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Maybe it’s because of all the negative attention Burger Bob’s deal got, but the City of Coral Gables is on the right track.
It’s holding tenants accountable and everyone should take note.
To catch everyone up, and contrary to the story we’re hearing from the current tenant, the City of Coral Gables did not renew the lease on the Coral Gables Country Club because the tenant was in default. City Manager Peter Iglesias says the relationship concluded in June 2021 after monetary default and the tenant’s failure to maintain the Club facilities, which opens the door to address the property’s deterioration. The RFP issued earlier this year for operation of the Country Club requires that any proposer commit to invest at least $4,500,000.00 to improve the property which the City claims is in considerable disrepair. That’s a far cry from the sob story coming from the current Tenants.
This gives me hope that the city has found financial religion.
Let me be clear: Coral Gables is a great place to live ,work and play.
It’s got great people and businesses.
But I had a sneaking suspicion that certain Tenants of City property were getting the upper-hand on the City, and by extension, the residents.
I say that because Burger Bob’s owed more than $20,000 in back rent and still got an offer to extend its lease through December. Not to mention how everyone knows there is a catering business running out of the restaurant that isn’t on the lease and doesn’t pay the City any piece of its revenue. The Burger joint is on City property, the lease belongs to taxpayers, and the taxpayers aren’t getting their fair share.
That ain’t all that left me scratching my head. Ortanique on the Mile at the City-owned 278 Miracle Mile had a rent default total of nearly $175,000 that was written off after it vacated the property in July 2020. “They [the owners] refused to come to any sort of agreement with the City to establish a payment plan,” according to the City.
So why didn’t Coral Gables’ officials pursue these amounts? Maybe it was because the original lease agreement had holes like Swiss cheese, and lacked any personal guaranty or any other security deposit?
Now it looks as though things at City Hall are changing for the better, and it’s about time. Are City officials and the commission done taking a see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil approach?
Not that we are getting a clear eye on what is happening with public-private leases on City-owned land. We have to make sure the City is running a tight ship.
Coral Gables has taken a big step in the right direction that I applaud. Now make everything convenient for the public to examine deals in one place, so we can go to City Hall with facts and hold vendors accountable on property that the public owns.
