Spotlight 225-260714

Good morning. What we’re covering in today’s Spotlight:

The Mega Marina Proposed for Virginia Key
The District 5 County Commission Race
Key Dates Ahead of August’s Election
Five Reasons NOT to move City Hall

The Mega Marina That Could Replace The Seaquarium

Miami-Dade County and its development partner have submitted plans to state regulators for a large-scale marina on Virginia Key that critics say could impact sensitive marine habitat in Biscayne Bay.

By Jenny Staletovich

Miami-Dade County has quietly submitted an application to state regulators for a new marina at the shuttered Seaquarium on Virginia Key that could rank as the county’s largest, trampling a spot favored by kayakers and tarpon amid a patchwork of vanishing seagrass flats.

With slips for 325 boats and a dry stack capable of storing another 500, the new marina would have space for mega yachts and a fleet of luxury boats. Nearly 90 slips could fit yachts over 80 feet long.

To accommodate so many vessels, the county wants to build floating docks and finger piers stretching more than halfway across a channel separating Virginia Key from fragile flats.

The D5 County Commission Race: This Time, Voters Decide

After being appointed as Miami-Dade’s District 5 commissioner less than a year ago, Vicki Lopez is running for a full four-year term in the August 18 election. Potentially standing in her way are two challengers and a complicated past.

By Erik Bojnansky

With a string of endorsements and a campaign chest of more than $1 million, Vicki Lopez may seem to be well on her way to being elected to a full four-year term as the commissioner of Miami-Dade County’s District 5 seat.

Yet Lopez, a Brickell resident who was appointed to fill the seat last November, faces two challengers on Aug. 18 who feel they’re better qualified to represent District 5, an area that touches downtown Miami, Brickell, Shenandoah, Silver Bluff and The Roads.

At least one of those challengers is willing to hit Lopez on past controversies including a stint in prison for an honest services fraud charge that was later vacated by a federal judge.

Key Voter Dates for August Primary

The voter registration deadline for the August 18 primary election is fast approaching. Voters have until Monday July 20 to register to vote. Early voting begins August 3 and ends August 16. You can register to vote, review a sample ballot, a find a list of early voting sites at the county’s election website. In Coconut Grove, voters will be choosing candidates for the U.S. Senate, the U.S House of Representatives (27^th District) and governor to run in the general election in November. Grove voters will also choose candidates for the Florida House (House District 113), elect five circuit court judges, and decide two questions: should the City of Miami move its elections to even-numbered years, and should the city partner with a private company to repair and reopen the Miami Marine Stadium on Virginia Key? Both questions will be decided in August.