thedoralian

[thedoralian]

Miami-Dade County Seeks to Block Doral's Effort to Annex Commercial Area West of Dolphin Mall

May 14th, 2021

DORAL – Following two council meetings, City of Doral council members expressed their disappointment with Miami-Dade County for engaging in what Mayor Bermudez called a “targeted” effort to render Doral’s application for annexation invalid. The application is a formal request from Doral to annex the area west of Dolphin Mall and across the Turnpike. There are no residents on this piece of land, so there’s no voters to take a poll from, but what’s raised eyebrows about the County’s proposed change is not only that it would void Doral’s claim – it would also elevate the City of Sweetwater’s annexation application.

On the southwestern corner, nearest to the Turnpike, Doral’s border just barely makes contact with the 2 square miles of land it is hoping to annex. While it does not look like a traditional border, Doral’s claim to the area is legal since current law dictates that two touching corners are in fact contiguous – unless Miami-Dade changes the rules. The County is proposing a change to annexation laws that would not allow cities to annex land if only their corners touch, while simultaneously declaring that land claims can be made even if there is a highway separating the two territories. If the changes go through, Miami-Dade would be passing a law that explicitly favors one municipality (Sweetwater) over another (Doral). This change is being proposed by Commissioner Jose “Pepe” Diaz, who represents all of Doral, Miami Springs, and parts of Hialeah. This sprawling piece of land, home to a Home Depot, a TopGolf, and Telemundo’s global headquarters, has no residents. However, Councilmember Mariaca claimed that the proposed changes would be a “disservice to the businesses on the other side of the turnpike” since they have often promoted themselves as being part of Doral. Councilmember Cabrera disapproved of the changes while acknowledging that no municipality had any right to a piece of land. The Mayor stressed that he disagreed more with the actions the County was taking than the fact that Doral would not get the land. In response, he directed City Attorney Figueredo to take the appropriate legal steps to “protect the interests of the City of Doral.”

If you have any corrections, questions, and requests on the matter please DM. Thank you for supporting local news and please like, comment and share!

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Council Meeting Recap #2; Restricting Placement of Schools, a Moratorium on Development, New Food Truck Regulations, and the Fight for Annexation

April 28th, 2021

DORAL – The two-hour long council meeting last Wednesday brought to the fore a variety of practical issues, to which the council members responded by unanimously approving seven new ordinances. Near the end of the meeting, members expressed their frustration with Miami Dade County’s effort to block the City of Doral’s attempt to annex a new piece of land. A recurring concern throughout was the undermining of home rule due to increased deregulation coming from the Florida legislature.

The first ordinance prohibits school construction in industrial zones within Doral. Because of the recent backlash from Doral’s industrial community on the building of two new schools near industrial areas of the city, the council voted to pass this ordinance as a way of easing traffic concerns and as part of an effort to keep schools closer to homes. The second ordinance, also dealing with schools, requires charter schools located in Doral to give admission preferences to children that live in Doral. Another ordinance was approved that accepted the findings of a water supply report that must be filed every five years. The next ordinance imposes a moratorium on development within the Doral Décor District, which is the industrial area on the corner of the Dolphin Expressway and the Palmetto. The moratorium is meant to give the city planners more time to form a masterplan for the area. Recently, the Florida legislature has been working to lift regulations across all of Florida’s municipalities, which means that when the legislature prohibited cities from forbidding food trucks in their jurisdictions last year, the City of Doral had a problem. The Council responded by approving Ordinance 2021-16, which sets regulations on where food trucks can operate within the city. Lastly, the Council discussed the City’s annexation attempt of the area west of the turnpike where a TopGolf and Home Depot now stand. Mayor Bermudez argued that despite having the legal means to claim annexation, the City had been blocked by the County, which he claimed is planning on passing a law that would give Sweetwater a clear path to annexing the land. Thank you for reading!

