amen am amen thank you thank we don't have the you're doing the pledge we don't I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to rep
stand Nation God indivisible liy and justice for all thank you please be seated all right all right I'll now open the floor to public comments first for those who have
previously registered we have one um oh okay yeah we'll get to we have one registration but first let's have a roll call Madam clerk councilwoman Bailey here councilman cannibal here councilman Roth here councilman Davis here
councilwoman aula yes vice mayor Fletcher here mayor Lawson here all right as I was saying that registered public comments um the one
and only registration tonight is by Ken Russell on behalf of the Sierra Club Mr Russell are you here please come forward and give us your name and address for the record and we will set the uh three minute clock thank you welcome thank you good evening mayor councel
Administration my name is Ken Russell I reside at 3142 Ohio Street in Little Bahamas of Coconut Grove 33133 I'm here representing Sierra Club uh asking to urging Council to take action with regard to something that the
county is working on with regard to Solid Waste as you all know the incinerator burnt down over a year ago uh on November 6th the county is planning to vote on a new location for a new incinerator uh out in airport West which is uh further than deral further
to the West further to the north they have yet to uh create and vote on a solid waste master plan uh they have yet to factor how much additional cost this will incur for cities especially the cities further away who will now have to transport their waste further longer
distances more complicated more costly will Dural pay for that will a County pay for that or will Homestead pay for that Sierra Club is urging the county to look at alternative options Beyond incineration yet they are fixated on incineration for the moment so we are hoping that cities join together at
least to ask for a pause to not rush to decision on November 6th uh and we have draft legislation uh that we are urging cities to uh take a look at and consider in their bodies this month uh in in the hopes that they ask the county to to not
vote on November 6th and make a decision so I thank you for your time all right we we do we have a draft resolution that's been circulated you'll go and shut the clock off so it doesn't make the obnoxious alarm um so you use the term Rush the decision
how long has this been in play I seen you recall that they've already had some deliberation to not put it back at the Dural proper site um you know that's kind of a political buzzword rush so how how long has this
really been in discussion sure since the year and a half the year and a half since it burnt down has been their decision point we believe that anything prior to a solid waste master plan uh is a bit Hasty because you're putting the car before the horse on an $8 billion
expenditure over decades when that technology may not be the best thing available there are other cities other counties other countries that have figured out how to handle waste rather than the the traditional incineration methods um Miami day County produces twice the average waste per person of
counties throughout the country uh and so reduction is a first step uh construction and debris waste is another step and of course getting the Organics out of the landfills is another step but they're bypassing all of that and going straight to where to build an incinerator versus what should we build
and so the fight over which city is currently happening versus the larger conversation and we just believe that they're they they can take a moment longer to study the whole process and options versus just picking a city that seems to be the fight right and you talk
about developing a master plan so if at the next commission meeting they approve the expenditure or to go out and and do an RFP for a consultant to do that that master plan in your experience in public office how long
might might that take yes your item 4414 this evening goes through your master plan for your your your water uh waste Wastewater management and it's not a not a terrible process but the building of an incinerator would take over 10 years
uh so they're all already in the process of you know hauling their waste elsewhere to other landfills throughout the state um and they can take the moment to study the proper methodologies uh they they're bringing in a zero waste consultant who can actually give them
the solutions that they don't know yet um there's cities like Boulder and Austin who have figured this out how to handle all their municipal waste without incineration um so of course we're talking about as as as environmental groups not putting incinerator near the
Everglades which is the current plan or anywhere but really we're also looking to the municipalities from a fiscal perspective of you need to make sure you're at the table if you weren't already aware of what these additional costs would be if they do make a decision this coming month um whether or not you're on board for the entire
elimination of incineration or not um we just wanted to make sure you're aware of the potential fiscal impact that you have okay appreciate Council any questions comments uh concerns Council Bailey thank you mayor I was going to bring up Boulder um my sister lives
close to there I think we can do so much better than what we're doing um we just spoke about this at at our briefing uh last week um having all these national parks and the Everglades I think that Florida should be ashamed of itself for not doing better and doing more research
so um I would be I would be okay with with setting something um in motion to so yeah just ask the county to at least think about it and make sure that that is in our best
interest appreciate it just just to clarify is it and you're here speaking on behalf of the Sierra Club yes is the Baseline argument that the proposed site is not locationally
appropriate the official yes 100% putting it right by the Everglades beyond the Urban Development boundary uh utilizing that property in ways that they would not let Private Industry utilize it is uh definitely against our position but our greater position is that they can think Beyond incineration
to start with which they're not they're they're they've completely taken all all other options off the but I I guess my question is is that would the Sierra Club be here if the
proposal was to put it in an urban area or somewhere down in the South End and I don't think we disagree with we're probably way behind the curve on proper sorting and and distribution
and reuse and waste of energy and all those kinds of of things but at its core I think you're here based on locational issues no sir uh Sierra club's position is around climate uh they have not yet
and this is from the C report commissioned by them to with Arcus there is no method of of sequestering greenhouse gas emissions from these incinerators they will act like they are because they're working on Technologies for the future they made them smell
better they made them a little cleaner but they still they will produce more greenhouse gas than any other option including landfilling and so that's Sierra club's position that there should be no incinerator they don't want a not in my backyard position they want a note position which is not on planet Earth
um but they're they're they're understanding that not every city may be in that position and so we're trying to help give every city the tool to at least advocate for their interests whether it's coming to their backyard or it's going to impact them fiscally all right so let let me ask our
attorneys T typically we you know evolved into a policy and a practice of not enacting generally non-agenda items and certainly something that's that's brought at this level and just so so you're aware we don't have a regularly
scheduled meeting to act on this other than tonight between now and November and November 6th so what what would be the so if I can make a suggestion if it's the will of the council to transmit something from the city to the county expressing
their opposition to this then the council can certainly um adopt a motion authorizing either the city manager to write something on their head signature somebody on the council to represent the position of the city and set forth that sentiment and have that distributed to the County Commission prior to November
6 I think that's the easiest path forward yeah councilman yeah I think before we make a decision like that um we I think we need more information I mean we just fought the landfill down in south of us and the county was you know
very helpful and stopping that process so I don't think me personally I have enough information you know based on this gentleman's you know testimony today that would enable me to make a an
educated decision on on this for a county project I just don't see it and I think if if I remember correctly it's not just an incinerator it's a it's a waste to energy program so they're creating electricity
through a kovan type project the replace was that correct replacing the destroyed kovan plant yes it is a waste energy facility so I don't know you know without having enough information it' be hard for me to support opposing the
project that's just my two cents no I I agree and I think that what we could do is if you could get some more information to the manager he could circulate among Council if enough council members are on board with this to request a special call meeting for us
to enact something or authorize the issuance of a letter I think that would would probably be the best course of action thank you mayor and just to clarify even though Sierra club's position is against incinerator as a whole that's not the action we're requesting of cities today we're simply asking them to ask the county for a
deferral of November 6's and there's nothing in the resolution that says they shouldn't do what they're currently planning it's just simply to ask them to work on their master plan and to give cities a study of the financial impact that you will see from the relocation based on the location ages very good
thank you thank you may thank you Council appreciate it thank you for coming down all right we have uh well are there any comments from the public either online or in person in the chambers here
tonight so I'll close the P public comment section of the agenda we have before us an addition referred to as addendum one car number 4423 do we have a motion to add this
item motion to add addendum one to the agenda moved by councilwoman Bailey second by councilman Davis all in favor all right any opposed all right so let's move on to um item number four
addendum one Mr Pearl yes Mr Mayor um item number four is a resolution of the city council of the City of Homestead Florida accepting a supplemental Proposal with Vortex Services LLC through the interlocal purchasing system tips the completion of
an SS cycle 2 Wastewater Basin repair project and including lining of additional sewer lines basins and wellfields authorizing the city manager to negotiate and execute an agreement accepting the supplemental proposal and exempting the project from competive bidding in accordance with city code
section 2-41 11185 supplementing resolution number r- 202478 on the same subject providing for implementation and providing for an effective date thank you sir Mr manager will you be giving us a staff report yes
uh before I ask the Public Works director in case you have more comments back in July 17 of this year this Council approved a contract proposal to Vortex services for $1.17 7
million with a 10% price adjustment for the rehabilitation and lining of the current sanitary sewer lines as well as the man holes in sewer bases number 18 13 22 24
and 25 all of which are currently under a temporary moratorium with myate County based on a subsequent sewer system evaluation survey sses cycle 2 findings it was discovered
through a review that are the additional locations that require Rehabilitation as well so this item is to Simply expand the existing contract by including those newly found discovered areas as well as incorporating them as part of the
current contract in order to save money and save timeline of completion very good thank you any questions or comments from Council all right before we move this are there any public comments so I'll close the public
hearing and ask for a motion to approve addendum one move by councilman cannibal second second by councilman Davis roll call Madam clerk councilman Roth yes councilwoman
avula yes councilman Davis yes councilwoman Bailey yes councilman cannibal yes Vice mayor Fletcher yes mayor lner yes the motion carries right thank you thank you Mr manager all right our next item tab one
is a pres car number 4421 is a presentation on behalf of the Citizens Independent Transportation trust good evening and welcome good evening and thank you for having me Mr Mayor uh council members Mr manager it's great to see you we used to
work together back in Miami again my name is Javier betc Court executive director of the CIT and with me also is Marana price she is the municipal program manager for our agency and she's the one that works most closely with you and the other 34 cities in Miami day County on your expenditure
of your half peny sales tax funds so uh we're going around and just giving everyone an update on um the CT tax the half penny the projects that are being funded with that uh clearly it's it's something I know you're interested in down here in Homestead given everything you're doing with your half peny and
then also the the South corridor so without further Ado I'll go ahead and I'm going to be very quick because it's a lot of slides and I know you want to get to dinner uh if you want me to slow down or if you have questions please inup so 20 years ago actually over 20 years ago this November uh everyone who
went to the voting booth saw this on the ballot and it was asking the good citizens of Miami day County whether they'd approved a half percentage increase in their sales tax to go to Transportation improvements what they called at the time and we still call The People's Transportation plan or PTP
that measure uh was adopted um but I do want to point out the last line in the referendum language specifically asked the voters to create our organizations to oversee those funds and make sure that both the county and the cities spent that half penny uh
appropriately okay so who are we what do we do essentially we're a small agency quasi independent agency at Miami day County charged uh with monitoring auditing reviewing overseeing and investigating the use of those half peny funds and the impementation of the
promises that were made to the people um back in 2002 so we are not the Department of Transportation and Public Works we're not the TPO we don't build operate maintain or plan for the long uh range future of Transportation we're simply a watchdog agency over the
fund so we are governed by a 15 member Board of Citizen volunteers one appointed by the mayor one by the league of cities and the other 13 by each of the 13 County Commissioners um um you are represented represented partially in this area right now uh by I believe uh
one of these folks uh remember which one let's see um I know we have a vacancy actually for most of your districts so for those people who are interested in applying to be a member of the trust uh if you live in uh commissioner keone McGee District we do have a vacancy and
uh here's how you apply uh basically you can't be an elected official you can't be a candidate for office you cannot have a financial conflict of interest with the count but you do have to reside in the district of the commissioner that appoints you we have an office that I um lead
that helps to support the volunteer members of the CIT we're a small office probably the smallest in the county but we're small But Mighty as I like to say one of our [Music] city of
Homer [Music] beautiful the Johnson's used to be bad about wasting energy on lighting real bad but when they realized what it was costing them in real dollars they got Energy Smart real quick first they
turned off all unnecessary lights then instead of standard incandescent bulbs they switched to energy star CFLs and LEDs talk about a bright idea now they use 75% less energy plus the new bulbs last 10 times longer can save $30 over
the bulb's lifetime and they're 75% cooler what did that really mean to the Johnson's enough to cover three high-end coffees A Day dinner for the family at that fancy schmancy restaurant another round of golf for Dad massage for mom brought to you by your local Municipal
electric utility and the Florida municiple Power agency go at Homestead Public Services we're always looking for opportunities to improve our process and provide seamless service that's why starting September
9th we're launching an enhanced customer service process for applications this update includes same day Power and Water hookups if your request payment and proper documentation are submitted before noon plus with our new document
attachment system submitting your forms have never been easier we're streamlining the way you connect with us ensuring your service setup is faster and more efficient the City of Homestead is cracking down on illegal dumping and encouraging its residents to report any
violations to Code Compliance or Homestead PD course not just talking trash here it's the law elal dumping can result in fines up to $500 a day until the trash is picked up and in some cases it can even result
in an arrest so what is illegal dumping it's not just throwing garbage into a vacant lot or Alleyway it includes using a dumpster that doesn't belong to you or adding to your neighbor's bulk waste pile without permission this illegal dumping has many negative effects on your community like health
issues from unsanitary conditions decreasing property values and using your tax dollars to clean up someone else's mess health issues can arise in sites where garbage collects unattended as it acts as a breeding ground for insects and animals that carry diseases
when it rains runoff from improperly disposed chemicals can contaminate the land and our water supply it can also wear on residents Mental Health because studies show that unclean environments can contribute to increased stress and decreased feelings of security illegal
dumping also affects property values according to the visible litter cost study real estate agents reported a 9 to 24% decrease in home price when litter was visible in the neighborhood as the gateway to Everglades and bisc national parks we have the unique responsibility
of not only caring for our own Community but the natural Treasures right in our own backyard because it's up to all of us to keep Homestead beautiful [Music] I'm always looking for creative ways to save [Music]
money but one place I know I never have to worry about is with my HPS Energy bill Homestead Public Service offers some of the lowest rates in all of Florida we pay an average of $15 less than those who use use
FPL Now That's What I Call savings Homestead Public Services is excited to introduce our new enhanced customer service process to make your power and water connections happen the same day follow this simple checklist submit your request make your payment
and attach the required documents by noon our new system streamlines the entire process for faster smoother service we've also provided a document checklist to guide you every step of the way and if you need in-person assistance our dedicated window at City Hall is
available to help we're here to make your next move easier starting [Music] today [Music] [Music] for City of Homestead
beautiful big improvements are coming to Homestead sewer infrastructure starting this month the city of homestead's Public Works Department is starting essential construction to upgrade Pump Station number 22 bringing it into compliance with Miami day County
regulations this project will install 40 500 ft of new sewer Force main extending from our wastewater treatment facility to The Pump Station construction is set to take place until mid December 2024 residents can expect temporary lane
closures and detours during non peak hours but don't worry our team is working hard to minimize disruptions for residents and businesses we appreciate your patience as we improve our community's infrastructure for a better future
ch [Music] hey welcome to community matters the show where we bring you important information and insights about our City's issues departments and initiatives I'm your host Josh padet and today joining us here in the studio is
the co-compliance director Adrien CIO co-compliance officer Lillian Valencia and officer Paula cabosa from the homestead police welcome to the show guys thank you for coming in thank you for having to be here yeah well this is an exciting time because in the last four months the City of Homestead
launched the interdepartmental quality of life task force now the mission of this task force what is that it's to address the quality of life issues that pertain to a cleaner safer and more beautiful city here in Homestead our big topic today is a legal dumping so
co-compliance and the police you guys are the main pillars of this quality of life task force uh you guys have been working very closely to address illegal dumping here in the city first I want to ask you guys what is illegal dumping so illegal dumping is when you dump junk debris
mattresses whatever on the Public's RightWay sale or on somebody's property um in one case it's a criminal violation which ends up being a felony misdemeanor type deal but also from a co-compliance standpoint it's a code violation as well
so we issue citations for that up from 500 to 1,000 to $5,000 and obviously you if you're caught in the act police can and can actually arrest you up to5 what's about the first citation first citation is 500 if you
become a repeat offender then it's a th000 and then after that 5,000 and then after that every single one's going to be 5,000 okay so as far as uh how does the co- compliance how do you guys operate in this task force what's your main well
the well the officers we have a lot of roles within this task force cuz because it's not just legal dumping but as it pertains to Illegal dumping we do a lot of patrols we have some cameras set up I know we worked in conjunction with PD on that uh and we basically uh we Patrol hotspots to make sure that those areas
are not being dumped as frequently um and to make sure we can try to stop them flat out then we we issue citations based on that tickets uh like I said $500 to $5,000 and and police obviously if we can get in contact with them they can make arrests as well okay so now we
got that we got two sides collaborative effort yes yeah you guys are collaborating so what's the police's role in this I mean how you guys catching these people so once it's determine that it's not a civil infraction which means when code um issue Their fines then it can be a once
it's a criminal matter then that's when police take action and you can arrest the people they can be charged with felonies misdemeanors their vehicles can be told if it's a business that is doing The Dumping they can be very serious repercussions to business all their
vehicles can be seized their licenses can be affected it's a serious crime how does this get from like a civil citation to a criminal arrest well it depends on the amount that is being dumped so anything under 15 would be considered a
uh civil infraction where the fines can be between 500 and uh up to a th000 um sorry 5,000 5,000 yeah um dollars anything between 15 and 500 it's um is the meter in the first degree and then
anything over 500 lb is a felony in the third degree additionally if it's a commercial vehicle that is doing the The Dumping it doesn't matter if it's one piece of paper it's immediately a felony how are you guys catching uh these so we have uh our task force has set up
surveillances we have several cameras throughout the city and obviously this is a collaborative effort with the community so our tip lines having the residents call us in and give us information write down the tag number write down the vehicle information give us the information on where there's
maybe hotspots of where these items are being dumped that we we can we cannot be everywhere at all the times so it's just a little bit of code patrolling our officers doing their surveillances and the big piece is the community how they bring the information up to us educating
the community and having them voice their concerns towards us okay and and then are there any um technological advancements that you guys use and what kind of Technology you use well we have several cameras throughout the city surveilling uh different areas um we use
uh the main thing it's not technology related but again the tip line having information being given to us whenever we get information and it's not a criminal matter we will forward all this information to code enforcement and they will follow up the addresses the vehicles the description of like the
people the businesses it's um nice okay so the cameras are picking up people well yes they are we can use them to get uh tag information on the vehicles that are doing this description on the individuals that are doing it and then from then on we can open an investigation based on those leads that
we have and it could lead to arrests like it has in the past and are there any plans to expand technology usage with the police um at this point is just enhancing on what we have I don't know specifically what additions will be made but definitely enhance enhancements to
what we currently use and possess just to make better use of it and make it more effective and also to modify as well because we have certain cameras on certain locations but once those locations kind of quiet down we move them to locations that are a little bit more problematic right because dumpers will sort of understand that okay these
are the areas that are being monitored right because they've had some citation some arrest Etc but then they'll try to shift to other areas so at that point then we'll just shift the cameras over there so we can catch them in the act as well okay and then you guys have the entire city is split out into different districts and zones that you guys are
monitoring correct correct I mean we have different areas like the CR area is kind of its own area we kind of have doubled down on because it's kind of it's a little bit more in more rough shape I guess you could say but then you know we have the Northwestern uh District we have the southwestern District by the Raceway and then we have
the uh the northeastern District which is more of the um more of the gated communities lilan like you're out there every day correct how does your day look like when you get started I me what's co-compliance doing every day so what we do we Patrol every single day we go out
there if we see a trash pile we get off we put our gloves and we just start digging in there to see if we can find any information that would lead us to the person they uh put all the trash in there adding a little bit more what officer calosa was saying is that yes
they are the ones that they send us a report and we are the ones that issue the citations we need to educate our people we need to educate the the community the correct day to put the trash out is a day before pickup day so we need solid way send calendars every
year and it has the days in there for both trash pickup so each Zone has different date but it have to be one day before pickup date okay so expand a little bit on this education because education is a huge component here obviously for the city for the residents
maybe a lot of them I mean is it do you often hear from people like oh I just didn't know I didn't know I couldn't put it out there correct correct and if we we see like in front of the property we can start with a notice of violation or a courtesy and we just mail those to them and then when they reach out to us
we can educate them we can tell them uh you know if they don't have the calendar we can provide them the calendar um we either mail them to them or we can go to their houses and just drop off the calendar for them so the calendar and the scheduling is probably the biggest issue here with illegal dumping correct
but also we have a lot of the majority of illegal dumping is people from the outside of the county I mean outside of the City of Homestead and they're dropping their stuff off here correct and to pick it back off of what of what Le's saying one of the biggest issues is if if homeowners put their trash out too
early let's say they put it out a week before the pickup date right that just makes it a big Bullseye a big Target for other illegal dumpers to come and put their trash there right they're passing through the city they'll drop by and then just add on to that site and it creates you know more fees more you know
