Ordinance 2021-4408 Amendments to Composition of DRB and PB
ORDINANCE NO. 2021-4408
AN ORDINANCE OF THE MAYOR AND THE CITY COMMISSION
OF THE CITY OF MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA, AMENDING
CHAPTER 118 OF THE CODE OF THE CITY OF MIAMI BEACH,
ENTITLED "ADMINISTRATION AND REVIEW PROCEDURES,"
ARTICLE II, ENTITLED "BOARDS," DIVISION 2, ENTITLED
"PLANNING BOARD," SECTION 118-53, ENTITLED
"COMPOSITION"; AND DIVISION 3, ENTITLED "DESIGN
REVIEW BOARD," SECTION 118-72, ENTITLED
"MEMBERSHIP"; TO AMEND THE QUALIFICATIONS FOR THE
CITIZEN AT LARGE MEMBERSHIP CATEGORY ON
THE PLANNING BOARD AND DESIGN REVIEW BOARD; AND
PROVIDING FOR REPEALER, SEVERABILITY, CODIFICATION,
AND AN EFFECTIVE DATE.
WHEREAS, the composition of the Design Review Board and Planning Board are
established in Chapter 118, Article II of the City Code; and
WHEREAS, the Mayor and City Commission desire to amend the composition of the
Design Review Board and Planning Board to ensure that items are reviewed from diverse
perspectives; and
WHEREAS, the Mayor and City Commission recognize the importance of residents'
point of view when making decisions regarding development in the City; and
WHEREAS, on July 29, 2020, the City Commission referred an Item to the Land Use
and Sustainability Committee ("LUSC") to consider revising the qualifications for the citizen-at-
large category; and
WHEREAS, on November 24, 2020, the LUSC recommended that the City Commission
refer an Ordinance to the Planning Board, to amend the qualifications for the citizen-at-large
category on the Planning Board ("PB") and Design Review Board ("DRB") only; and
WHEREAS, on January 13, 2021, the City Commission referred this item to the Planning
Board for review and recommendation; and
WHEREAS, the City of Miami Beach has the authority to enact laws which promote and
protect the public health, safety, welfare, and morals of its residents; and
WHEREAS, the amendment set forth below is necessary to accomplish all of the above
objectives.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED BY THE MAYOR AND CITY COMMISSION
OF THE CITY OF MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA:
SECTION 1. Chapter 118 of the Code of the City of Miami Beach, entitled "Administration and
Review Procedures," Article II, entitled "Boards," is hereby amended as follows:
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CHAPTER 118
ADMINISTRATION AND REVIEW PROCEDURES
ARTICLE II. BOARDS
* * *
DIVISION 2.- PLANNING BOARD
* * *
Sec. 118-53. - Composition.
(a) The planning board shall be composed of seven regular voting members. Each regular
member shall be appointed with the concurrence of at least four members of the city
commission. Each regular voting member shall serve for a term of two years. The planning
director or designee, and city attorney or designee, shall serve in an advisory capacity.
(b) All regular voting members of the board shall have considerable experience in general
business, land development, land development practices or land use issues; however, the
board shall at a minimum be comprised of:
(1) One architect registered in the State of Florida; or a member of the faculty of a
school of architecture in the state, with practical or academic expertise in the field
of design, planning, historic preservation or the history of architecture; or a
landscape architect registered in the State of Florida; or a professional practicing
in the fields of architectural or urban design, or urban planning;
(2) One developer who has experience in developing real property; or an attorney in
good standing licensed to practice law within the United States;
(3) One attorney licensed to practice law in the State of Florida who has considerable
experience in land use and zoning issues;
(4) One person who has education and/or experience in historic preservation issues.
For purposes of this section, the term "education and/or experience in historic
preservation issues" shall be a person who meets one or more of the following
criteria:
a. Has earned a college degree in historic preservation;
b. Is responsible for the preservation, revitalization or adaptive reuse of historic
buildings; or
c. Is recognized by the city commission for contributions to historic preservation,
education or planning; and
(5) Two persons who are citizens at largo residents at-large or engaged in general
businecc in the city and who currently reside in the city and have resided in the city
for at least three consecutive years at the time of appointment or reappointment.
