MIAMI | Development Thread

[pj3000]

Originally Posted by bobdreamz

Spare me please! I do know you are interested in Miami but it's not just real estate & tourism that are the sole engines of Miami's economy! That title is more adept to a city like Orlando than Miami's!

Sure, there are other engines of the economy in Miami. But they are nowhere in the same league as other major cities in the US, in terms of effect that they have on overall civic economic health. Can those other industries truly succeed and allow for actual middle class prosperity (the foundation of any "real" major city) when a real-estate based economic form has become so dominant and unstable?

Miami is still a young city; basically established for tourism and likely will always remain primarily a tourism-centered economy. Unfortunately, in many respects, tourism is often intricately tied to the extreme boom and bust types of real estate economy that is the problem here. Real estate prices were so incredibly and unrealistically inflated, that the continued fall of those prices has been terribly damaging to the establishment of a consistent financial atmosphere in the region -- that's simply not good for the types of commerce which create sustainable prosperity in urban centers.

[bobdreamz]

^ well couldn't one could say the same for Pittsburgh? It's economy basically revolved around steel and now it's a rust belt city.

[pj3000]

Originally Posted by bobdreamz

^ well couldn't one could say the same for Pittsburgh? It's economy basically revolved around steel and now it's a rust belt city.

No, not at all. Equating a steel/manufacturing-based economy with a tourism/real estate one just does not make any sense in terms of the respective prosperity they bestow on a region. You just don't get the huge disparity between the haves and the have nots in society with an economy that grew due to manufacturing. Instead, you get a strong, well-paid working class that becomes more educated with each generation.

Pittsburgh's industries created huge amounts of wealth and a very prosperous, large middle class. Additionally, the wealth created by manufacturing engendered so much innovation and many other industries, organizations, cultural institutions, etc. Tourism and real estate simply cannot do that.

Sure, Pittsburgh hit some very hard times due to the shock of the collapse of the American steel industry, but so many other established economic drivers were still in place, and have built Pittsburgh into a very different place than it was 30 years ago. Pittsburgh is a major healthcare, technology, and educational center, as well as financial center (with PNC --the 6th largest US bank in terms of assets-- and BNY Mellon, specifically)... much of that due to the past largesse of steel. And it still retains a strong corporate headquarter and production presence (US Steel, Heinz, Alcoa, PPG, Westinghouse, Mylan, among others).

Have you happened to hear anything about Pittsburgh recently?

[Prahaboheme]

Originally Posted by bobdreamz

Spare me please! I do know you are interested in Miami but it's not just real estate & tourism that are the sole engines of Miami's economy! That title is more adept to a city like Orlando than Miami's!

Is it really adept to a city "like" Orlando? If anything Orlando is leading the state of the recession with non-tourism based jobs.

[Dale]

And in addition to that Orlando is in the best fiscal shape of any Florida city and is poised to lead the state in population growth through 2040.

[QuantumX]

What this city went through in the last decade is unlike anything I have ever experienced in my 35 years of being a skyscraper aficionado and studying skyscraper booms in other cities. That is how I know how absolutely incredible it really was, and developer interest in Miami in this decade is still very strong as evidenced by the very articles about development here in Miami just recently posted. That Time Magazine article means nothing to me because, for one, all cities have problems that are specific to those cities. I'm not saying it's telling lies, but if Miami isn't a major city now, I think it won't be long before it will be.

Real estate driven economy or not, there is a lot of money and power behind people who can afford to own a 50-story penthouse, which we now have lots of here in Miami, and I think what Miami will become in the future depends a lot on how much those people who can afford a 50-story penthouse want to invest in the area where they own property. No doubt many will want to put at least a regional corporate headquarters here in Miami, and the economy will become more diverse as result. Miami is not going to stay the same. The genie is out of the bottle now. We just don't know what all it's going to become, but I think it will be considered a major city by many people one day.

Now getting back to this ridiculous Miami Heat metamorph - As I've asked before on SSC, did anybody seriously expect them to go all the way when this team was first brought together last year? Did anybody actually say they better win the NBA championship? I certainly hoped they would go all the way, but I certainly didn't expect them to. Hey, they made it to the finals. Sometimes, they lived up to the hype and other times they didn't, particularly the NBA finals, but they at least made it there.

[QuantumX]

Anyway, show me the perfect city in the U.S. and I'll go live there, but if it's out of the sunbelt, it's too cold. Plus I like being near the ocean.