more fees for uh for tipping for you know in terms of the taxpayers of the city so so it's it's really really important the residents put their trash out only one day before because if you put it out a week before again like I said um people who are looking to dump trash they'll see that pile and they they're like oh we'll hit that that pile
and add add our stuff on top of that right and then it looks like the homeowner and now we don't have to worry about any repercussions right so it's it's one of those things that you know and Officer carosa says it perfectly our biggest issue is we really really need the residents to help because if if they're if they're there helping us and
and making sure that they're drop offs or at the right time then it it's going to it's going to definitely alleviate the problem for us as well and additionally about the initiatives um for educating the community we've been doing what we call knock and talks and this is where code enforcement the
police department members from uh the community go door too in specific areas of the city like you said the different uh quadrants I guess and then we go door to door with information with our Flyers with the schedules we are there to explain people educate people and also
listen to their concerns V have them voice their concerns to us about why they think things are happening they are the ones that are there at all times so they will have way more information than what we have abut but if we all work together then we can have like a a well-rounded approach as to how to maybe
the issues that happen in the Northwest section there may not be the same ones in the Northeast so each we can tailor our approach depending on the side of the city and then also focus on that bridging that that between the residents the and the officials Code Enforcement
Officers just City officials and have them see your faces and have them not be scared of making that phone call not not hold back into oh I saw this I saw that that is the biggest piece like if they are comfortable with communicating with us and know that they're going to get
results that's how we're going to bring this like to a full like Circle I think that uh the Homestead police department did a a big knock and talk initiative in kind of the Northwestern um area of the city and we saw a huge difference I think we went out there with the city
manager uh last week um late last week and it was so much better than the first time we had gone out there maybe a month prior so you can tell that education is really important and with that initiative I think a lot of homeowners have have gotten the message they understand now that you know what they
can and can't do so I I I think that those initiatives are are honestly the most important part of of basically the stuff that we do awesome and I'd love for this show to be we we we want this show to be a resource for Education as well so can we roll through uh just quickly the guidelines for dumping your
trash out it's it's supposed to be one day prior to your schedule right correct it's one day before pickup dat which is you have to follow the calendar or the schedule if you guys see that your neighbor is putting a box or a mattress
in front of your property it it's okay to tell the neighbor you can put it in front of their property cuz that the issue that we've been having lately so the neighbors they go to the next door neighbor and then they just put the pile in there so then that that sounds like a community pile and some of the areas we
do not have a community pile because it's not fair that I would have the community Pile in front of my house while Adrian's house is nice and clean so that's why and then everybody start putting more more stuff in and I can imagine too that with uh people in the
community your neighbors adding more stuff to your pile you guys mentioned about the weight limit I bet that's causing an issue too with you cuz now you get cited for that correct and and I don't think it's fair for the homeowner to get uh fined for something that he
did not dump in there where can people find their schedule what if they don't have a calendar where yeah you can go to homestead. goov uh the main website and then you can go to the solid waste website and they have a huge map you find your house whatever Zone you're in and then they give you basically all the information you need now you guys have
been making some arrests you men arrests we have so how many arrests has hestad so far we have made four felony arrests and 12 misdemeanor arrests there have been nine vehicles that have been towed in reference to this so like you were
saying talking about the outside people we also showing to the non-residents of Homestead that this will not be tolerated there are consequences you can't just come to our city and just dump trash or do the things that are not allowed in wherever it is that you're living and come and do it over here in
our backyard we are taking matters into our own hands we are uh following up with our cases some of our cases in court have been very successful uh judges have uh ruled in our favor and um it's it's exciting to see that we can
make a difference so nine nine cars impounded what what uh constitutes getting someone's car well they are being used in the commission of the crime and they're being taken for evidence so if you have your pickup truck and you're using it and we arrest you while you're doing this you're car
goes to and not just you okay so you can lose your truck you can and you're getting cited for these things now citations uh now there's a scale to this thing right so the first citation is what is that usually a warning or is that an actual uh $500 well if it's for a resident we're usually going to get a
courtesy notice basically saying listen don't do this again um and we open up a case for that but the first citation citation would be $500 and then the second would be a th000 and then the third would actually be 5,000 from then on so so every single time you do it
$5,000 have you had anybody that's been ignoring the citations and it's just racking up course of course some people just they they they just don't seem to to mind I guess I don't I don't I don't get it but it is what it is what's the highest amount someone has had to pay I mean we had a we had a code case recently where they paid 10
grand 10 grand and it was actually up to 55,000 and then the special Master mitigated it down to $10,000 and he paid it so what what can residents do to help support you guys the quality of life task force here okay the first thing is you can contact the police department if
you witness that this is happening um as you are there you can call our non-emergency number is 305 2471 1535 give all the information there the most important thing we can tell you is do not approach the people that are doing this just give us their information we will send an officer make sure you stay
safe uh you can also give us a call to our anonymous tip line is 305 224 5595 we do not need your information but the more information you give us about the individuals the vehicles whatever information you have the easier it is for us to follow up on those tips and
you can contact code at 305 224 5580 and also at code at homestead. goov also if you haven't downloaded it yet guys you can find the Fixit Homestead app in the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store you can find it also at Homestead
F fl.gov Fixit you take a picture with your phone it geocat the illegal dumping send it to these guys they can get it fixed uh thank you guys again for joining us here in we appreciate everyone back at home thank you for watching uh this important episode of
community matters we've had an insightful discussion here today about the efforts of the inter departmental quality of life task force and tackling illegal dumping and improving the overall quality of life in Homestead I want to extend my thanks to co- compliance director Adrien CIO I also
want to thank co-compliance officer lilan Val IA and of course officer Paula cabosa of the homestad PD uh thank you guys for sharing your expertise and dedication to keeping our city clean and safe and as we've heard today this task
force is making significant strides from issuing citations making arrest to educating the community on how to prevent illegal dumping but the success of these efforts also depends on you guys the residence so by following your solid way schedule reporting illegal
dumping and staying informed you can help support the mission of the task force and contribute to a cleaner safer and More Beautiful Homestead thank you again for tuning in to community matters until next time let's work together and make Homestead the best it can be stay
safe and keep our city [Music] [Applause] beautiful airf flow was hardly a strong suit in the Johnson home and no wonder their dirty filter made their system work harder and run less efficiently and their duct work was an even bigger
problem the leaks and the Ducks raised their energy bill by a whopping 30% then there were leaks in their doors and windows like throwing good money into the wind but the Johnson's got in the know with their airf flow they change or clean their filter once a month sealed
the leaks in their Ducks cocked the windows weather stripped the doors and put solar screens or window film on the Southwest and Eastern facing Windows they even tilt their horizontal blind up in the summer to reduce the heat impact from the Sun and leave them open in the
winter to let the sun and heat in now everything at the Johnson's is tight and all right brought to you by your local Municipal electric utility and the Florida Municipal Power agency good evening everyone and welcome to the City of
Homestead city council meeting today is Wednesday October 16th 202 24 it is now 606 p.m. this evening we'll have the invocation by Pastor Jeremy Alvarado pastor of the ministerio
Pentecostal loka Eternal Eternal Church followed by the Pledge of Allegiance with councilman cannibal everyone please stand Pastor mic on good evening Mr Mayor members of council honored guests let us pray heavenly
father as we come together today we express our heartfelt gratitude for our chance to serve and uplift our community we seek your guidance and wisdom as we engage in this important discussions before us may our hearts be filled with the spirit of collaboration allowing us to unite in purpose let our minds be
sharp and Discerning enabling us to make thoughtful decisions that reflect the needs of all may our actions embody a steadfast commitment to the well-being and prosperity of every resident and business in the City of Homestead help us to listen actively to one another embracing the diversity of thoughts and
perspectives that enrich our community grant us the grace and respect deferring opinions and to find and to find the common ground together let us work diligently together a towards a bright and more inclusive future for our
beloved City amen amen thank you thank you we don't have the you're doing the pledge we don't I pledge aliance to the flag of the United States of
America stand Nation God indivisible liberty and justice for all thank you please be seated all right all right I'll now open the floor to public comments first for those who
have previously registered we have one um okay yeah we'll get to we have one registration but first let's have a roll call Madam clerk councilwoman Bailey here councilman cannibal here councilman Roth here councilman Davis here
councilwoman aula here vice mayor Fletcher here mayor Lawson here all right as I was saying got registered public comments um the one and only
registration tonight is by Ken Russell on behalf of the Sierra Club Mr Russell are you here please come forward and give us your name and address for the record and we will set the uh three minute clock thank you welcome thank you good evening mayor councel
Administration my name is Ken Russell I reside at 3142 Ohio Street in Little Bahamas of Coconut Grove 331 33 I'm here representing Sierra Club uh asking to urging Council to take action with regard to something that the county is
working on with regard to Solid Waste as you all know the incinerator burnt down over a year ago uh on November 6 the county is planning to vote on a new location for a new incinerator uh out in airport West which is uh further than deral further to the West further to the
north they have yet to uh create and vote on a solid waste master plan uh they have yet to factor how much additional cost this will incur for cities especially the cities further away who will now have to transport their waste further longer distances more complicated more costly will Dural
pay for that will the county pay for that or will Homestead pay for that Sierra Club is urging the county to look at alternative options beyonde Public Services we're always looking for opportunities to improve our process and provide seamless service that's why
starting September 9th we're launching an enhanced customer service process for applications this update includes same day Power and Water hookups if your request payment and proper documentation are submitted before noon plus with our
new document attachment system submitting your forms have never been easier we're streamlining the way you connect with us ensuring your service setup is faster and more efficient it's up to all of us to keep Homestead beautiful one of the biggest things you
can do is help us stop illegal dumping by reporting it to City of Homestead Code Compliance illegal dumpers can get fined up to $500 per day until the mess is cleaned up and in some cases even get arrested together we can keep our
community clean for today and tomorrow visit cityofhomestead.com betiful to learn more [Music] the Johnson's used to be bad about wasting energy on lighting real bad but
when they realized what it was costing them in real dollars they got Energy Smart real quick first they turned off all unnecessary lights then instead of standard incandescent bulbs they switched to energy star CFLs and LEDs
talk about a bright idea now they use 75% less energy plus the new bulbs last 10 times longer can save $30 over the bulb's Lifetime and they're 75% cooler what did that really mean to the Johnson's enough to cover three high-end coffees A Day dinner for the family at
that fancy schmancy restaurant another round of golf for Dad massage for mom brought to you by your local Municipal electric utility and the Florida Municipal Power agency big improvements are coming to Homestead sewer infrastructure starting
this month the city of homestead's Public Works Department is starting essential construction to upgrade Pump Station number 22 bringing it into compliance with Miami day County regulations this project will install 4500 ft of new sewer Force main
extending from our wastewater treatment facility to The Pump Station construction is set to take place until mid December 2024 residents can expect temporary lane closures and detours during non peak hours but don't worry
our team is working hard to minimize disruptions for residents and businesses we appreciate your patience as we improve our community's infrastructure for a better future [Music] Homer dional
beautiful the garcas know a lot about insulation when one of them wants to get away they insulate themselves in another room but that doesn't keep all the sound out unless you close the door just like sound cooled and heated air is always on
the move but with the right insulation you have have a protective thermal barrier that keeps the conditioned air where you want it truth is insulation is one of the most cost-effective ways to lower your bills insulation is important anywhere your house meets the outdoors a
cathedral ceiling walls crawl spaces but the best and easiest place to insulate your home is in the Attic its Effectiveness is measured as an R value meaning resistance to heat flow to do the job right you'll need at least R30
but R38 is the best now the garcas know how to insulate themselves and their house brought to you by your local Municipal electric utility and the Florida Municipal Power agency I'm always looking for creative ways to save [Music]
money but one place I know I never have to worry about is with my HPS Energy bill Homestead Public Service offers some of the lowest rates in all of Florida we pay an average of $15 less than those who use
FPL Now That's What I Call savings with Summer here be sure you're prepared for extreme heat what is extreme heat it's a period of high heat and humidity with temperatures above 90° for at least 2 to 3 days posing significant health risks among
vulnerable groups are older adults young children and those with chronic conditions a few ways that you can beat the heat are keeping cool in air conditioned spaces avoiding direct sunlight reducing outdoor activities and staying hydrated by reducing your coffee
and alcohol intake while drinking plenty of water for more tips on how you can beat the heat visit homestead. goov heat there's some exciting news for the City of Homestead we're thrilled to announce the launch of our new website domain
www. homestead. affec of June 17th 2024 this significant update marks a pivotal moment in our digital Evolution offering a fresh and intuitive web address that enhances cyber security and provides
residents with peace of mind when interacting with city services online rest assured you can still access the same reliable information and stay updated on city news and events visit us at www. homestead. goov and stay connected with
your city the Garcia learned to be energy efficient inside their home from lighting to laundry and everything in between but then they started to wonder about how they use water they found the leak in their toilet by putting a little food coloring in the tank which showed
up in the bowl within minutes indicating a leaking flapper valve this simple fix could save about 200 gallons a day or 6,000 gallons a month they use a lowf flow shower head and change their leaking faucet washers so what about the the outside of their home once again the
Garcia went to work now they save about 150 gallons of water by not running the hose constantly when they wash the car the EPA says a typical family uses at least 50% of their water quenching Lawns and plants unfortunately 60% may be
wasted because of evaporation or overwatering so the Garcia use a timer irrigate in the early morning and use only the minimal amount of time recommended by the local Water Authority they've also planted Evergreens to provide year- round shade for even more
efficiency of their conditioned air now the Garcia are a model of efficiency Mega savers of energy and money and a credit to their community and to the planet brought to you by your local Municipal electric utility and the Florida Municipal Power
agency the City of Homestead is cracking down on illegal dumping and encouraging its residents to report any violations to Code Compliance or home dead PD we not just talking trash here it's the law illegal dumping can result in fines up
to $500 a day until the trash is picked up and in some cases it can even result in an arrest so what is illegal dumping it's not just throwing garbage into a vacant lot or Alleyway it includes using a dumpster that doesn't belong to you or
adding to your neighbor's bulk waste pile without permission this illegal dumping has many negative effects on your Community like health issues from unsanitary conditions decreasing property values and using your tax dollars to clean up someone else's mess
health issues can arise in sites where garbage collects unattended as it acts as a breeding ground for insects and animals that carry diseases when it rains runoff from improperly disposed chemicals can contaminate the land and our water supply it can also wear on
residents mental health because studies show that unclean environments can contr contribute to increased stress and decreased feelings of security illegal dumping also affects property values according to the visible litter cost study real estate agents reported a 9 to
24% decrease in home price when litter was visible in the neighborhood as the gateway to Everglades and bisc national parks we have the unique responsibility of not only caring for our own Community but the natural Treasures right in our own backyard because it's up to all of
us to keep Homestead beautiful [Music] p [Music] hey welcome to community matters the show where we bring you important
information and insights about our City's issues departments and initiatives I'm your host Josh pageant and today joining us here in the studio is the co-compliance director Adrien CIO co-compliance officer Lillian Valencia and officer Paula cabosa from the
Homestead police welcome to the show guys thank you for coming in thank you for having GL to be here yeah well this is an exciting time because in the last four months the City of Homestead launched the interdepartmental quality of life task force now the mission of this task force what is that it's to address the quality of life issues that
pertain to a cleaner safer and more beautiful city here in Homestead our big topic today is illegal dumping so co-compliance and the police you guys are the main pillars of this quality of life task force uh you guys have been working very closely to address illegal
dumping here in the city first I want to ask you guys what is illegal dumping so illegal dumping is when you dump junk debris mattresses whatever on the Public's RightWay sale or on somebody's property um in one case it's a criminal
violation which ends up being a felony misdemeanor type deal but also from a Cod compliance standpoint it's a code violation as well so we issue citations for that up from 500 to $1,000 to $5,000 and obviously you if you're caught in the act police can and can
actually arrest you up to Father what's about the first citation first citation is 500 if you become a repeat offender then it's a th000 and then after that 5,000 and then after that every single one's going to be 5,000 okay so as far as uh how does the
co- compliance how do you guys op operate in this task force what's your main well the well the officers we have a lot of roles within this task force because it's not just legal dumping but as it pertains to Legal dumping we do a lot of patrols we have some cameras set up I know we worked in conjunction with
PD on that uh and we basically uh we Patrol hotspots to make sure that those areas are not being dumped as frequently um and to make sure we can try to stop them flat out then we we issue citations based on that tickets uh like I said $500 to $5,000 and and police obviously
if we can get in contact with them they can make arrest as well okay so now we got that we got two sides to this collabor of heard yes yeah you guys are collaborating so what's the police's role in this I mean how are you guys catching these people so once it's determined that it's not a civil
infraction which means when code um issue Their fines then it can be a once it's a criminal matter then that's when police take action and you can arrest the people they can be charged with felonies misdemeanors their vehicles can be towed if if it's a business that is
doing The Dumping they can be very serious repercussions to their business all their vehicles can be seized their licenses can be affected it's a serious crime how does this get from like a civil citation to a criminal arrest well it depends on the amount that is being
dumped so anything under 15b would be considered a a civil infraction where the fines can be between 500 and uh up to a th000 um sorry 5,000 5,000 yeah um dollars anything between 15 pounds
and 500 PB it's a Mis the meter in the first degree and then anything over 500 lb is a felony in the third degree additionally if it's a commercial vehicle that is doing the The Dumping it doesn't matter if it's one piece of
paper it's immediately a felony how are you guys catching uh these so we have uh our task force has set up surveillances we have several cameras throughout the city and obviously this is a collaborative effort with the community so our tip lines having the residents
call us in and give us information write down the tag number right down the vehicle information give us the information on where there's maybe hot spots of where these items are being dumped that we we can we cannot be everywhere at all the time so it's just a little bit of code patrolling our
officers doing their surveillances and the big piece is the community how they bring the information up to us educating the community and having them voice their concerns towards us okay and and then are there any um technological advancements that you guys using what
kind of Technology well we have several cameras throughout the city surveilling uh different areas um we use uh the main thing it's not technology related but again the tip line having information being given to us whenever we get information and it's not a criminal
matter we will forward all this information to code enforcement and they will follow up the addresses the vehicles the the deson of like the people the businesses it's um nice okay so the cameras are picking up people as well yes they are we can use them to get uh tag information on the vehicles that
are doing this description on the individuals that are doing it and then from then on we can open an investigation based on those leads that we have and it could lead to arrests like it has in the past and are there any plans to expand technology usage with the police um at this point is just
enhancing on what we have I don't know specifically what additions will be made but definitely enhance enhancements to what we currently use and possessed just to make better use of it and make it more effective and also to modify as well because we have certain cameras on certain locations but once those
locations kind of quiet down we move them to locations that are a little bit more problematic right because dumpers will sort of understand that okay these are the areas that are being monitored right because they've had some citation some arrest Etc but then they'll try to shift to other areas so at that point
then we'll just shift the cameras over there so we can catch them in the act as well okay and then you guys have the entire city is split out into different districts and zones that you guys are monitoring corre correct I mean we have different areas like the CR area is kind of its own area we kind of have doubled down on because it's kind of it's a
little bit more in more rough shape I guess you could say but then you know we have the Northwestern uh District we have the southwestern District by the Raceway and then we have the uh the northeastern District which is more of the um more of the gated communities Lillian like you're out there every day
correct how does your day look like when you get started I me what's co-compliance doing every day so what we do we Patrol every single day we go out there if we see a trash pile we get off we put our gloves and we just start digging in there to see if we can find any information that would lead us to
the person they uh put all the trash in there adding a little bit more what officer calosa was saying is that yes they are the ones that they send us a report and we are the ones that issue the citations we need to educate our people we need to educate the the
community the correct day to put the trash out is a day before pickup day so we need solid way send calendars every year and it has the days in there for bul trash pickup so each Zone has different date but it have to be one day
before pickup date okay so expand a little bit on this education because education is a huge component here obviously for the city for the residents maybe a lot of them I mean is do you often hear from people like oh I just didn't know I didn't know I couldn't put it out there correct correct and if we
see it like in front of the property we can start with a notice of violation or our courtesy and we just mail those to them and then when they reach out to us we can educate them we can tell them uh you know if they don't have the calendar we can provide them the calendar um we
either mail them to them or we can go to their houses and just drop off the calendar for them so the calendar and the scheduling is probably the biggest issue here with illegal dumping correct well so we have a lot of the majority of illegal dumping is people from the outside of the county I mean outside of
the city or Homestead and they're dropping their stuff off here correct and to pick it back off of what of what lean's saying one of the biggest issues is if if homeowners put their trash out too early let's say they put it out a week before a pickup date right that just makes it a big Bullseye a big Target for other illegal dumpers to come
and put their trash there right they passing through the city they'll drop by and then just add on to that site and it creates you know more fees more you know more fees for uh for tipping for you know in terms of the taxpayers of the city so it's it's really really important the residents put their trash
