Miami Today: Week of Thursday, April 28, 2016

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A GENDA THE ACHIEVER WWW.MIAMITODAYNEWS.COM $4.00 WEEK OF THURSDAY, APRIL 28, 2016 A Singular Voice in an Evolving City STATE DISAGREES WITH BAYLINK PLAN, WON’T LEAD ... 2 GABLES TAKES BANKING, EVERGLADES ISSUES TO DC ... 3 VIEWPOINT: TRANSIT NEEDS CLEAR FOCUS, PAID RIDES ... 6 TAIWAN DISPLACES CHINA AS HOPE FOR ASIA FLIGHTS ... 9 COURTS MAY HAVE PAVED WAY FOR COMMUTER RAIL ... 10 VIRGINIA KEY BOARD SOON TO BE SEATED, GET GOING ... 11 WYNWOOD TO TAP CITY FOR CASH FOR TRAFFIC STUDY ... 18 CATALONIA HOPES IN MIAMI TIED TO BEACON COUNCIL ... 23 Tripp Davis New managing partner for PricewaterhouseCoopers The profile is on Page 4 Photo by Marlene Quaroni Art of banking may equate to a bank’s art collection, pg. 14 FINANCIAL TRENDS With jobs stable, demand soars for financial education, pg. 16 Brazilian adds 200 rooms to riverfront hotel flood To river commission, the key to plans for The Edge is maintaining public river access, pg. 17 $4 million to replace park’s soil BY JOHN CHARLES ROBBINS Miami commissioners may spend $4.5 million to clean con- taminated Douglas Park. On today’s (4/28) agenda is a resolution to contract with Chero- kee Enterprises Inc. for $4,484,185 for the environmen- tal remediation. With a 10% con- tingency, the total nears $5 mil- lion. The park has been closed nearly 2½ years as the city has wrestled with the best way to deal with contaminated soil discovered in 2013 and to get the county to sign off on a remediation plan. Douglas, at 2755 SW 37th Ave., is one of the city’s largest parks. It was one of more than a half- dozen city parks found to have soil contaminated by solid waste and heavy metals. At one time the city announced the park would reopen in No- vember 2014. An earlier cost es- timate was $3.3 million. But com- missioners complained that county officials who weren’t satisfied by city plans to clean the site caused delays. On Feb. 8 the city invited bids, and Cherokee’s was deemed the lowest responsible offer. Bid documents give the company nearly a year to do its work at the 10-acre park. The work is specifically de- fined in an accompanying plan by SCS Engineers dated December 2015. “In general, the Contractor shall implement procedures for selec- tive removal and replacement of structures and other park fea- tures and foundations including demolition of the community cen- ter building, parking lot, baseball field, playground, outdoor gym,” reads the bid invitation. “Excavation of shallow (gen- erally less than 24 inches) poten- tially contaminated soil from specified areas of the park and relocating it onsite to a specified location where it shall be used to re-grade the area prior to adding a geosynthetic clay liner and clean fill cap,” it reads. Excess excavated material must go to a Class I landfill. BY JOHN CHARLES ROBBINS A Brazilian businessman plans to build a 200-room hotel on a narrow site on the Miami River where a condo tower had been planned. The mixed-use hotel is planned for 55 SW Miami Avenue Road beside the South Miami Avenue Bridge, site of the former Big Fish restaurant. The new owner-developer, Leo Macedo of The Brick Group, bought the land from Rafael Aragonés, a Mexican-born architect and developer. In 2014, Mr. Aragonés won approval for a luxury condo tower with 130 units, which was to include a restaurant and robotic parking. Along with a new owner-developer, the new project has a different architect, will be taller and will include more parking. It will keep the project name: The Edge on Brickell. Attorney Ben Fernandez, representing Mr. Macedo, said the new owner believes the best use of this high-profile site is a hotel. A secondary use will be about 70 residential units. Detailed plans presented April 22 to a Miami River Commission committee show two swimming pools on a ninth floor deck and a rooftop restaurant. “A hotel makes a lot more sense than residential on the river in this particular location,” Mr. Fernandez told the commit- tee. The new plan sets out to accomplish that goal “and still maintain a residential component,” he said. The small site is near mass transit and next door to the billion-dollar mixed-use Brickell City Centre. Mr. Fernandez said the developer is “talk- ing with several hotel flags” about the project. Other developers have seen the value of building hotels on the river’s edge. Directly across the river to the north, One River Point is planned as dual 60-story towers connected at the top with a private club and at the bottom with a giant water- fall, along with a series of high-end lodging units on the top floors. The developer is Shahab Karmely, of KAR Properties. The vacant parcel is hugged by three condo towers that rose during the last building boom: The Ivy, Wind and Mint. Along with about 400 new condos, the 56th floor is to be home to 20 lodging units, 10 in each building. The 57th floor is set aside for 30,000 square feet of commer- cial space. To the west, a large mixed-use project called Miami River promises to bring four towers with residential units and hotel rooms. The sweeping project is planned be- tween I-95 and the Second Avenue Bridge, on the river’s southern bank. Along with its size – four towers 58-60 stories tall on 6.2 acres – this project stands out because the City of Miami is a partner: a portion of Jose Marti Park is included in the plan. The phased project is divided into five parts that include about 1,678 residential units and about 330 lodging units. To the east, near the mouth of the river, The Related Group has proposed One Brickell at 444 Brickell Ave., a project with three towers offering a mix of residential units, hotel rooms and more. The towers are designed at 75, 55 and 80 stories. Along with the 1,400 new residences, the developer plans a five-star hotel with 250 rooms. All of these projects include an im- proved and landscaped riverwalk, as city code requires. HOTELS HOLD LINE: Hotel rooms sold in Miami-Dade increased in March 4.3% from the prior March, to 1,383,625, according to the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau, which pointed out that the gain had absorbed the 3.6% year-over-year increase in number of rooms available as new hotels opened. Miami- Dade now has 52,564 rooms. During the March- to-March period, however, revenue per avail- able room did dip 1% to $213.07, and the aver- age daily room rate also fell, down 1.7% to $150.93. BUY IT, DON’T BUILD IT: The county’s Department of Transit and Public Works says buying remanufactured bus engines that average 167,910 miles before they fail is a better bet for Miami-Dade’s 846-bus fleet than rebuilding the engines in a county facility, since rebuilt engines average only 106,187 miles to failure. Commissioners Barbara Jordan and Daniella Levine Cava via a resolution had directed the mayor’s office to look at bringing major overhaul services back in house. The mayor reported this month that in-house startup of rebuilding engines would cost more than $1 million, plus $944,000 in added labor costs per year. Remanufactured engines also come with guarantees, the report said. The report is on the commission agenda for action on Tuesday. ASIA FREIGHTER SERVICE: Lone Star Express, a new shipping service, will make weekly calls at PortMiami starting May 2, using vessels that can carry 4,500 to 5,000 20-foot equivalent units of containerized cargo. The ships will go to five Chinese ports and, in the US, Houston and Mobile in addition to Miami. They will also call in Korea and Panama. Lone Star Express is run by the 2M Alliance, comprised of Maersk Line and Mediterranean Shipping Co. SOME LIKE IT HOT, NOT: City-owned Manuel Artime Theater in the heart of East Little Havana now has functioning air conditioning after an emergency procurement of parts and labor approved by Miami’s city manager last October. Commissioners on April 14 retroactively approved the selection of DebonAir Mechanical to supply an A/C compressor, fan motor and minor replacement parts for the 839-seat theater at 900 SW First St. In October 2015 a heating, ventilation and air conditioning compres- sor failed. To avoid scheduling delays for school recitals, holiday plays and other events, a $28,142 emergency procurement was authorized, the resolution reads. Theater patrons had complained of the heat.

