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#1073 Miami Beach Officials Accept Challenge of Improvements to South's Largest Exhibition and Convention Hall, March 1958 Page Two Florida Municipal Record Municipal As New City; Soon Officials of Miami Beach Civic Improvements Get to Have South's Largest Accept Under Exhibition Miami Beach, the acknowledged phe- nomenon of the tourist industry, is identi- fied throughout the world with vacation glamour and excitement. Many millions have visited its luxouri- ous hostelries, basked in its benign cli- mate, marveled at its landscaped beauty and thrilled to its myriad offerings for fun, relaxation and recreation. To count- less others, Miami Beach represents a dream vacation to be attained either this year or some time in the future. Miami Beach's reputation as a fabu- lous vacationland is woven of strong fabric. Its 40-odd year history is marked by an unparalleled progress and growth. Particularly since World War II, the city's expansion and its increasing popu- larity have made it perhaps the nation's leading resort area. Behind this star-studded screen of suc- cess and prosperity, however, lies an ab- sorbing story of a municipal govern- ment's role in encouraging an industry to thrive and flourish. Sound financial policies, careful and intelligent econo- mies in governmental operation, long range planning for parking, traffic and recreational needs and a positive, dYflamic attitude towards promotion and advertis-" ing are among the invaluable contribu- tions made by Miami Beach city officials throughout the years. Miami Beach has been fortunate, too. Its leaders through the years, with very few exceptions, have been men of vision and, importantly, men who had a great desire to see their city grow. Miami Beach has had at its helm for more than 32 years a man whose quiet efficient handling of city affairs has won him the respect and warm admiration of all who know him. City Manager Claude A. Renshaw came to Miami Beach in 1925 and, al- most immediately, was plunged into prob- lems connected with the disastrous hurri- cane of 1926 and the collapse of the Florida boom. With these major difficulties scarcely hurdled, the full impact of the Nationa.l depression hit Miami Beach, just as it did other communities. But, it was during this period that the basis for the city's Challenge of the Future Construction Throughout and Convention Hall continuing sound financial standing was laid. Like so many other Florida municipali- ties, Miami Beach was overburdenea with bond issues floated in more optimistic days. After cutting municipal operating expenses to a minimum, the city manager took on the problem of reducing require- ments to meet bonded indebtedness. Without the advice of financial experts, Mr. Henshaw succeeded in refunding the city's obligations and in reducing the average interest rates from six to four and a half per cent. Miami Beach's credit was maintained ~hile tax requirements were reduced. . Since then, Miami Beach has always found a ready market for its bond issues and the average interest rates have been comparatively quite low. Today, the city enjoys an ccA" rating with Moody's In- vestment Service. The tax levy during the past several years has remained fairly constant, varying only between 16 and 18 mills. (See Opposite Page) City Officials Who Govern Delightful Miami Beach Miami Beach City Councilman, left to right, Marcie Li~erman, Vice-Mayor Harold B. ~paet, who is also a Director of The Florida League of Municipalities, Councilman Harold ShapIro, Mayor Kenneth Oka, Counctlmen Bernard Prank, D. Lee Powell and Melvin Richard. March, 1958 Page Three Miami Beach to Have Best Exhibition Hall In South Model of the South's largest exhibition hall now under construction by Miami Beach. The 200,000 square foot structure is scheduled for c01npletion October 1. MIAMI BEACH-(From Opposite Page} With the depression and its financial crises met, Miami Beach was able to renew its growth as a resort center. Con- struction of hotels and apartments de- veloped at a fast pace, demanding a cor- responding expansion of municipal facili- ties and services. The manner in which the municipal government accepted and met this challenge in the late Thirties, made possible the city's highly successful ad justment to the tremendous postwar expansion. (During the war, Miami Beach lite:- ally was a huge Air Force training center. The hotels that once housed vacationers became barracks, while golf courses were turned into drill grounds. POSTWAR CHALLENGE MET With the end of the war, Miami Beach entered into the third phase of rapid expansion and once again the municipal government accepted the challenge of keeping pace with the construction being done by private enterprise. Every corner of the city had urgent needs for extended water mains, sewers, street lights, side- walks, recreation facilities and public services. The overall traffic and parking problems threatened to become acute ~ without almost immediate action. Financing the many needed capital im- provements was, of course, a major prob- lem. The cost would run into millions. Scheduling the projects according to need and importance required engineering genIUS. Approximately $30,000,000 has been expended in the past 12 years on these civic projects. This amount has been di- vided almost equally between bond issues and current operating funds. At present, the city's total bonded indebtedness is around $17,300,000, which is less than one-third the legal limit. For its money, Miami Beach now has sidewalks, whiteway street lights, sanitary and storm sewers and water mains cover- ing all sections of the city. (There are no more septic tanks being used within the city limits and Miami Beach has been rated as one of the best lighted cities in the nation.) Several municipal parks have been de- veloped, so that at least one is accessible from any point in the city. All receive high praise for their beauty and their well-rounded recreation programs. Two swimming pools, several recrea- tional