LTC 309-2004 Weekly Update
R,ECEIVED
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CITY OF MIAMI BEACH
Office of the City Manager
Letter to Commission No. 309-2004
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CITY CUJ,~~S Off ICE
To:
From:
Mayor David Dermer and
Members of the City Commission
Jorge M. Gonzalez ,,;/' ~
City Manager (J
WEEKLY UPDATE
Date: December 10, 2004
Subject:
The purpose of this LTC is to provide you with an update describing some of the
areas the Administration has recently been focusing on:
Miami Beach Community Survey - Staff has been working with representatives
from the City's contractor, the Hay Group, on the community survey that will
solicit feedback on how to make Miami Beach an even better place to live, work,
visit and play for all members of our community. Representatives from the Hay
Group have already met with each of you to share information on steps involved
with the survey and solicit feedback from each of you. The Hay Group has also
already conducted several focus groups with residents in the South, Middle and
North areas of the City as well as separate focus groups with representatives
from the Miami Beach business community and representatives from Miami
Beach-based civic organizations. Based on the discussions held at these
various focus groups, the Hay Group is now developing the survey questions and
will provide the City an opportunity to review the questions before the survey is
finalized. The target date to begin the telephone survey with residents is January
5, 2005.
Art Basel! Miami Beach - Staff from throughout the City continued to work to
allocate resources for Art Basel! Miami Beach, which took place from December
1 through December 5. The exhibiting galleries, world press, and international
visitors gave Art Basel/Miami Beach the highest marks ever, describing it as a
successful, exciting event. 190 galleries from throughout the United States, Latin
America, Europe, Asia, and Africa actively participated, with a record number of
33,000 visitors and over 800 media representatives from throughout the world.
Leadership Florida - I attended the second session of Leadership Florida in
Sarasota from December 2-4 which focused on bringing together public and
private sector leaders from throughout the state of Florida to continue building a
network throughout the state to deal with issues of mutual concern that affect the
public and private sectors.
Film & Print - Several productions recently took place throughout Miami Beach,
including a Travelocity commercial taped at the Burleigh House; a live webcast of
the rock group Velvet Revolver (featuring ex Guns-n-Roses members) at
Mansion nightclub; "The Other Side" an independent feature filmed at Crobar
and throughout Lincoln Road. Upcoming productions include: ABC television
network's "The Bachelor" reality show which is currently scouting for January -
February 2005 taping; Dreamworks' "Red Eye," directed by Wes Craven, which
will film a pivotal scene at the Continuum in late January 2005; the independent
feature "Retirement" starring Jack Warden, Ossie Davis, George Segal and Rip
Torn which will film throughout the City in February 2005; Fox television
network's "Big Momma's House 2" starring Martin Lawrence which will film in
January - February 2005 and Universal's "Miami Vice" movie, directed by
Michael Mann and starring Jamie Foxx and Colin Ferell, which begins filming
throughout the City in April 2005.
Public Safety - In our ongoing efforts to enhance community policing, the Miami
Beach Police Department has enhanced its level of service to the South Pointe
Redevelopment District by opening a satellite office and assigning 12 officers to
the area. The new office is located at 200 2nd Street. The initiative is placing
emphasis on maintaining a highly visible police presence and addressing the
quality of life issues within the neighborhood in cooperation with the residents,
businesses and other City departments. Representatives from the Police
Department command staff representative attended a T ASER demonstration at
the Miami Dade Police Department's Training Bureau along with representatives
of the County's Community Relations Board, other police departments from
throughout the County, representatives from the Miami-Dade County State
Attorney's Office and the Medical Examiner's Office with the purpose of
continuing discussion regarding the appropriate use of TASERs.
Representatives from the Police Department also attended the Venetian Islands
Homeowners Association and the Mid Beach Homeowners Association meetings
to discuss ongoing public safety issues in these areas.
Labor Unions - On December 9, after 13 bargaining sessions, negotiators for
the City and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees
(AFSCME) successfully concluded negotiations for a three year collective
bargaining agreement. The AFSCME bargaining unit represents 292 employees
in 39 classifications in several Departments throughout the City. The new
contract represents the combined interest of both the City and Union; and
includes a retroactive COLA of 3% for year 1, 3% for year 2, and 3.5% for year 3;
allows all employees in AFSCME to participate in all City offered Health plans;
offers new language for Labor-Management meetings; along with many other
additions and changes. As discussed at the December 8 City Commission
meeting, the Union and City bargaining teams are pleased with the outcome of
the new agreement.
Organizational Development - As part of my ongoing efforts to meet with staff
from all levels throughout all City Departments, I held brown bag lunch meetings
with staff from the Planning Department and the Fleet Management Division. A
workshop on ethics took place on December 1 for all management team
members. This workshop was co-presented by Robert Meyers, Executive
Director of the Miami-Dade County Commission on Ethics and Public Trust. In
addition, an employee ad-hoc committee is currently working on updating the
City's customer service standards in an effort to continuously improve the
delivery of customer service to our residents, members of the business
community and visitors.
Capital Improvement Projects (CIP) - On December 6, CIP staff and
consultants held a Community Design Review Meeting (CDRM) with residents of
the Venetian Islands. The 60% complete construction drawings for the right of
way project were presented and residents were given the opportunity to review
detailed plans, street-by-street on each island. Residents seemed pleased with
design plans and eager to move into the construction phase. Miami-Dade County
formally took possession of the Regional Library and are beginning finalize their
move before the library opens in 2005 The Lummus Park Project will terminate
and de-mobilize next week as promised to the Ocean Drive Association, and will
re-start in the spring to complete the remaining work.
Parking - On December 8, the City began transitioning to multi-space meter
stations in the areas and lots around Lincoln Road in an effort to enhance
customer service levels by providing customers with more payment options. The
Parking Department has been working closely with Lincoln Road merchants to
ensure a smooth transition from single space meters to the master meters in the
Lincoln Road area. The new system will be implemented one lot at a time
beginning with the lot located on Lincoln Lane North between Meridian and
Jefferson avenues. On-site personnel will assist customers with the new system.
The new implementation will gradually move westward along the northern lots,
then eastward on the southern lots. Additional details are outlined in the
December 6 LTC sent to you regarding this matter.
Employee Celebrations - An employee led committee comprised of employees
from throughout the City are working on this year's annual citywide holiday party
which is scheduled to take place on Saturday, December 18 from 7:00 p.m. to
10:00 p.m. at the Scott Rakow Youth Center. You should have received your
invitation already and I hope you and your families are able to join us in
celebrating the holidays at this citywide employee celebration.
United Way Campaign - The City's 2004 United Way campaign continues
raising funds to benefit United Way-sponsored charities, many of which are
situated within the City of Miami Beach. The campaign will run through the end
of the year.
Colony Theater - Staff and I met on December 10 to discuss the ongoing
construction issues related to the Colony Theater and work on a plan to finalize
details relating to this project.
Jackie Gleason Theater of Performing Arts - On December 10, a ribbon
cutting ceremony was held to unveil the $4.1 million renovations of the Jackie
Gleason Theater of Performing Arts lobby areas, which encompasses restrooms,
bar areas, lighting systems and more. These renovations will make the facility
very competitive for many years to come, allowing patrons and presenters to
enjoy our high tech amenities in a great environment.
If you have any questions or need additional information, please feel free to
contact me.
Electronic Copy: Management Team
F:CMGRlALUL TC04/Weekly UpdatelDecember10.doc