Mission Statement
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City of Miami Beach
Mission Statement
Weare committed to providing excellent public service and safety
to all who
live, work, and play in our vibrant, tropical, historic community.
Value Statements
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We maintain the City of Miami Beach as a world-class city.
We work as a cooperative team of well-trained professionals.
We serve the public with dignity and respect.
We conduct the business of the city with honesty,
integrity, and dedication.
We are ambassadors of good will to our residents, visitors,
r and the business community.
r City of Miami Beach
5- Year Vision
In five years, we will be:
· Cleaner and Safer
· More Beautiful and Vibrant
· Mature and stable residential community with well improved infrastructure
· A unique urban and historic environment
· A cultural, entertainment, tourism capital
· An inte~national center for innovation in culture, recreation and business
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With. ..
· An entrepreneurial spirit
· Continued trendiness
· And more sophisticated:
· Travelers
· Businesses
· Entertainment
· Conventions
· Diverse Residential Community
We will have:
· Significant completion of G.O.Bond/Capitallmprovement Program
· Continued economic growth and development, especially in previously
less-attended areas, and Master Plan for all areas
· Thriving Cultural Arts scene
· Improved Transportation System with city-wide access and calmer traffic
· Enhanced automation and use of technology with e-government solutions
· Empowered, committed, stable, "Sterling Award" caliber employees and
managers with competitive pay and benefits
· More flexible, stream-lined services
· Continued fiscal management and strengthened financial position
· Higher quality services and enhanced quality of life at lower tax rate for
citizens
· Management team which will respond to unforeseen events quickly
· Workforce which is customer service oriented
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r City of Miami Beach
State of the City Address
November 17,2001
City Manager Jorge M. Gonzalez
"Setting Solutions for the Future"
Good morning and welcome to the Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce's
Annual Goals Conference.
Thank you for your kind introduction.
I would like to thank the Chamber for inviting me again to its conference. It's my
pleasure to be here with all of you to present the City of Miami Beach's .State of
the City.
When I presented to you last year; I asked you all to "envision the possibilities,"
to set goals for the future, and to imagine what could be accomplished if we
focused our resources on achieving excellence. I shared with you a short video
of my first impressions of the transformation the City had undertaken in just the
r six years that I had lived away from South Florida. I tried to capture my
impressions and share with you what can be accomplished if we truly set our
minds to excel, together. Let me briefly refresh your memory.
SHOW VIDEO CLIP FROM LAST YEAR
Our community has accomplished a great deal and we should all be proud of that
success. You will remember that at the end of my remarks I challenged those of
you who were here to let your imaginations run free and to ask yourself, five
years from now if you were producing a video, like the one shown, what would
YOU like to see in it?
Well I've been doing some work of my own to help you with this challenge. The
formula to produce a great film is to have good fundamentals: a cast with great
chemistry, a fabulous setting and a compelling story that moves you. My friends
-- the City of Miami Beach is blessed in each of these categories.
First, let me introduce you to some of the cast members. Some have been here
for a while and some are new, but all have a strong commitment to the best
interests of our City.
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Mayor David Dermer has a new starring role. Commissioners Saul Gross and
Richard Steinberg have joined Vice Mayor Jose Smith and Commissioners Matti
Bower, Simon Cruz and Luis Garcia on the dais. We should all recognize them
for their commitment and contributions. We should also thank Mayor Neisen
Kasdin and Commissioner Nancy Liebman for their contributions both past and
those in the future.
I also spent some time this past year recruiting new members of the
Administration, including Assistant City Manager Bob Middaugh, Chief of Staff
Ramiro Inguanzo, Director of Capital Improvements Program Office Tim
Hemstreet, Director of Public Works Fred Beckman, Director of Parking Saul
Frances, Director of Neighborhood Services Vivian Guzman, our new Assistant
Chief of Police Ray Martinez, and Chief of Police Don De Lucca. They join a
team of highly committed and competent professionals throughout our
organization. I'd like to ask all the members of our team who are present to
stand up and be recognized on behalf of yourselves and the others who could
not be here today.. I thank you and I commend you for your dedication and hard
work.
