* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. ONE. [00:00:03] GOOD AFTERNOON, [CALL TO ORDER] AND, UH, WELCOME TO OUR BUDGET HEARING AS WE GET CLOSE TO THE END OF THE FISCAL YEAR, AND WE HAVE A STATUTORY OBLIGATION TO FINALIZE OUR BUDGET, WHICH WE'RE WELL ON THE WAY. THANK YOU FOR MY COLLEAGUES FOR BEING HERE. AND OUR BUDGET CHAIR, WHO I'LL TURN IT OVER TO, UH, MOMENTARILY. JOE COMMISSIONER JOE MAGAZINE. I'VE SAID THIS BEFORE, BUT WHAT YOU PUT IN THE BUDGET, WHERE YOU ALLOCATE YOUR FUNDS, SHOWS YOU WHAT YOU THINK IS IMPORTANT AND WHERE WE'RE HEADING IN THAT DIRECTION. WE'RE FOCUSED ON QUALITY OF LIFE ISSUES AND WE'RE MAKING IMPROVEMENTS IN THOSE AREAS AND INCREASING FUNDING IN THOSE AREAS. SO, UM, I'M OVERALL PLEASED WITH THE DIRECTION WE'RE GOING, AND I'LL TURN IT OVER TO COMMISSIONER MAGAZINE. THANK YOU, MR. YOU CUT ME OFF. UH, THANK TOO EARLY, TOO SOON. THANK YOU, MR. MAYOR. UM, I'LL ECHO THAT SENTIMENT. UH, IT'S CLICHE, BUT SHOW ME YOUR BUDGET AND I'LL SHOW YOU, UH, YOUR PRIORITIES. SO VERY, UH, PROUD AND EXCITED TO BE GOING THROUGH THIS LONG PROCESS WITH MY COLLEAGUES. IT LOOKS LIKE WE'RE COMING TOWARDS AN END HERE. UM, WE'RE HERE AT, I BELIEVE WHAT MR. CFO, OUR THIRD BUDGET MEETING, UH, OUR THIRD PUBLIC BUDGET MEETING. AND WE'VE HAD, UH, VARIOUS WORKSHOPS ON THAT. UH, PERHAPS JUST ONE MORE REMAINING. YEAH. UM, YEP. [R7 A A RESOLUTION OF THE MAYOR AND CITY COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA, ADOPTING: 1) THE TENTATIVE AD VALOREM MILLAGE OF 5.8522 MILLS FOR FISCAL YEAR 2025 FOR GENERAL OPERATING PURPOSES, WHICH IS NINE AND SIX TENTHS PERCENT (9.6%) MORE THAN THE "ROLLED-BACK" RATE OF 5.3395 MILLS; AND 2) THE DEBT SERVICE MILLAGE RATE OF 0.2959 MILLS, SUBJECT TO A SECOND PUBLIC HEARING TO CONSIDER THE MILLAGE RATE FOR FISCAL YEAR 2025 ON WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2024, AT 5:01 P.M.] SO, UH, LET'S GET STARTED RIGHT AWAY. WE, WE'VE ALL BEEN BRIEFED, UH, MR. CITY MANAGER, I'LL TURN IT OVER TO YOU TO, UH, INTRODUCE, UM, AND WE WILL INTRODUCE, UH, THE TEAM HERE, BUT LET'S GET RIGHT INTO THINGS. SO, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. UM, HONORABLE MAYOR, MEMBERS OF THE COMMISSION, MR. CITY CLERK. UH, WE ARE HERE TODAY FOR THE FIRST OF TWO BUDGET HEARINGS. UM, THIS IS THE CULMINATION OF WORK THAT'S BEEN DONE BY ALL THE MEMBERS OF THE CITY, FROM THE COMMISSION, ALL THE WAY DOWN THROUGH THE, THE VERY FRONTLINE WORKERS COMING UP WITH A PLAN FOR WHAT OUR FISCAL RESPONSIBILITIES AND NEEDS WILL LOOK LIKE DURING THE COMING YEAR. UH, THIS BUDGET PROCESS KICKED OFF IN DECEMBER OF 2024, AND TODAY'S PRESENTATION IS A CULMINATION OF MULTIPLE DOZENS, ACTUALLY, OF MEETINGS, UM, INCLUDING A NUMBER OF MEETINGS WITH EACH OF THE COMMISSIONERS GOING BACK TO MAY 20TH WHEN WE HAD OUR BUDGET RETREAT. UH, FOLLOWING THE TWO FERC BUDGET BRIEFINGS IN JUNE AND JULY. UM, ALL THE APPROVED RECOMMENDATIONS HAVE BEEN INCORPORATED INTO THIS PROPOSED BUDGET. AND THESE ARE YOUR COMMISSION DRIVEN PRIORITIES AND INCLUDE ENHANCEMENTS AIMED AT ADDRESSING THE CONCERNS OF RESIDENTS AND BUSINESSES. AS HIGHLIGHTED IN THE COMMUNITY SATISFACTION SURVEY, I'D LIKE TO EXTEND MY PERSONAL GRATITUDE TO EACH MEMBER OF THE CITY COMMISSION FOR THEIR PARTICIPATION IN THIS PROCESS, AS WELL AS THE STAFF WHO HAVE WORKED DILIGENTLY OVER THE PAST NINE MONTHS TO ENSURE ITS SUCCESS. UM, IN PARTICULAR, I'D LIKE TO THANK JASON GREEN, OUR CFO. I'D LIKE TO THANK TAMIKA OTTO STEWART, OUR BUDGET DIRECTOR. I'D LIKE TO THANK RICHARD AJAMI, OUR BUDGET OFFICER, OUR SENIOR MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET ANALYST, AYANA DECOSTA, KYLE TERO, YELENA IGL, OUR MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET ANALYST, ISADORA GONZALEZ, AND OUR OFFICE ASSOCIATE FIVE, DANIELLA MARTINEZ. EXCELLENT WORK TO ALL OF YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. AND WITH THAT, I'LL HAND IT OVER TO JASON AND TAMIKA TO WALK US THROUGH. ALL RIGHT, PJ, IF YOU COULD TURN THE PRESENTATION ON. I DO, YES. ALL RIGHT. SO GOOD AFTERNOON, EVERYONE. UM, THIS IS THE, AS ERIC SAID, THOUGH, HOPEFULLY THE END OF THE BUDGET PROCESS BETWEEN THIS MEETING ON THE MEETING ON THE 25TH. UH, THIS SLIDE JUST SHOWS WHERE WE WERE WHEN WE MET LAST ON JULY 12TH. WE HAD A 9.4% INCREASE IN OUR PROPERTY VALUES. AND I'LL JUST, I REITERATE THAT WE ARE INCREASING AT A DECREASING RATE, SO GOOD NEWS, BUT WE'RE BEING TEMPERED DOWN. SO THIS SLIDE SHOWS, UH, I'M SORRY, HANG ON. TOO MANY . OKAY. SO WHAT WE HAVE HERE ON THIS SLIDE IS SHOWING WHAT OUR PROPOSED, UH, MILLAGE IS GONNA BE. SO WE HAVE A COMBINED MILLAGE THAT IS NOT CHANGING. THE ONE THING THAT I WANTED TO MENTION IS WE HAVE A SLIGHT DECREASE IN OUR VOTED DEBT SERVICE MILLAGE AND A SLIGHT INCREASE IN OUR CAPITAL REPLACEMENT. SO THIS ALLOWS THE COMMISSION TO APPROVE, UH, THIS, THE, A FLAT MILLAGE FOR THE YEAR, UH, WHILE DEDICATING, UH, THE HIGHEST DOLLARS THIS COMMISSION OR ANY COMMISSION, I'M SORRY, HAS EVER DEDICATED TOWARDS CAPITAL DOLLARS. ALRIGHT, SO THIS, [00:05:01] OH, SO WHAT YOU SEE, WHAT YOU SEE HERE IS KIND OF ALONG THE SAME LINES. THE IMPORTANT THING I WOULD WANT TO DRAW HERE IS THAT LIGHT BLUE LINE FOR 2025 OF 0.1 8, 8 6. THAT'S MADE UP OF TWO MILLAGES, OUR CAPITAL RENEWAL AND REPLACEMENT, AND OUR, UH, PEGO THAT, THAT MILLAGE OF 0.1886 IS THE HIGHEST CAPITAL MILLAGE THE CITY HAS EVER HAD IN ITS HISTORY SINCE THE START OF ABOUT 20 YEARS AGO. SO I THINK THAT'S A REALLY IMPORTANT STATEMENT TO MAKE, AN IMPORTANT DISTINCTION TO MAKE, AND IT SHOWS THE CITY'S CONTINUING DEDICATION TO TACKLE ITS, UH, CAPITAL PROGRAM. ALL RIGHT, SO ONTO THE BUDGET BALANCING. SO THIS SLIDE SHOULD BE FAMILIAR. WHEN WE MET WITH YOU ON JULY 12TH, WE HAD A INITIAL SURPLUS OF $16.2 MILLION. WE MADE A RECOMMENDATION TO TRANSFER $2 MILLION OF OUR INTEREST INCOME, WHICH IS GROWING EXPONENTIALLY OVER TO CAPITAL, SO WE COULD FUND MORE OF OUR CAPITAL NEEDS AND TO JUST BE MORE CONSERVATIVE ON OUR RECURRING COSTS. AND THEN WE MADE SOME RECOMMENDATIONS ON ENHANCEMENTS, WHICH WERE PRIMARILY APPROVED BY THE FERC. AND, UH, HAD EVERYTHING BEEN APPROVED AS IS, WE WOULD'VE HAD AN $8.9 MILLION SET ASIDE FOR COLLECTIVE BARGAINING OR CAPITAL FUNDING, AND WE WOULD'VE HAD A BALANCED BUDGET THE TRANSITIONS. SO THIS SLIDE SHOWS WHAT HAPPENED SUBSEQUENT TO JULY 12TH. UH, WE STARTED OFF WITH A BALANCED BUDGET, AND THEN WE MADE SOME ADJUSTMENTS AT THE JULY FERC. AND WE'RE GONNA GO THROUGH THE DETAILS OF EACH OF THESE TOTALS AS YOU GO, UM, TO THE NEXT COUPLE OF SLIDES. AND THEN WE DID SOME REVENUE REFINEMENTS IN THE SUMMER, AND THEN WE FINALLY REBALANCED THE BUDGETS. OKAY, SO THE FIRST SLIDE, THESE ARE ADJUSTMENTS THAT MADE BY A COMMISSION, UH, DURING THE JULY, EITHER THE JULY BUDGET WORKSHOPS OR, UH, AT THE JULY COMMISSION MEETING. SO THE FIRST ONE ARE TWO ITEMS THAT WERE BROUGHT UP ON THE FLOOR IN JULY. SO WE ADDED, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, WE STARTED WITH THE $8.9 MILLION. SO WE STARTED ADDING SUBTRACTING FROM THERE. SO WE ADDED THE $220,000 ENHANCEMENT FOR INTENSITY DENSITY CAPACITY ANALYSIS, AND $75,000 FOR THE MXC, UH, REVENUE EXPENDITURE ANALYSIS FOR A TOTAL OF $295,000. AND THEN RECURRING ADJUSTMENTS WERE, UH, TWO ADDITIONAL FULL-TIME DETENTION OFFICERS. UH, THESE WERE, UH, TWO, THIS WAS AN ENHANCEMENT THAT WAS NOT IN THE CITY MANAGER'S ORIGINAL PRELIMINARY, UH, RECOMMENDED BUDGET, UH, BUT COMMISSION, UH, REQUESTED THAT TO BE, SEE IF THAT CAN BE FITTED INTO THE PRELIMINARY BUDGET. AND THAT'S IN THERE RIGHT NOW. UH, THE SET ASIDE FOR THE MIAMI NEW DRAMA OF $220,000. AND JUST FOR THE RECORD, WHERE YOU ARE GOING TO RECOMMEND ADJUSTING THAT DOWN TO $200,000, UH, BASED ON THE, UH, COMMISSION RESOLUTION THAT'LL BE HEARD ON OCTOBER 30TH. SO WE'LL REDUCE THAT RECURRING DOLLARS DOWN TO 200,000, AND THE COMMISSION CAN MAKE THAT DECISION. IN OCTOBER, UH, WE MADE AN ADJUSTMENT WHERE WE ADDED MONEY BACK IN BY NOT, UH, BRINGING ON A FULL-TIME DIVISION CHIEF AND FIRE, AND, AND JUST MAKING A RECLASS. UH, WE ADJUSTED THE ORIGINAL CITY MANAGER RECOMMENDATION ON THE AREA MANAGERS TO THREE FULL-TIME AREA MANAGERS. AND, UH, ADDITIONAL FUNDING FOR THE NORMANDY FOUNTAIN WAS REQUESTED ON THE FLOOR. AND THIS ADDED, UH, $507,000 IN RECURRING EXPENDITURES. OKAY, UH, ON THIS, THESE WERE TWO RECURRING EXPENDITURES THAT WERE, UH, NOT DISCUSSED DURING THE BUDGET HEARING, BUT WERE RESOLUTIONS APPROVED AT THE JULY COMMISSION MEETING. UH, ONE WAS A RECURRING, UH, ENHANCEMENT FOR THE MAYOR AND COMMISSION, UH, BUDGET TO ADD $105,000 FUNDING FOR, UH, TRAVEL FOR CONFERENCES AND COMMUNITY EVENTS FOR ELECTED OFFICIALS. AND A RECURRING $25,000 INCREASE TO THE GRANT CONTRIBUTION FOR PRIDE LINES MIGHTY BEACH PROJECT SAFE. SO, IN ADDITION TO THE ADJUSTMENTS THAT WERE RECOMMENDED BY FERC OR THE CITY COMMISSION IN JULY, WE ACTUALLY HAVE TO BALANCE THE BUDGET AFTER EVERYTHING STOPPED. SO, FOR EXAMPLE, THE GENERAL FUND CHARGES AN ADMIN FEE TO ALL OUR ENTERPRISE FUNDS, AND ESPECIALLY SOME OF OUR SPECIAL REVENUE FUNDS, AND THAT THOSE NUMBERS CHANGE ONCE THE BUDGETS ARE FINALIZED. SO THIS IS A REDUCTION IN OUR REVENUES FOR ADMIN FEES AS A RESULT OF THOSE FINALIZED BUDGETS. AND THEN WE ALSO REFINE OUR REVENUE PROJECTIONS AS WE HAVE MORE CURRENT DETAILS. SO THESE ARE SOME OF THE BALANCING NUMBERS THAT WE DID IN THE SUMMER. AND THEN ALSO OUR INTERNAL SERVICE DEPARTMENTS, FOR EXAMPLE, FLEET FACILITIES, UH, UH, RISK MANAGEMENT, THEIR BUDGETS WE HAVE TO FINALIZE, AND THEN WE ALLOCATE ALL THEIR COSTS TO ALL THE, THE DEPARTMENTS, INCLUDING THE GENERAL FUND. SO THESE ARE INCREASED COSTS, UM, ON THE GENERAL FUND, WELL DECREASE ON INTERNAL SERVICES. AND THEN WE HAD SOME MISCELLANEOUS INCREASES. AND THAT LAST NUMBER IS A BALANCING NUMBER. [00:10:01] UH, PRIOR TO JULY, WELL AFTER JULY 12TH, WE HAD A SET ASIDE OF $8.9 MILLION FOR THE CDAS, A COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENTS, BECAUSE OF THE ADJUSTMENTS THAT WE MADE BETWEEN JULY AND AUGUST, THAT NUMBER WENT DOWN BY THAT $1.18 MILLION. AND NOW WE HAVE A SET ASIDE OF $7.7 MILLION FOR COLLECTIVE BARGAINING SLASH CAPITAL. SO NEXT WE'RE GONNA GO THROUGH THE LIST OF ALL OF THE GENERAL FUND ENHANCEMENTS. UH, THESE ARE ALL MOSTLY ONES THAT YOU, YOU'VE ALL SEEN BEFORE. THESE ARE ONES THAT WERE GONE THROUGH THE WHOLE PROCESS. MANY GOING BACK TO THE BEGINNING OF THE FISCAL YEAR, UH, THROUGH COMMITTEES, THROUGH COMMISSIONS AND THINGS LIKE THAT. SO THE FIRST GROUP ARE LUMPED IS PUBLIC SAFETY AND HOMELESS EFFORTS. SO WE HAVE, UH, A ONE TIME, UH, ENHANCEMENT OF $1.9 MILLION TO CONTINUE, UH, THE POLICE HIGH VISIBILITY OVER OVERTIME DETAIL. ON THE RECURRING SIDE, THE ONES THAT ARE HIGHLIGHTED, SORRY, IN, IN LIGHT BLUE ARE THE ONES THAT I HIGHLIGHTED A LITTLE BIT LOWER. THOSE WERE, UH, EARLIER, THOSE WERE THE ONES THAT WERE ADDED BY COMMISSION DURING THE JULY, UH, BUDGET HEARINGS AND THE BUDGET COMMISSION MEETINGS. SO THEY WERE ADJUSTMENTS FROM THE CITY MANAGER'S. PRELIMINARY BUDGET. SO WE HAVE THE DETENTION OFFICERS RECURRING. UH, WE HAVE THE REAL TIME STAFFING UP FOR THE REAL TIME INTELLIGENCE CENTER, UH, STAFFING OR THE REIMBURSEMENT TO MIAMI D COUNTY FOR THE COUNTY CRIME LAB, DEDICATED STAFFING. UH, WE HAVE AN ADDITIONAL FULL-TIME ASSISTANT CITY ATTORNEY FOR THE MUNICIPAL PROSECUTION TEAM. UH, THE HEALTH CONCERN INITIATIVE FOR OUR HOMELESS SERVICES, UH, THE MIAMI BEACH, LBTQ OUTREACH INITIATIVES. UH, RECLASSING, THE, UH, POSITION IN THE FIRE DEPARTMENT EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT DIVISION, AND ADDING BODY CAMERAS FOR OUR HOMELESS OPERATIONS PROGRAM. AND THEN OUR NEXT CATEGORY ARE EDUCATIONAL IN INITIATIVES. UH, ON THE ONE TIME WE HAVE THE $394,000, UH, FOR ONE TIME EQUIPMENT, UH, AS APPROVED, UH, RECOMMENDED BY FERC AND ENDORSED BY COMMISSION. THIS IS TO EXPAND OUR EDUCATIONAL OUTREACH PROGRAMS TO OUTSIDE OF OUR, OUR NORMAL AREA, WHICH HAS BEEN REALLY THE PUBLIC SCHOOL ZONES. SO NOW WE'RE MOVING INTO, UH, THE PRIVATE AND CHARTER SCHOOLS. SO THIS WILL, UH, GIVE THEM THEIR ONE-TIME EQUIPMENT AND SERVICES. AND THEN, UH, CONTINUING SERVICES IS ON THE RECURRING SIDE. UH, WE HAVE THE CONTRACTED BUS SERVICES THROUGH THE PARKS DEPARTMENT. AND THEN WE HAVE THE EXPANSION OF THE ROCK ENSEMBLE AND THE PRE-K SCHOLARSHIP. UH, WE'RE APPROVED BY COMMISSION, UH, RESOLUTION. UH, AS, AS FAR AS CLEANLINESS IS CONCERNED, WE RECOMMENDED, AND THIS IS INCLUDED IN THE BUDGET, UH, PRESSURE WASHING MACHINES FOR ADDITIONAL ONES FOR PARKS. AND ALONG WITH THOSE, WE ADDED FOUR FULL-TIME POSITIONS TO HELP WITH THE CLEANLINESS OF OUR PARKS. AND THEN THERE'S, THERE WAS A RECOMMENDATION BY FERC AT THE JULY 12TH MEETING TO ADD THREE AREA MANAGERS, WHICH WOULD BE HELPING TO GET VISIBILITY ON CLEANLINESS THROUGHOUT THE CITY. SO HERE ARE, HERE'S THE INTENSITY DENSITY ANALYSIS, THE FEASIBILITY STUDY RELATED TO THE COMPACT SAND EAST OF THE DUNE STUDY. THAT'S ALL ONE TIME. AND THEN RECURRING, WE HAVE THE TRANSFER, THE ADDITIONAL TRANSFER TO PEGO FROM THE PROJECTED INTEREST INCOME, WHICH WAS A NEW POLICY INITIATIVE. IT BROUGHT FORWARD THE COMMISSION ENDORSED. AND THOSE DOLLARS ARE NOW ALLOCATED IN OUR CAPITAL PROGRAM FOR PROJECTS IN 2025, A RECURRING GOING FORWARD. AND THEN WE'RE GONNA BE ADDING A PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE PROGRAM FOR OUR CITY'S AQUATIC FACILITIES ON A RECURRING BASIS. AND THEN WE HAVE A CATEGORY FOR ALL THE OTHERS THAT DON'T FIT INTO THOSE DISTINCT CATEGORIES. WE HAVE SMALL BUSINESS GRANTS. THIS IS ONE TIME. AND THEN THERE'S A ONE TIME STUDY FOR REVENUES AND EXPENDITURES IN THE MXC, UH, THE MIAMI NEW DRAMA MANAGEMENT CONTRACT. WHEN WE MET BACK IN JULY, THERE WAS A RECOMMENDATION TO SET ASIDE $220,000 FOR THIS NEGOTIATION. UH, THE CONTRACT AS OF WEDNESDAY'S COMMISSION MEETING WAS SET AT 200,000. SO WE'RE RECOMMENDING BRINGING THAT TWO 20 DOWN TO 200,000. AND THAT WOULD BE A SAVINGS ON THE OPERATING GENERAL FUND SIDE. UH, THE ADDITIONAL FUNDING FOR CONFERENCES, UH, CIVIC EVENTS IN THE CITY, UM, COMMISSIONS OFFICE, THAT'S A 1 0 5 INCREASE THAT WAS APPROVED BY CITY COMMISSION. AND THEN WE HAVE SOME MISCELLANEOUS ADJUSTMENTS, INCLUDING FUNDING FOR ADDITIONAL STATE LOBBYISTS, UM, HR, PUBLIC RECORDS TECHNICIAN, UH, ET CETERA. AND THEN FINALLY, THIS IS THE LAST, UH, LIST OF ENHANCEMENTS ON THE GENERAL FUND. WE ADDED $30,000 TO THE 60,000 THAT'S ALREADY IN THE BUDGET FOR NORMANDY FOUNTAIN PROGRAMMING. UH, THE ADDITIONAL GRANT FOR PRIDE LINES WAS APPROVED BY COMMISSION BACK IN JULY. UH, SISTER CITIES, WE ADDED 15,000 TO THE ALREADY 25,000 ALLOCATED IN THAT BUDGET. UH, THEN WE ADDED $4,000 FOR ASSESSMENTS AT BEACHFRONT FACILITIES. AND THEN FINALLY WE [00:15:01] DID SOME ADJUSTMENTS FOR OUR INTERNAL SERVICES THAT WE MENTIONED EARLIER. SO IF YOU LOOK AT THE END OF THE CHART, THERE'S A TOTAL OF 8.2 ALMOST THAT WAS APPROPRIATED IN THE GENERAL FUND BUDGET FOR, UM, ENHANCEMENTS. THAT'S A COMBINATION OF ONE TIME AND RECURRING COSTS. UM, I I, I'VE BEEN SAYING THIS SINCE MAY, THE UPDATE ON RESORT TAXES, THAT THERE IS NO UPDATE. UH, IT'S BEEN TREND IN JUST ABOUT 6% BELOW WHAT WE HAD BUDGETED FOR FY 24. AND SO FOR NEXT YEAR, WE BUDGETED UP 5%, UM, OF LAST YEAR'S BUDGET TO JUST BE CONSERVATIVE. UH, WE DID NOT RECOMMEND A LOSS OF ENHANCEMENTS. ACTUALLY, WE DIDN'T RECOMMEND ANY, UH, ONE ENHANCEMENT DID GET APPROVED TO BE APPROVED USING, UH, THE RESORT RESORT TAX RESERVES OF A MILLION DOLLARS. AND SO WHAT WE'RE SHOWING THERE IS THAT THE $1 MILLION BEING ADDED FOR THE CULTURAL PRESENTERS GRANTS, UH, COMMISSION APPROVED, UH, RESOLUTION UNANIMOUSLY, I THINK ON, UH, WAS PASSED WEDNESDAY AT FUNDING THAT AT $493,000. SO WE'RE GONNA BE RECOMMENDING THAT BE ADJUSTED, THAT MILLION DOLLARS BE ADJUSTED DOWN TO 493,000. I THINK COMMISSIONER BOTTA THROUGH THE, THROUGH THE CHAIR, I MAY. UM, SO WHEN WE DISCUSSED THIS AT FERC, IT WAS A COUPLE OF MONTHS AGO AND THINGS WERE A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT. UM, THE COUNTY IS ACTUALLY TALKING ABOUT MAKING CUTS OF THEIR OWN IN ADDITION TO THE STATE. UM, THIS IS NOT SOMETHING I SUGGEST THAT IS A, AN ONGOING PROPOSITION. IT IS A ONE TIME, UM, BACKSTOP FOR OUR CULTURAL ARTS ANCHORS, WHICH NOT ONLY PROVIDE A ONE OF MANY REASONS TO COME TO MIAMI BEACH, BUT ALSO PROVIDE JOBS TO OUR RESIDENTS AND, UM, EDUCATE OUR KIDS. AND I WOULD LIKE TO ACTUALLY GO FORWARD WITH THE FULL AMOUNT THAT WE HAD INITIALLY DISCUSSED. UM, I'M NOT VERY CAVAL. I'M NOT, NOT VERY, I AM NOT CAVALIER ABOUT THIS, BUT I THINK THIS IS THE TIME WHEN IT IS INCUMBENT UPON US, AS OUR MAYOR SAID, WHEN HE OPENED HIS REMARKS, UM, TO SHOW THE WORLD WHO WE ARE BY STANDING BY OUR CULTURAL ANCHOR INSTITUTION. SO WITH THE SUPPORT OF MY COLLEAGUES, I'D LIKE TO MAKE THAT RECOMMENDATION. COMMISSIONER FERNANDEZ, VICE MAYOR FERNANDEZ. THANK YOU, MR. MAYOR. AND I SECOND THAT MOTION, AND I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE, I MEANT TO ASK THIS AT OUR LAST COMMISSION MEETING, BUT I WAS UNDER THE WEATHER AND DIDN'T, IT DIDN'T JUST DIDN'T COME OUT. UM, THE SOUTHEAST, UH, JAZZ FESTIVAL, WHICH AGAIN, AN INSTITUTION, A CULTURAL INSTITUTION AT THIS COMMUNITY, UH, JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE INCLUDED IN THAT BECAUSE I DIDN'T SEE THEM ON THE LIST AND I REALIZED IT AFTERWARDS. UH, AND SO AND SO, I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE WE DON'T FORGET THEM 'CAUSE THEY'VE BEEN A LONGSTANDING PARTNER. THANK YOU. I WOULD NEED TO DEFER TO LISETTE ANTE TO ANSWER THAT QUESTION. GOOD