I moved into the Gables in 2004. So, it's been what 19 years. But I have been interested in and involved in things in Coral Gables for much longer than that. since 1966 actually when the Douglas entrance was going to be torn down for a supermarket and a group of
architects got together and pulled their funds and bought the property to save it. It was a a major park That's fine. This is the looked at. Then you're right. You're right.
Good morning. Good morning. Good morning. I'd like to take I'd like to take this opportunity to welcome everyone to the Tuesday, August 26 uh commission meeting. As
always, it's a pleasure to see so many people here with us today. Okay. As I mentioned before, there's multiple different opportunities uh for engagement here. You can either speak in person, you can speak via Zoom, or you
can send us an email, and we're more than welcome to take your public testimony, comment, concern, whatever that may be. We're just happy to have you here. I'd like to also uh thank Mayor Dorothy Thompson for being here with us today. It's always an honor and a privilege to have you here. Thank you so much.
Before we get started, I'd like to welcome Pastor Rick and Tina Romero from My Generation Church who are here with us today. Would you please join us? Mr. Clerk, can we have someone from your
staff please read the invocation? Absolutely. Deputy city clerk Yolanda Davis will give the invocation. Miss Davis, this is our game by the way. Good morning everyone. Mr. Mayor, commissioners,
city attorney, city clerk, listening audience, both live and listening. Oh, both of you, you know. No, you can do it. We're going to hear from both. Oh, we need we need more We need more prayer
and more blessings. Let's go. Can never have enough. I'll make mine short so you can have it. It's never enough prayer. Heavenly Father, we give you all the praise, the honor, and the glory. We thank you for this opportunity to be here, Lord God,
on a day that we have never seen before. As we come before you, we ask you forgiveness of our sins, oh God, those that we know of and those that we don't know that we have done, Lord, and sinned against you. Heavenly Father, we pray, Lord God, that you be in charge of this
meeting today, Lord God. Guard our hearts and our minds. Lord God, we know that we all come with passion and we all seek the same thing. We want what is best for the city of Coral Gables. Lord God, Father God, touch our mayor and our
commissioners. Lord God, help them to make right and just decisions that would apply for each and everyone, including the employees. Lord God, we pray, Lord God, and we thank you for their service, Lord God. We don't take it for granted. It's a lot of time taken away from their
families and loved ones. Lord God, we pray for the families because they too serve because they sacrificed not having their loved ones with them. For Commissioner Fernandez who isn't here today, Lord God, we pray for him, heavenly father, that whatever the
situation, Lord God, that you be in the midst. We thank you again for all gathered here who will be getting awards, Lord God. We thank you for blessing them and again take control of this meeting Lord God. Help them to put you first in everything they do. For
that we give you all the honor, all the praise and all the glory. And I thank you for the opportunity to pray. In Jesus name I pray. Amen. Amen. Amen. Pastor, yes. It's a hard act to follow, my friend. Hey, honored to be before you all. Thank
you so much, sister. We'll just partner together. So, Father, we just thank you, Lord, for this beautiful day you've given us and every person, God, who's in this room today. And Holy Spirit, we just ask you that your presence be made felt here and that we can all just have a spirit of agreement here, Lord, that there be peace in the room,
understanding, compassion. God, I just thank you, Lord, for uh Mayor Vince Lago, the commissioners, Lord, that are sitting at this table. Holy Spirit, may you give us wisdom beyond our experience in our years, Lord, to be able to lead in a God-fearing way. We thank you, Lord, for the unity that's going to
overflow into our city, into our neighborhoods, into our schools, Lord, into every act of of of just these this place, God, that you've given us to steward. I thank you for Coral Gables. I thank you, Lord, for every school institution, God. U may you continue, Lord, to make this place flourish the
way you've intended all things to flourish. And so, I thank you, Jesus, for today and the victories that are coming forth. In Jesus name we pray. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Pastor, uh, we want to thank you and your wife for not only being in Coral Gables, but coming back and always serving this community and always being
a voice for reason and obviously for faith. Uh, it's a blessing to have you. We want to send all your congregation and your worshippers on behalf of the city many blessings and we look forward to having you again. Thank you so much, Mr. Mayor. Thank you, sir. God bless you. Moving on, we have a we have a a treat
today. We have uh also Commissioner Regalado who's here with us and I'm going to ask her to please if she would be so kind to lead us in the pledge of allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for it
stands one nation under God indivisible with liberty and justice for all. Now we're going to have our Americ. Good morning. See, I didn't forget. Thank you.
Thank you. Good morning. Well, as we celebrate our centennial, the Meric House brings to the commission the Merik Minute. Little tidbits that add up to a remarkable story. But Mayor Thompson calls this the Merrick moment,
which I think is much more poetic. After all, George was a poet. So, I would suggest that on um the next agenda that it be called the Merrick moment. Um good for you, Dorothy. Always thinking. So, um I my name is Joanne Maher. I'm
Merrick House dosent and past chair of the board of governors. Summer is winding down. The kids are back in school and we have work on our minds. One of my favorite hard workers in the Merrick story is not a person at
all, but she does have a name. She is Ma the mule. She came with the homestead. And there are enough stories about her to fill a few Merrick moments, but today I'll relate one told by Richard Merik, George's youngest brother. George's
father, Solomon, hired some Bohemian workers who were also new to the area. These men wanted to stock up on groceries in Coconut Grove after their first week on the job. Incidentally, Merrick's ledgers show that he paid
workers $9 a week. That's $6 more than the average weekly national salary for farm hands in 1900. The new workers asked Solomon if he'd loan out his wagon and mules so they wouldn't have to carry all their goods
to their new home, which was probably the barn. As Solomon offered free housing to single workers on the property in the early days, Maud was hitched up to the wagon and off they went. When the men came out of the store, they discovered to their horror
that Ma and the ma and the wagon were nowhere to be found. With heads hanging low and most likely a fear of losing their jobs, they walked the three miles back to the farm. When the men reported their loss, Solomon chuckled and told
them to return and walk a few blocks over. It seems Ma had a favorite spot in the yard of Union Congregational Church where Solomon preached. Sure enough, there she was, totally content under the shade of her favorite tree. She had
braved Coconut Cove. Traffic at a time when the sight of a mule and a cart with no person attached was not all that concerning. Thank you very much. As always, it's a breath of fresh air to have you here reminding us of what makes Coral Gable
so special. Thank you for that. Uh I want to read on the record. Uh I just had my clerk send me a little bit of information. I think it's important. Uh, Commissioner Fernandez, as um, our friends from the clerk said, will not be here today. He has an immediate family engagement overseas and will not be able
to join us today. Due to the limited connectivity, he is unable to join us via Zoom. Moving on to the next item. This morning, I want to just take a quick moment and reflect on something that's important to me, and I think it's important to a lot of us here, and
that's family. I also want to reflect on the horrific floods in Texas on July 4th. While I didn't know anybody in Texas uh who who uh faced that horrific storm,
but we lost somebody here very close to us here in the city of Coral Gables. On behalf of the city commission, we want to pay respect and send our deepest and heartfelt condolences to Coral Gable's residents, David and Roberto Lawrence Jr. who lost their eight-year-old twin
granddaughters. There is no more brutal loss and that of a child at that age. Uh just thinking about it as a father of two young girls, and I don't want to make this about anyone up here, but when I heard about that, my first call was to David. And as all of you know, uh David
is a pillar in this community, a person who is I don't think there's a bad thing you could say about that man. He's given his life to service. He's given his life to this community. And to see that he lose his two granddaughters uh is a horrific loss. Who lost their lives in the Texas
floods. We are thinking about you and your family during this time of deep sorrow. And you are in our hearts and prayers during these times of mourning. Please, let's take a moment of silence to remember Hannah and Rebecca. Thank you and God bless. Uh we're going
to do things a little bit uh outside the norms here of the city of Coros. We have a lot of things on the agenda, but I want to respect our commissioner who's here uh from Miami Day County, our our commissioner for district 7, Raquel Regalado. Welcome to the city. Beautiful. Thank you for being here with us. The first two items, madam city
attorney, that I'm going to take on the agenda uh just to make sure that we can get these addressed and take advantage of having a person here who has an intimate knowledge and is the sponsor of these items in the county. F-26, Commissioner Castro's item and F-27, the
vice mayor's item. Madam, city attorney. Yes. So F-26 is a resolution of the city commission urging the Miami Day County Board of County Commissioners to not approve or alternatively to defer its consideration of the proposed ordinance creating a new Coral Gables University
Station sub zone of the rapid transit zone district and adding the property located at 1250 South Dixie Highway to the Coral Gables University Station sub zone and designating such property under the exclusive jurisdiction of Miami Day County. And then F-27 is a resolution of the city commission
regarding the proposed Miami Day County rapid transit zone that Miami day county incorporate amendments proposed by the city of Coral Gables to address community character of quality of life and municipal concerns providing for transmitt and providing for an effective date. Thank you Mr. Clerk. Do you have any
public comment? Yes, Mr. Mayor. Yes. First speaker. Yeah. I just wanted to clarify a few things um because there's been um some mis representations made about this process and before we take on the public
speakers I just wanted to um explain a few things. So, for those of you who remember, um the RTZ was actually passed uh I want to say four years ago. And one of the things um that I recommended when it was passed is that it would have an
interlocal and it would have chapter 33 that is not the will um of the board of county commissioners. So, uh with that, uh this property originally came to the county and requested RTZ and I told them to go through the Corables process. Um
it was here in your process for I think about like two years or something like that. Um and at the 4 uh10 Core Gable's planning and zoning meeting they got a full staff recommendation but they were deferred indefinitely. Um our office met
with them in November of 2024. Um the item the first draft of the item that included chapter 33 an interlocal a seat at the table for a municipality which is the first ever in the RTZ came before the board of county commissioners
on first reading um May 6, 2025. I actually came before you all on May 20th, 2025. I brought you the item. I explained the item um and I offered my assistance to each and every one of you
that had questions. Some of you reached out, some of you did not. Uh but I explained why this item was different, why it was before me. Um and I asked for your consideration of the item. I also explained what the process was in terms of the public hearing and that the
county has the public hearing at committee and that my understanding is that this would come before the transit committee. We noticed it for the transit committee. Um I then uh on July 2nd, the transit committee was set for July 8th. On July
2nd, I came before um your planning and zoning um committee on a separate item which was the overlay that the manager was working on. We had several meetings with the manager and with Commissioner Anderson up to that date working on
that. Um, so I came before on July 2nd on that other item and obviously as part of that conversation, there was also a conversation about the RTZ. At that public meeting, I stayed for three and a half hours and I spoke to everyone that was here before and after. I also
informed them once again about the public hearing on July 8th. Some of the residents told me that they would not be available to attend on July 8th. I explained that that was the day that we had set for the county commission and that if it got out of committee on July
8th, it would then go to the July 16th meeting. We had our July 8th um transit committee meeting. There were no public comments, no public speakers on this item. Um there were no communication from anyone uh regarding this item. The
item passed out of committee and was set for the July 16th final reading at the BCC. Um, I then received a call from uh the manager and from the mayor and from the vice mayor requesting a deferral because you all were working on your
potential overlay. Uh, and I granted Yeah, I'm sorry to interrupt you. I apologize and and I and I hate to do that to you, but I think it's critically important that you mention just one more time the request that was made and that you grant it.
Yes, I did grant it. So, I deferred the item. you called and I deferred the item. It did not it was not heard on July 16th. We deferred it until September 3rd. So I think that's critically important that everybody really understand because we sat down with our zoning director. We
sat down with our city manager. We sat down with our DCM. We sat down with our ACM. We sat down with our staff. We met with we spent we spent at least 20 hours working on the RTZ overlay together. So it wasn't you know and and look and
that's why I wanna and you still this is my last point that I want to make after all that work was done it was coming to the commission we said okay let us buy more time let us buy a little bit more time to continue our discussion to see how we can uh soften certain things and work together
on this on this legislation you granted us that a multiple month extension so that we could work together the city and the county. Yes. So, um, I mentioned that before we start the public hearing because I think there's been some miscommunication about this process. I have been transparent
from the beginning. Um, I have worked with Cory Gables um, in every opportunity to try to resolve this uh, and not just for this property but for future properties. The item that I have brought before the board is unique. Um, it is the only one in which a
municipality will be able to participate in the RTZ process. Um, and that was something difficult for me to explain to my board why my municipality in Cory Gables was going to have a different path than the other municipalities that have been preempted. So, I say that
before the public hearing. I'm here to take your questions. I will also add that a lot of folks have made representations about this item clearly without reading it. One of the things that was very clear um is I do not agree with the lifetime building. I think that
it is too large for this corridor. Um the RTZ uh will would allow just like Live Local would allow for something to be built of that size. What I am bringing to the board of county commissioners is something that is smaller than Lifetime and smaller than
PO. It is um and that is not what would happen under Live Local. So if I did not bring this RTZ item, this would go to Live Local. it fits perfectly within the live local envelope and that was the conversations that I had with you all independently
before the planning and zoning uh and you all understand how live local works and how that preeemption works but I am not I'm happy to consider some of the things that have been brought up. I will say that if you read the item and you understand chapter 33 the manager will have the opportunity to name people um
to that committee. There is a process where you will review the project um and you will provide input. We use that only in two properties in Miami date county at link and at Grove Central. Um and in both of those properties we actually
took 80% of the recommendations that were made by the city of Miami. This would be the first private property to participate in this vehicle. You have the right to enter into interlocal or to not enter into an interlocal with us regarding this property. Um, and I'm
happy to discuss all the terms that were added that make this different from all the other RTZs that the county had done, but I just wanted to lay out the timeline because I think there's been serious misrepresentations made about Corey Gable's involvement, your knowledge, um, and your access uh, to
the BCC and to me in particular. So, with that, I'm happy to let you guys do public comment and I'm here to answer questions. I just want to lay a little bit more color on on your comments. Uh, number one, the commissioner mentioned Lifetime. Uh, I'm the only elected official who was here, uh, when Lifetime came before the commission, and I voted
no on that project. For the record, I voted no on that project. I want to make sure the blogs catch that. I voted no on that. That's number one. Number two, uh, Mr. Scott, thank you, uh, Commissioner. Uh, Tony has been
in the city on a weekly basis. On a weekly basis, um, I've met with him the manager staff has met with him on multiple occasions for breakfast, lunch, and dinner in certain cases uh to discuss this issue and iron out this
issue to find a common ground. Um I know the vice mayor has has had multiple meetings. Um this has been talked about for years. We've been to the county. We've had meetings here in the city. You came to the planning and zoning board meeting.
You were here for over three hours. Am I correct on that? Yes. So we this is nothing new. We've been briefed on it and we've been working on finding a solution to bridge the gap in regards to what's being provided. Today you will see a
presentation which I want to be very clear is a presentation where it shows what the developer profered and what will be provided as per live local or uh the RTZ.
So, you know what I want to do is I want to build on facts. I don't want to build on blogs. I don't want to do political theater. I want to tell you where we are right now and move forward on this issue because this is a corridor that will impact the city. And again, it's outside
the hands of this commission. And what I believe is that we should work together to find a solution, not use this as an opportunity to grandstand politically. We already did that on the planning and zoning board and to be honest with you, it was very
detrimental for us. Very detrimental for us. Um, Mr. Clerk, uh, may may I ask the commissioner a couple questions that may help the, um, public comment folks to understand a little more background and commissioner, thank you for being here again. Um, I am
the one that asked you to come to the planning zoning meeting so hopefully a productive conversation could occur where you know a compromise could be reached uh where the county didn't need to move forward with its RTZ project you know zone. Uh I understand that uh
because of timing and delays that as far as the project the mark goes that you know that ship has sailed it's it cannot be delayed any further um for our process. Um but my question to you is as we continue the dialogue on trying to
reach compromise um you've had an opportunity to review uh what ultimately uh passed the planning and zoning board um after the three and a half hour meeting uh with that framework uh is that something that you are are willing
to embrace because my biggest concern of course is the Gable's waterway area where you're up against single family homes. So, um I did I I again I don't agree with everything. Um but like I said, I think this is something that you all
have to take up with the developers, not with me. Um it it really is if the developers can can live with it, not not me. Um I'm happy to consider some of the suggestions that that you made in your item and we could talk about that after the public comment. Um and again, you
could have we you could have all made those suggestions during the chapter 33 process, right? So, we're just doing it a little ahead of time, but that's fine. That would have been in the chapter 33 and that would have been in the interlocal. I'm happy to do it ahead of time, but I really can't speak to the developers. Um, and I can tell you that
now there is another property that is is also up for sale. Um, so again, as I've been saying for several years, as we've been talking about this corridor, we knew that changes were were going to come. So, I think that the RTZ that you
all worked on was an important first step. Um, we spent a lot of time talking about, for example, if if you want to limit height, then maybe you want to reconsider some of your requirements in terms of spacing on the bottom. And I
know they moved the setbacks. Uh, I know they they did get rid of the PO. You know, one of the things that happens when we talk about these things, if you eliminate so much square footage, people have no choice for financial reasons but to go up. So, if you don't want them to go up, you kind of have to figure out what you're going to do. Um, but but
that being said, um, I have not spoken to the developers on those parcels and they're they're going to have to choose. Like I mentioned, um, to to Peter and and yourself when we had our last meeting, I I think you have an issue with your committees and how long that
process takes. I don't think the problem is the committees themselves, but the fact that someone can spend a year at the board of architects or a year at planning and zoning is just a very long time. So, I think you need to consider kind of a clock on those things. Um, at
the county, we're very stringent on on the timing of these things, the timing of public comment, the timing of these things being placed. We even have limitations on how many times something can be deferred. Um and that would be my recommendation to you all because I
really think the issue in this market because of financing constraints because of the present you know value of the dollar right um it is about timing and how long people are holding these properties and the lack of predictability. So the the complaints
that I get and not just from Cory Gables from all municipalities is the lack of predictability. The county provides more predictability in terms of timing and outcome. Uh, and our permitting is also faster. And as I mentioned when I talked about South Miami and the conversations
that we've been having with them, we worked with South Miami. They decided not to bring Sunset Place into the RTZ, but they met us at our zoning. And we actually entered into an interlocal with them where the county is going to be providing the permitting so that we can expedite that so that they don't have to hire people. So, there's a lot of
different things that can be worked out. Um, and I'm always here happy to do that. But I think in the case of your particular RTZ, you need to speak to those property owners and see if that's something that's feasible for them. So yeah, no, I'm happy to talk to the property owners, but sometimes they're
not willing to um be sensitive to single family homes. Many of the properties you mentioned do not back up to single family homes and the walkability items have to do with the width of the sidewalks. You know, we have food delivery vehicles, etc. Right now, I will I will tell you, not to get ahead
of myself, but in in your item, I'm okay with the lighting and the signage obviously, you know, happy to happy to support your code in that. We all agree. I'm okay with the open space and also with the 100 ft from single family for
above ground structures. I I mention above ground because in case someone does a parking lot, um that wouldn't make sense. Um, so that would be my only modification, but I'm okay with adding that um to this RTZ and to future RTZs if that makes it any better. It it it
helps some, but when you're putting a underground parking garage within several feet, you know, 10 feet or less of a single family home and you're you're displaying a architectural drawing showing large planted trees to
buffer the building, that presents something that is a false illusion because you can't plant trees on top of a parking garage. So maybe we need to have a discussion about parking requirements as opposed to allowing a parking garage to be right next to a
single family home underground. So it it's it's a it's something we need to discuss and I appreciate you coming here. I hope forward to continuing this discussion. The mayor. Yes. Yeah. Thank you so much for being here as well and for taking the time to talk
to me for five minutes in my office. Um I was not aware of the overlay, Mr. manager. I'm not sure why I I nobody advised me or had a meeting with me. I was not updated at all that we were working on an overlay or working with
the commissioner. Um the only time you told me was when you asked me for my my appointee to resign. That's the first time I heard about that the city was working with over with the with the overlay. So I apologize. I apologize for that because there's there seems to be
some big miscommunication here in this in this commission. My resolution was to go ahead and defer the item. I understand that's that's not something you're you're willing to do and I completely respect that. The purpose of my resolution really was to
see I wanted to work with your goal and I wanted to get there together with whatever's in the best interest of the community as well. I wanted to cause some harmony and people to really love what what's going up there right now. What I'm getting and maybe it is a lot
of misinformation. Maybe things aren't clear. But that was really the the the point of this resolution. It's so that we can work as a team to build something that's wonderful. And and listen, I think we all agree on that. I will tell you that I mean the overlay was noticed. It was before you
know um the PNZ. We did work on it relatively quickly and we spent a lot of time on it. Um, as I said at the PNZ, I think you should definitely consider an overlay. I think you need to be competitive. And I've told this to all the municipalities. The city of Miami currently is working on an overlay. Um,
a lot of other municipalities are also considering it. Um, the the landmark property that ship has sailed there. There's no that's going to go before September 3rd. you know, I'm happy to discuss it with you, but um they've just
spent too long in this process and and I think that you all need to understand that um the other properties, you know, that those are decisions that you all have to make. Um and and we'll we'll we'll get to that when we when we get to
that. But um at the end of the day, you can't expect anywhere in Miami Day County for these lots that have these tiny commercial, you know, 1970s, 1980s with these large parking lots to exist
much longer. Um it just doesn't make sense. You can't monetize them. Everyone is underwater. So they are going to be developed. Um and under live local they can be developed profitably uh without having to pay taxes to Cory Gables or to
the county. So that is what has accelerated these conversations and I know that those are difficult conversations to have with neighbors because it doesn't have a public hearing. it doesn't have input for us, you know, um and it's difficult to
explain to folks that that happened in Tallahassee, but that happened in Tallahassee in part because it takes such a long time to get through the zoning process of municipalities and counties. That is why we were preempted. Uh and we did make modifications um the
second year. Uh but it is it is what it is. Um and I think that with the chapter 33, we can still have this conversation. we just have it as part of the RTZ and I I believe that it is a good model and it is one where we're going to be able to
take everyone's input and really look at the plans and and do something that's thoughtful. Um so in that sense I don't think that ship has sailed. I think that the vehicle that I'm offering you with chapter 33 and with an interol local puts you in a unique position to
participate in the RTZ development, a position that no other municipality has been given but for the two properties that I mentioned, which are county-owned properties that are nodes and that are transit centers. Um, and I hope that this will be a good model moving forward. I think that it I think that it
can be. Um, it's will definitely be a learning process. Um, but I just want everyone to be clear that um I I really did do as much outreach as was possible. Um, and I I gave your you the
opportunity to run this through your system and and that didn't work out. So, um, the idea that I'm somehow circumventing your zoning, that I'm preempting you, that's that's not true by any stretch of the imagination. something will be built there and what I
want to ensure is that we as a community have input in that process. If I decide to step away from this, it will be live local. Um and then all of our concerns are for not um because they can build as of right. But if I if I may, I just want to
respond. Um, with all due respect, it is incumbent of the elected official to be aware of their surroundings. You have to meet with staff at the county to say that you're not aware of what was
happening. It is a public record that in May there was an RTZ presentation that was done by the commissioner here. Correct? Yes. And you discussed the RTZ. May 20th. Yes. May 20th. here before this commission there was a presentation about the RZT
RTZ. There was no questions. There was no appointments made outside of the people that made appointments to sit down and have a conversation. How many articles have you think have been written in the Miami community newspapers and the Miami Herald in regards to this matter?
It's been, you know, it's been an avalanche of information in regards to what's happening at the county level in regards to the RTZ. This has been going on since 2022. So with all due respect, there has to be self accountability on what's happening
and there is obviously knowledge about the issue because there's two RTZ pieces of legislation that are on the agenda today. But what happened and everybody knew was it was actually publicized that we had
meetings with you, myself, the vice mayor, city manager, and requested that we defer the item to September in an effort to get more information. So, there's a litany of information out there. Staff has had multiple meetings
with county staff. Everybody's aware of what's happening in regards to the RTZ. So you weren't a mirage. You were here May 20th. You spoke about the RTZ. You stated what was coming down the pipeline. Every opportunity was made to educate not only
the community, but also educate the commission. Whether we're happy 100% with the outcome is a different story, but we can't say that we weren't notified when we were. Mr. Manager. Uh yes, Mayor. Thank you. Uh the the
reason I was aware of of the RTC because I looked at that meeting prior to me uh being a city manager again and I saw the the commissioner here here and I thank her for it uh that she discussed the the RTZ project before the commission. So as
soon as I got here I initiated that overlay to work as fast as possible and I've only been here less than three months to see if we could if we could work with the commissioner and she's been fantastic. We worked I don't know how many hours on on on that overlay to
see if we could if we could keep the project within core gables or or or work on that interlocal to make it a project more in line with what we feel it should be. And so and so that's that's what actually that's what actually happened. We uh our planning department worked
fantastically to get that that that report done the report that that we gave to to the to Commissioner Regalado and and u uh say that nobody was aware of it. I I don't understand that. Mr. Commissioner.
Um, Commissioner, I want to say thank you very much for coming yet again into our house to educate us, to teach us, and to offer a hand to see if we can collaborate on making our city um what
makes it unique, understanding that it exists within a a county and within a state with its overlapping jurisdictions. But I must say that at the um July 8th uh PNZ
um I'm sorry, the July 2nd uh PNZ hearing, you exhibited, I feel poise, professionalism, civility, and patience against what I thought was a barrage of
attacks in the form of trying to get to us information and answer questions. but you dealt with it in a way that's exemplary, but that's consistent with how you've been. I know you. Um, so w with that being said, that's my comment
that I know you don't need to hear. You're not somebody that um is is um easily pushed off your your your your position, but you you just you deserve to hear it. So that that comes from me. Okay. You mentioned that there was a um
a July 8th transit committee public hearing. Am I correct in understanding? You said that there was no public commentary. There was no public comment on this item. Okay. So nobody from from to your knowledge from the PNZ who expressed
great concern, surprise and outrage about this being sprung on them at that time despite public notice having been complied with. No one appeared. No one appeared. So, even though my appearance at the public at at the
planning and zoning was about the overlay, I got a lot of questions about the RTZ um and on several occasions um during before and after I explained to everyone that the public hearing on this would be um in a few days at the county commission. So, we did expect people to
go. No one no one came. We give that we gave everyone an opportunity to speak. We did not receive um no one was there. Thank you for granting the deferral that was requested um by the city uh and
granted until September 3rd because that is sufficient time having been given before discretionary on your part. Thank you because that just is another example of your willingness to work with the city of Corables which lies in your
district. So thank you again through the mayor commissioner through the mayor. Um, city manager, number one, I want to thank you for working on this. Um, because I I think that it's on the overlay. I think it was a very good idea. It's something I I I
can appreciate. However, it is something that I would have loved for you to at least pull me to the side or had a meeting and let let me know that the city is working on this. I would have been completely on board. I would have loved to be notified. I I I don't have a crystal ball. I really
don't to know that the city is working with the county on something that I think is it's a it's a great idea. Who the mayor? No, give me give me one second. I'm sorry. I thought you were done. Oh, no, no, I'm not done. I'm sorry. Um, number two, for the the RTZ the RTC
overlay. I know you told me for the mark that the ship has what this is what I'm understanding that you just said that the ship has sailed in regards to the mark. Are you still open? I know the waterway project maybe might be coming through that route too. Are you still
open in working with us on an on on an overlay for maybe the rest of the properties that could be purchased? Again, um like I told Peter um and and the mayor and the vice mayor, um I'm happy to help you out on an overlay. I am not the developer. I do not make the
decision. The property owners have their right to make their decision. Um we just provide vehicles for them, right? So, I'm always happy to work. I mean, our my staff, you know, um Tony has put in a lot of time. Our staff has put in a lot of time to help you all on the overlay.
There's recommendations that we made um for the overlay. Um some of them were accepted, some of them were not. Like I just said, I think your issue is predictability and timing. Um I think that's your your biggest problem. Um but I'm always happy to work with you on it.
I can't tell you. I I can't choose what a developer is going to choose, right? I I can't tell you u what they're going to do, but I will say that in in the properties that are available, they have choices, which is why I think you should do an overlay and you should at a
minimum try to be competitive. Um I will say one more thing in terms of um the notice and the participation. I think I think we're at over 60 properties that have come into the county's RTZ
um over the last few years. This is the only property that has an interlocal that has chapter 33, like I said, minus the two transit properties. This is also the only property where um a county commissioner has come to the municipality um to speak on it and to
provide you an opportunity for input. every other RTZ has gone through the county process without delay first reading committee and second reading. Um sometimes a municipality will send someone that will stand up and say that
they're against it. The board will vote and we will move on. So I say that because I I I really am collaborative. Um and I really want to help you all. I I really do. Uh we we share a mutual love uh for the city beautiful. Um, and
I want everyone to be happy with with the outcome. So, um, that's why I'm here. That's why I always be here. My staff is always available. I am always available. Um, but this corridor is changing and we have to be cognizant of that. Um, the other thing that I
mentioned at planning and zoning that I'll mention here and I mention at the board, I am the only county commissioner that lives in the RTZ. So I am uniquely situated um to be a resident um in this
zone. Uh and I I feel what the residents feel when we talk about these buildings. Uh but at the same time, I choose to live there because I like walking to places. I like the connectivity. I use public transit. My children use public
transit and it is a lifestyle choice. Um I live um in Golden Pines between 32nd and 37th and I joke that I can see the two stations um from my front door um as pillars of uh density that the county
has approved. Um, but I think that there is a generation of people who were interested in from a zoning perspective what we consider the 15minute city and the RTZ provides that. It provides you
with walkability to everything that you would need within a 15minute radius. Uh which is why in this particular RTZ I paid close attention to um what the vice mayor had mentioned about the bike paths
and the sidewalks and pedestrian safety because that is something that I embed in every RTZ that I bring to the county uh because this is as much my neighborhood as the neighbors who live there. So um again I think chapter 33
will be useful. I think that there's an opportunity here to do something thoughtful. Um, and I just wanted, you know, clarity as to as to the process. Um, because I'm a lot of things. Um, but
I I pride myself on being collaborative. Um, and I've always I'm always here to collaborate with you all and to ensure that together um, we do what is best for the residents that we all represent. Thank you. Just if I if I may, I just want to add some points again for the
record. Uh the commissioner did not just come once, she came twice uh July and May to talk about the RTZ and the work that we were doing together. So it was very clear, very clear what was happening. That's number one. Number
two, uh the manager the manager if you ask the manager for an update on an item, he'll provide you that update. There isn't a point that the manager does not have a conversation with the commission. It's very clear, but it's incumbent of the elected official to
make sure that you're doing the homework. What I did was I asked the manager about what was happening with the RTZ a few weeks ago. And his response was, "The vice mayor is working on on legislation in an effort to see how we can find common ground with the
county commissioner." Let me put it on the record to make sure and you will see this later. The mark came in at eight stories, 97 ft. That's what the developer was asking. The code allowed six stories. We decided not to negotiate with the
developer. Now the developer will be coming in at 150 ft. That is was allowed by the RTZ. You have received countless emails and political theater and propaganda.
It is propaganda. The city has no control over this. We are trying to find common ground to see how we can ensure that we can control design. We can lower the heights and some of the uses can be used.
The developer came to us with a 97 stot 97 foot building. If anybody would like to see the video, it's there and you will see it later when we have the item on the agenda. We've tried multiple occasions to work with the developer. But the outcome of the planning and
zoning board meeting, which Commissioner Lana mentioned before, was not in our favor. So, that train has left the station. Commissioner, you had something you wanted to add? Well, I just wanted to add that um in the spirit of collaboration, Commissioner, and um and the reference
that you made, Mr. Mayor, to the manager's availability to all of us here at the commission. Uh should any of the commissioners have any questions, Commissioner Castro, I'm glad that you're focusing more on the issue of notice because I would have liked some notice before you sent uh unilaterally a
letter to the attorney general. that type of um decision on your part uh and with all respect should have been the subject of a special meeting to collaborate and provide your fellow colleagues with uh notice of such an
action. But I'm glad that today you're focusing on notice, but thank you. Okay. Through the mayor, I'm not going to I'm I'm not here to go really back and forth and waste and waste the commissioner's time. This is Mr. manager. At no point am I attempting to
attack you or or degrade you in any sense. I just I just want better communication. That is it. You're doing an exceptional job. Thank you. It's it's it's an I know that the commissioners here are here trying to defend you. I'm not attacking you at all. Okay? Just just know that we I want to work
peacefully as we have been working together and that is it. Moving forward, um I would like I know that that you told me when you were asking me for the resignation of Sue that we were not going to continue the overlay. So I
think maybe it's a good idea to continue. So I'm going to go ahead and move to continue working on the overlay to see if maybe we could talk to developers with what we already have accomplished and go either way. Give him more than one option. Um so if I may,
mayor, Mr. Mr. managers, just one second because first and foremost, I'd like to hear public comment before we vote on anything. Uh, that's number one. Number two, number two, the vice mayor's the vice mayor's legislation, in my opinion, is truly appropriate in addressing this
issue. Uh, the idea of just saying no to something and fighting something that, by the way, passed in 2022. Want to make sure everybody's aware of that. It's passed in 2022. We're we're we're we're we're fighting something that is already law.
So enough with the political theater. We're we're not going to achieve anything by continuing to poke the county. Let's just like we started with the developer 97 ft. Now we're at 150. So they mine is 97. But I'm saying that's what
that's what they could do with the RTZ. Right. Okay. So before we vote on anything, we have a motion. Is there a second? I think we should wait after public comment. And and and by the way, just really quick, um I think you all have an application for a live local. Yes.
So I think you just got one. So here here we are. I mean I I dealt with an I at the county we've been dealing with them. Um so now now you're going to understand the limitations that that we have. So that's that's what we're trying to
avoid. And we have already won on the A Street Quarter. And at the end of the day, um, the way we've conducted ourselves on the planning and zoning board is clearly available for everybody to see. And instead of coming to the city, Coral Gables, they can just circumvent the city, go RTZ or go live local, which would be more catastrophic
in my opinion. So, we have a motion. We don't have a second. Can I clarify my motion? Just give me one second. I want to We have a motion and we have Do we have a second on the motion? Can I clarify my motion? Motion. Motion fails, madam. Sorry. Can I clarify my motion? I think
you you misunderstood my motion a little bit. If I may, Commissioner, I'm going to let me run the meeting. Let me run the meeting and then you can you'll have more than ample time to discuss the issue. Madame vice mayor, all due respect, Commissioner, this was an item that the city manager
and I have been working on along with Commissioner Regalado. As we were sitting here today, you overheard a discussion that I had with the commissioner about continuing to work on that so that we can reach
a a point where there's an agreement between the commissioner's office and what we're doing to have a meaningful overlay in our city that is more likely to be beneficial to our city.
to now try to circumvent something that has been worked on and you heard is going to be continued to be worked on after this meeting to try to fast forward it for without giving proper notice to the community without having an opportunity for them to be able to
review and comment upon it would not be appropriate at this time. So, while I respect now that you're aware despite the fact that this was brought to your attention in May and June and July that this was a process that was ongoing and
you chose not to inquire about it. You know, I'm appreciative that you're willing to have this discussion now because it, as you can see, it doesn't work not to have the conversation. And thank you, Commissioner, for being here. I again appreciate you coming to our
city and I apologize for the treatment you received in front of the planning and zoning board. That was not my intention. I was hoping it was going to be a productive conversation to where we can have a meeting of the minds. Thank you. Um and look, I I know we have to hear public hearing. I know we have
another item. Um and tomorrow is my daughter's birthday. So, happy birthday. Uh, and we I I canceled all of my plans in August because we've been working on the budget. Uh, so I did promise her uh I do have a time certain uh to get back
to my daughter today. Um, but um I I will I will say one thing that did come up um as part of this discussion that you might want to clarify. I don't agree with the demonizing of student housing. I think it's something
that you all should deal with. Um, and we've talked about it. Um, I got a tremendous amount of push back uh when I when we did Vox one and Vox two in South Miami at the time. Uh, the mayor of South Miami was against it uh because
she just didn't want students in that area. We had students cutting up houses and and living in the area anyway. Vox has been a tremendous success. Um and we've used it as a model. You know,
students need a place to live. You we're surrounded by universities. Um M is a partner. They're doing their part on campus. Uh but the reality is that it is better to provide them with housing that
meets their particular needs than to have them spread all over the corridor um in a way that just creates chaos. Um, so we are working on Vox 3 and it has been very helpful for South Miami and
the transit corridor is the place to have students and in this particular case um this property is next to the pedestrian bridge that walks them over to the University of Miami. So the concept that this is not a proper place
for student housing is to me somewhat mindblowing um because of the investment that was made by the University of Miami and the county and the encourage uh and the proximity to M. So you know as you all decide what to do next I'm
happy to work on the overlay but but I think you do have to take a position on student housing. Um, I'm not saying that it is appropriate everywhere, but you might want to decide where it's appropriate. Um, instead of having it be
demonized in in these meetings um, just to give people again um, some predictability, you know, some accountability and kind of rein um, the anti- student, you know, anti-UN university mindset um, that appears to
exist in some places. Thank you very much. Through the mayor through the mayor. Yes. I was trying to clarify my motion because every comment I was getting from the commissioners here was something that had didn't have anything to do with what I just said. The manager told me we weren't going to continue working on the overlay. My
motion was clearly to continue working on the overlay. That was clearly my motion. The mayor. And I'm one one more second. I'm sorry. And the second one is Mr. Mayor, what have you done to inform residents of what is happening? I want to know that.
What have I done? What have you done to fight for this to fight for the people? What have you done? Perfect. That's a great Thank you for allowing me, you know. Absolutely. Keep on thinking. Go. I'm not thinking. I'm just waiting till you finish and you allow me and then I I'll speak. Go ahead.
Okay. Thank you for allowing me the platform to mention all the things that my office does and that my office again for 12 years we've been doing office hours every Friday meeting with residents. We started that and we do it every Friday and it's a beautiful opportunity for
people to come and seek them to speak with the mayor. I've met with Mr. Escara countless times to discuss the RTZ. I've personally met with the county commissioner. I've met with the manager. I met with residents who are concerned about the RTZ. I
actually met with residents who live on the waterway at their home, 15 residents a few months ago, to discuss this issue regarding the project that is currently under design review. I met with residents on the ground. I've walked with residents.
The issue is simple. We as a city have to collaborate with the county. And that's what we're doing. We're working with the county commissioner. The RTZ is a county piece of legislation that is trickling down to
the city. What we have to do here is not sit in a sit in a planning and zoning board meeting. I want let me let me let me take it one step further. Madam commissioner, when you stepped into the to the commission chambers, what is the first thing that I
told you when I walked up to you? You can share it. What did I say? that you're sorry about what happened at planning and zoning. What did I say? I want I I want you to repeat that again. That you're sorry about what happened at planning and zoning. All right. What I did to the county commissioner was I walked up to her and I apologized to her, which has already
happened twice here with Commissioner Lada and the vice mayor. I wanted to make her understand that we're grateful for her hard work here in the city and everything that she does. We're not always going to agree 110%. I don't think anybody agrees 110% with their significant other or a family
member or best friend. But at the end of the day, we have to work collaboratively, not sit up there and be insulted for three plus hours. So when you ask me what I've done, 12 years of office hours, meeting with residents on this issue on the ground, not once, not
twice, but three separate occasions. We've met with multiple residents during office hours, met with a county staff, met with the manager, met with the county commissioner who is the not only lives on the RTZ, was also the person who wrote this legislation in an effort
to find common ground. But we're beyond that. The issue is what didn't you do and are looking for an excuse to try to put this beyond the fact that this is the third time that the county commissioner has been before the
commission and you're acting like you've never heard of this. That to me shows a lack of commitment to the residents. And everybody should just read Miami Today, the Miami Herald, the community newspapers. Every single week
there's an article on the RTZ. It's in the fir it's in the first floor of this of of of this building. You walk in and there's stacks of Miami Today. There's stacks of, you know, community newspapers. Just pick up an article and read it or read the news online. There's
tons of information on this. As a matter of fact, the blogs have covered the RTZ on multiple occasions. So again, what I want to do is stop, you know, this back and forth. take an opportunity that we have the commission here for a third
time for a third time listen to public comment and move on with the issue. Mr. Mr. Mr. Manager, you have some words. Just quickly, I'll just make a recommendation. Um, all county legislation that impacts municipalities are noticed. Yep.
And that noticed is provided um to you all. So, I would just say um if if you want to ensure that you receive that, first check if you receive it. It might be getting stuck somewhere, but you can always reach out to the clerk of the county and ask to receive notifications
directly to a particular email on the municipal. May I put something on the record also because she asked me a question. I think it's important. Who asked you to defer to defer the item to September? um the manager, yourself, um and the vice mayor.
So when you ask me what I'm doing is I'm buying more time to find a solution to this issue before it's codified. That's what I did. So moving on, thank you again for being here. And like I said, I'm happy. I will
amend um I will amend the item that goes before September 3rd to include u the lighting, the signage, the open space, and um 100 ft from above ground. We'll talk about the rest of it. Um so I'm happy to I'm happy to add
that. Like I said, I think that would have happened as part of chapter 33 anyway, but I'm I'm happy to amend it um to give everyone a little bit of comfort. Thank you, Commissioner. I appreciate you. Thank you for your time. Uh Mr. Clerk, you wanted to say something, Mr. Manager. Uh, yes. Yes, Mayor. Thank you. The uh
the overlay was actually based on the Mark property. Yep. It did not include the the waterway property because we did something very quickly for that. So, uh we are we will be continuing with the overlay process. We will continue to work with Commissioner Regalo. She's been uh very
cooperative with us and very helpful and uh and very easy to work with and uh but but now we we need something new. We need to work with, as the commissioner said, with with the developers of the waterway project to come up, expand that that overlay and work on something new.
And that's what we we intend to do that. Commissioner, thank you, Mr. Clerk. Thank you, Madam Commissioner. First speaker, Mr. Mayor, is Miss Maria Cruz. Good morning, Mrs. Maria Cruz. 1447 Miller Road. Here we go again and again
and again. We're going to continue attacking, attacking, attacking, and then talking about civility. Oh, civility for some of that's okay. I
have said many times what concerns an area Coral Gables concerns all of us. This is a city. Dividing to conquer doesn't work. We all are entitled to know what's happening in our city. I'm
sorry. We've had town hall meetings to know where where we should have a dog park, where we should do this, where we should do that. Oh, the people need to know transparency. Well, I hate to tell you this was not done transparent. The
mayor publishes public uh bulletins. I've never read anything about this in his public in his bulletin. Okay, I'm sorry. We're talking about interlocal. We're talking about
uh sitting down with the staff. Guess I hate to tell you the staff is not the city of Coral Gables. The staff is the residents, the taxpayers. And in this process, we were not involved. We're
very good at having meetings for this, meetings for that. I'm sorry. I am very sorry. Planning and zoning, even this the members did not get the information till a few hours before. I'm sorry. Even
today we have been precluded from talk saying the public comments first before you all express what you had to say because you know what that's trying to keep us quiet. You're not going to keep us quiet. I am sorry commissioner regal
that you were a uh you were put in a position that was not your fault. The fault was this city that you know what daddy knows best. They know what's best for us. Forget that we're the ones that pay the taxes. For forget that we're the
ones that suffer the consequences. No. And when you talk about talking to the residents, you talked to them when you were campaigning. And guess what? Most of those residents that you talked to were here the zoning and planning and zoning because they were not happy with
what was going on because they did not know ahead of time. I am amazed that you for for one that complained bitterly when other administrations did not keep made you aware of what was going on
because it was a small circle that knew till the things came here. Now you're part of the you and the vice mayor and the manager met, discussed, decided what was going to be best for us without talking to us. And that's what the
problem is. And she was collateral damage because you all chose to keep us out of it. That is what is wrong. And asking for a deferral. Who were you going to tell the people? Let's see to the deferral will be for next week.
sit home and do nothing. So when when was when you know nobody was told about the deferral Miss Cruz. So I'm sorry it's Mrs. Cruz Cruz. Whether you like to call me Miss Cruz is that that's not my name and I'm not Miss
Cruz. I was married. My husband passed away. I'm still Mrs. Cruz. And you will call me by my name or I will call you by your nickname. I'm sorry. This is what's wrong. It's very nice. Cruz, I ask you to please finish. You've
been over 50 seconds that you talked to the city, but you didn't talk to the residents. That's the problem. And you were collateral damage. And I apologize to to speak first and you kept me from doing it. So you could get all your attacks in and so you could talk about
what happened 50 years ago. No, this is today. The citizens were killed. I'm sorry. Lisa, Lisa, Mr. Clerk, we have to find an answer for this. I don't care on what side of an issue you
are on. This is not allowed. It's not allowed. So here are the options. As I've said before, if you're not willing to respect the three-minute policy and respect the commission, I will be asked to escort you out of the building. Okay? This is about respect.
You haven't heard me insult anybody here today. We've been thoughtful and collegial. You may not agree with my my position on issues, and that's perfectly fine. That's our democracy, but I will not allow this to happen on the commission floor. And you're not going to get a rise out of me because you behave in that fashion. That is not the
way the city gave us is run. We can do much better than that at the end of the day. Okay, attorney. Good morning. Thank you for being here with us. Hi guys. Lisa Detroit, 10 Aragon Avenue.
Um, I had signed up to speak to this prior to Commissioner Regalado explaining so much of what my questions and comments were going to be on. What I'm going to now focus on since it's come up is the RTZ, specifically the
Mark property. Um, I was present at I think almost every town hall we had starting in May of 2023. Uh, the residents had a lot to say. developers were very nice about listening to our comments and then all
of a sudden those meetings and um we were asking that they reduce the height by one floor. So I think it was 8 to 7 or 9 to 8, I don't remember. And that there be some buffer between the back of the building and the small street that
was there um and then the neighborhood. So that's where we thought it had ended. I believe it went to PNZ and um and I think that they refused at that time what the developer had planned. Now with no other notification, at least I didn't
receive any and I have a property in that neighborhood. Um this has come up with the RTZ. I think almost every developer we've spoken to with every proposed development has threatened to use live local and then RTZ if we didn't
approve them as they suggested their project should come about. So this is not a surprise, but I was hoping that you all would be more proactive before we get to this point in fighting with these outrageous developments that are
proposed and then just given over through RTZ to happen that project at the mark is very large much larger than what's currently there. I realize everybody has uh as of right to develop but within reason and most of these
developers are not living here and and dealing with what they're putting up. My next concern and that of our neighbors and you were there I was there at your meeting with the neighbors on the Mahi Canal uh the waterway project. That's right. You were there.
I was there and um thank you. uh they were threatening live local, but I don't think they qualified based on the high-end luxury condos that they were proposing. Now, I understand that I believe they're going through RTZ, which will allow them to even much higher than
the current um zoning allows. Even um in my opinion, even though somebody buys a piece of property and they have it as of right, they shouldn't be thinking that property that they will just supersede the current development rules. the zoning codes and be able to ask for more
and then be granted those things. When you buy a property, you kind of buy it knowing what your rules already are and everybody seems to want to change the rules. The people that are really going to suffer are the ones who are living in that neighborhood of which I used to live on that canal. So, uh, thank you. I
had a couple other items I wanted to talk about, but I don't know how this works. Do I only get one chance to speak? You can speak on another item after. Okay. Depending on the issue. Well, thank you for your consideration. So, I just wanted to put on the record, it's interesting that you came up uh when my colleague asked me what I've done to educate residents. I'm actually
happy to see that one of the residents that I met with in the community was here to speak up on the issue. Residents have been aware about this project for months, if not years, and they know exactly what's going on. Uh Madam City attorney, um in your opinion as our attorney, when the residents when they
say, "We wanted you to be more proactive. We wanted you to be uh take another step. What what else do we have left in the wheelhouse? So, mayor, um of course, if it was is the will of the commission, we could try to challenge the county's um legislation um
that's being already done. Correct. City of Miami is proceeding through that process and then there's obviously a chapter 164 process and um and also litigation that that might have to ensue. Yes. If that was the will of the commission. Thank you very much, Mr. Clerk. Anthony Escara.
Good morning, sir. So, here I am as a resident of Coral Gables, not as my position at the office of the commissioner. I am a resident. I have been a resident for about 18 years. I thank you very much all for your service and the the difficult times that
we're all going through. Um I do only want to speak about cordiality, respect and decorum. That is something that should be very important to our community. We should all be very respectful to each other
even when we disagree. It has been very it's very fashionable to come up here and yell at you to get a clip that you can put in your social media or some nonsense. We need to stop that in the city of Coral Gables.
The political theater needs to stop. As a resident, I'm tired of it. This is not easy for me because it angers me. It makes me very upset. You guys put yourself, including you, Miss Catro, put yourself
out there to serve this community. You knock on doors. You ask people for their vote. and they trust you to make decisions on their behalf.
I don't want this to become a a civics uh class, but democracy is ugly. That's why we don't have direct democracy. We have representative democracy. We vote people in to do our
will. If we don't like it, we vote them out. The city had a chance to do that and it has decided. Here we are. You are our elected officials.
We expect you to decide for us in our benefit. There are many pressures that come with that. We've been talking a lot about the state preeemption. That was a pressure come on you guys
from developers. It doesn't just happen in a vacuum. Everybody gets lobbied. Everybody gets asked and it gets pushed down. The state decided it did not want to become
California and be a state of no. We understand that people want to live in our state and we want to give them housing. That's the responsibility of our elected officials. We can't kick people out. We have the right to travel. We have a constitution.
All of these, again, I don't want this to become a civics uh lesson, but all of these things come have to come into mind. What is the commissioner doing here? And the way I see it as a resident is that the city of Coral Gables decided to cut
off its nose despite its face and say, "Hey, go ahead. Go on with the live local." No, she respects and cares about our community and that's why she's doing what she does. Thank you for your time. Thank you, sir. Tom Wells.
Good morning, sir. Uh, good morning. Tom Wells. I live at 1310 Coraway. Um, I'm raising my issue with respect to some of the comments made during the debate. Um, Robert's order apply to all of us and all committees and board members. Um,
sections 2-772-80. If there's an issue as to how a board or members operate, sanction the chair and make all members of committees, boards, and this commission learn about Robert's rule's
order. For example, rule seven, limit discussion by any person on such body to 10 minutes. That's in Robert's rules. um debate discussion direct to the chair and do not suggest motives and avoid all personalities. Limit your discussion as the motion at
hand. There's no need to bring up other motions during the debate. Rule 43, avoid all avoid disorderly words as a personal attack. Rule 58, chair should set an example of curses and should never forget to control others as it as
is necessary to control oneself. Thank you for today. I appreciate that. you've shown you shown respect. Um, but you're also to restrain other members of your commission and the residents if they go offline and start speak about things
that don't have anything to do with the motion at hand. Um, and finally, observe enforce the observance of all order into quorum. That's also important. I think we can bring some collegiality and civility to this process if at all board levels, at all
committee levels and the commission, we operate within accordance with Robert's order. It's not that hard. The Congress does it. The Senate does it. We should do it. Thank you very much. Thank you, Mr. Clerk.
That's it, Mr. Mayor. All right. Thank you very much. Do we have a motion on F26? Are we deferring that and moving on to F27? I I'm not going to defer it or anything because I from what the commissioner just said, there's no appetite to defer
it right now. Okay, perfect. So, we'll move on to F27. Madam, Vice Mayor. Yes. Um I do have a short presentation so that the context of this um resolution
makes some sense and we have our esteemed member here Jennifer Garcia that's going to operate the uh presentation. Good morning. Pictures worth a thousand words. So I'm going to cut my words with pictures. Yes. Good morning. Can I have the PowerPoint please? Just a few slides.
Perfect. This is a a uh pictorial of the overview of what the waterway project looked like. The point of this photograph is to show you that um you know the the body of trees that exist in this drawing and
next to um something that looks like a building, but it is actually in a location where a single family home is. Um, as you'll see in the succeeding pictures, underneath the area of trees is in fact a uh parking garage. Um, and
in that parking garage is also a pool and lots of cars parked and it's a budding a single family home. And towards the lower um left hand corner, there's a dense piece of drawing. There's actually a stairwell that goes
down into the garage itself. Um, you know, this is a conversation, as the commissioner said, that we need to have with with the developer to try to uh meet in the middle here somewhere to get the best for the residents. The
resolution as it's presented um is requesting that the county for this particular area to keep this parking facility 100 ft away from the single family home. I entertained some larger distances uh without having the
measurements um but it just wasn't feasible. So 100 feet is where the the resolution ended. It started at 500 and reduced it to 100 because 500 would be too big. This is the side profile of um
the east side of this development. You can see to the right that there is a parking garage underneath under the ground and right next to that parking garage is this single family home. Uh that would be um you know right next to
uh that parking garage and it would not be feasible to have a planted buffer between the single family home and the building in as much as there is a parking garage directly underneath. The root structures would impact the garages. We've had many instances where
uh right down here on Builtmore Way, we cannot plant trees uh around the David Williams because there's a parking garage underground. I don't want to repeat the mistakes that were made in 1960 some odd uh and have them replicated here. Uh again, so the other
aspects that that Thank you for handling that part because I would have messed it up for sure. Um the commissioner spoke about many of the other items that you know she was willing to embrace. It's incumbent upon us to move forward on this but for the county to move forward
I would like for our our commission to adopt this resolution and it brings forward um the following items. the permitted uses for properties and that's not just this particular development but all along the RTZ quarter would be
consistent with any underlying municipal zoning. Um and there would be a minimum sidewalk width um of 10 ft facing US1 plus 10 foot covered arcade. Um I had um attached to one of my items later today
the little food delivery um vehicle that was occupying an entire 5- foot sidewalk area and essentially pushing the uh forcing I should say the pedestrian to step in to a grassy area. There is no grassy area to go into along US1. You'd be forced in either into the street or
somewhere else. Um so that's why I've asked for both because we have scooters, bicycles, and pedestrians to deal with. on a very busy, very fast corridor where cars easily go uh 50 miles per hour uh despite the more limited speed limits.
