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GOOD MORNING AND[CALL TO ORDER]
WELCOME TO THE SEPTEMBER 11TH COMMISSION MEETING.IT'S ALSO NINE 11, WHICH WE'LL HAVE, UH, A FEW REMARKS ABOUT THAT AND, AND A MOMENT OF SILENCE AS WELL.
I'M GONNA ASK THE CITY CLERK TO PROVIDE THE, UH, ZOOM INFORMATION AND THE INSTRUCTIONS.
MAY, UH, DURING THIS, DURING THIS HYBRID COMMISSION MEETING, THE CITY COMMISSION IS PHYSICALLY PRESENT IN THE COMMISSION CHAMBER AT MIAMI BEACH CITY HALL 1700 CONVENTION CENTER DRIVE.
THE PUBLIC MAY ATTEND THE MEETING VIRTUALLY, HOWEVER, MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC WHO WISH TO ATTEND THE MEETING OR PROVIDE COMMENT IN PERSON MAY APPEAR AT THE COMMISSION CHAMBER TO PARTICIPATE OR PROVIDE COMMENT VIRTUALLY DURING THE COMMISSION MEETING.
THE PUBLIC MAY JOIN THE MEETING BY VISITING THE ZOOM APP ON THEIR SMART DEVICE, OR AT THE WEB AT ZOOM US, OR BY TELEPHONE AT AREA CODE (305) 224-1968, OR TOLL FREE, 8 8 8 4 7 5 4 4 9 9.
THE TOLL FREE NUMBER AGAIN IS 8 8 8 4 7 5 4 4 9 9.
THE WEBINAR ID IS 8 1 3 9 2 8 5 7 6 71.
AGAIN, 8 1 3 9 2 8 5 7 6 71 POUND.
MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC WANTING TO SPEAK VIRTUALLY ON AN ITEM DURING THE MEETING MUST CLICK THE RAISE HAND ICON IF USING A ZOOM APP, OR PRESS STAR NINE ON THE TELEPHONE TO RAISE THEIR HAND.
OKAY, I'M GONNA ASK, WE'RE GONNA DO THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE.
NOW I'M GONNA ASK OUR CITY MANAGER, ERIC CARPENTER, TO LEAD US GOD INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL.
I'D BE REMISS NOT TO SAY GOOD MORNING TO EVERYONE HERE.
WE DIDN'T HAVE ANY OFFICIAL MEETINGS IN AUGUST, BUT, UH, I FEEL LIKE I'VE SEEN ALL OF YOU A LOT, SO WE HAVEN'T, WE HAVEN'T MISSED A BEAT HERE.
I'M NOW GONNA ASK RABBI DIXON FROM BETH ISRAEL CONGREGATION TO PROVIDE AN INVOCATION FOR TODAY'S MEETING.
GOOD MORNING TO MY DEAR FRIENDS ON THE COMMISSION.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR INVITING ME HERE THIS MORNING.
SEVERAL OF YOU HAVE COME TO VISIT ME IN MY SANCTUARY AT BETH ISLE CONGREGATION.
SO IT'S AN HONOR TO BE INVITED HERE THIS MORNING TO PARTICIPATE IN YOUR SANCTUARY AND TO OFFER AN INVOCATION, ESPECIALLY IN LIGHT OF THE FACT THAT TODAY IS NINE 11.
SO, THANK YOU MAYOR MINER FOR YOUR GRACIOUS, UH, INVITATION.
AND, UH, IT'S GOOD TO SEE ALL OF YOU.
AND I THANK ALL OF YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF ALL OF OUR HEARTS FOR THE SERVICE THAT YOU PROVIDE FOR THE CITY OF MIAMI BEACH.
ALMIGHTY GOD, CREATOR OF HEAVEN AND EARTH, WE GATHER HERE TODAY IS ONE COMMUNITY UNITED IN MEMORY AND REFLECTION TO HONOR THE LIVES LOST AND THE BRAVERY SHOWN ON THAT FATEFUL DAY, SEPTEMBER 11TH, 2001.
THE STRENGTH OF A SOCIETY IS MEASURED NOT BY THE ABSENCE OF TRAGEDY, BUT BY ITS ABILITY TO ENDURE, RECOVER, AND EMERGE STRONGER.
WE HAVE WITNESSED WITH, WE HAVE WITNESSED RE THIS RESILIENCE BEFORE, WHETHER IN THE WAKE OF PEARL HARBOR OR FOR US AS JEWS IN THE AFTERMATH OF THE HOLOCAUST, EACH TIME HUMANITY'S CAPACITY TO CHOOSE LIFE, TO REBUILD AND TO PRESERVE SHINES THROUGH.
IN THE 21ST CENTURY, THE STRENGTH OF AMERICA WAS EMBODIED BY THE COURAGE OF ITS FIRST RESPONDERS OF NINE 11.
THE FIREFIGHTERS, POLICE OFFICERS, HEALTHCARE WORKERS, AND ORDINARY CITIZENS WHO IN THE FACE OF UNIMAGINABLE HORROR, RUSHED TOWARD DANGER.
THEIR BRAVERY CONTINUES TO INSPIRE US ALL.
LIKEWISE, THE RESILIENCE OF ISRAEL IN THIS CENTURY WAS DEMONSTRATED BY THE VALOR OF THE SOLDIERS OF THE IDF AND THE RESPONSE TO THE UNPROVOKED MASSACRE OF OCTOBER 7TH.
THEIR DETERMINATION TO PROTECT AND DEFEND, TO STAND FIRM IN THE FACE OF EVIL MIRRORS THE SAME SPIRIT OF COURAGE THAT WE HONOR TODAY ON NINE 11, AMERICAN AND ISRAEL BOUND TOGETHER BY THEIR SHARED VALUES OF FREEDOM AND DEMOCRACY, STAND RESOLUTE IN THEIR COMMITMENT TO DEFEND THEIR CITIZENS FROM THE FORCES OF DARKNESS AND TERROR.
AS WE COMMEMORATE NINE 11, LET US NEVER FORGET WHO WE ARE.
LET US NEVER FORGET THE MORAL RIGHTEOUSNESS WE ARE WILLING TO FIGHT FOR, AND IF NECESSARY, LAID DOWN OUR LIVES TO PROTECT.
LET US ALWAYS REMEMBER THE COURAGE, SACRIFICE, AND HEROISM OF ALL WHO GAVE EVERYTHING ON THAT DAY, OUR FATHER OF COMPASSION.
SHELTER THE SOULS OF THE DEAD AND THE GRACEFUL SHADOW OF YOUR WINGS.
GIVE STRENGTH AND COMFORT TO THE SURVIVORS TO FIND FULFILLMENT.
GIVE COURAGE TO THOSE WHO FIGHT TERROR AND PROTECT THE INNOCENT FROM DANGER.
OUR FATHER IN HEAVEN, WHO CREATED ALL PEOPLE IN HIS IMAGE, PROVIDE WISDOM TO THE LEADERS OF THE WORLD TO BE GUIDED WITH THE RIGHTEOUSNESS AND PEACE.
TEACH US TO REVERE THE SANCTITY OF LIFE, REJECT THE EVIL OF TERROR, AND RECOGNIZE THE DANGER OF A WORLD FILLED WITH VIOLENCE.
GIVE US THE STRENGTH AND PERSEVERANCE TO STAY STAYS TRUE TO OUR MORAL BEARINGS.
BE WITH US AND DIRECT US AS WE STRIVE TO MAKE THIS WORLD KINDER AND GENTLER.
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HOPES AND LISTEN TO OUR PRAYERS.MAY GOD BLESS AMERICA, THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, THE LAND WE HOLD, DEAR.
MAY HE STAND BESIDE HER AND GUIDE HER WITH HER WITH DIVINE WISDOM FROM ABOVE.
AND MAY WE FOREVER CHERISH THE FREEDOMS AND VALUES THAT MAKE THIS NATION AND THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE.
GREAT WAY TO START OUR MEETING NOW.
GONNA ASK ALEXANDRA LAUREUS TO SING AND PERFORM.
AND THANK YOU TO MICHAEL ROSSI FROM MIAMI BEACH, CLASSICAL MUSIC FESTIVAL FOR MAKING, UH, THIS INTRODUCTION, GOD BLESS LESS AMERICA, LAND THAT I LOVE.
STAND BESIDE HER AND GUIDE HER THROUGH THE NIGHT WITH THE LIGHT FROM ABOVE, FROM THE MOUNTAINS TO THE PRAIRIES, TO THE OCEANS WIDE WITH GOD BLESS AMERICA, MY HOME, SWEET HOME.
STAND BESIDE HER AND GUIDE HER THROUGH THE NIGHT WITH A LIGHT FROM ABOVE, FROM THE MOUNTAINS TO THE PRAIRIE TO THE OCEAN.
UM, I'M ACTUALLY GONNA START WITH ONE,
[R9 C DR. STANLEY SUTNICK CITIZEN'S FORUM. (8:35 A.M./1:00 P.M.)]
UH, SPEAKER MITCH, UH, FOR, FOR, SO, 'CAUSE WE'RE GONNA DO A MOMENT OF SILENCE AT 8 46.UM, AND WE'RE GONNA DO A ONE MINUTE MOMENT OF SILENCE, WHICH ACTUALLY IS A, SEEMS LIKE A LONG TIME, MAYBE UNCOMFORTABLY SO, BUT THAT'S THE POINT.
UM, SO MITCH, WHY DON'T YOU START US OFF AND THEN WE'LL, WE'LL TAKE A, A, A MOMENT'S, UH, BREAK AND THEN WE'LL CONTINUE WITH THE SUT HOUR.
ALEXANDER MITCH NOVIK 23 YEARS AGO ON THIS DAY IN THESE CHAMBERS, AT THIS HOUR, I WAS WAITING TO CHAIR THE HISTORIC PRESERVATION BOARD MEETING WHEN A MAN WALKED UP AND SAID, HEY, IS THERE A TV IN THIS ROOM? AND I NODDED TO THE MEDIA ROOM, I GO, WHAT'S GOING ON? HE SAID, A CESSNA HAD HIT ONE OF THE TRADE CENTER TOWERS.
WE WALKED, UH, TO THE MEDIA ROOM FORMALLY BEHIND ME.
I ASKED RON FRANCIS, HEY, IS THERE A TV HE THERE WAS, HE PUT IT ON, UH, AND IT LOOKED LIKE A SMALL CRAFT AIRCRAFT HAD HIT ONE OF THE BUILDINGS, WENT BACK TO THE DAIS.
WHEN STRUCTURAL ENGINEER JOSE TOLEDO, UH, MEMBER OF THE OF THE HPB WALKS IN.
I GO, HEY, JOSE, UH, COME CHECK THIS OUT.
WE'RE LOOKING, UH, AT, AT, AT THE DAMAGE WHEN THE SECOND PLANE HIT.
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AND WE LOOKED AT EACH OTHER AND HE SAID, MITCH, THESE BUILDINGS ARE LIKELY GONNA PANCAKE UPON THEMSELVES.I LOOKED AT HIM AND SAID, NO WAY.
WENT BACK TO THE DAYS THE MEETING BEGAN WITH A CONTENTIOUS ITEM, THE CALLOUS AND SENSELESS DEMOLITION OF THE LAGOS COUNTRY CLUB CLUBHOUSE.
I REMEMBER ACTIVISTS B STEIN, IN ADDITION TO MANY LONG GONE ACTIVISTS, UH, WHO FILLED THE CHA CHAMBERS TO DISPLAY THEIR CONCERN.
ANYWAY, TWO HOURS LATER, STAFF MEMBER, WE FINISHED THE ITEM.
STAFF MEMBER WALKS IN, PLANNING STAFF MEMBER, I ASKED, HEY, WHAT'S GOING ON IN THE REAL WORLD? SHE SAID, BOTH TOWERS HAD FALLEN.
PENTAGON WAS HIT, AND AN AIRCRAFT HAD CRASHED INTO A LOT.
THE WORLD HAD CHANGED THAT DAY.
SO I'M JUST GONNA SAY, UM, SPEAK FOR TWO MINUTES BEFORE WE TAKE OUR MOMENT OF SILENCE AND THEN WE'LL CONTINUE WITH WITH SUT NICK.
UM, AND IT'S ACTUALLY THE FIRE DEPARTMENT AT 8 46 IS DOING A, A VERY MOVING CEREMONY, WHICH UNFORTUNATELY CONFLICTED WITH THIS MEETING, BUT WE'RE THINKING OF ALL THE FIREFIGHTERS AND POLICE OFFICERS.
I PROMISED MYSELF I WOULDN'T GET EMOTIONAL, BUT IT'S, IT'S VERY HARD.
I LOVE THIS COUNTRY AND WHAT WE SAW THAT DAY IS SOMETHING WE NEED TO REMEMBER.
SOME PEOPLE TRY TO CONFUSE WHO'S GOOD, WHO'S NOT.
WHO'S EVIL? WHO WANTS TO MURDER INNOCENT PEOPLE? INTENTIONALLY.
THERE'S GOOD AND EVIL IN THIS WORLD, AND WE HAVE TO STAND STRONG FOR THOSE WHO ARE GOOD, THOSE WHO ARE HOLDING OUR VALUES, DEMO DEMOCRATIC VALUES.
WE HAVE TO REMEMBER ON NINE 11 WHAT HAPPENED AND WHO DID THIS AND WHO CELEBRATED WATCHING THAT HAPPEN AND WHO ARE OUR ALLIES? WHO STOOD WITH US, SUPPORTED US, PROVIDED ASSISTANCE NOT JUST EMOTIONALLY, BUT MILITARILY WITH INTELLIGENCE TO BE ABLE TO FIGHT BACK.
AND WE HAVE TO REMEMBER THAT WHETHER IT'S AL-QAEDA, WHETHER IT'S HAMAS.
AND I ALSO REMEMBER THE REACTION OF OUR COUNTRY THAT WE STOOD UNITED.
THERE WAS NO REPUBLICAN, THERE WAS NO DEMOCRATS.
AND WE HAVE TO GET BACK TO THAT.
WE HAVE TO REMEMBER BECAUSE GOD FORBID IF SOMETHING LIKE THAT EVER HAPPENS AGAIN, WE'RE ALL GONNA BE UNITED.
WE'RE NOT DIVIDED THAT WE THINK WE ARE.
WE CREATE SOMETIMES OUR OWN PROBLEMS AND ISSUES THAT IN REALITY WHEN WE WERE, IF WE'RE PUSHED TO THE WALL, DON'T EVEN EXIST.
'CAUSE WE'RE GONNA FIGHT TOGETHER AND WE'RE GONNA LOVE TOGETHER AND WE'RE GONNA SUPPORT EACH OTHER TOGETHER JUST LIKE WE DID ON NINE 11.
LET'S TAKE ONE MINUTE OF SILENCE TO REMEMBER THOSE LOST OF NINE 11.
I'M SURE WE ALL HAD OUR OWN THOUGHTS AND OBSERVATIONS, BUT I'LL TELL YOU JUST ONE OF MY THOUGHTS BESIDES PRAYER WAS THAT I WILL ALWAYS FIGHT FOR THIS COUNTRY.
MAYBE NOT IN THE MILITARY, BUT I WILL ALWAYS FIGHT FOR THE VALUES
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OF THIS COUNTRY.'CAUSE WE ARE A GREAT, GREAT NATION AND A LEADER FOR WORLD VALUES.
OKAY, OUR NEXT SPEAKER, GOOD MORNING.
I WAS COMING OUT THIS MORNING TO TALK ABOUT THE TRACK AND THE FIRE STATION ISSUE WHEN MY SON, WHO WAS TRYING TO DELAY GETTING READY FOR SCHOOL, DECIDED THAT HE WANTED TO, UM, SPEAK AS WELL.
AND SO HE WROTE THIS THIS MORNING AS I WAS GOING OUT OF THE HOUSE.
I HAVE BEEN USING THE TRACK FOR LONGER THAN I REMEMBER.
I USE THE GOALS WHEN I WAS LITTLE.
I LIKE TO PLAY IN THE BIG PUDDLES AFTER THE RAIN.
WE SHOULD FIX THAT TOO THOUGH.
UM, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO HAVE A FIRE STATION, BUT PLEASE BUILD ONE WITHOUT HAVING TO CLOSE OUR TRACK.
AND WHAT I WANNA ADD IS THAT THE ANTIDOTE TO SO MANY OF THE PROBLEMS THAT WE TALK ABOUT HERE AND SOME OF THE PROBLEMS THAT MAYOR MINER HAS EVEN UM, BROUGHT UP TODAY IS ACTUALLY CONNECTION AND COMMUNITY CONNECTION.
AND FOR THOSE OF US WHO LIVE IN THE FLAMINGO PARK NEIGHBORHOOD, THE TRACK IS LIKE OUR PUBLIC SQUARE.
IT'S WHERE MULTIPLE GENERATIONS OF FAMILIES AND FRIENDS CAN COME OUT AND DO THINGS THAT WE VALUE, THAT WE THINK ARE GOOD AND IMPORTANT.
UM, EXERCISING, CONNECTING WITH THEIR COMMUNITY.
THERE, YOU'RE GONNA HEAR FROM OTHER FOLKS WHO USE THE TRACK IN DIFFERENT WAYS TODAY.
BUT FOR SOMEONE WHO IS THE PARENT OF A 7-YEAR-OLD, OR WHO IS A 7-YEAR-OLD CLOSING FOR MANY MONTHS OR A FEW YEARS, HOWEVER LONG WE DECIDE THIS TAKES OR HOWEVER LONG DELAYS MAY TAKE, CAN FEEL LIKE AN ETERNITY.
SO WE WOULD JUST ASK THAT YOU CONSIDER AN ALTERNATIVE THAT DOESN'T REMOVE THIS COMMUNITY RESOURCE EVEN TEMPORARILY.
OUR NEXT VIRTUAL SPEAKER IS JUDITH SMIGEL.
JUDITH STATE YOUR NAME, ADDRESS, AND YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES.
I'M VERY PRIVILEGED TO LIVE NEAR A FABULOUS PEDESTRIAN STREET LINCOLN ROAD.
UM, NOW THE CITY AND THE LINCOLN ROAD BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT DO EXCELLENT JOBS WITH THE PHYSICAL AND THE EXPERIENCE OF BEING ON LINCOLN ROAD.
BUT MANY PEOPLE NOTICE THE ALARMING AMOUNT OF EMPTY STOREFRONTS.
I DON'T GET THE ECONOMICS OF THAT.
I'M WONDERING IF LINCOLN ROAD LANDLORDS GET A TAX BREAK FOR PROPERTIES THAT ARE VACANT AND IF THAT CAN BE REVERSED.
IF NOT, HOW ABOUT INCENTIVIZING LANDLORDS TO FILL THE VACANCIES, FOR EXAMPLE, A TAX BREAK FOR THE FIRST YEAR? THE OTHER PROBLEM THAT I KNOW THAT THE MAYOR AND COMMISSIONERS ARE ALSO AWARE OF, AND CERTAINLY MY NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION, THE FLAMINGO PARK NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION, ARE THE FACT THAT THE PERMITTING PROCESS IS SO SLOW FOR, AND IT AFFECTS ALL OF US.
IT CERTAINLY AFFECTS ANYONE WHO WOULD LIKE TO OR DOES HAVE A BUSINESS ON LINCOLN ROAD.
I WAS AT A CAFE ACROSS THE STREET FROM THE APPLE STORE AND ASKED WHY THERE WEREN'T ANY FANS OUTSIDE.
WHEN THE FEELS LIKE IS MAYBE 103 DEGREES, THEY'RE WAITING FOR A PERMIT.
UM, I JUST THINK THAT LINCOLN ROAD IS SUCH AN IMPORTANT INCOME CENTER AND CULTURAL CENTER FOR THE BEACH THAT AMONG ALL THE OTHER PRIORITIES THAT ARE REALLY IMPORTANT, I, I VOTE THAT THIS BE MORE OF A PRIORITY AND GET MORE ATTENTION.
I SEE IN THE MEDIA LOTS OF PLANS TO IMPROVE LINCOLN ROAD, BUT I DON'T SEE ATTENTION TO THE EMPTY STOREFRONTS.
NEXT, PLEASE STATE YOUR NAME, ADDRESS, AND YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES PLEASE.
GOOD MORNING, MAYOR MINOR, MY VIEW BEACH COMMISSIONERS AND STAFF.
I'M FOUNDING ARTISTIC DIRECTOR OF DANCE NOW MIAMI, PROUDLY CELEBRATING OUR 25TH ANNIVERSARY SEASON.
FOUNDED AND BASED IN MIAMI BEACH.
I HAVE LIVED HERE FOR 30 YEARS.
FOR 21, I'VE OWNED A PROPERTY AT 900 BAY DRIVE.
FIRST AND FOREMOST, I WANNA THANK YOU FOR YOUR COLLECTIVE VISION AND ALL YOU DO TO SUSTAIN AND SUPPORT THE ARTS AND YOUR BELIEF THAT THE ARTS ARE AN ESSENTIAL PART OF A HEALTHY SOCIETY.
PROVIDING JOBS, ATTRACTING TOURISM, CREATING OPPORTUNITY, INCREASING CIVIC ENGAGEMENT, SHAPING OUR YOUTH AND ENRICHING OUR COMMUNITY IN COUNTLESS WAYS.
MIAMI BEACH'S HOME TO A DIVERSE AND THRIVING ART SCENE THAT WE KNOW DRAWS MILLIONS OF INTERNATIONAL VISITORS AND PATRONS AND SERVES ITS RESIDENTS YEAR ROUND.
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SO MANY LIKE DANCEN NOW MIAMI, RELY ON PUBLIC FUNDING TO SURVIVE AND THRIVE, ESPECIALLY COMING OUT OF THE COVID CRISIS.THIS SEASON HAS BEEN PARTICULARLY DEVASTATING FOR US.
FUNDING HAS GONE BEYOND CUTTING OFF OUR ORGANIZATION AT THE KNEES.
IT IS LITERALLY DECIMATING THE ARTS FROM THE COMPLETE LOSS OF STATE FUNDING TO AN UNEXPECTED 11% ACROSS THE BOARD.
CUT FROM MIAMI-DADE COUNTY LAST WEEK.
DANCE NOW AMONG OTHER MAJOR ORGANIZATIONS IS NOW FORCED TO REDUCE THEIR SCOPE, LEAVING COUNTLESS ARTISTS WITHOUT JOBS AND AUDIENCES AND VISITORS WITHOUT ACTIVITIES ON MIAMI BEACH DANCE.
NOW MIAMI IS FACING A SHORTFALL OF NEARLY 40% WITH ONLY 16,000 COMING FROM MIAMI BEACH.
THIS MEANS WE WILL NOT ONLY CUT EVENTS, BUT IT AFFECTS OUR ABILITY TO HELP SHAPE THE CULTURAL FABRIC OF THIS COMMUNITY, ULTIMATELY AFFECTING REAL ESTATE VALUES, TOURISM, EDUCATION, EMPLOYMENT AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP.
ON BEHALF OF DANCE NOW MIAMI AND THE ENTIRE MIAMI BEACH ARTS COMMUNITY, I IMPLORE YOU TO SUPPORT COMMISSIONER BAT'S MEASURE C SEVEN S IN ITS WISDOM, IT WILL PROVIDE PARTIAL STOP GAP FUNDING AND HALT THE BLEEDING.
TO SOME DEGREE, IT WILL ASSURE THAT ARTS ON MIAMI BEACH WILL STAND STRONG FOR THE COMING SEASON, EVEN AS THEY FALTER THROUGH THE COUNTY AND THE STATE.
BY SUPPORTING THIS PROPOSAL, YOU WILL ASSURE THAT MIAMI BEACH REMAINS A BEACON IN THIS DARK MOMENT FOR THE ARTS COMMUNITY.
THANK YOU COMMISSIONER BAT MAYOR MINOR AND THE COMMISSION.
OUR NEXT VIRTUAL SPEAKER IS JOHANN MOORE.
MR. MOORE, YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES.
PLEASE STATE YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS.
GOOD MORNING, JOHANN MOORE, 7 1 7 JEFFERSON AVENUE.
UH, IF ONLY TEARS WERE ABLE TO BE SHED FOR THE 40,000 VICTIMS OF GENOCIDE, NINE 11.
MANY OF US HAVE STORIES RELATED TO MY OWN HUSBAND WENT BACK.
YOU KNOW, PEOPLE, PEOPLE SAY THAT I SHOULD JUST LET IT GO, BUT YOU, YOU BUT THE REASON WHY NO, I AM GONNA INTERRUPT YOU BECAUSE IF SOMEBODY WE HEAR SPEAKING DISPARAGINGLY AND SAYING RACIST COMMENTS, CITY STAFF, INCLUDING THE CITY.
IF SOMEBODY WAS HERE SAYING, RA, THAT IS AN ANTI-SEMITIC COMMENT.
IT IS A COMPLETE DISGRACE THAT YOU COME IN HERE AND USE AND MAKE ACCUSATIONS THAT ARE ACTUALLY ON THE FLIP SIDE.
IT'S THE EXACT OPPOSITE OF WHAT'S GOING ON IN REALITY.
BY ATTEMPTING TO INTERRUPT ME NOW, I DEMAND MY TIME.
I AM CALLING IN TO EXPRESS OPINIONS AS A MEMBER OF THE PUBLIC, AND I DO NOT ACCEPT BEING INTERRUPTED WHEN I'M EXPRESSING FIRST AMENDMENT PROTECTED SPEECH FROM THE DA NINE 11 IS AMONG OTHER THINGS WITH FULL ACKNOWLEDGEMENT THAT THOSE WHO WERE TARGETED WERE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR US FOREIGN POLICY.
IT IS AMONG OTHER THINGS, A REMINDER TO AVOID EVIL FOREIGN POLICY ENTANGLEMENTS.
MY ONE POINT I CALLED TO REBUKE A COMMISSIONER FOR AN ITEM CALLING FOR A DELEGATION TO A GENOCIDE INDICTED FOREIGN REGIME.
YOU HAVE A CHOICE AS INDIVIDUALS CHOOSE GENOCIDE OR CHOOSE JUSTICE.
I ALSO INSIST THAT AS A COMMISSION, YOU KNOW WHAT'S AMAZING IN OUR SOCIETY, IN OUR SOCIETY, ON EVERY I'LL, NOT EVERY INTERRUPTED, I'M GONNA INTERRUPT YOU.
IN EVERY GROUP AND EVERY GROUP, NO MATTER WHAT GROUP IT IS, THIS WOULD NOT NOBODY, NOBODY WOULD TOLERATE THE ANTISEMITIC, DISGUSTING COMMENTS THAT YOU'RE MAKING.
BUT SOMEHOW WHEN IT'S JEWS, SOMEHOW WHEN IT'S JEWS, IT'S OKAY.
ALLOW THE PUBLIC TO CONTINUE TO SPEAK UNINTERRUPTED.
NOW I WILL MAKE MY POINTS ON BEHALF OF MY COMMUNITY, WHICH IS WHAT THIS COMMISSION SHOULD BE FOCUSING ON.
WE ASKED FOR A ROOFTOP BAN ON ENTERTAINMENT CS, UNDER EITHER THE PROVISIONS OF THE WASHINGTON AVENUE RESIDENTIAL INCENTIVIZATION OR UNDER THE BROADER PROVISIONS OF AN ITEM BEFORE YOU, WHICH SEEKS TO BAN, UH, INAPPROPRIATE UH, ENTERTAINMENT.
WE THANK THE COMMISSIONERS FOR THEIR SUPPORT FOR PRESERVING THE SOUTH SHORE COMMUNITY CENTER AND LOOK FORWARD TO THE ADDED ITEM, WHICH INVITES THE PUBLIC TO PARTICIPATE IN A TOUR OF THAT SITE TO SUGGEST NEW USES AND ACTIVATIONS.
I ALSO WANNA SPEAK IN FAVOR OF VARIOUS ITEMS THAT SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE IS IN SUPPORT OF.
WE ARE VERY SKEPTICAL AS MEMBERS AND EVEN AS A COMMITTEE OF R FIVE L, UH, PALM TREES DO NOT GIVE THE EQUIVALENT BENEFIT TO THE PUBLIC THAT TREES DO.
UH, WE ARE FULLY IN SUPPORTIVE OF R FIVE H, THE TURTLE NESTING PROTECTION AMENDMENT AND URGE STRENGTHENING, UH, LE LEGISLATION AGAINST EXCESSIVE LIGHT POLLUTION, WHICH CONFUSES THE TURTLE
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NESTING.WE ALSO ARE SUPPORTIVE OF C SEVEN N AND A COMMUNITY SUGGESTION, IN FACT, FOR THE SOUTH SHORE COMMUNITY CENTER IS THAT IT HOSTS A REGULAR
PLEASE, PLEASE STATE YOUR NAME, ADDRESS, AND YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES.
I LIVE ON BAY DRIVE IN MIAMI BEACH.
I WOULD LIKE TO ASK THAT I NOT BE INTERRUPTED BY THE MAYOR AND THAT I AM ALLOWED THE TIME I AM ENTITLED TO SPEAK.
I AM SPEAKING TO THE RESOLUTION ABOUT THE COMMISSION'S PROPOSED MISSION TO ISRAEL TO DEMONSTRATE SUPPORT FOR ISRAEL AND TO HELP BOLSTER ITS ECONOMY.
I TRULY CAN'T THINK OF ANYTHING MORE SHAMEFUL AT THIS TIME.
EVEN BEFORE THIS PAST YEAR WOULD'VE BEEN TOTALLY INAPPROPRIATE SINCE ISRAEL IS AN OCCUPYING POWER.
BUT GIVEN THE FACT THAT ISRAEL IS CONDUCTING A GENOCIDE AGAINST THE PALACE, SEE, I'M NOT, I'M IS IT INEXCUSABLE FOR YOU WORDS? LEMME YOU KNOW, SPEAKING OF ECONOMY, DO YOU REALIZE YOU'RE SAYING ABSOLUTE HATE SPEECH SEVERAL DECADES AND LIES, DO YOU EVEN REALIZE WHAT YOU'RE SAYING? JUSTICE? AND THAT'S WHAT I LEARNED.
JEWISH WAS, AND I'LL FINISH RIGHT IN A FEW MINUTES.
WELL, SPEAKING OF ECONOMIES, FOR THE PAST SEVERAL DECADES, PALESTINE'S ECONOMY HAS IN BEEN SUFFOCATED BY THE ISRAELI GOVERNMENT.
AS THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE HAVE BEEN STRUGGLING WITH EVERYTHING THEY HAVE TO SURVIVE THEIR RELENTLESS VIOLENCE AND OPPRESSION.
THESE PAST 11 MONTHS, MORE THAN 40,000 PALESTINIANS AND GAZA AND 660 IN THE WEST BANK, INCLUDING SO MANY CHILDREN, HAVE BEEN KILLED BY ISRAEL SOLDIERS AND SETTLERS.
ISRAEL'S WIPING OUT ENTIRE FAMILIES.
GAZA'S DWELLINGS HAVE BEEN DESTROYED ALONG WITH ITS UNIVERSITIES, ITS HEALTHCARE FACILITIES, ITS SCHOOLS, ALL A RESULT OF ISRAEL'S BRUTAL VIOLENCE AND THE BOMBS, IT IS INDISCRIMINATELY DROPPING IN GAZA.
PALESTINIANS ARE STARVING WHILE ISRAEL PREVENTS FOOD FROM ENTERING GAZA.
MIAMI BEACH SHOULD NOT GO DOWN IN HISTORY SUPPORTING GENOCIDE.
AND THE RESOLUTIONS PUT FORTH BEFORE US TODAY WOULD BE DOING JUST THAT.
