OP-ED | Activating Virginia Key Will Create Jobs and Opportunity Across Miami

By Former City of Miami Commissioner Keon Hardemon

If there’s one challenge that we can all agree on this election season, it’s the need for solutions to the affordability crisis facing families in one of our country’s most expensive cities.
For Miami residents, economic development means adding more quality jobs, creating new
opportunities for local businesses, and making investments that improve the quality of life in
our communities.

That is why City of Miami residents should vote ‘yes’ on Referendum 3, which will approve the
revitalization of two City-owned marinas on Virginia Key. The project is expected to create at
least 1,280 new jobs during construction and through ongoing operations, while bringing more
than $80 million in privately funded improvements without requiring taxpayer dollars.
Those new jobs represent opportunities in construction, food and beverage, retail, and other
sectors. New businesses at the revitalized marinas would create openings for local
entrepreneurs, small business owners, and workers looking to build careers in Miami’s
recreation and hospitality industries.

Beyond unlocking jobs, the project is expected to generate nearly $1 billion in additional
revenue for the City of Miami. Those funds can be put to work supporting investments in
neighborhood parks, job training programs, police and fire protection, and other essential
services that residents rely on every day.

Virginia Key is a valuable public asset, yet these aging marinas remain largely off-limits to
Miami residents and have not seen meaningful improvements in decades. City-owned land
belongs to all of us and should be enjoyed by everyone. Unfortunately, these properties are
fenced in, making them accessible to a select few.

Passing Referendum 3 will create a free and accessible waterfront where families can dine, bike, kayak and walk along Biscayne Bay — whether or not they have a boat, and regardless of their income.

Miami’s growth should create opportunities that extend beyond the boundaries of any single
development. Whether an investment is made on Virginia Key, in District 5, or elsewhere in the
city, the measure of its success should be evident in the jobs it creates, the local businesses it
supports, and the lasting benefits it delivers to our neighborhoods.

The Virginia Key proposal provides an opportunity to advance those priorities, creating
economic benefits for all Miami residents.

For these reasons and more, I’m supporting Referendum 3 and encouraging my friends and
neighbors to do the same.

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