LTC 044-2004 Weekly Update CITY OF MIAMI BEACH
Office of the City Manager
Letterto Commission No. 44-200
To:
From:
Subject:
Mayor David Dermer and
Members of the City Commission
Uorge U. Gonzalez
City Manager
WEEKLY UPDATE
Date: February 18, 2004
The purpose of this LTC is to provide the Mayor and Commission with an update
describing some of the areas the administration has recently been focusing on:
Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) - On January 29, I met with Jorge
Arrizurieta, the Executive Director of the FTAA, to receive an update regarding the
progress of the FTAA.
On-line Permitting - The IT Department is in the process of upgrading the Permit Plus
software to the version 5.0 (latest version) within the next few weeks. This will set the
platform for the vendor installation of "Velocity Hall ", the internet permitting software.
The first step was the upgrade to Permits Plus which was successfully completed on
February 13. The anticipated "go live" date for the entire program remains April 1,
2004.
Potamkin Site - Staff met with representatives from Potamkin to continue discussing
issues relative to the proposed project, with particular emphasis on the parking garage
revenue and expense operations and the Federal Transit Authority (FTA) funding
requirement.
Affordable Housing Charette The Miami Beach Community Development
Corporation (MBCDC) successfully hosted a charette titled "Providing Affordable
Housing in a Fully Built Urban Environment" on January 29 at the Miami Beach
Botanical Garden. The charette was attended by MBCDC staff, City staff, and City
Commissioner Saul Gross. Also attending were representatives from Fannie Mae, the
Florida Housing Coalition, the South Florida Community Development Coalition, the
Miami Beach Housing Authority, local realtors, and local private developers. Among the
topics discussed were the challenge of providing affordable housing in the local housing
market, homeownership programs for Section 8 Program participants, inclusionary
zoning, and utilization of Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) funds as a source
of alternative funding for affordable housing.
Charter Review Board - Met on February 2 and discussed administrative changes to
several personnel related items as well as reviewed language in the Voter's Guide that
the City has prepared for the upcoming March 9 election.
March 9 Election - In order to explain and educate Miami Beach residents on each of
the seven ballot questions that will be presented at the special election on March 9, the
Administration has prepared a Voter's Guide (English and Spanish) that will be mailed
to all registered Miami Beach voters. In addition, we will be placing several ads in all
local newspapers (English and Spanish) and producing a brief informative piece for
Channel 20.
Organizational Development - As part of my ongoing organizational development
initiatives, several staff members and I met with the City Manager and the Executive
Staff from the City of Coral Springs, Florida to continue talking about how we can
partner with each other to learn and help our respective municipalities. Coral Springs
has twice been awarded the Governor's Sterling Award for performance excellence.
One of the unique elements of our partnership is that their Organizational Development
Coordinator also works with us part-time and will help our Office of Budget and
Performance Improvement implement several Citywide performance measures. In
addition, my executive staff and I held an executive staff leadership retreat on February
10 facilitated by Dr. Rick Jensen that focused on improving communication among our
team and team building. A follow session which will focus on setting goals and
implementing performance measures is scheduled for March 3, 2004.
Nightlife Industry Task Force (NITE) - Met on February 3 to discuss upcoming events
taking place throughout the City in March, including various college spring-break related
events. The group also discussed the adult entertainment and nudity ordinance, the
ongoing flyer clean-up initiatives, issues involving patron age restrictions and the
revised special events guidelines.
Black History Month - The City is Celebrating Black History Month by coordinating the
following events: A video art exhibit featuring a historical perspective on the Black
Rights Movement in South Florida will be shown throughout the month in the lobby of
City Hall. The exhibit will start on Monday February 9 and run through February 27.
The Mayor's Black Host Committee, in partnership with the City's Community Relations
Board and the City, will host a reception to celebrate Black History Month. The event
will take place on Thursday, February 26 at the Miami Beach Botanical Gardens.
Finally, our annual employee luncheon honoring Black History Month will be celebrated
on Friday, February 27. The event will include guest speakers, music, entertainment, a
fashion show and delicious soul food.
Employee Celebrations - An employee-led committee is working on our annual
employee picnic scheduled for Saturday, March 27 at the North Shore Open Space
Park. This year's theme is an "Ali-America City Birthday Celebration" and will include
food, games, and the celebration of the City's 89th birthday. The event is scheduled
from 12:00 p.m.- 5:00 p.m. and members of the community will be invited to join in the
festivities when we cut the City's birthday cake at 4:00 p.m.
Miami Beach Senior High School - Staff met with Principal Friedman to discuss
various ongoing issues, including some code issues and violations, and talked about
how to come to resolution on those issues.
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Relay for Life - The City will again be participating in the American Cancer Society's
"Relay for Life," event to be held over a 24 hour period from May 15-16, 2004 on the
field at Miami Beach Senior High School. Funds raised from this event will go directly to
cancer research, clinical trials, legislative advocacy and education. An LTC with
additional information has already been sent and more details will be forthcoming.
