I understand that all eight passed. Let's talk about them here.

Anybody want to come out and play ?

Anybody want to come out and play ?
Okay, let's start with the bonds themselves:

BOND QUESTION 1 - BUILDING BETTER COMMUNITIES - Construct and Improve Water, Sewer and Flood Control Systems

To protect natural resources through improved distribution of clean water, safe sewage and waste disposal, improved flood control and drainage, described in Resolution No. 912-04, adopted July 20, 2004, shall Miami-Dade County issue General Obligation Bonds to pay cost of such projects in a principal amount not exceeding $378,183,000, bearing interest not exceeding maximum legal rate, payable from ad valorem taxes?

BOND QUESTION 2 - BUILDING BETTER COMMUNITIES - Construct and Improve Parks and Recreational Facilities

To construct and improve neighborhood and regional parks and other recreational areas to include athletic fields and gymnasiums, courts, pools, playgrounds, marinas, restore beaches, and the preservation of endangered lands described in Resolution No. 913-04, adopted July 20, 2004, shall Miami-Dade County issue General Obligation Bonds to pay cost of such projects in a principal amount not exceeding $680,258,000, bearing interest not exceeding maximum legal rate, payable from ad valorem taxes?

BOND QUESTION 3 - BUILDING BETTER COMMUNITIES Construct and Improve Bridges, Public Infrastructure, and Neighborhood Improvements

To construct and improve walkways, bikeways, bridges and access to the Seaport, and other municipal and neighborhood infrastructure improvements to enhance quality of life, described in Resolution No. 914-04, adopted July 20, 2004, shall Miami-Dade County issue General Obligation Bonds to pay cost of such projects in a principal amount not exceeding $352,182,000, bearing interest not exceeding maximum legal rate, payable from ad valorem taxes?

BOND QUESTION 4 - BUILDING BETTER COMMUNITIES - Construct and Improve Public Safety Facilities

To promote public safety by constructing and improving detention centers, justice centers, courthouses, police, fire and lifeguard stations, and new animal care and control facilities, described in Resolution No. 915-04, adopted July 20, 2004, shall Miami-Dade County issue General Obligation Bonds to pay cost of such projects in a principal amount not exceeding $341,087,000, bearing interest not exceeding maximum legal rate, payable from ad valorem taxes?

BOND QUESTION 5 - BUILDING BETTER COMMUNITIES - Construct and Improve Emergency and Healthcare Facilities

To construct and improve emergency healthcare facilities at Jackson Memorial Hospital and Jackson South to promote accessibility to quality healthcare services, described in Resolution No. 916-04, adopted July 20, 2004, shall Miami-Dade County issue General Obligation Bonds to pay cost of such projects in a principal amount not exceeding $171,281,000, bearing interest not exceeding maximum legal rate, payable from ad valorem taxes?

BOND QUESTION 6 - BUILDING BETTER COMMUNITIES - Construct and Improve Public Service Outreach Facilities

To construct and improve public service outreach facilities to meet code and service requirements and to increase neighborhood and community access to services, described in Resolution No. 917-04, adopted July 20, 2004, shall Miami-Dade County issue General Obligation Bonds to pay cost of such projects in a principal amount not exceeding $255,070,000, bearing interest not exceeding maximum legal rate, payable from ad valorem taxes?

BOND QUESTION 7 - BUILDING BETTER COMMUNITIES - Construct and Improve Housing for the Elderly and Families

To construct and improve affordable housing for the elderly and families to encourage home ownership through the acquisition, construction and renovation of residential units, described in Resolution No. 918-04, adopted July 20, 2004, shall Miami-Dade County issue General Obligation Bonds to pay cost of such projects in a principal amount not exceeding $194,997,000 bearing interest not exceeding maximum legal rate, payable from ad valorem taxes?