As far as whether Miami is a major city or not, who set the criteria? We now have one of the largest skylines in the country and that is continuing to grow. Developers wouldn't be as interested in further developing Miami as much as they are if they didn't consider Miami a major city or at least on the fast-track to becoming one. A major city doesn't have to have a large skyline, but a city with a large skyline is usually a major city, and if anybody is going to start with the mostly condos argument again, see what I have to say about that above already.

Our tourism industry is large enough to warrant the A380 landing here along with only four other "major" U.S cities. I think that the A380 landing here is pretty major, even though we did have the Concorde at one time.

We've been known for years as the Cruise Capital of the World (probably Fort Lauderdale is now) and the Cargo Gateway to the Americas with a pretty big shipping industry or we wouldn't be building a tunnel. DUH!

Along with the American Airlines Arena, we now have a new Performing Arts Center and a new Opera House. We have a new museum under construction and new baseball stadium.

Our financial district is one of the largest international banking centers in the country with a Spanish bank soon to put a new tallest on Brickell Avenue unless someone else puts a new tallest in the Brickell Financial District or in the CBD first. Phase 2 of the original Brickell Financial Center which was originally planned at 903 feet is being redesigned, but is still a go. Brickell Citicentre, which the Miami Herald compared to New York's Rockefeller Center could start construction by the end of this year. At least three other new tallest buildings for this city are planned. What we will actually see make it to construction, who can say? But if Miami wasn't a major city already, all this wouldn't be on the drawing board and all of what was built in the last decade wouldn't have been built.

[pj3000]

Your points are well taken, QuantumX. However, touting current and future real estate developments and tourism does nothing to dispel the notion that "the Magic City still lives under its 20th-century illusion that tourism and condo construction are the basis of a modern economy" and that Miami's economy will continue to be defined by industries which do little to build a stable financial environment with a prosperous middle to upper-middle class... which again, provides the sustainable economic foundation of a major city. What you're bringing up is exactly what the article is talking about.

Wealthy people buying "50 story penthouses" and owning property for income, as future speculation investments, and/or for vacation homes does not translate into the type of investment in Miami necessary to transform the economy into something with much greater substance -- especially when many of these buyers are internationals. Having Canadians, Venezuelans, Brazilians, etc. buying a significant percentage of the property sold in Miami is simply not a realistic method of building a stable, diversified economy in South Florida, which insulates it from the massive booms and subsequent busts that have characterized Miami for much of its existence.

As the article (which I think was a broad simplification and poorly written, by the way) did, you are right to bring up Miami's port operations and its financial industry. Yet, like the article stated, "nor has Miami found a way to turn its robust trade and banking sectors — some $95 billion worth of imports and exports moved through Miami last year, a 21% increase over 2009 — into equally vigorous job-creation engines". No mega real estate development has the power to change that. This is the truth about Miami right now, like it or not.

And, the financial district you mention, while large, is a Latin American center of banking... serving the needs of Latin American investment interests in the US. Remember, for all of the numerous banks located along Brickell and in downtown, Miami does not have a single Top 50 bank headquartered there. Not one. That's very telling of the fact that a real-estate and tourism-based economy does not create the type of LOCAL prosperity which requires, and thus engenders, the need for the foundation of a major local banking presence.

[llamaorama]

And, the financial district you mention, while large, is a Latin American center of banking... serving the needs of Latin American investment interests in the US. Remember, for all of the numerous banks located along Brickell and in downtown, Miami does not have a single Top 50 bank headquartered there. Not one. That's very telling of the fact that a real-estate and tourism-based economy does not create the type of LOCAL prosperity which requires, and thus engenders, the need for the foundation of a major local banking presence.

But isn't it good for a city to exploit its competitive advantages? Another thing about tourism is that there is a difference between just having a resort, restaurant, or cruise port, and having the headquarters of international resort and restaurant chains, and cruise line home ports. Maybe that is another thing Miami could take advantage of?

[pj3000]

Originally Posted by llamaorama

But isn't it good for a city to exploit its competitive advantages?

Another thing about tourism is that there is a difference between just having a resort, restaurant, or cruise port, and having the headquarters of international resort and restaurant chains, and cruise line home ports. Maybe that is another thing Miami could take advantage of?

Absloutely.

I'm not suggesting that what Miami does have is a negative. Quite the contrary, actually.

