4 OctOber 24-30, 2024 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 | ▼ MIA SOARING DEMAND COMMISSIONER PROPOSES STUDY FOR A NEW MIAMI-DADE AIRPORT. BY ZULEKHA PITTS A new airport might be on the horizon for Miami-Dade County as Commissioner Kevin Marino Cabrera pro- poses a feasibility study to as- sess future aviation needs. The proposal for the study was scheduled to be presented during the Airport and Eco- nomic Development Committee hearing on Tuesday, October 15, but owing to disruptions caused by Hurricane Milton, the hearing has been tentatively rescheduled for the Decem- ber 3 meeting of the Board of County Com- missioners. “We had historic growth,” Cabrera tells the New Times, referring to the boom in traf- fic at Miami International Airport (MIA). “Last year we had over 53 million people go through MIA, which is record-breaking. This year, we’re already up 10 percent over last year. So we’re on pace to again break that re- cord. Same thing with cargo.” The proposal seeks to anticipate the coun- ty’s growing aviation demands, adds Cabrera, whose District 6 encompasses a swath of Central Miami-Dade that includes MIA. “What I don’t want — and this happens a lot in government — is I don’t want us to think about what are we going to do once we reach capacity,” he explains. Cabrera envisions a study that explores pro- jections for the next ten to 15 years, identifies capacity limits, and outlines solutions to keep Miami’s aviation industry from bottlenecking. The concept echoes strategies employed by other major metropolitan hubs. “You look at many major cities — look at New York: They’ve got almost three airports if you count Newark,” Cabrera points out. “So again, it’s about making sure we’re planning for the future so that we’re not caught behind the eight ball when we reach that capacity.” In terms of funding, Cabrera notes that the airport’s proprietary structure means no tax- payer money would be used. Financing would come from landing fees, concession- aire rents, and other airport-related revenues. “All the money that’s spent at the airport, that is collected at the airport, is spent at the airport,” the commissioner says. “So unless you’re flying through MIA, or you’re going there for lunch, or you’re parking there, or you’re in some sort of business that’s airport related, that’s how you’re contributing to- ward the funding of the airport.” The trickier part? Location. Cabrera suggests that expanding existing infrastructure might be the most logical step. But the conversation about where to build isn’t new. “They tried to buy Homestead Air Force Base many, many years ago. I know that at one point, Miami-Dade and Boward talked about doing an airport together,” Cabrera says. “I think the difference now — the historic growth that we’ve had, I think, has precipi- tated the conversation. Because 30 years ago, we had room to grow to where we’re at today. But the question is: How many more years do we have left till we reach that capacity?” The key, he says, is future-proofing the county’s aviation capabilities, with his main concern being the identification of what capacity looks like on the cargo and commercial-aviation side. “How many years of capacity do we have left at MIA? And where are we building for the future? We want to be forward-thinking,” he emphasizes. “Instead of waiting for the problem, let’s anticipate it.” If the committee approves the study, it will move to Mayor Daniella Levine Cava’s office for execution. Cabrera says he hasn’t spoken with the mayor yet but believes she’d support the initiative. “I think she’s a big believer in being future- ready, is the phrase she likes to coin.” [email protected] | RIPTIDE | GET MORE NEWS & COMMENTARY AT MIAMINEWTIMES.COM/NEWS A bustling scene inside Miami International Airport (MIA) highlights record-breaking passenger growth — one of the arguments for a new airport feasibility study. Photo from Miami-Dade Aviation Dept ▼ AT SEA INDECENT EXPOSURE ROYAL CARIBBEAN PASSENGER SUES CRUISE LINE OVER HIDDEN CAMERA. BY ALEX DELUCA A Royal Caribbean passenger is suing the cruise line and a former crew member after the employee allegedly hid a camera in her cabin’s bathroom. Filed on October 17 on behalf of the guest, who is identified in the suit only as Jane Doe (or S.F.), the federal class action lawsuit alleges that former stateroom attendant Arvin Joseph Mira- sol snapped photos of her “while undressed and engaging in private activities” during a February 2024 cruise on the company’s Symphony of the Seas ship, then uploaded the photos to the inter- net and dark web. The suit alleges that Royal Caribbean “knew or should have known sexual assaults were rea- sonably foreseeable” in light of previous sexual assaults aboard its ships. (Last year, for example, a passenger on the company’s Harmony of the Seas was arrested for allegedly filming people, including children, in a public bathroom without their knowledge.) “Royal Caribbean became aware of this prob- lem in March of 2023 when a hidden camera was found in a public bathroom on the pool deck of one of its ships, yet it has seemingly done noth- ing since then to protect its passengers from re- occurrences,” attorney Michael Winkleman, who is representing the plaintiffs, wrote in a state- ment. “Who knows how many countless num- bers of pornographic images of these unsuspecting passengers will circulate on the in- ternet forever because Royal Caribbean failed to protect their privacy and allowed Mirasol to make these passengers victims.” The suit — which also claims the cruise line did not notify individual class plaintiffs who stayed in cabins serviced by Mirasol between De- cember 1, 2023, and Feb- ruary 26, 2024, and that up to 960 passengers may have been affected — seeks unspecified damages and a jury trial. While aboard the Symphony of the Seas on February 25, 2024, S.F. discovered a hidden camera affixed to the counter under the sink in her cabin bathroom, according to police. She reported it to authorities, who ultimately found surveillance videos showing Mirasol installing a camera in the guest’s bathroom, as well as videos in his possession depicting naked children ranging from 2 to 17 years in age. In August, Mirasol, a citizen of the Philippines, was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison for filming guests, including children, with hidden cameras while they were unclothed. Despite years of public scrutiny, litigation, and Congressional hearings on the problem, the cruise industry has long been plagued with sex- ual assault claims. According to a report from the U.S. Depart- ment of Transportation, 131 alleged incidents of sexual assault and rape were reported on cruise ships in 2023 — with Miami-based Royal Carib- bean seeing the second-highest frequency of re- ported incidents. [email protected] THE SUIT CLAIMS UP TO 960 PASSENGERS MAY HAVE BEEN AFFECTED.
