2018-30261 ResolutionRESOLUTION NO. 2018 - 30261
A RESOLUTION OF THE MAYOR AND CITY COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF
MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA, ACCEPTING THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE
NEIGHBORHOOD /COMMUNITY AFFAIRS COMMITTEE, AS MODIFIED FOR
LEGAL SUFFICIENCY, TO ADDRESS AND PROMOTE THE SAFE
EVACUATION OF ELDER RESIDENTS DURING SEVERE WEATHER
EVENTS SUCH AS HURRICANES, AND AUTHORIZING THE CITY MANAGER
TO TAKE ALL APPROPRIATE ACTIONS TO IMPLEMENT THE
RECOMMENDATIONS AND MODIFIED RECOMMENDATIONS AS SET
FORTH HEREIN.
WHEREAS, at its meeting on October 18, 2017, the Neighborhood /Community Affairs
Committee ( "Committee ") considered the City's hurricane plans to evacuate senior citizens; and
WHEREAS, the Committee directed City staff to conduct outreach to encourage and
promote participation by elder residents in the Miami -Dade County Emergency and Evacuation
Assistance Program; and
WHEREAS, City staff conducted repeated targeted outreach and registration at 13
elder- serving buildings:
• Rebecca Towers;
• Michigan Avenue Apartments;
• Shep Davis Plaza;
• Council Towers North & South;
• Stella Maris (The building's staff registered 25 of its tenants independently);
• Four Freedoms House;
• Allen Apartments;
• Edwards Apartments;
• Lulav Square;
• Jefferson Apartments
• Villa Maria;
• Villa Matti; and
• Federation Towers; and
WHEREAS, the elder residents surveyed were generally fearful of general population
shelters and did not want to be inconvenienced with having to take their own food, bedding, and
personal belongings to a shelter; and
WHEREAS, the following recommendations were considered and approved by
acclamation by the Committee at its March 21, 2018 meeting:
1. Require residential buildings with 51% of its tenants aged 62 and older to submit
evidence that they have encouraged tenants to register for the Emergency and
Evacuation Assistance Program prior to the issuance of their Business Tax Receipt;
2. Require residential buildings with 51 % of its tenants aged 62 and older which receive
City funds to encourage all eligible residents to register for the Emergency and
Evacuation Assistance Program prior to receiving City funds and annually thereafter
for a period of 10 years;
3. Require elder- serving agencies receiving City funding to encourage their elder clients
to register for the Emergency and Evacuation Assistance Program as part of the
reporting requirements for funds received; and
4. Collaborate with Miami -Dade County's Office of Emergency Management to consider
opening an elder -only evacuation shelter that caters to residents over the age of 62
only who may bring companion animals with them; and
WHEREAS, the Committee recommended mandating 2 and 3 above as to existing grant
funding contracts; but, for legal sufficiency purposes, such actions can only be encouraged with
regard to entities with contacts already in existence (i.e. parties legally need to agree to any
material modifications to the terms and conditions of a contract), but can be required in future
contracts; therefore, items 2 and 3 are modified as follows:
2. Encourage the building management of residential buildings with 51% of its tenants
aged 62 and older receiving City funding to submit evidence that they have
encouraged all eligible residents to register and to report such evidence annually for
a period of 10 years (and to require such evidence and reporting as a condition of
future grant funding);
3. Encourage elder- serving agencies receiving City funding to encourage their eligible
elder clients to register for the Emergency and Evacuation Assistance Program as
part of the reporting requirements for funds received (and to require such agencies to
encourage registration and to report same as a condition of future grant funding);
and
WHEREAS, the City Manager should be authorized to take all appropriate and proper
actions to implement the above recommendations, and modified recommendations, to ensure
their effective application in the City.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT DULY RESOLVED BY THE MAYOR AND CITY
COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA, that the Mayor and City
Commission hereby accept the recommendations of the Neighborhood /Community Affairs
Committee, as modified for legal sufficiency, to address and promote the safe evacuation of
elder residents during severe weather events such as hurricanes, and hereby authorize the City
Manager to take all appropriate actions to implement the recommendations and modified
recommendations as set forth herein.
PASSED AND ADOPTED this 1/ day of ,4 ,Pri l 2018.
ATTEST:
Rafael E. Granad , City C irk
INGORf'' ORA ED1
Fl 26
Dan Gelber, Mayor
APPROVED AS TO
FORM & LANGUAGE
& FOR EXECUTION
Li/MP)
Date
M
AM,
BEACH
Resolutions - C7 0
COMMISSION MEMORANDUM
TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Commission
FROM: Jimmy L. Morales, City Manager
DATE: April 11, 2018
SUBJECT: A RESOLUTION OF THE MAYOR AND THE CITY COMMISSION OF THE CITY
OF MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA, ACCEPTING THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE
NEIGHBORHOOD /COMMUNITY AFFAIRS COMMITTEE, TO ADDRESS AND
PROMOTE THE SAFE EVACUATION OF ELDER RESIDENTS DURING SEVERE
WEATHER EVENTS SUCH AS HURRICANES, AND AUTHORIZING THE CITY
MANAGER TO TAKE ALL APPROPRIATE ACTIONS TO IMPLEMENT THE
RECOMMENDATIONS.