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Special section on Financial Trends. Just a preview of some of our top stories this week. Includes editorial page. To subscribe, visit www.miamitodaynews.com.

Transcript of Miami Today: Week of Thursday, April 28, 2016

AGENDA

THE ACHIEVER

WWW.MIAMITODAYNEWS.COM $4.00WEEK OF THURSDAY, APRIL 28, 2016 A Singular Voice in an Evolving City

STATE DISAGREES WITH BAYLINK PLAN, WON’T LEAD ... 2

GABLES TAKES BANKING, EVERGLADES ISSUES TO DC ... 3

VIEWPOINT: TRANSIT NEEDS CLEAR FOCUS, PAID RIDES ... 6

TAIWAN DISPLACES CHINA AS HOPE FOR ASIA FLIGHTS ... 9

COURTS MAY HAVE PAVED WAY FOR COMMUTER RAIL ... 10

VIRGINIA KEY BOARD SOON TO BE SEATED, GET GOING ... 11

WYNWOOD TO TAP CITY FOR CASH FOR TRAFFIC STUDY ... 18

CATALONIA HOPES IN MIAMI TIED TO BEACON COUNCIL ... 23

Tripp DavisNew managing partner for PricewaterhouseCoopers

The profile is on Page 4

Photo by Marlene Quaroni

Art of banking may equate toa bank’s art collection, pg. 14

FINANCIAL TRENDS

With jobs stable, demand soarsfor financial education, pg. 16

Brazilian adds 200 rooms to riverfront hotel floodTo river commission, the key to plans for The

Edge is maintaining public river access, pg. 17

$4 millionto replacepark’s soilBY JOHN CHARLES ROBBINS

Miami commissioners mayspend $4.5 million to clean con-taminated Douglas Park.

On today’s (4/28) agenda is aresolution to contract with Chero-kee Enterprises Inc. for$4,484,185 for the environmen-tal remediation. With a 10% con-tingency, the total nears $5 mil-lion.

The park has been closed nearly2½ years as the city has wrestledwith the best way to deal withcontaminated soil discovered in2013 and to get the county to signoff on a remediation plan.

Douglas, at 2755 SW 37th Ave.,is one of the city’s largest parks.It was one of more than a half-dozen city parks found to havesoil contaminated by solid wasteand heavy metals.

At one time the city announcedthe park would reopen in No-vember 2014. An earlier cost es-timate was $3.3 million. But com-missioners complained thatcounty officials who weren’tsatisfied by city plans to clean thesite caused delays.

On Feb. 8 the city invited bids,and Cherokee’s was deemed thelowest responsible offer. Biddocuments give the companynearly a year to do its work at the10-acre park.

The work is specifically de-fined in an accompanying plan bySCS Engineers dated December2015.

“In general, the Contractor shallimplement procedures for selec-tive removal and replacement ofstructures and other park fea-tures and foundations includingdemolition of the community cen-ter building, parking lot, baseballfield, playground, outdoor gym,”reads the bid invitation.

“Excavation of shallow (gen-erally less than 24 inches) poten-tially contaminated soil fromspecified areas of the park andrelocating it onsite to a specifiedlocation where it shall be used tore-grade the area prior to addinga geosynthetic clay liner and cleanfill cap,” it reads.

Excess excavated material mustgo to a Class I landfill.

BY JOHN CHARLES ROBBINS

A Brazilian businessman plans to build a200-room hotel on a narrow site on theMiami River where a condo tower had beenplanned.

The mixed-use hotel is planned for 55SW Miami Avenue Road beside the SouthMiami Avenue Bridge, site of the formerBig Fish restaurant.

The new owner-developer, Leo Macedoof The Brick Group, bought the land fromRafael Aragonés, a Mexican-born architectand developer. In 2014, Mr. Aragonés wonapproval for a luxury condo tower with 130units, which was to include a restaurantand robotic parking.

Along with a new owner-developer, thenew project has a different architect, willbe taller and will include more parking. Itwill keep the project name: The Edge onBrickell.

Attorney Ben Fernandez, representingMr. Macedo, said the new owner believesthe best use of this high-profile site is ahotel. A secondary use will be about 70residential units.

Detailed plans presented April 22 to aMiami River Commission committee showtwo swimming pools on a ninth floor deck

and a rooftop restaurant.“A hotel makes a lot more sense than

residential on the river in this particularlocation,” Mr. Fernandez told the commit-tee. The new plan sets out to accomplishthat goal “and still maintain a residentialcomponent,” he said.

The small site is near mass transit andnext door to the billion-dollar mixed-useBrickell City Centre.

Mr. Fernandez said the developer is “talk-ing with several hotel flags” about theproject.

Other developers have seen the value ofbuilding hotels on the river’s edge.

Directly across the river to the north,One River Point is planned as dual 60-storytowers connected at the top with a privateclub and at the bottom with a giant water-fall, along with a series of high-end lodgingunits on the top floors. The developer isShahab Karmely, of KAR Properties.

The vacant parcel is hugged by threecondo towers that rose during the lastbuilding boom: The Ivy, Wind and Mint.

Along with about 400 new condos, the56th floor is to be home to 20 lodging units,

10 in each building. The 57th floor is setaside for 30,000 square feet of commer-cial space.

To the west, a large mixed-use projectcalled Miami River promises to bring fourtowers with residential units and hotelrooms.

The sweeping project is planned be-tween I-95 and the Second Avenue Bridge,on the river’s southern bank.

Along with its size – four towers 58-60stories tall on 6.2 acres – this projectstands out because the City of Miami is apartner: a portion of Jose Marti Park isincluded in the plan.

The phased project is divided into fiveparts that include about 1,678 residentialunits and about 330 lodging units.

To the east, near the mouth of the river,The Related Group has proposed OneBrickell at 444 Brickell Ave., a project withthree towers offering a mix of residentialunits, hotel rooms and more. The towersare designed at 75, 55 and 80 stories.

Along with the 1,400 new residences,the developer plans a five-star hotel with250 rooms.

All of these projects include an im-proved and landscaped riverwalk, as citycode requires.

HOTELS HOLD LINE: Hotel rooms sold inMiami-Dade increased in March 4.3% from theprior March, to 1,383,625, according to theGreater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau,which pointed out that the gain had absorbedthe 3.6% year-over-year increase in number ofrooms available as new hotels opened. Miami-Dade now has 52,564 rooms. During the March-to-March period, however, revenue per avail-able room did dip 1% to $213.07, and the aver-

age daily room rate also fell, down 1.7% to $150.93.BUY IT, DON’T BUILD IT: The county’s Department of Transit andPublic Works says buying remanufactured bus engines that average167,910 miles before they fail is a better bet for Miami-Dade’s 846-bus fleetthan rebuilding the engines in a county facility, since rebuilt enginesaverage only 106,187 miles to failure. Commissioners Barbara Jordanand Daniella Levine Cava via a resolution had directed the mayor’s officeto look at bringing major overhaul services back in house. The mayorreported this month that in-house startup of rebuilding engines wouldcost more than $1 million, plus $944,000 in added labor costs per year.Remanufactured engines also come with guarantees, the report said. Thereport is on the commission agenda for action on Tuesday.ASIA FREIGHTER SERVICE: Lone Star Express, a new shippingservice, will make weekly calls at PortMiami starting May 2, using vesselsthat can carry 4,500 to 5,000 20-foot equivalent units of containerizedcargo. The ships will go to five Chinese ports and, in the US, Houstonand Mobile in addition to Miami. They will also call in Korea and Panama.Lone Star Express is run by the 2M Alliance, comprised of Maersk Lineand Mediterranean Shipping Co.SOME LIKE IT HOT, NOT: City-owned Manuel Artime Theater in theheart of East Little Havana now has functioning air conditioning after anemergency procurement of parts and labor approved by Miami’s citymanager last October. Commissioners on April 14 retroactively approvedthe selection of DebonAir Mechanical to supply an A/C compressor, fanmotor and minor replacement parts for the 839-seat theater at 900 SW FirstSt. In October 2015 a heating, ventilation and air conditioning compres-sor failed. To avoid scheduling delays for school recitals, holiday playsand other events, a $28,142 emergency procurement was authorized, theresolution reads. Theater patrons had complained of the heat.

