LTC 490-2017 Condition of Handball Courts at Flamingo ParkMIAMI BEACH
OFFICE OF THE CITY MANAGER
NO. LTC # 490-2017
LETTE TO COMMISSION
TO: Mayor Philip Levine and Members •f the City Cmmission
FROM: Jimmy L. Morales, City Manage
DATE: October 13, 2017
SUBJECT: Condition of Handball Courts at lamingo Park
The purpose of this LTC is to provide information to the Mayor and City Commission
regarding a recent publication by the Miami Herald on the condition of the handball
courts at Flamingo Park. Said article describes the courts as squalid, containing litter,
dead rodents and feces. The article's description of the courts' current condition is not
accurate. The courts are maintained by City staff on a daily basis, multiple times
throughout the day. During these visits, staff members empty out trash bins and replace
liners, pick up litter, use blowers to remove organic material and pooled water, sanitize
areas, etc. The courts are also on a pressure washing rotation every two to three
weeks. The notion that the courts are neglected by staff is further negated by the fact
that the enclosed design of the facility provides a secluded environment that attracts
undesirable activity, at times of an illicit nature, which requires maintenance staff and
Park Rangers to routinely monitor the site throughout their shifts.
Attached hereto are photographs taken by the Facility Manager at 7:21 a.m. on Friday,
October 13, 2017, the same day the article was published in the Miami Herald. The
photographs, which were taken before staff performed their daily maintenance duties,
depict a clean facility containing no litter and near empty trash bins. The water pooled
throughout the site is due to rain that morning and the previous night, as the facility
contains an open roof design.
As part of the Flamingo Park Master Plan project, the handball courts are slated to be
renovated. The Office of Capital Improvement Projects (CIP) will be overseeing the
renovation of the courts. The scope of the work for this project will include various
electrical upgrades, including the addition of sports lighting, new general lighting, stucco
repairs, court resurfacing, new frameless windows and doors, new fencing and painting.
The courts will also include seating areas and water drinking fountains for players and
visitors. At the October 18, 2017 Commission meeting, a resolution will be discussed
regarding entering into negotiations with all the bidders. All bids received in August
2017 were over budget and if negotiations are successful, CIP anticipates to begin
construction in approximately three months.
Should you have additional questions, please contact Jose del Risco (Parks &
Recreation) at 305-673-7272 or David Martinez (CIP) at 305-673-7001.
JLM/ETC/DM/JR