230-2001 LTC
CITY OF MIAMI BEACH
Office of the City Manager
Letter to Commission No. c2.:3t)
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October 15, 2001
TO: Mayor Neisen O. Kasdin and
Members of the City Commission
FROM:
Jorge M. Gonzalez \. .~
City Manager U r . 0
SUBJECT: WEEKLY UPDATE
The purpose of this LTC is to provide the Mayor and Commission with an update
describing some of the areas the Administration focused on during the week of October
8, 2001.
Economic and Tourism Related Issues - Representatives from the Administration
traveled to Tallahassee and presented to the Miami-Dade Delegation on the effects the
recent national events have had on the economy and tourism here on Miami Beach.
Testimony from this presentation, along with City identified priorities related to these
issues, will be included in an agenda item that the Delegation will be submitting for the
Legislative Special Session scheduled to begin on October 22, 2001. The Delegation
recognized the fact that the State needs to help the City deal with these issues.
Collins Avenue - The installation of the water line service laterals to the hotels and
along the corridor is now complete. The Florida Department of Transportation is now
continuing with all construction. Completion date for the project is still on schedule.
Representatives from the Administration met with the Collins Avenue Task Force to
update them on the status of the construction.
Veteran's Day Weekend - Representatives from the Administration met to begin
planning for the free Veteran's Day concert featuring 'NSYNC and various other artists
taking place on Sunday, November 11, 2001 on the sands of South Beach. This free
benefit concert will be a salute to the heroic New York Police and Fire Departments with
proceeds going to the families of the victims of the September 11 terrorist acts.
Working with representatives from the Ocean Drive Association and Fantasma
Productions, the Administration is going through the Major Events Plan and beginning to
implement the various components of the plan, as well as various enhanced security
steps, to ensure that the entire Veteran's Day weekend and free concert are fun and
safe for all who come to the City of Miami Beach. The Administration plans on working
with representatives from Miami-Dade County to discuss the allocation of augmented
resources and support from the County for this holiday and special event weekend.
Major Events Planning Meeting - Was held to continue planning for the Mix Show
Power Summit, taking place in Miami Beach from October 17 - 20,2001. This event
will bring about 800 DJ's and representatives from the recording industry to an annual
conference taking place at the Eden Roc Hotel. Evening events featuring various Hip
Hop artists will be held at Level Nightclub from Wednesday, October 17 through
Saturday, October 20. Police, Code, Parking and various other City Departments have
plans to ensure that the events associated with this conference are successful. No
Goodwill Ambassadors or special traffic plans will be implemented for this special event
weekend.
Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau - Representatives from the
Administration attended a meeting convened by the Greater Miami Convention and
Visitors Bureau to discuss a market analysis of convention space in the Greater Miami
and Beaches area. The analysis was completed by Conventions, Sports and Leisure
International, a consulting firm that evaluated the competitive standing of the convention
facilities in Miami-Dade County, including the Miami Beach Convention Center, the
Coconut Grove Convention Center and the Miami Convention / Knight Center. The
recommendation of the consulting firm is that given the Miami Beach Convention
Center's geographic draw, no new facility, either in downtown Miami or elsewhere in the
County should be planned, but instead, the development of a 50,000 square foot multi-
purpose general assembly/banquet hall in the Miami Beach Convention Center to
increase the marketability of our Convention Center and the region.
Employee Appreciation Luncheon - About 700 City of Miami Beach employees
attended this barbeque at the 21 rst Street Recreational Center. This luncheon was held
to thank all employees for their hard work and to recognize 26 employees who received
a special recognition from the City Manager for exhibiting outstanding customer service
practices. A special highlight included comments from Mayor Kasdin, who attended his
final employee luncheon as Mayor of the City of Miami Beach.
City Committee Meetings - Were held for the Land Use and Development Committee,
the Finance and Citywide Project Committee, and the G.O. Bond Oversight Committee.
Committee reports for these meetings have been provided to the Commission in your
October 17, 2001 agenda packets.
Should you desire any additional information about any of these items, please feel free
to contact me.
JMG:RI
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