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‘Ms. Bravo was workingwith FDOT on finding thebest funding outcome forthe continued study withthe final objective forcapital funding.’

Bruno Barreiro

State disagrees with Baylink plan,won’t take lead to make it happen

Current plans would have one rail line across the MacArthur Causeway link with one along the Beach.

A Tuesday email from Gus Pego said the state disagrees with plans.

Photo by Maxine Usdan

Photo by Marlene Quaroni

BY SUSAN DANSEYAR

While the Florida Departmentof Transportation (FDOT) willcontinue to financially supporta design and engineering studyto develop a Beach CorridorDirect Connection, the depart-ment won’t take the lead on along, costly examination ofbuilding fixed-guideway rail link-ing downtown Miami to theMiami Beach Convention Cen-ter via the MacArthur Cause-way.

An agreement, based on theMetropolitan PlanningOrganization’s Policy ExecutiveCommittee (PEC), came beforecounty commissioners April 19but was deferred. Commis-sioner Bruno Barreiro moved toput off approving the agree-ment with FDOT and the citiesof Miami and Miami Beach todevelop what was formerlytermed Baylink.

It was the second time heasked for a deferral. He said lastweek he didn’t want to hold upthe decision but was postpon-ing on behalf of the county trans-portation department, whichwas awaiting additional infor-mation.

On Tuesday, Mr. Barreiro re-ceived an email from Gus Pego,district secretary for FDOT,explaining that the departmentis not in agreement with theMemorandum of Understand-ing (MOU) placed on thecommission’s April 19 agenda.

“As you are aware, the MOUwas based on the previous recom-mendations of the MPO [for] ‘thedirect connect’ and not the ex-panded and bifurcated scope en-hanced by the PEC,’ Mr. Pego’semail stated. “As more informa-tion becomes available, the MOU

should be revised accordingly.”Mr. Barreiro told Miami To-

day on Tuesday that countyTransit and Public Works Di-rector Alice Bravo requested thathe make a motion to defer vot-ing while she and FDOT offi-cials looked into how best toapply for federal funds. Thefederal environmental studycould take years and cost about$10 million.

“My understanding is the Cityof Miami has funding in placefor its portion of the study andconstruction,” Mr. Barreirosaid. “Ms. Bravo was workingwith FDOT on finding the bestfunding outcome for the con-tinued study with the final ob-jective for capital funding.”

The county commission isnow scheduled to vote on theagreement May 17.

The agreement, which to dateonly the City of Miami hassigned, states the cities andcounty each agree to contribute$417,000 (4.17% apiece of theinitial project funding), the state$5 million (50%) and the Citi-zens’ Independent Transporta-tion Trust $3.75 million(37.5%). The funds would bereturned or increased based onthe respective percentages, de-pending on actual project costs.

Light rail connecting MiamiBeach with the mainland couldcost more than $532 million.

On Feb. 4, the MPO’s PEC,comprised of the mayors of Mi-ami-Dade, Miami and MiamiBeach and county commission-ers Xavier Suarez and Mr.Barreiro, unanimously sup-ported the agreement to buildBaylink.

Now that FDOT has said thatit’s not supportive of the PEC’svote, Mr. Barreiro said a newlead agency must be identified,

which could be the county oranother government entity.

The agreement, which Mr.Pego said should be revised,stated the parties wanted to con-tinue the efforts already under-way to improve regional mobil-ity, which have involved local,regional and state stakeholdercollaboration and coordination,including ongoing efforts toidentify optimum multimodal al-ternatives for a balanced re-gional transportation system.

“The development of amultimodal transportation sys-tem within the southeast Floridaregion involves numerous trans-portation agencies and stakehold-ers and is a complex undertak-ing,” the agreement says. “Eachof the parties has skills and abili-ties necessary for successfulimplementation of the BeachCorridor Direct Connection.”

PUBLIC HOUSING UPGRADE: Miami-Dade’s management of publichousing, which had been graded “substandard” by the US Departmentof Housing and Urban Development since 2009, was upgraded to“standard” in the past fiscal year, Mayor Carlos Gimenez told commis-sioners in a memo this month.DELINQUENCIES RISE: Miami-Dade County’s past due accounts

receivable have risen from something over $36 mil-lion at the end of last year to $37.3 million at the endof March. The Water and Sewer Department had themost delinquencies, at just under $12.5 million, downfrom $12.8 million at the end of 2015. The AviationDepartment was owed nearly $10.9 million that wasat least 60 days past due, up from under $10.5 millionat the end of last year. In reporting the delinquencies,Mayor Carlos Gimenez noted that county depart-ments must transfer these outstanding balances to

the Finance Department’s Credit and Collections Section or approvedoutside agencies after 90 days.MORE CONSTRUCTION JOBS: The number of persons working inconstruction in Miami-Dade County hit 46,100 in March, up from 44.6 inFebruary, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. The numberwas the most since 46,700 working in the industry in August 2008, thoughfar below the decade’s high of 56,600 active construction workers inSeptember 2007 at the start of the county’s condo collapse.NEW CITY MANAGER: Miami Springs this week named assistant citymanager and finance director William Alonso to becity manager effective Aug. 1, after the July 31 retire-ment of City Manager Ron Gorland. Before coming tothe city, Mr. Alonso was for three years audit man-ager for accounting firm Grau and Co.TRANSIT PLANNING OFFICERS: The CitizensTransportation Advisory Committee (CTAC) haselected new officers to serve a two-year term. Alan B.Fishman was selected as the CTAC Chair, and Dr.Claudius A. Carnegie was selected as Vice Chair.The committee advises the Miami-Dade Metropolitan Planning Organi-zation Governing Board on citizens’ views regarding transportationplanning.HOLLO RECEIVES TOP HONOR: Tibor Hollo, chairman and presi-dent of Florida East Coast Realty and a pioneer indevelopment in Miami-Dade County, will receive theJay Malina Award at the 14th annual Beacon CouncilAwards May 4 at the Hilton Miami Downtown.Launchcode is to receive the Education Award, Bap-tist Health South Florida the Chairman’s Award andTopp Solutions the Corporate Social ResponsibilityAward. Nine industry awards will also be made.CITYWIDE ENERGY UPGRADES: Miami MayorTomás Regalado and other civic leaders have votedto bring Florida’s largest climate resiliency property assesses cleanenergy (PACE) program to every resident and business in the city’s fivedistricts. In Florida, Ygrene has financed more than 90% of the PACEprojects to date, providing residential, commercial and multifamily prop-erty owners financing to immediately install efficiency, renewable energyand climate resiliency upgrades with no up-front costs. The voluntaryprogram allows homeowners to make energy improvements and addhurricane protection immediately and repay the cost over up to 20 yearsthrough yearly assessments on their property tax bills.RAPID ACCESS: Miami city commissioners have agreed to pay for amedical device used to establish stable and secure vascular access. OnApril 14, commissioners waived requirements for competitive sealedbidding and awarded a contract for the EZ-IO Intraosseous InfusionSystem and accessories from Arrow International Inc. for the Departmentof Fire-Rescue for a three-year term for an estimated $75,000. EZ-IO canestablish stable and secure vascular access in less than 10 seconds foradults or children, awake or unconscious. Many EMS services in the USuse EZ-IO as their first-line solution for vascular access in cardiac arrestand resuscitation scenarios, enabling critical medications and fluids tobe given very early in resuscitative efforts, according to officials. A staffinvestigation determined that Arrow is the only provider of this equip-ment.POPULAR PASSPORT KIOSKS: Roughly half of all internationalpassengers arriving at Miami International Airport use AutomatedPassport Control kiosks, Miami-Dade Aviation Director and CEO EmilioGonzález told the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce this month. MIAwas the second airport to have functioning self-service kiosks, which hesaid aren’t federally funded. The first 36 in 2013 cost $3.6 million. Thekiosks can be used by US citizens and those of 38 countries participatingin the US Department of State’s Visa Waiver Program.KEEPING TRACK: Miami leaders want to make it easier to deal with

