LTC 63-2002
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CITY of MIAMI BEACH
Office of the City Manager
Letter to Commission No. 63-2LJO"L.
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TO:
Mayor David Dermer and
Members of the City Commission
Date: March 8, 2002
FROM:
Jorge M. Gonzalez )_ l~
City Manager U ~ 0
SUBJECT: WEEKLY UPDATE
The purpose of this LTC is to provide the Mayor and Commission with an update
describing some of the areas the Administration focused on during the weeks of
February 25 and March 4, 2002.
Mayor's Blue Ribbon Tourism Task Force - Met on February 26 to continue
their discussion of tourism related issues. The items discussed at the meeting
included progress reports by all the sub-committees that met the prior week. On
March 4, the Task Force concluded its work and adopted several findings and
recommendations. The findings and recommendations will be presented to the
Mayor on March 11 and to the Commission on April 5, 2002. A separate LTC
that includes the findings and recommendations has already been sent to the
Mayor and Commission.
5th Street Corridor Revitalization Workshop - A fourth workshop was held on
February 26 that focused on the environment, parks, infrastructure, and
transportation related issues. The South Florida Regional Planning Council is in
the process of compiling this information and will distribute the report of
proceedings by the end of March.
Major Events Planning Meeting - Representatives of the Administration met on
February 28 to discuss, plan and prepare for several major events that are taking
place in Miami Beach over the course of the next 2 months, including the Winter
Party, the South Beach Food and Wine Festival, the Winter Music Conference,
the Sports and Fitness Event, and Memorial Day Weekend. Staff is in the
process of implementing different portions of the Major Events Plan (MEP) for
these events on an as needed basis. Additional details about these events and
our preparations for each event will be forwarded to the Mayor and Commission
when they become available.
Miami-Dade Days in Tallahassee - The City Manager and several members of
the Commission attended the Miami-Dade Days event in Tallahassee from
February 27 -28. Our delegation was able to meet with several State
Representatives and Senators regarding legislative issues important to the City
of Miami Beach. In addition, we met with Michael Sole, the Bureau Chief of the
Division of Water Resource Management, Bureau of Beaches and Wetland
Resources to discuss several issues of concern to the State and City regarding
the beach.
Beacon Council's Site Selectors Showcase - On March 1 the City Manager
met with and spoke to a group of Site Selectors from around the country that the
Beacon Council hosted in the South Florida area. Among the issues discussed
were the recent initiatives that the City of Miami Beach has undertaken in order
to continue attracting diverse businesses to our City.
Portofino Settlement Meeting - A Court ordered mediation was held on March
4 between representatives from the Administration and the legal team
representing Portofino to discuss this case further. It was determined that these
issues would be brought to an Executive Session of the City Commission on
March 20 to discuss further.
Neighborhood Service's Mayor on the Move Meeting - Was held on March 5
for residents of Venetian, Palm, Star and Hibiscus Islands. This session allowed
participants an opportunity to discuss neighborhood issues and concerns.
Members of the Venetian Island Homeowners' Association discussed G.O. Bond
related issues, the restoration of Monument Island and the nuisance with litter,
overnight camping and loud music on the island, and the City's current recycling
program.
Council for Excellence in Government - The City Manager met with a group of
30 senior federal government officials from Washington D.C. on March 5. The
group represented several different federal agencies and were in South Florida to
meet with different leaders to benchmark their leadership practices and hear
about innovative ways they are leading their organizations. The group then takes
those lessons learned and attempt to implement them in the management of their
agencies. In addition to the City of Miami Beach, the group met with
representatives from The National Hurricane Center, Citibank International, and
Baptist Health Systems.
Normandy Shores Community Design Workshop (CDW) - The second CDW
was held on March 5 and was preceded by many hours of discussions with
residents and Homeowner Association representatives in an effort to compile a
package of improvements that included drainage, lighting, landscaping and other
improvements that the group agreed should be prioritized.
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Convention Center Space Study - The Mayor and City Manager met on March
6 with representatives from the City of the Miami, including the Mayor,
Commissioner, and the City Manager, and representatives from the Greater
Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau to further discuss the convention center
space study.
Alton Road Homeowners Association - The Mayor and City Manager, Chief of
Police and several representatives from the Administration met with members of
the Alton Road Homeowners Association on March 6 to discuss several issues of
interest to the residents of this area, including traffic and police related items.
Volume Services America - Representatives from the Administration met with
representatives of Volume Service America on March 7 to discuss issues of
mutual concern and explore ways that we can partner together more often in an
attempt to provide more and better experiences for visitors to the Convention
Center.
Neighborhood Leadership Academy Representatives from the
Administration met on March 7 to finalize the curriculum and details of the
Neighborhood Leadership Academy. Twenty-five residents are signed up to
participate in the Neighborhood Leadership Academy which kicks-off with its first
session on Monday, March 11 and will continue for the next eleven weeks
covering a different topic each week.
Mount Sinai Hospital - The City Manager met with Mt. Sinai's CEO, Steve
Sonenreich, to get a routine update on current issues relative to the Hospital.
Royal Palm Crowne Plaza - Representatives from the Administration and
Commissioner Cruz met with representatives from the Royal Palm Crown Plaza
to continue dialoguing regarding their request for consideration regarding issues
involving the project.
72nd Street Site - Representatives from the Administration met on March 8 with
representatives from the Related Group and representatives from the North
Beach Development Corporation, residents, local business owners, area
commercial property owners and other appropriate representatives to evaluate
and provide feedback on the Related Group's most recent proposal. In general,
the participants commented that the most recent proposal is more in line than
previous designs and a generally positive sentiment appears to be developing
around the most recent design. The Administration will hold another community
meeting to discuss this issue further before presenting to the Mayor and
Commission.
If you have any questions or need any additional information about any of these
items, please feel free to contact me.
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