Penrod's (Nikki Beach) Concession Agreement - The Administration met with
representatives from Penrod Brothers on February 6 to continue discussions regarding
the concession agreement. A conclusion and agreement has been reached as to the
terms and conditions of the concession agreement and we have received our first
installment check of $100,000 of the retroactive amount due to the City. Development
of the final site plan is being completed for the Administration's approval, and the
necessary documents are being prepared for presentation at the City Commission
Meeting of February 25, 2004, at which time the Administration will make its
recommendation to the Mayor and City Commission.
Budget Preparations - The Office of Budget and Performance Improvement continues
to work on budget preparations for the next fiscal year. An internal meeting with all City
Departments has been scheduled for February 19 to discuss this year's budget
preparations. In addition, a Commission Workshop will be held on Mamh 10 to begin to
discuss budget issues with the Mayor and City Commission.
Greater Miami Conventions and Visitors Bureau - Staff and I met with Don Peebles
and representatives from the GMCVB on February 6 to discuss their ongoing
performance contract issues and the upcoming contract expiration and ongoing studies
being conducted, including the studies by ERA and the County and the GMCVB
Strategic Plan and Market Assessment.
Major Events Plan (MEP) - Staff worked throughout the past several weeks to ensure
that various special events held on Miami Beach were successful including the Miami
International Film Festival which held several events here from January 30 - February
7; the 2nd annual Miami Tropical Marathon which was held on February 1 attracting
thousands of runners and visitors; FAB FEST, a beer, wine and food festival, was held
at Lummus Park from February 6-7 and the 30th annual Miami Beach Festival of the
Arts which took place from February 6-8. Preparations for the Boat Show continued
with the event taking place from February 12-17. By all accounts, the Boat Show was
as successful as ever drawing thousands to Miami Beach. Volleypalooza, a volleyball
tournament will be held from February 21-22 and the Big Shot Volleyball tournament
from February 28-29. Staff is also working with representatives from the South Beach
Wine & Food Festival on this year's event which is scheduled to take place throughout
the City from March 5-7.
Special Event Permit Requirements and Guidelines - A community meeting was
held on January 27 to provide residents and the business community with an
opportunity to review and provide feedback to the proposed changes to the special
events ordinance. An LTC providing an update with the revisions of the Special Event
Guidelines as well as outlining the next steps involved has already been sent.
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Beach Erosion - I met with County Commissioner Jimmy Morales, County Manager
George Burgess and Stephen Muss from the Fountainbleau Hilton on February 5 to
discuss issues related to beach erosion.
Film & Print - M'I-V Productions filmed a promo for Lipton Brisk Iced Tea on Ocean
Drive at 14th Street. FX's "Nip/Tuck" will begin filming promos for season 2 in Miami
Beach soon. Universal Pictures' sequel to "Meet the Parents" is primarily set in Miami
Beach and will film here for at least a week in the spring and stars Robert Deniro, Ben
Stiller and Dustin Hoffman. The Entertainment Industry Incubtor's gala brought
approximately 600 people to Miami Beach for an awards program.
Market Contracts - An on-site meeting with the Market Company and Fire Department
staff took place on Saturday, February 7 to finalize the site plan for the Espanola Way
location. Substantial agreement has already been reached on the Espanola Way
Market Concession Agreement, and final agreement should be concluded in the coming
weeks. The Normandy Market Agreement and Lincoln Road Agreement are expected
to be completed shortly thereafter. A Commission item relating to the concession
agreements with the Market Company is on the February 25 Commission agenda.
Portoflno Discussions - Staff and I met with representatives from the Related Group
on February 9 to continue discussing issues related to the mediation. Additional details
will be provided to the Mayor and Commission at the February 18 Executive Session.
Neighborhood Leadership Academy - I met with about 30 graduates of the City's
Neighborhood Leadership Academy on February 9 to discuss various issues the group
was interested in learning more about. In addition, we discussed how to keep the group
connected to the City and how we could work together on various projects to benefit the
community.
Beach Patrol - I met with representatives from the Fire Department, Beach Patrol, and
the Communications Workers of America (CWA) Union to discuss the reorganization of
the Beach Patrol unit and its move to the Fire Department. Additional details will be
provided at the February 17 Neighborhoods/Community Affairs Committee meeting.
Indian Creek Greenway Project - Staff and I met on February 12 to discuss the Indian
Creek Greenway project and the next steps involved in moving the project along.
Federal Lobbyists - Representatives from our federal lobbying firm of Jorden Burt
were here on February 12 to meet individually with each of you and with me to discuss
our ongoing federal legislative priorities.
If you have any questions or need any additional information, please feel free to let me
know.
JMG\ri
Electronic Copy: Leadership Team
F:CMGR/ALIJLTC04/VVeekly Update/January 23.doc
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