Gene Tinnie, Chair of the Virginia Key Park Trust, is the overseeing committee that continues to fight to preserve the historic 77-acre Virginia Key Park.
The island of Virginia Key has 1,000 acres sandwiched between the mainland and Key Biscayne. Mr. Tinnie said his group opposes the development of the island for many reasons.” It is home to a historic site we want to re-create,” Mr. Tinnie said, “we are also committed to restoring the environment and looking for funding to promote wildlife conservation.” To date, Mr. Tinnie said, the task force has been able to secure $11 million in federal money for land-shore restoration. His 15-member group was born in part as a reaction to a city proposal to allow commercial development in the late 1990s. ”Had that happened,” he said, “people would have been deprived of a public park.”
N. Patrick Range II, Treasurer. Mr. Range has been a member of the Virginia Key Beach Park Trust Board since 2007. Mr. Range is the proud grandson of the late Mrs. M. Athalie Range, the founding chair of the Virginia Key Beach Park Trust and the first African-American Commissioner in the City of Miami. Mr. Range has been a practicing attorney in the State of Florida since October 2002. Mr. Range is currently a sole practitioner in the areas of land-use, environmental, estate planning, and probate law.
From August 2004 to late 2007, Mr. Range practiced environmental law at Greenberg Traurig, P.A., a multi-national law firm with over 1,700 attorneys. From October 2002 to August 2004, Mr. Range practiced government and land-use law as a legislative aide for then-Commissioner Johnny L. Winton of the City of Miami. During this span of time, the City of Miami and Miami-Dade County experienced an unprecedented real estate and construction boom. Mr. Range remains proud to be an integral part of the development of Miami-Dade County. During Mr. Range’s career as an attorney, he has represented numerous developers and development entities before various municipalities in Miami-Dade County. He has also represented clients before Miami-Dade County, City of Miami, City of Sunny Isles Beach, City of Miami Beach, and the City of Opa-Locka among others.
Mr. Range is also a third-generation operator/manager of Range Funeral Home since 2008. He received an Associate of Arts degree in Mortuary Science from Miami-Dade College in 2009. Mr. Range received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science, cum laude from Morehouse College in 1999. He also received both a Juris Doctorate degree (2002) and a Master of Laws degree in Real Property Development from the University of Miami School of Law in 2004.
Mr. Range is a proud member of The Florida Bar and Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. among many other affiliations.
Mr. Forchion is responsible for the management, planning and operation of the $40 million dollar restoration of Historic Virginia Key Beach Park in Miami, Florida. He coordinates property renovation, facilities management, ecosystem restoration and capital improvements which includes the planning and construction of a museum facility on the 82.5 acre Historic Beach Park. He has held the position of Director of Operations and Executive Director during his tenure with the Virginia Key Beach Park Trust.