CHICAGO POLICE HAVE
DRAMATIC VIDEO TO SHARE.
A SUSPECTED DRUNK DRIVER
SLAMMING INTO A POLICE SUV.
POLICE SAY THE DRIVER HAD A
BLOOD ALCOHOL CONTENT MORE THAN
TWICE THE LEGAL LIMIT.
THE OFFICERS WERE TAKEN TO THE
HOSPITAL BUT SHOULD BE OKAY.
YESTERDAY BILLIONAIRE
RICHARD BRANSON CELEBRATED TAKE
OVER OF BRIGHT LINE TRAINS BY
HIS COMPANY VIRGIN TRAINS USA.
BRANSON SAYING HE IS CLOSE TO
STARTING CONSTRUCTION ON THE
LINE THAT WILL TAKE HIS TRAINS
BEYOND WEST PALM BEACH WHERE
THEY CURRENTLY STOPPED ALL THE
WAY TO ORLANDO INTERNATIONAL
AIRPORT AND HOPEFULLY TO A
STATION INSIDE DISNEYWORLD.
THE DOWNTOWN MIAMI STATION
IS NEXT TO MIAMI WORLD CENTER.
BRIAN GLAZER IS A SPOKESMAN FOR
THE PROJECT.
HE JOINS US NOW.
WELCOME.
THANK YOU.
YESTERDAY WAS REALLY A TURNING
POINT.
VIRGIN TRAINS HAD BEEN RUNNING
IN A DEFICIT AS BRIGHT LINE.
THE FACT THAT RICHARD BRANSON
CAME IN AND DID THIS UNVEILING
AND WAS ABLE TO SELL $1.75
BILLION IN BONDS AND PAY THE
DEBT AND HAS MONEY FOR
OPERATING COSTS TO TAKE THE
TRAIN TO ORLANDO AND BEYOND
CONNECTING ALL THE CITIES IN
FLORIDA.
I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO WORK
WITH RICHARD BRANSON DURING THE
VIRGIN ATLANTIC EXPANSION DAYS
IN THE 1990s.
HE SAID VIRGIN IS NOT JUST AN
AIRLINE.
IT'S A MARKETING COMPANY.
I THINK THAT'S ONE OF THE
STRENGTHS HE BRINGS TO VIRGIN
TRAINS USA WHICH BY THE WAY IS
ACROSS THE STREET FROM MIAMI
WORLD CENTER WHICH IS AMERICA'S
SECOND LARGEST URBAN
DEVELOPMENT.
IT'S AN INCREDIBLE PROJECT FOR
ALL OF SOUTH FLORIDA AND MIAMI
AS A WHOLE.
THIS IS BEING DESCRIBED AS
MANHATTANNIZATION OF MIAMI.
WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?
WE ARE BUILDING A NEW URBAN
CORE.
YOU HAVE A TRAIN COMING IN THAT
CONNECTS THE ENTIRE STATE
ESSENTIALLY IN THE FUTURE AND
THEN YOU HAVE MIAMI WORLD
CENTER WHICH IS A NEW URBAN
CORE.
IT IS A CITY FID SITUATION.
IT'S ON 27 ACRES OF WHAT WERE
DECAYING WAREHOUSES IN DOWNTOWN
MIAMI ONE BLOCK WEST OF THE
MIAMI ARENA.
IT'S GOING TO BE COMPOSED OF 11
BUILDINGS, RETAIL, RESIDENTIAL,
TOURISM, HOSPITALITY,
TRANSPORTATION.
THE NEW COMPLEX FOR MIAMI.
THIS AREA JUST NORTH OF THE
FREEDOM TOWER UP TO 395 HAS
BEEN BAREN FOR YEARS.
THE CENTER PIECE IS PARAMOUNT
MIAMI WORLD CENTER.
IT'S THE SOARING SIGNATURE SKY
SCRAPER, 60 STORIES, 700 FEET.