MORNING, MR. MAYOR. CITY COMMISSION. UH, I NEED TO CHECK ON THEIR ADDRESS. SO ALL THE ORGANIZATIONS HAVE TO BE MIAMI BEACH BASE, SO I WILL CHECK WITH LORI BACKCOMB ON WHERE THEY ARE REGISTERED, BECAUSE THAT'S WOULD BE THE REASON WHY THEY'RE NOT ON THIS LIST, WOULD WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE INCLUDE THAT. I MEAN, THEY, THEY'RE, I WOULD JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT, THAT THEY'RE INCLUDED BECAUSE THEY HAVE BEEN AN ANCHOR LONG STANDING PART OF OUR C OF OUR COMMUNITY. AND SO I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE IF YOU AGREE, COMMISSIONER, YOU'VE BEEN SO PIVOTAL IN LEADING FOR THE ARTS AND BEING THEIR VOICE DURING THIS CRITICAL TIME IN OUR STATE AND COUNTY. UH, AND I THANK YOU FOR THAT LEADERSHIP COMMISSIONER BOT. UH, AND WITH YOUR PERMISSION, IF, IF YOU WOULD ALLOW US TO INCLUDE THEM, UH, I THINK WE ARE ALL FAMILIAR WITH, THERE ARE DECADES, UH, ALONG, UM, LEADERSHIP IN THE ARTS, ESPECIALLY FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES THAT PERHAPS DON'T HAVE OTHER AVENUES THROUGH WHICH TO EXPRESS THEMSELVES. THANK YOU, MR. MAYOR. COMMISSIONER BOT. SO, YEAH, I, I, WITHOUT KNOWING WHAT THE ASK WAS, AND IF THEY'RE, IF THEY'RE BASED HERE AND WHAT THE LEGALITIES ARE, MY INCLINATION WOULD BE TO KEEP THE FUNDING AT A MILLION DOLLARS AND JUST FIND A CHUNK OF MONEY THAT THAT IS PROPORTIONATE TO WHAT EVERYBODY ELSE IS GETTING TO, UM, TO SORT OF BACKSTOP THEIR MOST CRITICAL NEEDS SO THAT THEY CAN GO FORWARD WITHOUT SACRIFICING ANYTHING. THANK YOU. COMMISSIONER SUAREZ. UM, JUST TO BE CLEAR, UH, THANK YOU MR. MAYOR. IS THIS A ONE? ARE YOU REQUESTING A ONE TIME AND, AND BUT THE ORIGINAL 490 THREES ARE RECURRING? NO, NO. THE, IF I MAY, SO THE ORIGINAL ASK WAS A MILLION DOLLARS, UM, ONE TIME BASED ON THE CUTS, UM, PUT FORTH BY THE, THE STATE. AND I WAS TRYING TO BE OVERLY CONSERVATIVE AND WE WEREN'T SURE WHERE OTHER THINGS WERE GONNA NET OUT. NOW, UM, THAT WE HAVE A BETTER SENSE OF WHERE THE BUDGET IS LANDING AND ALSO THE COUNTY IS CONSIDERING THEIR VERSION OF THE [00:20:01] STATE CUTS. UM, YOU KNOW, WE HAD EARMARKED THIS, THE DISCUSSION AT FERC WAS GENERALLY QUITE POSITIVE. IT'S A ONE TIME ONLY THING, WHICH LOOKING AT ALL THE CULTURAL ACTORS OUT THERE, RIGHT. , LIKE WE KNOW THIS IS, YOU KNOW, I I THINK THIS WAS A MESSAGE FROM PEOPLE AT IN DIFFERENT GOVERNMENTS, UM, YOU KNOW, SHOT ACROSS THE BOW. THAT DOESN'T AFFECT US, BUT, SO IT'S ONE TIME ONLY FULL FUNDING, INCLUDING THE SOUTH BEACH JAZZ FESTIVAL. THANK YOU, MR. MAYOR. UM, AND THANK YOU COLLEAGUE. IS THIS, IS THIS WHERE WE WOULD DISCUSS THIS? UM, THIS, THIS IS WHERE WE WOULD DISCUSS THE BUDGET ALLOCATION OF WHO GETS WHAT I THINK IS, WELL, THAT WAS ALREADY DECIDED BY COMMISSION IF THERE'S AN ADJUSTMENT TO THAT GUY, 'CAUSE COMMISSION WEIGH ON THAT. BUT BUDGET, IT'S, MY UNDERSTANDING IS FOUR 90 THREES ARE DOUBLING. IT WOULD BE 9 86. UH, SO THE QUESTION IS DO WE KEEP THE, THE 4 93 TO THE COMMISSION APPROVED ON WEDNESDAY? OR ARE WE GONNA ADJUST THE, UM, NUMBER TO 9 86 READY? WE READY TO DISCUSS IT? RIGHT. SO I DON'T UNDERSTAND. WE, IT WAS A FE IT WAS APPROVED AT 4 93 AND, UM, IT, IT WENT TO THE COMMISSION, I BELIEVE ALSO. YES. AND WE ALSO APPROVED IT AT 4 93. UH, I'M NOT NECESSARILY POSTED. IT JUST SEEMS, UM, LIKE ALMOST RUSHED TO JUST DO IT HERE AT THIS MEETING. ARE ARE WE GONNA HAVE A LONGER DISCUSSION TO, TO, TO DISCUSS IT? UH, OR IS THIS, OR DO WE, ARE WE MAKING A RECOMMENDATION HERE TODAY BECAUSE IT'S, YOU KNOW, HALF A MILLION DOLLARS? YOU KNOW, MIND YOU, YOU KNOW, WE, WE HAVE A FIRE STATION TO FIND AND, AND WE, WE, I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT IT, WE HAVE JUST A LITTLE BIT MORE OF JUST DISCUSSION ON, ON WHAT WE CAN DO. IF I COULD PIGGYBACK ACTUALLY I, WHAT COMMISSIONER SUAREZ IS SAYING, AND, AND THANK YOU FOR BRINGING THE ITEM, BUT THIS IS KIND OF, I THINK WHAT TO ADD ONTO WHAT COMMISSIONER SUAREZ IS SAYING. WHEN WE HAVE A COMMISSION MEETING, WHICH WE JUST VOTED ON, WE HAVE A MEMO, WE GET A GENDER REVIEW, WE KNOW EXACTLY COMING IN, WHAT WE'RE VOTING ON HERE. THERE'S NO MEMOS. THERE'S NO ALLOCATE. WE'RE LITERALLY HEARING THESE NUMBERS FOR THE FIRST TIME RIGHT ON THE DAY AND THEN HAVING TO MAKE A QUICK DECISION. I THINK THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE COMMENT UP ON, COMMENTING ON IF, IF I CAN MAYOR, WE, THE AGENDA DOES HAVE FULL MEMOS FOR THE CAPITAL BUDGET, THE OPERATING BUDGET OF THE MILLAGE. BUT THIS ONE BROUGHT UP, IT WAS JUST BROUGHT UP ON THE FLOOR. SO WE JUST HAVE WHAT THE COMMISSIONER IS REQUESTING, COMMISSIONER BOT YOU. SO YES, THIS WOULD NORMALLY GO THROUGH AND IT DID GO THROUGH FERC AND THEN THROUGH THE COMMISSION MEETING. AND I WAS, UH, THE INITIAL THOUGHT WAS THAT I WOULD PULL IT AT THE COMMISSION MEETING TO HAVE THIS CONVERSATION ON WEDNESDAY SO THERE COULD BE A LITTLE BIT MORE DISCUSSION. BUT SOMETIMES WHEN WE HAVE PACKED AGENDAS, WE PULL ITEMS AND WE MIGHT NOT REACH EVERY ITEM, WHICH IS NOT CASTING DISPERSIONS. IT'S JUST A FUNCTION OF LOGISTICS OF THE NUMBER OF ITEMS WE HAVE, THE NUMBER OF HOURS IN A DAY. AND SO I DID NOT WANNA JEOPARDIZE THE CHUNK OF FUNDING THAT WAS ALREADY AGREED TO. AND I KNEW THAT WE WERE HAVING THIS MEETING, YOU KNOW, THREE DAYS LATER, FOUR DAYS LATER, AND WE COULD HAVE THIS CONVERSATION. IT'S NOT FOR A DIFFERENT PURPOSE, IT'S FOR EXACTLY THE SAME PURPOSE. IT IS MADE MORE URGENT BY THE FACT THAT THE COUNTY IS CONSIDERING PULLING THEIR FUNDING. THIS IS NOT A, A, YOU KNOW, A PARTY TRICK THAT I PLAN ON USING VERY OFTEN, IF EVER, YOU KNOW, I WON'T PROMISE TO NEVER, BUT THIS IS NOT HOW I ROLL. UM, I'M, I'M, AS I THINK YOU WOULD ALL AGREE, I'M PRETTY MEASURED IN MOST OF MY THINGS. I JUST THINK THAT THIS IS THE MOMENT WHEN WE NEED TO STEP UP AND IT'S AN UNUSUAL SET OF CIRCUMSTANCES AND I WOULD JUST ENCOURAGE US TO SUPPORT IT. MR. CHAIR. THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR. AND CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG, UH, CFO, THIS IS OUR OPPORTUNITY BECAUSE ON SEPTEMBER 25TH WE HAVE TO ADOPT A BALANCED BUDGET. SO ANYTHING THAT'S NOT IN THE BUDGET, ANY CHANGES THAT WE AS A BODY MAY AGREE TO AND WOULD LIKE TO SEE, THIS IS THE OPPORTUNITY FOR US AS AN ELECTED BODY TO PROVIDE YOU WITH THAT FEEDBACK SO THAT ON SEPTEMBER 25TH YOU CAN COME BACK WITH A BALANCED BUDGET FOR US TO BE ABLE TO ADOPT. IS THAT CORRECT? CORRECT. THIS WOULD BE THE APPROPRIATE TIME FOR US TO SET NEXT YEAR BUDGET. SO TO THE EXTENT THAT SOMETHING IS NOT INCLUDED IN THE BUDGET OR PERHAPS, YOU KNOW, MAY HAVE BEEN DISCUSSED IN THE PAST AND MAY HAVE NOT MADE IT IN, BUT THE BODY DECIDES THAT IT DOES HAVE A DESIRE FOR IT TO BE BAKED INTO THE OPERATING OR THE CAPITAL BUDGET FOR FISCAL YEAR 25 TODAY, IS FOR US TO COME TOGETHER, PROVIDE THAT FEEDBACK SO THAT THEN THE US THE ADMINISTRATION CAN FIND THE FUNDING SOURCES, THE APPROPRIATE FUNDING SOURCES, AND MAKING SURE THAT ON SEPTEMBER 25TH, THE BUDGET IS BALANCED FOR THE CITY COMMISSION TO ADOPT. JUST TO CLARIFY, YES, WE WOULD WANNA LEAVE THIS MEETING TONIGHT WITH A BALANCED BUDGET. SO IF WE'RE ADDING OR SUBTRACTING ANYTHING, WE'LL BE DOING IT HERE ON THE FLOOR. YEAH, EXACTLY. OKAY. THANK YOU. SO TODAY'S THE OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO PROVIDE THAT FEEDBACK. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR. YEAH, THANK YOU VICE MAYOR. UH, UM, JUST TO CLARIFY 'CAUSE I FEEL I'M A BIT LOST. WE HAD ALLOCATED [00:25:01] PREVIOUSLY STATE REDUCED THEIR FUNDING. WE SAID WE WANNA STEP UP FOR OUR ART AND CULTURE INSTITUTIONS. LET'S ALLOCATE 493 OR 494, UH, THOUSAND DOLLARS IN, IN JULY. THE COMMISSION HAD RE UH, REQUESTED, UH, FOR IT TO BE SET AT A MILLION DOLLARS OF OUR RESORT TAX, UH, RESERVES FOR THIS PURPOSE TO BE HEARD AT FERC. UH, FERC THEN HEARD THE ITEM RECOMMENDED THE NUMBER, BE IT 4 93, UH, I THINK IT WAS IN JULY. AND THEN SEPTEMBER'S COMMISSION MEETING LAST WEDNESDAY, THE COMMISSION APPROVED THAT ENDORSEMENT OF 4 93. SO GOING FORWARD THAT I WAS ADMINISTRATION OF JUST NOTING THAT ORIGINAL PRELIMINARY BUDGET INCLUDED A $1 MILLION ALLOCATION. BUT BASED ON THE COMMISSION'S RESOLUTION AND RECOMMENDING, WE ADJUSTED TO 4 93. BUT THERE'S A REQUEST ON THE FLOOR TO KEEP IT, I GUESS, AT, UH, 9 86, WHICH WOULD BE TWICE THAT NUMBER WE JUST NEED TO GET DIRECTION ON. SO THEN I, AND I'LL JUST ASK THIS RESPECTFULLY OF MY COLLEAGUE, IF WE CAN JUST BRIDGE HOW WE GET FROM 4 94 TO A MILLION. I, I WISH, I WISH WE, UM, WERE HAVING THIS MEETING IN THREE OR FOUR DAYS. 'CAUSE I KNOW IT'S COMING TO THE COUNTY TOMORROW OR WEDNESDAY, AND WE WOULD KNOW WHAT THE BACKSTOP IS. UM, OKAY. YOU KNOW, THE, THE, THE AMOUNT THAT WAS GIVEN TO US IN THE FIRST PLACE WAS ALREADY A SMALLER AMOUNT THAN WHAT THEY HAD ASKED FOR. SO IT, IT IS A, IT'S NOT AN INSIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF MONEY, BUT IN THE GRAND SCHEME OF THINGS, IT, IT'S NOT AN INSIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF MONEY. UM, IN THE GRAND SCHEME OF A BILLION DOLLAR BUDGET, LOOK, I'M NOT CAVALIER WITH A COUPLE HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS. IT'S NOT MONEY THAT I HAVE AND IT'S OUR TAXPAYER'S MONEY. BUT FOR THESE INDIVIDUAL ORGANIZATIONS, THERE'S SOME WHICH ARE GONNA HAVE AN EASIER TIME RAISING THE FUNDS FROM DONORS. AND THERE'S SOME THAT MAY HAVE TO LAY PEOPLE OFF. AND I WOULD, BECAUSE THIS IS NOT A REOCCURRING REQUEST, IT'S A ONE-TIME THING WHEN THE STATE AND NOW LIKELY THE COUNTY HAVE PULLED THEIR FUNDING. AND WE ARE IN THE PROCESS OF SPENDING A LOT OF CAPITAL STAFF RESOURCES, INTELLECTUAL CAPITAL MONEY TO PIVOT OUR BRAND AS AN ARTS AND CULTURE DESTINATION, A WELLNESS DESTINATION, A HISTORICAL AND ARCHITECTURALLY SIGNIFICANT DESTINATION. I THINK THIS GETS US THERE BETTER THAN NOT. AND I, AND I RESPECT AND VERY MUCH VALUE HOW MINDFUL YOU ARE ABOUT HOW EASY IT IS FOR US TO THROW A HUNDRED THOUSAND HERE AND 15,000 THERE AND HALF A MILLION THERE. BUT I THINK THIS IS ONE OF THE TIMES WHEN WE COLLECTIVELY HAVE TO STEP UP AND DO IT. IF I MAY, MAYOR, I MIGHT BE ABLE TO ASSIST IN HEARING SOME OF THIS. WHAT MIGHT BE THE EASIEST PATH FORWARD, IF THERE'S ADDITIONAL INFORMATION THAT WE'RE WAITING ON ACTIONS FROM THIRD PARTIES, IS PERHAPS TO LEAVE THE BUDGET AS THE COMMISSION ORIGINALLY APPROVED IN JULY WITH A MILLION DOLLAR SET ASIDE, AND THEN PERHAPS FOR STAFF TO COME BACK IN OCTOBER TO COMMISSION WITH A DISCUSSION TO GET FINAL DIRECTION ON IT. BUT WE CAN LEAVE THE MILLION DOLLAR ALLOCATION, UH, THERE. THAT MAY, IF THAT MAY HELP. I, I DON'T KNOW. BUT HOW, HOW HOW WOULD THAT WORK WITH, UM, BUT I'M NOT DOING IT. WE NEED TO HAVE A BALANCED BUDGET PARTIES. WELL, IT'S TECHNICALLY FOR THE RESORT TAX, WE JUST, WE WOULDN'T UTILIZE THE WHOLE MILLION. SO WE'D HAVE IT SET ASIDE, IT WOULD BE UTILIZING THAT MILLION DOLLARS IN RESERVES AND THEN THE COMMISSION CAN GIVE DIRECTION WHILE IN OCTOBER TO STICK WITH THE 4 9 3 OR GO WITH THE, YOU KNOW, THE 9 86 THEN. SO HERE, HERE'S WHERE I STAND ON THIS. UM, I'LL BE SUPPORTIVE OF THE UPPER AMOUNT, BUT WE ALSO HAVE THE FINAL DECISION SEPTEMBER 25TH, RIGHT? YES. SO THE BUDGET AS IT IS RIGHT NOW PRESENTED HAS A MILLION DOLLAR ALREADY BAKED IN. YOU DON'T HAVE TO CHANGE IT ON THE 25TH, YOU COULD DO IT, BUT WE HAVE THE ABILITY TO CORRECT? YES. OR OCTOBER. UM, HERE'S WHAT I, I'LL PUT MY CARDS ON THE TABLE. WHAT I'D LIKE TO SEE, I'M JUST ONE OF SEVEN PEOPLE. UH, SO I DON'T KNOW WHERE MY COLLEAGUES ARE. I KNOW WE HAVE SOME OF OUR CULTURAL PARTNERS HERE. I DON'T WANNA PUT YOU ON THE SPOT. UM, BUT WHAT I WOULD LOOK FOR AT THIS SEPTEMBER MEETING IS BESIDES WHAT YOU ALREADY DO, RIGHT, WHICH IS INS, YOU KNOW, INDESCRIBABLE. I NEED TO KNOW WHAT ELSE YOU COULD DO FOR OUR COMMUNITY, RIGHT? THIS IS A ASK, THIS IS A MILLION DOLLARS, RIGHT? THIS IS GOING TO ORGANIZATIONS. WHEN, WHEN I GO TO, UH, MY CONDO AND I GO TO MY NEIGHBOR AND I SAY, WELL, I JUST TOOK SOME OF YOUR TAX MONEY TO PUT TO AN INSTITUTION YOU MAY HAVE NEVER HEARD OF. YEAH. THAT'S WHAT A COMMUNITY IS, RIGHT? IT'S NOT JUST A, A ONE FOR ONE. I'D LOVE TO HEAR SOME CREATIVE IDEAS ABOUT, AS A COMMUNITY WE'RE STEPPING UP FOR YOUR INSTITUTIONS, HOW YOU COULD FURTHER STEP UP ABOVE AND BEYOND WHAT YOU ALREADY DO FOR OURS. SO, ALRIGHT, MR. CHAIR. OH, THANK YOU. UM, AND I THINK, AND MR. CHAIR AND MR. MAYOR , UM, SO I, I JUST THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO, TO UNDERSTAND THE REASON WHY THEY'RE ASKING US FOR THESE SERVICES, FOR THESE FUNDS, SO THAT THEY CAN CONTINUE JUST THEIR [00:30:01] MOST BASIC SERVICES. THEY'RE NOT ASKING US FOR MORE FUNDING TO EXPAND THE PROGRAM. THIS IS JUST FOR THEM TO CONTINUE OPERATING AS THEY WERE IN THE CURRENT FISCAL YEAR FOR THEM TO CONTINUE OPERATING AT THE SAME LEVEL OF SERVICE GOING INTO THE NEXT FISCAL YEAR. UM, AND SO, AND SO MY CONCERN IS IF WE ASK THEM, WELL, WHAT ELSE CAN YOU PROVIDE THE COMMUNITY? WHAT ELSE CAN YOU GIVE THE COMMUNITY? WE'RE ACTUALLY, YOU KNOW, WE MIGHT BE MAKING A BIGGER DENT, UH, OR, OR ASKING THEM TO MAKE A BIGGER DENT WHEN WE'RE TRYING TO FILL THE DENTS, UH, SO THAT THEY CAN JUST HAVE THIS GAP FUNDING PRETTY MUCH, UH, TO THE NEXT FISCAL YEAR. AND LET'S JUST KEEP IN MIND, YOU KNOW, IT IS A MILLION DOLLARS AND THAT IS SIGNIFICANT. UM, BUT IN, IN A WAY, I FEEL ALMOST, YOU KNOW, IT'S COMING FROM THE RESORT FUND AND IT'S COMING, I BELIEVE FROM THE RESERVES AND THE RESORT FUND, CORRECT. AND WHAT ARE OUR RESERVES IN THE RESORT? THE RESORT FUNDS MILLION AROUND 40, 40 MILLION. AROUND 40 MILLION. YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT THIS IS, THIS IS WHY WE HAVE THIS RESORT FUND, UH, AND THOSE RESERVES THERE FOR THESE UNFORESEEN SITUATIONS, UM, THEY'RE ONE-OFF SITUATIONS. IT WAS, YOU KNOW, POLITICS GOT IN THE WAY AND COST FOR THIS ONE TIME NEED. UM, I THINK IT MIGHT BE WISE FOR US, PERHAPS TO HAVE THAT SET ASIDE THERE GOING INTO THE SEPTEMBER 25TH BUDGET HEARING OF THE $1 MILLION. IF THE COUNTY DECIDES NOT TO PROCEED WITH THE CULTURAL CUTS, WELL THEN WE DON'T NEED TO PROCEED WITH THAT EXTRA MONEY. BUT I THINK WE NEED TO SIDE PERHAPS, UH, IN CAUTION, ERR ON THE SIDE OF CAUTION TO BE, YOU KNOW, THAT ANGEL FOR OUR CULTURAL INSTITUTIONS SO THAT THEY CAN CONTINUE PROVIDING AT LEAST THE SAME LEVEL OF SERVICE THEY DO TODAY. OTHERWISE THEY LOSE, THEY RISK LOSING A CURATOR OR THEY RISK LOSING A, A PROGRAM THAT THEN LATER ON IT'LL BE HARD FOR THEM TO GET BACK. AND SO IT'S, IT'S A ONE TIME COURTESY TO THESE LONGSTANDING CULTURAL ANCHORS. AND, AND IN A WAY I SEE THAT'S THE PURPOSE AND PART OF THAT, UH, OF THAT RESERVE FUND. THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR, FOR YOUR INDULGENCE. CAN I, AM I UP, UM, I HAVE AN IDEA OF WHAT COULD BE PROPOSED. RIGHT NOW, ALL OF OUR ARTS AND CULTURAL PROGRAMMING ARE WITHIN THE PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM, CORRECT? LESLIE HERE, THE DR. ROSENFELD. MOST OF OUR PROGRAMS ARE WORKING WITH, UM, PUBLIC. WE WORK POST PUBLIC IN THE PUBLIC, PUBLIC PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM, BUT WE'RE MOVING INTO THE PRIVATE. WHY DON'T WE INCLUDE ALL OF OUR, UM, IF HERE I HAVE, I HAVE, I HAVE AN IDEA. IF WE GIVE THIS FUNDING ONE TIME, WE HAVE THEM FOR THIS ONE YEAR, INCLUDE ALL OF OUR SCHOOLS IN THE PROGRAMMING A SPECIAL PERFORMANCE. IF YOU'RE INVITING THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS, WE WOULD LIKE YOU TO INVITE EVERY SINGLE STUDENT IN MIAMI BEACH, UM, ACROSS THE BOARD. AND WHAT YOU COULD DO PRIOR TO THE SECOND BUDGET HEARING IS MAYBE SUBMIT A SMALL PARAGRAPH OF HOW YOU WOULD LIKE TO ADDRESS ALL OUR STUDENTS INSTEAD OF JUST THE PUBLIC SCHOOL ONES. AND I THINK THAT'S A PRETTY GOOD BENEFIT. IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE CAN SAY EVERY CHILD IN MIAMI BEACH, WE'LL GET TO GO TO A PERFORMANCE AT THE COLONY THEATER OR THE O CINEMA OR THE SYMPHONY. AND, UM, I THINK THAT THAT WOULD BE A WAY TO POSSIBLY BRIDGE THE GAP. I DON'T KNOW HOW YOU FEEL ABOUT THIS, BUT WE HAVE A LIST OF SCHOOLS. MR. MAYOR, JUST TO CLARIFY. UH, WE CURRENTLY HAVE PARTNERSHIPS, I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S WITH EVERY CULTURAL INSTITUTION BECAUSE THEY APPLY TO PARTICIPATE IN OUR STEAM PLUS PROGRAM, WHICH IS AN INFUSION OF THE ARTS INTO OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS. BUT FOR THIS COMING SCHOOL YEAR, UH, SOME OF OUR PRIVATE AND CHARTER SCHOOLS HAVE REQUESTED TO BE A PART OF THAT PROGRAM. AND SO WE WILL SEEK TO EXPAND IT, BUT THAT IS DEPENDENT UPON THEIR INTEREST, UH, REGARDING, UM, THE STEAM PLUS PROGRAM. SO IT'S, IT'S PRIVATE AND PUBLIC SCHOOL REQUESTED, BUT THE, BUT A CONCERN I HAVE WITH WHAT YOU ARE SUGGESTING IS NOT SO MUCH THE, UH, AVAILABILITY AND ACCESS, UH, TO THE PROGRAMS. THERE'S ALWAYS A CHALLENGE WITH THE SCHOOLS GETTING TO THE LOCATION. SO PLEASE KEEP THAT IN MIND. UM, WHAT I WOULD PROPOSE IS AS THE, BETWEEN NOW, HOW LONG DO WE HAVE? WE HAVE A WEEK UNTIL OUR SECOND. OKAY. LESLIE ROSENFELD IS RIGHT HERE. SHE IS OUR EDUCATION DIRECTOR. IF EACH INSTITUTION RECEIVING FUNDING COULD REACH OUT TO DR. ROSENFELD BETWEEN NOW AND THE NEXT MEETING AND WITH SOME SORT OF, UM, SUMMARY OF WHAT YOU WILL PROVIDE, UM, I THINK THAT WE CAN AT LEAST LOOK AT IT. WE CAN GET A PRINTOUT, HOPEFULLY, UH, A COUPLE DAYS BEFORE THE MEETING. SO THE SOONER THE BETTER. AND, UM, I THINK THAT THAT WOULD GO A LONG WAY. I DON'T KNOW HOW YOU GUYS FEEL. YEAH, YEAH. THAT WASN'T MY EXACT IDEA. [00:35:01] I DIDN'T HAVE ANY EXACT IDEAS, BUT IT WAS ALONG THOSE LINES. UH, MR. VICE