I OPPOSE THEM WITH EVERY FIBER OF MY BEING AS A JEWISH PERSON, AS A DEEPLY COMMITTED JEWISH PERSON, AND AS A RESIDENT OF MIAMI BEACH MY WHOLE LIFE, AND PARTICULARLY IN THE SPIRIT OF ROSH HASHANAH AND YOM KIPPUR APPROACHING US, I IMPLORE THE COMMISSION TO SAY NO TO GENOCIDE AND TO STAND ON THE SIDE OF JUSTICE.
SO I REALLY DON'T WANNA HAVE TO USE THESE MEETINGS TO DISCUSS THIS, BUT I I CANNOT LET UNFETTERED LIES GO.
SO I'M GONNA, I'M GOING TO MAKE A COUPLE OF COMMENTS AND ONE, UH, PLEASE ANYBODY WHO'S LISTENING, I DIDN'T CORRECT ALL YOUR PROPAGANDA AND ALL THE LIES THAT YOU TOLD.
I WANT TO GIVE A PICTURE IN CASE PEOPLE DON'T RECOGNIZE WHAT IS GOING ON IN THE WORLD RIGHT NOW FROM A JEWISH PERSON'S PERSPECTIVE.
AND I DON'T MEAN TO SPEAK FOR ANY JEWISH PERSON, YOU'RE JEWISH.
UH, AT LEAST YOU CLAIM TO BE SO, BUT I DON'T MEAN TO SPEAK FOR ALL JEWISH PEOPLE, BUT I COULD TELL YOU WHAT I AM HEARING OVER AND OVER AGAIN FROM, FROM PEOPLE, AND I COULD TELL YOU I FEEL IT.
THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA IS THE GREATEST COUNTRY EVER FOR THE JEWISH PEOPLE IN THE HISTORY OF MANKIND OTHER THAN ISRAEL.
THIS COUNTRY HAS BEEN TREMENDOUS TO JEWISH PEOPLE WITH OPPORTUNITIES AND WHAT WAS ONCE THOUGHT OF UNTHINKABLE 10 YEARS AGO.
EVERY JEWISH PERSON I KNOW IS THINKING, IS TIME RUNNING OUT FOR US HERE IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA? THAT'S WHAT I HEAR.
AND THE ONLY PLACE THAT IS THAT JEWISH PEOPLE HAVE IS ISRAEL.
EVERY OTHER PEOPLE HAS A COUNTRY.
ISRAEL, BY THE WAY, HAS ABOUT 8 MILLION JEWISH PEOPLE SURROUNDED BY 500 MILLION ARABS.
BUT SOMEHOW ISRAEL DOES NOT HAVE THE RIGHT TO DEFEND ITSELF.
THERE'S NOT A JEWISH PERSON IN THE WEST BANK IN GAZA, NOT A ONE.
AND IF THEY WERE, THEY'D BE KILLED.
AND IT'S NOT JUST JEWISH PEOPLE.
I'M LOOKING AROUND THIS ROOM HERE, PEOPLE CAN SPEAK UP.
COMMISSIONER, I WAS VERY PLEASED YOU SPOKE UP LAST TIME.
THERE ARE MANY OTHER GROUPS OF PEOPLE THAT IF THEY OPENLY LIVED THEIR LIFE, THEY WOULD NOT SURVIVE.
BUT THE HUMAN RIGHTS INDEX THAT COMES OUT, BY THE WAY, RATED ISRAEL HIGHER THAN ANY MUSLIM COUNTRY.
YOU HAVE MORE RIGHTS AS A MUSLIM IN ISRAEL THAN YOU DO IN THE MUSLIM COUNTRIES ACCORDING TO THE HUMAN RIGHTS INDEX.
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SHARE THE DOCUMENT AND I'LL TAKE ONE MORE MOMENT.I SAID THIS LAST TIME, BUT IT'S WORTH REPEATING.
ISRAEL FORCIBLY REMOVED EVERY LAST REMAINING JEWISH PERSON IN GAZA IN 2004.
THIS IS NOT A JEWISH PERSON IN GAZA.
AND THE ARMY FORCIBLY REMOVED ANYONE MOST LEFT VOLUNTARILY WHEN ISRAEL GAVE BACK GAZA TO THE PALESTINIANS AND HAMAS TOOK OVER GAZA.
IF YOU'VE EVER LOOKED AT A MAP, I'VE NEVER BEEN THERE.
OBVIOUSLY I COULDN'T GO THERE IF I WANTED TO, BUT IF YOU LOOK AT A MAP, IT IS A MAGNIFICENT COASTAL CITY.
OR IT COULD BE IN SOME WAYS, IT COULD BE MIAMI BEACH, YOU COULD BUILD HOTELS LINING THE COAST THERE.
BUT YOU WON'T FIND THEM THERE.
WHAT YOU FIND IS HUNDREDS OF MILES OF TUNNELS THAT WE USE TO SMUGGLE IN WEAPONS.
AND WE SAW WHAT HAPPENED ON OCTOBER 7TH, THE BRUTAL MURDER OF CIVILIANS, WHO, BY THE WAY, MOST OF THEM WERE ACTUALLY VERY SUPPORTIVE OF THE PALESTINIANS IN A TWO-STATE SOLUTION.
THEY WERE LIVING ON KIBBUTZ AND WE SAW THE MURDER AND THE RAPE THAT WAS ALL DOCUMENTED.
ANY CIVILIAN KILLED IS A TRAGEDY.
AND YES, I MOURN THOSE FROM BOTH SIDES, ISRAEL AND PALESTINIAN, ANY INNOCENCE.
BUT LET'S PUT THE BLAME WHERE THE BLAME DESERVES.
HAMAS IS HIDING IN HOSPITALS AND MOSQUES AND MANHATTAN FAMILIES.
ALL RIGHT, NEXT, OUR NEXT VIRTUAL SPEAKER IS ALAN LEVINE.
MR. LEVINE, YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES.
PLEASE STATE YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS.
MR. MR MR. LEVINE, PLEASE UNMUTE YOURSELF.
UH, ALAN ALAN LEVINE NINE 10 BAY DRIVE.
THERE ARE 3, 2, 3 ITEMS ON TODAY'S AGENDA DEALING WITH ISRAEL.
AND I URGE THAT THEY ALL BE REJECTED.
I'M ADDRESSING MY COMMENTS ABOUT THOSE ITEMS TO COMMISSIONERS BOT DOMINGUEZ FERNANDEZ IN MAGAZINE BECAUSE IT IS CLEAR THAT YOUR COLLEAGUES WILL VOTE FOR ANY BILL THAT APPEARS TO BE IN THE INTEREST OF THE GOVERNMENT OF ISRAEL, WHETHER OR NOT IT IS IN THE INTEREST OF THE PEOPLE OF MIAMI BEACH.
BUT PROTECTING THE INTEREST OF THE PEOPLE OF MIAMI BEACH IS YOUR SWORN DUTY.
AND THESE ITEMS DO NOT SERVE THOSE INTERESTS.
R FIVE B, WHICH WOULD PROHIBIT THE CITY FROM CONTRACTING WITH ANYONE WHO BOYCOTTS ISRAEL.
HOW WOULD THAT ORDINANCE SERVE THE INTEREST OF THE PEOPLE OF MIAMI BEACH WHEN THINGS GO WRONG AND HAVE TO BE FIXED? PEOPLE WANT ONLY ONE THING, THE MOST QUALIFIED CONTRACTORS TO FIX THEM.
THE LAST THING THEY CARE ABOUT IS THE CONTRACTORS' POLITICAL VIEWS USE C SEVEN A J, WHICH WOULD SEEK PUBLIC FUNDS TO PAY FOR EVERY COMMISSIONER AND SEVEN COMMUNITY LEADERS TO GO TO ISRAEL, NOT TO DO BUSINESS THERE, BUT TO SHOW OUR UNWAVERING SUPPORT FOR THE ISRAELI PEOPLE.
KEPT THE MAYOR SIMPLY SEND A LETTER DECLARING HIS UNWAVERING SUPPORT.
DOES THAT MESSAGE REALLY HAVE TO BE DELIVERED IN PERSON AT THE COST OF A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS OR MORE OF PUBLIC FUNDS AT A TIME WHERE WE CAN'T AFFORD TO HOUSE THE HOMELESS OR SUPPORT THE ARTS? THIS IS AN UNCONSCIONABLE BOONDOGGLE.
AND YOU MUST VOTE NO AT ITS LAST MEETING.
THE COMMISSION GAVE $10,000 TO A MAN WHO WILL COMPETE IN THE OLYMPICS FOR ISRAEL.
UH, YOUR TWO MINUTES ARE UP, MR. MAYOR.
LET, LET'S CUT THROUGH THE NONSENSE.
YOU KNOW, I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF THESE.
SO-CALLED FREE PALESTINE ACTIVISTS MARCHING INTO CITY HALL PRETENDING TO BE CHAMPIONS OF L-G-B-T-Q RIGHTS, WOMEN RIGHTS AND HUMAN RIGHTS.
THESE PEOPLE HAD THE NERVE TO START SHOWING UP AFTER OCTOBER 7TH WHEN A HAMAS, A TERRORIST ORGANIZATION RECOGNIZED WORLDWIDE, LAUNCHED A DEADLIEST ASSAULT ON JEWS SINCE THE HOLOCAUST.
THEY SLAUGHTERED BABIES, RAPED WOMEN, BURNED WHOLE FAMILIES ALIVE, AND TOOK INNOCENT CIVILIANS AS HOSTAGES.
MANY OF THESE HOSTAGES ARE STILL SUFFERING IN CAPTIVITY TODAY.
YOU CANNOT CLAIM TO DEFEND HUMAN
[00:35:01]
RIGHTS WHILE BACKING A MOVEMENT TIED TO HAMAS, AN ORGANIZATION THAT BRUTALLY ENFORCES ISLAMIC LAW IN GAZA.HOMOSEXUALITY, IT'S PUNISHABLE BY DEATH.
INDIVIDUALS ARE HUNTED, TORTURED, AND KILLED.
THE LUCKY ONES FLEE TO ISRAEL.
A DEMOCRACY THAT UNLIKE HAMAS' OPPRESSIVE REGIME, OFFERS SANCTUARY AND FREEDOM FOR L-G-B-T-Q PEOPLE ACROSS THE MIDDLE EAST.
GAY PALESTINIANS ARE RUNNING TO ISRAEL FOR SAFETY.
WHILE YOU HYPOCRITES STAND HERE PRETENDING THAT YOU CARE ABOUT L-G-B-T-Q RIGHTS.
AND DON'T GET ME STARTED ON WOMEN RIGHTS.
UNDER HAMAS IRON FIST SUBJECTS, WOMEN AND CHILDREN TO CHILDREN TO, TO CHILD MARRIAGES, HONOR KILLINGS AND FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION.
THESE PRACTICES AREN'T JUST BARBARIC.
THEY STRIP WOMEN OF THEIR DIGNITY AND AUTONOMY.
THEY, THE LEGAL SYSTEM IN GAZA'S RIDDLED WITH SURREAL LAW DOES NOTHING TO PROTECT THESE WOMEN.
YET HERE YOU ARE SCREAMING ABOUT HUMAN RIGHTS WHILE CONVENIENTLY IGNORING THE SUFFERING OF WOMEN UNDER HAMAS' RULE, IT'S TIME YOU CONFRONT THE HYPOCRISY HEAD ON.
YOU WANNA TALK ABOUT HUMAN RIGHTS? LOOK AT THE ATROCITIES COMMITTED BY THE GOVERNMENT YOU'RE DEFENDING AFTER BEING SAVAGELY ATTACKED ISRAEL AND NATION.
FIGHTING FOR ITS SURVIVAL AGAINST A TERRORIST REGIME IS VILIFIED BY YOU.
SO-CALLED HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVISTS, LET'S GET THIS STRAIGHT.
ISRAEL WAS ATTACKED BY AMASS ON OCTOBER 7TH.
AND ISRAEL WILL NOT STOP UNTIL THIS TERRORIST GROUP IS WIPED OFF.
ITS THE MAP I'M CALLING OUT QUEERS FOR PALESTINE.
AND THE REST OF YOU SHAMELESSLY STANDING HERE TODAY.
YOU'RE NOT JUST CLUELESS ABOUT GAZA'S FUNDAMENTALIST GOVERNMENT.
YOUR TWISTED SENSE OF MORALITY EQUIVALENCY IS FLAT OUT WRONG.
THE FACT IS, HAMAS, THE TERRORIST ORGANIZATION GOVERNING THE GAZA STRIP MUST BE COMPLETELY ERADICATED FOR ANY HOPE OF PEACE.
AND FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO BOLDLY ASSERT THAT ISRAEL HAS NO RIGHT TO DEFEND ITSELF AGAINST THESE TERRORISTS, YOUR BELIEFS ARE NOT JUST MISGUIDED, THEY'RE OUTRIGHT DANGEROUS.
HAMAS DOESN'T RECOGNIZE ISRAEL'S RIGHT TO EXIST.
THEIR 1988 CHARTER OPENLY CALLS FOR ISRAEL'S DESTRUCTION, INCITES VIOLENCE AGAINST JEWS, IMPOSES SHARIA LAW AND REJECTS ANY FORM OF PEACE.
WHAT WE'RE WITNESSING TODAY IS THE EVIL AGENDA PLAYING OUT IN REAL TIME.
ANYONE WHO DEFENDS HAMAS, AN ORGANIZATION THAT ABUSES ITS OWN PEOPLE AND SEEKS THE EXTERMINATION OF AN ENTIRE COUNTRY, HAS FORFEITED ANY CLAIM TO THE MORAL HIGH GROUND.
YOU BETTER BE DAMN GRATEFUL YOU LIVE IN A COUNTRY WHERE FREEDOM OF SPEECH IS A RIGHT, BECAUSE IF YOU TOOK YOUR PRONOUNS AND YOUR SO-CALLED WOKE NONSENSE TO GAZA, YOU'D FACE A MUCH HARSHER REALITY HERE.
YOU HAVE THE PRIVILEGE TO BE IGNORANT, BUT DON'T EXPECT TO BE CODDLED OR PRAISED FOR IT.
YOU DESERVE TO BE CALLED OUT AND EXPOSED FOR THE UNINFORMED HYPOCRITES.
THANK, THANK YOU COMMISSIONER SUAREZ.
MAYOR, MAY WE DO ONE MINUTE SINCE WE'RE ALMOST RUNNING OUTTA TIME AND THERE'S A LARGE NUMBER OF PEOPLE, SO I APOLOGIZE, BUT WE'RE GONNA DO ONE MINUTE PER SPEAKER FAVOR.
I'M THE PRESIDENT OF THE NEW WORLD SYMPHONY.
I'M HERE TO TALK ABOUT C SEVEN S.
I WANT TO TALK IN A GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE BECAUSE MIAMI BEACH HAS BECOME A PLACE FOR SOPHISTICATED ARTISTIC ACTIVITY THAT IS RECOGNIZED GLOBALLY.
BUT I ALSO WANNA TALK ABOUT NEAR TERM FUNDING.
FUNDING OF CULTURAL PROGRAMS OR INFRASTRUCTURE REFLECTS THE CHOICES OF THE FUNDERS.
PUBLIC REVENUES DIRECTED TOWARD CULTURAL PROGRAMS OR INFRASTRUCTURE.
PRIVATE WEALTH FLOWS TOWARDS SPECIFIC CULTURAL DISCIPLINES BASED ON THE ENTHUSIASM OF THE DONORS.
PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS INTEGRATE THESE FORCES AND BECOME POWERFUL TOOLS FOR BUILDING A VIBRANT COMMUNITY.
A PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP SUPPORTED THIS CREATION OF THE NEW WORLD CENTER.
A PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP SUPPORTS THE NEW WORLD 70 PROGRAM SUCH AS WALL CAST AND OUR 70 CONCERTS PER YEAR, 30% FREE TO THE PUBLIC.
AND WE ARE GRATEFUL FOR THE PUBLIC FUNDS WE RECEIVE, ESPECIALLY AT THIS MOMENT.
AND WE'RE PROUD TO SERVE THE RESIDENTS OF MIAMI BEACH.
OUR NEXT VIRTUAL SPEAKER IS ADAM GZA.
[00:40:01]
STATE YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS.I'M SPEAKING TODAY, UH, REPRESENTING THE RHYTHM FOUNDATION AND THE MIAMI BEACH BANDSHELL.
UM, UH, JUST LIKE THE GENTLEMAN THAT PROCEEDED ME, I'M SPEAKING ON IN FAVOR OF ITEM C SEVEN S, THE ONE-TIME, UH, FUNDING FOR THE ARTS AND CULTURAL ORGANIZATIONS AFFECTED BY STATE BUDGET CUTS.
UH, I WANT, I WANTED TO THANK COMMISSIONER BOT AND COMMISSIONER FERNANDEZ FOR INTRODUCING THIS ITEM.
UM, ARTS AND CULTURE ARE AN VERY IMPORTANT PIECE, PART OF THE ECONOMY AND THE VIBRANCY OF THE CITY OF MIAMI BEACH AND THE COMMUNITY AND, UH, US AND IN THAT ARTS COMMUNITY WANTED TO EXPRESS OUR THANKS AND GRATITUDE FOR, UM, FOR THE RECOGNITION ON THE PART OF THE COMMISSIONS OF THE IMPORTANT ROLE THAT THE ARTS PLAY HERE LOCALLY AND THAT IT IS WORTH INVESTING IN.
THIS IS A, A BIG DEAL FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE.
I'M A PROUD RESIDENT OF PALM VIEW NEIGHBORHOOD AND I'M HERE TO SHED LIGHT TODAY ON THE LACK OF PROGRESS WITH LINCOLN ROAD.
APPARENTLY PHASE TWO GOT A 12 MILLION OVERBID.
WE NEED TO SHED LIGHT ON THIS.
PAY ATTENTION, FIGURE OUT WHAT'S GOING WRONG AND GET THIS STREET GOING.
THIS IS THE EPICENTER OF SOUTH BEACH.
PEOPLE ARE LEAVING, MONEY'S GOING ELSEWHERE.
IT'S HURTING OUR PROPERTY VALUES AND IT NEEDS TO BE FIXED AND WE NEED TO TAKE THE TIME TO, I HOPE YOU'RE GONNA ADD IT.
I MEAN, I HAD AN ORGANIZED SPEECH, BUT I'M RAMBLING NOW.
THE POINT IS PLEASE HELP US GET THIS BACK.
SPONTANEITY IS THE BEST, BUT HONESTLY, LIKE IT'S EMBARRASSING AND WE NEED TO, YOU, YOU GUYS ARE THE ELECTED OFFICIALS THAT WE COUNT ON AND IT'S NOT MAKING PROGRESS AND IT NEEDS TO CHANGE AND WE CAN DO IT.
AND WE NEED TO RETURN THIS TO BE BACK TO ITS GLORY DAYS AND TO BEING A WORLD CLASS RENOWNED SHOPPING DISTRICT.
SO I BEG OF YOU TO PLEASE PAY ATTENTION TO THIS AND GET THE SHOW ON THE ROAD.
OUR NEXT VIRTUAL SPEAKER IS JEAN FAES.
PLEASE STATE YOUR NAME, ADDRESS.
HI, MY NAME IS GABRIELA AND I LIVE AT THE CORNER OF TATUM WATERWAY AND 77TH STREET.
I AM HERE TO SPEAK ON RESOLUTION C SEVEN AJ AND I NOTICED THAT IT'S JUST SORT OF TRYING TO DETERMINE LOOKING INTO FUNDING SOURCES FOR A DELEGATION TO ISRAEL.
AND I WOULD JUST ASK THAT INSTEAD OF LOOKING FOR FUNDING SOURCES TO GO ON THIS DELEGATION THAT YOU LOOK INTO FUNDING SOURCES FOR THINGS LIKE HOUSING OR, UM, THINGS THAT WOULD TRULY BENEFIT OUR MIAMI BEACH COMMUNITY.
MR. RAMIR, IF I JUST MAY, COMMISSIONER FERNANDEZ.
AND JUST FOR THE BENEFIT OF OF THE PUBLIC, WE HAVE A NUMBER OF ITEMS ON THE AGENDA OF RELATING TO SHIP FUNDS.
UH, FOR, FOR HOUSING, WE HAVE ITEMS RELATING TO HOUSING IMPACT STATEMENTS RELATING TO HOUSING IMPACT MITIGATION ON DEVELOPERS, LOOKING AT REVIEW CRITERIA IN OUR LAND DEVELOPMENT BOARDS ON THE IMPACT THAT DEVELOPMENT APPLICATIONS WILL HAVE ON THE AVAILABILITY OF HOUSING.
AND ADDITION TO THAT, WE HAVE A LIVE BETTER ITEM THAT WE'RE REFERRING TO COMMITTEE TO BUILD UPON THE WORK THAT THE REST OF MY COLLEAGUES ARE WORKING ON TO INCREASE THE AVAILABILITY OF ATTAINABLE HOUSING FOR THE FORGOTTEN MEN, UH, FOR THE FORGOTTEN MIDDLE THAT MIGHT NOT HAVE QUALIFY FOR WORKFORCE HOUSING, BUT DON'T AFFORD, CAN'T AFFORD LUXURY HOUSING.
SO THIS IS A COMMISSION THAT'S VERY MUCH FOCUSED ON THE HOUSING ISSUES AND CHALLENGES OF OUR COMMUNITY.
JACOB JIMENEZ, VETERANS OF FOREIGN WAR MIAMI BEACH POST 3, 5, 5 9.
I WOULD LIKE TO, UH, THANK THE MAYOR AND THE COMMISSIONERS FOR RETURNING OUR CITY BACK TO THE CENTER POLITICALLY WISE AND BRINGING TO THE FOREFRONT THE IMPORTANCE OF WHAT OUR NATION STANDS FOR.
WHAT OUR NATION STANDS FOR IS WE HAVE RIGHTS, BUT THOSE RIGHTS ALSO HAVE OBLIGATIONS.
AS A VETERAN, I SIGNED TO PROTECT MY NATION AGAINST ENEMIES, BOTH FOREIGN AND DOMESTIC, AND LET US CONTINUE, BE VIGILANT AS SUCH.
BUT ALSO IF SOMEBODY COMES UP HERE AND THEY WANNA JUST TALK NONSENSE, PLEASE ALLOW 'EM DO SO.
FURTHERMORE, MY MAIN POINT THAT I CAME TODAY IS THANK YOU FOR COMMEMORATING SEPTEMBER THE 11TH.
AND LIKE I STATED, TO VETERANS OF FOREIGN WAR, OUR TO SUPPORT VETERANS AND ALSO TO REMIND OUR COMMUNITY THE IMPORTANCE THAT WE LIVE UNDER A REPUBLIC, NOT A DEMOCRACY.
AND I WOULD JUST LIKE TO ADD ONE MORE THING.
SEPTEMBER THE 17TH IS CONSTITUTION DAY, SEPTEMBER
[00:45:01]
THE 20TH IS P-O-W-M-I-A DAY.NEVER FORGET PEOPLE DID NOT COME HOME SO THAT WE CAN ENJOY THE HONORS AND PRIVILEGES OF LIVING UNDER.
OUR NEXT VIRTUAL SPEAKER IS PAUL PETRE.
AND I AM A RESIDENT OF SUNSET HARBOR NORTH, UH, UH, FULL-TIME RESIDENT AND OWNER, UH, WITH MY PARTNER FOR 12 YEARS.
SO WE'RE AT 1900 PURDY AVENUE.
AND UH, WHAT I WANTED TO TALK ABOUT TODAY WAS, UH, IS THE DELINEATOR PYLONS THAT WERE INSTALLED RECENTLY BY THE PARKING DEPARTMENT, UH, IN FRONT OF OUR BUILDING.
UH, THESE WERE INSTALLED WITHOUT CONSULTING WITH OUR BUILDING MANAGEMENT OR OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS.
AND, UM, THE RATIONALE THAT WAS GIVEN BY THE PARKING DEPARTMENT MANAGEMENT WHEN OUR PROPERTY MANAGER MET WITH THEM WAS THAT THEY WERE INSTALLED AS A SAFETY MEASURE.
NOW, THERE WAS NO ADVANCED DISCUSSION ABOUT HOW THIS WOULD IMPACT OUR BUILDING OPERATIONS, QUALITY OF LIFE FOR RESIDENTS AND, UH, AND SUCH.
UM, AND IN FACT, I WOULD CONTEND THAT I APOLOGIZE FOR YOUR TIME IS UP.
COMMISSIONERS RESIDENT PAUL ATTENDEES HERE TODAY.
MY NAME IS, UH, MR. RASINSKI, PRESIDENT OF PALMS ASSOCIATION OF 10 25 ALTER ROAD, REPRESENTING APPROXIMATELY A HUNDRED VOTING RESIDENTS.
I HAVE BEEN SENT HERE TODAY BY THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS TO STRONGLY OPPOSE THE PROPOSAL TO RELOCATE THE FIREHOUSE INTO FLAMINGO PARK.
FLAMINGO PARK IS ONE OF OUR FEW REMAINING GREEN SPACES IN OUR CITY.
AND TAKING ANY PART OF THE PERMANENT, TAKING ANY PART OF IT FROM A PERMANENT STRUCTURE IS SIMPLY UNACCEPTABLE.
COULD YOU IMAGINE BUILDING A STRUCTURE SUCH AS THIS IN CENTRAL PARK, NEW YORK, HYDE PARK, LONDON, OR PERHAPS THE ENGLISH GARDENS IN MUNICH? SUCH AN IDEA WOULD NEVER BE TOLERATED.
OUR PARK DESERVES THE SAME LEVEL OF PROTECTION AND REVERENCE.
THIS IS OUR BACKYARD AND YOU CANNOT HAVE IT.
EVERY BLADE OF GRASS IS IMPORTANT TO US.
I'VE BEEN LIVING HERE IN MIAMI BEACH FOR 32 YEARS.
THIS IS THE FIFTH TIME FLAMINGO PARK HAS BEEN UNDER SIEGE FROM EXPANDING THE PARKING LOT NEAR THE POWELL GYM TO EX ENLARGING THE TENNIS COURTS, BUILDING THE BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB, THE BATHROOM ON THE HILL AND NOW THE FIRE STATION, SIR.
HOW MUCH MORE CAN BE TAKEN BEFORE OUR GREEN SPACE? THESE ARE ALL GONE.
ONCE AGAIN, I REPRESENT APPROXIMATELY 100 MIAMI BEACH VOTING RESIDENCE.
I ASK THAT YOU PUT A STOP TO THIS.
OUR GREEN SPACE IS NOT UP FOR NEGOTIATIONS.
WE URGE YOU, SIR, TO PROTECT, SIR.
I APOLOGIZE, BUT THERE'S LOTS OF PEOPLE BEHIND YOU, SO I COMPLETELY APOLOGIZE.
YEAH, E PROTECT THE REMAINING OF FLAME GROVE PARK HANDS OFF OUR PARK.
OUR NEXT VIRTUAL SPEAKER IS NINA.
STATE YOUR NAME AND YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE PLEASE.
UM, I JUST, I I'M AGAINST THE FUNDING DELEGATION TO ISRAEL.
I THINK WHAT YOU'VE HEARD TODAY IS A LOT OF PEOPLE GET UP AND THEY WANT FUNDING FOR THEIR PROGRAMS. THEY WANT FUNDING TO STAY AT HOME.
WHILE YOU HAVE PEOPLE SITTING AT THAT DEUS THAT ARE, THAT ARE DEFENDING A COUNTRY THAT IS WORLDWIDE GUILTY OF GENOCIDE AND GUILTY OF CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY.
IT IS SO DISGUSTING TO ASSOCIATE ISRAEL WITH ALL JEWS.
ZIONISM IS NOT A RELIGION, BUT A RACIST IDEOLOGY THAT IS SHARED ACROSS ALL KINDS OF PEOPLE, RELIGIONS AND EVEN ATHEISTS.
SO IF YOU TIE THAT TO RELIGION AND DISPARAGING ANY OTHER GROUP OF PEOPLE YOU WOULD SHAME AND BOOED.
YOU KNOW, THE FACT, THE FACT ALLOW TO SPEAK.
NO, NO, BUT IT'S ALMOST EMBARRASSING THAT I'M THE ONLY ONE WHO HAS TO CUT IN AND, AND, AND, AND DISRUPT A CLEARLY HATEFUL, BY THE WAY, WHAT YOU ARE SAYING, BY THE WAY, WHAT YOU ARE SAYING IS THINGS THAT NAZI GERMANY WAS SAYING IN 6 MILLION JEWS DIED BECAUSE OF IT.
SO NO, I'M NOT GONNA SIT HERE AND ALLOW YOU TO SAY THINGS THAT ARE ABSOLUTELY FALSE, DISGUSTING, HATEFUL, ANTI-SEMITIC, AND ACTUALLY WHEN PEOPLE LIKE YOU AND OTHERS FEEL AND THINK AND TALK LIKE THAT CAUSES THE MURDER OF JEWISH PEOPLE.
AND NO, I'M NOT GONNA SIT HERE AND LISTEN TO IT, THAT IS ACCUSED OF MURDER, APARTHEID, AND RACISM.
IF YOU CARE ABOUT THE VALUES THAT WE HAVE TODAY, YOU WOULD CARE ABOUT WHAT IS GOING ON HERE AND HOW THE ISRAELI GOVERNMENT SPIT IN THE FACE OF THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT.
THEY TAKE BILLIONS OF DOLLARS.
OUR NEXT SPEAKER, IT, WELL, YOU MAY, YOU YOU MAY SAY
[00:50:01]
THAT, BUT THERE'S A REASON WHY ISRAEL IS, IS THE UNITED STATES ONE OF ITS STRONGEST ALLIES AND CERTAINLY ITS STRONGEST ALLY IN THE MIDDLE EAST AND THERE'S A REASON FOR IT.LOOK AT YOUR LOOK, LOOK AT, LOOK AT YOUR HISTORY.
SERIALISM NEXT SPEAKER, PLEASE.
MATT ROSENBERG PASS, SOUTH BEACH TRACK CLUB, SAFE FLAMINGO PARK.
UH, THANK YOU TO EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU THAT HAVE SPENT TIME, WHETHER WE AGREE EVERY, UH, IN THE WHOLE, EVERYTHING WE'RE TALKING ABOUT FOR THE PARK OR EVERYTHING RELATED TO THE FIRE STATION.
AGAIN, THE SOUTH BEACH TRACK CLUB, WE HAVE OVER USUALLY 80, 90, A HUNDRED PEOPLE EVERY MONDAY.
AS YOU KNOW, I'VE TALKED WITH EVERY ONE OF YOU.
WE CARE VERY MUCH ABOUT THE PARK, WE CARE VERY MUCH ABOUT THE SOCCER KIDS, ABOUT THE BOXERS, ABOUT THE TRAVELING SOCCER TEAM, THE RUNNERS.
YOU HAVE THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE THAT USE THAT PARK REGULARLY JUST IN THE TRACK, IN THE SOCCER FIELD.
WE'RE VERY GLAD THAT YOU'RE ABLE TO SAVE THE COMMUNITY CENTER, REINVEST IN, IN THAT AREA.
ALL THAT WE'RE ASKING IS, AND WE SUPPORT THE FIRE DEPARTMENT THAT, THAT WONDERFUL.
THEY SAVE LIVES, BUT PLEASE SAVE THE PARK.
PLEASE DON'T AFFECT THE TRACK.
THERE ARE LITERALLY THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE THAT USE IT, THAT GET HEALTHIER.
AND THIS WASN'T GONNA BE ON MY TOPIC, BUT IF YOU LOOK AT A PLACE THAT WE NEED TO BRING PEOPLE TOGETHER THROUGH HEALTH AND HAPPINESS AND ATHLETICS, WHERE NOTHING ELSE GETS DISCUSSED AND WE'RE ALL HAPPY AND HEALTHY TOGETHER.
SO IF WE CAN KEEP IT THAT WAY, THAT WOULD BE GREAT.
OUR NEXT VIRTUAL SPEAKER IS WAYNE.
