LTC 140-2004 Weekly Update CITY OF MIAMI BEACH
Office of the City Manager
Letter to Commission No. 140-2oo4
To:
From:
Subject:
Mayor David Dermer and
Members of the City Commission
Jorge M. Gonzalez ~'~ ~,~,.-~
City Manager D
WEEKLY UPDATE
Date: June 2, 2004
The purpose of this LTC is to provide you with an update describing some
areas the administration has recently been focusing on:
Budget Preparations - The Office of Budget and Performance Improvement
(OBPI) continues to work on budget preparations for the next fiscal year. I
continue to meet with OBPI staff to discuss various issues relating to the budget
and have met with most Departments to discuss the department budgets. I am
scheduled to meet with the remaining Departments next week. A discussion
regarding the budget for the Office of the Mayor and Commission is scheduled to
take place during a Committee of the Whole on Wednesday, June 9, 2004.
Briefings with the Commission are scheduled to take place in early July, 2004.
Commission Retreat - The second part of the leadership retreat for the Mayor
and Commission took place on Saturday, May 22. The City Clerk is preparing the
after-action that will be shared with each of you.
Major Events Plan (MEP) - Staff from the entire Administration worked on the
MEP for the Memorial Day holiday weekend. A report detailing the City's plans
were shared with the Mayor and Commission at the May 26 Commission
meeting. An LTC with additional details regarding the holiday weekend was sent
on May 28. By all accounts, the holiday weekend went very smoothly with no
major incidents to report. The Miami Herald featured several front page stodes
about the weekend, mostly reporting positive stories about Miami Beach and the
Hip Hop community that came to visit.
Hurricane Preparedness - The City's third annual Hurricane Information and
Preparedness Fair is scheduled to take place on Saturday, June 5, 2004 from 10
a.m. to 1:00 p.m. along the 1000 block of Lincoln Road. The purpose of the
event is to reach out to the community and provide information on what the City
does and our suggestions for residents and businesses on what to do before,
during and after hurricanes, in an effort to educate and protect our community.
Children's Trust - A public meeting took place on May 18 to discuss the role of
the Children's Trust and possible funding opportunities for the Miami Beach
provider community. This meeting provided the public an opportunity to provide
input into the process.
Occupational License Ordinance - A meeting was held on May 18 with the
business community to discuss the ordinance amendments proposed for
occupational licenses. The most significant change was a definition of habitual
offenders. There was good attendance with a large representation from the
Hotel industry. Generally, the business community expressed concern with the
ordinance with comments ranging from having no ordinance changes to the
conditions proposed are too restrictive. The next meeting is to focus on resident
concerns and is tentatively set for the 2nd week of June.
Public Works - The City participated in and celebrated "National Public Works
Week" which took place from May 16-22, 2004. National Public Works Week is a
celebration of the tens of thousands of men and women in North America who
provide and maintain the infrastructure and services collectively known as public
works and seeks to enhance the prestige of the professionals who serve the
public good every day with quiet dedication. The City of Miami Beach employees
a 350-member public works team and is currently undergoing the accreditation
process through the American Public Works Association to be only the second
accredited public works department in the state of Florida.
Fire Department - The Fire Department partnered with Miami Beach Senior High
School and Tremont/Beach Towing, to host the seventh annual "Cheat the
Reape¢' Teen Anti-DUI program on May 18. This event is part of "National
Emergency Medical Services Week" which took place May 16-22, 2004. This
event, which is a live, simulated DUI car crash presentation which results in one
death and several serious injuries designed to teach Miami Beach High School
Seniors about the grave consequences of drinking and driving, took place just
days before Beach High's senior prom. Since the program's inception in 1998,
there have been no reported DUI-caused motor vehicle crashes or arrests
among Miami Beach Senior High School students during prom weekend.
Police Department - The Police Department sponsored the Miami Dade County
Chiefs of Police Association dinner on May 20 at the Wyndham Hotel. At the
event, the Dade County officers of the month were announced as well as the new
executive board for the Association. Miami Dade School Board Chief of Police
Pete Cuccaro was sworn in as the new President of the Association. In addition,
all Police Officers met to review the existing manuals relating to emergency
preparedness due to the Federal Government's warning this week regarding the
latest threat information regarding terrorism.