vacant and rundown buildings. The city commissionhas approved an amendment requiring the registra-tion and maintenance of certain real property by themortgagee, providing for penalties and enforcement.City Attorney Victoria Mendez said the amendmenttightened up the existing ordinance. “It streamlinesthe process,” she said. The move establishes aprocess to address the deterioration and blight ofneighborhoods caused by vacant properties andproperties with defaulted mortgages, and to regulate

and reduce these properties. Foreclosed, vacant and abandoned prop-erties cause communities increased compliance concerns, often threat-ening community health and vitality, the legislation reads. This amend-ment aims to give the city a better grip on properties being left vacant andnot maintained properly.CORRECTION: Several recent stories have misstated Neisen Kasdin’stitle. He is office-managing partner of Akerman LLP.

Carlos Gimenez

William Alonso

Tibor Hollo

Victoria Mendez

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MIAMITODAY

Michael Lewis

Build transit on a smart track with clear focus, paid rides

Rationality and competence tests: the cable guy and airportsThe Writer

Isaac Prilleltensky is the author ofthe forthcoming book “The LaughingGuide to Well-Being: Using Humorand Science to Become Happier andHealthier.”

Isaac Prilleltensky

My wife and I have made plenty ofirrational decisions inour lives. For ex-ample, moving toNashville, or tryingto convince Miamidrivers to signal. Butonce we make irra-tional decisions, wedeal with them verycompetently.

In contrast, there are plenty of peoplewho handle any decision, rational or irra-tional, most incompetently. Due to ourSeasonal Irrational Decision Disorder(SIDD), Ora and I encountered many ofthese people last summer.

It all started when we decided to helpour son and his wife move to a better placein New York City. That would allow ourson and his wife to finally leave the ridicu-lously expensive and ludicrously smallrental they were sharing with some in-sects in the Lower East Side.

My competent wife Ora turned heroffice at home in Miami into logisticscentral and handled most aspects of themove. She ably dealt with real estateagents, contractors, movers and utilitycompanies.

I pitched in by calling the cable com-pany in New York. This is a company thatstarts with V and rhymes with horizon,but I am afraid to identify for fear ofreprisals.

To make life easier, I put on automaticpayment everything: car lease, credit card,Comcast, AT&T, life insurance, pool ser-vice, condo fees, bribes to city officials,everything.

So it was only natural that I would wantto do the same with Verizon (oops). Iclicked on one of the 17 emails I had

received from them to set up automaticpay. After I completed the registrationprocess for a new user, it told me that Ialready had an online account, which Inever set up.

As a good detective, I thought that thesystem perhaps still linked the new ac-count number to the old account number,which was in our son’s name, so I askedour son for his username and password,which he provided, which Verizon (whatthe heck), rejected. What followed was aKafkaesque interminable loop of the sys-tem asking me security questions:

Name of my elementary schoolName of my first petMy mother’s maiden nameYear in which the Ottoman empire

was founded by Oghuz TurksOnce I entered what I thought were

correct answers, I eagerly waited for thesystem to send me the username or pass-word, but no, instead, I kept getting mes-sages, in large red font, to the effect that:“the combination of your email, answers,or attitude is incorrect.”

The cortisol I secreted during this epi-sode was enough to create a nuclearstress bomb, which I plan to detonate nexttime a Verizon rep asks “Is there anythingelse we can do for you today?”

But wait, once I solved the automaticpay problem I had to contend with incom-petent technicians who had to come to thenew place no fewer than four times to get

the internet to work.But before all of this took place, Ora and

I had to get to New York from Miami,which of course entailed a stop at MIA.This is where irrational and incompetentblended seamlessly and deliciously.

After we obtained our boarding passesand sent our luggage we headed for secu-rity. But before you meet a TSA agent,you must show your boarding passes toan official directing traffic at the securitylines.

One line was for TSA pre-check pas-sengers, one for wheelchair users and onefor the masses. Ora was both TSA pre-check and a wheelchair user, which com-pletely puzzled the lady directing traffic. Icouldn’t tell whether her decision wasirrational, incompetent, or both, but shesent Ora to the TSA pre-check, which hada very long line up, almost as long as theregular line.

Given that Ora goes through a specialsearch anyway because she uses a scooter,I could not understand the logic behindsending us to a long lineup when thewheelchair line was completely empty.When I approached her and asked if wecould use the wheelchair line, she said thatwe are TSA pre-check, to which I repliedthat my wife also uses a scooter and itwould be much faster to go through a linethat was empty. She seemed confused buteventually let us use the wheelchair line.

It is possible that there is some logicbehind her decision that completely es-capes me, so before I turn into a completejudgmental tool, let’s explore her thinking.Some options for her reasoning:

“I’m facing two people. Both with TSApre-check, but only one with wheelchair.Two is bigger than one, so I need to sendthem to the pre-check line.” Somewhat

rational, but incompetent.“One is in a wheelchair, but both have

TSA pre-check. The line for pre-checkis long; the line for wheelchairs is empty.I will send them to pre-check.” Irratio-nal, incompetent, and, of course, anti-Semitic.

“The lady uses a scooter. The line forwheelchairs is empty. She cannot use herpre-check anyway because she goesthrough a special search. She will bebetter off going through the wheelchairline. But since she lives in Miami, she isprobably faking her disability, like mostpeople in Miami, just to get a handicapparking permit, like my aunt Sofia, mycousin Lourdes and my uncle Panchito. Ibet a hundred dollars that she is faking thedisability. In fact, she reminds me of myaunt Sofia. Oh, poor auntie Sofia. I feel forher, but she is such a liar. I will show thisPrilleltensky couple! Pre-check.”

Transit in Miami-Dade might soon rolltoward a side-track reminis-cent of a 2002trip to a bait-and-switch taxthat boughtlittle new railwhile roadscongested.

S o m ecounty com-missioners aretalking aboutmaking all transit free, funded by a newtax like the one we created for transit in2002. At the same time, planners justagreed to build six new transit legs withnot a penny more in their wallets buttaxes in their minds.

If we tried all that, we’d leave a saferoute of having more riders pay a bit oftheir costs while adding to the transit gridpiece by piece.

Instead, we’d be seeking freebies formore riders funded by a new tax promis-ing everything to everyone. We’ve takenthat bumpy ride before.

Either way – a secure route to growincrementally, or a route to everything foreveryone and freebies for all – must reston more than aspirations. Transit is fueledby numbers. If they scare you, turn thepage now.

The trip began when Miami-Dade Com-missioner Barbara Jordan sought to re-

store a fare for Metromover, which servesdowntown.

Metromover riders had paid fares untilthe 2002 vote that created a tax pledged tobuild eight mass transit routes. As agiveback for taxing ourselves, Metromoverwould be free. Voters bought it.

It was a bad buy. No major routesappeared. Money instead went to maintainwhat we had. In 2014, the sales tax thatwas supposed to build new routes insteadfunded $150 million in transit operatinglosses.

Ms. Jordan, saying that well-to-do rid-ers and tourists fill Metromover, recentlyproposed restoring a fare because all othertransit, with its lower-income riders, ispaid.