PLEASE STATE YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS.
UM, I JUST WANT TO SAY THAT, UH, UH, THE PROPAGANDA AND STEVEN MINOR IS ABSOLUTELY CORRECT.
THE PROPAGANDA IS SO OFF BASE.
UH, WHERE ARE THE PROXIES OF IRAN? THEY ARE IN LEBANON WHERE 65% OF THE POPULATION WAS DISPLACED PERMANENTLY TO OTHER COUNTRIES, UH, IN SYRIA, UH, 600,000 DEAD IN THE LAST DECADE ALONE.
AND 50% OF THE POPULATION DISPLACED PERMANENTLY TO OTHER COUNTRIES.
UH, THAT IS WHERE THEY ARE, THAT'S WHERE THE PROXIES OF IRAN ARE, THAT ARE ATTACKING ISRAEL.
AND THE, THE EVENT OF OCTOBER 7TH WAS PLANNED.
WHY WAS IT PLANNED? BECAUSE THE SAUDIS WERE MAKING A DEAL WITH ISRAEL.
UH, THE SUNY SHIA, UH, CONFLICT BETWEEN THE TWO HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR CENTURIES AND IT CONTINUES.
AND IRAN IS A, IS A PARIAH STATE.
IT'S, IT'S ATTEMPTING TO DISRUPT NOT ONLY ISRAEL BUT THE UNITED STATES IN A SERIOUS WAY AND THAT WE NEED TO DEFEND OURSELVES FROM, FROM THIS MURDER.
OTHERWISE, THE WORLD IS IN TROUBLE.
DO YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE? GOOD MORNING.
I'M ACTUALLY A RESIDENT OF CORAL GABLES, BUT BECAUSE THIS WAS ON THE BALLOT, THIS AFFECTS ME AS A COUNTY RESIDENT AND I'M TALKING ABOUT THE FIRE STATION AND FLAMINGO PARK.
I'M A FREQUENT PARK USER AND THERE ARE ONLY THREE PUBLIC TRACKS AVAILABLE IN THE COUNTY.
WITHOUT FLAMINGO PARK, THERE'S NOWHERE FOR US TO GO.
I DRIVE 30 MINUTES EVERY WEEK FOR THE PAST TWO AND A HALF YEARS TO USE THE TRACK.
AND IT'S MORE THAN JUST MY OWN PERSONAL BENEFITS.
IT'S A GATHERING SPACE FOR LIKE-MINDED INDIVIDUALS TO GET HEALTHY TOGETHER AND MAINTAIN FITNESS.
IN ADDITION TO MY MANY FRIENDS IN MIAMI BEACH, I'VE MET PEOPLE FROM BROWARD FROM ALL OVER WHO COME TO USE THIS SPACE AT FLAMINGO PARK.
AND IF THERE'S NO TRACK, EVEN TEMPORARILY, THERE IS NO COMMUNITY, THERE'S NO SPACE FOR US TO GATHER AND SUPPORT EACH OTHER IN THE SAME WAYS.
I UNDERSTAND THE NEEDS TO PRESERVE THE COMMUNITY CENTER AND I SUPPORT THAT, BUT REMOVING THE ONLY PUBLIC TRACK IN THE AREA IS NOT ACCEPTABLE.
OUR NEXT VIRTUAL SPEAKER IS JCRC, DEPARTMENT.
I'M WITH, WITH THE JEWISH COMMUNITY RELATIONS COUNCIL AT THE GREATER MIAMI JEWISH FEDERATION.
AND WE WOULD JUST LIKE TO THANK THE COMMISSION AND THE MAYOR, FIRST OF ALL FOR COMMEMORATING THE AWFUL EVENTS OF OF SEPTEMBER 11TH.
IT WAS VERY MOVING TO HEAR YOU ALL SPEAK, UM, ESPECIALLY DURING SUCH DIFFICULT, UH, MOMENT OF MEMORY.
UH, WE WOULD ALSO LIKE TO THANK THE MAYOR AND THE COMMISSION FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT FOR THE STATE OF ISRAEL, FOR THE JEWISH PEOPLE, FOR YOUR FIGHT AGAINST ANTISEMITISM AND FOR YOUR STRONG STAND AGAINST THE BARBARISM, UH, COMMITTED BY HAMAS ON OCTOBER 7TH AND SINCE OCTOBER 7TH.
UM, WE ESPECIALLY ARE THANKFUL FOR YOUR FRIENDSHIP.
IN LIGHT OF SOME OF THE COMMENTS HERE TODAY, MANY OF WHOM ARE OUTSIDE VOICES LOOKING TO DIVIDE.
AND WE THANK YOU NOT ONLY FOR SUPPORTING THE JEWISH COMMUNITY AND SUPPORTING ISRAEL, UM, BUT ALSO FOR TRYING TO UNITE THE COMMUNITY DURING SUCH POLARIZING TIMES.
[00:55:01]
THE WAVE OF TECH MIGRATION HERE.BEEN HERE ABOUT TWO AND A HALF YEARS, SO SORRY ABOUT THAT.
FOR, FOR EVERYBODY WHO DOESN'T LIKE US, HEAVY USER OF THE TRACK, UH, THEY'RE FOUR OR FIVE DAYS A WEEK, PART OF THE MASTER'S TRACK COMMUNITY WHO, UM, WE HAVE A WORLD RECORD HOLDER AND WE, SO EVERYONE USES THE TRACK FROM CHILDREN TO ADULTS, UH, ET CETERA.
UH, SO FIRST AND FOREMOST, ANYWHERE BUT THE TRACK.
UM, I DON'T REALLY CARE WHERE THE FIRE STATION GOES.
IN FACT, I WANT IT SOONER, BUT DON'T PUT IT THERE.
SPEAKING OF THAT, ABOUT THAT FOR A SECOND, I, I WANNA BREAK WITH THE GROUP, UH, OF FLAMINGO PARK PEOPLE AND SAY THAT WE SHOULD BE THE TYPE OF CITY THAT GETS THINGS DONE AND GETS THEM DONE QUICKLY.
UM, NOT EVERY INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECT NEEDS TO TAKE 10 YEARS AND HAVE INFIGHTING AND BUDGET OVERRUNS.
SO I WOULD ACTUALLY URGE THE GROUP TO STICK WITH THE ORIGINAL SITE.
BY ALL ACCOUNTS, THE FIRE STATION IS UNINHABITABLE.
SAVE THE TAXPAYER, THE $30 MILLION.
OUR NEXT VIRTUAL SPEAKER IS ANDY.
PLEASE STATE YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS.
HI, THIS IS ANDY ANDREW DIVEY FROM THE SUNSET HARBOR BOATERS ASSOCIATION.
I'M ALSO A, UH, DISABLED AIR FORCE VETERAN, AND I, UM, WANT TO EXPRESS MY SUPPORT FOR ISRAEL, UM, ESPECIALLY TODAY ON SEPTEMBER 11TH WHEN OUR COUNTRY GOT ATTACKED OVER 20 YEARS AGO AND HOW, HOW ISRAEL'S BEEN ATTACKED AND THE HOSTAGES HAVE NOT BEEN RELEASED AND THE HOSTAGES NEED TO BE RELEASED IMMEDIATELY.
UM, AND I FIND THE, THE ARGUMENTS QUITE DISTASTEFUL, UM, BY THE, THE OTHER SIDE.
BUT I CAME HERE TODAY TO ASK THE COMMISSION ABOUT THE MOORING FIELDS AND WE HAVE, UH, A FEW RESIDENTS LIVING ON THE BOATS WHO WANT TO HAVE A SAFE, SECURE PLACE TO LIVE AND MOW THEIR BOAT.
AND, YOU KNOW, THE DELIC BOAT, WE WANT TO SEE THE DELIC BOAT ISSUE RESOLVED.
UM, THE CURRENT SHORE RESTRICTIONS DON'T ADDRESS ANY OF THE DERELICT BOAT ISSUES, AND REALLY THE MOORING FIELD IS THE REAL SOLUTION.
SO I WOULD JUST ASK YOU TO PLEASE CONSIDER BUILDING THE MOORING FIELD AND GOD BLESS.
UH OH MAYOR, WE'VE GONE OVER THE TIME.
SHOULD WE CONTINUE OR MAY WE STOP AND GO TO ONE O'CLOCK? IF, IF SOMEONE WAS ONLINE YES.
UM, AS WELL AS RAISING THEIR HAND.
WELL, AGAIN, ONE MINUTE BY THE WAY, I'M NOT, WHATEVER YOU GUYS WANNA DO FOR SAY FLAMINGO PARK, IT'S IMPRESSIVE.
IF YOU WANT TO COME UP TOGETHER AS ONE IN A GROUP, THAT MIGHT EVEN BE MORE IMPRESSIVE.
BUT I LEAVE IT TO YOU HOW YOU WANNA WANNA DO IT.
SO COULD THE LAST PERSON IN LINE RAISE THEIR HAND, BE RESPONSIBILITY SPEAKING FOR THE REST OF US AGAIN? OKAY.
UH, RICCI, UH, LIVING IN MIAMI SINCE 2018, MOVING FROM NEW YORK CITY.
I'M SORRY, CAN YOU START AGAIN? UH, WITH YOUR NAME PLEASE.
THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING YOU DO TO PRESERVE THIS, UH, BEAUTIFUL HEAVEN, UH, MAKE US SAFE AND EVERYTHING.
UM, I MOVED HERE AND FROM DAY ONE I USED FLAMINGO PARK.
IT'S, UH, UM, A REMARKABLE PIECE OF LAND THAT I THINK SHOULD BE PRESERVED.
UM, I WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT FIREFIGHTERS DESERVE AND THEY SHOULD HAVE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE A NEW HOUSING.
THAT IS TAKING NINE YEARS PLUS TIME CONSTRUCTION FOR THEM TO HAVE A NEW HOUSING AND FOR US TO FEEL SAFE.
I DON'T CARE WHERE THIS IS PLACED.
I I'M, I'M, I'M UP FOR I'M ON.
WE'RE ALL ON TO, TO PRESERVE LANDMARK BUILDINGS.
I THINK WE'RE ALL ON ON, YOU KNOW, WE LOVE THAT, BUT I THINK THEY SHOULD STAY OFF THE GRASS AND PARKS.
OUR NEXT VIRTUAL SPEAKER IS EMILY MARTINEZ.
HELLO? UH, MY NAME IS EMILY MARTINEZ.
MY NAME'S EMILY MARTINEZ AND I'M A RESIDENT OF SWEETWATER.
I STAND BEFORE YOU TODAY TO EXPRESS MY STRONG OPPOSITION TO DEFUNDING OF ISRAEL.
THE ONGOING HUMANITARIAN CRISIS AND THE TRAGIC LOSS OF INNOCENT LIVES IN GAZA CANNOT BE IGNORED, IS IMPERATIVE THAT WE TAKE A STAND AGAINST THE GENOCIDE AND HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS IN PALESTINE.
GO AHEAD, PLEASE STATE YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS.
GOOD MORNING, RAQUEL PACHECO, UH, MIAMI BEACH RESIDENT FOR 20 YEARS AND FLAMINGO PARK HOMEOWNER FOR 16 YEARS.
I'M HERE THIS MORNING WITH MY SON OWEN, WHO IS AN AVID, UM, SOCCER PLAYER WITH MIAMI BEACH FOOTBALL CLUB TO ASK YOU TO PLEASE CONSIDER RECONSIDER, UM, THIS DECISION.
I KNOW THAT YOU'RE GOING TO RELY HEAVILY ON THE BALLOT LANGUAGE, ON THE, ON THE BALLOT AND THE OUTCOME, BUT LET'S BE REAL.
THE LANGUAGE WAS MISLEADING AT BEST, UM, AND IT DIDN'T ENCOMPASS THE ENTIRETY OF WHAT THIS DECISION WOULD MEAN.
YOU'RE GONNA HEAR A LOT OF DIFFERENT REASONS.
[01:00:01]
BE WORKING WITH MATT ROSENBERG IN THE SOUTH BEACH TRACK CLUB TO, TO BRING EVERYBODY TOGETHER IN ALL THE DIFFERENT COMMUNITIES AND THE SOCCER GROUPS AND THE DIRECTORS.I'M VERY, VERY HAPPY AND THANKFUL TO YOU ALL FOR SHOWING UP.
AND YOU MIGHT HEAR A LOT OF DIFFERENT REASONS FOR WHY THIS SHOULDN'T GO FORWARD, BUT I'M JUST GONNA STATE MY MOST.
WHAT, WHAT BOTHERS ME THE MOST.
YOU ARE HERE ELECTED TO REPRESENT US, THE RESIDENTS.
I THINK YOU WOULD GO ON RECORD AS BEING THE FIRST COMMISSION TO EVER TAKE AWAY OUR GREEN SPACE FOR A MUNICIPAL PROJECT.
IN MY OPINION, GREEN SPACE IS SACRED.
OUR PARK SHOULD NEVER BE ON A CHOPPING BLOCK FOR ANY MUNICIPAL PROJECT.
WHILE I COMPLETELY SUPPORT YOUR DESIRE TO SAVE THE COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER, I URGE YOU TO PLEASE, PLEASE TURN EVERY STONE BEFORE YOU MAKE THIS DECISION AND PRESERVE OUR GRAIN SPACE.
OUR NEXT VIRTUAL SPEAKER IS ALEXANDRA KACI.
MS. KACI, I'M GONNA GIVE YOU 30 SECONDS BECAUSE THERE'S LOTS OF PEOPLE HERE.
HI, ALEXANDRA KACI, 7 8 0 1 ABBOTT AVE, MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA.
I AM CALLING TO JUST ASK AND EXPRESS MY CONCERN THAT THE CITY OF MIAMI BEACH IS CONSIDERING A DELEGATION TO ISRAEL, ESPECIALLY WHEN INTERNATIONAL COURT COURT OF JUSTICE RECENTLY PROCLAIMED ISRAEL AS AN ILLEGAL OCCUPATION AND IS ACT THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY TO DO EVERYTHING THAT'S POWERED TO SANCTION THEM.
AND THEY IS ALSO STRESSED FOR THE IMPORTANCE OF THE RIGHT OF RETURN FOR SO MANY PALESTINIANS WHO ARE VIOLENTLY FORCED FROM THEIR HOMES DURING NAKBA.
AND THERE'S MANY HUMAN RIGHTS GROUPS, INCLUDING ISRAEL.
I APOLOGIZE, BUT WE GOTTA KEEP IT GOING.
GOOD MORNING, COMMISSIONERS, EVERYBODY HERE.
I REPRESENT SOME OF THE APOLLO RESIDENTS AS WELL, AND I'M SUPPORTING SAVING THE FLAMINGO PARK.
UM, I'M NOT AGAINST THE FIRE STATION.
I THINK I'M JUST GONNA IMPLORE YOU PLEASE FIND ANOTHER PLACE.
IT'S NOT JUST, IT'S, IT'S TAKING A GREEN SPACE AND AS WE CAN SEE, UH, THIS IS MY FIRST SIGN JUST SEEING SO MANY ISSUES.
UM, IT'S IMPORTANT TO KEEP A GREEN PACE WHERE WE HAVE A OWN AREA WHERE DIFFERENT PEOPLE CAN GATHER FROM DIFFERENT OPINIONS, DIFFERENT POLITIC, VIEWS, RACES, LANGUAGES TO TAKE A A THANK YOU SO MUCH.
BUT NEXT SPEAKER IS JEAN FAES.
UM, I JUST WANTED TO JUMP IN BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW IF EVERYBODY WHO IS HERE SPEAKING VERY PASSIONATELY ABOUT FLAMINGO PARK AND THE FIRE STATION IS GOING TO BE ABLE TO SPEND THE ENTIRE DAY WITH US BECAUSE WE HAVE MANY, MANY ITEMS THAT WE ARE GOING TO BE DISCUSSING THIS IN DETAIL.
SO ALL I ASK IS THAT YOU REMEMBER THAT THE, THE INFORMATION THAT HAS BEEN DISSEMINATED OUT THERE IN LARGE MEASURE IS NOT ACCURATE.
WE ARE NOT PUTTING A FIRE STATION INTO THE, THE TRACK AND FIELD.
WE ARE NOT GETTING RID OF THE TRACK AND FIELD.
WE ARE GOING TO WORK AS A BODY, AS A CITY TO DO THIS IN A WAY THAT IS MINIMALLY IMPACTFUL, MAY NOT EVEN AFFECT THE TRACK AND FIELD AT ALL.
AND SO I WOULD JUST URGE YOU ALL TO HOLD YOUR FIRE UNTIL YOU LET US DO OUR WORK.
AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR ADVOCACY AND COMING UP AND SPEAKING OUT ABOUT HOW YOU FEEL.
OUR NEXT SPEAKER VIRTUALLY IS JEAN FEIS.
SO WE'RE GONNA GO TO THE NEXT VIRTUAL SPEAKER, DAVID MCKINNEY.
I LIVE AT 10 20 MERIDIAN AVENUE.
I LIVE ADJACENT TO THE CURRENT, UM, FIRE STATION AND ADJACENT TO FLAMINGO PARK.
I HAVE BEEN INVOLVED IN THIS PROCESS SINCE, UH, THERE ABOUT 2018.
WELL, UH, I WOULD JUST REMIND YOU THAT AS A BODY, YOU DECIDED TO ALLOW THE VOTERS TO, UH, UH, TO DECIDE WHERE THE FIRE STATION SHOULD GO AND THAT YOU APPROVE THE LANGUAGE ON THE BALLOT.
I THINK IT WAS VERY CLEAR, I THINK THE, UH, NEIGHBORHOOD OF FLAMINGO PARK AT 54%.
UH, THERE IN FAVOR THE, UH, COUNTY AT 75% IN FAVOR, UM, THERE AND ALL PRECINCTS IN MIAMI BEACH.
HELLO, MY NAME IS, UH, LORENZO ION.
I JUST WANNA, IN CASE I GET CUT SHORT, I JUST WANNA SAY SAVE.
UH, PLEASE SAVE FLAMINGO PARK.
AND I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO ADD A QUOTE FROM, UH, LEVITICUS
[01:05:01]
CHAPTER 19 VERSES 17 AND 18.THOU SHALT NOT HATE THY BROTHER IN THINE HEART.
THOU SHALT IN ANY WISE REBUKE THY NEIGHBOR AND NOT SUFFER SIN UPON HIM.
THOU SHALT NOT AVENGE NOR BEAR ANY GRUDGE AGAINST ANY CHILDREN OF THY PEOPLE.
BUT TH LOVE THY NEIGHBOR AS THYSELF.
OUR NEXT VIRTUAL SPEAKER IS ANNA F ANNA.
HI, UH, MY NAME IS ANNA FARIA.
I AM A RESIDENT OF MIAMI BEACH FOR 25 YEARS.
UM, SOME OF THAT RIGHT NEXT TO FLAMINGO PARK.
I AM REQUESTING TO FOR YOU GUYS TO PLEASE, UH, SAVE FLAMINGO PARK.
NOT ONLY THE TRACKS, BUT THE GREEN SPACE OF FLAMINGO PARK.
THAT IS VERY IMPORTANT FOR THE COMMUNITY, UM, TO LOOK AT OTHER POSSIBILITIES, YOU KNOW, IN OTHER SITES TO, TO PUT THE FIRE STATION.
GO AHEAD MA'AM, GO AHEAD PLEASE.
PLEASE STATE YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS PLEASE.
HI, I'M, MY NAME IS MARSH SCHWARTZ.
I LIVE ON 43 0 1 COLLINS AVENUE IN MIAMI BEACH.
THANK YOU MAYOR, FOR LETTING ME SPEAK.
I PREPARED YOU THE WHOLE SPEECH.
THIS IS THE FIRST TIME I'M SPEAKING IN FRONT OF YOU.
I THOUGHT I WOULD HAVE MAYBE HALF AN HOUR, BUT I GUESS I WAS WRONG.
SO I AM THE VICE PRESIDENT OF MY ASSOCIATION FOR THE PAST FOUR YEARS.
I HAD, I GOT A, YEAH, 99% OF THE PEOPLE'S VOTES TO SERVE AS THE PRESIDENT.
ACTUALLY, WHAT I LIKE TO TELL YOU IS THAT YOU ARE DOING AN AMAZING JOB.
I SEE EVERY DAY THE WORK THAT'S BEING DONE.
AND GOD BLESS YOU ALL AND GOD BLESS YOU, MR. MAYOR AND MR. UH, EZ FOSO EQUI SPEAKING ABOUT ISRAEL, EXACTLY WHAT I WANTED TO SAY.
AND I WOULD LIKE TO ADD JUST ONE MORE THING.
I HAVE LIVED HERE IN MIAMI BEACH FOR 45 YEARS.
WHEN IT COMES DOWN TO IT, LOOK AT HISTORY.
I LIVED IN ISRAEL, I LIVE THERE.
THERE ARE BOOKS THAT WERE WRITTEN ABOUT ISRAEL.
WHAT ARE HE SAYING ABOUT HAMATH? THEN YOU'LL KNOW WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT.
MIAMI BEACH, PEOPLE ARE VERY SMART.
NEXT, PLEASE GO AHEAD, PLEASE.
I'M 10 YEAR RESIDENT, NINE 10 WEST AVENUE.
UH, I JUST WANT TO SAY HEAVY USER OF THE TRACK AND, UH, THE MIAMI, LIKE THE FLAMINGO PARK.
I, I'M AROUND THERE ALL THE TIME AND IT'S UTILIZED BY A LOT OF PEOPLE.
AND JUST PLEASE SAVE IT AND UH, BE NICE TO EACH OTHER.
IT'S BEEN NICE TO THANK YOU SIR.
MY NAME IS LISA RIDDLE AND I LIVE AT 800 LENNOX AND I'VE LIVED HERE FOR 15 YEARS.
UM, I AM NOT A HEAVY USER OF THE TRACK, BUT I AM VERY MUCH APPRECIATED AS SOMEONE WHO WALKS BY IT ALL THE TIME AND IS INSPIRED BY THE SENSE OF COMMUNITY THAT YOU HAVE WHEN YOU SEE PEOPLE USING THAT TRACK AS FREQUENTLY AS THEY DO AND THE KIDS OUT THERE AND THE DRUM BEATS ON, UH, FOOTBALL FRIDAYS.
I KNOW IT'S GONNA CHANGE DRAMATICALLY IF WE DO TRY AND PUT THE FIREHOUSE THERE UNDENIABLY AND IT'S GONNA CHANGE THE SPIRIT OF THE TRACK AND THE ABILITY TO DO THINGS.
AND I THINK SO MUCH PEOPLE THAT HAVE BEEN LED BY MATT ROSENBERG, A TRACK CLUB THAT I'M NOT A MEMBER OF, THAT I DO THINK ARE ADVOCATING FOR SOMETHING THAT PEOPLE THAT SEE IT AND EXPERIENCE IT REALLY, TRULY WANT TO SEE KEPT.
COMMISSIONERS, IF YOU'RE DUG IN, CONSIDER PIVOTING.
YES, MY NAME IS WIL ALFREDO RE I'M AN ATTORNEY IN CHAPLAIN BY PROFESSION.
MY ADDRESS IS 8 7 7 0 AZALEA COURT IN TAMARI IN BROWARD COUNTY.
ONE IS THE ISSUE OF THIS COMMISSION TRAVELING TO ISRAEL.
SINCE THERE'S LITTLE I CAN SAY TO AVOID YOU GOING TO ISRAEL AND SPENDING THE PEOPLE'S MONEY ON THAT, I INVITE YOU ALL TO GO TO THE CITY
[01:10:01]
OF TERM MESSIAH IN WEST BANK.THE CITY OF THE MESSIAH IS A CITY WHERE HUNDREDS OF AMERICAN CITIZENS ALSO HAVE A SECOND RESIDENCE AND THE ISRAELI SETTLERS SET ON FIRE THE RESIDENCES OF AMERICAN CITIZENS.
SO SINCE YOU'RE GONNA BE IN ISRAEL, I ENCOURAGE YOU TO PLEASE INVESTIGATE THE BURNING OF AMERICAN CITIZENS HOUSES IN THE WEST BANK BY ILLEGAL ISRAELI SETTLERS.
THE SECOND ISSUE IS YOU TALKING ABOUT CURBING THE RIGHT TO BOYCOTT.
THIS NATION STOPS ON MARTIN LUTHER KING TO COMMEMORATE HIM.
I'M A FOLLOWER OF MARTIN LUTHER KING AND HE EMBRACED THE PEACEFUL RIGHT TO BOYCOTT.
THIS COMMISSION CAN TRY TO SILENCE AFTER SILENCING PEOPLE HERE, THE RIGHTS OF PEOPLE TO BOYCOTT.
BUT GUESS WHAT? I FORESEE ALL YOU GOING SOON TO A COURTHOUSE TO PAY THOSE WHO YOU CURB THAT.
I'M THE ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF INSTITUTIONAL GIVING AT THE BASS MUSEUM OF ART.
UM, I JUST WANT TO THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR STEADFAST AND CONTINUED SUPPORT OF ARTS AND CULTURE IN MIAMI BEACH AND URGE YOU TO CONSIDER EMERGENCY FUNDING FOR OUR LOCAL ARTS ORGANIZATIONS.
UM, IN LIGHT OF THE GOVERNOR'S VEDO FOUNDATIONAL OPERATIONAL FUNDING AND POTENTIAL CUTS TO CULTURAL GRANTS FROM MAYOR DANIELLE LEVINE KABA, UH, I URGE THIS BODY TO STEP UP AND RECOGNIZE THAT ARTS ORGANIZATIONS ARE SMALL BUSINESSES THAT EMPLOY OUR NEIGHBORS AND DRIVE OUR LOCAL ECONOMY.
IN FLORIDA, THAT ACCOUNTS FOR $5.8 BILLION IN ECONOMIC ACTIVITY ANNUALLY AND SUPPORTS 91,000 JOBS.
UM, FURTHER CONSISTENT GOVERNMENTAL OPERATIONAL FUNDING GIVES CONFIDENCE TO OUR DONORS AND ALLOWS US TO REALLY DRIVE OUR FURTHER DEVELOPMENT.
OUR NEXT SPEAKER, PLEASE BLANC, PRESIDENT OF THE HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATION OF GARDENS ON THE BAY.
FIRST OF ALL, THANK YOU BECAUSE AFTER I WAS HERE, UH, AFTER THE FLOODING, YOU PUT AN EXTRA WATER PUMP CLOSE TO OUR BU BUILDING.
WE ARE NOT YET THERE, BUT THEY ARE GETTING BETTER.
UNFORTUNATELY, IN FRONT OF OUR BUILDING WE HAVE A WOODEN ELECTRICAL POLE THAT WE'VE BEEN ASKING FPL TO CHANGE FOR A LONG TIME, THEY NEVER LISTENED TO US.
AND GUESS WHAT? ON WEDNESDAY IT EXPLODED AND IT CAUSED A FIRE AND WE HAD THE FIREMEN AND THE POLICE AND EVERYTHING.
SO THEY CAME BACK ON YESTERDAY.
OBVIOUSLY THEY WERE NOT ABLE TO DO MUCH, BUT THIS IS A VERY BIG HAZARD FOR THE CARS, FOR THE RESIDENTS, FOR THE ROWING, UH, CLUB.
UH, LAST NIGHT WE WERE WITHOUT, UH, LIGHT.
UH, HOPEFULLY THEY WILL FIX IT BY TODAY, BUT AFTER YESTERDAY I'VE BEEN NOTICING THAT THERE IS A LOT OF GOOD.
I'M THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF IAC FOR ACTION.
AN ENTITY THAT REPRESENTS HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF ISRAELI AMERICANS WHO WISH TO APPLAUD YOU FOR CONSIDERING THE, UH, PROHIBITION AGAINST COMMERCIAL BOYCOTTS OF ISRAEL.
MY WIFE AND I OWN A MEDICAL PRACTICE AT 400 WEST 41ST STREET.
OUR CHILDREN GO TO SCHOOL HERE IN MIAMI BEACH.
I'M ALSO THE ATTORNEY WHO DRAFTED THE MODEL LEGISLATION ON WHICH THE ORDINANCE YOU'LL BE CONSIDERING IS BASED IN 2014, SOUTH CAROLINA BECAME THE FIRST STATE IN THE COUNTRY TO PASS SUCH A LAW.
I ALSO DRAFTED FLORIDA'S LAW IN 2016.
THERE ARE 39 AMERICAN STATES THAT HAVE TAKEN UP SUCH LAWS.
THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF CITIES AND COUNTIES THAT HAVE TAKEN UP SUCH LAWS.
I WANT YOU TO BE AWARE OF MY PRESENCE HERE TODAY, SO THAT TO THE EXTENT YOU HAVE ANY LEGAL QUESTIONS, I'M CERTAINLY AVAILABLE TO ANSWER THOSE QUESTIONS ABOUT WHAT THIS ORDINANCE WOULD DO ALONG WITH WHAT IT WOULD NOT DO.
YOU ARE DEFINITELY GOING TO HEAR FALSE STATEMENTS MADE ABOUT THIS ORDINANCE AND ITS FUNCTION.
SO I ENCOURAGE YOU TO ASK THOSE QUESTIONS.
I'M HERE, OF COURSE, MR. MAYOR AT UH, YOUR PLEASURE.
I'LL BE SITTING OVER THERE AND IF YOU'D LIKE ME TO CLARIFY ANY OF THOSE TECHNICAL QUESTIONS, I'M HERE TO SERVE.
I'M SORRY I DIDN'T CATCH YOUR NAME.
I WENT TO THE HEBREW ACADEMY JUST UP THE STREET.
A GRADUATE OF MIAMI BEACH SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL.
WENT TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI.
MY FAMILY'S ROUTE TO GET HERE WASN'T EXACTLY EASY.
I'M I'M A TWO G, WHICH MEANS I'M A SECOND GENERATION HOLOCAUST SURVIVOR.
ONE THIRD OF MY MOTHER'S FAMILY WAS WIPED OUT IN A REAL GENOCIDE.
NOT THE FALSE FAKE TALKING POINT.
YOU KEEP THROWING AROUND THIS ROOM WITHOUT KNOWING ANYTHING AT ALL ABOUT WHAT A GENOCIDE REALLY MEANS.
WHAT WAS LEFT OF HER FAMILY ENDED UP IN A DP CAMP FOR
[01:15:01]
FOUR YEARS.THAT WAS BECAUSE NO COUNTRY WOULD LET HER IN, NOT THE UNITED STATES, NOT ANY OTHER COUNTRY.
THE MINUTE ISRAEL WAS ESTABLISHED, SHE AND WHAT WAS LEFT OF HER FAMILY AFTER THE BRUTALITY AND BARBARISM, THEY WITNESSED MADE ALIYAH, WHICH MEANS THEY WENT TO ISRAEL TO LIVE.
THAT ALSO MAKES ME A SECOND GENERATION ISRAELI AMERICAN.
SO WHEN I SAY THAT I AM SHOCKED AND APPALLED BY THE ANTISEMITISM THAT I'VE BEEN HEARING ALL MORNING BEING SPOUTED OFF BY MY SUPPOSED CO-RELIGIONISTS, I WANNA SAY THAT MY PARENTS TOLD ME ALL ABOUT JEWS THAT WORKED WITH NAZIS.
MY PARENTS TOLD ME ALL ABOUT JEWS.
WITH THE PEOPLE THAT TRIED TO KILL US, THEY ENDED UP DYING JUST THE SAME.
SO A LOT OF THINGS I HEARD, THE ANTISEMITISM I HEARD TODAY IS APPALLING.
WHAT I DO WANT TO DO IS THANK THIS COMMISSION FOR TAKING UP THREE VERY IMPORTANT ORDINANCES, UH, LEGISLATIVE PIECES ABOUT, UM, NOT ENGAGING OR CONTRACTING WITH BDS CORPORATIONS THAT, UH, UH, UM, THAT, UM, UM, BOYCOTT, DIVEST OR SANCTIONED ISRAEL.