out only one day before because if you put it out a week before again like I said um people who are looking to dump trash they'll see that pile and they they're like oh we'll hit that that pile and add add our stuff on top of that right and then it looks like the homeowner and now we don't have to worry about any repercussions right so it's
it's one of those things that you know and and Officer carosa says it perfectly our biggest issue is we really really need the residents to help because if if they're if they're there helping us and and making sure that their their drop offs are at the right time then it it's going to it's going to definitely alleviate the problem for us as well and
additionally about the initiatives um for educating the community we've been doing what we call knock and talks and this is where code enforcement the police department members from uh the community go door too in specific areas of the city like you said the different
uh quadrants I guess and then we go door too with information with our Flyers with the schedules we are there to explain people educate people and also listen to their concerns V have them voice their concerns to us about why they think things are happening they are
the ones that are there at all times so they will have way more information than what we have absolutely but if we all work together then we can have like a a well-rounded approach as to how to maybe the issues that happen in the Northwest section there may not be the same ones
in the Northeast so each we can tailor our approach depending on the side of the city and then also focus on that bridging that that gap between the residents the and the officials Court Enforcement Officers just City officials and have them see your faces and have
them not be scared of making that phone call not not hold back into oh I saw this I saw that that is the biggest piece like if they are comfortable with communicating with us and know that they're going to get results that's how we're going to bring this like to a full
like Circle I think that uh the Homestead police department did a a big knock and talk initiative in kind of the Northwestern um area of the city and we saw a huge difference I think we went out there with the city manager uh last week um late last week and it was so
much better than the first time we had gone out there maybe a month prior so you can tell that education is really important and with that initiative I think a lot of home owners have have gotten the message they understand now you know what they can and can't do so I I I think that those initiatives are are honestly the most important part of of
basically the stuff that we do awesome and I'd love for this show to be a we we want this show to be a resource for Education as well so can we roll through uh just quickly the guidelines for dumping your trash out it's it's supposed to be one day prior to your
schedule right correct it's one day before a pickup date which is you have to follow the calendar of the schedule if you guys see that your neighbor is putting a box or a mattress in front of your property it it's okay to tell the neighbor you can put it in front of
their property cuz that's the issue that we've been having lately so the neighbors they go to the next door neighbor and then they just put the pile in there so then that that sounds like a community pile and some of the areas we do not have a community pile because it's not fair that I would have the
community Pile in front of my house while Adrian's house is nice and clean so that's why and then everybody start putting more more stuff in and I can imagine too that with uh people in the community your neighbors adding more stuff to your pile you guys mentioned about the weight limit I bet that's
causing an issue too with you because now you get cited for that correct and and I don't think it's fair for the homeowner to get a fined for something that he did not dump in there where can people find their schedule what if they don't have a calendar where yeah you can go to homestead. goov uh the main
website and then you can go to the solid waste website and they have a huge map you find your house whatever Zone you're in and then they give you basically all the information you need now you guys have been making some arrests you mentioned arrests we have so how many arrests has Homestead so far we have
made four felony arrests and 12 misdemeanor arrests there have been nine vehicles that have been towed in reference to this so like you were saying talking about the outside people we are also showing to the non-residents of Homestead that this will not be
tolerated there are consequences you can't just come to our city and just dump trash or do the things that are not allowed in wherever it is that you're living and come and do it over here in our backyard we are taking matters into our own hands we are uh following up with our cases some of our cases in
court have been very successful uh judges have uh ruled in our favor and um it's it's exciting to see that we can make a difference so nine nine cars impounded what what uh constitute is getting someone's car well they are being used in the commission of the
crime and they're being taken forever Ence so if you have your pickup truck and you're using it and we arrest you while you're doing this your car goes too not just you okay so you can lose your truck you can and you're getting cited for these things now citations uh now there's a scale to this thing right
so the first citation is what is that usually a warning or is that an actual uh $500 well if it's for a resident we're usually going to get a courtesy notice basically saying listen don't do this again um and we open up a case for that but the first citation citation would be $500 and then the second would
be a th000 and then the third would actually be 5,000 from then on so every single time you do it $5,000 have you had anybody that's been ignoring the citations and it's just racking up course of course some people just they they they just don't seem to to mind I guess I I don't I don't I don't don't
get it but it is what it is what's the highest amount someone has had to pay I mean we had a we had a Cod case recently where they paid 10 grand 10 grand and it was actually up to 55,000 and then the special Master mitigated it down to $10,000 and he paid it so what what can residents do to help
support you guys the quality of life task force here okay the first thing is you can contact the police department if you witness that this is happening um as you are there you can call our non-emergency number is 305 2471 1535 give all the information there the most
important thing we can tell you is do not approach the people that are doing this just give us their information we will send an officer make sure you stay safe uh you can also give us a call to our anonymous tip tip line is 305 22455 95 we do not need your information but
the more information you give us about the individuals the vehicles whatever information you have the easier it is for us to follow up on those tips and you can contact code at 305 224 5580 and also at code at homestead. goov also if
you haven't downloaded it yet guys you can find the fix it Homestead app in the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store you can find it also at homestead.com go/ Fixit you take a picture with your phone it geocat the illegal dumping sends it to these guys
they can get it fixed uh thank you guys again for joining us here in the we appreciate everyone back at home thank you for watching uh this important episode of community matters we've had an insightful discussion here today about the efforts of the in departmental
quality of life task force and tackling illegal dumping and improving the overall quality of life and Homestead I want to extend my thanks to co- compliance director Adrian CIO I also want to thank co-compliance officer Lillian Valencia and of course officer
Paula cabosa of the homestead PD uh thank you guys for sharing your expertise and dedication to keeping our city clean and safe and as we've heard today this task force is making significant strides from issuing citations making arrest to educating the community on how to prevent illegal
dumping but the success of these efforts also depends on you guys the residents so by following your solid way schedule reporting illegal dumping and staying informed you can help support the mission of the task force and contribute to a cleaner safer and More Beautiful
Homestead thank you again for tuning in to community matters until next time let's work together and make Homestead the best it can be stay safe and keep our city [Music] [Applause] beautiful it's up to all of us to keep
Homestead beautiful starting in our own backyard everyone's quality of life depends on the things we do at home like taking the time to recycle or simply mowing the lawn if you see something in your neighborhood you can report overgrown grass bulk trash violations or
unsafe housing to City of Homestead Code Compliance by calling 305 224 5580 together we can keep our community clean for today and tomorrow visit City of Homestead
[Music] .com/briowfc ostle loka Eternal Eternal Church followed by the Pledge of Allegiance with councilman cannibal everyone please stand asor M good evening Mr Mayor members of
council honored guests let us pray heavenly father as we come together today we express our heartfelt gratitude for our chance to serve and uplift our community we seek your guidance and wisdom as we engage in these important discussions before us may our hearts be filled with the spirit of collaboration
allowing us to unite in purpose let our minds be sharp and Discerning enabling us to make thoughtful decisions that reflect the needs of all may our actions embody a steadfast commitment to the well-being and prosperity of every resident and business in the City of Homestead help us to listen actively to
one another embracing the diversity of thoughts and perspectives that enrich our community grant us the grace and respect deferring opinions and to find and to find the common ground together let us work diligently together a towards a bright and more inclusive
future for our beloved City amen amen amen thank you thank you we don't have the you're doing the pledge we don't I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the rep
stand Nation God indivisible libery and justice for all thank you please be seated all right all right I'll now open the floor to public comments first for those who
have previously registered we have one um it's up to all of us to keep Homestead beautiful do your part and get involved with little things like Recycling and planting native trees or big things like organizing litter cleanups and helping beautify your
neighborhood together we can ensure our quality of life for today and tomorrow visit cityofhomestead.com beauutiful to learn more at Homestead Public Services we're always looking for opportunities to improve our process and provide seamless
service that's why starting September 9th we're launching an enhanced customer service process for applications this update includes same day Power and Water hookups if your request payment and proper documentation are submitted
before noon plus with our new document attachment system submitting your forms have never been easier we're streamlining the way you connect with us ensuring your service setup is faster and more efficient it's up to all of us to keep
Homestead beautiful starting in our own backyard everyone's quality of life depends on the things we do at home like taking the time to recycle or simply mowing the lawn if you see something in your neighborhood you can report overgrown grass bulk trash violations or
unsafe housing to City of Homestead Code Compliance by calling 305 224 5580 together we can keep our community clean for today and tomorrow visit cityofhomestead.com beautiful to learn
more the City of Homestead is cracking down on illegal dumping and encouraging its residents to report any violations to Code Compliance or Homestead PD we're not just talking trash here it's the law illegal dumping can result in fines up
to $500 a day until the trash is picked up and in some cases it can even result in an arrest so what is illegal dumping it's not just throwing garbage into a vacant lot or alley way it includes using a dumpster that doesn't belong to you or
adding to your neighbor's bulk waste pile without permission this illegal dumping has many negative effects on your community like health issues from unsanitary conditions decreasing property values and using your tax dollars to clean up someone else's mess
health issues can arise in sites where garbage collects unattended as it acts as a breeding ground for insects and animals that carry diseases when it rains runoff from improperly disposed chemicals can contaminate the land and our water supply it can also wear on
residents mental health because studies show that unclean environments can contribute to increased stress and decreased feelings of security illegal dumping also affects property values according to the visible litter cost study real estate agents reported a 9 to
24% decrease in home price when litter was visible in the neighborhood as the gateway to Everglades and biscan national parks we have the unique resp responsibility of not only caring for our own Community but the natural Treasures right in our own backyard because it's up to all of us to keep
Homestead [Music] beautiful as temperatures rise in Homestead the risk of heat related illnesses and injuries also increases posing significant threats to outdoor worker safety and productivity follow
these tips to stay safe and beat the heat stay hydrated and take breaks in the shape wear appropriate clothing and wear sunscreen know the signs learn the symptoms of heat illnesses more information on extreme heat safety visit
homestead. goov heat I'm always looking for creative ways to save [Music] money but one place I know I never have to worry about is with my HPS Energy bill Homestead Public Service offers
some of the lowest rates in all of Florida we pay an average of $15 less than those who use FPL Now That's What I Call savings with Summer here be sure you're prepared for extreme heat what is extreme heat it's a period of high heat
and humidity with temperatures above 90° for at least 2 to 3 days posing significant health risks among vulnerable groups are older adults young children and those with chronic conditions a few ways that you can beat the heat are keeping cool in air
conditioned spaces avoiding direct sunlight reducing outdoor activities and staying hydrated by reducing your coffee and alcohol intake while drinking plenty of water for more tips on how you can beat the heat visit homestead. goov Heat Big improvements
are coming to Homestead sewer infrastructure starting this month the city of homestead's Public Works Department is starting essential construction to upgrade Pump Station number 22 bringing it into compliance with Miami day County regulations this project will install 4500 ft of new
sewer Force main extending from our wastewater treatment facility to The Pump Station construction is set to take place until mid December 2024 residents can expect temporary lane closures and detours during non- peak hours but don't
worry our team is working hard to minimize disruptions for residents and businesses we appreciate your patience as we improve our community's infrastructure for a better future airflow was hardly a strong suit in the Johnson home and no wonder their dirty
filter made their system work harder and run less efficiently and their duct work was an even bigger problem the leaks and the Ducks raised their energy bill by a whopping 30% then there were leaks in their doors and windows like throwing good money into the wind but the
Johnson's got in the know with their airflow they change or clean their filter once a month sealed the leaks in their Ducks the windows weather strip the doors and put solar screens or window film on the Southwest and Eastern facing Windows they even tilt their
horizontal blinds up in the summer to reduce the heat impact from the Sun and leave them open in the winter to let the sun and heat in now everything at the Johnson's is tight and all right brought to you by your local municipal electric utility and the Florida Municipal Power
agency [Music] [Music] beautiful well good evening everyone and welcome I'd like to uh call the City of Homestead Council presentation ceremony for November to order it's now 5:00 P
p.m. and today is Wednesday October 16th uh 2024 and I said November didn't I I must Adit uh I'm thinking about Thanksgiving already fall is in the air right so we'll start off tonight with uh Council
wman Bailey thank you mayor good evening everyone so in honor of this coming January's 111th anniversary for the City of Homestead this month's artist in the spotlight was a call to artists to
present anything that makes Homestead Homestead so one of one of the main artists that will be presenting and showcasing their work during um the gallery
opening is Jason gther unfortunately he's traveling he wasn't able to be here today but he is a homestead native his roots go back to his great grandparents and um when his grandfather passed not
long ago he set out to just collect all these different artifacts and things that his family has collected over these hundreds of years um and it's a really cute really cute collection I love his passion um for the things that he wasn't
able to get the physical piece of he has recreated in some type of art form so he is really sad that he can't be here today but he really does hope that you can all make it out to our Gallery our gallery night which give me one moment
as I look for it if Miss hson with the Homestead Center for the Arts can also join me double check in here so the gallery opening will be Wednesday the 30th at 6:00 p.m. at the seminal theater so you
can always check our social media page for all the details but it'll be a really fun representation of what homestead means and I'm sure you'll see a lot of different things um because this big beautiful Melting Pot is just so many different things for for everybody that lives here so I would
like to introduce Miss Charlie Hudson from the Homestead Center of the Arts who is also going to be participating I always have to do this bear with me bear with me uh for those of you that don't don't know me I am in fact the president for Homestead Center
for the Arts uh we do not have an or uh facility here but we have actually been in uh Homestead working in an umbrella virtual kind of capacity since 1977 and so we do have on any given day between 30 and 40 artists I happen to be
a writer and normally we would have some of our artists here but there's just been a whole Brash of medical emergencies and this that and the other so we will have because the theme is you know images of Homestead what makes Homestead Homestead we'll have between four and six of our artists uh the very
talented Marie Ferraro who does some beautiful work uh watercolor and some uh other mediums for those of you who are familiar with my husband Hugh Hudson who has a passion among other things for photography so he will have some of his images of out at the speedway some
fantastic shots from there as well as he photographs a number of events uh that take place uh when we're doing the work for the paper so he's got some pieces of that and then we've got two or three other artists wonderful artist uh Claudia Mella who almost always
participates and she couldn't be here tonight so she's got some of her beautiful photographic images and then we've got one or two more I'm not quite sure how many we're going to have total uh but they're all going to be uh like I said a mix of mediums and so we would invite you to please come out and enjoy
those while they're up thank you so yes o October 30th now you've got the wrong month also October 30th 6: p.m. free food always some yummy things thank you to the seminal the
friends of the seminal theater um for partnering with us in this program that is a wonderful way to allow our local artists to be able to Showcase their work and for you to be able to come out and be inspired so thank you again thank you
always thank you and uh it's always just for someone who as I've always said can't draw a straight line with the ruler the the talent that will will be there is always just amazing for me counc and cannibal yes good afternoon
everybody okay in celebration of Hispanic heritage MTH okay as councilman and on behalf of the of the mayor step ler in the city council I would like to recognize the Hispanic poets writers and authors
outters that are part of a growing Community these 37 participants come from various walks of lives some are cators business owners retes Etc who per meet at libraries and B and book stores
to keep the momentum of their passion for the Arts all our poets writers in or out of Alters from homestead or Miami day County I was excited when I saw the number of Muses it is interesting that
to learn that five of them are LMS and they support professional and academic writers by helping them build skills to communicate more effectively their mission is to enrich our cultural life while promoting sharing and preserving individual
Customs through the written word they help build an understanding and appreciation of the variety of cultures and talents in on behalf of the mayor council and
residents of the city of fet and as councilman I am proud to present each of them with a certificate of recognition and appreciation poets writers and aors please step up to a Podium where your name is called and we waiting line to take a
photo or something testing testing okay he's we're going to call the names up if you can please come up pick up your um frame and then uh line up please so we'll begin with welcome Stephanie [Applause]
cabal ad Adriana Carrera Marisol CA Kya Castellano Maria Castillo Carlos colon Rodriguez anela colon Felicia dearin ariela
dias cind figeroa mayel Gallardo Raul Hernandez aarias Mary L America Mar mansano
pardon Diana Melendez Mercedes Minot Luis Salva Morales if you want we'll wait U until everybody comes up and then we can uh applaud so we get nice one nice big Applause um
where were we America Mar mansano Diana Melendez Mercedes Minot lisana Morales Elsa Mia Alison Natalia Alisia Navaro SAR
PES Maria palach Viana VII Maria Perry Lydia Rodriguez AEL Rosario Elizabeth
rolling Ivon Salas hanina Sal Irma Sanchez jior Santana Maya Santos Rosario
solares Fey tol Gabriela [Applause] there 37 poets authors and writers here so we welcome see see
see everybody has their F thank you for thank you all so much thank you councilman Cal for bringing this very talented uh and special group together and to each one of you again thank
you for your your commitment to our community and and we really uh are in all of your talent again thank you all probably turn it back around the other way go ahead and turn the podium the
other way yeah turn it around yeah where're where're done yeah we're done okay so before we wrap this up is before we close this out um is anyone here on behalf of either heartbeat of
Miami or help our city think there was some scheduling issues heartbe okay CL heartbeat's here the heartbeat of Miami is here if you want to go do that one no I'm going to do City yeah all right Council and
cannibal well this is a look at to the heartbeat of Miami the heartbeat of Miami was founded in 2007 as a fake based nonprofit organization to provide competent free and curent services to women and couples facing and plan
pregnancies in Miami day County together with the Christian Community and the harv Miami has established a network of medical clinics equipped with the technology and aary of Hope in homet in homet and on May 1st
2023 the heartbe of Miami homestate Clinic served 550 women their services were prly supported supported the Hispanic Latino and African-American communities in the homested area and since
2007 mothers had given birth to over 68,000 babies with the assistance of the heartbeat of Miami heartbeat of Miami continues to grow in South Florida and the transformation we have witnessed is short of
miraculous the clinic offers various services including pregnancy related consultation test counseling goods for babies Wellness education and ongoing support and the City of homed commence the
work now therefore mayor Steven lner by virtue of the authority based in him as mayor of the City to her proca October 16 2024 as harbe of
Miami day in Homestead [Applause] again thank you all all right that concludes our presentation ceremony um as soon as those of you it appears those of you who aren't going to hang around
or gone we will uh convene the council Workshop again good evening and thank you for coming out tonight up the Garcia learned to be energy efficient inside their home from lighting to laundry and everything in between but then they started to wonder
about how they use water they found the leak in their toilet by putting a little food coloring in the tank which showed up in the bowl within minutes indicating a leaking flapper valve this simple fix could save about 200 gallons a day or 6,000 gallons a month they use a lowf
flow shower head and change their leaking faucet washers so what about the outside of their home once again the Garcia went to work now they save about 150 gallons of water by not running the hose constantly when they wash the car the EPA says a typical
family uses at least 50% of their water quenching Lawns and plants unfortunately 60% may be wasted because of evaporation or overwatering so the garcas use a timer irrigate in the early morning and use only the min amount of time
recommended by the local Water Authority they've also planted Evergreens to provide year round shade for even more efficiency of their conditioned air now the Garcia are a model of efficiency Mega savers of energy and money and a credit to their community and to the
planet brought to you by your local Municipal electric utility and the Florida Municipal Power agency well good evening everyone and welcome like to call the City of Homestead um presentation portion of our regular monthly council
meeting to order and first I want to apologize for the delay I know we were supposed to uh begin at uh 5: we had some meetings upstairs and uh again our apologies for the uh DeLay So first on
our agenda tonight is the city's presentation to the homestead soup kitchen uh as we began working in the the budget year last last year uh we began with the the thought process of of
picking a a service organization and not for-profit and assist them with their Endeavors and our award e this year is the uh the homestead soup kitchen and I see we have the contingent so uh if y'all want to come on
[Applause] up so the soup kit you know so many times you know it seems that everybody has their not for profit and somebody promises you something and maybe they deliver and and and maybe they they
don't but the soup kitchen has been a staple in our community for 43 44 years 83 okay so so 41 years now and last I spoke to you Karen you were talking about you were on track for 33 35 38,000
meals last year we did over 41,000 41,000 probably do more this year so over 40,000 meals three times a week three times a week Monday Wednesday Friday Monday Wednesday Friday at the soup kitchen that has been in their current home for decades now providing a
meal ready to go to whoever comes in the door and says they need it all done with with volunteers dedicated volunteers and I know many times other organizations come and they they try to help you and over
the years you've you developed uh other Partnerships so uh we want to uh the city we uh want to you know commend you for all that you do and and assist you
in your endeavors and we have uh the the ceremonial check to the homestead suit kitchen the council if you want to join me down here in the presentation everyone say this is the is going to be in the way
looks come on get up [Applause] except for today uh so we have we work solely on a volunteer basis so everybody in here just comes because they want to help out their community so this is Kitchen Karen I'm office Karen we have
two of us so she's one of our main people that works in the kitchen and this is Maria who does pretty much everything and works really quickly uh this is Mary You Can Tell She's All Decked Out and she does a lot of the kids meals and the desserts and gets everything organized for us here's Greg
we call him mcgyver because he is our Fixit man and server and cook and everything else and uh Vicky's not here tonight but she's Public Services is excited to introduce our new enhanced customer service process to make your power and water connections
