Miami-Dade County Commissioner, Kevin Marino Cabrera, resigned after he was appointed and confirmed to become the next ambassador to Panama. However, before he resigned, he sponsored legislation within the County that approved the sale of Miami Springs property owned by Miami International Airport.
In an article written by Theo Karantsalis for The Miami Herald, the county has not responded to requests inquiring about the “nominal sum” for which the county land was transferred to the new developers, Habitat Creators.
As we reported earlier this month, the plan calls for 20+ townhomes to be developed and sold for $450,000. However, as County taxpayers, we all would like to know how much did Habitat Creators pay for the county owned property. In fact, the City of Miami Springs itself had shown interest in purchasing the property.
In Theo’s article, he quoted outgoing Miami Springs Mayor, Maria Mitchell, as saying, “This is not a sale of airport property; it is a giveaway to a private developer.”
While many residents were pleased to hear we were getting townhomes and not high density residential towers, there are questions and concerns over the lack of transparency on this sudden real estate transfer. Was this a parting sweetheart deal by Cabrera?
Meanwhile, concerns remain as to who will replace Cabrera. Will the County choose to hold a special election, which will allow Miami Springs and Virginia Gardens voters the ability to voice their choice for the next commissioner, or will the County Commission snub the residents of Miami Springs and Virginia Gardens and choose their own successor?
Obviously, our preference is to have an election where the candidates can be vetted and the citizenry can send a message to the county.
Unfortunately, I’ve got a bad feeling the county doesn’t want to hear from Miami Springs and Virginia Gardens residents. We’ll see if I’m wrong.
Big red flag definitely won’t be voting for him
If he runs for anything.