I've also scouted locations throughout Miami Beach - where our wonderful story
takes place everyday! Our setting is truly cosmopolitan and spectacularly unique.
With our beautiful beaches, the radiant sunshine, a variety of .cultural and
entertainment options, our historic districts, our good clean residential areas, the
world-class retail and restaurant choices, our wonderful diversity, and
progressive leadership, our City is the envy of the world. We ARE an
international community, we are a microcosm of what our nation will be like and
we continue to set a standard as a model community to be emulated.
.-..
I have arranged for a video presentation so you can see some of our cast
members on location and in action. It also shows some location shots I've
scouted for us. Please feel free to watch the video as I proceed to share with
you our developing story. The video is a montage collection of our efforts and
the prospects for the future - my remarks will not necessarily track the shots
exactly.
BEGIN VIDEO HERE
Shortly after last year's Goal's Conference, I met with my staff and held a
leadership retreat where we too "envisioned the possibilities." We developed a
five-year vision for the City and identified priority areas to focus on in order to
achieve this vision. These were presented to the Commission in January and
were unanimously endorsed.
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Among the issues that we identified as priority areas through our five-year
visioning effort were:
. Implementation of the Capital Improvement Program to improve the City's
infrastructure, public facilities, parks, beaches, golf courses and public safety
equipment;
· Implementation of the recommendations of the Business Resolution Task
Force that would expedite the permitting process, improve customer service,
simplify the process of Land Use boards, improve staffing, and invest in
technology;
. Creation of a cohesive Strategic Plan and Economic Development Program
that manages and fosters the economic growth in the City; and that is
directed at expanding and diversifying the economic base without adversely
impacting the unique character of our community and our residential
neighborhoods; and
. Investment in the organizational development and internal staff capacity to
ensure that the City's workforce is prepared to lead, serve, and address the
City's unique challenges.
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Given this focus, we believe that within five years, the City of Miami Beach will
be:
. cleaner and safer;
. more beautiful and vibrant;
. mature and stable with a well-improved infrastructure;
. a unique historic, urban environment;
. a cultural, entertainment, and tourism capital; and
. an international center for innovation in culture, recreation and
business.
That's our vision for the future!
As many of you know, I recently completed my first year as your City Manager.
The past year has been one of transition not only for me personally, but for the
City as well. But having made the transition, I believe we are better positioned
today to deal with the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead and to continue
"setting solutions for the future. n
Significant changes have occurred at City Hall. Changes in the way we do
business, in the way we are organized, in who is providing our services, and
most importantly, in our focus and priorities. We have worked to align our
resources with the City Commission's priorities and have focused on the
business of the City. I have worked to ensure that above all, we provide efficient
r- and effective services to all of our citizens and customers in a professional
manner with a premium on high quality customer service.
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A great deal of progress has been made in the four priority areas I mentioned
earlier:
Implementation of the CIP
We have created the Capital Improvement Program Office to provide a
coordinated focus on the various capital projects within the City. We have
contracted with program management firms of Hazen & Sawyer and URS to
. provide expertise and coordination. We have also contracted with architectural
and engineering firms to develop the plans in our neighborhoods. We have
issued the necessary bonds to accomplish the immediate projects and have
strategically improved our financial position to ensure the best rates possible for
future borrowing. Our community outreach throughout this program will be
coordinated through the CIP office working closely with the newly created
Neighborhood Services Department and the G.O. Bond Oversight Committee.
Business Resolution Task Force Recommendations
We have made great progress in implementing the Business Resolution Task
Force recommendations. This can best be evidenced by a reduction in customer
complaints and an ongoing increase in building permits pulled. While there is still
plenty of room for improvement, I have seen a noticeable reduction in the
number of complaints received by my office. We have made several adjustments
to our hiring practices, which have allowed us to facilitate several critically
needed new hires in the Building Department. We have also begun a further
review of our permitting process and permit fees, which should be completed in
the next few months. Additionally, we will develop an internet-access permitting
process in concert with our hand-held inspection computer equipment. A
contract was recently established for this project and we expect implementation
in the coming year.