MAYOR WAS JUST, YOU KNOW, WE'RE GOING TO ASK OUR TAXPAYERS FOR MORE. LET'S EXPAND THE NET FOR PEOPLE THAT ARE ABLE TO BE INCLUDED IN, UH, OUR WORLD CLASS ARTS AND CULTURE PROGRAMMING. SO, UH, WHATEVER THAT IDEA MAY BE, THAT COULD BE ONE OF 'EM. UH, BUT SOMETHING ALONG THOSE LINES, MR. MAYOR, I DON'T HAVE ON. THANK YOU, MR. MAYOR. UH, LOOK, I, I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE WE'RE NOT SETTING A BAD PRECEDENT OF, YOU KNOW, THE LAST SECOND WE ASK FOR DOUBLE THE AMOUNT. AND, AND WE WENT THROUGH A PROCESS WHERE, UM, YOU KNOW, IT WAS AGREED. WE WENT THROUGH I THINK TWO, TWO DIFFERENT MEETINGS TO DISCUSS THIS. UM, AND I'M, I'M OKAY WITH, WITH GIVING THE FUNDING. I, I THINK WHAT, WHAT, WHAT THEY DO FOR OUR COMMUNITY, REALLY WHAT'S MAKES A COMMUNITY. UM, BUT YOU KNOW, THERE, THERE SHOULD BE A, A PROCESS, RIGHT? AND TO MAKE SURE, AND YOU KNOW, IT, IT, IT WOULDN'T, IT WOULD BE REALLY BAD IF WE JUST ALL SORT OF ROLLED OVER AND SAID YES, RIGHT? WE, WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE GETTING, THE TAXPAYERS ARE GETTING VALUE, YOU KNOW, IF WE GIVE YOU DOUBLE, WHAT DO WE GET IN RETURN? UM, AND WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THERE IS VALUE IN, IN AND ESSENTIALLY GIVING A MILLION DOLLARS OF, OF TAXPAYER MONEY. AND I LOOK, I, I UNDERSTAND IT'S A RESORT TAX. UM, I, I, UM, HOWEVER, YOU KNOW, LOOK, RESORT TAX, IT COMES FROM A LOT OF THE RESIDENTS THAT GO OUT TO RES TO TO RESTAURANTS. WE PAY INTO THAT. IT'S, IT'S NOT NECESSARILY PEOPLE WHO DON'T LIVE IN MIAMI BEACH THAT PAYS THIS FUNDS. A BIG PART OF IT IS, UM, SO I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE GET SOME SORT OF ACCOUNTABILITY ON, ON, ON WHAT WE'RE GETTING AND WHAT EXTRA VALUE WE GET. AND SO I'M OKAY WITH MOVING IT TO, UM, OCTOBER 30TH AND SETTING ASIDE, UH, A CERTAIN AMOUNT, IT DOESN'T NECESSARILY MEAN I'M GONNA BE COMFORTABLE WITH THE FULL AMOUNT. WE CAN GET SOMEWHERE IN BETWEEN, PERHAPS. UM, BUT I, I JUST WANT TO KNOW WHAT THE TAXPAYERS ARE GETTING, UH, FOR, FOR DOUBLE THE AMOUNT. OKAY. SO I THINK ON THIS ITEM FOR NOW, WE'LL, WE WILL LEAVE THE BUDGET ALLOCATION OF $1 MILLION AS TODAY, AND WE'LL CAN DISCUSS IT AGAIN ON THE 25TH AND SECOND HEARING IF THERE'S ANY ADDITIONAL, UM, ACTION TO BE TAKEN. AND WE CAN GO BACK TO THE PRESENTATION. OH, WE'RE GONNA GO BACK A LITTLE. WE MISSED A COUPLE SLIDES AT THE BEGINNING. SO THIS SLIDE JUST SHOWS THAT WE SENT OUT AN LTC ALONG WITH THREE HUGE BUDGET BOOKS. SO ALL THE DETAILS BEHIND THE HIGHLIGHTS THAT YOU'RE SEEING TODAY ARE INCLUDED IN THAT BOOK. IN ADDITION TO THE MEMOS THAT WERE ACCOMPANYING THESE, UM, AGENDA ITEMS. SO JUST A LOOK AT THE COMBINED BUDGET. SO THIS CHART SHOWS THE HISTORY OF OUR BUDGET SINCE 2015. SO BACK IN 15 AND 60, WE WERE OVER A BILLION DOLLARS IN OUR BUDGET. THE GREEN LINE THAT YOU SEE THERE, THE CHART ON THE CHART IS OUR CAPITAL BUDGET. SO OUR BUDGET FLUCTUATES DEPENDING ON WHAT'S GOING ON IN CAPITAL. THE BLUE LINE IS A LITTLE MORE, YOU KNOW, SYSTEMATIC, UH, NEXT WELL THIS YEAR'S BUDGET WORK. AND, AND TAMIKA, IF I COULD STOP YOU THERE, UM, OBVIOUSLY ASKING YOU TO PAINT WITH AN INCREDIBLY BROAD BRUSH, BUT JUST LOOKING AT THE OPERATING BUDGET, UH, LET'S USE 2015, 16 OR 17 IS A PROXY, UH, TO WHERE WE'RE AT IN 2024. UM, LOOKING AT, YOU KNOW, UH, UH, 50% INCREASE, UH, OR CLOSE THERE TOO. ANY HIGH LEVEL. OKAY. HERE ARE THE PRIMARY CATALYSTS OR DRIVERS FOR, UH, WHAT IS LEADING TO THE LARGE INCREASE IN THE OPERATING BUDGET? WELL, PRIMARILY ON THE OPERATING SIDE, IT'S OUR PAYROLL COSTS. SO WE HAVE UNION CONTRACTS THAT ARE REQUIRED TO DO COLAS, UH, STEP INCREASES, MERIT INCREASES. SO THE BIG JUMP IN OUR BUDGETS, OUR PAYROLL COSTS. THEN WE ALSO HAVE ENHANCEMENTS. SO YOU'LL SEE WHEN WE GET TO THE NEXT COUPLE OF SETS, YOU SEE HOW WE HAVE THE BREAKDOWN OF THE OPERATING AND THERE'S A CSL CURRENT SERVICE LEVEL INCREASE. AND THEN WE HAVE ENHANCEMENTS. UM, IN, IN MY PERFECT WORLD, WE'LL JUST HAVE CURRENT SERVICE LEVEL INCREASES AND NO ENHANCEMENTS. AND THEN YOU'D HAVE A LOWER, YOU KNOW, INCLINE. WE DON'T HAVE IT HERE ON THIS SLIDE, BUT WE HAD, UH, SHOWN THIS AND HIGHLIGHTED THIS IN SOME OF THE EARLY BUDGET HEARINGS. AND I KNOW ON SOME OF THE ONBOARDINGS WITH THE NEW COMMISSIONERS WHERE WE WENT BACK TO LOOK OVER THE PAST 10 OR 15 YEARS, AND ACTUALLY THE CITY IS TRACKED BELOW IN THE, UH, INFLATION WHEN IT GOES BACK THERE. SO THERE'S A LOT OF THAT BUILDING OF COMPOUNDING WHEN IT COMES TO INFLATIONARY PRESSURES. AND THEN AGAIN, AS, AS, UH, UH, TAMIKA HAD MENTIONED YOU HAVE ENHANCEMENTS. SO WE'VE ADDED A WHOLE PARK RANGER PROGRAM, YOU KNOW, DURING THIS PERIOD WE HAVE ADDITIONAL POLICE OFFICERS, ADDITIONAL, UH, FIREFIGHTERS, ADDITIONAL PROGRAMS THAT THIS CITY IS RUNNING. SO WHEN YOU MIX THE TWO TOGETHER, THAT'S REALLY, YOU KNOW, A, A MAJOR CATALYST FOR A LOT OF THAT. AND ALSO A LOT OF THOSE NUMBERS WERE STILL COMING OUT OF THE, YOU KNOW, THE EARLY GREAT RECESSION WHERE THERE WERE A LOT OF, UH, YOU KNOW, CUTS, UH, YOU KNOW, OVER 10, 15 YEARS AGO. BUT WE WANT TO TALK ABOUT SOME, OH, WELL TALK [00:40:01] ABOUT THAT. AND THEN WE'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT PROJECTIONS. COULD WE GO BACK TO THAT SLIDE? IF YOU LOOK AT 2015, THERE'S WHAT 70% INCREASE OVER THE PAST 10 YEARS IN OUR BUDGET? CORRECT. AND WE HAVEN'T EVEN BROUGHT ON SO MANY OF THE NEW DEVELOPMENTS, UH, THE CONVENTION CENTER HOTEL, THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS OF UNITS. HOW DO WE KNOW THAT GIVEN THIS 70% INCREASE IN, IN OPERATIONS, THAT WE'RE NOT GOING TO HAVE TO INCREASE BASED ON OUR DENSITY? AND WE HAVEN'T. WE'VE DECREASED IN POPULATION, INCREASED IN OPERATIONAL EXPENSES, AND THOSE OTHER RESOURCES AREN'T EVEN, LIKE, THEY, THEY HAVEN'T EVEN COME INTO PLAY YET WITH OUR CURRENT TEAM. HOW ARE WE GOING TO, WE'RE HAVING AN ISSUE RIGHT NOW, FOR EXAMPLE, WITH CLEANLINESS. WE'RE HAVING AN ISSUE RIGHT NOW WITH SANITATION. WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN WHEN YOU ADD 5,000 UNITS, 10,000 UNITS, AND WE'RE ALREADY STRUGGLING AS WE ARE, AND WHY ARE WE STRUGGLING IF THE BUDGET IS INCREASED BY 70% OPERATIONS? THAT TO ME IS A VERY, UM, IMPORTANT QUESTION THAT WE NEED TO ASK AND THAT WE HAVEN'T REALLY BEEN EXPLAINED PER SE. WE'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT. UH, THE NEXT SLIDE IS ABOUT THE DIFFERENCES AS, AS TAMIKA MENTIONED ABOUT CURRENT SERVICE LEVEL CHANGES. GREAT. UM, SO THIS JUST FOCUSES ON THE GENERAL FUND, WHICH IS, I KNOW WHERE A LOT OF PEOPLE FOCUS ON. THIS IS WHERE OUR PROPERTY TAX REVENUES GO. OUR OVERALL INCREASE WAS 6.7% OF THAT, IT WAS 3.3 IS OUR CURRENT SERVICE LEVEL. SO IF WE JUST OPENED BACK THE DOORS NEXT YEAR AND PROVIDED THE SAME LEVEL OF SERVICE, OUR BUDGET WOULD'VE GONE UP BY, BY 3.3, WHICH, YOU KNOW, LAST YEAR IT WAS AROUND THE SAME OR PROBABLY A LITTLE LESS. OUR CPI INCREASE WAS 5.7. SO WE ACTUALLY TRENDED BELOW CPI IN THIS YEAR'S UPCOMING BUDGET ENHANCEMENTS WERE $6 MILLION 1.4%. AND THEN WE, THERE WERE SOME MID-YEAR CHANGES IN THE BUDGET THIS YEAR THAT ADDED ALMOST A MILLION DOLLARS, UM, TO THE BUDGETS. AND THEN THE LAST ITEM IN THE LAST ITEM, AS WE MENTIONED A LITTLE BIT EARLIER, IS THE SET ASIDE FOR OUR COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AND OUR UNFUNDED, UH, CAPITAL NEEDS. YOU KNOW, WE HAVE A SEVERAL HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS IN GENERAL FUND PAYGO, CRR, UH, QUALITY OF LIFE CAPITAL PROJECTS. SO WE STARTED THIS PROCESS BACK IN JULY WITH A CITY MANAGER RECOMMENDED BUDGET OF $8.9 MILLION SET ASIDE. WE'RE DOWN TO $7.7 MILLION. UH, WE'RE HOPEFUL THAT WE CAN WALK OUT HERE TONIGHT, CONTINUING TO HAVE THAT 7.7 SO WE CAN COMPLETE OUR CONTRACTS. AND THEN AGAIN, OTHER DOLLARS WILL BE SET ASIDE FOR OUR UNFUNDED CAPITAL NEEDS. MR. MAYOR, COMMISSIONER SUAREZ, THANK YOU. UM, I JUST WOULD LIKE TO RESPOND TO MY COLLEAGUE COMMISSIONER GONZALEZ. UM, YOU KNOW, IT'S TRUE, OUR RESIDENT POPULATION HAS, HAS DECLINED, BUT IF YOU LOOK AT OUR BUDGET, 61% OF OUR BUDGET IS FOR POLICE AND FIRE, AND THE MOST IS FOR POLICE. AND THE REASON IS BECAUSE WE HAVE SUCH HIGH IMPACT WEEKENDS. AND, YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT, IT GOES BACK TO WE ARE CONSIDERED A PARTY TOWN. AND WHEN YOU ARE CONSIDERED A PARTY TOWN, PEOPLE PARTY AND THEY DON'T USUALLY PARTY. NICE. YOU KNOW, IF, IF WE WERE TO HAVE A FUNDAMENTAL SHIFT AWAY FROM THE PARTY SCENE, I FULLHEARTEDLY AGREE THAT WE WOULDN'T HAVE TO SPEND SO MUCH MONEY ON POLICE. YOU KNOW, WE WOULDN'T HAVE TO HAVE, UM, YOU KNOW, SUCH WE WOULDN'T HAVE TO PUT SO MUCH DEMAND ON OUR FIRST RESPONDERS THAT REALLY DO TAKE UP, YOU KNOW, OVERWHELMINGLY ALL OUR BUDGET, ALL OF OUR PROPERTY TAXES GO TO POLICE AND FIRE. THAT'S BECAUSE WE'RE, WE'RE, WE'RE, YOU KNOW, WE'RE A TERRORIST TOWN AS IT STANDS. YOU KNOW, YOU, YOU, WE, YOU KNOW, CORAL GABLES, UM, WYNWOOD, THEY DON'T HAVE THE SAME CHALLENGES THAT WE DO YEAR IN, YEAR OUT, UM, WHERE PEOPLE ARE GETTING MURDERED ON, ON THE STREETS. SO, UH, YOU KNOW, IF WE WERE TO SHIFT MORE TOWARD RESIDENTIAL, I, I BELIEVE THAT, YOU KNOW, OUR BUDGET COULD DECREASE WHERE WE'RE NOT HAVING TO SPEND SO MUCH MONEY ON, ON, UH, ON POLICE AND FIRE. I HAVE A QUESTION. THE PROBLEM IS THAT WE HAVE 22,000 HOTEL ROOMS AND AN ADDITIONAL 3000 COMING ONLINE. HOW ARE WE GONNA FILL THOSE WITHOUT PROGRAMMING? EVERYBODY SAID, WE GOT A PROGRAM, PROGRAM, PROGRAM, NOW WE'RE GONNA HAVE ALL OF THESE HOTELS. IT, YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT'S A FINE LINE. 'CAUSE I MEAN, WE CROSSED THAT LINE A WHILE AGO. THE ONLY THING THAT I CAN SAY IS I HAVE HOPE THE CONVENTION CENTER NEEDS TO BE A BETTER PROGRAM FOR THE CURRENT HOTELS THAT WE HAVE. UM, BUT THAT WILL BE MORE HIGH IMPACT EVENTS ALL THE TIME. SO WE HAVE THIS BILLION DOLLAR INVESTMENT IN THE CONVENTION CENTER. ADDITIONALLY, YOU'VE GOT 25,000 HOTEL ROOMS. SO YOU CAN'T JUST SAY, WE WANNA BE RESIDENTS ONLY BECAUSE THAT'S NOT WHAT WE'VE DONE EVER. SO HOW DO YOU PLAN TO BRIDGE THAT SHIFT? AND, AND THAT'S REALLY THE CONVERSATION THAT, THAT WE'RE NOT HAVING. [00:45:01] I DON'T KNOW WHO'S MODERATING, BUT I WILL. AND, AND, AND IF YOU DON'T MIND, I CAN RESPOND AND, UM, UM, COMMISSIONER BACH CAN RESPOND TO, UM, YOU KNOW, I THINK, UH, I DUNNO IF COMMISSIONER MAGAZINE SAID THIS, BUT I THINK 70% OF ALL POLICE RELATED CALLS ARE TO NON-RESIDENTS. I CHIEF, I DON'T KNOW IF, IF THAT, IF YOU CAN SPEAK TO THAT, BUT I BELIEVE THE MAJORITY OF OF SERVICE CALLS ARE NOT FOR RESIDENTS. AND IT'S, IT'S OVERWHELMINGLY, UH, THAT WAY. SO, YOU KNOW, I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT, YOU KNOW, WE'RE, WE'RE CLEAR ON, ON WHERE, WHERE IS OUR, WHERE IS OUR BUDGET REALLY ALLOCATED TOWARD? IS IT, IS IT PROTECTING, NOT PROTECTING? IS IS IT GOING TOWARD MORE FOR TOURISTS OR IS IT GOING MORE FOR RESIDENTS? YOU KNOW, UH, ONE OF THE, ONE OF THE ISSUES THAT WAS BROUGHT UP WAS, WE NEED MORE SANITATION. WE, WE HAVE SANITATION FOR ALL OUR TOURIST DISTRICTS LIKE LINCOLN ROAD, UM, WASHINGTON AVENUE, OCEAN DRIVE, BUT WE'VE NEVER HAD A POWER WASH CLEANING IN A RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOOD. UM, AND SO, YOU KNOW, I JUST WANT TO BE CAREFUL TO, TO PAINT THAT, YOU KNOW, HAVING MORE RESIDENTS IS GOING TO INCREASE OUR BUDGET. I DON'T THINK THAT'S THE CASE. 'CAUSE MOST OF OUR BUDGET IS SPENT ON, UH, ON FIRST RESPONDERS CATERING TO, TO WHAT OUR BRAND IS CURRENTLY, WHICH IS IT'S A PARTY TOWN. AND SINCE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT TALKING ABOUT FIRST RESPONDERS, AS WE KNOW, THE COUNTY LAST WEEK ON A MUTUAL AID AGREEMENT, UM, VOTED IN A SOMEWHAT CONVOLUTED WAY, BUT VOTED TO POTENTIALLY CHARGE US. IT'S NOT JUST US, IT'S THE, UH, ALL THE CITIES IN MIAMI-DADE. BUT FROM WHAT I'M UNDERSTANDING AND HEARING FROM PEOPLE, THIS WAS DEFINITELY POLITICALLY MOTIVATED AT MIAMI BEACH. UM, AND THAT WOULD BE FOR SPRING BREAK AND MEMORIAL DAY, ABOUT A MILLION DOLLARS. NOW, LUCKILY THERE'S GONNA BE A SHERIFF, NEW SHERIFF IN TOWN COMING NOVEMBER, AND FIGURATIVELY, LITERAL, AND WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO, HOPEFULLY THE SHERIFF CAN OVERRIDE THAT. BUT THAT IS A POTENTIAL MILLION DOLLARS, ASSUMING WE'D WANT THOSE SERVICES, WHICH WE, WE NEED IT, THANK YOU TO MIAMI BEACH POLICE. BUT WE NEED THE HELP FROM THE STATE, WHICH WE GOT WHO DO NOT CHARGE US. AND, AND THE, THEY THE COUNT THE STATE, THE STATE IS NOT GONNA CHARGE US. UM, AND BY THE WAY, MOST OF THE TIME IT'S NOT CHARGED. THIS IS, THIS IS KIND OF, UH, NOT COOL. UH, THANK YOU. NO. ARE YOU JUST COMMISSIONER BOT? WE'RE GONNA CON WE WERE GOING CONTINUE. BUT IF BY ALL MEANS, OKAY, IF WE CAN BRING THE PRESENTATION BACK UP. OKAY, NEXT SLIDE. UH, AND THESE NEXT TWO SLIDES ARE JUST RELATED TO A, A FINANCIAL FORECAST. THIS HAS ALWAYS BEEN PART OF THE BUDGET PROCESS IN THE BUDGET BOOK. UH, YOU KNOW, AND SPEAKING WITH, UH, CHAIR MAGAZINE, HE WANTED US TO HIGHLIGHT THAT. SO WE LOOKED AT OUR, THESE ARE MO OUR MOST LIKELY SCENARIOS. WE LOOK AT CONSERVATIVE, WE LOOK AT PESSIMISTIC. WE MOST LOOK AT MOST LIKELY WHEN IT COMES TO EXPENDITURES AND REVENUES. AND WE DID LOOK AT THIS. SO OVER THE NEXT FOUR FISCAL YEARS, WE DO BELIEVE THAT, UH, LOOKING AT OUR PROJECTIONS, THAT WE WOULD HAVE A BALANCED BUDGET OR A SURPLUS BEING GENERATED OVER THE NEXT FOUR YEARS. THIS DOES INCORPORATE OUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE UNIVERSE TODAY, OUR COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENTS BASED ON WHERE WE LIVE TODAY AND OUR EXISTING CONTRACTS. UH, SO THAT IS GOOD NEWS. AND THIS IS BASED ON OUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE UNIVERSE. NOW, THE NEXT SLIDE WAS BASED ON A DISCUSSION WE JUST HAD WITH, UH, COMMISSIONER, UH, MAGAZINE, WHERE HE WANTED US TO JUST ASK US IF WE COULD ADD A SLIDE SHOWING WHAT OUR LIKELY EXPENDITURES. BUT IF WE ARE VERY PESSIMISTIC ON THE REVENUES, AND THIS IS OUR PESSIMISTIC, UH, LOOK AT THAT. AND THAT IS HAVING VERY SMALL INCREASES WHEN IT COMES TO OUR PROPERTY VALUES, REALLY, UH, FROM 6%, UH, NEXT YEAR DOWN TO LIKE THREE AND A HALF, TWO AND A HALF OVER THOSE PERCENTS. SO WE THINK IT'S NOT LIKELY WE'LL BE THAT LOW. HISTORICALLY, THE CITY HAS NEVER HAD PROPERTY VALUE INCREASES THAT LOW OVER THAT PERIOD OF TIME. BUT I THINK THIS WAS JUST, AND I DON'T WANT TO PUT WORDS IN THE COMMISSIONERS. I KNOW HE'LL PROBABLY WANT TO ADD SOMETHING HERE, IS JUST FOR US TO, UH, TO, TO BE COGNIZANT OF ADDING RECURRING EXPENDITURES THAT ARE DIFFICULT TO CURTAIL, YOU KNOW, IN THE FUTURE. SO ALWAYS BEING, UH, HESITANT, ALWAYS BEING CONSERVATIVE IN THERE. YEAH. SO JUST ADD SOME CONTEXT HERE. THIS ISN'T SOME ARMAGEDDON SCENARIO. THIS ISN'T PROPERTY VALUATIONS DECREASED BY 10%. RIGHT? IF WE LOOK AT WHO KNOWS, PROJECTING OUT AND, AND MAYBE, YOU KNOW, WE, WE DON'T EVEN NEED TO CONSIDER A DOWNWARD DECLINE, BUT IF WE JUST LOOK AT 2025 IN 2026 AND 2027, RIGHT? THE NEXT THREE YEARS, IF WE HAVE LOW SINGLE DIGIT PROPERTY VALUATION INCREASES, THIS IS WHAT OUR BUDGET LOOKS LIKE, RIGHT? WE ACTUALLY DIDN'T EVEN STRESS TEST THE EXPENDITURES. SO THAT IS JUST THE BASELINE EXPENDITURE. BUT THIS IS HOW CONTINGENT OUR, OUR BUDGET [00:50:01] AT OUR CURRENT SPENDING LEVELS IS GOING TO BE ON PROPERTY VALUATIONS. SO IF YOU COULD JUST, UH, I'LL, I'LL REPEAT IT. I, YOU DON'T NEED TO DO IT. BUT THIS ISN'T A 5% DECLINE IN PROPERTY VALUATIONS. THIS ISN'T A 20% DECLINE. PROPERTY VALUATIONS. WHEN YOU LOOK AT 25, 26, 27, IF WE HAVE A WHAT, TWO TO 3% INCREASE IN PROPERTY VALUATIONS, 26 WOULD BE A 6% INCREASE IN 6% IN, IF WE HAVE ONLY A 6% INCREASE, WE HAVE A DEFICIT. SAY THAT TO YOURSELVES. IF OUR PROPERTY VALUATIONS GO UP ONLY 6%, WHICH IS A HUGE NUMBER, RIGHT? A HUGE NUMBER. WE HAVE A DEFICIT AT OUR CURRENT EXPENDITURES. THIS ISN'T, IF COVID HITS IT, AND WE HAVE A STRESS STATE STRESS TEST, UH, EXPENDITURES. THIS IS OUR CURRENT SPENDING LEVELS, AND WE BRING PROPERTY VALUATIONS JUST DOWN TO A MODEST GROWTH LEVEL, RIGHT? MODEST, NOT ARMAGEDDON, MODEST. WE START RUNNING DEFICITS IN ONE YEAR. I PRAY THAT WE DON'T ENCOUNTER THIS SCENARIO, BUT THIS ISN'T SOME PIE IN THE SKY. THE, THE FEDERAL RESERVE IS LOOKING TO DECREASE INTEREST RATES, AND MAYBE THAT WILL HELP PROPERTY VALUATIONS, BUT THINK ABOUT WHY THEY ARE PROJECTED TO DECREASE, UM, INTEREST RATES BY 150 TO 200 BASIS POINTS IS BECAUSE THEY'RE EXPECTING A SLOWING ECONOMY, RIGHT? SO TO HAVE A 5% PROPERTY VALUATION INCREASE ISN'T AN ARMY GETTING SCENARIO. IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE SHOULD ALL BE CONSIDERING AT THE FOREFRONT OF OUR MINDS GOING FORWARD. SO, ALL RIGHT, THANK YOU. AND I JUST WANT TO JUST THANK YOU FOR, FOR HIGHLIGHTING THAT, UM, AND FOR HIGHLIGHTING THOSE ECONOMIC FACTORS AND THOSE MARKET CONDITIONS THAT COULD IMPACT SOME OF OUR FUTURE, UH, REVENUES, UH, FROM, UH, FROM, FROM PROPERTY TAXES. BECAUSE WHILE THE GROWTH IN PROPERTY VALUES HAVE PROVIDED US WITH A ROBUST REVENUE STREAM, I THINK WE HAVE TO REMAIN CAUTIOUS. AND, AND I THANK YOU AS THE CHAIR OF THE FINANCE COMMITTEE FOR LOOKING OUT TO ENSURE THAT OUR FINANCIAL PLANNING, UH, DOES NOT OVERLY RELY ON THIS TREND BECAUSE THIS TREND OF PROPERTY TAXES GOING UP, UM, IS NOT, AND PROPERTY VALUES GOING UP, IT'S NOT GONNA CONTINUE. UH, YOU KNOW, WE CAN'T RELY ON IT CONTINUING, DEFINITELY. AND WE NEED TO RELY ON A DIVERSITY OF FUNDING SOURCES, BUT WE ALSO NEED TO BE CAUTIOUS ABOUT OUR OWN INTERNAL GROWTH. AND SO JUST THANK YOU FOR BEING SO CAUTIOUS ABOUT THAT. