Cost of living is not everything..."Silent Potential" brewing in Miami (Tampa: rental car, real estate)

[MiamiVice1985]

Personally, I love Miami; the weather is unbeatable, and if you don't live in the bad areas and speak a little Spanish, you shouldn't have a problem. If you have the financial resources to move to Miami, either through job transfer or lifestyle choice, there is a pretty good chance that you wont have to live in a "bad area" in Miami, i.e. Liberty City, Opa Locka, Carol City, Perrine, "overtown " etc. The residents of these locales are there because they lack the financial resources to move elsewhere.

I have noticed on this forum an overabundance of threads that that generate thousands of views over concern regarding the cost of living in Miami. Teachers, policemen, mail couriers, and nurses are the most important people in our society. They are also the hardest hit when it comes to living in this amazingly complex metro area. This is fact; the middle class is being squeezed out of town. That being said, I began to realize a "silent potential" that could benefit Miami.

I can count on my fingers and toes people who could easily afford to buy the nicest real estate in Miami-Dade county. South beach condos, Venetian causeway waterfront mansions, South Dade ranches... But they choose to have their vacation homes elsewhere (Key Largo-Port Largo, Marathon, Key West, Tampa, Naples, and pretty much the whole west coast of Florida) In spite of the condo boom (or former condo boom) in Miami, there is little domestic enthusiasm for Miami real estate from the continental United States. Why is this?

The enthusiasm thus far has come from French-Italian and South American interests, and look where we are. A recession that even South Florida could not overcome, but in fact is suffering from more than anyone else! Rows and rows of skyscrapers that have been open for a year but are DARK, only exit signs illuminate their stairwells. Sure, go to Segafredo on Brickell and try making the argument that there is a recession in Miami. HA. They'll laugh at you. In Italian!!! But I have been to Segafredo on Brickell and seen this culture, if you can call it that, and I know this is not what I want my city to become. Far from the red meat old-white-man banker wealth that used to run Miami in a stable manner, this "new" and fake wealth from overseas is in my opinion the newest downfall for this beautiful city. I PREFER THE OLD AND THE STABLE LIKE AN OLD TEDDY BEAR.

The "silent potential" I mentioned earlier could be the savior of all things gone afoul in Miami. ----What if, for example, Miami started marketing itself to rich Americans instead of rich South Americans?---- I am convinced that those in control of Miami have consciously 'blown off' a lot of a lot of people north of Dade County. If more North Americans came to Miami to buy real estate and set up businesses, they might reinstate the middle class back to its rightful place and erase 25 years of negative history in Miami. Maybe Macy's would stay in downtown Miami? Maybe the Umoja Village thing would go away? Maybe Miami would keep its all its good qualities and drop all of the bad ones.

[compelled to reply]

Well, that's who Palm Beach County is for, so there is no incentive. Same beautiful climate, same beautiful beaches, same dynamic dining scene, but without the Miami stigma. Broward has cooled off altogether no matter where you are coming from, so that's not the answer, although when that area starts dropping in price rapidly like it is now I think it will attract Americans and (wealthy) immigrants as it had in the past 10 years. Because Miami has so many bad qualities, there would be no incentive for it to market itself to people from other parts of the US.

Although I have to admit, your last sentence sounds more like blanket racism than anything with real reason.

[tallrick]

I think that if all the wealthy people left the quality of life would increase. Locals would set up businesses if the costs were dramatically reduced. I have always believed that foreign rich people are bad for the economy as a while. Locally created wealth benefits the community in more ways. You would have to demolish and dump the present day miami-dage government and start over with a constitutional system to allow this to happen.

[compelled to reply]

I think what you are saying about locally created wealth has a lot to do with the OP's suggestion. Instead of just having money being imported and generated from somewhere else and blowing up the prices for everyone else, of course home made money is going to be more economically sustainable. As far as attracting that kind of growth, well, honestly, I think you are correct...

Palm Beach County seems to be finally getting the idea, attracting Scripps and other serious companies. Pinellas County near Tampa is the first county to build out in FL. It has a huge reserve of land set aside for future economic growth. Dade would never be smart enough to do something like that. Also look at what Hillsborough County wants to do. Although land development always causes controversy, it looks like they are actually planning for jobs before adding residents. They aren't trying to attract wealthy anyone, they are trying to do the right thing for everyone: attract business.

Planners Examine I-4 Hodgepodge

[MiamiVice1985]

Miami will always be a tourist dominated city. The weather's too good and the women too tan to make it anything else. Just get rich Americans instead of rich South Americans. Maybe some of the rich Americans will stay. And maybe some of the rich South Americans will leave. Maybe.

