Miami’s attempt to seize waterfront private property is repulsive | Opinion

Eminent domain

Re: the Dec. 10 story, “How much should city pay to seize Miami River property from owner? A jury will decide.” I always find it repulsive when some highfalutin elected official decides to pander to their base at the expense of a taxpaying citizen. The latest being Miami City Commissioner Joe Carollo, who decided he wants to lionize some foreign rebel who has nothing to do with American history, at the expense of an American taxpaying citizen.

This caper is all the more horrendous considering it has to do with waterfront property. We all know waterfront property drives taxes up. So why strip this property from the tax rolls and make it public land?

In this case, the property’s value must include how much revenue it will — or would — make for the city and county.

W. F. Cunningham, III,

Fort Lauderdale

Haitian children

Re: the Nov. 27 story, ”Intensified gang violence, U.S. flights ban leave Haitians with few options to flee.” Among the endangered population in Haiti are 70 children in the process of being adopted by U.S. families. These children and adoptive families have all been vetted and processed in accordance with the Hague Convention for the Protection of Children and Cooperation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption. These are internationally agreed upon safeguards which protect the best interests of children, birth parents and prospective adoptive parents, ratified by Haiti in June 2012 and put into effect on April 1, 2014.

In no instance has this adoption process taken less than three years; in some cases, prospective adoptive families have been working with Haitian and U.S. authorities for 11 years. The Haitian government requires adoptive parents to bond with the children, so relationships have already been formed. These procedures, including approvals from the Haitian government, USCIS, Department of State and the U.S. Embassy, ensure that children in the adoption process are not at risk of being trafficked.

American adoptive families, with support of Congressional representatives, are imploring the U.S. Department of State and the Department of Homeland Security to evacuate these children immediately for their safety.

Michelle Reed,

adoptive mom of two Haitian boys,

Fort Myers

Unequal pardon

The Miami Herald’s Dec. 10 editorial, “Biden’s pardon sets a bad example,” equates a pardon to a private citizen targeted for being the son of the president of the United States, to the president-elect, who allegedly committed multiple crimes, including leading an insurrection and received a guilty verdict for sexual assault. Then there is his family’s endless grifting, just to name a few.

Get serious, please.

Monica Harvey,

Miami Shores

Hypocrisy, again

Re: the Dec. 10 op-ed by Archbishop Thomas Wenski, “The elections are over, now it’s time to heal.” Hypocrisy is when Republicans spent four years disrespecting, delegitimizing and obstructing President Biden, but now say we should come together.

We can be relieved there was no violence after the election because the man responsible for post-election violence was elected.

The Biden administration brought a bill to the U.S. House that would have helped the problem of immigration at the border, but was voted down by Republicans under pressure from our now president-elect.

The idea of immigrants having “good moral character” is nice, but I’m curious if Archbishop Wenski thinks our president-elect is an example of good moral character?

Kathleen Leitner,

Miami Lakes

Bikes on boats

Re: the Dec. 7 Miami Herald online story, “This waterway has seen drugs, bombs, sewage, tourists. How the Miami River has changed.” My thanks to the Herald for the Miami River historical pictorial.

Seeing the photo of the piles of “stolen” bicycles from Miami residents atop the vessel, Only One Express, reminded me of the days when we residents succeeded, in the 1980s, to encourage new local laws to show proof of ownership of bicycles being openly smuggled out of our country.

I hope today’s Republican-led Florida Legislature doesn’t usurp that law in fascist fashion.

Don Deresz,

Miami

Damaging DOGE

The so-called DOGE — Department of Government Efficiency — is really a dodge to gut pre-selected federal programs without actual concern or principles of true efficiency. It’s a transparent cover to cut without any real study, management, or governance.

Will they even touch the Department of Defense?

Consider the initial nominees for Defense, Director of National Intelligence, and FBI (Justice). What we would get is a swamp of incompetence and inexperience. And so, inefficiency.

The medical profession says: first, do no harm. We should say: first, do not put us in harm’s way.

John C. Maine,

Kendall

Stop wasting time

President-elect Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened to have his Department of Justice (DOJ) investigate and prosecute the prosecutors (such as Special Counsel Jack Smith and the New York and Georgia prosecutors) who indicted him, as well as legislators (such as former Rep. Liz Cheney and Sen. Adam Schiff), who conducted Congressional investigations of him.

Putting aside that such a focus in his new administration would distract the DOJ from the important work it must perform on immigration and crime issues, all of those prosecutors and legislators are absolutely immune from prosecution.

The U.S. Supreme Court has made it clear, repeatedly, that prosecutors are protected by absolute immunity and the U.S. Constitution’s Speech and Debate Clause clothes legislators with absolute immunity. One would think that after having received immunity protection from the Court for his actions as president in 2020, Trump would understand that this broad protection is not limited to him.

Hopefully, Trump’s new Attorney General will be able to convince him that his threats of investigation and prosecution of his former tormentors are without any merit. Then, he can focus his new administration on the work of “the People” who elected him.

Joseph A. DeMaria,

Coral Gables

Being a parent

Re: the Dec. 1 online story, “In pardoning his son, Biden echoes some of Trump’s complaints.” As far as history tells us, parenthood existed way before politics came into the world. As a parent, I support Biden’s pardon for his son. Most parents would agree that we stick by our children for everything short of unjustified murder.

There comes a time in each parent’s life when parenthood trumps politics.

Ollie Daniels,

Pembroke Pines

Condo assessments

Re: the Dec. 2 story, “Owners oust condo head over $21M special assessment.” It was admirable that the owners at 1060 Brickell acted quickly and ended Jacob Kassel’s two-year autocracy. I bought a unit at 1050 Brickell Avenue for investment purposes. I never foresaw such a reckless and unprecedented act such as the slapping of a $21 million assessment without a vote from the owners approving or disapproving of it.

I was shocked when I received the notice of the illegally obtained assessment and the payment schedule starting Jan. 1, 2025. This is the very type of occurrence that dissuades investors and others from buying condominium units. In this case, a criminal investigation is warranted. Hopefully, one does take place.

Furthermore, all appropriate legal steps must be taken to set aside the assessment, otherwise, this could set a very bad precedent for the board presidents of other condominium associations.

Emilia Diaz Fox,

Miami