-.,
Strateaic Plannina and Economic Development
Our focus on Strategic Planning and Economic Development flourished. This
past year, North Beach received more coordinated and focused attention as well
as a strong financial commitment from the City. We held a successful charette
process to develop a strategic plan for North Beach. We also selected a
developer to partner with us on the nod Street site; acquired the Byron-Carlyle
Theater; developed the RFQ for disposition of the "west lots"; and furthered our
implementation of the DPZ Plan.
Moving south, we proceeded with the site analysis to update our City Center
Master Plan and determined the best use for the 17th Street site to accommodate
..........
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r the future growth of the New World Symphony. The public-private partnership
projects such as Lincoln Place and Lincoln Plaza are well under construction. We
completed a visioning session for Lincoln Road which gives us a road map for the
future. The implementation of the South Beach Service Team is keeping our
commercial areas cleaner. And we began our Citywide Parking Demand Analysis
to determine where we should focus our resources in creating solutions to our
parking dilemma. The City and the RDA moved forward in completing the land
acquisition for the planned regional library in the Collins Park Cultural Center;
out-sourced the leasing and management functions at the 16th Street Anchor
Garage and negotiated a termination agreement with Miami-Dade County for the
South Pointe RDA.
Central to the future of our City, we successfully negotiated an amendment to our
Interlocal Agreement with the County that assures us a dedicated revenue
stream from the Convention Development Tax. This agreement could generate
close to 1.5 billion dollars over the next 40 years, with a net present value of
almost 450 million dollars - and assures us that the ongoing capital needs of the
Miami Beach Convention Center will be met.
Finally, in furtherance of our economic development efforts, the City developed
strategic alliances with our hotel and nightlife industries to develop the City's
Major Events Plan, which has already been implemented successfully several
r times in the past three months.
Investment in Oraanizational Development
Major progress has been achieved in the area of organizational development and
capacity building at the City. After careful deliberation, we implemented a major
realignment of the Administration. This reorganization, not only aligned our
resources with the priorities of this Commission and in a functional manner, but
also worked to create a focus and attention on important aspects of the City by
creating three new departments and expanding another. The new areas include
the Neighborhood Services Department; the Capital Improvement Program
Office; the Cultural Arts and Tourism Development Department; and an
expanded role for the Public Works Department.
More significantly, the transition was seamless and the organization gained
momentum in the process. We have completed eight senior level recruitments
and these selections have clearly enhanced our organizational capacity and
reflect my philosophy of professionalism and commitment to customer service.
Together we have fostered a change in the management style and culture of our
organization.
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Last month, as we completed the Fiscal Year and approved a new Operating
Budget, I held another leadership retreat with staff to review the past year's
progress and revalidate our priority areas for the coming year.
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In addition to continuing our work on last year's priorities, we identified two
additional priorities to focus on over the next year. We will enhance how we
deliver Neighborhood Services and we will focus our energies on implementing
electronic government solutions.
Neiahborhood Services
The Neighborhood Services area provides a focus on quality of life issues in our
residential neighborhoods. One of the ways we are enhancing service delivery to
our residents is through the creation of multi-departmental teams that will work
with our residents to identify and address concerns and develop comprehensive
long-term solutions for them. Our goals include pursuing a coordinated effort to
reduce the incidence of homeless.. enhancing community cleanliness,
coordinating services, developing and implementing community outreach efforts,
and implementing a centralized call center.
Our outreach and education efforts will include publishing a resident's guide to
City services that will provide information on services provided by the City and
Miami-Dade County, in an easy to use format. Another Neighborhood Services
initiative is the creation of a citizens' academy, which will provide our residents
with the information, resources and tools to effectively participate in many of the
decision-making processes that affect their community.
