LTC 300-2003 CITY OF MIAMI BEACH
Office of the City Manager
Letter to Commission No.
To:
From:
Subject:
Mayor David Dermer and
Members of the City Commission
Jorge M. Gonzalez
City Manager ~,
ACCESSIBLE AMERICA AWARD FINALIST
Date: December 12, 2003
I would like to inform you that on December 8, 2003, the National Organization on Disability
(NOD) announced that the City of Miami Beach has been named as one of 11 finalists in
NOD's 2003 Accessible America Award Competition. The competition seeks to recognize
exemplary communities that strive for the comprehensive involvement of citizens with
disabilities in community life. The winner of the competition will receive $25,000 in cash.
The finalists were selected from 64 entries from around the country, each endorsed by
their mayor or chief elected official and submitted with a detailed description of
comprehensive community-wide efforts to be welcoming and accessible to persons who
have disabilities. Applications came from cities and towns with populations of 1,670 to
more than 3 million people, and disability populations ranging from a few hundred to three
quarters of a million people.
The program is sponsored by a grant from United Parcel System. The money encourages
further progress and can be used to fund local disability-related efforts. The six-member
judging panel, made up of distinguished disability advocates and professionals, will
announce the winner on December 29, 2003.
JM~~~/RTH/hjw
c: Robert C. Middaugh, Assistant City Manager
Fred H. Beckmann, Public Works Director
F.JWORK/ALL/HEIDIJOHNSON-W RIGHT/Desktop/accessibleamedcaenl~/rnaterlals/LTCre.finaliststatus