The car dealer planning to buy Homestead’s decrepit, city-owned bowling alley and turn it into a state-of-the-art Hyundai outlet was grilled by angry members of the City Council late Thursday, who said he was changing the plan he had agreed to just five months earlier.
Jay Rivchin, the operator of Dadeland Dodge, wanted the council to grant him concessions regarding the construction timetable and design.
Council members, saying they did not like being rushed, postponed action on Rivchin’s request for two weeks, after they peppered him with complaints.
Earlier this week, the Miami Herald reported that the project’s chief advocate on the council, Jimmie Williams III, had engaged Rivchin in more than 400 interactions (18 hours of talk-time) using his city-issued mobile device while the deal was being negotiated; in one written communication, Rivchin pressed Williams to get the reluctant city manager to hurry things up.