,” she said, “where every single election is a chaos of PACs and interest groups and people screaming in the streets with placards, because it really doesn’t matter what a thoughtful city commission does, because it’s all going to go to referendum.”
“It’s almost impossible to undo,” Hochkammer added.
This story was originally published January 11, 2023 at 5:56 PM.
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