Collision Course

If one thing is absolutely certain, though, it is this: No matter which way the decision goes, the future of the base will be tied up in court for years to come. "If it is conveyed as a commercial airport in any form, there will be a lawsuit," Farago promises. Confirming that vow, the Natural Resources Defense Council, an activist environmental group based in New York City, says it is ready to go to court to block the proposed airport.

Likewise, if the federal government refuses to turn over the land to Miami-Dade County, both the county and HABDI could attack the decision through litigation. HABDI has an obvious financial incentive to do so. The company already has invested a substantial amount of money in the project, says attorney Ramon Rasco. "Over $5 million, probably well over $10 million," he estimates. "Whether it is $20 million or $30 million, I don't know."

Lost somewhere amid all the wrangling are the people of South Miami-Dade. "Homestead has been the most affected and the least influential in this entire process," complains Homestead Mayor Steve Shiver. "We didn't support the way Miami-Dade County gave away this base in a no-bid deal. We were pretty vocal against that, but again, nobody listened to us."

After the commissioners made their decision, however, Shiver supported efforts to move ahead with the HABDI plan for the good of the people in his community. "We need jobs," he says.

Supporters of the proposed airport say it will create more than 30,000 jobs, compared with about 23,000 under the Collier-Hoover plan. Shiver says he isn't persuaded by Collier-Hoover numbers. "They have not produced one feasibility or marketing study to support what their impact will be," he notes.

County Commissioner Katy Sorenson believes the real danger for the residents of South Miami-Dade isn't the difference between 23,000 and 30,000 jobs. The real danger is creating an airport that will jeopardize the quality of life for area residents. "I think there is a certain element that wants to promote a depressed attitude because they want to create the justification for an airport," she says. "That has been the strategy used by the big land owners in South Dade, the bankers who represent them, and the chamber people who are associated with them. They want to perpetuate an attitude: “Poor us, we'd better have an airport or we'll never get back on our feet economically.' The fact is that the alternative proposed by the Colliers and the Hoovers provides something that would happen so much faster."

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Who Owns HABDI?

Since being awarded the no-bid deal in 1996, Homestead Air Base Developers, Inc., has undergone changes in ownership, the biggest being the inclusion of a group known as Airport Acquisitions, Inc., which is owned by members of the family of the late Jorge Mas Canosa. Airport Acquisitions now owns approximately 27 percent of HABDI, according to material the company provided the county in 1999.

The other major shareholders of HABDI are Carlos Herrera, former president of the Latin Builders Association (30 percent); Miami developer Pedro Adrian (18 percent); and American Logistics Services (16 percent). Others owning from one to three percent of the company include Manuel Romero, Jr., owner of Romero Lumber in South Miami-Dade; Augustine Ajagbe, a Nigerian-born security-firm owner; Armando Guerra, a principal in the Sedano's supermarket chain; and Augustin Herran, a real estate management executive. Even HABDI attorney Ramon Rasco is now a partner, owning about one percent of the company's stock, which he has taken in lieu of legal fees.

The inclusion of the Mas family in the deal has placed Miami-Dade Mayor Alex Penelas in an awkward position, since the county continues to press its claims against Mas-owned Church & Tower regarding alleged overbilling on a county paving contract. In essence Penelas is arguing that one Mas-owned company cheated the county out of millions of dollars, but another Mas-owned company should be entrusted with a piece of property that could be critical to the county's future.

But even if Penelas wanted to back out of the county's agreement with HABDI, he would find it virtually impossible. The provisions of Miami-Dade's contract with the company are so restrictive, and the penalties for breaching it so severe, that it would likely cost the county tens of millions of dollars to remove HABDI.