It's been roughly 44 years since the City of Miami and its residents survived the ominous "Paradise Lost" era, where "Cocaine Cowboys" and the criminality they brought with them ruled the streets.
Still, while the city itself has seen a grand transformation from dirty streets, graffiti-clad walls, and crime-stricken neighborhoods to a cleaner and magnificent skyline, upscale restaurants, and nightclubs, it appears that the last holdover from that dark period of time is the Miami International Airport (MIA).
Miami has long been considered the "Gateway to the Americas," so one would think that with all of the money that has come into Miami-Dade County from tourism and individuals and businesses looking to make the Miami boogie down their home, the first impression travelers get when flying to the "Magic City" is a modern and clean airport, right?
What is it they say about first impressions?
Upon driving into the airport, visitors are greeted by majestic Royal Palm trees, flags from around the world, and a ton of traffic.
While the images you find on Google are in place to make the airport appear modern and kept, those pictures are deceptive.
Miami's airport is so old and tired that it looks more like a broken-down, make-shift mechanic's garage found in Little Havana than an "International airport."
So, in taking a closer look at the airport, multiple areas are rusted out, paint is peeling off, black and grey scuff marks, and what's worse, the hotel attached to the airport looks more like the Bates Motel from the outside.
Smoke and mirrors.
I think that back in 2018, when President Donald Trump was accused of calling countries like Haiti "shi*hole" or "shi*house" countries, he may have been referring to MIA.
Considering that I fly in and out of MIA weekly and visit other airports in the U.S. and Europe, I consider myself a pro at identifying airports that drop the ball on aesthetics.
Is it really that bad at the airport?
Yes, it is.
Many of us frequent patrons, especially lobbyists and lawmakers who frequent the state capitol in Tallahassee, of the airport even reference the end of D Terminal as "The Bus Terminal."
Why?
Well, Gate 60 in D Terminal gives the appearance of being more like self-checkout lines at Walmart, where ticket counter agents check in passengers to their respective American Airlines regional jets to less-traveled destinations like Tallahassee, Sarasota, and the panhandle of Florida.
You really can't make this up.
Once you check in, passengers will then be allowed to enter a dated and open-air (covered) area where they board their respective aircraft, but not before walking up delapidated scaffolding (walkways) upon boarding.
Florida Lawmakers and The 'Poop Flight' From Hell
To be fair, other U.S. airports like John F Kennedy International Airport and Boston's Logan Airport also miss the mark, and the decades-long corruption that has hampered Miami-Dade County and its "Arroz con Pollo politics" appears to be in the city's rear-view mirror thanks to the leadership of the current board chair.
Chairman Anthony Rodriguez, a former state lawmaker, has approved millions of dollars to make the MIA airport great again, and taking it off the driveway blocks it has been lifted on.
Why wasn't this effort made 10 or 20 years ago?
In 2022, Mayor Daniella Levine Cava announced a multi-billion-dollar renovation "Modernization In Action" (M.I.A) plan to renovate "passenger touch point" areas like the nasty bathrooms and walkways that are found throughout the airport.
"Miami International Airport has been ranked among the fastest growing airports in the US and the entire world in fact MIA served nearly 51 million travelers last year 36% more than the previous year and 10% more than its previous record in 2019," said Mayor Cava. "MIA has been welcoming these record numbers around the clock while also working tirelessly to modernize every passenger."
Mayor Levine Cava says that the project will take 5-7 years to complete.
Look, let's just be honest, this is an utter failure by Miami-Dade County. Credit to Mayor Cava and the county commissioner for making the effort to clean up the "Third World" airport.
State Senator Bryan Avila recently called MIA a "third-world" airport upon boarding a recent flight to Tallahassee with Reps. Fabian Basabe and David Borrero, and yours truly.
And yes, we boarded the plane at the "Bus Terminal."
I just want to put it out there that I spoke to no less than 6 current state lawmakers who frequent the "Bus Terminal" and none of them, except for Sen. Avila, had the cojones to say anything negative on the record of the airport, even though they all agreed that it's in terrible shape.
Oh, Secretary of State Marco Rubio still flies in and out of MIA, but just a year ago, he was flying in and out of the airport like the rest of us. Ask him what he thinks of the airport's appearance the next time you see him.
Ché! The World Cup is Coming!
With Miami being one of the host cities for the biggest football (the real football) sporting event—the 2026 World Cup—why didn't officials make an effort to revamp the airport 5 years ago?
FIFA first announced that Miami would host games three years ago in 2022, but the U.S. first knew the sporting event was coming in 2018.
Since then, Major League Soccer (MLS) expanded to Miami with Inter Miami FC, led by former English Footballer Sir David Beckham and Miami developers Jorge Mas and Jose Mas (sons of the late and great Jorge Mas Canosa), have dropped a pretty penny to showcase world-class football in South Florida.
InterMiami FC refurbished the rundown Lockhart Stadium in Fort Lauderdale and also built a training facility, not to mention beginning the current construction of the Miami Freedom Park, which is expected to open in the Spring of 2026.
Good stuff.
Unfortunately for MIA, it looks like the new football stadium and sports complex will be finished before the airport's planned renovations.
The Miami Freedom Park's groundbreaking took place on August 28, 2023, and completion is scheduled to conclude in the Spring of 2026.
Let's not forget that Argentine Striker and one of the greatest footballers of all time, Lionel Messi, moved his family to South Florida.
Let me say it again. Leo Messi is playing in Miami for Christ's sake!
Just the fact that MLS has stepped up its game in Miami should be enough for Miami-Dade County to stop kicking in own goals against itself, right?
Again, let's not forget the massive influx of cash that Miami's tourism continues to bring in.
Do we really need to go into the millions of dollars the county has wasted over the years on dumb and unnecessary projects like the Miami Metromover tram?
Maybe CFO Blaise Ingoglia needs to take a look at or "DOGE" the wasteful spending by the county?
MIA do better, and do it fast. This is the "Magic City," not some hocus pocus third-world city.