happen the same day follow this simple checklist submit your request make your payment and attach the required documents by noon our new system streamlines the entire process for faster smoother service we've also provided a document checklist to guide
you every step of the way and if you need in-person assistance our dedicated window at City Hall is available to help we're here to make your next move easier starting today it's up to all of us to keep Homestead beautiful starting in our own backyard
everyone's quality of life depends on the things we do at home like taking the time to recycle or simply mowing the lawn if you see something in your neighborhood you can report overgrown grass bulk trash violations or unsafe housing to City of Homestead Code
Compliance by calling 305 224 5580 together we can keep our community clean for today and tomorrow visit cityofhomestead.com beautiful to learn more it's up to all of us to keep
Homestead beautiful do your part and get involved with little things like Recycling and planting native trees or big things like organizing litter cleanups and helping beautify your neighborhood together we can ensure our quality of life for today and tomorrow
visit city of homestead.com beautiful to learn more good evening everyone and welcome to the City of Homestead city council meeting today is Wednesday October 16th 2024 it is now
606 p.m. this evening we'll have the invocation by Pastor Jeremy Alvarado pastor of the ministerio Pentecostal Eternal Eternal Church followed by the Pledge of Allegiance with councilman cannibal everyone please
stand Pastor M on good evening Mr Mayor members of council honored guests let us pray heavenly father as we come together today we express our heartfelt gratitude for our chance to serve and uplift our
community we we seek your guidance and wisdom as we engage in these important discussions before us may our hearts be filled with the spirit of collaboration allowing us to unite in purpose let our minds be sharp and Discerning enabling us to make thoughtful decisions that
reflect the needs of all may our actions embody a steadfast commitment to the well-being and prosperity of every resident and business in the City of Homestead help us to listen actively to one another embracing the diversity of thoughts and perspectives that enrich our community grant us the grace and
respect deferring opinions and to find and to find the common ground together let us work diligently together a towards a bright and more inclusive future for our beloved City amen amen amen thank you thank you we don't have
the you're doing the pledge we don't I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Nation word God indivisible liy and justice for all thank you please be
seated all right all right I'll now open the floor to public comments first for those who have previously registered we have one um okay yeah we'll get to we have one registration but first let's have a roll
call Madam clerk Council Bailey here councilman cannibal here councilman Roth here councilman Davis here councilwoman aula here vice mayor Fletcher here mayor Lawson
here all right as I was saying about registered public comments um the one and only registration tonight is by Ken Russell on behalf of the Sierra Club Mr Russell are you here please come forward
and give us your name and address for the record and we will set the uh 3 minute clock thank you welcome thank you good evening mayor councel Administration my name is Ken Russell I reside at 3142 Ohio Street in Little Bahamas of Coconut Grove
33133 I'm here representing Sierra Club uh asking to urging Council to take action with regard to something that the county is working on with regard to Solid Waste as you all know the incinerator burnt down down over a year ago uh on November 6th the county is
planning to vote on a new location for a new incinerator uh out in airport West which is uh further than Dural further to the West further to the north they have yet to uh create and vote on a solid waste master plan uh they have yet
to factor how much additional cost this will incur for cities especially the cities further away who will now have to transport their waste further longer distances more complicated more costly will dout pay for that will a County pay for that or will Homestead pay for that
Sierra Club is urging the county to look at alternative options Beyond incineration yet they are fixated on incineration for the moment so we are hoping that cities join together at least to ask for a pause to not rush to decision on November 6th uh and we have
draft legislation uh that we are urging cities to uh take a look at and consider in their bodies this month uh in in the hopes that they ask the county to to not vote vot on November 6th to make a decision so I thank you for your time all right we we do we have a draft
resolution that's been circulated you'll go ahead and shut the clock off so it doesn't make the obnoxious alarm um so you use the term Rush the decision how long has this been in play I se you recall that they've already had some
deliberation to not put it back at the Dural proper site um you know that's kind of a political buzzword rush so how how long has this really been in discussion sure since the year and a half the year and a half
since it burned down has been their decision point but we believe that anything prior to a solid waste master plan uh is a bit Hasty because you're putting the car before the horse on an8 billion expenditure over decades when that technology may not be the best
thing available there are other cities other counties other countries that have figured out how to handle waste rather than the traditional incineration methods um Miami day County produces twice the average waste per person of counties throughout the country uh and so reduction is a first step uh
construction of debris waste is another step and of course getting the Organics out of the landfills is another step but they're bypassing all of that and going straight to where to build an incinerator versus what should we build and so the fight over which city is currently happening versus the larger
conversation and we just believe that they they they can take a moment longer to study the whole process and options versus just picking a city because that seems to be the fight right and you talk about developing a master plan so if at
the next commission meeting they approve the expenditure or to go out and and do an RFP for a consultant to do that that master plan in your experience in public office how long might might that take yes your item 4414 this evening goes
through your master plan for your your your water uh waste waste waterer management and it's not a not a terrible process but the building of an incinerator would take over 10 years uh so they're already in the process of you
know hauling their waste elsewhere to other landfills throughout the state um and they can take the moment to study the proper methodologies uh they they're bringing in a zero waste consultant who can actually give them the solutions that they don't know yet um there's
cities like Boulder and Austin who have figured this out how to handle all their municipal waste without incineration um so of course we're talking about as as as environmental groups not putting the incinerator near the Everglades which is the current plan or anywhere but really
we're also looking to the municipalities from a fiscal perspective of you need to make sure you're at the table if you weren't already aware of what these additional costs would be if they do make a decision this coming month um whether or not you're on board for the entire elimination of incineration or not um we just want to make sure you're
aware of the potential fiscal impact that you have okay appreciate Council any questions comments uh concerns Council woman Bailey thank you mayor I was going to bring a boulder um my sister lives close to there I think we can do so much better than what we're
doing um we just spoke about this at at our briefing uh last week um having all these national parks and the Everglades I think that Florida should be ashamed of itself for not doing better and doing more research so um I would be I would
be okay with with setting something um in motion to see yeah just ask the county to at least think about it and make sure that that is in our best interest appreciate that just just to
clarify is it and you're here speaking on behalf of the Sierra Club yes is the Baseline argument that the proposed site is not locationally appropriate the official yes 100%
putting it right by the Everglades beyond the Urban Development boundary uh utilizing that property in ways that they would not let Private Industry utilize it is uh definitely against our position but our greater position is that they can think Beyond incineration to start with which they're not they're they're they've completely taken all all
other options off the table well I I guess my question is is that would the Sierra Club be here if the proposal was to put it in an urban
area or somewhere down in the South End than and I don't think we disagree with we're probably way behind the curve on proper sorting and and distribution and reuse and waste energy and all those
kinds of of things but at its core he you're here based on locational issues no sir uh Sierra club's position is around climate uh they have not yet and this is from the county report commissioned by them to with arcadis
there is no method of of sequestering uh greenhouse gas emissions from these incinerators they will act like they are because they're working on Technologies for the future they made them smell better they made them a little cleaner but they still they will produce more greenhouse gas than any other option
including landfilling and so that's Sierra club's position that there should be no incinerator they don't want a not in my backyard position they want a note position which is not on planet Earth um but they're they're they're understanding that not every city may be in that position so we're trying to help
give every city the tool to at least advocate for their interests whether it's coming to their backyard or it's going to impact them fiscally all right so let let me ask our attorneys TI typically we you know evolved into a policy and a practice of
not enacting generally non-agenda items and certainly something that's that's brought at this level and just so so you're aware we don't have a regularly scheduled meeting to act on this other than tonight between now andv and
November 6th so what what would be the so if I can make a suggestion if the will of the council to transmit something from the city to the county expressing their opposition to this then the council can certainly um adopt a motion authorizing
either the city manager to write something on their his signature or somebody on the council to represent the position of the city and set forth that sentiment and have that distributed to the County Commission prior to November 6 I think that's the easiest path
forward you going to say yeah councilman yeah I think before we make a decision decision like that um we I think we need more information I mean we just fought the landfill down in south of us and the county was you know
very helpful in stopping that process so I don't think me personally I have enough information you know based on this gentleman's you know testimony today that would enable me to make a an
educated decision on on this for a county project I just don't see it and I think if if I remember correctly it's not just an incinerator it's a it's a waste to energy program so they're creating electricity through aant type
project the replace was that correct replacing the destroyed covanta plant yes it is a waste energy facility as well so I don't know you know without having enough information it'd be hard for me to support opposing the project so this is my two cents no I I agree and
I think that what we could do is if you could get some more information to the manager he could circulate it among Council if enough council members are on board with this to request a special call meeting for us to enact something or authorize the issuance of a letter I
think that would would probably be the best course of action thank you mayor and just to clarify even though Sierra club's position is against incinerator as a whole that's not the action we're requesting of cities today we're simply asking them to ask the county for a deferral of November 6's and there's nothing in the resolution that says they
shouldn't do what they're currently planning it's just simply to ask them to work on their master plan and to give cities a study of the financial impact that you will see from the relocation based on the location they choose very good thank you thank you mayor thank you Council appreciate it thank you for
coming down all right we have uh well are there any comments from the public either online or in person in the chambers here tonight so I'll close the P public
comments section of the agenda we have before us an addition referred to as addendum one car number 4423 do we have a motion to add this item motion to add addendum one to the
agenda moved by councilwoman Bailey second by councilman DAV us all in favor all right any opposed all right so let's move on to um item number four addendum one Mr
Pearl yes Mr Mayor um item number four is a resolution of the city council of the City of Homestead Florida accepting a supplemental Proposal with Vortex Services LLC through the interlocal purchasing system tips the completion of
an sses cycle 2 Wastewater Basin repair project and including lining of additional sewer lines basins and well Fields authorizing the city manager to negotiate and execute an agreement accepting the supplemental proposal and exempting the project from competitive bidding in accordance with city code section
24111 A5 supplementing resolution number r-20 24- 07- 181 on the same subject providing for implementation and providing for an effective date thank you sir Mr manager will you be giving us
the staff for rep yes uh before I ask the Public Works director in case you have more comments back in July 17 of this year this Council approved a contract proposal to Vortex services for .177
million with a 10% price adjustment for the rehabilitation and lining of the current sanitary sewer lines as well as the man halls in sewer business number 18 13 22
24 and 25 all of which are currently under a temporary moratorium with my imidate County based on a subsequent sewer system evaluation survey sses cycle two findings it was discovered through a review that are the
additional locations that require Rehabilitation as well so this item is to Simply expand the existing contract by including those newly found discovered areas as well as incorporating them as part of the current contract in order to save money
and save timeline of completion very good thank you any questions or comments from Council all right before we move this are there any public comments so I'll close the public hearing and ask for a motion to approve
uh addendum one moveed by councilman cannibal second second by councilman Davis roll call Madam Clerk councilman Ross Yes councilwoman avula yes councilman Davis yes
councilwoman Bailey yes councilman cannibal yes vice mayor Fletcher yes may La yes the motion carries right thank you thank you Mr manager all right our next item tab one is a pres car number 4421 is a
presentation on behalf of the Citizens Independent Transportation Trust good evening and welcome good evening and thank you for having me Mr Mayor uh council members Mr manager it's great to see you we used to work together back in Miami again my name is Javier beton Court executive
director of the CIT and with me also is Marana price she is the municipal program manager for our agency and she's the one that works most closely with you and the other 34 cities in Miami day County on your expenditure of your half peny sales tax funds so uh we're going
around and just giving everyone an update on on um the CT tax the half penny the projects that are being funded with that uh clearly it's something I know you're interested in down here in Homestead given everything you're doing with your half peny and then also the the South Corridor so without further
Ado I'll go ahead and I'm going to be very quick because it's a lot of slides and I know you want to get to dinner uh if you want me to slow down or if you have questions please inrow so 20 years ago actually over 20 years ago this November uh everyone who went to the voting booth saw this on the ballot and
it was asking the good citizens of Miami day County whether they'd approved a half percentage increase in their sales tax to go to Transportation improvements what they called at the time and we still call The People's Transportation plan or PTP that measure uh was adopted
um but I do want to point out the last line in the referendum language specifically asked the voters to create our organizations to oversee those funds and make sure that both the county and the cities spent that half penny uh appropriately Okay so who are we what do
we do essentially we're a small agency quasi independent agency at Miami day County charged uh with monitoring auditing reviewing overseeing and investigating the use of those half penny funds and the implementation of the promises that were made to the
people um back in 2002 so we are not the Department of Transportation and Public Works we're not the TPO we don't build operate maintain or plan for the long uh range future of Transportation we're simply a watchdog agency over the fund so we are governed by a 15 member Board
of Citizen volunteers one appointed by the mayor one by the league of cities and the other 13 by each of the 13 County Commissioners um you are represented represented partially in this area right now uh by I believe uh one of these folks uh I'm trying to
remember which one let's see um I know we have a vacancy actually for most of your districts so for those people who are interested in applying to be a member of the trust uh if you live in commissioner Kone McGee District we do have a vacancy and here's how you apply uh basically you can't be an
elected official you can't be a candidate for office you cannot have a financial conflict of interest with the county but you do have to reside in the district of the commissioner that appoints you we have an office that I uh lead that helps to support the volunteer
members of the CIT we're a small office probably the smallest in the county but we're small But Mighty is like to say one of our principal functions is to audit the cities and the county on a semi-regular basis um you know we're constantly every two or three years auditing the cities and uh following up
at any findings so um there were some uh findings and in past audits that we have been working diligently with your staff to address and by the way you have an amazing staff I do want to thank not only the city manager but also Cairo Eduardo Anna Sher Carlos Pamela and
Raquel we work work with all of them they're very responsive they're very professional they're represent you well and um we're working through any remaining issues we have uh with them on a regular basis so enough about us let's talk about the money so a half penny doesn't sound like a lot but it has
generated quite a bit over those 20 plus years almost $5 billion now the bulk of that has gone to Miami day transit to operate maintain upgrade and expand Transit less than 10% of it has gone to their public works department for roadway improvements and
Highway improvements 20% goes to the cities that's was an agreement reached you know from the very beginning and it's distributed to the cities by uh population on prata basis you Homestead being you a fairly large city you get a
good size of those funds um less than 1% goes to our office for uh oversight uh we are able to use up to 5% for those purposes we keep it under 1% strategic because we want the bulk of the funds being spent on the city and on the
services that people need to move around this is kind of the same information presented over the lifetime uh of the collections as you see you know the sales tax keeps on increasing with the exception of the Great Recession and the pandemic um this is our current budget
now it's 75% is actually now going to Transit so as roadway projects are completed we're not allowing the county to add more because we really want the focus to be on transit on those remaining Transit projects that were promised and were never delivered if you really want to geek out and get into the numbers if you're one
of those folks um there is a 20-year performer online every penny in every penny out is on that 40-year performer so have fun geek out uh I should know it's an $8 billion performa over 40 years and yet we have many more needs
than that so we need to start thinking about how we fund those enough about the money now let's talk about the projects and services it funds so as I said 20% % of the funds have gone to the cities the cities have done a very good job of spending their monies on transportation and Transit improvements you're required
to spend at least 20% on Transit trolleys freebies on demand the other 80% can be spent on other Transportation roadway bicycle pedestrian traffic calming Etc um The Golden Passport was one of the
original promises that's fair free transit for all seniors regardless regardless of income uh subsequent to that they then added what they call the Patriot passport which is fair free transit for veterans that one is income limited so folks under certain income um
there were a number of other improvements you know we completely replaced the metr Mover Fleet the Metro Rail Fleet and increasingly the Metro bus fleet Metro mover was also made Fair free uh as I said there were 40s something Promises of Highway and
roadway improvements most of those have been achieved and finally the one that everyone remembers of course is the expansion of Metro and that is where we've had the least amount of success there was one expansion of Metro which I'll talk about in a second but we'd
like to say that the most successful part of the program has been the municipal program the cities maybe because you're more Nimble maybe because you know you're closer to the people you represent you've done really a great job of using your limited Resource as well so I'm going to allow Marana price to just come in here for a minute and give
you a quick update on the municipal program good evening Mr Mayor fellow council members my name is Marana and I run the best part of the C CIT the cities uh Municipal program so uh 33
municipalities participate um and City of Homestead has always been a Star City you have a star team and uh amongst the most enthusiastic Liaisons that I have so you have a great team representing
you um so I run the program I oversee the uh compliance collect reports host monthly and quarterly virtual meetings annual Workshop in person and um City of Homestead last well this B school year
has already collected $4.3 million and half penny oh next slide and um is projected next year to receive over 5 million the ridership last year was 39,7 41 and that was without your free
beat already this year as of only quarter three your ridership is 50,60 4 so you're well on your way to um ex I mean you're already you've already exceeded it and the freebie has really helped you push through and over that
amount since last year that's all thank you did you say our freebie ridership was 50,000 or the combined freebie and trolley um combined freebie ridership is 14376 and one of the projects we continue to work with you on is on the
homestead multimodal Transit Center so we want to ensure that that's not just a parking garage for the Siberian as cool as that is the uh movie theater and the bowling alley that it really is a true Transit park and ride and your team has been great at making sure that they're adding those elements so that when that
brt rolls up hopefully sometime next year um people will be able to park there okay um one of the key roadway projects that is still under works is the advanced traffic management system so this is basically smart signals right trying to get you through those
intersections if you are in a car uh more efficiently and more streamlined so there was a phase one to that um that tackled a number of intersections throughout the county was successful they realized Savings of anywhere between 15 20 in some cases 25% Time
Savings as a result of that phase two didn't go so well they had issues with the contractor a lot of delays so they've essentially let that contractor go and they they brought in a new one and now that is also underway but the focus again has been
Transit uh particularly now um a lot was accomplished as I I've said a lot of this I won't repeat it but you know the main accomplishment really was the expansion of Metro to the airport that is the only Rapid Transit expansion that we've achieved in 20 plus years uh the
second one is going to be right outside this building and that is the first Corridor that's being built as part of the smart plan the Strategic Miami Area Rapid Transit plan is essentially the same quarters that were promised to the voters 20 years ago uh and never delivered so now the county working with
the cities working with other partners are really trying to push those corridors um and bring them to fruition so the South Quarter which we'll talk about in a second is exciting because it's the first one out the gate but there's also the beach quarter the East West Corridor the kendle corridor the
Northeast Corridor and the north Corridor uh I don't have to tell you this one is under construction um they are hoping uh officially to launch this second quarter of next year unofficially I I'd be surprised if that happens but hopefully sometime next year you're
going to see those standard brt service running down the corridor serving your great City and the idea is I think you know uh that at some point in the future when it can be justified um in terms of ridership and land use that that that can be converted to
rail the beach Corridor AK a bay link as it used to be known is going to be a Metro mover connection right now from downtown to Miami Beach and then also downtown to the Design District that's still in Planning Development and Engineering East West Corridor uh was originally going to be some kind of brt
project along 836 itself the County's taking a step back they're reassessing that they're looking at Alternatives communal rail along the Z CSX lines potentially Metro mover it's up to all of us to keep Homestead beautiful one of the biggest things you
can do is help us stop illegal dumping by reporting it to City of Homestead Code Compliance illegal dumpers can get fined up to $500 per day until the mess is cleaned up and in some cases even get arrested together we can keep our
community clean for today and tomorrow visit cityofhomestead.com beautiful to learn more the Garcia's learned to be energy efficient in inside their home from lighting to laundry and everything in between but then they started to wonder
about how they use water they found the leak in their toilet by putting a little food coloring in the tank which showed up in the bowl within minutes indicating a leaking flapper valve this simple fix could save about 200 gallons a day or 6,000 gallons a month they use a lowf
flow shower head and change their leaking faucet washers so what about the outside of their home once again the Garcia's went to work now they save about 150 gallons of water by not running the hose constantly when they wash the car the EPA says a typical
family uses at least 50% of their water quenching Lawns and plants unfortunately 60% may be wasted because of evaporation or overwatering so the garcas use a timer irrigate in the early morning and use only the minimal amount of time
recommended by the local Water Authority they've also planted evergreens to provide yearr round shade for even more efficiency of their conditioned air now the Garcia are a model of efficiency Mega savers of energy and money and a credit to their community and to the
planet brought to you by your local Municipal electric utility and the Florida Municipal Power agency the City of Homestead is cracking down on illegal dumping and encouraging its residents to report any violations to Code Compliance or Homestead PD
course not just talking trash here it's the law illegal dumping can result in fines up to $500 a day until the trash is picked up and in some cases it can even result in an arrest so what is illegal dumping it's
not just throwing garbage into a vacant lot or Alleyway it includes using a dumpster that doesn't belong to you or adding to your neighbor's bulk waste pile without permission this illegal dumping has many negative effects on your community like health issues from unsanitary conditions decreasing
property values and using your tax dollars to clean up someone else's mess health issues can arise in sites where garbage collects unattended as it acts as a breeding ground for insects and animals that carry diseases when it rains runoff from improperly disposed