Additionally, strong preference shall be given to individuals who have previously
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served on a Miami Beach board or committee and/or completed the Miami Beach
Leadership Academy course, and to individuals not currently working in the fields
of real estate development, real estate brokerage/sales, real estate law, or
architecture; and
(6) (i) A licensed professional engineer, licensed professional architect, or licensed
professional landscape architect with expertise in water resources; (ii) a person
licensed by the State of Florida in hydrology, water or wastewater treatment; or(iii)
a person with a degree from an accredited college or university in a field of study
related to water resources; or (iv) a floodplain manager or a principal community
administrator responsible for the daily implementation of flood loss reduction
activities including enforcing a community's flood damage prevention ordinance,
updating flood maps, plans,and policies of the community, and any of the activities
related to administration of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP)(a"water
management expert").
(c) Except as provided in subsection (b)(5),Ns no person except a resident of the city, who
has resided in the city for at least one year, shall be eligible for appointment to the planning
board. The residency requirement in this subsection (c) shall not apply to the water
management expert appointed to the planning board pursuant to subsection (b)(6).
(d) The city commission may waive the residency requirements by a 5/7ths vote in the event
a person not meeting these requirements is available to serve on the board and is
exceptionally qualified by training and/or experience.
DIVISION 3.—DESIGN REVIEW BOARD
* * *
Sec. 118-72. - Membership.
•
(a) Composition. The design review board shall be composed of seven regular members. The
seven regular members shall consist of:
(1) One architect registered in the United States;
(2) An architect registered in the State of Florida or a member of the faculty of a school of
architecture, urban planning or urban design in the state, with practical or academic
expertise in the field of design, planning, historic preservation or the history of
architecture; or a professional practicing in the fields of architectural design or urban
planning;
(3) One landscape architect registered in the State of Florida;
(4) One architect registered in the United States, or a professional practicing in the fields
of architectural or urban design, or urban planning; or resident with demonstrated
interest or background in design issues; or an attorney in good standing licensed to
practice law within the United States; and
(5) Two citizens at_large Two persons who are residents at-large and who currently
reside in the city and have resided in the city for at least three consecutive years
3
at the time of appointment or reappointment. Additionally, strong preference shall
be given to individuals who have previously served on a Miami Beach board or
committee and/or completed the Miami Beach Leadership Academy course, and
to individuals not currently working in the fields of real estate development, real
estate brokerage/sales, real estate law, or architecture; and
(6) (i) A licensed professional engineer, licensed professional architect, or licensed
professional landscape architect with expertise in water resources; (ii) a person
licensed by the State of Florida in hydrology, water or wastewater treatment; or(iii)
a person with a degree from an accredited college or university in a field of study
related to water resources; or (iv) a floodplain manager or a principal community
administrator responsible for the daily implementation of flood loss reduction
activities including enforcing a community's flood damage prevention ordinance,
updating flood maps, plans, and policies of the community, and any of the activities
related to administration of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP)(a "water
management expert").
One person appointed by the city manager from an eligibility list provided by the disability
access committee shall serve in an advisory capacity with no voting authority. The planning director,
or designee, and the city attorney or designee, shall serve in an advisory capacity.
(b) Appointment. Design review board members shall be appointed with the concurrence of at
least four members of the city commission.An eligibility list for these professional membership
categories may include, but shall not be limited to,suggestions from the following professional
and civic associations as listed below:
(1)American Institute of Architects, local chapter.
(2)American Society of Landscape Architects, local chapter.
(3)The Miami Design Alliance.
(4)American Planning Association, local chapter.
(5)The Miami Design Preservation League and Dade Heritage Trust.
(6)Other city civic, neighborhood and property owner associations.