[thedoralian]

Council Meeting Recap #1; Doral's Social Media, Ensuring Quality Political Candidates, and Increasing the Budget

March 17th, 2021

DORAL – At Wednesday’s council meeting the city clerk and city public affairs department gave their own presentations and two ordinances, one on elections and one on the budget, were discussed and approved unanimously by the council. The hearing started with the city clerk, Edgard Ramirez, awarding A+ Mini Storage the “Keep Doral Beautiful Award.” A presentation by the Public Affairs Department followed, where Communication Director Maggie Santos gave key highlights from the past year. She provided statistics on the department’s constituent services, stating that more than 3,000 constituents had been assisted. Santos said that most of the assistance was provided via Instagram (1,076), 311 requests (876), and through phone calls (544). 64% of queries had to do with odor. She also highlighted Doral’s growing social media influence, with Doral’s follower count across platforms reaching 60,200.

The city attorney spoke on the need to reform election candidacy requirements and outlined new components of Ordinance 2021-07. Mayor Bermudez stated that the last election had seen candidates who were not up to Doral’s moral standing. He expressed his concern with the appearance of shady news sources with dubious funding and that candidates had applied with three different home addresses. City attorney Luis Figueredo introduced the three basic parts of the ordinance. First, it would allow the charge of perjury to be applied to any individual who lies on their candidacy request form. Second, it would require all prospective candidates to have a petition signed by 25 Doral voters to be a verified candidate. Third, the ordinance would provide the council power to remove a candidate from the ballot should their documents be proven false. Vote: Unanimous approval The second ordinance, 2021-08, was a budget amendment that allowed for a budget increase for the general, transportation, and park impact funds among other smaller ones. The ordinance also allowed an allotment of $17,233 into the newly established retirement fund. Vote: Unanimous approval

Thank you for supporting local news. Please like, comment and share!

Welcome to Doral’s first council meeting recap! In this biweekly series we will be giving a short summary on what’s happened in Doral’s monthly council meeting, detailing the events, ordinances (city laws), and plans the five members of the council have for the city. Because these meetings are so conveniently placed at 10am for all students and working aged people to watch, we hope this will allow our audience to get a better grasp of the topics and issues brought up by these monthly meetings. Thank you for reading and please, please, please like! It helps and encourages us to post more stories to inform our Doral community. – David

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City of Doral Council Adopts New Ordinance Expanding Retirement Benefits for Certain Elected Officials

February 23rd, 2021

DORAL – Approved on January 16th and adopted on February 10th, the new ordinance revamps the retirement system of the City’s elected officials, allowing some to claim part of their annual salary as pension. The measure won approval from four of the five council members, with Claudia Mariaca the only nay vote due to a marginal issue within the ordinance.

The change would allow elected officials of the City of Doral who have served eight full years to receive a pension equaling 50% of their salary once they reach retirement age. This pension could increase by 12.5% their original salary for every additional year of public service in an elected position until a maximum of 100% is reached at 12 years of service. According to Miami Today News, Mayor Bermudez said that he consulted first with the City Attorney to understand and compare the pension systems other cities in the county had in place. Councilwoman Digna Cabral was quoted by Miami Today News saying, “everything here is consistent with other cities and I think it’s fair.” Councilwoman Mariaca was also in favor of passing the ordinance, but ultimately did not vote for it because she disagreed with the salary that would count as the base for the pension. She believed that it should be based on the average salary of your last three years, rather than the highest salary of the last three years. The council and mayor were seemingly not deterred by the possible controversy of approving an increase in their own pension just a little over two months after municipal elections. If you have any corrections, questions, and requests on the matter please DM. Thank you for supporting local news and please like, comment and share!

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Amid the Pandemic, A New Crisis Threatens to Strike the City on New Year's Day: Mass Evictions

December 31st, 2020

DORAL – The addition of another 1,000 cases to the city’s total case count in a week has come around the advent of another crisis – the potential eviction of hundreds of people from their homes and business for failure to pay rent. New data procured by UM professor Jeff Hearne shows that about 300 evictions were filed in Doral between March 12th and November 30th. Doral’s most populous zip-code, 33178, is among the top ten highest zip codes of filings. These numbers, which include commercial eviction filings, are demonstrative of the greater agency landlords will have over their properties as eviction moratoriums expire across Miami-Dade County (and Florida) at 12:00 A.M. ET on January 1st.