,-.,
Electronic Government
The implementation of electronic government solutions will better provide
electronic access to City services and information by enhancing our
infrastructure. My goal is to create a virtual City Hall that can be accessed by
anyone, day or night, via their computer or telephone. We've already made
progress, with our "on-line" utility bill payment capabilities. We want to expand
that in the coming months by redesigning our website with enhanced interactivity
to allow for among other services, occupational license renewals, parking card
purchases, and yes, even on line building inspection requests and permit
tracking. Our investment and progress in technology has resulted in more
efficient tools and we will continue to work to make our goal of electronic
government solutions a reality.
In light of the accomplishments this past year and our focus on the future, I can
tell you that our story is strong but evolving.
In fact, several key indicators highlighted the strength and vitality of our
community and our economy:
-...
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. Last year we had more than 10 million visitors to Greater Miami, of those,
seven million visited South Beach and 4.2 million actually stayed on Miami
Beach. In addition to the tourists, South Beach is also a regional
attraction with eight million trips last year by residents of South Florida.
. New hotels that have opened or soon will open include properties such as
the South Beach Marriott, the Shore Club, the Ritz Carlton, the Setai, and
the Royal Palm Crowne Plaza.
. Convention sales remained strong. We hosted the Boat Show, the
Microsoft Global Briefing, the Plumbers and Pipefitters, the Auto Show,
and just this past week, the School and Home Office Products
Association.
. On the cultural stage, Miami Beach continued to produce top quality
events such as 2nd Thursdays and the ArtsBeach festival, as well as
providing almost 700,000 dollars in grants to more than 70 organizations.
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. Miami Beach remains home to eight of Miami Dade County's major
cultural institutions, including the New World Symphony -- with its plans for
expansion, the Miami City Ballet and the Bass Museum of Art -- with their
new facilities at the Collins Park Cultural Center, the Miami Beach Design
Preservation League - with their new home at the 10th Street Auditorium,
the Wolfson ian, the Arts Center South Florida, and the Ziff Museum.
. Throughout this past year, retail shops were thriving, restaurants and
nightclubs were filled with tourist and local visitors alike. Room, food, and
alcohol sales were approaching $1 billion per year.
. Office projects were well underway with some nearing completion, and
several new residential projects coming on line.
. Property values continued to grow. The median condo price of new units
sold was up to $377,000 compared to $259,000 just last year. The
median single-family home price of units sold grew to $734,000 up from
$514,000 last year.
. The City's role as a major events venue continued to be demonstrated,
hosting a number prestigious and diverse events, including the Winter
Music Conference, the 2001 Source Music Awards and just last weekend,
the country's number one pop group, 'NSYNC, played to almost 150,000
cheering fans without incident.
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· Crime statistics continued to reflect a downward trend with "Part 1" crimes
dropping a record 13 percent last year after successive drops of 6 and 1 0
percent over the two previous years.
""'"'
· Fiscally, the City's credit ratings remain solid and the City is in excellent
financial condition as is evidenced by our 2002 Operating Budget which,
for the second year in a row, reduced the millage rate, while maintaining
current service levels and providing for nearly 4 million dollars of
enhanced services.
· We also project a fund balance of more than 27 million dollars and an
eleven percent contingency reserve for emergencies. All of this while
maintaining an operating millage rate that is less than the millage rate of
half of the municipalities in Miami-Dade County.
As you can see, what we've been working on had the makings of an incredible
production - one we should all be proud of.
STOP THE VIDEO
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But, on September 11th, our world and our lives were changed in a way no one
could ever have imagined. In many ways the script to our story has also
changed. And the state of our City is being redefined.
Fortunately, .the City of Miami Beach has strong and resilient fundamentals that
will uniquely position us to survive and recover from these world events.
