Miami lawyers say stadium deal is a bad one. So why would commissioners approve it? | Opinion

In a representative democracy, residents rely upon their elected leaders to shepherd community assets for the greater good.

We rely on them to fairly administer government services and tax revenues, and represent our interests when negotiating contracts with those who want to do business with the government.

Any deal that involves turning over public land to private development must be closely scrutinized. Especially when a politically connected developer such as Jorge Mas seeks control of a public asset — in this instance the 157-acre Melreese park next to Miami International Airport.

How did we end up with the no-bid Miami Freedom Park deal, which gives away the largest park in the city of Miami to the Mas team to build a soccer stadium that the city’s own lawyers say is a bad deal?

Some city commissioners, like the developers, may also cite the fiction that in voting for a lease, they’re doing what voters ordered, because, in a 2018 referendum, 60% of them agreed to allow commissioners to consider a lease of the property. But the referendum only gave commissioners the authority to vote on whether to lease the land.

The city’s own outside attorneys — law firms that have been paid more than $3 million in legal fees — say this is a bad deal.

In a memo to commissioners last month, the lawyers warned that:

▪ The deal fails to address the replacement of parkland, which is required by city law.

▪ The proposed minimum rent of $3.57 million has not changed since the project was first announced in 2018, and full rent would not be due until the stadium is complete. Under the extensions permitted in the lease, it will likely be 10 years before the developers are required to pay rent.

▪ Annual rent increases are capped at 4%, when average rent for Miamians has spiked more than 40% in the last year alone.

Would any homeowner be willing to sell me their home for what it was appraised at in 2018? Of course not, but that is exactly the deal that Mas is getting from the city.

Even though Mas has said that this is not “another Marlins Park deal,” it still is another terrible deal for taxpayers.

We don’t need more special deals for special people. Commissioners should vote No and protect our precious green space for future generations.

David Winker is a Miami-based attorney. He is not professionally involved in the effort to build a soccer stadium.

This story was originally published March 7, 2022 at 1:52 PM.