LTC 475-2018 Parks and Recreation Summer 2018 Recap MIAMI BEACH
OFFICE OF THE CITY MANAfFP
NO. LTC # 475.2018 LETTER TO COMMISSION
TO: Mayor Dan Gelber and Member$'of the City Commission
FROM: Jimmy L. Morales, City Manager'µ
DATE: August 29, 2018
SUBJECT: PARKS AND RECEATION SUMMER 2018 RECAP
The Parks and Recreation Department is proud to provide the Mayor and Commission with a
recap of another fun-filled summer in the City of Miami Beach. This summer, 1,494 children and
teens enjoyed a packed schedule of exciting activities ranging from arts and crafts, swimming and
sports, to special events, ice skating and so much more.
General summer camp began on June 11, 2018 and ran through August 16, 2018 at the following
locations:
• Flamingo Park (grades K-5)
• Muss Park (grades K-3)
• Nautilus Middle School (grades 6-12)
• North Shore Park and Youth Center (grades K-5)
• Normandy Isle Park (grades 6-12)
• Scott Rakow Youth Center (grades 4-12)
• Camp for Tots (half day, 8-week program for children ages 3-4)
The smiles and laughter were non-stop, particularly evidenced by our 33 campers with special
needs. The City of Miami Beach firmly believes in the importance of including all children,
regardless of abilities, into regularly scheduled programs and activities. Through our Inclusion in
Recreation Program, we are proud to provide specialized one-on-one assistance to children with
special needs and are effectively able to do so by meeting with their parents and their schools to
address how to best include them in summer programming.
For those campers looking to focus on a specific interest, pursue a hobby, develop a craft or learn
something new, a variety of different specialty camps were offered. As such, 1,194 participants
joined specialty camps, such as:
• Coding
• Culinary Kids (cooking skills)
• Sports Camp
• Ice Skating Camp
• Water Sports Camp
• SoBe Great Adventures (mountain biking, horseback riding, paddle boarding)
• Mad Scientists
• Jr. Police Leadership Academy Camp (with MBPD)
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• Jr.Guard Start
• Fine Arts Camp
• Gymnastics Camp
• Jr. Tennis
• Jr. Golf
The pools also made a splash this summer as 48,441 patrons cooled off at Flamingo Park, Scott
Rakow Youth Center and Normandy Isle Park. Learn to Swim classes were very popular this
summer, as reflected in the numbers below:
• Number of participants in free Learn to Swim: 50
• Number of participants in paid swimming classes: 508
Last but not least, the Parks and Recreation Department joined the National Recreation and Park
Association's summer initiative—July Parks and Recreation Month. About 1,030 people came out
in July to participate in the following community events:
• Zumbathon
• Dog-Gone Wild Doggie Day
• Safari Splash Bash for Toddlers
• Splish Splash Senior Water Aerobics
• Safari Family Night
Miami Beach residents also received free access to the fitness centers at Scott Rakow and North
Shore Park during the month of July, and several City departments such as Planning,
Procurement and Finance were visited by the Parks and Recreation team to enjoy an afternoon
of interactive games and activities.
The Parks and Recreation Department is committed to ensuring our participants have a quality
experience through our programming, while creating long-lasting memories and friendships along
the way. As we all know, "It Starts in Parks".
Should you have additional questions, please contact Cindy Casanova at (305) 673-7730.
JLM/0cy
1421GC
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