(c) Residency and place of business. All regular members shall reside in or have their primary
place of business in the county, except for the water management expert appointed pursuant
to subsection(a)(6),who need not reside in or have a principal place of business in the county,.
and except as otherwise provided in subsection (a)(5). The two citizens-at-large resident at-
large members and one of the registered landscape architects, registered architects, or
professionals practicing in the fields of architectural or urban design or urban planning shall
be residents of the city.
SECTION 2. REPEALER.
All ordinances or parts of ordinances in conflict herewith are hereby repealed.
SECTION 3. SEVERABILITY.
If any section, subsection, clause or provision of this Ordinance is held invalid, the
remainder shall not be affected by such invalidity.
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SECTION 4. CODIFICATION.
It is the intention of the Mayor and City Commission of the City of Miami Beach, and it is
hereby ordained that the provisions of this ordinance shall become and be made part of the Miami
Beach City Code. The sections of this ordinance may be renumbered or relettered to accomplish
such intention, and the word "ordinance" may be changed to "section," "article," or other
appropriate word.
SECTION 5. EFFECTIVE DATE.
This Ordinance shall take effect ten days following adoption.
Q,.
PASSED and ADOPTED this a1 day of Peri 2021.
ATTEST:
Dan Gelber
< Mayor
•Mies•
Raf el E. Granado IIICOR° OPMEo,
City Clerk '; �=
First Reading: March 17, 2021 APPROVED AS TO FORM AND
Second Reading: April 21, 2021 LANGUAGE AND FOR EXECUTION
3
City Attorney Date
Verified By:
T omas R. Moone AICP
Planning Director
T:\Agenda\2021\6_April 21\Planning\Resident at Large Amendment for DRB and PB-Second Reading ORD.docx
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Ordinances- R5 D
MIAMI BEACH
COMMISSION MEMORANDUM
TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Commission
FROM: Raul J.Aguila, Interim City Manager
DATE: April 21, 2021
10:25 a.m. Second Reading Public Hearing
SUBJECT:AMENDMENTS TO COMPOSITION OF DRB AND PB
AN ORDINANCE OF THE MAYOR AND THE CITY COMMISSION OF THE
CITY OF MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA, AMENDING CHAPTER 118 OF THE
CODE OF THE CITY OF MIAMI BEACH, ENTITLED "ADMINISTRATION
AND REVIEW PROCEDURES," ARTICLE II, ENTITLED "BOARDS,"
DIVISION 2, ENTITLED "PLANNING BOARD," SECTION 118-53,
ENTITLED "COMPOSITION"; AND DIVISION 3, ENTITLED "DESIGN
REVIEW BOARD," SECTION 118-72, ENTITLED "MEMBERSHIP"; TO
AMEND THE QUALIFICATIONS FOR THE CITIZEN AT LARGE
MEMBERSHIP CATEGORY ON THE PLANNING BOARD AND DESIGN
REVIEW BOARD; AND PROVIDING FOR REPEALER, SEVERABILITY,
CODIFICATION,AND AN EFFECTIVE DATE.
RECOMMENDATION
The Administration recommends that the City Commission adopt the Ordinance.
BACKGROUND/HISTORY
HISTORY
On July 29, 2020, at the request of Commissioner Michael Gongora, the subject item was
referred to the Land Use and Sustainability Committee (C4M). On November 24, 2020, the
Land Use and Sustainability Committee (LUSC) recommended that a revised draft Ordinance
be referred to the Planning Board, in accordance with the following:
1. The text of the revised citizen-at-large category shall be as recommended by the
Administration.
2. No modifications to the Historic Preservation Board (HPB) or Board of Adjustment (BOA)
membership categories; only to the Planning Board (PB)and Design Review Board (DRB).
3. The Administration and the City Attorney's Office shall further develop the text pertaining to
"not working in other fields".
