113-2000 LTC
CITY OF MIAMI BEACH
C;,TY HALL 1700 CONVENTION CENTER DRIVE MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA 33139
http:\\ci.miami-beach.f1.us
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L.T.C. No. /. -
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LETTER TO COMMISSION
May 22, 2000
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FROM:
Lawrence A. Levy
City Manage
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TO:
Mayor Neisen O. Kasdin and
Members of the City Commission
SUBJECT:
REORGANIZATION OF THE ADMINISTRATION
As you are all aware, Assistant City Manager ("ACM") Janet Gavarette has resigned her position
with the City, effective June 2, 2000, to accept a position with the University of Miami. Janet has
made many positive contributions to the City during her tenure in the Planning Department and as
an Assistant City Manager. We will miss her superb managerial and planning skills, and even more,
we will miss her positive energy, sense of humor, and excellent sense of perspective. We all wish
her great success in her new endeavor.
Janet's portfolio included supervision of the Planning and Building Departments, Parks and
Recreation and the Office of Children's Affairs. For the moment, I am not replacing Janet with an
interim or permanent ACM. Instead, I am assigning portions of her areas of responsibility to several
staff members, effective on June 2, 2000, as follows:
Jorge Gomez will assume primary responsibility for the Planning Department and the
Building Department. Phil Azan will report to Jorge, and Jorge will be considered
as a member of the Executive Staff, reporting directly to me, during this interim
period. Matthew Schwartz will assume primary responsibility for the G.O. Bond
funded projects that Janet had been leading.
Kevin Smith and the Parks and Recreation Department will report to Mayra Diaz-
Buttacavoli, however, the Landscape Maintenance Division of Parks and Recreation
will be moved into Public Works, and will report to Matthew Schwartz. This is part
of a reorganization that will increase efficiency by better coordinating the work of the
Sanitation Department and the Landscaping Maintenance Division. Mayra Diaz
Buttacavoli will assume Janet's oversight responsibilities relative to the Parks
Improvement Projects.
Maria Ruiz and the Office of Children's Affairs will report to Ronnie Singer.
As I have previously discussed with each of you, I have been hesitant to implement any major
reorganizations, pending the selection of a permanent City Manager. However, Janet's departure
has precipitated the need to move forward on several fronts. Matthew Schwartz and I have been
working on a plan to have three area service coordinators, each of whom would be responsible for
a portion of the City, and who would be responsible for assuring that Streets and Street Lighting,
Sanitation, the Landscaping Maintenance Division and various other Departments are being used
efficiently and delivering the best possible service to our citizens in keeping the City clean and well
maintained. These area service coordinators will be out in the streets every day to identify needs and
to assure that they are met. I am hopeful that within the next forty-five days we will be able to
identify funding and implement our plan. At the same time, we are aggressively pursuing the
employment of a new Director of Public Works.
Please contact me at your convenience if you have any questions or wish to discuss any of the
foregoing.
LAL :ptw
c: Mayra Diaz Buttacavoli, Asst. City Manager
Janet Gavarrete, Asst. City Manager
Christina Cuervo, Asst. City Manager
Matthew Schwartz, Asst. City Manager
Ronnie Singer, Exec. Asst. to the City Manager
Mary Greenwood, Exec. Asst. to the City Manager
Murray H. Dubbin, City Attorney
Department Directors and Division Heads
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