LTC 223-2004 Weekly Update
CITY OF MIAMI BEACH
Office of the City Manager
Letter to Commission No. 223-2004
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From:
Mayor David Dermer and
Members of the City Commission
Jorge M. Gonzalez ~ .r<
City Manager ..-
WEEKLY UPDA
Date: August 20, 2004
To:
Subject:
The purpose of this LTC is to provide you with an update describing some of the
areas the Administration has recently been focusing on:
Emergency Preparedness Plan - City Staff met throughout the week to monitor
the path of Hurricane Charley and to prepare in the event of a possible strike in
South Florida. Following the hurricane's landfall in Southwest Florida, the City
deployed teams of public safety officials from the Police, Fire and Building
Departments to help assist with recovery efforts in the affected areas. A
separate LTC with additional details regarding our mutual aid efforts has been
sent. Staff and I will continue to meet throughout the hurricane season to review,
update and enhance elements of our emergency I hurricane plan.
Fire Department - Representatives from the Fire Department, Including Fire
chief Jordan, Mayor Dermer, Commissioner Garcia and I, attended the
Commission on Fire Accreditation International Conference (CFAI) in New
Orleans where the Miami Beach Fire Department earned accreditation, making
our Fire Department one of only 102 from around the world, and one of only eight
from Florida, who have received accreditation.
Major Events Plan (MEP) - City Staff continued to meet throughout the week to
continue planning and preparing for several major events that will be taking place
in the next few weeks, including the MTV Music Video Awards and the Labor
Day holiday weekend. The MTV Music Video Awards ceremony will take place
on August 29 at the American Airlines Arena in Miami with several ancillary
events taking place at various nightclubs and hotels throughout the entertainment
district of Miami Beach. These events will begin in the evening hours on
Thursday, August 25 and end in the early morning hours of Tuesday, August 31.
I will continue to keep you posted on developments regarding the MTV event and
its expected impact on the City. In addition, staff has continued to meet with
representatives from the Air & Sea Show, along with staff from Miami Dade
County and the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau, to further explore
the possibility of having this event take place on Miami Beach.
Organizational Development - As part of my ongoing efforts to meet with staff
from all levels throughout all City Departments, I held a brown bag lunch meeting
with staff from the Property Management Division of the Public Works
Department on August 9. An educational fair was held at City Hall on August 12
to provide employees and members of the public an opportunity to learn about
higher education alternatives available throughout South Florida.
Representatives from Florida International University, Barry University, Miami
Dade College, and several other area colleges participated and shared
information about educational opportunities available at their respective schools.
The third session of the "Supervision in Government" series, a course specifically
designed for new supervisors in the City, took place on August 19.
Union Negotiations - Staff from Labor Relations met with representatives from
the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME)
Union on August 18 to continue with our discussions and negotiations. A follow-
up meeting has been scheduled for September 7,2004. We continue to wait to
hear from the Union President of the Communications Workers of America
(CWA) Union to schedule our next meeting. Our last session was held on July 7
and we have been unable to meet since due to the fact that the Union President
was on vacation until on August 9 and their labor attorney is currently on
vacation. Staff from Labor Relations is working on scheduling the next session
with CW A.
Camp Miami Beach - Camp Miami Beach, a series of arts and cultural programs,
sports and recreation, and health and wellness activities aimed at highlighting
Miami Beach to visiting families and residents continued with a "Meet the
Filmmakers" session on August 12 and a "Family Storybook Festival" on August 14.
Both events took place at the Byron Carlyle Theater. Additional details about Camp
Miami Beach are available at: www.CampMiamiBeach.com.
Vote Miami Beach - City staff continue to work on the Vote Miami Beach effort,
the City's ongoing campaign to create and stimulate awareness among Miami
Beach residents about voting. Staff from our Office of Communications video-
taped a segment with each of you on August 18 regarding this campaign. These
segments are expected to begin airing on Channel 20 soon. In addition, staff
continues to coordinate voter registration drives, with the next two scheduled for
Saturday, August 28 and Saturday, September 11, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
on each day. Volunteers from the City, the Gray Panthers, the People for the
American Way and the Miami-Dade County Election Department will be at the
following locations to register eligible voters: the Wild Oats Supermarket located
on Alton Road; Lincoln Road (at Euclid in front of Sushi Siam), and the
Walgreen's drug store on 41st street.
City's Wayfinding Signage Project - Two public presentations were made on
August 16 to give members of the public an opportunity to preview the proposed
signage designs and sign locations. The proposed sign designs were presented
for final approval to the Design Review Board and the Historic Preservation
Board on August 17 who approved the design package. We now expect the
consultant to begin preparations of the final bid documents for Phase 1. A copy
of the design is still available online via the City's website at:
www,miamibeachfl. qov/newcity/press/press04/siqnaqe desiqns. pdf
Labor Relations - Staff from the Office of Labor Relations, along with a
representative from the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (a division of
the federal Labor Department whose mission is to improve labor-management
relations, promote collective bargaining and enhance organizational
effectiveness) held a session on August 20 for unclassified city staff
(management) who work with any of the City's five Unions. The purpose of the
session was to share and provide helpful information in an attempt to continue to
improve labor-management relations at the City.
Hispanic Heritage Month - Preparations continue for this year's Hispanic
Heritage Month celebrations taking place from September 14 - October 15,
2004. The Hispanic Affairs Committee (HAC) is sponsoring a book collection of
new and/or used books to promote literacy during Hispanic Heritage Month.
Books will be collected through October 15, 2004 at the following Miami Beach
locations: City Hall, 1700 Convention Center Drive.; Hispanic Community
Center,1701 Normandy Drive; Ayuda, 7118 Byron Avenue; and at Jacobo's
Watch Repair, 302 Lincoln Road. The HAC also seeks nominations for the 2004
Hispanic Heritage Month Awards. These awards are merited for categories such
as: public safety, business, education, and social services. In addition, plans are
under way for our annual employee luncheon. More details will be provided as
they become available. Staff is also working on several events that will take
place for employees. Additional details regarding all events taking place in honor
of Hispanic Heritage Month will be shared with the Commission at the September
8 City Commission meeting when a proclamation declaring Hispanic Heritage
Month will be presented.
Film & Print - Several film productions are currently taking place on Miami
Beach, most notable the filming of "Transporter 2". An LTC with additional
details regarding the filming of this movie was sent on August 16. Filming was
expected to wrap up on Miami Beach by 8:00 p.m. on Friday, August 20.
Florida League of Cities - I had an opportunity to attend the Florida League of
Cities 78lh annual conference taking place in Hollywood, Florida on August 20-21
and was able to attend several sessions and meet with colleagues and elected
representatives from throughout the State of Florida.
If you have any questions or need additional information, please feel free to
contact me.
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Electronic Copy: Managemenl Team
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