MIAMI—The battle is raging over public waterfront land in Miami. There's a tit for tag growing between the Village of Key Biscayne's mayor and the Miami International Boat Show's director. The village has even filed a lawsuit against the City of Miami to block the plans. Who's right?
Again, Miami International Boat Show director Cathy Rick-Joule has plenty of reasons why the village shouldn't worry. But Key Biscayne Mayor Mayra Lindsay isn't convinced. A growing number of citizens are also voicing their concerns in a Change.org petition.
GlobeSt.com caught up with Lindsay to get her reaction to one of Rick-Joule's assertions and find out what she sees as the solution in part two of this exclusive interview. You can also read part one: Battle Rages Over Miami Public Waterfront Land.
GlobSt.com: Why do you believe the Boat Show should be moved, given the economic impact at stake?
Lindsay: Miami's natural habitat—not the Miami International Boat Show—is our community's greatest asset. While the Village of Key Biscayne would like to see a successful 2016 event, it cannot and should not be at the expense of our environment.
It is a shame the Boat Show's executives deem Marlins Park unfit, because City of Miami and Miami-Dade County taxpayers shelled out hundreds of millions of dollars in public funding to build it under the premise that it would host events such as this and stimulate economic progress in Little Havana. Instead, taxpayers are funding a new venue yet losing access to the site for weeks at a time.
GlobeSt.com: What do you want the NMMA and the City of Miami to do next?
Lindsay: If the Boat Show's executives were taking a responsible approach and truly cared about our community, they wouldn't be asking taxpayers to shell out another $16 million to build something entirely new on publicly-owned, environmentally-sensitive land. They also wouldn't be seeking an additional $500,000 from the State to fund their relocation, which is currently being sought in the form of a Senate bill in Tallahassee. Instead they would be making good use of the viable locations that are not only readily accessible and available, but would benefit significantly from the economic impact that could be created.
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