Of these 300 eviction filings, the Doralian estimates about 150 are residential evictions that are likely to be approved. The number of evictions is dwarfed by the number of households in the city, over 19,000, but the human cost will be enormous – around 500 Doralians will be forced to leave their homes and either find friends and family to live with or fall into homelessness within a city whose structure is especially hostile to their needs. Thousands of these evictions will be executed throughout Miami-Dade in just a few weeks, which will result in a concentrated surge of people flocking to Miami’s limited homeless shelters all at once. Landlords face the dilemma of evicting families and businesses as they too face mounting mortgage payments, a stagnant rental market, and no aid coming from the city, county, or state. More help from the federal government also seems unlikely, at least in the next two weeks. The latest stimulus bill passed by the House and stuck in the Senate seeks to address these issues among tenants and landlords with $25 billion in rental assistance, an extension on the eviction moratorium until January 31st, and of course the direct payments to adults. If you have any corrections, questions, and requests on the matter please DM. Thank you for supporting local news and please like, comment and share! Note: Professor Jeff Hearne’s data was collected from the Community Justice Project, who’s link will be temporarily posted in bio

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Doral Struck by Approximately 2000 Coronavirus Cases in 20 Days in Most Substantial Increase Since July

December 21st, 2020

DORAL – Despite an autumn relatively free of the coronavirus, the city is now heading toward a holiday season with a significant rate of infection of over 100 residents per day. The surge dwarfs the previous large spike seen by Doral back in July, where at its worst point the infection rate was 40 residents per day. The total number of cases in the city – 5,870 as of Friday the 18th – also means that approximately 8% of all Doral residents have caught the virus throughout the pandemic. Thus far, we have yet to see if the Doral government will make any adjustments to their pandemic strategy. The pandemic has led to the closure of dozens of small businesses around the city and the government will be hesitant to impose any stricter measures as a result.

Despite the rapid increase in cases, Doral has fared better than neighboring cities such as Hialeah, City of Miami, and Medley, all of whom have at least more than double the population infection rate of Doral (including a shocking 50% of population infected in Medley). Please keep this surge in mind for the upcoming break and get tested (sites attached) before seeing seniors. Here at The Doralian we wish you una Feliz Navidad and are so grateful for your support over the last year. Pictured: Cumulative Number of COVID-19 Cases in Doral (*A decline in the graph demonstrates an error correction by the City of Doral*); COVID-19 Testing Sites in Doral

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City to Construct Doral Boulevard Pedestrian Bridge by Late 2021

November 22nd, 2020

DORAL – In yet another public works project, construction of a new, modern pedestrian bridge in Doral will begin in late 2021 and will be located over and adjacent to 41st street, right in front of the entrance and exit to the turnpike. A project estimated to cost a little over $3.1 million, the bridge will be fit with lights, cameras, as well as the city’s crest on its west side, greeting the thousands of commuters that flood the city every day from the turnpike.

The bridge is meant to be a pedestrian connection between the NW 117th streets that are on either side of 41st but do not connect and will be part of the Turnpike Running and Biking Trail that stretches across the whole city. It is wheelchair and bike accessible, featuring a ramp and elevator along with stairs. It has been more than 4 years since the original motion in favor of a pedestrian bridge over the location was first passed in May 2016. If you have any corrections, questions, requests, pictures, or video on the matter please DM. To continue supporting local news please like, comment and share! Pictured: Renderings of the pedestrian bridge, map of the location of the bridge

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Voter Insights: Voting Trends in Doral

November 2nd, 2020

DORAL – A deep dive into voter registration records in Miami Dade County has allowed us to uncover historic registration trends in the city. The data gathered comes from election data over 8 elections, 3 of them presidential, 4 of them midterm, and one special election. The data helps Doral residents visualize the amount of support each political party has in the city over time as well as aid them in making educated guesses on where that support may be heading. Turnout by Party • Voter turnout in the city is greatest among Republicans, slightly lower among Democrats, and slightly slower among Independents; it has been in this order for all but one election Higher Doral Turnout Over Time • 2016 had record turnout for a presidential election year for every party • Rep: 82%; Dems: 82%, Ind: 78% • 2014 had record turnout for a midterm election for every party • Rep: 68%, Dems: 61%, Ind: 55% • As of 2018 midterm, there were 25,000 registered voters in Doral, number should be 28-29,000 this year Voter Registration Trends • In 2004, Republicans outnumbered Democrats 10:7 in registered voters in Doral • In 2010, the number registered for each party was roughly equal • By 2018, Democrats outnumbered Republicans 7:5 • Since 2014, there have been almost as many independents as Republicans and Democrats combined *Note: Independent’s registered include actual independents as well as all other parties If you have any corrections, questions, or requests on the matter please DM. Thank you for supporting local news. Please like, comment and share!