On January 13, 2021, the City Commission discussed the item (C4A), including modified
language that was introduced by the item sponsor, Commissioner Michael Gongora. At the
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request of the sponsor, the City Commission referred both the revised version proposed by the
sponsor and the version recommended by the LUSC to the Planning Board for review and
recommendation.
BACKGROUND
Chapter 118, Article I I of the Land Development Regulations of the City Code establishes the
following membership categories and criteria for appointment to the City's Planning Board and
Design Review Board, as follows:
Planning Board: Sec. 118-53. -Composition.
(a) The planning board shall be composed of seven regular voting members. Each regular
member shall be appointed with the concurrence of at least four members of the city
commission. Each regular voting member shall serve for a term of two years. The planning
director or designee, and city attorney or designee, shall serve in an advisory capacity.
(b) All regular voting members of the board shall have considerable experience in general
business, land development, land development practices or land use issues; however, the
board shall at a minimum be comprised of:
(1) One architect registered in the State of Florida; or a member of the faculty of a school of
architecture in the state, with practical or academic expertise in the field of design, planning,
historic preservation or the history of architecture; or a landscape architect registered in the
State of Florida; or a professional practicing in the fields of architectural or urban design, or
urban planning;
(2) One developer who has experience in developing real property; or an attorney in good
standing licensed to practice law within the United States;
(3) One attorney licensed to practice law in the State of Florida who has considerable
experience in land use and zoning issues;
(4) One person who has education and/or experience in historic preservation issues. For
purposes of this section, the term "education and/or experience in historic preservation issues"
shall be a person who meets one or more of the following criteria:
a. Has earned a college degree in historic preservation;
b. Is responsible for the preservation, revitalization or adaptive reuse of historic buildings; or
c. Is recognized by the city commission for contributions to historic preservation, education or
planning;
(5)Two persons who are citizens at-large or engaged in general business in the city; and
(6) (i) A licensed professional engineer, licensed professional architect, or licensed
professional landscape architect with expertise in water resources;
(ii) A person licensed by the State of Florida in hydrology,water or wastewater treatment;
(iii) A person with a degree from an accredited college or university in a field of study related
to water resources; or
(iv) A floodplain manager or a principal community administrator responsible for the daily
implementation of flood loss reduction activities including enforcing a community's flood
damage prevention ordinance, updating flood maps, plans, and policies of the community, and
any of the activities related to administration of the National Flood Insurance Program (NF I P) (a
"water management expert").
(c) No person except a resident of the city, who has resided in the city for at least one year, shall
be eligible for appointment to the planning board. The residency requirement in this subsection
(c) shall not apply to the water management expert appointed to the planning board pursuant to
Page 368 of 2709
subsection (b)(6).
(d) The city commission may waive the residency requirements by a 517 ths vote in the event a
person not meeting these requirements is available to serve on the board and is exceptionally
qualified by training and/or experience.
Design Review Board: Sec. 118-72. -Membership.
(a) Composition. The design review board shall be composed of seven regular members. The
seven regular members shall consist of:
(1)One architect registered in the United States;
(2) An architect registered in the State of Florida or a member of the faculty of a school of
architecture, urban planning or urban design in the state, with practical or academic expertise in
the field of design, planning, historic preservation or the history of architecture; or a professional
practicing in the fields of architectural design or urban planning;
(3) One landscape architect registered in the State of Florida;
(4) One architect registered in the United States, or a professional practicing in the fields of
architectural or urban design, or urban planning; or resident with demonstrated interest or
background in design issues; or an attorney in good standing licensed to practice law within the
United States;
(5)Two citizens at-large; and
(6) (i) A licensed professional engineer, licensed professional architect, or licensed
professional landscape architect with expertise in water resources;
(ii) A person licensed by the State of Florida in hydrology, water or wastewater treatment;
(iii) A person with a degree from an accredited college or university in a field of study related
to water resources; or
(iv) A floodplain manager or a principal community administrator responsible for the daily
implementation of flood loss reduction activities including enforcing a community's flood
damage prevention ordinance, updating flood maps, plans, and policies of the community, and
any of the activities related to administration of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) (a
"water management expert").
