LTC 056-2004Weekly Update CITY OF MIAMI BEACH
Office of the City Manager
Letter to Commission No. 056-2004
To:
From:
Subject:
Mayor David Dermer and
Members of the City Commission
Jorge U. Gonzalez ~ ~
City Manager ~
WEEKLY UPDATE~~
Date: March 5, 2004
The purpose of this LTC is to provide the Mayor and Commission with an update
describing some of the areas the administration has recently been focusing on:
March 9 Special Election - In order to explain and educate Miami Beach residents on
each of the seven ballot questions that will be presented at the special election on
March 9, the Administration has prepared a Voter's Guide (English and Spanish) that
has been mailed to all registered Miami Beach voters. In addition, we have placed
several ads in all local newspapers (English and Spanish) and have worked with the
Miami Herald Editorial Board on a piece they plan to run prior to the election. Finally,
we plan to broadcast on Channel 20 the voter's educational forum coordinated by the
Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce, North Beach Development Corporation and the
Miami Beach Development Corporation that included members from the Charter Review
Committee and Mayor David Dermer discussing each of the seven ballot questions.
This broadcast will run several times throughout the weekend and leading up to the
election on Tuesday.
Budget Preparations - The Office of Budget and Performance Improvement continues
to work on budget preparations for the next fiscal year. An internal meeting with all City
Departments took place on February 19 to discuss this year's budget preparations. In
addition, a Commission Workshop has been scheduled for March 10 to begin to discuss
budget issues and share additional information with the Mayor and City Commission.
Capital Improvement Projects - The Palm/Hibiscus Island Guardhouse Project has
begun and includes demolition of the existing guardhouse, creation of a temporary
facility, and new construction which should take approximately four months. Residents
have been invited to meet with ClP staff and the contractor prior to the commencement
of construction. Water main installation work is in progress on 42nd Street. Once
finalized, streetscape enhancements will be installed, and the project is expected to
conclude in May. In an effort to mitigate the construction impacts on residential vehicles,
CIP has worked with the Parking Department to offer affected residents temporary
parking permits at adjacent meters in area lots and on adjacent streets. The Pine
Tree/La Gorce Median Project is substantially complete - several months ahead of the
construction schedule with just some minor adjustments pending.
Miami Dade County - I attended a meeting with the County Manager and other City
Managers from around the County on February 20 to discuss issues relating to the
County's upcoming General Obligations Bond program that voters will vote on in
November. In addition, Mayor Dermer and I met with the County Manager and
representatives from the County Mayor's Office on February 27 to discuss issues
involving the pending lawsuit over the overdue $15 million payment owed to us by the
County on December 1, 2003. A follow-up meeting has been scheduled to continue
discussing the issue and coming to a resolution. At a separate meeting that day, I met
with Cathy Jackson, the County's Audit Management Director, to review the County's
study of the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau.
Organizational Development - As part of my ongoing organizational development
efforts, I invited the Fire Department to join me for a brown bag lunch on March 1 to talk
about issues that may be important to staff and the Department. My goal is to meet with
all City Departments in this informal setting to further open the lines of communication
and make sure that staff at all levels have an opportunity to share information with me
that may be important to them. In addition, my executive staff met at an all day retreat
on March 3 to continue our work regarding implementing various process improvements
and performance measurements within the organization. We also focused on
gathering information that would be relevant and helpful to share with the Mayor and
Commission at your upcoming retreat.
Quality of Life Issues - Several meetings took place to continue addressing quality of
life issues. The Police Chief and I met with a resident to discuss various issues
affecting the 700 block of Jefferson Avenue and how to better deal with those issues. In
addition, a meeting took place on March 4 with Commissioner Bower and
representatives from the Miami Beach Police Department, City of Miami Police
Department, Miami Dade County Police Department and various County Judges to
discuss ongoing issues relating to prostitution and develop a coordinated response for
dealing with the problem. A follow-up meeting will be scheduled to continue discussing
the issue and developing a coordinated response.
Black History Month - The City celebrated Black History Month by coordinating the
following events: A video art exhibit featuring a historical perspective on the Black
Rights Movement in South Florida will be shown throughout the month in the lobby of
City Hall. The Mayor's Black Host Committee, in partnership with the City, hosted a
reception to celebrate Black History Month on February 26 at the Miami Beach
Botanical Gardens. Finally, our annual employee luncheon honoring Black History
Month was held on February 27. The event included guest speakers, music,
entertainment, a fashion show and delicious soul food.
Women's History Month - In Celebration of Women's History Month which takes place
during March, the City of Miami Beach Commission on the Status of Women will honor
and celebrate the achievements and contributions of several local women at an event
scheduled for March 18. Additional details to follow shortly.
Employee Celebrations - An employee-led committee is working on our annual
employee picnic scheduled for Saturday, March 27 at the North Shore Open Space
Park. This year's theme is an "Ali-America City Birthday Celebration" and will include
food, games, and the celebration of the City's 89th birthday. The event is scheduled
from 12:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. and members of the community will be invited to join in the
festivities when we cut a birthday cake at 4:00 p.m.
