Adam Gersten has turned his Virginia Key waterfront bar into a campaign headquarters.

Gramps Getaway, the outdoor restaurant and bar overlooking Biscayne Bay at Rickenbacker Marina, is papered with signs reading "Protect Gramps Getaway. Vote No on City of Miami Referendum 3." Gersten, the bar's owner and chair of Miami's Planning, Zoning and Appeals Board (PZAB), is asking Miami voters to reject the proposed $80 million redevelopment of the Rickenbacker and Marine Stadium marinas when they head to the polls Tuesday, Nov. 3.

The referendum would authorize a lease of about 27.6 acres of city-owned Virginia Key waterfront to Virginia Key LLC, a joint venture of Suntex Marinas and RCI Group. The initial term would run 45 years, with two 15-year renewal options, for a potential 75 years total, according to the Islander News.

Key Biscayne residents cannot vote on the city of Miami ballot question. But Virginia Key sits along the Rickenbacker Causeway, the island's only road in and out, and what happens there directly affects Key Biscayne and Coconut Grove.

A grassroots push

Gersten, a fourth-generation Miamian, said he launched the campaign after city commissioners voted in June to place the referendum on the ballot, as first reported by the Miami Herald. A court had ordered the city to let voters decide after finding Miami acted "arbitrarily and capriciously" by rejecting all bids and favoring a lower-ranked bidder, according to the Herald.

In late August, Gersten posted an Instagram video urging a "no" vote. It drew more than 380,000 views, the Herald reported. He has since hosted rallies at Miami bars including Over Under, The Dead Flamingo and Las Rosas. Justin Mendoza-Routt, a Miami resident and former Florida House candidate who helps run the campaign, told the Herald that more than 300 volunteers have signed up across party lines.

Gersten and Rickenbacker Marina president Aabad Melwani co-founded the opposition group Preserve and Protect Miami, according to the Miami Times. The campaign has drawn support from Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, the Miami City Commission, former Mayor Tomas Regalado and Sen. Ileana Garcia, among others.

"Anyone reasonable and rational who loves this city knows that being cautious with this land is important," Gersten said, according to Coconut Grove Spotlight.

What's at stake

The deal, first proposed in 2016, would pay the city a minimum base rent of $2.2 million a year plus 6% of gross revenues. Developers say they would invest $80 million in marina facilities, boat storage, restaurants, retail and public parking.

Melwani told the Islander News the city already collects about $3 million a year in revenue from the site. He estimates the city would lose roughly $1 million a year over the 75-year lease term.

Opponents also raise environmental concerns. Friends of Biscayne Bay and the Sierra Club oppose the project, warning it could damage the bay's seagrass beds and marine habitat, Local 10 reported. The developers' own proposal acknowledges a phase that may require maintenance dredging to depths of eight to nine feet, according to Local 10. The marina averages four to five feet.

Virginia Key LLC says the project would expand public waterfront access and achieve Clean Marina Designation from the state. In a joint statement to the Herald, Suntex Chief Development Officer David Filler and RCI Group President Robert Christoph said the redevelopment would "open the waterfront to the public" and "clean up the existing environmental hazards."

The developers have offered Gersten the chance to reopen Gramps Getaway as part of the new development, according to the Coconut Grove Spotlight. Gersten told the Herald he is not optimistic about the bar's future if the referendum passes.

Community character

Nick Perni, head of marine operations at the Field School, operates the research vessel Garvin out of Rickenbacker Marina. Perni said the development could harm sensitive marine habitats, according to the Coconut Grove Spotlight. His vessel was displaced from Coconut Grove after Hurricane Irma.

The bar draws a mix of scientists, boaters, artists and families. DJ Hilary Bell, known as DJ Hiltronix, spins records under the chickee hut. Knitwear designer Caitlin Farradas organized a fashion and drag show in the bar's Mangrove Ballroom during Miami Art Week. The South Florida Freedivers have met at the site for 20 years, and artists Coral Morphologic recently launched the Miami Coral Club there, a monthly event with live music and marine education, the Coconut Grove Spotlight reported.

The Miami Herald's editorial board recommended a "no" vote, writing that the deal has "dragged on for too long" and that voters are "in the untenable position of trying to decide on a deal that was first proposed in 2016."

If the referendum fails, the city would be expected to restart the bidding process, since city-owned waterfront leases require voter approval, the Herald reported. A trial on the underlying lawsuit challenging the deal's terms is scheduled for September 2027, according to the Miami Times.

Miami voters will find Referendum 3 as the final question on the Nov. 3 ballot. The measure needs 51% approval to pass.