chemicals can contaminate the land and our water supply it can also wear on residents mental health because studies show that unclean environments can contribute to increased stress and decreased feelings of security illegal dumping also affects property values
according to the visible litter cost study real estate agents reported a 9 to 24% decrease in home price when litter was visible in the neighborhood as the gateway to Everglades and bisc national parks we have the unique responsibility of not only caring for our own Community
but the natural Treasures right in our own backyard because it's up to all of us to keep Homestead beautiful [Music] the Johnson's used to be bad about
wasting energy on lighting real bad but when they realized what it was costing them in real dollars they got Energy Smart real quick first they turned off all unnecessary lights then instead of standard incandescent bulbs they
switched to energy star CFLs and LEDs talk about a bright idea now they use 75% less energy plus the new bulbs last 10 times longer can save $30 over the bulb's lifetime and they're 75% cooler what did that really mean to the
Johnson's enough to cover three high-end coffees A Day dinner for the family at that fancy schmancy restaurant another round of golf for Dad massage for mom brought to you by your local Municipal electric utility and the Florida
Municipal Power agency [Music] hey welcome to community matters the
show where we bring you important information and insights about our City's issues departments and initiatives I'm your host Josh pageant and today joining us here in the studio is the co-compliance director Adrien CIO co-compliance officer Lillian Valencia
and officer Paula cabosa from the Homestead police welcome to the show guys thank you for coming in thank you for having GL to be here yeah well this is an exciting time because in the last four months the City of Homestead launched the interdepartmental quality of life task force now the mission of
this task force what is that it's to address the quality of life issues that pertain to a cleaner safer and more beautiful city here in Homestead our big topic today is illegal dumping so co-compliance and the police you guys are the main pillars of this quality of
life task force uh you guys have been working very closely to address illegal dumping here in the city first I want to ask you guys what is illegal dumping so illegal dumping is when you dump junk debris mattresses whatever on the Public's RightWay sale or on somebody's
property um in one case it's a criminal violation which ends up being a felony misdemeanor type deal but also from a Cod compliance standpoint it's a code violation as well so we issue citations for that up from 500 to $1,000 to
$5,000 and obviously you if you're caught in the act police can and can actually arrest you up to Father what's about the first citation first citation is 500 if you become a repat offender then it's a th000 and then after that 5,000 and then
after that every single one's going to be 5,000 okay so as far as uh how does the co- compliance how do you guys operate in this task force what's your main well the well the officers we have a lot of roles within this task force because it's not just legal dumping but as it
pertains to Legal dumping we do a lot of patrols we have some cameras set up I know we worked in conjunction with PD on that uh and we basically uh we Patrol hotspots to make sure that those areas are not being dumped as frequently um and to make sure we can try to stop them flat out then we we issue citations
based on that tickets uh like I said $500 to $5,000 and and police obviously if we can get in contact with them they can make arrest as well okay so now we got that we got two sides to this collabor offer yes yeah you guys are collaborating so what's the police's
role in this I mean how are you guys catching these people so once it's determined that it's not a civil infraction which means when code um issue Their fines then it can be a once it's a criminal matter then that's when police take action and you can arrest
the people they can be charged with felonies misdemeanors their vehicles can be towed if it's a business that is doing The Dumping they can be very serious repercussions to their business all their vehicles can be seized their licenses can be affected it's a serious crime how does this get from like a
civil citation to a criminal arrest well it depends on the amount that is being dumped so anything under 15b would be considered a a civil infraction where the fines can be between 500 and uh up
to a th000 um sorry 5,000 5,000 yeah um dollars anything between 15b and 500 lb it's U Mis demeer in the first degree and then anything over 500 lb is a felony in the third degree additionally
if it's a commercial vehicle that is doing the The Dumping it doesn't matter if it's one piece of paper it's immediately a felony how are you guys catching uh these so we have uh our task force has set up surveillances we have several cameras throughout the city and
obviously this is a collaborative effort with the community so our tip lines having the residents call us in and give us information write down the tag number write down the vehicle information give us the information on where there's maybe hotpots of where these items are being dumped that we we can we cannot be
everywhere at all the time so it's just a little bit of code patrolling our officers doing their surveillances and the big piece is the community how they bring the information up to us educating the community and having them voice their concerns towards us okay and and
then are there any um technological advancements that you guys using what kind of Technology you use we have several cameras throughout the city surveilling uh different areas um we use uh the main thing it's not technology related but again the tip line having
information being given to us whenever we get information and it's not a criminal matter we will forward all this information to code enforcement and they will follow up the addresses the vehicles the description of like the people the businesses it's um nice okay
so the cameras are picking up people as well yes they are we can use them to get uh tag information on the vehicles that are doing this description on the individuals that are doing it and then from then on we can open an investigation based on those leads that we have and it could lead to arrests
like it has in the past and are there any plans to expand technology usage with the police um at this point is just enhancing on what we have I don't know specifically what additions will be made but definitely enhance enhancements to what we currently use and possess just
to make better use of it and make it more effective and also to modify as well cuz we have certain cameras on certain locations but once those locations kind of quiet down we move them to locations that are a little bit more problematic right because dumpers will sort of understand that okay these are the areas that are being monitored
right because they've had some citation some arrest Etc but then they'll try to shift to other areas so at that point then we'll just shift the cameras over there so we can catch them that in the act as well okay and then you guys have the entire city is split out into different districts and zones that you guys are monitoring correct we have
different areas like the CR area is kind of its own area we kind of have doubled down on because it's kind of it's a little bit more in more rough shape I guess you could say but then you know we have the Northwestern uh District we have the southwestern District by the Raceway and then we have the uh the northeastern District which is more of
the um more of the gated communities Lillian like you're out there every day correct how does your day look like when you get started I me what's co-compliance doing every day so what we do we Patrol every single day we go out there if we see a trash pile we get off
we put our gloves and we just start digging in there to see if we can find any information that would lead us to the person they uh put all the trash in there adding a little bit more what officer calosa was saying is that yes they are the ones that they send us a
report and we are the ones that issue the citations we need to educate our people we need to educate the the community the correct day to put the trash out is a day before pickup day so we need solid way send calendars every
year and it has the days in there for bul trash pickup so each Zone has different date but it have to be one day before pickup date okay so expand a little bit on this education because education is a huge component here obviously for the city for the residents
maybe a lot of them I mean is it do you often hear from people like oh I just didn't know I didn't know I couldn't put it out there correct correct and if we see it like in front of the property we can start with a notice violation our courtesy and we just mail those to them and then when they reach out to us we
can educate them we can tell them uh you know if they don't have the calendar we can provide them the calendar um we either mail them to them or we can go to their houses and just drop off the calendar for them so the calendar and the scheduling is probably the biggest issue here with illegal dumping correct
well also we have a lot of the majority of illegal dumping is people from the outside of the county I mean outside of the city or Homestead and they're dropping their stuff correct and to pick it back off of what of what Le's saying one of the biggest issues is if if homeowners put their trash out too early let's say they put
it out a week before a pickup date right that just makes it a big Bullseye a big Target for other illegal dumpers to come and put their trash there right they passing through the city they'll drop by and then just add on to that site and it creates you know more fees more you know more fees for uh for tipping for you
know in terms of the taxpayers of the city so it's it's really really important the residents put their trash out only one day before because if you put it out a week before again like I said um people who are looking to dump trash they'll see that pile and they they're like oh we'll hit that that pile and add add our stuff on top of that
right and then it looks like the homeowner and now we don't have to worry about any repercussions right so it's it's one of those things that you know and and Officer cariosa says it perfectly our biggest issue is we really really need the residents to help because if if they're if they're there helping us and and making sure that
their their drop offs are at the right time then it it's going to it's definitely alleviate the problem for us as well and additionally about the initiatives um for educating the community we've been doing what we call knock and talks and this is where code enforcement the police department
members from uh the community go door too in specific areas of the city like you said the different uh quadrants I guess and then we go door too with information with our Flyers with the schedules we are there to explain people educate people and also listen to their
concerns voice have them voice their concerns to us about why they think things are happening they are the ones that are there at all times so they will have way more information than what we have but if we all work together then we can have like a a well-rounded approach as to how to maybe the issues that
happen in the Northwest section there may not be the same ones in the Northeast so each we can tailor our approach depending on the side of the city and then also focus on that bridging that that gap between the residents the and officials CT
Enforcement Officers just City officials and have them see your faces and have them not be scared of making that phone call not not hold back into oh I saw this I saw that that is the biggest piece like if they are comfortable with communicating with us and know that they're going to get results that's how
we're going to bring this like to a full like Circle I think that uh the Homestead police department did a a big knock and talk initiative in kind of the Northwestern um area of the city and we saw a huge difference I think we went out there with the city manager uh last
week um late last week and it was so much better than the first time we had gone out there maybe a month prior so you can tell that education is really important and with that initiative I think a lot of homeowners have have gotten the message they understand now you know what they can and can't do so I
I I think that those initiatives are are honestly the most important part of of basically the stuff that we do awesome and I'd love for this show to be a we we want this show to be a resource for education as well so can we roll through uh just quickly the guidelines for
dumping your trash out it's it's supposed to be one day prior to your schedule right correct it's one day before a pickup day which is you have to follow the calendar of the schedule if you guys see that your neighbor is putting a box or a mattress in front of
your property it it's okay to tell the neighbor you can put it in front of their property cuz that's the issue that we've been having lately so the neighbors they go to the next door neighbor and then they just put a pile in there so then that that sounds like a community pile and some of the areas we
do not have a community pile because it's not fair that I would have the community Pile in front of my house while Adrian's house is nice and clean so that's why and then everybody start putting more more stuff in and I can imagine too that with uh people in the
community your neighbors adding more stuff to your pile you guys mentioned about the weight limit I bet that's causing an issue too with you cuz now you get cited for that correct and and I don't think it's fair for the homeowner to get uh fined for something that he
did not dump in there where can people find their schedule what if they don't have a calendar where yeah you can go to homestead. goov uh the main website and then you can go to the solid waste website and they have a huge map you find your house whatever Zone you're in and then they give you basically all the information you need now you guys have
been making some arrests you mention arrests we have so how many arrests has Homestead so far we have have made four felony arrests and 12 misdemeanor arrests there have been nine vehicles that have been towed in reference to this so like you were saying talking
about the outside people we are also showing to the non-residents of Homestead that this will not be tolerated there are consequences you can't just come to our city and just dump trash or do the things that are not allowed in wherever it is that you're living and come and do it over here in
our backyard we are taking matters into our own hands we are uh following up with our cases some of our cases in court have been very successful uh judges have uh ruled in our favor and um it's it's exciting to see that we can
make a difference so nine nine cars impounded what what uh constitutes getting someone's car well they are being used in the commission of the crime and they're being taken for evidence so if you have your pickup truck and you're using it and we arrest you while you're doing this your car
goes too not just you okay so you can lose your truck you can and you're getting cited for these things now citations uh now there's a scale to this thing right so the first citation is what is that usually a warning or is that an actual uh $500 well if it's for a resident we're usually going to get a
courtesy notice basically saying listen don't do this again um and we open up a case for that but the first citation citation would be $500 and then the second would be a th000 and then the throw would actually be 5,000 from then on so every single time you do it $5,000
have you had anybody that's been ignoring the citations and it's just racking up course of course some people just they they they just don't seem to to mind I guess I I don't I don't I don't know get it but it is what it is what's the highest amount someone has had to pay I mean we had a we had a Cod case recently where they paid 10
grand 10 grand and it was actually up to 55,000 and then the special Master mitigated it down to $10,000 and he paid it so what what can residents do to help support you guys the quality of life task force here okay the first thing is you can contact the police department if
you witness that this is happening um as you are there you can call our non-emergency number is 305 2471 1535 give all the information there the most important thing we can tell you is do not approach the people that are doing this just give us their information we will send an officer make sure you stay
safe uh you can also give us a call to our anonymous tip line is 305 22455 95 we do not need your information but the more information you give us about the individuals the Vehicles whatever information you have the easier it is for us to follow up on those tips and
you can contact code at 305 224 5580 and also at code at homestead. goov also if you haven't downloaded it yet guys you can find the fix it Homestead app in the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store you can find it also at homesteadfl Dogo it you take a picture
with your phone it geoloc the illegal dumping sends it to these guys they can get it fixed uh thank thank you guys again for joining us here in the we appreciate everyone back at home thank you for watching uh this important episode of community matters we've had an insightful discussion here today
about the efforts of the in departmental quality of life task force and tackling illegal dumping and improving the overall quality of life and Homestead I want to extend my thanks to co- compliance director Adrien CIO I also want to thank co-compliance officer
lilan Valencia and of course officer Paula of the homestead PD uh thank you guys for sharing your expertise and dedication to keeping our city clean and safe and as we've heard today this task force is making significant strides from
issuing citations making arrests to educating the community on how to prevent illegal dumping but the success of these efforts also depends on you guys the residents so by following your solid way schedule reporting illegal dumping and staying informed you can help support the mission of the task
force and contribute to a cleaner safer and More Beautiful Homestead thank you again for tuning in to community matters until next time let's work together and make Homestead the best it can be stay safe and keep our city [Music] [Applause]
beautiful at Homestead Public Services we're always looking for opportunities to improve our process and provide seamless service that's why starting September 9th we're launching an enhanced customer service service process for applications this update
includes same day Power and Water hookups if your request payment and proper documentation are submitted before noon plus with our new document attachment system submitting your forms have never been easier we're streamlining the way you connect with us
ensuring your service setup is faster and more efficient Homestead Public Services is excited to introduce our new enhanced customer service process to make your power and water connections happen the same day follow this simple checklist
submit your request make your payment and attach the required documents by noon our new system streamlines the entire process for faster smoother service we've also provided a document checklist to guide you every step of the way and if you need in-person assistance
our dedicated window at City Hall is available to help we're here to make your next move easier starting today reduce reuse recycle these are the easiest ways that we can help the environment and conserve our natural resources but it's not always easy to
remember what you can and can't recycle well here in Homestead we've got two different types of bins we've got one with a green lid that is for trash and another that has a gray lid or yellow lid that's for recycling in your recycle bin you can put plastic B bottles
cardboard paper Glass and Metal cans you want to make sure that your recyclable items are clean and empty so give them a quick rinse before tossing them in the bin also make sure your cardboard items are dry and clean that means any wet cardboard or greasy pizza boxes should
be tossed in your trash bin another thing to remember is to not put your recyclables in a plastic bag just toss them and loose and if you want to recycle these bags next time you go to the store take them back to the retailer you should always toss things like food waste
plastic wrap hangers and household batteries in your trash bin light bulbs paper towels and styrofoam aren't recyclable either now you might be wondering what's the harm in putting something that you can't recycle in the recycling bin well
recycling facilities can't process materials that are more than a certain per contaminated so even a little bit of contamination in everyone's bins could add up to a big problem as the gateway to Everglades and biscan National Park Homestead has a long-standing commitment
to protecting the environment and that commitment starts with you for more information on the benefits of recycling and what you should recycle go to cityofhomestead.com recycle so come on Homestead let's recycle together
as temperatures rise in Homestead the risk of heat related illnesses and injuries also increases posing significant threats to outdoor worker safety and productivity follow these tips to stay safe and beat the heat stay
hydrated and take breakes in the shade wear appropriate clothing and wear sunscreen know the signs learn the symptoms of heat illnesses more information on extreme heat safety visit homestead. goov slhe
good evening everyone and welcome to the City of Homestead city council meeting today is Wednesday October 16th 2024 it is now 606 p.m. this evening we'll have the
invocation by Pastor Jeremy Alvarado pastor of the ministerio Pentecostal loka Eternal Eternal Church followed by the Pledge of Allegiance with councilman cannibal everyone please stand Pastor
M Mr Mayor members of council and honored guests let us pray heavenly father as we come together today we express our heartfelt gratitude for our chance to serve and uplift our community we seek your guidance and wisdom as we engage in this important discussions
before us may our hearts be filled with the spirit of collaboration allowing us to unite in purpose let our minds be sharp and Discerning enabling us to make thoughtful decisions that reflect the needs of all may our actions embody a steadfast commitment to the well-being
and prosperity of every resident and business in the City of Homestead help us to listen actively to one another embracing the diversity of thoughts and perspectives that enrich our community grant us the grace and respect deferring opinions and to find and to find the
common ground together let us work diligently together a towards a bright and more inclusive future for our beloved City amen amen thank you thank you don't the you're doing the pledge
we I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of nation God liy and justice for all thank you please be seated all right all right I'll now open the floor
to public comments first for those who have previously registered we have one um oh okay yeah we'll get to thate we have one registration but first let's have a roll call Madam clerk councilwoman Bailey here councilman
cannibal here councilman Roth here councilman Davis here councilwoman aula here vice mayor Fletcher here mayor L here all right as I was saying got
registered public comments um the one and only registration tonight is by Ken Russell on behalf of the Sierra Club Mr Russell are you here please come forward and give us your name an address for the record and we will set the uh 3 minute
clock thank you welcome thank you good evening mayor councel Administration my name is Ken Russell I reside at 3142 Ohio Street in Little Bahamas of Coconut Grove 33133 I'm here representing siar club uh asking to urging Council to take action
with regard to something that the county is working on with regard to Solid Waste as you all know the incinerator burnt down over a year ago uh on November 6 the county is planning to vote on a new location for a new incinerator uh out in airport West which is uh further than
Dural further to the West further to the north they have yet to uh create and vote on a solid waste master plan uh they have yet to factor how much additional cost this will incur for cities especially the cities further away who will now have to transport
their waste further longer distances more complicated more costly will Dural pay for that will a County pay for that or will Homestead pay for that Sierra Club is urging the county to look at alternative options Beyond incineration yet they are fixated on incineration for the moment so we are hoping that cities
join together at least to ask for a pause to not rush to decision on November 6th uh and we have draft legislation uh that we are urging cities to uh take a look at and consider in their bodies this month uh in in the
hopes that they ask the county to to not vote on November 6th and there's always a lot going on in the Garcia's Kitchen and most of it was wasting energy so they dusted off the coils on the fridge started running full loads in
the dishwasher and turning the heated dry switch to air dry with the money they save they'll be able to replace that inefficient 10-year-old fridge with a new energy star qualified fridge that will save enough electricity to light their house for 4 months but they didn't
stop there oh no the garcas were on a roll they turned their water heater from a scalding 140° down to 120 which will help slow mineral buildup and save energy for maximum Energy savings they're considering a new hybrid heat
pump water heater they weren't done just yet the laundry room was the next energy robber that had to be tackled when they heard heating water is 90% of the energy a washer uses they went into action now they use cold water for washing and set their dryer cycle to automatically use
the energy efficient setting brought to you by your local Municipal electric utility and the Florida Municipal Power agency Homestead Public Services is excited to introduce our new enhanced customer service process to make your
power and water connections happen the same day follow this simple checklist submit your request make your payment and attach the required documents by noon our new system streamlines the entire process for faster smoother
service we've also provided a document checklist to guide you every step of the way and if you need in-person assistance our dedicated window at City Hall is available to help we're here to make your next move easier starting today the City of Homestead is cracking
down on illegal dumping and encouraging its residents to report any violations to Code Compliance or Homestead PD course not just talking trash here it's the law illegal dumping can result in finds a to $500 a day until the trash is picked
up and in some cases it can even result in an arrest so what is illegal dumping it's not just throwing garbage into a vacant lot or Alleyway it includes using a dumpster that doesn't belong to you or adding to your neighbor's bulk waste pile without permission this illegal
dumping has many negative effects on your community like health issues from unsanitary conditions decreasing property values and using your tax to clean up someone else's mess health issues can arise in sites where garbage collects unattended as it acts as a
breeding ground for insects and animals that carry diseases when it rains runoff from improperly disposed chemicals can contaminate the land and our water supply it can also wear on residents mental health because studies show that unclean environments can contribute to
increased stress and decreased feelings of security illegal dumping also affects property value according to the visible litter cost study real estate agents reported a 9 to 24% decrease in home price when litter was visible in the neighborhood as the
gateway to Everglades and bisc national parks we have the unique responsibility of not only caring for our own Community but the natural Treasures right in our own backyard because it's up to all of us to keep Homestead [Music]
beautiful there's some exciting news for the City of Homestead we're thrilled to announce the launch of our new website domain www.homestead.com in our digital Evolution offering a fresh and intuitive web address that
enhances cyber security and provides residents with peace of mind when interacting with city services online rest assured you can still access the same reliable information and stay updated on City city news and events visit us at www.