IT HAS AN OUTDOOR SOCCER FIELD
THAT OVER LOOKS DOWNTOWN MIAMI.
ON TOP AS FRANCIS WELL KNOWS
BECAUSE SHE'S DONE A STORY
THERE, IT HAS THE FIRST JETSON
STYLE FLYING CAR SKY PORT WHICH
TEN YEARS FROM NOW, YOU WILL BE
ABLE TO FLY INTO PARAMOUNT
MIAMI WORLD CENTER AND GO TO AN
ELEVATOR.
WE ARE GOING TO BE BRINGING
THOUSANDS UPON THOUSANDS OF NEW
JOBS FOR CONSTRUCTION, FOR
RETAIL RESIDENTIAL AS THE
COMPLEX IS BUILT.
IT'S ALL INTERTWINED IN WHAT
YOU TERMED AS MANHATTANNIZATION
OF MIAMI.
IT'S A CITY WITHIN THE CITY OF
THE FUTURE.
FOR PEOPLE WHO DON'T LIVE OR
WORK OR JUST VENTURE IN THE
AREA, WHY SHOULD THEY CARE
ABOUT THE PROJECT?
I THINK IF YOU ROAM DOWNTOWN
MIAMI AFTER A HEAT GAME AT THE
MIAMI ARENA, YOU'VE GOT TO GO
PRETTY FAR TO ENJOY YOURSELF
AND HAVE ADDITIONAL NIGHT LIFE.
WE ARE BRINGING THAT NIGHT
LIFE.
WHY SHOULD THEY CARE?
WE ARE BUILDING A CITY.
WE ARE BUILDING A CITY THAT
ONLY CAN HAPPEN IN MIAMI
BECAUSE THIS AREA, THE 27
ACRES, AND IN COMPARISON IF YOU
CONSIDER ROCKEFELLER CENTER IS
22 ACRES, AGAIN GETTING BACK TO
WHY YOU SHOULD CARE, IT'S GOING
TO BE THE ENTERTAINMENT
HOSPITALITY CENTER FOR THE CITY
OF MIAMI WITH PARAMOUNT SITTING
IN THE MIDDLE.
YOU ARE GOING TO LOOK UP WHEN
YOU GET OFF THAT TRAIN AND LOOK
AT PARAMOUNT AND SAY I HAVE
ARRIVED.
THE OTHER REASON THEY SHOULD
CARE IS JOBS, FLOW OF CAPITAL
COMING INTO MIAMI THAT WILL BE
BROUGHT FROM BRIGHT LINE WHICH
IS HEADED BY MR. GODDARD, THESE
ARE VISIONARIES AS WELL AS ART
FALCON, DANIEL CODSY,
DEVELOPERS OF MIAMI WORLD
CENTER.
THEY SEE THE FUTURE OF MIAMI.
YOU SHOULD ALL CARE ABOUT THE
FUTURE OF THE CITY.
LET ME ASK YOU ABOUT THE
FUTURE.
GLOBAL WARMING OR SEA LEVEL
RISE IS FUTURE OF MIAMI ALSO.
ARE YOU TAKING INTO ACCOUNT THE
RISING SEA LEVELS?
I THINK EVERY DEVELOPER IN
DOWNTOWN MIAMI TAKES THE FUTURE
AND CLIMATE CHANGE SERIOUSLY.
WHETHER OR NOT IT'S A HURRICANE
OR GOD FORBID A FLOOD AND
RISING SEA LEVELS, MIAMI WORLD
CENTER IS BEING BUILT AT LEAST
6 TO 13 FEET ABOVE ELEVATION
ACCORDING TO THE BUILDERS.
11 BUILDINGS WILL BE COMPOSED.
IF THERE IS A STORM SURGE
THEY'RE PREPARED.
NOBODY CAN BE PREPARED FOR WHAT
MOTHER NATURE MAY BRING IN THE
FUTURE.
I THINK THAT'S A CONCERN FOR
ALL OF MIAMI.