LTC 243-2017 Goodwill Ambassadors for Memorial Day Weekend ActivitiesMIAMIBEACH
OFFICE OF THE CITY MANAGER
NO. LTC# 243 -2017
LETTER TO COMMISSION
TO: Mayor Philip Levine and Members o the City ;.mmission
FROM: Jimmy L. Morales, City Manager
DATE: May 12, 2017
SUBJECT: GOODWILL AMBASSADORS FO MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND ACTIVITIES
This Letter to Commission outlines the plan for deploying the City's Goodwill Ambassador Teams
during the 2017 Memorial Day Weekend activities where capacity crowds are expected, due to
several events taking place concurrently. This program continues to be an essential component
of the City's Major Event Planning.
The Goodwill Ambassadors have been the face of the City during peak periods, presenting
Miami Beach in the best possible light to our visitors. The Department of Emergency
Management (DEM) and Police Department, in conjunction with Miami -Dade County's Office of
Community Advocacy, have developed a Goodwill Ambassador plan that enhances efforts to
maintain safety and security. This year, in addition to the expectation of capacity crowds on our
open beaches, as has been typical in years past, there are two other events occurring that are
sanctioned by the City of Miami Beach. The "National Salute to America's Heroes" air and sea
show and World Out Games events are projected to bring additional crowds. The yearly crowd
convergence during Memorial Day Weekend already stresses City personnel and resources, so
participation by the Goodwill Ambassadors is especially necessary this year.
Police Personnel — Four uniformed police officers are assigned to the Goodwill Ambassador
program. Two uniformed officers will be assigned to Goodwill Ambassadors working day shift
and two uniformed officers will be assigned to Goodwill Ambassadors working nights. The
uniformed police officers will take any law enforcement action deemed necessary. In addition to
those duties, uniformed officers will complete any incident reports, assist Goodwill Ambassadors
in the distribution of information outlining safety tips, and coordinate with any outside entities
working with the Goodwill Ambassador program. There will be a collaborated effort between the
uniformed police officers, the Department of Emergency Management, and the Miami -Dade
County Office of Community Advocacy in the supervision of the City of Miami Beach and Miami -
Dade County Goodwill Ambassadors.
Training:
The City of Miami Beach Goodwill Ambassadors will be required to attend a training and
orientation session at Miami Beach City Hall Commission Chambers. Three sessions are offered
so that participants will be able to attend. The sessions will be held Monday, May 22nd at
1200hrs and again at 1600hrs, and Tuesday, May 23, 2017 at 0900hrs. Training for Miami Beach
participants will be conducted by one of the uniformed police officers assigned to the GWA
Program and Miami Beach DEM staff.
Miami Dade County Goodwill Ambassadors will attend orientation and training on Wednesday,
May 24th at 1630hrs., at the Stephen P. Clark Center 111 NW 1st Street Miami, FL 33128.
Goodwill Ambassadors Responsibilities and Assignments:
The _ Goodwill Ambassadors will be assigned to various locations within the Entertainment
District, Lummus Park, and the beach (Area one, South District). The Goodwill Ambassadors will
be divided into teams and tasked with various assignments. Those assignments are:
• Beach Assignment — Goodwill Ambassadors will be posted at tents near beach
access entrances to assist police officers in educating beach goers on the City
Ordinances pertaining to large tents, amplified music, Styrofoam coolers, pets,
glass bottles and open alcoholic beverages on the beach. If Goodwill
Ambassadors witness any criminal activity (i.e. beach thefts), they will report it to
law enforcement officers. Teams of three Goodwill Ambassadors will be assigned
to each tent at each location.
• K.I.D.S. Program: Kids' ID Stations. Goodwill Ambassadors will be assigned at
several marked beach entrance locations to register families visiting the beach in
this voluntary service offered by MBPD. Wristbands will be issued to children and
to anyone with special needs. The wristband will be filled out to correspond to a
spreadsheet with the child's or special needs individual's name, the name of their
guardian and cell phone contact information, in order to facilitate reunification.
• Ocean Drive Assignment: Goodwill Ambassadors assigned to Ocean Drive will
be posted in Lummus Park where there is a high volume of people and activity
associated with various planned events. The Goodwill Ambassadors will monitor
crowds, check public restrooms for cleanliness and suspicious activity, and report
any criminal activity to law enforcement officers. At least four Ambassadors will be
assigned to this beat.
• Entertainment District Assignment: (Collins Avenue and Washington Avenue) —
Goodwill Ambassadors assigned to the Entertainment District will be tasked with
crowd monitoring at various nightclubs and hotels. These Goodwill Ambassadors
will assist law enforcement in keeping the crowd behind barricades and out of the
roadway. There will be a minimum of six (6) Goodwill Ambassadors assigned to a
team when dealing with crowd control. The Goodwill ambassadors will also
monitor municipal parking garages and gas stations along 5th Street where crowds
tend to gather.
• MBPD Headquarters Assignment: During special events, visitors tend to visit
the police department looking for information. Goodwill Ambassadors assigned to
the MBPD will be positioned in the lobby area to help facilitate the dissemination
of information. This allows uniformed officers to attend to more pertinent public
safety inquiries.