BOND QUESTION 8 - BUILDING BETTER COMMUNITIES - Construct and Improve Cultural, Library, and Multicultural Educational Facilities

To construct and improve libraries, cultural facilities, and Head Start learning centers for pre-school children to offer multicultural educational opportunities and activities, described in Resolution No. 919-04, adopted July 20, 2004, shall Miami-Dade County issue General Obligation Bonds to pay cost of such projects in a principal amount not exceeding $552,692,000, bearing interest not exceeding maximum legal rate, payable from ad valorem taxes?

well this is a continuation of the Decade of Progress bond passed in the 70's.

BOND REFERENDUM

No. 1: Water, Sewer and Flood Control Systems


• Yes 422,307 67.92 %
No 199,454 32.08 %

No. 2: Parks and Recreational Facilities


• Yes 416,235 66.65 %
No 208,284 33.35 %

No. 3: Bridges/Public Infrastructure


• Yes 394,327 63.75 %
No 224,256 36.25 %

No. 4: Public Safety Facilities


• Yes 397,812 64.44 %
No 219,566 35.56 %

No. 5: Healthcare Facilities


• Yes 443,917 71.64 %
No 175,690 28.36 %

No. 6: Public Service Outreach Facilities


• Yes 357,022 58.96 %
No 248,525 41.04 %

No. 7: Elderly/Family Housing


• Yes 439,415 71.31 %
No 176,749 28.69 %

No. 8: Cultural/Library Facilities


• Yes 408,995 65.98 %
No 210,881 34.02 %

It helped that the wording of each measure was clear and succinct (the wording on the Spanish- and Creole-language ballots were also very clear), unlike the very misleading high speed rail repeal (but that's a topic for another thread).

All of these bond issues will have a positive effect on Miami-Dade County... I like to think we're fairly progressive on this sort of thing... :)

Oh, and how about the Miami Beach straw ballot vote on Baylink!

MIAMI BEACH STRAW BALLOT - No. 1: Bay Link Streetcar Rail System

Yes 13,718 55.0 %
No 11,456 45.0 %

I understand that QUESTION 8 is going to come under a lot of scrutiny - the Museum Park.

Thanks, tivo !

I understand that QUESTION 8 is going to come under a lot of scrutiny - the Museum Park.

what do you mean...within this forum you mean?

what do you mean...within this forum you mean?
The scrutiny will be on whatever board manages the funds -- in this case, probably the Miami-Dade County Commission or some other delegated authority.

There is a long history here of bad, or let's say "misguided", land use, especially of waterfront. What could have been great park space has historically been sold to commercial interests, i.e., Bayside and AmericanAirlines Arena (and pretty soon, Watson Island). It's no wonder the City of Miami has among the lowest per capita rates of urban park space in the country.

A couple of local politicians, both County and City, have been much more "enlightened" than those in the past... Hopefully within my lifetime we'll see that great Baywalk/Riverwalk from Bicentennial Park all the way to the Miami River. Personally, I would like to see the small channel that separates Bicentennial from AA Arena filled in to make a continuous park and walkway that would extend through Bayside and Bayfront Park... That channel is a remnant of the old seaport before it was moved over to Dodge and Lummus Islands.

Miami-Dade Parks and Recreation
http://www.co.miami-dade.fl.us/parks/

City of Miami Department of Parks and Recreation
http://www.ci.miami.fl.us/parks/pages/

many are saying that the museum park might not happen at bicentinal park because in the question it was never stated.IS THIS TRUE

Much as I like civic improvements, it seems that South Floridians in general, and Miamians in particular, have not met a ballot measure they don't like. Remember the federal aid for pregnant pigs in 2002 ?

well i think thats because us miamians always believe we need improvements.

Okay then, let me put it this way: much as I like South Floridians, I'd like to ban them from voting on statewide initiatives. :wink2:

And again, good to see Miami improving.

^^lol agreed!