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. SO WE'RE GONNA GO BACK TO WHERE WE WERE IN THE PRESENTATION. WE'RE GONNA DO A SMALL SPOTLIGHT ON THE SANITATION FUND. SO EACH YEAR WE TRY TO SPOTLIGHT, UH, FUND OR DEPARTMENT. AND STARTING IN MAY AT THE COMMISSION RETREAT, WE DID A SPOTLIGHT ON SANITATION. THIS CHART JUST SHOWS A FUND BALANCE ANALYSIS THAT WE DID BACK IN JULY. THEY HAVE A STRUCTURALLY IMBALANCED BUDGET, WHICH MEANS THAT THEIR REVENUES DO NOT SUPPORT THEIR OPERATING EXPENSES. AND SO WE'VE ACTUALLY HAD TO WAIVE THE CITY'S POLICY OF MAKING SURE THAT EVERY BUDGET, THEIR RECURRING COSTS ARE COVERED BY THE RECURRING REVENUES. UH, BACK IN JULY, WE SAID WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO USE $3.1 MILLION OF THEIR FUND BALANCE TO BALANCE THE 25 BUDGETS. AND WE HAD ESTIMATED THAT WE WOULD BE AT A $3.3 MILLION AVAILABLE FUND BALANCE. UH, WE WERE HOPING THAT THE FERC WOULD'VE GIVEN US SOME DIRECTION TO REDUCE, UH, THE GAP. UM, BUT INSTEAD WE ACTUALLY GOT SOME MORE ENHANCEMENTS ADDED. SO WE WENT FROM THAT $3.1 MILLION DEFICIT TO ADD IN $30,000 FOR THE CAP PROGRAM. THAT IS A ONE-TIME EXPENDITURES. AND THEN WE DID ADD SIX FULL-TIME POSITIONS TO HELP WITH OUR PRESSURE CLEANING ON OUR RESIDENTIAL AREAS. AND THEN WE DID SOME, UM, UPDATES ON OUR REVENUES AND EXPENDITURES, WHICH BROUGHT THE GAP TO $3.8 MILLION. SO THAT $3.3 MILLION FUND BALANCE IS DOWN PROJECTED TO BE AT 2.5 BY THE END OF NEXT YEAR. AND SO JUST IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT THAT'S AVAILABLE. FUND BALANCE ABOVE RESERVES, THERE IS AROUND $6 MILLION IN RESERVES. UH, SET ASIDE FOR THAT. SO, YOU KNOW, I THINK AS, AS WE HAD SPOKEN ABOUT, UM, STARTED AT THE BUDGET RETREAT AND I KNOW THAT COMMISSIONER BOT HAS BEEN THE CHAMPION TO MOVE FORWARD A NUMBER OF, UH, ORDINANCES AND RESOLUTIONS TO ADDRESS SOME OF THOSE REVENUE NEEDS THERE, REALLY TO RECYCLING PROGRAM AND THE ROLL OFF PROGRAM. AND THOSE ARE GONNA BRING IN SOME DOLLARS, NOT $3.8 MILLION ON AN ANNUAL BASIS. AND JUST, YOU KNOW, AS, AS I'VE MENTIONED ENOUGH TO SOUND LIKE A BROKEN RECORD IS WHEN THE WASTE DOLLAR CONTRACTS COME BACK, WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO HAVE A VERY SERIOUS LOOK AT WHAT OUR FRANCHISE FEE RATE WILL HAVE TO BE TO END UP HAVING A BALANCED BUDGET. BUT I ASK A QUESTION, HOW MUCH WOULD YOU HAVE TO RAISE THE FRANCHISE FEES? LIKE HOW WOULD IT AFFECT A HOUSEHOLD? BECAUSE PEOPLE ARE [00:55:01] ALREADY BUCKLING AND NOW WE'RE GONNA COME IN AND SAY YOU HAVE TO PAY X AMOUNT FOR WASTE. BUT THAT IS KIND OF SCARY THAT WE'RE COVERING IT WITH THE TWO AND A HALF MILLION. WHAT WOULD WE HAVE TO DO THAT ANALYSIS DONE? 'CAUSE EVERYTHING THE WASTE HAULERS ARE, ARE, ARE OUT, UH, I THINK ONE'S OUT FOR PROCUREMENT AND I'M NOT SURE THE OTHER ONE'S GOING ON, BUT THAT WOULD HAVE TO BE DETERMINED. I KNOW THERE WAS A, A REQUEST BY FERC IN THE COMMISSION TO HAVE A, A FINANCIAL ANALYST COME IN AND DO THOSE STUDIES. UM, SO AT THAT TIME, SO THEY'RE GONNA LOOK AT OUR DEFICIT AND THE BUDGET COME AND THEN BASED ON THAT, MM-HMM, AND THAT'S THE CONSULTANT THAT WE JUST HIRED OR DID NOT HIRE. WELL HIRE, WE'RE GONNA WORK WITH THE BUDGET. YEAH. AND WE'LL WORK WITH THE BUDGET TEAM TO, UH, COME BACK WITH THAT. BUT AS OF RIGHT NOW, WE, WE DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT FRANCHISE FEE WOULD RATE HAVE TO BE. AND THAT'S WHAT WE MENTIONED DURING THE RETREAT WAS THAT, UM, WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO LOOK CLOSELY AT WHATEVER THAT'S GONNA BE TO COULD WE OFFSET THE COST, UM, ON THE COMMERCIAL INTEREST AND NOT NECESSARILY THE RESIDENTS? CAN WE HAVE THEIR, THAT WOULD ALL HAVE TO BE DETERMINED. DO THEY HAVE TO, WITH THE COMMERCIAL, UM, FEES? WOULD, COULD WE, YEAH. COULD WE INCREASE THEIR COST AND NOT RESIDENTS I DON'T KNOW A OF THAT, THAT COULD BE DETERMINED AT THE APPROPRIATE TIME. I, BUT I THINK WE CAN INCREASE THE FEES ON WHOM, YOU KNOW, I'M SAYING THERE, THERE'S A, IF THE REASON THAT WE'RE THROWING THIS PARTY EVERY NIGHT, OKAY, THAT WE HAVE TO CLEAN UP, AND ALL OF OUR RESOURCES ARE BEING DEDICATED IN AREAS WHERE WE DO HAVE CLUBS AND HOTELS, THEN THEY SHOULD BE THE ONES PAYING THE EXTRA FEES AND NOT RESIDENTS. SO IF WE ARE GOING TO HAVE ANY INCREASE, I WOULD, UM, I WOULD SAY THAT OUR, YOU KNOW, OUR BUSINESS COMMUNITY SHOULD PAY THEM BECAUSE IT'S NOT THE RESIDENT'S FAULT THAT WE'RE, IT'S ALMOST LIKE EVERY SINGLE NIGHT WE HOST A PARTY. I KNOW THAT WHEN MY SON HOSTS A PARTY IN MY HOUSE, WHEN I'M NOT THERE, , I COME HOME AND I REALLY WANNA KILL HIM BECAUSE IT IS TAXING ON EVERYTHING. IT'S NOT JUST REMOVING THE DIRT, IT'S THE WEAR AND TEAR ON OUR GARBAGE CANS AND OUR SIDEWALKS AND PAINTING. IT'S LIKE AN OVER, I MEAN, IT'S, IT'S, IT'S, IT'S BAD. SO WE, WE CAN SAY TO THEM, OKAY, FINE, YOU WANNA STAY OPEN? FINE. WE'RE ALL ABOUT YOU STAYING OPEN, HAVING THIS PARTY ATMOSPHERE, BUT YOU KNOW WHAT YOU'RE GONNA PAY SO THAT WE'RE NOT GONNA CHARGE OUR RESIDENTS BECAUSE WE'RE WASTING ALL OF OUR RESOURCES, OR DEDICATING, EXCUSE ME, WRONG WORD, DEDICATING ALL OF OUR RESOURCES TOWARD THE, YOU KNOW, ENTERTAINMENT DISTRICT. JUST, YOU KNOW, FROM THIS BUDGET. THE BUDGET DOESN'T ANTICIPATE ANY ADJUSTMENT TO THE FRANCHISE FEE AT THIS TIME. THAT WOULD BE DEALT WITH. I THINK THERE'S A FERC ITEM WHERE, UH, THAT'LL BE HANDLED. OKAY. OKAY. ALRIGHT. BACK TO THE PRESENTATION. SO, UH, ALL THE ENHANCEMENTS THAT WE TALKED ABOUT PRIOR TO SANITATION WERE IN THE GENERAL FUND. SO WE JUST WANTED TO QUICKLY GO OVER THE ENHANCEMENTS THAT WE DID FOR OUR OTHER FUNDS. SO THESE ARE ALL FOR THE POLICE BUDGET. THEY DO HAVE A SPECIAL REVENUE FUND OUTSIDE OF THE GENERAL FUND. SO THESE WOULD BE TO BUY NEW, UH, BIKE EQUIPMENT FOR A RAPID RESPONSE TEAM FOR RIOTS AND, YOU KNOW, HIGH IMPACT EVENTS. AND THEN THE CRIME INVESTIGATION EQUIPMENT EXISTS RIGHT NOW IS OUTDATED. AND SAME FOR THE MAPPING EQUIPMENT FOR CRIME SCENES. SO THOSE WOULD BE TO REPLACE THOSE OUTDATED EQUIPMENT. AND THEN UNDER TRANSPORTATION AND MOBILITY, UH, THE COMMISSION DID APPROVE US GOING BACK TO THE RESIDENTIAL PARKING DECAL PROGRAM. SO THIS IS TO ADD SOME PART-TIME POSITIONS IN ORDER TO HELP US TO ROLL OUT THIS PROGRAM AND TO SEND OUT NEW DECALS TO THE RESIDENTS AND USERS. UH, THERE WE HAVE THE BEACH WALK BIKE COUNTER PROGRAM, AND THESE ARE FUNDED FROM THE TRANSPORTATION FUND. UH, WE ARE PLANNING TO ADD MORE MODES OF TRANSPORTATION DURING ART WEEK. AND THEN THE COMMISSION DID DIRECT US TO ADD A FULL-TIME BICYCLE PEDESTRIAN COORDINATOR POSITION IN TRANSPORTATION IN OUR WATER AND SEWER, UH, FUNDS. WE, IT'S TIME FOR US TO UPDATE OUR MASTER PLAN, SO SETTING ASIDE DOLLARS TO ENSURE IT'S TIMELY UPDATED, OUR, OUR MASTER PLAN, AND THEN ONE PLUMBER POSITION IN OUR, UH, CONVENTION CENTER ENTERPRISE FUND. AND THEN, UH, JUST SOME OTHER ENHANCEMENTS. THERE'S A CLEAN MONEY BEACH GRANT AWARD, UH, THAT WENT THROUGH FERC AND THEN THE COMMISSION, UH, IN THE SUSTAINABILITY FUND OF 45,000. AND THEN A FEW INTERNAL SERVICE, UH, FUNDS IN WATER AND SEWER, UH, RELATED TO CYBERSECURITY, UH, SAFETY OFFICER, UH, TO IT POSITIONS AND AN OFFICE ASSOCIATE FOR WATER AND SEWER. AND THAT IS THE OTHER INCIDENTS. JASON, IF I COULD BRING, UH, SOMETHING UP. I KNOW WE'VE DISCUSSED IT, I'VE DISCUSSED IT WITH OUR CITY MANAGER, BUT I WANNA BRING IT UP TO OUR COLLEAGUES. EVER SINCE I GOT ELECTED IN 2020 AS COMMISSIONER, UH, STAR, UH, PALM AND HIBISCUS STAR ISLAND HAS BEEN GRAPPLING WITH A, UH, LIGHT POLE ISSUES, UM, CERTAIN ILLUMINATION, ALSO DEFECTIVE POLES. THERE ARE 207 OF THEM. THEY'VE BEEN TRYING FOR LITERALLY ALMOST FIVE YEARS TO TRY TO GET THAT CORRECTED. MY UNDERSTANDING, IT'S A COST OF ABOUT $300,000. [01:00:01] THE FIXTURES WOULD BE SIMILAR TO WHAT WE'VE IMPLEMENTED IN LAKEVIEW, WHICH, UH, IS TRIED TRUE AND TESTED, UNLIKE THE ONES THERE. AND, UM, I THINK IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE SHOULD, WE SHOULD DO, SINCE WE HAVE THE ABILITY FOR THESE, UH, ONETIME NON-RECURRING COSTS. UM, I, I THINK THIS WOULD BE A GOOD PROJECT. AND MR. MAYOR, WHAT LET, THIS IS ACTUALLY IS THE APPROPRIATE TIME TO, TO BRING THAT UP. UM, THERE'S A COUPLE OF THINGS I WANTED TO MENTION FOR THE RECORD SO WE CAN HAVE THAT DISCUSSION. UH, A COUPLE OF ADJUSTMENTS FROM THE PRELIMINARY BUDGET, UH, THAT WAS PUBLISHED AND WHAT WE'VE, WHAT WE'VE DISCUSSED. ONE ITEM, AND I'M, I'M GONNA GET TO THE, TO TO OF HOW, HOW WE COULD FIND A WAY TO, UM, FUND THAT ITEM. BUT ONE ITEM I WANTED TO, JUST TO CLEAR, THERE WERE TWO ITEMS THAT WERE ON THE SEPTEMBER COMMISSION MEETING THAT HAD BUDGET IMPACTS FOR NEXT YEAR THAT WEREN'T ADDRESSED. UH, ONE WAS, UH, PRIDE PARK MANAGEMENT SWITCHING TO THE PARKS DEPARTMENT AND THAT HIGHER LEVEL OF MANAGEMENT, GETTING THE BATHROOMS OPEN, CLEANLINESS AND SUCH LIKE THAT. SO WE'RE GONNA ADJUST THE CONVENTION CENTER FUND BUDGET BY TWO 70 TO TAKE THAT INTO ACCOUNT, UH, WORK WITH THE MANAGER TO SEE HOW THAT'LL BE IMPLEMENTED. BUT JUST WANTED TO MENTION THAT FOR THE RECORD. AND THE OTHER IS, THERE WAS A RESOLUTION TO OPEN UP A SENIOR, UH, MEALS, LUNCH MEALS PROGRAM AT THE SOUTH SHORE COMMUNITY CENTER, UH, THAT DIDN'T HAVE ANY FUNDING FOR THAT. I KNOW, UH, COMMUNITY SERVICES UP HERE TO DISCUSS THAT. AND THEY WOULD, YOU KNOW, TRY TO APPLY FOR FEDERAL GRANT PERHAPS FOR THE NEXT YEAR, BUT THE COMMISSION DIRECTOR TO OPEN UP IMMEDIATELY. SO TO ADDRESS THAT DOLLARS, THERE'S ACTUALLY AN OPPORTUNITY THAT, UH, IN, WHEN I WAS WORKING WITH, UH, MARSHA, THE LAST LEGISLATIVE DIRECTOR, WE PUT TOGETHER A COUPLE APPROPRIATION REQUESTS AT THE STATE. THEY MADE IT THROUGH, THEY WERE SIGNED BY THE GOVERNOR. AND THE, AND THE COMMISSION JUST APPROVED THOSE AGREEMENTS AT THE, THE SEPTEMBER COMMISSION MEETING AND LOOKING THAT THERE WERE TWO APPROPRIATIONS THAT COME INTO PLAY IN THIS BUDGET THAT WE CAN SHIFT DOLLARS AROUND. ONE IS THERE WAS A, A SENIORS PROGRAM THAT WE ADDED TO SU TO SUPPLEMENT, UH, FUNDING, UM, IN OUR PARKS AREA. WHAT WILL HAPPEN THEN IS THOSE DOLLARS THAT $175,000 WILL GET FROM THE STATE. WE CAN FUND THE, THE EXISTING PROGRAMS IN PARKS, WHICH FREES UP FOR A ONE-TIME BASIS, $175,000. AND THE THOUGHT HERE IS WE COULD REALLOCATE THOSE DOLLARS OVER IN THE GENERAL FUND TO THE COMMUNITY SERVICES DEPARTMENT, WHICH WOULD GIVE THEM $175,000 TO, UH, BEGIN STARTING UP THAT PROGRAM. SO THE COMMISSION'S OKAY WITH THAT. WE WOULD INCORPORATE THOSE DOLLARS SO WE CAN ACTUALLY ACTUALLY EXECUTE THE RESOLUTION OF THE COMMISSION AND GET THAT SENIOR MEALS PROGRAM UP AND RUNNING THROUGH THE, THE, THE COMMISSIONER ROSE GONZALEZ. LET'S BE, YOU HAVE TO, I WAS HOPING TO, UM, LET'S BE CLEAR THOUGH, THAT THIS IS NOT A RECURRING EXPENSE AT ALL. IT IS A ONE TIME IN THE FUTURE WE WILL MOVE FORWARD WITH FEDERAL, UM, FUNDS. AND IS THAT THE COST OF THE SENIOR LUNCHER 175,000? WE'VE WORKED WITH, UH, WE GOT SOME ESTIMATES, UH, FROM, UH, THE DEPARTMENT, UH, THAT RANGE FROM 1 75 TO THE LOW, TWO HUNDREDS DEPENDING ON ITS KOSHER MEALS. THAT WAS ON, I THINK, AN ANNUAL BASIS, BUT OBVIOUSLY CAN'T BE UP AND RUNNING ON DAY ONE. AND I THINK WITH 175, YOU KNOW, GOING OUT, GETTING A PROVIDER AND EVERYTHING, THAT, THAT WOULD BE SUFFICIENT TO GET US THROUGH THE YEAR. I, I MEAN, I, I, THIS IS ONE TIME AND AS CHAIR OF THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING ADVISORY COMMITTEE AND ALLOWING FOR SHIP, UH, NOT SHIP, EXCUSE ME. CGBC, WHAT IS IT? CGBD COMMUNITY BLOCK GRANT FUNDING. BUT C SORRY. UM, WE DO GET FUNDS EVERY YEAR. SO THESE PROGRAMS IN YEAR TWO, WE'LL BE ABLE TO APPLY FOR IT. UM, HOW MANY SENIORS COULD BE FEED WITH THAT MONEY? BECAUSE THE IDEA OF ANYBODY GOING HUNGRY IN MIAMI BEACH IS, IT DOESN'T SIT WELL WITH ME. ACTUALLY, IT WAS JUST MEETING WITH ALBA TODAY OVER AT THE COMMUNITY CENTER TO TALK ABOUT SOME OF THESE THINGS. AND THE BUDGET WOULD BE FOR 50 PEOPLE OVER 12 MONTHS. BUT OBVIOUSLY IT COULD BE EXPANDED ALSO FOR THE FACT THAT THEY WOULDN'T BE UP AND RUNNING ON OCTOBER 1ST. SO IT WOULD TAKE A LITTLE BIT OF TIME TO GO THROUGH PROCURE, GET A PROVIDER AND SUCH. AND IT WOULD BE BASED ON THE PROGRAM COULD EXPAND AS THE NEED WOULD NEED. JUST TO GIVE YOU AN IDEA, RIGHT NOW, ONE OF MY FRIENDS HAS A FARM DOWN SOUTH. AND WE GO THERE AND WE BRING AVOCADOS AND, AND MANGOES. AND WHEN WE DO, UH, PEOPLE ARE, ARE GRABBING THEM LIKE CRAZY, LITERALLY HUNGRY. ANYTIME WE HAVE ANY EXTRA FOOD, WE BRING IT TO, UH, THE L LAUGH APARTMENTS. AND, UH, THIS IS REALLY TO FEED THOSE SENIORS. SO THIS IS A ONE TIME THING, AND I'D LIKE EVERYBODY TO REMEMBER THAT OUR BUDGET, MOREOVER, IS AN ETHICAL DOCUMENT, YOU KNOW, AND IN THIS BUDGET WE'VE DECIDED THAT THINGS LIKE EDUCATION, IT'S IMPORTANT. WE'VE DECIDED THAT CULTURAL AND ARTS ARE IMPORTANT. AND I THINK THAT FEEDING SENIORS, UM, WE DO IT IN NORTH BEACH THROUGH UNI, DOD, AND HOPEFULLY WE WILL, NOW THAT THE SOUTH SHORT COMMUNITY CENTER IS, UH, SAVED, HOPEFULLY WE WILL DO IT IN THIS SOUTHERN END TOO. AT LEAST THIS FIRST YEAR PROMISE WE WILL FIND FUNDS IN YEAR TWO. YEAH, SOUNDS GOOD. SO, JUST WANTED, IF I MAY, SORRY, SORRY. I'M NOT SURE WHY YOU'RE LOOKING AT ME. SINCE I SUPPORT IT, I'VE GOT NO ISSUE WITH IT. I, I ACTUALLY HAD A QUESTION ABOUT THE LIGHT POLES. 'CAUSE I HAVE A FRIEND WHO'S [01:05:01] INVOLVED WITH THIS AND HAS BEEN DEALING WITH IT FOR A WHILE. MY UNDERSTANDING WAS THAT THE LIGHT POLES WERE DEFECTIVE FROM THE GET GO. THEY DIDN'T WITHSTAND STORMS, THEY BROKE EASILY. THEY'RE A BIT OF A NIGHTMARE. IS THERE ANY RECOURSE TO GOING BACK TO THE ORIGINAL PROVIDER OF THE LIGHT BULBS, LIGHT POLES, UM, TO RECOUP AT LEAST SOME OF THE MONEY THAT WE SPENT GETTING THEM INSTALLED IN THE FIRST PLACE. LIKE WE SHOULD REPLACE THEM. THAT'S NOT A, THAT'S NOT A, I KNOW I HAD THIS CONVERSATION, UH, SEVERAL YEARS AGO, BUT I'LL LET THE ADMINISTRATION RESPOND. YEAH. IF I CAN. WELL, I MIGHT HAVE TO JUMP IN HERE, BUT JUST FROM THE FUNDING PERSPECTIVE, THERE IS 5 75, THERE IS A CAPITAL PROJECT TO REPLACE THOSE 5 85 THAT'S IN THE CAPITAL PROJECT TO, UH, TO REPLACE THE POLL. SO THAT'S ALREADY FUNDED. THAT WAS IN THE PRELIMINARY RECOMMENDED BUDGET. MR. RAY, I THINK YOU MAY BE SPEAKING OF THE LUMINEER OR THE, THE COBRA HEAD, UH, THE CHANGE OUT THE LIGHT, BUT IF THAT MIGHT BE THE ITEM THAT YOU WERE SPEAKING ABOUT. SO THE POLLS ITSELF ARE IN OUR FUNDED CAPITAL PROGRAM. UH, BUT I THINK IT'S UTILIZING THE EXISTING, UH, LUMINEER, BUT I THINK THERE'S BEEN A REQUEST FROM THE PO HIBISCUS ABOUT DOING A MORE DECORATIVE STYLE FROM THE LAKE VIEW AREA. WE WOULD COME AT 300,000. THAT'S NOT CARRYING IN THE PRELIMINARY BUDGET. SO I THINK THAT'S THE REQUEST COMMISSIONER BOUGHT, NOT THE POLL ITSELF, BUT THE, THE LIGHT HEAD PART OF IT. GOOD AFTERNOON, DAVID GOMEZ, UH, INTERIM DIRECTOR FOR CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS. THE ISSUE WITH THE POLLS IS THAT THEY WERE DEFECTIVE AND WE'RE GOING THROUGH THE PROCESS OF REPLACING THOSE. THE CITY ATTORNEY IS WORKING ON A CLAIM AGAINST THAT PROVIDER. UM, WE WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO OBTAIN POLES FROM THAT SAME PROVIDER FOR THE SAME REASON. UH, THE, WHAT THE MAYOR WAS REFERRING TO IS THAT THE HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATION, UH, HAS BEEN REQUESTING THAT WE CHANGE THE LUMINARIES, THE FIXTURES THEMSELVES BECAUSE OF LIGHT SPILL AND, AND OTHER ISSUES. SO THAT'S WHAT WE'VE BEEN LOOKING AT. THAT'S THE ADDITIONAL ASK. AND WE'LL, AND WE'LL TALK ABOUT, I JUST HAVE ONE MORE ITEM THAT I WANTED TO ACTUALLY, I KNOW THAT WAS IT. THERE IS ONE MORE ITEM. SO NOW IT'S ABOUT HOW DO WE FUND THAT? AND SO THAT ITEM WAS, WAS $300,000. SO I MENTIONED, UH, THE PRIDE PARK AND I MENTIONED THE, THE, THE SWITCH ON THE, THE FOOD. UH, WE MENTIONED THE 20,000 DECREASE IN THE MIAMI NEW DRAMA. THE REASON I'M JUST SAYING, I'M HIGHLIGHTING THIS, IS THERE'S PEOPLE BEHIND ME THAT ARE TAKING VERY CLOSE NOTES SO THAT WE UPDATE OUR BUDGET. SO WE NEED TO HAVE AN ITEM OUT TOMORROW FOR THE 25TH AND, AND, AND HAVE THE, THE AD OUT THERE. SO IF YOU HEAR ME REPEATING MYSELF, THAT'S, THAT'S PART OF WHAT'S GOING ON. AND, AND MR. CFO, UM, IN MY EVER ENDING QUEST TO FIND NUMBERS TO PUT IN WITHOUT THE PARENTHESES. 