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The Three Candidates for Doral Council Seat #3

October 30th, 2020

The most competitive and unpredictable race on Doral’s ballot this year could just be that for Doral Council Seat #3. Alberto Chavez is a financially-savvy candidate for City Council who has lived in Doral for more than 29 years. He owns a financial services firm in the city while also volunteering as a local flag football coach. He touts his financial experience as necessary to address the budgeting challenges the City will face because of the pandemic. Chavez has also held positions in the John I Smith K-8 EESAC Board and the Chair of the City of Doral Citizens Audit Advisory Board. The former college football player has also indicated his support for a Doral business relief grant program modeled after that of other cities in the county. Juan Carlos Esquivel is a combative and energetic candidate who has not left anything up to the imagination. In interviews he has come out and publicly supported Trump (all while in a non-partisan race) and unlike other candidates has also promised a variety of specific traffic improvements and City construction projects. Among these include “elevados” on 41st and 107th for cars, pedestrians, and bikes, the privatization of the trolley system along with making it self-driven, the creation of many new trolley stops, and the building of a Doral Convention Center so that domestic companies do not have to leave the city to host large events. He is fervently opposed to Referendum 5 and supports cutting red tape to streamline the permit approval process. Oscar Puig, an original member of OneDoral and one of Doral’s founders, owns a real estate business in Doral where he’s lived for 20 years. He sees an election win as an opportunity for voters to have Doral continue on its path of success. He has been part of half a dozen City committees and hopes to use his office to offer local businesses marketing opportunities with the City. He has supported the expansion of elderly and special needs programs in the city. He looks at the City’s traffic problem as a countywide issue that must be addressed with mass transit reforms that go beyond our own trolley and involve the expansion of Miami’s Metrorail.

[thedoralian]

The Three Candidates for Mayor of Doral

October 26th, 2020

DORAL - The combination of trusted incumbent JC Bermudez, charismatic telenovela actor Victor Camara, and influential Doral business leader Manny Sarmiento has set this year's mayoral race on track to become Doral’s most interesting and competitive yet. JC Bermudez is known as our city’s founder and longtime mayor, having been in office for two terms, from 2003 to 2012 and from 2016 to now. He was reelected in 2016 with 67% of the vote after a runoff election. He is a lawyer, graduate of University of Notre Dame, and has lived in the city for 22 years with his wife and 3 daughters. Future projects he has spoken of include obtaining more direct federal grants to help relieve the City’s economy and acquiring some of the land belonging to the Army Corp of Engineers for the city to sell or develop. His claims of success range from the development of Doral’s parks, the creation of the trolley system, and the retention of Southern Command in the city. Victor Camara shook up a predictable race when he switched from running for councilmember to mayor. The 61-year-old actor would become the 2nd Venezuelan mayor in US history if elected. His major complaint of the current administration has been its alleged lack of transparency. Camara has spoken of extending the metro to Doral’s 74th street and modernizing Doral’s streets with “elevados” (raised road platforms over other roads to evade traffic lights) and “smart” traffic lights. Manny Sarmiento, with his wife and daughter, is a 35+ year resident of Doral. He is most notably founder/CEO of the Doral Chamber of Commerce, which supports business interests and development around the city. He calls for greater urgency in addressing problems caused by the pandemic and argues his time at the Chamber is evidence of his initiative. Sarmiento also believes that Doral’s police need greater backing as they face national scrutiny. He also seeks to stimulate greater resident involvement in the local public policy process and states that attendance at community meetings is subpar and would be improved by rescheduling City meetings at more inclusive times. Pictured: JC Bermudez, Victor Camara, and Manny Sarmiento (all are tagged)

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On This Year's Ballot: Doral's Charter Referendum

