Statement from Virginia Key Beach Park Trust regarding the City of Miami Homeless Transformation and Transition Zone Proposal and approval of the Virginia Key location.

The Virginia Key Beach Park Trust Board of Trustees is opposed to the recent City of Miami Commission approval of Virginia Key as the location for a future homeless population encampment.

The Trust was not contacted in advance and/or consulted regarding the City of Miami Human Services Department Transformation and Transition Zone report. Virginia Key is the home to the Historic Miami Marine Stadium and Historic Virginia Key Beach Park, a Cultural and Environmental gem; both sites are on the National Register of Historic Places. The Historic Beach Park is governed by a community trust and approved master plan.

For two decades the Virginia Key Beach Park Trust has worked to transform the 82-acre Historic Beach Park from an abandoned beach, full of history, to paradise renewed on Virginia Key. The park reopened in 2008, the community and Virginia Key stakeholders developed a master plan for the island in 2010.

Its very disappointing that the City of Miami Commission would move a discussion item of this magnitude and importance into an action item without consulting the Trust and other stakeholders. I'm sure the communities that neighbor Virginia Key and the thousands of families and tourists that visit the island daily would believe there are other more appropriate locations in the City of Miami to provide transitional services for Miami's homeless population.

Patrick Range, Chairman
Virginia Key Beach Park Trust