I remember as a child going to the Hialeah Park Races during the winter. The park was the centerpiece of the Florida race season when the yearlings would be broken and trained and the racing industry would flock south for the winter. Now the track has sat empty for 6 years since it closed in 2001 and developers are looking covetously at the old grand dam trying to see who can coerce city officials to grant them the rights to raze, build, and homogenize the classic structure.

Because, 220 contiguous acres in Southern Florida can not sit idle. Standards have to be kept… 

The South Florida Regional Planning Council and the development team have started discussions about the land’s use, but both sides say the proposal is in its early stages.

“You just can’t have property of that magnitude sit in the middle of the city idle. That is, in essence, what is going on right now,” City Council president and park administrator Esteban Bovo said. “We have a jewel sitting in the middle of our city. It is not operating. It’s not doing anything.”

Hialeah Park sits on prime South Florida real estate, close to freeways, a commuter train line and Miami International Airport. But the new plans for development aren’t popular with some city officials, who want to preserve a slice of history.

“We are not entertaining any type of development plans for the park,” said Hialeah mayor Julio Robaina, who said park officials can’t develop the land without the city’s approval. via Gatorsports.com

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