Had a committee passed her plan twoweeks ago, a $2.25 Metromover farecould have yielded $22 million a year.Instead, commissioners killed it – so Ms.Jordan reversed course and vowed toseek free transit for all.

That would be going from adding $22million to subtracting $115.5 million incurrent fares, a $137.5 million annualswing.

Doubling our transit tax and divvyingup the money as we do now would aboutcover that swing – remember, the taxyielded $150 million to run transit in 2014.But that would leave almost nothing tobuild six routes that planners just put ontrack.

On the other hand, adding no tax but

charging $2.25 for all transit, includingMetromover, would give us $22 million ayear to build. A more ambitious doublingof the tax too would leave $175 million ayear. Bonding on $175 million could buildsome of those six new legs.

But remember, the more transit webuild the more we’ll subsidize, even if wecharged everyone full fare (we don’t, butthat’s another story).

The $558 million transit operating costsin 2014, for example, were paid by state,federal, gasoline tax, other funds and$150 million from the transit tax, plusfares themselves that at $115.5 milliontotaled less than 21% of operating costs.

That means that for every full-payingrider we lure onto new transit, 79% ofcosts come from taxes. If we made alltransit free, riders would cover none andtaxpayers 100%.

There is no free lunch. Someone pays.If social engineering shifts people to freetransit, taxpayers pay. But riders shouldpay something, just as people do in publichousing – heavily subsidized but not to-tally free.

Some argue that Metromover use isgrowing only because it’s free. But noevidence shows that free rides generatethat gain.

Over the past five Januaries (the mostrecent figures) free Metromover ridershiprose a healthy 16.1% while paid bus rider-ship fell a very sick 18.3%.

But a better comparison is to Metrorail,

where in five years paid ridership grew13.8%. That’s not as much gain asMetromover’s 16.1%, but in the periodMetromover also became more useful byadding a station in Brickell that had beenclosed and reopening a Museum Park stopfor the new art museum. Plus, the corecity population has boomed, givingMetromover use three spurts in the pe-riod.

Subtract those three changes and freeMetromover and paid Metrorail wouldhave gained about equally in five years. Afare didn’t deter riders on Metrorail and itwouldn’t on Metromover.

As to complaints that collecting fareswould balloon costs, smart phones couldpay most fares and an honor system(they’re used elsewhere) could handle theothers. Big collection costs are passé.

Clearly, free transit is the wrong track.Also clearly, no matter how many routesplanners declare equal targets, they mustbuild some lines before others even if wecould find the money.

Because Miami has a massive edificecomplex, we often forget that whateverwe build we must operate and maintain.Even if fares pay 21% of operations, theother 79% must come from somewhere.Eliminating fares would just leave a largerfunding cavity.

In transit, like most things, one successin adding capacity beats six promised newlines that aren’t going anywhere fast. Andfares help keep them going somewhere.

TODAY’S NEWSWEEK OF THURSDAY, APRIL 28, 2016 MIAMI TODAY 9

Taiwan displacing China as Miami’s hope for Asia flights

Taiwan’s Taoyuan International Airport and will soon be able to handle 60 million passengers a year.

June 16

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BY CAMILA CEPERO

Expectations that China couldbe the main hub solidifying thelink for Asian air travel to SouthFlorida may be fading away asTaiwan begins to emerge as apromising central location forflights from Asia to SouthFlorida.

After years of discussionsabout how to strengthen thelink between Asian businessesand Miami, aviation officials puttogether an Asia taskforce toplan how to finally do so.

The taskforce, created lastyear, aims to engage businesseswith Asian origins or interestsby using questionnaires, invit-ing foreign aviation representa-tives and working in collabora-tion.

“Our studies have shown thatfor Miami there is not a Chinamarket, per say. There really isnot. There are not enough peoplethat will fill a plane to comefrom mainland China to Miami,”said Emilio González, Miami-Dade Aviation Department di-rector and CEO.

Although passenger trafficfrom China is low, he said, thereis very robust Asia traffic.Taiwan’s Taoyuan InternationalAirport in the capital city ofTaipei is expanding and will soonhave the capacity to host 60million passengers a year.

“If you add up, for example,all of the travelers that comefrom Asia – South Korea, Ja-pan, Vietnam, Philippines, In-donesia, Malaysia, mainlandChina and Taiwan – now youcan fill planes,” Mr. Gonzálezsaid, “so what we need to do isfind the right airline with theright hub that will make this aprofitable route.”

Geographically, Miami is thefurthest point in the US fromAsia. This introduces logisticalissues such as the limitations ofthe aircraft themselves.

“If you were to fly non-stopfrom Taiwan to Miami, it’s justunder 18 hours and you betterhope you have enough fuel toget you there or you will glideinto Nassau,” Mr. Gonzálezsaid.

While developing route mar-keting, officials look for indica-tors by following the industryto see which air carriers arebuying planes with the neces-sary endurance and fuel capac-ity to make transpacific trips.

“We have identified two Tai-wanese carriers – China Air-lines, which already flies cargoto Miami, and EVA Air. Both ofthese carriers are buying largeamounts of ultra long-rangeBoeing 777’s and we’re in con-versation with them,” Mr.González said.

The Boeing 777 is a family ofthe world’s largest twinjets andhas a typical seating capacityfor 314 to 451 passengers, witha range of 5,235 to 9,500 nau-tical miles.

Both Taiwanese carriers havethe Boeing 777-300ER in theirfleet. China Airlines is introduc-ing Airbus A350 XWB planesinto its fleet this year, whileEVA Air opted for the Boeing787 Dreamliner. Both planes arepositioned to compete with each

other in terms of passenger ca-pacity, fuselage, features andengines.

“I really don’t want to wasteanybody’s time in marketing acity they can’t fly to,” Mr.González said. “Taoyuan Inter-national Airport is expanding to

be the regional hub.” This isespecially notable for EVA Air,which aims to develop the air-port into a transpacific hub.

Miami International Airportis already able to accommodatethe planes as well as the influxof passengers in the tens of

millions, Mr. González said.“We understand the geo-

graphic challenges. If EVA Airstarts flying from Taipei to Hous-ton, they consider that a bigdeal. We’re still a couple ofhours further than Houston. Wedo have a market here, but we

also understand the physicallimitations as well ,” Mr.González said.

EVA Air launched flights toHouston’s George Bush Inter-continental Airport in June2015, making it the airline’s firstlong-haul destination in fiveyears.

“There’s a science to this.We don’t want a plane filledwith people flying economyclass. We want a plane with arobust premium passenger aswell, and we don’t see that[coming from mainland China],but what we do see is a veryrobust Asia traffic,” Mr.González said.

With Taiwan’s Taoyuan In-ternational Airport becoming ahuge Asian travel hub, he said,it would draw customers frommany nations. With air carriersthat have planes that could con-ceivably make the journey, suchas China Airlines and EVA Air,flying out of that airport, it couldprove to be the Asian hub toMiami.

TODAY’S NEWS WEEK OF THURSDAY, APRIL 28, 201610 MIAMI TODAY

Public Notice

For legal ads online, go to http://legalads.miamidade.gov

NOTICE IS GIVEN that a meeting of the Miami-Dade County Board of County Commissioners will be held on Tuesday, May 3, 2016, at 9:30 AM, in the Commission Chambers, located on the Second Floor of the Stephen P. Clark Center, 111 N.W. First Street, Miami, Florida, wherein, among other matters to be considered, a public hearing will be held at such time that the item is called on the following:

relating to vehicles for hire; amending Chapter 31, Article I, Section 31-77 of the Code of Miami-Dade County, Florida, to prohibit the operation of vehicles transporting passengers for compensation without authorization; creating Chapter 31, Article VII of the Code of Miami-Dade County, Florida, regulating transportation network entities, transportation network entity drivers and transportation network entity vehicles operating in the incorporated and unincorporated areas of Miami-Dade County

amending Chapter 31 of the Code of Miami-Dade County, Florida, relating to regulation of taxicabs; amending requirements relating to licensing and regulation of taxicabs

amending Chapter 31, Article VI of the Code of Miami-Dade County, Florida, relating to regulation of limousines; amending requirements relating to licensing and regulation of limousines

All interested parties may appear and be heard at the time and place specified.

