Resolution 2024-32927 RESOLUTION NO.1 2024-32927
A RESOLUTION OF THE MAYOR AND CITY COMMISSION OF THE
CITY OF MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA, DIRECTING THE ADMINISTRATION
(1) TO STUDY THE POSSIBLE RELOCATION OF THE NEW FIRE
STATION NO. 1 PROJECT (PROJECT) TO A CITY-OWNED SITE
LOCATED ALONG ALTON ROAD BETWEEN 11TH STREET AND 12TH
STREET, AT THE WESTERN BOUNDARY OF FLAMINGO PARK AT
ALTON ROAD BETWEEN 11TH AND 12TH STREETS (FLAMINGO
PARK SITE), TAKING INTO ACCOUNT RESPONSE TIMES,
PORTABILITY OF STATE GRANT, TIME AND COST IMPACTS OF
MOVING THE PROJECT TO THE FLAMINGO PARK SITE , AND
COMMUNITY INPUT AND (2) TO PRESENT THE ADMINISTRATION'S
FINDINGS AT THE MAY 15, 2024 COMMISSION MEETING; AND
FURTHER, DIRECTING THE ADMINISTRATION TO WORK WITH THE
OFFICE OF THE CITY ATTORNEY TO DETERMINE THE
REQUIREMENTS FOR A COUNTY-WIDE VOTER REFERENDUM
PURSUANT TO ARTICLE VII OF THE MIAMI-DADE COUNTY CHARTER
IN AUGUST 2024 AND TO PREPARE THE NECESSARY RESOLUTIONS
TO PROCEED WITH AN AUGUST REFERENDUM SHOULD THE
COMMISSION WISH TO RELOCATE THE PROJECT TO THE
FLAMINGO PARK SITE.
WHEREAS, the South Shore Community Center (the "South Shore Community
Center" or the "Community Center"), located at 833 6th Street, was built in 1971 and
designed by renowned architect Morris Lapidus; and
WHEREAS, over the past three decades, the Community Center has housed
various non-profit organizations that have provided critical services to our community,
including childcare, services for the elderly and for economically disadvantaged
individuals and families; and
WHEREAS, the above-non-profit agencies have collectively provided critical social
services to the neediest residents in our community, and have successfully operated for
many years at the South Shore Community Center; and
WHEREAS, Fire Station No. 1 ("Fire Station No. 1") located at 1051 Jefferson
Avenue, was built in 1967 and serves the areas south of 15th Street including Star Island,
Hibiscus Island, Palm Island, MacArthur Causeway up to Watson Island and Terminal
Island; and
WHEREAS, a professional evaluation of Fire Station No. 1 in 2015 by Borrelli and
Partners commissioned by the City Administration concluded that existing site conditions
warranted a full demolition and site reconstruction of Fire Station No. 1; and
WHEREAS, on November 6, 2018, 70% of the voters in the City of Miami Beach
approved a General Obligation Bond in the aggregate amount of$439,000,000 (the"G.O.
Bond") to fund capital improvement projects throughout the City; and
WHEREAS, the G.O. Bond voter information guide included a project description
for the construction of a new Fire Station No. 1 facility that would be able to withstand a
Category 5 hurricane, other natural disasters and challenges such as security
threats/risks and would house a new 911 call center dispatch (the "911 Call Center
Dispatch") and keeping the existing Fire Station No. 1 facility as the City's required back-
up center(the "Current Fire Station No. 1 Project"); and
WHEREAS, importantly, the Voter's Guide for the new Fire Station No. 1 did not
identify a specific location for the Project, providing the City Commission with the flexibility
to identify the location that serves the best interest of the City; and
WHEREAS, through various actions taken by City boards and previous City
Commissions, the South Shore Community Center was selected as the preferred location
for the new Fire Station No. 1 project; and
WHEREAS, on July 31, 2019, pursuant to RFQ No. 2019-208-ND, the Mayor and
City Commission adopted Resolution No. 2019-30913 approving and authorizing -the
Mayor and City Clerk to execute an Agreement with Wannemacher Jensen Architects,
Inc. (WJA), for Architectural and Engineering Design Services for the Current Fire Station
No. 1 Project to be located at the South Shore Community Center(the"A&E Agreement");
and
WHEREAS,. on January 15, 2020, pursuant to Request for Qualifications (RFQ)
No. 2019-370-ND, the Mayor and City Commission adopted Resolution No. 2020-31112
approving and authorizing the .Mayor and City Clerk to negotiate and execute an
, agreement with Kaufman Lynn Construction, Inc. (Kaufman Lynn) as Construction
Manager at Risk, for the Current Fire Station No. 1 Project (the "CMaR Agreement"); and
WHEREAS, the A&E Agreement and .CMaR Agreement has each been amended
to address additional scope and, in the case of the CMaR Agreement, to establish .the
Guaranteed Maximum Price for the construction of the Current Fire Station No. 1 Project;
and
WHEREAS, significant progress has been made in advancing the Current Fire
Station No. 1 Project, but community concerns regarding the closing and demolition of
the South Shore Community Center have resurfaced; and
WHEREAS, at the December 13, 2023 meeting of the City Commission, my
colleague, Commissioner Kristen Rosen Gonzalez, sponsored and presented to the
Commission for its consideration a Resolution to stop the contemplated demolition of the
Community Center for the purpose of building the new Fire Station No. 1 at that site and,