homestead. and stay connected with your city good evening everyone and welcome to the City of Homestead city council meeting today is Wednesday October 16th 2024 it is now
606 p.m. this evening we'll have the invocation by Pastor Jeremy Alvarado pastor of the ministerio Pentecostal loka Eternal Eternal Church followed by the Pledge of Allegiance with councilman cannibal everyone please stand
Pastor mik on good evening Mr Mayor members of council honor guests let us pray heavenly father as we come together today we express our heartfelt gratitude for our chance to serve and uplift our community we seek your guidance and wisdom as we engage in these important
discussions before us may our hearts be filled with the spirit of collaboration allowing us to unite in purpose let our minds be sharp and Discerning enabling us to make thoughtful decisions that reflect the needs of all may our actions embody a steadfast commitment to the
well-being and prosperity of every resident and business in the City of Homestead help us to listen actively to one another embracing the diversity of thoughts and perspectives that enrich our community grant us the grace and respect deferring opinions and to find
and to find the common ground together let us work diligently together a towards a bright and more inclusive future for our beloved City amen amen amen thank you thank you we don't have
the you're doing the pledge we don't have I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States stand Nation God indivisible liy and Justice thank you please be seated all
right all right I'll now open the floor to public comments first for those who have previously registered we have one um oh okay yeah we'll get to we have one registration but first let's have a roll call Madam clerk councilwoman Bailey
here councilman cannibal here councilman rth here councilman Davis here councilwoman avula here vice mayor Fletcher here mayor lawon
here all right as I was saying about registered public comments um the one and only registration tonight is by Ken Russell on behalf of the Sierra Club Mr Russell are you here please come forward
and give us your name and address for the record and we will set the uh three minute clock thank you welcome thank you good evening mayor councel Administration my name is Ken Russell I reside at 3142 Ohio Street in Little Bahamas of Coconut Grove
33133 I'm here representing Sierra Club uh asking to urging Council to take action with regard to something that the county is working on with regard to Solid Waste as you all know the incinerator burnt down over a year ago uh on November 6th the county is
planning to vote on a new location for a new incinerator uh out in airport West which is uh further than Dural further to the West further to the north they have yet to uh create and vote on a solid waste master plan uh they have yet
to factor how much additional cost this will incurve for cities especially the cities further away who will now have to transport their waste further longer distances more complicated more costly will Dural pay for that will a County pay for that or will Homestead pay for that Sierra Club is urging the county to
look at alternative options Beyond incineration yet they are fixated on incineration for the moment so we are hoping that cities join together at least to ask for a pause to not rush to decision on November 6th uh and we have draft legislation uh that we are urging
cities to uh take a look at and consider in their bodies this month uh in in in the hopes that they ask the county to to not vote on November 6th and make a decision so I thank you for your time all right we we do we have a draft resolution that's been circulated if
you'll go ahead shut the clock off so it doesn't make the obnoxious alarm um so you use the term Rush the decision how long has this been in play I seen you recall that they've already had some deliberation to not put it back at the
Dural proper site um you know that's kind of a political buzzword rush so how how long has this really been in discussion sure since the year and a half the year and a half since it burned down has been their decision point but we believe that anything prior to a solid waste master
plan uh is a bit Hasty because you're putting the car before the horse on an $8 billion expenditure over decades when that technology may not be the best thing available there are other cities other counties other countries that have figured out how to handle waste rather than the the traditional incineration
methods um Miami day County produces twice the average waste per person of counties throughout the country uh and so reduction is a first step uh construction and debris waste is another step and of course getting the Organics out of the landfills is another step but they're bypassing all of that and going
straight to where to build an incinerator versus what should we build and so the fight over which city is currently happening versus the larger conversation and we just believe that they're they they can take a moment longer to study
the whole process and options versus just picking a city that seems to be the fight right and you talk about developing a master plan so if at the next commission meeting they approve the expenditure or to go out and and do an
RFP for a consultant to do that that master plan in your experience in public office how long might might that take yes you're item 4414 this evening goes through your master plan for your your your water uh waste Wastewater management and it's not a not a terrible
process but the building of an incinerator would take over 10 years uh so they're already in the process of you know hauling their waste elsewhere to other landfills throughout the state um and they can take the moment to study
the proper methodologies uh they they're bringing in a zero waste consultant who can actually give them the solutions that they don't know yet um there's cities like Boulder and Austin who have figured this out how to handle all their municipal waste without incineration um so of course we're talking about as as
as environmental groups not putting incinerator near the Everglades which is the current plan or anywhere but really we're also looking to the municipalities from a fiscal perspective of you need to make sure you're at the table if you weren't already aware of what these additional costs would be if they do make a decision this coming month um
whether or not you're on board for the entire elimination of incineration or not um we just want to make sure you're aware of the potential fiscal impact that you have okay appreciate Council any questions comments uh concerns councilwoman Bailey thank you mayor I was going to bring a boulder um my
sister lives close to there I think we can do so much better than what we're doing um we just spoke about this at at our briefing uh last week um having all these national parks and the Everglades I think that Florida should be ashamed of itself for not doing better and doing
more research so um I would be I would be okay with with setting something um in motion to so yeah just ask the county to at least think about it and make sure that that is in our best
interest appreciate that just just to clarify is it and you're here speaking on behalf of the Sierra Club yes is is the Baseline argument that the proposed site is not locationally
appropriate the official yes 100% putting it right by the Everglades beyond the Urban Development boundary uh utilizing that property in ways that they would not let Private Industry utilize it is uh definitely against our position but our greater position is that they can think Beyond incineration
to start with which they're not they're they're they've completely taken all other option off the but I I guess my question is is that would the Sierra Club be here if the
proposal was to put it in an urban area or somewhere down in the South End than you and I don't think we disagree with we're probably way behind the curve on proper sorting and and distribution
and reuse and waste energy and all those kinds of of things but at its core I you're here based on locational issues no sir uh Sierra club's position is around climate uh they have not yet and
this is from the county report commissioned by them to with arcadis there is no method of of sequestering uh greenhouse gas emissions from these incinerators they will act like they are because they're working on Technologies for the future they made them smell
better they made them a little cleaner but they still they will produce more greenhouse gas than any other option including landfilling and so that's Sierra club's position that there should be no incinerator they don't want a not in my backyard position they want a note position which is not on planet Earth um
but they're they're they're understanding that not every city may be in that position and so we're trying to help give every city the tool to at least advocate for their interests whether it's coming to their backyard or it's going to impact them fiscally all right so let let me ask our
attorneys T typically we you know evolved into a policy and a practice of not enacting generally non-agenda items and certainly something that's that's brought at this level and just so so you're aware we don't have a regularly
scheduled meeting to act on this other than tonight between now andv and November 6th so what what would be the so if I can make a suggestion if it's the will of the council to transmit something from the city to the county expressing
their opposition to this then the council can certainly um adopt a motion authorizing either the city manager to write something on their H signature or somebody on the council to represent the position of the city and set forth that sentiment and have that distributed to the County Commission prior to November
six I think that's the easiest path forward you going say yeah councilman yeah I think before we make a decision like that um we I think we need more information I mean we just fought the landfill down in
south of us and the county was you know very helpful in stopping that process so I don't think me personally I have enough information you know based on this gentleman's you know testimony today
that would enable me to make a an educated decision on on this for a county project I just don't see it and I think if if I remember correctly it's not just an incinerator it's a it's a waste to energy program so they're
creating electricity through a kanta type project the replace was that correct replacing the destroyed covanta plant yes it is a waste energy facility as so I don't know you know without having enough information it'd be hard
for me to support opposing the project that's just my two cents no I I agree and I think that what we could do is if you could get some more information to the manager he could circulate among Council if enough council members are on board with this to request a special
call meeting for us to enact something or authorize the issuance of a letter I think that would would probably be the best course of action thank you mayor and just to clarify even though Sierra club's position is against incinerator as a whole that's not not the action we're requesting of cities today we're simply asking them to ask the county for
a deferral of November 6's and there's nothing in the resolution that says they shouldn't do what they're currently planning it's just simply to ask them to work on their master plan and to give cities a study of the financial impact that you will see from the relocation
based on the location ages very good thank you thank you mayor thank you Council appreciate it thank you for coming down all right we have uh well are there any comments from the public either online or in person in the chambers here
tonight so I'll close the P public comments section of the agenda we have before us an addition referred to as addendum one car number 4423 do we have a motion to add this
item motion to add addendum one to the agenda moved by Council Bailey second by councilman Davis all in favor all right any opposed all right so let's move on to um item number four
addendum one Mr Pearl yes Mr Mayor um item number four is a resolution of the city council of the City of Homestead Florida accepting a supplemental Proposal with VCH Services LLC through the interlocal purchasing system tips the completion of
an SS cycle 2 Wastewater Basin repair project and including lining of additional sewer lines basins and well Fields authorizing the city manager to negotiate and execute an agreement accepting the supplemental proposal and exempting the project from competitive bidding in accordance with city code
section 2-41 11.15 supplementing resolution number r-20 24-7 181 on the same subject providing for implementation and providing for an effective date thank you sir Mr manager will you be
giving us the staff report yes uh before I ask the Public Works director in case you have more comments back in July 17 of this year this Council approved a contract proposal to Vortex services for $1.17 7
million with a 10% price adjustment for the rehabilitation and lining of the current sanitary sewer lines as well as the holes in SE BS number 18 13 22 24 and 25
all of which are currently under a temporary moratorium with my immedate County based on a subsequent sewer system evaluation survey SS cycle 2 findings it was discovered through a review that are the additional
locations that require Rehabilitation as well so this item is to Simply expand the exist in contract by including those newly found discovered areas as well as incorporating them as part of the current contracts in order to save money
and save timeline of completion very good thank you any questions or comments from Council all right before we move this are there any public comments so I'll close the public hearing and ask for a motion to approve
uh addendum one move by councilman cannibal second second by by councilman Davis roll call Madam clerk councilman Roth yes councilwoman aula yes councilman Davis yes
councilwoman Bailey yes councilman cannibal yes vice mayor Fletcher yes may lawner yes the motion carries right thank you thank you Mr manager all right our next item tab one is a pres car number 4421 is a
presentation on behalf of the citizens independent Transportation trust good evening and welcome good evening and thank you for having me Mr Mayor uh council members Mr manager it's great to see you we used to work together back in Miami again my name is Javier beton Court executive
director of the CIT and with me also is Mariana price she is the municipal program manager for our agency and she's the one that works most closely with you and the other 34 cities in Miami day County on your expenditure of your half penny sales tax funds so uh we're going
around and just giving everyone an update on um the CT tax the have Penny the projects that are being funded with that uh clearly it's something I know you're interested in down here in Homestead given everything you're doing with your half peny and then also the the South Corridor so without further
Ado I'll go ahead and I'm going to be very quick because it's a lot of slides and I know you want to get to dinner uh if you want me to slow down or if you have questions please in up so 20 years ago actually over 20 years ago this November uh everyone who went to the voting booth saw this on the ballot and
it was asking the good citizens of Miami day County whether they'd approve a half percentage increase in their sales tax to go to Transportation improvements what they called at the time and we still call The People's Transportation plan or PTP that measure uh was adopted
um but I do want to point out the last line in the referendum language specifically asked the voters to create our organizations to oversee those funds and make sure that both the county and the cities spent that half Penny uh appropriately okay so who are we what do
we do essentially we're a small agency quasi independent agency at myam day County charged uh with monitoring auditing reviewing overseeing and investigating the use of those half peny funds and the implementation of the promises that were made to the people um
back in 2002 so we are not the Department of Transportation and Public Works we're not the TPO we don't build operate maintain or plan for the long uh range future Transportation we're simply a watchdog agency over the fund so we are governed by a 15 member
Board of Citizen volunteers one appointed by the mayor one by the league of cities and the other 13 by each of the 13 County Commissioners um you are represented represented partially in this area right now uh by I believe uh
one of these folks uh I try remember which one let's see um I know we have a vacancy actually for most of your districts so for those people who are interested in applying to be a member of the trust uh if you live in uh commissioner Kone McGee District we do have a vacancy and uh here's how you
apply uh basically you can't be an elected official you can't be a candidate for office you cannot have a financial conflict of interest with the county but you do have to reside in the district of the commissioner that appoints you we have an office that I uh lead
that helps to support the volunteer members of the CIT we're a small office but the smallest in the county but we're small But Mighty as I like to say one of our principal functions is to audit the cities and the county on a semi-regular basis um you know we're constantly every
two or three years auditing the cities and uh following up at any findings so um there were some uh findings and past audits that we have been working diligently with your staff to address and by the way you have an amazing staff I do want to thank not only the city
manager but also Cairo Eduardo Anna Sherry Carlos Pamela and Raquel we work with all of them they're very responsive they're very professional they represent you well and um we're working through any remaining issues we have uh with them on a regular basis so enough about
us let's talk about the money so Half Penny doesn't sound like a lot but it has generated quite a bit over those 20 plus years almost $5 billion now the bulk of that has gone to Mii day transit to operate maintain upgrade and expand Transit l less than
10% of it has gone to their public works department for roadway improvements and Highway improvements 20% goes to the cities that's was an agreement reached you know from the very beginning and it's distributed to the cities by uh population on PR basis you Homestead
being a fairly large city you get a good size of those funds um less than 1% goes to our office for uh oversight uh we are able to use up to 5% for those purposes we keep it under 1% strategically
because we want the bulk of the funds being spent on the city and on the services that people need to move around this is kind of the same information presented over the lifetime uh of the collections as you see you know the sales tax keeps on increasing with the exception of the Great Recession and the
pandemic um this is our current budget now it's 75% is actually now going to Transit so as roadway projects are completed we're not allowing the county to add more because we really want the focus to be on transit on those remaining Transit projects that were promised and were never
delivered if you really want to geek out and get into the numbers if you're one of those folks um there is a 20-year performer online every penny in every penny out is on that 40-year performa so have fun geek out uh I should know it's
an 8 billion performa over 40 years and yet we have many more needs than that so we need to start thinking about how we fund those enough about the money now let's talk about the projects and services it funds so as I said 20% of the funds have gone to the cities the cities have done a very good job of
spending their monies on transportation and Transit improvements you're required to spend at least 20% on Transit trolleys freebies on demand the other 80% can be spent on other Transportation roadway bicycle pedestrian traffic
calming Etc um The Golden Passport was one of the original promises that's fair free transit for for all seniors regardless regardless of income uh subsequent to that they then added what they call the Patriot passport which is fair free
transit for veterans that one is income limited so folks under a certain income um there were a number of other improvements you know we completely replaced the Metro mover Fleet the Metro Rail Fleet and increasingly the Metro bus fleet Metro mover was also made Fair
free uh as I said there were 40s something Promises of Highway and roadway improvements most of those have been achieved and finally the one that everyone remembers of course is the expansion of Metro and that is where we've had the least amount of success there was one
expansion of Metro which I'll talk about in a second but we'd like to say that the most successful part of the program has been the municipal program the cities maybe because you're more Nimble maybe because you know you're closer to the people you represent you've done really a great job of using your limited
Resource as well so I'm going to allow Marana price to just come in here for a minute and give you a quick update on the Municipal program good evening Mr Mayor fellow council members my name is Mariana and I run the best part of the C CIT the
city's uh Municipal program so uh 33 municipalities participate um and City of Homestead has always been a Star City you have a star team and uh amongst the most enthusiastic Liaisons that I have
so you have a great team representing you um so I run the program I oversee the uh compliance collect reports host monthly and quarterly virtual meetings annual Workshop in person and um City of
Homestead last well this B school year has already collected $4.3 million and half penny oh next slide and um is projected next year to receive over 5 million the ridership last year was 39,000
41 and that was without your free beat already this year as of only quarter three your ridership is 50,600 4 so you're well on your way to um ex I mean you're already you've already exceeded it and the freeb has really helped you push through and over that amount since
last year that's all thank you did you say our freeb ridership was 50,000 or the combined freebie and trolley um combined freebie ridership is 14376 and one of the projects we continue to work with you on is on the homestead
multimodal Transit Center so we want to ensure that that's not just a parking garage for the sibarium as cool as that is the uh movie theater and the bowling alley that it really is a true Transit park and ride and your team has been great at making sure that they're adding those elements so that when that brt
rolls up hopefully sometime next year um people will be able to park there okay um one of the KE said Public Services is excited to introduce our new enhanced customer service process to make your power and water connections
happen the same day follow this simple checklist submit your request make your payment and attach the required documents by noon our new system streamlines the entire process for faster smoother service we've also provided a document checklist to guide
you every step of the way and if you need in-person assistance our dedicated window at City Hall is available to help we're here to make your next move easier starting today h [Music] [Music]
[Music] homest as temperatures rise in Homestead the risk of heat related illnesses and injuries also increases posing significant threats to outdoor worker safety and productivity follow these tips to stay safe and beat the heat stay
hydrated and take breaks in the shade wear appropriate clothing and wear sunscreen know the signs learn the symptoms of heat illnesses for more information on extreme heat safety visit Homestead fl.gov [Music]
heat airflow was hardly a strong suit in the Johnson home and no wonder their dirty filter made their system work harder and run less efficiently and their duct work was an even bigger problem the leaks and the Ducks raised their energy bill by a whopping 30% then
there were leaks in their doors and windows like throwing good money into the wind but the Johnson got in the know with their airf flow they change or clean their filter once a month sealed the leaks in their Ducks the windows weather strip the doors and put
solar screens or window film on the Southwest and Eastern facing Windows they even tilt their horizontal blinds up in the summer to reduce the heat impact from the Sun and leave them open in the winter to let the sun and heat in now everything at the Johnson's is tight
and all right brought to you by your local Municipal electric utility and the Florida Municipal Power [Music] agency the Johnson's used to be bad about wasting energy on lighting real bad but when they realized what it was
costing them in real dollars they got Energy Smart real quick first they turned off all unnecessary lights then instead of standard incandescent bulbs they switch to energy star CFLs and LEDs
talk about a BRI idea now they use 75% less energy plus the new bulbs last 10 times longer can save $30 over the bulb's lifetime and they're 75% cooler what did that really mean to the Johnson enough to cover three high-end coffees A
Day dinner for the family at that fancy schmancy restaurant another round of golf for Dad massage for mom brought to you by your local Municipal electric utility and the Florida Municipal Power agency the City of Homestead is
dedicated to enhancing your quality of life and improving our community's Aesthetics that's why city manager Zary eava and his team have been participating in bi-weekly ride alongs with the interdepartmental quality of life task force so far the city has
issued 474 citations for illegal dumping and 108 for overgrown Lots these efforts have also led to four felony arrests and 12 misdem meters helping to keep our neighborhood safe clean and beautiful together we're making our city a better
place for everyone I'm always looking for creative ways to save [Music] money but one place I know I never have to worry about is with my HPS Energy bill Homestead Public Service offers some of the lowest rates in all of
Florida we pay an average of $15 less than those who use FPL Now That's What I Call [Music]
savings hey welcome to community matters the show where we bring you important information and insights about our City's issues departments and initiatives I'm your host Josh padet and today joining us here in the studio is the co- compliance director Adrien CIO
co-compliance officer Lillian Valencia and officer Paula cabosa from the Homestead police welcome to the show guys thank you for coming in thank you for having great to be here yeah well this is an exciting time because in the last four months the City of Homestead launched the interdepartmental quality
of life task force now the mission of this task force what is that it's to address the quality of life issues that pertain to a cleaner safer and more beautiful city here in Homestead our big topic today is illegal dumping so co-compliance and the police you guys
are the main pillars of this quality of life task force uh you guys have been working very closely to address illegal dumping here in the city first I want to ask you guys what is illegal dumping so illegal dumping is when you dump junk debris mattresses whatever on the
Public's RightWay sale or on somebody's property um in one case it's a criminal violation which ends up being a felony misdemeanor type deal but also from a code compliance standpoint it's a code violation as well so we issue citations
for that up from 500 to$ 1,000 to $5,000 and obviously you if you're caught in the act police can and can actually arrest you up to F what's about the first citation first citation is 500 if you become a repat offender then it's a
th000 and then after that 5,000 and then after that every single one's going to be 5,000 okay so as far as uh how does theode co- compliance how do you guys operate in this task force what's your main well the well the officers we have a lot of roles within this task force
because it's not just legal dumping but as it pertains to Illegal dumping we do a lot of patrols we have some cameras set up I know we worked in conjunction with PD on that uh and we basically uh we Patrol hotspots to make sure that those areas are not being dumped as frequently um and to make sure we can
try to stop them flat out then we we issue citations based on that tickets uh like I said $500 to $5,000 and and police obviously if we can get in contact with them they can make arrests as well okay so now we got that we got two sides to this collaborative
effer yes yeah you guys are collaborating so what's the police's role in this I mean how you guys catching these people so once it's determined that it's not a civil infraction which means when code um issue Their fines then it can be a once
it's a criminal matter then that's when police take action and you can arrest the people they can be charged with felonies Mis meaners their vehicles can be towed if it's a business that is doing The Dumping they can be very serious repercussions to their business all their vehicles can be seized their
licenses can be affected it's a serious crime how does this get from like a civil citation to a criminal arrest well it depends on the amount that is being dumped so anything under 15b would be considered a a civil infraction where
the fines can be between 500 and up to ,000 um sorry 5,000 5,000 yeah um dollars anything between 15b and 500b it's U miss the meter in the first degree and then anything over 500 lb is
a felony in the third degree additionally if it's a commercial vehicle that is doing the The Dumping it doesn't matter if it's one piece of paper it's immediately a felony how are you guys catching uh these so we have uh our task force has set up surveillances
we have several cameras throughout the city and obviously this is a collaborative effort with the community so our tip lines having the residents call us in and give us information write down the tag number write down the vehicle information give us the information on where there's maybe hotspots of where
these items are being dumped that we we can we cannot be everywhere at all the time so it's just a little bit of code patrolling our officers doing their surveillances and the big piece is the community how they bring the information up to us educating the community and
having them voice their concerns towards us okay and and then are there any um technological advancements that you guys use and what kind of Technology you use well we have several cameras throughout the city surveilling uh different areas um we use uh the main thing it's not
technology related but again the tip line having information being given to us whenever we get information and it's not a criminal matter we will forward all this information to code enforcement and they will follow up the address the vehicles the description of like the
people the businesses it's um nice okay so the cameras are picking up people they are we can use them to get uh tag information on the vehicles that are doing this description on the individuals that are doing it and then from then on we can open an investigation based on those leads that
we have and it could lead to arrests like it has in the past and are there any plans to expand technology usage with the police um at this point is just enhancing on what we have I don't know specifically what additions will be made but definitely enhance enhancements to
what we currently use and possess just to make better use of it and make it more effective and also to modify as well because we have certain cameras on certain locations but once those locations kind of quiet down we move them to locations that are a little bit more problematic right because dumpers will sort of understand that okay these
are the areas that are being monitored right because they've had some citation some arrest Etc but then they'll try to shift to other areas so at that point then we'll just ship the cameras over there so we can catch them in the act as well okay and then you guys have the entire city is split out into different districts and zones that you guys are
monitoring correct correct I mean we have different areas like the CR area is kind of its own area we kind of have doubled down on because it's kind of it's a little bit more in more rough shape I guess you could say but then you know we have the Northwestern uh District we have the southwestern District by the Raceway and then we have
the uh the northeastern District which is more of the um more of the gated communities lilan like you're out there every day correct how does your day look like when you get started I mean what's co- compliance doing every day so what we do we prol every single day we go out
there if we see a trash pile we get off we put our gloves and we just start digging in there to see if we can find any information that would lead us to the person they uh put all the trash in there adding a little bit more what officer calosa was saying is that yes
they are the ones that they send us a report and we are the ones that isue the citations we need to educate our people we need to educate the the community the correct date to put the trash out is a day before pickup day so we need solid
way send calendars every year and it has the days in there for bul trash pickup so each Zone has different date but it have to be one day before pickup date okay so expand a little bit on this education because education is a huge component here obviously for the city
for the residents maybe a lot of them I mean is do you often hear from people like oh I just didn't know I didn't know I couldn't put it out there correct correct and if we see it like in front of the property we can start with a notice of violation or a courtesy and we just mail those to them and then when
they reach out to us we can educate them we can tell them uh you know if they don't have the calendar we can provide them the calendar um we either mail them to them or we can go to their houses and just drop off the calendar for them so the calendar and the scheduling is probably the biggest issue you hear with
illegal dumping correct well also we have a lot of the majority of illegal dumping is people from the outside of the county I mean of outside of the City of Homestead and they're dropping their stuff off here correct and to pick it back off of what of what lean's saying one of the biggest issues is if if
homeowners put their trash out too early let's say they put it out a week before a pickup date right that just makes it a big Bullseye a big Target for other illegal dumpers to come and put their trash there right they're passing through the city they'll drop by and then just add on to that site and it
creates you know more fees more you know more fees for uh for tipping for you know in terms of the taxpayers of the city so it's it's really really important the residents put their trash out only one day before because if you put it out a week before again like I said um people who are looking to dump trash they'll see that pile and they
they're like oh we'll hit that that pile and add add our stuff on top of that right and then it looks like the homeowner and now we don't have to worry about any repercussions right so it's it's one of those things that you know and and offic carosa says perfectly our biggest issue is we really really need the residents to help because if if
they're if they're there helping us and and making sure that they they drop offs are at the right time then it it's going to it's going to definitely alleviate the problem for us as well and additionally about the initiatives um for educating the community we've been doing what we call knock and talks and this is where code enforcement the
police department members from uh the community go door too in specific areas of the city like you said the different uh quadrants I guess and then we go door too with information with our Flyers with the schedules we are there to explain people educate people and also
listen to their concerns V have them voice their concerns to us about why they think things are happening they are the ones that are there at all times so they will have way more information than what we have but if we all work together then we can have like a a well-rounded
approach as to how to maybe the issues that happen in the Northwest section there may not be the same ones in the Northeast so each we can tailor our approach depending on the side of the city and then also focus on that bridging that that gap between the
residents the and the officials Code Enforcement Officers just City officials and have them see your faces and have them not be scared of making that phone call not not hold back into oh I saw this I saw that that is the biggest piece like if they are comfortable with
communicating with us and know that they're going to get results that's how we're going to bring this like to a full like Circle I think that uh the Homestead police department did a a big Knockin talk initiative in kind of the Northwestern um area of the city and we
saw a huge difference I think we went out there with the city manager uh last week um late last week and it was so much better than the first time we had gone out there maybe a month prior so you can tell that education is really important and with that initiative I think a lot of homeowners have have
gotten the message they understand now you know what they can and can't can't do so I I I think that those initiatives are are honestly the most important part of of basically the stuff that we do awesome and I'd love for this show to be uh we we want this show to be a resource for Education as well so can we roll
through uh just quickly the guidelines for dumping your trash out it's it's supposed to be one day prior to your schedule right correct it's one day before pickup day which is you have to follow the calendar or the schedule if you guys see that your neighbor is
putting a box box or a mattress in front of your property it it's okay to tell the neighbor you can put it in front of their property cuz that's the issue that we've been having lately so the neighbors they go to the next door neighbor and then they just put the pile in there so then that that sounds like a
community pile and some of the areas we do not have a community pile because it's not fair that I would have the community Pile in front of my house while Adrian's house is nice and clean so that's why and then everybody start putting more more stuff in and I can imagine too that with uh people in the
community your neighbors adding more stuff to your pile you guys mentioned about the weight limit I bet that's causing an issue too with you because now you get cited for that correct and and I don't think it's fair for the homeowner to get uh find for something
that he did not dump in there where can people find their schedule what if they don't have a calendar where yeah you can go to Homestead fl.gov uh the main website and then you can go to the solid waste website and they have a huge map you find your house whatever Zone you're in and then they give you basically all the information you need now you guys
have been making some arrests you arrests we have so how many arrest have has Homestead so far we have made four felony arrests and 12 misdemeanor arrests they have been nine vehicles that have been towed in reference to this so like you were saying talking
about the outside people we are also showing to the non-residents of Homestead that this will not be tolerated there are consequences you can't just come to our city and just dump trash or do the things that are not allowed in wherever it is that you're living and come and do it
over here in our backyard we are taking matters into our own hands we are uh following up with our cases some of our cases in court have been very successful uh judges have uh ruled in our favor and um it's it's exciting to see that we can
make a difference so nine nine cars imp pounded what what uh constitutes getting someone's car well they are being used in the commission of the crime and they're being taken for evidence so if you have your pickup truck and you're using it and we arrest you while you're doing this your car goes to and not just
you okay so you can lose your truck you can and you're getting cited for these things now citations uh now there's a scale to this thing right so the first citation is what is that usually a warning or is that an actual uh $500 well if it's for a resident we're usually going to get a courtesy notice
basically saying listen don't do this again um and we open up a case for that but the first citation citation would be $500 and then the second would be a th000 and then the third would actually be 5,000 from then on so every single time you do it $5,000 have you had
anybody that's been ignoring the citations and it's just racking up course of course some people just they they they just don't seem to to mind I guess I I don't I don't I don't get it but it is what it is what's the highest amount someone has had to pay I mean we had a we had a coase recently where they paid 10
grand 10 grand and it was actually up to 55,000 and then the special master mitigated it down to $10,000 and he paid it so what what can residents do to help support you guys the quality of life task force here okay the first thing is you can contact the police department if
you witness that this is happening um as you are there you can call our non-emergency number is 305 2471 1535 give all the information there the most important thing we can tell you is do not approach the people that are doing this just give us their information we will send an officer make sure you stay
safe uh you can also give us a call to our anonymous tip line is 305 224559 we do not need your information but the more information you give us about the individuals the vehicles whatever information you have the easier it is for us to follow up on those tips
and you can contact code at 305 224 5580 and also at code at homestead. goov also if you haven't downloaded it yet guys you can find the Fixit Homestead app in the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store you can find it also at homestead.