October 25th, 2020

DORAL – This year, Doral voters will vote on Referendum 5, an amendment to the City’s Charter, to express their support for reform in the City’s electoral process. Doral Referendum #5 states, “Change election to plurality occurring May of each even numbered year; eliminating runoff elections.” It advocates for a change in two places – the time of year local elections will take place and the number of votes needed to win office. The first change means that elections for Doral offices will be conducted in May of the election year, instead of in November. To illustrate, if this rule had already been in place this year, we would have already voted for our City mayor councilmembers back in May and then voted again for national elections in November. Those in favor of the change argue that having a separate City election will generate a greater and more exclusive focus on City issues. Additionally, they say that other cities in Miami-Dade have adopted the same election timeline. Opponents to Referendum #5 say that these pros would be outweighed by a significant drop in voter turnout. Additionally, they claim this could lead to voter fatigue in having to research and show up for two, separate smaller elections rather than a single large one. The second change switches our elections from majority-voting to plurality voting. In a majority voting election, the candidate with more than 50% of the vote wins. If there are more than 3 candidates and no one gets more than 50%, another election, called a runoff, is held later between the top 2 candidates. In plurality-wins, the candidate with the most votes wins, they do not need to meet the 50% threshold. Supporters of the change say that majority elections are inefficient and often lead to a second election that must be again hosted and paid for by the City. Opponents say that such a system could lead to the victory of a candidate with an extremely small proportion of votes. For example, in a 3-candidate race, a person could theoretically win with only 34% of the vote. In a 4-person race, a person could theoretically win with only 26% of the vote. Thank you for supporting local news. Please like, comment and share!

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A Conversation With Doral Council Candidate Oscar Puig

As part of our election 2020 coverage, we are conducting interviews with all candidates for local office that have chosen to accept our interview request. All candidates have been contacted. Oscar Puig is a 20 year resident of Doral, a vital part of its founding, and an active leader and participant in many of the city’s civic organizations. He is running for Doral Council Seat #3. Oscar endorses J.C. Bermudez for Mayor and Claudia Mariaca for Council Seat #1. He has been endorsed by J.C. Bermudez. In this article, The Doralian is proud to present it’s first interview. Let us know what you think! If you have any questions please DM. Please like, comment, and share! *This is not an endorsement*

Interview Transcript

Doralian: So, I want to start off by talking about your platform. Here at The Doralian, our goal is to inform the public. Unfortunately, many voters struggle to understand the stances brought by candidates for local office. Could you highlight maybe 2-4 pillars of your campaign that you want voters to know?

“1) Number 1, I would call continuation. We have built a wonderful city. Since I was involved in the creation of the city, I was one of the co-founders and we saw how the city deteriorated and zoning changes were made (before the city's incorporation and during Luigi Boria's mayorship) that weren’t supposed to be made and that's one of the things that I want to prevent. So, the continuation of these last four and the previous ones during JC's first years in office I think is important to maintain and have somebody that has the time invested like I do in the city for many years. That's one.

2) I think that with this pandemic, we will see a difficult time ahead of us because of budget shortfalls, as a lot of people are without a job. That's going to affect a lot of projects because of property taxes. People losing their homes. So I hope to be a voice to find solutions to help our residents, our business, so that if affected, we continue to ask the federal government, the state, and the county, for funds to help the citizens and the small businesses.

3) I am also big on two other things. One of them is small business. Aside and before the pandemic I was supported by 15 good, small sized business that have been here for a long time and I see that there's got to be a movement to help and facilitate the process of the city, which already started, I know that JC announced in their state of the union, several things that are going to help the small businesses and streamline the processes of the city, and I want to support that and make sure that small business can also do marketing events with the city. Marketing strategies with the city that can help them grow and ultimately push the theme that will help people understand that they can eat here, that they can play here, that they could have a good nightlife here, they can eat here. It's changed a lot, so you don't have to drive anywhere else. So, if we can, as a city, start a movement to keep people to spend within the city, they will help small businesses a lot.

