The next day, any hopes that the Bush administration might voluntarily reverse the Clinton administration's decision were dashed by a two-sentence letter from Air Force Secretary James Roche to Miami-Dade County Mayor Alex Penelas. Roche said he had reviewed the January decision and "did not come across sufficiently convincing issues to suggest that the decision would be different if it were reopened."

"The idea of an airport is totally dead," Bill Johnson, assistant county manager, tells GlobeSt.com.

Johnson says the alternate plan submitted by the county Tuesday is a "hypothetical" plan, designed to demonstrate to the federal government that the county can create and sustain a commercial venture consistent with the Air Force's criteria.

The focal point of the hypothetical $132 million plan is a complex containing a 7,000-sf visitor center, a 12,000-sf multimedia complex, and a 60,000-sf environmental and ecology research center. A 100-room hotel with 4,000 sf of meeting and banquet space would house the scientists, environmentalists and other professionals who are expected to use the research center.

Also included in the plan is an amateur sports complex composed of a 15,000 sf recreation center, 30 sports fields, 48 tennis courts and a 900-room dormitory.

The final component of the plan is 250 military retirement homes. According to the plan, those homes would provide the area at least $7.5 million in new household income, which would in turn support about 11,000 sf of new retail demand.

Johnson says once the Air Force approves the general concepts contained in the hypothetical plan, the project will be put out for bids, and the final product could be significantly different. It could, for example, include a movie studio, an idea that has been put forward by one of the county commissioners.