LTC 111-2018 High Impact Events on Beach Property - Spring 2018'izJk#�1 B E A C
OFFICE OF THE CITY MANAGER
No. LTC# 111-2018 LETTER TO COMMISSION
TO: Mayor Dan Gelber and Members o the City C mmission
FROM: Jimmy L. Morales, City Manager
DATE: February 28, 2018
SUBJECT: High Impact Events on Beach Pro erty - Spring 2018 Schedule
This purpose of this Letter to Commission ("LTC") is to inform the Mayor and City
Commission of the actions taken by the City Manager to implement the
provisions of the City's Ordinance regarding High Impact Events on Beach
Property during the anticipated busy spring, 2018 period. Ordinance 2016-4019,
which is codified in Section 82-443 of the City of Miami Beach Code of Laws and
Ordinances (the "City Code"), provides the City Manager with the discretionary
power to implement immediate protective measures when a High Impact Event
or High Impact Period is deemed to occur, wherein large crowds and activities,
by permitted or unpermitted use, may pose a threat of damage or destruction to
City property. The measures that may be imposed during a High Impact Period
on beach property, which measures the City Manager is, in fact, imposing during
the upcoming spring 2018 period, include:
• The prohibition of coolers;
• The prohibition of any inflatable devices;
• The prohibition of tents, tables, and similar structures;
• The limitation of live or amplified music;
• The limitation of traffic routes to prohibit vehicular access to non-
residents, and permit access only for residents and those patrons and
employees of businesses located in the specific area where traffic routes
have been limited;
• The establishment of occupancy limits for different segments of beach
property, and prohibiting access to those areas that have reached those
occupancy limits, in order to protect the health, safety, and welfare of the
general public;
• The prohibition of any direct or indirect consumption of alcohol on the
beach property; and
• The implementation of a license plate reader police detail, which may be
utilized on eastbound traffic lanes of the MacArthur Causeway, Julia Tuttle
Causeway, and on any other access points to the City.
Based on estimates derived from previous years, we anticipate that the
upcoming spring, 2018 period, inclusive of spring break and Winter Music
Conference schedules, which the City Manager in conjunction with City staff has
identified as from March 2, 2018 through April 2, 2018, will meet the following
requirements necessary to enact the protective measures. Pursuant to Section
82-443 of the City Code, one (1) or more of the below requirements is sufficient
to trigger the City Manager's implementation of such protective measures.
• An event, activity or period of time is expected to generate attendance by
more than 5,000 people for an area of beach property that extends less
than 15 blocks from north to south. Ocean Rescue's patron attendance
estimates for the beachfront from South Pointe to 15 Street during the
same time period averaged 42,375 patrons per weekend day/ 127,124
patrons per weekend in 2015 and 43,052 patrons per weekend day/
136,330 patrons per weekend in 2016.
• City parking lots and garages in an area within a 15 block radius of
beachfront property are at full capacity. The Parking Department's use
reports of garages nearby the public beach area (7 Street garage, 12
Street garage, 13 Street garage, 16 Street/ Anchor garage) for the same
March and April period show an average of 48% over capacity in 2015
and an average of 55.6% over capacity in 2016.
• There is a designated major event period (as set forth and identified within
the special event regulations and guidelines). The special event
regulations and guidelines define Winter Music Conference, this year
March 20-25, as a major event period.
• A maintenance of traffic plan is required (including street closures) based
upon the high impact. In 2016, Police Department closed Ocean Drive
from 7 to 11 Streets from 7pm to lam on successive weekends (the last
weekend in March and the first weekend in April), based on higher arrest
totals the prior two weekends than the previous Memorial Day Weekend.
• Hotel occupancy levels are anticipated to be greater than 75% in the City.
The Greater Miami Convention and Visitor Bureau's Smith Travel
Research estimates for the same periods in 2016 averaged 86.5% hotel
occupancy.
These periods reflect historically high attendance on Miami Beach beachfront
property, due to the schedule of various Florida and Georgia college spring
breaks, as well as the Miami -Dade high school spring break.
Therefore, as previously indicated, I am imposing the aforementioned immediate
protective measures for the dates of March 2, 2018 through April 2, 2018 in order
to protect beach property from damage, property degradation, and/or
unauthorized uses.
Additionally, the City's Police, Fire, Parking and Code Compliance Departments,
as well as Sanitation and Beach Maintenance Divisions, are authorized to
implement additional operational measures on an active, fluid basis as the Spring
2018 High Impact Period and logistics may dictate.
In addition to this LTC, the City Manager will file notification of implementation of
these immediate measures with the City Clerk, and the Communications
Department will inform appropriate news media for publication and broadcast of
these restrictions in compliance with Section 82-443 of the City Code. Once any
such measures are imposed, any violation of the imposed measures shall be
punished as provided in Section 1-14 of the City Code.
/J LM