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Minutes - ADCD # 1 (01-08-21) City of Miami Beach, 1700 Convention Center Drive, Miami Beach, Florida 33139, www.miamibeachfl.gov Mayor’s Art Deco Cultural District Panel Meeting City of Miami Beach MEETING MINUTES No. 1 Friday, January 8, 2021 These meeting minutes are condensed and seek to capture the overall intent of discussions as interpreted by City staff. Each paragraph indicates the elapsed time into the meeting recording where the discussion commenced. For greater detail regarding the discussion, please refer to the recording in its entirety. Meeting Start Time: 11:00 AM I. Welcome Greeting 00:00 Chair Jonathan Plutzik called the meeting to order. 00:05 Mayor Dan Gelber welcomed the Panel and described his vision for Ocean Drive. II. Panelist Introductions 04:15 Chair Plutzik greeted panelists, asked them to introduce themselves, and identify their constituency or area of focus. 06:05 Panelists introduced themselves in the following order: Professor John Stuart (FIU); Daniel Ciraldo (MDPL); Ken Koppel (Sobe Safe); Vice Chair Jonathan Freidin; Jen Roberts (Design Miami); Dawn McCall (SoFNA); Tom Donall (Palace Bar); Jane Krupp; Salem Mounayyer (Jordache Hotel Group); Nicole Bostick (Life Time); Kim Kovel (Oolite Arts); Ricardo Tabet (Celino Hotel); Nisi Berryman; Robin Jacobs (Miami Members in Attendance Jonathan Plutzik, Chair Jonathan Freidin, Vice-Chair Nisi Berryman Jane Krupp Nicole Bostick Marc Lawrence Daniel Ciraldo Dawn McCall Thomas Donall Salem Mounayyer Kim Kovel Jen Roberts Robin Jacobs John Stuart Ken Koppel Ricardo Tabet Art Deco Cultural District Panel Meeting Minutes No. 1 January 8, 2020 Page 2 of 4 Beach Chamber of Commerce); Marc Lawrence (Washington Avenue BID / Anglers Hotel); Chair Jonathan Plutzik (Betsy Hotel / MBVCA) III. Sunshine Law Briefing 28:15 First Assistant City Attorney Nick Kallergis provided an overview of the Sunshine Law requirements, including publicly noticed meetings, that are open to the public, with transcribed minutes. 32:40 Daniel Ciraldo disclosed that Marc Lawrence sits on the Board of Directors of MDPL. 33:05 Robin Jacobs disclosed that John Stuart sits on the Board of Governors of the Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce. 34:55 Ricardo Tabet noted that both he and Chair Jonathan Plutzik sit on the Board of Directors of the Ocean Drive Association. 35:15 Nick Kallergis discussed the Florida Public Records Act and answered various related questions. 1:00:15 Chair Plutzik disclosed that he is a member of Sobe Safe with Ken Koppel and underscored the importance of collaboration between residents and the business community. IV. Introduction to City Administration 1:02:30 City staff introduced themselves in the following order: Assistant City Manager Eric Carpenter; Economic Development Director Rickelle Williams; Michele Burger, Chief of Staff to Mayor Gelber; Police Chief Richard Clements; Planning Director Tom Mooney; Director of Tourism Lissette Arrogante; Code Compliance Assistant Director Tom Curitore. V. Panel Mission 1:12:00 Chair Plutzik discussed the future of tourism, reimagination of the district’s brand, and the opportunity to elevate arts and culture to the forefront. VI. Introduction to Consultant Team 1:17:20 Chair Plutzik introduced the City’s consultant Bernard Zyscovich, who introduced his colleagues Grace Perdomo and Suria Yaffar, and shared his extensive background working in Miami Beach. Mr. Zyscovich then introduced the other disciplines among his consultant team, including economic advisors Lambert Advisory and principals Paul Lambert and Eric Liff; Fabian De La Espriella and Yolanda Takesian from transit and Art Deco Cultural District Panel Meeting Minutes No. 1 January 8, 2020 Page 3 of 4 mobility firm Kittelson; Julia Day from the Gehl planning and urban design firm; Jerome Barth from Town Square Corp.; and landscape designer Raymond Jungles. Zyscovich mentioned their immediate approach to a pilot project for reconfiguring traffic and transportation access along Ocean Drive, as well as advising the City Planning staff regarding proposed zoning amendments. Contemporaneous with providing immediate pilot projects proposals, Zyscovich described his larger purpose as consolidating a long- term vision for Washington Avenue, Collins Avenue, and Ocean Drive. 1:34:00 Chair Plutzik proposed his suggested format for how the consultant team would best leverage the participation and expertise of the Panel. 1:36:30 Daniel Ciraldo advocated for the Panel to collect as much public input as possible. 1:37:33 John Stuart asked whether a webpage could be created to enhance communication with the public regarding the Panel’s activities and Chair Plutzik agreed. 1:39:50 Nisi Berryman asked whether maps exist which depict the geographic boundaries of the Art Deco Cultural District. Bernard Zyscovich responded that the general boundaries were simple: from the western side of Washington Avenue east to the beach, and 5th Street north to 17th Street. 1:43:20 Chair Plutzik noted that this Panel does not represent one singular constituency; not residents nor businesses. He praised the diverse composition of the panelists and emphasized that public transparency and inclusiveness be paramount. VII. Chair Direction & Adjournment 1:44:10 Ken Koppel inquired about next steps and how to prepare for future meetings. Chair Plutzik suggested that early meetings would involve deep dives into key topics such as architecture, landscaping, culture, and zoning, in order that Panel members could get better acquainted with the core issues at hand. 1:46:25 Daniel Ciraldo requested that agendas be disseminated as early as possible prior to each meeting. In addition, Mr. Ciraldo asked whether today’s meeting could be extended, or additional time be added to the subsequent meeting, in order to provide for public comment. 1:49:01 Robin Jacobs requested additional educational materials be provided to Panel members, including an exhaustive list of previous reports prepared by ad hoc committees concerned with Ocean Drive, specifically that of Mayor Levine and Commissioner Arriola. Art Deco Cultural District Panel Meeting Minutes No. 1 January 8, 2020 Page 4 of 4 Motion: 1:49:20 Robin Jacobs made a motion to adjourn the meeting. 1:49:30 Ricardo Tabet advocated for a quick reopening of Ocean Drive to vehicular traffic, considering the pandemic’s adverse impact on commercial activity along the street. 1:51:15 Chair Plutzik noted that consensus appears to surround a long-term Ocean Drive vision that is more pedestrianized and food-and-beverage centric. He cautioned that recommended action should be thoughtful and deliberate, but the use of pilot projects would enable programming and planning ideas to adapt and improve if we don’t first get it right. 1:52:48 Vice Chair Freidin seconded the motion earlier made by Robin Jacobs to adjourn the meeting. Motion passed; Daniel Ciraldo was the sole no vote. Meeting adjourned.