There is a long history here of bad, or let's say "misguided", land use, especially of waterfront. What could have been great park space has historically been sold to commercial interests, i.e., Bayside and AmericanAirlines Arena (and pretty soon, Watson Island). It's no wonder the City of Miami has among the lowest per capita rates of urban park space in the country.
Well for what it's worth...the Bicentennial Park is a Park now. And no one uses it.
I'm not sure why putting a couple of Museums on the site would hurt the space. From the renderings that I've seen, the Museums would are sensible and would facilitate pedestrian flow to the waterfront and feature a statue garden. Park benches and picnic spaces.
That sounds like a wonderful asset to our community especially in the neighborhood of the PAC and with easy access to transportation. The objections to this project are amazing to me.
The land is a park NOW and totally underutilized. The land is large enough for 4 museums and still enough green space for a 20 family reunions. See how many people you can count in the park on this absolutely perfect day...
http://www.restainer.com/skyscrapers/Ten_Museum_East_90.JPG
But wait...there's more!
http://www.restainer.com/skyscrapers/Ten_Museum_East_110.JPG
As for Bayside...PACKED. Busy everyday of the year. With beautiful Chicken Wings, beautifull views, etc. Just because an area is commerical doesn't make it bad, but that is a matter of opinion.
The Bayfront Park (south of Bayside) is very large too. There was a great party there Wednesday night for George Perez's 50 Biscayne. The park is very nice, but again...underutilized by the people.

I am very curious where the "lowest Urban Green space per capita" figures comes from. I've heard that stat bandied around before (which doesn't necessarily make it correct). Does the 7 miles of continuous Public Beach on Miami Beach count as green? If so, how many feet into the water is "park space"? How about the Miami Beach Golf Club (municipal) and the Links at Key Biscayne (municipal), do they count?

It is safe to say the the Riverwalk is happening. The greenway plan is in action and developers are adhering to it for the public benefit.

It looks like the park is well-maintained.

I've also heard that Bayfront Park is slated for incremental improvements.

When do you guys think we can expect this Museum park to start moving?

Much as I like civic improvements, it seems that South Floridians in general, and Miamians in particular, have not met a ballot measure they don't like.
That's why Miami-Dade has home rule written into the Florida Constitution ... Imagine if every single issue that affected the county had to go to the Legislature for approval, like every other non-charter county. It allows us to be autonomous from most state interference and being outruled by populations elsewhere that don't live here.

Of course, since then, most other urban counties have become charter counties (Broward, Palm Beach, Hillsborough, Pinellas, Orange, Volusia, Duval, etc.). But Miami-Dade and Duval made the most dramatic restructurings in their governments, Dade adopting the two-tier metropolitan government and Duval/Jacksonville consolidating.

Remember the federal aid for pregnant pigs in 2002 ?
Yep... though I wouldn't consider fetal pigs a "civic improvement"... :)

It's a flaw in Florida's referendum/initiative process. I'm sure if we had a mechanism like California's "propositions", whereby the initiatives would enact statutes rather than amendment by referendum, it would keep the state Constitution cleaner and less cluttered (PLUS the statutes would be subject to judicial review at the state level)... But I digress, that's a topic for another thread.

Well for what it's worth...the Bicentennial Park is a Park now. And no one uses it. I'm not sure why putting a couple of Museums on the
site would hurt the space. From the renderings that I've seen, the Museums would are sensible and would facilitate pedestrian flow to the waterfront and
feature a statue garden. Park benches and picnic spaces.
Couldn't agree with you more... Miami Today had a very interesting article on some design proposals by Dover, Kohl & Partners. I would like to see this project succeed... hence why I voted in favor. Maybe then they'll reopen the Bicentennial Park Metromover station.

On the flipside, when the AA Arena was built, we were promised a park or some other public venue that would front the water as a condition for allowing it to be built there... hasn't happened yet. (Although there appears to be activity of some sort east of the arena). Other than Bongo's Cuban Café in the back, when nothing is going on at AAA it otherwise is practically empty.

I would like to see a park that is distinctly Miami in flavor (or by virtue of grand design, becomes Miami), something that, several years from now, one could not imagine Miami without... something that becomes an inseparable part of the landscape and part of the overall experience of being here as Central Park is for New York.