goov Fixit you take a picture with your phone it geocat the illegal dumping sends it to these guys they can get it fixed uh thank you guys again for joining us here in we appreciate everyone back at home thank you for watching uh this important episode of community matters we've had
an insightful discussion here today about the efforts of the in departmental quality of life task force and tackling illegal dumping and improving the overall quality of life in Homestead I want to extend my thanks to co-compliance director Adrien CIO I also
want to thank co-compliance officer lilan Valencia and of course officer Paula cabosa of the homestead PD uh thank you guys for sharing your expertise and dedication to keeping our city clean and safe and as we've heard today this task force is making
significant strides from issuing citations making arrest to educating the community on how to prevent illegal dumping but the success of these efforts also depends on you guys the residents so by following your solid way schedule reporting illegal dumping and staying
informed you can help support the mission of the task force and contribute to a cleaner safer and More Beautiful Homestead thank you again for tuning in to community matters until next time let's work together and make Homestead the best it can be stay safe and keep
our city beautiful there's some exciting news for the of Homestead we're thrilled to announce the launch of our new website domain www. homesteadfl goov effective June 17th 2024 this significant update marks a
pivotal moment in our digital Evolution offering a fresh and intuitive web address that enhances cyber security and provides residents with peace of mind when interacting with city services online rest assured you can still access the same reliable information and stay
updated on city news and events visit us at www.homestead.com [Music] on it truth is insulation is one of the most costeffective ways to lower your bills insulation is important anywhere your house meets the outdoors a
cathedral ceiling walls crawl spaces but the best and easiest place to insulate your home is in the Attic its Effectiveness is measured as an R value meaning resistance to heat flow to do the job right you'll need at least R30
but R38 is the best now the Garcia know how to insulate themselves and their house house brought to you by your local Municipal electric utility and the Florida Municipal Power agency [Music] [Music]
city of homester dional [Music] beautiful reduce reuse recycle these are the easiest ways that we can help the environment and conserve our natural resources but it's not always easy to remember what you can and can't recycle
well here in Homestead we've got two different types of bins we've got one with a green lid that is for trash and another that has a gray lid or yellow lid that's for recycling in your recycle bin you can put plastic bottles
cardboard paper Glass and Metal cans you want to make sure that your recyclable items are clean and empty so give them a quick rinse before tossing them in the bin also make sure your cardboard items are dry and clean that means any wet
cardboard or greasy pizza boxes should be tossed in your trash bin another thing to remember is to not put your recyclables in a plastic bag just toss them and loose and if you want to recycle these bags next time you go to the store take
them back to the retail you should always toss things like food waste plastic wrap hangers and household batteries in your trash bin light bulbs paper t fs and styrofoam aren't recyclable either now you might be wondering what's
the harm in putting something that you can't recycle in the recycling bin well recycling facilities can't process materials that are more than a certain percent contaminated so even a little bit of contamination in everyone's bins could add up to a big problem as the
gateway to Everglades and bcan National Park Homestead has a longstanding commitment to protecting the environment and that commitment starts with you for more information on the benefits of recycling what you should recycle go to cityofhomestead.com
recycle so come on Homestead let's recycle [Music] together introducing the energy wasting Johnson's when it comes to Heating and Cooling conserving energy was never at the top of the Johnson's to-do list they
set their AC on 7 2 all day long adding up to 8% more to their bill for every degree below 78 they also let their bushes get over grown around the outside compressor a device that accounts for more than 40% of the household's energy expense and all that wasted energy was
cosing them a bundle but today the Johnson have learned their lesson are energy smart and discovered how to not only save energy but save money as well now their to-do list includes keeping the compressor clean and debris free so nothing blocks or restricts air flow to
the unit allowing it to work as efficiently as possible setting the thermostat between 78° and 80° and installing a more efficient High sear heating and cooling system including a heat pump and their new ceiling fans make it feel up to 5° cooler and could
reduce energy use by 10% with all their saving the top of their new list includes a funfilled family vacation brought to you by your local Municipal electric utility and the Florida Municipal Power [Music]
agency we're hiring join the Parks and Recreation team with a part-time position to make a difference in your community execute exciting events maintain parks and facilities and impact our youth great for those in need of a
flexible schedule or extra income apply today at cityofhomestead.com [Music] jobs there's always a lot going on in the Garcia's Kitchen and most of it was
wasting energy so they dusted off the coils on the fridge started running full loads in the dishwasher and turning the heated dry switch to air dry with the money they save they'll be able to replace that inefficient 10-year-old fridge with a new energy star qualified
fridge that will save enough electricity to light their house for 4 months but they didn't stop there oh no the garcas were on a roll they turned their water heater from a scalding 140° down to 12 which will help slow mineral buildup and
save energy for maximum Energy savings they're considering a new hybrid heat pump water heater they weren't done just yet the laundry room was the next energy robber that had to be tackled when they heard heating water is 90% of the energy a washer uses they went into action now
they use cold water for washing instead set their dryer cycle to automatically use the energy efficient setting brought to you by your local Municipal electric utility and the Florida Municipal Power agency at Homestead Public Services we're always looking for opportunities
to improve our process and provide seamless service that's why starting September 9th we're launching an enhanced customer service process for applications this update includes same day Power and Water hookups if your request payment and proper documentation
homee Public Services we're always looking for opportunities to improve our process and provide seamless service that's why starting September 9th we're launching an enhanced customer service process for applications this update includes same day Power and Water
hookups if your request payment and proper documentation are submitted before noon plus with our new document attachment system submitting your forms have never been easier we're streamlining the way you connect with us ensuring your service setup is faster
and more efficient Homestead Public Services is excited to introduce our new enhanced customer service process to make your power and water connections happen the same day follow this simple checklist
submit your request make your payment and attach the required documents by noon our new system streamlines the entire process for fast smoother service we've also provided a document checklist to guide you every step of the way and
if you need in-person assistance our dedicated window at City Hall is available to help we're here to make your next move easier starting [Music]
today hey Community matters the show where we bring you important information and insights about our City's issues departments and initiatives I'm your host Josh page and today joining us here in the studio is the co-compliance director Adrien CIO co-compliance
officer Lillian Valencia and officer Paula cabosa from the Homestead police welcome to the show guys thank you for coming in thank you for having to be here yeah well this is an exciting time because in the last four months the City of Homestead launched the interdepartmental quality qu of Life
task force now the mission of this task force what is that it's to address the quality of life issues that pertain to a cleaner safer and more beautiful city here in Homestead our big topic today is illegal dumping so co-compliance and the
police you guys are the main pillars of this quality of life task force uh you guys have been working very closely to address illegal dumping here in the city first I want to ask you guys what is illegal dumping so illegal dumping is when you dump junk debris mattresses
whatever on the Public's RightWay sale or on somebody's property um in one case it's a criminal violation which ends up being a felony misdemeanor type deal but also from a Cod compliance standpoint it's a code violation as well so we
issue citations for that up from 500 to $1,000 to $5,000 and obviously you if you're caught in the act police can and can actually arrest you up to F what's about the first citation first citation is 500 if you become a repeat offender then it's a
thousand and then after that 5,000 and then after that every single one's going to be 5,000 okay so as far as uh how does the co- compliance how do you guys operate in this task force what's your main well the well the officers we have a lot of roles within this task force because
it's not just legal dumping but as it pertains to Legal dumping we do a lot of patrols we have some cameras set up I know we worked in conjunction with PD on that uh and we basically uh we Patrol hotspots to make sure that those areas are not being dumped as frequently um and to make sure we can try to stop them
flat out then we we issue citations based on that tickets uh like I said $500 to $5,000 and and police obviously if we can get in contact with them they can make arrest as well okay so now we got that we got two sides to this collaborative effer yes yeah you guys
are collaborating so what's the police's role in this I mean how you guys catching these people so once it's determined that it's not a civil infraction which means when code um issue Their fines then it can be a once it's a criminal matter then that's when
police take action and you can arrest the people they can be charged with felonies misdemeanors their vehicles can be towed if it's a business that is doing The Dumping they can be very serious repercussions to their business all their vehicles can be seized their licenses can be affected it's a serious
crime how does this get from like a civil citation to a criminal arrest well it depends on the amount that is being dumped so anything under 15 pounds would be considered a a civil infraction where the fines can be between 500 and uh up
to a th000 um sorry 5,000 5,000 yeah um dollars anything between 15b and 500b it's a MISD the meter in the first degree and then anything over 500 lb is a felony in the third degree additionally if it's a commercial
vehicle that is doing the the D in it doesn't matter if it's one piece of paper it's immediately a felony how are you guys catching uh these so we have uh our task force has set up surveillances we have several cameras throughout the city and obviously this is a
collaborative effort with the community so our tip lines having the residents call us in and give us information write down the tag number write down the vehicle information give us the information and where there's maybe hotpots of where these items are being dumped that we we can we can not be
everywhere at all the time so it's just a little bit of code patrolling our officers doing their surveillances and the big piece is the community how they bring the information up to us educating the community and having them voice their concerns towards us okay and and
then are there any um technological advancements that you guys using what kind of Technology you well we have several cameras throughout the city surveiling uh different areas um we use uh the main thing it's not technology related but again the tip line having
information being given to us whenever we get information and it's not a criminal matter we will forward all this information to code enforcement and they will follow up the addresses the vehicles the description of like the people the businesses it's um nice okay
so the cameras are picking up people as well yes they are we can use them to get uh tag information on the vehicles that are doing this description on the individuals that are doing it and then from then on we can open an investigation based on those leads that we have and it could lead to arrests
like it has in the past and are there any plans to expand technology usage with the police um at this point is just enhancing on what we have I don't know specifically what additions will be made but definitely enhance enhancements to what we currently use and possess just
to make better use of it and make it more effective and also to modify as well cuz we have certain cameras on certain locations but once those locations kind of quiet down we move them to locations that are a little bit more problematic right because dumpers will sort of understand that okay these are the areas that are being monitored
right because they've had some citation some arrest Etc but then they'll try to shift to other areas so at that point then we'll just shift the cameras over there so we can catch them that in the act as well okay and then you guys have the entire city is split out into different districts and zones that you guys are monitoring correct correct I
mean we have different areas like the CR area is kind of its own area we kind of have doubled down on because it's kind of it's a little bit more in more rough shape I guess you could say but then you know we have the Northwestern uh District we have the southwestern District by the Raceway and then we have the uh the northeastern District which
is more of the um more of the gated communities Lillian like you're out there every day correct how does your day look like when you get started I mean what's co-compliance doing every day so what we do we Patrol every single day we go out there if we see at trash
pile we get off we put our gloves and we'll just start digging in there to see if we can find any information that would lead us to the person they uh put all the trash in there adding a little bit more what officer calosa was saying is that yes they are the ones that they
send us a report and we are the ones that issue the citations we need to educate our people we need to educate the the community the correct day to put the trash out is a day before pickup day so we need solid way send calendars
every year and it has the days in there for bul trash pickup so each Zone has different date but it have to be one day before pickup date okay so expand a little bit on this education because education is a huge component here obviously for the city for the residents
maybe a lot of them I mean is it do you often hear from people like oh I just didn't know I didn't know I couldn't put it out there correct correct and if we see it like in front of the property we can start with a notice of violation or a courtesy and we just mail those to them and then when they reach out to us
we can educate them we can tell them uh you know if they don't have the calendar we can provide them the calendar um we either mail them to them or we can go to their houses and just drop off the calendar for them so the calendar and the scheduling is probably the biggest issue here with illegal dumping correct
well also we have a lot of the majority of illegal dumping is people from the outside of the county I mean outside of the city or Homestead and they're dropping their stuff off here correct and Pi it back off of what of what lean's saying one of the biggest issues is if if homeowners put their trash out
too early let's say they put it out a week before a pickup date right that just makes it a big Bullseye a big Target for other illegal dumpers to come and put their trash there right they passing through the city they'll drop by and then just add on to that site and it creates you know more fees more you know
more fees for uh for tipping for you know in terms of the taxpayers of the city so it's it's really really important the residents put their trash out only one day before because if you put it out a week before again like I said um people who are looking to dump trash they'll see that pile and they they're like like oh we'll hit that that
pile and add add our stuff on top of that right and then it looks like the homeowner and now we don't have to worry about any repercussions right so it's it's one of those things that you know and and Officer ciosa says it perfectly our biggest issue is we really really need the residents to help because if if
they're if they're there helping us and and making sure that their their drop offs are at the right time then it it's going to it's going to definitely alleviate the problem for us as well and additionally about the initiatives um for educating the community we've been doing what we called knock and talks and
this is where code enforcement the police department members from uh the community go door too in specific areas of the city like you said the different uh quadrants I guess and then we go door too with information with our Flyers with the schedules we are there to
explain people educate people and also listen to their concerns V have them voice their concerns to us about why they think things are happening they are the ones that are there at all times so they will have way more information than what we have absolutely but if we all work together then we can have like a a
well-rounded approach as to how to maybe the issues that happen in the Northwest section there may not be the same ones in the Northeast so each we can tailor our approach depending on the side of the city and then also focus on that bridging that that gap between the
residents the and the officials Code Enforcement Officers just City officials and have them see your faces and have them not be scared of making that phone call not not hold back into oh I saw this I saw that that is the biggest piece like if they are comfortable with
communicating with us and know that they're going to get results that's how we're going to bring this like to a full like Circle I think that uh the Homestead police department did a a big knock and talk initiative in kind of the Northwestern um area of the city and we
saw a huge difference I think we went out there with the city manager uh last week um late last week and it was so much better than the first time we had gone out there maybe a month prior so you can tell that education is really important and with that initiative I think a lot of homeowners have have
gotten the message they understand now you know what they can and can't do so I I I think that those initiatives are are honestly the most important part of of basically the stuff that we do awesome and I'd love for this show to be a we we want this show to be a resource for Education as well so can we roll through
uh just quickly the guidelines for dumping your trash out it's it's supposed to be one day prior to your schedule right correct it's one day before a pickup day which is you have to follow the calendar of the schedule if you guys see that your neighbor is
putting a box or a mattress in front of your property it it's okay to tell the neighbor you can put it in front of their property because that's the issue that we've been having lately so the neighbors that go to the next door neighbor and then they just put the pile in there so then that that sounds like a
community pile and some of the areas we do not have a community pile because it's not fair that I would have the community Pile in front of my house while Adrian's house is nice and clean so that's why and then everybody start putting more more stuff in and I can imagine too that with uh people in the
community your neighbors adding more stuff to your pile you guys mentioned about the weight limit I bet that's causing an issue too with you because now you get cited for that correct and and I don't think it's fair for the homeowner to get a fined for something
that he did not dump in there where can people find their schedule what if they don't have a calendar where yeah you can go to homestead. goov uh the main website and then you can go to the solid waste website and they have a huge map you find your house whatever Zone you're in and then they give you basically all the information you need now you guys
have been making some arrests you mention arrests we have so how many arrests has H so far we have made four felony arrests and 12 misdemeanor arrests there have been nine vehicles that have been towed in reference to this so like you were saying talking
about the outside people we are also showing to the non-residents of Homestead that this will not be tolerated there are consequences you can't just come to our city and just dump trash or do the things that are not allowed in wherever it is that you're living and come and do it over here in
our backyard we are taking matters into our own hands we are uh following up with our cases some of our cases in court have been very successful uh judges have uh ruled in our favor and um it's it's exciting to see that we can
make a difference so nine nine cars impounded what what uh constitutes getting someone's car well they are being used in the commission of the crime and they're being taken for evidence so if you have your pickup truck and you're using it and we arrest you while you're doing this your car
goes to not just you okay so you can lose your truck you can and you're getting s cited for these things now citations uh now there's a scale to this thing right so the first citation is what is is that usually a warning or is that an actual uh $500 well if it's for a resident we're usually going to get a
courtesy notice basically saying listen don't do this again um and we open up a case for that but the first citation citation would be $500 and then the second would be a th000 and then the throw would actually be 5,000 from then on so every single time you do it $5,000
have you had anybody that's been ignoring the citations and is this racking up course of course some people just they they they just don't seem to to mind I guess I I don't I don't I don't know get it but it is what it is what's the highest amount someone has had to pay I mean we had a we had a Cod case recently where they paid 10
grand 10 grand and it was actually up to 55,000 and then the special Master mitigated it down to $10,000 and he paid it so what what can residents do to help support you guys the quality of life task force here okay the first thing is you can contact the police department if
you witness that this is happening um as you are there you can call our non-emergency number is 30524 71 1535 give all the information there the most important thing we can tell you is do not approach the people that are doing this just give us their information we will send an officer make sure you stay
safe uh you can also give us a call to our anonymous tip line is 305 22455 95 we do not need your information but the more information you give us about the individuals the vehicles whatever information you have the easier it is for us to follow up on those tips and
you can contact code at 305 224 558 and also at code at homestead. goov also if you haven't downloaded it yet guys you can find the fix it Homestead app in the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store you can find it also at
homesteadfl Dogo it you take a picture with your phone it geoloc the illegal dumping sends it to these guys they can get it fixed uh thank you guys again for joining us here in be here we appreciate everyone back at home thank you for watching uh this important episode of
commun matters we've had an insightful discussion here today about the efforts of the in departmental quality of life task force and tackling illegal dumping and improving the overall quality of life and Homestead I want to extend my thanks to co-compliance director Adrien
CIO I also want to thank co-compliance officer Lillian Valencia and of course officer Paula cabosa of the homestead PD uh thank you guys for sharing your expertise and dedication to keeping our city clean and safe and as we've heard
today this task force is making significant strides from issuing citations making arrest to educating the community on how to prevent illegal dumping but the success of these efforts also depends on you guys the residents so by following your solid way schedule
reporting illegal dumping and staying informed you can help support the mission of the task force and contribute to a cleaner safer and More Beautiful Homestead thank you again for tuning in to community matters until next time let's work together and make Homestead
the best it can be stay safe and keep our city [Music] [Applause] beautiful it's up to all of us to keep Homestead beautiful starting in our own backyard everyone's quality of life depends on the things we do at home like
taking the time to recycle or simply mowing the lawn if you see something in your neighborhood you can report overgrown grass bulk trash violations or unsafe housing to City of Homestead Code Compliance by calling 305