The proposed ordinances listed below will have a Second Reading to be considered for enactment by the Board at the time and place specified above.

amending Chapter 31, Article III of the Code of Miami-Dade County, Florida, relating to regulation of passenger motor carriers; amending definitions and application procedures

All interested parties may appear at the time and place specified.

A person who decides to appeal any decision made by any board, agency, or commission with respect to any matter considered at its meeting or hearing, will need a record of proceedings. Such persons may need to ensure that a verbatim record of the proceedings is made, including the testimony and evidence upon which the appeal is to be based.

Miami-Dade County provides equal access and equal opportunity in its programs, services and activities and does not discriminate on the basis of disability. For material in alternate format, a sign language interpreter or other accommodation, please call 305-375-2035 or send email to: [email protected] at least five days in advance of the meeting.

HARVEY RUVIN, CLERK CHRISTOPHER AGRIPPA, DEPUTY CLERK

Six-corridor transportation plan awaits funding, timetable

“We have not heard whether All Aboard’s lawyers have looked at itand agreed with it,”Jack Stephens said of court ruling interpretation.

Court decision may pave way for commuter rail downtown

Photo by Maxine Usdan

BY CATHERINE LACKNER

The Miami-Dade Metropoli-tan Planning Organization(MPO) last week unanimouslyadopted a new plan to introducerapid transit along six corri-dors, though development of allsix will probably take place atdifferent times and be financedby different means.

The routes are the:Beach Corridor, between

Miami Beach and Miami.East-West Corridor, along

State Road 836.Kendall Corridor, from

Dadeland to Southwest 162ndAvenue.

North Corridor, alongNorthwest 27th Avenue fromwest of downtown to North-west 215th Street.

Northeast Corridor, fromdowntown to Aventura, largelyalong the Florida East Coast

Railway tracks.South Corridor, from

Dadeland to Southwest 344thStreet, along US 1.

The proposal, which has beendubbed the Strategic Miami AreaRapid Transit plan, was ap-proved both by the MPO’s Tran-sit Solutions Committee and itsGoverning Board.

County Mayor CarlosGimenez and Alice Bravo, di-rector of the county’s Trans-

portation and Public Works de-partments, appeared before thesolutions committee April 20.

“We in this community havenot been willing to take the firststep and to keep on going,” Mr.Gimenez said. “If we had takenbold steps 25 or 30 years ago,we would have had systems inplace by now.”

Rather than identify one cor-ridor as the most important, themayor said the county shouldbegin environmental studies – akey step to getting state andfederal funding – on all of them.“It takes a while to get the fullstudies done, but the MPOshould establish that as a prior-ity.”

Part of the challenge, Ms.Bravo said, is that “we don’thave one area of density; wehave pockets of high density indifferent areas.” Areas of rapidemployment growth are alsodifficult to pinpoint, she said,though current thinking pointsto Doral and Coral Gables.

Recently, there has been somestreamlining of the procedureto comply with the National En-vironmental Policy Act, a re-quirement for federal funding,Ms. Bravo said.

“That’s a point in our favor; itbehooves us to start the NEPAstudies,” she said. Federal NewStarts projects require all stud-ies to be done within 24 monthsof the grant application, so hav-ing the environmental studies inhand is the safest route, sheexplained. “Without that, we willsee opportunities pass by us.”

“As an MPO board, we re-cently made rapid transit thehighest priority in Miami-DadeCounty,” said Francis Suarez,MPO vice chair and a Miamicity commissioner, who spon-sored the new transit plan be-fore the group. “Today, we havethe opportunity to take anotherstep on a thousand-mile jour-

ney. We really need to take tan-gible steps forward and priori-tize these six corridors, beginthe studies immediately.”

“I like all of the corridors, butobviously, there wasn’t a pricetag attached,” said BrunoBarreiro, MPO member andMiami-Dade commissioner. “Ithink we need to state what theprice tag is for the studies. With-out a funding source to buildthis stuff, it’s another plan onthe shelf. We need to be infor-mative to the public, tell themwhat we are spending and whatwe are looking at. Keep themengaged and informed.”

“We have estimates,” Mr.Gimenez said. “We can affordsome of this stuff, and some isalready being studied. It’s a lotof money – billions of dollars,some of which we don’t have –but we need to start the processin order for us to have this.”

Funds might come from thehalf-penny sales tax for transit,some from state and federalsources, and some via public-private partnerships, he said.“We don’t want the perfect tobe the enemy of the good, andthis is good.”

“Your comments are ex-tremely refreshing,” said Den-nis Moss, MPO member, solu-tions committee chair andcounty commissioner. “We havenot been willing to state that thisis not going to be free. We’vegot to add transit and get seri-ous about it.”

“We are moving toward acritical milestone moment in theleadership of our county,” saidJean Monestime, chair of boththe MPO and the county com-mission, at the meeting of theMPO governing board. “It mat-ters that you endorse this,” hetold Mayor Gimenez. “This is agreat show of leadership and agreat day for Miami-DadeCounty.”

BY CATHERINE LACKNER

Though the Florida Legisla-ture dealt a setback to efforts ofthe South Florida RegionalTransportation Authority(SFRTA) to bring Tri-Rail com-muter service into downtownMiami, a recent Florida SupremeCourt decision may pave a way.

When this year’s legislativesession ended in March, theruling body declined to pass anamendment that would haveclarified the legal liability for thefour miles of track that Tri-Railand All Aboard Florida bullet-train service from Miami toOrlando will share. Withoutthat, the Florida Department ofTransportation wouldn’t releasethe $20 million it has pledged.

But, the unanimous April 7court decision strongly suggeststhat government agencies likeSFRTA can indemnify privateparties, like All Aboard Florida,unless state law expressly for-bids it, Jack Stephens, theauthority’s executive director,said Tuesday.

According to a memo by theauthority’s legal team, the high

court reversed an earlier ruling(Fla. DOT v. Schwefringhaus2016) concerning an accidenton a crossing owned by CSXTransportation. An accidentvictim successfully sued therailroad over a crossing shesaid was not maintained prop-erty; the railroad then sued thetransportat ion departmentbased on a 1936 grade cross-ing agreement between them.The state transportation depart-ment claimed it had no respon-sibility.

“The Florida Supreme Courtfound FDOT liable under theindemnity provision in thecrossing agreement because thecourt concluded that the entireagreement, including the indem-nification provision, was ‘statu-torily authorized,’ despite thefact that FDOT did not haveexplicit statutory authorizationto indemnify CSX under theagreement,” the memo said.“The Supreme Court rejectedFDOT’s argument that the in-demnification provision wasvoid because it did not havestatutory authority to indem-nify private parties.”

“The decision inSchwefreinghaus has broad im-plications for SFRTA and othergovernmental entities, as the hold-ing in Schwefreinghaus is notlimited to grade crossing agree-ments,” the memo continued.“Although Schwefreinghaus in-volved a grade crossing agree-ment, the Supreme Court did not

dwell on the particular type ofcontract in reaching its decision.It focused instead on the statu-tory authority of governmentalentities to enter into contractsgenerally.”

If the legal team’s conclusionis correct, a major hurdle willbe cleared, Mr. Stephens said.“We have not heard whether All

Aboard Florida’s lawyers havelooked at it and agreed with it.But if we are successful, it isour intent to bring all of thisbefore our board of directors”on May 27.

