LTC 535-2017 Human Rights Campaign MEI Score MIAMI BEACH
City of Miami Beach,1700 Convention Center Drive,Miami Beach,FL 33139,www.miamibeachfl.gov
OFFICE OF THE CITY MANAGER
LTC# LETTER TO COMMISSION
TO: Mayor Philip Levine and Me bers the City Commission 535.2017
FROM: Jimmy L. Morales, City Ma --
DATE: November 3, 2017
SUBJECT: Human Rights Campaign MEI Score
The purpose of this Letter to Commission (LTC) is to inform the Mayor and Commission
of the score the City of Miami Beach received on the Human Rights Campaign's (HRC)
Municipality Equality Index (MEI).
The City of Miami Beach received a perfect score with bonus points. Every year, HRC
becomes more stringent in their requirements for municipalities; therefore, the City
should consider the following to maintain a perfect score in the coming years:
• Changing the language in RFQ 57-11/12: City Contractors; HRC is requiring that
the City have a mandate for contractor companies themselves to have in place
own non-discrimination policies, based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
To fulfill the requirement, this mandate must be a part of overall city policy and
not just in individual project contracts. (This is the specific area in which we
were deducted four points in each year we have submitted documentation
to be scored by HRC).
• HRC will be requiring a City-sanctioned anti-bullying task force for 2018. The
MEI's current measure of anti-bullying policies will be phased out in favor of a
new criterion, a task force charged with ensuring that all youth including at-risk
LGBTQ youth-are protected from bullying in all City services, City-supported
services, and City facilities.
• In 2018, ALL Gender-single occupancy facilities (bathrooms) will be added to the
MEI for rating. The MEI scorecard will acknowledge municipalities that require
single-occupancy restrooms to be designated as all-gender, city-wide. By doing
this, cities will created a more inclusive environment for everyone-particularly
those who identify as transgender or gender-nonconforming.
The following are topics that had to be stretched in order to get points:
• Specific employment outreach to the LGBTQ community.
• HIV/AIDS services: Care Resource* was primarily used to satisfy this
requirement for bonus points.
• Services provided to LGBTQ seniors. Jewish Community Services and Lambda
Living were used to satisfy this requirement for bonus points
• Services provided to LGBTQ youth. Care Resource and Latinos Salud were used
to satisfy this requirement for bonus points.
• Transgender services. Care Resource was used to satisfy the requirements for
these bonus points.
*Without a specific tie to Care Resource, the City of Miami Beach will "lose" many of the
point standards. The City only has this connection now because Care Resource rents
space in a City-owned building. However, they will be moving into a new location in a
local doctor's office in the coming year. Other than a rent abatement, the organization
receives no funding from Miami Beach, even though the City benefits greatly from their
health services.
JLM/MG