buildings and a fishing pier have been constructed. A new police station, municipal office building and two audi- toriums have been built. Now under construction is the South's largest exhibition and convention hall, which when completed will cover nearly five acres of land have a seating capacity for 15,000. TRAFFIC AND PARKING EASED Traffic problems have been eased con- siderabl y by the widening of many roads, construction of 10 major bridges and the building of new traffic arteries . National traffic engineering awards have been won by Miami Beach for these efforts. Miami Beach's metered parking systeln, which has won wide acclaim for its ef- ficiency, effectiveness and financial suc- cess, is not included in the above. Reve- nue bonds financed its inauguration and the system is self-supporting, self-liqui- dating and self-expanding. It is undoub- tedly the city's most successful postwar venture. Planning for it began before the war but was held in abeyance until December, 1945 when Mr. Renshaw detailed a mas- ter plan to meet current and future park- ing needs. The details covered ( 1) use of municipally-owned land for off-street parking; (2) purchase of additional land in congested areas and; (3) installation of meters on all the busier streets. The plan is being continued this year with the double-decking of Lincoln Lane, the city's first off -street area, and with the development of new off-street lots. Currently, there are close to 8,000 meters, divided almost equally between on-street and in 22 off-street areas. Revenue bonds marketed to initiate the off -street lots are being retired ahead of schedule. All operating costs are borne, by the system and comfortable surpluses are recorded each year. CITY PLANNING CONTINUES Ci ty planning in Miami Beach con- tinues. At present, parking and traffic problems arising from the crowds ex- pected to visit the 200,000 square foot exhibition hall under construction are re- ceiving full attention from city engineers. When the overall plan is completed for the area in which the hall is located, there will be parking s pace for 3,500 cars. Traffic arteries in the vicinity, also, are being widened. The intelligence used in planning for Miami Beach's needs is pointed up in a. recent report by Harland Bartholomew Associates which said: C cThe basic plan upon which the city is building its major (See Page 4) Page Four MIAMI BEACH-(From Page 3) street system is sound and all of the past construction is usable in meeting future needs." CITY PUBLICITY BEGAN IN THIR TIE~ Promotion and advertising of Mialni Beach's resort facilities, sponsored and paid for by the city government, began in the Thirties. Since then, one mill of the tax levy has been spent each year (for this purpose. This amounts approximately to $350,000 for 1958. The publicity fund supports the city publicity and news bureau, convention bureau, a $100,000 yearly advertising pro- gram and many miscellaneous events, in- cluding television shows originating in Miami Beach. The city's transition f rom a winter playground for the wealthy to a year- 'round vacationland for the multitudes has been dependent in large measure upon the city's promotional efforts. For many years, Miami Beach has been a top competitor in the convention field. It's anticipated the new exhibition and convention hall will enable it to make firm its position as one of the country's leading convention cities. There is little evidence that construc- tion and expansion in Miami Beach are leveling off. Though space is limited, there is a growing trend now towards razing and rebuilding. This year, two new hotels with a total of 1,200 rooms have replaced a 100-r<lom hotel and a motel-type structure on ~ Collins Avenue. Several new a partlnent buildings containing 1,300 units were constructed in 1957. Many, many other hotels and apartments were renovated and refurbished. Building permits issued by the city in 1957 total $32,868,012, an all-time record. This compares to $18,820,009 in 1956 and $23,536,018 in 1955. City officials and civic and business leaders are confident Miami Beach will maintain its pre-eminent position in the resort industry, despite, or Inaybe because of, the competition arising throughout the whole South Florida and Caribbean area. They forged their own pattern for suc- cess and have learned through long ex- perience that a cooperative and enlight- ened munici pal government can be a priceless asset for any industry. MIAMI BEACH'S OFF-STREET PARKING AREA WILL BE DOUBLE-DECKED IN 1958 Florida Municipal Record RECENTLY APPOINTED MORRIS N. LIPP City Manager of Miami Beach Morris N. Lipp has climaxed a 32 year government career in Miami Beach with his appointment as city manager, ef- fective March 1. He replaces Claude A. Renshaw, who resigned after 33 years as city manager to become president of a local savings and loan association. Lipp, a graduate of M.l.T. and the South Florida College of Law, has served as Miami Beach city engineer since 1933 and as assistant city manager since 1952. As city engineer, Lipp is credited with the solution of several unique problems in Miami Beach, including beach erosion and the sewer disposal system. He is re- garded as an outstanding authority on beach preservation . He also has been directly responsible for $30,000,000 in municiPal improvements made in Miami Beach since lJV orld War II. During the war, Lipp was a major in the U.S. Army, Corps of Engineers, serv- ing four years in this country and in 1 apan. He is a member of the Plorida and Federal bar association, Plorida Engi- neering Society, American Society of Civil Engineers and the American Shore and Beach Preservation Association. He is the author of several treatises on various en- gineering subjects. FMR Marine Studios, at Marineland, is the only aquarium in the world where por- poises have been born and raised to ma- turity in captivity. Famed Lincoln Lane, one of the nation's oldest off-street parking areas, in Miami Bettch, will be double-decked this year to provide spaces for an additional 684 cars.