The question is, "how can Miami leverage those competitive advantages to create the type of robust economy that is a hallmark of a "major city" and thus narrow the widening income gap present in Miami?"

A real estate and tourism-based economy by its very nature simply cannot do that. The point is that Miami cannot keep going to the same well and expect different results, if it in fact does hope to grow into a more substantial economy and a city with a skilled and educated workforce.

[QuantumX]

Originally Posted by pj3000

Your points are well taken, QuantumX. However, touting current and future real estate developments and tourism does nothing to dispel the notion that "the Magic City still lives under its 20th-century illusion that tourism and condo construction are the basis of a modern economy" and that Miami's economy will continue to be defined by industries which do little to build a stable financial environment with a prosperous middle to upper-middle class... which again, provides the sustainable economic foundation of a major city. What you're bringing up is exactly what the article is talking about.

No, no, no! This is not what I'm bringing up and the points that you seem to think I'm making are not actually the points I'm making. You are simply arguing what you want to argue regardless, which is why I've concluded there is no point arguing with you.

Originally Posted by pj3000

Wealthy people buying "50 story penthouses" and owning property for income, as future speculation investments, and/or for vacation homes does not translate into the type of investment in Miami necessary to transform the economy into something with much greater substance -- especially when many of these buyers are internationals. Having Canadians, Venezuelans, Brazilians, etc. buying a significant percentage of the property sold in Miami is simply not a realistic method of building a stable, diversified economy in South Florida, which insulates it from the massive booms and subsequent busts that have characterized Miami for much of its existence.

Again, this is not in response to the point I'm making. You are making the point you want to make regardless without really comprehending what I'm saying.

Originally Posted by pj3000

A real estate and tourism-based economy by its very nature simply cannot do that. The point is that Miami cannot keep going to the same well and expect different results, if it in fact does hope to grow into a more substantial economy and a city with a skilled and educated workforce.

This I agree with. I have no argument with this. You say my points are well taken, and I can tell that some are, but you are also missing many of them. Some of the points you think I'm trying to make and that you think you're responding to aren't actually the points I'm making.

Anyway, on this note, I'd just like to mention that I work for one of Fortune Magazine's Top 100 Companies to Work for in this country, and it's not a cruiseline or a hotel or real estate company or anything related to tourism. It's healthcare, and it's a large company with many outpatient center throughout South Florida. We have a lot of "baby boomers" reaching that age where they need more healthcare.

I don't see Miami as drinking from the same well as they have since I moved here in 1984. A more stable more diverse economy is on the way. The city is attracting more wealth with developer interest off the scale. I'm not talking about people who can afford to own a 50-story plus penthouse owning another penthouse. I'm talking about the city attracting more wealthy people who might want to invest in this city in a number of different ways which will eventually lead to a more diverse, stable economy. It's not going to happen over night, but the city is changing for the better on almost a daily basis.

In the last decade, this city saw one of the biggest building booms in the history of this planet. It was too much, too fast, but we are recovering and it created unprecedented interest in this city. The magnitude of the boom was such that inertia is at work now and continued development of all kinds is almost assured. The Miami skyline is now its own advertisement. I've taken enough pictures that show that. We saw radical change in the last decade and more radical change is on the way. A more stable, diverse economy is on the way, and there is nothing you can do to stop it!

[pj3000]

Originally Posted by QuantumX

No, no, no! This is not what I'm bringing up and the points that you seem to think I'm making are not actually the points I'm making. You are simply arguing what you want to argue regardless, which is why I've concluded there is no point arguing with you.

Again, this is not in response to the point I'm making. You are making the point you want to make regardless without really comprehending what I'm saying.

This I agree with. I have no argument with this. You say my points are well taken, and I can tell that some are, but you are also missing many of them. Some of the points you think I'm trying to make and that you think you're responding to aren't actually the points I'm making.

Anyway, on this note, I'd just like to mention that I work for one of Fortune Magazine's Top 100 Companies to Work for in this country, and it's not a cruiseline or a hotel or real estate company or anything related to tourism. It's healthcare, and it's a large company with many outpatient center throughout South Florida. We have a lot of "baby boomers" reaching that age where they need more healthcare.

I don't see Miami as drinking from the same well as they have since I moved here in 1984. A more stable more diverse economy is on the way. The city is attracting more wealth with developer interest off the scale. I'm not talking about people who can afford to own a 50-story plus penthouse owning another penthouse. I'm talking about the city attracting more wealthy people who might want to invest in this city in a number of different ways which will eventually lead to a more diverse, stable economy. It's not going to happen over night, but the city is changing for the better on almost a daily basis.

