FIUSM Staff
opinion@fiusm.com
It is yet unknown if the consequences of Rick Scott’s veto of $3 million green-lighted for the removal of mold from Bay Vista, now owned by Royal Caribbean, will fall upon FIU. Although University officials have assured that the mold removal project is no longer their responsibility, an agreement was made which required the University to fix any major problems with the building prior to Royal Caribbean’s acquisition of the land.
According to Rick Scott’s letter to Secretary of State Ken Detzner describing the vetoes, the mold remediation was vetoed because “the project circumvented the Board of Governors’ facility request process.” And, if as Maydel Santana-Bravo stated, the mold is Royal Caribbean’s responsibility, why did the University attempt to acquire the funds from the state in the first place? Whether that was a mistake in paperwork or a knowing act of subversion, the entire project seems strange.
Depending upon the level of infestation, the mold in question could have been present before or after Royal Caribbean bought the building – however, with a pricetag of $3 million, this editorial board wonders how extensive the damage must have been – and for how long it was an issue before it came to light.
In 2008, an assessment of Bay Vista reported $12.5 million in building deficiencies and $2.5 million in amenity improvements. The University was given the recommendation the investment could not be justified.
Royal Caribbean’s renovation budget came in around $6.5 million – if almost half of an entire renovation project, one that was decidedly not worth it by the standards of experts hired by the University, could be spent on the removal of mold, it raises questions about the severity of the problem.
The editorial board wonders what the legal agreement between the University and Royal Caribbean was, and if FIU’s failure to acquire the $3 million will put the University at a legal impasse – and what that means for students. We hope that, this time, FIU will keep true to the interests of students.
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