LTC 366-2021 South Beach Comprehensive Strategy Update
OFFICE OF THE CITY MANAGER
NO. LTC # 366-2021 LETTER TO COMMISSION
TO: Honorable Mayor Dan Gelber and Members of the City Commission
FROM: Alina T. Hudak, City Manager
DATE: September 3, 2021
SUBJECT: South Beach Comprehensive Strategy Update
The purpose of this LTC is to update the City Commission on our continuing efforts to
implement a South Beach comprehensive strategy. As we all know and understand, the
many years of troubling incidents in this district can no longer be tolerated. One thing
has become clear since my appointment as City Manager four months ago: It is no
longer sufficient to treat what has historically been defined as “high impact periods” as
anomalies when every weekend brings significant crowds and challenges.
Consequently, I have directed multiple City departments to develop a unified strategy in
which to address the most pressing issues.
The plan is based on a multifaceted response to what has become a year-round threat
to public safety from visitors who have demonstrated a blatant disregard for human life,
public property and the well-being of our many law-abiding residents and guests. We
believe this approach will create a visible and constant deterrent in South Beach through
a coordinated effort by Police, Code Compliance, Fire, Homeless Outreach, Parking,
Park Rangers and Sanitation. Our success depends on all City departments
comprehensively working together to address the underlying issues that contribute to an
“anything-goes” atmosphere in this iconic district.
Police
First, at my direction, the Police Department has reassigned an average of 40 officers to
patrol the streets of South Beach from multiple divisions effective Aug. 30. This
represents a staggered increase in PD visibility, similar to that of the Operation ADCD
Safe, not just on nights and weekends, but throughout the day.
For example, the Criminal Investigations Division has assigned four detectives and one
supervisor in marked patrol units to the Collins Avenue corridor, while the Community
Affairs Unit provided four officers to the Washington Avenue corridor. These officers are
tasked with high-visibility patrols, traffic enforcement and working collaboratively with our
Code Compliance and Parking departments to swiftly address violations. These men
and women are also providing resources to homeless individuals and will regularly be
meeting with local businesses to identify potential problems before they become
flashpoints.
The Motor Unit consisting of 11 officers and two supervisors is deployed on both Collins
and Washington avenues between their assigned school zone enforcement details. The
Accident Investigation Unit has provided one of its investigators to further enhance traffic
enforcement efforts. The Midnight Platoon overlap detail, with an average of 25 officers
nightly starting at 9 p.m. through 1 a.m., is deployed in the South of Fifth, Fifth Street,
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Ocean Drive, Collins Avenue and Washington Avenue corridors. Overtime details on
Saturdays and Sundays have been created to sustain the enhanced staffing effort.
Our Strategic Enforcement Team of eight officers and one supervisor dedicated to
patrolling Ocean Drive and Collins Avenue is now teaming up with representatives from
Code Compliance and Parking to proactively survey the district collaboratively on foot —
taking criminal and regulatory enforcement action as appropriate. The unit conducts
regular business checks along Ocean Drive and Collins Avenue to address any quality
of life issues or concerns they may encounter.
The Video Monitoring Team continues to work with Undercover Units to establish
probable cause for the arrest of suspected narcotics dealers and unlicensed vendors.
We are further leveraging our partnerships with federal agencies, including the Drug
Enforcement Administration, Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Alcohol,
Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. In addition, we are an active member of the Joint
Terrorism Task Force and collaborate with the Miami-Dade County Fusion Center, which
provides a platform for the sharing of criminal information and intelligence that goes
beyond municipal lines.
I have directed a complete review of our MBPD off-duty program in which officers are
paid by local businesses to provide an additional police presence at their
establishments. For some time now, we have been unable to fill the available off-duty
shifts with officers willing to accept them. I’m in the process of reviewing the rate
structure to incentivize more officers to accept these assignments and will be
recommending a higher pay rate in the near future.
Much consideration has gone into the preparation of this comprehensive effort while
balancing the needs of the entire city. I have been assured that it will not impact current
patrol resources in Middle and North Beach.
The economic benefit of Miami Beach tourism extends well beyond our boundaries to
the County as a whole yet we bear a disproportionate burden. As such, the Miami-Dade
Police Department has provided an expanded presence in Miami Beach over the last
four months and has pledged to provide 10 officers who will work on weekends through
the end of the calendar year. We appreciate our County support as well as that of other
jurisdictions. We look forward to exploring other partnership opportunities.