As for Bayside...PACKED. Busy everyday of the year. With beautiful Chicken Wings, beautifull views, etc. Just because an area is commerical doesn't make it bad, but that is a matter of opinion. The Bayfront Park (south of Bayside) is very large too. There was a great party there Wednesday night for George Perez's 50 Biscayne. The park is very nice, but again...underutilized by the people.
I like Bayside... never said it was bad, but it's only one piece of the puzzle. As a shopping and entertainment venue it's a good mechanism for luring people to the area. If only it would stay open later on weekends; by 1-2am virtually everything is dead. :)

I am very curious where the "lowest Urban Green space per capita" figures comes from. I've heard that stat bandied around before (which doesn't necessarily make it correct). Does the 7 miles of continuous
Public Beach on Miami Beach count as green? If so, how many feet into the water is "park space"? How about the Miami Beach Golf Club (municipal) and the Links at Key Biscayne (municipal), do they count?
This figure specifically refers to the City of Miami (as soon as I find it I'll post it), so it wouldn't include Lummus Park, a Miami Beach municipal park. Beyond the lines in the sand that define the city limits, Miami-Dade County has amazing parks, including Miami MetroZoo, Crandon Park, Haulover, etc. There are also several really good state parks: the Oleta River State Park (largest urban park in Florida) and Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park... Miami is also the only large metro that has two national parks in its immediate vicinity: Everglades National Park and Biscayne National Park.

well i like bicen.park but watchout at night there,its like headquarters for every rat in miami.

Museum Foes Miffed

PAC Prepares to Challenge Funding for Museum Park, Mayor-Elect Expresses Skepticism on Question Eight

Fifty-seven percent of the county electorate voted in favor of Question Eight Tuesday, with 29 percent against.

By Mitchell Pellecchia
Staff Writer



Despite an overall smooth election process in Miami-Dade County, where residents elected a new mayor and approved all eight General Obligation Bond questions, a local political action committee is considering legal action to kill funding for Bond Question 8.

The $552 million bond issue will fund the development of cultural and educational amenities across the county. However, $275 million of that bond revenue will flow toward the construction of a new Miami Science Museum and Planetarium and a new Miami Art Museum in Bicentennial Park as park of a proposed “Museum Park” project.

Steve Hagen, founder of Save Bicentennial Park from Massive Museums, said the language for question number eight was “misleading and fraudulent.” Hagen said the question never mentioned that much of the bond went to the so-called Museum Park and that neither the words “museum” or “park” appeared in the wording of the ballot question.

Hagen formed the PAC shortly before Tuesday’s election to raise money for ads to dissuade voters from approving the question. Fifty-seven percent of the county electorate voted in favor of Question Eight Tuesday, with 29 percent against. Hagen said Save Bicentennial is in the process of assembling a legal team to fight the county and get the funding for the museums stopped.

The seven other G.O. Bond questions, dealing with capital improvement projects that ranged from infrastructure improvements to public safety facilities, flood control and even housing for the elderly, were also overwhelmingly approved by voters. Question Six, a $255 million initiative to “Construct and Improve Public Outreach Facilities” passed with the narrowest margin of all eight bond questions: 50 percent in favor and 34 percent against.

The eight bond questions total $2.9 billion, the proceeds of which will be issued over the next ten years and paid back by county taxpayers over the next four decades.

Miami-Dade County’s new mayoral elect, Carlos Alvarez, condemned Question Eight as he addressed a crowd of hundreds at a Miami Chamber of Commerce luncheon Wednesday.

“As you know I voted for seven of the questions yesterday. You know the one I didn’t vote for,” said Alvarez who, while endorsing using county tax money to support a new Marlins stadium next to the Orange Bowl, has spoken out repeatedly against the Museum Park project.

But Alvarez told chamber members the day after his victory over Commissioner Jimmy Morales for the mayor’s seat (50.63 percent to 42.01 percent according to final vote tallies) that residents have indicated their desire “to invest in this community” and he stressed that his administration will help them do it wisely.

