Land Use Board MeetingsM IA M I BE AC H
City of Miami Beach, 1700 Convention Center Drive, Miami Beach, Florida 33139, www.miamibeachll.gov
COMMISSION MEMORANDUM
TO: M a yo r D a n G elb e r and M em be rs o
FROM: Jim m y L. M oral es, Ci ty M ana ger I
D A TE: M a y 22 , 20 2 0
SU BJECT : D is c us sio n : P o tential O ptio ns or C o nd uctin g Land Use B o ard Q uasi-
Jud ic ia l M e e ting s
A D M IN IS T RA T IO N R E C O M M E N D A T IO N
T he ad m in istratio n re co m m ends that the C ity C om m ission discuss the item and pro vide
po lic y dire ctio n .
H IS T O R Y/B A C K G R O U N D
T h e A p ril an d M ay m ee tin g s of the C ity's la nd use boards (D esign R eview Board, H istoric
P re se rv atio n B o a rd , Pla n n ing Bo ard and Bo a rd of A djustm ent) w ere postponed pursuant
to the socia l dista n cin g gu idelines and restrictio ns on public gatherings im plem ented in
re s p o nse to the C O V ID -19 pa ndem ic. O n M ay 19 , 2020 the Planning Board held a
su ccessful m e e tin g to revie w and transm it advisory recom m endations on legislative
m a tt e rs, via the Zo o m virt ua l platf orm . A dditionally, the D esign R eview and H istoric
P re se rv atio n B o a rds co nd ucted Zoo m m e etings fo r discussion purposes only, to pro vide
a p p lic a n ts w ith pre lim in a ry fee d back.
A N A L Y S IS
In orde r to pro ce e d w ith the reg ula r sche du le of land use board m eetings, and pro cess
e xistin g ap p licatio ns, the A dm in istratio n ha s identified tw o options for conducting quasi-
ju dic ia l he a ring s, w hile co m p lying w ith so cial distancing guidelines, as m ore speci fically
des c rib e d be lo w :
O P T IO N A: A lte rn a te V e n ue (M ia m i Bea ch C o nvention C enter Ballro om )
1. C o m m ence as ea rly as Ju ly, in order to m eet the 30-day notice requirem ent in City
C o de S e c. 118 -8 (w h ich requ ires that no tices include the "location of the hearing").
2 . T ec h n o lo g y pe rm itti ng, bo a rd m em be rs ca n part icipate telephonically.
3 . T he m e etin g w ill N O T be broadcast live on M B TV . It w ill be video recorded and aired
la te r as a re-run . (T he C ity C ode do e s no t req uire m eetings to be broadcast live.)
4 . C ity staff w o u ld ne e d to confirm the audio, visual and virt ual com m unication logistics
w ith the M ia m i Be a ch C o nventio n C e nter (M B CC ), as w ell as the cost of hosting the
m e e ting s at the M B C C ba llro om .
5 . P la n n in g and C o m m u n icatio ns w ould ne e d to m eet on-site w ith M B CC to confirm A LL
lo g istics.
C o m m is s io n M e m o ra n d u m P a g e 2 o f 2
6. Participants would be spread out, and ample room exists in the ballroom to
accommodate social distancing.
7. Feasibility of accommodating participants virtually, who do not or cannot attend a
meeting in person, needs to be determined. This would include applicants, experts,
and members of the public.
OPTION B: Hybrid Zoom / ln-Person Meeting
1. Permit board members, applicants, staff, and members of the public to meet virtually
to issue final approvals, so long as an opportunity for in-person participation is
provided. This would accommodate members of the public who do not have the
technological capabilities to participate in a virtual meeting (i.e. via Zoom). The
Administration has identified fixed locations in and around City Hall that would allow
individuals to appear in front of a camera to address the board, provide testimony and
cross-examine witnesses. However, managing a large number of people seeking to
gain such access will be challenging, due to the physical constraints of the City Hall
site.
2. The boards' June meetings have already been noticed to be held in the Commission
Chambers. Providing an opportunity for members of the public to appear in the
Chambers in-person would be consistent with already-issued June notices. Additional
notice would need to be issued to provide the public with Zoom addresses and phone
numbers. Additionally, the Administration and City Attorney's Office recommend
requiring applicants seeking to be heard in June via a "hybrid" format to indemnify and
hold the City harmless (except as to legislative items scheduled to be heard by the
Planning Board in June).
3. Another venue for in-person participation, which is larger, can be explored. However,
the Administration would need time to coordinate the logistics of such a venue.
4. If a hybrid option is pursued for June, with an alternate location for in-person
participation (other than the Commission Chambers), such a location would need be
re-noticed, but would likely not meet the minimum 30-day notice requirement. To be
consistent with notices issued for the June meetings, the Commission Chambers, or
another location at City Hall, would serve as the best option for in-person participation.
CONCLUSION
The Administration recommends the following:
1. Provided funding is available, and all practical considerations can be addressed
(as to logistics, audiovisual capabilities, and public access), proceed with Option
A, providing for in-person meetings to be held in the Miami Beach Convention
Center Ballroom, commencing with the July Land Use Board meetings.
2. In the event the use of the Convention Center Ballroom is cost-prohibitive, the
Administration recommends proceeding with Option B, providing for Hybrid Zoom
/ ln-Person meetings, commencing with the July Land Use Board meetings. If it is
feasible to use the Commission Chambers for the in-person component, hybrid
meetings may proceed in June.
uééiru
https://m iam i beach my .sharepoi nt.com/personal/thomasmooney _miam ibeachfl _gov/Documents/Documents/Miami Beach/
City Commission 2020/Land Use Board Meetings - OPTIONS May 22 CC - MEMO.docx