Um above 45 ft. Uh the resolution request a step back of 10 ft consistent with our zoning code and for the interior and rear property lines and uh park rightways
uh to have that step back as well. In addition, there would be a 30-foot stepback shall be required for the frontages facing residential districts. Typically, our stepbacks are on the front of the buildings. This brings it to the rear to be sensitive to our
residential neighborhoods. Um the um paragraph D has been is the one where we taken 500 ft away from a single family home and made it 100 ft. and for a 25
foot rear uh setback with a landscape buffer on parcels greater than 300 feet in depth. Um we can't you know the the reasoning behind using 300 ft in depth is because you can't have a parking garage with
movement in it with any greater setback for uh the landscape buffer. It just won't work. Um and as far as green space and open spaces are concerned, uh it asks for something that's more consistent with
our zoning code. Uh 10% be at ground level. So, you know, it's more it's usable by um individuals that are walking um and it be shaded as opposed to putting in something that is a a palm tree that doesn't provide any benefit.
It is actually more maintenance and requiring that rooftop green spaces be be planted to impro improve pedestrian comfort and reduce storm water runoff. Signage is another item that the commissioner said she was uh willing to
to agree to. uh lighting. Uh we recently passed a lighting ordinance here that deals with the the blue light, the 5,000 Kelvin, and have the board of architects address that. So, it it is uh meeting the ambience standards and not impacting the residential neighborhood with these
bright lights that keep you up at night. And the last item, it deals with the impact fees. Um shall be collected by the municipality providing the corresponding services uh prior to the issuance of a building u permit. Um these are requests for the county. Um
and I'd like to continue the conversation with you uh commissioner on that because the Coral Gables does provide uh immense benefits for our uh residents with parks. The underlying we've made a commitment there to uh
continue to to uh fund these important things for our community. And um you know uh I've been around for a few years. My husband used to work in the county. He used to work on the transit, used to work on the Metro Mover. Um, you
know, I've seen uh where county at times due to budget u constraints will take something from one pot and use in another. So, I would feel much more comfortable with the impact fees staying within our city because um we I think we can administer it more direct for these
residents than the county can. Um, just to respond to that, like I said, I'm happy to amend on the open space, the signage, um, the lighting and, uh, 100 ft um, for above ground
structures. Um, our storm water requirements are actually um, um, greater than your storm water requirements. So, we recently passed pvious, impervious, and preempted everyone. So on the storm water side, um
our rules are actually more stringent. Um in terms of the impact fees, I recently passed an item which I'm happy to send to all of you um regarding the collection of impact fees. So I did change the ordinance recently and what
it allows is for um the county to provide the cities with police and fire if they're providing those services. So that becomes a a pass through. Um and then the park impact fees have to be
allocated in that area that's also in the RTZ item. So in terms of the radius, it doesn't get pulled into the general impact fee pot um that the county has for the parks. So that modification,
I'll send it to you um and we can talk about it. The other things that you mentioned are all things that can be brought up as part of the chapter 33. So, as part of the chapter 33 process, um the manager will uh nominate members,
they'll have a meeting. Um it could be electeds, non-elected, whatever you all decide. Um and you we can talk about all those things. So, and and we can figure out what what works for this particular property and what doesn't. So I because
I think and that's why I initially said that an overlay would be good because obviously um and by the way the the RTZ is an overlay right and and we have to bring in properties one by one and there there are considerations for every
single property uh which is why I always thought an interlocal even though it takes longer would be a better vehicle for this um but you know a lot of the things that were brought up are really waterway issues not mark issues is um
correct. Correct. No, no, no. I I understand where the mark mark is at. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So, um I think we're all good on the on the mark issues. Um and and and look, you have my my commitment. I'm happy to work on the overlay. I'm happy to to work on whatever you all want to work on. Um,
and you know, I I think that this particular RTZ is an opportunity to show the county that there is a different path that provides uh more stakeholder participation. So, um, you know, I don't
I don't think we need your item in the sense that I think the RTZ and what I'm presenting covers a lot of that and amending it. the other ones. I don't feel comfortable with amending it, but you can always bring it up as part of the chapter 33 and we can go through that process that way. No, no, no. And I'm I'm glad to hear
that you're um doing more than what we do because we typically do more than everywhere else. Yes. On permeability and requiring, you know, the drainage. I know there's a tension sometimes between what the the state wants and what we want on on permeability and and so forth, but uh
happy to work with you on that. Um I would like to move this though because I think it's it would you know the community feels that uh it would at least be uh addressed that way and and move it forward uh with the exception of uh using the permability
standards that you've recently adopted. Right. I appreciate that. Again, like I said, I'm I'm happy to amend mine to include the ones that we're comfortable with and as part of the chapter 33. It's it's all on the table and we can all talk about it as we go through that process. And through the interlocal, you
do have to choose to participate in the interlocal. So once once the RTZ does pass, um that'll be that will come back to you. So you'll have an opportunity to have all those conversations again. I know and I appreciate it and I
appreciate you extending that and I did uh want to share with the community because you I know you already know that um we would like to participate in in the interlocal. Thank you. Okay. Thank you. Do we have a motion on on the floor? Second,
Mr. Clerk. Vice Mayor Anderson? Yes. Commissioner Castro? Yes. Commissioner Lada. Yes. Mayor L. Yes. Thank you very much. Uh again, I want to reiterate our thanks and gratitude uh to Commissioner Regalado and her incredible staff for always
being present and to our our incredible staff for doing, you know, all the heavy lifting and working with the county and um making sure that, you know, we're a breast of everything that's happening in regards to the everchanging RTZ. Uh we look forward to working together to make
sure we bring out the best in that corridor. So, thank you very much. I appreciate all of you. Moving on to item A1. Madam Vice Mayor, presentation or resolution of condolence to the brief family of Francis Dolly McIntyre.
Thank you, Mayor. Um, and before I for read this beautiful uh proclamation into the record, Dolly was somebody that I think touched us all in so many different ways and her
spirit, her energy, her perseverance and constantly keeping us on task for the next project that was coming forward. Um, she had worked directly with me on the Royal Poniana uh festival. Um, and she was a force to be reckoned with and
keeping us and reminding us when the due date was and that we had to have everything in place and the food had to be ordered and uh just a remarkable human being. Uh, definitely gone to too soon. Um, she has very big shoes to fill
and um, I hope we all can try to make her proud in the future. So um, would you like to say a few words before I read it or after I read it? We had quite a group here as you could see. I had told everybody we'd be first
on the agenda and everybody be out of here by about 9:10. So, uh, I'd like to thank the neighbors. I'd like to thank, um, the people from Date Heritage Trust that came and and the villagers that were here in
mass, but people had to leave. Uh, I think the proclamation the says most of it. Uh you and you said it beautifully too. She was an inspiration to all who knew her. Uh her depth of knowledge of history of our community's history was
legendary. People would always say, "Let's ask Dolly. She'll know the answer." Um and even though she was slowed down later in life, that spirit and can do attitude remained. One day she called me and she said, "Marlin,
what do you know about Opaaka?" And I said, "I know absolutely nothing about Opaaka." And she said, "Well, there's some wonderful buildings in Opaaka." And she said, "I'm going to call and volunteer to be on their historic board." And she did. And she went to those meetings. Your brother took her.
Yes. So, um, this is her daughter, Sheffield. Yes. She would go to those meetings with her oxygen tank and in a wheelchair. So, uh, that was the kind of cand do attitude she had and the spirit that she wanted this community's history to
thrive. So, uh, this is Sheffield and her husband Steve. Would you like to say anything? I just wanted to say to say thank you to all of you and to the city of Groables. She lived here for almost 20 years and she loved the city of Grogables and loved living here. So, this is really an honor.
Thank you. Thank you for being here today. And with no further ado, I'll read the proclamation. Resolution of condolence. Whereas Franc Francis Dolly McIntyre was born on May 1st, 1937
in Washington DC to a career naval officer Fletcher Lamar Sheffield Jr. and Francis Marian Melcantamp Sheffield. Dolly graduated with her bachelor of science from the University of Miami and a master's in liberal studies from
Dartmmont Dartmouth uh college. And whereas throughout her years of residence in Coral Gables, Dolly demonstrated an unwavering commitment to improving the quality of life for all members of our community through her passionate involvement in civic affairs.
And whereas Dolly was a charter member of the historic preservation group, the villagers founded in 1966, dedicating almost 60 years of her life to this organization and its mission of preserving the historical character
integrity of our community. All while I was six years old. I'm sorry. Had to reflect back on that. And whereas in 1972, Dolly led the charge in creating the Dade Heritage Trust, demonstrating her visionary leadership in historic
preservation and her dedication to protecting Mommy Dade County's architectural and cultural heritage for future generations. And whereas Dolly served with distinction in the city of Coral Gable's historic preservation board for eight years, bringing her expertise and passion for preservation
in the official governance of the city's historic resources. Whereas Dolly's exceptional contributions to historic preservations were consistently recognized through numerous prestigious awards, including the Dade Heritage Trust Henriette Harris Award in 2003,
the Florida Trust for Historic Preservation Distinguished Service Award in 2004, the Women of Impact Award from the H Women's History Coalition in 2008, the state of Florida's Mary called Darby Collins Award in 2012 for work that
quote has ne that has never that has forever changed the course of historic preservation in Florida. Uh the Daughters of American Revolution's Historic Preservation Medal in 2023 and the 2025 Florida Trust for Historic
Preservation Individual Distinguished Service Award, just to name a few. Whereas the city of Coral Gables has lost a true champion for the community and her absence will be deeply felt by all who had the privilege of knowing
her. Dolly's legacy of service, compassion, and civic engagement will continue to inspire future generations of Coral Gables residents. Now therefore, be it resolved by the commission of the city of Coral Gables, Florida, that we extend our heartfelt
sympathy to her brief family on the occasion of their great loss. Um, thank you. So, just take a let's take a photo. Just take a photo. I moved into the Gables in 2004.
So it's been what 19 years. But I have been interested in and involved in things in Coral Gables for much longer than that. since 1966 actually when the Douglas entrance was going to be torn down for a supermarket and a group of architects got together and pulled their
funds and bought the property to save it. It was a major part of the founding of Coral Gables and it was a major entrance into the city from the rest of the of the county. Part of the the offshoot of that was an auxiliary that
was formed by the wives of those men to help however they could with the restoration. And that was when the villagers was formed and I was one of the charter members of that organization. We worked with the entrance for quite a while until it was
secure and then we moved on to a broader base of preservation activities but much of it was in Coral Gables. What motivated me personally was the fact that I grew up as a nomad. My father was in the service and we moved
all the time and I had no roots. And then I came down here in 1957 to go to the University of Miami and I put my roots down at that time and I thought one of the things that makes for roots is landmarks. The historic places tell
our story and they have our memories and they give us a richness and a continuity and stability that is important. We do have a pretty good percentage of Coral Gables residents who are members and much of our work has been in the
Gables, no question. And much of our activity has been in the Gables. A lot of it was when people saw what we were doing and what we were promoting, they wanted to help and so bit by bit the organization grew and so right now I think a total of about 220 all
volunteers. There's no paid staff. We raise money through garden tour and house tour. We have given away well over a million and a half dollars in grants to historic properties. We've given probably close to a million over the years to scholarships mainly at the
University of Miami for students in architecture and preservation. I would like to leave behind a preservation ethic in the politicians and leadership of this county so that when the situation comes up where
historic building is involved, the question isn't tearing it down. Question is save it and how do we do that? So if I could instill that attitude, I would be very happy. Thank you very much. Moving on to the next item on the
agenda. H1, waste division presentation. Madam ACM, how long you think you need for the presentation? Uh, we're going to try to give it to eight minutes if you allow me. And I have our deputy city manager gonna hand something out to everybody up here.
I love it. Not have many trades. Are are we allowed to open it? Many talents. Thank you. Thank you, Joe. You'll find out. All right. Good morning members of the commission, mayor, vice mayor, commissioners,
city manager, city attorney, city clerk. My name is Karolina Veester. I'm the assistant city manager for the city of Coral Gables and presenting to you today a presentation as requested under the leadership of the mayor and the commission who tasked us with exploring
solutions to the rising cost of waste disposal. Today, I will be presenting an opportunity for the city to significantly reduce our solid waste disposal costs, particularly for green matter, also known as trash, while also
generating new revenue through material recovery and enhancing our resiliency and storm recovery efforts. Each year, more than 7 million 70 million tons of wood waste and yard waste are collected in the United States. Despite the opportunity to
repurpose those materials, over half still ends up in our landfills. Even though here in the state of Florida, state law permits us to manage this waist stream independently. Globally, yard waste represents nearly 20% of our total waste, underscoring the
scale of both the challenge and the opportunity we have before us. As part of this exercise, we looked at several solutions, technology innovations to come up with a solution for our city and the amount of green waste that we have on a daily basis
here. Currently, the city disposes of about 26,000 tons of trash and green waste every year at a cost of approximately 1.3 million based on the tonnage that we collect that is paid to waste
management. We have an opportunity to change this by investing in proving technology refined over the last 29 years. Originally developed to provide practical portable solutions for cleaner and more efficient on-site disposal of
vegetative waste from land clearing initiatives. We can turn this challenge into sustainable solution. Here is the model that you will see that we will speak about which is also called air burners. While we are not representing the
company, we wanted to give you guys an a solution to our problem. And this is the solution that we found most practical, most supported in the industry at this time. With this solution, we're also looking at additional revenue opportunities, potentially partnering with our
neighboring municipalities, and looking at disposing of commercial waste. Again, waste referring to our green trash that we collect here in the city of Corables. There are also waste to energy solutions. In the rendering here that you see on the right, you will see
a battery basically generating electricity for our heavy fleet equipment that is generated that electricity through the solution we're presenting you today. What I'd also like to show you here is a site map of our 72nd public works
facility. Within that site map, you'll see two areas that demarcated here. The one on the upper north side is our currently leased property to the county, which is the West Transfer Station. Right below it, you will find a site
that requires remediation. What we're looking at in the proposal is looking at absorbing both those sites to absorb and take care of our own green matter. With that consideration, keep in mind we currently pay 42,41
on a we I'm sorry, we receive 42,000 $41.76 on a monthly lease from the county and remediation. There would be a potential consideration for a phase 1 phase 2 cost accounting for approximately $4 million
in remediation of that site. As I mentioned, we explored a range of technologies and vendor solutions, but this option truly stands apart as it offers more than just a disposal method for our city. Air burner fireboxes equipped with patented air curtain
burner technology, which sets them apart, have undergone extensive testing and earned the support of major environmental and defense agencies. They are currently backed by permit waiverss from the US EPA, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and are actively supported by the US Forest
Service, Department of Defense, and Department of Energy. They're also made in the United States and they have their local office and plant here in Palm City, just a two and a half hour ride away from our city. Beautiful. We actually personally, both myself and the deputy city manager, went
and toured the facility last week. It was a very impressive site. You'll see some pictures at the end of the presentation. Unfortunately, we were not permitted to take photographs inside the factory because of some of their um requirements that they have to secure their technology.
Here you will see an example of um again this technology is about 29 years old. This is one of their very first iterations that was tested in Canada and it is an open burn meth like method and you'll see an example here of the two. So if you would look at open burning which is right behind that graphic you
see the large smoke area that's disposing about 20 tons of wood waste has an immense air quality issue with the air curtain technology there is no um smoke coming off that technology and that's also looking at 20 tons of wood
waste and the next photograph you will see the impact that both have. Now the first one shows the air curtain technology that is eliminating that same 20 tons of wood waste in one hour. The second is the traditional open burn. That's 48 hours of open burning to
dispose the same 20 tons of wood waste. And you can see the impact and air quality issues that that is having on that environment. Here again you will see the technology the rendering of the open the air burner here. And what it has is has that patent
on the Let me try to see if I can show this again. Here we go. So, it has an air curtain that constantly has a flow of air circulating in the machine. So, while it is burning the wood waste, it makes sure that the particulate and the smoke does
not come of the machine. Seems unbelievable. Both the deputy city manager and myself, we witnessed that in action at a private facility, which is a landscaper actually that disposes of that wood waste. And we wanted to see is that really the case? Is that smoke dissipating within the machine or is
that going to be put into the environment? And and in fact, that air curtain technology does work and that stays and generates within the machine. With the fire boxes that we presented here, we can process up to 10 to 13 tons depending on the the size that we would
acquire of green waste per hour per unit while also producing what is called biochar. That's what you'll find in your little containers in front of you. And we have an opportunity for renewable energy that supports both our fleet operations and our sustainability goals.
Again, in the rendering here, you'll see the complete module. So, it's not just the firebox module. You'll have the power module, you'll have the cooling module, and the battery storage module, which is actually powered by a Royce Royce battery. Very impressive. And with that, you can power up to four heavy
fleet vehicles each evening, each night. The site that we visited actually had their the vehicles that were powering and feeding the air burner were actually all battery operated equipment that were being charged each night at the same battery storage unit.
They also have a mobile solution which would be something we'd look at during our storm resiliency where you could actually haul this equipment to any of our sites where we collect the the tree debris or or green debris trash and we could actually dispose of it on site
instead of wasting additional staffing hours and fuel and hauling to a an off-site location. equally important. And here you'll see some key benefits. Uh we would be reducing wood waste by 98%. You're able to capture energy from
the wood waste. You actually can save some green and make some green. Um you can reduce greenhouse emissions and look at carbon credits as a solution that lets us publicly trade some of those carbon credits. And another financial opportunity. Um the these units are all easily relocatable and modular. So you
can actually set them up within six hours and break them down within six hours. This does not require a building. Um so it's completely mobile and lets us to have a site but also relocate if need be or disassemble if need be. And it is completely self-contained and ready to
use. So again, here's the same slide of our 72nd facility. And you will see here the consideration of having two of these complete units that provide energy between both the current waist west transfer site as well as the remediation
site. We would also look at renting additional four units for storm resiliency if that were the case. Equally important to the solution, this would enhance our storm readiness. Like I mentioned, after Hurricane Irma, Corables actually collected over 360,000
cubic yards of debris, more than two years worth of waste in a single storm occurrence. today. Given the limited staging sites and the additional three hours that we now will have to face for roundtrip travel of about 146 extra miles with the
change from taking our debris during a storm to Pompo, now going all the way to Okachobee for mulch material disposal and only having on-site processing cap capacity will be critical to ensuring that rapid recovery and avoiding long costly halls to distant disposal areas.
As a city, we would be in control of our own destiny. With the rental of four additional units, like I mentioned, we can achieve our goal of completing all storm debris disposal based on what was captured during Irma within 10 weeks post storm, which would be a huge accomplishment.
And again, here you'll see the graphic. Surviving Irma, we collected 360,000 cubic yards, accounting for almost two and a half years of regular debris that we collect based on the tonnage that we collect today. So, what would be our savings as a city?
The financial impact is significant. In-house disposal would reduce our costs per ton from nearly $50 to about $10, saving the city close to 1 million each year. On top of that, we would generate revenue by offering disposal services to our local landscapers and neighboring
municipalities, municipalities, as well as through the sale of biochar products, reducing harmful emissions, and pursue significant certification to earn credits for carbon reduction, which today is a tradable commodity. So here in the graphic, you'll see there are
different rates presented. We currently pay a very very uh very nice rate with waste management, which is at 49.81 81 per ton for the disposal. That does not account for collection. That is just for disposal of our green matter. But if we would look at other rates that are out
there from the West transfer rate at $90 a ton, the Medley South Dade contract rate at 70 close to $75 a ton, the Medley South Dade non-contract rate, which takes it all the way up to $113 a ton. The cost will be a lot more sizable
up to almost $3 million a year. So we have a very very good rate at this time but that rate we cannot depend on that rate is good and by contract for another two years and we don't know if we will get that rate again. So that is something that you have to think about as well as we look at our savings. The
savings might be much more sizable from 1 million to 3 million and plus. And again here you have a a chart showing the savings as well as a conservative revenue from commercial drop off site that could account to
about 250 to 500,000 a year. Um we could also look at the potential byproduct sale of the biochar and again very conservatively looking at 25,000 a year. Something that is not part of this consideration yet because it does take additional work is if we wanted to get certified for the carbon credits. Those
revenues aren't even accounted for here in this chart and that is a tradable on Wall Street commodity at this time. There are other opportunities not mentioned and explored here. There are opportunities for grants. Um also FPNL partnership if we wanted to do an on-grid versus the off-grid solution for
the the air burner. There are like I mentioned the revenue opportunities and of course the environmental benefits. of diverting from the landfill. So with that initial city investment, we also wanted to look at your ROI over a 10-year period and looking at the
initial costs that we have to look at as capital for the equipment as well as the costs for the remediation. So with that being said, the approach does require upfront investment, particularly insight remediation and equipment. However, with available grants, partnerships, and the long-term savings and revenue
opportunities, the return on investment is both practical and achievable. This solution also allows us to finally make the remediation of our site a priority. A remediation that would be fully funded with a payback period of less than five years.
Over a 10-year net benefit, you'll be looking at over $15 million, not just in savings, but now in profit. And with that, I just want to end it with some of those photographs. We, like I mentioned, the deputy city manager and myself, we traveled to the site. We were
not able to capture photographs from inside the the assembly line and the warehouse of where everything was being manufactured, but they did take us in addition to that offsite and we actually got to witness all the equipment working, running, um, and doing what it's supposed to do. I mean, in the little mound that you see here at the
bottom, that is a biochar mixed with top soil and that that that specific um landscaper that owns that property uses for all their high-end projects. And with that, I'll open it up to any questions. Again, I want to summarize
that this is more than just a cost savings measure. It's a strategic investment in the future of Core Gables. By diverting our green waste away from the landfill, we can reduce our annual disposal costs by over $1 million, generate new revenue streams, and tap into grant opportunities and partnerships. At the same time, we will
position the city to respond more effectively when storms hit, ensuring we have the on-site ability and capacity to manage debris quickly and efficiently. This initiative also advances our broader sustainability goals. Instead of paying to bury yard waste in a landfill, we can convert it into useful products
like biochar, reduce harmful emissions, and potentially earn credits for waste diversion and carbon reduction. A commodity, like I mentioned, that is currently sold on Wall Street. Yes, there is upfront costs, but by the return, both financial, environmental, it is significant. This is about
controlling our cost, increasing our resiliency, and reinforcing Cora Gables' reputation as a forward-thinking, sustainable city. The proposed solution to waste disposal for our community is an investment that will pay dividends to our finances, our environment, and our community for decades to come.
Thank you, Madame ACM. Um, for the record, Mr. Clerk, I did a public records request. Uh, very briefly, I had him do one to see when I first mentioned this here in the city of Coral Gables. Mr. Clerk, when was that that you were able to find? Mr. Mayor, I'm sure it was sooner, but
the earliest I could find right now was December 5th, 2017. So, this has been a priority for my office since 2017. And I'll show you, you've already covered every base. I'm not going to waste any more time. The diversion of green matter is critical.
It's only going to get more expensive to dispose this. Find a solution. Landfills are filling up. Coanta is no longer. And I'd like to show you what our city is facing every day as a result of our trash pits.
Just for the record, before certain people here who deal with blogs go out and say that I want to get rid of trash pits, that's not the case. What I want to do is find a way to collect a green matter and use this system to save the city millions of dollars and invest that money in our police, our firefighters,
and our infrastructure. Mr. Clerk, please run the video. This is what we're facing. Do not turn a blind eye. I've showed these videos before. They were sent to me by residents. We need to get a handle of this issue and make this investment for the environment and our future viability.
If cable TV can put on my computer, these are landscapers right now that were caught uh throwing out their days worth of landscaping here in the city of Coral Gables. Uh they paid a pretty huge fine. Um this is happening every day
throughout the city as landscapers work out work through the entire county. They go to uh other cities and they come to our city and they throw it in the trash pit one bit at a time as they finish their day. It's cheaper to do this much cheaper. It's free than taking it to the landfill and having to pay a
tipping fee, the gas, and obviously the labor costs. And the next one, sir? Yes. Thank you. This is the most egregious one, and I've shown this one before, but I want to put it on the record because we have the privilege of having the county commissioner here, and uh this is a major issue. This video was taken uh
by a gentleman who lives on 57th Avenue. JC Padron took this video years ago and I have I've kept it. So this is 57th Avenue in Miller. I literally live maybe three blocks away from that. This is an individual coming across from the Miami
Day Miami Day County area coming across and proceeding to dump all the green matter in the trash pit. So for some this may be funny, it may be comical. This is money. A lot of money.
So we can either take this and dump it in the county pits, excuse me, in in the county landfill. I apologize. Or we can take action and actually make money off this product. We're going to have to take
some tough steps moving forward. But I think that this is the most accountable thing for us to do as a community. And I'm happy and grateful that the DCM, the ACM, and the city manager and the entire team are working on this issue. We can no longer turn a blind eye to this. This this represents millions and millions
and of dollars of lost opportunity here in the city. It's final. It's final finally the time that we take action on this and use that money to either remove the garbage fee like we did this year where we reduce it significantly or
reinvest that money into our police and fire, our aging infrastructure, our employees. That's a lot of money that we can use over the next few years. Madam Vice Mayor, so thank you, mayor. I know this is something before I was elected we talked about. Um, I just wanted to
But you were on the you were on the sustainability advisory board. You were my appointment and you actually brought it up on the board. Yes. I It was um, you know, one of those items where people always thought you were taking away their trash pits, so therefore they didn't want want it moving forward, but yet I saw, you know,
trucks across the street from my home coming with stuff that was nowhere in the neighborhood and dumping it off as a rectangle of green stuff across from my house. So I wanted to add that you know in addition the acceptance of biochar as
a um a solution is is out there. Um I went to the system of climate um leaders uh meeting. Uh there were folks there doing biochar throughout the country and forest and so forth. It is a well
recognized uh product that can be used for not only remediating the soil and and the farm for the farm products and byproducts but also for our plant industry and it can be also be used as an aggregate for um making cement. So,
it has lots of uses instead of paying and losing money by um putting it into a Mount Trashmore, which is becoming a a very touchy topic throughout the state of Florida and wasting the fuel and hauling and so forth that goes along
with it. Plus, I just think this is the right way to to move forward and u thank you for bringing this and thank you for the for the samples. You know, we get to see the real thing. So, I think you have an extra one for the commissioner if you want to take one with you. It's fun.
Commissioner Lotto. So, uh, Karolina, that was a wonderful presentation. Very easy to understand. Uh, it's it's compelling and, uh, I hate to use the most overword term, but it's to me it just feels like a like a no-brainer. Um, but I wanted to
understand uh in simple terms if our investment is X, how long and I know there's a lot of moving parts because you're talking about potential grants, revenue opportunities, savings, how much we spend now could change in the future, but like how long do you think the runway would be before the investment
comes back? So then we're on the on the on the on the savings side net. So investment wise, there's immediate net. However, looking at the purchase of the the equipment and looking at the remediation, which really the remediation is not part of that initial
upfront cost, but it's something that we will tackle as part of that. Throw it in there. That's four and a half years. Gotcha. Wonderful. That's quick. May quick, Mr. Manage. Yes. It it depends. The equipment is is a little over two years. If we re how we
remediate the site, whether it's a $2.5 million remediation or a $4 million complete remediation, it would be from from uh the the equipment itself would be a little over two years and with the remediation it will be about five years. Thank you, Commissioner.
Thank you. Thank you for the opportunity to speak on this and I brought um our deputy director Roy Kley with us. Um, first and foremost, as many of you know, we have been working on trash at the county uh for some time and uh I've had the opportunity to bring a lot of
different things uh to the board of county commissioners that have been approved. I am more a fan of composting than burning and one of the latest thing that we did is we got the board of county commissioners to agree to 40% compost including green waste. Um I have
been working on composting. I started with a project in in Pinerest and we're actually redoing our composting rules uh because the county is the regulator and there's a lot of issues uh with the rules and what fits or what doesn't fit.
So uh we've actually hit the reset button on that and have found a series of ways uh to allow more composting. The issue with the composting that we have is obviously leakage into our aquifer. Uh and we're working with DURM and going
to be presenting something shortly on that. That being said, we are doing a pilot for green waste. Uh we are expanding our composting and the board has decided to move forward with an incinerator. We do have a 10-year plan
that I brought to the board for moving trash on trains. And we are now collecting methane from our landfills, which we were not doing previously. The what you're considering right now would be done on a property that Miami Dade County leases from you. And we have been
in negotiations about the extension of that lease for some time. As you know, there were changes to the manager. So there were some confusion as to terms, but I wanted Roy to speak on specifically that lease uh because we
would be in a difficult position uh if that lease ex was not renewed uh even if it's for a short period of time. And I know I I saw the numbers, but we actually pay you for the use of that property. And one of the things that was being negotiated was a renegotiation of
that lease amount to cover some of your solid waste um costs. Um so I'll have Roy speak on that and the pilots that we're doing. I can tell you that I brought an item to the board on adding mini dumps. Uh I want to do green waste
uh collection at Chapman Fields and at other parks that are nearby so that then we can dispose of it. And one of the things that we discussed with your staff is a having a hurricane plan with priority for Corables. Uh b composting and taking the green waste. Uh and we
could probably do that way faster uh than your plan. And then also uh providing um a a vehicle for your mulching. So you you actually have a lot of green waste as does Pinerest and other folks. And what we're discussing
is the county taking on um that as part of that mulching and allowing that to be used countywide as opposed to you all having to store it. So Roy can speak to some of the things that we've been discussing and what's happening with the lease at this moment. Mayor Lago commissioners, for the
record, my name is Roy Kohley. I'm the chief utilities and regulatory services officer for Mayor Danielle Levincava. uh part of my portfolio is solid waste and and what I want to say to you is first I I applaud the innovative way you're looking at solving a problem and Miami
date county would like to further partner with you. The commissioner did mention that we lease a property from you that's very important to all of Miami Dade County's solid waste stream management and we would very much like the opportunity to continue working with your staff, your city manager and find a
way that uh all of your goals are met and ours too. uh the residents of Coral Gables are also the residents of Miami Dade County and we want to make sure all of our decisions are newer to their benefit. Well, thank you very much uh for being here and I look forward to the continued
negotiations with the manager. Uh thank you, Madam Commissioner, for all your hard work. Again, you're leading as always in regards to legislation, environmental stewardship, and we're grateful for that. But I will tell you both, we've got to we got to negotiate rigorously. We are in a in a like like the county is city of Coral Gables is
counting pennies uh counting pennies and you'll you sent you a memo in regards to our financials. Uh we are working hard uh to make sure that we can be efficient that we can be stewards of the environment and I look forward to partnering with you in regards to that property. But at the end
of the day we have to find ways to make it as efficient as possible. Uh we've got to find ways to save money uh without raising costs. I will not every every year every year we get an increase in the garbage fee and our options are two two options well three
number one pass it on to the residents which we've done for so many years and I voted against last year we made a decision uh myself and the vice mayor uh voted against voted in favor excuse me of reducing the garbage fee from the residents I think we reduced it by $300
madam vice mayor that sounds about right $300 which was a significant reduction across the board. Uh we're trying to save money for the residents and also insulate ourselves from the ever growing cost. Again, you're facing it, we're facing it. So, let's work together on
that issue. Uh I know how important this piece of property is. Uh and I look forward to to achieving a goal that benefits both the county and the city. M and but yeah, and the other thing I would add, we are investing in the property. We have been um working on it's part of our capital plan. So, there is a building on it. It has a 40-year
inspection. We have been working on it. Um, so we have been making an investment. Um, as we met with the manager, we talked about different things. Obviously, paying more rent, you know, to offset uh the costs that you you all have, but then as I said, also finding a solution for your green waste.
I think that our portfolio has a lot more options. Some of the properties that you were all interested in, we could actually uh facilitate. So there, our portfolio was a lot bigger. And one of the things that I've done at the county is to force our board not to just
focus on incineration, but to look at composting, yard waste, and a lot of different things all over the county. So, um, I think there's a real opportunity here to partner and to do both things. Um, I would just ask you because of the time constraints, we're
just concerned because we need what, we have six months left on this lease, roughly. Um, and it is it is a large part um of our collection um and and movement of the trash and we were actually looking at expanding it so that things could move faster.
I completely understand your concern and I just you're the city of Cors is your partner. We're not going to shut you out from one day to the next. That would never be the way that we operate. What I need to make sure is what for example when it was mentioned before in that presentation this is close to 100%
uh emissions free as it gets uh this is has all the qualifications has all the environmental uh qualifications requirements and achievements uh in regards to the system. So it is an environmentally friendly system. The city sets itself apart on being the most
environmentally friendly uh city uh in Miami County. For example, you have two commissioners here. here. I don't think there's any other commission in Miami County whose house runs on solar. You have two commissioners here on that sit on the st myself and the vice mayor. So, I can go on and on and on, but the point is that I got to insulate myself from
the continued cost that's going up. I can't pass it on to my retired residents. The cost we lowered it $300. We absorbed that. What's the number, Mr. Manager, that it cost us last year? That $300 cut? Yes, it cost us $3.6 million. $3.6 million. That is a real reduction
for residents. So, we're trying to find solutions. We're looking forward to partner with you. We're going to continue the conversation and I think we can. But I just want you to understand the position that we're in as a city. I got to deliver for the residents. We agree and we just we're just here to tell you that these two things are not in conflict. I don't
So, you can move forward on on this. It's not necessarily in conflict with what we do at the property um and with our current use. So that's all that we that we request and that you continue to negotiate with us as to the extension of that lease. Thank you, Mr. Manager. Yes, through the mayor. Thank you. Uh
the the the problem is not only the the waste disposal. The the problem is the the issues that we have in case of a hurricane. Yeah. We have uh we've lost our our rental site. We have no place to put uh the substantial amount of of material. We're at Tree City, USA city and uh during
Irma, we had 360,000 cubic yards of material. We came within two days of having to stop collection because we had no we had no place to put it. A big problem for us right now is that the uh that the site that we were using, the Pompo site for waste
management is no longer available. So instead of having a two-hour trip, now it's a six-hour trip. So we would be forced to to use Lee Lincoln or or the golf course. Uh those are two alternatives that that uh that that we would not they're not going to fly with the
residents. No, no, no, no, no. And and those those would be a huge category if if there's a huge category hurricane. So, uh we worked with we try to work with Day County through Irma. We were not successful and we came twice within two
days of stopping of almost stopping collection. Uh one of the things that we have with this system is that it's EPA exempt and the in Florida Department of Protection Environmental Protection exempt. So so uh it's it's a very environmentally safe system. It produces
this biochar which is which is a a a large reduction in in mass that we would use. uh it could be used the the way it's processed into low low grade concrete low grade asphalt could be used as a as an additive to to to our top
soil. So I look forward to working with the county but uh we we I I cannot recommend it something that we cannot live with not only from a from a from a from a monetary perspective but also from a hurricane perspective. We came
very very very very close. It's a it's a huge concern. I had a huge concern during Hurricane Andrew. We had we we had uh debris all over the city. The what happens with green matter? It becomes kindling in in a month. I was
very concerned about a fire spraying throughout throughout the entire city. We have to be able to get get rid of our green waste. It's a life safety issue and and and those are the issues that that mayor and you've been working we've been working on this for a long time and
so this is what generated this and and we we will be happy to help with you to work with the county but we we we have a lot of issues to work on. Agree and and like I told you we have several sites that you all do not have access to. We have our own sites and others that we can acquire um and where
we're happy to partner with you on that. The only thing that I would add is that pursuant um to the divesting that's happening at the state of Florida, DP will become part of the county in 2026. So, we will be the regulatory authority that oversees all of this. So, there's a
whole series of other things, right, that happens. Um and and we're dealing with it as we work through um what we want to do, right? So, I think that there is a tremendous opportunity to partner and like I said, even if it's a short-term lease and not to the extent
that we had it um in the past, I think that there definitely is a path forward um and there's a lot of value that we can bring with our existing assets because this will take you some time. uh and we could have something happen in a month in two months and three months and
I think what we need to work on is a unified plan that prioritizes Cory Gables uh given your participation in our waste management programming because of this property. Well, as long as the county understands that we have a long long-term goal here and we have looked at at solutions that
really help our city and uh the prior contract was the the prior contract was 30 years. I I believe that's too long and if we have a something new it would be for a shorter period of time but maybe with extensions or something like this. Uh but I think we can work together and see what we can come up
with in the in the number of issues that we have to to work out. Happy to do so. Thank you all manager places. Um thank you for for bringing up Irma. My colleague Jimmy Morales was uh the city manager of Miami Beach there in Irma and I worked for him at that time and we had the very same
experience at Miami Beach that you're describing Coral Gables had in Irma. So we're extremely sensitive and mindful. Um Jimmy Morales and I have teamed together working with the county's emergency management. We're actively trying to identify a diff uh additional
debris reduction sites countywide, not only for the county, but for all municipalities because I think many of the municipalities had the same experience Coral Gables had in Irma and Miami Beach had. And we're also very mindful that when Irma came through here, it was actually only a tropical
storm and that had that been a category 2, three or four hurricane, the problem would have been exponentially worse. And so we're mindful of that. and you have our commitment that we're working to find a solution for all of us there. During Irma, the county decided not to have any temporary burn sites and uh or
or or not accept mulch at the landfills. So, we had no place to go and uh that's something that that is very problematic. Agree. So, we we'll work on this. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you very much. Uh I'm going to take items A2 A4 then
A8. A2 A4 A8. Um, I'd like to call Skyler Rubito up, please. We'll be hearing item F-15 and F-16 along with A2. So, as Skyler as Skyler comes up, I'd like to give you a little bit of background.
Skyler was my intern this summer. And uh to say that I was impressed is an understatement. This is probably one of the most competent individuals I have ever had the privilege of working with and most hardworking. With all due respect to all
the interns who give up of their hardworking time and of their summer Skyler worked 8:00 to 5:00, 6:00, 7:00 she wasn't paid. She was doing this out of out of the interest to learn. She is
a junior at SMU. Uh she is interested in going to law school. We see other we see uh several women attorneys here like my sister um who I would hope maybe speak to Skylar after ladies. Um she is impressive beyond belief. Her
work ethic is unparalleled and I had her work on two members that are important. Miss Maria Cruz said before, the important thing is to educate the community, to spread the word. This is a
memo that I wrote and I've handed it off to the entire city and today we hopefully will memorialize it here in the city. It's two memos. One is of of our importance of financial responsibility and fiscal stewardship and the second one is of our current
situation with FPNL. First and foremost, I want to thank FPNL. It's one of the projects that I worked on for 10 years, and we are undergrounding the power lines in the city of Coral Gables. Um, we're going to have about 70% of the city undergrounded. It's going to take
about 10 years. We've been doing it for about two years, and I'm very grateful that we're one of the first cities in the state of Florida to do that. And that's the second memo that she wrote about. And the reason why I bring that up is because as the FPNL power lines
come down from from the polls, we're going to have to address the issue of low voltage Comcast and AT&T. Who's going to maintain these polls? So, we need to ask assistance from the state legislature to ensure that there's
cooperation. Skyler, please join us. Good morning. Good morning, mayor, vice mayor, commissioners, madam city attorney, Mr. Manager, and Mr. Clerk. I'd like to start off by saying, is this too close? Wait, sorry. Take control. You took control of my
office. I'll take control. Don't worry. I'd like to start off by saying thank you to everybody here for the incredible experience and how amazing it truly has been to work here and serve under you and serve the residents and citizens of the city. Beautiful.
As the mayor was just saying, the most pressing financial concerns and issues that we spoke about needed to be addressed and therefore we comprised a memo. The first memorandum I distributed
was titled litigation costs, fiscal responsibility and retirement system liabilities, a call for accountable financial management and a critical examination of self self-serving decisions. The purpose of this memo was not to narrowly focus on one financial issue,
but it was to provide a comprehensive review of all recent budgetary decisions taking into consideration as well as the city expenditures, retirement system liabilities, and several other factors that are impacting the long-term
financial health of the city. The process of preparing this memo involved coordinating with multiple department heads. I met with the finance department to obtain budget projections and city expenditures from the human resources department. I gathered
information and records with the hiring and the salary of former city manager Amos Rojos. From the city attorney's office, we received accurate litigation costs. and from the city clerk's office. We received record of ordinances and resolutions from previous commission
meetings. Each department not only provided data but feedback. The purpose of this process was yes to obtain the most accurate findings but also to ensure that we were operating in the most transparent way possible to be able to retain an accurate picture of
the city's finances. The first financial concern our memo highlights is the $556,68.87 in taxpayer funded legal fees that the city is said to have irresponsibly amassed in the July 16th, 2025 memo concerning the same. The figure itself
is correct, but unfortunately the time frame in which these three pieces of legislation were listed was left out. This this memo references three different pieces of litigation that span over a period of 10 years. The city's
2016 ban on polystyrene which is officially ruled on in 2019. the city's 2018 addition to collective lawsuit against the state of Florida over local fireman regulations which officially ruled in 2018 and most notably the
Gables Accountability Project 2021's lawsuit against the city of Coral Gables over the lease of the Wawa gas station which culminated in 2023. In this case, the city was sued and as a result compelled to respond. This was not a voluntary matter.
This focus on litigation costs provided only a partial look into the city's finances. As a result, the following information serves as a data summary of the additional financial challenges that our city faces and has faced over the last two years. To begin the hiring of former city
manager Amos Rojos, Mr. Rojos was hired in the middle of a commission meeting without a resume or without a basic meeting of all members of the commission. His total compensation package, including benefits, was $368,000
annually, the highest salary ever paid to a city manager in Coral Gables. And this represents a substantial commitment on behalf of the city. Next, increase in personal cost. In fiscal year 2025, the city added 26 new positions, which included five police officers, five firefighters, two
civilian police positions, and 14 positions in other departments. The cost of the 14 depart department departmental positions alone is projected at $685,000 in fiscal year 2025, increasing to 939,000
in fiscal year 2026. Over 10 years, the total cost is estimated to be at more than 11.5 million, not including retirement expenses. Next, the Miracle Theater allocation.
The city allocated $41,000 for an ADA ramp at the Miracle Theater in fiscal year of 2024. The theater already benefits from a lease that requires only insurance payments and no rent. Given those terms, there are questions as to whether it was appropriate to use
taxpayers money. Next is the salary increases of elected officials. In in fiscal year 2024, commissioner salaries increased from $41,000 to $83,000, which is an increase of $11%.
Ordinance 2025-06 later reversed this increase, reducing allowances and capping travel expenses. Nonetheless, the temporary salary increase represented a significant additional cost to the city budget. Next is the 4% COLA and retirement
system. The retirement system was also impacted by the approval of a 4% cost of living adjustment or COLA. This adjustment was granted despite a cumulative experience loss of $169 million as of October 2024.
The immediate result is an additional $2.2 million in required city contributions for fiscal year 2026 and an increase of more than $14 million in unfunded actual liability. the commulative effect of these financial decisions and broader fiscal
contexts. These financial decisions are expected to cost the city approximately 27 million over the next 10 years. It is necessary to compare our current financial situation and its upward trend to the past 12 years. The city's
reserves have increased from $21 million in 2013 to $59 million in 2024. Pension liabilities have decreased from 243 million in 2013 to 157 million in 2023. After the COLA, liabilities rose again
to 170 million. The funded ratio of the pension system improved from 51% in 2013 to 75% in 2023 before falling slightly to 74.5% following the COLA. It is also important to note the recent trend in property values after double digit
increases in 2022. 11.28% and 20 in and um I'm sorry in 2023 12.46% we have seen a significant downturn with 8.5% in 2024 and 5.8% in 2025. This
slowdown reduces the city's ability to rely on rising property values to offset budgetary pressures. This memo recommends a full audit review of all budgetary policy decisions. It also exacerbates the need for greater transparency in reporting financial
impacts to residents. As a result of these financial trends, it is imperative that as a commission, we adopt a renewed focus on fiscal discipline by protecting reserves, managing liabilities, and limiting the burden of taxpayers. The memo was developed to present facts,
clarify misconceptions, and provide Coral Gable's residents with a complete picture of our city's financial issues. and our position moving forward. The emphasis the I'm sorry, the emphasis must remain on responsible fiscal management to safeguard the long-term stability of our community.
Thank you, Sker. Can you can we discuss the memo, the FPNL memo so we can uh Thank you, Commissioner. I appreciate that. Can you proceed to the FPNL memo and provide a synopsis so that residents in this community can get a better understanding of what we're facing
outside of the undergrounding and why we need their their help in lobbying their state representatives and senators to finish the job over a 10-year period as we underground FPNL. So this FPML memo was titled
telecommunication system undergrounding benefits and considerations. The purpose of this memo was to highlight the benefits of the lateral hardening project under the storm secure program with Florida Power and Light as well as the current and future impacts of act aspects outside of FPL and the
city's control. The undergrounding of thirdparty lines such as AT&T and Comcast. In 2023, the mayor's office prepared and passed the legislation allowing for FPL's lateral harding program to take effect within the city. The approved legislation resolution
number 2023-126 grants FPL the right of way to access private and public land to facilitate the undergrounding of utilities within the city. This is based on the procedure outlined in FPL's storm secure program. So there are many benefits to
undergrounding but three of the most subst substantial ones would be durability, reliability and aesthetics and economic. So durability due to the process of undergrounding previously overhead power lines. The process ensures that utilities are less susceptible to damage from natural
disasters or accidental damages. According to FPL, underground lines performed up to 14 times better than the overhead lines during the 2024 hurricane season. Reliability. Due to the decreased risk of damage during a weather emergency, this undergrounding process is extremely beneficial to
emergency response teams who need constant coverage. And lastly, aesthetics and economics. Underground lines contribute to a cleaner, more attractive cityscape, which has the potential of increasing property values and economic development. And it also makes the city more appealing to residents and visitors.
FPL's involvement per FPL, their lateral hardening program follows a specific communication process with thirdparty telecommunication companies such as AT&T and Comcast. After vetting a site for undergrounding, FPL follows these steps. First, they provide advanced notices to all communication companies regarding
facilities scheduled for undergrounding. Communications companies advise whether they will remove their facilities or purchase the pole itself. FPL then removes the poles after project completion once communications companies have removed their facilities or transfers pole ownership if companies elect to purchase them. Unfortunately,
neither FPL nor the city has the power to simply remove the remaining utility pools. FPL must receive notice from the telecommunication companies that still service these poles and the city must be protected by state law in these instances before we are able to act. Often these companies are uncooperative
in a bilaterally transferring services. As a result, the benefits of streamlining power lines simply systems fall short. Remaining utility poles can impact access to util utility services and especially during South Florida's lengthy hurricane season. This is concern for residents who have had their power lines installed underground
already. It is for these reasons that the office of the mayor fully supports efforts to collaborate with state legislators to require the Florida Public Service Commission to enforce these undergrounding initiative for entities such as AT&T and Comcast. To ensure that the city's concerns are effectively addressed, the mayor plans to attend the
upcoming September 4th, 2025 PSC meeting in Tallahassee, Florida. Alongside the mayor's plan to attend the upcoming PSC meeting, a resolution is presented before the commission reaffirming the C's authority including the intent to enforce ordinance number 2022-69.
This ordinance requires the undergrounding of communication infrastructure infrastructure and is in accordance with Florida legislature which mandates the removal and redundant pole attachments. Additionally, this would seek to pressure the Florida legislature to amend section 366.97
to require entities to comply with the bilateral transport of services in similar projects moving forward. To conclude, as we continue to improve our infrastructure, it is crucial to understand the complexities of transformative projects such as the one as well as the kind of work the city
will face moving forward to mitigate resident concern and ensure our community's growth and safety. Thank you. Okay. So, Mr. Manager, I think you should be worried. She's ready to be the manager. I'm
telling you, Skyler, great job. So, F30 is on the agenda also, which is the which is the uh resolution uh that you just put forward. Uh I'd like to entertain a motion.
I'll move it. Second. May I read it into the record? Of course, you can. Yes. The title of F-30 is a resolution of the city commission reaffirming the city's authority and intent to fully enforce ordinance number 2022-69 requiring the undergrounding of communications infrastructure declaring
the ordinance consistent with Florida law including section 366.97 Florida statutes directing the city manager and city attorney to take all necessary actions to pursue enforcement urging the Florida legislature to amend section 366.97 to require colllocating entities to underground facilities
contemporaneously with electric undergrounding projects. and directing that such legislative amendment be included among the city's legislative priorities for the upcoming session. Yes, we have a motion and a second. Mr. Clerk, Commissioner Castro,
yes. Commissioner L. Yes. Vice Mayor Anderson? Yes. Mayor L? Yes. So, in closing, I want to congratulate you. She did all the research. She met with the finance director, the assistant finance director. She met with the ACM, the DCM,
the city manager, the city attorney, the city the assistant city attorney, the city clerk, not once, not twice, but in certain cases three and four times prior to publishing uh these memos, very complicated work.
She spent two months here in the city and she was an incredible asset and got along with everyone, the consmate professional. this city once you're finished. I was begging her to come back to Miami to come go to school here because this city would be would be blessed to have someone like you working
here. And I'd like for you to sit down because you have two at when you get a chance after we're done, I'd like for you to meet with two attorneys that are in the back uh who have extensive knowledge who I think uh could give you a little more guiding light in your future hopefully as an attorney. But
before you do that, one of the reasons why you came down is because I wanted to show you a small token of gratitude. So, if I may, and I want to thank, by the way, Chelsea, the manager, the ACM, the DCM, um Laura, Nicole, everyone for putting
this together. Skyler Rubito, a college junior at Southern Methodist University, SMU, double majoring in political science and corporate communications and public affairs, participated in a summer internship in Mayor Lago's office two months.
Whereas Skyler Rubito made a meaningful impact to the city this summer, helping with research, drafting, communications, and supporting the day-to-day operations of the mayor's office. And whereas Skyler Rubito brought enthusiasm, maturity, fresh perspectives, and most importantly, a genuine desire to learn
to the mayor's office. And whereas Skyler Rubito has demonstrated a commitment to public service, an interest in making a difference, and a strong work ethic. And whereas Skyler Rubito's contributions have not gone unnoticed. And this proclamation is an expression, a simple expression of
appreciation for all she has done and acknowledgement of her hard work and dedication. Now therefore, I Vince Log as mayor of the city of Coral Gables and my and the members of the city commission do hereby proclaim August 26, 2025 Skyler Rabidito day in Coral Gables.
Got to go up. You got to speak. You got to say a few words. You got to say a few words. Got to say a few words. I don't I don't have a speech prepared. I don't know. Um it's an honor. Thank you. I've I've learned so much working here. It has
truly been the experience of a lifetime. I You really opened my eyes to how much I love this stuff. So, thank you for being such an incredible mentor and teaching me and just always bringing me along instead of just leaving me on the sidelines. And just thank you. This
means so much more than you'll know. And I want to tell you one thing before before we take a picture. Your parents are so proud of you. It's amazing. Like I I just want you to know that how proud of you and you know how highly they talk about you and it's I know it's a very
high bar, but you're an amazing young lady and I mean the future's super bright. Super bright. Just keep doing what you're doing. Thank you. Congratulations. Thank you guys. Those are the ones that really So I think that we that we honestly surprised her because she told her
parents, "Why am I having to come back after going up to school a week ago? to present these memos. I can do it on Zoom. I said, "No, no, you got to come back. You got to come back." Congratulations. All right, we're moving on to item A4 and then A8.
Congratulations to firefighter Jason Hibbert Jr., recipient of City Coral Gables Firefighter of the Month Award for the month of July 2025. Gentlemen, good morning. Good morning. Thank you. Thank you. Today we have the
honor of recognizing firefighter Jason Hibbert Jr. as our firefighter of the month for the month of July. Um he was nominated by division chief Jones who is with us today. So I'm going to allow him to speak on the nomination itself. Chief, how are you sir?
Good afternoon. Thank you everybody or good morning I should say. Uh it's always a great opportunity to celebrate and appreciate the amazing work that happened by the men and women uh here at the Coral Gables Fire Department. Today we are celebrating Jason Hibbert, firefighter Jason Hibbert as the
firefighter of the month for his contribution for innovating and giving probationary modules. As you are aware, we just hired a new amount of firefighters in the fire department. These modules will assist them with navigating through medical calls and
ensuring that they are proficient in their duties every day. So, congratulations to firefighter Jason Hibbert. Good morning. Um, I'm truly honored to be recognized as firefighter of the month. Um, developing the EMS probationary module was important to me
because I want our new members prepared to serve our community at the highest level. I want to thank my family, our administrative staff, our chiefs, Chief Jones, Chief Gil, and um Chief Del Rosa. Thank you.
