Meridiam Becomes Lead Investment Partner in Miami Beach Monorail Consortium’s Beach Corridor Plan

The Miami Beach Monorail Consortium has announced that the global infrastructure investment firm Meridiam has become the lead investment partner for the Consortium’s proposed mass transit monorail that would connect Downtown Miami and Miami Beach. The company, which has over $8 billion in assets under management across the globe, previously took over and completed the Port of Miami Tunnel project. The tunnel’s infrastructure required a workforce of 7,000 people, 83% of which came from the local community.

Over the past 30 years, studies have shown that the Interstate 395/MacArthur Causeway Beach Corridor is in need of a robust mass-transit solution that can benefit both visitors and regular commuters. The Miami Beach Monorail Consortium hopes to fulfill this public transit need for commuters and visitors alike with the County’s Strategic Miami Area Rapid Transit (SMART) Beach Corridor plan. The Corridor, which runs from the Design District and Downtown Miami to the Miami Beach Convention Center area, has been identified as one of the six SMART Plan Corridors by Miami-Dade County’s Transportation Planning Organization (TPO), which are priority areas that need public mass transit. 

The Consortium presents the monorail as an innovative and modern model that will enhance Miami-Dade County’s standing as a smart city and alleviate traffic congestion on the MacArthur Causeway. The monorail is expected to create more efficient methods of transportation for Miami residents, while also generating thousands of jobs for its construction.

A Parsons study commissioned by Miami-Dade County estimates ridership for the monorail at more than 9,000 passengers per day and suggested elevated rubber tire technology as the best option to use for the Beach Corridor plan. These findings were later approved by Miami-Dade County’s TPO in December 2019.

“We are excited with the possibility of delivering another cutting-edge infrastructure project in Miami that will serve the community for decades to come,” said Jamie Rubin, CEO of Meridiam Infrastructure North America Corp. Meridiam is a founding member of the United Nations Sustainable Development Investment Partnership. “We have submitted a proposal that we hope meets all Miami-Dade County’s requirements to bring a much-needed public transit solution that will connect two of Miami’s most important hubs for residents, tourists and businesses. After the Port of Miami, it will be another sustainable and impactful infrastructure for Miami, dedicated to improving the quality of people’s lives”

“The success of the Port of Miami Tunnel would not have been possible without a strong partnership with hundreds of Miami companies with local knowledge,” said Christopher Hodgkins, Chief Executive Officer for Port of Miami Tunnel. “Meridiam can now utilize the expertise gained through the Tunnel project to once again hire local workers and companies who will help deliver the monorail safely and efficiently.” 

Meridiam joins existing Consortium partners Genting and Aqualand Development, which submitted an unsolicited proposal in 2019 that became the source for a public Request for Proposals (RFP) that is currently being conducted by the County. The Consortium has submitted a proposal with further details on its approach in response to that RFP.

By Isabella Zimmermann

Tracking COVID-19 By The Numbers: Breaking News In South Florida

(Last Updated 6:14 AM 3/27/2020):

BREAKING: 

• City of Miami officials have announced a curfew for its residents that will begin Friday night. According to officials, all residents must be indoors from 10 p.m. until 5 a.m. (3/27/2020)

• Miami-Dade County and the City of Miami Beach have ordered all hotels, motels and short-term rentals to begin immediately shutting down and vacate their guests, with full-closure by 11:59 PM on Monday, March 23. (3/21/2020)

• Miami-Dade Mayor Issues Executive Order Closing All Non-Essential Business 9 PM Thursday. (3/20/2020)

• All U.S. Citizens traveling around the world should return home ASAP or be prepared to stay abroad for an indefinite period. (3/19/2020)

Continue to check back for updates to below as we continue to track COVID-19 across South Florida:  

Stats:

• Number of Cases in Florida: 830+ (3/23/2020)

• Fatalities in Florida: 13+ (3/23/2020)

• Number of Global Cases: 351,000+ (3/23/2020)

• Global Fatalities: 15,321+ (3/23/2020)

• Number of U.S. Cases: 35,075+ (3/23/2020)

• Fatalities in the U.S.: 458+ (3/23/2020)

Miami-Dade County:

• Miami-Dade County # Cases: 2900+ (3/27/2020)

