Latest news with #ButchkoSanchez
Axios
08-02-2025
- Business
- Axios
Miami Beach agrees to reopen Ocean Drive to cars, remove bike lanes
Miami Beach will remove the pedestrian plaza and bike lanes from Ocean Drive, returning two-way car traffic to the South Beach street for the first time in nearly five years. Why it matters: A judge ordered that the iconic tourist strip, which the city converted into a pedestrian promenade during COVID-19, be returned to its pre-pandemic traffic flow following a lawsuit from the Clevelander South Beach Hotel. Catch up quick: Miami-Dade Judge Beatrice Butchko Sanchez, who determined city no longer had a valid permit to modify the road configuration, originally gave the city until Jan. 31 to comply with her order to reopen Ocean Drive. City officials have used court-granted extensions and a recent appeal to delay acting on the Jan. 8 order. Butchko Sanchez ruled again on Wednesday that the city must comply with the order while it awaits a hearing before the Third District Court of Appeal. The latest: City manager Eric Carpenter said Friday that work crews would immediately begin removing the two-block pedestrian plaza between 13th Street and 14th Place. Crews are expected to begin converting Ocean Drive back to two-way traffic and removing the existing bicycle lane on Monday, according to a city memo sent to commissioners Thursday night. The city memo said staff has been unable to obtain approval from Miami-Dade County to keep the one-way traffic flow and bicycle lanes. The conversion of Ocean Drive will require the entire roadway between Fifth and 15th Street to be closed for two days while crews paint and re-stripe the road, the memo says. What's next: Beyond the legal battle, city leaders said at a meeting Friday that they want to act on the city's long-term vision of pedestrianizing Ocean Drive — in a way that helps business owners, locals and tourists. "The street right now is as safe, as clean and as family friendly [and] inviting as we've ever had on Ocean Drive," Mayor Steven Meiner said.
Axios
06-02-2025
- Business
- Axios
Judge takes dig at Miami Beach mayor, again orders Ocean Drive open
It's been nearly a month since a judge ruled that Miami Beach must fully reopen Ocean Drive to cars, but the iconic street is no closer to reverting to its pre-COVID-19 traffic flow. Why it matters: City officials have used court-granted extensions and a recent appeal to delay acting on the Jan. 8 order. Their strategy could continue even after the same judge on Wednesday again ordered the city to reopen the road. Catch up quick: The South Beach strip, which became fully pedestrianized during the pandemic in 2020, reopened to one lane of traffic in 2022. The Clevelander South Beach Hotel sued, arguing the closure was illegal and burdened its hotel guests. Miami-Dade Judge Beatrice Butchko Sanchez agreed, ruling last month that the city must reintroduce two-way traffic because it no longer had the necessary permit to block the street. The city originally had a Jan. 31 deadline to make the changes, but it appealed to the Third District Court of Appeal, freezing Butchko's order until the appeal is heard. The latest: Butchko Sanchez, who said the city was circumventing her order, overturned the stay Wednesday at the Clevelander's request. Yes, but: The city can appeal that ruling, too, which would trigger another automatic stay, says attorney David Winker, who represents Better Streets Miami Beach as a potential intervener in the case. The city did not respond to a request for comment on whether it will appeal or comply with the ruling. Butchko Sanchez did not give the city a new deadline by which to reopen the street. Friction point: Miami Beach Mayor Steven Meiner, a lawyer who issued a statement questioning Butchko Sanchez's January ruling, caught flak from the judge during Wednesday's hearing. "Is he an attorney? He needs to open the law books a little bit."
Miami Herald
05-02-2025
- Miami Herald
Judge rips Miami Beach for failing to open Ocean Drive to two-way traffic
A Miami-Dade Circuit Court judge is demanding that Miami Beach comply with her order last month to reopen the iconic Ocean Drive strip to two-way vehicle traffic, accusing city officials of 'trying to circumvent' her authority. In a hearing Wednesday, Judge Beatrice Butchko Sanchez said the city needs to heed her Jan. 8 order to remove a pedestrian plaza at the north end of Ocean Drive and restore two-way traffic from Fifth to 13th streets, which would require the removal of bicycle lanes. Currently, there is only one lane of southbound traffic from Fifth to 13th, and the stretch from 13th Street to 14th Place is open only to pedestrians. That configuration also has a two-way bike lane running along the east side of the road. Butchko Sanchez ruled Wednesday that the city cannot stall any longer as it awaits the outcome of an appeal of her January decision. It wasn't immediately clear if the ruling means changes to Ocean Drive are coming right away. Miami Beach spokesperson Melissa Berthier did not respond to questions about the city's next steps and whether the city plans to file another appeal. During Wednesday's hearing, attorneys for the Clevelander hotel and bar, which filed the lawsuit, displayed a Tuesday newsletter that Miami Beach Mayor Steven Meiner sent to residents in which he claimed the judge had 'unilaterally overturned' the city's efforts to pedestrianize Ocean Drive. Meiner wrote that 'it's the law and common sense that cities determine traffic patterns and pedestrian plazas for the safety and enjoyment of their residents, not the courts.' Butchko Sanchez laughed as the letter was read. After being told that Meiner is an attorney, she quipped: 'He needs to open the law books a little bit.' Butchko Sanchez had initially given the city until Jan. 15 to make the changes, before granting an extension to the end of January. But the city filed an appeal of her ruling, automatically putting it on hold until the Third District Court of Appeal weighs in. Attorneys for the Clevelander argued that the 'stay' of the judge's ruling should be vacated, due in part to safety concerns about the current configuration of the road. Butchko Sanchez granted their request Wednesday. County officials have said the pedestrian plaza poses safety issues by diverting cars to a nearby alleyway. 'The city has been playing games,' Clevelander lawyer Steven Ebner said during the hearing, suggesting the judge should hit the city with monetary sanctions. 'They have no intention of complying.' READ MORE: After Clevelander lawsuit, Miami Beach ordered to restore two-way traffic to Ocean Drive When Ocean Drive partially reopened to cars in January 2022 following a full closure during the COVID pandemic, Miami-Dade County officials granted temporary approval of the city's plans. But the county has since raised repeated concerns about safety and traffic flow related to the pedestrian plaza and has not granted a long-term permit for the current setup. An attorney for Miami Beach, Edward Guedes, pushed back on the Clevelander's claims that the city was trying to sidestep the judge's order. Guedes said Miami Beach is seeking to expedite the appeal process and that the city has received proposals from contractors for the repainting and other work that would be required to comply. But when Guedes suggested the city could not go forward with any changes without the county's blessing, the judge fired back. 'So you need a permit to follow my order, but you don't need a permit to do whatever you want to do,' she said. Butchko Sanchez said the city was setting a bad precedent, under which residents might infer that they could simply begin construction on their own homes before getting a permit. The judge said Miami Beach is 'near and dear to my heart' as a former longtime resident and that she knows the bike lanes and pedestrian plaza have been popular among residents. But she said the law isn't on the city's side. 'I do not rule with my heart, and I do not rule fancifully. I have to follow the law,' Butchko Sanchez said. 'The city of Miami Beach did not have a permit to close that road. So the road needs to be opened. End of story.'
