Massive American Dream mall tricky for candidate
One of the largest development plans in South Florida history — the American Dream Miami mega-mall, theme park and hotel, plus an adjacent office hub and residential community — could become politically tricky for governor candidate Gwen Graham.
Plans for the project would transform what’s now 511 vacant acres in unincorporated northwest Miami-Dade, two miles south of the Broward County border, into a mini-city off Interstate 75.
A key element is The Graham Companies’ plan for an adjacent office-residential park.
WFOR-Ch. 4 reported Wednesday evening that Graham, the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination for governor, won’t take a position on the mall and theme park — despite making the environment a major focus of her campaign.
The project is at the edge of the Everglades. WFOR-Ch. 4 reported that environmental groups said the project endangers Everglades restoration efforts.
“While I have a tremendous amount of respect for Gwen Graham and her family, my feelings on the mall still stand. The last thing the Everglades needs is a development of this magnitude,” said Kimberly Mitchell, executive director of Everglades Trust.
Mitchell, a former West Palm Beach city commissioner, is a longtime Republican.
Asked if a massive development on the edge of the Everglades was a good idea, Graham told WFOR-Ch. 4: “I’m so proud of my family’s
long history in South Florida and our commitment to public service. And that project has been something that’s been through all of the proper channels, and will continue, as we’ve always conducted business in South Florida, to go through all of the proper channels.”
Almost all of Gwen Graham’s wealth is derived from The Graham Companies. In her financial disclosure forms she filed for 2017, she estimated the value of her holdings in the company as $13.7 million. In addition, she reported $829,625 in income from The Graham Companies in 2017.
Graham’s campaign noted she has never been deeply involved in the work of The Graham Companies. In the past, Graham’s campaign told WFOR-Ch. 4, she was a “director” of the company, but stepped down when she entered Congress in 2015 and placed all her company holdings in a trust. The campaign said she has played no role the American Dream deal.
If the mall project and surrounding development by her family’s business is a success, the value of her holdings will likely soar.
If elected governor, Graham said she would act ethically and transparently, she told WFOR-Ch. 4. A campaign spokesman said she would remove the Governor’s Office from any issues surrounding the mall and let them be decided by the remaining members of the Cabinet — the Attorney General, the Agriculture Commissioner and the state’s Chief Financial Officer.
The proposed mall would dwarf the malls that exist in America today and would add some twists: a submarine ride, indoor ski slope, water park, theme park, sports complex, outdoor fishing and theaters.
Backers have said the $4 billion development represents a “tremendous economic development project” bringing 25,000 permanent jobs and creating opportunities for small businesses.
American Dream Miami is proposed on 174 acres in the vacant triangle between I-75 and the Florida Turnpike’s Homestead Extension. The 6.2 millionsquare-foot project includes 2.7 million square feet of entertainment and common space, plus the shopping. In addition, a 2,000-bed hotel would be built.
Graham Companies proposes to develop 337 acres just south of it into a 3 million square foot business park, with 1 million square feet of retail space and 2,000 residential apartments. That growth would slowly take place over 20 years, representatives have said.
Broward leaders, particularly in Miramar, fear the new tourist attraction could clog roads in the southwest part of the county.
The project teams spent “countless hours” working with government staffers to take care of the expected impacts on roads, parks, sewers, fire rescue service, and more, Graham Companies attorney Joseph Goldstein said in April.