• Residential Area Assignment: A team of Goodwill Ambassadors will be
deployed to monitor activity in the Flamingo Neighborhood adjacent to the
Entertainment District. This assignment was added last year and has proven to be
helpful in addressing lost visitors who wander into the area as well as assisting
with area security by directing strangers out of the neighborhood and helping to
ensure compliance with the noise ordinance and general safety.
Goodwill Ambassador Uniform Attire:
CMB and Miami -Dade County Goodwill Ambassadors are required to wear city approved
Goodwill Ambassadors shirts and City /County issued ID cards. The ID card must be visible at all
times. The Goodwill Ambassador shirts are lime green with royal blue lettering, clearly
identifying them as a Goodwill Ambassadors. City of Miami Beach and Miami -Dade County
Goodwill Ambassadors administration shirts will be in navy blue with lime green lettering. The
Miami Beach Goodwill Ambassador shirts will display the City of Miami Beach logo, and the
Miami -Dade County shirts will display the County logo. Participants are asked to wear the shirt
they have previously been issued and only those who have not received shirts will be issued new
ones.
Transportation /Parking:
The Goodwill Ambassadors will use "Gator" carts as a source of transportation. The majority of
the Goodwill Ambassadors will be on assigned post or walking beats. The Gator carts will be
staged on the hard pack at 23rd Street. In addition to the Gator carts, there will be a shuttle
service on Saturday and Sunday only from the City Hall parking garage to the hard pack at 23rd
Street and the beach. This service will be provided by the Parks and Recreation Department.
The Parking Department is providing parking at the City Hall garage for Miami Beach Goodwill
Ambassadors. In an effort to limit the number of parking spaces used, the County Goodwill
Ambassadors will park in Miami and buses will bring them to the staging area at 23rd Street.
Communications:
The City of Miami Beach Goodwill Ambassadors will communicate on hand held radios
distributed by the City of Miami Beach Department of Emergency Management. The County
GWAs will use County- issued radios. There will be a minimum of two Goodwill Ambassadors
appointed as dispatchers who will be tasked with dispatching Goodwill Ambassadors to calls for
service. The GWA dispatchers will also keep a record indicating the location of each team and
will communicate with the Department of Emergency Management (PSCU). The GWA
dispatchers will maintain a radio log with each team leader's name and contact information.
In the event of radio failure, the GWA dispatcher will contact each team leader by phone and
request the team to report to one of three locations: 1)Miami Beach Police Station, 2) the 10th
Street Auditorium /Art Deco Welcome Center or 3) Miami Beach Senior High School. The GWA
dispatchers will receive radio training by the Department of Emergency Management prior to
their shift. The Department of Emergency Management (PSCU) and City Warning Point (CWP)
will monitor the Goodwill Ambassadors radio transmissions.
Deployment:
The City of Miami Beach Goodwill Ambassador Teams will deploy approximately Fifty (50)
Goodwill Ambassadors to support Memorial Day Weekend (MDW) activities. The City of Miami
Beach GWAs will work the high- impact dates and times, Saturday and Sunday, May 27th and 28th
from 0700 to 1900hrs.
County Goodwill Ambassadors are scheduled for deployment beginning on Wednesday, May
24th, with a small contingent of admin personnel for set up. Then, they will deploy on Thursday,
May 25th from 1700 — 0300hrs and Friday, May 26th from 0700- 1900hrs, and a second shift from
1700 — 0300hrs. On Saturday, May 27th and Sunday, May 28th, the County Goodwill
Ambassadors will deploy in three shifts: 0700 -1900, 1000- 2000hrs and 1700 -0300 hrs. Finally,
on Monday, they will deploy from 1000- 1800hrs. IN total, the County will deploy approximately
250 GWAs.
Field Staging Location:
1001 Ocean Drive- Art Deco Welcome Center
10th and Lummis Park area (Roll call /briefing tent)
GWA contact # (305) 673 -7736
Transport Staging Location:
Hard pack at 23rd Street, east of the dunes
Roll Calls:
Goodwill Ambassador roll calls will be conducted in the GWA Command Post at the beginning of
each shift.
Meals /Drinks:
The Goodwill bassadors will be provided one meal per shift along with snacks and
refreshments.
CMB Goodwill Ambassadors participation criteria:
In order to participate, all Goodwill Ambassadors must meet the following criteria:
• Have accrued no more than ten (10) sick days (not incidents) in the last 12 -month
period prior to request for participation
• Have not been Absent Without Leave (AWOL) in the last 12 -month period
• Have an overall employment evaluation score of no less than 65, and no less than 7
in the areas of "customer service" and "ability to work with others"
• Have not received discipline in the last 6 months
• Are not currently on active Family and Medical Leave (FML)
All employees must obtain approval from their supervisor and Director in order to participate as
Goodwill Ambassadors.
Participating Employees to the Goodwill Ambassador Program for Memorial Day events will
receive administrative time for time worked. Administrative time will be calculated one hour and a
half (time and %) for each hour served.
If you have any questions or need additional information, please do not hesitate to contact me.
JLM /CT /CF /AST