• BREAKING: Miami-Dade County and the City of Miami Beach have ordered all hotels, motels and short-term rentals to begin immediately shutting down and vacate their guests, with full-closure by 11:59 PM on Monday, March 23. (3/21/2020)

• BREAKING: Miami-Dade Mayor Issues Executive Order Closing All Non-Essential Business (3/20/2020)

• CONFIRMED CASES IN BRISTOL TOWER BRICKELL & SOHO BEACH HOUSE (3/19/2020)

• Officials have ordered the closure of all restaurants, bars, movie theaters, concert houses, auditoriums, playhouses, clubs, gyms, arcades, bowling alleys, etc. which will go into effect 11 PM Tuesday. All grocery stores, pharmacies, take-out and delivery services will remain open at this time (3/17/2020)

  • All bars and nightclubs will be closed for 30 days.

  • Restaurants will only be able to operate at half capacity.

  • Exceptions granted if they have a capacity of 10 people or less.

  • Mayor Carlos Jimenez signed the emergency order, but remains in self-quarantine after being exposed to a Brazilian government official who tested positive following a visit to South Florida.

• Miami-Dade Public Schools are now closed through at least April 15. (3/19/2020)

  • Miami-Dade Public Schools have closed this week and next. (3/16/2020)

• Key Biscayne and North Miami Beach have implemented curfew between 10 PM and 5 AM (3/19/2020)

• Officials have closed the beach from 5th to 15th Street, including Lummus Park.

• All city parking garages are closed to non-residents.

• In addition, all non-essential retail stores will be required to close at 10 p.m. daily. (3/16/2020)

  • Businesses excluded from this directive include: Pharmacies, grocery stores, convenience stores, private offices, banks, hotels, hospitals, medical service providers, medical supply stores, hardware stores, gasoline service stations and automotive supply and repair centers.

• An entertainment district curfew will go into effect at 11 p.m.

• All restaurants are asked to keep occupancy at 50% or less, and have under 250 people in each establishment at any given time.

• Ultra Music Festival has been cancelled.

• Miami Music Week has been cancelled.

• ArtScape Concert has been cancelled.

• The Miami Open Tennis Tournament has been cancelled. 

• University of Miami & FIU have moved classes online until the end of the spring semester. (3/20/2020)

• University of Miami Spring Commencement postponed until December. (3/20/2020)

• The Hardrock Seminole Hotel & Casino has suspended entertainment operations. 

• Calle Ocho Festival has been cancelled.

• Mayor Francis Suarez has confirmed that he has COVID-19.

Broward County:

• Broward County # Cases: 180+ (3/23/2020)

• Broward County Public Schools are now closed through at least April 15. (3/19/2020)

• Officials have closed the beach from Harbor Beach to Oakland Park Boulevard.

• Restaurants and bars must close by 10 p.m.

• Restaurants and bars are asked to operate at 50% capacity and have no more than 250 people at any time.

• The Tortuga Music Festival, which was set to run from April 17-19, has been postponed.

• The Wharf Fort Lauderdale is closed until further notice.

• The listed measures will remain in effect until April 12.

Palm Beach County:

• Palm Beach County # Cases: 59+ (3/23/2020)

• Town of Palm Beach implements curfew until further notice from 9 P.M. - 6 A.M. (3/18/2020)

• Palm Beach County Public Schools are now closed through at least April 15. (3/19/2020)

• Beaches will be closed on Tuesday 3/17/2020

• Nursing Homes and Assisted Living Facilities are closed to visitors.

• Drive-through testing underway at FoundCare (2330 S. Congress Ave, West Palm Beach - call 561-967-0365 to see if you qualify and for appointments)

National:

• BREAKING: The Federal Government has passed a $2.2 trillion stimulus package.

• United States of America # Cases: 35,075+ (3/23/2020)

• United States of America Fatalities: 458+ (3/23/2020)

• Income tax filing deadline moved to July 15 (3/20/2020)

• Foreclosures and HUD evictions have been halted for 60 days.

• CDC recommends ban on gatherings of 10+ people. 

• The Players Championship was cancelled & PGA Tour is suspended.

• NBA, NHL, MLB and MLS have suspended their seasons. 

• All ski resorts have closed.