BUT THERE'S ONE THAT ALSO HASN'T BEEN SPOKEN ABOUT.
YES, THERE'S ALSO THE MISSION, WHICH I THINK IS CRITICALLY IMPORTANT AS AN ISRAELI AMERICAN.
I'VE BEEN TO ISRAEL NOW THREE TIMES SINCE THE WAR STARTED.
YOU HAVE TO SEE IT FOR YOURSELF TO REALLY UNDERSTAND.
I DOUBT SOME OF THE PEOPLE THAT WERE HERE THIS MORNING SPEAKING SAW ANYTHING OR HAVE BEEN THERE OR KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT IT.
I DO WANNA SAY AS A HOLOCAUST SURVIVOR, SECOND GENERATION, THE BARBERS THAT TOOK OUT SO MUCH OF MY FAMILY IS THE SAME BARBARISM THAT WAS IN EFFECT ON OCTOBER 7TH.
I APOLOGIZE, BUT YOU'RE OUT OF TIME.
SO THE ONE THING THAT WASN'T TALKED ABOUT WAS NARIA.
I WANNA THANK YOU FOR THAT ONE AS WELL.
UM, REACHING OUT TO OUR SISTER CITY OF NARIA AND SEEING IF THEY NEED ANYTHING 'CAUSE THEY'RE UNDER CONSTANT, BUT MARMAN AND HAVE BEEN SINCE OCTOBER 7TH.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR SUPPORT, YOUR WORDS IN SUPPORTING THE STATE OF ISRAEL.
UH, I WANNA APPLAUD THIS ADMINISTRATION, ONE OF THE STRONGEST EVER.
AND, UH, I CAN'T SAY ENOUGH ABOUT HOW MIAMI BEACH HAS BEEN IMPROVED UNDER THEIR LEADERSHIP.
UH, I PERSONALLY AGREE WITH WHAT THE PRIOR SPEAKER SAID, AS WELL AS THE GENTLEMAN WHO QUOTED MARTIN LUTHER KING AND MARTIN LUTHER KING WAS ONE OF THE STRONGEST SUPPORTERS OF ISRAEL.
SO THAT SAID, I WOULD LIKE TO PLEDGE $10,000 OF MY MONEY TO ENCOURAGE AND HELP THE MEMBERS OF THIS, UH, ADMINISTRATION TO GO TO ISRAEL AND SEE AND HEAR AND LISTEN AND LEARN OF THE SITUATION THERE AND HOW THAT ALSO CAN BE APPLIED AND IMPROVE MIAMI BEACH AS THE TWO CITIES, TEL AVIV AND MIAMI BEACH ARE QUITE SIMILAR.
UH, THAT SAID, AGAIN, THANK YOU VERY MUCH AND ALL THE BEST TO ALL OF YOU.
I WOULD LIKE TO SAY THAT I STRONGLY DO NOT SUPPORT THE THREE RESOLUTIONS THAT THIS COMMISSION IS CONSIDERING THAT WILL SUPPORT THE ONGOING GENOCIDE OF PALESTINIAN PEOPLE, IN WHICH MORE THAN 40,000 PEOPLE HAVE BEEN KILLED.
MY PERSONAL RELIGION IS JAINISM, WHICH IS A RELIGION OF NON-VIOLENCE.
AND I BELIEVE THAT GENOCIDES ARE WRONG REGARDLESS OF THE COUNTRY PERPETRATING THEM.
AND I WOULD LIKE TO STOP THAT VIOLENCE AND STOP ARMING A COUNTRY THAT IS SENDING 2000 POUND BOMBS, UH, TO BE USED AGAINST INNOCENT CIVILIANS.
UH, WE WENT WELL OVER ON SUT, BUT I FEEL IT'S IMPORTANT TO HEAR FROM, FROM THE PUBLIC.
I'M, UH, I WANNA RECOGNIZE OUR STATE REPRESENTATIVE WAS HERE.
REPRESENTATIVE FABIAN WASABI, ALSO THE, UH, CO-SPONSOR OF NINE 11 HEROES DAY LEGISLATION THAT WAS PASSED IN THE STATE IN, UH, 2023.
AND YOU HAVE TO RECOGNIZE THERE'S A LOT GOING ON THROUGHOUT THE STATE, MIAMI-DADE COUNTY RIGHT NOW, OBVIOUSLY NINE 11.
SO WE'RE VERY APPRECIATIVE YOU'RE HERE.
I ALSO WANNA RECOGNIZE, UM, MAYOR ALBA RINKY, THE COUNCIL GENERAL OF ISRAEL AND MIAMI.
UM, IF YOU WANNA SAY SOMETHING QUICK, BRIEFLY.
THANK YOU, CITIZENS, RESIDENTS OF MIAMI BEACH.
FIRST OF ALL, LET ME, I'M SURE I DON'T NEED TO REMIND EVERYBODY THAT TODAY IS THE SEPTEMBER 11TH AND WE, WE CHERISH THE MEMORIES OF, OF THOSE 2,977 PEOPLE WHO WERE KILLED, MURDERED, RATHER ON, ON THAT DAY, SOMEONE WERE KILLED.
THE, THE LAW ENFORCEMENT AND, AND, AND, AND FIREFIGHTERS AND OTHER, UH, SECURITY, UH, UH, OFFICERS, UH, HEROES THAT CAME TO SAVE, WELL SAVE, TO SAVE HUMANITY, UH, RATHER.
AND IF WE TALK ABOUT THE, UH, OCTOBER 7TH, THAT WOULD BE EQUAL FOR, UH, THE 1200 THAT WERE MURDERED THAT DAY WOULD, WOULD, WOULD, UH, UM, BE EQUAL TO 52,000 AMERICANS THAT WOULD BE MURDERED IN ONE DAY.
AND I DON'T THINK ANY COUNTRY IN THE WORLD, UH, LET ALONE A COUNTRY THAT SEEK ITS SURVIVAL, UH, AND THAT IS OBLIGATED TO THE SECURITY OF, OF ITS PEOPLE.
WE DO SOMETHING ELSE RATHER THAN GO AND DEFEND, DEFEND
[01:20:01]
ITSELF.SO I DO WANNA WANNA, UH, UH, UH, UH, MENTION AND, AND, AND RAISE THE MEMORY OF THOSE LOST, UH, HEROES AND, AND VICTIMS. I DO WANNA THANK THIS COMMISSION FOR DOING THE RIGHT THING, ALWAYS DOING THE RIGHT THING.
UH, EVEN BEFORE OCTOBER 7TH, CERTAINLY PAST OCTOBER 7TH, ISRAEL BONDS AND DEDICATED AND AMBULANCE AND THE FIREFIGHTERS HAD SENT AND TO ISRAEL.
AND LAST THING, ONE OF THE GREATEST THING ABOUT THIS COUNTRY, AND I'VE HEARD SO MANY GREAT THINGS THAT WERE SAID TODAY, IS ALSO YOU ARE GIVEN THE RIGHT FOR PEOPLE TO BE ARROGANT AND IGNORANT.
AND WE'VE HEARD, UH, A BUNCH OF IT, UH, OF THESE PEOPLE, UH, HERE TODAY.
BUT IN THE END OF THE DAY, THIS, THIS, THIS COMMISSION AND THIS COUNTRY IS LED BY GREAT PEOPLE WHO ARE DOING GREAT THINGS.
AND THIS IS THE, UH, UH, BUT THIS IS THE THING THAT LEADS THE, THE ALLIANCE BETWEEN OUR WONDERFUL STATE, STATE OF ISRAEL AND THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.
GOD BLESS ISRAEL, GOD BLESS IS ISRAEL, THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.
THANK YOU COMMISSIONER LAURA DOMINGUEZ.
UH, I WANTED TO TALK ABOUT, UH, GO PINK AND THE CITY OF MIAMI BEACHES, UH, MAKING STRIDES AGAINST BREAST CANCER.
AND YOU PROBABLY SAW, UH, BAKE SALE OUTSIDE.
THAT'S PART OF THAT INITIATIVE WITH THE AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY.
AND THERE ARE A FEW EVENTS THAT ARE COMING UP AND I'LL BRIEFLY STATE THEM.
FIRST IS A SEA NOTE DINNER, WHICH IS ON TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17TH.
AND IT IS A GREAT EVENT, UH, A WONDERFUL CAUSE OF COURSE.
AND YOU CAN SEE LAUREN FERTEL TO BUY TICKETS.
THERE ARE STILL TICKETS AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE AND THERE WILL BE A RAFFLE LATER TODAY FOR TWO TICKETS TO BE GIVEN AWAY OUTSIDE OF THE BAKE SALE AND THE MAKING STRIDES AGAINST BREAST CANCER.
I'LL TALK BRIEFLY ABOUT THE 2023 IMPACT, MORE THAN 78.2 MILLION, UM, CURRENTLY INVESTED IN BREAST CANCER SPECIFIC RESEARCH THROUGH 162 GRANTS.
NEARLY A THOUSAND PEOPLE WITH BREAST CANCER HELPED LAST YEAR WITH ONE-ON-ONE SUP SUPPORT, UM, AND REACHED RECOVERY.
AND APPROXIMATELY 300,000 CALLS AND ONLINE CHATS FOR SUPPORTS WERE, UH, PROVIDED AS WELL.
AND THERE'S ALSO A WALK IN OCTOBER AND LAUREN FERTEL CAN PROVIDE MORE DETAILS ON, UH, THE DATE AND HOW TO SIGN UP FOR THE WALK FOR, UH, MAKING STRIKES AGAINST BREAST CANCER.
THANK YOU COMMISSIONER DOMINGUEZ.
BEFORE WE GET TO THE CONSENT AGENDA, EVEN THOUGH WE'VE DISCUSSED NINE 11, I I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE I TOOK A MOMENT TO THANK ALL OUR FIRST RESPONDERS.
OUR FIRE, OUR POLICE, SORRY, I'M GETTING A MOTION.
THAT ON NINE 11, WHILE MOST OF US WERE PROBABLY WATCHING ON TV, TWO PLANES HITTING THE TOWERS, BURNING PEOPLE RUSHING DOWN THE STAIRS.
'CAUSE THE ELEVATORS ARE INOPERABLE AND HUNDREDS OF FIREFIGHTERS ARE RUNNING UP THE STAIRS.
HOW MANY OF US COULD DO THAT? IT'S JUST TREMENDOUS.
THEIR TRAINING THEIR WILL TO SACRIFICE THEIR OWN LIVES, TO SAVE OTHERS.
AND WE DO IT EVERY DAY HERE IN MIAMI BEACH.
AND I'M SO THANKFUL FOR OUR FIREFIGHTERS, OUR POLICE OFFICERS.
I'LL EVEN MENTION, I HAVE, I'M NOT, I'M NOT DOING IT FOR A PLUG FOR SPRING BREAK.
BUT YOU LOOK AT THE VIDEOS IN PAST YEARS, YOU HEAR THE SH THE SHOTS RING OUT.
YOU SEE HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE RUNNING ONE WAY AND THEN YOU SEE POLICE OFFICERS RUNNING THE OTHER WAY TOWARD THE SHOTS.
AND WE THANK YOU AND WE WISH AND ALWAYS PRAY FOR YOUR SAFETY.
[CONSENT AGENDA]
UM, LET'S GET TO THE, UH, CONSENT AGENDA.UH, WE NEED TO SET THE AGENDA BEFORE WE DO ANYTHING ELSE.
THERE ARE TWO ITEMS ON THE AGENDA FROM COMMISSIONER FERNANDEZ.
PURSUANT TO SECTION TWO 14 SUBSECTION SEVEN OF THE CODE, YOU CAN HAVE A TOTAL OF EIGHT RESOLUTIONS AND DISCUSSION ITEMS COMBINED.
COMMISSIONER FERNANDEZ IS ASKING TO PLEASE ALLOW HIM TO ADD TWO ADDITIONAL ITEMS. THIS WOULD REQUIRE FIVE SEVEN'S VOTE.
SO UNDER RESOLUTIONS C SEVEN AB DESIGNATE SEPTEMBER, 2025 AS CHILDHOOD CANCER AWARENESS MONTH AND C SEVEN AL URGE MIAMI-DADE COUNTY SCHOOLS SCHOOL BOARD TO RECOGNIZE OCTOBER 24TH AS NATIONAL L-G-B-T-Q HISTORY MONTH, IF APPROVED BY A FIVE SEVENTH VOTE OR ACCLIMATION.
THOSE WILL BE APPROVED BY THE CONSENTS AGENDA WITH THE ITEM.
SO, ALL IN FAVOR OF ADDING THE TWO ITEMS. THANK YOU SO MUCH.
IT WILL BE PART OF THE CONSENTS AGENDA.
[01:25:04]
SO NOW I'M GOING TO ANNOUNCE THE ITEMS THAT WERE SEPARATED FROM THE CONSENT AGENDA.HE'S SEPARATING THE FOLLOWING ITEMS. C SEVEN AC C SEVEN AI, C SEVEN AP C SEVEN A TC SEVEN A U AND C SEVEN A Y I'LL REPEAT THOSE QUICKLY.
MERE MINOR ARE SEPARATING C SEVEN AC, C SEVEN AI, C SEVEN AP C SEVEN A TC SEVEN AU, AND C SEVEN AI.
AND JUST TO BRIEFLY EXPLAIN TO MY COLLEAGUES, UH, THE REASON WHY I DID THIS WAS TO HEAR ALL THE FIRE STATION ITEMS TOGETHER.
ALL THE COMMUNITY CENTER DOESN'T, IT'S NOT A REFLECTION OF, UH, ANY OBJECTIONS NECESSARILY TO ANY OF THE ITEMS THAT JUST FIGURED SINCE WE HAVE SO MANY DIFFERENT ITEMS AND IT APPEARED TO ME, SOME OF THEM POTENTIALLY MAY CONFLICT THAT WE SHOULD JUST HEAR THEM ALL TOGETHER.
YEAH, THAT'S, THAT'S 'CAUSE I DO HAVE SOME QUESTIONS ABOUT THAT ITEM.
COMMISSIONER BOT HAS SEPARATED C SEVEN A J SO AGAIN, COMMISSIONER BOT IS SEPARATING C SEVEN A J.
COMMISSIONER DOMINGUEZ IS SEPARATING C SEVEN D AS IN DOG COMMISSIONER.
FERNANDEZ IS SEPARATING C FOUR QC FOUR S.
AGAIN, COMMISSIONER, UH, VICE MAYOR FERNANDEZ, C FOUR QC FOUR S, COMMISSIONER SU SUAREZ IS SEPARATING C SEVEN AX C SEVEN AX.
WITH THAT, MAY I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE CONSENT AGENDA, EXCLUDING THOSE ITEMS THAT I'VE JUST MENTIONED AS, AS BEING SEPARATED? DO WE HAVE A MOTION? MOTION? SECOND COMMISSIONER ROSE GONZALEZ MADE THE MOTION.
SECOND DO HAVE MOTION BY COMMISSIONER ROSA GONZALEZ.
COMMISSIONER SUAREZ SECONDED CONSENT AGENDA.
CONSENT AGENDA IS APPROVED FOR THE RECORD.
UH, COMMISSIONER DOMINGUEZ IS SEPARATING, UH, NOT SEPARATING, DEFERRING TO OCTOBER 30TH, R NINE AG.
SO IF WE COULD CLEAR THAT ONE R NINE AG IS BEING DEFERRED.
WE'RE READY TO GET TO OUR FIRST ITEM, BUT BEFORE WE DO, I WANNA RECOGNIZE, UH, OUR CITY MANAGER, ERIC CARPENTERS, THIS IS YOUR FIRST FULL CITY COMMISSION MEETING SINCE BEING APPOINTED BY OUR COMMISSION.
AND WELL LEST ANYONE THINK THAT WE HAVEN'T BEEN KEEPING 'EM BUSY, WE HAVE BEEN KEEPING THEM BUSY.
AND I KNOW MY COLLEAGUES HAVE AS WELL.
EVEN, UH, DURING THE RECESS AND TODAY WE JUST APPROVED ON CONSENT.
UH, TWO, UH, APPOINTMENTS THAT YOU MADE THAT HAD TO BE APPROVED IN RATIFIED BY OUR COMMISSION.
VINCE SAJA, OUR NEW BUILDING DIRECTOR, KRISTI BATTA, NEW PROCUREMENT DIRECTOR.
THOSE ARE, UH, IMPORTANT POSITIONS YOU'RE FILLING.
I ALSO WANNA RECOGNIZE, I'M NOT GONNA MENTION NAMES 'CAUSE THERE THERE ARE SEVERAL, BUT THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO LEFT OUR CITY IN THE PAST YEAR OR TWO WHO HAVE NOW REJOINED OUR CITY FILLING HIGH LEVEL CRITICAL POSITIONS.
AND I THINK THIS IS A REFLECTION.
I THINK IT'S A REFLECTION ON YOU, ERIC, THAT PEOPLE ARE COMING BACK.
I THINK IT'S A REFLECTION ON OUR COMMISSION THAT, AND THAT'S ON OUR, AND OUR RESIDENTS, THAT PEOPLE WANT TO BE HERE AND WANNA WORK ON BEHALF OF OUR RESIDENTS IN MIAMI BEACH.
AND I KNOW THERE'S, UH, YOU'VE, YOU'VE BEEN, YOU'VE BEEN TEASING ME.
AND JUST BEFORE WE CONTINUE, JUST FOR CLARIFICATION, THE MAYOR DID NOT APPROVE THE ADDENDUM.
ITEMS WILL BE HEARD AFTER FIVE, CORRECT?
[R9 K DISCUSS AND TAKE ACTION REGARDING THE FUTURE MANAGEMENT OF PRIDE PARK.]
WE'RE DOING NOW.ACTION, FUTURE MANAGEMENT OF PRIDE PARK.
YOU KNOW, I USED TO LIVE RIGHT IN FRONT OF PRIDE PARK AND I, ONE THING THAT, THAT BECAME A BLEND AND CLEAR, IT'S, IT'S VERY UNDER, UNDER ACTIVATED AND UNDERUTILIZED FOR, FOR BEING WHAT IT IS.
IT'S A HUGE GREEN SPACE IN FRONT OF, YOU KNOW, IN FRONT OF CITY HALL.
AND WHAT I'D LIKE TO DO IS TAKE IT OUT OF THE HANDS OF, UM, A THIRD PARTY CONTRACTOR, OVG, AND PUT IT IN THE HANDS OF OUR PARKS DEPARTMENT TO REALLY ACTIVATED IT FOR THE COMMUNITY.
UM, AND I CAN HAVE STAFF SPEAK TO THE DETAILS OF IT.
I ACTUALLY, WELL, I, I'D MAKE A MOTION THEN TO, TO, UM,
[01:30:01]
TO, YES.SO I, I HEARD A MOTION TO HAVE THE PARKS DEPARTMENT RUN PRIDE PARK MADE BY COMMISSIONER SUAREZ AND I HEARD A SECOND BY COMMISSIONER DOMINGUEZ.
IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION? IF NOT, MAY I HAVE A VOTE ON R NINE K ON THE MOTION TO TURN OVER? WELL, WE HAVE A F WE HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND.
UH, AND I'M NOT SURE, UH, IF THE MANAGER INTENDS TO DISCUSS THE FISCAL CONSIDERATIONS OF THE PARKS DEPARTMENT TAKING OVER PRIDE PARK, UH, THE PARKS DEPARTMENT, UH, WOULD HAVE SOME ADDITIONAL COSTS THAT WOULD CURRENTLY, UH, IN THE EXISTING CONFIGURATION OF THE MANAGEMENT OF THE PARK FALL UNDER THE CONVENTION CENTER FUND.
UH, THE PARKS DEPARTMENT WOULD ANTICIPATE PERSONNEL COSTS AS WELL AS OTHER OPERATIONAL COSTS.
AND OUR PARKS DIRECTORS HERE MAYBE CAN SPEAK TO THAT, BUT THAT IS SOMETHING THAT IS A CONSIDERATION AS WELL.
GOOD MORNING, JOHN REBAR, PARKS RECREATION DIRECTOR.
UM, JUST AS RAQUEL SAID THAT, THAT THERE WOULD BE SOME OPERATIONAL COSTS, UM, IF THAT IS THE, THE DIRECTION I'D LIKE TO, TO PUT TOGETHER A GOOD BUDGET FOR THE, THE MANAGER'S REVIEW.
BUT THERE WOULD BE, YOU KNOW, EVERY, EVERYTHING YOU CAN IMAGINE, LA LANDSCAPING, ANY POTENTIAL PROGRAMMING RESTROOM, UM, THERE WILL BE A FINANCIAL IMPACT.
OKAY, WELL I BELIEVE THERE'S A MOTION AND A SECOND.
SO ALL IF, IF THERE'S NO FURTHER DISCUSSION, UH, ALL IN FAVOR OF THE MOTION, PLEASE SAY AYE.
AND YOU WANNA OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES.
[C4 K REFERRAL TO THE OCTOBER 18, 2024 FINANCE AND ECONOMIC RESILIENCY COMMITTEE TO DISCUSS FUTURE PROGRAMMING FOR SOUTH SHORE COMMUNITY CENTER.]
UM, RALPH, LET'S HEAR ALL THE FIRE STATION ITEMS AND PLEASE CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG.C 4K REFERRAL TO FERC SOUTH SHORE COMMUNITY CENTER PROGRAMMING C SEVEN A Y REFERRAL TO HPB RECLASSIFY SOUTH SHORE COMMUNITY CENTER C SEVEN AI, FIRE STATION NUMBER ONE, CONSTRUCTION DRAWINGS MODIFICATION
[C7 AE A RESOLUTION BY THE MAYOR AND CITY COMMISSION OF MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA, COMMITTING TO THE PRESERVATION AND PROTECTION OF JACK STEWART’S “APOLLO” MURAL IN PERPETUITY, IN RECOGNITION OF THE MURAL'S HISTORIC SIGNIFICANCE, REGARDLESS OF ITS FINAL LOCATION OR ANY FUTURE RELOCATION REQUIREMENTS.]
C SEVEN AE DIRECT ADMINISTRATION, PROPERLY STORE PRESERVE AND PROTECT JACK STEWART'S APOLLO MURAL[C7 AP A RESOLUTION OF THE MAYOR AND CITY COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA, REPEALING RESOLUTION NO. 2022-32201, AND ABANDONING, IN THE CITY’S PROPRIETARY CAPACITY, THE CERTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS FOR THE TOTAL DEMOLITION OF AN EXISTING TWO-STORY BUILDING, LOCATED AT 833 6 STREET (SOUTH SHORE COMMUNITY CENTER), AS WELL AS THE CERTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF FIRE STATION NO. 1 (FILE NO. HPB21-0483) AT THIS LOCATION, IN LIGHT OF COUNTYWIDE VOTER APPROVAL ON AUGUST 20, 2024, OF THE NEW PROPOSED LOCATION FOR FIRE STATION NO. 1 ON ALTON ROAD, ALONG THE WESTERN BOUNDARY OF FLAMINGO PARK.]
C SEVEN AP REPEAL RESO 20 22 3 2 2 0 1.DEMOLITION OF SOUTH SHORE COMMUNITY CENTER CENTER, ABANDONED PRIOR APPROVAL FOR FIRE STATION C SEVEN AT REPAINT SOUTH SHORE COMMUNITY CENTER.
LE LEONARD HOROWITZ'S COLOR PALETTE C SEVEN AU DEVELOPED PLAN FOR REOPENING LUNCHROOM AT THE SOUTH SHORE COMMUNITY CENTER.
R SEVEN K TEMPORARILY SUSPENDED.
EXPENDITURE FIRE STATION ONE PROJECT AT THE SOUTH SHORE COMMUNITY CENTER, R
[R9 AK DISCUSS THE PLAN TO RE-OPEN THE SENIOR LUNCHROOM AT SOUTH SHORE COMMUNITY CENTER.]
NINE AK DISCUSS PLAN TO REOPEN SENIOR LUNCHROOM AT THE SOUTH SHORE COMMUNITY CENTER[R9 AN DISCUSS NEXT STEPS FOR THE RELOCATION OF FIRE STATION NO.1 TO THE NEW PROPOSED ALTON ROAD LOCATION (ALONG THE WEST SIDE OF FLAMINGO PARK) FOLLOWING THE AUGUST 20, 2024, COUNTYWIDE REFERENDUM.]
AND R NINE N DISCUSS RELOCATION OF FIRE STATION NUMBER ONE TO ALTON ROAD.AND I'M BEING TOLD THIS JUST FOR THE RECORD, C SEVEN A T WAS AMENDED TO PAINT, UH, THIS STRUCTURE WITH NEUTRAL COLORS.
I THINK WE SHOULD TALK, LET'S TALK ABOUT THE FIRE STATION, THEN WE'LL TALK ABOUT THE COMMUNITY CENTER ITEM.
I DON'T LIKE LUMPING ALL OF THESE ITEMS TOGETHER LIKE THIS BECAUSE I THINK IT BECOMES VERY CONFUSING AND IT'S GONNA BE HARD TO CALL.
WE CAN TAKE INDIVIDUALLY, LIKE HOW WE CAN TAKE ONE AT A TIME.
WE GOT, DO YOU WANT TO, WHICH ONE? WE GOT R NINE.
SO WE'RE GONNA DO R NINE N DISCUSS RELOCATION OF FIRE STATION NUMBER ONE TO TURN ROAD.
THIS WAS, YOU'RE THE PRIMARY SPONSOR ON THIS ITEM, SO I WANTED TO DEFER TO YOU AND THEN I'LL WEIGH IN, UM, AFTERWARD.
FOR ME, I DON'T CARE IF WE BUILD THE FIRES, IF WE FIND ANOTHER LOCATION, IF THAT'S THE DIRECTION, I AM FINE WITH THAT.
UM, I, I, BUT I AM COMMITTED AND HAVE BEEN FOR 10 YEARS TO SAVING THAT COMMUNITY CENTER BECAUSE PLOPPING THE FIRE STATION RIGHT THERE IN THE MIDDLE OF WHERE SOME OF OUR NEEDIEST RESIDENTS LIVE HAS BEEN VERY UPSETTING TO ME.
I WALK PAST THE DAYCARE EVERY SINGLE DAY ON SIXTH STREET AND I HEAR THE CHILDREN PLAYING AND LAUGHING.
IT'S A NE IT'S, IT'S, IT'S A NECESSITY.
AND I SAW THE SENIORS GET CAST OUT BECAUSE OF THIS WHOLE FIRE STATION DEBACLE, UM, AFTER COVID.
AND THEN I SAT THERE AND WATCHED ALL
[01:35:01]
OF OUR NONPROFITS BE KICKED OUT ONE BY ONE OR RE TRYING TO RELOCATE THEM SOMEPLACE UNSUCCESSFULLY.UH, THE ADMINISTRATION LOOKED FOR BUILDINGS, THEY LOOKED FOR A PLACE FOR THE DAYCARE.
I MEAN, ULTIMATELY THEY WANTED TO PUT THE DAYCARE IN A TRAILER, UH, YOU KNOW, WHICH I DON'T THINK IS THE RIGHT THING, RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE PARK.
SO YOU WERE GETTING A BIG STRUCTURE RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE GREEN SPACE OF THE PARK.
THAT WAS THE CURRENT DIRECTION.
UM, IF COMMISSIONER FERNANDEZ WANTS TO GO OUT AND FIND SOMEPLACE ELSE TO PUT THE FIRE STATION, I'LL SUPPORT IT.
BUT I WOULD LIKE TO TAKE THE SOUTH SHORE COMMUNITY CENTER OFF THE CHOPPING BLOCK TODAY.
THAT TO ME IS INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT.
I WOULD LIKE TO GET THE SENIOR LUNCHROOM REOPENED.
WE HAVE HUNDREDS OF SENIORS LIVING IN CLOSE PROXIMITY THAT LIVE IN ANYWHERE BETWEEN 300 AND 500 SQUARE FEET.
AND GETTING UP AND WALKING TO THAT COMMUNITY CENTER IS WHAT THEY DO, IS WHAT THEY DID.
UM, I DON'T REALLY UNDERSTAND WHY THE ENTIRE SOCIAL CONSTRUCTION OF HAVING THIS HILTON, GUCCI FIRE STATION, WHICH I UNDERSTAND, I UNDERSTAND THE NEED FOR PUBLIC SAFETY.
WE HAVE A SPOT WHERE THEY ARE RIGHT NOW.
IF THE DIRECTION IS TO RENOVATE, REBUILD, ADD ON TO WHERE THEY ARE RIGHT NOW.
YOU HAVE MY VOTE ON THAT 100%.
AND I TOLD MATT AND HIS ENTIRE GROUP YESTERDAY IF WE WANTED TO GO OUT AND LOOK FOR A PROPERTY.
BUT I'LL TELL YOU THAT I'VE BEEN LOOKING FOR 10 YEARS NOW, POSSIBLY THE PRIOR COMMISSION, UM, AND ADMINISTRATION.
I THINK WHAT HAPPENED AT SOME POINT WAS GROUP THINK TOOK OVER AND IT BECAME ME VERSUS A COUPLE OF MY COLLEAGUES THAT UNDER ALL CIRCUMSTANCES NEEDED TO WIN AND THEY NEEDED TO DEMOLISH THIS FIRE STATION THAT SERVED THE POOREST OF THE POOR.
AND WAS ALSO AN EXAMPLE OF MORRIS LAPIDUS, UH, CONSTRUCTION.
I THINK THAT IT WASN'T EVEN ANYMORE ABOUT PUBLIC SAFETY.
IT WAS REALLY JUST ABOUT BEATING, BEATING ME, WHICH IS SO DUMB
AND IT DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE.
AND IT TAKES AWAY FROM THE FACT THAT ACROSS THE CITY OF MIAMI, YOU WILL SEE THAT, UH, FIRE STATIONS LIKE THE ONE THAT WE HAVE RIGHT NOW ON JEFFERSON, THEY ARE CELEBRATED.
THEY ARE RENOVATED, AND YOU CAN FIND THEY'RE LITTLE FIRE TRACKS.
THEY EVEN HAVE LIKE ANTIQUES, YOU KNOW, BEAUTIFUL FIRE TRACKS.
AND THIS IS HAPPENING ACROSS THE CITY OF MIAMI.
THEY'RE CELEBRATING THEIR HISTORIC FIRE STATIONS.
THEY ARE NOT TRYING TO, UH, BUILD NEW ONES.
SO, YOU KNOW, TO EVERYBODY WHO'S WORRYING ABOUT THE TRACK, WHEN YOU CAME TO BE ABOUT THE TRACK, I SAID IT'LL SHRINK THE BUILDING.
THERE WILL BE NO INTERRUPTION IN THE TRACK.
BUT THERE HAS TO BE SOME SORT OF COMPROMISE.
THERE HAS TO BE SOME SORT OF COMPROMISE.
AND IN A COMPROMISE, NOBODY WALKS AWAY 100% HAPPY IF THE FIELD IS NOT GOING TO BE INTERRUPTED AND THE TRACK IS NOT GOING TO BE INTERRUPTED.
POSSIBLY A SMALLER FIRE STATION THERE.
I WOULD ASK US RIGHT NOW THOUGH, TO CONSIDER A REBUILD A RENOVATION RIGHT WHERE IT IS, RIGHT WHERE IT IS AND WORK, YOU KNOW, AND, AND MAKE SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL.
I MEAN, IF, IF THE ONLY OPTION THAT WE HAVE IS TO BUILD IT IN, YOU KNOW, FLAMINGO PARK, LIKE I DON'T BELIEVE THAT THAT'S TRUE.
SO I WOULD ASK EVERYBODY TO HAVE AN OPEN MIND.
BUT THE ADMINISTRATION HAS TIME AND AGAIN, GIVEN ME NUMBERS, WE HAVE NO BUILDINGS.