[tallrick]

Originally Posted by compelled to reply

I think what you are saying about locally created wealth has a lot to do with the OP's suggestion. Instead of just having money being imported and generated from somewhere else and blowing up the prices for everyone else, of course home made money is going to be more economically sustainable. As far as attracting that kind of growth, well, honestly, I think you are correct...

Palm Beach County seems to be finally getting the idea, attracting Scripps and other serious companies. Pinellas County near Tampa is the first county to build out in FL. It has a huge reserve of land set aside for future economic growth. Dade would never be smart enough to do something like that. Also look at what Hillsborough County wants to do. Although land development always causes controversy, it looks like they are actually planning for jobs before adding residents. They aren't trying to attract wealthy anyone, they are trying to do the right thing for everyone: attract business.

Planners Examine I-4 Hodgepodge

That's what I am emphasizing, build the economy instead of the Miami way of fleecing the businesses/residents. Miami-Dade is a consumer of resources with no production to show for it. I would not want to start a business there just to have corrupt government put me out of business. As for weather, Miami is nothing special. as indicated by previous posts. The infrastructure is terrible, and tourists complain about Miami International airport all the time. Miami has nothing to offer except increased hassles, and additional expenses. Broward has the same weather with slightly better economic advantages. Nowhere in Florida is worse than Miami-Dade for business and quality of life.

As for the Tampa plan above, by the comments it seems that many are opposed to more rural development. I tend to agree, businesses will be hit harder and harder by rising fuel costs, and the smart ones will be located near ports and rail lines. When a lot of the shopping centers start becomming empty, those sites will be perfect for new high-tech companies to move in.

[kevinkagy]

Originally Posted by tallrick

That's what I am emphasizing, build the economy instead of the Miami way of fleecing the businesses/residents. Miami-Dade is a consumer of resources with no production to show for it. I would not want to start a business there just to have corrupt government put me out of business. As for weather, Miami is nothing special. as indicated by previous posts. The infrastructure is terrible, and tourists complain about Miami International airport all the time. Miami has nothing to offer except increased hassles, and additional expenses. Broward has the same weather with slightly better economic advantages. Nowhere in Florida is worse than Miami-Dade for business and quality of life.

As for the Tampa plan above, by the comments it seems that many are opposed to more rural development. I tend to agree, businesses will be hit harder and harder by rising fuel costs, and the smart ones will be located near ports and rail lines. When a lot of the shopping centers start becomming empty, those sites will be perfect for new high-tech companies to move in.

Miami International Airport just opened the new South Terminal and now they're remodeling the North Terminal. I just flew into the South Terminal and let me tell you it is the best of the best, from artwork, huge lobbies and rooms, effective layouts, you're in and out very fast, everything works together in a fast, effective way.

Plus, they're currently building the new Miami Intermodal Center, the mega transportation hub for Tri-Rail, Amtrak, Metrorail, rental cars, Metrobus, taxis, etc. It's going to be Miami's grand central, next to MIA, one of the country's busiest airports. Also, they just finished redoing the roads around LeJeune Road, so now traffic is not bad in that area like it used to.

Give MIA a couple more years, and it'll be one of the world's best airports, where tourists come in and out fast, and have easy connection to all of Miami's public transit options to take them where they need to go.

[tallrick]

Yet the transit still does not go to Miami Beach or the port of Miami. Miami-Dade county is famous for too little, too late and way over budget. Even metro-rail was a fiscal disaster to build.

[rogerbacon]

Why would rich Americans want to move to Miami where they will be told it is their obligation to learn Spanish and where they will still be treated like a second class citizen. As Compelled to Reply said, they can always move to Palm Beach if they want the positive things of South Florida. Miami is a festering sewer that just happens to be lucky enough to have a nice climate that lures tourists in. The irony will come if (when) communism falls in Cuba and European developers turn Cuba (back) into a tourist mecca. Miami will be left by the wayside in favor of a place that is cheaper and , most likely, has better service.

[MiamiRob]

roger who is forcing you to speak Spanish? don't be so xenephobic! anyways unto the issue the problem is that Miami/metro has lost many big corporations beginning in the early 80s. Anyone remember Eastern Airlines which was the biggest employer with over 10,000 employees? or National Airlines or our banks like Southeast,Centrust etc.?Those corporations brought a lot of wealth to Miami when they were in existance and who knows what Miami would have been like if all of those companies had survived to this day. Instead the biggest employer is now Dade County government.