This dinner is shaping up to be a fascinating experience. We now have 8 candidates in the race as Rabbi Marmorstein just submitted paperwork this week and he has confirmed he will be coming. It should be interesting to hear the views of the candidates on countywide issues.(Hit on the image above to enlarge it)

The UEL has been opposed to the visual blight caused by the already existing billboards – legal and illegal ones now standing. To allow a 220 ft. lit billboard is opening the door for a new type of outdoor sign element that will proliferate. When Siffen got approval for his project at the Boulevard shops, it was never considered as a site for rooftop signs. He said he wanted to put large indoor signs in the windows. The community (the Venetian Causway coalition) opposed that at the time. There is no “community good” to be gained by allowing the developer the “privilege” of adding a large lit billboard on the roof of the Historic Boulevard Shoppes. We believe that the preservation community would be outraged and the HEP Board would never allow it! “Let Siffen build his project as proposed before he gets any type of new approvals” said UEL Former President Nancy Liebman, “I believe he has done nothing but neglect the property.” Instead of being about the subject at hand the development team turned the meeting last night into a circus. There were hundreds of construction workers demonstrating for jobs and the workers were blindly signing petitions of support, knowing little about what they were supporting, focused only on the promise of jobs. Is this the future of our community? Will inflated job promises shape our City in a negative way? There were some very powerful Lobbyists working for the Developer including Rosario Kennedy and Jeffrey Bercow.

(hit on image to enlarge it).RSVP:Natalia Villegas, natalia_villagas@wpbt.org orDanielle Thomas, thomasda@wpbt.org305-424-4190Complimentary Valet Parking

May 5th at 6:00 pm there will be a meeting at the Arsht Center (free parking) about 200 feet tall LED Billboards proposed for downtown. They will have 4 faces: Two Facing SW and SE and two will face SE towards Venetian Causeway. The signs will be placed on top of a 140′ (approximate) tall parking pedestal. These LED ads might be visible for 20-25 miles. Show up for the meeting and learn more.

The UEL had taken a position against offshore drilling off Florida’s Coast in a resolution previously published in April 2009. Kendrick Meek has started a petition demanding A Moratorium on New Offshore Drilling in the Gulf!Meek said: “The disaster in the Gulf just underscores the need for a moratorium on any new offshore drilling.”If you want to sign the Meek petition to demand that Charlie Crist and Marco Rubio call for a moratorium on expansion of oil drilling in the Gulf, this is the link.This is the UEL Resolution:A RESOLUTION OF THE URBAN ENVIRONMENT LEAGUE OF GREATER MIAMI, FLORIDA, OPPOSING THE APPROVAL OF OIL DRILLING IN FLORIDA’S WATERS IN AREAS OTHER THAN THOSE ALREADY APPROVED FOR OIL LEASING AND OIL EXPLORATION.WHEREAS, Florida’s economy depends on its multi-billion dollar tourism industry, which resulted in millions of visitors coming to Florida annually, allowing tourism to generate billions in taxable sales;andWHEREAS, tourism accounts for a very significant portion of Florida’s revenue and many of those visitors cite the beaches as an influential factor in their decision to visit Florida; and WHEREAS, tax revenues generated from Florida’s growing tourism industry are critical to continued funding of essential governmental services, including transportation, schools, and public safety; andWHEREAS, the pristine beaches of the west coast of Florida require the maximum level of protection, and WHEREAS, it is our belief that despite technological advances in oil drilling technology, there is no positive assurance that catastrophic damage to our coastline, beaches, plant and fish life could be avoided during normal operating conditions or during storm situations; and WHEREAS, lifting the moratorium on mineral leasing in the Gulf of Mexico poses a threat to the beaches, waterways, economy of Florida, and national security: THEREFORE, be it resolved, that the Board of Directors of the Urban Environment League of Greater Miami, oppose the approval of oil drilling in Florida’s waters in areas other than those already approved for oil leasing and oil exploration.