Residents outraged about amendment limiting what they can change in Miami parks
MIAMI — Some people who live next to City of Miami parks are pushing back and expressing outrage because they no longer have to be notified about changes to the parks around them after city commissioners approved an amendment on Thursday night.
"The people are upset, they want a say in what happens in their parks," Nicole Desiderio told CBS News Miami.
Desiderio lives in one of the buildings across from Maurice Ferre Park in Downtown Miami, where an outdoor gym was built. People who live near it didn't want it after the Miami commissioners vote residents no longer have a say on what happens at Maurice Ferre.
"Basically, the commission is now in power to do whatever they want in public spaces like parks," said Steven Smith, another nearby resident.
On Thursday, after a heated discussion and a 3 to 1 vote, commissioners approved an amendment to the zoning code.
"We were taken away resident's rights," Miami Commissioner Damian Pardo told CBS News Miami.
He was the only vote against the amendment as Maurice Ferre Park is in his district.
"It's not just the gym equipment, there's many installations happening with no direction from any professionals," Pardo added.
Miami Commissioner Joe Carollo, who hired a company to build the outdoor gym, disagrees.
"What changes is you cannot have a very, very tiny, small minority to hijack something like this," he said.
Carollo is referring to neighbors like Desiderio and Smith.
"This [area where the gym is located in the park] was intended to be a green space," Smith said.
Smith challenged the installation of the gym equipment through the process that commissioners killed on Thursday.
"I think the people want to be heard and have a sit at the table," he said.
Carollo is chairman of the Bayfront Park Management Trust and its nine-member board, which oversees operations at Bayfront and Ferre Parks and the trust's nearly $3 million annual budget.
CBS News Miami asked Commissioner Carollo if it was necessary to approve the amendment.
"Yes, it was necessary," he said. "What this does is it puts into what practically every city in Florida has that you don't have to through this warrant process where a tiny minority could keep a project like this [outdoor gym] being hostage."
Residents are concerned about what comes next: "I think what we have now is that there will be retribution to the people that have protested this gym and he will continue with the barrage of installment of who knows what next."