Cultural Arts Council (CAC) - The CAC's Finance Task Force met on May 20
with City staff participating and proving information to the CAC. In addition, I met
with CAC Chair, Ada Llerandi, on May 27 to discuss several issues related to the
CAC and continue exploring ways in which the CAC and the City can work even
better together to continue benefiting the community.
Teen Job Corps - I met with Jerry Libbin, Mike Thompson and Deborah
Ruggiero on May 20 to discuss issues related to the Teen Job Corps and explore
ways in which the City can continue to partner with the Teen Job Corps to
expand their program citywide.
Parks and Recreation Blue Ribbon Citizens Committee - Met on May 20 in
recognition of the second year anniversary completion and submittal of the Parks
& Recreation Programs Blue Ribbon Citizens Report. The Parks and Recreation
staff held a meeting to update the past Blue Ribbon Committee members of the
progress made since their last meeting. The members were provided with a
summary document that highlighted actions taken in response to the
Committee's recommendations which included: The Department earning its
professional accreditation from CAPRA (Commission for Accreditation of Parks
and Recreation Agencies) in October of 2003; The Department reorganizing to
include Facility Managers who are fully responsible and accountable for the
operations, budget and supervision of their assigned park; The Department
adding an Assistant Director of Administration and a Development & Corporate
Sponsorship Coordinator; The Department's promotional and marketing efforts
having increased significantly; The Department's Policies and Procedures having
been revised, distributed and discussed with staff; Staff having been trained and
certified in coaching skills for various sports; and new partnerships having been
formed with groups such as the North Shore Optimists and the PAL. The Blue
Ribbon Committee members were pleased to see that many of their
recommendations had been implemented and that others are in the process of
being implemented.
42nd Street Project - A community meeting was held on May 24 to share
information on this project with the public, including parents and administrators
from North Beach Elementary. An LTC with a construction / project update was
sent to you on May 24.
Byron Carlyle Theater - The grand opening of the Byron Carlyle Theater is
scheduled for Tuesday, June 8 from 6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. The Cultural Arts
Council (CAC) will host the event in partnership with the City. Invitations to the
event were sent to each of you last week.
North Shore Park and Youth Center - The grand opening of the North Shore
Park and Youth Center is scheduled for Saturday, June 5 from 1:00 p.m. - 4:00
p.m. An LTC with additional details was sent on May 25.
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Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) - The CERT program just
concluded training another cohort of twenty-seven CERT participants and they
will be presented with their certificates at the June 9, 2004 City Commission
meeting. The City will conduct another series of trainings in August and October.
As you know, the City of Miami Beach has become a part of a national network of
CERT communities. The program is designed to help neighborhoods prepare for
and respond after catastrophic disasters such as hurricanes, tornadoes, and
other major emergencies. Volunteers are trained in basic disaster survival and
rescue skills that improve the ability of citizens to survive until responders or
other assistance arrives.
Network Television Coverage - My Office of Communications coordinated
several news stories which appeared, or will appear, on national network
television. The first item aired on Friday, May 28, 2004 on the CBS Television
Network's This Morning Show and featured a live remote interview with our
Beach Patrol Captain Vince Andreano who provided beach safety tips to viewers.
CBS's This Morning Show is also taped a segment on Miami Beach on Tuesday,
June 1, 2004 featuring local meteorologist Brian Norcross who offered
suggestions on preparing for the upcoming hurricane season. Both these
segments are part of CBS's "summer safety" kick-off series. We are also
working with the ABC Television Network's Good Morning America Show for a
feature on our "Cheat the Reaper" program that was held last week at Miami
Beach Senior High School. Several local TV stations, as well as CNN, also
featured the program last week on their channels. An air date for this feature has
not yet been determined, but once it is, I will communicate with you.
If you have any questions or need additional information, please feel free to
contact me.
Electronic Copy: Leadership Team
F:CMGPJAL!JLTC04ANeekly Update/May28.doc