Odebrecht USA polls SF residents on Airport City

Odebrecht USA, a subsidiary of Brazilian publicly-traded construction and engineering giant Odebrecht SA, is conducting a poll to gauge the popularity of Airport City, its massive new project proposed for Miami International Airport, the Miami Herald reported.

Odebrecht’s $512 million proposal for the swath of land at the entrance to Miami’s airport, including a Florida International University medical compound, a 400-room hotel, a lounge for cruise passengers, a 1,900-space parking garage and an energy supply center, was submitted in 2009.

The project still awaits approval from the city commission, slowed down by a lawsuit over a controversial Florida law that prohibits local governments from hiring firms with business ties to Cuba, but a federal appeals court ruled in the company’s favor last month.

Odebrecht USA’s telephone poll asks participants whether they are familiar with the company, the project and the number of jobs Odebrecht estimates will be created by new construction, the Herald said.

“Airport City is an important project for this community, and Odebrecht feels that we may want to inform the public more about it,” Rik Katz, Odebrecht’s corporate relations consultant who is conducting the poll, told the Herald. [Miami Herald] –Emily Schmall