RECOMMENDATION
The Administration recommends adopting the Resolution.
BACKGROUND
Last fall, after Hurricane Irma, the Neighborhood /Community Affairs Committee held a discussion
regarding the evacuation of the community's elder residents. Staff reported on the difficulties
encountered with our community's elder residents leading up to and in the aftermath of the hurricane
making landfall in South Florida. The Committee directed staff to conduct targeted outreach to the
City's elder buildings to register residents for the County's Emergency and Evacuation Assistance
Program as a means of improving future responses to evacuation orders.
The Emergency and Evacuation Assistance Program, operated by Miami -Dade County, provides
transportation assistance for frail or disabled residents to an emergency shelter once an evacuation
order is issued. All residents are transported to general population shelters unless they have been
registered in the special needs program and have medical needs including electric- dependent
medical supports.
When Hurricane Irma became a threat to our City, the Office of Housing and Community Services
worked with its community partners and fellow City departments to spread safety and evacuation
information to our clients and community residents in the days leading to the weather event. In
addition to Constant Contact emails blasted to all of our contact lists, City staff reached out to
affordable and elder housing providers and community -based agencies to promote resident
evacuation.
Despite promoting the Emergency and Evacuation Assistance Program among our elderly and
disabled clients since May 2017 (as we do every year), we were disheartened to find only 16
residents were registered in the program prior to Hurricane Irma. As staff conducted community
outreach to specifically engage the elderly and disabled and offer support to evacuate, they
encountered many residents with special needs or issues of frailty who had not registered with the
County and /or did not have any natural supports or family to aid them in the move.
ANALYSIS
At NCAC's direction, the Administration made a concerted effort to target tenants in our elder- serving
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buildings to encourage Emergency and Evacuation Assistance Program registration and prepare
these residents to evacuate should another weather threat occur. Staff conducted repeated targeted
outreach and registration to these 13 elder- serving buildings:
* Rebecca Towers
* Michigan Avenue Apartments
* Shep Davis Plaza
* Council Towers North & South
* Stella Maris (The building's staff registered 25 of its tenants independently.)
* Four Freedoms House
*Allen Apartments
* Edwards Apartments
* Lulav Square
* Jefferson Apartments
* Villa Maria
* Villa Matti
* Federation Towers
This targeted effort resulted in the registration of an additional 33 residents for the transportation
assistance program whereas only 16 had registered prior to Hurricane Irma. Six additional residents
took the application but did not advise staff if their intent was to submit the form to the County.
Staff surveyed elder residents to better understand their reluctance to register for the program. The
following were the four primary reasons identified by those elder residents who opted not to register
for the Emergency and Evacuation Assistance Program:
• Residents stated that their families will take care of them so there was no need to go with
strangers;
• A belief that, since the storm missed the City, it will miss our community the next time, too;
• Residents with pets which are not considered service animals stated that they did not
want to part with their pets nor evacuate to a general population shelter; and
• Residents stated that it was inconvenient to take their own food, bedding and personal
belongings to shelter. The elder residents surveyed were generally fearful of general
population shelters.
Staff confirmed that those buildings with social service programing staff seek to register their tenants
for the Program each year. However, they, too, encounter tenants refusing registration for the
reasons stated above.
Since program registration is not compulsory, staff evaluated ways to increase participation while
considering the concerns cited for non - participation.
NCAC approved forwarding the following recommendations to the Mayor and Commission at its
March 21, 2018 meeting:
1. Require residential buildings with 51% of its tenants aged 62 and older to submit evidence
that they have encouraged tenants to register for the Emergency and Evacuation Assistance
Program prior to the issuance of the Business Tax Receipt. Subsequently, to the meeting the
Finance Department advised that it would be able to include promotion of the program as a
part of the Business Tax Receipt Renewal Notice.
2. Require the building management of residential buildings with 51% of its tenants aged 62
and older receiving City funds to submit evidence that they have encouraged eligible residents
to register as a condition of funds and for a reporting period of 10 years.
3.Require elder - serving agencies receiving City funding to encourage their eligible elder clients
to register for the Emergency and Evacuation Assistance Program as part of the reporting
requirements for funds received,
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4.Collaborate with Miami -Dade County's Office of Emergency Management to consider
opening an elder -only emergency evacuation shelter that specifically caters to residents over
the age of 62 who may be allowed to bring companion animals with them to shelter, as needed.
CONCLUSION
The Administration seeks approval of these recommendations as they impact internal processes,
such as BTR and City grants, and to encourage discussion with Miami -Dade County regarding the
possible creation of an elder -only emergency shelter.
KEY INTENDED OUTCOMES SUPPORTED
Enhance Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness
FINANCIAL INFORMATION
N/A
Legislative Tracking
Housing and Community Services
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