'CAUSE THAT MEANS ADDING MONEY BACK AS OPPOSED TO TAKING AWAY, WE DID IT WITH THE FIREFIGHTERS AND I, I COMMEND THEM FOR FINDING A WAY TO WORK AROUND REDUCE THE, UH, EXPENDITURE THERE. UM, HOW ABOUT THE POSEIDON FURRY THAT, UH, WE MADE A MOTION AND LEGISLATIVE ITEM TO UNFORTUNATELY END THAT SERVICE BECAUSE I THINK WE ALL WANTED THE PREMISE AND ID TO WORK. UH, BUT I BELIEVE THAT'S QUITE A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT THAT, UM, LIKELY WON'T BE, UH, NEEDED TO BE ALLOCATED GOING FORWARD. IS THAT SOMEHOW REFLECTED HERE? WHAT, WHAT HAPPENED THERE IS THAT'S A PRIOR YEAR APPROPRIATION OF ONETIME $600,000 PILOT PROJECT. SO, UH, YOU KNOW, I'VE SPOKEN TO THE TRANSPORTATION DIRECTOR ABOUT THAT. WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IS WHEN THE FINAL PAYOUT AND EVERYTHING IS TAKEN CARE OF WITH CLAIMS AND EVERYTHING, WHATEVER'S LEFT OVER IN THAT PURCHASE ORDER WOULD BE LIQUIDATED AND IT WOULD GO BACK INTO THE FUND BALANCE OF THE TRANSPORTATION FUND FOR APPROPRIATION. THANK YOU. SO THE, WHAT THE ITEM THAT I WANTED TO MENTION ABOUT IS IN, IN GETTING TO THE MAYOR'S ITEM ABOUT HOW YOU WOULD FUND ONE TIME ITEMS, IS WE, WE LOOKED AT OUR CITY'S MEDICAL AND DENTAL FUND, AND WE BELIEVE THAT BASED ON A HIGH UTILIZATION OF THE EMPLOYEES, AND IT'S REALLY THE, THE EMPLOYEES THAT THANK HERE IS, I GUESS THEY ARE HEALTHIER. THEY'VE MAY BEEN ENGAGING OR OUR WELLNESS PROGRAMS HAVE BEEN, BEEN, UH, BEEN DOING WELL. AND WE ARE LOOKING AT A LOW SET OF CLAIMS IN 2024. WE DON'T KNOW IF THAT'LL BE A TREND THAT'LL BE OVER MULTIPLE YEARS, BUT THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY HERE, UH, TO TAKE AN EMPLOYEE, AN EMPLOYER, UH, HOLIDAY, UH, FOR THE CONTRIBUTION FOR ONE MONTH, UH, AGAIN, FOR THE EMPLOYER AND THE, UH, UM, AND THE EMPLOYEE SIDE FOR OUR MAJOR FUNDS, FOR OUR GENERAL EMPLOYEES, UH, AGAIN, THIS IS, I THINK DUE TO, UH, THE LOW CLAIMS THAT WE'RE SEEING IN THAT FUND. AND BY DOING THIS IN A ONE-TIME BASIS, THIS WOULD FREE UP $812,000, UH, IN THE GENERAL FUND FOR ADDITIONAL APPROPRIATION. NOW, , UH, OBVIOUSLY THE RECOMMENDATION IS IF IT DOESN'T GET UTILIZED, IF THOSE $812,000 ARE TRANSFERRED, UH, TO THE PAYGO PROGRAM TO FUND UN FUND, UH, UNMET AND UNFUNDED, UH, CAPITAL NEEDS, OF WHICH WE OBVIOUSLY HAVE SUFFICIENT. NOW, THE MAYOR JUST BROUGHT UP AN ITEM, UH, ON THAT 300 THOU $300,000. UM, AND WHAT I WANTED TO ACTUALLY MENTION WAS THERE WAS, I'M SORRY, THERE WAS ONE OTHER SEAT APPROPRIATION THAT I WANTED TO MENTION THAT DID IMPACT THE BUDGET. UH, WE HAD PUT IN, THERE'S A, A MULTI-YEAR, UH, MULTI-PHASED SECURITY BOLLARDS AT THE BEACH WALK CAPITAL PROGRAM, UH, THAT HAS BEEN FUNDED THROUGH MULTIPLE, UH, SOUTH BEACH, MID BEACH AND NORTH BEACH QUALITY OF [01:10:01] LIFE FUNDS. UH, I WORKED WITH, AGAIN, WITH THE LEGISLATIVE, UM, DIRECTOR, WE PUT AN APPROPRIATION REQUEST AND WE DID RECEIVE A STATE APPROPRIATION FOR THAT. SO WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO REMOVE, UH, THE, UH, $453,600 FROM THE BEACH WALK BOLLARDS PROJECT IN THE SOUTH BEACH QUALITY OF LIFE. SO THIS WOULD FREE UP DOLLARS IN THE SOUTH BEACH QUALITY OF LIFE FUND. AND I KNOW, UM, MR. MAYOR, UH, COMMISSIONER SUAREZ, AND THEN COMMISSIONER DOMINGUEZ HAS A QUESTION. UM, THANK YOU MR. VICE MAYOR FERNANDEZ. THANK YOU, MR. MAYOR. UH, I THINK WHAT JASON IS ALLUDING TO IS THAT, UM, I, I HAVE BEEN WORKING WITH PARKS TO POSSIBLY GET A SHADE SYSTEM AT THE KIDS PARK IN LOOMIS PARK. UM, IT'S LOCATED RIGHT IN FRONT OF 13TH, UH, STREET. AND I, I HAVE SOME PICTURES I COULD PUT UP. UM, THIS IS THE, THIS IS THE KIDS PARK ON, ON LOOMIS PARK. IT GETS REALLY HOT AND HERE YOU CAN SEE THE SUN IS LIKE, KIND OF BEATING DOWN ON IT. IT GETS SO HOT THAT YOU CAN KIND OF SMELL THE, THE PLASTIC, UM, WHEN IT GETS REALLY HOT. THAT'S MY KID ON THE SWING. THAT'S ZEY WHEN HE WAS A LITTLE YOUNGER. UM, GO NEXT SLIDE PLEASE, PJ. AND SO THIS IS THE SHADE SYSTEM AT STONEMAN DOUGLAS. THEY DID A PHENOMENAL JOB THERE, UM, WITH, WITH THE SHADE SYSTEM. AND, UM, I, I'VE BEEN WORKING WITH PARKS. UH, ORIGINALLY THEY PROPOSED A , A $450,000 SYSTEM. I DID MY BEST TO BRING IT DOWN TO 300, UH, THOUSAND FOR A ONE-TIME, UH, EXPENDITURE. AND I THINK IT WOULD ADD A LOT OF VALUE TO, TO MIAMI BEACH. YOU KNOW, A LOT OF FAMILIES COME TO MIAMI BEACH, ESPECIALLY ON OCEAN DRIVE, AND IF YOU'RE GONNA TAKE YOUR KIDS TO THE PARK, IT SH IT SH YOU SHOULDN'T BE IN BOILING HOT SUN. UM, AND THIS WOULD BE THE SHADE SYSTEM OVER ON THE PLAYGROUND. AND THEN THEY ALSO HAVE A SEPARATE SHADE SYSTEM. IF YOU GO NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE FOR THE SWINGS. AND SO, UM, I, I'VE BEEN WORKING WITH JASON TO FIND SOME FUNDS FOR THIS. UM, AND, YOU KNOW, I'M GONNA MAKE A, A REQUEST WITH MY COLLEAGUES TO, UM, PUT ASIDE THIS MONEY FOR, FOR A PROJECT LIKE THIS. AND IF I CAN ADD TO THAT, THESE DOLLARS ARE SET ASIDE, YOU KNOW, FOR, UH, YOU KNOW, UM, RESORT TAX ELIGIBLE AREAS. SO THEY'RE GONNA BE IN TOURISTY AREAS, UH, KIND OF DEDICATED TO THAT MUST BE FOR CAPITAL PROJECTS. AND THIS IS NOT MOVING, THIS IS NOT DEFUNDING SOME OTHER PROJECT TO MAKE THIS PROJECT HAPPEN. IT'S NOT BUMPING ANYTHING. THIS IS JUST BECAUSE WE WERE ABLE TO ACQUIRE A STATE APPROPRIATION. THEY REALLY GAVE THIS OPPORTUNITY, AND WE ACTUALLY, BY DOING THIS, IT, UH, ON THE, THE BALLARD SIDE, IT GIVES THE DOLLARS AVAILABLE TO MAKE THIS HAPPEN. AND, UM, A GOOD PORTION OF THE MAYOR'S ITEM, HE ASKED FOR 300,000. IT FREES UP 240,000, UM, UH, TO, TO FUND THE, THE MAYOR'S ONE ON PO AND HIBISCUS WITH THE OTHER 60,000 CAN GO AGAINST THE 812,000. SO IF THE COMMISSIONER IS O, IF THE COMMISSION IS OKAY WITH THAT, UH, WE CAN MAKE THIS, THE SUNSHADE SYSTEM HAPPEN AND WE CAN MAKE THE MAYOR'S ASK ON PO ON PO AND HIBISCUS HAPPEN. AND THE ONLY IMPACT WOULD BE REALLY IS REDUCING THE $812,000, UH, ONE TIME DOLLARS BY, UH, $60,000. SO IF THE, IF THERE'S NO OBJECTIONS TO THE COMMISSION, I THINK COMMISSIONER AND I HAD A QUESTION. SO A RESIDENT, UM, TEXTED ME, AND I'M NOT SURE IF RIGHT NOW IS THE APPROPRIATE TIME, BUT I WANNA GET IT OUT THERE. UM, SO ON WEST AVENUE, UM, BEHIND WEST AVENUE, WE HAVE THE BAY WALK THAT'S SLOWLY GETTING COMPLETED. MM-HMM. AND A PARTICULAR DEVELOPER IS GOING TO DO THE BAY WALK PIECES BEHIND THEIR PROPERTY. BUT THERE COULD BE A PUBLIC BENEFIT. WELL, THEY'LL, THEY WILL PAY FOR ADDITIONAL AREAS. AND SO THE QUESTION IS, IF THE DEVELOPER PAYS FOR THE ADDITIONAL BAY WALK PORTIONS, CAN THOSE GEO BOND FUNDS THAT WERE ALLOCATED FOR THE BAY WALK PROJECT BE MOVED TO ASSIST WITH THE WEST AVENUE PHASE THREE FUNDING SHORTFALL? OKAY. UH, ONE, WE OBVIOUSLY, WE HAVE TO SEE HOW THAT WOULD PLAY OUT AND HOW MUCH DOLLARS. 'CAUSE I KNOW THE, I BELIEVE THE DOLLARS THAT ARE SET ASIDE FOR THE, THE BAY WALK ON THE GEO BOND DOLLARS MAY NOT BE SUFFICIENT. SO I DON'T KNOW WHERE IT'S GONNA FREE UP THOSE DOLLARS, BUT IN GENERAL, I CAN'T, THE WEST AVENUE FEES THREE I BELIEVE ISN'T IN THE SAME CATEGORY OF THAT. SO THAT MIGHT BE DIFFICULT. BUT AGAIN, SOMETIMES IT'S MUSICAL CHAIRS OF MOVING $1 TO MOVE THERE. SO I'D HAVE TO, I'D HAVE TO KNOW THE SPECIFICS TO, TO SEE HOW THOSE CHESS PIECES WOULD MOVE AROUND. WE CAN TALK ABOUT IT OFFLINE. SURE. OKAY. SOUNDS GOOD. UM, AND LET ME JUST FOLLOW UP ON THAT, BECAUSE THIS YEAR WE'RE FUNDING THE DESIGN PORTION FOR WEST AVENUE PHASE THREE, IS THAT CORRECT? CORRECT. AND SO, AND SO THE CONSTRUCTION, AND IT WOULD BE PERHAPS FI ONE FISCAL YEAR OUT, I BELIEVE WE'RE [01:15:01] PROGRAMMED, I THINK 26 OR 27. AND WE'LL BE HAVING A, AN IN DEPTH DISCUSSION ABOUT OUR WATER, SEWER AND STORMWATER PROGRAM WHEN WE LOOK AT RATES COMING IN THE FALL AT FERC. OKAY. SO, UH, SO, SO, SO AS IT RELATES TO THE DESIGN ASPECT OF, OF PHASE THREE FOUR WEST AVENUE, WE'RE GOOD THIS YEAR? CORRECT. LET ME, LET ME ASK YOU, WHILE, WHILE WE'RE IN THE CONVERSATION OF, UH, OF INFRASTRUCTURE, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT, THAT I'VE BEEN CHAMPIONING SINCE I GOT ELECTED WAS THE RELINING OF, OF LINES, UH, IN NORTH, IN NORTH BEACH. UH, AND THAT'S ALSO PART OF OUR PARKVIEW, UH, ISLAND WATER QUALITY IMPROVEMENTS. ARE WE, UH, DOES THIS BUDGET CONTEMPLATED CONTINUE INVESTMENTS IN PARKVIEW WATER QUALITY? SO I BELIEVE WE FUNDED EVERYTHING THAT WAS REQUESTED FOR PARKVIEW. SO THEY SHOULD BE FUNDED AND ONGOING. YEAH, I'M NOT AWARE OF ANY UNFUNDED, UH, NEEDS FOR 25. OKAY, GREAT. UM, AND AS IT RELATES, UH, TO THE AREA MANAGERS, UM, TO, TO GET AHEAD OF RESIDENT QUALITY OF LIFE CONCERNS THAT WE OFTEN RECEIVE FROM THE COMMUNITY, OFTENTIMES RESIDENTS WILL, WILL CONTACT US ABOUT TRASH, ABOUT, UH, BROKEN INFRASTRUCTURE, ABOUT BROKEN SIDEWALKS, ABOUT BROKEN LIGHTING. AND WE, I BELIEVE, HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO BE A PROACTIVE GOVERNMENT RATHER THAN A RE RATHER THAN A REACTIVE GOVERNMENT. AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'VE DISCUSSED IS THE CREATION OF AREA MANAGERS. DOES THIS BUDGET, UH, CONTEMPLATE THAT? YES, IT DOES. IT INVOLVES, UH, THREE AREA MANAGERS, SOUTH BEACH, MID BEACH AND NORTH BEACH. AND THAT IS FULLY FUNDED, UH, AS RECOMMENDED BY THE COMMISSION IN JULY AND IS IN THE PRELIMINARY BUDGET. THANK YOU. UM, NOW LET ME, LET ME ASK YOU THIS. ONE OF THE OTHER THINGS THAT WE STARTED DISCUSSING, UH, AT THE BEGINNING OF THIS FISCAL YEAR IN OCTOBER OF, UH, OF 2023, UH, WHICH I MADE A REFERRAL TO THE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE. AND THEN THE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE DISCUSSED, UH, THE SEPARATION OF AREA TWO INTO TWO SEPARATE AREAS, AREA TWO OF THE POLICE DEPARTMENTS. UM, IT WAS DISCUSSED AT THE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE. UM, THE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE, UH, MOVED, UH, IN ITS SUPPORT AND IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE CONSIDERED AS PART OF THIS BUDGET. UM, WHERE ARE WE WITH THAT? UH, I, I DON'T SEE THIS ANYWHERE IN OUR DOCUMENTS. CORRECT? IT WAS SOMETHING THAT WAS DISCUSSED AT, AT COMMITTEE, UM, AND WE HAVEN'T BEEN PRESENTED WITH ANYTHING ABOUT THAT. THERE IS AN, UH, UH, AN ENHANCEMENT FOR THAT. I'M NOT AWARE OF ANY, UH, UH, RECOMMENDATION COMING OUT OF THAT. WENT TO COMMISSIONER FOR ENDORSEMENT TO ACCEPT THEIR RECOMMENDATION OR AN ITEM AT, UH, AT FERC THAT WOULDN'T BE THAT A BUDGET PRIORITY. SO THAT WAS NOT CONTEMPLATED, UH, IN THE BUDGET. OKAY. UM, MR. MANAGER, LET ME, LET ME ASK YOU ABOUT THAT, BECAUSE IT WAS A PRIORITY OF THE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE. UM, WE HAVE A BIG AREA OF OUR CITY THAT IS EAST OF INDIAN CREEK IN AREA TWO GEOGRAPHIC GEOGRAPHICALLY. AND, AND AGAIN, THIS IS ALL DISCUSSED AT A COMMITTEE, GEOGRAPHICALLY, IT IS LIMITED TO ACCESS. YOU HAVE VERY LIMITED ACCESS POINTS TO THAT PART OF, OF THE CITY. YOU EITHER HAVE 41ST STREET OR YOU HAVE 63RD STREET. UM, AND SO, AND SO I WANNA KNOW HOW ARE WE GOING TO ADDRESS THIS? BECAUSE EVERY DAY THERE'S MORE DEMANDS ON THE BEACH WALK. IT IS HEAVILY USED, UH, OUR BEACH, UH, WE, WE SEE A LOT OF, UH, ISSUES IN OUR BEACHES, UH, BEACH THEFTS, OUR DEVELOPMENT, UH, YOU KNOW, THAT IS ONE OF THE BIGGEST SITUATIONS THAT WE HAVE OUR BEACH THEFTS, THAT WHEN YOU LOOK AT OUR CRIME STATISTICS, CORRECT ME, CHIEF IF I'M WRONG, BEACH STAFFS, I BELIEVE ARE PERHAPS THE NUMBER ONE CRIME COMMITTED IN OUR CITY. IS THAT CORRECT? UH, WAYNE JONES, POLICE CHIEF, UM, GOOD EVENING. ERIC COMMISS, UM, MR. VICE MAYOR, BUT I JUST, I I'M SORRY. I WAS ASKING, UM, BEACH STAFFS, THAT'S THE NUMBER ONE CRIME COMMITTED IN OUR CITY, IS THAT CORRECT? IT DOES TO SOME EXTENT DRIVE OUR F NUMBERS. YEAH. SO, SO WE HAVE THIS AREA OF, OF, OF THE CITY THAT IS DIFFICULT TO ACCESS BECAUSE OF ITS LIMITED ENTRY POINTS. WE GET COMPLAINTS FROM RESIDENTS ABOUT SPEEDING CARS ON COLLINS AVENUE. WE GET COMPLAINTS ABOUT RESIDENTS, ABOUT THE NEED FOR MORE VISIBILITY ON THE BEACH WALK. AND WE KNOW THAT WE HAVE A PUBLIC SAFETY NEED ON OUR BEACHES BECAUSE OF THE AMOUNT OF BEACH STAFFS THAT WE HAVE. AND SO IT WAS A RECOMMENDATION OF THE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE THAT SEC, THAT THAT AREA TWO BE DIVIDED INTO TWO AREAS, THE AREA WEST OF INDIAN CREEK AND THE AREA EAST OF INDIAN CREEK. UM, WHAT HAPPENED TO THAT RECOMMENDATION? WHY IS THAT NOT INCLUDED IN THIS BUDGET? SOMEONE ELSE? SO, MR. VICE MAYOR, UM, I DON'T HAVE A GOOD ANSWER FOR YOUR QUESTION AS TO WHY THIS WASN'T INCLUDED IN THIS PARTICULAR BUDGET. UM, BUT WHAT I [01:20:01] CAN COMMIT TO YOU IS I WILL GET WITH OUR CHIEF, I WILL FIGURE OUT WHAT IS OUR NEED AND HOW DO WE CORRECT ANY NEED THAT WE MIGHT HAVE IN THAT AREA, UNDERSTANDING THAT THAT'S A CONCERN OF YOURS. I I DO WORRY THAT IF WE'RE GOING TO TRY TO CREATE A FIFTH FULL AREA, I THINK WE'RE GONNA BE LOOKING AT A BIG NUMBER. UM, BUT MAYBE THERE'S A WAY TO ACCOMPLISH YOUR GOALS WITH SOMETHING THAT LOOKS LIKE A HYBRID, UH, THAT MIGHT BE ABLE TO DEDICATE RESOURCES. UM, MR. VICE AND MR. MANAGER, THAT'S JUST PRECISELY MY THINKING. UM, WE HAVE BEEN HAVING INTERNAL DISCUSSIONS ABOUT THIS MATTER. UH, THERE ARE SOME THOUGHTS WE'VE BEEN KICKING AROUND. SOME SMART WORDS WE BELIEVE MAY MEET YOUR GOALS AND, AND YOUR WISHES, UH, WITHOUT NECESSARILY HAVING A FIFTH AREA STOOD UP. UH, MUCH LIKE AN ANALOGOUS TO WHAT WE DO, THE RDA AREA WHERE THERE'S A SUPPLEMENT TO A PREEXISTING AREA COVERING THE TIMES OF THE DAY WHEN CRIME IS MOST LIKELY TO OCCUR. BUT WE DO HAVE SOME THOUGHTS FOR YOU. WE HAVE BEEN HAVING SOME INTERNAL DISCUSSIONS ABOUT IT, AND IF YOU, UH, COULD GIMME SOME TIME TO GET BACK TO YOU WITH A FEASIBLE PLAN, I'D BE HAPPY TO GET BACK TO YOU. OKAY. UM, , THANK YOU. UM, YOU KNOW, I JUST, I JUST WANTED, I JUST WANTED TO MAKE, MAKE IT CLEAR, YOU KNOW, WE STARTED TALKING ABOUT THIS AT THE BEGINNING OF THE LAST FISCAL YEAR, UM, AND, AND HERE WE ARE ADOPTING A NEW BUDGET AND IT'S NOT INCORPORATED HERE. UM, AND SO AM I GONNA GET THIS INFORMATION BEFORE NEXT WEEK'S, UM, NEXT WEEK'S, UH, FINAL BUDGET HEARING? THAT WOULD BE OUR PLAN, YES. ALRIGHT. UM, THANK YOU. UM, MR. MADRE. THANK YOU, CHIEF. I, I, I APPRECIATE THAT. AGAIN, OF COURSE, THIS ISN'T MY CONCERN. THIS IS THE CONCERN OF WE, THIS IS THE DENSEST AREA OF OUR CITY. I, I BELIEVE YOU KNOW, COLLINS AVENUE, AND WE'RE CONSTANTLY GETTING THE COMPLAINTS ABOUT SPEEDING, THE COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE BEACH ROCK AND THE COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE BEACH. AND THE REALITY IS THAT AREA IS BEING SHARED WITH A VERY DIFFERENT AREA, WHICH IS SEPARATED GEOGRAPHICALLY. UH, AND IT'S, IT'S LIMITED ACCESS POINTS. SO PLEASE, I WOULD APPRECIATE YOU ALL PRIORITIZING THIS. UM, I HAD, I HAD, UM, JUST LET ME SEE HERE. THERE WERE THREE POINTS I WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT, UM, OF, OF MATTERS THAT, THAT, THAT CAME UP. NUMBER ONE WAS ON DO, UH, THAT I HAVE MENTIONED TO THE CITY MANAGER, UH, PREVIOUSLY, AND I THINK YOU'RE, YOU'RE AWARE OF, UH, THEY, THEY MANAGE, UH, THE COMMUNITY CENTER UP IN NORTH BEACH, THE SENIOR CENTER UP IN NORTH BEACH ON BEHALF OF THE CITY. MM-HMM. , THEY'RE HAVING DIFFICULTIES, UH, HIRING A NEW DIRECTOR FOR, FOR THEIR SENIOR PROGRAMMING BECAUSE OF INCREASED COSTS. AND THEY WERE REQUESTING AN ENHANCEMENT OF $50,000. UH, SO THAT'S, THAT'S A REQUEST THAT I HAD SHARED, UH, WITH THE CITY MANAGER AND WITH YOU, MR. CFO. MM-HMM. , UM, YEAR AFTER YEAR, WE'VE BEEN DISCUSSING THE LIGHTING ON OCEAN DRIVE, THE LIGHTING ON OCEAN DRIVE, YOU KNOW, I THINK IT'S PROBABLY THE THIRD YEAR THAT I'M SITTING HERE AND THIS ISSUE COMES UP AND WE KEEP ON SAYING WE HAVE A CAPITAL PROJECT AND, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE THIS KOVICH PLAN. UH, WE'RE, WE'RE, WE'RE, WE'RE, WE'RE ENGAGING IN OUTREACH, UH, TO THE STAKEHOLDERS ON OCEAN DRIVE AND IN THE, UH, A CDC OR THE, NO, THE A DCD. UH, YEAH, I'LL GET IT RIGHT ONE OF THESE DAYS. UM, THE A DCD, UH, TO SEE HOW WE'RE GONNA IMPLE IMPLEMENT THE, THE, THE KOGE PLAN. IN THE MEANTIME, OCEAN DRIVES IS STILL LACKING THIS LIGHTING THAT THEY'VE BEEN ASKING FOR, FOR MULTIPLE FISCAL YEARS. AND I THINK WE NEED TO DELIVER ON THIS UNDERSTANDING THAT THE CAPITAL PROJECT, UH, FOR OCEAN DRIVE, YOU KNOW, HOW FAR AWAY IS THAT FROM, FROM, FROM DELIVERY? MR. MANAGER, I THINK WE'RE TALKING ABOUT BEST CASE SCENARIO IS THREE YEARS, PROBABLY MORE THAN THAT. THAT'S, AND AND THAT'S THREE YEARS TOWARD THE SIGN, OR THREE OR THREE YEARS FOR, FOR SHOVELS IN THE GROUND. I WILL DEFER TO OUR ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER OVER CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS, BUT I THINK IT'S APPROXIMATELY THREE TO FOUR YEARS TO SHOVELS IN THE GROUND AND THEN, AND THEN CONSTRUCTION. YEAH, THAT IS CORRECT. WE'RE IN DESIGN RIGHT NOW, SO, OKAY. SO, YOU KNOW, IT, THEY'VE BEEN ASKING FOR IT FOR A LONG TIME. THEY HAVE EXPRESSED TO US HOW NECESSARY THIS IS FOR THE GENERAL SAFETY OF THE BUSINESSES, UH, AND THOSE WHO, WHO, WHO GO OUT TO OCEAN DRIVE TO, TO ENJOY. SO THAT'S, THAT'S A REQUEST, UM, I THINK WE SHOULD BE CONSIDERING. AND LASTLY, IT'S, UH, THE NORTH BE THE, THE NORTH BEACH FREEBIE. UH, MID BEACH HAS THE FREEBIE [01:25:01] WE WERE ABLE TO GET, UH, IN PART THROUGH THE COLLABORATION OF COMMISSIONER DOMINGUEZ HAS BEEN LEADING, UH, THE REINSTITUTION OF THE FIXED ROUTE, FIXED SCHEDULE, ROUTE ONE 15, UH, FROM NORTH BEACH TO, UH, MOUNT SINAI, THAT FIXED ROUTE SERVICE FOR, FOR CONNECTIVITY. BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT WE SHOULD DO AWAY WITH THE FREEBIE FOR THE RESIDENTS OF NORTH BEACH. I THINK IT IS A GREAT SERVICE THAT, UH, THAT JUST COMPLIMENTS THE AREA AND ALL THE OTHER, UH, PUBLIC, UH, TRANSPORTATION OPTIONS THAT WE PROVIDE THEM WITH. SO THOSE ARE THE THREE REQUESTS OF ITEMS THAT WERE NOT INCLUDED IN, IN THE ORIGINAL DOCUMENT THAT I'VE BEEN SHARING WITH THE ADMINISTRATION OVER TIME THAT I THINK WILL BE TO THE PUBLIC'S BENEFIT FOR US TO CONSIDER. THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR. UM, HI AGAIN. SO I, UM, I DID GET A QUESTION HERE FROM A RESIDENT WHO IS ON THE POLICE CITIZENS COMMITTEE, AND SHE ASKED ABOUT THE PEER SUPPORT CONSULTANT FOR MBPD, UM, BECAUSE IT'S SO IMPORTANT FOR THE MENTAL HEALTH, DID THAT MAKE THE BUDGET? IT DID NOT. I WOULD SAY IT IS AN ENHANCEMENT LISTED. IT WAS VETTED, UH, THROUGH THE PROCESS AND, UH, THE COMMISSION DIDN'T ADD, DID NOT ADD THAT. AND THEN THE OTHER QUESTION WAS LIGHTING ON WASHINGTON AVENUE. IS IT, UM, THE CASE THAT THE PROPERTY OWNERS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR LIGHTING IN FRONT OF THEIR BUSINESS, OR DOES THE CITY COVER WASHINGTON AVENUE AS WELL? UH, ARE YOU SPEAKING OF DECORATIVE LIGHTING, LIKE ON THE TREES OR THE, UM, THE LIGHT POLES, OBVIOUSLY IS US, JILL, ACCORDING TO TROY, ALL OF THE STREET LIGHTING THAT THEY HAVE ON WASHINGTON AVENUE, THEY TAKE BOARD BY THEIR, UH, COMMITTEE. AND THE CITY DOES NOT. AND ACCORDING TO TROY, HE SAID THAT IT'S THE ONLY PLACE ON MIAMI BEACH WHERE THEY HAVE TO PAY FOR