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In a few hours, Miami Mayor Tomas Regalado and Commissioner Marc Sarnoff will announce a mysterious new lawsuit they promise will have a “profound” impact on Overtown, Omni and downtown Miami. What could it be? New regulations for Ultra Music Fest? Stricter controls on police? JETPACKS FOR EVERYONE?
Nah, chances are it’s actually over something dull, like the city’s fight with the state over whether to build a fancy new 395 overpass through the neighborhood.
Sarnoff sent an email to television and newspaper contacts earlier this morning, teasing the lawsuit set to be filed in Miami-Dade circuit court. He’ll join Regalado in front of the Arsht Center at 2 p.m. with the details.
Riptide spoke with William Plasencia, a spokesman for Sarnoff, who declined to reveal more about the suit because attorneys hadn’t filed it yet. But Plasencia was willing to dispel one rumor: The suit has nothing to do with any other city commissioners, he said.
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Still, it’s odd that Commissioner Michelle Spence-Jones, who actually represents most of Overtown, isn’t advertised as part of this lawsuit unveiling. (We’ve reached out to Spence-Jones for comment, but haven’t heard back yet.)
Another source tells Riptide the suit is against an individual, not an entity.
The most recent city conflict involving Overtown and Omni came two weeks ago, when the Florida Department of Transportation undercut the city’s plans for a “signature” 395 bridge through the area. FDOT, instead, proposed a bare-bones — and much cheaper — alternative.
We’ll update this post when we learn more about the suit.
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