How long you been on the force? Six years. Nice. Congratulations. Thank you. Well deserved. Well deserved. How old are you? 27. Okay. I thought you were like 21 for a second there. I get that a lot. You look young, man. It's good. He's taking good care of himself. That's good. Well, listen, we're blessed to have you on the force and thank you
for everything you do. All of you, thank you. It's truly a privilege and honor to have you. God bless you guys. Keep working. Thank you. It's a picture. This a real picture? No, this is for sure picture. You guys have to be in the picture.
moving on to item A8. Okay, item A8. Uh, congratulations to officer Robert Thompson, recipient of the city of Coral Gables officer of the month for the month of March 2025. Chief,
good after. Good morning. Good morning, sir. Mr. Mayor, vice mayor, members of the commission. Uh on March 1st, 2025 at approximately 11:48 hours, the Coral Gables Police Department were in were dispatched to an emergency call in the
intersection of Cocoa Plum and Mirror Flores Avenue. Reference a juvenile who was involved in a bicycle accident. Officer Robert Thompson was able to speak to the witness and advised the juvenile was struck by a black late model GMC pickup truck. The juvenile
made and had sustained injuries that were somewhat serious to his left forearm and was transported to Nichols Children's Hospital. Realizing now that the criminal investigation, Officer Thompson utilized what we have in the area and our partnership with Cocoa Plum with vigilant ALPR cameras and were
located at the entrance of the Cocoa Plum community. After reviewing those, Officer Thompson uh then uh identified a black GMC pickup truck bearing a Florida tag uh that had entered the community at 11:36. However, the video did not show
that the truck had entered the community. This led officer Thompson to continue his investigation for his part and at about 2:00 in the afternoon, he had obtained video from the Cocoa Plum security gate. Officer Thompson then turned that over to the investigating
officer, uh, Officer Joe Bayas, who then completed the investigation, which resulted in the arrest for no valid driver's license, including leaving the scene of an accident of a crash with serious bodily injury and a fugitive warrant out of Port St. Lucy for marriage bigamy. That was a new one on
me, too. Um, officer Thompson was able to apply 30 years of service uh and not about the bigamy but about the accident um years of experience which included investigating traffic crashes which in which identified the individual in this
case. Because of these actions, he was nom nominated by Sergeant Bo Williams and was officer of the month for March 2025. Sir, moment of fame. Wow. Mayor, vice mayor, commissioners, thank you, chief. Thank you for the
recognition of uh this award. Um I wasn't the initial um primary officer on this, but I was uh asked to come by because we didn't know whether this 10-year-old had fallen off the bike, which is what was first
reported, or was there more to it of a motor vehicle? So, I went over to the scene. There was a lot of uh evidence on the roadway that would indicate this was little bit more than just a u
10-year-old falling off a bike. Um, talking further, we were able to identify that there were two black pickup trucks that had come through Cocoa Plum. I went into the cameras. Um, we identified one had had just left. He was stopped. He said, "No, I came back
afterwards." So, the first pickup that went through is is is the one that we're looking for. He had not uh exited Cocoa Plum. And while I'm getting extra um video surveillance from the security gate at Cocoa Plum, I have the car coming out. So, I pulled him over,
detained him, talked to him, had Officer Bayas come over and finish it up. But, uh, Just wanted to say again, thank you chief for the recognition. I do have my mother here, Mayor Dorothy Thompson. Mom and my sister June Morris
and June. June. Um, Sergeant Williams, would you like to say anything? The mayor, if I may really quick. Yes, madam. Vice Mayor. Okay. So, yes.
But I is it does he want to say something? Oh, go ahead, Bo. Come on for you. Okay, then I go. I just wanted to nominate Robbie Thompson, not just for the hard work that he did for this one incident, but he's one of the hardest working officers that I've ever worked with. And I'm proud to work with Robbie every day. Um,
he was involved in the incident with the migrant when he was flagged down by uh by a woman saying that, "Hey, I I think I saw somebody getting pushed into a van." he notified dispatch right away and was able to campus the area and locate the vehicle and we all know that led to and not only that that a couple
weeks later he was involved in the the other migrant case. So, um, it's just not that that not the the most recent incidents, but it's every day he comes in to work and I'm sure his mother's proud of him, and I'm sure that your father is looking down on you right now today with a smile on your face because
uh, you you know, just like he dedicated his life to service, you d you've dedicated 30 years of your life with Coral Gables. And I'm proud to work with you, Robbie. Vice Mayor. So, I was just going to add that uh to that as well because of your
keen um skills and we were able to interdict the illegal aliens that were coming in off the coast there. Not only did that is that a recognizable act, but we also recognize the fact that we needed some additional equipment and put in a request to the state uh to fund the
uh votes necessary for in uh better job. So, you can do a better job and everybody can do a better job in our city interdicting interdicting these legal aliens. So, uh, thank you. You brought it to our attention that we had a need. Thank you because you've stepped
up to the plate many, many times, uh, in protecting our community, and we're very, very proud of you. Through the mayor, I I want to say number one, thank you so much for your service. You're really an example. He just said everything I was about to mention about the Chinese migrants and I
want to tell you that you have a mother that is so proud of you as all this commissioners as well. So thank you. It hasn't already been said. So, you know, I I just also want to say thank you for all you've done, not just today,
not just in the month of March and not just that oversized role that you played in the migrants uh situation that we had over there in the waterway. It seems like you're at the right place at the right time when we need you. So, thank you for that as well. Thank you for your service overall and you you do so very
well in uh maintaining the very high standards ethics um of the Thompson name. So, thank you for that. I echo everyone's sentiments. Congratulations. You've had an amazing career
to to be able to accomplish everything you've accomplished. Again, it's something that all of us as we grow older in our careers, we hope that we're recognized at this point. So, congratulations on everything you've done. God bless, man. It's amazing. Want to take a photo or you want to do them all? Uh, if you want to, we can get them all. I mean, this was this Okay. Uh at this
time I would like to thank you at this like I' I'd like to come up uh Detective Taha. Detective Taha along with his family that's also here today was nominated and received the nomination and or excuse me for the detective of the first quarter.
Uh and again as we talked about in the first one there are there are bits of work that are team done and this is one of those individual cases that you would like to u identify as us. There was an occupied burglary by an individual at
the Grand Living the assisted living facility with multiple apartments. On January 9th our patrol units responded to the address on Grenel. an unknown black male had burglarized multiple apartments and had fled the
scene. As the detectives as the officers arrived, they got information, passed it on to Detective Taha. And this is one of those unique cases. The somebody who exemplifies what it is to be a police officer day in and day out.
The offender stole a Rolex watch and approximately $3,000 in cash from the apartments where the individual um senior citizens lived. Talking about going above and beyond the call after talking to the ALF, he also talked to a
witness who said that the individual left the service elevator down to the first floor and actually saw the individual get into a vehicle. Later, the witness observed him get into a black SUV. Detective Taha on his own information on
his own initiative was relentless in his effort and produced video surveillance footage of the offender sitting at a bench waiting for a vehicle that picked him up. Detective Taha continued to do his investigation and found out that the individual got into an Uber.
His continued his keen investigation skills and determined that the Uber then took him to a hotel in the city of Miami. Detective Taha responded to the Uber driver's residence and it is because of his impeccable interview
skills revealed that the offender had opened envelopes that contain the stolen cash while in the interview while in the Uber. He continued to work and retrieve video surveillances and actually showed that the individual had left and got out
of that went into the hotel. Through the course of the investigation and getting an arrest warrant for the individual for an occupied burglary, he later found out that the individual came down here from North Carolina specifically just to do these
burglaries. He swiftly secured that arrest warrant. found out that on top of that through his interpersonal uh relationships with other detectives, he had committed three similar cases in the city of Miami as
well as one in Adventura. Because of his relationship that he built with the hotel manager, he was called two days later that the individual had checked back into the hotel. Without hesitation, he responded along with members of this department and other departments. and a
brief foot pursuit, the offender was taken into custody. Detective Taha then arrested him for the arrest warrant that he had issued and he also in his pursuit of justice did not stop there. He was able to identify the offender in three
cases out of Franklin County, Indiana. The detective recently because of his relentless search and justice and vulnerable victims led to the apprehension of this offender closing 10 cases between the city of Miami, the city of Coral Gables and Aventura and
Franklin County, Indiana. Commissioners, I like to tell you that we have great officers. You know, and we've talked about on this day before about what it takes to be a Coral Gables police officer. There are employees who
do wonderful things all the time. There are employees who do wonderful things every day and this is their this is their mantra. This is who we're looking for. Detective Taha is one of those individuals. Uh he comes to work every
day and performs like this every day. There is no downside to his work ethic when he comes in. I am proud to recommend or to nominate to award him the detective of the first quarter for 2025
Tah. Congratulations. Thank you, mayor, vice mayor, chief, commissioners. This award is not only my individual work, but it's also a team. I want to give a special thanks to the CST team
for the city of Coral Gables who helped me on that day as well. They were always there. They've been always there for me whenever we've needed them on any of the cases. Um, we call them the city of Miami detectives that also assisted me in being able to identify them in their
cases and my family of course who doesn't matter if it's weekends, late nights, call outs, whatever it is, they've always supported me. Um, I also want to give a special thank you. She was here earlier. she had to leave because she had a few pen warrants to assistant state attorney Stephanie Ora who helped me with the arrest warrant
and has continuously helped us with any warrants that we may have in the city. So, I just want to give everybody a thank you for being here and uh the award selection committee as well through the through the mayor. Yes,
detective. had the opportunity to work with you on personal cases. I would say as in your capacity as a as a detective and I have to say that your professionalism and your work ethic is really exceptional.
So very welld deserved and congratulations. Thank you. Thank you sir. As always I feel like you've been here before already. Correct. Yes. Yes sir. And uh you're from Well, he's also so pretty. So he supplements the PIO core. Not that I
have badl looking PIO people because I mean Natalie's good. Sergeant Christensen's good. You said it. I didn't. I know. Well, I needed a Spanish speaker. How did I know he didn't speak Spanish? But now it's too late. Congratulations. And thank you. Thank you for your dedication and uh
your sacrifice. Thank you so much. The city's grateful. God bless, my friend. Let's take a photo. We have one one more. Oh, we have one more and then we have the big one. So, if you want to stand right off to the side. Uh at this time I'd like to call um one of our our regular people the
officer of the month for February. So if Josh DeLeon would please come forward. Uh on the evening of February 25th, 2025 at approximately 1110 at night while working the crime suppression team with his with the rest of his compadres on
the team. He observed an individual in the area of the 1700 block of Country Club Praau on a bicycle without lights uh working in that area. Uh he continued to follow the individual along with his teammates, Officer Alzate uh as well as
I believe officer Peter Hernandez were out there as well. After watching the individual with no direct place of where they were going, the individuals then stopped one because he didn't have any lights on his bicycle as well as some of the other traffic violations that he watched or that that he observed. Uh he
could really not dispel officer Deleó's reason or suspicion for the area. He also had a backpack type um individ piece of luggage on on his person. Uh after stopping the individual to the
team together uh the individual consented to allowing him to search his bag. Inside that bag was a 9 mm I want to make sure I get this right. a 9 millimeter Luger STV
uh along with other individual tools, a flathead screwdriver, large zipper bag with a black nylon as well as methamphetamine. Uh once the individual uh was read as
Miranda, he actually told officer Alzate that he was just going to a friend's house. Really couldn't say where it was going. going through a routine's record check conducted revealed that the individual who is now biking around our streets in the middle of the night was a convicted felon and search incident to
arrest the person revealed that he was wearing multiple layers of clothing. He had two pairs of black pants on black shorts underneath that located a gray folding knife and a window punch inside the right pants pocket and the second layer of his black pants. He was issued
a citation for riding his bicycle in oncoming traffic as well as the lighting equipment. In the small clear bags, the suspect methamphetamine was about 318 grams. Was impounded to the sheriff's office and tested. The bullet and the knife were also impounded based upon the
totality of circumstances. He failed to dispel the alarm for officer Deleó. Uh he was then charged with two counts. Second degree felony for firearm weapons ammunition possession by a convicted felon and thirdderee felony for controlled substance possession subject
methamphetamine and secondderee misdemeanor for loitering and prowling. The reason why this case is important because this area was actually being targeted by us in response to some of the burglaries that had happened in that area and some of the suspicious activity
because of his alertness. And again, another one of the individuals, a member of our SWAT team, a member of our training corps, uh also happened to be married to our sergeant-at-arms here today, so she's also with us. So, um she dressed him today. He's not really happy
that he had to wear his class A, but he didn't have a choice. Brittany, his wife. Uh, this is the reason why we do what we do. In the middle of the night when everybody's asleep, there's guys like him that are out there doing it every day above reproach. And for this,
he was awarded officer of the month for February 2025. Thank you, mayor, vice mayor, commissioners, and the uh city manager. I appreciate you having me here today. I would like to thank the chief in the war selection committee for um nominating me
for office of the month or selected for office of the month of February. I am truly grateful and honored. Last but not least, I'd like to recognize the crime suppression team who was there with me on that uh that call for that night, the call for service. And I also like to thank the additional officers who
assisted to the call for service resulting in this arrest. Um these officers as as with any call for service for arrest, it would not be possible for these for this not to happen. So again, I appreciate the officers who responded and along with the ground suppression
team and again my wife who's uh she puts up with a lot. So I appreciate that. So congratulations, my friend. Thank you. You just you just saved the domestic violence face. This is this is what happens when you have a family and they all start getting married and they bring it home. So,
two kids later. Two kids. Congratulations. Congratulations. Congratulations. And finally, the one more person that we'd like to recommend or recognize today is Miss We keep going. Lwanda Isaac. Candace. Okay, Candace. She
corrected me. It is my distinct honor and pleasure to introduce to you all our operator of the year in communications on and you've heard me say this before, the pushing the button and answering the
call and communications operator is something that they don't know on the other side and they have to be prepared for every time. This was one of those times. On April 4th in 2024 at approximately 1:52 in the afternoon, uh Cand Candace, I'm just going to call you
Candace. Candace uh while assigned to the call taking position, answered that 911 call. There was a female lived on Calabria. The female called and told the operator that she was home alone with her four-year-old daughter and she felt an epileptic seizure coming on.
Throughout the time while this was going on and she was activating obviously fire, rescue and police units to head there, she continued to keep her calm. Help is on the way. Operator Isaac made the instructions to the caller that when the fire rescue arrives, they need to
gain access to the home easily. She repeatedly called to make sure that your front door is open. At one point, the operator Candace actually told her to sit down to avoid falling and hurting herself. At that point, apparently the the mother passed out. She then
continued the conversation with the four-year-old daughter, taking over the conversation with her and checking on the mother who said, "Mommy's condition is getting worse, and she started to fall asleep, so to speak." Um, after a few minutes, the girl, the young girl,
heard that help is on the way, and she could hear the sirens coming. So, they're here. They're here. And her performance in this call was an example of what she does every day she answers the phone. The thousands and tens of thousands of phone calls that we get.
She's beyond commendable and handle she managed this to assist her call during a highly stressful calm situation. Help is on the way minutes later. The situation changed to the operator Isaac now engaging to communicate and guide to reassure a four-year-old child that help
is on the way and try to keep her calm. This whole process that off that operator Isaac was focused, empathetic, and able to maintain her composure and ensure the successful outcome. It is for this explicit professionalism and passion and evident commitment to her
job every day that she was recommended by Amy Diaz, our communications manner, and was awarded our communications operator of 2024. Congratulations. Thank you very much, mayor, commissioners. Um, I'm really
thankful for this award. I'm coming up on 26 years of service with the city of Coral Gables, and it's really been an honor working with my co-workers, officers, staff. So, I'm just thankful. And
thank you, manager Diaz, for taking the time to recognize me for such an honor. And thank you, through the may through the mayor. Yes. Yes. While Chief Hudek was saying what was happening, I was just trying to hold
back not to cry because it's I can imagine the situation of a four-year-old and a mom so worried of leaving her child, you know, unattended. So, it is the people like you that really make a in this world and I really want to thank
you for that. Thank you. Thank you. We do the pictures. I think if we do the operator first and then we'll switch out and I think you all can sit still and tell everybody. Candace Are you trying to take a picture, too?
Thank you. Officer. I know because she wants I know to come up. I'm not a mic. You want me in it? Uh, get Natalie in here.
It's a good quality. All right. Um, we're going to take a five minute break, bathroom break. When I get back, we're going to do F3, F6, and H4 that are all time certain. I want to see if we can cover those in two to three minute intervals, please. Thank
you. Five minutes. Steve Brown. F3. F6. You got to puticated on the whole brand. All right, Mr. Clerk, now we're back. Let's take A3. A3 and then we'll do public comment
after. And I want to apologize because A3 was requested by the vice mayor, but I gave it to the commissioner, Commissioner Lada. And I cannot take it back now. We cannot take it back. It's it's it's it's bad luck. It's bad luck.
Okay. No, no bad juju. So, let's go. Let's go. Presentation of proclamation declaring, you know, he his voice is going to be fine. September 2025 as hunger action month in Coral Gables. Commissioner Lada. Right. Thank you very much. Whereas
since 1981, Feeding South Florida has worked to address hunger and food insecurity by providing our community with immediate access to nutritious food and other vital resources and support. And whereas hunger does not discriminate. It knows no race,
religion, or age. In South Florida, approximately 1 million individuals face hunger, and food should not be an impossible choice for the community. And whereas Feeding South Florida leads hunger and poverty advocacy efforts in our community while transforming lives through innovative programming and
education that provides economic growth and overall well-being. And whereas during this month, the city recognizes the critical importance of addressing food and security in our community and encourages all residents, businesses, organizations, and community groups to
take meaningful action against hunger. Uh now therefore on behalf of Vince Lago as mayor of the city of Coral Gables along with members of our city commission do hereby proclaim September 2025 as hunger action month in Coral
Gables. In observance thereof, on behalf of Vince Lago, mayor of Coral Gables, we call upon our community to volunteer with local food banks and pantries, donate non-p perishable food items and resources to organizations fighting hunger and advocate for policies that
address food insecurity. The fight against hunger extends beyond September, and sustained community engagement is essential to ensuring that no one in our community goes hungry. Thank you, Commissioner. Thank you. Good afternoon. Thank you.
Good afternoon with us. Thank you very much. Thank you for that. Uh, Mr. Commissioner, thank you, Mr. Mayor, Vice Mayor, rest of the commission. Uh, on behalf of Feeding South Florida, we really do appreciate this pro proclamation. Uh, for your
knowledge and awareness, we have two partner agencies located here in Coral Gables. I'm sorry, I almost said Coral Springs. It's where I'm from. Imagine what time I left my house this morning. Uh, and in the fiscal year 2025, those
two partner agencies distributed 701,993 pounds of food to over 17,000 households. We understand that your neighbors may or may not be residents of this community as we have people that
come into the city and work here and they also access food here. It is very important that we acknowledge this throughout the year and not just in September. It was interesting to sit here this morning and hear some of uh no
pun intended how sausage is made, right? And uh elections have consequences and budget cuts and financial strains. We have feeding South Florida in the past 6 months have lost nearly $15 million in
funding. Excuse me. As our needs go up, that means the needs of our community. So, thank you for this proclamation. Thank you for having us here today. And at any point in time, thank you for saying volunteering. We will be hosting 800
volunteers next Thursday at our warehouse in Pinrook Park. Uh go out and volunteer because if you can't give money, you can give time. Thank you. Do you know where residents can find more out about your organization where they're online?
Sure. The absolute best way is www. uhfeeding south florida.org. You can actually go online, put your zip code in, and it will give you food pantries that are located
50 ft, a mile, 5 miles, 10 miles. Uh, so feedings south florida.org. Thank you, Madam Vice Mayor. Just I just wanted to add and thank you for bringing this to to my attention that you know we do have uh some churches in the community and very active members of our
community such as Marlon Ever that collects some food and so forth. So perhaps also partnering with the local churches here uh as distribution points. Um I'm a member of the uh UCCC across from the Builtmore. They hand out food
as well. So I think together we can do uh great work. They also collect money uh from parishioners that you know wish to contribute towards you know helping to fund feeding the poor. And uh our pastor is uh you know rather well known
as going up into the tower until she can raise a certain amount of money and you know and pack a trailer full of food as well that that contributes to helping feed South Florida. But thank you for what you do because this helps bring an awareness and um especially during budgetary cuts like we've we've had
here. Yes. Yes. Thank you very much. Thank you for your commitment to the community to the board. Thank you. We're blessed to have you here. I appreciate that. Thank you. Um could you do us a favor? Could you send information uh in line with what Commissioner Lada said uh through the
manager's office and just send information where where we can engage now as we start entering the holiday season, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, all the holidays. Um maybe it's an opportunity that we can put the link up where people can make deliveries
or can send food, additional food or make contributions and we can advertise that here in the city. Absolutely. I'll do that. Well, if you could just send it to to the commission and to There you go. the deputy city manager just gave you that information and we can put it in our newsletter and I think it's a good opportunity for people you know the holidays everybody wants to
give because we know how grateful and how well we we have about 215 partner agencies throughout our network we are responsible we're part of the Feeding America network which means we're part of the Feeding Florida network our uh our coverage zone is from
Jupiter in the north all the way to Key West in the south and Miami Dade is our largest county we have 78 partners here in Miami Dade County. Uh, please respond to the DCM. He just gave you his card and we we'll put it on through the manager. We'll put it on the uh on our newsletter and just get some
information out there. I think it's a very worthy cause. How long have you been around for? Uh, we just celebrated 40 years. I celebrated three years with Feeding South Florida a week ago. So, good. Let's take a photo. Fantastic. Thank you. Yeah.
Hello. Appreciate you very Public. Public comment. Yes, Mr. Mayor. Our speaker today is Mrs. Maria Cruz. That was funny. Good morning. Well, good afternoon.
This is Maria, Mrs. Maria Cruz, 1447 Miller Road. This is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it. I wish I had more good things to say,
but it's been an experience today again and again and again. Alrighty, unless I had something, but I guess I'm going to leave it for next time. Um, we keep talking about democracy,
civility, respect, transparency. Those words are so good. They are really good. We get up when the presentations are being made. We sleep while people are talking.
We um really disrespect the people that are being honored many times. But that's okay. in the city corals. We don't do that. We we respect everybody. Um
we once again keep talking about the past, what people shouldn't be doing. We demean and talk down to other people sitting in the das. Respect, respect,
respect. I don't know what respect means anymore because it certainly doesn't what you all use. Um, as a parent, as a mother of three daughters and two granddaughters, I'm
ashamed of the way we we treat people here. I'm sorry. This is not what See, look, he's not even paying attention, so who cares? Um, it's it's very sad that the people that
claim to show how respect and civility should be are the first ones to violate that. Shameful, shameful, shameful. If I were related to actually I will be writing a
note to the police uh honores and I will show I will send them the video that I took about people sleeping about people uh doing exactly what he's doing now not paying attention now I know I'm not important but the the police officers
that were honored were certainly important in my book and the firemen were important too and we did not respect him. But that's okay. The king can do whatever he wants and respect doesn't apply to him.
Tom Wells. Uh, I'm Tom Wells. I live at 1310 Corway. Respectfully, the direction leadership by the commission's regime, Mayor Lago, Anderson, and Lara Lal is troubling. We've never had a commission illegally steal our right to vote. Based on Mayor
Lago's recent special bolding claims by his pack, it's not honest. For example, number one, illegal ordinance stealing our vote. Thankfully, it appears that LA acknowledges his legal ordinance by per item F-18 today. But if you want to really be fiscally responsible and save
us $80,000 to move the election, have your referendum on November 3rd, 2026, but we already have two referendums where we can vote by mail, vote in person, or early vote. Number two, personal cost. Our budget compares
Corables to cities of Boca Raton and Palm Beach Gardens. Unlike Coral Gables, those cities do not pay for their mayor to have two dedicated employees. We include this cost together with Maril Lago salary and expense reimbursement. We're paying over $180,000 annually for
Mayor Lago. And that is before the $128,000 salary paid to Chelsea Grenell, who now works um for a new city manager, hired without any search committee or salary negotiation. Miss Grenell's salary increased by $26,000. And unlike
her successor, she's not a lawyer. And the new city manager salary before benefits for him and his family is almost $37,000. 14,000 more than any prior city manager. Again, no search committee, no salary negotiation. And that does not include
the $120,000 se paid to the prior commissioner to quit to create a vacant spot for the current city manager. That is unprecedented. Number three, broken promises. LAL's
broken promises, aka lies, include no tax cut or fiscal responsibility. Our budget will increase by 10% to $36 million. Number two, no independent voting for residents. LAL always votes together. Number three, no independent search committee to choose a city
manager. Number four, no steps taken yet to allow residents to decide when they want to vote. Number five, not being against overdevelopment. Number six, crane political drama by censuring Commissioner Castro when all she asked attorney general as to whether what
you're doing is legal. And it turns out it's illegal. It always was illegal. And number seven, breaking the oath of office on their first day of action. I, like all the other residents, want more informed voters. LA
wants more uninformed voters. Not because that's good for Core Gables, but rather it prolongs their rule over the city. And before we hear another misleading statement, LA also stands for liars always lie. Please move on from past grievances. Start focusing on
better leadership for Coral Gables. Thank you. Jason Jackson. Mr. Jackson. Yes, sir. First and foremost, I appreciate your patience. Absolutely. And we're blessed to have you as a resident of the city, my friend.
It is my pleasure. I love living here and this place. So important a friend. Thank you. Greetings, Mr. Mayor, Vice Mayor Anderson, commissioners, city officials, staff, and most important, greetings to my neighbors, the citizens of the city.
Beautiful mayor. You have been uh a budding friend and I appreciate uh your ability to recognize there are some of us who have no agenda. We just love this place. We've loved that we've raised our families here and want to do whatever we
can to keep this place what we love to call it beautiful. Uh thanks to Commissioner Castro taking some time last week to talk to me about uh some of her concerns and mine as a resident. Uh you seem very diligent uh in service and
we appreciate that. I want to move through and just get to my main thrust which is what I've heard and I embrace the term the brickification of this town and I don't want to speak about the intent or the ideals of 100 years ago we
live right now and in this space right now I feel I can talk about when I'm not in this town which is a lot uh about this paradise we have within a paradise a place to be proud of a place to of as I noted earlier like my commitment my
passion my feeling about this town is super deep and personal. Uh not one citizen of this town not deeply interested or invested in commercial development can be happy or proud about all of these towers going up. Uh those
of us at uh 1121 Madruga Condo Association talk about eventually and I'll retire from the beautiful basketball team downtown in about nine years. In that time will my mu my commute turn into just a drive through a
canyon of towers. That's not special. That's not unique. That's not why we live in Coral Gables. Uh, listen, this project at the corner of US1 and Mariposa, I know it's going up. You know it's going up. The county knows it's
going up. But I want this group, as we heard today, which was encouraging, to maintain its connection, maintain its collaborative work dynamic and relationship with the county through this process. Those of us who live in
that space, we feel a little bit like the red-headed stepchild of this city and we want to make sure that you all are actively changing that perception for us, particularly with this project that's coming up. Uh th this is the
hardest thing to do outside of sacrifice, which we talk about a lot in the Miami Heat organization, but love is the hardest thing. Love is best when it is unconditional. Uh, but that's the hardest kind. As I noted and will repeat many, many times, I love the city. I
love what it's meant to my family. I love bragging about it from sea to shining sea. But I do not love some of the things that are happening and what we are currently destined to become if we don't focus on service and loving
discourse for the people, by the people, forever. Thank you very much. Thank you, Patrick Elawaka. Good afternoon, Mr. Mayor, commissioners, city staff, officials, my fellow residents. Uh, firstly, I'm glad
to see that you're much better these days. Last time I saw you were in the mas, so thank good to see that. Um, I'm just here to say thanks. Uh, school's back. I live in the Italian village. Patrick Labaka 513 San Lorenzo. Um there was always a big problem as we
all know in the Coral Gables area in the area during the school in and out. I want to thank this uh chief if he's still here. Um the Coral Gables I mean excuse me the Coral Gables uh community uh safety community as well as the uh
Miami Day School PD. We actually saw two versus one. We actually saw uh two uh safety uh community safety there versus just zero. Um and there's a huge presence within the um officials of the Corables Police Department that
significantly significantly made much more orderly uh dismissal this time of year, especially the first couple of weeks. Um, I think there's a couple things that can be addressed that to to make it a full not just a band-aid.
There is a structural thing that needs to be addressed in terms of the pickup and upa, but that's a very convoluted issue because of so many different types of entities that need to be engaged. However, um the Coral Gables committee safety official officers,
they're there until 2:30 and they're stationed on San Lorenzo and as well as San Antonio, I believe. They leave at 2:30. I know they need to go back to report back, but between 2:30 and 2:45 is when the speeding starts up again,
and that's the last 15 minutes. If there's some way somehow that the that the that the board could figure out a way to extend 15 more minutes, it will reduce just a little bit more the speeding that goes on on the side streets um of of my neighborhood. Um
last but not least, um the illegal parking and the speeding has been best has been better, which is great for the safety of all. Uh however, I think uh there's still some things that can be done. Um but again, that is
more of a um an issue that needs more collaboration. While still have 30 seconds of my time, I'm super happy about the green uh waste energy effect that's going to be. I think it's fantastic. Uh it's a wonderful wonderful uh initiative to raise money and generate money, which is a great thing
to do. And last but not least, uh uh we look forward to uh celebrating the Italian village in October with the help of Commissioner Castro. I hope everyone who wants to who lives in Italian village are able to go there and of course the city officials. Um it's going to be a fun time. I'm actually helping
out and uh using a little bit of my past experience in uh event management to to help Commissioner Caster do a a fantastic event. I hope everyone is able to come out here. It should be fun. Thank you so much again and thank you again to the uh thank you chief. You told me you're going to have a plan over
last time I saw you here and you did and I appreciate it and the officer did a great hell of a job. I never saw uh all the different types of facilities, the SUVs, the the the dare. I never saw the dare before. The motorcycles are all in full force. It demonstrated law and order. Thank you so much for doing that.
Um but there's still work to be done but um it's significant significant uh achievement that you guys did and compared before we're very very happy for that. Thank you so much. Thank you my friend. Thank you for being here with us. That's it Mr. Mayor. All right. Perfect. We'll close the public comment. Uh if I can get a motion
for the approval of the minutes B1. I'll move it. I'll second. All in favor? I. B2. I move it. I'll second. All in favor? I B3. I'll move it. I'll second. All in favor?
I B4. I'll move it. I'll second. All in favor? I thank you. Moving on to time certain agenda item F3. This is my item. This is an update uh regarding the art cinema expansion. I've been working on this project for well
over five years and um I think this is something that again is going to bode very well in regards to culture and our downtown and I'm looking forward to this finally coming to fruition. So if you can give us a quick quick update uh I'd like to know where we're at because I want to move this forward as quickly as
possible. Well, I can skip with my first line which was good morning again. Okay. So good afternoon. I'm delighted to be here. Before I start, I wanted uh Joanne Maher was here this morning and gave the Merrick moment. If you notice the
t-shirt she had on, it was the Coconut Grove uh food crisis food food pantry. Anyways, um they operate a lot of the churches here, the garden club. We've participated with food drives. Uh it's
in Coconut Grove. Uh anyway, so I just want to say that we are trying to do our part with beating South Florida. Um this time I'm here before you on a much happier note. Uh I am here with my good friend and colleague Brenda Mo to give
you an update on the art cinema. We are just about to celebrate our 15th anniversary. I've opened our doors in mid October of 2010. During those 15 years, we have grown into a real cultural gem of South Florida. And uh I
personally feel very fortunate to to be involved from the very beginning. I was excited when um there was first conversation about a new building going up, new parking garage going up on Aragon and that they were going to try to fit Tiny Little Theater into the
first floor. I was there on opening night. It's it's just been a wonderful relationship. I started as a volunteer and taking tickets and now I'm still a volunteer as chair of the cinema board.
Uh we are most fortunate to have an excellent executive director and an extremely talented task I mean staff who selects some of the most wonderful films uh offerings that are
available uh things that I've never heard of that I go and I learn so much every time I go to the cinema. So much of this success could not have happened without the support of the city and um and the support of all the many ticket
holders who fill our seats. So much of our growth, I want to tell you, mirrors the growth of the downtown. Um so many of the people that are living in the apartments and the condos love to come to the cinema because they can walk.
Uh but that's not to say we don't get residents from all over South Florida. I'm always surprised. Aventura, Kiscane, Miami Beach. Um, and as you all know, I saw many of you yesterday morning uh at the opening of the uh new tax
collector's office. Uh, as I was walking back to my car, two women stopped me on the street, and this often happens, and they said, "You're from the cinema." Because I often thank people for coming and so they know my face. And as they they just told me how much they love
going to the theater. And as they were walking away, one looked over her shoulder and said, "I already have my tickets for Downtown Abbey." So I will turn the rest of this over to um Brenda. You all I have given you all our um
update from last year, our impact report from 2024. Thank you. Hi, good morning or good afternoon. Sorry. Good morning. Good afternoon again. Um, Mr. Mayor, commissioners, city manager, city attorney, um, it's an honor as always to present in front of
you. Um, I do want to just say thank you to our board chair, Marlin, um, and, uh, the woman I rely on daily to help, um, us move this cinema forward. Um, we had a presentation and, um, it it will be
really brief. I really just want to cover some key topics which is a thank you to Mr. Mayor for helping us move the expansion um progress forward. City manager also um we had been stuck in in
some issues with our construction documents and um those uh were finally worked out with the various city departments. Our documents have been submitted um reviewed and approved by the various departments and um those um
the feedback that we received are is is being addressed um item by item and as that moves forward. Right now we're waiting um to be able to get access to the new space um so that we can conduct
an asbestos inspection as is required. Um and so and we have some documents for you um at the same that we'll be delivering as these inspections are um are taken care of. What I would like to highlight a couple of things. You do
have a save the date. Um something that's important about this save the date is that we will be honoring um uh Don Slesnik, former mayor Don Slesnik. he is going to be receiving the um uh
inaugural Don Slesnik Civic Vision Award. Um and this award will be given um in the future to other leaders who really embody um civic vision in this community and uh and our cinema is a
result of of his work. And so 15 years ago, I just want to touch on some of these topics. Um 15 years ago we were clear of founded with a clear vision and this marks um uh 15 years of delivering on it. We would um love we'll be sending
out our invitations um for October 29th. We would love to see you all there. It's going to be a milestone important event. Um and it's um and Don Slesnik, the cinema and Dawn um all deserve to be um
acknowledged. Um so the civic vision award um one thing I wanted to really highlight on is the necessity for a second location for a single screen cinema like ours is the
economic impact that we are already creating in the downtown corridor. So things that are important is the parking revenue impact that we see um um from August 24 to August 25 almost
18,000 patrons um use the parking validation machine that is in our lobby. Um that's generating an estimated 53,000 in city revenue through the parking garage. um a conservative estimate of attendees that aren't using the
validator, we can put at 16,000 which include which adds another 48,000 in parking revenue. So we're looking at 100 to 130,000 in parking revenue from our patrons um currently. So the expansion
of our patronage will only expand that city revenue. Our total economic impa impact um operating currently is 2.8 82 million. Um, our membership impact, we
have hit 2500 members. Um, and, uh, you know, which is an incredible, incredible milestone for a small organization like ours. I would like to acknowledge one of our newest members, um, Commissioner Lara and his wife. Thank you so much for joining. It really is incredibly
meaningful, um, to see your name. I have at my desk a little every time somebody joins as a member the little it sends a notification to me. So when I saw your name I immediately texted Marlin and and let her know. So thank you so much. So
2500 members these are people that are investing in the cinema. Um 1,425 of those are Coral Gable's residents which we as you know 18 to 99 years old let's say. Um the residents contribute
almost 140,000 in membership dues. Um that's an incredible financial commitment from Coral Gable's me residents and an estimated one in every 35 residents are dues paying members and of our cinema. Um this is a significant
impact. So, not only are the residents making an impact in the cinema and our um and um the economy of the downtown through their patronage of the cinema, but um the visitor impact that we see from August 24 to August 25. Um almost
23,000 tickets were purchased by customers outside of Coral Gables. If we put a conservative $20 in local spending to every one of those customers, we're seeing outside dollars coming into the
downtown corridor of almost half of a million dollars. That's real impact that our cultural center is having on the downtown corridor. And that's the value that we bring. And um it's not only culture, it's not only community, it's
not only Coral Gables, it's economic. And we just wanted to really highlight that and highlight the value of the economic impact that we have and the greater economic we can impact we can have with our expansion. So if I may, um
we're all big supporters of cinema. I've been working on this project for many years now. Many. When are we opening? So, um, it gets you right down. Let me just I was quick. I was literally five seconds.
Some of the some of the challenges that we have is, um, in response to submitting our construction documents, we need to do an esbesto survey. Um, to get into 240 Aragon, we need the approval of the
current tenants. page is working with the current tenants, but we've been trying to do this for a month now just to get access for under an hour. So if I So that so those are challenges that are real. But let me address it for Mr. Manager,
would you be so kind to deal with our st with your staff and make sure that we can get into the uh building to perform the asbestous report? Uh yes ma'am, please. Okay. So, so that's that's just the challenges that we face and we have
no control over them. So, once we can get through that, we are um the we'll go to the permitting process. We've talked at at length with the city manager about the permian process and hopefully how that can be expedited. Um and then the
um procuring the general contractor. So once that process is over, we're looking at 9 months of of build out to open. Do you have the capital necessary? Have you provided that? Have you provided that letter already to the manager? We will be we we will be sending it.
We're trying to get we're trying to move forward with our with responding to the department's notes on our construction documents. Okay, let's do this. But we can do both. Yes, let's we'll get the asbestous testing done.
I have the letter that I'm sending to the city attorney um for review um because when we had asked for an example letter of the attestation that's been requested, we were told that there wasn't a sample letter. So, we're going
to send a draft. Um Paige had suggested we send the draft to the city attorney. Okay. Just make sure that's okay. And then um I have a board meeting in two weeks and the board members are going to sign the letter as requested. Okay. Please, if you could be so kind to copy myself, the manager, city attorney,
the city clerk. I want it to be a public record. I want to start moving forward. We need to get that letter. I asked the manager we're pending. He said we're pending a letter proving that the funds were in place. I will get the asbesus uh test uh completed with the manager and we'll move forward in getting getting
your construction documents reviewed. Okay. Amazing. That is that's a priority for that's Yes sir. Um if you're done. Yeah. Go ahead. So I I just wanted to say um this is great that we're moving quickly to the other phase but in the meantime right where you have currently um the single
theater I I just want everybody to know that it is such an experience that everyone needs to do. I I I challenge everybody here should be a member um of the cinema. the that the the truth is that when you watch a movie there, it's everything you said, but the sense of
community is something that I walk away with. You you go to the movie and you see your neighbors, you see your residents. Of course, we see people from outside Coral Gables, but you really see the people who live in Coral Gables and you go there with a single purpose to to be transported somewhere else. So, the
engagement to watch what's on the screen, suspend disbelief, and allow the magic to happen. When we went to see Lim Miser Rob, which is the last one I went to see, I'm telling you, there wasn't a dry eye in the house. If I were watching that at home, I would be very critical about, oh, that was very good
cinematography, good lighting, nice editing, but watching it in the theater, I got emotion. So, everyone should experience that. I um highly recommend it. So, two thumbs up as they say. So, we have an action plan. Yes. In two weeks, we'll have the letter that's required by the city. Yes.
We will get the asbesus uh studied. have the we have everything lined up. We have our vendor, our service provider just um but let's let's I just want to cross cross items off the list. Yeah. I want to get done with this. Yes. Okay. So, this is what I'm going to
request. Okay. I'm going to request in one month. Mr. Clerk, when is our next commission meeting? September 10th. When's the following? September 26. September 26. Please put on the agenda a followup. I would like to see a copy of
the letter that was submitted to the city, please. And I would also like to see that the asbestous uh was was tested. It'll be the 23rd. I apologize. That's fine. 23rd. I just want to make sure that they were able to get procure the sample of asbes if there is asbestous the asbesus testing. I don't
need the results just yet. And I know it takes time, but I want to see the letter in the city's hands, and I want to see that we that you were able to get into the building to make sure that you're testing the air ducts, the mastic, and the flooring, whatever it is that you're looking for in regards to asbesus, that you're able to to to do that testing so that it can the ball can be rolling and
moving forward. Okay. And I'll check with um our architect and engineers to see if there are any other requirements that need access to 240 Aragon so that I can share that with both of you because that's really the the biggest challenge. but it's on the commission agenda for the end of
September. So, I would like to see those two items checked off so we can move on to the next. I'll send the letter I'll send the letter this week. We've just been really focusing on trying to get this next step. Of course, that's fine. But I Let's We have it on the agenda. Okay. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you for everything that
you always do for us. We appreciate it. I'd like to just just add that Tony Silio has been great. Okay. Just please let him know. Thank you. Thank you very much. Uh moving on to item F6. Uh F F6 is another item that I sponsored. It's a discussion regarding
the gifted murals from the Spanish consulate celebrating the city centennial year and the influence of Spanish culture new murals on McBride Plaza. First and foremost, I apologize for making you wait. Belies and staff, thank you so much for your hard work and uh
we've had multiple meetings in regards to this issue and I think this is a great opportunity to continue collaborating again with probably our greatest international partner, Spain. Um welcome to the city of beautiful. Welcome to your home. I I want to tell
the uh my colleagues in the commission that this is something that we've been working on for a few months. Um, I want your input and your guidance and I think it just is another opportunity to continue collaborating with the Spanish government and um, just highlight that
we have a lot more in common than most people think. Belies, good afternoon, mayor, commissioners. Um, I want to first um, let you know who's in the room with us. We have uh, Maria Lores Fernandez Gomez. She's a commercial atache for the trade
commission. We've got Alva Marcos. She's the chancellor and director of the tourism off office of Spain. And we have Jordi Bada, director of Andalusia Trade and Jose Rafael Fernandez Linarees who's the chancellor of the consulate of Spain. So I first want them to give you
a little bit of background on how we got to this point. Elva, good morning commissioners. Uh first of all, I would like to say it's an honor for me to be here with you today and present this project that I believe will strengthen
the cultural and artistic ties between Spain and the city of Coral Gables. And to do so uh at the idea of this project is to bring an artist an artist from the city of Malaga and uh born in
the city of Malaga and create a mural here in Coral Gables that would become a bridge between the two cities. Coral Gables the city of Malaga sharing art and creativity between both sides of the Atlantic.
Where does the this idea come from? Well, three years ago, we celebrated and we commemorated 50th anniversary of Pablo Picasso's death. From there, there was a collaboration that was born between the minister, the ministry of
indust of industry and tourism, the city council of Malaga and Pablo Picasso's Foundation. We wanted to create a project that would be known worldwide. Not something that would end and stop in the same year of the Picasso's
commemorative death, but something that would stay, that would become a landmark. And this was throughout transforming the urban landscapes throughout the world through the art of Eduardo Lu who's called Lalon who's an
artist rewarded, awarded and very known in Spain and in Malaga and who has an artistic vision that creates a dialogue between the cities where he paints, the host cities, the city of Malaga and
Picasso's art. So is it is an artistic and a cultural exchange. The artist has to be born in Malaga obviously to bring the art from the city and from Picasso. And the concept is to
uh bring transform the city uh with this urban transformation that creates this dialogue between Spain, Malaga and the city where he works. So every work he does is completely different. It's an international project that has traveled
to Asia, to Europe, but has never come to America. So, we think it's a great opportunity to be the first city that hosts the this artist and these morals. They are designed to become city landmarks, blend the local history, the
host city symbols with the artistic legacy of Malaga. And this year is a very special year for the consulate too because Malaga is the guest city in the commemoration of the Hispanic day in the 12th of October. So
the authorities will of Malaga will come here and there will be different celebrations, commemorations and we will we really believe that it would be great to have this walls this morals created for those those events. Thank you. Thank you.
Thank you. As Alvida said, there's the mayor of Malaga has been very gracious to um offer to paint uh two murals. Um we're talking about the murals that are currently at the McBride Plaza. So it's at 150 Miracle Mile. So there will be
two uh the east this would be so the top wall, let me go through this one. So the east wall is the one that is um of Coral Gables and it has our founder George Merik and then the west wall would be the wall of Malaga with Picasso. And
there's going to be a dialogue between those two artists, those two um founders and and leaders of those cities talking to each other. And as you can see from the two murals, there are some dynamics that are very similar. the Builtmore and
the Cathedral uh from Malaga. So there's a lot of um similarities and I think um through art there's a lot of things that we can change here still. We're working with the artist. He's very very gracious and has um is open to whatever our
interpretation and what we want to represent Coral Gables as. So um we're open to your ideas as well. So, I wanted to put this uh before you because uh first and foremost, I want to thank you so much and thank Belis and her team for doing an amazing job. Um we've had these
murals up for 5 years now. Correct. And they've served the city. And I I thought it would be a good opportunity when you came. I was mesmerized by the opportunity to do something that highlights the most important painter probably ever, Picasso. When you talk
about an artist that is world recognized, you put a a work by Picasso, it's instantaneously. It's like a Warh Hall painting. Those are two of the most important artists, especially in the last hundred years, if not the two most important. So to me, I think I think um it's an opportunity to really highlight our Spanish culture. Again, like I said
before, that we have a lot more in common than most people know. We just talk about Mediterranean, Mediterranean, Mediterranean, and our and our, you know, that we speak Spanish, but at the end of the day, there's a lot more. uh and your influence on the city of Coral Gables. So, I wanted to bring it bring
it before my colleagues. Uh like Belki said, there could still be some changes made. Uh I thought it would be great to highlight Merrick. Uh I think it's a very positive way to highlight George Merik along with Picasso and highlight some of the beautiful things that the cities are are very excited about and are very proud of.
You're the mayor. Yes, if I may. Number one, I think it's a I love the concept. I love the ideas. I love the conversation that both of them are having. The only thing that I I think we could probably work on a little
bit is toning it down as far as I think it's very bright. But art's subjective. That's just my opinion. If um No, no, not all of them. Just toning it down just a tiny little bit. I think I
think it it in my opinion art is subjective. I think it's a wonder. It's a wonderful I I I love it anywhere. I just think in Coral Gables toning it down just a tiny bit. Um I feel like it belongs more like in a more industrial
like a design district or like Winwood. Um but besides that, I think it's exceptional. Thank you very much. Um through the mayor. I just I just want to understand that but the thing is that it
is on a nail that is not very visible the street so it doesn't have this color people will miss it and I think that it tries to attract attention and also what reproduces are colors of the Mediterranean that maybe are missing in
other but this is a piece of art like when you say in a very building or a very classic house. Uh Picasso paintings won't be good because they are colorful. However, that contrast is what
makes uh everything you know to be seen by people and the contrast between one thing that is so beet and then in the colors that are completely So,
so yeah. So, what I was thinking, no, the colors obviously describe the artist. I completely understand that concept, but maybe we can add I know there was some some parts there that they were gray or black and white. Maybe we can add a little more of that to tone
it down, but keep the colors. So, through the mayor. Yes, ma'am. I did a rather unique and different type of thesis paper for my u ending my law degree and it was art
and the law and I chose to do a paper that examined viewpoints on art because what's beautiful in the eyes of the beholder one person is not and the other and the discussion was what is art and I
picked Picasso I picked Picasso Picasso on purpose. And if you look at and you study Picasso's paintings, and this goes way back to 1987, before we had readily available color copers, etc., and I went down to the
city of Miami Museum to look at the various arts, and having done art myself as a young person when I had more time to do it, it is indeed the vibrancy is part of it. And somewhat the
audaciousness of the way Picasso would portray certain things that made Picasso Picasso. Now, it wasn't the only type of art that he did. It is he did a magnificent plate with a bullfight in
it. So, I wasn't aware until I did that paper about the contrasting personalities that he had within. Um, I love it. I love the fact that he's sitting there, you know, I can see, you
know, the easel. I can tell it's oil. I can tell the difference between oil painters and so forth. Um, and we have some very famous artists now that have adopted many of the stylistic choices
that Picasso made many, many years ago. Um, you know, we have sometimes some things that we bring into our city that uh are attractive like the the colorful umbrellas which faded in the sun. I can
see a piece of this on the Malaga wall where you have um the pieces of cloth draped from side to side. I thought, wow, that would be that would be very nice idea as well too to do in some of our corridors to attract people in and
helps especially in the summer to cool things down. Uh, I think this is this is brilliant. Um, so I do think it'll bring people out. I think it'll cause this conversation to happen and it would show, you know, how
the artist view of not only our city but also the conversation that happens between the architecture of um, Malaga, Spain influence the architecture in the city of Gables. So thank you for
bringing this to us. Thank you very much. Appreciate it. Commissioner, thank you. So, I want to say thank you all very much uh for coming and participating and collaborating and bringing these two cultures and as
the mayor said, not only together, but to emphasize and highlight the similarities that already exist, which is something you can lose with broad descriptors like just saying Mediterranean. I for one, and everyone is entitled to their own opinion, right?
And I'm not an art critic, but I know what I like, right? I I would almost say I wish it had even more pop, you know, the opposite, right? And the reason for this is because I um believe in in another aspect of this is the the the
almost like the economics behind it because I think that this is going to be a place where young people and elderly and everyone in between are going to want to go to have one of those Instagram moments. They're going to want to go there and it'll be marketing itself because I I'm hoping and I'm
predicting that people are going to go there. They're going to want to take their photos and then the marketing goes when they send it out through their social media and that goes around the planet. That's not just here in Coral Gables, right? So, uh, and to see the little hidden gems, you know, I didn't
know the Builtmore was similarly found in the architecture of Malaga. I didn't know, you know. So, this is it's curious, it's interesting, it's entertaining, it's inspiring, and I think it's wonderful. I'm actually very very excited about this.
The McBride Plaza, you know, the the park needs even more attention on on a street that's one of our signature streets. It's one of the most walkable places in Coral Gables. Let's give him something to really admire and enjoy. So, thank you. Thank you.
So, I wanted to dovetail off the comments of the vice mayor and commissioner. We're in a moment right now where the mile needs pop. Yeah. We need to be honest with ourselves. These are conversations I've been having with Belis, the manager, the DCM, and
the ACM. Um, you know, we're at a crossroads on multiple different fronts. Rents are high. The cost of doing business is high. Um, disposable income is not as easy as it was before. So, people are eating out less.
So, you're seeing a little bit of closures on Miracle Mile, but then you're seeing some very interesting products come in. For example, we did a we did an opening for Scandi Candy the other day, and it's been a huge success. Sold out. Sold out. They literally ran out of candy. Hundreds of people waiting in
line. My daughters went nuts over it. They've already gone there a few times. Candy from Europe. And uh it's supposed to be, you know, healthy candy. I don't know how healthy it is, but it's pretty delicious. Why do I bring that up? Because you see all these kids taking pictures and Instagram and the whole
thing and you're only promoting Coral Gables. They said that they looked at Remember Belies, they talked about, they mentioned Miami Beach, the dining district, Windwood, but we said, "No, no, something about Coral Gables brought us here. Something about being on Miracle Mile." By the way, if you look at their shop, it literally looks like they maybe what
took a week to put it together. They just painted the walls the same floor. I mean, it looks good, but again, it's not elaborate in nature. You understand? It's just selling candy. Candy speaks for itself. What I see here is very different and this is why I was attracted to it when you brought this to me a few months ago.
Love peace. I don't think I've ever seen a city build a partnership with Malaga like this or any city. You understand? Like saying we're going to build Corgate was going to build a relationship with Paris. Yes, we do have sister cities, but this is something tangible like this
is shows a commitment and it's very impressive, especially when you're talking about Picasso. I'm an art fanatic. When you look at a work like Gernika and you stand there in a museum and you look at Picasso's work, whether it's the blue period or whether it's a cubism,
you're talking about person who has transcended culture, not just art. This is a person that has an had an impact across all of culture, whether it's design, whether it's furniture, whether it's clothing design,
whether it's art, food, he's had an impact on everything. One of the most prolific artists in in history across all landscapes, sculpture, uh painting, ceramics,
you know, conceptual work. He was across all all spectrums, the entire spectrum, excuse me. So you have the Instagram moment, you have which I think is more important than anything is really the the the the relationship with Malaga that you're building now. The idea that Malaga now
will showcase Coral Gables and we will showcase Malaga. If you've had the privilege of going to Spain, which I've been blessed to, um, you know, again, it's a homeland. is a motherland, like they say, for everyone who speaks Spanish, for everybody who was born in Latin America or has some sort of heritage. My parents are Cuban, my
grandfather was born in Spain. So, you know, to me, to me, what you're seeing here right now is an opportunity to bring people to Coral Gables to enlighten our community a little bit more about who we are. I want people to know about Mana, but I want people to know who we are. How did
we get here? How did my parents end up in Cuba? my grandfather was in Spain, you know, how how did we end up? We just didn't land on Cuba, you know, we came from we came from abroad and that's that's the way that's the way it was in most cases. So, I really see it as an
educational opportunity. I see it as an Instagram moment. I see it as a as an economic driver. And I'm also excited about Basil. You have over 50,000 people that come to our Basil from abroad. If we showcase this work,
while it's I don't want to use the word street art or graffiti, it's art. But if you showcase this work and you showcase the magnitude of this work, I think it's an opportunity to draw people to the city and say, "We got to come and check this out. It's not just your standard work." So, yes,
there's an opportunity to tweak. I'm always very careful when I when I see things like this and leave the artwork up to the artists. Um, you know, I love the fact that we're showcasing George Merrick. I'm a huge George Merrick fan. I think it's an opportunity
to put him front and center next to the greatest artist of our time. So, moving forward, um, I want to thank our friends from the Spanish consulate. I want to thank our staff. This has been
a, you know, a long process. Thank you. Thank you for your commitment. I want to thank the mayor of Mallaya, the council, Coral Gables. Um, it's truly a privilege and I hope my colleagues will support this and moving forward. We can all come
together on this item, which is a great item to come together. Thank you very much, Mr. Clair. Do you have any public comment? It's not a public comment. I don't know. You never know. Okay. Um, I need support from the commission on
this. I I I think you can tell from the public comment, our public comments that the majority is in favor. Okay. I need a motion. I'll move it. I'll second. All right. So, it's a motion to give direction to staff to proceed.