THEIR OWN LIGHTING AND UP UPTAKE UPKEEP. THANK YOU. SO I GUESS THE QUESTION IS, DOES THE CITY PAY FOR LIGHTING IN THE STREETS IN WASHINGTON? WE'RE SPEAKING OF DECK DECORATIVE LIGHTING, I ASSUME. NO, UH, REGULAR LIGHTS. UH, I BELIEVE THAT THE CITY, SO, SO I CAN CONFIRM THAT THE CITY DOES PAY FOR ALL ROADWAY AND SIDEWALK LIGHTING CITYWIDE. WELL, THE EXCEPTION OF COUNTY AND STATE ROADS WHERE THEY PAY FOR IT. THANK YOU. UM, CAN I JUST BRIEFLY COMMENT ON THAT? SO LAST YEAR, DIFFERENT COMMISSION, I BROUGHT AN ITEM THAT WOULD ADDRESS A LOT OF THE LIGHTING ISSUES IN SOUTH BEACH. IT DID NOT, UH, IT DID NOT GET THROUGH COMMITTEE. I HAVE A FEELING WE'LL HAVE MUCH MORE SUCCESS. AND I BROUGHT THE ITEM BACK WITH THIS COMMISSION, BUT THAT'S, UH, I BELIEVE IT'S AT, I BELIEVE IT'S IN FINANCE NOW. AND I JUST BROUGHT UP OCEAN DRIVE. WE NEED THE WEST SIDE OF OCEAN DRIVE. OKAY. IF I CAN ADD SOME NUMBERS TO, TO SOME OF THE ITEMS THAT WERE, WERE MENTIONED, UH, THE TRANSPORTATION ITEM THAT COMMISSIONER, UH, VICE MAYOR FERNANDEZ HAD BROUGHT UP, UH, WE, THAT WOULD NOT BE FROM THE GENERAL FUND. THAT WOULD BE FROM THE TRANSPORTATION FUND. UH, THE TRANSPORTATION FUND DOES HAVE, UM, A SURPLUS THAT COULD BE ABLE TO AFFORD THIS. BUT JUST ALWAYS FOR THE RECORD TO REMEMBER THAT WE'RE OUT FOR PROCUREMENT FOR THE MAJOR, OUR MAJOR EXPENSE, OPERATING EXPENSE THROUGH THAT TRANSPORTATION FUND, WHICH IS THE FIXED TROLLEY SYSTEM. WE DON'T KNOW WHAT THOSE ARE GONNA COME OUT. SO JUST ALWAYS, JUST FOR THE RECORD TO BE VERY COGNIZANT OF ADDING ADDITIONAL RECURRING EXPENDITURES, WHEN THOSE CONTRACTS COME IN AND WE GET THAT BASELINE, WE, YOU KNOW, WE MIGHT BE IN A SITUATION WHERE WE MAY HAVE TO CUT BACK SOME EXISTING PROGRAMS. SO IF THE COMMISSION IS OKAY, WE CAN GO AHEAD AND ADD THAT EXPENDITURE, UH, WHETHER IT'S ONE TIME OR RECURRING. UM, BUT I WOULD JUST, WE NEEDED A LITTLE FEEDBACK ON, ON THAT PARTICULAR ITEM, BUT WE CAN ADJUST THE TRANSPORTATION BUDGET. UM, JUST NEED TO KNOW IF THAT'S RECURRING OR ONE TIME AND IF THERE'S INTEREST IN, IN ACTUALLY ADDING IT. UM, I'M JUST GONNA RESPOND IF I MAY RESPOND. UM, SO I THINK THAT THIS IS, IF WE, IF WE'RE RESTORING THE SERVICE AND WE'RE GONNA CONTINUE THE SERVICE, I WOULD IMAGINE WE NEED TO OPERATE UNDER THE ASSU ASSUMPTION. IT'S A, IT'S A RECURRING, UH, COST. THAT, THAT, THAT WOULD BE, YOU KNOW, WHAT I WOULD ASSUME, UH, I JUST, I JUST BELIEVE A SERVICE LENGTH IS, WE HAVE IT FOR RESIDENTS IN MID BEACH. UM, AND, YOU KNOW, WE, WE COMMENCED IT IN NORTH BEACH. I DON'T FEEL COMFORTABLE TAKING AWAY AN AMENITY FROM OUR RESIDENTS THE MOMENT WE HAVE PROVIDED IT. IF ANYTHING, WE SHOULD BE ENHANCING AND CONTINUING TO PROVIDE SERVICES. BUT I DON'T LIKE US TAKING AWAY SERVICES, ESPECIALLY WHEN WE ARE ENTERING A PHASE WHEN WE WANT TO ENHANCE, UM, OTHER MODES OF TRANSPORTATION, ENCOURAGING INDIVIDUALS TO LEAVE THEIR VEHICLES AT HOME AND USE OTHER MODES OF, OF TRANSPORTATION, JUST LIKE ALIGNED WITH US FUNDING THE BICYCLE PEDESTRIAN POSITION. I'M GLAD WE'RE FINALLY DOING THIS BECAUSE WE FINALLY GET TO PRIORITIZE, UH, IN A TRUE HOLISTIC WAY IN OUR PLANNING. PEDESTRIAN ACCESS AND BICYCLE A ACCESS. AND THIS IS ALONG THAT SAME SPIRIT. SO I WOULD SAY THIS [01:30:01] IS MORE THAN LIKELY A RECURRING ITEM. OKAY. AND MR. VICE MAYOR? UH, IN TERMS OF THE LIGHTING, ONE OF MY KEY FOCUSES, UH, GOING FORWARD IS GOING TO BE, UH, UH, FACILITATING PUBLIC SAFETY THROUGH ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN. AS WE SAW THIS, UM, THE OPERATING BUDGET INCREASE FROM 2015 TO 2024, UH, IT'S ALMOST ENTIRELY DRIVEN BY, UH, PERSONNEL COSTS. A LOT OF THAT VIA PUBLIC SAFETY. WE CAN ONLY CONTINUE SPENDING MORE AND MORE ON PERSONNEL FOR SO LONG. WE REALLY HAVE TO START FIGURING OUT HOW TO ENHANCE PUBLIC SAFETY THROUGH URBAN DESIGN, URBAN PLANNING, ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN. AND, AND THIS IS ONE OF THE KEY COMPONENTS IN DOING RESEARCH INTO THIS. UH, PUBLIC LIGHTING IS SUCH A LOW HANGING FRUIT. SO I THINK IT'S SOMETHING, UH, WE SHOULD BE LOOKING TO, UH, ALMOST AS A COST SAVER. IN SOME WAYS. IT IS. YEAH. ABSOLUTELY. SO, OKAY. AND IF I, IF I COULD JUST, UM, TO ADD, BEFORE I JUST GO BACK, IS, WE HAVE A LOT OF MOVING PARTS HERE. AND AT THE END WHEN WE GET THIS ALL DONE, WE'LL MAKE A SUMMARY OF THIS. UH, THERE WILL BE, UH, SEVERAL ITEMS THAT BE READ INTO THE RECORD. THERE WILL BE AN OFFICIAL VOTE. THIS IS A PUBLIC HEARING THAT WHEN WE'RE ALL SAID AND DONE, WE'LL LET THE PUBLIC WEIGH IN. BUT IF I COULD, I, WE DEALT WITH THE CONVENTION CENTER FUND DISCUSSION. I MENTIONED, UH, NOW, UH, VICE MAYOR FERNANDEZ BROUGHT UP A TRANSPORTATION FUND ITEM. SO IF I COULD JUST TO CLOSE THAT OUT, 'CAUSE THEY'RE ALL KIND OF SEPARATE. SO I WANT TO TRY AND, UH, SEGMENT THIS OUT IS I DON'T, I'M NOT HEARING IF IS THERE ANY OBJECTIONS TO, UH, AMENDING THE TRANSPORTATION FUND BUDGET BUDGET TO INCLUDE THE, UH, SERVICE THAT THE VICE MAYOR IS SUPPORTING. OKAY. SO SEEING THAT SUPPORT, WE WILL, WE'LL INCLUDE THAT AND WE'LL, THAT'LL CLOSE OUT THE TRANSPORTATION. UH, NOW GETTING BACK TO, UH, THE ONE TIME WHEN I SAID THERE WAS THE $816,000 THAT WAS, UH, AVAILABLE IN THAT AREA, UH, WE DEALT WITH ON THE, UM, THE SOUTH BEACH QUALITY OF LIFE OF THE SHEET SYSTEM. WE DEALT WITH THE MAYOR'S ITEM RELATED TO, UH, THE BEACH WALK. I'M SORRY, NOT THE, THE PALM AND HIBISCUS LIGHTING, WHICH WE COVER. 2 40 60 OF THAT WOULD COME FROM THE EIGHT 16. WE ARE KEEPING TRACK OF ALL THIS, JUST SO YOU KNOW, UM, THE UNIT A, WE'RE GONNA GET TO THE UNIT A BECAUSE I BELIEVE YOU HAD REQUESTED THAT TO BE A RECURRING. YEAH. AND WE NEED TO FIND A RECURRING DOLLARS. AND I HAVE A REC, I GUESS WE CAN DISCUSS WHERE WE'RE GONNA REMOVE A RECURRING EXPENDITURE, UH, SHADE SYSTEM. YOU ALREADY MENTIONED THE SHADE SYSTEM. THE, OH, I'M SORRY. THE DECORATIVE LIGHTING ON THE WEST SIDE OF OCEAN DRIVE, UM, WOULD COME FROM ONE TIME THERE WAS A FERC ITEM WHERE IT WAS DISCUSSED. IT DID NOT MOVE FORWARD, BUT IT'S $420,000 ON THE, ON THE, UH, FIRST YEAR COSTS. AND THEN, UM, IN THE SECOND YEAR, THEN THERE'S, I THINK A MAINTENANCE COST OF LIKE 40, $50,000 REQUIRED TO MAINTENANCE AND THE POWER FOR THAT. SO, UM, JUST TO PUT A NUMBER BEHIND THAT. SO THAT WOULD TAKE 428,000 OF THAT. EIGHT 16 WOULD BE FOR THIS INITIATIVE, UM, IS, I DUNNO IF THERE'S CONCERN, IF THERE'S INTEREST FOR THAT. SO THERE, THAT'S ONE NUMBER, UH, 60,000 PALM AND HIBISCUS. AND I'M SORRY, JUST GOING DOWN MY LIST HERE. IT'S 2 4 2 40. IT'S, YEAH, TWO 40 IS COMING UP. FREEING UP FROM RELATED TO A STATE APPROPRIATION. SO OUT WHICH FUND OVER HERE AND A DIFFERENT FUND 60 WOULD HAVE TO COME FROM THE EIGHT 16. UH, NOW RECURRING DOLLARS GET, THIS IS WHERE IT GETS DIFFICULT. 'CAUSE THE ONLY RECURRING DOLLARS WE FREED UP SO FAR ARE $20,000 REDUCTION IN THE MIAMI NEW DRAMA. AND THERE'S A COUPLE OF RECURRING ITEMS THAT I WANTED TO MENTION, UH, THAT I, THAT I FAILED TO MENTION EARLIER. THERE WAS AN OTHER COMMISSION, UH, SEPTEMBER COMMISSION ITEM TO FUND, UH, MIAMI-DADE COLLEGE FIRST GENERATION SCHOLARSHIPS AT $30,000. UH, THERE WAS NO FUNDING ATTACHED TO THAT. UH, IT WASN'T MENTIONED. IT WAS MENTIONED TO BE ONE TIME, BUT THEN TO BE DISCUSSED THROUGH THE BUDGET PROCESS. SO I JUST NEEDED TO KNOW, IS THAT $30,000 GONNA COME FROM THE EIGHT 16 AND THEN BECOMES A, A, AN ENHANCEMENT TO BE DISCUSSED THROUGH NEXT BUDGET PROCESS? OR IS DO WE WANT TO SECURE RECURRING DOLLARS TODAY, CONSIDERING THAT THIS IS BEING USED TO TRAIN, UM, OUR RESIDENTS FOR WORKFORCE JOBS, WHICH HAS A DIRECT IMPACT AND IT'S GETTING TWICE MATCHED BY THE MDC FOUNDATION, THIS IS A HUGE IMPACT. UM, SMALL AMOUNT OF DOLLARS. WHAT WE COULD DO IS FUND IT THIS FIRST TIME, SEE WHAT HAPPENS IN YEAR ONE, AND THEN REASSESS IT. IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE A RECURRING, DO IT ONE TIME. WE'LL BRING IT BACK TO THE TABLE IN A YEAR FROM NOW AND WE'LL SEE HOW MANY PEOPLE PARTICIPATED IN THE PROGRAM. WAS THE FOUNDATION ABLE TO MATCH BY TWO TIMES HOW MANY RESIDENTS ACTUALLY DID JOB TRAINING? BECAUSE IF WE DO TRANSITION FROM HOSPITALITY TO SOMETHING ELSE, I THINK ONE OF THE MOST POSITIVE THINGS THAT WE COULD DO IS OFFER OUR RESIDENTS SOMETHING ELSE RATHER THAN, UH, WORKING IN A BAR. THEY CAN EASILY GET TRAINED AT MIAMI-DADE IN CYBERSECURITY OR DATA MANAGEMENT. AND THESE ARE CERTIFICATES THAT ARE AVAILABLE. DID YOU KNOW THAT ENTIRE [01:35:01] DEGREE AT MIAMI DADE IS $6,000? IT IS SO AFFORDABLE. I ACTUALLY WROTE MY PHD IN THE BACCALAUREATE OF APPLIED SCIENCES. AND OUR RESIDENTS, IF THEY START TO TAKE THIS TRAINING PROGRAM AND THAT SCHOLARSHIP KICKS IN BY THE TIME THEY'RE IN SEMESTER THREE, THEY'RE GETTING RECRUITED INTO THE JOB MARKET. AND THEY'RE NO LONGER DEPENDENT, FOR EXAMPLE, ON A LOWER WAGE, UH, HOSPITALITY JOB OR ON, UH, YOU KNOW, WORKING IN A BAR. SO I THINK THIS IS A POSITIVE MOVEMENT, A POSITIVE, YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT'S, IT'S EXTREMELY POSITIVE INITIATIVE. SO I THINK IF THE, IF THIS WILL BE, UH, A ONE TIME TO BE LOOKED AT LATER, UM, AND THE COMMISSION HAS ALREADY ACTUALLY ENDORSED THIS VIA RESOLUTION, WE CAN INCLUDE THAT COMING OUT OF THE, THE EIGHT 16, WHICH IS, WHICH IS GOOD. UM, LOOKING DOWN MY LIST HERE, UH, THE, I THINK THE ONLY ONE I WANNA MENTION BEFORE WE GET INTO SOME, UH, SOME ADDITIONAL DETAILS IS THERE WAS AN ITEM, I THINK IT'S IN FRONT OF COMMISSION, WHICH I UNDERSTAND IS THAT MOVE FORWARD WAS A TEACHER APPRECIATION EVENT, UH, THAT WAS LOOKED AT. I'M NOT SURE IT WAS ONE TIME, OR I THINK IT WAS COMMISSIONER SUAREZ HAD HAD AN ITEM RELATED THAT GOING BACK TO THE RECORD. AND I, THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY TO FUND THAT, AT LEAST FOR THIS FISCAL YEAR IN 25, IF THEY WANTED TO, FROM THE RECURRING, I'M SORRY, FROM THE ONE TIME OR TO MAKE THAT RECURRING. UM, IT WAS THE TEACHER APPRECIATION EVENT. UM, YES. UM, I THINK THE IDEA WAS TO, YOU BRING IT BACK TO THE OCTOBER 30TH, UH, MEETING. I THINK WE TALKED ABOUT THAT WITH, IT'S ON THE, IT IS ON THE, UM, THE COMMISSION AGENDA FOR DISCUSSION. UM, AND IF THAT IS AGAIN, BE FORWARD, I THINK WE COULD JUST THAT ONE TIME SEE HOW IT GOES. AND THEN IF IT DOES, WELL WE WILL, WE'LL CONTINUE IT. OKAY. WE CAN MAKE THAT, UH, WORK. YEAH, I THINK THE, THE ASK WAS, UH, LESLIE, IF YOU DON'T MIND COMING UP FOR A SECOND, PLEASE. I THINK THE ASK WAS 15,000, BUT IF WE WANTED THE MUCH BETTER EXPERIENCE, IT WAS 20. SO FOR AN EXTRA 5,000, I THINK IT, IT REALLY HELPED THE, THE EVENT. CAN YOU SPEAK, CAN YOU SPEAK TO THAT PLEASE? SURE. UH, LESLIE ROSENFELD, CHIEF CHIEF EDUCATION OFFICER, SO THE REQUEST FROM THE COMMITTEE FOR QUALITY EDUCATION WAS TO DO A TEACHER APPRECIATION EVENT SIMILAR TO WHAT IS DONE FOR OUR SENIORS, UH, AND HOSTED VERY WELL THROUGH OUR PARKS, UH, DEPARTMENT. UM, THIS EVENT WOULD, UH, HELP WITH RECRUITMENT EFFORTS. OBVIOUSLY, UH, WE'RE ALL AWARE THERE IS ALWAYS A CHALLENGE FOR, UH, NOT ONLY OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS, OUR PRIVATE SCHOOLS, OUR CHARTER SCHOOLS, UH, AND FOR TEACHER RECRUITMENT. SO THIS WOULD SUPPORT THAT, THAT EFFORT. UH, THE RANGE OF COST IS BETWEEN 15,000 AND $20,000. YEAH. AND, AND SO IF EVERYONE REMEMBERS, YOU KNOW, AND I JUST, I HATE TO NAME NAMES, BUT YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE THE LILIANA MARTINEZ THAT HAVE NOTORIOUSLY BEEN AROUND THESE, THESE SENIOR, UH, MEETINGS. I THINK IT WOULD BE NICE TO HAVE ONE FOR THE, FOR THE STUDENTS AND TEACHERS FOR MIAMI BEACH. WE DON'T HAVE THAT. SO I'D, I'D LOVE TO HAVE THAT EVENT AT ONE TIME, SEE HOW IT GOES. AND THEN IF WE MAKE IT RECURRING, IT'D BE BE GREAT. OKAY. OKAY. ARE YOU DOING THE BASELINE OR THE MUCH BETTER EXPERIENCE? MUCH BETTER. EXTENDED WARRANTY. . UM, UH, IF YOU, MR. MAYOR, IF YOU DON'T MIND, SO JUST FOR THE SHADE SYSTEM, IS, ARE YOU DOING THIS AS LIKE A BULK, UM, PACKAGE OR DO WE, DO I NEED TO MAKE A MOTION AND A SECOND FOR THIS OR? NO, I THINK WE'RE, WHAT I'M, WE'RE TAKING, I'M TAKING FEEDBACK AS I'M SEEING IT POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE. WE'RE MAKING GOOD NOTES HERE. I'D LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION, A SUMMARY. YEAH, I'D LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION TO, TO, TO FUND THAT SHADE SYSTEM FOR THIS BUDGET HEARING. SO I'LL SECOND IT. AND WE'RE GONNA, WE'RE JUST, YOU KNOW, WE'RE GONNA MAKE A UNIVERSAL AGAIN FOR THE RECORD, FOR THE, THE PEOPLE, IMPORTANT PEOPLE BEHIND ME TAKING VERY CLOSE NOTES. WE'RE GONNA KEEP ONE BIG SUMMARY, I THINK IN HEARING EVERY, AND SO THAT I, I'M GONNA MENTION EVERYTHING AGAIN, IF THERE'S ANYTHING. BUT THERE'S ONE ITEM. WE JUST HAVE ONE MISMATCH AT THIS POINT. THERE'S A REQUEST FOR $50,000 OF RECURRING, UH, FOR UNAD, BUT WE ONLY FREED UP $20,000 IN RECURRING DOLLARS WITH A DECREASE IN THE MIAMI NEW DRAMA. UH, THERE COULD BE AN OPPORTUNITY, 'CAUSE WE NEED, UH, IN THAT CASE $30,000 IN ADDITIONAL RECURRING DOLLARS. UM, THERE ARE TWO FUNDED, I KNOW I HAD DISCUSSIONS 'CAUSE WE'VE, WE'VE, YOU KNOW, IN ALL OUR BRIEFINGS, WE, THIS HAS COME UP ABOUT SOME RECURRING DOLLARS IS THERE ARE TWO, UM, DETENTION OFFICERS THAT WERE IN THERE. THE ORIGINAL ENHANCEMENT REQUEST WAS, WAS, WAS FOR ONE, UH, WE COULD PHASE THIS IN AND DO ONE THIS YEAR AND THEN REEVALUATE AND SEE IF THROUGH NEXT YEAR IF WE REDUCE THAT DOWN TO, TO ONE, THAT WOULD FREE UP THE DOLLARS FOR ON THE RECURRING BASIS. UM, SO IF, IF THE COMMISSION IS OKAY WITH THAT, WE COULD REDUCE, UH, FROM TWO TO ONE ADDITIONAL DETENTION OFFICERS AND THAT WOULD BE ABLE TO MAKE THAT HAPPEN. IF I'M HEARING, IF IT'S, EVERYONE'S OKAY WITH THAT, YOU KNOW, UM, WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT VERY VALID, UM, SUGGESTIONS FOR THINGS THAT DIDN'T QUITE MAKE THE CUT OR SOMEHOW SLIP THROUGH THE CRACKS ONE WAY OR THE OTHER. UM, I I HAVE TWO THINGS. ONE, IF WE DO THIS, TEACHER PARTIES AND [01:40:01] TEACHERS OR TEACHERS AND STUDENTS THAT IT TEACHER APPRECIATION. IT'S FOR BOTH. WELL, WELL, IT'S FOR BOTH JUST TEACHERS. I BELIEVE IT WOULD BE FOR ALL MY UNDERSTANDING OF IT IS THAT ALL THE TEACHERS, UM, WHICH THERE ARE MANY, UH, RIGHT, BUT NOT, IT'S NOT A STUDENT AND TEACHER. IT'S TEACHERS ON NO, THAT WOULD BE THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE . OKAY. SO I WOULD LIKE TO REQUEST THAT IF THIS IS A THING THAT HAPPENS, THAT IT IS, UM, FOR TEACHERS, THEY'RE INVITED GUESTS OR WHATEVER THE, THE RIGHT THING IS, AND ANYBODY WHO IS CURRENT STAFF OR ADMINISTRATION OR ELECTED OFFICIAL, BUT IT IS NOT A CAMPAIGN EVENT. IF YOU'RE LOOKING FOR VOTES, THIS IS NOT THE PLACE TO GO. I DON'T WANNA SEE PEOPLE'S LITERATURE, NONE OF THAT NONSENSE. NO OPERATIVES, NO DELEGATES, NO PROXIES. LET'S CELEBRATE TEACHERS. LET'S PAY THEM THE HOMAGE THAT THEY DESERVE SINCE WE HAVE LITTLE CONTROL OVER OTHER THINGS THAT WE CAN PAY THEM AND NOT MAKE THIS A FEEDING TROUGH FOR PEOPLE WHO MIGHT BE RUNNING FOR WHO KNOWS WHAT COUNTY POSITION OR WHATEVER. I MEAN, I WAS SO TAKEN ABACK AT THE LAST EVENT WHERE PEOPLE WHO HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH MIAMI BEACH WERE HERE. SO I WANT THAT. I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S RICK, I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S AN ISSUE OF LEGALITY, BUT THIS IS, YOU KNOW, IT'S TIME TO END THE FEEDING TROUGH FOR, FOR OPERATIVES. I THINK WE SHOULD DO THAT FOR ALL. WELL, THAT'S IT. THAT'S ALREADY COME. WE'VE ALREADY GOT SOMETHING ALONG THOSE LINES IN PROCESS. BUT FOR THIS ONE, WHICH IS A NEW THING, I WOULD LIKE TO MAKE THAT A STIPULATION. BUT THE OTHER THING I WANTED TO, UM, TO RAISE IS, YOU KNOW, I, AND I'LL LET THE POLICE CHIEF TALK ABOUT THIS, UM, IF YOU, IF HE WANTS TO, BUT THE REASON WHY THE ASK WAS FOR TWO DETENTION OFFICERS IS BECAUSE WE KNOW WE ARE HAVING TROUBLE RECRUITING AND WE KNOW THERE'S A DEMAND FOR OFFICERS ON THE STREET VISIBLE DOING THEIR THEIR THING. AND WE ALSO KNOW THAT IF YOU ARREST SOMEBODY, UM, YOU COULD BE OFF THE STREETS FOR TH 30 MINUTES OR EIGHT HOURS. IT DEPENDS ON WHAT HAPPENS. AND SO WE WANT TO KEEP OUR SWORN OFFICERS WHERE THEY SERVE THE PUBLIC THE BEST. SO I WOULD NOT BE SUPER PSYCHED TO LOSE, TO LOSE TWO DETENTION OFFICERS THIS YEAR. I WILL DEFER TO THE CHIEF, BUT I I I WOULD SUGGEST THAT IT WOULD BE, UM, IF WE DO ONE THIS YEAR AND ONE NEXT YEAR, THE ONE NEXT YEAR NEEDS TO BE LIKE THE STARTING POINT OF NEXT YEAR'S BUDGET. ALL RIGHT. I'M DONE. COMMISSIONER BA. THANK YOU SO MUCH. I THINK YOU SUMMED IT UP QUITE WELL FOR US. UH, AS YOU KNOW, WE'VE HAD CONVERSATIONS ABOUT THIS IN THE PAST, FROM TIME TO TIME WHEN OUR POLICE OFFICERS SUPPLEMENTING OUR DETENTION OFFICERS TRANSPORT BAD GUYS AND BAD GIRLS TO THE JAIL, UM, THE PROCESSING TIME COULD BE QUITE LENGTHY. AND IT VARIES, QUITE FRANKLY ON WHAT'S HAPPENING AT A JAIL, AT ANY GIVEN TIME, . AND SO IT CAN RANGE ANYWHERE FROM MINUTES IN IN THE BEST OF CIRCUMSTANCES TO HOURS IN THE WORST OF CIRCUMSTANCES. AND SO THE IDEA OF HAVING MORE DETENTION OFFICERS, THE, UH, TRANSPORTING, UH, THESE ARRESTEES TO THE JAIL REALLY ALLOWS OUR POLICE OFFICERS TO SPEND MORE TIME BETWEEN OUR STREETS. AND THANK YOU COMMISSIONER B FOR RAISING THAT. UM, I WANNA FIND THAT FUNDING AS WELL, BUT NOT AT THE EXPENSE OF PUBLIC SAFETY, WHICH, UH, I KIND OF RAN TO THE BACK AND ASK THE CHIEF AND I, IT, IT, IT SOUNDS LIKE IT WOULD HURT A LITTLE BIT TO NOT HAVE THE TWO THEN I GUESS WE'LL, WE'LL OPEN THE SUGGESTIONS ON ADDITIONAL CUTS FROM THE RECURRING BUDGET. SO IT, SO THAT'S A NO ON, ON REDUCING IT TO, UH, FROM TWO TO ONE, THEN WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO TAKE SOME TIME TO GO THROUGH, UH, AND FIND ADDITIONAL CUTS. AND I'M NOT SURE IF THE COMMISSION HAS ANY INKLING THERE OR IF THE UNIT ADD WOULD BE WILLING TO BE AT 20,000 RECURRING AND MM-HMM. IF THAT WOULD BE SUFFICIENT THAT THAT'S, THAT ASIDE, WE HAVE AVAILABLE. OKAY. AND, UH, AND THEN, YOU KNOW, YOU GUYS CLIENTS A PLACE, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY NOW ON THE 25TH WARRANT, YOU KNOW, WE CONSIDER AT THAT POINT, SO WE WOULD COME BACK. THEY WERE ASKING TO COME BACK ON THE 25TH WITH $30,000 IN RECURRING CUTS FROM ANOTHER PROGRAM. OKAY. I THANK YOU. UM, YEAH, I MEAN, LISTEN, YOU GUYS KNOW THE DIFFERENT REVENUE SOURCES THAT WE HAVE. WE HAVE TONS OF REVENUE FUNDS. UH, YOU KNOW, YOU LOOK AT OUR BUDGET, THERE'S LIKE THREE PAGES ON REVENUE SOURCES THERE. AND SO I DON'T, I DON'T EXPECT THOSE TO IDENTIFY HERE, UM, LIVE ON TELEVISION, UH, WHAT WHAT THE, UM, WHAT THE REVENUE SOURCE IS GOING TO BE. THAT'S, UH, THAT'S, UH, THAT'S YOUR JOB AND I TRUST YOU IN IT. AND I'M SURE BETWEEN NOW AND THEN, IF THERE'S A FEASIBLE, UH, FUNDING SOURCE, UH, YOU'LL LET US KNOW, UH, OF IT. IN THE MEANTIME, I DO, YOU KNOW, THERE IS 20,000 NOW AVAILABLE, UH, BECAUSE AT THE END OF THE DAY, THESE ARE INDIVIDUALS WITH FOOD INSECURITIES, UH, [01:45:01] IN THE MAJORITY OF THEM RESIDE IN NORTH BEACH AND THERE IS A LEGITIMATE NEED FOR IT. AND THE PERSON THAT ADMINISTERS THIS, UH, THIS PROGRAM FOR THE ELDERLY IN OUR COMMUNITY RESIGNED. THEY'RE IN THE PROCESS OF HIRING SOMEONE NEW, BUT THEY CAN'T, UH, FIND ANYONE THAT, UH, THAT IS WILLING TO DO IT AT THE SALARY, UH, JUST BECAUSE IT'S, THE SALARY IS SO LOW, UH, AND THEY'RE PROVIDING THESE SERVICES ON BEHALF OF THE CITY. THEY HAVE A MANAGEMENT AGREEMENT WITH THE CITY TO, TO PROVIDE THIS. AND SO FOR NOW, YOU KNOW, LET'S SET ASIDE THAT 20,000 AND HOPEFULLY BETWEEN NOW AND THE 25TH, UH, YOU CAN IDENTIFY ANOTHER, UH, FUNDING SOURCE, UH, FOR, FOR THE BAN LIST. SO IF THERE'S, SORRY, JUST ONE MORE QUESTION. UM, THERE WAS AN ITEM THAT WAS VOTED ON A FEW MONTHS AGO. UM, $105,000 TOTAL FOR TRAVEL FOR IF THAT, THAT'S A RECURRING USE. UH, THAT IS, THAT IS A RECURRING, THAT IS A LISTED ENHANCEMENT OF 105,000 PER YEAR. SO WHAT HAPPENS TO THAT MONEY IF IT DOESN'T GET USED? UH, IT COULD BE, IT WOULD BE ROLL INTO THE FUND BALANCE A YEAR, YEAR END. UH, I'M NOT SURE IF YOU'RE ALLUDING TO THE 30,000 SHORT ON UNIT AD TO SHORTEN THAT ENHANCEMENT TO FUND THE FULLY FUND THE UNIT AD OR NOT, BUT, WELL, I MEAN, JUST IF, IF IT DOESN'T GET YOU, IN MY DAY WHEN I RAN A P AND L, IF YOU DIDN'T USE YOUR MONEY, IT WENT BACK TO THE BOTTOM LINE AND IT GOT REALLY REALLOCATED. IT'S A USE IT OR LOSE IT KIND OF SITUATION. CORRECT? YES. AND SO, YOU KNOW, CAN WE LOOK AT THAT NEXT YEAR? AND IF, IF IT'S NOT BEING USED AS THE HOPE WAS THAT IT WOULD BE USED, UH, OR IT DOESN'T NEED TO BE AS BIG AN AMOUNT AS IT WAS, COULD THAT BE SOMETHING THAT WE COULD PLAY WITH FOR, FOR 26? UH, IF THAT'S WHAT THE COMMISSION'S DIRECTION IS TO RE LOOK AT THAT THROUGH THERE. I DIDN'T KNOW IF YOU WERE BRINGING THAT UP TO HELP FUND. WELL, I MEAN, CAN WE LOOK AT IT FOR, WELL, THE PROGRAM HASN'T STARTED YET, SO I DON'T HAVE ANY DATA TO TELL YOU WHETHER, AND I KNOW COMMISSIONER ROSE GONZALEZ WANTS TO CHIME IN, BUT, UH, I TO TELL YOU WHETHER 105,000 IS SUFFICIENT OR IT COULD BE SHORTED BY $30,000 TO, UH, TO TO TO $75,000 AND THEN FULLY FUND THE UNIT AT PROPORTION. UH, I I COULDN'T TELL YOU. OH, CAN I, UM, I WOULD LIKE TO CORRECT THE RECORD ON THIS BECAUSE THIS WAS PRIMARILY FOR TICKETS FOR NONPROFITS IN OUR COMMUNITY. FOR EXAMPLE, THE OTHER DAY I GOT A INVITATION TO ATTEND A 5 0 1 C3 FAVELA. AND IN THE PAST, THE MAYOR'S OFFICE AND THE MAYOR'S BUDGET HAS ALWAYS COVERED THOSE EXPENSES. BUT I, TO MY SHOCK AND SURPRISE, ABOUT A MONTH AGO, UH, JEWISH COMMUNITY SERVICES WAS HAVING SOMETHING, I BELIEVE IT WAS $50. I SAID, I'D LIKE TO ATTEND THIS EVENT. AND I WAS TOLD BY THE MAYOR'S OFFICE, NO, WE'RE NOT, UH, PURCHASING ANY TICKETS. AND I KNOW THAT SEVERAL OF US, SO THIS WAS NOT NECESSARILY ABOUT TRAVEL. THIS WAS ABOUT SUPPORTING 5 0 1 C THREES IN OUR COMMUNITY. IT IS NOT ABOUT TRAVEL. IF YOU WANTED TO USE SOMETHING FOR SOME SORT OF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT, YOU COULD. THIS IS ABOUT TICKETS FOR NONPROFITS IN OUR COMMUNITY. WHY DO WE HAVE TO DO THAT? BECAUSE I'M A COMMUNITY COLLEGE PROFESSOR AND I GET A LOT OF REQUESTS TO ATTEND EVENTS. AND BY THE WAY, SOME OF THE EVENTS I DON'T EVEN ATTEND, BUT I PURCHASED THE TICKET. I GIVE IT AWAY. EXCUSE ME. WAIT, BECAUSE I WANNA STOP THIS WHOLE NARRATIVE SURROUND CHIEF OF STAFF JUST TOLD ME WHAT YOU JUST SAID IS COMPLETELY INACCURATE. MY CHIEF OF STAFF JUST INFORMED ME YOU HAD THESE CONVERSATIONS WITH VERONICA COLEY, MY CHIEF OF STAFF. SHE JUST TOLD ME WHAT YOU'RE SAYING IS COMPLETELY INACCURATE. WELL, WE HAVE IT ON AN EMAIL. SO ANYWAY, I WAS TOLD THAT I COULD NOT ATTEND THIS JEWISH COMMUNITY SERVICES EVENT. IT WAS $50 PER TICKET. UM, I THINK WE HAD A WHOLE, ACTUALLY WE HAVE A WHOLE THREAD. YOU CAN GO BACK AND YOU CAN CHECK IT. WE HAVE IT IN BLACK AND WHITE. UM, WHY DON'T YOU BRING IT UP AS A SLIDE. I DON'T, WHY DON'T YOU BRING IT UP AS AN EXHIBIT. PLEASE, PLEASE STOP CUTTING OFF MY MICROPHONE BECAUSE THAT'S NOT WHAT THIS IS ABOUT. THIS IS ABOUT THE NARRATIVE THAT THIS MONEY WAS FOR TRAVEL, WHEN THIS MONEY IS FOR SUPPORTING THE NONPROFITS IN OUR COMMUNITY. SO WHEN, IF I NEED TO BUY A TICKET TO ATTEND SOMETHING. AND IN THE PAST, CUSTOMARILY, THE MAYOR'S OFFICE HAS ALWAYS SAID YES AND ALL OF A SUDDEN, AND I CAN ACTUALLY ASK THIS QUESTION RIGHT NOW, UM, JASON AND TAMIKA, WERE WE NOT TOLD THAT THE MAYOR'S OFFICE WAS NO LONGER, UH, PURCHASING TICKETS FOR CERTAIN EVENTS, NONPROFITS IN, WAS I, WAS I TOLD YES OR NO? I, I'M SORRY. WE HAVE IT IN EMAIL. I MEAN, I THINK, YOU KNOW, I KNEW THERE WAS A LOT OF DISCUSSION BACK AND FORTH UH, RELATED TO THAT, AND, AND IT WAS A WHOLE EMAIL CHAIN. THERE WAS, THERE'S A WHOLE EMAIL CHAIN. SO WHAT, BUT, BUT MY, THE POINT IS, I'M SORRY. WE'RE BEING STEWARDS WITH THE TAXPAYERS MONEY. I, I, I APOLOGIZE TO EVERYONE THAT WE'RE ACTUALLY WATCHING THE MONEY CAREFULLY FROM OUR TAXPAYERS. YEAH. WELL, THIS IS NOT ABOUT, UH, FIRST OF ALL, I DO THINK THAT IT IS AGAINST ROBERT'S RULES TO BE ABLE TO CONTROL THE MICROPHONE BECAUSE IF I WANTED TO OBJECT, I COULDN'T, [01:50:01] IF I WANTED TO SAY SOMETHING, I, I WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO, I WOULD LIKE A LEGAL OPINION ON ROBERT'S RULES AND THE ABILITY TO CONTROL A MICROPHONE SYSTEM SO THAT SOMEBODY CAN GET CUT OFF MID-SENTENCE, BECAUSE I DON'T SEE YOU CUTTING ANYONE ELSE OFF MID-SENTENCE. BUT I, I NEED TO DISPEL THIS NARRATIVE THAT IS BEING PEDALED EVERYWHERE THAT THIS WAS ABOUT TRAVEL, BECAUSE IT IS NOT FOR ONE FINAL TIME. AND SO FAR, I PURCHASED TICKETS TO A PTA EVENT WITH THAT MONEY, UM, WITH MY ALLOCATION, BECAUSE THE MAYOR'S OFFICE MIGHT'VE SAID, NO, I PURCHASED TWO TICKETS TO THE FAVELA EVENT, WHICH IS TO SUPPORT THE HOMELESS, BECAUSE THE MAYOR'S OFFICE MIGHT'VE SAID NO IF I WOULDN'T HAVE GOTTEN THIS EACH AN ALLOCATION TO BE ABLE TO SUPPORT THE NONPROFITS IN OUR COMMUNITY. AND THAT IS WHY I ALLOCATED THAT MONEY. IT WAS ALTRUISM. IT WAS NOT ABOUT TRAVEL THROUGH THE CHAIR, IF I MAY. UM, SO I DID NOT MEAN TO KICK OVER THE HORNET'S NEST. MY QUESTION WAS WHETHER IT'S FOR TRAVEL OR, OR TICKETS OR WHATEVER, THAT'S NOT THE POINT. THE POINT IS THAT THERE IS AN AMOUNT OF MONEY THAT WAS ALLOCATED. WHAT HAPPENS IF IT DOESN'T GET USED UP, AND CAN IT BE USED FOR OTHER THINGS? WHAT, SO I DON'T, I DON'T WANNA GET INTO THE DISCUSSION OF WHO SAID, EXCUSE ME. EXCUSE ME, EXCUSE ME. I'M SPEAKING. EXCUSE ME. MY POINT IS NOT TO RE-LITIGATE A DECISION THAT WAS ALREADY MADE MONTHS AGO. MY QUESTION WAS ABOUT IF THE MONIES DON'T GET USED, WHERE DO THEY GO? CAN THEY BE REAPPROPRIATED? CAN THEY BE MODIFIED? IF, YOU KNOW, THE, UH, THE THOUGHT WAS 15 PER, UH, 15 GRAND PER PERSON OR WHATEVER THE NUMBER WAS, WAS THE RIGHT NUMBER. BUT ACTUALLY WHEN THE YEAR IS OVER, IT TURNS OUT THAT PEOPLE ONLY NEEDED FIVE GRAND. AND LIKE I, I WAS JUST TRYING TO FIND A FEW EXTRA DOLLARS. I DO NOT WANT TO GET INTO THIS CONVERSATION ABOUT HOW PEOPLE ARE SPENDING IT. THAT INDIVIDUALS CAN TAKE IT UP AMONGST THEMSELVES. THAT IS NOT THE FUNCTION OF A BUDGET REVIEW. THE FUNCTION OF THE BUDGET REVIEW IS WHERE CAN WE SHAKE PENNIES OUT OF THE, THE SOFA CUSHIONS TO TRY TO FIND EVERYTHING THAT COMES UP LAST MINUTE. SO IF WE COULD, WITH ALL DUE RESPECT, MOVE ON FROM THE, THE LITIGATION OF WHO SAID WHAT WHEN IN EMAILS, AND JUST TALK ABOUT CAN WE FIND AN EXTRA 30 GRAND TO DO SOMETHING THAT WE ARE ALL UNITED AND FEELING IS THE RIGHT THING TO DO. I WOULD REALLY APPRECIATE THAT. MR. TAMIR, COMMISSIONER FERNANDEZ HAS HIS HAND RAISED, THEN COMMISSIONER SUAREZ AND THEN COMMISSIONER ROSE GONZALEZ. THANK YOU. AND SO LET ME JUST MAKE SURE I UNDERSTAND. WHAT WAS THE INTENT OF THE, OF THE FUNDING HERE? UH, BECAUSE I THINK, YOU KNOW, LET'S JUST GO BACK TO THE SITUATION AT HAND. THE SITUATION AT HAND WAS, THERE WAS A PROMOTIONS BUDGET THAT GOD DEPLETED THIS COMMISSION, THE MAYOR, AND THIS COMMISSION INHERITED A DEPLETED PROMOTIONS BUDGET. AND CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG, UH, MR. MAYOR. THAT IS CORRECT. OKAY. SO BECAUSE OF THAT, WE HAD BEEN MAKING REQUESTS TO THE MAYOR'S OFFICE. AND BECAUSE THE BUDGET WAS DEPLETED, THERE'S ONLY SO MUCH THAT THE MAYOR'S OFFICE CAN DO WITH A DEPLETED BUDGET RESPONSIBLY. AND, AND SO THERE WAS PRETTY MUCH NO FUNDING AVAILABLE. CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG, MR. MAYOR. CORRECT. AND SO THEN AN ITEM WAS BROUGHT, AND THAT ITEM IN ESSENCE HELPS US NOW FUND THESE ACTIVITIES. YOU KNOW, IF WE NEED TO GO TO, YOU KNOW, FLORIDA LEAGUE OF CITIES, UH, CONFERENCE, IF WE NEED TO GO TO A MIAMI-DADE LEAGUE OF CITIES CONFERENCE, IF JCS HAS AN ACTIVITY, ET CETERA. BUT, BUT FROM MY UNDERSTANDING, THAT BUDGET GOT DEPLETED ONCE. I DON'T, YOU KNOW, WE'RE NOT GONNA BE DEALING WITH THIS SITUATION YEAR AFTER YEAR. IT GOT DEPLETED ONE TIME WE CAME IN, USED, UH, OUR COLLEAGUE SPONSORED AN ITEM TO MAKE FUNDS AVAILABLE. BUT THAT WAS A ONE-OFF SITUATION BECAUSE WE HAD A TRANSITION IN THE OFFICE OF THE MAYOR. ONE MAYOR WAS TERM LIMITED. UM, A NEW MAYOR CAME IN. THIS MAYOR INHERITED A BUDGET THAT WAS LOWER THAN WHAT USUALLY ONE HAS AVAILABLE FUNDING WAS INFLUXED INTO IT TO GET US THROUGH THE NEEDS OF THE FISCAL YEAR. BUT DO WE NEED THAT ON A RECURRING BASIS? AND I, AND, AND I THINK THAT'S THE QUESTION. DO WE NEED THIS MONEY THAT WAS APPROVED ON A RECURRING BASIS CONSIDERING THE FACT THAT WE'RE NOT GOING TO BE DEALING WITH A DEPLETE? DO WE ANTICIPATE TO BE DEALING WITH A DEPLETED BUDGET LIKE WHAT WE HAD, THE SITUATION WE HAD THIS YEAR? I DON'T THINK SO. AND SO, AND, AND SO, SO THAT'S WHERE, AND COMMISSIONER ROSEN GONZALEZ, I THINK THE FUNDING THAT YOU SET ASIDE MADE SENSE FOR THIS YEAR BECAUSE OF THE UNIQUE CIRCUMSTANCE OF THE BUDGET THAT WAS INHERITED, [01:55:01] THAT WAS DEPLETED. BUT THAT'S NOT GONNA BE THE SITUATION ON A RECURRING BASIS YEAR AFTER YEAR. AND SO THAT'S, THAT'S MY FEELING ON IT. WE ALL INHERITED SOMETHING THAT WAS DEPLETED, BUT IT DOESN'T MEAN NEXT YEAR WE'RE GONNA NEED THIS $110,000. AGAIN. COMMISSIONER SUAREZ. THANK YOU, MR. MAYOR. UH, LOOK, UM, I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE ALL ON THE SAME PAGE HERE. OKAY? WE ALL, WE ALL WANT TO DO THE RIGHT THING. UM, AND SO, YOU KNOW, I I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT, YOU KNOW, THE, OUR CITY ATTORNEY DOES ANSWER THAT QUESTION WHEN IT COMES TO WHO HAS THE FLOOR. UM, AND, AND, AND WE PUT IT OUT TO THE, TO THE PUBLIC. UM, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE I REMEMBER SPECIFICALLY IN OUR VERY FIRST MEETING, UH, WITH THE MAYOR, UM, YOU KNOW, HE SAID TO ME WHEN WE WERE ON, ON A CERTAIN ITEM, YOU KNOW, I, I'M THE MAYOR. I HAVE THE FLOOR ALWAYS. AND I, I THINK THAT'S IMPORTANT TO, TO, TO, TO LET EVERYONE KNOW THAT'S THE CASE OR IT'S NOT THE CASE. SO CAN, CAN WE COME TO A CONSENSUS AND SORT OF NIP THIS IN THE BUD, UM, ON, ON, ON THE MICROPHONE USE? 'CAUSE I, I, I AM UNAWARE OF, OF THE EXACT RULES FOR ROBERT RULES, AND I DO NOT WANNA SEE MY COLLEAGUES, UH, CONTINUE TO ARGUE. IT MAKES US ALL VERY UNCOMFORTABLE. UM, AND, YOU KNOW, WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE, WE'RE MOVING FORWARD IN A VERY CONSTRUCTIVE DIALOGUE. SO, UH, MR. CITY ATTORNEY, IF YOU CAN PLEASE, UH, SHED SOME LIGHT ON THAT. THANK YOU. THERE'S NO SPECIFIC CHRIS IN YOUR MIC. , THE MAYOR HAS THE RIGHT TO ESTABLISH ORDER IN THE MEETING. SO THERE'S NO SPECIFIC ROBERTS RULE THAT ADDRESSES THAT, BUT THE RIGHT TO CONTROL THE MIC WOULD BE PART OF THAT. UM, FIRST OF ALL, THERE'S ALWAYS AN IMPETUS AND A REASON WHY LEGISLATION ARISES. AND THE ONLY REASON WHY I PROPOSED THIS LEGISLATION WAS BECAUSE I ASKED TO ATTEND THE JEWISH COMMUNITY SERVICES. I WAS TOLD NO, AND THEN I SAW THAT THE MAYOR ATTENDED, AND I FOUND THAT THAT WAS VERY AWFUL. SO WHAT I DECIDED TO DO WAS GIVE EVERYBODY THE FREEDOM TO NOT HAVE TO DEPEND ON BEING TOLD YES OR NO BY THE MAYOR OR THE CHAIR, AND THE FREEDOM TO CHOOSE WHICH NONPROFITS THEY WOULD LIKE TO SUPPORT. AND THAT IS WHY I DID IT. AND BY THE WAY, IN ORDER TO DO IT AND GIVE EACH PERSON THE FREEDOM TO DO THIS, I WAS BEATEN UP. THERE'S THIS NARRATIVE ABOUT TRAVEL, WHEN THAT'S REALLY NOT WHAT IT SAYS. IT'S MOSTLY TICKETS. AND THE TICKETS ARE BECAUSE I WISH, I WISH I WERE SUPER WEALTHY. I LOVE THE FACT THAT I'M A WORKING CLASS, UM, PERSON BECAUSE I CAN ADVOCATE BECAUSE I HAVE AN UNDERSTANDING THAT OTHER PEOPLE DON'T. SO IF I HAD THE MONEY TO PURCHASE ALL THESE NON-FOR-PROFIT TICKETS AND SUPPORT THE COMMUNITY, I WOULD, I WOULD NOT HAVE PASSED IT. BUT AFTER MANY YEARS IN OFFICE, I'M NOT GOING TO LET THE MAYOR'S OFFICE PICK CHERRY PICK WHAT I CAN ATTEND AND WHAT I CAN'T ATTEND, OR HAVE THE MAYOR ATTEND SOMETHING AND PAY A TICKET FOR THAT. BUT THEN I DON'T GET TO ATTEND. SO THAT IS WHERE THE LEGISLATION CAME FROM. I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU DO AFTER THIS YEAR, BUT I WOULD CAUTION YOU THAT THIS AT LEAST ALLOWS YOU TO CHOOSE WHAT YOU WANT TO ATTEND. BY THE WAY, NO CHAIR, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO. I'M GONNA SPEAK. YOU SEE, NOW I'M BEING CUT OFF, BY THE WAY. OH, NOW I'M CUTTING. NOW I'M GETTING CUT OFF. OKAY. IT'S FINE. I, NO, LET ME, LET ME JUST, I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT DINNER, JC I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT YOU'RE REFERRING TO, BUT THE BOTTOM LINE IS, BY THE WAY, LET, LET'S MENTION THE TAXPAYERS PAGE FOR YOUR TRIP TO BASEL, SWITZERLAND THAT I APPROVED. DID I APPROVED THAT TRIP? NO, I'M NOT FINISHED EVERY SINGLE YEAR BY THE BY, BY THE WAY. I, I GO TO MANY, MANY CHARITY EVENTS THAT I DO NOT SEEK REIMBURSEMENT. SO I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT THIS JC S THING IS, BUT I PAY OUT OF MY OWN POCKET BECAUSE, AND I'M NOT WEALTHY. I AM NOT A WEALTHY PERSON. UM, BUT THE, THE CITY HAS ITS LIMITS THERE. MANY OF THESE EVENTS WE DIDN'T EVEN HAVE THE BUDGET FOR AT THE TIME. 'CAUSE OF WHAT? COMMISSIONER FERNANDEZ. I DON'T KNOW WHY WE'RE WASTING OUR TIME THOUGH EVEN ARGUING ABOUT THIS. UM, NOW IT GETS YOU TO DEFEND. NO, I, I, I URGE MY COLLEAGUES. WE HAVE 80 SOME THOUSAND RESIDENTS AND MILLIONS OF VISITORS, AND WE ARE ON THE CUSP OF DISCUSSING AND PASSING A BILLION DOLLAR BUDGET. AND WHERE DOES THAT MONEY COME FROM? TAXPAYER DOLLARS. AND WE'RE SITTING UP HERE EXECUTING AND CONDUCTING PERSONAL ATTACKS ON MICROPHONE USAGES. I HAVE MY 7-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER I BROUGHT HERE BECAUSE [02:00:01] I WAS SO PROUD TO CHAIR A FINANCE COMMITTEE, PASSING IN GOVERNMENT BUDGET AND HAVE HER SEE HOW GOVERNMENT WORKS. AND I'VE BECOME EMBARRASSED. EMBARRASSED. THIS IS WHAT WE'RE DISCUSSING WHEN WE HAVE A BILLION DOLLARS OF TAXPAYER MONEY AT STAKE. I SAY THIS TO MYSELF AND ALL OF US, THIS ISN'T DIRECTED TO ANY SINGLE PERSON. LET'S GET ON WITH THE PEOPLE'S BUSINESS TODAY, TOMORROW, YESTERDAY, NEXT WEEK. ENOUGH OF THESE PERSONAL PETTY AT YOUR THROATS. WE ARE UP HERE REPRESENTING PEOPLE, REPRESENTING OUR COMMUNITY. THIS IS NOT ABOUT US ANYMORE, RIGHT? WE'RE SERVING A GREATER GOOD. SO LET'S ALL TAKE A DEEP BREATH AND NOT CONDUCT OUR OWN BUSINESSES, OUR OWN AFFAIRS. LET'S GET BACK TO CONDUCTING THE PEOPLE'S AFFAIRS, THE PEOPLE'S BUSINESS. AND PLEASE, LET'S MOVE FORWARD DISCUSSING THIS BILLION DOLLAR BUDGET. PERHAPS THE MOST IMPORTANT MEETING THAT WE'RE GOING TO HAVE. YEAH. THE ENTIRETY OF THE YEAR. AND LET'S MOVE FORWARD ON THAT. NOT MAKE IT ABOUT US. LET'S MAKE IT ABOUT THE PEOPLE IN OUR COMMUNITY. CAN I, CAN I, EXCUSE ME. EXCUSE ME. I MAY I THROUGH THE CHAIR MAY I, I HAVE, UM, LIZ, CAN YOU COME UP FOR A QUICK SECOND? I THINK YOU'RE BACK THERE SOMEPLACE. NO, SHE'S LEFT. LIZ HAS LEFT THE BUILDING. NO, LOU, I'M HERE. LIZ IS BACK IN THE BUILDING. I'M HERE. I'M HERE. UM, THE SOUTH SHORE COMMUNITY CENTER. YES, MA'AM. BACK. IT'S BACK AND BETTER THAN EVER. BUT IT NEEDS AN ELEVATOR REPAIR THAT WAS NOT CONTEMPLATED BECAUSE WE THOUGHT IT WAS GOING TO NOT BE BACK. AND AT SOME POINT IN THE NOT TOO DISTANT FUTURE, IT'S GOING TO NEED, AS THE PROGRAMMING INCREASES, IT'S GOING TO NEED A CHILLER UPGRADE. THAT'S CORRECT. HOW MUCH OF THOSE FUNDS ARE IN THE 2025 BUDGET AND HOW, LIKE I KNOW WE NEED THE ELEVATOR RIGHT AWAY TO ACTIVATE THE UPSTAIRS. THE CHILLER MIGHT NOT, IT MIGHT NOT BE NECESSARY UNTIL 2026. 