MIAMI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Miami Seaport Alliance, a group of concerned citizens, community leaders, and port stakeholders who have banded together to oppose a Major League Soccer stadium at PortMiami, announced today that 13 mayors and vice mayors from municipalities across Miami-Dade County have joined as alliance members.
“These mayors and vice mayors join me in opposition to a stadium at PortMiami because of the risks it would pose to jobs, security, and cruise and cargo operations,” said Town of Cutler Bay Mayor Ed MacDougall, who led the effort to have municipality leaders join the alliance. “As community leaders, we look forward to advocating with our fellow alliance members for port property to be used only for port-related development.”
The following mayors have proudly joined the alliance:
- Franklin Caplan, Mayor, Village of Key Biscayne
- Jim Cason, Mayor, City of Coral Gables
- Joseph M. Corradino, Vice mayor, Village of Pinecrest
- Daniel Dietch, Mayor, Town of Surfside
- Cindy Lerner, Mayor, Village of Pinecrest
- Philip Levine, Mayor, City of Miami Beach
- Ed MacDougall, Mayor, Town of Cutler Bay
- Jeff Porter, Mayor, City of Homestead
- Stephen R. Shelley, Vice mayor, City of Homestead
- Glenn Singer, Mayor, Town of Golden Beach
- Shelley Stanczyk, Mayor, Village of Palmetto Bay
- Philip Stoddard, Mayor, City of South Miami
- George Vallejo, Mayor, City of North Miami Beach
Led by President John Fox, the Miami Seaport Alliance also consists of Florida Stevedoring, Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, Norman Braman, Eller-ITO Stevedoring Co., Florida Foreign Trade Association and the Latin American Business Association.
“The alliance is pleased to welcome these 13 mayors and vice mayors to our expanding list of members. These community leaders have identified that a port stadium could put our county’s second-largest economic engine at risk and we look forward to working with them to ensure the long-term success of PortMiami,” said Fox.
Earlier this week, the 300-member Latin American Business Association signed on as a member of the alliance.
The purpose of the Miami Seaport Alliance is to ensure that PortMiami remains dedicated to operations that have made it the pride of the Miami-Dade community, as the Cruise Capital of the World and the Cargo Gateway of the Americas. A Major League Soccer stadium has been proposed for the southwest corner of PortMiami. Concerned citizens, community leaders, and port users have banded together to ensure the viability of the port and its future. The alliance does not support a port stadium due to the risks it could pose to jobs, cruise and cargo operations, security, and the port’s promising future.
Millions of tax dollars have been spent at PortMiami to build the port tunnel, to dredge Government Cut, to purchase state-of-the-art cranes, and to restore rail lines to be ready for the arrival of superships when the Panama Canal expansion is completed in 2015. This thoughtful planning anticipated the doubling of cargo in ten years and the expansion of cruise lines. The Miami Seaport Alliance and its members firmly believe port property should remain for port purposes.
About Miami Seaport Alliance
The Miami Seaport Alliance is comprised of concerned citizens and PortMiami stakeholders, including stevedores, longshore workers, cruise lines and cargo carriers, that are focused on ensuring the long-term success of the port. The Alliance wholeheartedly supports a soccer franchise in Miami and believes there are other sites that would benefit greatly from a stadium. However, PortMiami is not one of them, due to the risks a port stadium would pose to jobs, cruise and cargo operations, security, and the port’s promising future. The Miami Seaport Alliance looks forward to PortMiami’s continuing success as the Cruise Capital of the World and the Cargo Gateway of the Americas. For more information, visit www.miamiseaportalliance.org or like the Miami Seaport Alliance Facebook page for regular updates.