There are two other options:SFRTA can create a $5 millionself-insurance fund with limitsof up to $295 million and payabout $1 million in premiumsper year, or can wait until the2017 legislative session, whichbegins in January, and appeal tothe ruling body again. “Thatmight be the best of all possibleoptions, but we can’t wait untilthen,” Mr. Stephens said. “Weneed to know now so we canmove forward.”

All the local funding commit-ments for the $70 million projectare in place, with pledges madeby SFRTA, the Omni and South-east Overtown/Park West com-munity redevelopment agencies,Miami’s Downtown Develop-ment Authority, Miami-DadeCounty (part of which will comefrom the Citizens’ IndependentTransportation Trust), the Cityof Miami and the Bayfront ParkManagement Trust.

FINANCIAL TRENDS WEEK OF THURSDAY, APRIL 28, 201616 MIAMI TODAY

With stable job market, demand for finance education soars

An area of student interest is crypto-currency like Bitcoin, which has properties like physical currency.

‘There is also agrowing industry in hedgefunds in and aroundMiami, which is one ofthe reasons we’re offeringthese courses.’

Alok Kumar

‘The demand forfinance education did notgo down. In fact, it wentup.’

Shahid Hamid

‘It’s more than justteaching theory now. It’smore interactive, morehands-on...’

Nichole Castater

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BY CAMILA CEPERO

After making its way out ofthe financial crisis relatively un-scathed, the demand for financeeducation in Miami businessschools is growing at shockingrates, with a stabilizing job mar-ket awaiting graduates.

In the wake of the financialcrisis, people who were sud-denly left unemployed decidedto enroll in college or pursue amaster’s degree, said ShahidHamid, chair of Florida Interna-tional University’s Departmentof Finance.

“The demand for finance edu-cation never declined,” he said.“Essentially, it was flat for awhile... [but] the demand forfinance education did not godown. In fact, it went up.”

Since 2010, there has been a50% increase in enrollment inFlorida International University’sfinance programs with roughly25%-30% being in the past twoto three years, he said, addingthat the sudden finance enroll-ment increase can be partly at-tributed to the university’s en-rollment increasing 23% since2010, with 4%-%5 of that beingin the past two years.

“Since the crisis, I have seenthe demand go up,” said NicholeCastater, assistant professor offinance at Barry University.“What [students] really want toknow is how the market works.It’s more than just teachingtheory now. It’s more interac-tive, more hands-on, more ex-periential learning than it used tobe,” she said.

“Based on what I see, I wouldsay finance is becoming morepopular... It has really picked upsteam. Right now, it’s the thirdlargest major at the university,so clearly the demand is there,”said Alok Kumar, chair of theUniversity of Miami’s Depart-ment of Finance and GabelliAsset Management professor offinance.

“The undergrad program cer-tainly has new ‘enhancements,’including courses in privatewealth management, hedgefunds, venture capitalism andprivate equity,” Dr. Kumar said.There is also a growing demandfor courses in market micro-structure, he said.

“Mainly, jobs are in this grow-ing area of market microstruc-ture because the way peopletrade is changing rapidly andstudents who are prepared forthese changes will do better,” hesaid.

“I see that the trend in themarket is towards specializedprograms and we are clearly see-ing signs of that in our Master ofScience in Finance program,”Dr. Kumar said. “We started offwith 10 to 12 students this yearand now we have a class of 25 to30.”

“In the Miami area there’s alarge private wealth managementindustry,” Dr. Kumar said.“There is also a growing indus-try in hedge funds in and aroundMiami, which is one of the rea-sons we’re offering thesecourses.” The department is alsoseeing a demand for courses inbanking, he said.

One area of student interestright now, Dr. Castater said, iscrypto-currency – a digital cur-rency that, although distinct fromphysical currency such as banknotes, has the same propertiesas physical currency.

“It’s a currency, like any othercurrency, and students want toknow how that’s traded,” shesaid. One example of crypto-cur-rency is bitcoin, a digital asset andpeer-to-peer payment system.

Professors in the department,Dr. Castater said, can put stu-dents in touch with people inAfrica, where crypto-currencyis one of the few ways peoplecan get wealth.

The demand for what are usu-ally considered typical financejob trajectories, such as bankingor Wall Street, are still strong –even in the face of a rise in

interest in entrepreneurialcourses, Dr. Kumar said.

Investment and commercialbanking are popular specializa-tions nowadays, Dr. Hamid said,as well as risk management.“Risk management is the mostlucrative, but that is one areathat was hit the most because ofthe crisis – but it’s bouncingback,” he said.

New factors, such as collegerecruiting by corporations, arealso playing a role in helpinggraduates kick-start their ca-reers, Dr. Hamid said. “Whathas happened is that big banksthat would normally not go re-cruit now do interview studentsand look for students that canhelp with Latin American busi-ness.”

“I see a demand for onlineprograms growing,” Dr. Kumarsaid, adding that the Universityof Miami finance department cur-rently offers a completely onlineMaster of Science in Financeprogram. “I think it’s easier forpeople who have full-time jobsto enroll in online programs.”

“Finance itself has been revo-lutionized by all of the informa-tion that is now online. You haveall sorts of online real-time data,”Dr. Castater said, “but I don’tfeel that finance lends itself toonline teaching. There are cer-tain things that are better ex-plained in person.”

However, online tools likeonline simulations offered by

Barry University’s student man-aged investment fund can helpstudents learn the application ofclassroom theories through first-hand experience, she said.

“We offer 40%-50% of fi-nance courses online,” Dr.Hamid said, speaking about theFlorida International Universityfinance department. “We havegrown so fast that we don’thave the physical capacity orclasses to manage that growth,”he said. However, graduate-levelfinance courses are all face-to-face and not offered online.

The department is looking intoways to make “hybrid” curricu-lums where students could alter-nate on a weekly basis betweenphysical and online lectures or atleast do exams and assessmentsin-class, Dr. Hamid said.

In terms of pulling the plug ononline programs, he said, “thetrend is that there’s no stoppingit because of logistical reasonsand student demand, so we areoffering more and more onlinecourses.”

The school rarely, if ever, of-fers open enrollment for financeprograms anymore, Dr. Hamidsaid. “We have more studentsthan we can handle. A 30% growthin two to three years is a lot.”

“First, we open up enrollmentto students, and 95% of the seatsare taken right away. For thecoming semester, everything istapped out – we’re at capacity.For fall semester, we’re at 90%capacity. Clearly the demand hasgone up,” Dr. Hamid said.

Nowadays, students have theoption of not following the tradi-tional route, Dr. Castater said.“People used to go work forconsulting firms or investmentbanks,” she said. “Now, com-puters have made trading moreefficient, and maybe you don’tneed as many finance profes-sionals. But those with financeskills will always be needed atcorporations as financial ana-lysts or general management.”

TODAY’S NEWSWEEK OF THURSDAY, APRIL 28, 2016 MIAMI TODAY 23

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Last known address: 1200Brickell Bay Drive, #2120, Miami, Florida33131

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To: John Doe, father of a child born of Ber-nice Brown on 10/11/2004

TAKE NOTICE that a pleading seeking reliefagainst you has been filed in the above-en-titled action. The nature of the relief beingsought is as follows: termination of yourparental rights to the above-named child.

You are required to answer the petition nolater than May 12, 2016 (30 days) and uponyour failure to do so the party seeking reliefagainst you will apply to the Court for therelief herein sought.

You are entitled to attend any hearing affect-ing your rights. You are entitled to havecounsel appointed by the Court is you areindigent. If you desire counsel, you shouldcontact the Clerk of Court, Juvenile Divi-sion, Guilford County Courthouse, immedi-ately to request counsel. This is a new caseand any attorney appointed previously willnot represent you in the this proceeding un-less ordered by the Court.