Traditionally we have been the last to be affected by economic downturns, and
the first to recover from them. We are in a very sound fiscal condition with strong
reserves and with a 92 million dollar bond issue that was approved by the voters
in November 1999. This issue has been leveraged into a 400 million dollar
capital improvements program that will positively impact our economy over the
next five years. Not only providing for needed infrastructure improvements but
also creating hundreds of jobs within our city.
Public safety remains a top priority for the City, and while we coordinate all
hazardous material calls with Miami-Dade County, we have established a Public
Safety Task Force to ensure a coordinated and holistic approach to address the
challenges and threats that we face in a post September 11th world.
Finally, while we have made great strides in diversifying our economic base, by
attracting more than 2 billion dollars of new private investment in the retail,
commercial, cultural and entertainment industries over the past few years, the
recent world events have made it abundantly clear to me that we are still heavily
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r- dependent on our tourism economy. It is a major element of our economic fabric
that we may have taken for granted.
Unfortunately, our businesses and our economy have suffered. To what degree
and for how long is still to be determined. But while every city in America has
been affected in varying ways, Miami Beach has been uniquely impacted
because of the significant importance of the tourism and aviation industries to our
City. On a positive note, hospitality analysts report that the South Florida region
is one of the most resilient markets in the country, and that Miami Beach is the
most resilient sub-market in this region.
In light of the impact on our community, the City Commission moved quickly and
a~gressively to develop and set solutions for the future. This began on October
18 when we held a major Tourism and Economic Summit bringing together for
the first time all of the key players in our tourism economy locally and regionally
along with our social service organizations to explore and discuss possible
solutions. More than 150 persons attended to make comments and offer
suggestions. That evening, the City unveiled a local economic stimulus package
to immediately help our businesses which has been added to since then, to
include the hugely successful Veteran's Day weekend celebration culminating
r with the 'NSYNC and Friends Benefit Concert, and the business resource
discussion scheduled for later on today.
This discussion will highlight our efforts with the Small Business Administration to
extend the eligibility criteria for businesses to qualify for SBA Economic Injury
Disaster Loans.
We have also established a relationship with the Florida Lottery that will allow us
to leverage the marketing reach of the lottery with Miami Beach's popularity. This
partnership will include participation by the City's businesses in the Lottery's
statewide "Stay Here Play Here" promotion, as well as a Miami Beach them~d
scratch-off game in 2002.
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We recently implemented a new film and print incentive program, and, although
Art Basel has been postponed for a year, we are moving forward with our
ArtsBeach event in December and - believe it or not, a collection of site specific
installations and works organized by and exhibited in our new Bass Museum of
Art opening on December 12th.
Although our story has changed quite a bit since September 11th, our core
resources have not. Our infrastructure, our natural resources and our greatest
asset, our people - our residents, our business owners and our workforce, remain
in place.
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Ours is a strong and resilient community that has risen from every downturn and
met every challenge only to come out stronger and better than before. We
endured the impact of the riots and the Cuban Mariel boatlift in the 1980s and
saw a revitalization of our community that is still ongoing. Hurricane Andrew in
1992 blew through South Florida, and while we were spared the brunt of its force,
our region was devastated. But from that we saw an incredible reinvestment in
our historic and residential areas resulting in large part in the exponential growth
of our tax base and our economy.
The resolve of our Nation and our community is once again being tested. Our
future is unclear and our story is still being written. Unfortunately, as is too often
the case it takes a disaster to bring people together as a community - but we
have come together before and we have shown an ability to work toward a
common good. We are our greatest assets and we will meet the challenge.
It is our responsibility to harness the many resources we have in this community
and ensure that our future continues to be prosperous. I ask each of you, as
business leaders and residents of Miami Beach, to join our cast and partner with
the City to come up with "solutions for the future" so that together we can make
the City of Miami Beach a truly world-class, cosmopolitan, vibrant, tropical,
historic community.
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Finally, you ask what is the state of the City. Ladies and gentlemen, the State of
the City, the future of the City, is in our hands -let's make it a blockbuster!
Now - as they say in Hollywood:
"Places...; places everyone. And ACTION"
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