In the last decade, this city saw one of the biggest building booms in the history of this planet. It was too much, too fast, but we are recovering and it created unprecedented interest in this city. The magnitude of the boom was such that inertia is at work now and continued development of all kinds is almost assured. The Miami skyline is now its own advertisement. I've taken enough pictures that show that. We saw radical change in the last decade and more radical change is on the way. A more stable, diverse economy is on the way, and there is nothing you can do to stop it!

wow, if that isn't blind Miami boosterism at its unnecessary finest.

Then you need to do a better job communicating what points you ARE trying to make.

What are those points besides saying something along the lines of..."people with wealth are buying here, developers are still very interested in building here... so a more diverse, stable economy is going to happen simply because it's just going to.

Why? Tell us. Give some actual support to that declarative assumption other than just stating that it will because there's "inertia at work", the skyline being proof of that, and that "wealthy people who might want to invest in the city". And when someone who is speaking to the challenges Miami faces presents valid, well-supported points, don't accuse them of "arguing what you want to argue regardless" and saying that they are just not comprehending what you're saying. Sorry, but we're a lot smarter than that on this forum.

As far as wealthy people investing in Miami to grow a more diverse, stable economy... a "build penthouses for the wealthy and good jobs for our population will come" theory is a far-fetched pipe dream. Companies that would bring large numbers of well-paying, mid-level jobs have long shied away from Miami despite the many efforts of state and local officials over the years because of its dismally-low numbers of educated/skilled workers. And, when a large portion of the jobs in Miami are related to tourism and retail, workers are stuck in hourly, lower-wage jobs with little opportunity to move up in economic stature because there simply is nowhere to go... those jobs are what largely characterize those industries. It's an ugly cycle.

So, unless Miami-Dade finally decides to tackle some of the underlying institutional structures (EDUCATION anyone?) which prevent the real development of a prosperous middle class and tax base, large employers will continue to look elsewhere (like Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, Raleigh, Charlotte, Phoenix, etc.) and we'll continue to have this discussion after Miami's next real estate boom... and Miami will continue to be a leader in the divide between rich and poor. But maybe this time its different, right?

[QuantumX]

'Sigh' Okay.

[brickell]

Originally Posted by QuantumX

The magnitude of the boom was such that inertia is at work now and continued development of all kinds is almost assured. The Miami skyline is now its own advertisement. I've taken enough pictures that show that. We saw radical change in the last decade and more radical change is on the way. A more stable, diverse economy is on the way, and there is nothing you can do to stop it!

Q, I agree with you that Miami has changed immensely over the last decade, much of it for the better. But your formula for growth does not follow. You're not providing any proof that B (diverse economy) follows A (skyline growth).

[QuantumX]

Originally Posted by brickell

Q, I agree with you that Miami has changed immensely over the last decade, much of it for the better. But your formula for growth does not follow. But, you're not providing any proof that B (diverse economy) follows A (skyline growth).

I understand, but we didn't just see skyline growth here in Miami. We saw the largest building boom in the history of this city and one of the largest buildilng booms in the history of this country and this planet. I know this more than many other forumers here and elsewhere because I've been observing "booms" in other cities since I was a teenager, which was a long time ago. It was too much, too fast and fueled by a lot of speculative greed, but we are recovering okay and went from having an almost negligible skyline at the end of the 20th century to what some statisticians are now calling the third largest skyline in the country at the beginning of the 21st century even though Houston currently as buildings that are taller as do many other American cities. That's absolutely phenomenal!

Astronomer's use the term magnitude to gauge the brightness of a star, and here in Miami, we had something like a supernova, and it brought unprecedented attention to this city and unprecedented interest in this city, so much so that we already have another "boom" starting up in this decade with projects like Brickell Citicenter, Banco Santander, and I know BFC 2 is still "Go," but being redesigned because I just spoke to the developers a few days ago. This is what I mean by inertia created by the magnitude of the boom just like new stars are formed by the blast of a supernova as it travels through space and strikes clouds of far away star dust.