To proceed. Yes. Yes. Thank you. Have a motion in a second. Commissioner Lada. Yes. Vice Mayor Anderson, yes. Commissioner Castro, yes. Mayor Lago, yes. Thank you for your patience.
Gracias. Thank you. Very quickly. We're excited. We're excited. And Bies, you hit it out of the park. Thank you. Thank you, Bies. Thank you. All right. We have uh our final time ser before lunch, which is item H4. And I
appreciate our friends from Gendler uh for their patience. Thank you so much. Item H4. H4 is a resolution of the city commission providing direction to the city manager regarding design options for the mobility hub.
Good afternoon. Thank you for I was going to say Mr. Mayor, but he's he's speaking right now. Good afternoon, vice mayor. Thank you. Commissioners, of course, the city manager. Happy to be back and and presenting some options to you. I appreciate that. So, I don't know who
has the presentation that they could put up on the screen. Clark, do you have the power? They should have it available. Thank you. And I can just click it. This
is forward. Okay. Thank you. When you're showing the presentation, can you let me know where Andala Lucia is the Yeah. When you're showing the Sure. Yes, of course. I was looking at it last night and I'm like,
you wondering which one is Lucia? Yeah. Republic is he wanted to What section of the building was actually the um ramp side faces America Mile and
the entrance and exit side faces Andalucia. That's right. That's the simple explanation. Yep. So you pull in the building and you make a left to go up the ramp. Okay? So that
you have enough queuing before you get to the ramp so you don't have a backlog onto and Lucia be able to keep people moving as opposed to causing a traffic jam like we now have on and Lucia. Exactly. So very well thought out there.
Yeah. Is there is there any way to put um like a a rendering of like the actor's playhouse in front of those just to see how it matches a rendering of the actor's playhouse? Yeah, we don't have it in this particular presentation, but absolutely you can
we can have the harmony that it causes like as a as a backdrop. Okay, we can do that. Okay, can we can we do something very quickly and wait for this to upload? Yes. Pick up item quick. Okay. Item F2. No, no, no. I just just
want to take advantage of the fact that we can take So, first off, I want to thank uh our commissioner for district 6, Natalie Orvis, who couldn't be here with us today, uh but she sent her incredibly capable staff member who's here. So, I'd
like for you to introduce yourself. Item F22. Sure. Which, by the way, is Commissioner Lada's item. Yes, it is. And we'll just So, I'll read it into the record, Mayor. So F22 is a resolution of the city commission supporting the code designation of that portion of State Road 959 Southwest 57th Avenue from
Southwest 8th Street to Southwest 24th Street as Wayne Russell and Jimmy Fabricatory Way. Good afternoon Mr. Mayor, Vice Mayor. Okay. Minor minor details. He thought he had time for the restroom, huh?
Don't worry. Don't worry about it. Sorry about that. My bad. It's okay. He's He's here. I thought we were on H4. We're downloading. We're downloading. Which one are we on now, Mr. Mayor? I'm sorry. Sorry about that. F22. Very good.
Thank you. Thank you. Good afternoon, Mr. Mayor, Vice Mayor, commissioners, uh, city officials. My name is Angela Ramusco. work for county commissioner Natalian Orvis. I'm a commissioner for her and I'm here to express her full support on this item.
If you allow me, I would like to read the commissioner Million Orvis letter of support. So, it will be like short. Uh, dear Mayor Lago, I have the honor of sponsoring legislation approved by Miami Day County Commission on July 16, 2025,
urging the Florida Legislature to co-desate this uh the State Road 959 Southwest 57th Avenue from Southwest 8th Street to Southwest 24th Street as Swain Russell and Jamie Fabricatory Way. This effort came directly from hearing our
community and their desire to recognize two men whose impact has defined this area. I'm asking the city of Cora Gables to join us in support of this effort. This designation is about more than a roadway. For over 40 years, Wayne Russell and James Fabricator have made
Doyy's Tavern a true community landmark. It is a place where families come together, friends and neighbors to celebrate milestones, share memories and come together as one community. Their hard work, hospitality and commitment to neighborhood spirit deserved lasting
recognition. By supporting this god designation, the s gables will help ensure their contributions are remembered and honored for generations to come. Thank you, Mayor Lel. Thank you commissioners, vice mayor for your consideration and support to this item
respectfully. And then thank you. Thank you very much. But the credit doesn't go to me. The credit the credit goes to Commissioner Lada. Mr. Lana, your your item. Well, I just wanted to say thank you very much, you know, and to the commissioner for uh her words. You know, it's very difficult to echo it and
expand on it in any way. But the truth of the matter is for all of us who have been living in Coral Gables, visiting Coral Gables over over the last 40 years. I mean, it goes back to, you know, my high school days, right? To go to Duffy's and really feel like when you would go there, it's like going home. In fact, Jimmy and Wayne will greet you
saying welcome home. And um it's a it was a fabric and continues to be fortunately um a fabric of the community. And those two gentlemen really imbue and embody um what makes the city unique and what um people will
remember uh time and time again. So I had the pleasure of speaking with them about this. I I spoke with Wayne yesterday. I told him there's no way we can guarantee a time certain that maybe this presentation will be taking place. Um but I said you can always follow along on Zoom. Sure. Um but in any event um I I I trust
that my uh colleagues will provide us support in this resolution to join in with the city of West Miami as well. Second u I was say through through the mayor I want to just thank you again before uh coming bringing us this
way and I think that the uh the sponsor of the item would be the individual to to move it and I'd be happy to second as well. Okay. So I so move second. Okay. Miss Mr. Clerk,
we have a motion a second. Do we have any public comment? All right. Perfect. Commissioner Lada. Yes. Vice Mayor Anderson. Yes. Commissioner Castro. My intent was to second it, but that doesn't work. Yes. Mayor Log,
I didn't second it, but guess what? We'll support it. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you so much. It's all good. Good, ma'am. Thank you. Thank you so much. Please send our best to the commissioner and we're blessed. We're blessed to have her helping and serving this community. U Mr. Clerk, how we doing with the upload?
Uh I have it available whenever you're ready. All right, let's go. Perfect. H4. Back at it. And then we're going to hear one more item after this and we'll go to lunch. Okay. Okay. Let's try this again. Again. Good
afternoon, Mr. Mayor, vice mayor, commissioners, city manager. I wanted to start the presentation by just a very quick evaluation of uh Mediterranean style of architecture for a parking structure. So again, you're
all very familiar with the Mediterranean revival style. uh the arched openings, uh the low pitched clay tile roofs, stuckle wall finishes, iron work, carved details, and really the necessity to have depth so that you can read all of
the three-dimensional design components. Um as you know, this site is actually very limited. So the entire facade is pushed flat to the extents of the site uh to have an efficient parking structure. uh Mediterranean revival
really depends on the depth to create like a layered massing that is typical uh the arcades and the terraces. Unfortunately, because of this site, we're not able to do that. Everything is flush and flat. Um which begins to create a lack of authenticity when
you're trying to create a Mediterranean revival style. Um there's also efficiency and sustainability that's going to be a big part of this. So, as you know, uh the style adaptation of a Mediterranean revival for a parking structure could lead to reduced air flow
and daylight for obvious reasons. Um there's higher operating costs because of that uh greater energy use that is associated with that and it's really inconsistent with the city's sustainability goals.
So we're really thinking about the function of the structure over just a style and a facade. Uh so again the Mediterranean revival relies on enclosure and heaviness and depth and garage really requires openness and
airflow for performance. Um so applying these historical styles creates a form and function mismatch. The other thing is really safety and visibility. So the deep recesses limit light going deep into the parking structure itself. And
what we're trying to do is really create a structure that supports daylight and transparency, visibility, which also creates a sense of safety for the public. Merrick's vision really was about a cohesive city that was still diverse. So
it embraced variation through themed villages. So you have the Chinese, the Dutch, the South African, the French. I just heard talk about an Italian. So it really talks to this idea of diversity within Merrick's vision as well. So he really promoted placemaking and adapted
to the setting and the climate. Um just as an example, obviously the newest garage is is more minimalist modern design. It complements the architectural language of Coral Gables while still maintaining a clean and contemporary aesthetic. It also allows for the
natural light to come through which obviously improves safety and also allowing for efficient and effective ventilation for the mechanical systems themselves. So we brought this up as just a recent example of one of the latest garages that have been built the
minorca. So in conclusion the idea is that you know it should be authenticity over imitation. Again parking structures because of their function demand openness and lights and safety. Again, Merrick's true legacy is really about
variety and our approach is honoring Coral Gables through a contextual, functional, and timeless design that goes beyond a historical style. Um, so let us get into that. And I don't know if I need to go through
this. I don't if everyone is aware of the difference between the parking structure and what a mobility hub is. I don't need to dwell on it. So we'll go through that and get straight to the facade. So our approach here was really looking at the options
that go beyond the style to capture the soul of Coral Gables. And our thought was, okay, what is the soul of Coral Gables? And it's really about the context of the lush tree canopies that you see, the texture of the native coral stones that you see around. And that
really reflects the city's deep bond from our perspective with nature and place. And if we can combine that with an architectural expression, then I think we've really hit something that goes beyond just an imitation of style. So let's start with our first option.
The first concept is called vertical canopy. It draws this idea from the beautiful vertical palms that you see on Miracle Mile itself. is kind of echoing the local tree forms themselves. Uh we
still wanted to incorporate biophilia by having the cascading greens on the facade of the project as well. And then you know all the way on the right it's really about the dappled light and the evening glow as the light goes through these vertical fins. So we started with
an exploration of uh just looking at what that could look like conceptually. So these images are not specific to this project. They're just looking at what happens when you take this idea of the vertical fins and apply it to a parking structure and mix a little bit of
biofilia in there. This is actually how it could be when we're looking at the building itself. So you had asked about uh where is and Lucia. So this the longer facade that you're seeing there is kind of that corner. So the
cheesecake factory is right in front of us just to put it in context. So what this is showing is really u a vertical striation with different depths that as you come closer to the building allow the light to trickle through but still
hide the cars so that obviously we don't want to see the cars through that. Uh there's a boxed out area where if you remember in the original design we had a placeholder for a piece of art and sculpture that could still be there. You're seeing that the staircase which is an exit stair is also open and bright
again for safety reasons but also for architectural reasons. If we now move to the view from Miracle Mile, uh you're beginning to see the openings that were designed originally for the project incorporated into this design. So you have the uh the biophilia
directly on the facade in two locations. So, one location you see directly on the corner, we have that opening area that expresses the ramp for just a little bit. The green that you see behind it is an existing wall. That's another location we felt would be really unique
and interesting for mural art to happen. So again, all of these facads, especially facing Miracle Mile, are all about the art which is facing that ramp, the biofilia, and also this beautiful rhythm that we've created on the facade with just these simple vertical slants.
And this is just a a closeup of what that could be as an art piece. This is also another view again on the Lucia kind of right where the cars are going to be coming in and out of the project itself. This again shows it in a little bit more
context because now we're closer to the building itself. You're able to see that what we did with the facade is actually raise up that facade as it comes to the corner so that as you're walking towards the building, the first thing that you actually notice is the biofilia on those
slabs. So it really brings nature and grounds it back to the street. You're also seeing the uh colony that we've created that's going to have retail at that ground floor. So, it's going to activate that street instead of just being dead parking spaces.
And of course, this is uh that cut through that we have that allows the building to really funnel people all the way through into the Miracle Mile itself. And of course, the activation of art, this beautiful express staircase that takes you up into the second floor,
the plaza space, and also the retail that's going to be there at that ground floor. So that was option one. Option two we're calling carve by nature. This one is really taking uh the idea of the voids
that you see when you're looking through the very very dense tree structures and conceptualizing it into an abstract shape. So for us this was reminiscent of either kind of the tree canopies as the light goes through it what type of
pattern you get or uh the abstraction of coral rock patterns. So it's really connecting to very specific points of nature within coral gables itself. These are just kind of very quick studies of what it could be as an
abstract shape and form. And then this is what it would actually look like on the building. So, one thing to note to help break down the scale, what we did is we chose two tones of metal panel so that instead of being a
kind of very long relentless facade, we were able to break it down into smaller pieces to help with the scale of the building itself. So, you see that the top square portion is a lighter color. So, this would be an off-white. The bottom portion would be a little bit more of a champagne color. So, it's not
too harsh of a contrast, but it's just kind of a a very simple way of helping break down the scale. So, again, you're able to see this beautiful filigree pattern that you could imagine, especially at night, would really become an artwork itself on the facade. Uh,
this becomes the entire facade facing the miracle mile. Again, incorporation of biofilia on the facade and this beautiful veil that we've created hiding the cars behind it. This one shows kind of an approach of um
I know that uh Vice Mayor Anderson was concerned about the ramp. And so the idea of having an extended guard rail with biofilia fronting uh the facade itself would allow for that safety as people are driving up because I remember
this was an issue in the beginning. Uh this is another closeup of the entry as well. Also again, you're able to see this beautiful filigree pattern that's reminiscent of the tree canopies that's reminiscent of coral rock and an abundant amount of biofilia. So that as
you're walking towards this parking structure, it really connects you back to nature. Thirdly, we have one that we're calling deotropical. So the idea here was could we take some
of the geometric abstract forms of the deco building next to us and bring that into the parking structure itself. Again not in a literal way in an abstract way and still include the biophilia within that. And these are some kind of
investigations that we had done. And then ultimately kind of looking at these very rounded shapes that really refer back to art deco in terms of the way the lines move that streamline uh action that you see there. But again it also
looks like almost overscaleed tree fronds or leaf patterns that you see on the facade. Still the idea is that we would have areas where we would have sculptures on the project itself. Biophilia would still be very abundant within the openings here.
Again, this is that main entrance right off of Andelucia. And you can see that the perforations are there. It's harder to see in the images that are farther away, but you can see that all of these are perforated panels to allow light to still come through the project.
So this is a design comparison for you so that you can see all three options at the same time. So the first one the vertical canopy, the second one carved by nature, the third one decorico and this is from all the views. This is miracle mile again all three concepts
and this is at that main entry off of the Lucia itself with three concepts. So this is what we have for you. I tried to make it brief by the way. So, first and foremost, thank you for that. Uh, you did an amazing job. I think these designs are are beautiful.
There's a little bit of an echo. An echo. There is an echo. Get to hear yourself twice. All right. I think the time has come to make a decision. It's all good. So, is that better?
We good? Yep. I think it's time that we start moving forward. We have to make a decision. you look at the current state of the parking garages on Andalusia um you know we've hit we've hit a crossroad here and bless you and I think
what what we're facing here right now and we have to be honest with ourselves is that how do you make a parking garage Mediterranean the example is look at the Aragon parking garage um I've had conversations with Willie
Romeo who was the architect of that of that project and he told me Vince this is what they told me I had to knew I had no other choice. But this is not Mediterranean. Putting some tiles, small windows, and a pre-cast, that's not Mediterranean. What you have there right now, if you're in that facility, and I'll leave it up
to my parking director, who has a lot more experience than I do, you have, in my opinion, and I park there once in a while to charge my electric on the second floor. It's dark. It's not welcoming and
you're not going to get that Mediterranean feel. It's just virtually impossible because the Mediterranean field has a small windows. So, I think we have to be honest with ourselves and have a real conversation and say, "We've been talking about this for years. We got to move forward. Portions of the facade of the building
have fallen. Nobody wants to park there as a result as an antiquated structure that's not built for today's cars. So, what I'd like to see is for my colleagues either to make a decision
today and then have a real conversation about G4 and recommend the manager start addressing G4 in one form or another. I know that's outside of your scope, but something that I think we need to have a
conversation here and start giving the manager, you know, the runway to have that conversation. Yes, madam. Vice Mayor. So before we start talking more about Mediterranean, I want to point out a couple things. We I think all of us, maybe just a couple
of us got an email this morning about noise and that that particular one happened to be a generator. I've also gotten complaints about noise and the fans from Mediterranean style garages. It's horrible when you go in the garage.
It's an annoyance when you're outside the garage, then you have a bearing go and it's really got over the top. So, if you haven't experienced it, go take a trip down to Trader Joe's. There is not adequate ventilation even with the
additional fans uh running. So, making a Mediterranean garage is not necessarily the best thing to do, especially on a site that's so small depthwise that you can't effectively do it. They're dark. you can't see through them and you end up with what you know because I uh work
a long time on the Mediterranean ordinance trying to improve the architecture you end up with that wallpaper Mediterranean that is not Mediterranean at all. I had made suggestion for um art deco in that block
because you have several other existing pieces of architecture that um are art deco. You have the miracle theater. you have what is now uh super cuts used to I mean used to be super cuts and now
Starbucks um that have that language of art deco and then on the opposite corner where the cheesecake factory is you have also a rounded uh type of architecture there. Um couple couple comments. I mean I you
know there's always room for massaging something once we have an overall choice on which one we want. Um, I lean toward uh the one in the in the middle. Yeah. Um, I I like carved. Carved is beautiful. Option two.
So, yeah, I I lean there. Um, I other than plastic plants, I don't know what's going to grow on those ramps. So I think from a practicality point point we got to look at not only is it going to grow there plus the reality is it's not going to get light half the year
because the sun is on the south it's not going to get sun on the north and it's going to burn you know the plants have to adjust so might need to look to tweak a few things here um so the other thing that I had can I add something to that vice mayor
mayor just to her point which I wrote down when I give my comments is let's look at Pam. Let's look at where Pam beautiful design but where maybe they didn't think about certain things or they maintenance is an
issue. The trees have been an issue the maintenance about the hanging. Yeah. Yeah. Just because she mentioned that right now. It's a very good point that she mentioned that and you drive by it. It's such a masterpiece and and the trees are dead. It doesn't look so good. Yes. So, one of the things I had talked about with our
very qualified uh landscape director is the ability to put some uh vine in a confined area on the building. One little spot on the east and one spot on the west. Why did I suggest that? Because you get the morning sun, you get the evening sun. And I think there's a
way that we can kind of tame it. Um I call it wisteria. She knows what the heck it's called in in in South Florida language. There's a vine and it and it's been put on some of the buildings in uh one of the parking garages in South Miami. Yes. And it's got a woody stem and it could
it could utilize what you've already designed and grow up. You know how high it's going to grow. Your expert is over there. So, she can give you some guidance there. The other thing that I um spoke to the manager about was the fact that, you
know, some of these dead corners we can make into a productive area. Uh and a time to think about it is now because you may need to adjust the floor plate a little bit, make a hole in it to allow some more height. Um climbing gym, there's a market for
it. Top rope requires a certain amount of height. I Googled it as to whether or not there's a market for it. The closest thing we have is a bouldering gym which provides no top rope capability. It's only about a 20 foot height. You need about 50 I think feet
50 to 60 ft. You guys are the architects. You can think about this. Sure. And then it would also create revenue because I really just don't think people are going to sit out there in chairs right at level whatever it is to um you know
unless there's something I mean is there going to be a juice bar or something where they can sit out there and enjoy uh a cool beverage on on that level. So those are some of the things I want you to think about. And instead of biophilia
on the ramps, let's look at another way that we can um give that feeling to folks that they have security. And perhaps the art needs to go on the more on the exterior so that it's not blocked by whatever
that security feature is. That that feeling that you're not going to be falling off the ramp. So, um I think I think you've made a a tremendous improvement and I'm looking forward to the next step of this. Thank you. Through the mayor. Yes.
Yeah. So, number one, I see that you put a lot of thought and work into this and I and I'm very appreciative of that and I want to thank you for that. Honestly, when it comes to the mobility hub, I was very closed and coming into this meeting, I want to be more open-minded
and um and see the options. I see you worked hard on this. There's two designs that I that I think we can work with, but I would like to see what the actor's playhouse looks like in front of it. The other things is the other the other
thing is I feel like some of those designs is like I'm going to Lincoln Road and it's like something I'll see in Lincoln Road. Not to beautiful but just just not here. especially in front of some places that look historical. My
other one of my questions is why so tall? I just if I can imagine something in back of the actor's playhouse that's like what you're showing me, I would imagine it at a lower scale. Why do we choose to go so tall?
So I I can explain that. um in order to hit the parking requirements for the city which was in the end 626 cars I believe because of how thin the
actual site is we had to go vertical so that we could actually be able to fit 626 cars on that site. So it's only driven by the parking requirement number. It's driven by nothing else. So it's a very functional reason and it's a
very very efficient. So it's the number that the city gave you that we needed as far as available parking basically. Correct. Yes. And Monica, is there any flexibility on that through the mayor? Yes. Yes. If I if I may say, mayor, the the
what we're doing is is we are using parking garage one as a mobility hub for future micro and and mobility needs. Besides having a park on the on the roof, it also takes care of garage number four. So we have a combined
garage number one and garage number number four. So that's that's one of the issues that we had. So that's why we came up with 626. So that is and if I may again this is nothing new. It's been
discussed for 10 years. You have two parking garages that are antiquated that need to be replaced. So either you build two parking garages or you build one, you sell the other land, you put that money into this
building, you pay down the debt and you have a parking garage that is producing positive income. This is something that's been talked about, has been written about, the Herald's written about it. Community newspaper's written about it. Miami Today's written about it. This is nothing new.
Mayor, I'll just add that I did and it's up on the website, publish a memo. Yep. Portion of which was al published in the Miami Herald that did the parking calculations supported by the city's documentation and the city's parking
studies. Historically, you know, we needed this parking and we've been kicking this can down the road for how long? I don't know. I've lost track. Wait, so through the mayor? Yes. Uh yes, we we have we have both parking garages are operation obsolete. Parking
garage 4 doesn't even have uh doesn't have an elevator to the second or third floor. Uh we can see what's happening parking garage one. The facade's coming off. Uh so the the idea was to merge parking garage one and four and then do something different uh on uh certainly
maybe a P3 or something different on on garage on the site of garage 4 which is the one right across from from from Publix. Um the vice mayor actually brought up a very good point concerning concerning uh noise. Uh the fact that a
Mediterranean garage has small windows, it makes it very dark and uninviting. Uh it also provides force ventilation. So you have to have that noise because if you you get have to get rid of the part carbon monox monoxide and you have to
either have it sufficiently open or you have to force it out. And so one of one of the things about uh the Mediterranean concept is I I believe one of one of the reasons why the built is so beautiful it doesn't have a parking garage pedestal. It it's it's got it's got it's got a
garage on the on the on the west. So, so the idea was was to combine uh garage one garage one and also actually in the in the future as our mobility needs change. We have the Monorca garage which
is a very important garage because it's part of our EOC of emergency operations center. It's it's it's been hardened and it's been designed to store vehicles in case of a storm. So and then the the mobility hub would be the central hub for all mobility all future mobility
needs making in the future as mobility changes maybe the other garages become obsolete and and we create a a coral gable park sparking authority and at that point we keep these two garages and everything else turns into uh mixeduse buildings and which which in effect
bring more people into the downtown. Yes sir. Okay. Can through the mayor. Yeah. Okay. Um, I don't feel that a building that scale and I understand the explanation the city manager was giving is really compatible with the neighborhood.
Honestly speaking, I think it's just it's it's beautiful, but at the same time, I feel if we would have scaled it down a little bit, it would it would form some harmony, especially in a street that's very important to us with the backdrop of the actor's Playhouse.
Um, I don't know what the estimated price of that project is today. I know three years ago it was like $64 million. I'm very curious about that now. And I think that this is a very large investment. So, this needs to go to the public. This needs some public input
after we have like maybe choose one or two designs. Um, this needs public input. And if I were to choose one of those designs closer would probably be um carved by nature or the vertical canopy, but I I cannot imagine what it looks like as a backdrop. And I think
that's one of the most one of the most important things to me. So the code the code, correct me if I'm wrong, Mr. Manager, the code currently allows 190 190.5 190.5. So this is within the code
and at the end of the day, that this commission did. We need parking in the downtown. Um there is no other way to make this building smaller unless you
remove floors of parking, which at the end of the day, in my opinion, is not in the best interest of the city because you're investing in your downtown. Your downtown represents 27% of your tax base. You need to provide parking for your downtown.
So, we can get caught up in the story that we've been caught up and politicize this, but at the end of the day, our downtown is 27% of our tax base. You have to provide the necessary parking for our downtown. Whether you like the design or you don't
like the design, it's a different story. But the infrastructure, the structure itself is a necessity. What I would like to see is I'd like to see us provide the manager with guidance to move forward on G4 P3 partnership
99-year lease for sale. Use the funds from that sale and have it directly injected into G1. Just going to give a number. If it's $25 million sale,
you have to go out to market. By the way, as you know, and I know because we're in the industry, I'm going to give an example. Phyllis Park came in over $1.2 million cheaper than the budget that we had estimated. Why? Because, as I told several people, and they mocked
me and laughed at me here, winter is coming. Winter's here. Prices have gone down significantly. Our tax base has gone from 12% increase to 11% to 8% to this year 5%. So when you look at the construction and you can
talk about it, how competitive is the market right now? It's very competitive. Very competitive. So winners here. So what ends up happening is that when there's competition, you have to lower your prices. Lower your
prices. Philips Park today is a prime example of that. It is 25% cheaper than we thought it was going to be. Correct, Mayor. We assume 5.1 million came in at 3.9 million. 3.9. The numbers don't lie. They're there.
So if it's 64 million or it's 60 million or it's 67 million, we'll find out when we move forward. But if you're going to protect your business community, which is subsidizing the residential neighborhoods to the
tune of 27%, you have to provide parking. We don't live in a community where people have flying cars or the the the infrastructure necessary like New York does, like Chicago does, where they have actual, you know, subway that can
take you from point A to point B. So, in this community, due to the weather, due to the lack of infrastructure, people drive their cars. So, we can continue to go back and forth in politics and theater and the whole thing about the building's too big and
you know this and that, but at the end of the day, this is a reality. We have to make decisions just like the windows of the city of this of city hall are a reality. No more political theater. Let's move on. Things that need to be addressed. Mr. Mayor, I have a couple questions for
the manager. Um, the building's not 190.5 ft, but put it on the record. No, it's it's under 150. 150. It's under 150. And the other question is uh would it not cost more to build two separate parking garages than just build one? Yes. Much more.
Much more. Much more. So, let's let's leave this up to the professionals and let's leave the politics out of it because you end up costing the city tons of money. Okay? We got to make a decision.
We got to make a decision. This has to come to it. So this is my advice. My advice is we give the manager we like two. For example, I'm a I think carved looks very nice. It's a beautiful design and I also
like option three. We tell the manager, let's move forward with whatever it is. The consensus is here. We move forward with that. and we tell the manager start negotiating G4 because I do not want to take out a 5060
$60 million bond. I wanted to cut that in half by hopefully selling G4 or doing a P3 partnership in that project which is by the way nothing new. It's been discussed for over a decade. Okay. Do my colleagues have any any
other anything else they like to say through the mayor? Yes. Yes. So, I know that making two garages would be a little more expensive, but from the sentiment of residents, that height in that garage is not something I can budge for. I am budging
for a mobility hub, something I was very closed on. Okay. But right now, I will not support any of these if the scale is that high. If we want to go ahead and provide enough parking between the two garages and phase it out or or or put a
plan to make this happen, I'm all for that. But not not in in miracle in the back of Miracle Mile. It it I cannot for any point accept that or approve it or vote on it. Can we do How about How about this? Can
we design the parking garage underground 10 stories? Absolutely not. No. No, we can't. No. Can we do it like um like some sort of portal where you drive your car into and you go into like a nebulous state that no one sees the parking garage? I just give me ideas. How do we resolve this?
You got to you got to be better. I mean GZ is world class. But you got to do better than this. This is all you brought to the table today. That's it. You can't do anything else. Fortunately, help me fix this problem. How do we fix this? So given the requirements that we have and the laws of physics,
wow, this is what we can do in order to fit 626 cars on that particular site. There's nowhere else we can deal with the specific requirements of of what we're being asked to discuss. So I'm going to move I'm going to move
forward on on a few items that I want to put on the record, Mr. Manager, and I hope that my colleagues will will agree, tweak, change. Let's put this out there. Number one, I want to make sure there's a shade study done. I think it's important so we get a better
understanding. Just a question, is it selfshading or are you interested in getting the shade study of what facades get? Yeah. Sunlight specifically for landscaping. Both. Or what shade is being given by the structure to the surrounding area?
Both. Both. Okay. Okay. That's what I would like. And I and I the manager, you know, this is through the manager. Okay. because I know that's going to be one of the conversations that they mention. Even though we're not going 190, we're going under 150 which is again bylawed by the code.
Um I want to make sure like the vice mayor said address the issue of the foliage is important. Using PAM as an example art museum, I want to see an action plan for G4 which should include paying down the
construction of G1. Whoever buys or partners up with the city at G4 has to build G1, which will do it extremely more economical than the than the public sector will
curate G4 in a fashion that is residential. I want to make sure that G4 is residential so that we have life in the downtown so that people come after work, live, work and play. They stay, they go to the restaurants of Miracle
Mile and Andalusia. I want to continue to build on our downtown. And the final portion is I'd like to see um maybe instead of an art sculpture, I know I'm way ahead of myself, but just putting it out there now. I'd like to
see maybe a beautiful bronze wall mural. on the first floor. I think it's something that will be on the wall. It will be out of the way and I think you could entertain an artist which I think would be amazing uh by the name of Hearn and Boss who does these beautiful
landscape scenes out of bronze. He's a Miami artist and I think he would be a beautiful art artist to be uh considered. Again, I leave that up to staff but just throwing it out there. So, those are a few things and I'm I'm a fan of option number two.
Madam, Vice Mayor, and I would, you know, taking in account the comments I've already made. You know, I'm a fan of option number two. I concur with the other points that you made on G4. Um, you know, because we do need uh to
address both issues. It is, I think, the most balanced approach to dealing with a number of issues and rather build one garage as I had written in my my memo rather than filling up all the activated areas of our city with parking garages.
Um, and I think that's that's the best approach that we can do. I think it's the best budgetary decision that we can do. Uh because um we're not in the business of construction and having uh a private entity do this P3 type of
partnership will deliver to our residents at the best price uh an efficient garage that is beautiful. Um, I mean, I'm the one that brought you the pictures of the uh Miracle Theater and
the super cuts to uh influence your decision on on the architecture and inform it. Um, I can visualize it just because it's something that I can do because probably because I did art extensively when I was young. So, I
think it will complement and it won't overpower like um, you know, a facade that is Mediterranean faux Mediterranean I would call in clash with the with the uh with the miracle theater itself. So thank you
for the efforts and I I look forward to seeing additional tweaks on the building. And I think that a point that the vice mayor made needs to be really memorialized and that is the exterior will be softened significantly instead of having a slab of concrete that runs the length of the pro of the of the
project and also the colors on number two and number two especially were a lot softer. Um and I thought it was a very beautiful beautiful approach. You're the mayor. Yes. Yeah. So I just I just want to put on
the record what I understood and I was I'm wowed right now because I didn't even know this was the thoughts behind what was happening. Um, so we want to sell the other garage, right, to then sell it to someone who will make a development there, most likely
residential, and to be able to cover for that parking that we're going to lose. We're going to put those two garages into one garage that will fit 626 park 626 cars. That That's the reason
that we're making it so tall instead of dividing garage both garages within the two parkings which would be easier for people to park closer to different um businesses. I didn't know that was the plan. I didn't know the plan was to go
ahead and sell the other garage to go ahead and more development to go ahead and put another building probably as tall as the mobility hub. I I I can't I I will not vote for this. Absolutely not.
Well, let me let me um let me provide you with a little clarity. I understand that you're seeing this for the first time. I'm dumbfounded you're seeing this for the first time because I know you just moved into the city of Coral Gables four years ago, but let's be
lived here over a decade, but let's be honest with ourselves. Let's be honest with ourselves. Let's be honest with ourselves, commissioner. Let's be honest with ourselves. There has been multiple iterations of projects where G4 was redeveloped into a
multif family site. The last one was Alan Morris and related project that came to this commission which I voted against. This is nothing new. That site was always going to be residential. My issue was the 6.0 F that was being proposed.
the other vice mayor, Bill Kurdock, they can provide a a lesson here because he was well aware of what happened. This is nothing new. This is what it was. I voted no because of the magnitude and the size of that project. That site allows you 190 ft.
This parking garage is 150. I've always wanted residential. If you talk to anybody that owns property in the downtown, they say they need more activation. They need more people living in the downtown. So when 5:00 comes and the business closed, people don't leave town and it
becomes a ghost town. Ask anybody that knows about real estate and they'll tell you you want to live, work, and play. So it's not about development. Project's going to be built no matter what. It's about putting pieces together in the right areas that will make our city sustainable.
Now, if you're going to if you're going to get rid of one parking garage, that's how you got to the number of 600 plus. It's always been like that. I can't do the research for you. The research is all over the internet. It's in many articles. The Herald's written articles
about it. Community newspapers written articles about it. This is the second or third time today where you're you haven't heard or seen something. And it's incumbent on you on doing your homework and seeing what's going on in this city. And I'm sorry to put it to you that way because those are the
facts. We have to stop kicking the can down the curb. We have to do something with these parking garages just like we have to do something with these windows. So, we have to move forward. You can you can be in opposition and it's perfectly fine and I welcome that again, but at
the end of the day, something has to be done. Um, I give him a little bit of my input. The vice mayor has Commissioner Castro is opposed. She says she's seen this for the first time ever. Commissioner Lada, uh, would you like would you like to provide a little bit of guidance and see
what you think of the of the project so the manager knows how to move forward? Yeah. So, I I agree that we need to be moving forward. It's been too long in a stalled out mode. I think that your presentation was u spectacular. I Everybody has an opinion as to which one they like. So, let's just focus on that
for one second. I really like number one, but I don't think necessarily that number one would be as um complimentary, you know, if number one was all by itself somewhere or in the renderings,
but it probably isn't as complimentary uh as number two is. I I really didn't wasn't my my cup of tea. number three. Um, you know, but but it is um it's a shame when you when you drive into the city and you have these two garages that are so dilapitated that it's it's worse
than that. They're they're um they they they instill sometimes fear, you know, like so I'm a father of three daughters. My wife nobody wants to go into that garage and they're afraid of it of its safety, right? So clearly the need is there. It's overdue. Um and I understand
the plan and the plan makes sense to me. Um and uh I uh I I feel uh that the city um needs it now, but I also believe that the city will grow into it in time. Right. I've
been thinking about and meeting with different um residents as well as business owners about how we can start uh jumpstarting economic activity in um our downtown because I am I'm also appalled by the number of vacancies that
I'm seeing spring up Miracle Mile and around the area Geralda even you know I have have had um members of the chamber send me photos at 6:55m of an empty Geralda right so I think the mayor's point is well taken in um if it's only
going to be driven by businesses being built or you know or office space that's being built, they they vacate at the at the end of the closing day and that doesn't help. Businesses like restaurants for example that need to be open uh not just on Friday nights and Saturday nights, but they need to be uh
all week long. So having more residential if it's smart, if it's appropriate, if it's driven by the market and it's in conformity with the vision of what's best for the residents and the vision of Merrick, um it makes sense to me. But we can we can suffer uh
continued uh paralysis through overanalysis or we can make a decision to go forward uh today. I'm ready to go forward today. All right, Mr. manager, what would you what do we need uh to give you the guidance necessary to move forward? Mayor, uh it would be it would be good
if we if we pick one of one of the uh solutions and uh allow us to move forward with design and uh and then I would like to be able to uh work on something on garage 4. Okay. Some type of P3 on on on garage 4
so I can bring that alternative. We always have the the alternative of building it ourselves, but we also have a very good opportunity now to look at a potential P3 uh using using garage 4 and and potentially having a construction savings through the mayor.
Yes. Are we planning on doing this without any public input or reaching out to the community? We're going to hear choose a design and not let the community even have a conversation. Um Commissioner
It's a question. It was just an election. The election was very clear in the outcome. They chose three people by a significant margin and the decision was made. We have to stop kicking the can down the curve. We
have to stop doing things based on group group think. The commission has to take bold steps. We have to do things that are productive. I know that this will now make it tomorrow. Political taladito and and the magazine and Felix Partos
magazine or whatever whatever it's called the gazette. It'll be all on tomorrow. I know. Who knows what they'll say? They'll say that I'm building and that I'm the owner going to sell it to me. It's fine. My point is this. My point is we have to move forward. This idea where, you know, we have to have
every single piece of input. We've been talking about a garage and I would love to have the vice mayor up here because he has so much more experience. and chip. We've not in a garage for 20 years possibly. It's got to get done just like the windows here in city hall. So, at
the end of the day, I know we want to do massive outreach and and get everybody's input. I understand, but we have to move forward. We have Yeah. Through the mayor, really quick, through the mayor. This is a project that's over $60 million. It is a
significant investment to the city. So for us to just bypass voters, not voters, but residents and input, it's a very big deal. It's a very big deal. Here, let's just choose a design. We're going to pay over $60 million, but yeah, let's make because
there was an election. I'm sorry. We cannot We cannot let voter Let me I'd like to respond, Madam Vice Mayor. Yeah. Before you came to Coral Gables, I had the privilege of working on a project that is called our public safety
building. That was uh how much was that building? 63 million. $63 million. That building was a massive investment. Probably the largest investment in the city's last 25 years, would you say? Yes. At least.
At least, man. We did not go out for public input. We did not discuss the design. At the end of the day, we did what was right and everybody was happy. When you add the parking garage adjacent to it, how much is the parking garage? Parking garage was $18 million.
18 million. So, you're talking about $81 million. Okay. So, that is a massive investment that we did. This commission is in place in this position to lead. Every person that you speak to that owns property in the downtown will tell you
that these parking garages have to be revamped. It is time. It is time. We have to make the necessary investment. I've already been through one failed P3 that was a debacle.
And now we're here in a position where we can finally address this issue and bring real parking solutions to the downtown that will last for the next 15 to 20 years. We have to stop kicking the can of the curve. Yes, madam vice. So, I'm gonna add to that. We had public
input. We did. We had public meetings and unanimously and overwhelmingly the request was for an art deco building with some plants on it. We've delivered
and you delivered beautifully. as far as public comment comments coming in to me as well. While while we're real time here is applause is applause for option two. My secondary choice was going to be option one, but my f primary choice was
going to be option two because taking in context the block that it's in. Right. Okay. There's always going to be differences of opinion whether it's a Picasso or a different piece of art. It's because we are different. Every
single one of us are different. But that doesn't mean that we're going to continue to allow the disgrace that is our parking garage number one to just sit there. I had the opportunity to knock a lot of doors as as well as
Commissioner Laura and the mayor recently. We need to move forward on this. People do not want to park in these old garages. We have shoring poles in them. We cannot continue to kick this can down the road.
All right. So, we've been pretty clear. Um I think we stand with option two. Is that correct, Mr. Commissioner Lada? I I'm for number two. Okay. And we've discussed that we have to find a revenue stream to address this issue. I would like to take out as
little debt as possible, but I'm okay taking debt on this issue because there's a revenue stream attached to it, which is parking. Um, I think that we need to find an answer uh for the for the debt and it'll be a combination of going out for a bond issuance
and also G4 and I leave that up to your discretion to come back to the commission. But I think it's time to move forward. This building again for the record before the blogs come out and say it's a massive building. You could build 190 ft here. You're talking about a building that's under 150 ft.
Okay. I want to commend you, you and your team along with the parking parking director, the city manager, Matt, everyone for being here. Thank you for doing a wonderful job. This has been a long hall. Okay. I appreciate Gendzer being a partner and really working on this.
Madam director, would you like to say a few words? Yes. Thank you very much. Good afternoon, Monica Beltran, parking sustainability and mobility director, which is great, right? that symbiotic relationship between mobility and
parking. I thank you very much for the opportunity. Um I understand the concerns. I am the liaison for the parking advisory board. I understand the concern but all I could do is I could tell you that parking is a quality of
life business and work need. Okay. So, we need to meld all of this together. The proximity of these garages, not very practical to have two garages in such close proximity, one block after the other. Can you do me a favor? Just for the
record, just for the blog, so they can hear you. Can you repeat that as a parking expert? The proximity of the garages or the quality of life work building two parking garages next to each other. The the proximity is is is not practical. However, okay, to be fair, I
understand cuz I hear it every day. I heard it yesterday. Somebody a resident come and and yell at me about uh not more lots here. I get it, but it's not practical. And and and so what what I would urge
as as a parking I'm not a parking professional for some reason. Uh I'm a parking off a um it's a good thing. Go figure, right? I mean why parking can be beautiful believe it and the parking
industry can be beautiful but it it can also be practical. So I would urge that in this process that at the very least we keep in mind circulation so that inside once inside the building you feel
comfortable moving that's very important. So parking has to be functional but parking can be beautiful. You can drive many places and see these beautiful parking garages. In fact, I think in Miami Beach at one point the problem we had was that people didn't know that it was a parking garage
because it had all those plants outside, right? So, we can make it and and the other thing is I urge the city and that we take into consideration the transition so that we have a multi-prong approach to where we accommodate parkers
during this whole process. And that would have to be in that process of going from P U G4 to G1 only. Um or sorry for the garages as you know mobility is very important. Um charging
is very important. Alternatives are very important. The garage is beautifully located close to our uh very very successful trolley route. Um and so all I can say is that sometimes we give up
some things in the uh desire to solve others. It's a compromise and that we should keep beauty and functionality and practicality when we transition very much in place. I do know that and I hear it that there's a lot of concern about big buildings and but you can make
circulation within very functional so that you can feel a little more comfortable. Mr. Manager. Uh yes, mayor. Just to to add to add to that and and and clarify, one of the great issues about the the mobility hub is it usability, high ceilings, uh very open, high security,
all these issues have have been addressed. In addition to that, we understand that we can't really tear down garage 4 until we build garage one. So all those issues have been have been taken care of from a from from a user perspective. So So we we've addressed
all these issues before. What we need to do now is just move forward and and and decide what we're going to do. And so so if we if we like garage number two, we will come back next commission meeting with with uh the the there will be some
additional costs to to finalize this this design and then and then of course the the ability to work on a P3 for garage 4. Okay. Do you need a do you need a motion? Yes. Yes, mayor. Can I have a motion? I'll move it. Second.
No, just we're going to have public comment. Can I have public comment? Second, Mr. Mayor. Sorry. Sorry, Mayor. The motion is it with respect to design two? Yes. Yes, Mr. Clerk. Public comment. Yes, Mr. Mayor. Yes. First speaker, uh, is M. Mary Cruz.
Right. Mrs. Maria Cruz, 1447 Miller Road. There's an old saying about a penny that keeps coming up or turning up or whatever the case it is. Some people like to change history.
We can say anything we want today and quote history, but let me tell you, it won't take long for me to do the research and prove some people wrong. The previous election, we keep saying this election was that we have the
power. They voted for us to do whatever we want. No, that's not the case. Actually, the previous election, the big issue was the mobility hub. Hello We keep saying the people want the mobility hub. No, the people did not
want the mobility hub. This is the reason it's been taking this long because we keep coming back with something that the people do not want. Period. The end. That's the bottom line we are doing. I hear you. And this is
like listening to a developer. We get small lot because we cannot fit everything we want in the small lot. We have to No, we do not want that type that height in downtown. And I'm glad that
Commissioner L at least had some common sense and said look at the vacancies. We're worried about business downtown is providing 27% of the income. Hello. Go and count empty stores all over the
place. But some of you cannot count. Why are we talking about a parking garage? I remember the first time we talked about this. People soon would not be driving. Pretty soon parking garages will not be needed according to P license. I'm going
to go look for the minutes be. That's why we had to have a building that we could transform into something else. Oh, now we're talking about we need parking cars. Wow, we forgot already. I once again
we are living under a condition that this is not coral gables. The issue here is and I'm sorry when are we going to talk to the people? When are we going to ask our residents
if they're good with this? If they're good with this, wonderful. But you can't say, well, you know, we have to move on. So, we're going to make the decision. And by the way, not everybody's happy with the police and fire building. Not everybody's happy with all the repairs that have to be done already. Not
everybody's happy with the building that could not be re fixed and now we have a beautiful building there. Even though we couldn't fix it, even though it was sold for nothing and now the other people got it and they were able to do it. Listen,
history cannot be rewritten unless you live in a communist country. And the way it's going maybe Cruz, please finish your sentence. Your time has elapsed. Jackson Holmes. So, um, thank you for your comments,
Mayor. Mr. Please state your name and address for the record, sir. Thank you. Uh, Jackson Rip Holmes. I live at 35 Sedonia here in Coral Gables. I own property abudding uh this garage and that's why I've
championed it along with uh mayor log along with city manager I glaciius for how many years um as long as we've been talking about it and um but I do have a caution and I think that uh commissioner Castro
is pretty smart because what she I don't like the idea of pinging was selling off garage for. If if that's the deal, I don't think we should do it. Now, I do think we need to do this garage. I don't I I I want to
acknowledge I don't know the finances here. I had the idea maybe you were going to do the parking lots uh over on the other side, you know, with uh Gables LLC, whatever it is, and use that money. the idea that we're going to sell off
the bigger garage in order to shrink to the smaller. I mean, I I just don't like Here's the thing. In this conversation today, city manager Glacius, you made mention of Miracle Mile going uh uh midrise.
Um and and the problem I see, Mayor, and and you struggled with this, you heroically resisted uh the Allen Morris stuff. um because he said we can do it better. We don't need to cave in to developers. But the thing is here's here's the
future I see. Um and glad that Mr. Laura is new to this because he can he's pretty open is the future I see is the developers uh we go to a mid-rise miracle mile and then the developers poach what little I have behind my
little store and they take it away. They say, "We are the 800 lb gorillas and we're taking this the public's parking because we're the developers." That's what they tried to do with down the street uh at Galliano and Miracle Mile.
They tried to poach and and not even live up to the parking code. Um so I I've kind of said a lot of different things here. If I were you all, uh I would say let's go forward with this beautiful uh mobility hub. And I commend
uh uh Shamim for having redesigned it to make it much more palatable to some of the people who were worried about a garish looking garage. It's a safe garage. Uh and let's work on the finance. I I would not not
I if if I was voting today and they said you got a selloff garage 4. No. No. Even though I love this garage. We need the garage. Thank you, Patrick. Yes, sir. Yes. Um, we definitely need
garage. Um, I like number two, even though it doesn't really look like Coral Gables to me, but number two is the best of the three. If you guys do decide to change all the other garages, it'd be great to have all the same since most of Coral Gables does look the same. That'd be kind of cool. Plus, u maybe saving
cost in future design. And three, uh, in order to, um, obtain more revenue for the city, may you consider putting a ecological car wash and have a revenue share so the city can make some money off some car washes. There's not a lot of car washes in Coral Gables. There's a new one over at the Crown, I believe
Plaza, I believe, and then there's one at Merrick Park. Aside from that, I really don't know. And u people like to get their car wash. If they're going downtown, they're going to spend some money, spend a little bit more, and the city can make some more. That's it. Thank you. Thank you, sir. I'm sorry, Mr. Mayor. We're going to go
to uh Zoom next. Lisa, the attorney, asking her to unmute. Can you hear me? Yes. I'm sorry I can't be there in person, but I was earlier this morning. Regarding the mobility hub, I have an
idea how you can reduce the height is by getting rid of the retail floor on the bottom and the park on the top that probably no one will ever use since it's not easily accessible. I can also say that I would never be parking on floors
six, seven, or eight of a parking garage, no matter how safe you say it might be. Thirdly, I support all the comments that Commissioner Caster has brought up. Um, I think that she's brought up some very important points that might be sidestepped by people on
your commission that have already decided what they want to do. And please, Mayor Lago, I am disappointed in your frequent condescension of her ideas and comments. I also and I keep up pretty well with the going ons here in
the city, but I also was unaware of your plans to sell off the other garage to finance this one. And uh I only recently saw anything about the newest designs for the mobility hub based on the agenda that you have for today's meeting. So I
think it's very important that you ask the opinion of a lot of people that live here and not just rely on the fact that you all were elected recently by a large margin of votes. But mobility hub was not the biggest uh issue that I recall
in the last election. Nor were there any designs or heights um height plans uh that was discussed during your election campaigns. Thank you for listening. Thank you, Mr. Cler. Did we get a last name for Lisa, the attorney?
The attorney. The attorney. Attorney. Okay. I want to respond. Um, I'm sorry. That's it. Yeah. Thank you. We'll close that. Uh, number one, the issues of P3 partnership of opportunity. We've got to find some sort of revenue. That's the same thing
that was proposed the previous goound, but the F was way more than I was willing to accept. That's why I voted no on that project. Uh, at the end of the day, we have to find revenue. We just can't continue to give away money every single
day. So, moving forward, it's either going to have to be a P3 partnership or the lot's going to have to be sold. That's what's going to have to happen to be able to pay down the debt and and be able to assume as little debt as possible for garage one. It's a simple economics.
It's the truth and it's what has to be done. Um, moving on. Anything else? All right. So, you have a motion and a second? I do, sir. Okay. Vice Mayor Anderson? Yes. Commissioner Castro? No. Commissioner Lada? Yes. Mayor Le? Yes.
E5. E5 is an ordinance of a city commission granting conditional use approval for a building site determination pursuant to zoning code article 14 process section, excuse me, section 14-202.6, Six building site determination in section
14-203 conditional uses to separate one existing building site into two single family building sites on property zone single family residential district legally described as half of lot 9 all of lots 10 and 11 and the west 25 ft of lot 12 block 223 revised platal gables
rivera section part 13 1154 Alonso Avenue Coral Gables Florida one building site consisting of the east 50 feet of lot nine and olive lot 10 west parcel and the other one building site consisting of all of lot 11 and the west 25 ft of lot 12 east parcel including required conditions providing for
repeater provision severability clause and an effective date. This is a quasi judicial item. So Mr. Clerk, please um swear in all individuals who will be providing testimony today. Those who will be testifying on this item, please stand and raise your right hand. Do you swear affirm the testimony
you'll provide today will be the truth and nothing but the truth. Freezing today. Thank you. All right. If I can ask for the PowerPoint to be set. There we go. Perfect. Good afternoon, Mr. Mayor, Vice Mayor, members of the commission. Laura Russo
with offices at 2334 Ponto Leon Boulevard. I am here this afternoon representing Alvaro Gasolo and Jillian uh Gajgero Gasolo, his wife, who own and
reside at the property in question, 1154 Alonso Avenue. Alvaro and Jillian have lived at this particular property for 26 years, have raised their family there, and have been Gable's residents for 35 years.
We are here this afternoon requesting a lot separation or a separation of building sites. The slide you have before you is the existing property which is Alonso Avenue is located just
south of Hardy Road. It's this is on the west side of Mayada and on the south side of Alonso with the Mahi waterway behind it. The property size is rather large. It's one of the largest in the entire area at 36,000 square feet,
measuring 225 ft wide by 160 ft deep. Well, we're missing Let's see. Let's go back. Okay, so we're missing a slide. There was a slide there that was showing you the back of the waterway. I don't know
what happened. We are proposing to separate the property into the two sites. One site to consist of 20,000 square ft which is the west parcel and one site to consist of 16,000 square
feet the east parcel. Just to give you an idea, the immediate neighborhood, not within the thousand linear feet, but even a smaller area than that, the average size lot is 12, uh,300 square ft. If you go
out to the full 10,00 lot size is 12,685 uh, square feet. And the average frontage in this neighborhood is 92 square feet. I'm sorry. 92 linear feet.
This is the You can barely see it, but there's the certification in the thousand linear feet. So, the zoning code currently would allow the existing home to be demolished and an 11,950 square foot resident to be built at this
property. That would be sort of an idea of what it would look like. It would be overwhelming. It would be three or four times the size of all the neighboring properties. So, we're having a little difficulty with this
PowerPoint, but this slide shows you an actual existing home that is 10,475 ft located on a 30 37,000 square foot lot and it's located on Sunrise um on
the waterway on Edgewater Drive. Now, in that particular location, the house is appropriate because there are lots of equal sizes all around it. To put that house, um, again, we're having all sorts of issues here. So, um, to put the house
that large in a neighborhood where the properties are substantially smaller is, um, what creates what I call the Ramada in effect, which we've seen around Coral Gables. Let's see if we can see. Well, all right. We had a slide that
showed um Okay, we are really having difficulties here. So, we had a slide that showed a property on South Alhamra. Some of you may remember when Anthony Abraham used to do the Christmas lights on. Okay. So, across the street was a property of
about 30,000 square feet that wanted to be subdivided into two building sites. It was turned down. So there is a house there that's about 10,000 square feet and the largest house next to it and all surrounding it are at about 3,400 square feet. So it's three times the size and
it's not appropriate. So what we are happening here, what we are proposing here is a house of 5625 ft on the west parcel and a house of 5,948 ft on the east parcel. added together,
both of these properties are less than what you could build if you tore down the one house. So, it's less than. So, the applicants um property. So, those of you that know the procedure in order to do this, you have to propose the the architecture, the style, the
design of the house that you want. Um Jillian and Alvado proposed two homes and they appeared before the board of architects uh numerous times in order to get all the details and one house has a particular Florida vernacular feel and
the project um received approval on July 17th, 2025. So this is the western parcel which is where the existing house is. And originally the idea that Jillian and her husband had was just to remove the
eastern most portion of her house and to remodel. But when the architects started looking at the house which was originally built in 1949 and it was doubled in size in 1985, they discovered the house had four slabs, two electrical
system, two septic systems, two plumbing systems and suggested that instead of trying to take down a portion of a slab and now adding a fifth slab to everything, it made more sense to just demolish the entire house.
