Remarks by Alex J. Fernandez
292 remarks on the record, newest first · Page 3 of 12
- Play at 6:32:46
“Thank you, Mr. Mayor. I'm just going to air a frustration that I had last Friday that I wish we would have had we had our conference room session today, I was going to bring up. Last year in December, a number of us voted to ask for a rolled back budget and to give us options for a rolled back budget. And I'll tell you, my frustration with all of this has been that I believe we were given a rolled back budget, but a rolled back budget that was poison-pilled. That was poison-pilled on purpose. That every possible efficiency that this organization, $1 billion budget organization, was able to…”
City Commission · Jul 22, 2026
- Play at 6:38:17
“Wait, but let me go. 5.860, that's in our total general millage, or is that in the combined?”
City Commission · Jul 22, 2026
- Play at 6:40:35
“Let me ask a question. So that, in effect, this would be a rollback rate? No. No. What is it? What is it? A reduction of smaller, just a lower. Let me ask you, Jason, what is for, and again, for me, what matters at the end of the day is not the definition of the rollback rate or the savings and what that means for, for the city, it's ultimately what does the resident ultimately have to pay. And to maintain, not a flat rate, but a flat tax bill. That now that we are going ahead and infrastructure is a necessity, so we have to do what we have to do, we have to bite that bullet and move forward…”
City Commission · Jul 22, 2026
- Play at 6:41:36
“Okay. And is that the amount that is being proposed? No. Okay. I would like for us to consider that because that is what would protect our residents the most, absent doing a rollback. And ask our administration, you know, Go back and find what would be those good areas, you know, that are not the essential services.”
City Commission · Jul 22, 2026
- Play at 6:44:11
“Mr. Mayor, if I could, I don't want to speak out of order. I do want to ask our administration to find what are those real efficiencies that we can find in the budget that are not critical. that are not critical that could get us to that 5.704. That will keep the tax bill then flat for the people at home that are getting that tax bill. So I'd like to make a motion asking our administration to come back to us with proposed savings. And again, let's not do what we did with the rollback budget. To me, that was unfair. Forget about us. to the people that are doing those critical services. I am…”
City Commission · Jul 22, 2026
- Play at 6:48:31
“Mr. Mayor. I'm happy to move the item for me the most important thing associated with all of this and with 1250 West is making sure that the tenants that were displaced are being You know are having a soft landing and so we just want to ask the applicants Since we are on this item Where where are we on the rental relocation? checks short”
City Commission · Jul 22, 2026
- Play at 6:49:34
“Okay. So the total is over, I guess, one point, is it about 1.3? Substantial. Yeah, about 1.2 million. The 35 that are remaining, why have they not received their checks yet?”
City Commission · Jul 22, 2026
- Play at 6:49:57
“So the 51 people that have provided you with their new address, those are the ones that have received their checks. Individuals that have not provided us or you with their address, those are the 35 people. who have still not received their check, and by when, until when do they have to provide you with their address before that reverts to the city?”
City Commission · Jul 22, 2026
- Play at 6:50:36
“Okay. So that will be 86. So that will leave about 20 people, I guess. Correct. That still haven't given you their address. But it was a tremendous program.”
City Commission · Jul 22, 2026
- Play at 7:07:23
“Thank you, Mr. Mayor. As it relates to the public benefits, I'm going to leave it to, you know, ultimately what the applicant proffers, and I'll let that be determined with the sponsor of the item to get finalized, because at the end of the day, I think these are proffers that are being made, and so I'm going to let the sponsor iron that out. I appreciate the significant investment being being proposed and obviously I support revitalizing Lincoln Road and there's so many amazing developments happening from all the way the east end of Lincoln Road that hopefully soon we'll start seeing…”
City Commission · Jul 22, 2026
- Play at 7:09:23
“The proposed amendment establishes a much lower base rent than the appraised fair market ground rent. Can you walk us through the financial analysis that explains why the negotiated economics are appropriate despite the appraisal conclusions?”
City Commission · Jul 22, 2026
- Play at 7:10:17
“We're currently a landlord in an agreement with a tenant? Correct. And we're not able to go in and reset the rents? That is correct.”
City Commission · Jul 22, 2026
- Play at 7:10:57
“Let me ask you, the administration has, I guess appropriately, emphasized the tenant's $50 million investment in this property in terms of the new construction. How did the city quantify that investment when negotiating the financial terms of this amendment?”
City Commission · Jul 22, 2026
- Play at 7:11:52
“So in essence, you're treating that investment as the consideration the principal consideration for extending the lease term and I guess modifying the rent structure?”
City Commission · Jul 22, 2026
- Play at 7:12:23
“Okay, this amendment grants an additional 40 years. 220 years, correct. Two 20 years, okay. Did the city obtain any analysis on how much that additional increase of, that additional term increase would have on the market value of the tenant's leasehold?”
City Commission · Jul 22, 2026
- Play at 7:12:56
“And if we didn't, so if we didn't, how did we determine whether the city is receiving adequate consideration for granting those additional 40 years?”
City Commission · Jul 22, 2026
- Play at 7:13:08
“So, okay, you're telling me that we didn't do an analysis of how much the additional 40 years of what impact that has on the market value of the leasehold that the tenant has. We haven't done an analysis of that. So how did we determine whether the city receiving adequate compensation for granting those additional 40 years?”
City Commission · Jul 22, 2026
- Play at 7:13:45
“And when we look at when we look at the base rent and the percentage rent, when we combine those, what do we anticipate will be the aggregate?”
City Commission · Jul 22, 2026
- Play at 7:14:28
“NO, NO, BUT THE TOTAL OVER THE TERM. 248 MILLION. 248 MILLION. THOSE ARE REVENUES THAT OTHERWISE WE WOULDN'T BE GENERATING.”
City Commission · Jul 22, 2026
- Play at 7:14:39
Not quoted here: it may name a member of the public. Hear it at the meeting.
City Commission · Jul 22, 2026
- Play at 7:15:55
“Okay. Let me ask you another question, another question that for me is important because, you know, This is a taxpayer asset, and I want to make sure that the taxpayer gets the most that they can. When we started this conversation, and I asked you a few questions, you mentioned that right now if the city wanted to get the total appraised rent value for the property, we're not well positioned for it because this is not the time for a rent reset. That is correct. However, if at the time that we have a rent reset, The city wants to seek its fair market value for this property. Does this…”
City Commission · Jul 22, 2026
- Play at 7:17:01
“Okay, so my understanding is that there is a cap. on the rent reset? Correct. So if there is a cap on the rent reset, how will we get what would be the appraised market value at that time?”
City Commission · Jul 22, 2026
- Play at 7:17:28
Not quoted here: it may name a member of the public. Hear it at the meeting.
City Commission · Jul 22, 2026
- Play at 7:18:51
“But you see, what I like about this deal is that we're getting better. In general, it's putting us in a better position generally than where we are today, except when it then comes time for the taxpayers who own the property to get a true fair market rent at that point. It's at that point that the taxpayers, the taxpayers of the future, today we are limiting the hands and the ability of the taxpayers of the future to get their fair, what would be the fair amount of their asset that the taxpayers are going to own tomorrow. And that's my challenge with this, that I am, I'm looking short term is…”
City Commission · Jul 22, 2026
- Play at 7:20:39
Not quoted here: it may name a member of the public. Hear it at the meeting.
City Commission · Jul 22, 2026