Miami On The Verge Of Major Downtown Makeover

"Miami-Dade commissioners continued a lightning-quick march Tuesday toward a massive face-lift for downtown Miami, voting to help finance four major projects worth billions of dollars.

After eight hours of debate, commissioners voted 9-4 to adopt a pact with Miami to extend the life and boundaries of the city's Community Redevelopment Agencies as a way to spur a wide array of projects.

Among them: building a tunnel from Watson Island to the Port of Miami, creating a museum park, paying off hundreds of millions in construction debt at the Performing Arts Center and generating millions in affordable housing in Overtown.

'Today,' said Commissioner Katy Sorenson, a longtime stadium critic, 'I think we have the opportunity to embark on greatness, and we have to take the leap of faith.'"