So this is the uh rendering of the house and it's sort of Florida vernacular style and this is the view from the waterway the new house which would be on the eastern parcel. Um and we're missing a
slide here. So this gives you more or less I don't know what happened. We have some sort of deterioration of the powerpoint here. um which is the front part of the new residence and the waterway view which you can't see.
So I'll get into the meat of the presentation. The zoning code requires that in order to meet the requirements for a lot separation that the lots you are proposing have to be equal to or larger
than the majority of the neighborhood. We comply with this by showing the average was 12,000 and change. Unusual circumstances, there has to be something, two different zonings, double facing, a through block or something that makes it unusual. In this case, we
have in essence a through block since a waterway is the equivalent of a street um and it complies with this along with being the largest property in the area. The property maintains open space, neighborhood compatibility, and visual
attractiveness. Um, it exceeds the open space requirements, and you couldn't see that because it was disappeared from the slide, but both properties exceed the 40% requirement for open space. And there are no canopy trees that are being
removed on the east parcel. and two beautiful Japanese um orange blossom trees on the west parcel are going to be moved from the backyard to the front yard. So then the fourth criteria is where you have to satisfy two of three. Then the
first one is whether the street or water front is equal to or greater than the majority within the thousand linear feet this property complies. The second criterion we do not meet and that is whether there would be an existing
encroachment and obviously we have an existing encroachment the existing house which would be demolished and this criterion says that if you demolish you have to wait 10 years so we don't meet that criterion but we do meet the third one. So we do meet two out of the three
which is that the subject property owned by the current owner must be owned by them continuously for a minimum of 10 years. As I stated earlier, Jillian and Alvaro have lived there for 26 years.
Let me see if I can show you. They have Jillian and Alvarado had a neighborhood meeting. Oh, good. This is the most important slide. and they proposed, you know, they showed their neighbors what they were proposing. And what I want to comment in
red is the property. And so they have their neighbors to the immediate west, to the immediate east, to the north, and to the south. So you couldn't ask for more support and people who, you know, were perfectly okay with their names
being put on the on the screen. and some of them would have been here, but as you know, it's hard to predict timing and with this being the first week of school and some people still on vacation, uh we weren't able to get any of but all of these people submitted letters of
support. We presented this proposal to the planning and zoning board and received a 5 to1 uh vote recommending approval. We did have one neighbor who showed up, Miss Debbie Register, who lives at 1240 Placencia, and she came to speak in
favor of the application. She was very pleased with it. So, in conclusion, on behalf of Jillian Elvaro, I respectfully request that you approve our application. And we're happy to answer any questions and I apologize for the
PowerPoint. We had one and apparently the one we used at planning and zoning disappeared. Thank you very much. Uh, Madame director have a presentation also. Brief. Brief. Okay. Trying to get to lunch. I know. I know. I talk really fast. It's
okay. Early dinner. Lunch now. Yes. Yes. So, the property at 1154 Alance Avenue. As you can see, the location of Alonso at the end of Ernando on the west side of May Nava. There's an aerial. It's a single family
neighborhood with a Mah canal in the in the rear. Um so the proposal uh does this split the the property to have two building sites where right now staff has determined there is only one. So as part of that process and the request they come here before the commission to ask
for this uh sub division. Um these are the existing um what they're proposing as far as a building site um 125 ft or 100 ft uh building frontage. Um one lot on the uh west side will be 20,000 square feet. The one on the east side
will be 16,000 square feet. Um they meet all the uh Florida, sorry, the building uh floor area, the height, the setbacks, open space, all that meets code. These are the renderings showing the two houses. The top rendering showing the front from Alfonso looking south. So you
can see the style of architecture. Um and on the bottom rendering showing the the views from the Mahi Canal. Uh DRC reviewed this of March of this year. They had the board of architecture review and approval in July of this year and neighborhood meeting plan zoning
board and approval uh earlier this month. And here we are for first reading. Uh letters were sent to all the property within a th00and ft. Um three times they were sent to the property owners. Um the property was posted three times. The website posted three times of advertisement and two
emails to those who subscribe to our email service. Um staff has has determined that this is consistent with our comprehensive plan in regards to low density in our in our single family neighborhoods. U we do recommend approval that does comply with the with the code as far as meeting all the criteria and we have two sorry three
conditions of approval. These are straight from the zoning code that they cannot have any variances moving forward. the site plan you see today, those elevations are tied to this approval and a bond may be determined to be appropriate by the balloon official um to remove any nonconformities.
That's it. Thank you. Thank you very much, Mr. Cler. Do you have any public comment? Okay, close the public comment. I'd like to first commend the applicant. Uh the the two sites look beautiful. The architecture is stunning. I think it'll make the neighborhood it'll comply with the neighborhood. I think people are
very excited about it. Eric sure heard from multiple people who reached out to me saying that they were very excited about this future development project, especially for the neighborhood itself. I think you've done a great job and um I commend you on your future home. By the way, thank you. Uh do we have any
further comment or I entertain a motion? I'll move it. I'll second. Commissioner Castro, yes. Commissioner Lada, yes. Vice Mayor Anderson? Yes. Mayor Lago? Yes. Congratulations. Thank you, Laura.
Uh, moving on to the final item before we go to lunch. A9. Mr. Vice Mayor, join us. Mr. Commissioner Withers, join us. Mr. Mayor, Vice Mayor, Commissioners Peter, Billy,
and the Senate. the attorney. Um, let me tell you, it's been a long time since I've been in this chambers and I forgot actually how much fun this is. Oh boy, come on back. Oh boy. Anyway, that's right.
Anyway, there's an empty seat here. It's been empty for the last three meetings. Why don't you join us? You listen, one thing for sure. We live in a great city and you know it is an iconic city of Car Gables and that's why
we're here today. Uh Chip, myself and uh author Les Stanford who will talk to you in just a second. Um as you very well know, Merrick was a sensational founder of our community, a visionary, executed well,
finished the Builtmore Hotel in 11 months. You know, fantastic stuff. But in um 1928 he was asked to leave the chamber and he didn't have any more governance after that. And the city of Carg Gables
basically thrived after getting through the 29 crash and thrived in the 30s 40s 50s and so on. And really nobody has ever told that story. And that's what we've tried to do is we've tried to tell that story in this book here. certainly
would talk about Merrick and we set it up and again the author will talk to you briefly about that but we wanted to tell the story and and it goes until actually a couple months ago and some of you are actually in the book itself. So that's that's pretty good stuff. I will tell
you that I grew up in a a family that traditional family that when we um it hit at six o'clock at night, we would have to be at the dining room table and uh of course we'd say the Lord's Prayer and we go from that into they would my
parents would ask us you know how was the day at the school and then we may talk about University of Miami football but inevitably it turned to the uh city of Carg Gables and so I heard all these stories I heard about Cocoa Plum and I heard about the David uh Williams breaking the height limitation and I
dealt with all that, the Builtmore Hotel, of course, and and I I just wanted to make sure that I knew those those that story, but I wanted to make sure that people of the city of Carables and people that cared about the city of Carables would have that opportunity to
hear those same tales. So, uh, we put together the book. Uh I went to Commissioner Withers a couple years ago. He was all in. He's a very good friend of mine. We've had a good time with the book and and fortunately we picked an extremely good author that Chip will
talk a little bit uh further about and um we just really appreciate you all uh having the opportunity to talk to us and uh it's great to be back in city hall. Thank you, Vice Mayor. Commissioner Withers, welcome home.
Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. vice mayor, commissioners, city attorney, city clerk, city manager. So, I've got to tell you how I got here. Um, normally it was my ideas that Bill stole and tried to put out to the city. So, this
was actually Bill's idea. Um, he offered me absolutely no money. So, uh, it was a tough decision, but um, I thought back, well, why should I do this? Um, well, I was an exceptional C++ student in grammar and in writing at
Cory High School. Um, and that was, I think, from sympathy of the teacher solely, not from my ability. So, RIP Rip knew me back in high school. Um, but what's really cool about this book, and there's a lot of stories that aren't written uh that we didn't include on
purpose, but um it's it's totally non-fiction and uh there's well enough and welldeserved plenty of history written about George America from the time he had his dream and came to to Carl Gables and and and launched his his
vision. Um, but after he died basically with probably less than $25 in his pocket, um, there's not been a whole lot told about his story and his vision and the whole city beautiful movement which was which inspired him to move. And so,
uh, this is not an editorialized book at all. Um, we have throughout the the book and now I'm going to introduce Les Stannerford. He'll be up here in a second. How many of you know less? Last Train to Paradise been reprinted 40 times. Uh 25
novels bestseller New York Times. Two movies have been made from his book. So between Bill's C average and my C average, we weren't about to attempt the writing on this thing. I um you know after three pages of misspelling and keep in mind two years ago there was no
artificial intelligence or chat GBT to fight write books. So we had no we were lost and there's no way we were going to write this thing. So, um, Les raised his hand and and, um, put together just something really cool. But throughout the book, the main theme I think Bill and I were trying to stress the most
was, you know, Carg Gables was built on an incredible vision of George America. Uh, plan community. That's why people want to come home when they travel there. You know, what is that? What is that glue that keeps Carables together? And I think a lot of it was, you know, Merrick's vision, uh, his north star
that Carl Gables was really the light on the hill. uh and have we strayed from that? Ha. Has the city misstepped along the way in the past 50 to 75 years and and not fulfilled Merrick's dream? And so the book is more of a challenge. Uh
we we do not make a we do not make a um a decision on whether we feel it did it was or it wasn't. So again, it's not politicized. It's not editorialized, but it's just reaching out to everyone in the community and hopefully they will read it and and think about the good
things that they know of Coral Gables and what makes Coral Gable so special to them. I can tell you that one theme throughout the book which was a little surprising to me as a politician for so long was that whenever there seemed to be major issues out there in Coral
Gables, it was the residents and the public that came to the rescue to kind of kind of put it back together. Um from the Builtmore to the to the Merrick house, it was always the neighbors, the residents that have this love for Cara Gables that brought them back together.
So that's um that's my story and I'll stick to it. Less, do you want to come up here just for one second? Um so just so you know that Bill always wears a coat and a tie. Les and I never wear a coat. I don't have a
bud. So why don't you go ahead and fill us in real here real quick with your Nice to be here and thank you for inviting us. Uh I can well remember when Bill and Chip came to me with the idea of this book and uh this is actually the
second book about the city I've written. I've worked with the Chamber of Commerce back in the 90s and we produced very handsome uh coffee table book that is now out of print. Sometimes Mitchell Kaplan will have a copy or two over in
the bookstore. But uh in that book we covered George Merrick's vision and the difficulty in bringing that vision to uh reality. When uh Chip and Bill came to me, I thought, well, what's this
new book going to be about really? I I didn't want to do a rehash of something I'd already written even was going to be a little longer. And as we talked and as I thought about it, the it's an interesting story, Merrick's where
Merrick's ideas came from and an even better story of actually building a city, putting that dream into practice. But something that's better than that is uh an issue that I don't think George
Merrick ever gave one thought to when he was trying to get this project off the ground. and that is that someday people would have to fight to save it. And that's what a large part of this book is about. That unexpected fight to keep
this wonderful thing that was built. And you spent uh you know, I sat in here for an hour and a half just now. That's really the issue at hand in that parking garage. It's all about to what extent are we going to keep what we have and uh uh to what extent do does progress
threaten the original dream that made this wonderful place possible. That's what people have been struggling with over the past 60 70 years and a lot of battles have been fought in these very very chambers and as the guys told you
some of you are in there uh in the book fighting those those battles. That's what I found interesting. As a historian, I'm not a comp I don't uh build towers of facts and figures. I try to tell stories and use those facts and
figures in support of that story. And to me, this is a very interesting story. And Coral Gables, in fact, probably the largest, most complex plan city that still exists in the United States. And uh it's an object lesson for people
everywhere. A little bit more thought uh about city planning might mean an increased quality of life for everybody who lives in that city. Anyway, I'm proud to work with these fellows. It was a wonderful time and uh thank you for thinking of me in the
first place and thank you for having me here. So we have some books for you, but but just very quickly I want to set the record straight with Chip. Okay. So, so we battled in here. Speaking of battles on many times, I mean, we were imposing views. But I am so happy to tell you that, you know, I was sort of
conserved, more conservative on development than he was. So, he gets off the dis. Sure enough, you know, about a couple months later, you know, he's faced with a development site thing. He comes up to me. I should have been more like you when you I was on the DAS, you know. So,
that's that's the fact because you took so many bathroom breaks. I would have loved to take just as many as you did, you know, but otherwise no u you can tell we may we maybe had I don't know dozens of meetings and this is one of been one of the most enjoyable experiences to
I agree. Now the good news is the price of this book is well under your gift reporting so you don't have to worry. So Mr. Mr. manager. Uh, like we did with Feeding South Florida, could we maybe have a photo of these three gentlemen and put the put the book on our
newsletter? Of course, ma'am. Just give it good publicity. Obviously, it's it's all about Coral Gables. So, I take it I'm going to add it to my newsletter and uh I think it' be a great opportunity to uh Thank you very much. Yep.
I think it's a good opportunity. So, I'm going to add that uh Mr. Kurdike also showed up to um Cat Mahachi in a suit and tie when we celebrated. That was 90° weather. Yes. 90 degree weather. God bless. Thank you. Thank you.
All right. With that being said, we're gonna we're going to take a Thank you. 20 minute break for lunch. Lunch. Recording stop. Get that hot drink. 20 hours. I owe you a call to continue talking
about that, but thank you. I got to represent. First game is Saturday. I never operated. You have to do this today. I never use it. I guess you press this one and this is to move it forward. Just
move it backward. Isn't it? microphone test. One, two, one, two, three. But this sounds better now cuz when I was doing audio checks, it was not coming back in the room. So, it's coming back in the room right now.
It was not coming back in the room. It's not coming back. Okay, so it's good now. Audio check. Two, three, two. Microphone check. Two. One, two, three. Audio check. Two, three, four, five. two. Audio check. Two, three, four.
Amen. Thank you. Are Amen. don't necessarily want to be reminded of the ultimate sacrif Mr. Manager. All right, Mr. Clerk. Yes, sir. Let's get started.
Item item F28, a resolution of the city commission authorize the city to be the title sponsor of the Mark H. Troage Chamber Foundation Centennial Gables Opley Fundraising Initiative. I'm the sponsor
of this item and I'd like to welcome our friends from the chamber who are here today who are going to be presenting us with an interesting opportunity to not only remember Mark Trobridge but also to raise some money which is a good thing. Yes, Mr. Mayor. Good afternoon, Mr. Mayor, Vice Mayor, members of the commission. I'll be listening from the hallway. I
got to go grab something. Oh, okay. Um, so we have to um my name is Addis Carilla. here in the capacity of chair of the core gables chamber. Thank you for having us today to present the gables opy initiative. So with that I'm going to introduce
you lost qu. Okay just one second. All right the vice mayor will be here any moment. All right we're back. All right. So with that, I'm going to introduce Christina Miller, which is our Corg Gables Chamber Foundation
president, and she's going to talk a little bit about the initiative. So thank you. Thank you, Madam Chair, and thank you all for meeting with us today. Mayor Lago, thank you for leading this initiative. Um, it was an incredible experience when I sat down and met with Mayor Lago because he talked about how
can we support you. So this is definitely a we project, not an I project. So to talk to you a little bit about the Mark A. Trovish Chamber Foundation. Right now it's the Coral Gables Chamber Foundation and as we all know because of his passing we wanted in the name of his legacy to rename the
foundation to be the Mark A. Trobish Chamber Foundation. So, um, I was going to prepare something today, uh, something very eloquent, but I went back and looked at the video from when he first passed away and you all had the commission meeting and I thought I'd talk a little bit from
the heart and it really touched me that day when all of you talked about your different experiences with Mark and what he meant to you. So, that's exactly what this initiative is about. in 2020 when COVID happened. I am a double cancer survivor and Mark and I had a lot of time to talk and we sat down and chatted
about him restarting the foundation and one of the things that he wanted to do was be able to not only help our membership but help other organizations in the community. So that is exactly what the mission of our organization is. So as you all know in 23 he fell ill again and a lot of this had to take a
backseat because of his health condition. So last year we started this up again and we are now looking for ways to raise funds for the organization and Gable's Oby is one of those initiatives and we're naming it the Mark a Trovage Legacy Initiative. So what we were
trying to do here is that there is a game which I'm sure all of you have seen around town. We actually brought two of them if we want to pass them around. And this is um Eddie and Marilyn with Bliss Imprints and they're the ones that are helping us out with this uh project. So there's currently a Miami op, there's a
Cuba that we all love, and this game is going to be Gable's Oop, central to the Coral Gables community. And when I met with uh the mayor, I asked him for his support and making sure that the city was the title sponsor on this. And then
one of the things that he had recommended was for us to also go to all the legacy properties in the community and speak to them about also being involved. and that would be Venetian pool, the Builtmore and those types of legacy organizations that are in this community. But we wanted to give the city the title sponsorship. Obviously,
it's Gables obly. We wanted the city of Coral Gables to be highlighted on this project. So, what we're looking to do is we're looking to raise about $45,000. And what that does is the initial $59,000 that we raise, 30 will go to the foundation, 30 will go to printing
costs, and the rest will be a percentage of all the boards that are sold throughout the community. So, right now, I'm going to pass it over to Eddie, and Eddie's going to explain a little bit about how exactly the different sponsorship levels work. Eddie, good afternoon. Hello, and thank you very much for having us. Eddie Martinez from Bliss
Imprints, the 293 Miracle Mile and we're really excited about this. If there was anything Mark would want to do, it would be this. It's fun. It's communitydriven. Um, it brings small businesses, large businesses, the community, the city, the residents, and everybody involved to celebrate
everything living, playing in the Gables, and working in the Gables is all about. Um, there's various different types of sponsorship levels for the community. Um, what we're asking you guys for is the title sponsorship because obviously the city of Coral Gables presents, Gables would be the
ideal title for it. Um but other parts of the board are for sale also for sponsorship. These are basically generic. So they're just a a themed board. Um what we're proposing would be a Gablesopoly which would be a business-driven board. So instead of landing on Miracle Mile, you would land
on Miracle Mile where there happens to be a for example John Martin's logo on and something like that that they would pay for sponsorship which helps us raise money for the foundation. That's the basic gist of it. But of course, everything on the board is for sale, including the jail, which I would love to do something fun like say you're not
going to jail, but you're going for a station at the Builtmore for a parking ticket. So, you skip a point. Yes. A parking ticket on a chance card, but you have to could call this attorney to help you with that parking ticket. So, there's a lot of different sponsorship opportunities that are available for the community, and it's a fun way for the
community to interact with the businesses and back and forth all over the place. You have any questions? I'll be happy to answer. So, what we're asking the city for is $10,000 for the sponsorship spot and that would be on the outside of the box as you can see there and also in the middle of the board once the board is developed.
Yeah. So, so I wanted to bring this first and foremost, thank you so much to the chamber uh for we we've been talking about this for like the last two months and I wanted to to bring it before the commission to get commission buyin because one of the one of the special things about Mark that I remember the most he was he was always selling Coral
Gables. He was selling our brand. Who are we? what do we stand for and what makes us different than everybody else. Um, so I thought it would be a great opportunity uh for us to the city to take a lead on this. Um, I'm going to personally support also um by buying by
buying a sponsorship, but I thought it would be appropriate for for um for the city to get engaged. I want your input. I want your guidance and I and I want you to be excited about this because at the end of the day, this is something that it's just going to be another opportunity to really talk about Coral
Gables. And I thought it would be something interesting. For example, like when when I um when I or when when members of the commission and future members of the commission and mayors uh have a conversation with heads of state or for
example when Belkis and I worked on interviewing for Apple, for FIFA, for Ryder, you know, these are companies where we sat in front of a board and we had a conversation about why they should pick Coral Gables. Uh we could potentially use this as a tool. You know, I mean, it's just a simple token
as a little as a like we call as we call in Cuban un a detail just a simple detail that you give to somebody instead of giving a little glass which is nice like a glass globe or anything that you can give a simple detail. You can give the globe too but you can also give this very nice detail and it's something fun that sets us apart from other cities.
And when you're trying to bring large corporations or you're trying to entice uh an entity or someone to to partake or join or or be involved in the city, I think it's just another nice detail, another selling tool. Yeah. M vice mayor.
No, I was going to say that um I I love this idea. I think it's a ton of fun. I um obviously am very supportive of all things having to do with Mark Trobridgeidge to maintain Mark Trobridge's legacy and certainly for the Cory Gables um u foundation the uh the Chamber
Foundation is an amazing organization. Um I'm going to join you as well mayor and know I'm going to find out how I can sponsor personally as well. So we're going to we're going to kick it off with a little bit of momentum. Yeah. Thank you so much. I appreciate and same here as well. I think this is a exciting project. I mean I think it's a
no-brainer that we have to be this title sponsor on this and get it lifted off the ground. I mean, it is our city and and Mark was such an special person to every single one of us. So, um it does
sell our city. This is this is great. Was it was it Mark's idea to do this? No, it was actually I'm actually very disappointed I didn't present it to him before he passed to be honest with you because he would have been all over this completely. So yeah, it was um we put it together. We we we work with the company that puts these together. They have this whole
fundraising program like well this is like the perfect ideal situation perfect to bring it to the table. So that's what we want to do. It's absolutely perfect. Actually it's um it would be great. Um I know uh the mayor and all of you have me have close relationships with the
Builtmore and the Lowe's the hotels. It would be great to sell them at the gift at the gift shop because the kids when they're on vacation they get to play Monopoly. It's it's a Can you hear me? Oh. Oh, that's a very good idea. Oh, yeah. No, so I think it's great to sell. I'm a resident of Cory Gables and
I love this city. Every I always tell all of you how much I love it and I think it's a great idea to showcase, you know, and they can take it back home and it's like, what is this? Oh, this is where I visited Corable. So, I think it's it's a very fun, creative, and amazing way to get our name out and our
community out. So, excellent. Through the mayor, I you know, where it says go to jail, you could probably like quote enforcement. We welcome any now it's the Coral Gables Museum, so it's true, too. Be a lot of fun. Yeah. Um, so I think we got we got some
good consensus here. Um, if I can get a a motion to have the manager work uh with the chamber to put this together. We have a motion. Second, Commissioner Lada. Yes. As long as we have Bliss as one of
the spots that you land on the board, then yes. Absolutely. Vice Mayor Anderson. Yes. Commissioner Castro. Yes. We have to have C city hall in there somewhere. Absolutely. It will be front and center. Okay. Mayor Log. Yes. Thank you very much.
Glad that we're able to make this happen. And uh we'll continue to spread the word. Okay. Looking forward to raising a lot of money for this great charity. Thank you. Thank you. All right. Moving on to ordinances on second reading. We have a few minutes before my four
o'clock time certain. E1. All right. Madam city attorney, have there been any changes at all? There has. Yeah. And I well I'll read it into the record. Mayor, it's an ordinance of the city commission amending the code of the city of Coral Gable's Florida chapter 2 administration article 3 fors commission's committees division 6
waterway advisory board to revise the membership of the waterway advisory board and the qualifications of waterway advisory board members providing for serability repeater qualification providing for an effective date. Um, good afternoon all. Deputy City Attorney Stephanie Thropp Mmorton. Just very quickly, there's been one change since first reading. There's been an addition
of a of a ninth board member who will be a city resident just to bring the board with odd numbers and add for that additional represent representation of a city resident. Okay, that's it. That's the only change. Uh through the mayor, that was a a very brilliant point that our city clerk had
brought to my attention and therefore we'll be well rounded out. I I I will go ahead and move this. I'm going to be also be asking right after this uh because it's the University of Miami um named their selection on who they want on this board. I'll ask be also asking
for that person to be uh nominated too. Okay. I didn't I didn't have time to get it in on a consent agenda, though. that you want to do it now. Uh the person that they've chosen is Jennifer Lane, executive director of environmental health and safety at the University of Miami.
How do you feel about that? You're fine. I'm perfect. Okay. Just want to make sure. Well vetted. Okay. Do we have a second? Second. Mr. Clerk, do you have any public comment? No, Mr. Mayor. Uh we have a motion and a second. Commissioner Lada. Yes. Vice Mayor Anderson? Yes.
Commissioner Castro? Yes. Mayor Lago? Yes. Thank you very much. Moving on to item E2. Um, we need to do a second vote for the appointee. Okay. Can I get a motion? Move it. Second. All in favor? I. I. Thank you. E2.
E2 is in orance of the city commission amending the code of the city of Coral Gables, Florida, chapter 62, entitled streets, sidewalks, and other public places. Article 7, special events and parades to clarify and improve the city's existing scheme for the regulation and permitting of special events and parades held in public places in the city. providing for severability clause repeal provision codification and
providing for an effective date. Do we have any has there been any changes? There's been one um small change mayor since first reading the ordinance has been revised to allow for shy bonds or an irrevocable irrevocable line of credit in lie of a security deposit um at the city manager and staff's um discretion. Can I have a motion?
Move it. Second. Second. Um Mr. Clerk, do you have any public comment? No, Mr. Mayor. Okay. Do we have any do we have any uh comments from the commission? No. All right. Mr. Clerk, Vice Mayor Anderson, yes. Commissioner Castro,
yes. Commissioner Lada, yes. Mayor Logo, yes. Item E3. E3 is an ordinance to the city commission providing for tax amendments to the city of Coral Gable's official zoning code article 9 art and public places to amend certain provisions related to the art and public places process, including timing of payments, limits on art consultant fees, scope of
fee waiver opportunities, and creating provision for regulation of private art that's highly visible from the public rightway, providing for repealer provision, severability clause, codification, enforcability, and providing for an effective date. Madam City Attorney, have we had any changes? We've had a few changes. U Mayor, I'll just highlight a few of them and the highlights of the changes. Generally,
since it came to you on first reading, it has gone to planning and zoning board as well as the arts advisory panel and the cultural development board, all of whom were in favor of these changes. Um, as you know, the main changes have to do with the timing of the payments. The art and public places fee is now due prior to TCC or TCO, so certificate of
completion or temporary certificate of occupancy rather than at permitting. There's a cap on the valuation. Um there's a cap on consultant fees and certain other fees when you're looking at valuation of that art and then it creates a process with the board of architects for that regulation of private art that's highly visible from
the public right ofway on certain commercial properties. Yes. So I I made these requests and these changes to ensure that the most money goes into the art and is not gobbled up by uh consultants. That's number one. And number two, uh the cost of money if you're required to make
these uh purchases um a year in advance. A lot of that is funded through debt. So there's a significant cost. So I think it's appropriate to have it at the TCO, which at the end of the day makes it even more flexible. Uh there's no real difference at the end of the day. They
cannot open the project until the artwork has been provided. So um can I have a motion? I'll move it. Can I have a second? Second, Mr. Clerk, do you have any public comment? No. Mr. Mayor, all right. Commissioner Castro,
yes. Commissioner Lada, yes. Vice Mayor Anderson, yes. Mayor Log, yes. Moving on to items on first reading. E4. E4 is in orance of the city commission amending chapter 86 of the city code entitled waterways creating section 86-62
entitled Coral Gables overnight anchoring limitation area and providing for repeater provision severability clause codification and providing for an effective date. Mr. City Attorney. Good afternoon, Mr. Mayor, Vice Mayor, and Commissioners. Assistant City Attorney Gus Bios. This item creates
basically gives us another arrow in our quiver to deal with any sort of issues that we have on the waterway. Uh it allows us to address both overnight um anchoring and derelic vessels. So, in essence, any time you have a vessel that's been uh stationed there, anchored
for more than 30 days in a six-month period, there'll be a process, a warning process. then an actual notice process. Then they'll basically face fines and then they could face even towing and removal. There's also an appeal process. Basically, it's just a another tool for
Coral Gables Police Department and the code enforcement department to use. If you have any questions, I'm here to answer. So, uh, to my colleagues, I I have to give all the credit to Miami Beach Commissioner, uh, David Suarez, who worked hard on this issue to resolve it
in his city. Uh, and sponsored the legislation or I should say lobbied for the legislation that occurred in the um the state legislature this past year that provided this additional power for our cities. And he reached out to us
because once they start enforcing it in Miami Beach, things tend to move into other municipalities. And um graciously he shared with us the hard work that he's done and that's how this that's the genesis of this item. So, um, I'm
looking forward to your support and I'll move it. I'll second. Mr. Cler, you have public comment? No. Mr. Mayor. All right, Commissioner L. Yes. Vice Mayor Anderson? Yes. Commissioner Castro? Yes. Mayor Lago?
Yes. So, moving on. Madam City attorney, we have item E6. I know that this is uh the sponsor is not here. Uh, what options do we have at our disposal? So, Mr. Mr. Clerk, I am not aware that the sponsor when he advised that he wasn't going to be attending that he
asked that it be pulled. That is correct. And it is on first reading. I think it would be perfectly okay for this commission to proceed. It is on first reading and then we can obviously consider on second reading at the subsequent meeting. Sounds good to me. Um do we have can I have a motion?
Sorry, let me read it. Sorry, sir. Um, an ordinance to the city commission providing for text amendments to the city of Coral Gable's official zoning code. Article 2, zoning district, section 2-101, single family residential district and section 2-102, multif family, one duplex district, and article 16 definitions to provide exception to
the separation of accessory structures from the main structure under certain requirements and provide for open air accessory structures with ground area coverage requirements providing for repeater provisions of ability clouds codification and providing for an effective date. Good afternoon, zone director. There are some exhibits
um provided in your packet that should kind of diagram how this works. Basically, we're not increasing the lot area coverage of a building for a single family or duplex. We're just allowing if it is attached, it can be open air. It's pretty self-explanatory. Yes. Um can I have a motion?
I'll move it. I have a second. Second. Mr. Clerk, do we have any public comment? No, Mr. Mayor. All right. I'll close the public comment. Any any further comment from the commission? Other than it just makes sense. It actually preserves more green space and
provides a more cohesive uh project. So, all right. Uh, thank you very much. Uh, Commissioner L. Yes. Vice Mayor Anderson? Yes. Commissioner Castro? Yes. Mayor Lago? Yes. All right. I'd like to uh hear the
following items together. Uh, well, I'm sorry. We have a time certain four o'clock. Mr. Mayor, before you move forward to the time certain, do you mind taking the consent agenda? I I thought I did. I did. No. All right. Uh, may I have a motion? Move it. I'll second. All in favor?
I I Thank you. We have a time four o'clock. It is item G3. G3 is a resolution of the city commission approving the concept and commissioning of a work of public art by Michelle Odonor in conjunction with the
Aurelian development project at 912 East Sponsor Leon Boulevard in fulfillment of the art and public places requirement for public art and private development. Good afternoon mayor, vice mayor, commissioners. Katherine Cathers, arts and culture coordinator for the city of Coral Gables. I'm going to quickly hand
it over to the developer representative with the Impira Group. Jose Mata and Kenneth Dup Prey are here on their behalf and then I believe we do have the artist on Zoom. We'll check in with the city clerk in a moment, Michelle Okodoner. And so we have a PowerPoint
presentation. They will begin and then I will come back up and talk about the how it's meeting the requirements for the code. Good afternoon, commissioners. My name is Jose Mata. I reside in 363 Aragon Avenue. Along with me I have my
colleagues Kenneet Dup pre and uh Dimmitri Hake and we are here on behalf of Imperial Group. We are a Swissbased uh firm that began operations in the United States about four years ago and since then we have taken on two projects in Bickl and now we're moving on to our
third in South Florida which is most importantly our very first in Coral Gables. However, uh nobody from our team are strangers to Coro Gables, and we've worked on previous developments here, including the plaza in which Kenneth was part and involved in commissioning the
art. Uh right now, we're taking on a project that is also known as the Regency. And this project has a long history dating back all the way to 2017 that was tried to be developed by other developers, but
it fell through multiple times. But now we had our eyes on it since 2023 and uh it's finally coming to life. Our project will be called the Aurelian and uh our inspiration came from Aurelius that radiates uh radiates
golden elegance and shining brightly in the heart of Coral Gables meaning golded gilded and it's basically going to be luxury apartments uh that come into character with the city. And because this is our first project in Coral Gables, we want to live a contra uh cultural contribution that extends
beyond the building itself. So we request the art in public places waiver to propose and install install work of public art something lasting memorable and in harmony with the series character. Therefore, we have engaged uh pre-approved uh artist uh by the city of
Coral Gables, Michelle Ladonor uh which I'm sure most of you know she has many wonderful works of art including the most memorable one in the Miami International Oprah that I think is one of the most viewed public displays in the world because there's
over 50 million travelers that look at her art and uh without further ado, we have her on Zoom and maybe she can exp explain a little bit about her work. I always enjoy um when I when I go to the plaza and I see young children
playing on the sculpture around the tree, it's pretty memorable, you know, and especially just the beauty alone of the sculpture and that it's functional. It's something a little bit different than um most art and public places installations. With the permission of the city manager,
I'm going to just help them a little bit through their presentation. Thank you. So this is the the site location. You want to talk about the So yeah, the site location uh as you can see is in Pon De Leon, Calabria, East Ponds. And uh we're going to do luxury
apartment complexes in this area. And uh this is some renderings that we have prepared for the for the apartment complex itself. And as you can see, sorry. Uh no, yeah, you can keep going. No, the other way. Sorry about that.
As you can see in that rotunda is where we want to stall a memorable uh piece of art which Michelle has come up with some ideas that match with the Aurelian and she's going to call her work of art the Aurelia. So to match it and she wants to keep it
Floridaian or South Florida if you would matching with gold and with our concept. So, if we can um Michelle, if we can invite you onto the Zoom and you can speak through the presentation.
Thank you. Um it's wonderful to see the mayor and the council perform their their function for the city and I've enjoyed watching the past uh little bit and um it's a wonderful place. Coral
Gables I have probably a longer history there than most of you. As I've born and raised, I think you know I'm a Miami native and uh Coral Gables was always part of our greater life. Um, and
right now I pulled out a book of poetry from your founding father which I'll treat you to at the end of the presentation. one of his beautiful poems that ironically references the vision that the Aurelian uh people who want to
bring this luxury building have expressed to me. I think they'll be surprised as well. So, um, when I received the call from them and responded, um, I thought about the city of trees and the beautiful trees in Coral Gables,
which is something, um, that Miami Beach has, uh, always looked to to define the leafy dome and the um, the canopy for a city. And certainly your designation as a city of trees is well earned and
shared by all of South Florida. And I did a figure. Let's um see who has their finger on this pulse here. The next one is uh let's see where how to do this. Yeah, we have some Michelle, we actually
have the presentation here. So we have some of the images of your past work and then we'll get to the piece itself. Well, here's one that now um let's go. So, you know me from Miami airport maybe if you've flown American Airlines.
And then, uh moving forward, there's some details, but all of that is locally sourced, which is the same as the project I'm conceiving for Aurelian uh right now. So, let's keep going. Now
this you this is in Dural and this was um created as a landmark for a new community and um it's made it's made really from inspired by local bark that
I picked up around the area and blown up and use them as imaginary forces which is really how the history of architecture is formed. There's a wonderful book by James Riker called On Adam's House in Paradise.
And uh this is just what he's speaking about. And we even put some plantings in and referenced Eden. Next, this is a piece that will be a sister to
the Aurelian uh um sculpture called Aurelia. And it's made of palm. This is in Galleta in Malta. And this was commissioned. They had a pedestal in the main square. They had no nothing for it.
They commissioned a work of art. Um this is their local palm. They had a very unique palm because they're so isolated on that rock far away. You know, seeds come, but it like Darwin spinches, it
evolved differently on the island. Um, so in green really fits the nature of the city. You can see one of their windows there uh on the city hall. Let's next slide. And then um because you know
my airport work and you know the bench at uh Plaza Coral Gables, uh this piece is um you know figurative work is something I've done for 60 years. There's always been a thread of that coming through the practice. This piece
is in Connecticut and it watches the sunset and um but its root structure is has takes a language from you know where South Florida but don't tell them that next. And these are figurative works that were
in the botanical garden in Atlanta. And uh so just to give you a sense that um there have been many and they have found wonderful homes and they're based this one is also based on tree structure
and bark. Next uh one of them found a home outside of Boston and it was very cold but there was nothing I could do about the weather once I sold the piece next. And then this was the first time I
played with the idea of integrating human form with the palm form which I love so much growing up. And I did once make a skirt out of palm for a costume party. So it's not the first time I had
uh come to this conclusion about how this sculpture would be. I called it Guardian. It's in a private collection in Midland, Michigan. Next. And then I'm working. This was another one. I'm here in the foundry and this is in a private
building that has a public courtyard on Central Park South. The building is um 40 Central Park South and it goes back to 58th Street. and in the courtyard where people could look down in the from
their um apartments and their hotel rooms, they would look into the piece as well. So, it's not even three-dimensionals, it's really fourdimensional. This was a big challenge, this piece, but they love it next.
And so when I spoke with Jose and Kenneth about this uh building and I saw their aspiration, the first thing I thought about when I saw the rotunda was Rome and my favorite building there
which is the temple of Vesta. And then all of the gods and goddesses that reign supreme in Rome. love walking there among their wonderful life of I won't call it fantasy um because who knows but
uh the fantastic at least so this piece would be seen from the street and she would um be very happy I think surrounded by this uh I'm going to say that you know classical structure that
has always contained ained a work of art, a piece of sculpture. It has a great tradition. So the streetscape and then finally I think there's the placement there and there's a
wonderful nest of palms that have planned for the landscaping that are in the plans of the developer. So um and it's now coming the coming of tropical night by George Merrick. If I can hold your
attention two more minutes and it is the end of the day. So here the life that is day is dying away fading receding as the tropical ocean sleepily es in sensuous
motion. That's certainly our sculpture. With swift moving brush in colors of fire, the spirits of nature, the great western canvas transform, touch softly and subtly inspire.
Great torrents and rivers, mountains of gold with molten floods streaming. Swift changing visions transcendy hued born of a touch to pass at their flush. I think he was a better real estate developer
than poet. But nice to have found this book at the last minute this afternoon in my Florida library where it has a place of honor next to um uh Vivian Larammer Yeser's Point Siana uh poems.
So, thank you so much for your time. Okay, this is a the budget that was put together for it and a closeup also of what uh the piece may may have texture-wise. Um
so this is in compliance with section 9-103 of the art and public places code and the fund requirements, waiverss and exemption. The applicant is requesting a waiver of the art and public places fee by acquiring or commissioning artwork.
In this case, it would be the commissioning of a unique uh singular work of art. As the city attorney said, it was uh approved by the arts advisory panel, recommended approval to the cultural development board on August 6th, and the cultural development board
is moving with a recommendation to the city commission. They made that on August 19th. Uh this is uh they're taking 1% of the project's total art and public places fee. The cost of the proposed project is about 300,000 for the artwork solely
plus there will be additional expenses towards the foundation and other related expenses. Uh this is uh it will probably end up being above what their fee is. So the developer would be putting in additional fees beyond their required amount. The funds for the artwork are
not to replace the expenses toward lighting and other infrastructure or hardscaping that would otherwise be designed and applied. And the artwork and all related expenses will be the responsibility of the developer with any difference in cost to be paid into the art fund. Although we don't anticipate
that happening in this case. When I'm done, I'm gonna ask Jose just to talk a little bit more about some of the changes or Michelle um that they've uh are have made to to what you've seen in the rendering in response to comments that they did receive from both the panel and the board. The developer is
required to provide for the perpetual maintenance of the artwork in accordance with the art art and public places funding goals and implementation guidelines which will be memorialized in a covenant to run with the land and coordination of maintenance will be the responsibility of the developer and is not related to the art and public places
fee. Thank you. So can you just talk a little bit about some of the modifications that were in response to comments? Yes. So when we went uh to the arts advisory board, they recommended a few changes that we needed to incorporate. One of them being the pavers of the
rotunda to make it more inviting and make it play with the art as well as a pedestal that is more in line with the city of Coral Gables. Also at night, they also recommended that we put lighting and we agreed to all of this.
So that is some of the changes that Michelle will add towards her artwork. So, it's not only going to be the sculpture, but the entire area on its own. Okay, perfect. Okay. Um, can I have a motion?
Second. Mr. Cler, do you have any public comment? No, Mr. Mayor. We'll close the public comment. Any further comment from the commission through the mayor? This is an empty lot right now, right? Yes. This is actually the lot I walk my dog in.
But we're going to enjoy the artwork. That's awesome. This is a cross line right besides besides that we're good. Thank god we got that out of the way now. That was so has to look great. That was there there's still going to be some grass there.
Yeah. Okay. Um Commissioner Lada, I I just want to say like I really was impressed with the um the Aurelian artwork that's being produced. Um it is gorgeous as as are all the other um pieces that were shown as part of the presentation. Um, and I wanted just to
recognize uh Miss Donner for being a fellow Michigan Wolverine and she's doing us all very, very proud. I'm actually representing today with my uh water mug and uh looking forward to this project coming to fruition. Go Blue. Go Blue. Go Blue. An amazing artist. We're blessed to
continue to expand on the portfolio of artworks that we have here. Uh this is just going to continue to push what we do here in the city and we're going to have some major additions over the next two to three years once these projects come online. So, it's going to be something special. I concur. Anything else? All right. Will we have a motion in a second?
Vice Mayor Anderson? Yes. Commissioner Castro? Yes. Commissioner Lada? Yes. Mayor Lago? Yes. Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you, Katherine. Thank you. I think we're scheduling a meeting for for this week, right? Okay. Looking forward to it.
Uh item F18. Madam, city attorney. F-18 is a resolution of the city commission calling a special election on the proposed ballot question and city charter amendment to be held on April 21st, 2026, providing for submission to the electors for approval or disapproval
of a ballot question asking if this charter should be amended to change a city's general election from April of odd numbered years to coincide with the general election held in November of even numbered years and adjusting the associated qualification and runoff dates and changing all subsequent elections, providing for a mail ballot election, providing for notice,
providing for inclusion in the city charter, providing for related matters, providing recipability clause and providing for an effective date. Good afternoon, mayor, vice mayor, commissioners. So, as you all know, there's been a lot of discussion um regarding election dates and there has been some litigation recently, none of which is final. We're still awaiting
final decisions um on a petition for reh hearing at the third DCA. But in the meantime, we come with you uh come to you before with an item sponsored by the mayor which calls for a special mail ballot election to be held April 21st, 2026. It sends to the voters of Coral
Gables the same changes that were adopted in the ordinance that is namely moving the elections from April of oddnumbered years to November of evenumbered years beginning in November 2026, changing the associated qualifying dates to match those um provided for in
state statute and changing the runoff from two weeks after the general election to four weeks after the general election. So those are the three main changes. If we move forward with this question, we will obviously address the previously adopted ordinance prior to consideration of this question by the voters. Um, and just, you know, for the
record to be clear, this calls for a mail ballot to be held in April 21st, 2026. We've already had conversations with the supervisor of elections. We need to formally request that date. So, of course, it's contingent on that on on that approval, but I understand that um that should not be um a difficult ask.
So happy to answer any specific questions, happy to read the question if you would like, but the exact ballot question language and title are included here as are the strikethroughs um that are proposed for the charter. Will you please read the ballot language? Of course. So the question um as proposed the title is amending the
charter to change city's election and associated dates to coincide with national elections. And the question itself is, shall the city charter be amended to change the month and day when the city of Coral Gables holds its general elections from April of each odd year to the date of the national
election in November of each even year, commencing in 2026, resulting in a four-month reduction of current elected officials terms and adjusting associated qualifying and runoff dates with the intention of increasing voter turnout and decreasing election costs.
Thank you. So, um, may I entertain a motion? U Mayor, um I'd like to move it. I We're gonna have comment. We're going to have comment after. Yeah. I also um because this is something that we've been trying to work on for years. I'd ask also like to be a
co-sponsor of course and ask you know that while we're doing this that we don't this is going to be the meeting where we don't kick the can down the road anymore. Um we've been waiting to get out there uh the inspector general issue. I'd ask that
that be included. That's a great idea. And also the four fifths vote on the reserves. Um, perfect. It um I think both of those items the electorate would like to speak on sooner rather than later uh to be able to resolve some of these problems. Okay,
that's my that's my motion. I'll second. Okay. Uh Mr. Cler, do you have any public comment? No, Mr. Mayor. Yes. Close the We will, Mr. Mayor. We'll close the public comment. Go ahead, sir.
got under the wire barely. Go ahead, sir. Um, thanks. Thank you. Uh, thanks for the leeway. Um, so you all heard me uh worry publicly about my financial
survival uh in when we were talking about the mobility hub that um city manager Ilacius has said he foresees a future with mixeduse buildings on Miracle Mile. Uh those of you who don't know it, this
is my only major source of income. And if if if Miracle Mile goes mixed use, let's just say sevenstory buildings, uh guess who dies financially? Me. So I don't uh think that's a great future for
me. And basically then getting back to these election issues, I want these matters uh to be I I want our elections to be uh fair elections.
Therefore, I want them to be in uh in April as they I guess have always been uh when poor candidates have a chance to beat the developer finance candidates. So, um I urge you to vote no here. Thank you.
But but it's only for survival. Okay, I got it. I appreciate you. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Before you move forward, I also have one member of the public requesting to speak on Zoom. Venton's name. Can we close the Can we close the public comment after? Thank you.
Yes. The floor is yours. Thank you, Mayor and Commissioners. Um, I would like to first of all thank Commissioner Castro for her efforts to
uh have a referendum so that there will be a decision by the residents on moving the election date. Um, I do agree that it would be better
to keep our election in April and although I can see the financial benefits to adding it to the federal elections on the um in November
of the even years because of the way that people I guess do or don't get involved involved in elections in this city and I don't think we're that much different from other
cities. Um I think that it really is important to keep it in April so that the residents and you know resident groups have a chance to decide which
candidates we want to support and make an impact in that regard. Um, and yes, if if if our election, if the Gable's election takes place in November with the general
election when the ballot's already several pages long, many people will not even get to it. And I think the only Coral Gables candidates who will be at all known to most people will only be
the very very wealthy who could afford television ads to compete with the onslaught of ads that we all endure in October and leading up to a November election. Um so I think it's important
that we do have a referendum you know calling um on getting the residents to vote on this change, but I just wanted to state that I I think it's not a good idea to change this for the city of Coral
Gables. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. All right. So, I put this item on the agenda and it's pretty simple and I appreciate the vice mayor's recommendations and I'm actually going to add more recommendations to that for my for my
colleagues to consider. I think we should have the charter review committee meet every 10 years which is on the ballot already also on this April election. I also think that authorizing the inspector general which as you remember all of you remember uh my
colleagues on the commission said we're on a cesspool of corruption but they would not under any circumstances hire an inspector general at that moment and I said let's start with my office said it cost too much money. Uh but I think I think you cannot put a price on um on corruption, stamping on corruption. So
um I that is that is the necessary that is the most important item that we can have in the April election immediately. That's why I think that outside of of the um of the u elections which are critically important. I think that the most important one by far even more important
than the elections is getting the inspector general here immediately. Uh that's number two. uh salary increases required by referendum. Move that to April. Also, I think the people should be fight should be the ultimate arbiter. I don't believe that
Ariel Fernandez and Melissa Castro should be the ones that decide whether they get 101% raise arbitrarily by putting it and hiding it in the budget and then forcing Vice Mayor Anderson and myself to vote against that the budget based on that one item and then later saying, "Hey, he doesn't support police and fire because he didn't vote for the
budget." Catch 22. Correct. that's been used against me. So, I think we should move that one also. Reserve policy amendment requires referendum. That should also be moved to April. Um, right now you can dip into the
reserves by just having three votes. Commissioner Fernandez um advocated on the public record to be able to uh use reserves for projects. I'm wholly opposed to that. The reserves are what has gotten us to a uh
AAA bonded rated city and I think it would has protected us uh in reference to our last hurricane which resulted in a depletion of that of that uh reserve but it set us apart from every other city because we're ready to address issues. I also believe that we should include in
April prohibiting changing the election date via ordinance. That one should also be included in April. I think it should always go to the voters as a prime example and allow appointing commissioner to remove board member. Right now we have this uh funky provision in our charter
which does not allow commissioners or mayors or vice mayors to be able to remove their own board members if they are trumped by the commission. I believe that the commissioner that appoints a board member should be able to move that remove that that that board appointment
whether or not you have the support of the commission. It's your it's your board appointment. Uh so those items should be all moved in my opinion to April and we should make it a robust mail ballot. So let's discuss this. Why are we doing this? 28 out of 34
municipalities already have November elections. The last one to do it was South Miami. It works. It saves the city money, significant money, and could have three, four, maybe even five times more participation. Certain people in this
room will tell you, you know, they want quality voters, not quantity. That's a dog whistle for control. I want more voters. Every vote counts. Don't believe Don't believe that type of rhetoric. Another thing that is critically important, the mail ballot hasn't been
done before. Another lie. Village of Pinerest has done it. Town of Cutler Bay has done it. City of Miami Beach has done it. Dorado has done it. It's been done by major municipalities. It works. Doesn't mean that it works in your
favor, but it works. And unlike what was done here during Amos Rojas when we went in favor of attempting to do the annexation this time the city will will coordinate with staff in an
effort to educate and send out as much information to make sure that all the voters are aware of what they're voting for on the annexation process. They completely and utterly abandoned any outreach. They did not send any emails to the residents. They did not send anything in the mail. They did not put
anything on c on the TV channel. It was an effort to not put any not put any information out there, not educate and not push the vote out. Even with that, we still got over 40% which I couldn't believe. So, with that being said, I think it's a
great opportunity and most importantly, it gets done in April and guess what? We can have an election in November. I met with Alina Garcia. Um the cost is $80,000, which by the way, when you think about it, we have an election in April, the subsequent April,
you're going to spend over $200,000 on that election. So you still have a delta of over $120,000. And by the way, unlike the city of Miami, which extended their terms by one year, I'm proposing to shave five months from my term, which I think is
appropriate. And that shows true discipline and not a self-serving interest. I do not want to have elections in April. I will put my record and what I have done in this community in November in front of all the voters. I think that is the appropriate way to lead. You leave you
lead from the front. You don't lead in April where you're trying to get less voter turnout so you can control and manipulate the voter turnout. Madam Vice Mayor, so um very good points and uh with that I'd like to amend the mo uh motion to
include um the charter amendment um process every 10 years. Uh the salary increases by referendum and prohibiting changing of elections uh without it going before the voters or
and the provision you mentioned regarding board members. you know, the appointed appointing uh commissioner should be able to remove uh board members. And I just wanted to add a couple comments um because there's been some
information or I should say comments made that and it's I think confusing for folks when you say well you're not going to reach the end of the ballot. There are certain things that people don't vote on because they're just not familiar, like judicial candidates. You know, I've received the calls on behalf
of friends. They don't know which judge to vote for. So, a lot of them will skip over it. Um, I usually refer people to the um, you know, the Miami date county bar site that provides excellent advice, but they'll reach the other questions,
you know, that they understand. Three more bubbles is not going to be very difficult for this community. They came out and there were Uh this past election, no one had difficulty with the questions. Everybody comes out in November. They don't have difficulty
with the questions in this jurisdiction. We are blessed with very highly educated individuals that live in our city. Um and you know, so therefore the this notion that people in our community
cannot discern the difference between issues is just a non-starter. They people came out this past time because they wanted the elections moved because they supported the candidates that wanted the elections moved. They supported the candidates that didn't
believe that salary increases should be done by the commission for the commission and without any input from the voters. They believed that we needed an inspector general because the city of Dorado had this this matter come before them and they came out fully
in favor. And there's been other uh locations as well and I know the mayor knows them off the top of their head, but let's let the voters decide and that's what this is about. Um I don't think I have anything more to add. Do you you have something to add?
I do. Through the mayor. Yes. I I would add I echo what the mayor and the vice mayor have said and to kind of put it in in context for me. So, I'm hearing for the first time what I think is a fantastic idea of adding additional items to this assuming the the commission votes for this April mail in
election because, you know, I I've heard um you know, wow, we're going to do a special election for one question in April, but but now we're going to be taking care of if this carries all kinds of important issues and we're going to do it so that you drive even more uh
interest and hopefully even more participation in the mail-in ballot uh process because we've put such critical um items for a referendum that they were already scheduled, but we're just doing it in the most expeditious way.
