LTC 207-2002
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CITY of MIAMI BEACH
Office of the City Manager
Letter to Commission No..(301- 2/JIJZ
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FROM:
Mayor David Dermer and
Members of the City Commission
Jorge M. Gonzalez t. ,~
City Manager () fA/V 0
Date: August 30,2002
TO:
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
August 19 and August 26, 2002:
Proposed FY 2003 Budget - The City Manger and representatives from the
Finance Department and the Office of Management and Budget continued to
work together and meet with Members of the City Commission to discuss budget
plans and allocations for the FY 2003 budget. A Committee of the Whole
meeting has been scheduled for Tuesday, September 3, 2002 at 1 :00 p.m. in the
City Manager's Large Conference Room to continue discussing budget related
issues.
Emergency Preparedness & Recovery Plans - Representatives from the
Administration met on August 19 to continue working on the City's Emergency
Preparedness & Recovery Plans and to debrief the mock hurricane drill members
of the Administration participated in July, 2002. Staff leads for the Operations,
Logistics, Administration, Information and Planning, Police, and Fire functional
areas will continue to meet to update and finalize the City's plan. Once a draft of
the final plan is available, it will be shared with the Mayor and Commission.
"Participate Miami Beach" I National Civic Participation Week - Staff from
the Neighborhood Services Department has been me'eting to plan and prepare
for "Participate Miami Beach", an event associated with National Civic
Participation Week which showcases American democracy and civic
participation, honors the courageous spirit of the American people, and pays
tribute to those we lost on September 11, 2001. "Participate Miami Beach" is a
shared commitment - and a weeklong pledge - to civic participation. Miami Beach
has scheduled several opportunities for the public to volunteer, contribute,
communicate and vote. A separate LTC with specifics about these events has
already been sent.
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Labor Day Weekend - As part of the City's Major Events Plan (MEP),
representatives from the Administration have been closely monitoring the
activities planned for the Labor Day Holiday weekend and meeting to prepare
and allocate resources accordingly. A separate LTC was sent on August 29
which provides specific details about the City's plans.
800 MHz Public Safety Radio System Internal Review Committee - Technical
staff from the Police, Fire, and IT Departments met with the City's consultant,
RCC and concluded their site visits to other municipalities to learn first hand from
those users about the systems that have been proposed to the City of Miami
Beach. The Internal Review Committee will meet again on September 4, 2002 to
hear final comments from the technical staff and will then prepare a report to
provide the City Manager with findings that includes the pros and cons of each
system.
South Florida Concierge Association Meeting - The City of Miami Beach
hosted a group of about 50 concierges representing about 20 hotels in Miami
Beach on August 20 for a reception and meeting to discuss ways in which we
can better partner to improve our customer service practices.
"Out of Time" Film - A community meeting took place on August 27 from 6:00
p.m. - 8:00 p.m. to discuss the film "Out Of Time". The meeting took place at the
Rod & Reel Club on Hibiscus Island and residents of Star, Palm & Hibiscus
Islands were invited to attend. A separate LTC with additional details of this
meeting will be sent to the Mayor and Commission.
MTV Latin Music Awards - Staff has been meeting with representatives from
MTV to continue with preparations for the MTV Latin Music Awards scheduled to
be broadcast live from the Jackie Gleason Theater of Performing Arts on October
24, 2002. The projected worldwide audience for this first time event is 380
million. A Major Events Planning meeting will be scheduled shortly to begin to
coordinate and allocate resources accordingly. .
Miami Tropical Marathon - Representatives from the Administration have been
meeting with representatives from Miami-Dade County and event organizers to
plan for this marathon race taking place throughout various parts of Miami Beach
and Miami on February 2, 2003. A meeting is scheduled for September 3, 2002
to discuss options for the race route. The Ocean Drive Association has already
reviewed the event application and has endorsed the .event. The South Pointe
Advisory Board has also endorsed the event. Upcoming community meetings
include the Mid Beach Homeowners Association and the Venetian Causeway
Homeowners Association. Once the proposed race route is available, a separate
LTC with additional details will be provided to the Mayor and Commission.
Bass Museum - Representatives from the Administration met with the Bass
Board of Trustees and representatives of the Friends of the Bass to discuss
several issues, including the Museum's current and future financial situation.
Art Basel Miami Beach - Representatives from the Administration met on
August 28 with representatives from Art Basel Miami Beach to continue planning
for the Art Fair scheduled for December 2002. Items discussed included CIP,
Public Works, Parking, Parks and Recreation, and Code Compliance related
issues. Additional meetings will take place at the end of September to finalize
plans for this event. Once these meetings are scheduled, we will notify the
Mayor and Commission in the event you would like to attend.
Grants Management - The City has just received notice of a new grant award
for Police overtime funds related to alcohol enforcement and reduction. Our
original application was for $48,696 and the City was awarded $39,430 for the
FY 2003.
Watson Island - Mayor Dermer and I met with City of Miami Mayor Manny Diaz
and City Manager Carlos Gimenez to continue discussing issues related to
Watson Island, in particular concerns we have heard from our residents about
the project. They shared their plans which include 500 hotel rooms, a Maritime
Museum, and commercial retails space.
Royal Palm Crowne Plaza Hotel - Commissioner Cruz, City Attorney Dubbin
and I met with our outside attorneys to continue our discussions related to the
latest proposal submitted by the Royal Palm. We ,have since sent a letter
rejecting their latest counterproposal, indicating that we are not nearing a
settlement. An oral report will be provided at the September 11 Commission
meeting.
Bay Road Community Meeting - Representatives from the Administration met
with residents on August 26 to review plans for the Bay Road swell. The
residents unanimously endorsed the concept and our plans. The new concept
would keep the construction on the east side to within the area currently used by
the City, provide for a new 5 foot sidewalk and a combined planting and parking
area.
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Normandy Shores Community Meeting - Representatives from the
Administration and Commissioner Smith met with the Executive Committee of the
Normandy Shores Local Government Neighborhood Improvement District to
discuss funding alternatives to pay for security services in the District. A memo
with more details about the outcomes of this meeting' will be sent to the Mayor
and Commission shortly.
Tuesday Morning Breakfast Club - I attended this session on August 27 to
discuss the City's budget and other miscellaneous issues with the residents that
were in attendance.
Unions - Met with the presidents of each of the five Wnions to discuss several
items, including the financial condition of the City, budget recommendations, and
health care proposals.
Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau (GMCVB) - Met with
Representatives from the GMCVB to discuss the following issues: (1) Funding &
Status on sub-market initiatives for the: Summer Festival Season Incentives &
Funding; Thanksgiving day parade; MTV Latin American Awards Show; Budget
recommendations of the CVB Film and Entertainment Committee; GMCVB and
HBO's involvement in Festival Season 03; Funding For Special
Events/Initiatives/Awards Shows; and Small Hotel Marketing; (2) Bookings at the
MBCC; (3) GMCVB Office Relocation - status of Watson Island with City of
Miami; (4 ) Board appointments; (5) Downtown Miami Convention Center; (6)
RFQ for City Consultant to study CVB structure; (7) Publicist for Film/Print and
Citywide Publicist; (8) Market Assessment/Strategic Plan; and (10) CSL Study-
MBCC Expansion.
If you have any questions or need any additional information about any of these
items, please feel free to contact me.
JMG/ri
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