Singer Gloria Estefan, who served as the public face of the group vying to restore the Miami Marine Stadium, is now criticizing that group.
Last month, the $121 million redevelopment proposal from the nonprofit Friends of the Miami Marine Stadium was rejected by Miami commissioners. Commissioners cited $90 million in privately financed commercial development at the stadium and the fact that two of the Friends’ leaders served as architects in their rejection, according to published reports.
Estefan said her knowledge of the Friends’ plans did not extend beyond the effort to bring the Miami International Boat Show to the stadium. “I had absolutely NO prior knowledge of the expansive plan that [Friends] ultimately presented to the Commission,” Estefan wrote in a letter to Mayor Tomás Regalado that was reported by the South Florida Business Journal. Estefan also wrote that her credibility has been put into question by her public connection to the Friends. [South Florida Business Journal] – Chris Guanche