February 13 2024-Minutes City of Miami Beach, 1700 Convention Center Drive, Miami Beach, Florida 33139, www.miamibeachfl.gov
Marine and Waterfront Protection Authority Members:
Ben Mostkoff – Appointed by Commissioner Laura Dominguez
Dave Doebler- Appointed by Commissioner Alex Fernandez
Elaine Roden – Appointed by Commissioner Kristen Rosen Gonzalez Julio Magrisso – Appointed by Commissioner Kristen Rosen Gonzalez
Tim Carr – Appointed by Commissioner Mark Samuelian
Amy Litos- Appointed by Commissioner Alex Fernandez
Mike Gibaldi – Appointed by Commissioner Tanya K. Bhatt
John Gardiner- Appointed by Commissioner David Suarez
Jose Frias- Appointed by Commissioner David Suarez
Michael Kiely- Appointed by Mayor Steven Meiner
The meeting of the Board of Directors was held on February 13, 2024, at 9:00 a.m. via zoom conference. The Vice President called the meeting to order at 9:04 a.m.
The attendees were as follows:
Board members: Dave Doebler, Amy Litos, John Gardiner, Elaine Roden,
Mike Gibaldi, Jose Frias, Tim Carr
Absent: Ben Mostkoff, Julio Magrisso City Staff: Brandon McLean– Code Compliance, Liaison Thomas Curitore- Code Compliance, Assistant Director
Sergeant Duane Rezende- City of Miami Beach Marine Patrol Lindsey Precht - Environment & Sustainability Assistant Director
David Suarez- City of Miami Beach Commissioner Otniel Rodriguez- Transportation Department, Assistant Director
Mikhail Ryabov- Transportation Department, Transportation Manager
Valeira Meija- Public Works Engineering, ADA Manager Elizabeth Mirno- Public Works Property Management, Assistant Director Public: Fadi Alghannam, Matthew Vilbas, Miami Beach Boat Association, Michelle,
Lynn, Jonathan
Meeting called to order at 9:04 a.m. by Vice Chairman, Dave Doebler
UNFINISHED/OLD BUSINESS
a. Election for Chair and Vicechair
• Mr. Dave Doebler was appointed to Chairman and Mr. Ben Mostkoff appointed to
Vicechair.
b. Marine Patrol update and discussion by Officer Duane Rezende, City of Miami Beach Marine Patrol
• Sergeant Rezende stated that there are approximately 10 derelict vessels, and 5 additional vessels are being monitored.
• There is a total of 7 boats on the water from 7:00am- 11:00pm. They are currently preparing for spring break and four additional officers will be added for shift coverage.
• A dive operation was conducted, and 66 vessels had mooring balls on them. All but five vessels were in violation and they had massive concrete structures holding them in place. They were cited for improper mooring.
• Two smaller bay boats were ordered, and it is expected to arrive before summer.
c. Park Ranger Report by William Harris, Park and Recreation Department-Not present.
d. Beach report by Marcella Cohen Paz-Not present.
e. Update on the water taxi/ Poseidon by Otniel Rodriguez, Transportation Assistant Director and Johnathan Silvia, Poseidon Operator
• Mr. Johnathan Silvia, Poseidon Operator stated that they secured docking at Pier 1. It’s
located by the seawall and it is convenient for passengers to disembark off the vessel.
They are currently working with an ADA coordinator for quotes, and solutions to install an
ADA lift and stairs to be ADA compliant.
• They have a tentative start date of March 1st. The schedule is 7:30 am to 7:00 pm.
• DERM was contacted and they were told that no permit is needed for Maurice Gibb Memorial Park and on the CIL side. Sea Isle Marina is already commercially permitted for commercial use as well as transit.
f. Update on GOB Dredging Project, Mooring Field, and Water Quality by Lindsey Precht, Environmental Research Manager
GOB Biscayne Point Dredging:
• GO Bond oversight committee approved a funding swap at their February 8th meeting to allow for more funding availability to move the project forward.
Monument Island:
• Working within Procurement guidelines of the A&E pool to finalize the scope and begin negotiating with the consultant with the lowest expenditures in the contract.
Mooring Field:
• Public meeting to be held on Zoom next Tuesday February 20th at 6pm.
c. Discussion by Board member Amy Litos on the request from the Planning Board
for a presentation by the MWPA on recommendations for updated CMB Marina rules legislation for consideration by the Commission.
• Update will be given at the next MWPA meeting.
New Business:
a. Discussion on Suntex contract by Elizabeth Miro, Public Works Property Management, Assistant Director
• Elizabeth Miro stated that Miami Beach associates is the marina tenants and they're bound by the submerged land lease with the state. They're allowed to have a minimum of 90% of the wet slips at the docking facility and is available to the public on a first come, first served basis. Commercial slips should be equal to or less than 10% of the total wet slips.
• At current there is a total of 316 wet slips. Commercial is considered commercial fishing vessels, commercial diving vessels, and educational eco nature tours. They are included within the commercials itself, and it includes commercial cruise vessels charters. The
current data shows that it's about 64, which is about 20%.
• The agreement did not have a provision in terms of the number of slips that would be
dedicated to commercial vessels.
b. Fireworks effect on the marine and waterways by MWPA board member,
John Gardiner
• Mr. John Gardiner stated that last month he contacted the fire department due to the
fireworks display that he saw for the biggest ship in the world that left Port of Miami.
Fireworks permits were issued for seven days. The impact were balloons from the marinas
and the waste that comes from it. In addition to plastic, canisters, chemicals, and noise
pollution.
• Majority of the fireworks are done in the ocean and there's no review of whether there's an environmental impact or residential notices. Besides the pollution concern there’s just a bond that's paid and presented to the fire department to obtain a permit. The bay is not suitable for these types of display.
- Unanimous vote to ban fireworks displays from vessel in intracoastal LTC. - Motion passed.
c. Bare Boat Charter Awareness by auxiliary USCG. Agent Alvaro Ferraro-Not
Present
d. Master Craft Boat Company LLC by Matthew Vilbas
Matthew Vilbas presented business application to the Board and answered all questions regarding business proposal.
• Approved-motion passed.
e. Yacht By U LLC by Fadi Alghannam
• Fadi Alghannam presented business application to the Board and answered all questions
regarding business proposal. Approved – motion passed.
Open Discussion
1. Motion to approve January minutes. - Motion passed. 2. Thomas Curitore gave an overview of the new balloon ordinance. He stated that Suntex was notified about balloons prohibited at the marina. In preparation for spring break the
Code Compliance department will assign a code compliance officer as a beach detail to seek out illegal vendors and balloons. They will be conducting an outreach to nightclub owners. In addition, they are preparing for turtle season which begins on April 1st. 3. Enhancing Charter Boat BTR approval and renewal procedures Letter to Commission- Motion passed. 4. Dave Doebler stated that at next month meeting he would like to discuss the electric
bikes, specifically on the boardwalk, and the dangers that they're posing to pedestrians.
Meeting adjourned at 12:01 p.m.
To access the Marine & Waterfront Protection Authority meeting videos click the following
link:https://www.miamibeachfl.gov/city-hall/city-clerk/boards-and-committees/marine-waterfront-protection-committee/