City seeks funds for Miami Marine Stadium upgrades
Summary: $2 million in tax payer dollars are being used to build additional problems that do not solve the problem.
According to MiamiToday, the City of Miami is seeking over $2 million from the state to reimburse itself for ongoing improvements at city-owned waterfront properties including Morningside Park and the Miami Marine Stadium.
Today (3/14), the Miami City Commission is to vote on resolutions that would authorize the city manager to apply for six grants to the Florida Inland Navigation District (FIND) for its Waterways Assistance Program. If the city get the funds, the $2.3 million will support construction of new boat racks, floating docks and a fuel tank at Miami Marine Stadium, a living shoreline at Morningside Park as well as a new Watson Island shuttle and upgrades for marine patrol boats.
The city has been searching for funds to revitalize its waterfront properties through improvement projects. Most notably, the city commission allocated $6 million in special obligations bonds in October 2023 to construct a boat launch, trailer parking and mooring field at the Miami Marine Stadium.
The bond amount was significantly lowered from the proposed $61.2 million, which included stadium renovation, a new welcome center and museum complex, as questions arose regarding the demand for a revamped stadium and who would pay to maintain and operate it.
While still needing a responsible operator for the stadium, the city is moving ahead with upgrades at the site that will provide more Miamians access to the water.
Last spring, the commission approved construction of a new dock that extends 90 feet into the marine stadium basin, which officials said was needed to address the shortage of public slips.
The city applied and was awarded a $1.25 million FIND grant for the boat ramp and trailer parking at the stadium.
“Miami-Dade County has a huge shortage of public access to the water. There are about 55,000 boats that need access to trailer slips and we have less than 1,000 of those slips here in the county,” said Spencer Crowley, Miami-Dade County commissioner for FIND.
Now, the commission is considering applying for another grant for $75,000 to reimburse itself for the design and permitting of the floating docks and pilings at Miami Marine Stadium.
Two other grant applications for $379,370 and $100,000 will fund construction of two, three-boat rack structures and a new fuel tank at the stadium. If approved, the city is required to match the funding equally.
More than half of the FIND funding the city is applying for will go to construct the living shoreline at Morningside Park.
In 2022, the city commission approved the work, which aims to restore the park’s shoreline and minimize flooding from king tides that make it unusable at times. Last spring, Miami got $5 million from FIND to fund the first phase of the four-part revitalization.
Now, the city is seeking $1,681,980 more in grants for the project’s second phase, which includes the living shoreline, trail improvements and baywalk site furniture and lighting. The city must also match the grant, bringing the total phase two funding to $3.5 million.
Lastly, the commission is considering applying for three smaller grants to clean up the city’s waterways of derelict vessels, buy a new shuttle boat for Watson Island Mooring Field and replace two marine patrol boat engines for the Miami Police Department.
If the grant is awarded, the monies will be accepted for the 2024-2025 fiscal year without further city commission approval required to allocate the funding.