And um for those who say, you know, it should always be in April because that's how we vote here in Coral Gables, well, if we carry this, the mailin will be in April, right? So, we're we're not even throwing a a weird month like we're not doing something, you know, let's say in in January, okay? It's going to be in
April. Um, you know, and I agree that every vote counts. That's good. That's good. Every vote counts and uh there's nothing prohibiting somebody who would want to vote in April from voting in November. So there's there's no impediment, but we see that there's some inexplicable or
obvious, take your choice, uh reason why we have over 80% turnout in November and uh rather poultry less than 20% in April. Um, I I think um I would characterize it a little bit differently, Vice Mayor. I think it's
insulting to say that the electorate uh doesn't have the bandwidth or the interest or the capacity to um vote for their uh commissioners or for the special items that affect their everyday living here in uh in Coral Gables when
it's put to an election. So I I think this has been a fantastic turn of events to hear that through a collaborative process this um this uh particular um item is now going to be more robust,
draw more attention and uh and I'm I'm highly supportive of it as a result. Thank you. Through the mayor. Yes. Okay. Number one, let's not confuse the people. Let me go ahead and clarify what this item is about. This is not about a November or an April election. This is
about when the ballot is going to go out. The mail and ballot is going to go out. And the proposal here in this resolution is for April 21st, 2026. This is not about choosing April or November right now. This is about the date that there's going to be a
referendum. Just to clarify that, not to confuse anybody who's viewing this. Now, Billy, would you I have a presentation ready. Would you be do me the favor to please put it on? Beautiful. To not confuse people and make sure that everybody's on the same page because everybody's talking different things
that has nothing to do with this resolution. Item F item F18, special election for April 21st, 2026. What's being decided? The mayor has proposed a costly unconventional allmale
special election to ask residents if they want to move our elections to November. Commissioner Castro me has proposed a ballot question in April 2027 during our already scheduled municipal elections at no additional cost to taxpayers.
Okay. Facts residents should know. For nearly 100 years, Coral Gables has held municipal elections in April of oddnumber separate from partisan races so residents can focus on local issues. That's what's important in Coral Gables.
We pride ourselves in April as we have for the past hundred years. So, let's get to the juicy part here now. Cost the taxpayers. By adding the questions to our actual election, it's going to cost us zero dollars. because it's already on
our scheduled election. To add the two questions on the November election, it's going to cost us $18,000. Now, for this standalone special election, it's going to cost us $80,000, just as the mayor said. Now, if the
whole intent here is to save money, why are we paying $80,000? Why are we spending $80,000 if there's already another alternative to spend zero? I Well, before I tell you why, let's go to the next slide. Mailin only elections
her voters. Let's go. I know that I think there's two Republicans here on on on the table, but Trump himself has called all mail in elections a disaster and an an invitation for cheating. I think most of the commission here has
been well aware of what's happening with this. Donald Trump and many Republicans have consistently opposed expanding vote by mail, arguing it increases risk of fraud, ballot harvesting, and undermines election integrity. However, you guys
are already here going to vote to, you know, do a mailin for the whole electorate. Conclusion. Nationally, Republicans and President Trump have fought against all mail-in election because they are
expensive, less secure, risk differentizing voters. Yet here in Coral Gables, Mayor Lago is pushing a costly mailonly election that directs and contra that directly contradicts those Republican principles. And you ask
yourself, why? Are you done? Okay. No, I'm not done. But it's not coming off. You could go ahead and remove it now. No, I don't want to remove it. Can we bring it back? Okay. I'd like to mention some comments on that if we can. Can we go back a few slides? Mr. Let So, let me let me go ahead and
finish and then I'll give you the floor if you want. You have this little thing, too. Um, the reason that the mayor wants to change the election is because he wants us out of office five months before. That's basically it. He wants me and
Ariel out as soon as possible. It is not okay just because you have a personal v vendetta against me. I I don't know for what reason really for you to have to put this burden on the taxpayers.
So that's that's it. I will not be voting on this. This is not um fiscally responsible. The best way is in April. And if you want to move the elections to November, I'm okay with it. If people are voting for November, let's move them
to November, but do it the right way. Don't do it just because you want to get me out of office. You told that to Kirk Mendez. You said it to several per people. In fact, I have you on video. I have you on video. Commission Commissioner Castro, when you're done,
I'll go through there. I just want I want to respond. I just wanted to There you go. This is a perfect slide that I want. All right. So, I want to be very clear so that Melissa Castro understands me. I'm going to use her own slide.
Go for it. She wants to have elections April 27, April 2027, so she could have another election where there's less people voting. The gentleman standing up here, if you read Asops today, there's a video of him
saying that in the election two years ago when Ariel Fernandez and Melissa Castro won, Ariel Fernandez asked him to not run against me for mayor so I wouldn't be on the ballot. That was on Asop's Gables today. What they want to do is they want to
have another election on April 2027. less voter turnout because people will not you get maybe 10 15 20% versus a national election which gets a massive turnout because people turn out for the governor they turn out for the president.
So the goal is of course it costs zero because you're already spending $200,000 for that election which you wouldn't have to spend if you did it in November. So, what you would like to do is let's move elections
to November after people vote in favor of it in April because I pulled it and over 70% of people are in favor. And as we walk doortodoor, everybody asked the same thing. Why are we doing why are we not doing elections in November? So, she could buy another four years in office. If you can win in November, then you
deserve to be in public office. But at the end of the day, you do it now in April. a mail in ballot cost $80,000 which is still less than the $200,000 you're going to spend in April. You save the city $120,000 and you have the election in November
and I will shave five months off my term. But let's go back because I'm happy Melissa is so interested now in fiscal resp please please address me formally. I'm so happy that she's in favor now of being fiscally responsible. I put forth a memo that I made it a public record
and everyone here should have got a copy. She has encumbered the city with her votes to the tune of $27 million over the next 10 years. When you mention about fiscal responsibility, the number one cardinal sin that you cannot commit is raise your
salary. Thank you to the leadership of the vice mayor and commissioner, we repealed that along with an increase in personal expense accounts and car allowances. So, please don't talk to me about fiscal
responsibility. When you jeopardize a city and you bring in an incompetent individual to run the city like Amos Rojos and you hire him based on his LinkedIn profile, you don't run a $300 million city with over 10,000 employees based on that. You also don't
do a $20 million colo. You also don't break procurement standards and give out a $40,000 check to to the theater. You don't hire in one year the amount of people you hire. That's going to cost the city over $10 million, $11 million
over 10 years. This is on your record. It's not on my record. This is your record. So when you when you want to claim fiscal responsibility, the memo is a public record. We worked on it for over three weeks. I presented it earlier today. Having elections and mail in ballot in
April allows residents to address all these concerns. saves the city $120,000 and ensures that we have a November election within months. That's the right thing to do. The voters should make a decision.
And this is a trigger. This is a trigger, Madam City attorney, that if today or tomorrow, I think it was the last day or two, uh, prior to the Supreme Court having to make a decision whether we're going to pick up the the city of Miami case or not. Correct.
You're saying that you would like this to be triggered by that? Yeah. Yes. Yeah. But I mean, we should be waiting. We should be hearing any moment whether they pick up whe they pick up that appeal or not. So, the response by the Appal to City Miami's motion is due today. And so, I'm assuming there will be a reply by Miami and then I don't know when we would expect the decision. Obviously, if they pick it up, we'll
hold. Well, this is on a petition for rehearing. Yes. So, it's still before the third district court. But my point is that we have this ready to go and we move forward in April and we use this this opportunity to also do all all the different charter review committee authorizing inspector general salary
increases reserve pol policy amendment prohibiting changes to election date unless unless via via ordinance and allow appointing commissioners to allow appointing commissioner to remove board members. It's pretty simple straight up and it's transparent. If I can vice mayor um I understand the
amendment to the motion. I would just like to note we will likely need to return with those official ballot questions. There are some timing requirements we have to fulfill. So if that's the direction of the commission, we will return likely in early January with those um formal questions again setting that special election for those
additional questions. So in closing, don't make this about being fiscally responsible by having this in April. You're going to save $120,000 in having the following election in April. It's just simple math.
So to the mayor, I I was going to go through the math as well, but before I do that, I'd like to note that our governor spoke about our department of elections and our mail and ballot system is secure. Yep. And trustworthy and uh every state is
different, I understand, and there may be some states out there that don't have a a good and robust uh mail and ballot system that is trustworthy, but uh the state of Florida does. So no additional cost is as shown on the uh first slide
was um incorrect because there is additional cost. You have the cost of the April election to deal with uh you have the additional cost to put it on in November these questions. So subtract the 18,000 to put it on November. The additional co there is no additional
cost in this ballot and the net cost will only be $62,000. Yep. So, um, and in the meantime, we'll be able to have a decision on the inspector general. Uh, and the way the the question is framed, it is not a
costly item and is as a adds needed. We'll have more discussion about the language later. Uh, I'm totally in favor of this. Thank you again, mayor, for uh, bringing this. I've been working on hoping to have this done two years ago. It wasn't about shaving anybody's term.
It was about shaving my term as well. We all have to take a cut. You know, we made the decision to do the right thing. We made the decision to reduce our terms in order to bring to the voters the opportunity to make the choice. Um, so
if you would if you would like to uh speak, I will pass the I will yield the floor to the esteemed commissioner Laura. Councelor Laura. Thank you, Vice Mayor. Um, briefly, I I will not repeat uh adnauseium what I uh
and all of us who ran this past um the issues of the of the the profound and tangible benefits of moving the elections to November. But but I will say that um uh since I've been absolutely loud and clear, I want the
elections to be held in November. Right? That's not and I want it as fast as practical. So, you know, there's an old saying, justice delayed, justice denied. Well, I believe delaying the decision on whether or not the voters want this to
go to November is denying opportunity for people to vote. Um, so I I I I don't see it as a a cost analysis because as shown, it's actually we can save money if we do it the way that's been proposed by the mayor and we increase the number
of people who will be voting on this issue by virtue of the mail-in. Um Stephanie is this is different than other kinds of proposed mailin, right? It's this is not if you've only registered for mailing. Could you just tell us a little bit about that?
Correct. My understanding and the clerk has been speaking with the supervisor of elections as well is that this is a mail ballot only election. So ballots would be sent out approximately four weeks before the deadline of April 21st to everyone who has registered by the day prior to the sending out of the um
ballots to everyone who has a registered address. If the address um if the person is no longer there, you cannot forward those mail ballots. They don't go on elsewhere. Um and then they are returned via mail by that date either um via USPS or they can be dropped off in person at the general headquarters. So there are
not um dropboxes or early voting sites, but there is the opportunity to mail and drop off at election headquarters. So So everybody who's registered to every registered voter will receive um a mail and ballot. Right. I'll just finish by saying one thing. That's just a commentary. Commissioner Castro that, you know, in
your presentation you you raised the issue of a benefit is it reduces partisanship if you do this in April the way it's been done versus if you move it to November. Um you raised the reference to President Trump. You you alluded to
uh two uh colleagues of yours on the commission as being registered Republicans. I would ask that you do not introduce partisanship onto this dis or into its deliberative process because I don't want that. This is a nonpartisan body. We do what's in the best interest
of Coral Gables, not for red or for blue, but for the for the residents of Coral Gables through the mayor and that's exactly what I want to avoid 100%. That's why I put that up there. I really never touched those subjects. But moving
forward, um I'll take that into consideration. I really I'm never really gonna mention that again. Okay. Um when I was referring to the cost, I was referring to the cost of ballot questions. Okay? I wasn't referring to
elections. Now, if we were to do it in April, it would still cost us less if you're combining $80,000 together then again with a November election. And when I'm talking about fiscal responsibility, I'm just going based off on what you
guys campaigned because you said higher voter turnout and the city will be saving $200,000. So that's what I'm addressing myself to. I'm trying to reach your goal with what you guys have promised. So you promised a savings of $200,000 but then again here you're
compromis not even compromising you are putting more expenses which is the $80,000 and then a November election which is even more than an April election alto together. Okay. So don't try to confuse people. They're not
confused. I think people are seeing straight what it is. Okay. I like that answer. And let's go through this one more time for the record. Okay. Elections in November do not have an added cost.
So, Mr. Mayor, just to be clear, last year when we ran the question for the annexation in the prime, piggyback on the primary election, it cost the city less than $5,000. Yeah. Okay. So besides that, let's just get away from that. Let's just get away
from that. No, no, but you're right, though. So I don't know why you're laughing because the bottom line is that it doesn't cost the city anything. So listen, if you have elections, if you say if you no longer have elections in April, you save the city $200,000.
Okay? By having this mail in ballot this next April, it's going to cost the city about $80,000. I had a meeting with the elections department. Mr. Mayor, sorry to interrupt again. I have the uh estimate for Miami Day
County Elections officially $77,25. So, I was off by $2,800 bucks. Okay. We're in the ballpark. We're in the ballpark. If you have if you don't have that election and you continue to have elections the subsequent April, which would be
April of 2027, which is what she wants to do, the election will cost the city $200,000. When you deduct $200,000 from $77,000, you get a delta of $123,000.
That is a savings because we will not have an election in April of 2027, God willing, because people will say we want to have an election in November. So you have an election, a mail in ballot election April 2026 and then you will have a election in November of 2026. So your
election in April 2027 that you mentioned there will never happen. Hold on. And let me finish. And it'll happen. And it'll happen. By the way, it's not just one year. is subsequent years and subsequent years and it's an
annuity that'll keep paying back. So it's not just one time, it's in perpetuity. So you're saving money. That's being fiscally sound and also not being afraid to go in front of voters and your record.
So that let's not confuse people. Let's stop confusing people and using fuzzy mass math, okay? Please, the facts are the facts. So, we have a motion and a second on the floor. We have also, let
me finish. We have a motion and a second on the floor. And we have an amendment, a friendly amendment by the vice mayor in regards to the additional referendums and and we will bring those back at the brief. All come back and especially depending
on what the city attorney tells us as a result, correct, of today's findings by the by the state of Florida Supreme Court. Okay. Through the mayor. Yes. Go ahead. You you said that I would not win an election to begin with. You don't even
know if I'm going to run again. I don't even know if I'm going to run again. Okay. But I could guarantee you one thing. If I'm going to run, I'm going to win. There's no there's no fighting that. So, don't be so worried and so preoccupied.
If if you think I cannot win an election, I I would never go into something I can't win. Okay. Okay. Well, that being said, um I just hope you don't run your poll numbers like I have on five times. You're below 15%. You're upside down two to one. So,
we have a motion in a second. Let's move on. We have already had public comment. It was closed. You spoke about it. You spoke in public comment. No, it's not. Yes. We have a motion and a second. Commissioner Castro,
no. Commissioner Lada, yes. Vice Mayor Anderson, yes. Mayor Lago, yes. Thank you very much. All right. So, let's move on.
Where are we, Mr. Mayor? Yes. Would you mind doing F29, sir? F29 it is. Thank you, Belis. Good morning, Madam Chair. Good afternoon. Excuse me. 5:00. Wow. Mayor, may I read it into the record? Of course.
So, F29 is a resolution of the city commission formalizing a permitting assistance program to be administered by the economic development department in coordination with the development services department providing for concierge permitting assistance, interdep department environmental coordination, and technical support as an economic development incentive.
So, thank you so much for taking us out of order, mayor. Um, I'm here with Addis Carrilla, who's the outgoing chair of the uh Chamber of Commerce. And I'm not sure if maybe Thad Adams is on um is on Zoom. Um he is a he's the chair of our
economic development board, but he's also the the a member of the Chamber of Commerce. He is not on Zoom. He stopped by here earlier, but he is. Okay. Thank you. So the permitting assistance program started in 2011 with the chamber in collaboration with the
chamber of commerce uh and with development services and the economic development department as an economic development initiative to help businesses get timely permits. Um this is more than just a customer service tool. It's really a strategic economic
development initiative um that directly benefits both businesses uh the business community and also the residents. And the reason that it matters is because we all know that the the faster that our businesses can open, the faster they can start making money and uh lower their
costs. Um so we want to streamline this for their for them. We've been doing this since 2011. It just never has been formalized. Um we want to continue our businessfriendly reputation. We want to make sure that uh we are compete we are currently competing with other cities um
for new companies. And so we want to make sure that our businesses know and that the city sends out a message that we want business here. Um and we also want multinationals headquarters professional services here. Um and also
again we cut down on the wait times that they have to um uh they get with permitting. And also um because we're we're we're working with them from the beginning. What we've noticed is that we cut down on their time that they're in
permitting. So, we've h have we have companies like Ryder and like um Quest that have gone through the program and they've opened significant square footage and they've opened in three months which is great. Um the reason that we should care about this as a
resident is concerned is because um permitting this all generates fees. So, there's permitting fees associated with it. There's a business tax license revenue that we also collect from this. So, there are a lot of things that reduce the pressure on residents as
well. So, um I don't know if Atlas wants to say anything. I'm just hearing support. Uh we love the program. I think it's uh it supports our businesses. It encourages them to do business with us when we offer incentives such as this one. Um so as an
advocate for as you know chairperson for the core gables chamber we do support this program. I just wish we can offer it to everybody but um we can't. So but those that we could we we support it 100%. So I'm here in support of Belus. She does an amazing job um with economic
development and with this program and we're very supportive. Um Madam Chair, when is your last day? I'm sorry. Addis Carilla. When is your last day? Oh my last day. I have five days. I'm sorry. Thought it was I thought it was in a month. So, first first and foremost, I want to say congratulations. You've done
an amazing job in a very tough year. Yes. Thank you so much. A very tough year. And I laugh because if I don't laugh, I'm going to cry because I think about this past year. Uh you deserve to be commended and I cannot believe that we did not do something appropriate for you today. So, that's a shame.
It's okay. Thank you. Do something in the next commission meeting, you know, because you've done a great job leading this year in a very tough time. I want to I want to also thank Belis. Uh Belkis brought this to my attention. Uh this is another example of your diligence, hard work, and leadership. I want to commend you and I told the manager what a great job that
you did on this and I'm proud to sponsor this and continue partnering with the chamber. The lifeblood of the city is our residents. But you have to understand the business community is play such a major role in propping up
this city on every front. If it wasn't for our downtown and if it wasn't for the chamber, we'd be in some serious serious trouble. Um, so I want to congratulate the chamber for the hard work they've been doing, your leadership and Belkis, thank you for bringing this forward and and working with me to to bring it to commission today.
Thank you so much. Yes, ma'am. Mayor, I just again I want to thank you both um for for doing this. I mean, we've done um expediting services for residents. It's uh and we have mobile permitting for residents. It's time now that we take care of our business
community that struggles with simple things such as signage and I I know that um sometimes they reach out to the mayor, sometimes they reach out to me, sometimes they reach out to the other commissioners and now it's nice to have it formalized and uh the city manager is
doing a great job of uh enhancing our building services department um to make it much more um friendly for everybody both residents and businesses. So, thank you Mr. Manager as well. So, I'm happy to move this if somebody wants to second it. Second.
Thank you so much. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. I have a member of the public requesting to speak on this item. Okay, Mrs. Mayor Cruz. That's all, Mr. Mayor. All right, we have a motion, a second. Commissioner Lada,
yes. Vice Mayor Anderson, yes. Commissioner Castro. Yes. Mayor Lago. Yes. Thank you. Moving on to F5. Thank you. Thank you to development services, too. I want to say we can't do it without them. Yes. So, this is an item that I've
sponsored a discussion regarding study opportunities within the city for kayak, canoe, and paddle boarding launch sites, including but not limited to Ruth Bryan Owen Park and Cocolon Circle. I'd like to bring up some friends of ours who are here.
Uh, Mr. Menendez and Mr. Swain who's here with us. Uh these two gentlemen, I've had the pleasure of spending some time with them over the over the few years uh talking about a whole host of issues in regards to environment uh water accessibility,
clean water and the other day uh we took a tour of the Koko Plum circle and we were looking at some interesting opportunities and I think that until you get on the ground and you really recognize uh the opportunities that are before us, you're going to have a different perspective because we drive in our cars or we ride in our bikes and
we really don't get like really get down to the water level. And I was talking with the manager and you know the manager always thinks in numbers and I have a lot of respect for that because
you know he talks to me about the pitch and he brings me back to my school days and talks to me about Vince you know how hard it's going to be to put a structure down there. You know it's a great idea but we got to figure this out. This is an idea that I want to I want to see if we can include in the budget. Okay.
And what I want to do, what I want to do is I want to see if we can and I want the manager to help us out with and see if my colleagues are interested in doing this. Okay. I would I would be interested in finding for Coco Plum Circle, for the other park, we have already something going on for Coco
Circle. I'd like to figure out a way that we could do something where I know it's going to be very hard to get in and out because of AD accessibility and that's something that the vice mayor Oh, yeah. can run a can run a course on. But I think that is a that is a an
unpolished gem that Koko Plum circle and I would love to be able to do some sort of study that could show us uh what type of structure we would need for ingress and egress and how can how is that accessible and I'd like to hear a little
bit of your input and guidance in regards to it because I think that maybe we can find a few dollars in the budget to do a design using one of our in-house in-house consultants maybe Mr. manager to do something just very preliminary to see if it's even worth chasing because if it doesn't make sense and people
can't get in and out then we may have to find a different option. Yeah. Let me go back to the to the the history of how this kind of got Can you give us your full name? Your full name and everything. Oh yeah. Explain 4015 University Drive. Good afternoon everybody.
Good afternoon. Pleasure to have you. It's almost good evening. Nester. Go ahead. Good evening. Nester Menendez 6611 Rivier Drive and I'm going to we're going to I'm going to defer to Mr. Swain first to talk about RBO Park and then I'll I'll loop in Cocoa Park. Okay.
I was going to do Ruth Bryant. He was going to do Coco, but you started on Coco Pl. So I'll get started on that. So back maybe 10 years ago uh we had a meeting with uh bike crawl gables bike 305. I think someone from the city was there I
can't remember for sure. and the Department of Transportation uh to try to come up with a way to make it safe to cross Lune Road at Cocoa Plum Circle because it's really dangerous. And at the time, the best thing we could come up with was a a pedestrian
crosswalk north of Ingram Highway, which is there now, but it doesn't really work. You can ask Nether, he lives there. Doesn't really work. Anyway, so that that kind of like just went to the the background. And then when I was on the waterway advisory board, our
chairman Manny uh brought up at one meeting, he said, um he goes, "The area under Cocoa Plum Circle is so ugly. Isn't there something we can do about it?" So, I was thinking about the the boardwalk that the city of Miami put in
at Peacock Park, the boardwalk they put in at Kennedy Park, and I was thinking, you know, it'd be really nice to have a real pretty like a boardwalk people could look at at the water. It's a really really pretty place. It's a mess right now, but it's pretty pretty spot.
So, I just I went down there and and and I'm wandering around looking at the site and and I I realized that while walking around, I just went under Lune Road and I didn't even know it. I crossed Leune
Road. So, I said it it just hit me. That's it. An underpass. We we need to have an underpass here. So the the the Cocoa Plum site is really kind of a two-part site. One is the beautifification of the the site, put a
beautiful boardwalk in there, and then the other one is it would provide a pedestrian jogger cycling path that you could go from Ingram Terrace Park over the pedestrian bridge down underneath Lune Road and then on your way to Sunset
and Old Cutler wherever you want to go. So, so that was that's the the basic idea of the project. So, you want to Yeah, sure. So, just to piggy back off of that, um this is uh what we've been
discussing now is a derivation of a project that I had first um proposed back when I was originally um uh put on the tab uh by the vice mayor. Um, and I I live a block away from uh from Lun
Road and right off Rivier on the Coco Plum Bridge and I have young children and it's difficult for me to enjoy or cross Ljun Road safely to get to Ingram Park which is a beautiful park. It's a great addition to the city. I just don't get to enjoy it as much as I'd like to because um as you all know Leune Road is
the gateway to uh the South Gables. It's heavily traffated and there is no safe way to cross the street. Um there's a constant green light coming uh going south off of Lun. Uh and if that light's red, there's a green light coming um off
of Ingram Highway or Main Highway. Um and it's just constant flow of traffic and you kind of have to play uh Frogger to get across the road. So um uh while I was on the TAB, I I discussed it with my fellow TAB members. I said there's got to be uh hopefully a safe way to get a
uh a crosswalk um across Ljun um maybe under. And so I started talking to um to Debbie Swain and we got involved and we and they came up and they said, "Well, we've been actually talking about this and we know that there going to close
down the Cocoa Plum Bridge um uh for to to redo the whole Cocoa Plum Bridge and the Circle." And I said, "Why don't we take advantage of this and if we can get an ADA pedestrianfriendly crosswalk to go under the bridge um and give people
access, the residents access to Ingram Park um that live across the way. And so in that we got together, the mayor uh kindly cut out some time for us in the morning, met up with John and Debbie and myself and um we walked the area and
what we found was was um it was pretty shocking. It was a It was a beautiful area that was just unckempt. Um, there's a lot of people that actually enjoy that area. They sit there, they fish. I know fishing is not really allowed there, but they're not they're not disturbing
anybody. I I live literally a block away from there, and I have no issues with it. There's a lot of kids down there. Um, we just need to beautify it. There's, you know, make it accessible. And so what we what what we came up with, which is kind of a a compromise in
my in my sense because I I wanted a pedestrian bridge under on the north side of the bridge, but just as well we can get to the south side. There's access there's public access there. There's parking um and there's a sufficient grade, I was told today, um
to make a ADA compliant ramp with maybe one switchback. Was it? Well, I'm not an engineer. Well, but the the the uh the the top of of Cocoa Plum is 18 feet high down to sea level. But the the walkway or
whatever we you know we wind up building wouldn't be sea level would probably be about 4 feet something like that. So that would be a 14 foot slope and it's about 200 feet. So that's about 7%. Which is ADA compliant.
So wait wait wait before you assume that something's ADA compliant. I say I'm not I'll speak in a minute. Okay. I'm not I'm not I'm just saying. Sorry. You said something. Yes. And you're a lawyer, so you're going to be stuck with it. You believe it's ADA compliant. I
believe it's ADA compliant. So, um but maybe it's maybe we need to put a switch back. Maybe we need to put a couple switchbacks. You have 216 inches of rise. Okay. divided by 200 rise for any ramp run must be it must be
maximum is 30 in I'm gonna leave this in in the very capable hand I would do that our our calculator on the end of the the die is here but then you also have to have the 60 in area
for the wheelchair to be able to turn around yeah I understand but before we even get to that question you need to ask yourself are there going to be any amenities and services down there that are going to be available to the abled body that are not available to the disabled. You must provide ADA accessibility if
you have something different to offer. At at the moment, we haven't proposed anything, but it's in its infantile stages. Like the mayor said, we should do a feasibility study and and and figure out where we're going with. very conceptual but
so I think just taking a measuring tape and then putting those measurements in the very capable hands of our city manager will be able to get answer I have traversed that area I've carried my bike down I've gone underneath I think it's a very cool area I'm one of those kids that would go out and exploring all
kinds of areas and I haven't changed as many people have noticed I haven't changed so and I'm not about to change and I hope I never do change because I love exploring ing areas and hiking and so forth. And the day that I'm stuck to
where I can't get around very much, I'm not going to be a happy camper. So, um I have explored it. I think it's a fantastic area. Um let's assume for a moment that it's not feasible to do a ramp there. And the
feasibility is going to be determined by this gentleman down at the end with a simple set of measurements. Um, you can al also have, you know, is have you thought about doing like you were going to do at Blue Road, a place
where, you know, the kayaks can pause, disembark, and get back on. That's that's feasible. Yes. Um, the canoe launch was always part of the the my conceptual plan. Not a launch. It's not a launch. A landing a landing area. Not a launch. It's where the disabled
can also rowing up, disembark, you know, fishing's allowed there or not. It's pretty wide section, so it's not that much picnic if they want. Yeah. Well, you were down there, so you know, but that's a that's really you don't realize it when you're driving by,
but it's a big piece of property. It really is a long piece of property, and there would be room to do some kind of ADA compliant uh canoe canoe access. I mean
probably the same thing you're doing at Blue Road Open Space, you know, whatever you would come up with Blue Road, which has much more limited space than Coco Plume does. So, whatever we could do there, we could we could also do at Coco. So, let's do this. So, let's Mr.
Manager, will you do us a favor? Will you have a meeting next week with these two gentlemen and I can either attend or the vice mayor can attend? The reason why the vice mayor not over anybody else is because she's familiar with the area and the ADA
requirements. I'd rather have her attend. As a matter of fact, I make a suggestion. I'm up for suggest when I have I have told this project to countless numbers of people. I'm really excited about it. And usually when I give it to them, they're like, "Yeah,
that sounds pretty good." And then I get them to go down there. Yeah. And it's a completely different thing. They're like, "Wow, this is great." It is. So I would I hadn't been I hadn't I hadn't really realized how interesting it was because I had gone down there, but I hadn't gone underneath the bridge and gone the other side.
Right. It's accessible from both sides. It's very interesting. So I just want to understand number one, is it reasonable? And number two, what is the cost? So, I would like to do that over the next week, 10 days, two weeks, because we're in budget season. I'd like to know if it's going to be, you know, $25,000
feasibility study, 15,000, 20,000, 40, whatever the cost is going to be. I want to bring it before the commission before our next commission meeting and say, "Look, this is what we're looking at, okay? Because this is something we got to budget for." Perfect. And we can start planning for once I get it in once I get it into a design, then we're then we're really in good shape. But it's going to take we
got to get there first. We got to walk. So, can we schedule a meeting? Uh yes, mayor. The next commission meeting is 9:10. It's a little tight. Can we do it in the October meeting? That's fine. But I'd like to have at least a meeting the next week, the next 10 days meeting. Yes. So then we can decide, you know, moving forward a plan of action so we can get
on the in the commission for October. Okay. And as you know, mayor, the problem there is the elevation. I got it. But we'll have an idea of what the costs are going to be and maybe the DCM and ACM can kind of already start projecting a little bit of the cost of what it would be to do a feasibility study, maybe a preliminary design before we even engage spend real money.
It's a beautiful area. Okay. No, it is. It's fun. We could just go there with a measuring tape, too. We could probably get the before we spend money. The reason I brought that up about show and tell is is I was Mr. City Manager. I
was going to invite you to personally go the three of us or the four of us to to actually meet at Cocoa Plum and and and visit the site and go through it and you can we can tell you all our ideas and you can tell us if we're crazy or not or whatever with the measure. So, whenever your schedule,
let's schedule let's let's schedule a meeting for next week. Okay. And the manager's office will do it early in the morning, 8:00, 15 20 minute meeting so we can put a plan of action together. Okay. Excellent. Thank you, gentlemen. I appreciate it. Can I speak a minute on Ruth Brian and Owen Park? Yes.
Also, yes. So, um, when I was on the waterway board, my my focus on the waterway board was public access. And there was four spots that that I saw. Ruth Bryan Owen, Blue Road Open Space, the Underline uh, Riviera and US1
and Cocoa Plum. And I'm going to jump to Riviera real quick. when when uh the Underline did their preliminary design for uh their pedestrian bridge, their infamous pedestrian bridge, they had it
right over where the existing makeshift canoe launch is. So, I met with the underline and I got them to move it to its present loca location, which is closer to US one. Uh, and then thanks to Vice Mayor Anderson,
she got the county to agree that they would put in a proper canoe launch. Who knows when they're going to get the money to actually do it. Well, yeah. See, that now you know why I, you know, take a particular position on certain impact fees because we never
see the money again. Yeah. So, hopefully we will we will get that. So, we've got, you know, we're working on on three out of four. The the in 2021 when I brought up the Ruth Bryan Owen improvements, I I just brought up
that one because it's really the the easiest of the four to get done. There's there's not a lot to do there. Okay. Um, but one thing person that's my personal my my neighborhood park. I'm a fifth of a mile from it. I can see it
from my backyard. I have a vested interest in that park. And Ruth Bryan Owen Park was originally part of a hardwood hammock that that spanned all the way down past Blue Road. I don't know how far down, but past Blue Road and east all the way
towards Coconut Grove. This this massive hammock and it was it was called the Devil's Den back then. Nobody really wanted to go in it. And when when Merrick bought the property, only brought two copies of it.
I love it. So, my hope is that the city there's not there's not hardly any place if anywhere else in the city that is that is it what it was looked like when
Merrick bought it. Everything's been developed. Not everything in this except for there's this one spot. And there's one spot next to my house in Sano that is Okay. So there's two. That's that's that's an entire block. But that block. Okay. I know you're entire which I I grew up in that. I grew up 40
years ago running around in there. Yeah. So, I would love the city to agree rather than to to develop it to keep it basically a natural hardwood hammock and and then all you really need to do
is is what like I said back in 2021, put in the canoe launch. But let's let's do this. That's in the meeting with the manager. Let's put together a plan of action for both of these projects and we'll take a look at it. Okay. Yep. All right. Thank you for your time. No. Oh, thank you for being so patient.
All right. All right. I'm going to try to go through these madam city attorney at least my items very quickly. I want I want to finish up what I have here on the agenda because we got a long agenda. We could be here till 11 o'clock at night and I don't want to do that to people. Okay. What is the update as quickly as possible on the youth center
property? Yes, mayor. So, um I sent you all this morning the response. So, as as directed by the commission, I sent a request to the association for the documents that the commission asked be provided by the association. Um I received a response this morning for council for the
association basically asserting that you know as a private nonprofit entity they are not required to provide these documents but in the spirit of transparency they were providing certain publicly available records and those include the association's annual reports filed with the Florida Division of Corporations the association's um IRS
forms uh 990 IRS filings for the past 5 years um the deed to the youth center association property the summary final judgment that was entered um in October 30th, 1968 and the third district court of appeals procurement affirm affirmance
of that summary final judgment. That is all they've provided. I've I've sent that to all of you. Okay. Um first and foremost, they missed the deadline. We provided for them and they have not provided all the documents we requested. Uh this is an entity that is uh entangled with the city of Coral Gables. At one point, they had lost
their 501c3 status. in the 90s for five years they were defunct. Uh this is something that again I have no issues with a reverter clause at all. I have no issues with reverter clause that can still be put on the property. But this idea that this project is going to be developed and this entity uh is going to
be the savior. Uh why wouldn't we develop Phillips Park for example? It's a large swath of land. Why are we now going to be taking in another massive piece of property which is six acres that I've been working on for 10 years and we're on the final stages of negotiating that. We're looking to bring
that in. So, it's not developed. So, at the end of the day, what I think we should do, and just to go really quickly, um I think that we should have our city attorney hire outside counsel um to hold to hold uh to do a real thorough in-depth review of all the tax
documents. I want to see bank account records. Uh they are responsible. They are responsible and should and should be held to the same standard. Um just like the case that I forward you uh madam city attorney uh which says that they are responsible for the sun they they
should be held to the same standards in the sunshine. I want to see votes I want to see how you selected boards uh all those things that occurred over the last uh two decades. Who is responsible? How are elections? Where's the money? How do you spend your
money? If you're a 501c3, you have to provide the last three years at a minimum. you should be able to provide it in two seconds of all your financial information. So, I'm asking for uh the city attorney to bring outside counsel on this issue uh to provide a comprehensive breakdown of what's
happening exactly. Um, again, I'm not I have no issues with reverter clause and but I do have an issue with there being an entity out there that can't keep their papers in order and in that in that case potentially putting the city a
city treasure like the youth center uh in jeopardy. Does anybody have a would anybody join me in that? No, but through the mayor. Yep. I I want to just give a little clarity to this. The War Memorial Youth Center is a private entity. Uh the reverted
clause was challenged in the 1960s in the district court and the third district court of appeals. Both ruled that the reverter clause was valid. The war memorial association um the land was purchased. Then they built the structure
and they conveyed it to the city for free with the reverter clause to protect the property. Okay, we're getting this for free. Reverted clause states basically that it was that it always has to serve primarily for the youth of the
community and it has to be called the Coral Gables War Memorial Youth Center. Also, the city must maintain and operate the youth center exclusively. This was a gift to us. All we have to do is maintain it. Okay.
Mayor Mayor, you've been in office for more than 12 years. Why are you bringing this up now? This would be a problem. This the only reason this would be a problem on the title is if you're planning to sell it or is that what you're trying to do?
Uhoh. Is that the next big story? Mayor selling the youth center. It's a direct question because the reverter clause there is to protect the youth center. But then you want to go into a legal battle again with waste taxpayer money.
Okay. On a private entity that didn't even have to give you that information and they were very generous to do so. Now, nobody knows where that money is. Nobody knows the process of putting together
that board. Nobody knows what is why why did the 501c3 lapse? Why were they for five years defunct? There's a lot of questions that need to be answered. So again, this is a simple matter. You asked me, I've been in office for 12
years. Yes, I have been in office for 12 years. It's never been an issue because I didn't know it was an issue. When I see something like this, it needs clarity and address. At the end of the day, my job is to make sure that no property that the city owns has any cloud on title. And at the end of the day, this has to be corrected just like
we corrected today at the elections, which will happen in April. And that will be addressed. So my madam city attorney um the commissioner says a lot of things that I was not aware of uh in her explanation. So I'd like to know I'd
like to know were you aware of everything she just said. Mayor generally the as you know mayor we have discussed that the youth center was originally operated at the site where currently the public is located. That's not what I'm asking. I'm asking were you aware of the litigation that took place before?
Yes. Yes. Okay. And your opinion is so that was a the city brought that action to get a declaratory judgment and the trial court found that the verter was valid and binding. Okay, perfect. That was affirmed by the third DCA in a what's called the procuring room
affirmance without an being said, they should have no issues in in having in having their documents reviewed. At the end of the day, if they're if they're associated with a city, you should be transparent and provide all these documents. I don't know why you're so what what what is there to hide? Why do you have to be uh
so anti-transparency, so anti- a process that people can view the documents of an organization that is entangled with our jewel, the youth center? The problem is I think there's a conflict of interest with who? Kurt Menendez was a commissioner and
tried to pass $150 million bond while he was the chair of this board. That to me is is a is a direct conflict of interest. And thank God that I stopped that $150 million bond because it would be more debt on the city. Kind of like your cola which is a $20 million debt on the city. So $2 million a year for the
next 10 years. So my point is my point is that if there is no issues, if there's if all the paperwork is in order, why wouldn't you just submit the paperwork if you're such a steward of the city's one of the city's most important assets? Just give me the
documents. Give them to the city attorney. We gave you a deadline and you gave us a few documents, but give us all the documents. I want to see I want to see 10 years of bank records. I want to understand how did you Let me ask you a
question. Do you think it's appropriate that a person who's a chairman Yeah. Do you think it's appropriate that the a person who's a chairman of of a board of a board that is in charge of a murder clause for the youth center puts his wife, his son, and his daughter on that board? I think that's nepotism and in my
opinion is a huge conflict and that person at that time is also a commissioner in the city of Coral Gables. I'm sorry that doesn't that doesn't pass muster with me and you don't need to be an attorney to realize that. Yeah. Through the mayor. So I'm not done yet. Why are you asking a question? No, no, but I know the answer. You find
an excuse for anything, madame vice mayor. So I'm going to go, you know, I agree that we need the records. I also agree that we need to preserve the history. Um there's a rich history there of individuals that started the not only the youth center
but really post-war era World War II wanted to commemorate and preserve the memory of those who served in the wars and that's why it was called the war memorial youth center and that organization was formed. the individuals that formed that, you know, formed it
long before Commissioner Menendez were around and their history needs to be preserved and told. Uh I happened to be um at a via Zoom at a Rotary Club meeting this past week and got to hear a
rather eloquent presentation that was put on and I do think that those records need to be preserved that this city city needs to be able to tell this story. Okay. Okay, one of the comments that was made uh by Commissioner Mendez who did the presentation at that time is you
know the city of Cor Gables never tells the story. Well, help us. Provide us the records. was preserve the history so that for the next hundred years the story of those individuals, those individuals that bought the original property where the Publix now
sits next to the AMP um gets to be told for future generations and we get to honor their their legacy and what they did back then in 1940s and 50s and 60s, you know,
before u before a lot of us were So, um I would like to add to that request for the full p um record on what was done. One second. So, you asked me, you asked me why do we have to hire an attorney.
You ask nicely once and they don't respond. You give them a 30-day deadline and they don't respond. It's kind of like my lawsuit with radio. They slander you. They say a lie about you
and what you do, you have to hire an attorney to get an apology letter. Not only do you get an apology letter, you also get a huge payday and also get Mr. Tahetta fired from from the from the radio station. So, I hate to do it, but
there's no other choice, but you have to you have no other choice but to hire an attorney to get compliance because at the end of the day, they'll stall and stall and stall. If you don't have anything to hide, then just give me the documents that I'm requesting. It's in the best interest of the city to make
sure that we memorialize those documents and that we have we have a proper proper transition or is Kirk planning on being there postumulous and at the end of day is he going to be like a mummy? He's going to be there just forever a part of that board.
So through the mayor, we can do better through the mayor. Yes, commissioner. Yes. At the end of the day, this commission can ask or request anything they want to. But the re but the reality here is that nobody is above the law, right? And that is a private entity and
they are in the right to decline or to give it to you. And it seems to me right now like we're going to try to waste more taxpayer funds just because of a personal issue you have with Kirk Menendez. I think we need to focus on city business.
and conduct ourselves accordingly. Commissioner, to answer you, I am I am conducting city business like the mobility hub, like moving elections, like getting an inspector general. Would you vote against all of that? I am conducting city business, voters business, what they elected me for. But
at the end of the day, Kirk Mendes should comply. So, Commissioner, do you have any anything you'd like to add? You know, the only thing I want to add because I find this all more unnecessarily distracting than it should be because I I I agree with Jane Mure
that yeah, um the War Memorial Youth Association is a private Florida not corporation. Um, but there has been concerns raised both on this commission and from residents concerning the the
the management, the stewardship, and ultimately the transparency of the way that it's been run. So, I I find it distressing that u Miss Mure says that in the spirit of transparency, I'm quoting from her letter that she sent to the city attorney, that in the spirit of
transparency and cooperation, she'll provide what's already available via public filing. That that to me is confounding because if you're going to quote being transparent and and cooperative, you you just turn over the documents that are
requested which are neither intrusive nor burdensome. They they are they are documents that would be readily um available, archived, accessible and they should be curated because if the place is being run properly, managed correctly
and and handled by professionals, that would take you all of uh less than an hour to compile, assemble, and send it back to the to the city attorney. So, I I find it all kind of um unnecessary really, I hope. Um, but it's not it's
certainly not transparent or cooperative the way that we got a response on the very uh last in the very last minute from when the documents have been requested. It raises I think more questions than it answers. It invites negative light where maybe
hopefully there shouldn't be no negative light but they they they they're sort of calling the question. I mean, um, does anybody on the D, Commissioner Castro, do do you think, um, it's burdensome or
or somehow in, um, improper to request clarity and transparency on these issues as framed and sent out by the city attorney through the mayor? Yes. Yeah. I think that at this point that doesn't matter. They're a private entity and they are in their all decision to
decide if they want to give us something or not. At the end of the day, it's not My opinion really doesn't count. It's we have to go based on the law. Okay. So you but for the mayor but if I may again you just answered my point. You made my point for me. It's a 501c3
entity. It's enjoying that status. So at the end of the day if that's dissolved and you're associated with the city look I'll put it to you this simple. Do you let me ask you a question. Do you think hypothetically would you remove would you remove or
modify the reverter and give that reverter if the city violates the city violates the reverter? Would you be opposed to that property going to judicial receiverhip? You know, I'm asking a question. Would
you be opposed to that? because I I think the best thing the best thing in my opinion is get rid of the reverter and apply it in a in a in a in a way that if the city does break break its promise which I find it hard to believe that the city would break its promise the mere fact that you state
that I want to sell you know I want to sell the youth center or develop the youth center is is it's just the typical you know gotcha kind of politics that has taken over here over the last two years and thank god there was a change um you know very Well, you know very
well that's not going to happen. Very very well. How how how we haven't done any other property. Listen to what you you did today with the other garage which I was like I mean I I wouldn't be surprised if you want to build something here too. At the
end of the day the reverted clause was here to protect the youth center. That is it. They were from us not using it as it's supposed to be used. Period. That's the only reason. So you so you truthfully think that someone is going to go out there and
sell the youth center. AB: Absolutely. Or use part of the parking or do something else that is not for the youth. There isn't a lot of things that you can do, especially coming from a person that's very into development. I'm sorry, but let's let's let's not bicker.
It's not good for anyone. City attorney, do you recommend us legally engaging this or what is your recommendation? It's really up to it's the will of the commission. Whatever the commission decides is is is it wants to do, we will take that direction. Okay. Do you think we're going to be wasting money challenging this or do you
think it will be successful? I don't know, Commissioner. I don't know if they're going to if they comply right away. That could just be a very easy um ask. So, what what he was asking is for us to go and remove this reverted clause. Correct. That's not what I said. Okay. So, correct me. What What did you
say? First and foremost, what I'm asking is to hire an attorney to to get all the documents that this 501c3, which was again dissolved because it was fell out of its 501c3 and now jumped back in to provide
all that documentation to the city. They do not want to provide it. It's simple. It's not that difficult. I want they should be transparent. They should send us all their documents, their bank statements, everything that has to do with the entity, their meeting minutes. I want to
see everything. They are not outside of the sunshine per the Winter Haven case. They have to comply with the sunshine law. So, it's simple. Wait, hold on. I'm not done yet. Um, Mr. Clerk. Yes, sir. I'd like to make a motion.
My motion is and I pass the gav vice mayor and that is that we have our city attorney hire outside counsel to meet with Kirk Mendes's lawyers
to receive all the pertinent information in regards to this entity from bank statements to their 501c3 status to their recordings to all pertinent information that has to deal with that entity.
Are you done? I'm waiting for a second for discussion. Yeah, of course. Second. May I make a comment? 100%. You make an amendment. You give me a comment. I'm looking I'm also looking at this letter and I'm also would like the city attorney to focus on what I'm just
cursory looking at here. So, I have the utmost respect for Jane your very very competent attorney. have known her for decades and I think that she chooses her words very carefully. So in her response that she says that um the uh uh
documents that she does provide reflect the association's continued compliance with its obligations as a nonprofit entity under state and federal law. That's because it may be a 501c now and she refers to it as her con its
continued compliance with these obligations probably as of the date of this letter. But it doesn't tell you a thing about why it did or did not lapse and go into for-profit status. That is one of my concerns about how this um
entity with such control over this land has managed itself during this time and what the consequences could be. if not handled correctly. Also, um while they pro provide the
IRS forms an annual reports, they provide us with no uh statement of accounts. Yep. To show what the comeings and the goingings and the you know the deposits and the withdrawals have been over the years. I
I say this not out of morbid curiosity, but while Commissioner Mendes was a commissioner, he attended a town hall and held up a a document in front of the residents that appeared at that town hall to say, "The money's there. There's nothing to see. Move along." So, the
door was not only creaked open, it was like kicked open, inviting the scrutiny because that leaves you with even more questions, right, than than not. And when you ask plainly, I'd like to have the bank records. A respectful decline
is still I'm not going to give it to you. So I I think there's there's actually much more there and it and it's something that should be uh pursued at perhaps the next level since a simple ask has been uh thrown back. The goal the goal is to protect the
entity. Madam Vice Mayor, so you're running you're running the I made the motion, by the way. running though. I I I know I know I I let him and we're we're do we're in discussion right now. So I also have questions because there was a point where the entity lapsed and it was renewed and it
slightly changed names and um did the reverter become null and void at that point? Are we talking about something that's not? You know, so there's there's a lot of questions out there. By the way, madam vice mayor, it elapsed for five years.
Yeah. No, that's exactly my point. Not five days, not five weeks, five years. So So corporations once they die, they die. That's a dead person. So once a once once the person dies and has the reverter, it's not like you can
resuscitate them and they come back to life again through the mayor. And on that point, hypothetical, we're just talking, right? So if the entity that should be in position as the proper receiver of the reverter if triggered no longer exists
then the entity that remains as any corporation if it dissolves or it involuntarily or it dissolves or winds down improperly at some point it may revert even to an individual. We don't know who that individual may be. So who
the officers are, who who the the the ultimate how they're elected, right? But I'm saying like ultimately who may control the fate of that land is unknown today. Yeah. But the liability then you know
the liability to people city like the city of Coral Gables. I mean, the windown process requires notice to everybody that has an interest in something and the city made significant investment in the land.
None of that notice procedure happened. So when you're in violation, I mean, what what's the answer to this legal question? I don't have the answer here as we sit today. So with all the questions that remain unanswered, I would just say it seems rhetorical to me that there should be on this dis no
opposition to asking the questions and pursuing it reasonably because if there is a reasonable opposition to pursuing the information, a reasonable opposition, I hear it from anybody on the commission through the chair,
city attorney, are they in their legal right to decline this information. So I think that there's something more that we can look at here because to the extent that there has been at some points during the relationship some
agreement with this organization between the city and them there might be situations in which we could seek to see if um they might have been subject to public records different aspects of of the records requests. How are they subject to public records as a private entity is my question. So
to the extent that they were at some point in the relationship perhaps not currently but at some point in the relationship with the city um in in privity with the city per an agreement or providing certain services to the city we have to look at all of that and see if there's some aspects under which they might be subject to
is that something you can look into yourself. Your office could we we can certainly do that. Okay. I I don't think that we need to get outside council right right now until at least the city attorney's office figures out if that's the case. So if Matt through the chair
a few things number one um in the 1993 resolution which I I hope that you read um commissioner the the entity and the youth center set the policy together moving forward for the youth center. So they're intertwined.
The key here is we need to know if the reverter was extinguished or if it still survives to this day. This entity was dissolved for five years. And I understand you want to help out Commissioner Menendez, but at the end of
the day, we're going to move with outside counsel because our our our city attorney has extensive work on their hands and I need to get this answered immediately because let me tell you why. This is a $200 million piece of property that I need to protect and you should do
the same. Because at the end of the day, I put it on the record here before you feed it to political tadito tonight. I do not want to develop that property. I do not want to sell that property. I want to protect that property. And like Commissioner Lada said, it is incumbent
on us to ensure that we protect this property at all costs, especially when you're spending tens of millions of dollars of hardearned taxpayer dollars and you don't know where you stand with this with this entity. or who can make a claim on it. Now,
there was also an association, neighborhood association that was part of that agreement that no longer exists. So, how does that impacted as well? That was a critical piece of it through the chair. Yes. So I I would just caution you because I don't know whether or not any any further questions from the dis
directed to the city attorney since we're now even contemplating hiring outside council put you in an uncomfortable position to reveal attorney client privilege or mental or legal um theories. Um uh the questions that the commissioner Castro has been asking would be kind of the same
questions I'd be asking if I was Jane Mure or any council they want to subsequently hire. So I just caution everybody that um these conversations perhaps if they delve into that area should be held um not at the public dis
if I may to the chair that's that was that was good that was good well well stated well stated so well all right so we have a madam chair we have a motion and a second we have a motion and a second call ma'am I have members of the public
requesting to speak on this item Is this an item we have public comment on? If you're going to take action. Okay. First speaker is Mrs. Maria Cruz. Mrs. Maria Cruz, 1447 Miller Road.
This this whole conversation has been fascinating. Um, now I hear that a 5013C is um covered by the sunshine law.
Oops. Everybody who has a 5013C, all the service clubs, everybody is uh I somebody needs to check records here. Okay. I I have several issues. I don't think
the issue is whether the property will be sold because if I remember correctly the reason why the neighborhood next to the charter school brought the issue to the city was because the city
was asked to allow private school a charter school to use the youth center uh field and according to the rules rules whatever the agreement was they
could not do that and that's why I believe the issue came up if I remember correctly what I heard okay number one to what fascinates me is that Kurt Menendez was a wonderful person when he agreed with the mayor Kurt Menendez
could walk on water there was no issues with him and all of a sudden guess what he's a criminal and we're going to have to check everything he's done. You know what? There's a whole bunch of people sitting here that we
would like to know where their money comes from and that's should be public record where the 600,000 mortgage came from. We all wonder, but we're not clear on that. We're not transparent on that.
Funny. Um, I wanted to speak before and I was kept from doing it even though you added some new stuff because we're talking about money, finances. You know what the way we violate the finances
issue is we reclassify employees so we can give them a higher job, higher salary and be good because we're only paying a salary. And that's not just one employee. Several employees that get reclassified as needed. We changed the
requirements for them to have that position because, you know, we want to do it. It's not my money. It's the city's money. We can do it. We have we have done so many things and we only concentrated convenient to concentrate.
I heard very clearly when the salaries were increased that the mayor and the vice mayor were going to donate the money. People have been asking show me where you donated. Oh no, we don't have to show you that transparency. Next speaker, Mr. Mayor is going to be
my Haley on Zoom. Miss Hi, if you could please unmute. Thank you for listening to my comments. Mhali, 1245 Milan Avenue. I've been awaiting this discussion um because the youth center is important to
me, to my family, to those of us that have raised families who have gone to the youth center. And I've been listening to this discussion and sort of had to smile to myself here because I
what I hear from the dis people turning themselves around into pretzels coming up with legal theories and possibilities of how the issues that the commission has with the foundation
are related to the reverter clause. The reverter clause is nothing more than a deed restriction. It's not a cloud on the title. And that deed restriction puts the fate of the youth center completely clearly and un unrelated to
anybody else on the commission's hands. And I trust this commission. I know you all personally. I trust this commission not to sell it to developers. Absolutely. But you are the protectors of the future of this and you have no control over what a possible future
commission can do. The reverter clause simply states that if it's not used for the youth of Coral Gables, it goes back to this foundation. Now, I don't know the ins and outs and the legalities of all this foundation, but to me it seems
pretty simple. It's a private entity and the city it'd be like asking me for all my income tax returns because you don't like how I'm handling my finances. I you have no right to do that. There's there's no legal standing for it and I
think our esteemed city attorney knows where this is going to end up. Um, so you guys want to waste our taxpayer money, that's fine. But remember, at the end of the day, if you do your job as commissioners and you protect this
fabulous asset for the future of our city, then the fate of it is in your hands and it's all done and it's very simple. Thank you for taking my comments. Thank you. That's it, ma'am. All right.
