By a 3-2 vote, the Miami City Commission advanced a proposal to dissolve the Bayfront Park Management Trust amid ongoing disputes and return control of the waterfront venue to the city.
Though the resolution passed during first reading last week, it must return for a final vote on July 10. The June 26 discussion detailed long-standing personality conflicts and operational challenges within the trust, which was created decades ago to oversee programming and management of Bayfront Park. Maurice Ferré Park oversight was added later. If dissolved, its responsibilities would be absorbed by the city administration.
Commissioner Ralph Rosado, who sponsored the item, said the trust had become a “political football” over the past 40 years. “It has generated more than its fair share of controversy and has run its course. It is not being run optimally,” he said, proposing that folding its operations under the city manager would create a more stable and accountable structure.
“I am proposing that we dissolve this entity and we put it under the auspices of the city manager and task him with coming back with a defined structure that actually works better and is much more stable, whether it is as a division, not within parks and recreation specifically, but a division of the city, or a conservancy,” Mr. Rosado proffered.
Chairwoman Christine King and Commissioner Joe Carollo joined Mr. Rosado in voting to approve the resolution on first reading. Ms. King acknowledged that both past and present trust leadership have worked to improve the park but said the disputes now plaguing the body are personality-driven and increasingly disruptive.
“I don’t think Commissioner Carollo has done a bad job and I don’t think Commissioner [Miguel] Gabela is doing a bad job,” she said, referencing the tensions between Mr. Carollo, who chaired the trust since 2017, and Mr. Gabela, who was appointed chair this year replacing Mr. Carollo amid controversy.
“Bayfront Park is a beautiful space,” Ms. King said. “But what’s happening between us and this park is distracting and takes away from the work we’re supposed to do. I would support this only to find some amicable resolution so that we are not screaming over it.”
During the discussion, Mr. Carollo pointed to issues under Mr. Gabela’s leadership since his appointment in February, citing alleged reckless decisions and unauthorized spending. While he had previously opposed transferring control of the park to the city, Mr. Carollo said the current state of the trust left him no choice.
Damian Pardo and Mr. Gabela voted against the resolution, voicing strong objections to dissolving the trust while improvements are underway. Mr. Pardo argued that the current board had stabilized operations and engaged residents more directly in planning for the park’s future. “Residents who weren’t happy are happy there is work on the master plan,” he said. “They’re thrilled about that; they feel heard and acted upon. I would not like to see that stability jeopardized.”
Mr. Gabela also argued against abolishing the trust, emphasizing that he was in the middle of reforms to address long-standing problems. “Let me finish my job,” he said. “In December, we can revisit it,” referencing when the city typically makes new board appointments. At one point during the meeting, Mr. Gabela even offered to resign, expressing concern that the dissolution effort was driven more by politics than by governance.
The trust, established in 1987 to manage programming and operations at Bayfront Park with Maurice Ferré Park later added, has long operated as a quasi-independent entity under city oversight. Mr. Rosado and city staff said eliminating the trust would streamline operations, reduce redundancy and bring the park’s management fully under city control.
Commissioners stressed that the move should not be interpreted as a judgment on any one commissioner’s performance, but rather as an overdue structural reform. If the resolution is approved on the second and final reading this month, the Bayfront Park Management Trust will be dissolved and its duties will transfer to the city administration.
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