4) The last one is the special needs and the elderly programs. I support them 100% and anything we can do to make them better. In the city of Doral, we have a lot of participants in Special Olympics. We have a great special needs program and I want to support them and the elderly of course, our most vulnerable, especially during these times when they're alone. So, look for ways that we can, even if it's digitally, help them not be alone and satisfy whatever needs they have.“

Doralian: The reason I’ve invited you here today is to try to highlight some of the distinctions between you and other candidates. My next question is, whether it involves your qualifications or policy stances, what makes you different from the other candidates?

“I don't think I like to talk about my differences with others. I'd like to say that my experience within the city, I've been involved since the year 2000, in many, many ways with schools, with the parks, with the city committees, selection committees, park director selection committees, and years back the city attorney selection committees. Important committees that I've participated in to service our community with my family and their families in mind. Just making sure that, like I said before, that we have a good transparent and effective government that represents the best interests of the residents at large, whether they vote or not. It's important to represent everybody and that the city is in good shape. My qualifications are my experience and dedication that I've given for the last 20 years to our city.”

Doralian: What is your individual take on the city’s public transportation system? What direction must the city turn to improve its public transportation infrastructure?

“As a city, for 20 years, we’ve done a lot to improve, but at the same time, we went from 20,000 to almost 70,000 residents, plus the 100,000 when we include all the people that come in and out of the city to work. It’s a positive, because we have a good base of employment and a good base of residents but at the same time it creates that whole complicated issue of traffic. I therefore believe that traffic is not just a Doral issue, I believe that Doral and every city in Miami Dade County and the County has to sit down and start looking for solutions of mass transit. Expand the rail. The growth we have had as an entire county has not been followed by investment needed in mass transportation. So, if we think of Doral only, we are not going to solve it, because when Palmetto and Turnpike are, you know, a bottleneck, there's hundreds of thousands of vehicles stuck there for hours, it's going to ripple down into the city because people cannot get on the highway, so then eventually creating traffic within the city. That's where we see most of the traffic, when people are going to get on the highway. And when you look at Doral during the weekend, we have very little traffic, if any, which is a great thing for us. So it's all created by this large base of businesses and residents that we have that are active during the week. So, I think this is a regional problem and we have to look at it that way, but continue to invest as a city: opening streets like we've done many, many times, we're now going to open 25th street to the turnpike, an exit and an entrance, so that's going to help traffic on 41st and 12th, even as high as 74th street. The major problem is regional, we have to make sure that we start investing in that and I want to be a loud voice to bring that to the table.”

Doralian: So, you mentioned rail for a second there and one mayoral candidate has proposed lobbying the county to bring rail to Doral. Do you support the expansion of Miami-Dade's Metrorail to Doral?

“I support it anywhere it goes. We will have to look at where and how, of course, those are things that are important, but in general, yes, that's what I'm talking about when I speak of mass transportation. But more than that I think Kendall area, a train from Kendall to the East and to the North is important, these are areas that are very effective because of the lack of mass transportation. Because we have rail here in Doral and some of our residents do take it. We have now a bus system that goes straight from the new area by 12th street all the way to downtown and those are great solutions. We need to continue this.”

Doralian: My next question is an attempt to understand what kind of development you would encourage while in office. I'd like to ask, in your vision of a future Doral, what does the city look like to you? Does it look more urban? Is there more mixed-use development like CityPlace or Downtown Doral in which residential districts are heavily mixed with entertainment districts? Or does it look more suburban, more classical Doral-like? Something like Doral Isles or Islands at Doral.

“That's what I'm talking about when I talk of a master plan. There's going to be areas that are going to be preserved as the more suburban, which is the West side of Doral, even though there was an application that was approved on 107th and 74th that brought some buildings. But still, now it's back on track, like the mayor says, so that shouldn't happen anymore. We have a good master plan now that prevents things like that from happening. I support that masterplan, we have to tweak it but yes, on the east side I support what's going on with Downtown Doral and CityPlace because one of the things that's going to prevent the traffic is the presence of an area where you can live, work, play, and learn. It's important because you don't have to get out and get in the car to do grocery shopping like it happens in Downtown Doral or take your kids to school or any of that. You know, you don't have to get out of that area at all. As a resident, you have it all there. That's a solution to traffic. People like it. I think a lot about the people that live in those areas and they enjoy it a lot. It's an easier life when you don't have to drive somewhere to eat or take the kids to school. I would embrace those.

