Former Mayor Philip Levine: Miami Beach project broke no rules | Letter to the Editor

In the Nov. 16 article “Pressure from ex-Miami Beach mayor a factor in sea-rise project’s problems, report says,” the Miami Herald detailed the findings of a Miami Beach inspector general (IG) report that identified my “ongoing pressure” to accelerate the project as playing a role in its cost overruns.

As mayor at the time, I certainly did apply pressure to get the project done quickly, and I offer no apologies.

The IG report criticizes my use of emergency declarations to justify no-bid contracts, as if the flooding of the major thoroughfare and hurricane evacuation route did not constitute an emergency.

Any responsible leader would have recognized it as such. Indian Creek Drive, as Al Gore pointed out after the flood, had fish swimming on it. To let these conditions fester while we dawdled would have been an embarrassment at best, a risk to lives and livelihoods at worst.

I led with urgency, to “get it done,” but I never said, “Get it done by breaking rules.” We used mechanisms like the emergency declaration exactly as they were intended. Had we not, the project would have suffered tremendous delays, likely years, while we waited on the bidding process. The report made no attempt to assess the consequences of such a delay on safety, quality of life and economic conditions for Miami Beach.

As has been confirmed by the then-city manager and then-city attorney, city employees had no complaints nor made any allegations of undue influence or improper pressure.

Rather, the staff recognized the conditions as an emergency and responded in good faith to protect the well-being of our city. Those extraordinary efforts deserve appreciation and recognition rather than denigration.

Philip Levine,

Miami Beach