Commissioners send Miami Design Preservation League lease, governance concerns to full commission

The Finance & Economic Resiliency Committee on Oct. 15 voted to maintain continuity at the Miami Beach Oceanfront Auditorium by approving a six-month extension of the Miami Design Preservation League’s existing management agreement and referring questions about MDPL’s future lease and related ethics concerns to the full commission.

Committee members said the extension will prevent a lapse when the current agreement expires in December while staff prepares a recommendation about whether to open the site to a competitive request for proposals (RFP) or to continue negotiating with MDPL for a renewal. Ozzie Dominguez, division director of asset management, told the committee the extension provides breathing room so “we don't have a lapse in the agreement.”

Several commissioners said they were troubled by allegations that MDPL had previously engaged in lobbying and financial relationships with developers that created perceived conflicts. One commissioner urged a more measured path: continue negotiations with MDPL for six months and, if no agreement emerges, then entertain an RFP. Another commissioner pressed a different track: open an RFP now so MDPL could compete alongside other applicants without the appearance of a preferred vendor. The city attorney advised that if the commission intends to issue an RFP, it may be cleaner to run a fully open procurement that allows MDPL to participate rather than negotiating simultaneously with MDPL while soliciting other proposals.

Commissioner concerns included whether the auditorium — located at 1001 Ocean Drive and funded in part by geo bonds — should be treated as a cultural asset tied to the Art Deco District or as a market-rate commercial asset. Commissioners noted the auditorium hosts community meetings, exhibitions and special programming and said any future operator selection process should reflect the site's cultural character.

MDPL board member Jeanette Dorschman addressed the committee and said the organization had reformed in response to the concerns raised by commissioners. “On behalf of our organization, David Suarez, you are owed an apology,” Dorschman said, and she detailed bylaw changes, new board members and a recently completed international search for a new executive director. Dorschman told the committee MDPL has been a city partner for more than 50 years and cited program and visitation figures, including about 7,000 tour participants annually and about 150,000 visitors through MDPL facilities last year.

After discussion, a motion was made to refer the item to the full commission with no recommendation to allow full deliberation. The committee recorded a voice vote in favor; the clerk recorded the item as referred to the full commission for a public discuss-and-take-action agenda item. The committee also agreed to move a related item on lobbying activity and ethical concerns to the full commission for review.

The committee asked staff to include the Geo bond history and the bonds’ prior voter approvals in materials to be presented to the full commission, and to return with a recommendation that clarifies whether the city should pursue an RFP or negotiate a renewal with MDPL before any final selection.