Doralian: What specific policy proposals do you suggest for the city to help local struggling businesses?

I think again we have to find a balance, I think we are at a balance right now where you can go out and make sure that we continue to protect ourselves but at the same time closing businesses I don't think is the right solution. I think we have to, again, have a balance, make sure that businesses and people are following the CDC guidelines and whether they're in or outside the city. So, to me it’s important to have the economy moving because it could be a disaster later on to have the economy affected. But at the same time, we need to be proactive in getting involved and being part of the solution.

Doralian: Are there any candidates for the other local elections that you would like to endorse?

Yes, Claudia Mariaca and J.C. Bermudez

Doralian: Any closing comments? Is there anything you want residents of our city to know?

Yes, there is something that to me is very important. It's participation not only when you go out and vote but also participate as a resident in many ways and hopefully things will go back to normal soon and you can participate as a resident. Doing something that adds value to the city, to the residents, being part of the committees, getting involved with the parks, non-profits, the Chamber of Commerce, we are now going to have a Doral Contemporary Art Museum. See what's going on, the schools, the PTA, that's how I started, with the Chamber. To start getting involved and bringing solutions to the city I think is very important. I'm more than open to helping and guiding everyone that is interested in coming on board and knowing what I did and how I did it so they can do it better.

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Construction to Begin on City's First Cultural Arts Center in Downtown Doral

October 15th, 2020

DORAL – Construction for the Doral Cultural Arts Center, a multi-purpose entertainment center, was announced to begin in late October. It will be built in Downtown Doral between 53rd Street and 53rd Terrace. The building, placed right next to the government center, will contribute to the liveliness of the Downtown Doral neighborhood by adding a modern event venue to the combination of high-rises, townhomes, schools, offices, and a restaurant district in the vicinity. It is designed to be a multipurpose building, capable of hosting theatrical productions, dance performances, and serve as an art gallery/exhibition center. The complex also has an accessible rooftop plaza and multiple outdoor plaza.

The City also hopes the Center will become the venue for a variety of high-profile annual events including Opera Doral and the Hispanic Heritage Festival. Doral’s wildly successful parks bond is what is paying for Center and other public projects around the city. Let us know what you think of the project! If you have any corrections, questions, requests, pictures, or video on the matter please DM. Please like, comment and share! Pictures: Renderings of Doral’s future Cultural Arts Center at Downtown Doral

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Mayoral Candidate Camara and Sarmiento Accuse Mayor Bermudez of Misusing Public Funds, Bermudez Swiftly Responds: 'This is not a telenovela'

October 12th, 2020

DORAL – A bizarre October 7th press conference headlined by mayoral candidates Victor Camara and Manny Sarmiento ended with the accusation of current Mayor JC Bermudez of having used public funds for personal political gain. In suits and yellow ties, the two challengers to the office spoke to the press for about 15 minutes, explaining their reasons for running for office, criticizing the financial transparency of the city, and elaborating on their two accusations of misuse of funds.

Sarmiento alleges that the city did not spend the entirety of their county emergency grant money when they first received it in May, leading to the failure of half a dozen businesses. He added that he believes that money is being given away this last month in an attempt to win electoral favor. The second accusation brought into the picture the many dozens of “Doral Proud” signs posted throughout the city that were purchased using public funds. What the city justifies as a method to increase solidarity during the pandemic, Sarmiento also described as an abuse of power. Then, he showed the crowd of reporters a small poster advertising JC Bermudez’s candidacy, and a small section of which read “Doral Proud”. Sarmiento and Camara both believe this type of messaging is confusing and could cause voters to believe that the signs are actually campaign signs meant to increase awareness and support for Bermudez’s reelection. Bermudez responded immediately. “It is absolutely false”, he told AmericaTeVeCanal. The founding mayor called both challengers out, saying that the press conference was a publicity stunt meant to stir up support. Bermudez justified his use of the funds, which also had to be approved by the Council, by saying that if anything suspect had taken place, Florida’s Federal prosecutor would already have taken measures to sanction him. He went on by adding that this money could not be given out freely, as there were federal guidelines that had to be followed in order to spend the money. If you have any corrections, questions, requests, pictures, or video on the matter please DM. Thank you for supporting local news, updates always to come. Please like, comment and share!

