To the Editor:
With the firing of 30+ staffers at the Miami Herald, the Spotlight is now one of the only news outlets that can shed light on local issues, as the Herald no longer has a dedicated reporter to cover City Hall.
Unfortunately, deceptive ads by out-of-town developers take advantage of that.
Miami Referendum 3 is on the ballot in November. If you aren’t aware of this upcoming vote, you should be.
This referendum is asking for voters to approve a 75-year lease which would turn existing public waterfront over to private development of luxury docks and amenities. You won’t be invited to join. This is for wealthy out-of-state developers and their mega-yachts.
Across social media, they post this ad: “Vote Yes to Save Virginia Key. From a marina for some, to a waterfront for all.” It does the opposite, however, transferring public waterfront to private development.
In tiny, virtually unreadable print, the ad states “paid for by Help Save Virginia Key PC,” an LLC formed on July 7, 2026. A search of Florida public records identifies the LLC manager as SMI TRS OPCO LLC from Dallas, Texas.
So, there you have it. Another out-of-town entity is trying to take over public waterfront in one of the most desirable parts of South Florida.
This week, we were fortunate enough to hear Aabad Melwani, president of the Rickenbacker Marina and co-founder of Preserve & Protect Miami, talk about the downside of this referendum at a HOATA meeting in Little Bahamas in the Grove.
In short, granting a 75-year lease on 27 acres of publicly owned property is simply another give-away of precious public access for private use.
As he pointed out, the terms were based on financial conditions from 2017, nearly a decade ago.
Beyond the economics, I am tired of deceptive ads by out-of-town developers who take from the public for pure profit and have no vested interest in serving the taxpayers of our district.
It is a bad deal. It doesn’t ‘Save Virginia Key,” it gives it away.
Do your own homework, and I trust the Spotlight to delve into this in more detail, objectively and with facts and pro/cons clearly laid out.
John Dolson
Coconut Grove