One person appointed by the city manager from an eligibility list provided by the disability
access committee shall serve in an advisory capacity with no voting authority. The planning
director, or designee, and the city attorney or designee, shall serve in an advisory capacity.
(b) Appointment. Design review board members shall be appointed with the concurrence of at
least four members of the city commission.An eligibility list for these professional membership
categories may include, but shall not be limited to, suggestions from the following professional
and civic associations as listed below.
(1) American Institute of Architects, local chapter.
(2) American Society of Landscape Architects, local chapter.
(3) The Miami Design Alliance.
(4) American Planning Association, local chapter.
(5) The Miami Design Preservation League and Dade Heritage Trust.
(6) Other city civic, neighborhood and property owner associations.
(c) Residency and place of business.All regular members shall reside in or have their primary
place of business in the county, except for the water management expert appointed pursuant to
subsection (a)(6), who need not reside in or have a principal place of business in the county.
The two citizen-at-large members and one of the registered landscape architects, registered
architects, or professionals practicing in the fields of architectural or urban design or urban
Page 369 of 2709
planning shall be residents of the city.
ANALYSIS
PLANNING ANALYSIS
The first draft ordinance was originally proposed by interested residents who are members of
the West Avenue neighborhood association. It included draft modifications to the citizen at-large
membership categories for appointment to the City's Design Review Board and Planning
Board. In this regard, the term 'Citizen at Large'was replaced with 'Resident at Large' and the
minimum requirements for the membership category were expanded.
PLANNING BOARD REVIEW
Two versions of the proposed Ordinance were referred to the Planning Board for consideration.
Prior to the item being referred to the Planning Board, the item sponsor proposed additional
modifications to the draft Ordinance as recommended by the Land Use and Sustainability
Committee (LUSC).The City Commission referred both versions of the Ordinance to the
Planning Board for its consideration.
Following a public hearing on February 23, 2021,the Planning Board transmitted the version of
the Ordinance recommended by the LUSC to the City Commission with a favorable
recommendation by a vote of 5-2.As part of this transmittal, the Planning Board recommended
the following modification to the version of the Ordinance recommended by the LUSC:
Two persons who are eitizens a o residents at-large or engaged in general business in the city
and who currently reside in the city and have resided in the city for at least three consecutive years at
the time of appointment or reappointment.Additionally. strong preference shall be given to individuals
who have previously served on a Miami Beach boa-d or committee and/or completed the Miami
Beach Leadership Academy cours-. . • • • • • • - = =
- - : : •- - - - . - - : - . . - , - - - : . - - -; and
SUMMARY/UPDATE
On March 17, 2021, two versions of the Ordinance were presented to the City Commission at
First Reading:
1. The version recommended by the LUSC, which included the recommendations of the
Planning Board; and
2. At the request of the item sponsor, a revised version of the Ordinance previously proposed
by the sponsor and referred to the Planning Board.
The City Commission adopted the LUSC version of the Ordinance, and removed the
amendment recommended by the Planning Board. The Ordinance attached for Second
Reading/Adoption has been modified to reflect the action of the City Commission on March 17,
2021.
The Administration and the City Attorney's office believe that the proposed Ordinance approved
at First Reading provides the City Commission with adequate flexibility to ensure that individuals
appointed to the Planning Board and Design Review Board meet the highest standards of
ethical integrity, professional qualifications, and experience.
Page 370 of 2709
SUPPORTING SURVEY DATA
Better Manage Development Process
CONCLUSION
The Administration recommends that the City Commission adopt the Ordinance.
Applicable Area
Citywide
Is this a"Residents Right Does this item utilize G.O.
to Know" item, pursuant to Bond Funds?
City Code Section 2-14?
Yes No
Legislative Tracking
Planning
Sponsor
Vice-Mayor Michael Gongora
ATTACHMENTS:
Description
o Ordinance
Page 371 of 2709