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Trump National Doral to Host Conservative Conference Featuring Prominent Anti-Vaxxers and Conspiracy Theorists

October 7th, 2020

DORAL – A controversial group of conservative speakers, including anti-vaccine and QANON conspiracy theorists, will attend the American Priority Conference at Trump National Doral this October 9th-11th. Some familiar national conservative figures coming are former Trump campaign chief Corey Lewandowski, Florida Congressional Representative Matt Gaetz, and commentator Dinesh D’Souza. This has not been the first time the president has pushed to hold events at his beloved Doral venue. In 2019 he floated the idea of holding the G7 summit in Doral, only to wave it off after heavy public backlash. This time, with the conference being a private event, Trump is under much less pressure to reconsider. However, critics are calling attention to the resort’s dire financial state as evidence of Trump’s motivations for his location choice. Trump National Doral was also the site of 2019’s American Priority Conference, where an infamous controversial parody video was played of an edited Trump shooting down and stabbing different political opponents. Others are more worried about coronavirus safety regulations, and whether they will be followed by a group of popular figures that have often downplayed or completely denied COVID’s impact throughout the course of the pandemic. As of yet, the Trump Campaign has not commented whether activities will be performed inside or outside, but perhaps recent health-related developments within the White House will force the attendees to rethink the logistics of the event, especially as the nation approaches the final critical weeks of campaigning. If you have any info, questions, requests, pictures, or video on the matter please DM. Thank you for supporting local news. Please comment and share!

[thedoralian]

Trump's in Town: With Favorable Gains in Florida, Trump Arrives in Doral Hoping to Consolidate His Lead in the State

September 25th, 2020

DORAL – President Donald Trump is due to appear at a “Latinos for Trump” event at Trump National Doral resort today, Friday September 25th, in an attempt to shore up the support of the Hispanic community in South Florida following a recent upsurge in his polling numbers among Florida Hispanics. However, despite many on both sides of the political aisle anticipating the state to go red yet again, polls have the two candidates virtually tied. Yesterday, on a rainy Thursday night, the president was greeted by a caravan of supporters huddled along 87th avenue as he arrived at the resort. His appearance comes only 15 days after Kamala Harris’ brief visit to Doral. It was his first visit to the city since July 11th of this year. The visit highlights the particular importance Trump places on the state, one that he essentially must win in order to be elected, and has been preempted by developments elsewhere, including the possible Supreme Court nomination of Barbara Lagoa, a Cuban American from Hialeah. If you have any info, questions, requests, pictures, or video on the matter please DM. Thank you for supporting local news. Please comment and share!

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VP Candidate Kamala Harris Visits Doral, Stirring Controversy and Emphasizing the City's Role in Fall's Election

September 23rd, 2020

DORAL – On Thursday, September 10th, Vice-Presidential nominee Kamala Harris was seen in Doral entering Amaize, a popular modern-Venezuelan restaurant on 107th, as she and her running mate Joe Biden traveled throughout Florida hoping to strengthen Latino support for their campaign. It was a quick stop, with Harris quickly picking up her order (purportedly of arepas and tequeños) and having a quick chat with the staff and customers. Later that afternoon, a local NBC station interviewed the president of the restaurant’s board of directors, Andres Garcia, who went on to say the visit was not planned and that he did not support the use of his establishment for political purposes. The interview was conducted after many on Facebook spoke out in favor of a boycott of the restaurant.

Despite being a brief visit, the appearance highlighted the role the Biden campaign has in mind for the Venezuelan population in Doral and Florida – and it doesn’t seem to be a big one. Harris’ appearance at a Venezuelan restaurant was arguably an attempt at appealing, if not pandering, to that population segment. With the race in Florida tightening in favor of Trump, however, it feels as though a higher commitment to addressing the politically more conservative Latino population in South Florida will be needed before any significant change to the polls can be realized. If you have any corrections, questions, requests, pictures, or video on the matter please DM. Thank you for supporting local news, updates always to come. Please like, comment and share! Pictured: VP Candidate and Senator Kamala Harris in @amaizeyou in Doral