Major Events Planning (MEP) - Staff worked throughout the past several weeks to
ensure that various special events held on Miami Beach were successful including
Volleypalooza, a volleyball tournament held from February 21-22 and the Big Shot
Volleyball tournament from February 28-29. Staff is also working with representatives
from the South Beach Wine & Food Festival on this year's event which is scheduled to
take place throughout the City from March 5-7 and with representatives from the Winter
Music Conference and the M3 (Miami, Music, Media) summit also taking place
throughout the upcoming weekend.
Film & Print - Cyclops Productions and Firefly Entertainment filmed segments and
promos for season 2 of FX Network's Golden Globe nominated "Nip/Tuck" exclusively in
South Beach all last week. Locations included South Point Pier, Opium Garden, Nikki
Beach Club, The Hotel, Ocean Drive, the Murano, and aerial and drive-around beauty
shots on Miami Beach. "America's Most Wanted" filmed portions of future segments in
Miami Beach. Travel Channel has been filming throughout Miami Beach for promos for
the upcoming "Beach Week." Locations include Lummus Park, Nikki Beach Club, The
Ritz Carlton, The Tides and The Palms Hotel. "Bob Vila's Home Again" filmed segments
of the show in a condo Vila purchased on Island Avenue. Fonovideo continues
production of the "Angel Rebelde" telenovela throughout the city. Telemundo's
"Prisonera" also filmed the Miami Beach sign on the Julia Tuttle Causeway. Redmoxie
filmed a segment of "Ride with Funk Master Flex" at the Miami Beach home of Wyclef
Jean for Spike TV.
Short-term Rentals - Staff met with local realtors to discuss the current provisions
dealing with and limiting short-term rentals in residential areas. The realtors were
interested in allowing more flexibility as it relates to visitors and film and print crews.
The realtors we met with are expected to make recommendations for us to analyze and
discuss further.
Legislative Affairs - Staff traveled to Washington, D.C. on March 1 and met with
representatives from the offices of Congresswoman Ileana Ros Leitenan, Congressman
Lincoln Diaz Balart, Congressman Peter Deutsch, Senator Bill Nelson and Senator Bob
Graham to discuss various legislative priorities and issues, including: Law Enforcement
Technology earmark, Department of the Interior earmark for Old City Hall, $9 million
stormwater sewer request for North Beach from the Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA), extension of $2.9 million in Federal Transportation Agency (FTA) earmark for
transit facility at Alton & 5th Street, $2 million in additional funding request earmarked
for the North Shore Bandshell and the North Beach Cultural Facility (Byron Carlyle) and
discussed the process involved with the National Heritage Area designation.
North Beach 71et Street Strategic Plan - Staff presented an update to the strategic
plan that was the subject of a prior Commission Workshop. Additional information is
being compiled to share with the Mayor and Commission at a future workshop.
Byron-Carlyle Theater- Staff and I toured the Byron-Carlyle Theater on March 5. The
construction is nearing completion with the inspection process expected to begin by the
end of the month.
Tourism and Cultural Development - On March 5, staff met with representatives from
ERA, the City's consultant, to continue discussing the draft report prepared by ERA.
The discussion focused on reviewing and assessing the Greater Miami Convention &
Visitor's Bureau (GMCVB) governance, structure, processes and overall operations;
making recommendations as to what type of model/structure should exist to enhance
the City's tourism and convention industries; and comparing and providing a
comprehensive report on GMCVB operations relative to industry standards. Details will
be discussed at the next Finance Committee.
Parks and Recreation - Several special activities are being planned throughout the
spring for children and families. Our next free "funday" takes place this weekend at
Flamingo Park Pool. A "spring break" camp will be available from March 29 through
April 2 (spring break for Miami Dade County public schools) from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
and will include activities, games, sports and other events. An Easter egg hunt is being
planned for Saturday, April 10 at the North Shore Open Space Park.
South Florida Hispanic Chamber of Commerce - I met with Liliam Lopez and two of
the Board members of the South Florida Hispanic Chamber of Commerce on March 5 to
discuss various issues and explore ways that the City and our various chambers of
commerce can partner on future projects.
Historic Properties Database - The City's Historic Properties database is now
available online. The database is a catalog of all properties located within the City's
local historic districts and includes information for each property such as the year of
construction, architectural style, name of architect and its contributing status.
Union Negotiations - Staff and I continued to meet with representatives from the
Police, Fire and CWA Unions to further discuss the ongoing negotiations. I am pleased
to report that the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) ratified their contract on March 3 and
that the International Association of Firefighters (IAFF) is pending ratification which will
take place on March 12. Both contracts will be brought to the City Commission at your
March 17 meeting. The City is continuing to collectively bargain with the
Communications Workers of America (CWA), and hopes to reach agreement with them
in the near future.
If you have any questions or need any additional information, please feel free to let me
know.
Electronic Copy: Leadership Team
F:CMGR/ALL/LTC04/Weekly Update/March 5.doc