LTC 088-2022 Broadcasting of Special Magistrate Hearings088-2022
MIAMI BEACH
OFFICE OF THE CITY MANAGER
NO. LTC# LETTER TO COMMISSION
TO: Honorable Mayor Dan Gelb~r an Me bers of the City Commission
FROM: Alina T. Hudak, City Manag r
DATE: March 7, 2022
SUBJECT: Broadcasting of Special Magistrate Hearings
The purpose of this Letter to Commission is to provide you with an update on a change from the
Office of Marketing and Communications regarding televised broadcasts of Special Magistrate
Hearings, formerly known as Special Master Hearings.
As written in Resolution No. 2016-29508 , the Mayor and Commission accepted the
recommendation of the Finance and Citywide Projects Committee, by approving a ninety (90)
day pilot project to televise the City of Miami Beach Special Master Hearings involving short-term
rental violations cited pursuant to Sections 142-109, 142-905, and 142-111 of the City Code.
That pilot project ended on November 30, 2016.
The Office of Marketing and Communications successfully implemented the required ninety (90)
day pilot program and continued to televise these hearings without interruption up until the
present day.
Since 2016, the quantity of, and requirements for broadcast meetings has increased significantly,
to the point where our Communications team is now broadcasting 15 out of 20 business days
each month. The broadcast team is the same team that is expected to generate video content
for various City departments, ribbon-cuttings, archival of events, etc. With the increase of
televised meetings within the Commission Chambers, the team's availability to undertake
additional projects has been significantly reduced.
On average, the Special Magistrate Hearings last approximately 1 O hours up to four times per
month, the team spends approximately 120 hours (40 hours x 3 Broadcast Techs) a month on
these hearings alone. In addition, during the period from January 1 -February 28, 2022,
viewership of these meetings has only garnered nine (9) views, with an average view time of only
twenty-five (25) seconds.
Based on the above, the Administration has decided to stop the televised broadcast of these
meetings, which will increase our ability to create more video content for other City initiatives.
This change will not affect the audio recordings, since a direct line to the Clerk's office will remain
open to continue recording the meeting for archival purposes. The only change that is taking
place is the discontinuation of the video broadcasts.
Currently, the City of Miami Beach Office of Marketing and Communications has a team of three
(3) people dedicated to broadcast and televise all citywide events . The Administration is currently
broadcasting the following meetings every month:
• City Commission
• Commission Awards & Presentations
• 1-2 x Public Safety & Neighborhoods Quality of Life
• Finance and Economic Resiliency Committee
• Land Use & Sustainability
• Planning & Zoning
• Board of Adjustments
• Historic Preservation Board
• Design Review Board
• 4-6 x Special Magistrate/ Short-Term Rentals
• Special City Workshops
• Senior Affairs (livestreaming on Facebook)
• Budget Hearings
For additional information, please contact Melissa Berthier at
MelissaBerthier@ miamibe achfl.g ov.
ATH /MB/ MK