R9AE - Discuss Lincoln Rd Gateway

Discussion Items - R9 AE

COMMISSION MEMORANDUM

RECOMMENDATION

Please place on the next City Commission agenda a discussion item to reclaim the City’s vision for the eastern gateway of Lincoln Road — specifically the 100, 200, and 300 blocks. Promotional efforts surrounding the eastern end of Lincoln Road continue to draw public attention to a project long championed by the City Commission. While it's encouraging to see interest in this important corridor, the contrast between the visibility of public relations and the invisibility of real progress is difficult to ignore.

Over the past three years, the City of Miami Beach has taken clear, deliberate action to advance the revitalization of the 100–300 blocks of Lincoln Road — not through panels or soundbites, but through public process and investment:

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September 2022: The Commission referred the revitalization concept to committee for formal review and strategic planning. December 2022: We unanimously adopted Resolution No. 2022-32444, authorizing negotiations with the developer and calling for a comprehensive evaluation of pedestrianization, mobility, safety, and infrastructure. Importantly, this resolution also referenced the controversial bus stops on the north and south sides of Lincoln Road between Collins and Washington, which serve routes reaching the West Miami-Dade Correctional Facility and have long been believed to contribute to criminal activity in the area. To date, no action has been taken. June 2023: We approved Resolution No. 2023-32629, outlining a $12 million public- private partnership comprised of $4 million in City funds (already committed), $4 million from the developer, and $4 million to be pursued through the state appropriations process. The Commission also authorized the negotiation of improvement and maintenance agreements and the submission of associated land use applications.

The City Commission has fulfilled its role — setting policy, investing public dollars, and creating the framework for success. And yet, nearly three years later, not a single element of this transformation has materialized.

We must now ask the difficult but necessary question: Is our private-sector partner prepared to deliver? Because while news clips and public relations have their place, they are no substitute for execution. And while visionary soundbites may generate headlines, nothing is more visionary than results the public can actually experience.

If the developer is unable to meet the commitments outlined in our resolutions, then we as a City must be willing to revisit the partnership itself. Residents deserve more than renderings — they deserve progress. And if this project is to be truly transformative, it must move beyond aspiration and into implementation.

This discussion item will allow the City Commission to review the current status of this effort, assess next steps, and consider what action may be necessary to uphold the public trust — and reclaim the momentum we once had.

BACKGROUND/HISTORY

ANALYSIS

FISCAL IMPACT STATEMENT

Does this Ordinance require a Business Impact Estimate? (FOR ORDINANCES ONLY)

If applicable, the Business Impact Estimate (BIE) was published on: See BIE at: https://www.miamibeachfl.gov/city-hall/city-clerk/meeting-notices/

FINANCIAL INFORMATION

CONCLUSION

Applicable Area

Citywide

Was this Agenda Item initially requested by a lobbyist which, as defined in Code Sec. 2-481, includes a principal engaged in lobbying? No

If so, specify the name of lobbyist(s) and principal(s):

Department

Office of Commissioner Alex Fernandez

Sponsor(s)

Commissioner Alex Fernandez

Co-sponsor(s)

Condensed Title

Discuss Reclaiming City's Vision for Eastern Gateway of Lincoln Rd (100, 200, 300 Blocks). (AF)

Previous Action (For City Clerk Use Only)