By Elaine De Valle (aka, Ladra) May 19, 2023 – published here on Political Cortadito
Remember the Pets’ Trust?
A whopping 64% of us approved this initiative on a non-binding ballot question in 2012. It aimed to direct budget dollars for animal services to a massive spay and neuter program to take care of the stray and abandoned dogs and cats that are overpopulating, particularly in the southwestern part of Miami-Dade. The Miami-Dade Commission and then-mayor Carlos Gimenez decided to ignore us.
Otherwise, it would have been a mandate.
But on Thursday, Miami-Dade Commissioner Raquel Regalado told a packed room of Kendall residents — including Pets’ Trust co-founder Michael Rosenberg — that she would sponsor an agenda item for the commission to reconsider the initiative. She confirmed that to Ladra later in the evening.
Feeling generous, she also said the city of Miami could have the Coconut Grove Playhouse, over which the two governments have been fighting for years. Miami-Dade wants to gut the building and redesign it with a much smaller theater and space for retail and parking. A group of residents has sued to stop the development. And she said she’s willing to let them have it.
“If they have a plan, if they have the funding and they’re really going to restore it and not just build condos there,” Regalado told Political Cortadito. “They’ve never provided an alternative plan.”
Those were the two big ticket items that Regalado announced at the town hall meeting — other than the fact that her father is running for mayor of Miami, again. She also talked about flood insurance, condo assistance, the Accessory Dwelling Unit item that she sponsored to allow for more efficiencies as a form of affordable and workforce housing (more on that later), a new state law that would put some zoning decisions in the hands of staff, and, of course, septic to sewer conversion, Regalado’s obsession.
She also congratulated the Save Calusa group for their efforts to fight the development of 550 homes on the abandoned Calusa Golf Course, which has turned into a natural preserve for endangered birds and other species.
Amanda Prieto, the leader of Save Calusa, sat in the front row and told the commissioner how residents are frustrated that they haven’t had a voice in recent zoning changes. Prieto asked Regalado for advice on how improve the public input process to ensure residents’ voices are not just heard, but valued.
“Calusa residents were happy to have the first opportunity for open questions with Commissioner Regalado since she was elected in 2020,” Prieto told Ladra after the meeting. “While we were disappointed she didn’t offer specific improvements to the public input process in local zoning decisions, we were thrilled she gave a specific shout out to Save Calusa for our successful efforts in preserving the Calusa Rookery.”
And here Ladra thought it was going to be a rough audience.
“The Kendall Federation board members were very impressed with the presentation by Commissioner Raquel Regalado,” Rosenberg said. “The commissioner made several important announcements, including that she would like to sponsor and be supportive of the Pets’ Trust and that if the city of Miami wanted the Coconut Grove Playhouse, she would gladly hand over that issue to them.
“We will all be watching to see if this happens,” added Rosenberg.
Rosenberg told Ladra that he texted Miami Mayor Francis Suarez about the offer and that Suarez texted back: “I would love to have it.”
Ladra would be surprised if the city of Miami has not already reached out to Regalado.