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instead, rebuild Fire Station No. 1 at its existing location as a State-of-the Art Facility(the
"Jefferson Avenue Alternate Fire Station No. 1 Project"); and
WHEREAS, at the December 13, 2023 Commission meeting, the Administration
indicated that the current location of First Station No. 1 on Jefferson Avenue is
insufficiently large (21,000 square feet)to accommodate the program for the State-of-the-
Art Facility, including the 911 Call Center Dispatch and sufficient parking for firefighters,
EMTs and other personnel to be housed there, rendering the Jefferson Avenue Alternate
Fire Station No. 1 Project unfeasible; and
WHEREAS, the City Commission deferred acting on the item until the
Commission's next meeting on January 31, 2024 to afford Commissioner Rosen
Gonzalez the opportunity to identify alternative locations in light of the concern with the
size of the Jefferson Avenue site;'and
WHEREAS, at the January 31, 2024 Commission meeting, because there are few
undeveloped properties in the South Beach area as large as the site of the South Shore
Community Center (45,000 square feet), Commissioner Rosen Gonzalez presented for
consideration a different vision for the new Fire Station No. 1 that would entail adding a
substation to the Jefferson Avenue Alternate Fire Station No. 1 Project that could allow
for moving some of the programming contemplated for the State-of-the-Art Facility to the
substation; and •
WHEREAS, in the short period between the.December 13, 2023 and January 31,
2024 City Commission meetings, Commissioner Rosen Gonzalez identified at least one
(1) site (possibly two (2) sites) that could likely accommodate the new Fire Station No. 1
in its entirety and three (3) sites that could accommodate a substation to the Jefferson
Avenue Alternate Fire Station No. 1 Project that could, at a minimum, house the 911 Call
Center Dispatch as well as some engines that would handle some of the calls assigned
to Fire Station No. 1; and
WHEREAS, a at its January 31, 2024 meeting, thanks to the efforts of
Commissioner Tanya Bhatt, the Mayor and City Commission unanimously directed the
Administration to pursue two (2)• parallel paths for the Fire Station No. 1 Project: (1)
proceed with next steps for the Fire Station No. 1 Project as currently contemplated at the
Community Center site and (2) evaluate the feasibility of pursuing alternate sites for Fire
Station No. 1, with the item to be reviewed by the Mayor and City Commission again for
a final decision at its May 15, 2024 meeting; and
WHEREAS, the community served by Fire Station No. 1 deserve a facility that will
expand emergency coverage and reduce response times throughout the service area and
the Fire Department merits a Fire Station No. 1 that is a state-of-the art, Category 5
hurricane hardened facility (a "State-of-the-Art Facility"); and
WHEREAS, although the vision of a sub-divided Fire Station No. 1 to include a
main station and,a sub-station was a creative approach, developing the Fire Station No.
. 3
1 project on a single site that includes all of the programming contemplated for the Current
Fire Station No. 1 Project would be significantly more desirable and more cost-effective;
and
WHEREAS, a City-owned property fronting Alton Road between 11th Street and
12th Street at the western boundary of Flamingo Park (the "Flamingo Park Site")(see
Exhibit,A to this Resolution, page 4) is currently underutilized; and
WHEREAS, the response times from Flamingo Park Site are better than response
times from the existing Fire Station No. 1. location on 11th and Jefferson (see Exhibit A
to this Resolution, page 6); and
WHEREAS, if there is a need to relocate the new Fire Station No. 1 from the
currently contemplated location at the Community Center site to another location within
"Central South Beach,"there should not be any issues with the$11 million resiliency grant
from the State of Florida based on preliminary discussions with the Manager of the
Resilient Florida Program, however, the City would likely have to seek an extension on
the deadline for the use of funds; and
WHEREAS, subject to a few exceptions which are inapplicable here, pursuant to
Section 7.02 of the Miami-Dade County Charter, no permanent structures may be erected
in a public park unless each structure is approved by a majority vote of the voters in a
County-wide referendum; and
WHEREAS, the cost to the City to conduct a special election in August or
November 2024 would be approximately $70,747.40 (see Exhibit A to this Resolution,
page 10); and
WHEREAS, the sponsor of this resolution has proceeded to present this item for
consideration by the City Commission following an initial presentation made to the
Flamingo Park Neighborhood Association which provided constructive initial feedback
regarding the possible relocation of Fire Station No. 1 to the Flamingo Park Site; and
WHEREAS, although the Flamingo Park Site is not identical to the South Shore
Community Center site, subject to confirmation by a survey, it is anticipated that a
significant amount of the work performed under the A&E Agreement and the CMaR
