the 17 million dollar tracking system

Slowly working my way through my RSS feeds I came across (perhaps too late) this note on Miami Today about the Citizen's Independent Transportation Trust group approving a 17+ million dollar contract for a GPS tracking system on Miami-Dade Transit's buses.
This is something worth looking in to.

Here are links I've compiled so far, hopefully more to come once I've gotten back my public records requests.

http://www.miamidade.gov/citt/home.asp

the illustrious Faustin Denis

A quick write up requiring some follow up regarding Biscayne Landing, North Miami, and someone I have written about previously, Faustin Denis. The blog I wrote was later and much more recently featured in Voters Opinion, in part of a series on corruption in North Miami. In that particularly series my own investigations and analysis of bids made for a work contract led me to believe Faustin Denis is engaged in some kind of bid-rigging.

The rich want to pay for it, but why should they?

In this Miami New Times article, it is claimed by Neisen Kasden of the Downtown Development Authority that the filthy rich tenants of Brickell ave are "willing to tax themselves to pay for part of the improvements." Notice that there is no exploration of how much of these improvements they would be willing to pay, but given the project is estimated at only a measly $5-10 million, maybe they should just pay for the whole thing? They can call it giving back to the community, right?
One comment on the article by Esperanza Suarez Kelly notes, "My friends at Curtis + Rogers have been working on this for a very long time."

And so there is part of the story. You've got a design group whose been working on a project for some period of time despite their not being any money reserved for the project to begin with.
Who wants this project done?

I'm certainly very concerned with safety issues in the area, particularly Brickell which is notoriously anti-pedestrian, despite being one of the densest areas in Miami. However I am always skeptical of any plans that begin to hatch before they are laid.

Follow Up

One hopes it doesn't get out of hand, but I want to start a follow up-pile. Essentially, as I'ev done in the lst two days, I will post tidbits to be looked in to for further understanding.

Consider this piece on Curbed Miami:

Unbuilt SoBe Park/500/600 Alton Project Put Up For Sale.

It's got so few comments but they are so poignant that I copied most of them here. The story here is rather obvious from the comments. How common is it for flippers to get special ordinances given to their projects so they can increase their profitability?

Government, get out of our way

Given that All Aboard Florida recently won part of a process to acquire land in downtown Miami from a city agency to build a passenger train station, this comment from FEC vice president is a bit ironic: We just ask that government get out of the way.

Seems that they don't mind dealing with government when it gives them sweetheart deals on prime land.

does anyone live there? / how cold does it get?

One blog i follow is exmiami, which covers development/architecture in Miami. Mostly just a bulletin board, it reports of events in those areas with a coldness reserved usually to press releases. In that respect though stories like this one about a building in the works on 26th street near biscayne boulevard are interesting for little tidbits like, "An apartment building on the site will be demolished."

I wonder if anyone lives in that apartment building. Field trip?

On another note unrelated to that project, but related to my comment on exmiami's cold reporting of development news: exmiami puts its nose in the City of Miami Beach mayoral election with a fluffy hit piece on candidate Steve Burke questioning his residency in the city.
This same tactic was apparently used on an opponent of his, Gongora, at some point in the past.

UDB

Many in the community are shocked at the recent 11-1 vote to expand the Urban Development Boundary which will allow for expanding our foot print further west yet. See this Miami Herald article for a basic write-up, but many questions need be answered more thoroughly.
More land allows developers to develop, which stimulates the economy. But developing west of the UDB encroaches on important natural infrastructure which stabilizes the affects of weather.
Most commissioners voted for this expansion. Whose interest did they have in mind?