THERE'S NOTHING THAT WE CAN DO.
WE CANNOT TRY TO PUT TOGETHER A PARKING LOT.
UM, I I, I RAN AROUND WITH OZZY FOR MONTHS LOOKING AT EVERY SINGLE PROPERTY WITH FACILITIES MANAGEMENT.
SO AT THIS POINT, UM, COMMISSIONER FERNANDEZ, I MEAN, YOU'RE LOOKING FOR OTHER OPTIONS.
I WOULD REALLY LIKE TO UNDERSTAND WHERE YOU WANT THIS TO GO.
I WANNA MAKE EVERYBODY HAPPY, BUT PLEASE, LET'S JUST TAKE THE SOUTH SHORE COMMUNITY CENTER OFF THE CHOPPING BLOCK TODAY, PLEASE.
UM, I JUST WANT TO HIGHLIGHT THE FACT THAT RIGHT NOW, UM, WE HAVE THE SOUTH SHORE COMMUNITY CENTER AS THE OPTION FOR THIS.
AND, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO PROTECT THE CHARACTER OF OUR COMMUNITIES.
UM, AND WE, AND WE ENDEAVORED, UH, TO FIND AN ALTERNATE SITE BECAUSE WE DO HAVE A NECESSITY TO, ABOVE ALL ELSE, PROTECT LIFE AND SAFETY.
SO I DO, I I DO THINK WE DO HAVE AN ALTERNATE SITE TODAY.
I DO THINK THAT TODAY IT IS PROPER WITH AN ALTERNATE SITE, UH, THAT THE VOTERS HAVE GIVEN US THE OPPORTUNITY TO CONSIDER FOR US TO BE ABLE TO REMOVE THE, THE, UH, SOUTH SHORE COMMUNITY CENTER FROM THE TABLE FROM CONSIDERATION.
HOWEVER, IN PROTECTING THE CHARACTER OF OUR COMMUNITIES,
[01:40:01]
WE ALSO HAVE TO UNDERSTAND AND RESPECT THE CONTRIBUTIONS AND THE IMPORTANCE OF FLAMINGO PARK AND OPEN GREEN SPACE TO THE CHARACTER OF THE FLAMINGO PARK HISTORIC NEIGHBORHOOD.UH, IT IS THE FLAMINGO PARK NEIGHBORHOOD AND IT IS A HISTORIC NEIGHBORHOOD.
UM, AND WE NEED TO, AND WE NEED TO, FOR ME IT IS, UH, IT IS A VERY BIG DECISION TO PLACE A FIRE STATION IN THAT GREEN SPACE.
IS IT, IS IT A GOOD LOCATION FOR IT? WELL, I DON'T THINK ANYTIME YOU HAVE TO USE OPEN GREEN PARK SPACE, UH, FOR A PUBLIC UTILITY LIKE THIS, THAT IT'S A GOOD DECISION.
BUT IS IT A NECESSITY? IT IS A NECESSITY.
SO, SO, SO WHERE I AM TODAY IS THAT BEFORE WE MOVE FORWARD IN ASKING THE CITY ADMINISTRATION TO PLACE THE FIRE STATION AT FLAMINGO PARK, LET'S MAKE SURE THAT THERE'S NO OTHER SITE THAT THIS COULD BE PLACED AT.
AND THE REASON WHY I SAY THAT, THE VERY FIRST CALL I GOT FOLLOWING, UH, THE DAY FOLLOWING, UH, THE, THE PUBLIC REFERENDUM ON FLAMINGO PARK WAS FROM OUR CITY ADMINISTRATION.
AND THEY WERE COMMITTED TO LOOKING TO SEE HOW THEY COULD REDESIGN THE FIRE STATION TO MAKE IT A SMALLER FOOTPRINT AND AVOID IN ANY WAY POSSIBLE TOUCHING THE TRACK, TOUCHING THE FIELD.
THAT RESONATES WITH ME BECAUSE I'VE LISTENED TO, TO, TO YOU THE RESIDENT FROM 800 LENNOX WHO SPOKE ABOUT HER 7-YEAR-OLD WHO USES THE TRACK, THE, UH, MATH WHO, UH, WITH WHOM I'VE MET AND, AND CAME AND, AND SPOKE ABOUT THE, ABOUT THE 800 RESIDENTS, UH, WHO USE THE SOCCER FIELD AND WHO ARE RUNNERS AND WHO DO BOXING AND WHO USE THIS, UH, THE, THIS GREEN SPACE MORROW WHO MOVED FROM NEW YORK TO WEST AVENUE BECAUSE OF ITS PROXIMITY TO, TO TO, TO THE PARK.
IF WE, IF THERE IS THE OPPORTUNITY TO REDESIGN, TO AVOID TOUCHING THE TRACK AND TO AVOID TOUCHING THE FIELD, THEN WHERE ELSE CAN WE REDESIGN AT? AND FROM MY UNDERSTANDING AND SPEAKING WITH THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, THERE ARE OTHER NEEDS THAT ARE NOT BEING MET BY FIRE STATION ONE RIGHT NOW AT, AT, AT THE, AT ANY OF THE PROPOSED LO LOCATIONS THEY NEED, AND THEY'RE REQUESTING FOR, AND CORRECT ME, MR. MANAGER IF I'M WRONG, UH, IF THERE IS A POSSIBILITY TO HOUSE WITHIN THAT FACILITY, WITHIN THAT CATEGORY FIVE RESISTANT FACILITY, THE NINE ONE ONE CALL CENTER, THAT WOULD BE THEIR PREFERENCE.
AND CLEARLY 9 1 1 IS AN ESSENTIAL SERVICE THAT CLEARLY RIGHT NOW IS NOT IN A CATEGORY FIVE RESISTANT FACILITY.
AND IF WE HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO INCORPORATE IT IN THERE, THEN WE SHOULD, THAT WOULD INVOLVE A CERTAIN LEVEL OF REDESIGN.
AND SO IF WE ARE FOR VERY LEGITIMATE PURPOSES, LOOKING AT A POSSIBLE REDESIGN OF THIS NECESSITY OF A PUBLIC FACILITY, WELL THEN WE'RE AT, WHERE ELSE CAN WE REDESIGN AT THAT WE PREVIOUSLY DIDN'T HAVE ON THE TABLE BECAUSE WE WERE JUST LOOKING TO PLOP.
THAT WAS THE, YOU KNOW, THAT, THAT, THAT'S BEEN THE TERM THAT'S, THAT'S BEEN USED.
HOW CAN WE GET THE DESIGN THAT WAS PROPOSED AT THE SOUTH SHORE COMMUNITY CENTER, GRAB IT AND PLOP IT, UH, SOMEWHERE ELSE UNDER THOSE CIRCUMSTANCES? WELL, THE FLAMINGO PARK SITE BECAME THE LOGICAL ALTERNATIVE.
BUT BEFORE I MAKE THE VERY DRASTIC DECISION OF SAYING, LET'S TOUCH THAT SACRED GREEN SPACE AT FLAMINGO PARK, THAT IS PART OF THE IDENTITY OF THE FLAMINGO PARK NEIGHBORHOOD, LET'S FIRST ENSURE THAT WE LEAVE NO STONE UNTURNED AND SEE WHERE ELSE COULD A REDESIGN FIRE STATION WITH A SMALLER FOOTPRINT THAT CAN INCORPORATE THE NINE ONE ONE CALL CENTER BE ACCOMMODATED AT.
AND THAT'S WHERE, THAT'S WHERE I AM TODAY, JUST TO MAKE SURE THAT WE LEAVE NO STONE ABSOLUTELY UNTURNED.
BUT TODAY, TODAY I'M VERY CLEAR, I'M READY TO REMOVE THE SOUTH SHORE COMMUNITY CENTER FROM FROM THE TABLE BECAUSE THAT IS AN IMPORTANT PIECE OF ARCHITECTURE THAT WE NEED TO NEED TO PRESERVE.
AND MY APPRECIATION FOR IT HAS GONE EVEN MORE UP AFTER VISITING IT FRIDAY DURING OUR SUNSHINE MEETING.
UH, KEEP THIS SIMPLE, UM, JUST 'CAUSE I'M GONNA PUT MY CARDS ON THE TABLE.
UH, AS WE'RE ALL VOTING, I THINK IT'S GOOD TO KNOW WHERE EACH OTHER STANDS.
UH, HOPEFULLY I'LL RESERVE MY RIGHT TO GET INTO MORE DETAIL.
'CAUSE I THINK THERE'S MANY CONSIDERATIONS.
THE ONE THING, UH, THAT IS A NON-STARTER FOR ME
[01:45:01]
IS, UH, FOR ONE DAY, ONE WEEK, ONE MONTH, ONE YEAR, UH, DISRUPTING THE FUNCTIONALITY OF THE TRACK AND FOOTBALL FIELD, IF WE WOULD BE ABLE TO, UH, THREAD A NEEDLE AND SHRINK THE FOOTPRINT OF THE FIRE STATION AND PLACE IT IN THE END ZONE, UH, THE WESTERNMOST PORTION OF THAT PARK WITHOUT DISRUPTING THE FUNCTIONALITY OF THE, UM, TRACK AND FIELD, I WOULD BE GRUDGINGLY POSSIBLY BE IN, IN SUPPORT OF THAT.UM, BUT I GO OUT TO THAT COMMUNITY, MY DAUGHTER LEARNED TO PLAY SOCCER.
THERE WE GO THERE AS A FAMILY, AND I DON'T SEE DOZENS, I DON'T SEE TENS.
I SEE HUNDREDS, HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE FROM ACROSS THE SOCIOECONOMIC SPECTRUM, FROM QUITE LITERALLY MOTHERS PUSHING THEIR BABIES, JOGGING ON THAT TRACK TO THE TRAVEL SOCCER TEAMS, TO OUR HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL PROGRAM, TO OUR HIGH SCHOOL SOCCER TEAMS. THAT IS A COMMUNITY TO ME.
I UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCE OF BUILDINGS, I UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCE OF, UH, OPEN PARK SPACE, BUT THE MOST IMPORTANT THING TO ME IS THE PEOPLE THAT ARE USING THAT, THE COMMUNITY THAT IT FOSTERS.
AND THERE'S NO ALTERNATIVE, THERE'S NO OTHER TRACK FOR THESE PEOPLE TO GO OUT AND MAKE THEIR COMMUNITY.
THERE'S NO OTHER REGULATION, FOOTBALL FIELD OR SOCCER FIELD FOR THE PEOPLE IN THIS COMMUNITY TO USE.
WE COULD BE LOOKING AT THIS TRACK TAKEN OFFLINE OR THE SOCCER FIELD WHEN THE WORLD CUP IS HERE IN 2026, RIGHT? THE ONLY REGULATION, SOCCER FIELD THAT WE HAVE, WE'LL BE THE WORLD SPOTLIGHT.
AND MAYBE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT TAKING OFFLINE, UH, A REGULATION SIZE SOCCER FIELD, THE ONLY ONE IN OUR CITY.
SO, UM, IF WE CAN MOVE FORWARD WITH SHRINKING THE FOOTPRINT OF THE FIRE STATION AND PUTTING IT IN THE WESTERNMOST PORTION WITHOUT A SINGLE DAY OF DISRUPTION TO THE TRACK AND TO THE FIELD, THAT IS SOMETHING I WILL SERIOUSLY CONSIDER AND, AND LIKELY LEANING TOWARDS.
UM, BUT THE ONE NON-STARTER THAT I HAVE, UH, AS WE GO ABOUT THIS PROCESS IS ANY TYPE OF DISRUPTION, UH, TO THE TRACK AND FIELD.
THAT, THAT, THAT IS MY ONE NON-STARTER.
ALL OTHER OPTIONS WOULD BE ON THE TABLE FOR ME, BUT THAT'S ONE THING I'LL NEVER BE ABLE TO VOTE IN SUPPORT OF COMMISSIONER BOT.
UM, I'M VERY EAGER TO HEAR WHAT THE REST OF MY COLLEAGUES HAVE HAVE TO SAY ON THIS MATTER.
UM, I WOULD LIKE TO START OFF BY BIFURCATING THE CONVERSATION OF TAKING THE SOUTH SHORE COMMUNITY CENTER OFF THE TABLE.
I'VE GOT SEVERAL ITEMS ON THE I'D, LIKE, I'VE GOT SEVERAL ITEMS ON THE AGENDA THAT ARE GOING TO BE PART OF THIS DISCUSSION.
SO I DON'T KNOW IF I CAN GO AHEAD AND MAKE A MOTION TO THAT
UM, BUT I, I DON'T KNOW IF I CAN MAKE A MOTION TO, UM, TAKE THAT TO REPEAL THE DEMOLITION ORDER NOW.
THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT'S BEING CALLED OR IF WE NEED TO WAIT TO GET TO IT THERE, THERE'S ONE OF THE ITEMS WE'RE ABOUT TO CALL AS PART OF THIS CONVERSATION IS BASICALLY TAKING THE SOUTH SHORE COMMUNITY CENTER OFF THE TABLE AS A SITE FOR THE FIRE STATION MOTION.
WAIT, WHAT'S THE MOTION ON THE TABLE TO TAKE THE, SORRY.
YOUR ASSIGNED, THERE'S A DISCUSSION CURRENTLY ABOUT A PARTICULAR ITEM.
I I THINK IT WOULD BE MORE PRUDENT TO ALLOW THAT ITEM TO PROCEED AND THEN GO TO THE NEXT ITEM.
OKAY, WE'LL COME BACK TO THAT.
UM, YOU KNOW, IT'S IN DECEMBER AND JANUARY WE SAT AS A BODY AND WE SAID UNEQUIVOCALLY SEVEN ZERO.
WE'RE GONNA SPEND THE NEXT FIVE OR SIX MONTHS LOOKING AT ALTERNATE SITES, WHETHER THAT MEANS BUYING OR TAKEN BY EMINENT DOMAIN AS A POSSIBILITY, OR FINDING A SITE THAT WE OWNED IN A CITY.
I DON'T KNOW WHERE MAGICALLY WE'RE GOING TO FIND A NEW SITE THAT ACCOMMODATES THE NEEDS OF THE FIRE STATION.
I DO KNOW FOR A FACT THAT THERE HAS BEEN NOT JUST DISINFORMATION, BUT FLAT OUT LIES ABOUT THIS PROJECT.
AND FRANKLY, I, THIS IS HOW I KNOW I'M NOT A POLITICIAN BECAUSE I'M FLABBERGASTED AT THE AMOUNT OF DISHONESTY I UNDERSTAND.
I KNOW I DON'T LOOK LIKE IT AND I HAVEN'T BEEN GOOD AT IT LATELY, BUT I'VE DONE COUNTLESS HALF MARATHONS AND TRIATHLONS.
I DID MY FASTEST MILE ON THAT TRACK, WHICH YOU'LL ALL LAUGH AT.
IT WAS ONLY AN EIGHT MINUTE MILE.
BUT FOR ME, THAT'S A BIG FREAKING DEAL.
UM, AND IT WAS A LONG TIME AGO, BUT I DIGRESS.
[01:50:01]
UM, I LOVE THAT TRACK AND I LOVE WHAT IT WAS, WHAT IT IT MEANS TO THE COMMUNITY.AND I DON'T DEVALUE THAT FOR A SECOND, BUT I AM CURIOUS WHERE ALL THIS PROTEST WAS ABOUT THE TRACK WHEN IT WAS RESURFACED AND THE FIELD WAS, WAS FIXED EIGHT OR NINE YEARS AGO.
AND BY THE WAY, IT FLOODS TERRIBLY.
AND WE ARE GOING TO HAVE TO HANDLE THAT PROBLEM, NOT AS PART OF THIS PROJECT, BUT AS ONE IN THE NEXT, I DON'T KNOW, FIVE TO 10 YEARS.
THERE ARE A COUPLE OF FIXES THAT WE CAN DO BETWEEN NOW AND THEN FOR THE FLOODING.
BUT OH, BY THE WAY, TRACKS, UH, TRACKS WEAR OUT, NEED TO BE RESURFACED.
UM, REGULATION, SOCCER FIELDS, ESPECIALLY THE ONLY ONE IN THE CITY GETS AN AWFUL LOT OF USE, WHICH IS AMAZING.
AND IT'S GOING TO NEED TO BE RESURFACED AND IT WILL BE OFFLINE.
AND WE ARE GOING TO HAVE TO BE CREATIVE ABOUT HOW WE TIME THAT, HOW WE USE THE LATEST TECHNOLOGY TO MAKE THE BIGGEST IMPACT IN THE SHORTEST AMOUNT OF TIME WHEN IT COMES TO BUILDING A NEW FIRE STATION.
MY PLEDGE ON TAKING THIS ON, AND I THINK WHY MY COLLEAGUE SUPPORTED MY TAKING THE BATON FROM, FROM MY COLLEAGUE WHO'S BEEN FIGHTING FOR THIS FOR SO LONG, WAS THAT I PLEDGED THAT THERE WOULD BE NO GOING BACK TO SQUARE ONE.
AND I HEAR PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY SAYING THAT, UM, THAT WE ARE GOING TO PUT THE FIRE STATION ONTO THE TRACK AND FIELD.
I'VE HEARD PEOPLE SAY THAT WE ARE BUILDING A FIRE STATION PARKING LOT IN THE MIDDLE OF FLAMINGO PARK.
I'VE HEARD PEOPLE SAY THAT WE ARE TAKING THE POOL OFFLINE AND THE TENNIS COURTS ONLINE TO BE PUT BACK ONLINE.
AND LET ME TELL YOU, THAT WAS NEVER CONTEMPLATED IT, WOULD IT NOT EVER BE CONTEMPLATED? YOU MIGHT THINK WE'RE IDIOTS, BUT WE'RE NOT ACTUALLY IDIOTS.
WHAT WE WERE TALKING ABOUT IS TAKING THE WESTERN MOST EDGE OF A PORTION, A VERY ACTIVE PORTION OF THE PARK, AND PUTTING IN A PUBLIC BENEFIT.
IF YOU'VE GOT PEOPLE WHO ARE DOING ACTIVE SPORTS IN A HUNDRED DEGREE WEATHER, IT'S NOT A TERRIBLE THING TO HAVE FIRST RESPONDERS THERE AROUND THE CORNER TO BE ABLE TO SERVE THAT COMMUNITY.
WE HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO CREATE THIS FIRE STATION AND CREATE THIS, THIS SPORTS VENUE IN A WAY THAT WE GET TO CHOOSE AND DESIGN.
WE HAVE GORGEOUS LANDSCAPING OPPORTUNITIES TO MAKE THAT PARK, THAT PART OF THE PARK LOOK EVEN MORE BEAUTIFUL.
WE HAVE A SPORTS THEMED, UM, UH, MURAL THAT WILL BE PUT ONTO THE FIRE STATION WITH ALL, UM, APOLOGIES TO THE GREEK GOD OR, OR THE, THE GOD APOLLO, BUT HE'S RACING HIS CHARIOT ACROSS THE SKY.
I MEAN, IMAGINE COMING IN TO PLAY THE HIGH TIDES FOOTBALL FOR A A SEASON DEFINING GAME.
AND WE'VE GOT APOLLO ON OUR SIDE.
WE HAVE THE CHANCE TO PLAN FOR A CITY.
WE WANT, NOT THE CITY THAT WE'VE STUMBLED INTO, AND FOR US TO BE TALKING ABOUT THIS MAGICAL SITE THAT'S GOING TO APPEAR, OR SOMEHOW WE'RE GOING TO REDESIGN THE FIRE STATION TO THREE SMALLER FIRE STATIONS THAT ARE GONNA ACCOMMODATE THE NEEDS THAT, THAT WE HAVE AS A CITY.
WE HAVE MORE TALL BUILDINGS COMING INTO OUR CITY ALL OVER THE CITY, INCREASING THE DENSITY THAT ALREADY EXISTS IN SOUTH BEACH.
IF YOU THINK THERE'S NOT MORE COMING DESPITE OUR BEST EFFORTS, YOU HAVEN'T BEEN FOLLOWING THE NEWS OF LIVE LOCAL.
OKAY, WE NEED TO PLAN FOR THE CITY.
WE WANT TO BE GOING FORWARD, OBVIOUSLY I'LL BE, I'LL BE GRACIOUS ON, BUT I, WE, WE GET, WE, WE, I I JUST, I NEED TO FINISH.
I KNOW WE HAVE A LOT OF FIRE ITEMS. JUST, I'M JUST, IT'S NOT TO YOU.
I'M SAYING IT TO EVERYBODY AND WE'VE SPENT COUNTLESS MEETINGS TALKING ABOUT THIS.
SO WE, WE GOTTA KEEP THIS MOVING.
THAT'S WHY I'M SO FLABBERGASTED.
WE ARE MAKING DECISIONS OR, OR CONTEMPLATING DECISIONS TODAY.
BEFORE WE, BEFORE OUR ADMINISTRATIONS HAD A CHANCE TO COME BACK AND DO THE WORK OF NIPPING AND TUCKING THE FIRE STATION DESIGN TO MAKE IT FIT INTO THAT PLOT OF LAND.
AND OUR CHIEF DIGNA, AB BEO HAS BEEN VERY, VERY OPEN ABOUT WILLING TO WORK WITH US TO FIND WAYS TO MAKE SOME NIPS AND TUCKS.
SO I'M, I'M A THOUSAND PERCENT OKAY WITH THAT, TRYING TO MAKE THAT, THAT, UM, BUILDING FIT IN THE BEST POSSIBLE WAY.
BUT I WILL NOT SUPPORT GOING BACK TO SQUARE ONE, TRYING TO FIND THREE DIFFERENT SITES TO DO THE WORK THAT THIS ONE SITE WILL DO.
COMMISSIONER GONZALEZ, AND THEN COMMISSIONER DOMINGUEZ.
UM, I WOULD LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION RIGHT NOW AT THE BEGINNING OF THIS TO, TO TAKE THE SOUTH SHORE COMMUNITY CENTER, UM, OFF THE TABLE.
SO THIS ITEM IS, UH, A VERY TOUGH ONE AND
[01:55:01]
WHAT BOTHERS ME MOST ABOUT THIS IS THAT PREVIOUS COMMISSIONS, I'VE DISCUSSED THIS FOR YEARS AND IT WAS MY UNDERSTANDING THAT THE SOUTH SHORE COMMUNITY CENTER HAD BEEN CHOSEN BECAUSE WHILE IT WAS UNDER MORRIS LAPIDUS FIRM, IT WAS A JUNIOR ARCHITECT THAT HAD DONE IT AND THAT HAD CREATED THE BUILDING, NOT MORRIS LAPIDUS HIMSELF.AND THAT'S WHY THE HPB HAD NOT RECOGNIZED IT AS HISTORIC.
AND THE CITY HAS ALREADY SPENT A BUNCH OF MONEY.
UM, THE GEO BOND COMMITTEE HAS DELIBERATED ON THIS MONEY HAS BEEN ALLOCATED AND, UH, WE WERE READY TO GO.
SO NOW AT THE 11TH HOUR, THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF CHANGES AND WE'RE GETTING PUSHBACK FROM THE RUNNING COMMUNITY, FROM FLAMINGO PARK NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION AND PEOPLE THAT DON'T WANT TO HAVE THE STRUCTURE ON OUR SPACE.
SO I FEEL THAT IF WE'VE COME THIS FAR AND MADE SO MANY CHANGES, UM, IF COMMISSIONER FERNANDEZ IS LOOKING AT POTENTIAL OTHER SITES, THE RUNNING CLUB SENT US SOME IDEAS FOR SITES THAT WE HADN'T LOOKED AT BEFORE.
AND I WOULD SECOND, UH, COMMISSIONER FERNANDEZ'S MOTION.
UM, I'M JUST GONNA SPEAK BRIEFLY AND THEN I TALK, I WANT TO TURN IT OVER TO OUR CITY MANAGER, ERIC CARPENTER HERE.
I WILL JUST SAY, WE GOTTA GET THIS DONE.
I MEAN, WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT THIS FOR YEARS AND I'M ALSO, I WAS NOT, AND THE RECORD WILL REFLECT THIS, I WAS NOT IN FAVOR OF PUTTING THIS OUT FOR A VOTE TO THE COUNTY.
UM, I MEAN THERE WERE A COUPLE OF VOTES, I, I CAN'T SAY ON EVERY ONE HOW I VOTED, BUT, UH, GENERALLY I WAS NOT, I WAS NOT A FAN OF IT.
BUT NOW WE'VE PUT IT ON FOR A VOTE AND NOW WE'RE TURNING IN A DIFFERENT DIRECTION.
UM, WE OWE IT TO OUR FIREFIGHTERS, WE OWE IT TO OUR RESIDENTS.
WE GOTTA PULL TOGETHER AND FIND A LOCATION.
UM, AND ALTHOUGH A DIFFICULT ITEM, UH, I ALMOST FEEL LIKE IT'S APPROPRIATE THAT IT'S MY FIRST ITEM SITTING HERE AS THE CITY MANAGER SPEAKING ON, SINCE I'VE BEEN WORKING ON IT FOR MOST OF THE 11 YEARS THAT I'VE BEEN HERE AT THE CITY OF MIAMI BEACH.
UM, IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO ME AND TO OUR ORGANIZATION TO PROVIDE A FIRST CLASS FACILITY FOR OUR FIREFIGHTERS.
BACK TO, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE WERE GOING THROUGH THE INTERVIEW PROCESS FOR THIS JOB, SAFE AND CLEAN ARE OUR PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES HERE AT THE CITY.
UM, THIS FIRE STATION IS MEANT TO LAST US FOR THE NEXT 50 YEARS.
AND SO THE THING THAT IS DRIVING THE DECISION ABOUT WHERE IT GOES IS WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO BUILD IT AT AN ELEVATION THAT IS GOING TO LAST US FOR THE NEXT 50 YEARS.
THAT ELEVATION IS SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER THAN THE FIRE STATION THAT EXISTS TODAY.
AND WHEN WE NEED TO RAMP UP TO THAT ELEVATION SO THAT THE APPARATUS CAN GET FROM THE BAYS WHERE THEY WILL BE STAGED DURING, YOU KNOW, 80% OF THE TIME TO THE STREET, THAT DICTATES HOW LARGE THE SITE MUST BE.
AND UNFORTUNATELY, BECAUSE OF THE NEED FOR A CERTAIN NUMBER OF APPARATUS TO BE CONSISTENT WITH OUR, UH, REQUIREMENTS UNDER NFPA AND OUR CERTIFICATIONS AS A CLASS ONE FIRE AGENCY, AS WELL AS THESE RAMPING LENGTHS, IT REALLY LIMITS THE NUMBER OF SITES THAT ARE ON THE TABLE FOR DISCUSSION.
AND WE'VE LOOKED AT THIS AT LEAST FOUR TIMES THAT I CAN RECALL THAT WE'VE DONE A CITYWIDE SEARCH WITHIN THE AREA THAT WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO RESPOND TO THE CALLS IN SOUTH BEACH.
I AM HAPPY TO GO LOOK AGAIN, BUT I AM NOT SETTING EXPECTATIONS THAT WE ARE GOING TO FIND ANYTHING DIFFERENT THAN WHAT WE FOUND IN THE PAST.
I HAVE DIRECTION FROM THIS COMMISSION AS WE SIT HERE TODAY, SINCE THAT REFERENDUM PASSED ON AUGUST 20TH TO MOVE FORWARD WITH THE DESIGN ON THE FIRE STATION AT FLAMINGO PARK.
I HAVE DIRECTED OUR CIP DEPARTMENT AND DAVID GOMEZ IS HERE, UM, TO FIND A WAY TO DESIGN THIS FACILITY SO THAT IT DOES NOT IMPACT THE TRACK.
THAT TO ME IS THE WIN-WIN THAT I AM ALWAYS LOOKING FOR IN THESE TYPE OF SCENARIOS.
NOBODY IS GONNA BE A HUNDRED PERCENT HAPPY, BUT IF WE CAN FIND A WIN-WIN THAT WE CAN SAVE THE TRACK, WE CAN FIND A LOCATION ON SITE FOR THE LOCKER ROOM THAT'S CURRENTLY THERE AND PRESERVE THAT RESOURCE FOR THE COMMUNITY
[02:00:02]
AND ALSO DELIVER A CLASS ONE FIRE STATION.THAT TO ME IS WHAT I THINK IS WHAT WE SHOULD ALL BE AIMING FOR AS A TARGET.
AND I'M HAPPY TO DO WHATEVER IT IS THAT THE COMMISSION FEELS IS IN THE BEST INTEREST.
UM, AND, AND I DON'T MEAN TO TURN THIS INTO EACH ONE OF US ASKING YOU WHY WOULDN'T THIS SITE WORK, WHY WOULDN'T THIS SITE WORK? BUT I'LL TAKE LIBERTY DOING THAT.
UM, WHY WOULDN'T THE PARKING LOT AT FLAMINGO PARK WORK? THEY, HE SAID NO.
WHAT'S THAT? THE PARK SAID NO, THE NEIGHBOR SAID I'M WHAT MAKES THEM DIFFERENT.
SO WHO, OKAY, WE'RE GONNA DO THIS TO THE CHAIR.
SO THE MANAGER HAS A FLOOR AND THEN AFTER THE MANAGER SPEAKS, I'M GONNA MAKE A COMMENT.
UM, SO THE FLAMINGO PARK PARKING LOT HAS A COUPLE OF CHALLENGES.
NUMBER ONE, IT PROVIDES A PARKING LOT FACILITY THAT IS A RESOURCE TO THE PARK THAT WE OFTENTIMES FIND IS, IS VERY UTILIZED.
IT IS NOT CONFIGURED OPTIMALLY TO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE A PULL THROUGH OPTION, WHICH IS WHAT WE WOULD PREFER.
IT'S NOT AN ABSOLUTE HAVE TO, BUT IT IS A STRONG PREFERENCE BECAUSE WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT THE RAMPING SYSTEM THAT YOU HAVE TO GET UP TO THAT ELEVATION BACKING, THE FIRE APPARATUS UP A RAMP BECOMES PROBLEMATIC.
UM, AND SO WE WANT TO HAVE A PULL THROUGH OPTION SO THAT THEY CAN DRIVE IN FROM ONE SIDE AND PULL OUT THE OTHER IF AT ALL POSSIBLE.
THE THIRD REASON WHY WE LOOKED AT THAT SITE AND WE DECIDED AGAINST IT IS BECAUSE THE COMMUNITY FELT LIKE THAT WAS THE GRAND ENTRANCE TO FLAMINGO PARK.
YOU HAVE THE TENNIS CENTER ON ONE SIDE, YOU HAVE THE PAL ON THE OTHER SIDE, YOU HAVE THE POOL IN FRONT, AND THAT'S THE, SORRY, THAT'S THE MAIN TALKING WITH MY HANDS.
THAT'S THE MAIN WALKWAY GOING NORTH SOUTH THROUGH THE PARK.
AND SO THAT WAS THE OTHER REASON WHY THAT AREA WAS WE WERE ASKED TO LOOK ELSEWHERE.
UM, AND I'M JUST GONNA FOLLOW UP ON, ON SOME QUESTIONS TODAY.
HAS YOUR ADMINISTRATION AND YOUR TEAM BEEN ABLE TO LOOK AT THE DESIGN OF THE EXISTING FIRE STATION AND DETERMINE WHETHER, WHETHER IT IS INDEED FEASIBLE OR NOT TO REDESIGN IT IN SUCH A WAY TO AVOID TOUCHING THE TRACK AND FIELD? UM, WE ARE NOT ABLE AT THIS MOMENT IN TIME TO DEFINITIVELY SAY YES OR NO.
WE ARE MOVING AS QUICKLY AS WE POSSIBLY CAN TO BE ABLE TO GIVE YOU THAT ANSWER, BUT UNFORTUNATELY, I, I DON'T HAVE THAT TODAY.