To further analyze the staffing needs of the Police Department, I am in the process of
hiring Matrix Consulting to conduct an entertainment area deployment analysis. We
expect to use that information to make future recommendations.
Code Compliance
Code Compliance has assigned two additional officers to a Unified Enforcement Team
each Wednesday through Saturday from 5 p.m. to 3 a.m. These Code Officers will be
addressing sidewalk café code of conduct and quality of life issues in addition to the
department’s other uniformed and plainclothes officers assigned to South Beach. The
enhanced Miami Beach Marina Code Compliance effort will continue.
Fire
The Fire Department is part of the Unified Enforcement Team. They will be assisting
Police and Code Compliance with the enforcement of life safety codes and
overcrowding. They will also be adding an Advanced Life Support Rescue Unit to the
Lummus Park area each Friday through Sunday from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. and will conduct
nightclub inspections from 6 p.m. to 3 a.m. on Thursday through Sunday.
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Homeless Outreach Services
The Office of Housing and Community Services — Homeless Outreach Services
Program will increase its efforts by collaborating with the Miami Beach Police
Department Homeless Resource Unit. They will coordinate joint missions to assist the
homeless throughout South Beach and other areas of concern. This collaborative
approach will augment re-engagement strategies in the community and promote greater
accessibility to services within the Homeless and Mental Health/Substance Abuse
Continuum of Care.
Parking
Two Parking Officers will be joining the Unified Enforcement Team each Wednesday
through Saturday from 5 p.m. to 3 a.m. to address parking enforcement issues, including
illegal parking within residential zones.
Park Rangers
Miami Beach Park Rangers have a key role to play in providing an enhanced
enforcement presence in South Beach. Rangers do not fall under MBPD operational
control, but rather the Parks and Recreation Department. We plan to increase ranger
staffing from six to 11 enforcement personnel and expand coverage in Lummus Park
from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Friday through Sunday. We will assign a dedicated supervisor
to the Lummus Park area during those times and schedule a Miami Beach Police
Sergeant liaison and Beachwalk personnel as well. Park Rangers will focus on open
containers, loud music, marijuana, other drug use as well as homeless encampments.
They will monitor Ocean Drive conditions during park patrols and report concerns to
MBPD or Code Compliance as appropriate. In addition, the Parks and Recreation
Department will continue to provide enhanced maintenance and janitorial services in
Lummus Park.
Public Works and Facilities & Fleet Management
In addition to its regular level of service, the Sanitation Division of Public Works will
expand coverage in South Beach by adding a four-person crew that will work until 2 a.m.
on Friday and Saturday to improve cleanliness. They will also expand evening service
coverage along Collins Avenue.
Facilities & Fleet Management and Public Works will add an enhanced level of vigilance
to ensure that city-owned assets are well lit at night, including pedestrian corridors,
parks, public restrooms, parking garages and surface lots. A gate is being installed at
South Pointe Park surface lot that will prevent vehicles from entering between midnight
and 5 a.m.
Fiscal Impact
While all of these efforts will have a fiscal impact, I believe there is enough flexibility in
our current overtime budget and the current proposed budget to address this strategic
redirecting of resources. I will personally monitor this plan on a weekly basis and provide
updates to the City Commission as needed.
Effective immediately, I have directed that all vacancies within these departments be
filled as needed for this effort as well as those budgeted positions for the next fiscal year
so that the hiring process can begin immediately. As a reminder, between FY 2021 and
FY 2022, the budget reflects 26 additional police officers on the street. We have included
initiatives to stimulate recruitment of police officers, including the highest signing bonus
in Miami-Dade County and a housing stipend for sworn police who live in Miami Beach.
The recruitment and training of officers takes time but is being prioritized.
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Conclusion
The situation in South Beach has grown progressively more concerning. I welcome a
dialogue on the overall business model. I believe this requires rigorous long-term
planning involving all stakeholders in our community. This administration will do
everything in its power to continue to improve one of the world’s most beloved districts
by bringing to bear all of our resources. I am committed to meeting with this multi-
departmental team on a weekly basis and allocating additional resources as needed to
deal with this evolving situation. The discussion regarding the configuration of Ocean
Drive will be discussed during an upcoming workshop on Sept. 23. I have asked our
team to provide options and will be prepared to discuss in detail at the workshop.
Thank you for your continued support.
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