So, uh, city clerk, I think we're ready for a vote. Vice Mayor Anderson, yes. Commissioner Castro, no. Commissioner Lada, yes. Mayor Lu, yes. Thank you. For the record, the end goal is to
protect the asset, which is the youth center. We should all be on the same page for that. Moving forward, F2. Mr. Mr. Diaz, can you give me an update in 45 seconds? How are we doing with the sidewalk project?
So, we don't have to do the whole presentation, but we got you a slide. Done. If you don't mind, I want to be considerate, everybody. Yes. This is going to be a great project. By the way, congratulations to both of you and to your staff and to the manager of DCM. Thank you to the DCM for meeting me there. Thank you for you meeting me
there. The Alhhamra sidewalks are underway. The drainage project is underway. It is a beautiful, beautiful, beautiful project. And uh the next one, we finished Blue Road. The park looks great. University sidewalks are great. I'm just
looking for two projects. Doctor's Hospital and Granada sidewalks. So, we have three separate projects along Granada. All of which are being funded through currently available through grants or uh funding through uh the
county's um Now there are dates associated with the availability of those funds. Um so I I think this is the most important map and um phase one it's the
circle itself. We actually have my There you go. Take control the expert here. Control. As long as you know who to delegate to. Take control. So, so Melissa Desai's public works director for transportation. So, the first phase
of um these three projects would be this the portion of Granada sidewalks from Bird Road to Ponz um that subject to availability of funds because we still have to submit a um justification analysis to Miami date county. We would
be starting design in the fall and construction would be approved for um the following year and that's when the funding will be made available to us by the county. So they're going to make available design funding now this fall and construction next year in 2023.
Okay. So that's the portion south of Bird. Perfect. And then phase two would be the uh Dotto Fountain improvement. Um that one we received lap funding for. We got a million dollars for construction. Design would basically be starting in the fall subject to um approval from Miami Date
County for a traffic study. Um as soon as we get that approval, we can start design and then we would have construction in um early 2027. And then phase three would be the section of sidewalks on both sides of the road from Granada on Gr on on Granada from Dodto
to Bird Road. Um that would be the last phase. That one we did receive funding um from FDOT. That one is a uh transportation alternatives grant and um initially the funding was approved for
it was um summer 2027 for design and then construction would be fall 2029. We've been in talks with DOT. They're looking to see if they can um move the funds up so that we can
start design next July. And um it's not finalized yet, but it looks like they're going to approve that. So, that's several slides. Which one do you want? So, the we have a million dollars for
construction that we're getting through the grant. The other one, this is the first one. That one we're getting paid complete the full amount we're getting design and construction for that one.
But unfortunately, we're attached to the schedules when they're going to make those funds available to us. Okay. Perfect. Right. Through the mayor. Yeah. Yeah. Of course. Mayor, we will try to accelerate that through the state and county and to see
if we can accelerate those dates. Don't know if we're going to be able to, but but we will try. Okay. Thank you. Thank you. Mayor, while the team is still up there, do you want to take F14? Yes. Which is the FDOT letter that uh this
team worked with me on. Okay. So, let's see. Um, letter went out on August 21st to FDOT um, Secretary Eligius addressing various items in our city and
outside of our city dealing with the underlying. Uh we had a meeting with Senator Garcia, um our esteemed traffic uh transportation engineer, um Miss Melissa Desaias,
um see who else was there. The underline folks were there. The underline was there. They were there making and so we covered intersections all the way under the underline from the 17th Avenue all the way down. and we incorporated also our additional
requests on Granada uh Bird Road etc. So you want to give a brief explanation of the asks that we did on behalf of Coral Gables? So uh one of the asks that we did was um an intersection improvement on Granada
Boulevard and Bird Road. Seeing as we're going to be constructing sidewalks on the north approach and on the south approach, we reached out to DOT. We did a walk through. Um DOT did decide to move forward with what's called a push button project. So right now they're at
60% plans. They're looking to um install high emphasis crosswalks and push button signals and detectors at the intersection of Granada and Bird. So that will also be an additional phase, but DOT is taking care of that for the Granada sidewalks. Um DOT is also
looking into installing sidewalks along the south side of Bird Road from Red Road to um Riviera Drive. And we also asked them to include some audible push buttons on the June at several different intersections as part of this upcoming
design project that they have coming up in the fall. And we also asked them to look into maybe doing a study at the intersection of University and Luc. Okay. So just a practical standpoint, if you have the sidewalks on the south side
of Bird Road, you now can get all the way to University, cross over to use the pedestrian walk bridge on the north side. Unfortunately, we don't have a bridge on the south side. Be able to come across, come back at Granada and be be able to get the high school kids over
to the high school on a sidewalk as opposed to trying to, you know, traverse an area that's impossible to traverse right now with no sidewalk at all over a bridge. So, this is this is going to be huge, you know, because we put in the
University Drive sidewalks. We're going to have now the Granada sidewalks. My hope is next to finish the the Riviera sidewalks and eventually we'll we'll get to the uh the sidewalks from Bird down to the University on um Alhamra. So the
connectivity with the underline will be enhanced. Now the intersection improvements all the way through the underline will make it so much safer for folks to be able to uh walk, bike, and safely get across US1. It'll also help the children to be
able to get over to Harvard Elementary School and the junior high. So, piece by piece, we're building it out. There's still more to do after this, but uh we do have the support for it and the letter is attached to the agenda if any
of you want to read the details. And I did get a response already from the secretary that they are going to be reviewing it and responding. Perfect. Great work. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Moving on to item 8 F4. That's yours, Commissioner. Okay. Yes. Item S4 is an update on the
employer morale committee survey. It was some commission meetings ago that we were talking about um the satisfaction of employees. And we did talk about a survey that we were going to send out. It wasn't in combination with another survey that we were doing. We
specifically wanted to know about morale. So I want to know where we are in the process of that and if we're not I would love to see how I can help with that especially when the questions are being generated or which which one would we would certainly so good evening um mayor
commissioners Raquel Havaretta HR director so we have partnered with FIU's uh industrial psychology masters program and we're going to launch an engagement survey in January. This might be something different than what you're looking for right an engagement um An
engagement survey looks really in depth to a you know a whole bunch of um factors that drive an employees engagement to ensure that they're motivated, they're likely to stay and how content they are working for the city. So that's something that we've engaged FIU and we're going to do starting in January.
That's where I actually have my graduate degree from and that's industrial exactly my field. But yeah, I think that the survey um is going to be more of a general survey and I'm really concerned with morale. I don't know if maybe they can help us because then they'll have a lot of
resources for us to besides that to target actual morale because what they're going to be asking is about their directors and and a whole bunch of other questions that could be interpreted in another way. Right? So in this engagement survey what we're going to look for there's um seven
um key drivers of engagement which is the purpose um job team supervisor recognition growth and wear and wellness. And as a result of that then we'll get to understand um the employees intent to stay their pride and their motivation that are all tied to
efficiency, productivity, customer satisfaction. So that we're going we're doing that in January. Okay. Thank you. Thank you very much. Moving on to item S7, living seaw walls.
Okay, that that is a video and I'm going to give you guys give you all a choice. Do you want to look at the video now or do you want to look at it when I have the legislation drafted next time? I just have it as a discussion item. The video is a channel 10 presentation, so
it's probably going to take a good solid 10 minutes. I think we'll be more engaged in a shorter meeting. Mr. Laura, flip the coin. Um, the vice mayor's choice surprised me.
Okay, I'll I'll I'll surprise you. It's 10 minutes after six. I'm gonna defer the video. You can look at it in the meantime if you It's really cool and it costs less than standard seaw walls. So, I'll bring the I I didn't plan on bringing the legislation to next time.
The the the time I put this on the the agenda was light. So, I thought I'd put it on as a discussion item, but you do have a memo for me this morning with the link. So, we'll defer that. And there is an item on permitting fees. Okay, perfect.
Um I city manager you know which item that is I just F13 F13 defer that as well. We're deferring F13 and also the manager says to defer H3 okay just to confirm we deferred F7 F13 and
H3. Yes. I want I want to defer F11, but it should take two seconds and we got to we got to move quickly on that to uh Yeah, I know. I know that that that's much faster than my video. You want to do F8? Um the F8 needs to be done.
Okay, go. Okay. Uh do we have staff available on F8? Yes, mayor. Vice Mayor Yes. Yes. So, vice mayor through through the mayor.
Okay. Uh, vice mayor, we we have already um contracted those studies to be done. We we had North Ponds and we added the flag district. It should be starting uh soon and we were going to see if we can get it done as within within six months.
Okay. So, um I know Miss Ter Parines was out on maternity leave. Okay. And staff is working uh diligently to get the materials to the consultant so the North Pines historic preservation study can be done more quickly than originally
planned. And I think the end goal is to try to be done we're hoping but for the end of the year but six months yes I think is the the best feasable date through through the mayor. uh vice mayor the the uh she uh the director is still on maternity leave. She's she's working
remotely now. So uh we will try to do it as quickly as possible. 6 months will will be less than than the period that they initially asked for and we'll see if we can get it done as quickly as possible. I appreciate you. Good evening Paul. Could you hear me?
Now we can but I think we already saw Peter. Okay. Yes. Hi. Could you you could hear me? Okay. Yes. the the All right. Good evening. This is Anna Perus, the historic um and cultural arts director. Uh thank you again for accommodating me on Zoom, but just to confirm, we do have a kickoff meeting
with the consultant tomorrow. Uh the PSA and agreement have all been um executed and uh we're already collecting materials that this that the um consultant has requested to get to them um through our archavist and our historic preservation coordinator. So,
we should be on track. Okay. Okay. Perfect. That's it. Perfect. We're done on that. All right. Moving on to F9. F9 is there's one photo to show and a picture's worth a thousand words. So, city clerk,
the autonomous robots swallowing the sidewalk. I call it Wall-E. There's lots of different names. I've been waiting for this one. I I've been waiting for this big time all day. There you go. I was getting ready to cross Lun Road and the poor pedestrian
ended up where on the ground. Yeah, because you call him Wall-E. That one began with the letter A. I can't remember the name of it now, but I was just like astonished that the that and and this is a message and a picture for you to keep in your mind that when we're designing
projects, this is why we need wider sidewalks. Okay, this is why. So, we don't want the uh pedestrians being kicked off the sidewalk or the disabled or the strollers or the scooters or the
bicyclists. So, that's it. Through the mayor. Yes, sir. To the vice mayor. What'll happen? I don't know. So, that's why I'm asking if you did have a powered wheelchair heading one direction and then Wall-E there going the other direction. What
happens? It would be a standoff because Wall-E doesn't have the the wherewithal to know how to do anything but stop. And the other thing we need to look at is the other thing we need to look at is where these babies should be parking because they're parking right now in crosswalk areas just waiting for an
order. So, I'm going to ask staff to look at this issue and maybe we need to make those corrals like we did for the little scooters and have them placed in a certain area out of the walk path, not occupying the crosswalk area because there was one on the corner of Pon and
uh Coral Way just sitting there blinking for endlessly. Okay. Um, briefly through the through the air. So, to the chief or anyone else that can answer Chief, you needn't walk all the way up here. I was just wondering, have you heard anybody complaining from
accidents, scooters running into bicycle? Like, is there any sort of criminal complaint or complaints to the police in general about these uh robots or whatever we call those? No, I mean, we've had no we've had no accidents. I mean, that interestingly
enough, because it's automated, I don't know, right? Unless we hired like C3PO to walk on the streets and police it, I really don't know how else Yeah, we would be able to to deal with R2-D2. So, I I think it's they're fairly new in the
city. I was just like, "Wow, look at this thing." It ran away from me. I was walking down the street and it turned Yeah. went away. They they were parked over by the station. So, so yeah, I think we need to make We'll have to have a conversation. I I I will check with the Florida police
chiefs also and see what other kind of issues we may have another conversation whether we can keep them off certain parts to immediately to get them um kind of like they do with the bird scooters and certain places that they can't operate and make them go the long way around. So there might be a safety consideration we
can do. Move. Yeah. Madam vice mayor. Anything else? Freeze. No, that's it. All right. Through the mayor. Yes. I'm hearing that these um Wall-E are they have little people driving each of these. Is this accurate? Drive small people. What?
Not the small people inside that we have like there's computers in the background and each and uh somebody's in the background driving these there. There there might very well be like I said I went near one and it went the other way so I haven't had a chance
to see it. We got scared of you. That's fine. City attorney. Yes. So, uh, mayor and and commissioner, per the statute, they're required to have a human being operating them obviously remotely if they're going to operate on the sidewalks or across the crosswalk, etc.
So, I mean, we'll look into it, commissioners and mayor, with through the manager, we will look at what other kind of statutes or the enforcement of measures we would take. Okay. So, uh, while while you're looking at that, um, sidewalks that are this narrow,
right? Okay. Can you look into whether or not there's some best practices we can say that you can't operate on a sidewalk that's close to a major street like this? You have to go on another street
with a bigger sidewalk and not shove the pedestrians off the sidewalk because you come in. I stood in front of this thing to see what it was going to do and it just stood there. So, if I had a wheelchair and I needed to go, apparently you're much better looking than I am because when I looked at it,
it turned around and went the other way. I mean, I was interested to see it the other day. But but look at yourself. I mean, I mean, it's hard to believe my wife looks at me every day. So, can we talk can we talk about F10 really quick? Yes. As soon as the HR director gets in
here because I'm not doing this one by myself. F10 as quickly as possible. Yes, ma'am. Sir. So, I'll give you that put this on the record very simply just to make sure that people understand where we are. Um, Commissioner Castro put out a social media stating that uh I
made a comment about this is too rich for my blood. Yes. Uh the deal that we gave to the fire union. Many of you were in the room. Staff said, "Do not vote for this. It's too rich." That's the comment. I did not make that comment about the police uh union agreement
which I which I voted in favor of. Correct, Mr. Yes, sir. I voted in favor of. So again, this is just the typical misleading effort u by the blogs and my colleague to the right in an effort to try to throw me under the bus and say that I'm not pro police. I have an issue with the fire department uh on multiple different
reasons. I think that number one, we're we paid way too much on the union contracts. Way too much. Way too much. Uh hurting the city. Staff recommended against voting in favor of that union contract. The previous commission voted in favor of it. Uh I think it was myself
and uh the vice mayor also voted against it and I also you know um have had multiple multiple issues uh with a union president who has gone out of his way to not only hurt me personally but also uh my family. Uh so he's an individual who
again who who lacks respect and wants to do whatever he can to get his message across and I won't be intimidated by him or the county the county union mob boss Billy Mallister. So at the end of the day I want to put it on the record. I voted in favor of the police union contract. Welld deserved. Welld deserved. It was not too rich for my
blood. Uh we had a situation uh that we needed to address and I'm happy that through the leadership of yourself, the city manager, city attorney, we were able to address that issue. In regards to the fire agent, I stand in my position. That is not a good contract for the
city. We overpaid. Ma'am, so I do have a quick presentation, but I don't think we need one just in just Oh, there it is. But in terms of a police officer number, so we started the calendar year with 30 37 vacancies. Um we had four separations during that time, but we were able to hire we were
able to hire 27. So we currently as of today have 15 vacancies and we anticipate hiring 10 more by the end of December. So it would be we hope to have five vacancies by year end. Um that is 27 officers even if we don't hire any other officer this calendar year would
be the most police officers that we have hired in one year. And if I may, I just want to want to I want to add one thing for the record. Uh the vice mayor and myself were the only elected officials here who voted to increase the headcount of the police department.
Yes, sir. Chief, when was the last time that actually occurred? Not hiring people, but h but actually increasing headcount. We increased it by 15 people at that level. Yes. I don't think I've ever in my 38 years of being here, we've never done that. I think the last time we had an increase,
city manager was Soleno and he added like one or two bodies. Um, but that's that's the biggest uh part and that in response to that, as you recall, it was the fire chief and myself that were asking for more bodies because of the
upward vertical horizon patrolling. Uh, we are still uh doing the downtown district even though we don't have the the bodies to do that as such. Uh Major Bobbleitz oversees that. Uh we've incorporated uh you know the drone patrols and everything else, but we we
are patrolling to downtown. Uh Officer Lago's here who's down there regularly. So we're staying on top of it with the overtime on some of the salary savings. So it hasn't impacted the budget. Uh but again I if I could take a moment of personal privilege the relationship
between the police department background investigators, recruiters and HR has been unbelievable to I would have never thought that I'd be able to sit here today and say by the end of the year we will have 30 new police officers within the city of Coral Gables regardless of
how we got there. Uh and that has a lot to say with Raquel's people. It is a team effort. Uh the background investigators uh we we bring in detectives the same ones we honor in the morning are actually doing backgrounds and communication section which the
manager and his first stint we looked at we made uh really radical changes and we are now about to get we're working on our accreditation for communication has professionalized that uh and we are looking at I think two vacancies in
communications and we're starting to see the family atmosphere where certain communications people are taking a li uh the the the jump if you will to becoming police officers. Uh I think you know the narrative from before uh people leaving
uh those are issues that will come up. Uh as you know uh the the HR director and the manager we have our first session coming up or the team has their first session coming up with the FOP for negotiations. um any kind of of separations now are
retirements or disciplinary in nature that could be and I mean that's just the part of doing business. So I can't say enough about our people and our partnership uh because it is it is amazing to have you know 300 total employees and hire 10% of that in a year
and that's just the sworn positions not the communications has been unbelievable in my mind. How are we in regards to crime? Just briefly, our numbers, they continue to track down. I mean, at last time I've actually looked at them, it's down 14%. Uh, as all of you saw uh
the other day. Uh those individuals that uh ran from the police that had the intentional ramming of cars. You know, we got that as as a an armed subject call uh after the arrest again in the
Grove. uh the coordination by Chief Hanlin uh again Gordon Dickinson to catch those individuals with the dogs, the canines, drones and the helicopter and we we cleared several other cases also victimizing people in Pinerest in
the county. This is what comes through and you know we continue to drive it down. Uh you you've heard stories, you know, the the the crime suppression team uh which we started putting together is something that is focused here on these issues. Uh again, I know that the
residents feel better when they see us and we are out there. Uh with this commission's approval, you know, we're going to have radios, which we've already gotten, by the way. Um 300 of those are going out. So, we're going to know where every officer is standing,
let alone where they're at. and the technology continues to go. So, we're continuing to drive down crime and we'll give you a report up through the manager next time around. Thank you very much. Through the mayor, just one quick question. So, uh I don't know which of the two of you asked. By the way, I'm not surprised at all the HR has done so
well. I've only been here just a little over 100 days and it's been absolutely stellar, both the police, actually all the departments in the city. Um so if you did get to five vacancies, right? Um is that actually at that point you
you have more police officers than you would have before you increased the number of of police officers uh a couple years ago, right? Correct. So so like the five down is actually a net gain of 10 from 10. Right now, if we use the pre
pre- numbers, three fisc three fiscal years ago ago, we're we're at even. We're at zero vacancies. So, the 15 current vacancies we have are the the 15 additional positions that were added, five for each of the last three years. Yeah, I think mayor remembers the last
time we were honestly and the attorney general was here at the time when we were the only department at zero vacancies. I think it lasted about three weeks. But I mean it happens. Um again as we've had many discussions uh and I
know I've been it's been said this is the transfer portal and policing. People are going to go for whatever it is uh and we're going to continue as we see it. U you know we were affected by a lot of other things but I think it's essential. My biggest concern now for
the department is with 19 people in the academy that we have right now. I have to make sure and we have talked about this and the manager and I have talked and HR have talked about this is the training of those individuals and the supervisors is going to be imperative 5
10 years from now and we can't we we can't lose sight of I need that senior leadership to continue to train these individuals. the vicarious liability that the city attorney can tell you about is they're responsible for these officers right out of the street. We can't have those mistakes that we've
seen other places in the country have. So, we're we're focusing on that, you know, to keep that crime down and our people safe. Thank you very much. Very proud through the mayor. Yes. Yeah. I find it astonishing actually that the mayor once again is trying to
rewrite history. But Billy, can you do me a favor and can you put up the first graphic that I gave you? It's a line graph. We could work with this one first. I just cho I just chose different cities so that we get an idea of where our
police force is compared to other ones. And I didn't even put the county there because it's just it it's so much more. At this point we cannot even compete with the county. Okay. So I was trying to be very fair when I was choosing settings and as you can see Coral Gables
comes down is almost one of the last ones year one year 10 maximum actually for year one after the contract that we gave that was too rich. We actually closed a gap and there was improvement.
Can you go ahead and and take me to the line graph? So this line graph right here, the blue line is the city of Coral Gables. As you can see, after the contract that we gave that I thought was at least we were trying to close the gap, we are going to
be doing better in recruiting new officers. Why? because we're closer to what other municipalities are offering. We're competitive. That's something that I've been fighting for. Now, the problem here comes when we get to year 10 and to
the maximum am maximum amount you can get um as as an officer and that's where we need to work. However you guys decide to work, it's fine. But the problem here is going to be to retain the officers
that we are now getting because we're doing good now in year one. But then to keep them, that's going to be the issue. So I know we're going to be going into negotiations. However you guys accomplish it, Chief, I trust I trust your guidance, but these are things we
need to work on retention, long-term retention, because it's it's it's a serious issue. Let me respond. Um, actually before you respond, I also have a video that you alluded to, so go ahead and put it. Too
rich for my blood. Are Are you ready, Billy? Yes, ma'am. But this is too rich for my blood. As you just heard, the mayor said, "These contracts are too rich for my blood." And he claims that I'm fiscally irresponsible.
But the facts tell a different story. Last April, Coral Gables had 40 police officer vacancies. Today, that number is down to 17. Progress that only happen because we fought for fair contracts. And here's what he calls too rich. This
chart shows salary growth across nearby cities. Coral Gable's officers don't even come close to catching up. So when the mayor says these contracts are too rich for my blood, remember this. Our officers are still not compensated competitively compared to neighboring
cities and we are still struggling with vacancies. The real irresponsibility is ignoring public safety and driving our officers away. Too rich for my blood. Too rich for my blood. Too rich for my blood. Okay, let me
That's the video you're alluding to, right? So, let me respond. Let me respond. Okay, but we we got to we got to be honest with ourselves here. I mean, this is probably one of the most ridiculous things I've ever heard in my life. You have literally five minutes before every issue that you
stayed in that in that ridiculous social media ad is refuted. Is it the lowest crime we've had in the last 10 years? It continues to track down. Yes, sir. So, so you have the chief telling you that. Okay. Number one. Number two, did
I vote in favor of the last police union contract? Yes, sir. What you do there is you conflate the police and fire union together. Let me make it simpler for you. You try to confuse people by stating that it's
these contracts plural. I mean, you got to get a handle on that. I mean, it's not going to serve you well. I did not vote for the fire union contract. I know you will do whatever the fire union tells you. I get it. I understand that. It's not going to help you in the next election.
The fire union con the fire union the fire department is 100% capacity. Yes or no? We currently have three vacancies for retirements but we are processing how many when you opened up the positions that were available. How many people applied?
So we just opened it up. We opened it up for close to uh 3 weeks and within the first day first 24 hours we received 100 applications. We kept it at 250 applications and we were able to receive those applications in less than three weeks. Did staff recommend voting in favor of
the last fire union contract? At the time staff felt that it was a little on the on the rich side. Good. I'm happy you use the word rich. Let's go back to let's go back to it's hilarious. Let's go back to uh to the uh to the commissioner's graph, please.
that shows the shows um first year 10 year and I think it was 15 year no it's max whatever whatever it was let's go back to that building thank you Mr. Clerk, quick question. Raquel, I think the
number was $69,000 start, correct? Correct. Does that include the bonus pay? That does not include if we offer a $10,000. Okay, hold on a second. See, this is what happens when you do things just like what you did on Instagram. You try to mislead people. You try to act like
as if I'm casting a huge net and saying police. I'm not saying police, that's firefighters. If you add the $10,000 bonus on top of the 69,000, we're above Miami Beach. Okay? And you don't want to mention that because that would ruin your whole exercise of making people of
making people again more and more confused. This is not going to help you. This will be all shown in the public eye because you continue to make every single statement you just said right now has been refuted with facts by staff.
We have the best public service. I love our police. I voted for their contract. You said it was too rich for my blood. That is not the case. I was talking I was talking about the firefighters. So, please stop and at least have a a little sense of responsibility and
respect. And I admit when I said that I did not vote for the firefighters, but don't embarrass yourself when I refute every single comment in front. Respectfully, I don't know how else to say this to you, but you are a liar. And I don't know how else to put it in a better way. Liar. And keep on lying.
Everybody's seeing it. So, I don't I don't know where you were, Commissioner Castro, or what you were doing at that particular meeting, but you apparently weren't listening very well. So, I was there. The issue was the fire union
contract because it not only did it I was in that meeting and you wanted to give the representatives whatever they wanted even it was over and above what staff recommended and there were long-term
consequences to giving these types of raises. I can the shade meeting. Is that what you're talking about? What meeting are you talking about? Oh, we were in the shade meeting. We were in other meetings afterwards and yes, I did vote against that particular
one. And I also, you know, as part of a normal process, consulted with and received advice from some of our former commissioners that served and looked at the compounding factor on the monies that were built into the contract. And
yes, it was too rich for my blood, too, to give that kind of an increase to the firefighters going forward because the compounding factor is tremendous. So, mayor and I voted for the police contract.
Okay. So, I don't know where you were, but I heard it, but you apparently didn't. So, before we move on, I just want to address one issue quickly through the Yeah, of course. Okay. Under no circumstances
would I believe it's appropriate for a commissioner to call another commissioner repeatedly a liar. Somebody can be just a moment please. I'm almost done. So just a sec. You
could say somebody misstated the facts. You could say somebody recalled incorrectly. They could say I think you may have misspoken. But in this dis there's no room for accusing somebody over and over again of being a liar for emphasis and then on
top of that you just dropped the mic and you didn't say what was the incorrect fact or why somebody is a liar in your view in any event I'd like to raise the bar and I challenge you to join me in bringing back some decorum some civility
and respect to the dis because you're bringing it down commissioner I know you don't want to be down there. I know you want better. I know you can do better. Please. So, in closing of the item, um I didn't respond to her calling me I didn't I
didn't respond to her calling me a liar because when you have the police chief and Raquel, who's the head of human resources and is the person that handles the negotiations refuting every single statement that is made on that Instagram. I don't have to refute it. It
refuts itself. You have two professionals in front of you who are the most knowledgeable people here stating the facts. Where are we with crime? What was staff's opinion in regards to the union contract? It was too rich for our blood. How are we in regards to hiring?
Where are we in regards to salaries for firstear police officers? That graph is misleading. It doesn't include the $10,000. You guys did the work for me. But again, this will be all cut and paste like social media will be used to the benefit to try again as they've done for the
last 12 years to try to tarnish my reputation. But at the end of the day, it doesn't work because people see through the antics and the circus. So, I just want to say thank you for being here. The intent of putting this up was to bring some peace of mind to our
residents so they understand the great work that the police officers are doing and how we're looking forward to going into contract negotiations in a positive way just like we did last time where we gave a recordbreaking contract to the union. Correct, Chief?
It's the largest contract to the FOP that I've ever seen in my 30 years. And for the record, did I vote for that contract again? So, I want to thank both of you for your hard work along with the manager. Thank you so much. Thank you, mayor. Through the manager, is it possible for you to take H12 because
right now I'm about to lose all the motorcycles. H12, let's go. And the motormen are going to have to walk. And I just want to I want to get everybody out of here quick. I know. This is I know this is our usual lease. It's a reoccurring lease from procurement that we do for our motorcycles. We don't purchase them. We uh after we rent them.
So, we've actually cut this number down from years past only because we're using the downtown unit in. So, instead of what we've had currently, we're down to 11. Uh, but the the ability to increase that number within this contract and the procurement code is allowed if necessary.
I'll move it. Second. And I'll just read it quickly into the record, mayor, if that's okay. Yep. H12 is a resolution of the city commission accepting the recommendation of the police department to enter into a lease agreement of 11 2025 LHP Harley-Davidson motorcycles from Peterson's Harley-Davidson and Miami LLC
for a three-year period in an estimated amount of 346,500 as a soul source procurement pursuant to section 2-689 of the procurement code. We have a motion to second. Any public comment? No, Mr. Mayor. All right. Commissioner Castro, yes. Commissioner Lada,
yes. Vice Mayor Anderson? Yes. Mayor L? Yes. Thank you, sir. Thank you, Chief. Quick quick question if I can. Yeah, Mr. Mayor, to the chief. Um, very very briefly, can you give us a quick update if there's one to give about horse
patrol or additional horse? Is there something quick we can say? It's been harder hiring horses than it has been officers to be honest with you. You know, Commissioner, you all they laughed at me when I brought back the horse patrol and and it
was so Yes. So, first of all, the horse patrol has been funded through the LEF accounts and we put that in and we continue to do that. We have finally found two horses that have passed the physical in North Carolina. Good stuff. Wait, just in North Carolina,
were there some that didn't pass the physical? Yes, I had three horses that didn't pass the physical. As you see, Major Bobbleitz has been to North Carolina twice. Uh, Commissioner, so yes, uh, this body has approved. We have three stalls at Tropical Park. We
have anou with county county parks as well as working with uh the sheriff's office. Uh we have found two of the three. Uh they will be in part of that. We're going to close that deal and have them brought down to us. There is a
transition period of making sure. So we're working with Davyy police who are like the horse police. They will transition with the riders there for a little bit and then they will come out there. Part of our agreement obviously with the county is that we will also be patrolling Mat Hammock Chapman Field. I
know our residents have issues on the dog park which is on the west side of old Cutler Mat. So we'll be in there as well as well as some time out in Tropical Park. Uh but yes, we will be introducing you to the new um to the new horses. I don't suggest we do a ribbon
cutting for the stalls because it just doesn't smell good. So, thank you for the update. All right. Thank you. All right. So, moving on. F7. So, resolution that I'm sponsoring uh to extend our signature hurricane protection program, which is original
for windows, but now it's for roofing. We've had a tough time see if we can get people to take advantage of this program and uh people who who meet the the financial u threshold uh to so they can save on their permit fees in regards to windows and roofing.
Great idea. I'll move it. Second. Mr. Clerk, do you have any public comment? No, Mr. Mayor. Commissioner Lada. Yes. Vice Mayor Anderson? Yes. Commissioner Castro? Yes. Mayor Lago? Yes.
All right. Uh, moving on to the next item. F23. F23 is a resolution of the city commission directing the city manager to include a new legislative priority to encourage the state of Florida to increase the current property tax exemptions for residents with qualifying disabilities and for the establishment
of new property tax exemptions for individuals diagnosed with Alzheimer's and for low-income caregivers. Pull my version up here. that I did ask um our esteemed finance director to give us
some numbers to look at as to what this particular item would be. In general, this is a legislative item which we're going to ask for additional homestead exemption for caregivers for individuals with disabilities, individuals with Alzheimer's.
Um, and in addition, add to that uh the blind uh categories and increasing them to $50,000 um all all across the board. I'm missing one. I'm missing one. But anyway, I I
did have some of the numbers run and Paula did uh give us the courtesy of running some of the numbers assuming that we had are currently 734 individuals that have widow, veteran, blind or disable disabled exemptions
that you know that number will be increased. Um this is helping the individuals that need it the most. When I was knocking door to door, I know that we all went on Country Club Praau and saw an individual that's 85 years old taking care of a 110 year old.
I know the house. Yeah, you know exactly the house. And um based upon the numbers, if we increase homestead exemption on school taxes, on county taxes, and on our taxes, the
dollar amount that we'll be able to put back in the pockets in conservative estimate is $81910. That's $81910 per individual who's struggling right now to make ends meet, you know. So,
this is why I've brought this proposal because we're helping um inc decrease the taxes on those who need it the most. Do you have something to add to that? I think he said it perfectly. I think there's a current exemption for $5,000 uh for the totally and permanently
disabled and the blind. And I think the vice mayor would like to increase that an additional $45,000 up to 50,000 or that's what we would like to propose to the state legislature. Right. That's what we would like for the state legislature. It's it's typical that the the top uh homestead exemption is 50,000 if they want to go north of
that and we obviously don't object to that, but I think that $5,000 for someone who's blind is is is really just insufficient and there's zero right now available for caregivers who are struggling taking care of individuals with disabilities and having a lot of
out-of- pocket costs that are difficult to deal with. Um so you want to make a motion? I I'll move it. Second. Mr. Greg, public comment. No, Mr. Mayor. Commissioner Lada. Yes. Vice Mayor Anderson? Yes.
Commissioner Castro? Yes. Mayor Lago? Yes. Let's do the G's. Moving to G1. G1 is a resolution of the city commission confirming the appointments of Reverend Arnold Perry and Luis Cavedo, both nominated by commission as a whole to serve as members of the police officers retirement trust fund
board of trustees for a two-year term that began on June 1st, 2025 and continues through May 31st, 2027. Anybody like to make a motion? I'll move it. Second. All in favor? I I G2. G2 is a resolution of the city commission confirming the appointment of Anna Alvarez nominated by commission as
a whole to serve as a member of the historic preservation board for two-year term that began on June 1st, 2025 and continues through May 31st, 2027. Move it. Second. All in favor? I I H5. H5 is a resolution of the city
commission accepting the recommendation of the chief procurement officer to award Philips Park renovation to HG Construction Development and Investment Inc. as the lowest responsive and responsible bidder in the estimated amount of 3,882,82484 but not to exceed budgeted funds pursuant to invitation for bids 2025-015
and section 2-763 of the city's procurement code entitled contract award. I'll move it. Move it. Good evening. Celeste Walker Har, chief procurement officer. Sorry. I'm sorry. Oh, no. Go ahead. Go ahead. We're happy. You're so happy. Good. Yeah. Under. It's the caffeine. I'm sorry.
Issues. No litigation issues. Lowest bidder. Good. And we say 1.2 million. Correct. Which we're able to use for additional scope. Yes. Like drainage. M. Do we have a motion? Move it. Second. Do you have any on it? No, Mr. Mayor. All right. Do we have a vote? Commissioner Lada?
Yes. Vice Mayor Anderson? Yes. Mayor L? Yes. 86. H6 is a resolution of the city commission accepting recommendation of chief procurement officer to award citywide drainage improvements to GPE engineering and general contractor corp as the primary responsive and responsible bidder and FG construction LLC as a secondary responsive and
responsible bidder pursuant to invitation for bids 2025026 and section 2-76763 of the city's procurement code and title contract award. Can I have a motion? Move it. Second. Can I good?
You're good. Okay. Commissioner Lada. Yes. Vice Mayor Anderson. Yes. Mayor Log. Yes. H8. We didn't do H7. Are we skipping it? We didn't. I apologize. No, you just skipped it. H7. I'm sorry. H7. H7 is a resolution of the city
commission accepting the recommendation of the chief procurement officer to award the windows and doors replacement Coral Gables Country Club to Lee Construction Group LLC the most responsive and responsible bidder in the estimated amount of $615,000 pursuant to section 2-763 of the procurement code entitled contract award and IFB 202513.
I'll move it second. Any litigation? We're good. We're fine. No litigation. Fine. Perfect. All right. Vice Mayor Anderson? Yes. Commissioner Castro? Yes. Commissioner Lada. Yes. Mayor Logo. Yes. H8.
H8 is a resolution of the city commission accepting the recommendation of the chief procurement officer to award RFP 202512, Security Guard Services to FBI Security Services, Inc., the highest rank responsive and responsible proposer pursuant to section 2-763 to the procurement code entitled contract award
and request for proposal 2025-012. Can I move it? Second. Mr. Berg, any public comment? No, Mr. Mayor. Commissioner Castro, yes. Commissioner Lada, yes. Vice Mayor Anderson, yes. Mayor Log, yes. H9.
H9 is a resolution of the city commission, I'm sorry, a resolution of the city commission accepting recommendation to approve a soul source contract with Ocean Impact LLC for replacement of windows and doors at city hall and annex buildings 405 bill more way in an estimated amount of 3,473,39353 are not to exceed the available budget
pursuant to section 2-689 of the procurement code titled soul source procurement. Have a motion. Move it. Second. Mr. K, any public comment? No, Mr. Mayor. Have a vote. Commissioner Lada. Yes. Vice Mayor Anderson, yes. Commissioner Castro, yes.
Mayor Log, yes. H10, H10 is a resolution of the city commission authorizing the acceptance of amendment number two to grant agreement number LPA0269 with the Blur Department of Environmental Protection in the amount of $375,000 approving the extension of the tax expiration date for the Coral Gable citywide subject to sewer
conversion assessment project from December 31st, 2025 to October 31st, 2026. Authorizing city manager to execute the amendment to the agreement with FT for set financial assistance. I'll move it. Second. Mr. Cler, any public comment?
No, Mr. Mayor. All right, let's get a vote. Commissioner Lada, yes. Vice Mayor Anderson, yes. Commissioner Castro, yes. Mayor Lago, yes. H11. H11 is a resolution of the city commission authorizing the acceptance of amendment number one to grant agreement number LPA0498 with the
Florida Department of Environmental Protection in the amount of $700,000 approving the extension of the expiration date for the Coral Gables force main replacement program from November 30th, 2025 to November 30th, 2026 and authorizing city manager to execute the amendment to the agreement with FD said financial assistance. I have a motion. Move it.
Second, Mr. Clerk, any public comment? No, Mr. Mayor. Can we get a vote? Vice Mayor Anderson? Yes. Commissioner Castro, yes. Commissioner Arrow, yes. Mayor Lo, yes. H13. H13 is a resolution of the city commission amending fiscal year 2425 amended annual budget to recognize
impact fees collected through July 31st, 2025 and to appropriate such funds towards the cost of capital infrastructure projects. I have a motion. I'll move it. Second. Any public comment? No public comment, Mr. May. We have a vote. Commissioner Castro,
yes. Commissioner Lada, yes. Vice Mayor Anderson, yes. Mayor Log. Yes. H14. H14 is a resolution of the city commission renewing the city manager's authority to evaluate site development options regarding surface parking lots owned by the city and Gable's projects LLC that are adjacent to each other and
located on the 300 block of Aragon Avenue and provide recommendations to the city commission regarding the site's potential for development. Can I have a motion? I will need to recuse myself on this one. I'll move it. I I have comments. No.
What are your comments? the board feels that the commission does not um take the board's recommendations seriously. This is yeah H14 and I took the time to go ahead and hear some of the board members there and I completely agree with their analysis. One of them said in particular each of
us should go to our commissioners and present the same plan. Some will say yes, some will say no, some are in our pockets and some are in pockets of others. We have to convince them that what we are presenting is actually from the community and they are supposed to
be representing the community. Everybody is tired of development in that board. They feel that if we give them the parking lots, a big building will go there and the community doesn't want that. They don't want to go into garage, the neighbors want to park in the
street. This is coming from that board and it's coming from residents. So, I won't be supporting this. We'll defer the item. 8:15. No, before we move to 815, we have we'll move to J1. J1 is a resolution of city commission
amending resolution number 2024-284 and in accordance with section 2-30 of city code entitled regular meeting special meeting setting forth revised meeting days dates for 2025 more specifically changing the date of the city commission special assessment hearing and city commission first budget hearing for Friday September 12th, 2025. Can
I have a motion? Move it. All in favor? I I Thank you. E7. E7 is an ordinance of the city commission repealing ordinance number 2025-08 which moved the date of the city's elections from April of unnumbered years to November of even numbered years providing for
severability clause repealed provision codification and providing for an effective date. Okay. Do you guys feel comfortable redoing this after there's been a decision from the city of Miami to see if they're going to be heard or not or do you want to vote on this now? I uh think it's premature.
Okay. So, let me go ahead and defer it to the next commission meeting and I think uh we'll reach consensus then. Okay. A8 E8, excuse me. E8 is an ordinance of the city commission amending city code chapter 105 buildings and building regulations article 2 building standards section
105-28 construction and dredging at night on weekend days and holidays and chapter 34 nuisances article 6 noise section 34-169 item enumerated prohibited acts amend city code to prohibit certain construction prior to 8 a.m. rather than the current prohibition on certain work prior to 7:30 a.m. providing for
severability, repealer codification, and providing for an effective date. Mayor, um E8, um is the companion item. Can I read that one as well? We can consolidate for purposes of the public hearing. E8 and which one? E9. E9. It's a companion in the zoning code. Yep. Um that deals with parking. So E9 is an
ordinance of the city commission amending article 3 uses section 3-411 parking loading or unloading in residential neighboring districts of the city's zoning code in order to prohibit parking of vehicles used by licensed contractors in residential areas prior to 8 a.m. on certain days providing for repeater provisions of ability clause
codification providing for an effective date so we can consolidate for purposes of the public hearing. Okay. Thank you. Um good evening everyone. And this item is sponsored by these items, excuse me, are sponsored by Commissioner Castro. Both of which amend the city code and zoning code prohibitions on
starting construction before 7:30 a.m. in residential districts. This was changed that 7:30 a.m. start time to 8 a.m. And this has to do with weekdays. This doesn't affect Saturday or Sunday or holiday prohibitions. And the companion in the zoning code amends a section in the zoning code about the parking of contractor vehicles in
residential districts prior to 7:30 a.m. and similarly amends that to 7:30 a.m. So that would mean construction in residential districts would be from 7:30 to 6 p.m. excluding Sundays and holidays and when otherwise um prohibited in the code.
There is the city man Oh, I had a I had a conversation with Peter and then I didn't see his face. Um, well, he he put a grew beard. You know, I had, yes, I had a conversation with Peter and Peter had a reservation, but I it was all squared out. Um, it's in his
discretion if he feels it's appropriate um to go ahead and have a waiver. So, in case of an emergency or to his discretion, if he waves it, he can go ahead and start at 7:30 depending on the circumstance. Now, I know we we reached
that agreement and I think he's comfortable. There he goes. He's comfortable with that now. Um, Billy, I had a letter from whenever it's public comment for this item. I had a letter from the residents that they wanted you to read on the record.
I sent it to you. What was the date of the letter for context? yesterday. I think yesterday did the day before yesterday. You know, is it the same resonance tander? Because I spent about an hour hour plus on the phone phone with her on Sunday.
Allison Rich, she told me to please read this into the record. Okay. No, it's fine. I sent it to um just trying to get context since I did spend a lot of time on the phone with her. Look look at your text messages. Oh, you got it. Okay. Um, besides that, I think
the 8:00 is aligns perfectly with other surrounding municipalities as well. You want to Are you done? I'm done. Okay, perfect. I'm I'm voting no on this. Uh, I passed the legislation on Sat on for Saturday construction which
does not allow any exterior construction on Saturdays in residential neighborhoods. Uh if you look at other cities, this is well within what other cities do. This is just passing laws to pass laws. What we need to do is hold contractors and subcontractors
accountable. Just like when I eliminated all of the Saturday exterior construction. You're not allowed to do it. Roofers know that. Painters know that. People who are working on shells. Once you've already limited the exterior work on Saturdays, you've even cut
further the ability of contractors to do work. At the end of the day, um, you know, there's no need to add more more legislation and be more heavy-handed when here in the city, we already hold contractors to the highest
standard in Miami County in regards to how the sites have to be protected. The trees have to be protected. There's no Saturday construction. There's no Sunday construction. At the end of the day, I just think it's just passes laws that pass loss. So, um, for the mayor, uh, I spent about
an hour on the phone on a Sunday and I went had a really productive discussion with with the neighbor because we talked about important things such as sidewalks and sidewalk construction. And I think this is really gets down to best practices and something that the manager
can control. What type of noise occurs within the setup, where people can park, and having a discussion because it differs from neighborhood to neighborhood. in this particular neighborhood. You know, we have some special circumstances. It's not just
because of Miss Rich. It's because, you know, we've had a number of problems with this this contractor. The site has been shut down a number of times due to non-compliance. We have an excellent code enforcement officer there now. She's very v vigilant. Uh and I
addressed a number of issues with Miss Rich who used to live over where the plaza construction was. So there's always going to be this tension between getting the project done versus dragging out longer. So, and in order to strike that balance, the the conversation that
we had, and I think that we need to have this uh also with the contractor, the subcontractor who's really the the person that um is uh defiant and was operating a backhoe, I understand, on Saturday, you know, in the morning,
which is clearly not allowed under our code. Um that her concerns also were too that yes, construction requires noise, but it doesn't have to be all hours of the day in a particular
area where particular wears on a a certain person. She has issues that need to be considered, we can deal with that through the manager's office. Um, if they can shift their construction instead of the entire day right in front
of her place and work somewhere else for a while to give her a break so she can have a Zoom call, so she can take get because she's going through therapy right now, etc. without getting into any personal details. So, I think I think it was a very productive discussion and I
did have that I relayed all that to the manager and I talked to uh the manager about having the MOT um modified and for stronger enforcement there because of the number of issues we've had on this this particular project.
Okay. Through the mayor Yes. Go ahead. At the end of the day, this is a res I'm sorry. At the end of the day, this is a residential area. Miss Rich was not the only one who reached out to me about
this noise ordinance. I have support from other residents, not only in that area, but in other areas. As a commission, we're here to support our residents and make sure they have the best quality of life. Um, let the developers go ahead and help themselves.
They have the financial means to go ahead and and and fight these things. Let's go ahead and represent residents. This is a disturbance. It's half an hour. It's it's not much to ask for. I believe you could please read the the letter from the resident that wanted to
be read on the record or residents. Sure. Mr. Mayor, would you like to take public comment first or uh Yes, I would. Thank you. So I have a member of the public requesting to speak also on this item. Mrs. Maria Cruz Mrs. Maria Cruz, 1447 Miller Road. I as
half hour doesn't seem like a a lot, but to the people is a lot. And let me tell you, this businesses of no Saturday, no Sunday work except when they get extended hours and they can park
anywhere they want to is an issue. So half an hour. You know what? It's long overdue. There's issues with it. You know what? Let them They come in at 8:00 a.m. It's not a big deal and it's a big
deal to the residents. So, this is a chance for goodwill to the residents through the mayor. Yeah. My conversation with the city manager was to work on theote with this particular resident
and anybody else in that area that had an issue because we've had a number of issues with this same contractor not only on this site but another site. But at the same time, people want their sidewalks done so they can do quiet work when they arrive, not leave their their
trucks idling. That was one of the complaints. not be yelling and talking out there while they're getting set up, but wait for the noisy work to start. They can go inside and get their plans laid out and lay out the work for the day and get set up doing quiet stuff.
And then at 8:00 then you can run the cutting saw because we have to run the cutting saw to do our sidewalks as well. And when I talked to the resident about sidewalks and stuff, she didn't want to slow that down. So that could start before 8:00, but then we're holding a
different standard to someone else. We need a a uniform standard for city work as well as contractor work unless there is an emergency. You know, we have a sewer main break and we have to fix something during the night, etc. Then there's
these exceptions. And why we have exceptions to the rules is because there are emergencies sometimes that need to be taken care of. That was the conversation I had and I I I trust that the the manager's office is on top of this. I've spoken to the deputy city
manager and Miss Rich has the highest regard for you. He had she also has the highest regard for our code enforcement officer in that area who uh doesn't mess around. She really gets after these folks. So, um I
would ask that we can continue this conversation with the residents there. This project is getting closer and closer to being finished and perhaps there is just a gap in the communication here between what was said on Sunday to
me about having this type of plan worked out where the noisy work doesn't begin until 8:00, but in the meantime they can come there, they can get set up. The MOT for that area required them to park elsewhere and then you brought people
in. There was a manager there on site uh that's no longer there now that literally told went there and told the the folks that he was going to have all those contractors towed out if they continue to obliterate the neighborhood and the swailes surrounding. I mean he
was a very strict con uh manager on the site and he was serious with the employees. It's not there anymore. We have to, you know, evolve with it and the deputy city manager has been very proactive on this site and has said a
number of times that he would shut them down if they continue to violate the rules. We do have rules for a purpose. They shouldn't be out there blurring music before 8:00. They shouldn't be cutting, you know, doing noisy work. So, that's that's what I ask and that's
why I want the manager's office to continue to do work with them. Mr. Mr. Mayor, if I may read the letter from the res. Go ahead. Says, "Dear Coral Gables commissioners, as a resident resident of Santander Avenue and a fourth generation Miamiian, I strongly support Commissioner Caster's
proposed ordinance amendments for construction. These critical changes, which aim to prohibit construction and contractor vehicle parking before 8 a.m., are essential for restoring the fundamental right to peace and quality of life in residential areas. Our
community, particularly residents near the Gables Village project on Santander, has endured an unjust burden of severe disruptions from ongoing construction. Current regulations are demonstrably in insufficient. They have led to
intolerant noise, constant disturbances, and an undeniable burden on residents. Other municipalities, including the city of Miami, already enforce an 8 a.m. start time for construction. a standard Coral Gables must adopt to accommodate its growth and ensure the well-being of
its diverse community. I urge a city to continue implementing proactive measures with diverse decision makers and city employees to protect Santender Avenue residents. The industrial noise and debris are diminishing our quality of life and taking away daytime home use.
And the flooding near the porta parties needs immediate attention. Additionally, our sidewalks and swailes must be restored to endure ADA compliance. The proposed amendments will empower the city to enforce reasonable working hours and hold developers accountable. This is
not merely a matter of convenience. It is about ensuring that urban development proceeds without compromising the health, safety, and tranquility of Coral Gable's citizens. We have experienced priceless personal loss due to Gable's village developments, refusal to follow the law,
and this new ordinance represents a vital step towards creating a culture of respect between development and residents. Code enforcement officer Martinez has been upstanding in finding fair compromises between residents and our
neighbors, the developers. Mayor Lago's community champion Laura prioritized her community safety. Vice Mayor Anderson has been exceptionally diligent and compassionate to finding protections for disabled residents. Commissioner Castro thoughtfully introduced these essential
ordinances to center solutions for residents. Joe Gomez is proactive and fair. Thank you for prioritizing resident safety, livability. Commissioners, your vote on these amendments will profoundly determine the quality of life of my block and the and
shape the future community. I implore you to adopt these vital amendments without delay. Okay. Um any further any further public comment? No, Mr. Mayor. Would you like to make a motion? I'll move it. So, I'm going to let's see,
the photos, etc. that were sent appear to have a date that pre preceded my conversation with her. I'm going to ask to give the deputy city manager the opportunity to work out a resolution on
this site because Miss Rich clearly said to me that she didn't want to impact our city's ability to move forward with sidewalks, move forward on our projects as well and that we do quiet work. Let's not do the cutting saws before 8:00 in the morning that do the setup and have
the respect. This morning I said in the pictures of the flooding on the street. Uh director Diaz is responding to that issue to uh take the first phase approach of putting a drain cover over that's that's permeable to resolve it.
If that doesn't resolve it, we will before the TCO is issued make sure that this contractor takes care of the drainage issues on that street because it's impacted by their project. Um, there's other things that I sent to you as well that maybe address. Would you
like to share with us your thoughts on the impact of an 8 a.m. start time on the city uh projects as well as other projects in the city? Uh, thank you, Vice Mayor, and through through the mayor. Um, we've been taking a very proactive approach, as you know,
with this contractor. In fact, we have a meeting scheduled tomorrow with the contractor. coming into our office to talk to them about all these issues and how we're going to move forward. Um, in terms of the 8:00 uh start time, um, as we've expressed, um, we that that's a
concern to us because every every half hour or hour you shave off construction is an impact. All we're doing is prolonging the pain to the residents. And uh, two things. Number one, in the summertime, the important thing is to
get as much of the heavy work done earlier in the day because of the the incredible temperatures that we're having. And when when the time changes, the the window of construction work is limited. So, we still have 6:00, but by 5:00, by 5:30, it's it's very difficult
to do any outdoor work. So, again, the if you take half our hour every day, that's that's two and a half hours a week. You add that over a month, that starts adding up a day, two, you start cutting into the construction schedule. So all this is critical. So again, I
think we can treat each of these projects on a case-byase basis when when it's necessity. We can do certain things. Vice Mayor, as you mentioned, that we can we can work with the contractors. That's one of the reasons that the manager directed us to bring in the contractor in tomorrow. We're going to have a sit down with the contractor.
Again, we found that they were doing uh exterior work on Saturday. We cited them for that. They have running fines right now that that are significant. Uh they're going to have to address that. They're not going to get their TCO. We're going to address the the drainage issues as well. So, we are very
proactive on the site and we're going to continue to do so. So, this is my request. Defer this, give the deputy city manager an opportunity to meet. Um you can join a meeting as if you want to as well. Uh I did spend a
considerable time on the phone with this individual. I do think that there is uh room for compromise to where we get quiet work done, respectful work done, not have the trucks running outside, not be splashing the water all in in the mud
and mock and parking all over the park, the residential side. Uh repair uh the walkability of the area. I mean, there's been some asphalt added in areas to improve and uh you know, code enforcement officer had a big part to do with that. So, my my hats off to her. She's amazing
and I appreciate you stepping in on this and and dealing with this particular contractor that we've had so much trouble with. So, sorry, I didn't know you were doing I'm sorry. What is the will of Commissioner? Yeah. So, this letter was sent yesterday. That was after the conversation that you had with her. You had a conversation on Sunday, you were
saying, right? Yes, I had a conversation with her and I had spent considerable amount of time with her. I live a a mere four blocks away from the site. I'm watching constantly. The impact of this goes beyond this
particular site and there's a way to address theote for this site differently than every other site in this city because it is so surrounded by single family homes on all sides. Okay. So would you like if I may
direct it through the through the mayor. Um we have the resident on on the uh on the zoom they like okay uh Miss Allison Rich is currently on Zoom. I'm asking her to unmute if she wishes to address the commission. Ma'am, would you u mute your computer?