Agreement by the consultants can be re-purposed for use at the Flamingo Park Site; and
WHEREAS, like the Community Center site, a preliminary review indicates that the
Flamingo Park Site could continue to provide or accommodate:
- a location surrounded by three adjacent roadways for increased vehicular
ingress and egress,
- four double loaded, elevated apparatus bays, with enough space to park 10-12
emergency vehicles,
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- an efficient interior layout for 20 dormitory rooms, a watch office, a kitchen,
training facilities, a gym, and equipment storage,
- and a hardened facility to withstand a Category 5 hurricane, at the required
finished floor elevation necessary to protect critical equipment and emergency
systems, with impact windows and doors, an energy-efficient roof, and a power
generator; and,
WHEREAS, it is acknowledged that relocating the already designed Fire Station
No. 1 project to the Flamingo Park Site might entail some adverse effects on time and
cost, including additional expenses for modifying the track and football field facilities —
these pale in comparison to the delays and financial outlay required to acquire a
comparable site in South Beach from a third party and design a new facility; and,
WHEREAS, the opportunity to preserve a Morris Lapidus building and ensure the
continuity of community services at the South Shore Community Center renders this
option worthy of further exploration.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT DULY RESOLVED BY THE MAYOR AND CITY
COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA, that the Mayor and City
Commission direct the Administration to study the possible relocation of the new Fire
Station No. 1 project(Project)to a City-owned site along Alton Road between 11th Street
and 12th Street at the western boundary of Flamingo Park (Flamingo Park Site), taking
into account response times, portability of state grant, time and cost impacts of moving
the Project to the Flamingo Park Site and community input, and to present the
Administration's findings at the May 15, 2024 Commission meeting, and further, directing
the Administration to work with the Office of the City Attorney to determine the
requirements for a county-wide voter referendum pursuant to Article VII of the Miami-
Dade County Charter in August 2024 and to prepare the necessary resolutions to proceed
with an August referendum should the Commission wish to relocate the Project to the
. Flamingo Park Site.
PASSED AND ADOPTED this day of �4rKti r y , 2024.
ATTEST:
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...wt FEB 2 3 2024 Steven Meiner, Mayor
Rafael E. Granado, City Clerk
APPROVED AS TO t B '
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(Sponsored by Commissioner Alex J. Fernandez) &FOR EXECUTION _ : -a .i
Co-Sponsored by Commissioner Tanya K Bhatt =1NcoAI
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Co-Sponsored byCommissioner Laura Dominguez y''�'•..,.m.. ' s
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Co-Sponsored by Commissioner Kristen Rosen Gonzalez � — Z— �— „ ti 26' .
Co-Sponsored by Commissioner Joseph Magazine City Attorney Rd Date
Co-Sponsored by Commissioner David Suarez
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Resolutions C7 W
MIAMI BEACH
COMMISSION MEMORANDUM
TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Commission
FROM: Rafael A. Paz, City Attorney
DATE: February 21, 2024
SUBJECT:A RESOLUTION OF THE MAYOR AND CITY COMMISSION OF THE CITY
OF MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA, DIRECTING THE ADMINISTRATION TO
STUDY THE POSSIBLE RELOCATION OF THE NEW FIRE STATION NO. 1
PROJECT (PROJECT)TO A CITY-OWNED SITE LOCATED ALONG ALTON
ROAD BETWEEN 11TH STREET AND 12TH STREET, AT THE WESTERN
BOUNDARY OF FLAMINGO PARK AT ALTON ROAD BETWEEN 11TH AND
12TH STREETS (FLAMINGO PARK SITE), TAKING INTO ACCOUNT
RESPONSE TIMES, PORTABILITY OF STATE GRANT, TIME AND COST
IMPACTS OF MOVING THE PROJECT TO THE FLAMINGO PARK SITE
AND COMMUNITY INPUT; AND FURTHER, DIRECTING THE
ADMINISTRATION TO WORK WITH THE OFFICE OF THE CITY
ATTORNEY TO DETERMINE THE REQUIREMENTS FORA COUNTY-WIDE
VOTER REFERENDUM PURSUANT TO ARTICLE VII OF THE MIAMI-
DADE COUNTY CHARTER IN AUGUST 2024 AND TO PREPARE THE
NECESSARY RESOLUTIONS TO PROCEED WITH AN AUGUST
REFERENDUM SHOULD THE COMMISSION WISH TO RELOCATE THE
PROJECT TO THE FLAMINGO PARK SITE.
BACKGROUND/HISTORY
Was Agenda Item initially requested by a lobbyist which, as defined in Code Sec. 2-481,
includes a principal engaged in lobbying? No
If so, specify name of lobbyist(s)and principal(s): N/A
ANALYSIS
The attached Resolution was prepared at the request of the sponsor, Commissioner Alex
Fernandez.
SUPPORTING SURVEY DATA
N/A
FINANCIAL INFORMATION
Page 400 of 1278
N/A
Is this a"Residents Right Does this item utilize G.O.
to Know" item, pursuant to Bond Funds?
City Code Section 2-14?
Yes Yes
Legislative Tracking
Office of the City Attorney
Sponsor
Commissioner Alex Fernandez
ATTACHMENTS:
Description
o Resolution
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Page 401 of 1278