Virginia Key marina redevelopment headed to voters. ‘Vigorous’ opposition expected

Miami-Dade County admin June 11, 2026 0 Comments

Virginia Key marina redevelopment headed to voters. ‘Vigorous’ opposition expected

The Miami City Commission has agreed to send a lucrative Virginia Key marina deal to voters this fall, teeing up what’s likely to become a contentious campaign-season fight in the battle to redevelop a coveted slice of city-owned waterfront land.

On Thursday, the Miami commission voted — somewhat reluctantly — to send the Virginia Key marina referendum to the November ballot. The proposal would award a long-term lease to Virginia Key, LLC to redevelop the 27-acre property on the west side of Virginia Key that includes the Rickenbacker Marina and Marine Stadium marina.

The proposed deal that’s going to voters includes:

An initial 45-year term with two 15-year renewal options
Minimum annual rent to the city of $2.2 million, with escalations, totaling approximately $204 million over the initial term, plus 6% of gross revenues for the privately funded marina redevelopment
Approximately $80 million privately funded investment to redevelop the Rickenbacker and Marine Stadium marinas “in an environmentally sensitive manner, including boat storage, restaurants, retail, and public parking”

While the City Commission voted unanimously Thursday to send the proposal to voters, some commissioners appeared less than thrilled about it.

“I think this is a bad deal for the city,” Commissioner Miguel Angel Gabela said.

But city officials didn’t have much choice in the matter. The city had previously solicited marina redevelopment proposals in a competitive bidding process, and Virginia Key, LLC, which had entered a bid, eventually took the matter to court. In 2021, Virginia Key, LLC sued the city, arguing that the city “wrongfully deprived” it of being awarded the lease despite the fact that Virginia Key, LLC was selected twice through a competitive bidding process.

The courts agreed. In 2023, Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge Alan Fine ordered the city to put the Virginia Key, LLC proposal out to voters, since the city charter requires voter approval for the sale or lease of city-owned waterfront land. Should voters sign off on the deal, Fine further ordered the city to award the contract to Virginia Key, LLC. The city appealed, but Florida’s Third District Court of Appeal upheld Fine’s ruling.

Speaking at Thursday’s commission meeting, Gabela said he was concerned about the fact that the lease terms are several years old at this point.

“It doesn’t reflect the reality of today’s prices. … I, for one, do not feel comfortable with the numbers dating back 10 years,” Gabela said.

But City Attorney George Wysong said the case has been “litigated up and down” and that the city no longer has the ability to negotiate the terms. Continuing to delay the matter, Wysong said, could provoke further legal action from Virginia Key, LLC, such as initiating contempt proceedings and potentially putting city commissioners at risk of being sued in their individual capacity.

“There is nothing else that can be done,” Wysong said.

Commissioner Christine King, also an attorney, pushed back on Wysong’s framing.

“I’m just saying that I don’t think you’re being truthful with us, and by saying that we could be held personally liable if we vote one way or another is not true,” King said. “But we are obligated to get this issue to our voters, and we’re obligated to make sure that the contract that’s going to them is the contract that was before the court.”

Aabad Melwani, whose family has operated the Rickenbacker Marina for more than 40 years, said at Thursday’s meeting that the court order does not impose a timeline for the referendum to take place and that “we’re in a different world today” from when the city first solicited bids for the marina redevelopment.

“Values have skyrocketed. The costs of this project have at least doubled, and [Virginia Key, LLC’s] proposed rents are outdated and far below market. No one here is proud of this deal,” Melwani said.

Speaking to the Miami Herald after the vote, Melwani said he expects “vigorous community opposition” ahead of the November referendum.

While the proposal is officially headed to the November ballot, voters will be the ultimate gatekeepers in deciding the fate of the city-owned property.

Virginia Key, LLC said in a statement that in the lead-up to Election Day, “we look forward to sharing our vision with voters and demonstrating how this privately funded investment will transform a deteriorating property into a world-class waterfront destination, create jobs, improve public access, protect the environment, and generate significant new revenue for the City, without costing taxpayers a dime.”

“After years of litigation, delays, and uncertainty, the public will now have a direct voice in determining the future of the Rickenbacker and Marine Stadium marinas,” Virginia Key, LLC said.