She's not on mute. Okay. All right. So, there she is. Ma'am, go ahead. Hello. Um, thank you to the commissioners. Um, I know it's been a very long day and I appreciate um your
diligence to review this issue. Um, I just want to, um, commend each of you and thank you each, um, and also please implore you to consider the 8 a.m. start time, um, and to let you know what a difference it would make in in the lives of, um, not just me, but all the
residents of Coral Gables. So, so what you're asking us is to please approve the 8:00 noise ordinance. Yes. and to also continue to be proactive. Yes. Um I'm sorry. Um I am asking for the 8 a.m. um ordinance. And
it's not just me, but it's all the people in our community and the people who are going to live near these development projects in the future. It's also just the norm um for city of Miami and for larger development. So it's not anything new or um radical in any way.
It's simply the norm. Um and I think it's going to really help our city to boom. um um it's in a growth spurt and I think this is just a common sense adaptation and there are still very real needs um for this specific development project and we're so grateful to each of
you for your leadership on this issue. Mr. Clerk, can we close the public comment? Yes, sir. Thank you. If I may, if I may, we already This is an issue of enforcement. This is an issue of education.
This is we don't need more laws. Okay. Unincorporated Miami Day County has a start time of 7 a.m. Village of Kiscane has a start time of 7 a.m. Pinerest has a start time of 7 a.m. We are in the middle. 7:30 is an appropriate time.
Again, at the end of the day, what we need to do is we need to crack down on people who are not complying just like we've done on Saturdays. That's why you don't see that there's exterior Saturday construction. Sometimes it happens. you have a subcontractor that's new to the area or a contractor that's new that's never worked in coral gables but they're
made aware when they pull their permit where dumpsters have to be located trees have to be protected that there has to be a certain type of peck that's used in front of in front of swailes to make sure you don't drag mud up and down the street how fences have to look how's your signage have to look at the end of
day I think it's pretty simple um again uh you can write a law saying it starts at 8 o'lock by the end of Hey, if you're not complying, what are you going to say? Let's start at 9:00. Start at 9:30. This is an issue of compliance. Just make sure people comply by 7:30 and they
have to follow the rules. If they don't comply, that's why we have code enforcement. From my understanding is a developer has put four people working on every corner now, security guards addressing the concerns. I drove by and I saw these individuals were there managing traffic and also ensuring that
people were not idling on the street and doing all kinds of things. That was about two days ago when I stopped by two days away. So at the end of the day, I told you I would like to see the DCM work to find middle ground and I think
we can do that with our staff through the mayor. Yes. Uh mayor, they've already been closed for one day. Yeah. The next time it will be three and next time it will be the next time it will be five. They'll comply and next time it will be five. We have a meeting with them tomorrow. Uh the fact
that we're working on Saturday and things like this is is a non-compliance issue and we're going to take care of it one way or another. Of course, I know we will. Everybody always falls in line. You hit them when it hurts the most. It's the time. By the way, what the DCM mentioned is the most important
part of the conversation. This is what I do for a living. So, as you push back the start date in the morning, it just extends the project, extends the pain. And you can't do certain things in the afternoon or midday that you can do in the morning because the weather is appropriate and you don't have the high temperature and the humidity. Madam Vice
May, so I'm gonna I'm gonna add to that. It's going to impact everybody. Yeah. Everybody. You got to get a roof replaced. Roof was replaced across the street from me. They're respectful contractor, but they're out there at 7:30 ready to to rock and roll because they have to. The
rains are threatening in the afternoon. We've got to get the house dried in. So this is a lot more than just commercial development. This particular contractor in this particular neighborhood has been a problem. Okay. But I don't want to
impact the ability of homeowners to get the roofs replaced. Yes, it's noisy work, but it has to be done and we all need our roofs replaced at some point. And I did not, you know, I would not be complaining about the tear off and the hammering down of all the new paper and so forth necessary on the roof across
the street from me because, you know, of the situation. Um, I'm very sensitive to the needs of Miss Rich as well as everybody else there. That's why I've asked for the meeting to occur between the deputy city manager
and the neighborhood to be able to shift the noise around because the poor woman couldn't even get on a Zoom call, you know, without leaving her house to go to the library because the noise was 20, you know, during an entire day. I'm sure there's a compromise. There's always a
compromise. 99% of the problem most time is communication. And here it's enforcement and communication. communication with the residents to work out a compromise and an enforcement of whatever that compromise is. Okay, mayor, we have a motion.
Yeah. Through the mayor, I think at some point this this new mayor majority needs to start thinking what's in the best interest of the residents and let the developers worry about themselves. This is clearly a whole block that's asking you guys to do
this and it's not a big deal. I It's not a It's not a big deal at all. It's not only the this block right here that's asking it. I have another resident in a different section of the city asking for the same thing. It's not
a big deal. If a developer needs a 7:30, Peter can give it to him. It's a right or wrong, Peter. A waiver. A waiver. Yes. If if they need to start earlier, they can wave it. But why are we going to hinder their quality of life
when it's in our hands and they can start 8:00 and in in any special circumstance, the city manager could go ahead and wave that if needed. You're the mayor. Yes, sir. Okay. Um it seems to me more common sense is to give deference to our city
manager and our deputy city manager. I'm actually just common sense in general because what you're proposing is that you throw out the the entire baby with the bathwater and discount everything that's been said by the people who know the best with respect to the development
and construction services as to why we have the Goldilock solution. We're we're we're not at 7:00, we're not at 8, we're at 7:30 in the morning. But rather than say that the city manager, if we if we if we carry this uh ordinance through,
start going backwards and picking off which one should be starting at 7:30, why not do it the other way and say leave it at 7:30? And if somebody needs to start um or has a good cause to start at 8, then they can take that up with the manager at that time as opposed to
everybody in the city now is going to be behind by a half hour. It's not everybody in the city. If this ordinance is passes, it's it's citywide. No, no, no, it's not. It's only in residential areas. Well, we're talking about everybody who's a resident.
Mhm. It's a residential districts. In the commercial areas, there's different It would be different. It would stay the same. But every resident, right? You This isn't block specific. Correct. Residential districts, but not block residential block one
block specific. Correct. I think May I interject? Excuse me. What I think you're trying to explain to her is that the appropriate way to handle is to say we have an issue with this project. That's what I'm saying.
Perfect. You can't start till 9:00 in the morning. And you'll see how quickly they comply. You cannot start till 9:00 in the morning. That's the way I would handle it because we haven't had this issue as grave as what we have with this
project. So, if we have an issue and there's no compliance, then make them start at 9:00 in the morning. I don't have a problem with that. But the idea of doing a blanket blanket approach, the reason why I did a blanket on Saturday, so does not allow any residential construction on exteriors on Saturday was because I was getting a lot of calls
that people were saying, "Hey, Saturday's sacred. It's my work day. My only day that I haven't worked Sunday, I take these days off. I'd like to have some time and it made it was appropriate because you had five full days and you could still work in the interior of the home as long as you were not making noise that could be at a certain decel
from the sidewalk. So, I think the approach here, we've talked about this a lot. We have a lot of items on the agenda. We want to make a vote. You already have a motion. Let's see if we get a second and we move forward. If not, what I'd like to see, and I think it would be important, is have the DCM address the issue and say if there's no compliance in a week, we we give them a
nine o'clock start time. Okay. through the mayor. So, um, vice may I'm trying to meet you halfway. Try to meet. No, right. But, Vice Mayor, even if I defer this item, there's no support for it. It seems like this commission doesn't want to do that. No matter if I do defer the item. So, I'm I'm going to
go ahead and I'm going to move. Just remember, you're not saying no to me. This isn't my idea. This is the idea of the residents. So, finally finally, so there's not a misconstruction of anything that's been said here. This is not a note of the residence. This is this is giving the
the city manager's office the ability to deal with the issue, especially where we have a non-compliant contractor, not on one site, but two sites, okay? And not restricting the ability of homeowners when they need to get their leaky roof replaced from getting their their job
done, you know, on a timely basis or they're trying to get it done before the hurricane season begins. Okay, it there's only a finite period of time to get this stuff done. So we have a problem contractor. I think it's spec, you know, appropriate that we deal with
it in a manner that the deputy city manager suggested. So this is not a no to the residents. This is a yes to the residents. So let me ask you, let me let me let me make a let me offer. Okay, Mr. Manager, Mr. DCM, through the
manager, if we're we have a man, if we have a contractor that is stubborn and is not willing to comply through through the mayor. My recommendation my recommendation this is what I ask you what I asked the manager to do please is I ask for them
to be given a 9:00 start time for the next month and you will see how quickly they comply because at the end of the day you're taking two hours away from their workday and that when you add it up that you're losing one day a week those two hours.
So you see how quickly they will comply. That will bring somebody into compliance immediately and it will reward the people that are good actors and the people that are bad actors will put them in check immediately. So I ask you through the manager to please consider that option and that is a real answer
for the for the residents, not an 8:00 start time. This will bring somebody into compliance quickly quickly. You can start off with one week at 9:00 and if they don't comply, you give them another week at 9:00. You give them another week at 9:00 and you'll see how quickly they comply through the mayor.
Yes, sir. We will handle this tomorrow. But you understand? Yes or no? Yes, mayor. We will handle this tomorrow. So, I would I would like to make a motion like to make a motion on this item that if you do not comply,
you will be forced to start at 9:00 for one week. Once you start complying and following the proper protocols in place, we will we will give you back your start time, your original start time. There has to be a hammer in place to make sure
that the residents are not bothered to the point that these residents are involved. I want you to consider that. Just consider that. Okay. Consider that. That's all I'm saying. Consider through the mayor. Yes. Uh mayor, and we've also looked at stopping the job one day. Yeah. Then we stopped the job three days.
Okay. Can I tell you what happened? which stop a job 5 days. What happens when you stop it one day? It takes 3 days to start the job again, which again it's their fault for for not complying, but it's painful. It's very painful. It's it's very painful. But uh if we have a contractor that is not
cooperating, wants to do what they want to do. It's not acceptable. We will consider certainly the 9:00 start date uh start time for a week and and and uh and other options if necessary. Commission, you want to say something? Yeah, I was going to say that even what you're suggesting for for the manager to
consider perfect for him to consider. But if we were to pass the ordinance as it's been moved, um we still remain with the compliance issue. That doesn't solve a recalcitrant repeat
offender contractor. So bad facts, just throw another old saying out there makes bad law. You're not we're not we're not solving the root issue respectfully in my view but I believe I could be wrong manager's office has all kinds of tools
at its disposal to attack a particular issue and you're offering one way for them to start considering it. I don't I I so I'm not supportive of a law that changes everything for everybody but won't even necessarily address the one that brought it to the forefront. So
thank you. Um perfectly we have the motion dies. There is no second moving. I'm going to defer F12. Okay. F12. Okay. Um I'm going to E10 really quick.
How long does this take? E10 is a resolution of the city commission formalizing the international cultural events program setting forth guidelines, requirements, and purpose providing for implementation and an effective date. Anybody want to make a motion? I'll move it. Second. Thank you.
Thank you. Any any public comment? Second, mayor. No, sir. All right. Commissioner Lada, yes. Vice Mayor Anderson? Yes. Commissioner Castro? Yes. Mayor Logo? Yes. F11 as quickly as possible. The reason why I'm bringing it back is because we had a little bit of hiccup on
pricing and we want to open the door for the manager's office to negotiate with another vendor. Is that correct, Madame ACM? Correct. There was a original conversation at the commission level uh in regards to celebrating the end of her
centennial at the Venetian pool and there was a res resolution to work with orchestra in Miami. As part of that resolution, they had promised to fund raise those funds. At this time, uh we met with them and they asked for the city to provide those funds to the orchestra. Those funds were not
fundraised. So, we would like to ask at exploring additional avenues to make sure we get the best price for the city. So, I attended that meeting uh with the UCM and other members of of the city and she's spot on. So I'll move it. Okay. Second. It's not a resolution.
It's a discussion. Yeah. But I just making we we have to give direction to staff. So it's the caffeine. I'm sorry. No, we have to give we got to give direction to to the manager's office to move forward with another Do I need a I need a vote? Yes. Because So there was a prior resolution directing
Okay. So I was right. Motion a second. I'm sorry. Who second it? I did. All in favor? I Thank you. F19. F19 is a resolution of the city commission rescending resolution number 2025-163
which called for a special election to be held for approval or disapproval of a ballot question prohibiting future amendments to the date of the city's election via ordinance and cancelling the special election for that question. I think this is very very easy. It's invalid and it's wasteful. Florida law and Miami date county charter already
require voter approval before a city can change its election date. The coral gables ordinance moving elections to November was unlawful to begin with. So no matter what that ballot question was to let the the the people decide the
people have to decide anyway. So it's the language is conflicting. Um it's a waste of taxpayer money to hold a special election on a question that's illegally and meaningless misleading. That's it. Uh, madam city attorney, through the guidance of the city attorney, that's why we made the decision to move forward
the way we did. Um, let me be clear, we already have it in April. So, at the end of the day, we're still waiting for a decision from the Supreme Court. We're pending. I haven't heard it come in yet. So, this whether we vote one way or not, we've already put it on for a for an April election. Correct. Well, you've given direction that we
bring it back to put it on the April. So, we're waiting. We're waiting. We're waiting for for the decision for the Supreme Court and we'll wait. We'll wait. You like to make a motion on that? So, do you prefer I defer this again? No, no, no. Just make a motion. I mean, if it's Did you Did you understand what the motion was? It's regarding the ballot
question that was out asking that the residents have to vote. The residents have to vote on it no matter what. Commissioner, it's your item. You like to You do as you please. If you would like to make a motion and move forward, you can move forward. Whatever you like. I'm moving it. Okay. Do we have a second?
I'd like to wait for the decision of the court. So the item dies. Moving on to F20. I'm sorry. There's no action by the commission. Want to take public comment? M first speaker, Mr. Mayor, Mrs. Murray Cruz.
Which item? chance because they were she was not I was not allowed to speak before. So, Mrs. Maria Cruz, 1447 Miller Road. All I'm going to say is that in the previous discussion about the ballots, I
requested to speak because there was items added to that proposal that were not on the agenda. And the city attorney, the deputy city attorney told me that it would be dealt with, but the dealing with was do it
later instead of allowing me to speak since they added stuff. I My understanding by Robert's rules is that if you add new material, and boy did we add new material, I should have been allowed to speak. So I will say it now.
Okay, I will say it right now. when uh I think it's very interesting that we are at the point where if we don't get it one way, we'll get it another way. We had several referendums going around the
city. They had over a year to obtain the votes and the signatures. Most of the signatures were thrown out so they couldn't get it on the ballot and now we're going to go
around again. So what the king wants, the king will get and you know what the people will speak because this is not Cuba. As much as we are so democratic that we defend Cuba every day in this city, in this chamber, we do not allow
people to speak even when they're entitled to. Mr. Mayor, Mr. RIP Holmes, Commissioner Castro, Mayor, if I can just clarify for a moment. As I stated, we will bring back those items that were mentioned about um those additional questions for the April 21, 2026, which
is the reason that we said we would bring them back at a later date because they were not advertised. So, for the record, Yes, sir. I um as as you know um I I believe that the citizens do not want
Miracle Mile to become uh an eightstory street or uh full of mixeduse mid-rise buildings, whatever. And so we need to preserve democracy. I I want to get to an issue if you'll allow me um
about, you know, this money stuff, right? Um, I believe that the reason that there was a discussion to begin with, that this was even proposed to move the election to November, is because of
developer money being able to I don't want to say buy elections, but I'll leave that open. What happens is, and we all know this because we vote, right? So, you go out and you vote in a governor's race, you vote in a president's race, you have a guilty
conscience. Gosh, there's local elections. Do you even know what you're voting for? And if there's no name recognition, a lot of people say, "Well, I'm not going to vote on something. I don't even know what the issues are." And but if there is name recognition that was bought by developers,
then, oh, geez, I recognize that. Okay. Yeah, I'll vote for him. And that's that's the concern here. Uh that in that uh the election can be bought on the in
November that can't be bought uh in April. Thank you. Thank you, sir. That's it. Yes, mayor. May I clarify the zoning on on on the mile? Yes, of course. Thank you. Thank you, mayor. Garcia pian zone director. As you know,
we have the Zane Freriedman overlay district that's encompassing Miracle Mile as well as the half of the block north and south. Um, for properties are on Miracle Mile themselves is limited to four stories or 50 ft.
Okay, thank you very much. All right, moving on to item F20. F20. F20. I'm sorry, Mr. Mayor. Apologize. So on F19, are we going to defer the item? There's no there's no u there's no second. Understood. Thank you, sir.
F20. F20 is a resolution of city commission rescending resolution number 2025-246 which directed the city commission may consider whether to participate in particular lawsuits by filing an amikas brief or intervening in an action already pending. By rescending this resolution, we send a
strong message that we hear the people, we respect the law, and we don't use backdoor ordinances to make fundamental election changes. I move it. Um, Madam City attorney,
you gave us guidance in regards to to how we could handle moving in elections, correct? Correct. We were not breaking the law. That's number one. Please don't say that. It just makes the whole city not in the shine in the best light.
Right now, we're breaking the law. Right now, right now we are, but if you want to say next commission meeting, you feel more comfortable, I'll be okay with that, too. No, no. Again, I'm not voting for this. So, so, um,
we're moving forward. We're wasting time here. So, again, look, the plan is simple. is to send out a massive email saying, "I voted for you. I did all this. I did all that." It's a waste of time. We've already set the election depending on what happens with the city of Miami
today or tomorrow. We've set it for April along with all the other referendum items. It's very clear. It's very simple. Enough political theater. Let's move on. We have a lot of items on the agenda. What's the issue? Vote on it. What is the problem? You're not going to go ahead and sue anyone. You're not going
to go into legal legal lawsuits. Let me explain to you then. Go ahead. You just don't want to vote on it because I am the sponsor. That's ridiculous. Like be a mayor for real. The reason why I'm not voting on it. Again, continue to antagonize just like
you said, liar. Be a mayor. All these ridiculous things that you say. Again, we're waiting for the Supreme Court to respond. I'm in favor of supporting the city of Miami if it was picked up. We're still
waiting for that. At the end of the day, I look forward to the outcome of whatever the Supreme Court decides. But at the end of the day, you can't stop the inevitable. We're already set on the docket for April. Madam Vice Mayor, the only thing that I think deserves
clarification for residents is that's not what this matter is about. It's about whether or not to file an Amikas brief. And the city attorney normally possesses authority to make that decision. unilaterally. This actually limited her author authority
and required this commission to weigh in which we did and we didn't file an AMGA spree. So just so it's clear on the record. So no, I'm not going to vote for it. We will continue to monitor the situation and
wait for the court's opinion. Where? Well, I want to I don't want to belabor the point and I was going to say what the vice mayor said because what commissioner Castro said mischaracterized what this uh what the action taken by the um
commission was uh on the resolution that she seeks recession. But I just want to say to make it in simple terms, at the time that the majority of this commission voted to move the elections to November, it did so not only with the advice and
council of our city attorney, but given the state of the law at the time and the facts. Subsequently, there was a challenge to a different municipality, the city of Miami, it's been no challenge to the city of Coral Gables. A third district court of opin opinion
came out after we voted. it wasn't in position or existed at the time we did vote and that is also subject to further appellet review. What I don't want to do because you said it yourself a few hear a few meetings ago. You don't want to
begin debating the law. That's not your field. Did you not say that? Did I did I quote you correctly? Do you want an answer from me? It's rhetorical. Okay. But you did say I don't want to get into the law. So I don't want to get into it
with you either. But when you say what we're doing and did is illegal, you're speaking out of turn. Just like when you say to one of your fellow colleagues that you're a liar, you're speaking out of turn respectfully. Moving on. Uh would you like to make a
motion as item? If there's no support for it, please bring it back next commission meeting, Billy. Yes, ma'am. Thank you. F21. F21 is a resolution of the city commission calling a special election on the proposed ballot question and city charter amendment to be held on April
13, 2027 providing for submission to the electors for approval or disapproval of a ballot question asking if the charter this item if I may attorney again an attorney we have Thank you for confirming that under your breath that I'm not an attorney. Thank
you. Um, we just placed an item on the ballot for a November election. Why would you defer this item that will not be held or heard ever?
You want to just hear it every commission meeting and just slam the entire agenda like you've done here with items that are not going to get heard. I do. You know why? Because that your item is going to come back up. That's why. Your item is going to come back up. Am I
wrong, city attorney? That item is going to come right back up, is it not? So, the items that are coming back would be placing the additional items on on on the April 26 election. Those are the My item is not coming back. The elections are already the election was
voted on and we're having an election in April. Now what we're talking about is the additional referendum. The referendums that we moved from November so that we could have a comprehensive election in April that deal with city issues. Nothing else. Correct. M there will and items will be returning. There's some timing requirements that we
have with Miami date county. So there's certain direction has to be given within 120 days of a special election. So we will as I mentioned likely be returning in early 2026 to confirm those additional questions and call for the contract with the clerk and the canvasing boards as necessary. So closer
to those dates, we will be returning, but I I don't didn't hear a plan to return next meeting with an item. Mr. Mayor, additionally, you know, although the your the item that that was adopted today had a date on it, I still have not requested of Miami date county to make sure that date works with them. While it's it's usually a
formality, we still want to make sure that that's a date that works with them. And and if we have to come back and change the date for any reason, we have time to do so. Totally fine. But this is this is stone. This is set in concrete. We're moving forward. We've we've received the direction and it's certainly we'll make our schedules once we confirm those
dates with the supervisor of elections but as I mentioned the uh timing of items for return we generally do that closer to the election date when we have to contract with the supervisor of elections and meet those deadlines with the county. So what would you like to do with Fer item for the next meeting
for the next Okay. F uh F24 F-24 is a resolution of the city commission authorizing city manager to engage with the Florida Department of Government Efficiency for support with financial auditing, long-term planning, and improving financial controls and operational efficiency. This item is sponsored by Commissioner Castro. As the
title indicates, it's to engage with the Florida Department of Governmental Efficiency to collaborate with them on certain items, including a 10-year financial plan, a full audit of city expenditures, and providing the city with recommendations regarding financial controls and operational efficiency. I think this would be pretty easy
because in your memo, you also stated that you needed a long-term financial audit, and I think this aligns perfectly with with what you were proposing. So, I don't see why you wouldn't at least second this. May I respond? Um, this Ariel Fernandez
brought this up. He did not receive a second. Why? And the DCM will tell you, the manager will tell you because staff opposed it. Correct. Correct. I am in favor of an audit, but a audit that we hire the auditor, not that we open ourselves up to anyone
else. By the way, one of the things that I and I see Maria chuckling in the back like always. One of the things that we need to be careful when you ask for the doge to show up when they look at that you raised your salary unilaterally that you put a $20 million cola that you gave a $40,000 check to the theater without a
procurement process that you hired x amount of employees encumbering the city over $10 million a year and they see my memo which again out of respect like commissioner LA said I did not send that to the financial auditors in the state of Florida because I would not do that
to the city out of respect if I were to do that I would bring it before the commission and say, "I'd like to send this to the state of Florida for their review and consideration, but I want the support of my colleagues in the commission." So, at the end of the day, Ariel, Commissioner Fernandez brought this forward already, it did not receive
support because Mr. Manager when I put on the record because, you know, start splicing all these things on social media, was staff finance director in favor of having Doge come to the city? finance director is not in favor
and neither am I. I think we run a very tight ship. We we have uh internal audits, we have external audits and I I think this is not necessary. So this is a great another great opportunity again when you have the when you have the long uh winded um
you know social media campaign which will be coming out. Mayor opposes financial audit. Mayor opposes $13 tax reduction. Mayor opposes I mean we all know the dog and sh Doug and Pony show it's going to happen. So, but at the end of the day, if you'd like to do a financial audit, I'm more than willing
to do a financial audit in the city. I just don't think that and I and I agree with staff. I don't think Dodge is in the best interest of the of the city. So, that through the mayor, the vice mayor wanted to say something. No, no, I just uh I'll follow up that not every city in the state of Florida has the capacity that this city does to
do long-term financial planning. And that is what this city has done. uh when I first got in office and I started going through the spreadsheets, the planning that this commit, this manager's office has done, um they were astounded. Boy, I wish I had that when I
was in office because the suggestion I was going to make is for you to bring somebody in and make this type of a plan, but you've done it. You you've done this long-term planning for replacement of equipment and so forth. And um you know the comment that I I I had made to Commissioner Fernandez will
stand also here as well. When you start bringing in someone to criticize the expenditures, you may end up uh cutting some things that the residents really uh appreciate such as the backyard um garbage service and uh they like that
very much. And you know that's a decision that they get to make on whether or not they want to continue with backyard uh garbage service. It costs more. It does. It would save Would it save the city money? Yes. If that's the only lens you want to look at these
things through, then that's what Doge will do for you. And it may end up with some very unhappy residents at that point through the mayor. Yes. As recommended from the this body, you guys wanted me to go ahead and bring something before I do it. And because of
all the allegations that the mayor has said that I am um fiscally irresponsible that I um the the cola the contract the salaries I think really it's in the best interest of the city especially since
you've been putting this message out there that we are financially not stable. I would say from the last commission or the last majority that was here. I put this here to let you guys
know that I will be having a meeting with them. So, I hope I don't get censured again, but I think this is in the best interest of the city. I wish I would have had your support, but if I don't, then in my own capacity as a commissioner, I'm not
going to go behind. Uh Mr. Manager, um I'd like for you to please um clip this flip this item and send it to the governor and send it to lieutenant governor. And I would like for them to send a copy of my memo along
with all the votes and the resolutions and everything that commissioner that commissioner Castro has done. Uh because I'm not making allegations. Those are facts. And that's what happens when you have zero business acumen and a real lack of understanding on how to run a business and you're spending other
people's money and it's taxpayer money. You have to be thoughtful. You have to be careful. You have to understand that when you make decisions that encumber the city for a decade almost to $30 million, there are repercussions. Just because you call for Doge and then use a
caption on Instagram saying, "Hey, I called for Doge." Or, for example, I went to a pet shelter, but I didn't adopt a pet. You know, you're just embarrassing yourself at the end of the day because people see through it. Everybody sees through it. So at the end of the day, if you want to do something, look at sit down with our finance
department. They have audited financials every single year. Review them from an outside firm and then say, bring to the table and say, I'd like to do an audit of the following departments. I'd like to do the following audit of the city. Let's do something great. I'd love to do
that. I would love to do that. And I've said it for a long time. But to bring an outside agency that at the end of day is going to tell us, hey, for example, the vice mayor used a great example and that is which our which our employees did. Hey, get rid of your back door pickup. It'll save you seven eight $9 million a year. Yeah, but that's a service that
the residents enjoy. It may be more efficient and it may be save us a ton of money, but at the end of the day, that's something that we like. That's something that we enjoy. Commissioner La, you wanted to say something. Yes. With respect to this um resolution,
Commissioner Castro, you your your support for it as stated is that you find that there's need to audit the city's operational efficiency that it needs improving its financial controls. that you've not identified any
financial controls that don't meet GAP or operational inefficiencies because that's the same as saying I'm indicting the people who you praise every time they come before us to give you information. I'm confused. What it sounded to me is that you're pushing
this resolution because you don't like the mayor saying to you that he disagreed with what you voted before I was elected in terms of how we spend the taxpayers money. When I was elected, I think I did a pretty good job along with my other two colleagues in cutting
expenses that I believe were wrongfully incurred, which the residents told me were wrongfully incurred, which is why they voted me in, among other reasons. I think we do a pretty good job in terms of keeping a control over how we're spending. At least since I got here,
that's what it looks like to me. I don't feel we need to be clipping, by the way, mayor, and sending to Tallahassee anything. I don't feel you should be going unilaterally to Tallahassee unless you're going to go up there and say, "If that's the case, if we put this to a
vote, my colleagues vehemently disagree with the need for this." But I and I alone as a maverick among up here and saying, "Look at me. I'm asking for you to come in. But you better be prepared to air whatever you believe is dirty laundry. I don't think there's any dirty
laundry here. So you're either going to tell us what it is or you're going to make it up if you go to Tallahassee." Neither of those is a particularly good outcome. So respectfully, no more political theater, no more drama.
Let's let's focus on if there's a particular item that you think is misspent, something that shows a lack of control, something that looks like inefficiency coming from some root cause. I'm all ears, commissioner, all
ears, as are the residents. So, I'm gonna I'm going to follow up and I'm going back in time to when you were first elected and Commissioner Fernandez was first elected and y'all wanted to spend the reserve
money. You all you wanted to spend instead of putting that money into the pension and paying down that debt, you wanted to spend that as well because residents want everything done now. Don't forget the salary increases. Well, the salary Yeah. salary increases.
That's gonna go well with Doge. That That's going to go real well with Doge. But when you're spending your reserves so that now you're going to have to come up to the state of Florida and ask for help because you can't clean up after a hurricane and you're going to have to go out to debt on a hurricane. There's a complete presentation that was
done to dissuade you and Commissioner Fernandez and Commissioner Menendez from spending those monies in the amount of money it would have cost residents in a way of lost interest on the money that we have in reserve plus the borrowing and carrying those funds for years while
we wait for FEMA. And now we don't even know if FEMA is going to be able to reimburse us in the future because that's up in the air at the moment. These are the types of decisions. I mean, if you're going to send this up to Doge, let's have a complete look under the hood and look at all these types of
actions that were proposed, but now finally that we have under control because it's going to with the ballot take a four-fifths vote. But by the way, why was why did I sponsor that piece of legislation to require a four-fifth vote? Because we were in the middle of having a
conversation and we were begging Castro, Fernandez, and Menendez to please do not take money from reserves. Please, no. Let's take money. Let's take money. Let's spend it on sidewalks. Let's spend it on this. I go, let's budget accordingly. We spend $2 million a year on sidewalks. Let's add a little
bit more. What will make you happy? Don't touch the reserves. That's why that piece of legislation came forward. So, would you like to make a motion? after this conversation. I I mean, I think you know the action I'm going to take, so I don't think I even need to
move it. I I know there's not consensus here. Okay. So, you're That's it. That's it. Perfect. All right. Mr. Clerk, do we have any public comment? Mr. Cler, do you have any public comment? Yes, sir. All right. Go ahead. Mr. Marie Cruz,
while she comes up, can you check to see that F25 and H15 are the last two? I will double check, Mr. Thank you very much. I just want to make sure. Okay. Mrs. Maria Cruz, 1447
Miller Road. We continue um speaking from two sides of our mouth. Let's see. I tried to remember. I was sitting there and I try to remember in one of the first commission meetings
that Commissioner Lada was here. I remember very vividly how he said that it was wrong to use city money to pay for tickets to go to events.
And then somewhere along the line I heard and I saw that guess what? Once he was in after he was elected, he requested to be reimbured for tickets that he had previously bought before he
was elected. Oops. Oh, it was a mistake, I guess. Let's not call the Okay. And then I'm listening and I hear that, you know, garbage cost the city
money. the city money. Let's see where does the city get the money from the residents. My money and I say I want to use it because I don't want to pay so much for the garbage. I'm entitled to say that as
a resident. I'm entitled to ask you all to lower a garbage fee. It's not the city money. It's the residents money. We do not subsidize garbage. You know why not? Because the money is our money.
Instead of using it for this, we want to use it for that. So that's that's really really bothers me. And then of course we forget when you look at payroll and I
often ask for payroll from different departments. It's very interesting when you see people that have been reclassified. They were something before now their the titles has changed, their requirements change, but they're making
more money. Then you have a lot of directors, a lot of people in the higher class that have been getting paid percentages 5% 10% I forget because it's been a while since I asked for teaching
the people how to use a program. How long are they going to teach the people to use the program while they're still getting paid the money? Okay. And then of course, you know, I happen to have been married to an accountant.
Okay. I know that when people audit, they come in and they say, "Give me this file, this file, this file." Not in this city. In this city, they have to tell you ahead of time. That is not a good practice. I'm sorry. So, you know, let's
Would you please finish? Let me wrap it up like you asked all the people to wrap it up. I'm wrapping it up like you asked all the people to wrap it up. Wrap it up. Let's not keep talking. Um, unreal points. If you're going to be
financially uh let the people don't be worried that people will find something. Have a nice day. All right, Mr. Clerk. We're done. So I still show F25, H2 and F. All right. Uh we're deferring F25 for next commission meeting.
Obviously a deferral means for next commission meeting and H2. Thank you to the manager. We'll do that. And we're going to take a fivem minute break for H15 and we'll we'll hear now. Thank you. Thank you. Miss Davis, you're the only one.
Final item is H15. Correct. All right. H15. Mr. Manager. Yes, sir. I don't think the mics Oh, now they are. Oh, I'm sorry. Rewind. Rewind. Go ahead. Rewind. Rewind. Uh, just for the record,
for the record, the matter before the commission is not about silencing a voice or punishing a vote. is about upholding the standards of integrity of the planning and zoning board, a quasi digital body whose decisions must be fair, impartial, and defendable. The board members are expected to ask
difficult questions and represent residents, but they must also conduct themselves with professionalism and respect. When conduct when the conduct falls short of these standards, it jeopardizes the city's credibility, undermines the resident's ability to challenge incompatible projects, and
ultimately harms the community we we serve. quasi judicial role and standards. The plan board is a quasi judicial body. While not a court, it must act like one in applying existing policies to to specific facts. Decisions must be based
on evidence, not prejudice, and must allow and must follow principles of procedural fairness. Actions of the board is subject to judicial review, meaning the process and conduct must meet a high standard of integrity, impartiality, and professionalism.
Cause for removal. This resolution has nothing to do with how Miss Kowski voted on any issue. Board members are free to interpret facts and cast votes according to their judgment. The concern here is her conduct and comments at recent meetings which are prejudicial,
disrespectful, and derogatory directed towards individuals including county commissioner Raquel Regalado who was publicly berated. This is not about Commissioner Regalado needing protection. This is about a standard of professional of professionalism expected
in quasi judicial proceedings regardless of the individual involved including derogatory remarks towards the University of Miami, one of the city's most important community partners and economic drivers containing baseless prejuditial statements about Japanese
about Chinese students. These behaviors these behaviors fall short of standards required of quasi judicial of a quasi judicial officer and undermine the city's credibility consequences for the city. Because of her actions, a developer determined that
they could not receive a fair hearing before the city's planning and zoning board. As a result, the project was shifted to the Miami date rapid transit zone process, bypassing the city's review. These this this decision has seriously a serious consequences.
The project can become larger and more massive in scale under the RTC process. The city lost the ability to manage the peritting process or have meaningful input. The city can no longer impose or usage or signage limitations.
The outcome is detrimental to the city of Coral Gables and its residents. Resident voice and fairness. Residents deserve to have their voices heard in a process that is fair, credible, and defensible. When when board members act with bias or
make prejudicial statements, they jeopardize the city's legal standing and weaken the resident's ability to challenge incompatible projects. Ensuring impartiality and professionalism is the best way to safeguard residents interest and preserve the city's author authority
over development. Prior briefings, Mr. Kawarski was briefed by assistant director of planning in the city attorney's office regarding this project and was aware of what was at stake. An overlay or alternative plan was presented to try to retain the project in the city of Coral Gables versus the
RTC process which brings greater density and would allow the project to be higher and bypasses our signage and use limits. She has she was she has been advised of standards of expected of board members. I met with her personally to bring these issues to her attention as I thought it
was important to emphasize the standards expected of board members and why I was placing her removal on the agenda. I did not want to blindside her. Despite this, she has acted in a prejudicial and derogatory manner comprising the city's ability to conduct fair hearings and
affecting the final project results, which I again must stress is detrimental to the city and the Riviera neighborhood. In conclusion, this decision is not about one individual. It's about the responsibility we all share to preserve the integrity of our city's processes
and protect the interests of Coral Gable's residents. The planning and zoning board plays a vital role in ensuring fair hearings and defensible outcomes. Maintaining high standards of professionalism is essential to safeguarding our authority, preserving residents trust,
and ensuring that development in core gables reflects the values of our community. Removal is a difficult but necessary step to restore credibility, fairness, and the effectiveness of the board. Thank you, Mr. We have a presentation.
Please bring up the slides, please. First slide. This is the the the mark the original proposal. Uh it's eight stories and by the way has a 50 foot linear plaza
through the entire project. Second slide please. Uh the uh zoning the the the zoning of of the mark is is on the left. It was 97 97 ft 3.13 F
and and 25 foot 8 in setbacks. Uh the proposed RTZ uh has a maximum height of 150 ft has no limits in F and no and zero setbacks.
Also we have our our residential parking. The RTC has zero parking for residential units. In addition to that, the uses are are are per the city. The uses under RTZ are per the RTC code. Signage is per the city on that proposed
project. Signage is under RT under it would be now under the RTZ code. The second is a massing study that shows what the 20 what the mark was was proposing on the right is what the RTC
massing can be on that project. We have no control over that. And now we have a a montage uh showing uh some of the issues that we have just discussed. The clerk could play that please. Thank
you. It's for cable. Okay. Okay. Play that please. I think um while we wait for the montage I think it's uh it's very clear when the mark came before the planning and zoning
The code allowed six stories. They were requesting eight. Is that correct, madam director? I just want to put on the record. Yes. The current zoning of the property right now is MX1. So it only allowed to have six stories including and they came to us asking for
MX2 which is a total of eight stories. And how much how many feet? 97 ft. 97 ft. Correct. So instead of negotiating, we basically so funny. So instead of having a thorough and thoughtful conversation,
we had this back and forth battle where the developer decided instead of negotiating with the city after being insulted, they're just going to go the RTZ route and go to the county, which is 150 ft. I just want to put on the record because everything seems so funny and
you know, you have entities like the Coral Gables Gazette, Politadito, the blogs that spew all this misinformation because they have an agenda confusing the residents.
Are we in a better position today, Madam Director, with the RTZ or we would have negotiated with the developer? We would have had a smaller building with a smaller massing as a result of less FAR. What is your opinion on that? Um, so it's always better for the city
to exercise our own authority over properties within our city. Um, unfortunately with the RTZ sub zone as proposed by the county, we would lose that control over things such as signage, setbacks, uh, lighting and but when the but when the when the applicant came to you and said, "Look,
this is what we would like to put on this project. Let's negotiate." Why did they decide to go towards the county and RTZ after their after their first meeting with the planning and zoning board? What was your what was your inklining? What was the reasoning why they decided to go the county route?
I'm assuming because of remarks made to them at that hearing. Okay. Through the through the mayor, I can provide you an answer because I was told because they were deferred and they couldn't move forward and you know why go through this process. So, we're going
to go to the county. Okay. Through the mayor. Yes, sir. Commissioner Real asked them to come through us first. and and uh they did not take she did not take the RTZ uh initially.
Uh they came they were they were the project went through the board of architects and went to the planning and zoning board. At that point is when they decided to go to the RTC process. We we had Commissioner Realo come at our at at our invitation to to to explain
and to see if we could if we could negotiate some things through the overlay and and that was a disaster in that meeting and at that point is when the commissioner and the and the uh and the developer decided to go strictly through the RTC process
through the mayor. Yes. Question. Was it I mean for it to be deferred it's not Sue a loan that deferred it, right? It was a board deferral. No, no, no. It was uh Felix Parto played a major role. Major role and obviously uh not wanting to negotiate or not
wanting to do their part and there was also I think it was one additional vote, right? How many votes were it? How many vote How many votes were there that day, Mr. Manager? Excuse me. It was Felix. The people who were who were not willing it was deferred uh be because of of the
traffic study. However, uh they decided not to come back because of the insults of the University of Miami and and and so forth. So, it was it was the the feeling that they could not be that there was not a it was not a fair process and that was that was what the
commissioner also felt after the uh the over three hours of being of being three hours and 20 minutes of being in the planning and zoning board under one for one item for that one item. So, What you're saying is that this through the mayor. So what you're saying
is that it wasn't deferred just because of Sue. It was deferred by the board and they decided not to come back because of the deferral because it's really hard to say because of Sue and because of Felix because they don't have the majority. Let's say we did have another extra person and it was deferred. Okay, maybe
I'll take the blame for that. But just to go ahead and put the blame or to say that Sue has that much power for them to not come back, I think that's that's overreaching. Mayor. Yes, the mayor. Uh, commissioner is not the deferral that got is the insult and
the feeling that they were not going to get a proper process. The commissioner felt exactly the same way after being in a meeting for being berated and badgered for three hours and 20 minutes in that planning and zoning meeting. That was the problem. They went to the board of
architects. They went multiple times to the board of architects without incident. They wanted to do the project with us. the commissioner the the commissioner regal asked them to do the project with us. So it it was it was being badgered and not and not and and believing that you were not going to get
a fair process and that's what happened because because they went to the board of architects and they went multiple times to get this project through the board of architects. So you're ready to go, Mr. Clerk. Perfect. How long is the video? 18 minutes. All right, let's go. All right, so cable TV has the video
ready to go. not move the boundary line whatsoever. Well, first of all, you weren't you weren't present at that vote. Correct. You were not here. You had to rec you have to recuse yourself from that that vote. Sue, if I may. What I ask is it's Robert has made a
statement which he's entitled to. Then I'm commenting. He doesn't. You are. I understand. But in what I ask is let him speak. Let him finish. Once he's done, please do so. But I do want to point out and uh if I My understanding is that the member does
not have to be present to make a statement on the minutes. Excuse me. When he says we and he wasn't even here, that is an inaccurate statement. That's not correct. I read the minutes that I'm entitled to read as a board
member and I see that there is a mistake there. You know, it's a false statement. I want to make the correction for the record. So the record is is set correctly that we did not this board did not move the boundary the CBD boundary line. Okay. Are you done? Because I'd like to
comment. Are you done? Go ahead, please. Okay. First of all, the statement that I made was that this board subjectively and arbitrarily was trying to change the CBD boundary. That is a statement of fact.
I I didn't say that this board has the purview to do that or not. I said that's apparently what was happening with the three votes on this board. Mr. Chairman, there was no vote to move the CBD line and and as I clarifi as I said in my
statement, the vote apparently the intention of that vote from three members was to arbitrarily and subjectively move the CBD line. I never said that this board had the purview or didn't have the purview to do that. I said three members of this board on
their own subjectively subjectively tried to move the boundary. So if I I'd like to move the meeting forward. Okay. But I do have a comment on recusal. Uh did Mr. Behar ever fill out one of these forms when he recuses himself in these meetings. This is part
of the law and I have never seen him fill out one of these nor has it been made available to this board. Well, we'll ask the legal department. I I believe that you just simply get it from the clerk's office and it's available to you. Well, it doesn't say that we have to ask
for it. It's supposed to be given to us. It says right here what the rules are. Well, I I'll ask the clerk to provide copies so that you have them available to you so that if and when you need a recusal, you you'll have the form.
Yeah. But I mean the filled out form is what we need per the rules. But no, you have to aren't my rules. this the rules set forward in this in this form, right? You're you're to fill out that form. I'm not saying if I want to recuse myself, any board member that recuses
himself or herself has to fill out a form, it has to be made available to the board members. We've never received this. Well, my understanding the matter of course is that if you do recuse yourself, you go to the clerk's office, you get the form.
Okay. But Mr. Kyler, I'm saying whoever fills out this form, I know it it should be on the record, but by this form, it says it has to be distributed. The completed form has to be distributed to the board. He will do that, Mr. Okay. I'm saying if we want to recuse ourselves, I'm saying if somebody else
recuses himself, that form completed must be uh provided to the board. We've never gotten one from Mr. Behart. It comes from the clerk. So, whoever it comes from, we never got it. M. Mr. Collier will look into it. Make sure the board gets
Thank you. I don't know about you people, but I didn't see anything on the news about adding more capacity for sewers. I think we're putting band-aids on an old system. So, when you're saying we're going to add another 830 bedrooms, that's a lot of toilet usage. Okay, to
put it bluntly, and that's one building. That's one building. And these are students, right? They drink a lot. You need a lot of capacity for them. Okay, so So, thank you for bringing that up because I think we need to discuss this a little further. This board should
discuss it that came across my computer right after that project was approved was a flyer. Hey students, come here and be part of our project and it had a big University of Miami logo on it. So, with the
questions about do you have discussions with University of Miami regarding well, let's put it this way, are you the straw man for M? Because on the other side of US1, my side where I live in Riviera, we now have the Vanera, now called the standard. It's dormitories.
That's all it is. They're dormitories. Now we have the PO that I heard was designed specifically for Chinese students and the hotel for the Chinese parents to come and visit. And guess what happened when they opened the pandemic? No Chinese students, no
Chinese visitors. But now you're seeing a lot of Asians. So, and my understanding is that the um actually solicited that developer to build this for the Chinese students. Now, we have another dormatory going in or wanting to go in where the bagel
emporium plaza is, another dormatory. So, what's happening? You have this beautiful residential area and what's overshadowing the residential area with no buffer? We got a bunch of dormitories. When did we become the strawman for the
University of Miami? Why are we building dormitories in a residential area? So, we're turning the Riviera neighborhood where Chip lives, where I live, where Henry lives, where a lot of people here live, into basically a very transient neighborhood. And I don't know if you've been to the Publix. When I go to my
Publix on Monza, which is where the standard is, it looks like the locust came there because you can't find anything because the students have come in, especially on game day, and you can't find anything on the shelves. It's like locusts have invaded a
residential area. We can't shop at Publix anymore. I can't get to my house. I was stuck in traffic the other day for 20 minutes trying to get to my house on South Alhamra. And it's not just the school. So, I'm just saying you add another project and then another
project. The M building is I think sold. What's going to happen there? And all of a sudden, we are literally home locked. We are not going to be able to move. Love your project. Not here. Sorry. Um All right. Uh but you're hearing
tonight residents that are saying, "First I heard about this. It was within a couple of days. So now you're actually hearing from the people that are going to be directly impacted. Respect forget forget the city administrator. I hear from people all the time and I'm happy to sit here and
listen to them and I spoke to them during the break and we're happy to receive their calls and their emails. But um if we were to stop a governmental process just because someone says that they did not know about it, government would not function. And you should know that as a county employee. So, so I mean
you're going to take these comments and say tough luck. No, we have a public hearing and we welcome them to attend the public hearing at the county and they have their right to speak here. They have their right to speak to the core gables commissioner. The manager is sitting here. Um there's plenty of opportunities
to speak to all the stakeholders. The only time where they will not be allowed to speak to stakeholders is if this developer decides to go live local and then we're all out of the conversation. Okay. So, the answer to my question is no. you are not going to slow down the process. Your your characterization is incorrect
and I disagree with you. Okay, we can agree to disagree, but that is what I heard. Um I I don't know. Do you still sit on the TPO, the trans transportation? Yes. And I am the chairman of bicycle and pedestrian safety. Fantastic. Okay. So, to your point, it's
kind of like the the cart before the horse. We're forcing all these people into a dense area to use metro rail that isn't going to be expanded for 10, 20, 30, 40 years. Okay? And if we did force them to use metro rail, guess what they're saying to us? Guess what the TPO
is saying? They're not using metro rail. Headline headline transit ridership has declined steadily. So all the TPO studies, these are studies from 2022 all the way up to this year. That includes that includes buses and it is not true
of metro rail. Actually, metro rail is being used more now than ever because of the development in part of the rapid transit zone and the investment that we have made in upgrading our stations which I don't know what I'm reading here then because I have a preandemic to current study here and it says that levels of
ridership are down 14 to 26%. That includes CO. I know it includes CO. This is this is 2019. CO started in 2020, but the decline that you're talking about includes if we can if we can allow the
commissioner to answer the question. Correct. Because I don't think this is okay. There's a there's a point I'm getting to because we're pushing RTZs and yet we have no Why are we pushing RTZs when there is no transportation
plan to allow these people to go wherever they want to go? Respectfully, the RTZ item was passed over four years ago and is the law on the books for the county and has been the marker for a comprehensive master plan. So, as far as
any issues with RTZ, respectfully, that ship has sailed. Okay. So, so again, the TPO again all all studies from TPO, you sit on the TPO, it says the transit use decline attributed to Uber, Lift, and taxi use
by age group. The biggest groups that you're trying to attract to an RTZ, which would be a student, countywide studies, Sue, that is not District 7. Pardon me? That is not District 7. That is the entire county. And there are parts of the county that have no transit as you
yourself just pointed out. If I may, Mr. Chair, that may not be a factual evidence. So, I don't know if that's should be continued to push on something that the commissioner is is saying to to the board member that's not factual. I think we should respect. Well, all I'm doing all I'm doing is
quoting factual from uh the transportation. You can have this. I can put it into the record. But you can put anything on record and be not factual. But that's a countywide. Are you saying that the transportation planning organization which the commissioner sits on is creating false documents?
We're not talking about countywide. We're talking about district 7. Okay. Those are different facts. Very different. Okay. Okay. Uh fair enough. But by the way, I do have a breakdown of the Douglas station. And the Douglas station has gone up 2%. Okay. Has gone up. It was under construction. Pardon me.
It was under construction. No, I It was closed for 8 months. I I understand that, but it's only gone up 2%. So, we're not seeing a massive amount of people going to use Metro Rail. And the TPO says in fact ridership, we were shuttling them to Grove station
because the Douglas station was closed because we were repairing it. If if you have an issue that is with the county and the overall then that would be something to bring up and actually attend that transportation meeting at 9
in the morning and bring up your issues. Well, well, it's not my issues. It's the resident's issues. Let them go then. But they don't know. They don't know the meeting's happening. I I s Sue I understand but but I think in this process in our process I'd like to deal
with what is the city's issue. Okay. Which is important as opposed to what the county's issue is. Okay. All right. Okay. All right. Uh chairman. But with with that said, what is the what is the city of Coral Gables going to do between now and Tuesday at 9:00 a.m. to notify the impacted residents that that is
going to be their only opportunity to speak to the county? What is the city going to do? It is not their only opportunity. They will also have second reading. Are we doing this for not because the commission is going to do it anyway? Are we here just because I have no way of knowing what the
commission is or is not going to do. It's a process. Okay. But the commission voted unanimously with two absent members uh unanimously for this. Right. On a first reading. Yes. But we cannot discuss it at first reading and that's why we have a committee process. Okay. And commissioners usually vote for
each other's projects. Uh, so it's probably going to be another unanimous vote, wouldn't you say? I have no way of knowing that. Okay. So, let me ask you this. Are we wasting our time here? Sue, that's inappropriate. I'm sorry. That's You're crossing the line there. It's not. It's not. I'm not saying that you're right, and I'm not saying that
you're wrong. But to interrogate somebody as if they're on trial to me is just not appropriate. Well, I I'm sorry you don't like my line of questioning, but we need answers because we haven't gotten them. Okay. the the residents. We're we're here to
protect the residents. Okay? We're not here to protect anyone else except the residents. Respectfully, Sue, I am elected by the residents and I also represent the residents and I'm happy to discuss with them whenever they want to. I'm glad you do. It's just
so if you have any specific concerns and and by the way, you're asking me about an item that isn't even on the agenda. I'm here to help you navigate an item on the agenda that is a potential change to your comp plan that seeks to mirror the RTZ. I'm not here to discuss the RTZ
item that is before the county commission. That will occur on Tuesday and you're welcome to attend. Okay? But be but because you have all this knowledge, I'm asking you things like the smart planet RTZ to have some more information. I'm just not in the mood to be bered by you at 8:34 in the
evening. Well, I'm sorry if you feel I'm braiding you. I don't I I didn't intend to do that. I'm not doing that. You don't have a question. You're just making a statement and you're I'm you can you are within your right to make your statement. It's just that you have other board members that actually have
questions and we can we can do that and then you can go back to saying whatever you would like. We have a motion. We have a second. Any other discussion? Let's call the role, please. Jill. Felix Part. Yes. Robert Behar,
yes. Alex Bello, yes. Solinski, no. With a caveat that this is u uh a waste of time. I I have a question. Uh Commissioner, can we have some kind of in assurance that what is being uh discussed here
will end up in the actual plan of that developer? What do you mean? The stepbacks we're talking about, right? We're talking about the massing towards the front right now. talking about legislation the city is doing for the overlay district that we're proposing to be consistent with what the county is proposing. Yeah.
But we're not controlling where the developer will go. They may come to the county. Sorry, they may go to the county or they may go to the city. No, no, I'm not talking about that. We're talking about your your proposal and Mr. Felix uh proposal to have um
it will be as part of our regulations gables but we cannot control if they go directly to the county. We're hoping that those three property will go through the gables our proposed RTZ program and and our recommendations
are going to go to the commission anyway where they may tax on other things or even take our own commission. Right. We have We're limited on time right now. We have a motion. We have a second. I'd like to call the role, please. Robert Behar, yes.
Alex Mousel, no. Mr. Mendez, yes. Bardo, yes. A staff, yes. Thank you again. Thank you again. We need a motion. I want to bring something up that has
been bothering me for for the last since last meeting. Um, I apologize to our the visiting um um elected official uh Commissioner Regalado.
And I want to I want to bring something up that and Sue I have come to like you over the last two years, but I think that we as a board we need to be more respect.