4 July 10-16, 2025 miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com NEW TIMES | MUSIC | CAFE | CULTURE | NIGHT+DAY | NEWS | LETTERS | CONTENTS | MONTH XX–MONTH XX, 2008 miaminewtimes.com MIAMI NEW TIMES | MUSIC | CAFE | FILM | ART | STAGE | NIGHT+DAY | METRO | RIPTIDE | LETTERS | CONTENTS | ▼ DOWNTOWN JAMMING BRICKELL KEY TRAFFIC IS ABOUT TO BECOME A NIGHTMARE. BY NAOMI FEINSTEIN I f the Brickell Key baywalk is your favor- ite path, you should be aware of all the construction beginning this month that could impact the serenity of your hot girl walk. The City of Miami will begin repairs this month on the Brickell Key bridge, impacting vehicle traffic and traffic entering and leaving the island. The 52-year-old bridge, which connects the mainland to the island, was last repaired in 2011. The scope of the project in- cludes bridge deck repairs, sidewalk widen- ing, restoration of damaged concrete and sealing of cracks, and seawall repair. The three-phase project, which the city estimates will cost $10 million, is set to end in Decem- ber 2025 or early 2026. Under phase one, which will begin in mid- July, the eastbound lane and neighboring sidewalk will be fully closed to allow for top layer removal, deck repairs, and sidewalk widening. Drivers will temporarily use the two westbound lanes — typically the lanes to get off the island— to leave and enter the is- land. Additionally, pedestrians will be able to walk on the westbound sidewalk. The east- bound closure will last eight to ten weeks. For phase two, the two inner lanes will be closed to open space to widen the sidewalks by reducing the width of the median. There will still be one lane in and one lane out for drivers. This phase will take three to four weeks. Phase three will close the westbound lanes and sidewalk to fix the deck and widen the sidewalks on that side. The closure will also last eight to ten weeks. Pedestrians leaving and walking onto the island will have to share one sidewalk. Meanwhile, half of the Brickell Key bay- walk will close on July 7 as the inner demoli- tion of the Mandarin Oriental hotel begins. The path from the back of the shuttered Mandarin to the St Louis condominium building. It is the path to the west of the hotel. The city has also issued a permit for that demolition so far. The hotel is set to be fully demolished in early 2026 to make way for a hotel and high-end residences. The two- tower Swire Properties development will of- fer a hotel and luxury-branded Mandarin Oriental Hotel residences. The south tower, which will be 800 feet tall, will feature 228 condos ranging in price from $4.9 million to $100 million. The north tower, half the height of the first tower, will become the new North American flagship Mandarin Oriental Hotel. It will also house private residences—66 condos and 28 fully furnished units. The new development is set to open in 2030. | RIPTIDE | GET MORE NEWS & COMMENTARY AT MIAMINEWTIMES.COM/NEWS Construction is set to begin on the Brickell Key bridge this month. Photo by Naomi Feinstein ▼ DINNER KEY ENOUGH ALREADY?! THE CITY OF MIAMI LOOKS TO ADD 300 NEW POLICE OFFICERS. BY B. SCOTT MCLENDON M iami city commissioners voted unani- mously earlier this month to direct the city manager to find more than $64 million over three years — about $21.6 million an- nually — to hire 300 additional Miami Police De- partment (MPD) officers. MPD officials told New Times in a written statement Wednesday that the move is neces- sary to keep up with Miami’s steadily rising pop- ulation since the pandemic. A study used by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE), however, indicates the city is well within national standards of appropri- ate staffing levels, which says cities should have between 1.8 and 2.6 officers per 1,000 residents. MPD appears to have more than an appropri- ate number of sworn officer positions, according to an FDLE report examining the police-to-resi- dent ratio. “Most agencies across the country determine their staffing needs by either allocating a certain number of officers per capita, determining mini- mum staffing levels, budget allocations, or work- load analysis,” Jeff Mahoney writes in his analysis. “Agencies do not consider the thou- sands and sometimes millions of transient popu- lations that visit or live in their jurisdiction.” Mahoney notes that the analysis helps depart- ments determine minimum staffing levels, but agencies use budget allocation and the depart- ment’s workload to determine staffing levels. By the officer-to-personnel metric, MPD should have between 835 and 1,200 officers; MPD has 1,390 sworn officers, Police Chief Manuel Morales said at the meeting. Morales and Com- missioner Joe Carollo said at the meeting that the need is driven primarily by a rise in population. Carollo didn’t re- spond to New Times’ requests for comment before the meeting. Between 2020 and 2025, Miami added more than 20,000 residents, bringing the city’s pop- ulation up to about 464,000, according to World Population Review. MPD argues that the influx of people demands more police to pro- tect and serve them, but it’s not the only driv- ing factor behind the move, department spokesman Mike Vega told New Times in a writ- ten statement. “The need to hire police officers stems from the City of Miami’s growth, the anticipated retire- ment of many sworn personnel, and sworn po- lice officer turnover,” Vega says. Carollo argued at the meeting that the city needs additional officers to handle the almost weekly influx of tourists. Last year, Carollo went to Morales with a pro- posal to add officers to the force, Morales told the audience at the meeting. Morales declined because the department had about 80 vacan- cies he wanted to fill first, he said. “Now, we’re in a better position,” Morales said. “I’ve got about 40 vacancies right now, and we expect to fill them by the end of the year. “Miami has the potential to grow ten times what it is now. I don’t think we’ll get there in my lifetime. But this gets us ready for what’s to come.” Miami City Manager Arthur Noriega couldn’t guarantee he’d be able to find the funds each year to bring that number closer to 1,700, but said at the meeting that he would explore differ- ent avenues to fulfill the goal. [email protected] MORALES AND COMMISSIONER JOE CAROLLO SAID AT THE MEETING THAT THE NEED IS DRIVEN PRIMARILY BY A RISE IN POPULATION. Miami Police Department officers on bicycles stand in the road during the anti- Trump protest. Photo by Michele Eve Sandberg / @micheleevephoto