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Dated at Miami, Florida, this 28th Day ofMarch, 2016.BULLA DORAL, LLCOwner

Fictitious Name

Notice Under Fictitious Name Law Pur-suant to Section 865.09, Florida StatutesNOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the un-dersigned, desiring to engage in busi-ness under the fictitious name of ICON,located at 860 Ocean Drive, in the Countyof Miami-Dade, in the City of MiamiBeach, Florida, 33139, intends to registerthe said name with the Division of Cor-porations of the Florida Department ofState, Tallahassee, Florida.

Dated at Miami, Florida, this 19th Day ofApril, 2016.860 OCEAN DRIVE LLCOwner

Fictitious Name

INTERNATIONAL ACCOUNT EXECU-TIVE-Sell products to Latin America,Spain, Mexico & Puerto Rico, applyingknowledge of electronic components-Job is in Pompano Beach, FL-2 yrs. exp.in job offered or financial management,international transactions-must speakSpanish-Comp. Salary-Send resume toRon Scoppettone, President, J.A.S. In-terconnect Solutions, [email protected]

International Account ExecutiveF I L M I N G

I N M I A M IThese film permits were issued last

week by the Miami-Dade County Depart-ment of Regulatory & Economic Resources’Office of Film and Entertainment, (305)375-3288; the Miami Mayor’s Office ofFilm, Arts & Entertainment, (305) 860-3823; and the Miami Beach Office ofArts, Culture and Entertainment-Filmand Print Division, (305) 673-7070.El Autobus. Miami. La Rana Furniture. Swale Parking.Telemundo Studios/NBC Universal Media LLC. Miami.Silvana Sin Lana. Hobie Beach, Miami-Dade CountyTransit.Kinetic Operations LLC. Los Angeles. Married At FirstSight S4. Countywide, Miami Beach citywide.Channel 5 Broadcasting Limited. London. All At Seawith Jane McDonald. Miami Beach citywide.NBC News. New York. TODAY Show. Crandon ParkBeach.Joy Collective. Brooklyn. B-Roll. Countywide, MiamiBeach citywide.Nu Skin Enterprises. Provo. Matheson Hammock Park,Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Department.N House Productions. Miami. Carters. Countywide.Select Services Inc. Miami. Geox. Miami Beach citywide.Co-People Creative Productions. Ambler. Photo Shoot.Matheson Hammock Park.Appleseed Studios, LLC dba Jeff Remas Photography.Delray Beach. Greynolds Park Photoshoot. GreynoldsPark.Photography by Depuhl. Miami. Miami-Dade CountyParks. Countywide.Markus Mueller Productions. Miami Beach. Swimwear.Countywide, Miami Beach citywide.Take Two Interactive Software. New York. Rockstar.Countywide, Miami Beach citywide.Peace Love World. Doral. Summer Blog Shoot. MathesonHammock Marina.Nicole Mitchem Photography. Windermere. SnapperRock Swimwear.Joe Comick Photographer Inc. Greensboro. Late Sum-mer-Fall Catalog.

BY CAMILA CEPERO

Multinational business rela-tionships between Catalonia andMiami are strengthening as theSpanish region’s business de-velopment office in the citythrives as a port of US entry forCatalan companies and a poten-tial trade and economic agree-ment nears with the BeaconCouncil.

Commercial relationships be-tween Catalonia and the US be-gan in 1797 with the establish-ment of the first American con-sulate in Barcelona. Today,more than 500 Catalan compa-nies are established in the US,while 710 US multinational com-panies are established inCatalonia.

During the past 30 years theGovernment of Catalonia hassought internationalization as anengine for growth of the Catalaneconomy.

Today, Catalonia Trade &Investment – the government’sagency for foreign investmentattraction and business com-petitiveness – has 36 businessdevelopment offices worldwidecovering more than 90 markets,with five of them in the US inNew York, Silicon Valley, Bos-ton, Washington and Miami.

“The office in Miami is one ofthe most active offices that wehave in the world,” said JordiBaiget, minister of business andknowledge of the Governmentof Catalonia. “We created theoffice in Miami in 1996 and wehave helped more than 600 com-panies do business in the USand Miami.”

As the only office in chargeof focusing on businessthroughout the southern US andthe Caribbean, it is the secondmost active office in the world-wide network, yielding the topspot to the Paris office.

“[Miami] has very stronglinks with Europe and LatinAmerica,” Mr. Baiget said,“We’re trying to close the tri-angle between countries of LatinAmerica, the US and Europe.”

The most active Catalan com-

Catalonia bid for Miami ties targets Beacon Council accord

Jordi Baiget cited business activities of Catalonia’s office in Miami.

panies involved in the Miamioffice have interests in the phar-maceutical, chemical, food andtourism industries, with a fi-nance sector as well, he said.

The objective of the office isto help find new marketingchannels, do market research,make contacts and provide ad-vice to break into the local mar-ket. It provides each companywith office space inside thebuilding and announced lastweek the opening of 15 co-working spaces.

The best use of the co-work-ing spaces, Mr. Baiget said, “isto put one to three companies[that have] common interestsand give them the opportunityto meet and do business to-gether if they want.”

Currently, 70 Catalan com-panies are established in Miamiwith 76 subsidiaries through-out Florida. Catalan companieslooking to enter Florida nowinclude those in the food andbeverage sectors, as well asthose related to hotel servicesand products, along with com-panies that export consumer

products and medical supplies.“We have a list of agendas ofcompanies coming here,” Mr.Baiget said.

“From the office of Miamiwe created Catalan Wines USA,”Mr. Baiget said.

Catalan Wines USA was cre-ated and developed by the of-fice to promote groups of se-lected wineries from 12 desti-nations of origin in Catalonia.The purpose is to market Catalanwines to importers, distribu-tors, sommeliers, chefs, whole-salers and store owners.

“We are trying to export dif-ferent Catalan wines from dif-ferent wineries, especially thebest quality ones, but that aresmall,” Mr. Baiget said.

Catalan Wines USA has show-cased more than 50 wineries,with each presenting threewines, thereby promoting morethan 100 wines from Catalonia.

“In terms of trade, Catalanexports to the US are growingat rates of 15%-20%. This is apast trend that we want to con-tinue in the future,’ Mr. Baigetsaid. “At the same time, we

want relationships with export-ers from Florida companies toCatalonia to continue growingalso.”

In 2014 and 2015, CataloniaTrade & Investment managed112 investment projects of mul-tinational companies inCatalonia, the most since theagency’s founding in 1985.

The US was the No. 1 coun-try for foreign investments man-aged by Catalonia Trade & In-vestment, with 16.9 % of thetotal. The US was followed byFrance with 11.6%, Japan with8%, China with 7.2% and Ger-many and Switzerland with5.3% each.

Catalan exports to the US in2015 increased 21% over 2014.

“Miami is the best place forCatalan companies to enter theUS. In fact, two-thirds ofCatalan companies who arecoming to the US are doing sothrough our Miami office,” Mr.Baiget said, adding that it’s alogical transition because ofMiami’s commonplace Spanishlanguage and openness to out-siders.

Last week, a Catalonian busi-ness trade mission including 18Catalan companies visitedFlorida, California and Wash-ington seeking business oppor-tunities in fields such as gas-tronomy and technological in-novation. Participating firmsincluded Medtep, Opentrendsand iContaniers.

“We are now negotiating anagreement with the BeaconCouncil and Catalonia Trade &Investment in order to promoteeconomic and trade relationshipsbetween Catalonia and Florida,”Mr. Baiget said. The aim is toseek and identify new opportu-nities for business relations be-tween Catalonia and Florida, hesaid.

“We are optimistic about therelationship between Catalancompanies and Florida and Mi-ami,” Mr. Baiget said. “We havemutual interests between ad-ministrations – between the Gov-ernment of Catalonia and thegovernments of Miami-Dadeand Florida. We hope that in thefuture these relationships canbe strengthened.”

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