With a "normal" boom which is what we had here in the 80s (well, sort of), of course "B" wouldn't follow "A," but this was by no means a "normal" boom, and I did say that as I have many times before and this is what I believe will make the difference this time. I think the new unprecedented interest in Miami created by an unprecedented building boom is what is going to lead to a more diverse economy because it was just that huge. It's simply the fallout from the incredible explosion that caused people to look this way. I can name at least three people in the Miami forum on another website who actually moved here because of the boom. I'm sure a lot of younger members of this forum and others don't understand where I'm coming from because they simply don't have a feel for a what a "normal" rate of development is in the way I do having observed this phenomenon for as long as I have as I've already said.

There is no formula for what could happen next! Almost anything could happen here now, and this isn't just blind boosterism at its finest though I appreciate the compliment. I'm not blind to what pj3000 is saying. I just don't think it applies anymore. And we when have people who bash this city on almost a daily basis under the guise of an honest opinion, Miami needs somebody like me. Yes, it is necessary.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Miami firm to design luxury resort.

The developer of the 13.9-acre plot of land the Miami Herald occupies tapped one of Miami’s own firms to design its Resorts World Miami.

BY ELAINE WALKER, DOUGLAS HANKS AND HANNAH SAMPSON
[email protected]

After considering architects from around the world, Genting Malaysia Berhad decided to choose one of Miami’s own to design the $3 billion mixed-use project Resorts World Miami.

Genting Group Chairman and Chief Executive KT Lim announced the hiring of internationally known Arquitectonica to create the master plan during a Thursday evening reception for more than 200 business and civic leaders at Miami’s Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts.

The event is part of a broader effort by Malaysia-based Genting, Asia’s third largest casino company, to quickly assimilate into the local community just three weeks after paying $236 million for the 13.9 acres of waterfront land occupied by The Miami Herald and previously owned by its parent, McClatchy Co.

“I believe Miami is destined to become one of the greatest global cities in the world,” Lim said Thursday evening.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

When we have powerful developers saying things like this these days, I just don't see the Miami economy not becoming more diverse. PJ3000 might not think Miami is a major city, but apparently a lot of big people do or think it soon will be.

[lviz]

[simms3_redux]

Quantum, you're having a Miami orgasm. I understand why, but let's rationally discuss PJ3000's debates.

I used to be envious and disgusted with Miami at the same time. There are a few things Miami has going for it besides momentum that are keeping investors at the trough. Miami has a huge underclass of Hispanics who are not as educated as their grandparents or in some cases parents who brought them over, but are trending better that way. An analogy to Miami as a whole is Hialeah. A ghetto turned chongaville turning middle class (losing population to gentrification).

Miami is really trying to make itself an actual home to all of the foreign money. Its chamber has the subliminal message of "when you come vacation here or party here, maybe you'll think about staying." It's working. Miami is actually using its real estate and service industry fueled tourist industry to sustain a growing city.

Swire is interested in Miami, and they are about as selective an international firm as it can get. They have scoop and educated projections for their investments in Miami (and they have been in Miami since Courvoisier Center on Brickell Key!).

Now to PJ3000's point, Pittsburgh is one of the healthiest and most vibrant cities in the country. I am very excited for your new 40 story LEED Platinum PNC headquarters (among other things going up and going on).

Now Pittsburgh also has Pitt and Carnegie Mellon. When I was looking at Carnegie Mellon (and I made it in there and to Penn, chose school in Atlanta instead), it had fallen through the ranks a little bit. Now it's right back up there and climbing and so is Pitt. The favorite neighborhood of that time was Oakland, where the universities are, but now it seems to be even closer in, in downtown and along the rivers. Pittsburgh is not a rust belt city. It is clean, vibrant, wealthy-ish, and has little to do with steel anymore. If Pittsburgh can make that transition, Miami will prove to its investors that it is making that transition. It is a multi-decadal approach.

Miami is making strides in its port, banking, the arts scene, and of course in its market that caters to the wealthy. Few other cities can claim "the wealthy" as a piece of the economy like Miami can, and that will never go away. If the Great Depression hits, rest assured the wealthy will be in Miami. Speaking of which, during Pittsburgh's great moments back in the day, "the wealthy" used to call on Jacksonville before there was a Miami. The Carnegies, the Astors, the Vanderbilts, the Goulds, Henry Flagler, etc all lived in or vacationed in or developed in NE FL before Flagler moved south. The rest is history.