'CAUSE I THINK WE'VE ALREADY SPOKEN ABOUT THAT. SO I ACTUALLY WILL DEFER TO JASON. BUT THOSE TWO THINGS ARE OUR, OUR PRIORITIES, UM, TO ACTIVATE THE SOUTH SHORE COMMUNITY CENTER. BUT ARE THEY ALREADY YES. JASON, CAN YOU ANSWER MY QUESTION IF I CAN? MY, CAN YOU ARTICULATE MY QUESTION FOR ME PLEASE? MY UNDERSTANDING IS THOSE, THOSE TWO APPS HAVE HAD DISCUSSIONS, UH, WITH FACILITIES ACTUALLY JUST TOWARD THE FACILITY TODAY. UH, IT WAS ABOUT TWO, IT WAS $250,000 FOR THOSE TWO ITEMS. UH, IN LOOKING AT OUR BUDGET BALANCING SPREADSHEET AND MANAGING THIS OVER HERE, WE DO BELIEVE IF THE COMMISSION IS ACCEPTABLE, 'CAUSE IT'S ONE TIME DOLLARS, WE WOULD HAVE SUFFICIENT CAPACITY TO FUND THOSE TWO CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS THROUGH THE CR PROGRAM OR THE TRANSFER. SO, UH, IF THE COMMISSION IS OKAY WITH THAT, WE CAN FUND BOTH OF THOSE CAPITAL PROJECTS WITH THESE ONE TIME DOLLARS. THE EIGHT 16 I TALKED ABOUT. OKAY. OKAY. AND DON'T HEARING ANY OPPOSITION TO THAT. OKAY. WE'LL ADD IT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK, EXCUSE ME. UM, THANK YOU VERY MUCH, COMMISSIONER MAGAZINE FOR REFOCUSING ALL OF US. I WOULD LIKE TO MENTION THAT NUMBER ONE, I DID NOT BRING UP THIS ITEM. I HAD TO DEFEND MYSELF. AND FURTHERMORE, UM, MAYOR, THE CITY OF MIAMI BEACH, HOW MANY YEARS HAS BASEL BEEN AROUND ERIC? 20. I THINK WE'RE APPROACHING OUR 21ST ANNIVERSARY. HAVE WE NOT SENT A DELEGATION TO BASEL WITH AN ELECTED OFFICIAL EVERY YEAR? I DON'T KNOW THE ANSWER TO THAT. I'M PRETTY SURE IT'S A YES. AND I WOULD LIKE TO MENTION THAT THE MAYOR'S CHIEF OF STAFF ACCOMPANIED ME TO BASEL. MR CFO. CAN WE HAVE YOU, UH, UM, I'LL PUT THIS BALL IN YOUR COURT IF WE CAN GET BACK ON TRACK AND, UH, MOVE FORWARD HERE. I'M SORRY, I MISSED THE QUESTION. EASY DIRECTION. JUST GET US BACK ON TRACK AND BRING THIS MEETING HOME. ARE WE READY TO VOTE? I THINK THAT THERE'S THE OPPORTUNITY TO FUND THAT 30,000. I I THINK THROUGH THAT REDUCTION, THAT 1 0 5 TO 75, I KNOW THERE WAS A LOT OF DEBATE ON THAT. IF WE COULD BRING IT BACK THAT WAY, I THINK THAT WOULD LAND THE PLANE AND GIVE, GIVE THAT, UH, IN THERE. IS THE COMMISSIONER OKAY WITH THAT? I WILL, IF IT IS, I WILL SUMMARIZE ALL THE ADJUSTMENTS AT ONCE AND THEN WE'RE GONNA LEAVE IT THERE BECAUSE I KNOW WE HAVE TO OPEN IT UP FOR A PUBLIC HEARING AT A CERTAIN POINT. MR. MAYOR, JUST JUST A QUESTION BECAUSE I DON'T WANNA IMPACT EVERYONE ELSE'S, YOU KNOW, ALLOCATION. MM-HMM. THAT WAS ALREADY ADOPTED BY THE CITY COMMISSION WHEN THE CITY COMMISSION INCREASED THE COMPENSATION OF THE, OF THE ELECTED OFFICIALS. THE TOTAL, THE TOTAL COMPENSATION, I OPTED OUT FROM THAT. THAT'S BUDGETED IN THE CITY'S BUDGET, BUT I OPTED OUT FROM RECEIVING THE INCREASED COMPENSATION. SO PERHAPS THAT MONEY CAN BE IF, UM, I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S POSSIBLE. IT'S NOT POSSIBLE. I SEE TAMIKA SHAKING [02:05:01] HER HALF OUT. BUT ONCE YOU OPTED OUT, WE DIDN'T INCLUDE YOUR ALLOCATION IN THE BUDGET FOR 25. OH, OKAY. SO YOU ALREADY MOVED THAT , YOU GOT MY, MY MONEY, MY SALARY. YOU ALREADY MOVED IT SOMEWHERE ELSE. . SO I MEAN, SO, SO JUST TO SUMMARIZE, IF THAT'S OKAY, WE, WE CAN MAKE THE UNIT OUTTA THE 50 AND REDUCE THE 1 0 5 TO 75 AND THAT WOULD BUT BALANCE THE BUDGET ON CURRENT BASIS IF IT'S FINE WITH MY COLLEAGUES. ALL RIGHT. SO I'M GONNA SUMMARIZE SO WE CAN MOVE ON AND TAMIKA WILL KEEP ME ON TRACK HERE. WE TALKED ABOUT THE CONVENTION CENTER. THE TRANSPORTATION FUND WILL BE AMENDED TO TAKE CARE OF THE FREEBIE NORTH BEACH, THE COMMISSION, UH, VICE MAYOR FERNANDEZ MENTIONED. UH, ON THE RECURRING BASIS, UH, WE'RE REDUCING 20,000 FOR THE MIAMI NEW DRAMA TO MATCH THE RESOLUTION THIR AND 30,000 OF THE 1 0 5 FOR THE COMMISSION, WHICH WOULD ALLOW US TO INCREASE UNIT ADD 50,000 ON A RECURRING BASIS. UH, THEN WE ADDED, UH, THE EMPLOYER, UH, MEDICAL DENTAL HOLIDAY FOR ONE MONTH, WHICH WOULD FREE UP $816,000 IN THE GENERAL FUND OF THOSE DOLLARS WOULD BE ALLOCATED TO HAVE THE DECORATIVE LIGHTING ON THE WEST SIDE OF OCEAN DRIVE OF $428,000. UH, IT WOULD HAVE 60,000 OF THE $300,000 NEEDED TO DEAL WITH THE, UH, PALM AND HIBISCUS ISLAND, UH, UH, AESTHETIC LIGHTING OF WHICH TWO 40 WOULD COME FROM ANOTHER FUNDING SOURCE THAT WAS FREED UP THROUGH A STATE APPROPRIATION. UH, LEMME KEEP GOING DOWN MY LIST HERE. THE $250,000 SET ASIDE, THE CRR PROGRAM FOR THE SOUTH SHORE COMMUNITY CENTER ELEVATOR AND GENERATOR PROGRAM. UH, THIS IS ONE TIME THE MIAMI-DADE COLLEGE FIRST GEN SCHOLARSHIP, 30,001 TIME, 15,000 TEACHER APPRECIATION, UH, ONE TIME. AND THEN THE SUNSHADE THROUGH THE SOUTH BEACH QUALITY OF LIFE AT $300,000. DOES THAT SUMMARIZE EVERYTHING CENTER? AND I MENTIONED THE CONVENTION CENTER ADJUSTMENT. SO THOSE ARE ALL OF THE ITEMS, UH, I BELIEVE THAT THE COMMISSION HAS REQUESTED AND WE'VE DEBATED, AND I THINK WE'VE LANDED SO WE CAN MOVE TO THE NEXT STEP. AND WE'RE KEEPING THE TWO, UM, POLICE DETENTION OFFICERS. WE'RE NOT TOUCHING THE TWO POLICE DETENTION OFFICERS. SO THAT'S WHERE, WITH THE SUMMARY, I'M GONNA ASK TAMIKA IF THAT'S WHERE WE ARE. UM, PUBLIC HEARING OR YES, I, I THINK THE FIRST THING THAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN IS THE READING OF THE TITLES FOR THE MILLAGE TO TAKE CARE OF THAT. SO ITEM R SEVEN A IS A RESOLUTION OF THE MAYOR, CITY COMMISSIONER OF CITY OF MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA, ADOPTING ONE TENTATIVE AT THE LOWER MILLAGE OF 5.8522 MILLS FOR FISCAL YEAR 2025 FOR GENERAL OPERATING PURPOSES, WHICH IS NINE AND SIX TENTHS PERCENT MORE THAN THE ROLLBACK RATE OF 5.3395 MILS. AND THE DEBT SERVICE BILLAGE RATE OF 0.2959 MILS SUBJECT TO A SECOND PUBLIC HEARING TO CONSIDER THE MILIT RATE FOR FISCAL YEAR 2025 ON A WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25TH, 2024 AT 5 0 1. THIS IS A PUBLIC HEARING. SECOND, THERE IS NO ONE IN THE AUDIENCE WISHING YES, SIR. SO THERE IS NO ONE IN ZOOM WISHING TO SPEAK. WE HAVE ONE INDIVIDUAL IN THE AUDIENCE. PLEASE STATE YOUR NAME, ADDRESS, AND YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES. HI, MY NAME IS TROY WRIGHT, DIRECTOR OF WASHINGTON AVENUE BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT. UM, WASHINGTON AVENUE, OBVIOUSLY WE KNOW IS IN DESPERATE SHAPE. WE NEED BEAUTIFICATION AND SOMETHING THAT MANY OF YOU MAY NOT KNOW THAT WASHINGTON AVENUE DOES PAY FOR THE DECORATIVE LIGHTING GOING DOWN THE MEDIAN AND WASHINGTON AVENUE FROM FIFTH ALL THE WAY TO 17TH. IN ADDITION, WE PAY FOR THE LIGHTING, UM, ON ESPANOLA WAY EAST. THIS IS, AND WE DON'T HAVE A BIG BUDGET AT ALL. OBVIOUSLY THIS IS SOMETHING THAT, UM, I BROUGHT BEFORE SOME OF YOU, NOT BEFORE ALL OF YOU, UH, WHICH I APOLOGIZE. BUT WE DEFINITELY NEED HELP WITH THE LIGHTING. IT'S ONLY $36,000 A YEAR. UM, BUT IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE NEED. IF WE DO NOT HAVE OR ARE NOT ABLE TO RENEW OUR CONTRACT WITHIN THE NEXT TWO MONTHS, THERE WILL BE NO LIGHTING, DECORATIVE LIGHTING DOWN WASHINGTON AVENUE. IT WILL MAKE A HUGE DIFFERENCE. IT WILL BE DARK. I GUARANTEE YOU IT WILL BE DARK DOWN WASHINGTON AVENUE. SO THEN WHAT HAPPENS? IT BECOMES A SAFETY CONCERN AND THEN THE POLICE WILL HAVE TO BE CONCERNED. SO IF THERE'S ANY WAY, IF THERE'S FINANCES AVAILABLE TO HELP OFFSET THE COST, UM, FOR WASHINGTON AVENUE OR TO PAY FOR THE DECORATIVE LIGHTING SIMILAR TO WHAT HAPPENS ON 41ST STREET AND ALL THE OTHER LIGHTING PROGRAMS THAT YOU HAVE, I THINK WASHINGTON AVENUE DESERVES THAT HELP. WE NEED THAT HELP. AND, UM, YES, THAT'S ALL I HAVE TO SAY FOR NOW, BUT IF YOU NEED MORE INFORMATION, MORE DETAILS ABOUT IT, I'D BE MORE HAPPY TO GIVE YOU THAT. BUT I THINK OUT OF ALL THE PLACES WE NEED A LOT OF HELP WITH LIGHTING. THANK YOU. HI COMMISSIONER. THANK YOU. I'LL BE BRIEFED. DANIEL SERAL WITH MIAMI DESIGN PRESERVATION LEAGUE. I WANTED TO THANK YOU ALL, UH, FOR YOUR SUPPORT WITH THE ARTS AND CULTURE FUNDING. WE KNOW THAT IT WAS A LAST MINUTE SITUATION, UH, THAT HAPPENED IN JULY, BUT WE BELIEVE THAT WITH THE SUPPORT OF THE CITY, WE CAN CONTINUE OUR OPERATIONS. THESE GRANTS ARE FOR OUR GENERAL OPERATIONS AND SO THEY GO TOWARDS SOME OF THE LESS SEXY THINGS. BUT WE WILL TAKE ON YOUR CHALLENGE TO DEVELOP A NEW PROGRAM AND EVEN THINKING MAYBE OF A MORRIS LAPS [02:10:01] POPUP AT A CERTAIN COMMUNITY CENTER EXHIBIT. UH, BUT WE'LL KEEP WORKING ON THAT. HOPEFULLY WE'LL GET, UH, THE FULL SUPPORT OF THE COMMISSION AT THE NEXT MEETING. AND JUST IN GENERAL, I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR YOUR STEWARDSHIP OF THIS VERY IMPORTANT BUDGET. I REMEMBER COMING HERE IN 2011 TO THE BUDGET HEARINGS. THINGS WERE A LITTLE DIFFERENT THEN, AND I KNOW IT'S THANKS TO ALL OF YOUR WORK AND THE CITY THAT WE ARE WHERE WE ARE. SO THANK YOU. HOWARD HERRING, NEW WORLD SYMPHONY. I ECHO THAT. THANKS ESPECIALLY TO COMMISSIONER BOT AND COMMISSIONER FERNANDEZ WHO PUT THIS FORWARD. BUT ALL OF YOU WHO HAVE LISTENED CAREFULLY TO US AND THOUGHT THROUGH THIS PROBLEM IS A PARTICULAR PROBLEM, A SPECIFIC PROBLEM. STATE OF FLORIDA DECIDE, DECIDED TO DO WHAT IT DID. CULTURE IN THIS COMMUNITY IS GROWING. IT'S THRIVING. IT'S GONNA MAKE US A BETTER COMMUNITY. IT'S A BETTER PLACE TO LIVE, A BETTER PLACE FOR OUR CHILDREN TO GROW UP. ALL OF THAT WE KNOW. SO I, ADOPTING A STRATEGY THAT WILL BUILD US INTO AN EVEN MORE VIBRANT CULTURAL COMMUNITY IS A GOOD IDEA. BUT I JUST WANNA TALK ABOUT THE PRACTICAL SIDE OF THIS. QUICKLY. IN 1979, THERE WAS A PROPERTY AT, IN THE 700 BLOCK OF THE NORTH SIDE OF LINCOLN ROAD THAT TURNED OVER FOR $12 A SQUARE FOOT. YOU REMEMBER LINCOLN ROAD IN 1980? SOME OF YOU DO. AND WHAT HAPPENED AFTER THAT? MIAMI CITY BALLET, NEW WORLD SYMPHONY, THE SOUTH FLORIDA, I ALWAYS FORGET THE NAME. SOUTH FLORIDA ART CENTER, REGAL CINEMA, BOOKS AND BOOKS. ALL OF A SUDDEN, THERE'S REASON TO COME TO LINCOLN ROAD AND ALL OF A SUDDEN THE PROPERTY VALUES BEGAN TO GROW. THERE WAS MORE TO THE STORY THAN THAT, BUT THERE'S FIVE CULTURAL ARTS ORGANIZATIONS THAT ESTABLISH THEMSELVES AND RECREATED LINCOLN ROAD, WHICH IS LEADING TO THE RECREATION OF THIS COMMUNITY. SO I THANK YOU FOR CONSIDERING THIS, UH, ONE-TIME FUNDING AND I HOPE THAT WE CAN GET IT PASSED NEXT TIME. THANK YOU. SO MAY I CALL THE, LET'S CALL THE VOTE. I HAVE A MOTION FROM COMMISSIONER BY SWEAR FERNANDEZ. UH, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER SCHWARZ. ALL IN FAVOR. R SEVEN A. PLEASE SAY YES. YES, YES. MOTION PASSES. [R7 B A RESOLUTION OF THE MAYOR AND CITY COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA, ADOPTING THE TENTATIVE BUDGETS FOR THE GENERAL, G.O. DEBT SERVICE, CITY CENTER RDA AD VALOREM TAXES, NORTH BEACH CRA AD VALOREM TAXES, ENTERPRISE, INTERNAL SERVICE, AND SPECIAL REVENUE FUNDS FOR FISCAL YEAR 2025, SUBJECT TO A SECOND PUBLIC HEARING SCHEDULED ON WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2024, AT 5:01 P.M.] SEVEN ZERO. MAY I READ R SEVEN B? YES. YEAH. R SEVEN BR SEVEN B IS A YOU'RE OUT OF TIME. YOU'RE OUT OF TIME. R SEVEN B IS A RESOLUTION OF THE MAYOR CITY COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF MIAMI BEACH FOR ADOPTING THE TENANT BUDGET FOR THE GENERAL JAIL DEBT SERVICE CITY CENTER, RDA AND VALOREM TAXES NORTH BEACH CRA AT VALOREM TAXES, ENTERPRISE INTERNAL SERVICE AND SPECIAL REVENUE FUNDS FOR FISCAL YEAR 2025. SUBJECT TO A SECOND READING, PUBLIC HEARING SCHEDULED ON WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25TH, 2024 AT 5:01 PM THIS IS R SEVEN B. IT IS A PUBLIC HEARING. I SEE NO ONE IN THE AUDIENCE WISHING TO SPEAK. AND THIS WILL BE AS AMENDED BASED ON THE AMENDMENTS THAT I DESCRIBED. I'LL MOVE IT. SECOND. I HAVE A MOTION FROM COMMISSIONER SCHWARZ, SECOND OF OUR VICE MAYOR FERNANDEZ. ALL IN FAVOR, PLEASE SAY AYE. AYE. A MOTION PASSES AS AMENDED. SECOND READING. PUBLIC HEARING FOR ALL THESE ITEMS IS WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25TH. THIS ITEM AND THE PREVIOUS ONE WILL BE HEARD AT 5:01 PM [R7 C A RESOLUTION OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE NORMANDY SHORES LOCAL GOVERNMENT NEIGHBORHOOD IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT ADOPTING THE TENTATIVE AD VALOREM MILLAGE RATE OF 0.7789 MILLS FOR FISCAL YEAR 2025 FOR THE NORMANDY SHORES LOCAL GOVERNMENT NEIGHBORHOOD IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT, WHICH IS FIVE AND FOUR TENTHS PERCENT (5.4%) MORE THAN THE "ROLLED-BACK" RATE OF 0.7387 MILLS, SUBJECT TO A SECOND PUBLIC HEARING SCHEDULED ON WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2024, AT 5:02 P.M.] RR SEVEN C IS A RESOLUTION OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE NORMANDY SHORES LOCAL GOVERNMENT NEIGHBORHOOD IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT, ADOPTING THE TENTATIVE AT VALOR MILLAGE RATE OF 0.7789 MILLS FOR FISCAL YEAR 2025 FOR THE NORMANDY SHORES LOCAL GOVERNMENT NEIGHBORHOOD IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT, WHICH IS FIVE AND FOUR 10% MORE THAN THE ROLLBACK RATE OF 0.7387 MILLS. SUBJECT TO A SECOND READING PUBLIC HEARING SCHEDULED FOR WEDNESDAY ON WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25TH AT 5:02 PM FOR THE RECORD, WE'RE RECONVENING, WE'RE RECESSING AS THE MIAMI BEACH, UH, COMMISSION AND CONVENING AS THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE NORMANDY SHORES LOCAL GOVERNMENT NEIGHBORHOOD. I'LL MOVE. SO THERE'S NO ONE IN THE AUDIENCE THAT WISHES TO SPEAK. IT IS MOVED BY COMMISSIONER FERNANDEZ, VICE MAYOR FERNANDEZ, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER SUAREZ. ALL IN FAVOR OF THIS ITEM. AYE. AYE. THE ITEM IS APPROVED. I SECONDED THE I OH, THE OTHER WAY AROUND. I MOVED IT. IT'S OKAY. WHATEVER. GOT IT. SO IT CORRECTED. IT IS COMMISSIONER SUAREZ MADE THE MOTION VICE MAYOR FERNANDEZ. SECOND. IT ALL IN FAVOR WAS SEVEN ZERO. SECOND READING. PUBLIC HEARING IS SCHEDULED FOR WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25TH AT 5:02 PM WHAT'S THIS? GIMME ONE SEC. OH, ONE MORE. ONE MORE. SO [R7 D A RESOLUTION OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE NORMANDY SHORES LOCAL GOVERNMENT NEIGHBORHOOD IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT ADOPTING THE TENTATIVE OPERATING BUDGET FOR FISCAL YEAR 2025, SUBJECT TO A SECOND PUBLIC HEARING SCHEDULED ON WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2024, AT 5:02 P.M.] THE NEXT ITEM IS R SEVEN D, THE RESOLUTION OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE NORMANDY SHORES LOCAL GOVERNMENT NEIGHBORHOOD IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT ADOPTING THE TENTATIVE OPERATING BUDGET FOR FISCAL YEAR 2025. SUBJECT TO A SECOND PUBLIC HEARING SCHEDULED ON WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25TH AT 5:02 PM IT IS A PUBLIC HEARING. THERE'S NO ONE IN THE AUDIENCE REQUESTING TO SPEAK. MOVE IT. SECOND. I HAVE A MOTION FROM COMMISSIONER SORE. SECONDED BY, UH, VICE [02:15:01] MAYOR FERNANDEZ. UH, ALL IN FAVOR, PLEASE SAY AYE. AYE. AYE. ITEM PASSES SEVEN ZERO. SECOND READING, PUBLIC HEARING IS WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25 AT 5:02 PM WE ARE NOW RECONVENING AGAIN AS THE CITY OF MIAMI BEACH [R7 E A RESOLUTION OF THE MAYOR AND CITY COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA, ADOPTING THE TENTATIVE CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PLAN FOR FISCAL YEARS 2025 – 2029 AND ADOPTING THE CITY OF MIAMI BEACH TENTATIVE CAPITAL BUDGET FOR FISCAL YEAR 2025, SUBJECT TO A SECOND PUBLIC HEARING SCHEDULED ON WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2024, AT 5:03 P.M.] COMMISSION MEETING. WE'RE NOW DOING R SEVEN E, WHICH IS A RESOLUTION OF THE MAYOR CITY COMMISSIONER OF THE CITY OF MIAMI BEACH, ADOPTING THE TENTATIVE CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PLAN FOR FISCAL YEAR 2025 THROUGH 2029 AND ADOPTING THE CITY OF MY REACH. TENTATIVE CAPITAL BUDGET FOR FISCAL YEAR 2025. SUBJECT TO A SECOND PUBLIC HEARING SCHEDULED ON WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25TH AT 5:03 PM THIS IS A PUBLIC HEARING. THERE'S NO ONE IN THE AUDIENCE REQUESTING TO SPEAK. I'LL MOVE IT. SUAREZ MOVES IT FERNANDEZ. SECOND. I HAVE A MOTION FROM COMM COMMISSIONER SUAREZ. SECONDED BY VICE MAYOR FERNANDEZ. ALL IN FAVOR, PLEASE SAY AYE. AYE. ITEM CARRIE, SEVEN ZERO. SECOND READING, PUBLIC HEARING SCHEDULED FOR SEPTEMBER 25TH AT 5:03 PM THERE ARE NO OTHER ITEMS, RIGHT? I WANNA THANK MY COLLEAGUES. UM, AS I STARTED THIS MEETING, SHOW ME WHERE YOU PUT YOUR MONEY AND THAT'S WHERE YOUR PRIORITIES ARE. WE'RE PUTTING QUALITY OF LIFE, PUTTING PUBLIC SAFETY. WE HAVE STREET CLEANING ITEMS, PRESSURE WASHING, LAW ENFORCEMENT, DEALING WITH THE HOMELESS EDUCATION INITIATIVES. WE'RE ADDING PROSECUTORS, DETENTION OFFICERS, AND MUCH MORE. WE KEPT ARTS AND CULTURE. THANK YOU. ARTS AND CULTURE. WE KEPT THE TAX RATE FLAT, UM, AND WE INCORPORATED A LOT OF THE COMMENTS WE HEARD FROM OUR RESIDENTS IN OUR SURVEY AND FEEDBACK. THAT'S THE ITEMS YOU'RE SEEING THAT OUR COMMISSION IS FOCUSED ON WAS DIRECTLY WE HEARD YOU, WE HEARD YOU AND WE'RE IMPLEMENTING IT. AND A SPECIAL THANK YOU TO OUR BUDGET AND FINANCE CHAIR, COMMISSIONER JOE MAGAZINE, WHO REALLY, UH, IT'S, IT'S, IT'S NOT AN EASY JOB RUNNING THAT, THAT MEETING AND WORKING TOGETHER WITH OUR CFO AND OUR CITY MANAGER TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR CITY IS RUNNING FISCALLY RESPONSIBLY. AND, AND YOU'RE DOING A GREAT JOB. SO THANK YOU. OKAY. MEETING ADJOURNED. THANK YOU. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.