LTC 272-2003CITY OF MIAMI BEACH
Office of the City Manager _
Letter to Commission
TO:
From:
Subject:
Mayor David Dermer and
Members of the City Commission
Jorge M. Gonzalez
City Manager
WEEKLY UPDATE
Date: November 24, 2003
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 weeks of November
10 and 17, 2003:
Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) - I, alongside members of the Administration,
continued to meet to plan and prepare for the FTAA Ministerial and Amedcas Business
Forum taking place in the City of Miami from November 16 - 22, 2003. Our Police
Department has been working with Miami-Dade County and the City of Miami Police
Departments to ensure that all resources are allocated accordingly throughout the region to
ensure public safety for our residents and visitors. In an effort to provide the most up to
date information and keep our residents informed, the City's Answer Center extended its
hours of operation until 10 p.m. throughout the week. Fortunately, the call volume in the
evening hours regarding the FTAA was very light, resulting in only about five calls. As you
may have heard from news accounts, fewer than expected protesters arrived in South
Florida and all assemblies taking place in our area, including the one in South Beach on
Monday, November 17, were managed appropriately by public safety officials.
2003 Elections - Members of the Administration worked in conjunction with Miami-Dade
County Elections staff to coordinate and train personnel for the run-off election held in
Miami Beach on Tuesday, November 18, 2003. Polls were open on election dayfrom 7:00
a.m. to 7:00 p.m. with about a 15% voter turnout. A Special Commission meeting was held
on Wednesday, November 19 to validate the election results and for the swearing-in
ceremonies for the Mayor and Commissioners Bower, Cruz and Garcia.
Veterans Day Holiday- Most City departments were closed on Tuesday, November 11 in
observance of Veterans Day. Our Tourism and Cultural Development Department helped
coordinate the City's annual Veteran's Day parade and ceremony which took place on
November 11on Washington Avenue and culminated at the Police Department.
Film and Print - The Administration has been working on several local productions,
including: CBS's "Star Search" which held an open audition at the Roney Palace; HSI
Productions produced a commercial for Virgin Mobile featuring Busta Rhymes in front
of the Flamingo; Telemundo's "Amor Descarado" continued filming at their residential
location on Pine Tree Drive; Univision's "Cristina Show" filmed a segment on the beach
behind the Fountainbleau Hotel.
Neighborhood Leadership Academy - This civic and public information program,
designed to provide our residents with information and resources to become more
knowledgeable members of our diverse community, has been meeting since September 22
with various City departments presenting an overview of their responsibilities and services
provided. No class was held the week of November 10 in observance of the Veterans Day
holiday. On November 17, the Public Works Department presented. The final four
sessions in this course include the Parking Department on November 24; the Police
Department on December 1; the Fire Department on December 8; and Economic
Development and Tourism and Cultural Development Department on December 15.
Graduation will take place at the January Commission meeting.
Art Basel I Miami Beach - The Administration continues to meet to plan and allocate
resources for the second Art Basel / Miami Beach and the many associated events taking
place throughout the City from December 2 - 7, 2003. By now, each of you should have
received an informational packet which includes your invitations to all Art Basel / Miami
Beach events, including the City's official welcome party taking place on Tuesday,
December 2, along with other helpful information and details to help with your participation
in all Art Basel / Miami Beach events. Should you require any additional information or
have any questions about Art Basel / Miami Beach, please feel free to check-in with me.
Grants Management - The Administration has been working with representatives from
Florida International University (FLU) on securing a grant they manage from the Department
of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in the amount of approximately $320,000 for
enhancements to the North Shore Park Youth Center. Once all details are finalized, they
will be shared with the Mayor and Commission.
Convention Development Tax (CDT) - On November 4 the Miami-Dade County Board of
County Commissioners adopted a resolution pledging available CDT proceeds for the
development of a professional ballpark in the City of Miami authorizing the County
Manager to negotiate any and all related agreements subject to final approval by the Board
of County Commissioners. The resolution was amended by Commissioner Heyman to
honor the County's commitment to the City of Miami Beach if the negotiations with the
Florida Marlins do not reach a successful outcome by March 15, 2004. On November 12, I
met with Representative Dan Gelber and Mayor Penelas' chief-of-staff to continue sharing
information and exploring possible alternates to receiving funds for the Miami Beach
Convention Center.
Fire Department Graduation Ceremony- On November 14, a graduation ceremony was
held for the next generation of firefighters that will serve the city of Miami Beach. The eight
graduates were Shawn Anderson, Arilys Beltran, Angel Ortega, Aurelio Mederos, Nelson
Gomez, Javier Rivero, Treena Wright and Edwin Cook.
