In Miami Beach, we all win with this ballot question | Opinion
We have a unique opportunity before us which we should seize enthusiastically.
Typically, when we need to make an investment in life safety infrastructure projects, it is at the expense of an existing building or intruding on a neighborhood.
In Miami Beach, we have the opportunity to build a Category 5-rated Fire Station and emergency command center that will serve our residents for the next 100 years.
The proposed location is supported by, not only by our Fire Chief Digna Abello, but also our Fire Union president, Captain Adonis Garcia, and our former Fire Chief, Virgil Fernandez. And this station is not being jammed into a residential neighborhood, destroying an active community center in the process.
I call that a win for all.
While this project has been in progress for a decade, the choices presented as site options were less than ideal, to put it mildly.
Until about eight months ago, the city was moving forward with destroyingwhich provided working adults with a vibrant daycare for their children, served hot meals and provided fellowship for seniors, and was home to social services for underserved residents.
A case could be made that this site was selected in part because these residents weren’t able to advocate for themselves, and therefore provided little opposition. Moreover, the facility itself is meaningful.
The Morris Lapidus building is so significant that the Florida Historic Trust deemed it one of “11 to save in 2021”, because this “example of a neglected aspect of Lapidus’ work [was] designed in response to changing demographics and acute social issues, [and] is both part of and the witness to local and national history. [...] It is an extraordinary example of the evolution of the work of Morris Lapidus, who did not want to be ‘always referred to as the architect of the Fontainebleau,’’ “ the Trust wrote.
For years, my colleague Commissioner Kristen Rosen Gonzalez was the lone advocate searching for a new site, but the effort was at an impasse. During my first commission meeting, in December 2023, my colleagues unanimously supported my request to be given a few more months to find alternate sites.
I committed that we wouldn’t delay indefinitely because our communities need this Fire Station for life safety reasons, but that we would leave no stone unturned in finding a better solution. Residents and colleagues suggested seven additional sites, which the Administration and I evaluated for viability.
Ultimately, there were two: the initially proposed site, and one suggested by a resident and presented by my colleague Commissioner Alex Fernandez: the little strip of underutilized grass at the westernmost edge of Flamingo Park, between the track and Alton Road.
At this location, it seems the Fire Station was designed specifically for this site: instead of a patchy grass strip overlooking loud speeding traffic on Alton Road, the Fire Station, with the famous Jack Stewart mural of Apollo in his chariot installed on the western wall, will provide a stunning backdrop for the track and fields.
Thoughtful landscaping around the perimeter enhances the greenspace, and the Fire Station grounds can be home to native plantings and butterfly gardens to extend the effect.
Most importantly, the required GIS life safety studies demonstrate excellent response times, which is the most crucial issue in determining any new site.
When I ran for office, I pledged to find common sense solutions that benefit our residents. It’s not always easy to find them, but in this case, we have a great one.
With the new proposed site, fully endorsed by our fire department, we will provide them and our community with the public safety resources we all need and still provide our working families, seniors, and underserved residents the services they deserve without destroying a historic facility.
Everyone wins when we vote “Yes” on this county wide referendum question in the Aug. 20th primary ballot.
Tanya Katzoff Bhatt is a Miami Beach commissioner.