[pj3000]

Originally Posted by QuantumX

“I believe Miami is destined to become one of the greatest global cities in the world,” Lim said Thursday evening.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

When we have powerful developers saying things like this these days, I just don't see the Miami economy not becoming more diverse. PJ3000 might not think Miami is a major city, but apparently a lot of big people do or think it soon will be.

Citing a resort real estate developer's media press conference soundbite as evidence of this notion is such surface-level thinking. I mean, come on, you're actually citing that as proof to go along with your personal feelings? This type of stuff epitomizes stereotypical Miami... style over substance.

All I'm saying is, it still amounts to hype and speculation when you're claiming that this building boom will bring a more diverse, vibrant economy to Miami simply because this boom is bigger and different. Like brickell said, you're still trying to claim that A=B... and that just doesn't cut it if you're going to make large pronouncements.

Companies that would bring and develop a diverse workforce to Miami are not going to establish or relocate because condo towers, retail developments, and entertainment venues have been built at record pace. And guess what? They're not. Will they in the future? Maybe, and I hope they will, because I have a vested interest in Miami. I went to UM for undergrad, hold an adjunct teaching position there, and own a home blocks away from where all this crazy condo construction has been going on. I have a lot of love for Miami and want to see the city progress in a number of areas. But that progress will not be the result of condos or resorts being built. Not as flashy as a new luxury resort, but certainly the type of development that can have a much more profound effect on the overall civic environment:

The UM Life Science & Technology Park state-of-the-art facilities will accommodate companies and institutes of all types -- from locally grown University start-ups to global entities. As a gateway to the Americas and the world, Miami offers a strategic location for companies seeking to establish sales, marketing and lab space to penetrate the U.S. markets, and/or regional office space to service markets as a distribution center for Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean.


See, developments like this are the types of economic boosts that most cities focus on... and then the skyline additions come as a result. The other way around doesn't work. You may think it does, but it doesn't. If there is really going to be a "New Miami", then it will be built on developments like this in a number of industries... and not on the newest proposal for a condo/hotel tower complex going up in Brickell.

So, I don't say all of this to "bash" Miami at all. On the contrary, I hope articles like the one from Time that produced this discussion serve to wake Maimians the fuck up so they they quit getting hard-ons every time a new condo tower/hotel/shopping/resort/casino is announced and then define their so-called "New Miami" by these types of developments. It just comes off as such shallow bullshit.

Will Miami become a major city (if it's not already)? Yes, most likely. But what kind of major city will it be? That was part of the original point in the article... can it become a major city like Chicago (actually, Atlanta or Dallas are probably more realistic examples) or will it continue on as a playground for the wealthy as the divide between its citizen classes grows? How can Miami leverage its attributes (large port, financial presence) to create a diverse economy when companies are well aware that among major sunbelt cities, it offers the least in terms of an educated, skilled workforce and the least in terms of cohesion between existing (non tourism related) industries? Those are the related questions that need to be considered, and all you are doing is citing more real estate/tourism development and your own personal notions about this "build condo towers for the wealthy and a diverse economy with a prosperous middle class will come" hypothesis.

[bobdreamz]

Miami City Ballet the toast of Paris
By Jordan Levin, Miami Herald

We may be sweltering here in South Florida, but on the other side of the Atlantic, Miami City Ballet is enjoying a different kind of summer heat. Miami's hometown ballet troupe, in the middle of its debut season in Paris, has lit the city on fire. The company's three-week season at historic Theatre du Chatelet, which began July 6 and continues through Saturday, has been a success, with regular standing (even screaming) ovations from sold-out audiences filling the 2,500-seat theater.

The enthusiastic reception has startled artistic director Edward Villella.
"I just ... I'm stunned, wonderfully stunned," said Villella, reached backstage shortly before Wednesday's show.

"It's the biggest success the company has had in 25 years. We are the talk of Paris. People are clamoring for tickets. They stop me in buses and restaurants. They have grabbed me in the aisles and told me they've never seen dancing like this.

"We prepared, we worked hard, but this is way beyond our wildest expectations."

Chatelet director Valery Colin said he is pleased by his choice for his theater's annual Les Etes de la Danse summer dance festival. "It's very, very, very good results for Miami City Ballet ... and it's fantastic for Les Etes de la Danse because we know we made a good choice," Colin said.

The festival, launched in 2005, appeals to Parisian audiences hungry for cultural events during the slow season, as well as summer tourists. Previous festival artists have included the internationally celebrated San Francisco Ballet, the National Ballet of Cuba and the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.