Employee Relations - On November 17, I attended an orientation for all new City of
Miami Beach employees who have been hired in the past several months to share
information with these new staff members and introduce them to important concepts and
principles that will help them succeed at the City of Miami Beach. In addition, committees
made up of employees from throughout the City are working on several upcoming
employee celebrations including our second annual citywide holiday party taking place on
Friday, December 19, 2003; our annual employee recognition and awards program, which
this year will be a celebration of time and talent, taking place on Wednesday, January 7,
2004; and our employee picnic scheduled to take place on Saturday, March 27, 2004 to
coincide with the City's birthday celebrations. More details on all these upcoming events
will be provided shortly.
Alaska Parcel - A meeting was held on Monday, November 17 with Tom Daley and Joyce
Bronson frem The Related Group to continue discussing the City Commission's directive at
the October 15 executive session concerning litigation about the Alaska Pamel and
surreunding preperties. Pursuant to the terms of the court-ordered mediation precess, the
Developer continues to present options for development of the preperties. An attempt is
being made to enhance the pedestrian experience along South Pointe Ddve. Development
concepts will ultimately be presented at a future executive session.
City Hall Space Plan - I met with representatives frem the Administration to continue
discussing plans for space reallocation at City Hall in order to continue to bring and co-
locate departments and like-functions in order to improve flow threughout our buildings.
We continue to work on our space plan and will advise the Mayor and Commission on our
most up-to-date plans.
Potamkin Site -A meeting was held on November 18 with Wayne Pathman and Jeff
Berkowitz to continue discussions regarding the proposed retail development on 5~ Street
and Alton Road which will include a supermarket. The Administration and the developer
have reached agreement on the framework of a preposal that will be presented to the
Finance and Citywide Projects Committee for discussion.
Miami Design Preservation League (MDPL) -A meeting was held on November 20 with
representatives frem the Administration and Commissioner Bower to discuss MDPL's
continued use of the Oceanfront Auditorium preperty. Several items were discussed and
we will continue to workwith MDPL to finalize a plan. Once a resolution has been reached,
the details will be shared with the Mayor and Commission.
National Heritage Designation - I, alongside representatives from the Administration, met
with Cathy Left from the Wolfsonian Museum to discuss the City's participation in obtaining
designation as a National Heritage Area by the National Park Service. A National Heritage
Area is a region in which residents, businesses, and local governments have joined
together to conserve and celebrate heritage and special landscapes. It is an area where
culture and history shape the landscape, where the land and the local envirenment, over
time, have shaped traditions and cultural values in the people who live there, and where
the residents' use of the land has, in turn, created and sustained a landscape that reflects
their cultures. The Administration is reseamhing the details on the requirements for
designation and the schedule of key milestones and deliverables.
TV20 Cable Television Access - On November 19, I met with representatives of the
Administration to discuss our ongoing cable TV negotiations. As you know, Atlantic
Broadband Miami LLC has submitted paperwork to the Federal Communications
Committee (FCC) requesting authority to purchase and control programming of Charter
Communications Cable System, which currently provides local cable access for the City's
TV20 government channel. The Administration, alongside the Law Firm of Leibowitz and
Associates (which has been retained to assist in the transfer) have reviewed the
application and submitted a response.
Penrod Brothers - I, alongside representatives from the Administration, conducted a site
tour of the property surrounding Penrod Brothers Complex to inspect the ongoing
restoration issues of the park premises and surrounding property. The item was discussed
in greater detail at the November 20, 2003 Finance and Citywide Projects Committee
meeting. Penrod Brothers and the Administration reached a tentative agreement regarding
several issues. A more detailed summary will be sent to the Commission under separate
cover.
Bass Museum Board of Trustees -A meeting was held on November 20. Several items
were discussed including: Scheduled repairs on the humidification system are being
completed ahead of schedule and the Museum will reopen as scheduled for Art Basel with
Dispersions: A Decade of Art from Spain , Selections from the Coca-Cola Espana
Foundation Collection; Frida Kahlo: Portraits of an Icon; Lynda Benglis: Sculptures and
Judith Schaechter: Extra Virgin illuminated stained-glass works; Trustee Chair presented
his concerns on comments made on the Bass Musuem, in a draft of the Cultural Arts
Council , Arts Trust research study. Staff of the Department of Tourism & Cultural
Development will forward these comments to the CAC for appropriate response.
United Way- City staff are participating in the citywide fundraising efforts to benefit United
Way sponsored charities; many of which are located with the City of Miami Beach and
benefit many in our diverse community.
If you have any questions or need any additional information, please feel free to contact
me.
JMG\ri
c: Electronic Copy: Leadership Team
F:/cmgr/all/LTC03?weekly update November 24.doc