Virgin Trains Announces Aventura, PortMiami & Boca Raton Stations Will Open In October 2020

Virgin Trains has announced that both the Aventura, PortMiami and Boca Raton stations are expected to come online in October 2020. Formerly known as Brightline, the train line is now in negotiations with Orlando entertainment parks and venues for a 2nd Orlando station while the Orlando International Airport station remains on schedule. Aventura will get a $77 million train station with on-site parking and a pedestrian bridge to Aventura Mall, which is the 2nd most visited mall in the United States with over 28 million visitors annually. Construction is expected to start late December 2019 to early 2020. The Boca raton station expects to break ground before the end of 2019 as well. Other stations in the works include PortMiami which is expected to open in late 2020 with construction set to begin in Q1 2020. The PortMiami, Aventura and Boca Raton stations are expected to bring an additional 2 million riders to the train system with Virgin Trains now looking at a railway expansion west of the Orlando International Airport. Virgin continues its expansion into South Florida with Virgin Voyages, Virgin Hotels and Virgin Trains.

MSC Cruises Reveals Supersized Arquitectonica-Designed Cruise Terminal In PortMiami

MSC Cruises has revealed a new supersized Arquitectonica-designed cruise ship terminal coming to PortMiami. The terminal will be the largest in PortMiami at 350,000 SF, nearly double Royal Caribbean’s 170,000 SF Crown of Miami Terminal. The MSC Cruises terminal will be able to host 2 ships at a time and will be able to process 28,000 passengers per day. The terminal will also house its own parking with 2,000 parking spaces within the structure. Arquitectonica designed the terminal by drawing inspiration from Italian yachts, paying homage to MSC’s Italian heritage. Construction is expected to start in early 2020 with completion estimated for late 2022.

Virgin Continues Push Into South Florida, Reveals New PortMiami Terminal For Virgin Voyages

Just days after Virgin Trains USA announced it had taken a minority stake in Brightline and presented plans to the Securities and Exchange Commission for permission to conduct an initial public offering of stock, Richard Branson has continued his push into South Florida as Virgin Voyages prepares to launch. Virgin has now revealed a new $150 million terminal in PortMiami for Virgin Voyages whose first ship, Scarlet Lady, will launch in 2020. The new 2-story terminal is being designed by Arquitectonica and will be made of storm resistant glass which will resemble a palm tree. Virgin is currently awaiting approval from Miami-Dade commissioners before breaking ground.

Some Outraged Downtown Residents Have Made A Move Against The City of Miami For Ultra & Formula 1 Proposal

Not everyone can always be happy, no sooner then Miami had made strides on the world stage to host the Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix in the streets of Downtown Miami, had a group of 11 residents moved against the city. Some Downtown Miami residents have teamed up and sought legal council combatting the city hosting Ultra Music Festival in Downtown's Bayfront Park and the city's bid to bring a Formula 1 race to the streets of Downtown and PortMiami as early as October 2019. The residents, who live in 50 Biscayne and Epic, have sent a Cease and Desist letter to the city. The proposed 2.57-mile course would run through Downtown Miami's Biscayne Boulevard, American Airlines Arena and PortMiami. The letter alleges that both the Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix and "mega events" such as Ultra Music Festival and Rolling Loud Festival, all violate the City of Miami's noise ordinance, which in turn negatively affects the health of nearby residents and their property values. 

Ultra Music Festival has garnered much attention for the city of Miami, helping aid to boost property values and tourism. If looking at cities such as Monaco, property values on the race course have been boosted by popularity and a condo-hotel such as Epic benefits greatly from major events in near proximity. The noise ordinance clause has been used against other Downtown venues including the nightclubs behind Marquis Residences, Ten Museum, One Thousand Musuem, 900 Biscayne and Marina Blue. The difference between the two cases is one targets events which bring millions of dollars of benefit to the city and its taxpayers, typically operating during the day, while the clubs in question operate at late night hours with resident complaints coming between the hours of 2 am and 6 am with private prosperity. 

