Golden Pines Neighborhood Association

1.  Helen Ferre Ch 2; Interviews Norman Braman.  We've Got to Stop 

http://ka.uvuvideo.org/_Issues-Braman-on-Gambling/video/1653056/86294.html

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Common Sense Miami Says  “NO Resort Casinos!” 

Miami is a real city with a fascinating history. Our climate, culture and natural resources have fostered a community with
few global counterparts. This unique set of characteristics has attracted resort casino developers from Las Vegas to Malaysia
seeking to leverage the economic downturn and transform Miami into a casino resort destination. The proposals promise to
alter the landscape of the city for generations to come without a transparent public process or broad scale understanding
of the implications that such mega-developments will have on our struggling metropolis.

 SAY NO TO RESORT CASINOS IN MIAMI-DADE

Current proposals for casino resorts call for the Miami Herald/Omni site to have 5,200 rooms, fifty restaurants,
an indoor luxury mall, and two of the world’s largest casinos. Proposed renderings of the Genting site show an
inward looking city-within-a city that turns its back on the hundreds of millions of public and private dollars that
have been invested in our urban core, from the Arsht Center to Museum Park and even Miami Beach.

Our coalition believes that such a large-scale casino resort development is inappropriate for our urban core, presenting
serious threats to our social and economic condition- as well as our overall quality of life, major challenges for present
and future generations. As advocates for smart growth and sustainable urban development, the [Common Sense Coalition]

·      We oppose bringing casino resorts to our city - denigrating the quality of life in the entire region without
due public process and approval.

·      We oppose destination resorts that will exacerbate traffic and ignore the need for better public transit.

·      We oppose inward facing mega-developments that privatize public streets, destroy pedestrian scale
development, and suburbanize our downtown core.

·      The public should be central actors in designing the urban core of Miami within a transparent public
process. This is the cultural lifeblood of our region, impacting the form our downtown will take, and
the public benefit we will derive from it.

We need investment in Miami’s urban core and waterfront – but investment that will enhance our city –not transform
it into a series of inward looking resort islands. If casino gambling passes, struggling downtown businesses will be stifled,
and the area will be undermined as a cultural center. The scale of the proposed resort casinos will redefine our region,
making it less attractive for high tech professionals, artists and families. 

Yet, many argue, it will provide jobs. Surely there will be jobs in construction but what kinds of long-term jobs
will come? We have heard this before and know that better jobs can be stimulated in other ways. Let the People Decide

We believe that Miamians should have a critical voice in the design of our city – rather than simply give away yet another
part of our metropolis to a corporation that doesn’t have our best interests at heart. There are other alternatives. 
We should ask hard questions – now.

Sign Up and Speak Out Through www.commonsensemiami.com