A feature in Le Monde, one of Paris' leading newspapers, cited MCB as a prime example of Miami's cultural explosion, and praised the troupe's "sophisticated elegance, with a je ne sais quoi of modesty and generosity that makes all the difference." London's Financial Times described the audience's reaction as "rapturous," noting that "the dancers' exuberance and faith in the steps are infectious, and theirs is an all-American musicality that sheds new light on ballets that have grown formulaic and dull on this side of the Atlantic."

As did their triumphant Manhattan debut in 2009, MCB's success in one of the world's cultural capitals — home to the historic Paris Opera Ballet and a sophisticated, demanding dance audience accustomed to world-class troupes — could launch the company to a new level of international prominence. Villella said Chatelet officials have already asked if MCB would consider returning in 2014, and the troupe has been approached regarding a similar festival in Spain.

MCB's New York season convinced Marina de Brandt, president of the festival and a supporter and friend of Villella since his days as a star at New York City Ballet, that the Miami troupe was ready for Paris. She and Colin originally planned to present MCB along with other troupes, but after a visit to Miami last spring, they decided to offer a solo gig.

Elizabeth Platel, director of the Paris Opera Ballet school, said MCB's expertise and aplomb in the works of George Balanchine, and a repertoire that struck a balance between dense, powerful Balanchine works new to Paris, such as Symphony in Three Movements and Ballet Imperial, and his beloved, lighter ballets, such as Tarantella, Western Symphony and Square Dance, had proved to be a smart and appealing mix. The Balanchine works are balanced by masterful, modern dance crowd-pleasers such as Twyla Tharp's In the Upper Room and Paul Taylor's Pomethrean Fire, and lyrical Jerome Robbins ballets such as Afternoon of a Faun.

"Audiences are very demanding because they have a lot of choice and they know a lot of different companies," Platel said. "They know Balanchine, and [the Paris Opera Ballet] has a very high level, and we have a lot of Balanchine and Robbins. [MCB has] a different way of dancing from what we are doing in Paris ... and the energy given by the dancers is great."

Reviews of MCB outside the troupe's home city often praise the dancers' energy, attack, sharp timing, sensitivity to music, understanding of the Balanchine repertoire — as well as a contagious enthusiasm that can be rare in classical ballet. This last quality has apparently been particularly charming to Parisian audiences.

"The success has been because of the quality of the company and their dancing, but also the joy of the dancers," Colin said. "They are so happy to be on stage that the audience feels it."

Villella says the dancers are at the top of their game. "I am so proud of our dancers — they're fantastic," he said. "Everyone is dancing brilliantly. I'm sounding like this proud papa, but that's what I'm feeling

[mechanesthesia]

I might be a little late to the discussion, but I wanted to add my 2 cents.

I agree that tourism and real estate are pretty much the only industries that Miami has, and they are not really viable for economic growth. People are actually getting "Hospitality & Tourism" degrees to work in as a front desk agent at a hotel getting paid just a little over minimum wage! And when they finally get promoted to management, they just get a few dollars more. People who have studied other subjects are right now being screwed due to the unemployment rate, the economy, and the lack of industry. We need good jobs and good industries that will make people want to move here because of it. Not just a "vacation home." Yes, a lot of wealthy people are buying homes in Miami... And they'll stay there for 2 weeks in a year, and you'll never see them. That's what a lot of these condos are, vacation homes from people who do not contribute to the economy or industry. They don't work here or shop here or eat here. It's no wonder there is a lack of actual "stuff" in downtown compared to any other downtown or compared to a "regular" neighborhood like Hialeah, South Miami, Kendall, etc. It's because people don't actually "live" there. They just work there or vacation there.

Things are changing though. The whole healthcare push is great. With the new UM building in downtown and the proposed FIU "Medical City" [which I haven't heard of lately], those are beneficial changes that will create jobs and and industry for ourselves which will attract people for more than just a few weeks vacation. And better yet, it's something that's actually focused on the people that actually live here, instead of the tourists that are here temporarily. Also, the recent housing bubble bursting, causing the prices to fall in downtown is causing more "regular" people to move there, instead of snowbirds, which is a positive change for a more "liveable" downtown.

But we need more than just healthcare. It's ludicrous that some people are actually considering moving out of Miami just so they can get a job in their field, because all there is here is tourism.

Also, I agree that education is definitely needed. We are a joke compared to the rest of the country in terms of education.