AND THAT'S ONE OF THE PIECES OF INFORMATION THAT, UH, THAT I NEED.
UH, BEFORE, BEFORE AND, AND, AND BY THE WAY, NOT ONLY THE, UH, REDESIGN TO AVOID TOUCHING THE FIELD, BUT THE REDESIGN TO ALSO INCORPORATE THE OTHER NEED OF THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, WHICH IS THE NINE ONE ONE, UH, CALL CENTER.
SO THAT'S INFORMATION THAT I NEED BEFORE I SAY OKAY.
LET'S, LET'S MOVE FORWARD WITH PLACING IT ON, ON PARK SPACE.
UM, IN ABSENCE OF THE MAYOR, IS THERE ANY OTHER DISCUSSION ON THIS MR. ATTORNEY? I BELIEVE THERE WAS A MOTION ON THE TABLE AND A SECOND, UH, THE MOTION ON THE TABLE, IF YOU COULD RESTATE IT.
'CAUSE I BELIEVE IT RELATED TO THE SOUTH SHORE COMMUNITY, UH, CENTER.
THE MOTION WAS TO TAKE THE SOUTH SHORE COMMUNITY OFF THE TABLE, WHICH IS CONSISTENT WITH ONE OF THE ITEMS, UM, CURRENTLY ON THE AGENDA.
SO, ALL IN FAVOR OF THE MOTION, UH, TO TAKE THE SOUTH SHORE COMMUNITY CENTER OFF THE TABLE MOTION BY COMMISSIONER ROSA GONZALEZ, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER FERNANDEZ, PLEASE SAY AYE.
SO WE HAVE ONE NO BY MAYOR MINOR AND WE WILL NEED AN AFTER THE FACT RESO ON THAT.
AND JUST TO EXPLAIN MY REASONING, I'M NOT SAYING THAT IT SHOULD BE THERE.
I JUST, RIGHT NOW WE JUST HEARD OUR CITY MANAGER SAY THAT HE WANTS TO KEEP ALL OPTIONS ON THE TABLE, AND I JUST THINK WE SHOULD KEEP ALL OPTIONS ON THE TABLE.
SO C SEVEN AP WAS REPEALED RESO 20 20 20 22 DASH 3 2 2 0 1.
DEMOLITION OF SOUTH SHORE COMMUNITY CENTER ABANDONED PRIOR APPROVAL FOR FIRE STATION.
I BELIEVE THAT IS EQUIVALENT TO THIS ITEM IF I'M WRONG, RICK.
[02:05:01]
IT PUTS INTO EFFECT THE MOTION THAT YOU JUST VOTED ON, BUT WE SHOULD GO AHEAD AND HEAR THAT AND GET IT CLEARED.SO THAT ITEM WAS SEPARATED BY, I BELIEVE IT WAS THE MAYOR ALL SET.
I SEPARATED ALL THE, JUST TO KEEP THEM TOGETHER.
BUT I AGREE THE MOTION THAT, UH, RO UH, COMMISSIONER ROSE GONZALEZ MADE IS THE EQUIVALENT WITHDRAW THIS I SUGGEST.
PERHAPS, PERHAPS, MR. MAYOR, IF I MAY, SO PERHAPS WHAT WE SHOULD DO, THE MOTION THAT WE JUST ADOPTED, PERHAPS WE SHOULD RECONSIDER THAT MOTION, TAKE IT OFF THE TABLE AND MAKE A MOTION TO APPROVE C SEVEN AP.
AND PERHAPS THAT WOULD BE MR. ATTORNEY GUIDE US, BECAUSE PERHAPS THAT'S A PROPER ORDER SINCE THAT'S THE, UH, RESOLUTION THAT WAS PUBLISHED ON THE AGENDA.
WE, WE CAN LEAVE BOTH MOTIONS, BUT I, I THINK WE, WE COULD LEAVE THE ONE THAT WAS ALREADY ADOPTED AND WE COULD DO A NEW MOTION TO ADOPT THIS ONE.
SO I'LL MAKE A MOTION TO ADOPT C 78.
SO I HAVE A MOTION ON C SEVEN AP COMMISSIONER FERNANDEZ, SECONDED BY ROSE COMMISSIONER ROSEN GONZALEZ.
ALL IN FAVOR OF SAID MOTION, PLEASE SAY AYE.
[R7 K A RESOLUTION OF THE MAYOR AND CITY COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA, TEMPORARILY SUSPENDING ANY EXPENDITURES TOWARDS THE FIRE STATION 1 PROJECT (THE “PROJECT”) AT THE SOUTH SHORE COMMUNITY CENTER SITE, IN THE INTEREST OF FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY, UNTIL THE CITY COMMISSION RECEIVES AND EVALUATES RECOMMENDATIONS ON THE OPTIONS AND VIABILITY OF OTHER SUITABLE LOCATIONS FOR THE FIRE STATION.]
R SEVEN K.R SEVEN K IS TEMPORARILY SUSPEND EXPENDITURES.
FIRE STATION ONE PROJECT AT SOUTH SHORE COMMUNITY CENTER.
I THINK IT'S MOOT NOW BECAUSE WE JUST TOOK IT OFF THE TABLE, SO I'M JUST GONNA WITHDRAW.
ERIC, FOR THE RECORD, WE HAVE STOPPED ALL EXPENDITURES, SO NOT NECESSARY.
THANK YOU FOR, UH, SAVING TAXPAYER MONEY.
[C7 AY A RESOLUTION OF THE MAYOR AND CITY COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA, INITIATING THE PROCEDURE FOR HISTORIC DESIGNATION SET FORTH IN SECTION 2.13.9 OF THE MIAMI BEACH RESILIENCY CODE, AND REQUEST ING THE DESIGNATION OF THE SOUTH SHORE COMMUNITY CENTER AT 833 6 STREET AS AN INDIVIDUAL HISTORIC SITE. ]
LET'S GO TO C SEVEN A.YC SEVEN A Y IS REFERRAL TO HPB RECLASSIFIED SOUTH SHORE COMMUNITY CENTER.
I WOULD LIKE TO, UM, MAKE THIS QUICK.
UM, OUR, UM, DIRECTOR OR OUR, OUR, UH, HISTORIC PRESERVATION OFFICER IN THE PLANNING BOARD, UH, IN THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT SUPPORTS THIS DESIGNATION AS A SINGLE SITE.
UM, I DON'T KNOW WHERE SOMEHOW OVER THE YEARS, OVER THE LAST DECADE, THE THE, THE FACTS HAVE BEEN CONFUSED, BUT MORRIS LAPIDUS WAS IN FACT VERY INVOLVED WITH THE DESIGN OF THIS BUILDING.
UM, I INVITE ANYBODY TO TAKE A WALK THROUGH IT IS A BEAUTIFUL EXAMPLE, A BEAUTIFUL EXAMPLE OF BRUTALIST ARCHITECTURE.
AND WHILE I KNOW IT IS NOT OUR NORMAL ARCHITECTURAL VERNACULAR, AND I KNOW BRUTALISM IS NOT EVERYONE'S CUP OF TEA, UM, THE FACT THAT IT'S BEEN DORMANT FOR THE LAST NUMBER OF YEARS IS NOT A REFLECTION ON THE BUILDING ITS CAPABILITIES OR ITS, UM, STATE OF READINESS.
IT NEEDS A LITTLE BIT OF TLC, UM, BUT WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE DO NOT PUT THIS BUILDING ON THE CHOPPING BLOCK AGAIN.
SO WITH THAT, I'D LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION TO, UH, GO FORWARD WITH THIS REFERRAL.
I JUST, UM, WANT, WANT FOR THE CITY ATTORNEY TO EXPLAIN TO ME, EXPLAIN TO US THE ITEM FROM YOUR PERSPECTIVE.
WHAT IS THE ITEM THAT WE HAVE IN FRONT OF US IN C SEVEN A Y FOR THE DESIGNATION OF THE SOUTH SHORE COMMUNITY CENTER? MAYOR, I THINK YOU NEED TO UNMUTE.
C SEVEN A Y IS PURSUANT TO A PROVISION IN THE CODE THAT ALLOWS THE COMMISSION TO MAKE A REFERRAL TO THE HPB TO DESIGNATE A PARTICULAR PROPERTY AS HISTORIC.
UM, SO THIS ITEM IS NOT DIRECTING THE, THE, THE HISTORIC PRESERVATION BOARD.
THIS IS FOR THEM TO CONSIDER AND THEN THE HISTORIC PRESERVATION BOARD CAN, ON ITS OWN, DETERMINE
[02:10:01]
WHETHER, WHETHER THERE IS, UH, MERIT FOR DESIGNATION.WOULD THAT BE CORRECT? UH, MR. ATTORNEY, I, I'M GONNA DEFER TO TOM ON, ON THIS QUESTION 'CAUSE MY UNDERSTANDING IS YOU CAN DIRECT, BUT I WOULD LIKE FOR TOM TO SPEAK ON THAT.
UM, MR. VICE MAYOR, THIS IS A REFERRAL TO THE HISTORIC PRESERVATION BOARD TO INITIATE THE DESIGNATION PROCESS FOR THE SIXTH STREET COMMUNITY CENTER AS AN HISTORIC SITE, ASSUMING THE HISTORIC PRESERVATION BOARD VOTES IN FAVOR OR RECOMMENDING IN FAVOR, IT WOULD THEN GO TO THE PLANNING BOARD AS AN ORDINANCE AND THEN BACK TO THIS COMMISSION FOR TWO READINGS.
SO ULTIMATELY, THIS COMMISSION WOULD HAVE TO ADOPT BY A FIVE SEVENS VOTE, THE ORDINANCE THAT WOULD FORMALLY DESIGNATE AS AN HISTORIC SITE.
UH, MR. MOODY, I JUST WANT, I JUST, AND, AND THE REASON WHY I ASK THIS QUESTION IS 'CAUSE I'M FULLY SUPPORTIVE OF THIS RESOLUTION.
I DO BELIEVE THAT THERE IS ARCHITECTURAL SIGNIFICANCE TO, TO, TO THIS BUILDING IT REP.
IT REPRESENTS, UH, UNIQUE ARCHITECTURE OF ITS TIME AND THE PURPOSES OF HISTORIC PURPOSES.
IT SERVED IN, ITS IN OUR COMMUNITY.
UH, SO IT, IT IS VERY MUCH IN MY PERSONAL OPINION, WORTHY OF DESIGNATION.
BUT I ALSO RESPECT THE FUNCTION OF THE HISTORIC PRESERVATION BOARD BEING THE AUTHORITY ON HISTORIC PRESERVATION.
AND I ALWAYS LIKE TO BE MINDFUL OF THE PRECEDENTS THAT WE SAID, YOU KNOW, LEGISLATING IN THE PRESENT, THINKING ABOUT THE FUTURE.
UM, YOU KNOW, I DON'T LIKE TO STEP TOO MUCH INTO, INTO, INTO THE WORK OF THE HISTORIC PRESERVATION BOARD BECAUSE WHILE WE MAY BE VERY MUCH PROTECTIVE OF OUR HISTORIC ASSETS, WE DON'T KNOW WHAT THE FUTURE OF THIS BODY COULD EVER LOOK LIKE.
AND SO I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THEY MAINTAIN THEIR LEVEL OF INDEPENDENCE AS THE AUTHORITY WHEN IT COMES TO HISTORIC PRESERVATION.
COMMISSIONER FERNANDEZ, I HAD THE SAME QUESTION IN MY AGENDA REVIEW.
UH, SO I THINK, UH, GOOD POINTS.
I, I HAD THE SAME CONCERNS, UH, BUT WAS ULTIMATELY, UH, SATISFIED, BY THE WAY, I MEAN THIS, THE VOTE WAS TAKEN, BUT IF THE, IF THE, UM, ULTIMATELY IF THE HISTORIC PRESERVATION BOARD DOES, UH, CLASSIFY THE SOUTH SHORE COMMUNITY CENTER AS HISTORIC, THAT WOULD COMPLETELY CHANGE MY MIND AS TO WHERE THE FIRE STATION OR, OR, OR POTENTIALLY USING THAT AS A SITE.
THIS BODY HAS SPOKEN, AND THAT'S OFF THE TABLE ANYWAY.
BUT CERTAINLY THAT DESIGNATION WAS IMPORTANT TO ME IN, IN MAKING MY DECISIONS.
UM, OKAY, WE ISN'T WORKING AT ALL.
CAN I SAY ONE THING? COMMISSIONER ROSE.
I JUST WANTED EVERYBODY TO KNOW, I GOT AN EMAIL FROM JOE FARKAS, UM, YESTERDAY, AND HE WROTE, UM, I WAS VERY HAPPY TO HEAR THAT THE BUILDING'S GONNA BE SAVED.
UM, I WAS THE CHIEF DESIGNER AT MORRIS LAPIDUS AT THAT TIME, AND WORKED WITH HIM TO DESIGN THE BUILDING, WHICH I, OF, OF WHICH I WAS QUITE PROUD.
IT STANDS UP WELL IN DESIGN TERMS. I GREW UP ON MIAMI BEACH AND LIVED THERE TODAY AFTER 71 YEARS.
UM, THE LAPIDUS FAMILY HAS ALSO REACHED OUT AND, UM, THEY ARE VERY EXCITED ABOUT THIS TOO.
SO, I'M, YOU KNOW, IN SUPPORT OF THIS REFERRAL.
I THINK IT SHOULD HAVE NEVER BEEN TAKEN OFF THE TABLE, BUT LIKE I SAID, THERE WERE SOME BIZARRE GROUP THINK INTERPERSONAL THINGS GOING ON THAT WE ARE NO LONGER FACING RIGHT NOW.
AND I THINK WE'RE STARTING TO REALIZE WHAT'S IMPORTANT AND LOOK AT OUR HERITAGE AND, AND WHAT MAKES US DIFFERENT FROM ANY OTHER CITY.
UM, AND I WOULD ENCOURAGE YOU, MAYOR MINOR, TO JOIN US IN A UNANIMOUS BOAT.
UM, MOVING FORWARD, YOU COULD STILL CHANGE YOUR VOTES AND JUST EMBRACE IT, NOT VOTE AGAINST ALL OF US.
I'LL, I'LL, I'LL THINK ABOUT IT.
UM, CAN WE TAKE THE VOTE? YES, SIR.
SO, ON C SEVEN A YI HAVE MOTION BY COMMISSIONER BA SECOND BY COMMISSIONER ROSE GONZALEZ.
I HEARD SEVEN ZERO, SO C SEVEN A Y PASSES.
WELL, THAT'S A SEPARATE, THAT'S A DIFFERENT VOTE THAN THE OTHER ONES.
AND, UH, PREVIEW ALL GONNA BE A YES VOTE IN THE NEXT COUPLE AS WELL.
[C7 AT A RESOLUTION OF THE MAYOR AND CITY COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA, DIRECTING THE ADMINISTRATION TO RE-PAINT THE HISTORIC SOUTH SHORE COMMUNITY CENTER (“SSCC”), IN CONSULTATION WITH BARBARA HULANICKI, IN ONE LIGHT NEUTRAL COLOR TO ACCENTUATE AND REVITALIZE ITS BRUTALIST ARCHITECTURAL FEATURES.]
SEVEN 80 IS REPAINT SOUTH SHORE COMMUNITY CENTER.LEONARD HOROWITZ COLOR PALETTES, I BELIEVE THERE WAS A CHANGE TO MAKE THEM NEUTRAL COLOR PALETTE COMMISSIONER ROSE GONZALEZ, SEEING AS THOUGH IT IS NOW OFF THE TABLE AND DOES NEED SOME TLC, UH, WE WOULD LIKE TO REPAINT IT WITH THE SAME BRUTALIST, UH, COLOR PALETTE THAT WE HAVE INITIALLY.
I, I REALLY WANTED IT TO KIND OF POP WITH SOME COLORS.
I, I, I TEACH AT THE KENDALL CAMPUS, WHICH IS PROBABLY ONE OF THE LARGEST EXAMPLES OF BRUTALIST CEMENT ARCHITECTURE.
AND I DO HAVE TO SAY, SOMETIMES WALKING THROUGH IT'S GRAY
I MEAN, IT'S BEAUTIFUL AND YOU HAVE FLOWERS AROUND IT.
UM, BUT I WOULD LIKE BARBARA HULA NIKKI, UH, TO USE THE COLOR PALETTE, EVEN THOUGH IT IS BRUTALIST TO COME UP WITH SOMETHING THAT REALLY IS
[02:15:01]
EXCITING FOR THAT NEIGHBORHOOD.THERE HASN'T BEEN ANYTHING NEW.
IT NEEDS TO BE, IT NEEDS THE REPAINTING.
AND HOPEFULLY YOU GUYS WOULD, UM, WOULD SUPPORT ME IN, UH, JUST THIS MAINTENANCE ISSUE IS THAT MOTION I MAKE, UH, COMMISSIONER BOT.
I, I JUST, UM, DON'T AGREE WITH THE PHRASE, THE CHARACTERIZATION OF FALLING APART, AS WE ALL KNOW, IT IS NOT FALLING APART.
SO A PAINT JOB DOES NOT EQUAL FALLING APART.
AND I, I WOULD JUST URGE BARBARA HOKI TO WORK IN CONSULTATION WITH OUR HISTORIC PRESERVATION OFFICER.
UM, I, AS ANYONE WHO'S EVER SEEN MY CLOTHES OR MY OFFICE OR MY HOME KNOWS, I'M VERY FOND OF COLOR
SO, UM, I, I LOVE A GOOD COLOR POP, BUT I DO WANT TO BE, BE COGNIZANT OF WHAT THIS ARCHITECTURE IS.
BUT WE CAN DISCUSS THAT FURTHER.
ERIC, ANY ISSUES WITH THIS? NO, I DON'T HAVE ANY ISSUES AS LONG AS WE'RE, WE'RE FOLLOWING THE REVISED COLOR PALETTE, COMMISSIONER FERNANDEZ COMMISSIONER BOND.
JUST TO MAKE SURE, 'CAUSE I GOT DISTRACTED FOR A MOMENT.
UM, YOU MENTIONED WORKING WITH OUR HISTORIC PRESERVATION OFFICER, RIGHT? OKAY.
YEAH, BECAUSE, AND, AND I THINK THAT THAT MAKES SENSE BECAUSE BRUTALIST ARCHITECTURE, THIS TYPE OF, OF ARCHITECTURE, I THINK IN PART, IS KNOWN FOR ITS VERY RAW AND ROUGH, UH, CONCRETE STYLE.
UH, AND, AND WE JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT IN ADDING A COAT OF PAINT, WE DON'T TAKE AWAY FROM ITS AUTHENTICITY, UH, IN THE BRUTALIST, UH, STYLE OF ARCHITECTURE AND THE IMPORTANCE THAT, THAT, UM, THAT THE RAW CONCRETE ELEMENT PLAYS IN IT.
AND SO THANK YOU FOR, FOR, FOR POINTING THAT.
AND COMMISSIONER WILSON GONZALEZ IS JUST MAKE SURE THAT, UH, THAT ANY PAINT JOB, YOU KNOW, STAYS CONSISTENT WITH THAT CHARACTER OF ARCHITECTURE.
SO, SHOULD WE AMEND THE MOTION TO INCLUDE THE DIRECTION THAT HULA NIKKI WILL WORK WITH OUR, UH, PRESERVATION OFFICER.
SHE HAS BEEN ON EVERY SINGLE PROJECT.
LET'S TAKE THE VOTE AS IS C SEVEN T MOTION BY COMMISSIONER ROSEN GONZALEZ, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER BOT.
SO IT'S, IT'S AS AMENDED WITH THE WORKING OF, UH, WITH THE HISTORIC PRESERVATION OFFICER.
SO, C SEVEN A T IS ADOPTED AS AMENDED.
[C7 AU A RESOLUTION OF THE MAYOR AND CITY COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA, DIRECTING THE CITY ADMINISTRATION TO MEET WITH SOUTH FLORIDA SENIORS IN ACTION, INC. REPRESENTATIVES TO DEVELOP A PLAN FOR RE-OPENING THE SENIOR LUNCH ROOM AT THE SOUTH SHORE COMMUNITY CENTER, AND PROVIDE A PROGRESS REPORT TO THE CITY COMMISSION WITHIN 60 DAYS OF THIS RESOLUTION’S PASSAGE.]
IT'S CALLED C SEVEN AU.C SEVEN AU IS DEVELOPED PLAN FOR REOPENING LUNCHROOM AT THE SOUTH SHORE COMMUNITY CENTER.
IT WAS SEPARATED BY THE MAYOR, COMMISSIONER ROSE GONZALEZ CO-SPONSORED BY COMMISSIONER BT.
COMMISSIONER BT, THANK YOU, REALLY FOR EVERYTHING, FOR PICKING UP THE TORCH, FOR MAKING THIS HAPPEN, FOR PUSHING FORWARD FOR ADVOCATING.
I MEAN, I COULDN'T HAVE DONE IT WITHOUT, WE COULDN'T HAVE DONE IT WITHOUT EACH OTHER.
THOSE SENIORS ARE LIVING IN VERY SMALL QUARTERS.
UM, IT TAKES A FEW MONTHS TO GET THIS UP AND RUNNING AND TO FIND SOMEBODY.
IT USED TO BE JEWISH COMMUNITY SERVICES ONCE THAT SENIOR LUNCHROOM IS PROGRAMMED.
HOWEVER ELSE, I KNOW THAT THERE'S SOME ITEMS ON HERE TO HAVE AN OPEN HOUSE, UM, TO POSSIBLY REPROGRAM THE COULD.
IF WE COULD TAKE THE DIRECTION TODAY TO BEGIN THE PROCESS OF FINDING EITHER LITTLE HAVANA OR JEWISH COMMUNITY SERVICES TO REOPEN THE SENIOR LUNCHROOM.
OF CO-SPONSOR AND I, COMMISSIONER BI WOULD JUST SAY, UM, I, I WOULDN'T LIMIT IT TO THOSE TWO ORGANIZATIONS, WHOEVER IS, YOU KNOW, VETTED AND, AND APPROPRIATE AND READY TO, UM, PICK UP THIS GREAT OPPORTUNITY AND RUN WITH IT.
LET'S GO CITY MANAGER SINCE YOU AND YOUR TEAM HAVE TO ACTUALLY GET THE WORK DONE.
ANY, UH, ANY COMMENTS? NO, I, I, WELL, ONE THING, I, I THINK ALL OF YOU HAVE HEARD ME SAY OVER THE YEARS, I WOULD ALWAYS PREFER TO MEASURE TWICE, CUT ONCE.
AND SO I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE I HEAR YOU LOUD AND CLEAR.
THE SENIOR LUNCHROOM IS A PRIORITY, AND WE WILL MAKE THAT A PRIORITY TO MAKE THAT PART OF THE PROGRAMMING OF THE NEW AND IMPROVED SOUTH SHORE COMMUNITY CENTER.
BUT I DO WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE LOOKING AT ALL OF THESE THINGS THOUGHTFULLY AND FINDING THE BEST PARTNERS AND WORKING THROUGH HOW TO BEST OPERATE THAT COMMUNITY CENTER TO SERVE THE GREATEST NUMBER AND THE GREATEST NEEDS OF THE PUBLIC IN THAT AREA.
IF I MAY, MR. MAYOR FERNANDEZ.
[02:20:01]
UH, SO IF I UNDERSTAND PROPERLY, THE ITEM BEFORE US IS C SEVEN AU.IS THAT CORRECT, MR. CLERK? OKAY.
IT'S C SEVEN AAU AND C SEVEN AAU IS TO DEVELOP A PLAN FOR THE REOPENING OF THE LUNCHROOM.
UH, IT, IT'S NOT DIRECTING, BUT IT'S TO DEVELOP, TO DEVELOP A PLAN FOR REOPENING OF, OF LUNCHROOM.
UH, THAT'S, THAT'S MY UNDERSTANDING OF, EVEN THOUGH I DON'T HAVE THE ITEM RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME, UM, DEVELOP PLAN FOR REOPENING OF LUNCHROOM AT SOUTH SHORE COMMUNITY CENTER.
SO THAT'S, I THINK, TO YOUR CONCERN, MR. MR. MANAGER, THIS SEEMS TO BE CONSISTENT BECAUSE YOU CAN DEVELOP YOUR PLAN FOR THAT, BRING IT BACK TO THE COMMISSION, SEE WHAT COMMUNITY PARTNERS ARE OUT THERE.
SOMETHING THAT'S IMPORTANT FOR ME IS ALSO THAT WE PRESERVE, UM, THAT WHICH COMMISSIONER WILSON GONZALEZ YOUTH CHAMPIONED, AND YOU'VE BEEN A VOICE FOR THE CHILDREN OF THE UNDERPRIVILEGED FAMILIES WHO, WHO, WHO ATTEND LITTLE HAVANA ACTIVITIES AND NUTRITION CENTER.
UH, THE, UH, THE DAYCARE THAT'S, THAT'S THERE, THE CHILDCARE CENTER.
I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE PRESERVE THAT.
UM, BUT THEN THERE'S THE REST OF THIS BEAUTIFUL BUILDING.
I MEAN, IT IS IMPRESSIVE THE AMOUNT OF SPACE THAT'S IN THERE.
AND THAT'S WHERE I THINK, YOU KNOW, FOR THE USE OF THE REST OF THIS COMMUNITY CENTER, IT IS A COMMUNITY CENTER.
WE SHOULD ASK THE COMMUNITY, YOU KNOW, WHAT IT IS THAT THEY WOULD LIKE TO SEE IN THIS CENTER.
UM, AND SO, AND SO, I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE, UH, THAT IT'S CLEAR THAT RIGHT NOW THE ACTION THAT WE'RE DOING IS NOT DIRECTING YOU TO IMPLEMENT A PROGRAM, BUT IT'S TO DEVELOP THE PLAN THAT THEN WE CAN BRING TOGETHER AND CONSIDER WITH ALL THE OTHER OPTIONS THAT WE'LL HAVE ON THE TABLE.
SO I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THAT'S, THAT I'M CLEAR ON WHAT WE'RE VOTING ON RIGHT NOW.
CAN I SAY ONE THING? MOTION ROSE GONZALEZ.
COULD I GET CLARITY FROM THE CITY ATTORNEY OR THE CITY CLERK ON THAT MOTION? WELL, THE MOTION WAS TO ADOPT THE ITEM AS IS.
AND THE ITEM, CAN SOMEONE READ TO ME THE DIRECTIVE ON THE ITEM? IT'S, YEAH, IT'S, IT'S RECLASSIFY YOU, UH, DEVELOP PLANS FOR REOPENING.
THE LUNCHROOM SAYS DEVELOP PLANS.
SO IT'S A PLAN THAT WILL COME BACK TO US.
I, YOU KNOW, UH, TO FOLLOW UP ON YOUR CONCERNS, UH, COMMISSIONER FERNANDEZ.
ARE YOU OFFICIALLY, IS IT LIKE YOUR TERM YET? OKAY.
I'M TERRIBLE WITH TITLES AS EVERYBODY KNOWS.
UM, UM, THIS IS A VERY PARTICULAR NEED THAT HAS GONE UNATTENDED TO FOR TOO MANY YEARS.
WE HAVE ALL, UM, NOT ALL OF US, BUT MANY OF US WERE ON THIS TOUR ON, ON, UH, LAST WEEK, AND I VISITED THE CENTER PRIOR TO THAT.
THERE ARE A MILLION DIFFERENT OPPORTUNITIES THAT I THINK A LOT OF US ARE SUPER, SUPER EXCITED ABOUT MAKING HAPPEN, BUT THIS IS THE ONE THAT WE KNOW IS IMMEDIATE AND THAT PROBABLY THE EASIEST TO GET OFF THE GROUND.
AND SO I DON'T WANNA SLOW THE ROLL ON THIS WHILE WE FIGURE OUT THE LIMITLESS OPPORTUNITIES THAT AWAIT US, UM, WITH THIS AMAZING SPACE THAT'S IN GREAT SHAPE WITH A TON OF NATURAL LIGHT.
BUT, UM, BUT I THINK, YOU KNOW, LET'S GET THIS ONE GOING WHILE WE FIGURE OUT WITH A VERY, UH, ROBUST COMMUNITY INPUT.
I THINK YOU HAVE AN ITEM ON THAT.
I HAVE AN ITEM ON THAT, UM, TO, TO FIGURE OUT HOW ELSE TO USE IT.
BUT LET'S NOT SLOW THIS DOWN BECAUSE THIS IS AN IMMEDIATE NEED THAT WE KNOW CAN GET GOING FASTER THAN EVERYTHING ELSE.
COMMISSIONER ROSE GONZALEZ AND THEN COMMISSIONER DOMINGUEZ.
UH, COULD THAT BE THE NEW MOTION? WE WOULD LIKE TO MAKE SURE MOVE FORWARD WITH THE SENIOR LUNCHROOM WHILE AT THE SAME TIME WORK ON A PLAN TO REPROGRAM EVERYTHING THAT IS CURRENTLY NOT PROGRAMMED THERE? THAT IS KIND OF COMMISSIONER WHAT YOU SAID.
I, I MEAN, I WOULD LIKE TO, OUR ALBUM MARCELLA HERE, I WOULD LIKE TO FIND OUT HOW LONG IT WOULD TAKE TO REOPEN THE LUNCHROOM.
AND I WOULD LIKE TO MAKE SURE THAT, YOU KNOW, WE GET THIS DONE ASAP.
THERE'S, THEY'RE GONNA BE HAVING FLAMINGO.
MARCELLA RUBIO, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR, OFFICE OF HOUSING COMMUNITY SERVICES.
WE WOULD HAVE TO, UH, MEET WITH THE CURRENT OPERATORS FOR MEAL SITES, WHICH ARE UNIDA, UH, LITTLE HAVANA AND ACTIVITIES COMMUNITY CENTER AND JEWISH COMMUNITY SERVICES.
SO THOSE ARE THE THREE OPERATORS OF MEAL SITES IN MIAMI BEACH AT THIS TIME.
HOW LONG HAS IT NORMALLY TAKEN TO, UM, ONCE YOU MEET WITH THEM TO GET THE SENIOR LUNCHROOM UP AND RUNNING? WE WOULD HAVE TO LOOK AT WHAT EQUIPMENT THEY WOULD NEED IN ORDER TO DISTRIBUTE MEALS OR OFFER MEALS AT THE SITE TO, UH, WE WOULD HAVE TO LOOK AT THE FACILITY TO SEE IF, IF THEIR, THE CURRENT EQUIPMENT IS FUNCTIONAL.
SO I MAY BE, I, I MEAN, I'M NOT SURE HOW LONG IT WOULD TAKE, BUT PERHAPS 60 TO 90 DAYS TO DEVELOP A PLAN.
SO MAYBE THEY CAN TAKE IT BACK A PROPOSAL ON THAT.
SO HOPEFULLY, I MEAN, WITHIN, I MEAN, EVEN THOUGH IT TAKES 60 TO 90 DAYS, I
[02:25:01]
WOULD HOPE THAT, YOU KNOW, IF WE PASS THIS TODAY, THAT YOU GUYS COULD COME BACK EVEN NEXT MONTH AND TELL US WHAT, WHAT, YOU KNOW, HOW YOU CAN GET IT DONE.SO, SO THIS RESOLUTION IS TO DEVELOP THE PLAN JUST FOR THE SENIOR LUNCHROOM.
SO WE'RE PASSING THAT, RIGHT? CAN I, YEAH, WELL, COMMISSIONER DOMINGUEZ WAS NEXT.
OKAY, THEN I'LL, AND THEN I'LL GET BACK TO YOU AND I, I THINK ERIC WANTS TO SAY SOMETHING TOO AFTER.
ALRIGHT, COMMISSIONER DOMINGUEZ.
UM, SO I THINK THIS IS GOOD NEWS FOR THE SENIORS AND, UM, THE SOONER WE CAN GET THAT LUNCHROOM UP.