“My platform is very simple. It’s about reform,” Alvarez said. The mishaps of the Miami International Airport expansion project (which is $87 million over budget and 18 months behind schedule) and the as-yet-to-be-completed Performing Arts Center (which is 20 months behind schedule and at least $70 million over budget) is not the fault of any one commissioner or administrator, but the result of a “system that doesn’t work” Alvarez told business leaders.

Since Alvarez’s victory late Tuesday night, the press and the public have been waiting and wondering if the mayor-elect is going to make a move to replace County Manager George Burgess. But Alvarez said Burgess is on the right track with finding a solution on the Performing Arts Center and said he was optimistic that his professional relationship with the current county manager will work out.

Shortly after, Alvarez endorsed Miami as the home for the Free Trade Center of the Americas (FTAA) secretariat and insisted that the Peoples Transportation Plan, funded by a voter-approved half-percent sales tax, is the jewel that will provide for the county’s mass transportation needs.

Miami City Commissioner Tomas Regalado told the SunPost that all eight bond questions “misinformed the people and hid things.” Regalado said he voted “no” across the board. As for Question Eight, Regalado said his next fight will be to get free admission for all county residents because of the “great sacrifice” they made in supporting them. “If the museums are ever built,” he added.

“The next three generations are going to have to pay for it,” Regalado continued. “I feel bad that people have mortgaged their homes.”

Miami-Dade’s Republican Party sided with Regalado and, according to Mary Ellen Miller, the chapter’s chairwoman, members were instructed to vote no on all eight questions because historically the county has been incapable of oversight of large capital projects.

Save Bicentennial Park’s independent exit poll conducted Tuesday demonstrated that some voters agreed with Hagen, Alvarez, Regalado and the Republicans that the county rushed into Question Eight.

“I would not have voted for it if I’d known so little was going to go to Head Start Centers,” said Robert Gaston after voting yes to the nominal $5.9 million that is one percent of the entire Question Eight bond initiative.

“Had I known the money was going to be that disproportionately distributed, I would have voted against it,” said resident Deborah Gould after she voted yes on Question Eight.

“I’m surprised he [Hagen] is taking that angle,” said Miami City Manager Joe Arriola. The city manager said he has been on the front lines of the bond issues community outreach, fielding questions at neighborhood meetings and on Spanish language radio. He said he’s confident that Miami voters were adequately informed. “There were countless media stories, brochures by the county as well as information on the Internet,” he told the SunPost.

Hagen visited four separate districts on Election Day where he interviewed a random sample of 25 voters, the majority of whom he said voted yes, but in hindsight wished they had understood the question more fully. Both Election Day voters and poll workers who voted early were included in Hagen’s survey.

“I definitely would not have voted yes had I known what I know now,” said Vaka Kodish after talking with Hagen.

County officials as well as Miami Science Museum CEO Gillian Thomas and Miami Art Museum Director Suzanne Delehanty are convinced that the ballot wording was fair and that public outreach regarding the bond was sufficient. “The county does not issue documents without careful consideration,” Delehanty told SunPost. But Hagen’s exit poll may prove otherwise.

Thomas, on the other hand, said she is open to dialogue with Hagen and that outreach will be extensive throughout the community in determining the best use of public space in Museum Park.

Yet Hagen told the SunPost he “tried and tried again” to get county and museum officials to reword the question or to at least postpone the funding until further deliberation, but to no avail.

“I think everybody was provided plenty of information,” Arriola told SunPost. “I thought all the bond questions were very clear.”

ist this simple, to have a regular park, u need to either have residents nearby, or have some sort of attraction to bring them there... bicentential park has no residents nearby, unless u count just north of pac, but margaret pace park takes care of them, therefore, an attraction would be needed to bring them there, and imagine having museum park, then the pac rite across the street (something needs to be done about 396 to allow for pedestrian traffic, cause do u wanna walk under that thing?), and american airlines arena all within a block of each other, in the middle of downtown, rite next to public transportation in wat will soon be a very densly populated area... now look at bicentential park now, and tell me how thats not an improvement