Ultra Music Festival was sold out in 2018 with a record-breaking attendance of 165,000 and over 30 million online streams. Ultra Music Festival is renegotiating their lease for hosting the festival in Bayfront Park, with Miami commissioners asking for rent to rise to $2 million. Ultra Music Festival currently pays around $1 million annually to host the festival at the site. Formula 1 does not yet have a deal in place, although city commissioners approved the race in a unanimous 5-0 vote in May 2018. Formula One has 500 million global fans and currently hosts 21 races across five continents which are broadcast to over 1.8 billion viewers. Hosting a Formula 1 Grand Prix's economic impact on Montreal is around $65 million and Formula 1 claims the Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix could produce over $700 million annually for the city. Set-up time could take up to 3 months while clean up would take 2-3 weeks. The city expects to be sued over the matter. 

Formula One Is Coming To Downtown Miami In 2019 After City Commissioners Vote Unanimously

Last week the Miami City Commission voted 5-0 to bring a Formula One Grand Prix to Downtown Miami. Set to be part of Formula One's 2019 schedule, most likely in October, and will give the circuit a second event in the United States. The vote approved Resolution No. 22, which approves bringing a Formula One race to the city, Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix, from 2019 through 2028. The 2.57-mile course will run through Downtown Miami's Biscayne Boulevard, American Airlines Arena and PortMiami; although 4-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton, who is ecstatic about the race coming to Miami, has said that he would like to see changes to the proposed track. Promotions will be handled by Related Companies' and Miami Dolphins' owner Stephen M. Ross via his Ross Initiative in Sports for Equality (RISE). 

The approval of Formula One to come to Miami will bring a major, positive economic impact to the city. Formula One has 500 million global fans and currently hosts 21 races across five continents which are broadcast to over 1.8 billion viewers. The U.S. Grand Prix, which takes place in Austin, has attracted over 200,000 visitors to the city during race weekends. Adding races in the United States has been a goal of Liberty Media Corp. who acquired Formula One in 2016 for $1.1 billion in cash, 138 million Liberty Media shares and $351 million worth of an exchangeable debt instrument, issued by Formula One, which can be exchanged for shares of Liberty Media. Liberty Media also assumed $4.1 billion in Formula One's current debt. Liberty Media is also aiming to host races in the Las Vegas and New York markets which should further bolster the sports' fast growing popularity in the U.S. 

Norwegian Cruise Line Announces Pearl, The Futuristic LEED-Silver Certified Terminal Coming To PortMiami

Not long after Royal Caribbean's Broadway Malyan-designed Terminal A for Symphony of the Seas topped out in PortMiami, Norwegian Cruise Line has announced Pearl, their futuristic new terminal coming to PortMiami. The LEED-Silver Certified terminal is being designed by Miami-based firm Bermello Ajamil & Partners, Inc., inspired by a nautilus' spiral design. Construction is expected to start in May (2018) and completion is expected by fall 2019. Miami-Dade County has pledged to invest $100 million towards building the new terminal, the balance of the funds will be provided by Norwegian Cruise Holdings, LTD.

“Norwegian has been sailing from Miami for over fifty years, longer than any other cruise line, and we are honored to be partnering with PortMiami and Miami-Dade County to construct an iconic terminal that will contribute to Miami’s world famous skyline and strengthen its position as the Cruise Capital of the World,” said Frank Del Rio, president and chief executive officer of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd.

Renderings via Bermello Ajamil & Partners, Inc.

Royal Caribbean's Crown of Miami Terminal Designed by Broadway Malyan Tops Out in PortMiami

Royal Caribbean’s new $247 million, Broadway Malyan-designed Terminal A has officially topped out in PortMiami. The 170,000 SF, state-of-the-art terminal will be used for mega-cruise ships Allure of the Seas and Symphony of the Seas, which is expected to debut as the world's largest cruise ship in November 2018. Allure of the Seas has previously also been the world's largest cruise ship. Suffolk was the general contractor on the project which has been named Crown of Miami after its unique crown-like shape. The terminal is expected to welcome its first passengers in October 2018. 

The Broadway Malyan-Designed Cruise Ship Terminal For Royal Caribbean's Symphony of The Seas Is Taking Form In PortMiami

Royal Caribbean's new state-of-the-art cruise ship terminal for Symphony of the Seas, the world's largest cruise ship, is rising fast in PortMiami. Framing of the 170,000 SF, Broadway Malyan-design is already complete and the project is expected to be completed and operating by November 2018. In total Costs for the project are estimated to be in excess of $200 million. Royal Caribbean's Allure of the Seas, which has previously held the title of world's largest cruise ship, will also be based at the terminal.