I ALSO WANTED TO CHIME IN THAT, UH, IN MORE GREAT NEWS FOR THE SENIORS, COUNCIL SOUTH HAS BEEN RESTORED AND REMODELED, AND THEIR LUNCHROOM IS GOING TO BE OPEN SOON AS WELL.
UM, DO WE HAVE AN A DATE YET FOR THE, UH, COUNCIL SOUTH LUNCHROOM? UH, WE DON'T HAVE AN EXACT DATE.
I KNOW THAT COUNCIL TOWERS HAS BEEN WORKING WITH THEIR CURRENT PROVIDER, LITTLE HAVANA AND ACTIVITIES NUTRITION CENTER TO, UH, FINALIZE INSPECTIONS.
THEY'RE ALSO WORKING WITH THE BUILDING DEPARTMENT AND, UH, THEY DON'T HAVE AN EXACT DATE AFTER ALL THOSE INSPECTIONS ARE PASSED, BUT, UH, THEY'RE HOPING FOR BEFORE THE END OF THE CALENDAR YEAR.
I'LL CONTINUE TO FOLLOW UP TO MAKE SURE THAT WE GET THAT UP AND RUNNING AGAIN.
THANK YOU COMMISSIONER FERNANDEZ.
AND THEN, UH, WE'LL TURN TO YOU ERIC.
UM, SO YEAH, SO I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE JUST SEE THE PLAN, UH, BECAUSE THERE ARE MULTIPLE OPERATORS IN, IN THE COMMUNITY THAT CAN PROVIDE THIS SERVICE.
THERE'S UNIDA THAT HAS BEEN DOING THIS WITH GREAT DIGNITY TOWARDS THE SENIORS UP IN NORTH BEACH FOR MANY YEARS.
THERE'S LITTLE HAVANNA COMMUNITY AND NUTRITION CENTERS THAT HAVE BEEN PROVIDING THIS FOR, FOR A LONG TIME.
THERE'S JCS THAT USED TO OPERATE AT THAT SITE.
SO, SO THERE'S DIFFERENT OPERATORS THAT WE COULD BE LOOKING AT THAT YOU SHOULD BE REACHING OUT THAT THEN YOU COULD BRING US BACK A PLANT PIECE.
RATHER THAN JUST DIRECTING AND SAYING, OKAY, BY NEXT MONTH WE WANT THIS OPERATING.
WELL, I THINK AS AN ELECTED BODY, WE SHOULD KNOW HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE WE GOING TO BE SERVING? WHAT ARE THE NECESSITIES THAT WE NEED TO IMPROVE IN THIS FACILITY TO REALLY MAKE IT FUNCTIONAL AND ABLE TO SERVE THE MOST MAXIMUM PEOPLE THAT ARE IN NEED? AND, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE SENIORS THAT REALLY HAVE GREAT FOOD INSECURITIES IN THESE, IN THESE NEIGHBORHOODS.
NOT JUST DURING LUNCH, BY THE WAY, EVEN DINNER TIME.
THEY, THEY, THEY HAVE, UH, FOOD INSECURITIES.
AND SO I WOULD LIKE TO SEE BEFORE, RATHER THAN JUST DIRECTING AND SAYING, OKAY, YOU KNOW, BY NEXT MONTH, JUST PUT SOMETHING TOGETHER AND HAVE IT RUNNING.
I WANNA SEE WHO WE, WE'VE REACHED OUT TO.
WHAT ARE THEY PROPOSING? HOW ARE THEY GONNA MAXIMIZE AND GET THE BEST USE OF THIS SPACE THAT WILL BEST SERVE THE GREAT NEED THAT WE HAVE FOR THE SENIORS AND THE VETOS IN OUR COMMUNITY THAT DO HAVE FOOD INSECURITIES.
AND MR. MANAGER, IS 30 DAYS ENOUGH FOR YOU TO DO, DO YOU NEED, DO YOU, DO YOU NEED 60 DAYS, UM, TO, TO BRING BACK A TRUE, A TRULY WELL PUT TOGETHER PLAN FOR THE USE OF THIS SPACE? PLEASE GUIDE US A LITTLE BIT IN THIS.
SO I THINK WE'RE BENEFITING FROM THE TIMING OF THE MEETINGS BECAUSE WE'RE RELATIVELY EARLY IN SEPTEMBER AND THE OCTOBER MEETING ISN'T UNTIL LATE.
SO I THINK WE END UP WITH ABOUT 45 DAYS OF TIME.
SO WHAT I WILL SAY IS WE WILL BRING BACK AN UPDATE OF EXACTLY WHERE WE ARE IN THAT OCTOBER 30TH MEETING SO THAT YOU CAN PROVIDE FEEDBACK AND MAYBE SOME DIRECTION BASED ON HOW FAR DOWN THE PATH WE ARE.
THANK YOU COMMISSIONER ROSE GONZALEZ.
WE GET FEDERAL FUNDING THAT COULD POTENTIALLY COVER THE COST OF THIS NEW SENIOR LUNCHROOM INSTEAD OF THE CITY ABSORBING THE COST.
AND I SAW RIGHT NOW THAT YOU HAVE SHIP FUNDS, IS THERE C-T-G-B-D, I MEAN, HAVE WE PASSED ANY DEADLINE TO GET THE FUNDING FOR THIS YEAR FOR CDBG FUNDS? UH, THERE IS AN, UH, REQUEST FOR APPLICATION PROCESS FOR THAT.
WE TYPICALLY RELEASE IN FEBRUARY FOR THE OCTOBER DEADLINE.
SO FOR THIS FISCAL YEAR, WE'VE ALREADY HAD AN ACTION PLAN THAT DESIGNATES A FUNDING FOR PUBLIC SERVICES TO SEVEN OR EIGHT AGENCIES IN THE COMMUNITY.
UH, WE WOULD HAVE TO LOOK AT FUNDING FOR NEXT FISCAL YEAR, WHICH WOULD BE AVAILABLE THROUGH A NEW CYCLE IN JANUARY OR FEBRUARY.
IT IS DESIGNATED TOWARDS HOMEOWNER PROGRAMS. ONLY HOMEOWNERS, SO THAT WOULD NOT BE FOR PUBLIC SERVICES.
SO WE DON'T GET HAVE ANY SHIP FUNDING.
WE MIGHT HAVE TO, IF, IF WE DO GET IT OPEN UP, THERE MIGHT BE TWO MONTHS WHERE WE POTENTIALLY COULD HAVE TO FUND IT.
BUT THEN YOU'RE SAYING THAT WE COULD, OUR FEDERAL FUNDING COULD KICK IN WITH THESE OTHER GROUPS AS SOON AS JANUARY OR FEBRUARY.
IF WE COULD YOU THAT DIRECTION, WE WOULD HAVE TO START PLANNING FOR THE FOLLOWING OCTOBER.
SO THE, THE TYPICALLY THE FUNDING THAT WE RECEIVE FOR PUBLIC SERVICES ARE UP TO $150,000.
[02:30:02]
IT IS A COMPETITIVE GRANT.UM, MULTIPLE AGENCIES APPLY FOR THIS TO COVER THEIR, THEIR COST.
SO, UM, IT'S, IT IS VERY LIMITED FUNDING AND IT IS THROUGH A COMPETITIVE PROCESS.
THE WAY I SAY THIS IS THAT IT'S A ROOM.
IT, IT ALREADY HAS THE TABLES AND CHAIRS THERE, ALEC, COMMISSIONER FERNANDEZ, IT HAS A KITCHEN.
YOU SAW THE KITCHEN THE OTHER DAY.
THE KITCHEN IS IN PRETTY GOOD SHAPE.
AND BY THE WAY, THEY DON'T COOK THE FOOD ON SITE.
ANOTHER JCS NOR LITTLE HAVANA, UH, THEY BRING THE FOOD ON ONSITE AND THEY NEED HEATING CAPABILITIES.
WE KNOW THAT THE KITCHEN WORKS.
WE HAVE THE TABLES THERE, WE HAVE THE CHAIRS THERE.
WHAT WE DON'T HAVE RIGHT NOW IS THE FUNDING THROUGH OCTOBER.
BUT I WOULDN'T WANNA WAIT UNTIL OCTOBER JUST TO GET THE FEDERAL FUNDING.
WE MIGHT HAVE TO PICK UP A GAP IN ORDER TO, UH, FUND THE SENIORS, WHICH WE'RE ALREADY DOING AT UNI DOG.
BUT WE HAVE THE BUDGET MEETING COMING UP NEXT WEEK.
SO I WOULD LIKE TO SOMEHOW ALLOCATE THOSE FUNDS DURING THIS BUDGET CYCLE.
SO THAT'S WHY THERE'S A LITTLE BIT OF EXPEDIENCY TO THIS COMMISSIONER FERNANDEZ.
AND I MEAN, I LIKE, YOU KNOW, I, IF YOU WANNA A PLAN, I MEAN, I THINK WE KIND OF KNOW WHAT JCS AND LITTLE HAVANA DOES AND UNI DIED.
AND BY THE WAY, I, I DON'T, IT DOESN'T, I DON'T, IT DOESN'T, ANY OF THOSE THREE COULD SERVICE IT.
BUT I, I DO FEEL AN AN URGENCY AT THIS POINT BECAUSE THE PEOPLE ARE HUNGRY.
I HAD SOMEBODY WHO CAME TO ME THE OTHER DAY.
THEY SAID, WE HAVE LEFTOVERS FROM THIS EVENT.
AND I WENT BY LOLA AND THE SENIORS WERE GRABBING THE FOOD.
THEY CAME OUT AND THEY WERE GRABBING THE FOOD FROM THE TRAYS BECAUSE THEY DON'T HAVE ANY MONEY.
THIS INFLATION AND THE PRICES AT PUBLIX AND THE SUPERMARKETS, AND BY THE WAY, THE COUNTY IS NO LONGER PROVIDING BUSES.
THEY CAN'T GET TO WALMART EASILY WHERE THE FOOD IS CHEAPER.
SO THEY'RE STUCK PURCHASING FOOD AT THE PUBLIX ON SIXTH STREET AT MIAMI BEACH PRICES.
WHICH BY THE WAY, PUBLIX IS EASILY 20% HIGHER PERCENT.
UM, I'D LIKE TO GET IT OPEN AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, AND I WOULD LIKE TO COVER ANY FUNDING GAPS THAT HAPPEN WITH OUR FEDERAL FUNDING.
THIS TO ME IS A, A SOCIAL IMPERATIVE.
SOMETHING THAT WE REALLY DROPPED THE BALL WITH THIS.
COMMISSIONER DOMINGUEZ IS FOLLOWING UP ON THE SENIOR LUNCHROOM ON FIFTH STREET IN COLLINS, BECAUSE BY THE WAY, THAT WAS CLOSE TOO.
SO OUR SENIOR COMMUNITY HAS BEEN LITERALLY FUNCTIONING AS SHUT IN AS WE WATCH INFLATION.
AND ALL OF YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU GO TO PUBLIX NOW, IT'S MUCH MORE EXPENSIVE, RIGHT? I GOT A FEW THINGS THE OTHER DAY IT WAS A HUNDRED DOLLARS.
SOME OF THESE PEOPLE ARE LIVING OFF $200 A MONTH.
WE CANNOT HAVE HUNGRY PEOPLE IN MIAMI BEACH.
WE JUST CANNOT, LET'S CALL THE VOTE.
ACTUALLY, I HAVE A SEPARATE ITEM THAT'S GOING TO COMMITTEE TO HELP, UH, THE SENIOR, UH, SENIORS GET TO PUBLIX WITH THROUGH, UH, WHATEVER THEIR REBECCA TOWERS FEDERATION, WHEREVER, TO HAVE BUSING THAT COULD HELP THEM GET TO THE BANK OR TO, UH, TO GROCERY STORES.
SO HOPEFULLY THAT WILL, UH, GET A POSITIVE RESPONSE FROM OUR COMMISSION.
LET'S CALL A VOTE NEXT MEETING, RIGHT, ERIC? YES.
AND MARCELA, COULD YOU GET US A NUMBER ON WHAT IT'S GONNA COST US TO, IF WE VOTE ON OUR NEXT MEETING SO WE CAN ADD IT INTO THIS YEAR'S BUDGET CYCLE, PLEASE? ON WHEN IS THAT? MONDAY
BUT YOU, YOU'VE DONE THIS BEFORE, IT'S ISN'T YOUR FIRST RODEO OF SOME SORT OF YEAH, WE CAN COME UP WITH AN ESTIMATE.
SO COMMISSIONER ROSA GONZALEZ, JUST TO CONFIRM THE, IT'S REZO AS IS WITH DIRECTION FOR HOUSING TO GET THE NUMBERS BEFORE SEPT, UH, AT THE SEPTEMBER 16TH MEETING.
SO MOTION BY COMMISSIONER ROSE GONZALEZ.
SECONDED BY, BY BY VICE MAYOR FERNANDEZ.
[C7 AI A RESOLUTION OF THE MAYOR AND CITY COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA, DIRECTING THE CITY ADMINISTRATION TO WORK WITH THE DESIGN CONSULTANT TO EXPLORE MODIFICATIONS TO THE CURRENT CONSTRUCTION DRAWINGS FOR FIRE STATION NO. 1, WHICH WAS APPROVED FOR CONSTRUCTION IN FLAMINGO PARK IN THE CITY OF MIAMI BEACH BY THE VOTERS IN THE MIAMI-DADE COUNTY IN A REFERENDUM ON AUGUST 20, 2024, THAT COULD PREVENT PARTIAL SHIFTING OF THE RUNNING TRACK FIELD WITHIN ITS CURRENT LOCATION TO ACCOMMODATE THE NEW FIRE STATION, PROVIDED THESE CHANGES DO NOT SIGNIFICANTLY AFFECT THE COST OR DURATION OF THE FIRE STATION NO. 1 CONSTRUCTION.]
ZERO.MAYOR, UH, MY NOTES INDICATE THAT WE HAVE NOT, WE'VE TALKED ABOUT IT, BUT WE HAVEN'T VOTED ON C SEVEN AI.
CI THINK WE, I THINK WE ADDRESSED THIS, UM, FIRE STATION CONSTRUCTION DRAWING MODIFICATIONS.
CAN WE JUST GO DOWN IT AND LIKE, OKAY.
C SEVEN, LET'S CALL C SEVEN AI.
CAN I SPEAK ON THIS? YEAH, YEAH.
WELL LET, LET, LET, UH, THE RALPH CALL IT UP.
SO, C SEVEN AI IS FIRE STATION NUMBER ONE, CONSTRUCTION DRAWINGS MODIFICATION, C SEVEN AI COMMISSIONER BOT, UH, CO-SPONSOR BY COMMISSIONER MAGAZINE AND COMMISSIONER ROSE GONZALEZ.
SO I THINK, I DON'T WANNA DRAW THIS OUT.
I'D LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION TO, TO MOVE FORWARD WITH THIS.
I THINK THE ADMINISTRATION SINCE BASICALLY THE DAY AFTER THE VOTE, WHEN ERIC AND I, CITY MANAGER CARPENTER AND I FIRST HAD THIS CONVERSATION, AND DAVID MARTINEZ AND I HAD THIS CONVERSATION, THE, THE DIRECTION IS LOUD AND CLEAR.
LET'S FIND A WAY TO FIT THIS FIRE STATION WITH THE CORE ELEMENTS OF WHAT IT NEEDS TO PROVIDE THE
[02:35:01]
LIFE SAFETY, UM, FOR OUR RESIDENTS INTO THE SPACE THAT WE HAVE WITHOUT IMPACTING THE PARK.UM, AND ALSO, BY THE WAY, WITHOUT IMPACTING THE PARK, MAKES US A MUCH LESS EXPENSIVE PROJECT THAT WILL LIKELY TAKE LESS TIME TO ACCOMPLISH.
LET'S GET THIS DONE AS A WIN, WIN, WIN, WIN, WIN WIN.
SO I MOVE THAT ITEM AND, UH, COMMISSIONER FERNANDEZ, VICE MAYOR FERNANDEZ, ALEX, THERE YOU GO.
BUT, UH, BUT WELL, WE ARE WHAT CONTINUES.
SO THE PURPOSE OF THIS ITEM IS TO ASK THE ADMINISTRATION TO WORK WITH OUR DESIGN CONSULTANTS, UH, TO SEE IF THERE'S A WAY TO PREVENT SHIFTING THE RUNNING TRACK AND THE FIELD, UM, UH, AS PART OF A REDESIGN OF FIRE STATION ONE.
IS THAT CORRECT? YES, THAT IS CORRECT.
THE INTENT IS, UH, TRY TO PRESERVE THE LOCATION OF THE PARK WHERE IT IS, UH, IN LIGHT OF SOME ADDITIONAL TWEAKS THAT ARE GONNA NEED TO BE MADE, UM, TO TRANSFER THIS FIRE STATION OVER TO FLAMINGO PARK.
AND IF, IF AS A RESULT OF THIS RESOLUTION, THE ADMINISTRATION GOES TO THEIR DESIGN CONSULTANT AND THE DESIGN CONSULTANT DETERMINES, YOU KNOW, DUE TO ALL THE NEEDS OF THIS FIRE STATION AND EVERYTHING WE'RE TRYING TO PUT IN THERE, THEY CAN'T REDESIGN IT.
THAT, YOU KNOW, THERE STILL NEEDS TO BE A SHIFT OF THE RUNNING TRACK THAT WE STILL NEED TO INTERFERE WITH THE FIELD.
WHAT IS THEN, UH, THE OUTCOME AS A RESULT OF THIS, UH, RESOLUTION? THIS RESOLUTION DOESN'T ADDRESS THAT, UH, THIS COMMISSION HAS PREVIOUSLY APPROVED.
I BELIEVE THAT CONVERSATIONS ARE BEING HAD WITH THE CITY MANAGER BY EACH ONE OF YOU AS TO HOW TO TRY TO MOVE THIS FORWARD IN THE WAY THAT IS LEAST IMPACTFUL TO RESIDENTS AND PARTICULAR FLAMINGO PARK USERS.
UM, BUT RIGHT NOW, THE, THE RESOLUTION CONTEMPLATES THAT THIS WILL HAPPEN.
I DON'T BELIEVE THAT THERE'S A REQUIREMENT TO REPORT BACK, BUT I, I BELIEVE THAT THE, THE, THE MANAGER WOULD REPORT BACK.
OKAY, SO THIS IS JUST SO, SO THIS IS, SO, SO THIS IS, THIS IS JUST SIMPLY TO LOOK EVERY, THE SIGNING PRETTY MUCH THAT'S CORRECT.
COMMISSIONER MAGAZINE, I HOPE WITH EVERY OUNCE OF MY BEING, OUR CITY STAFF CAN COME BACK AND SAY, UH, THIS CAN BE REDESIGNED.
IF IT CANNOT, IT'S NOT 'CAUSE CITY STAFF DID ANYTHING WRONG.
IT, IT'S JUST SIMPLY, UH, IT, IT DOESN'T PENCIL.
I HOPE WITH EVERY OUNCE OF MY BEING, IT CAN, UH, 'CAUSE THAT WE ALL SHARE AND SACRIFICES.
UM, AND I THINK THAT WOULD BE THE BEST WAY FORWARD.
BUT I ALSO THINK IT'S PRUDENT ON US TO SIT HERE AND ASK OURSELVES, WHAT IF IT DOES NOT? AND I WAS PRETTY CLEAR EARLIER, IF THE CITY STAFF COMES BACK AND SAYS, NO, I'M SORRY, THIS CAN'T BE REDESIGNED WITHOUT SHIFTING THE TRACK.
I THINK WE NEED TO BE CLEAR TO THE HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE THAT WE'VE HEARD FROM THE HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE THAT GO THERE EVERY NIGHT AND WE DIDN'T HEAR FROM WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN? ARE WE GOING TO VOTE AND SIT THERE AND SAY, WE'RE GONNA SHUT THIS TRACK AND THIS PARK AND THIS SOCCER FIELD AND THIS FOOTBALL FIELD FOR THREE MONTHS, SIX MONTHS, MAYBE A YEAR IT'S GONNA BE $20 MILLION.
I'D LOVE TO HEAR FROM OUR CFO WHERE WE'RE GONNA GET THAT.
AND THEN YOU TALK ABOUT THE RESTORATION OF THE SOUTH SHORE COMMUNITY CENTER AT $8 MILLION.
AND THEN WE HAVE FIRE STATION ONE'S CURRENT LOCATION.
WHAT ARE WE GONNA DO WITH THAT? WHAT ARE THE PLANS? HOW MANY MILLIONS OF DOLLARS THAT GONNA SAVE? WE'RE LOOKING LIKE 40 OR $50 MILLION WHERE WE'RE LIKE, AH, WE'LL FIGURE IT OUT WHEN WE GET THERE.
YEAH, MAYBE WE HAVE TWO OR THREE YEARS TO DO THAT.
BUT WHAT ARE OUR RESERVES THIS YEAR? WHAT ARE INCREMENTAL RESERVES? MR. CFO, IF YOU COULD, AND COMMISSIONER MAGAZINE, THAT'S WHY I APPOINTED YOU CHAIR OF THE FINANCE COMMITTEE PROVING YOUR WORTH.
RIGHT? AND, AND THE NUMBER HE'S GOING TO REPORT BACK WITH ARE WHEN WE HAVE NEAR DOUBLE DIGIT PROPERTY TAX INCREASES AND OUR RESORT TAXES WERE EITHER STRONGER INCREASING EVERY SINGLE MONTH, YEAR OVER YEAR, WHICH WE'VE STARTED TO SEE INDICATION OF REVERSING.
AND BY ALL INDICATIONS, THE SURGE IN HOME VALUES ACROSS MIAMI-DADE HAVE STAGNATED AT BEST OR DECLINED AT WORSE.
SO IF YOU COULD JUST GIVE A BACK OF THE ENVELOPE ABOUT WHAT OUR RESERVES WERE THIS PAST YEAR.
AND AGAIN, IN ADDITION TO WHAT I JUST SAID, THAT'S WITHOUT THE RENEGOTIATION OF FIVE DIFFERENT UNION CONTRACTS THAT WILL BE REFLECTIVE IN NEXT YEAR'S BUDGET.
UH, JASON GREEN, CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER, UH, THE CITY DOES HAVE A, A BALANCED BUDGET, UH, THAT WE ARE PROPOSING AND WE'LL BE MEETING ON MONDAY FOR OUR FIRST BUDGET HEARING ON THAT.
UH, AS OF NOW, THE CITY HAS APPROXIMATELY,
[02:40:01]
UH, I THINK AROUND $110 MILLION IN OUR GENERAL FUND RESERVES.WE ARE MEETING THE COMMISSION SET POLICY, WHICH IS BASED ON A NATIONAL BEST PRACTICE FOR THAT.
UH, IT IS CONTEMPLATED, UH, IN THE 25 BUDGET THAT WE WOULD BE UTILIZING RESERVES IN THE RESORT TAX, UH, FOR THE ONE TIME FUNDING FOR, UH, THE ARTS AND CULTURE.
UM, BUT THAT WOULD NOT BE, YOU KNOW, ELIGIBLE FOR THIS ON THE FIRE STATION.
BUT OBVIOUSLY, BUT LET'S SAY MR. SFO, LET'S SAY WE DIDN'T WANT TO CUT INTO OUR RESERVES.
RIGHT? AND JUST SAY, OKAY, OVER THE NEXT THREE YEARS, THE ANNUAL EXCESS MONEY THAT WOULD WE TYPICALLY PUT IN RESERVES MM-HMM.
WHAT IS THE YEARLY EXCESS THAT WE'VE BEEN ACCUMULATING OVER THE PAST TWO YEARS? WE ABOUT $14 MILLION, RIGHT? THESE, WHAT, WHAT I THINK WHAT YOU'RE SPEAKING OF IS IT YEAR END A SURPLUS THAT WE HAVE IN UN IN UNENDED FUNDS IN OUR GENERAL FUND.
UH, LAST YEAR, I THINK IT WAS AROUND $15 MILLION.
I THINK WE WERE PROJECTING AROUND $10 MILLION GENERAL FUND SURPLUS.
AND THE, THE PLAN IS, AND THIS IS KIND OF A SNEAK PEEK TO TO MONDAY A BIT, IS THAT ASSUMING THAT THE BUDGET IS, YOU KNOW, A BALANCED BUDGET, THAT WE WALK OUTTA THERE WITH THAT, THAT, UH, $10 MILLION, WHICH BY COMMISSION POLICY HAS TO BE PUT INTO A CAPITAL RESERVE.
LAST YEAR WE DID HALF CAPITAL RESERVE, HALF PAYGO.
'CAUSE WE, WE SPENT ALL OF THAT SURPLUS ON CAPITAL PROJECTS THAT THIS PROJECT BEING, I BELIEVE THE TIPPY TOP, UH, PRIORITY ONE FOR ALL OUR CAPITAL PROJECTS IS WE WOULD JUST TAKE THAT WHOLE 10 MILLION AND FUND THAT TOWARDS FIRE STATION ONE.
UH, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY A CT IS DEVELOPING THOSE PLANS.
SO BASICALLY, LET'S SAY WE ARE SO FORTUNATE AND CONTINUE GETTING DOUBLE DIGIT PROPERTY TAX INCREASES, PRECURSOR, THAT'S NOT GONNA HAPPEN
BUT LET'S SAY THAT ALL THOSE THINGS HAPPEN, THAT MEANS EVERY EXCESS SURPLUS DOLLAR IS GOING TO HAVE TO GO TO ESSENTIALLY OVER THE NEXT THREE YEARS, NOT NEXT YEAR, NOT FOR TWO YEARS, PROBABLY FOR THE NEXT THREE YEARS.
WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THE ACCUMULATION OF ALL THAT'S GOING TO NEED TO BE SPENT HERE, IF WE CAN'T THREAD THIS NEEDLE AND GET THE, UH, FIRE STATION TO FIT IN THE WESTERNMOST PORTION WITHOUT REDESIGNING THE TRACK JUST FOR THIS KIND OF COMPREHENSIVE PROJECT THAT'S EVERY SINGLE SURPLUS DOLLAR THAT OUR BUDGET HAS BEEN GENERATING OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS, WE'LL HAVE TO BE ALLOCATED TO THIS FOR THE NEXT THREE YEARS.
I'M, I'M JUST PUTTING THAT OUT ON THE TABLE.
THAT'S, THAT'S WHAT WE'RE FACING.
AND I THINK IT WOULD BE A DERELICTION OF DUTY IF WE AT LEAST DON'T PLAN FOR ALTERNATIVES IF THIS CAN'T WORK.
I JUST PUTTING THOSE THINGS OUT THERE ON THE TABLE.
AND THEN LET'S, I HAVE QUESTION, UH, ACTION COMMISSIONER, HANDLE COMMISSIONER BLACK COMMISSIONER ROSE GONZALEZ, AND LET'S TAKE THE VOTE.
SO, UM, I'M JUST CURIOUS ABOUT THE $8 MILLION TO REFURBISH THE, UM, SOUTH SHORE COMMUNITY CENTER.
IS THAT, WHERE'S THAT NUMBER COMING FROM? UH, THE EIGHT AND A HALF MILLION DOLLARS WAS, I KNOW, WAS A NUMBER THAT WAS PROVIDED ME BY FACILITIES.
THAT WAS, I THINK THE PREVIOUS FIVE YEAR CAPITAL RENEWAL AND REPLACEMENT OR THE CRR UH, PROGRAM THAT WAS OBVIOUSLY REMOVED FROM A PRIOR, UH, CAPITAL PROGRAM.
AS FOR WHERE THOSE DOLLARS WOULD COME FROM, IT WOULD GET PUT INTO THE, THE NEXT, THE 2026 FORWARD, UH, CAPITAL PROGRAM.
AND THEY WOULD HAVE TO, YOU KNOW, COMPETE AGAINST THE OTHER CR DOLLARS.
BUT THE GOOD THING, AND AGAIN, WE'RE PREVIEWING MONDAY A BIT, IS THAT WE'RE GONNA HAVE THE HIGHEST CR MILLAGE THAT THE CITY IS.
UH, WE'RE PROPOSING TO HAVE THAT CR SO WHAT WE'RE DOING IS ADDING MORE MONEY TO THAT.
SO HOPEFULLY THERE'LL BE THOSE DOLLARS AVAILABLE, BUT THEY'LL BE COMPETING AGAINST MANY OTHER FACILITY NEEDS.
SO, THROUGH, THROUGH THE CHAIR, IF I MAY, UM, ELIZABETH, IF YOU DON'T MIND, UM, THE, MY UNDERSTANDING WAS TO GET THE, THE SOUTH SHORE COMMUNITY CENTER OPEN, WE, UM, THE ELEVATOR NEEDS TO BE FIXED BECAUSE IT'S GOING TO FIX AN ELEVATOR FOR A BUILDING THAT HAS, UM, A BOMB GOING OFF IN IT, IN, IN A SHORT AMOUNT OF TIME.
AND, UM, AND EVENTUALLY, SOONER RATHER THAN LATER, AS PROGRAMMING GETS BROUGHT ONLINE AND THE COOLING NEEDS INCREASE EVENTUALLY TO UPGRADE THE CHILLER, WHICH IS NORMAL UPGRADE THING, AND PAINT AND PLANTINGS, THAT'S NOT $8 MILLION.
SO WHAT, WHAT ARE WE TALKING ABOUT HERE? WHAT, WHAT KINDS OF OTHER UPGRADES ARE WE TALKING ABOUT? I MEAN, WE'VE TALKED ABOUT IT IN, IN WALKING THROUGH THE SITE A NUMBER OF TIMES, SAYING THAT IT'S IN GREAT SHAPE AND IT DOESN'T NEED A LOT OF WORK.
SO ARE ELEVATORS THAT EXPENSIVE? ELEVATORS ARE EXPENSIVE, BUT NOT $8 MILLION WORTH.
UM, GOOD MORNING, UH, MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF THE CITY COMMISSION.
ELIZABETH MIRO, INTERIM DIRECTOR FOR FACILITIES AND FLEET MANAGEMENT.
SO THAT $8.3 MILLION, UM, ASSESSMENT IS BASED ON OUR REQUIREMENT LIST.
THAT'S FROM OUR FACILITIES CONDITION ASSESSMENT.
IT LOOKS AT ALL THE REQUIREMENTS THAT A, THAT A BUILDING MAY NEED OVER TIME.
AND THAT'S HOW WE PLAN FOR OUR CAPITAL PROJECTS.
UM, IN PRIORITIES, YES, WE WOULD PUT FIRST
[02:45:01]
THE ELEVATOR AND THE CHILLER THAT DO REQUIRE A REPLACEMENT.AND WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT IS ROUGHLY ABOUT $250,000 AS PRIORITIES.
THERE ARE OTHER THINGS THAT WE CAN LOOK AT AS PART OF OUR CAPITAL PROJECT OVER TIME, INCLUDING SAY, THE ROOF AND ANY, UM, YOU KNOW, THIS BUILDING WILL NEED TO BE RECERTIFIED IN 2030.
SO WE LOOK AHEAD AND WE LOOK AT ALL THE THINGS THAT MAY BE REQUIRED FOR STRUCTURAL, YOU KNOW, IT'S STRUCTURALLY SAFE NOW, BUT ANYTHING ELSE THAT MAY BE REQUIRED IN TERMS OF CAPITAL NEEDS.
SO OUR PRIORITIES RIGHT NOW WOULD BE THE ELEVATOR AND THE CHILLER.
SO I DON'T THINK, UM, CALLING IT AN ADDITIONAL $8 MILLION IS AN ACCURATE REPRESENTATION.
AND COMMISSIONER MAGAZINE, I, I RESPECT YOUR FINANCIAL ACUMEN AND YOUR CONCERN ABOUT THE BUDGET, AND THAT IS WHY YOU'RE THE CHAIR OF THE FERC AND, AND, UM, MORE POWER TO YOU.
BUT I, I DO THINK, UM, I, I DO THINK THAT THERE IS A, AN OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE SOMETHING HAPPEN AND LET US DO THE WORK TO DETERMINE THAT BEFORE WE START.
UM, YOU KNOW, SUFFERING TWICE IS A, IS A PSYCHOLOGY TERM.
UM, WE SHOULD START THINKING ABOUT IT.
BUT WE HAVE A SUPER, SUPER GINORMOUS AGENDA TODAY, AND I THINK THAT THESE ARE VERY VALID CONVERSATIONS TO BE HAD.
AND MAYBE WE CAN REFER SOMETHING TO FERC TO CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION.
UM, BUT MAYBE LET'S MOVE IT OFF THE DAY AS TODAY, MOVE IT ON TO THE DAY AS AT A COMMITTEE MEETING.
WE ARE GONNA HASH IT OUT AND HAVE OUR STAFF COME BACK WITH SOME IDEAS ABOUT HOW, HOW TO ADDRESS THE CONCERNS, UM, IN MORE DETAIL.
AND, AND I'M FINE THAT IT'S JUST ON THE RECORD.
UH, I, I DON'T IF WE WANT REHASH IT, IF WE WANNA REHASH THE CONVERSATION AT A COMMITTEE, WE CAN.
I, I JUST WANT HAVE THIS ON THE RECORD FOR WHAT WE COULD ALL BE FACING DECISION.
SO, UH, WE HAVE C SEVEN AI, WE READY TO VOTE? AYE.
RIGHT NOW I ONLY HAVE A MOTION BY COMMISSIONER B.
I HAVE A MOTION BY COMMISSIONER BOT SECOND BY VICE MAYOR FERNANDEZ.
ALL IN FAVOR OF C SEVEN I PLEASE SAY AYE.
I AM REJECTING YOUR MOTION TO RETURN THIS MEETING.
WE HAVE A LOT OF ITEMS. HOPEFULLY WE CAN START FLYING THROUGH SOME
[R5 A AN ORDINANCE OF THE MAYOR AND CITY COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA, AMENDING CHAPTER 102 OF THE CODE OF THE CITY OF MIAMI BEACH, ENTITLED “TAXATION,” BY AMENDING ARTICLE V, ENTITLED “LOCAL BUSINESS TAX,” BY AMENDING SECTION 102-379, “SCHEDULE OF TAXES,” BY UPDATING THE “SCHEDULE OF TAXES” AND MOVING ALL FEES TO APPENDIX “A;” PROVIDING FOR REPEALER, SEVERABILITY, CODIFICATION, AND AN EFFECTIVE DATE.]
OF THEM.R FIVE A IS IN ORDER TO THE MAYOR, CITY COMMISSIONER OF CITY OF MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA, AMENDING CHAPTER 1 0 2 OF THE CODE OF THE CITY OF MIAMI V BEACH ENTITLED, TAXATION BY AMENDING ARTICLE FIVE, ENTITLED LOCAL BUSINESS ACTS BY AMENDING SECTION 1 0 2 DASH 3 7 9, SCHEDULE OF TAXES BY UPDATING THE SCHEDULE OF TAXES AND MOVING ALL FEES TO APPENDIX A, PROVIDING FOR REPEAL OR SUB ABILITY, CLARIFICATION, AND EFFECTIVE DATE.
THIS IS A SECOND READING PUBLIC HEARING.
SO, UH, THIS ITEM WAS ALREADY HEARD AT FIRST READING, AND IT WAS UPDATING OUR BTRS 'CAUSE ON AVERAGE THEY WERE ABOUT 30 TO 35% HIGHER THAN ANY PLACE ELSE IN SOUTH FLORIDA.
I'VE MET WITH, UH, MANNY MARQUEZ SEVERAL TIMES, AND WE CAME UP WITH, UH, PRICING THAT WAS MORE IN LINE WITH THE REST OF THE COUNTY.
THIS HAS GONE THROUGH OUR FINANCE DEPARTMENT.
AND, UM, MANNY, ANYTHING ELSE TO ADD? UH, GOOD MORNING.
MANNY MARQUEZ, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF FINANCE.
WHEN WE FIRST STARTED THIS, THE CITY OF MIAMI BEACH HAD THE HIGHEST RATES FOR HOME-BASED BUSINESSES IN ALL OF MIAMI-DADE COUNTY.
AND AFTER GOING THROUGH THESE, UH, COMMITTEES, NOW WE'RE ONE OF THE LOWEST, AND IT ONLY IMPACTED OUR BUDGET BY $34,000.
AND WE REVENUES FOR B BTRS ARE 6 MILLION.
WE ALSO ADDED CATEGORIES FOR ITEMS THAT WE FREQUENTLY ASKED, UH, DATA FOR, FOR EXAMPLE, HOOKAHS, UH, SMOKE SHOPS, CANDIDATES, ALL THESE OTHER ITEMS. SO WE ADDED CATEGORIES FOR THAT, FOR THOSE INDUSTRIES.
AND I THINK THIS IS A VERY GOOD ITEM.
ANY QUESTIONS? SECOND? I'LL SECOND IT'S CALL THE VOTE.
SO I HAVE A MOTION BY COMMISSIONER DOMINGUEZ, SECONDED BY VICE MAYOR FERNANDEZ.
[R5 B AN ORDINANCE OF THE MAYOR AND CITY COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA, AMENDING CHAPTER 2 OF THE CODE OF THE CITY OF MIAMI BEACH, ENTITLED "ADMINISTRATION," BY AMENDING ARTICLE VI, ENTITLED "PROCUREMENT," BY AMENDING DIVISION 3, ENTITLED "CONTRACT PROCEDURES" BY CREATING SECTION 2-375.1, ENTITLED "PROHIBITION AGAINST CONTRACTING WITH PARTIES THAT BOYCOTT ISRAEL" TO REGULATE CITY CONTRACTS WITH PARTIES THAT ENGAGE IN BOYCOTTS OF THE STATE OF ISRAEL; AND PROVIDING FOR REPEALER, SEVERABILITY, CODIFICATION, AND AN EFFECTIVE DATE.]
R FIVE BR FIVE B IS THE NOR OF THE MAYOR OF CITY COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF MIAMI BEACH OF FLORIDA.AMENDING CHAPTER TWO OF THE CODE OF THE CITY OF MIAMI BEACH ENTITLED ADMINISTRATION BY AMENDING ARTICLE SIX, ENTITLED, PROCUREMENT BY AMENDING DIVISION THREE ENTITLED CONTRACT PROCEDURES BY CREATING SECTION TWO DASH
[02:50:01]
3 7 5 0.1 ENTITLED PROHIBITION AGAINST CONTRACTING WITH PARTIES OF BOYCOTT ISRAEL TO REGULATE CITY CONTRACTS WITH PARTIES THAT ENGAGE IN BOYCOTTS OF STATE OF ISRAEL AND PROVIDING FOR REPEAL OF ABILITY, CODIFICATION AND EFFECTIVE DATE.THIS IS THE SECOND READING, PUBLIC HEARING.
COMMISSIONER SUAREZ CO-SPONSORED BY ME, COMMISSIONER MAGAZINE AND VICE MAYOR FERNANDEZ.
UH, I SEE NO ONE IN THE AUDIENCE.
I HEARD A MOTION BY COMMISSIONER SU SUAREZ.
SECONDS THAT IT IS A ROLL CALL.
COMMISSIONER ROSE GONZALEZ? YES.
[C7 AJ A RESOLUTION OF THE MAYOR AND CITY COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA. DIRECTING THE ADMINISTRATION TO IDENTIFY FUNDING AND ASSIST IN THE PLANNING OF A MISSION TO ISRAEL IN OCTOBER OR NOVEMBER 2024 BY A DELEGATION CONSISTING OF THE ENTIRE CITY COMMISSION AND SEVEN COMMUNITY LEADERS TO DEMONSTRATE THE CITY’S UNWAVERING SUPPORT AND FRIENDSHIP FOR THE ISRAELI PEOPLE, TO MEET WITH GOVERNMENT LEADERS AND TO HELP BOLSTER THE ISRAELI ECONOMY.]
WHILE WE ARE ON TOPIC, LET'S CALL C SEVEN AJ.UH, COMMISSIONER ROSE GONZALEZ I AND PULLED BY COMMISSIONER B? YES.
C SEVEN AG FUND PLAN, CITY COMMISSION MO UH, MISSION TO ISRAEL, C SEVEN AJ.
SO BETWEEN THE FIRE STATION DISCUSSION AND THIS DISCUSSION, I'M WALKING AROUND WITH A BIG TARGET ON MY BACK.
UM, YOU KNOW, I WAS PRESIDENT OF MBU FOR FOUR OR FIVE YEARS.
I WAS ON THE BOARD OF THAT FOR A LITTLE BIT LONGER.
AND WE AS AN ORGANIZATION, AND I AS AN ACTIVIST AND A RESIDENT AND A CITIZEN OF THIS COUNTRY, UM, AND STATE AND CITY BELIEVE IN TRANSPARENCY.
AND I MAY HAVE THOUGHTS ABOUT THIS ITEM, BUT I'M, IT, WHAT, THE REASON I PULLED IT IS BECAUSE IT IS UNUSUAL FOR SUCH A SIGNIFICANT ITEM TO BE PASSED ON THE CONSENT AGENDA WITHOUT ANY DISCUSSION.
AND I WANTED PEOPLE TO HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO DISCUSS THIS ITEM, UM, BECAUSE IT'S AN UNUSUAL ITEM AND IT'S A LOT OF MONEY.
AND I THOUGHT THAT WAS THE CORRECT GOVERNMENT DECISION TO DO, TO HAVE A FORUM FOR DISCUSSION.
I WILL START OFF, NOT THIS, THIS SHOULD MATTER, BUT I WILL START OFF SAYING THAT, UM, I AM JEWISH, A HUNDRED PERCENT JEWISH.
I'VE TRAVELED TO ISRAEL THREE TIMES, AND I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT.
UM, I AM A LIFELONG LEARNER, AND I DON'T SHY AWAY FROM THE HARD QUESTIONS, THE HARD DECISIONS.
AND I ENCOURAGE ANYBODY WHO IS INTERESTED TO GO TO ISRAEL IF THEY HAVEN'T ALREADY, OR TO GO BACK IF THEY HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY.
UM, I KNOW THAT WE JUST APPROVED AS A BODY $105,000, UM, FOR TRAVEL.
I DO NOT THINK WE SHOULD BE ALLOCATING ANY MORE MONEY FOR TRAVEL.
I'M THROWING THEM OUT THERE AND EVERYONE CAN EVISCERATE ME AS THEY FEEL.
UM, AND I, YOU KNOW, HOW, HOWEVER, PEOPLE WANNA MOVE FORWARD AND, AND DO WHAT THEY WANNA DO.
BUT I WANTED TO PUT THAT OUT THERE, THAT THERE IS MONEY IN THE BUDGET FOR TRAVEL.
UM, AND I THINK WE SHOULD HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO DISCUSS THIS.
AND ON THE RECORD, I WILL SAY THAT I, UM, WILL NOT PARTICIPATE IN THIS, UM, BECAUSE IN MY VIEW, IT IS NOT A GREAT USE OF OUR CITY FUNDS.
BUT IF MY COLLEAGUES CHOOSE TO DO SO, THEN THAT'S, THAT'S THEIR PREROGATIVE.
AND AS JOE SAID, COLLEAGUE, UH, COMMISSIONER MAGAZINE SAYS, I'D LIKE TO PUT MY CARS ON THE TABLE.
COMMISSIONER ROSE GONZALEZ, UM, FOLLOWING OCTOBER 7TH, THE CITY OF MIAMI BEACH REACTED IMMEDIATELY AND WE PURCHASED AN AMBULANCE.
WE ALSO ALLOCATED FUNDING FOR BEN GRAY AND UNIVERSITY, AND THEN WE SENT OUR FIRE DEPARTMENT.
UM, WHEN YOU LOOK AT, UM, THE JEWISH POPULATION, 15.7 MILLION JEWS WORLDWIDE, PROBABLY 8 MILLION ROUGHLY IN ISRAEL, AND ANOTHER SIX TO 7 MILLION HERE IN THE UNITED STATES.
UM, MIAMI BEACHES OWN, UH, RON DERMER ACTUALLY WORKS IN THE NETANYAHU ADMINISTRATION RIGHT NOW.
UM, ONE OF THE REASONS WHY IS BECAUSE WHEN MIAMI BEACH DOES SOMETHING, THE ENTIRE WORLD WATCHES, AND THAT'S IMPORTANT.
AND, UM, YESTERDAY WHEN THIS WAS FIRST PUBLISHED, UM, I THINK I I DID EASILY, UH, THREE MEDIA INTERVIEWS.
SO THIS IS A, WOULD BE A VERY, VERY PUBLIC SOLIDARITY MISSION.
UM, I WAS READING UP YESTERDAY ON, UH, SOME OF THE TOURISM NUMBERS, CITY COASTAL CITIES IN ISRAEL, LIKE OURS, UM, AND THEIR ECONOMIES.
AND, UH, TOURISM HAS DROPPED OFF 80% EXCEPT FOR SOLIDARITY MISSIONS LIKE THIS ONE.
I BELIEVE THAT KATHY HOEL IN NEW YORK CITY JUST, UH, TOOK A,
[02:55:01]
A, A SIMILAR JUNKET, UM, OVER TO ISRAEL ON A SIMILAR, YOU KNOW, SOLIDARITY MISSION.UM, WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT? GROWING ANTISEMITISM, FEAR TO TRAVEL TO ISRAEL, I WANTED DISPEL ALL OF THAT.
UM, I WANT US TO GO THERE IN UNITY, VISIT OUR SI SISTER CITY, UH, RIA, WHICH I THINK IS IMPORTANT.
I WOULD ALSO LIKE YOU GUYS TO SEE WHERE OUR INVESTMENT DOLLARS WENT.
UM, AS YOU CAN SEE, UH, JAMIE LIPSKI TODAY PLEDGED $10,000, UM, ON THE MISSION.
I HAVE A DIFFERENT DONOR WHO I'M MEETING WITH TOMORROW, WHO IS ALSO GOING TO PLEDGE MONEY.
I'M GOING TO GO OUT AND, UH, YOU KNOW, FIND AS MANY FUNDS AS I CAN.
I HAD SOMEBODY ELSE WHO SAID THAT THEY WOULD COVER THE TRAVEL EXPENSES.
SO AS YOU CAN SEE, UM, I THINK THAT THIS IS MISSION CRITICAL.
UM, I WAS IN PUBLIX THE OTHER DAY AND I RAN INTO ONE OF MY CONSTITUENTS.
SHE SAID, I JUST CAME BACK FROM ISRAEL.
WHY, WHY WERE YOU THERE? WE WERE THERE TO SHOW OUR SUPPORT IN SOLIDARITY.
SO THIS IS A CONVERSATION THAT WE'RE HAVING CITYWIDE.
IT DOESN'T MATTER WHICH JEWISH RESIDENT THAT I RUN INTO, PEOPLE ARE VERY CONCERNED ABOUT RISING ANTISEMITISM.
I WAS WATCHING THE OTHER DAY, OH, UM, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY JUST, YOU KNOW, PULLED, YOU KNOW, ALL FUNDING OR ANY, YOU KNOW, ANYBODY DOING BUSINESS WITH ISRAEL, THEY NO LONGER WANT TO.
I SAW SOME VERY DISTURBING MARCHES IN LONDON THAT WERE MARCHING TOWARD THE ISRAELI EMBASSY.
I BELIEVE IT WAS ALMOST NEARLY, UM, A MILLION PEOPLE.
AND THEN COMING, YOU KNOW, UH, OVER SUMMER BREAK, I HAPPENED TO BE IN ITALY.
AND I JUST WANNA MENTION THIS BECAUSE PEOPLE DON'T EVEN REALIZE THE HISTORY GOING ON ABOUT, UM, THE REASON THERE ARE ONLY 15.7 MILLION JEWISH PEOPLE IN THE WORLD IS BECAUSE THE ROMAN EMPIRE SACKED JERUSALEM IN 70 80 AND WIPED OUT 1 MILLION JEWS BECAUSE HAD THEY NOT THE JEWISH POPULATION POSSIBLY COULD HAVE KEPT UP WITH THE MUSLIM POPULATION.
AND THEN WHEN YOU FOLLOW THAT BY THE HOLOCAUST, AND BY THE WAY, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU KNOW THIS ABOUT THE ROMAN COLOSSEUM, BUT WHEN THEY SACKED, AND THERE WERE ONLY 200 MILLION PEOPLE ON THE PLANET, BY THE WAY, WHEN THEY KILLED A MILLION JEWS, OKAY? AND THEY MARCHED THE GOLDEN MENORAH THROUGH THE ARCH OF TITUS, THE ROMAN EMPEROR, UM, TITUS.
THEY THEN TOOK ALL JEWISH MONIES, LISTEN TO THIS, AND ENSLAVED THE JEWS, AND THEY BUILD THE COLOSSEUM, WHICH THEN BECAME ONE OF THE MOST BLOODIEST GROTESQUE PLACES IN THE WORLD.
SO WHAT PEOPLE ARE UNDERSTANDING IN ALL OF, OH, AND, AND ONE OTHER THING, I I RECENTLY READ A, A HISTORY BECAUSE I'VE, I'VE BEEN SO DISTURBED BY WHAT'S WHAT I SEE HAPPENING HERE.
YOU KNOW, JEWS AND ARABS DID COEXIST BECAUSE WE WEREN'T PANTHEISTIC.
AND SO THEY SAID, JEWS CAN PRACTICE, BUT YOU ARE GONNA BE LESSER CITIZENS.
AND THEY CALLED US DIMS. AND WE WERE MEANT TO WEAR A, WHEN WE WENT TO THE BATHHOUSES, WE HAD TO WEAR A BLACK BELL AROUND OUR NECK, A BLACK BELT.
IF WE WENT TO COURT, FOUR OF US COUNTED AS ONE MUSLIM.
FOUR PEOPLE HAD TO GO TO COURT.
IF YOU WANTED TO COLLECT THE DEBT, YOU HAD TO, TO BRING FOUR JEWISH PEOPLE TO EQUAL ONE MUSLIM PERSON.
THESE, THESE ARGUMENTS, THIS DISCRIMINATION, THIS, THE COMPLETE WISH TO, YOU KNOW, CREATE THIS, YOU KNOW, SUBPAR HAS JUST BEEN THROUGHOUT HISTORY, NOT JUST IN COLONIAL TIMES AND THROUGH THE ARAB POPULATION.
SO THIS ISN'T SOMETHING THAT YOU CAN RESOLVE OVERNIGHT.
AND THAT IS WHY ISRAEL WANTS THE RIGHT TO DEFEND ITSELF.
YOU KNOW, AND WE, BECAUSE WE DON'T NECESSARILY, WE ARE LOOKING AT WHAT'S HAPPENING RIGHT NOW, BUT THIS IS THOUSANDS OF YEARS OF PERSECUTION AND SLAUGHTER.
MY GRANDPARENTS WERE KILLED IN A SEPARATE PROGRAM BY THE RUSSIAN EMPIRE.
SO, UM, I WOULD MOVE THIS ITEM.
I WILL DO MY BEST TO FIND, UM, ANY FUNDING THAT I POSSIBLY CAN IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR.
AND I THINK THIS IS INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT, AND I WISH COMMISSIONER B, THAT YOU WOULD RECONSIDER AND PO POSSIBLY PARTICIPATE, UM, AS A JEWISH WOMAN IF YOU DIDN'T WANT TO.
BUT, UM, I WANNA DO ANYTHING IN MY POWER THAT I CAN TO BE A VOICE FOR ISRAEL'S RIGHT TO DEFEND ITSELF.
I'M JUST GONNA GO IN THE ORDER.
THANK YOU COMMISSIONER ROSE GONZALEZ.
I'M GONNA GO IN THE ORDER THAT I SEE COMMISSIONER FERNANDEZ.
UM, YOU KNOW, I, I, UH, I, I EMPATHIZE, UH, AND, AND I SHARE THE SENTIMENT, UH, BEHIND THIS LEGISLATION.
I THINK IT COMES FROM A VERY GOOD PLACE.
AND I, AND I THINK IT'S A BEAUTIFUL THING WHEN WE FOSTER AND WE STRENGTHEN THOSE RELATIONSHIPS AROUND THE WORLD.
AND WE DO IT WITH SO MANY, UH, DIFFERENT CITIES, UH, THAT WE HAVE RELATIONSHIPS WITH, UH, THROUGH OUR SISTER CITIES PROGRAM.
THE ONE THING I DON'T AGREE WITH IS DIRECTING THE ADMINISTRATION TO IDENTIFY FUNDING.
I'M FINE WITH, UH, ELECTED OFFICIALS GOING IN THEIR OFFICIAL CAPACITY, EXPRESSING
[03:00:01]
THE CITY'S SUPPORT.BUT, YOU KNOW, WE CAN USE OUR PERSONAL DOLLARS.
WE DON'T NEED TO USE THE TAXPAYER'S MONEY, UH, TO DO THIS.
IF AN ELECTED OFFICIAL WANTS TO GO TO ISRAEL TO EXPRESS THE SUPPORT OF THIS COMMUNITY, UH, THEY SHOULD, UH, THE SAME WAY THAT, THAT, YOU KNOW, WE KNOW JEWISH BUSINESSES AROUND THE WORLD ARE SUFFERING.
YOU KNOW, WE DON'T USE THE CITY'S DOLLARS TO GO TO SUPPORT, YOU KNOW, THE, UH, THE, THE KOSHER RESTAURANTS ON, ON HARDING AVENUE OR, OR, OR, OR, OR THE OTHER JEWISH BUSINESSES THAT ARE SUFFERING AS A RESULT OF, OF, OF ANTISEMITISM.
SO I'M ALL FOR SHOWING OUR SUPPORT.
I'M ALL FOR, UH, EXTENDING, UH, THAT HAND AND THAT, AND THAT, THAT FRIENDSHIP.
UH, I JUST, I JUST THINK, UH, I WOULD LIKE YOU TO CONSIDER AN AMENDMENT.
AND THE AMENDMENT WOULD BE TO REMOVE THE CITY FUNDING ASPECT OF IT.
UH, IF ANY ELECTED OFFICIAL, IF ANY OF US DESIRE TO GO IN A MISSION TO ISRAEL REPRESENTING, UH, THE CITY, UH, I THINK THE GREATEST SUPPORT, IMAGINE HOW BIG OF A MESSAGE THAT WOULD BE.
THAT NOT ONLY ARE THE ELECTED OFFICIALS GOING TO ISRAEL, BUT THAT THEY'RE PUTTING THE MONEY OUT OF THEIR OWN POCKET.
I THINK THAT THAT WILL RESONATE EVEN MORE BECAUSE THAT SHOWS HOW GENUINE THE EXPRESSION IS.
IT'S EASY FOR US TO GO AND SHOW UP AS ELECTED OFFICIALS WHEN SOMEONE ELSE IS PUTTING UP THE MONEY.
BUT WHEN WE'RE PUTTING THE MONEY FROM OUR OWN POCKET, IT'S AN EXPRESSION OF HOW GENUINE THE INTENT IS TO SUPPORT ISRAEL AND TO BUILD UPON THAT, THAT FRIENDSHIP.
BUT I, BUT I WILL, I WILL SAY THIS, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT I THINK IS GOOD.
'CAUSE WE'VE GONE TO OTHER PLACES ON THE TAXPAYERS DOLLARS.
NOT MEAN I HAVEN'T GONE TO OTHER COUNTRIES ON THE, ON THE TAXPAYERS DOLLARS, BUT, YOU KNOW, THERE HAVE BEEN PEOPLE THAT IN THE PAST, THEY'VE GONE TO CHINA IN THE PAST, PEOPLE HAVE GONE AND EXPLORED RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN MIAMI BEACH AND CUBA.
YOU KNOW, UH, IN THE PAST PEOPLE HAVE GONE TO MEXICO ON, ON THE TAXPAYER'S DOLLARS, UM, TO EXPLORE BUILDING THOSE RELATIONSHIPS.
AND PERHAPS, YOU KNOW, I MAYBE DIDN'T AGREE WITH THOSE.
THIS IS A RELATIONSHIP I SOLIDLY STAND BY.
BUT I THINK IT WILL JUST COME ACROSS SO MUCH MORE GENUINE AND SO MUCH MORE STRONG WHEN WE SAY IT'S A DELEGATION OF ELECTED OFFICIALS.
AND THEY CARE SO MUCH ABOUT US THAT THEY TOOK THE MONEY OUT OF THEIR OWN POCKET TO SHOW YOU THAT EXPRESSION OF GENUINE INTEREST IN SUPPORTING THE PEOPLE OF ISRAEL.
WELL, I THINK COMMISSIONER BOT HAD HAND RAISED FIRST, AND THEN COMMISSIONER ROSE GONZALEZ.
THIS IS EXACTLY WHY I WANTED TO HAVE THIS ITEM PULLED SO THERE COULD BE DISCUSSION.
AND I LOVE THE PROFESSORIAL SIDE OF YOU, COLLEAGUE, UH, COMMISSIONER ROSE GONZALEZ.
UM, I, I, MOST OF MY FAMILY ON BOTH SIDES OF MY FAMILY, UM, PERISHED, UM, IN EASTERN EUROPE, UH, DURING WORLD WAR II AND, AND BEFORE.
UM, IN MORE RECENT HI HISTORY, UM, GOING BACK TO ROMAN TIMES, GOING BACK TO MEDIEVAL EUROPE, THIS IS NOT ABOUT THAT.
AND, UM, I, I COMPLETELY SUPPORT ISRAEL'S RIGHT TO EXIST AND TO DEFEND THEMSELVES.
I JUST WANTED TO HAVE THIS CONVERSATION SO WE COULD FIGURE OUT IF THERE'S A BETTER WAY TO ACCOMPLISH THE GOAL OF SHOWING.
AND AN ITEM THAT I, THAT I MEANT TO MENTION, MY OPENING REMARKS IS THAT TO YOUR POINT OF ECONOMIC SUPPORT, THE CHAMBER, UM, THE MIAMI BEACH CHAMBER OF COMMERCE IS PRECISELY, UH, AN, A BODY THAT DOES THIS SORT OF MISSION WORK TO BUILD RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN OTHER CITIES, OTHER COUNTRIES, OTHER INSTITUTIONS THAT CAN, UH, FOSTER ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.
SO I WANTED TOSS THAT INTO THE MIX AS WELL.
OH, I JUST GOT ANOTHER DONATION FOR 5,000, UM, TO THE MISSION.
UM, SO I'M GONNA MOVE THE ITEM AS IS.
I WILL FUNDRAISE AS MUCH AS I CAN.
IT'S IMPORTANT FOR ME, UH, TO BRING THE COMMUNITY ALONG.
SO I DON'T KNOW IF ANYBODY WOULD LIKE TO SECOND MY MOTION.
I NO, THESE MICROPHONE'S, REALLY, OR SOMETHING ELSE.
UM, I'M WILLING, WHAT, AFTER, AFTER ANY, UH, CONTRIBUTIONS MADE, I'M WILLING TO PAY THE DIFFERENCE FOR OUR DELEGATION.
UM, ANY ISSUE, ANY ISSUES WITH THAT? UH, I JUST ALWAYS LIKE TO CONSULT WITH OUR CITY ATTORNEY.
[03:05:03]
COMMISSIONER SUAREZ? I, I'M GONNA WANT TO RESEARCH THAT, BUT IN PRINCIPLE, I THINK THAT THAT COULD BE OKAY.I THOUGHT WE WERE GONNA TAKE A BOAT.
WELL, WE ALL JOKE ABOUT THESE MICROPHONES, BUT IT JUST SAVED ME BECAUSE I WAS ACTUALLY GONNA MAKE THE SAME OFFER.
BUT COMMISSIONER, COMMISSIONER SUAREZ WAS FIRST
SO THE MICS ACTUALLY HELP OUT SOME OF US
UM, I THINK THIS IS, UH, I THINK THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT WHEN WE LOOK AT OUR SISTER CITIES PROGRAM.
UM, WHAT BETTER WAY TO GO AND SHOW OUR SOLIDARITY AND, AND SUPPORT, UH, FOR SOMETHING THAT IS MISSION CRITICAL, NOT JUST FOR US, BUT FOR OUR COMMUNITY AND MANY MEMBERS IN OUR COMMUNITY.
AND, UH, KIDDING AND JOKING ASIDE, UM, UH, I, I'LL BE PRIVATELY FUNDING MY OWN TRIP.
UH, YEAH, I, I CAN SEE THE, UM, HESITATION USING TAXPAYER DOLLARS.
I WOULDN'T FEEL COMFORTABLE TRAVELING, UH, UNDER THAT PREMISE.
UH, SO I LOOK FORWARD TO, UM, SUPPORTING THIS MISSION, SEEING MY FRIENDS AND MY COLLEAGUES, UH, IN ISRAEL UNDER SOMETHING THAT IS, UH, SO INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT, UH, IN DOING SO IN UNITY.
SO COMM UH, VICE MAYOR FERNANDEZ, I'D LIKE TO PROPOSE AN, AN AMENDMENT BECAUSE AS WE'VE BEEN HEARING THROUGHOUT THIS MEETING, COMMISSIONER ROSEN GONZALEZ HAS BEEN RECEIVING OFFERS OF DONATIONS.
WE'VE, YOU KNOW, COMMISSIONER SUAREZ HAVE, HAS, HAS MENTIONED A DONATION HE WANTS TO MAKE AS WELL.
AND PER, AND PERHAPS, YOU KNOW, THIS JUST SHOULD BE, UM, AMENDED TO REMOVE THE IDENTIFYING OF FUNDING AND JUST MAKE IT PRIVATE DOLLARS, NO COST TO THE TAXPAYERS.
UH, BECAUSE COMMISSIONER ROSA GONZALEZ HAS BEEN GETTING THOSE, UH, THOSE OFFERS OF CONTRIBUTIONS.
UH, SO THAT'S, THAT'S THE ONLY AMENDMENT I WOULD, I WOULD MAKE, UH, TO THIS COMMISSIONER.
THEN I'M GONNA PULL THE SEVEN COMMUNITY LEADERS.
'CAUSE NOW YOU GUYS ARE REALLY, I MEAN, I REALLY WANTED EACH OF US TO BRING SOME, YOU KNOW, PICK SOMEBODY WHO IS A LEADER IN THE COMMUNITY.
I'M GONNA HAVE TO PULL THAT PART BECAUSE NOW YOU'RE TALKING, I MEAN, SO I GUESS I'LL PULL THE SEVEN COMMUNITY LEADERS FROM THE RESOLUTION, UM, PRIVATE DOLLARS.
UM, I, BUT I'M NOT GONNA BE ABLE TO PLAN THIS.
I NEED THE ADMINISTRATION TO PLAN IT.
I WANT THE ADMINISTRATION TO PLAN, TO TRY, ACTUALLY, I WAS GONNA HAVE THE ADMINISTRATION REACH OUT TO AL AND TRY TO GET HIS TICKETS.
I MEAN, I WAS GONNA ECONOMIZE THE ONLY WAY I CAN, BUT IF YOU GIVE IT TO MY OFFICE AND THE FACT THAT LIKE, I HAVE A FULL-TIME JOB.
I DON'T KNOW IF JACQUELINE CAN HANDLE THE PLANNING OF THIS MASSIVE DELEGATION.
I ALREADY HAD ACTUALLY SOMEBODY NAMED AARON, UM, KITZ.
UM, OH, I GOT ANOTHER 5,000 FROM DAVID WALK.
I THINK THE JEWISH FEDERATION CAN HELP AS WELL WITH PLANNING.
I DID HAVE, I HAD ANOTHER ALSO WHERE A LARGE INVESTOR IN ISRAEL