[Music] [Music] 2245582346 problem the leaks in the Ducks raised their energy bill by a whopping 30% then there were leaks in their doors and windows like throwing
good money into the wind but the Johnson's got in the know with their airf flow they change or clean their filter once a month sealed the leaks in their Ducks cocked the windows weather stripped the doors and put solar screens or window film on the Southwest and
Eastern facing Windows they even tilt their horizontal blinds up in the summer to reduce the Heat impact from the Sun and leave them open in the winter to let the sun and heat in now everything at the Johnson's is tight and all right brought to you by your local Municipal
electric utility and the Florida Municipal Power [Music] agency [Music] [Music] for City of Homestead dional
beautiful the garcas know a lot about insulation when one of them wants to get away they insulate themselves in another room but that doesn't keep all the sound out unless you close the door just like sound cooled and heated air is always on
the move but with the right insulation you have a protective thermal barrier that keeps the conditioned air where you want it truth is insulation is one of the most cost-effective ways to lower your bills insulation is important anywhere your house meets the outdoors a
cathedral ceiling walls crawl spaces but the best and easiest place to insulate your home is in the Attic its Effectiveness is measured as an R value meaning resistance to heat flow to do the job right you'll need at least R30
but R38 is the best now the garcas know how to insulate themselves and their house brought to you by your local Municipal electric utility and the Florida Municipal Power agency there's always a lot going on in the Garcia's Kitchen and most of it was
wasting energy so they dusted off the coils on the fridge started running full loads in the dishwasher and turning the heated dry switch to air dry with the money they save they'll be able to replace that inefficient 10-year-old fridge with a new energy star qualified
fridge that will save enough electricity to light their house for 4 months but they didn't stop there oh no the garcas were on a roll they turned their water heater from a scalding 140° down to 120 which will help slow mineral buildup and
save energy for maximum Energy savings they're considering a new hybrid heat pump water heater they weren't done just yet the laundry room was the next energy robber that had to be tackled when they heard heating water is 90% of the energy a washer uses they went into
action now they use cold water for washing and set their dryer cycle to automatically use the energy efficient setting brought to you by your local Municipal electric utility and the Florida Municipal Power agency oh
[Music] the Johnson's used to be bad about wasting energy on lighting real bad but when they realized what it was costing them in real dollars they got Energy Smart real quick first they turned off all unnecessary lights then instead of
standard incandescent bulbs they switched to energy star CFLs and LEDs talk about a bright idea now they use 75% less energy plus the new bulbs last 10 times longer can save $30 over the bulb's lifetime and they're 75% cooler
what did that really mean to the Johnson's enough to cover three high-end coffees a day dinner for the family at that fancy schmancy restaurant another round of golf for Dad massage for mom brought to you by your local Municipal electric utility and the Florida
Municipal Power [Music] agency we're hiring join the Parks and Recreation team with a part-time position to make a difference in your community execute exciting events maintain parks and facilities and impact
our youth great for those in need of a flexible schedule or extra income apply today at cityofhomestead.com [Music] jobs as temperatures rise in Homestead the risk of heat related illnesses and
injuries also increases posing significant threats to outdoor worker safety and productivity follow these tips to stay safe and beat the heat Stay High hydrated and take breaks in the shade wear appropriate clothing and wear
sunscreen know the signs learn the symptoms of heat illnesses more information on extreme heat safety visit homestead. goov [Music] heat reduce reuse recycle these are the
easiest ways that we can help the environment and conserve our natural resources but it's not always easy to remember what you can and can't recycle well here in home dead we've got two different types of bins we've got one with a green lid that is for trash and
another that has a gray lid or yellow lid that's for recycling in your recycle bin you can put plastic bottles cardboard paper Glass and Metal cans you want to make sure that your recyclable items are clean and empty so give them a
quick rinse before tossing them in the bin also make sure your cardboard items are dry and clean that means any wet cardboard or greasy pizza boxes should be tossed in your trash bin another thing to remember is to not put your recyclables in a plastic bag just toss
them and loose and if you want to recycle these bags next time you go to the store take them back to the retail you should always toss things like food waste plastic wrap hangers and household batteries in your trash bin light bulbs
paper towels and styrofoam aren't recyclable either now you might be wondering what's the harm in putting something that you can't recycle in the recycling bin well recycling facilities can't process materials that are more than a certain percent contaminated so even a little
bit of contamination in everyone's bins can add up to a big problem as the gateway to Everglades and biscan National Park Homestead has a long-standing commitment to protecting the environment and that commitment starts with you for more information on the benefits of recycling what you
should recycle go to City homestead.com recycle so come on Homestead let's recycle together introducing the energy wasting Johnson's when it comes to Heating and Cooling conserving energy was never at
the top of the Johnson's to-do list they set their AC on 72 all day long adding up to 8% more to their bill for every degree below 78 they also let their bushes get overgrown around the outside compressor a device that accounts for more than 40% of the household's energy
expense and all that wasted energy was costing them a bundle but today the Johnson's have learned their lesson our Energy Smart and discovered how to not only save energy but save money as well now their to-do list includes keeping the compressor clean and debris free so
nothing blocks or restricts airf flow to the unit allowing it to work as efficiently as possible possible setting the thermostat between 78° and 80° and installing a more efficient High sear heating and cooling system including a heat pump and their new ceiling fans
make it feel up to 5° cooler and could reduce energy use by 10% with all their saving the top of their new list includes a fun-filled family vacation brought to you by your local Municipal electric utility and the Florida
Municipal Power agency big improvements are coming to Homestead sewer infrastructure starting this month the city of homestead's Public Works Department is starting essential construction to upgrade Pump Station number 22 bringing it into compliance
with Miami day County regulations this project will install 4500 ft of new sewer Force main extending from our wastewater treatment facility to The Pump Station construction is set to take place until mid December 2024 residents
can expect temporary lane closures and detours during non- Peak hours but don't worry our team is working hard to minimize disruptions of Homestead is dedicated to enhancing your quality of life and improving our community's Aesthetics that's why city manager Zer
eava and his team have been participating in bi-weekly rideal alongs with the interdepartmental quality of life task force so far the city has issued 474 citations for a legal dumping and 108 for overgrown Lots these efforts
have also led to four felony rests and 12 misdem meters helping to keep our neighborhood safe clean and beautiful together we're making our city a better place for everyone [Music] [Music]
city of Homer beautiful reduce reuse recycle these are the easiest ways that we can help the environment and conserve our natural resources but it's not always easy to
remember what you can and can't recycle well here in Homestead we've got two different types of bins we've got one with a green lid that is for trash and another that has a gray lid or yellow lid that's for recycling in your recycle bin you can put plastic bottles
cardboard paper Glass and Metal cans you want to make sure that your recyclable items are clean and empty so give them a quick rinse before tossing them in the bin also make sure your cardboard items are dry and clean that means any wet
cardboard or Grease pizza boxes should be tossed in your trash bin another thing to remember is to not put your recyclables in a plastic bag just toss them and loose and if you want to recycle these bags next time you go to the store take
them back to the retail you should always toss things like food waste plastic wrap hangers and household batteries in your trash bin light bulbs paper towels and styrofoam aren't recyclable either now you might be wondering what's
the harm in putting something that you can't recycle in the recycling bin well recycling facilities can't process materials that are more than a certain percent contaminated so even a little bit of contamination in everyone's bins can add up to a big problem as the
gateway to Everglades and biscan National Park Homestead has a longstanding commitment to protecting the environment and that commitment starts with you for more information on the benefits of recycling what you should recycle go to City of home homestead.com
recycle so come on Homestead let's recycle together there's always a lot going on in the Garcia's Kitchen and most of it was wasting energy so they dusted off the coils on the fridge started running full loads in the dishwasher and turning
the heated dry switch to air dry with the money they save they will be able to replace that inefficient 10-year-old fridge with a new energy star qualified fridge that will save enough electricity to light their house for four months but they didn't stop there oh no the Garcia
were on a roll they turned their water heater from a scalding 140° down to 120 which will help slow mineral buildup and save energy for maximum Energy savings they're considering a new hybrid heat pump water heater they weren't done just
yet the laundry room was the next energy robber that had to be tackled when they heard heating water is 90% of the energy a washer uses they went into action now they use cold water for washing and set their dryer cycle to automatically use the energy efficient setting brought to
you by your local Municipal electric utility and the Florida Municipal Power agency airflow was hardly a strong suit in the Johnson home and no wonder their dirty filter made their system work harder and run less efficiently and
their duct work was an even bigger problem the leaks in the Ducks raised their energy bill by a whopping 30% then there were leaks in their doors and windows like throwing good money into the wind but the Johnson's got in the know with their airflow they change her
clean their filter once a month sealed the leaks in their Ducks cocked the windows weather stripped the doors and put solar screens or window film on the Southwest and Eastern facing Windows they even tilt their horizontal blinds off in the summer to reduce the heat
impact from the Sun and leave them open in the winter to let the sun and heat in now everything at the Johnson is tight and all right brought to you by your local Municipal electric utility and the Florida Municipal Power agency as temperatures rise in Homestead
the risk of heat related illnesses and injuries also increases posing significant threats to outdoor worker safety and productivity follow these tips to stay safe and and beat the heat stay hydrated and take breaks in the shade wear appropriate clothing and wear
sunscreen know the signs learn the symptoms of heat illnesses for more information on extreme heat safety visit Homestead fl.gov Heat summer is here and with it comes extra cost to keeping it cool with extra
electrical demand to cool our homes and businesses it's up to all of us to do our part to reduce Peak Demand by avoiding the use of major appliances during the day and using Eco settings when available setting your thermostat to 78° while away waiting until your
dishwasher or laundry is full to run the cycle and using energy efficient light bulbs and fixtures for tips on how to save money and cool your home efficiently visit homestead. goov Heat [Music]
[Music] [Music] city of homestad beautiful the garcas know a lot about insulation when one of them wants to get away they insulate themselves in another
room but that doesn't keep all the sound out unless you close the door just like sound cooled and heated air is always on the move but with the right insulation you have a protective thermal barrier that keeps the conditioned air where you want it truth is insulation is one of
the most cost-effective ways to lower your bills insulation is important anywhere your house meets the outdoors a cathedral ceiling walls crawl spaces but the best and easiest place to insulate your home is in the Attic its Effectiveness is measured as an R value
meaning resistance to heat flow to do the job right you'll need at least R30 but R38 is the best now the garcas know how to insulate themselves and their house brought to you by your local Municipal electric utility and the
Florida Municipal Power [Music] agency the Johnson's used to be bad about wasting energy on lighting real bad but but when they realized what it was costing them in real dollars they
got Energy Smart real quick first they turned off all unnecessary lights then instead of standard incandescent bulbs they switched to energy star CFLs and LEDs talk about a bright idea now they use 75% less energy plus the new bulbs
last 10 times longer can save $30 over the bulb's lifetime and they're 75% cooler what did that really mean to the Johnson enough to cover three high-end coffees A Day dinner for the family at that fancy schmancy restaurant another round of golf for Dad massage for mom
brought to you by your local Municipal electric utility and the Florida Municipal Power agency it's up to all of us to keep Homestead beautiful do your part and get involved with little things like Recycling and planting native trees or big things like
organizing litter cleanups and helping beautify your neighborhood together we can Ensure enure our quality of life for today and tomorrow visit cityofhomestead.com beautiful to learn more [Music]
[Music] visw city of homester dional beautiful there's some exciting news for the City of Homestead we're thrilled to announce the launch of our new website domain ww w.
homestead. goov effective June 17th 2024 this significant update marks a pivotal moment in our digital Evolution offering a fresh and intuitive web address that enhances cyber security and provides residents with peace of mind when
interacting with city services online rest assured you can still access the same reliable information and stay updated on city news and events visit us at www. homesteadfl . goov and stay connected with your city with Summer
here be sure you're prepared for extreme heat what is extreme heat it's a period of high heat and humidity with temperatures above 90° for at least 2 to 3 days posing significant health risks among vulnerable groups are older adults
young children and those with chronic conditions a few ways that you can beat the heat are keeping cool and air conditioned spaces avoiding direct sunlight reducing outdoor activities and staying hydrated by reducing your coffee and alcohol intake while drinking plenty
of water for more tips on how you can beat the heat visit Homestead fl.gov heat Homestead Public Services is excited to introduce our new enhanced customer service process to make your power and water connections happen the
same day follow this simple checklist submit your request make your payment and attach the required documents by noon our new system streamlines the entire process for faster smoother service we've also provided a document
checklist to guide you every step of the way and if you need in-person assistance our dedicated window at City Hall is available to help we're here to make your next move easier starting today big improvements are coming to Homestead sewer infrastructure starting
this month the city of homestead's Public Works Department is starting essential construction to upgrade pump station number 22 bringing it into compliance with Miami day County regulations this project will install 4500 ft of new sewer Force main
extending from our wastewater treatment facility to The Pump Station construction is set to take place until mid December 2024 residents can expect temporary lane closures and detours during non- peak hours but don't worry
our team is working hard to minimize disruptions for residents and businesses we appreciate your patience as we improve our community's infrastructure for a better future ah cooling off in the pool or relaxing in the hot tub is what the Johnson's
live for but these Leisure moments of bliss became an energy Bandit and an expensive one at that the culprit was running the pump longer than necessary the Johnson's discovered if they cut their pump time they cut their expenses
too in fact most pool pumps run much longer than necessary it's best to ask a pool professional about the proper runtime a recent study in Florida found that people were able to reduce their pumping bills by 60% by decreasing the runtime purchasing an energy star rated
two-speed or variable speed pump can also cut energy use so after resetting their timer for a few short Cycles over 24 hours and doing the same for their hot tub they're now enjoying the water without getting soaked brought to you by your local Municipal electric utility
and the Florida Municipal Power agency well good evening everyone and welcome I'd like to uh call the City of Homestead Council presentation ceremony for November to order it's now 5:00 P p.m. and today is Wednesday October
16th uh 2024 and I said November didn't I I must Adit uh I'm thinking about Thanksgiving giving already fall is in the air right so we'll start off tonight with uh Council wman Bailey thank you mayor good evening
everyone so in honor of this coming January's 111th anniversary for the City of Homestead this month's artist in the spotlight was a call to artist to present anything that makes Homestead
Homestead so one of one of the main artists that'll be presenting and showcasing their work during um the gallery opening is Jason gther unfortunately he's traveling he wasn't able to be here
today but he is a homestead native his roots go back to his great grandparents and um when his grandfather passed not long ago he set out to just collect all these different artif facts and things
that his family has collected over these hundreds of years um and it's a really cute really cute collection I love his passion um for the things that he wasn't able to get the physical piece of he has
recreated in some type of art form so he is really sad that he can't be here today but he really does hope that you can all make it out to our Gallery our gallery night which give me one moment as I look for it if uh Miss Hudson with the Homestead Center for the Arts can
also join me double check in here so the gallery opening will be Wednesday the 30th at 6 p.m. at the seminal theater so you can always check our social media page for all the details but it'll be a really
fun representation of what homestead means and I'm sure you'll see a lot of different things um because this big beautiful Melting Pot is just so many different things for for everybody that lives here so I would like to introduce Miss Charlie Hudson from the Homestead
Center of the art who is also going to be participating I always have to do this bear with me bear with me uh for those of you that don't don't know me I am in fact the president Homestead Center for the Arts uh we do not have an or uh
facility here but we have actually been in uh Homestead working in an umbrella virtual kind of capacity since 1977 and so we do have on any given day between 30 and 40 artist I happen to be a writer and normally we would have some
of our artists here but there's just been a whole Brash of medical emergencies in this that and the other so we will have because the theme is you know images of Homestead what makes Homestead Homestead we'll have between four and six of our artists uh the very talented Marie Ferraro who does some
beautiful work uh watercolor and some uh other mediums for those of you who are familiar with my husband Hugh Hudson who has a passion among other things for photography so he will have some of his images of out at the speedway some fantastic shots from there as well as he
photographs a number of events uh that take place uh when we're doing the work for the paper so he's got some pie pieces of that and then we've got two or three other artists wonderful artist uh Claudia Mella who almost always participates and she couldn't be here
tonight so she's got some of her beautiful photographic images and then we've got one and two more I'm not quite sure how many we're going to have total uh but they're all going to be uh like I said a mix of mediums and so we would invite you to please come out and enjoy those while they're
up thank you so yes o October 30th now you've got the wrong also October 30th 6: p.m. free food always some yummy things thank you to the seal the friends of the seminal theater um for partnering
with us in this program that is a wonderful way to allow our local artists to be able to Showcase their work and for you to be able to come out and be inspired so thank you again thank you always thank you and uh it's always just
for some one who as I've always said can't draw a straight line with the ruler the the talent that will will be there is always just amazing for me c Cannonball yes good afternoon everybody okay in celebation of Hispanic
heritage okay as councilman and on behalf of the of the mayor St ler in the city council I would like to recognize the Hispanic poets writers and authors authors that are part of a growing Community these 37 participants come
from various walks of lives some are Educators business owners Ries Etc who Peri meet at libraries and bsh and book stores to keep them momentum of their passion for the
Arts all our poets writers and or out authors from homestead or Miami day County I was excited when I saw the number of Muses it is interesting that to learn that five of them are L
Ms and they support professional and academic writers by helping them build skills to communicate more effectively their mission is to enrich our cultural life while promoting sharing and preserving individual Customs through the written
word they help build an understanding and appreciation of the variety of cultures and talents in hom on behalf of the mayor council and residents of the city of fet and as
councilman I am proud to present each of them with a certificate of recognition and appreciation poets writers and aors please step up to a Podium where your name is called and we waiting line to take a
photo or something okay testing testing okay he's we're going to call the names up if you can please come up pick up your um frame and then uh line up please so we'll begin with welcome Stephanie cabal
[Applause] ad Adriana Carrera Marisol CA K Castellano Maria Castillo Carlos colon Rodriguez anela colon Felicia
dearin ariela Diaz Cindy figeroa mayel Gallardo Raul Hernandez aaro Iglesias Mary
L America Marans mansano pardon Diana Melendez Mercedes Minot Luis Salva Morales if you want we'll wait U until everybody comes up and then we can uh
applaud so we get nice one nice big Applause U where were we America Mar manano Diana Mel Mercedes Minot Lis Morales Elsa Mia Alis Natalia Alisia
Navaro Sara PES Maria palachi vivana P Vivian pdon Maria Perry lyia Rodriguez AEL
Rosario Elizabeth rolling Ivon Salas hanina salterini Irma Sanchez jior Santana Maya Santos Rosario
solares Fey tol Gabriela torente is [Applause] son the 37 poets authors and writers here so we
welcome see everybody has their fun thank you thank you all so much thank you councilman cabal for bringing this very talented uh and special group together and to each one of you again thank
you for your your commitment to our community and and we really uh are in all of your talent again thank you all probably turn it back around the other way we go ahead and turn the podium the
other way yeah turn it around yeah we're we're done yeah we're done okay so before we wrap this up is before we close this out um is anyone here on behalf of either heartbeat of
Miami or help our our city think there was some scheduling issues heartbeat okay CL heartbeat's here the heartbeat of Miami is here if you want to go do that one no I'm going to do help yeah all right Council and cannibal
well this is a proclamation to the heartbeat of Miami the harbe of Miami was founded in 2007 as a fake based nonprofit organization to provide competent free and curent services to women and couples facing and
plan pregnancies in Miami L County together with the Christian Community and the har Miami has established a network of medical clinics equipped with the technology and a sanary of Hope in
homet in hom and on May 1st 2023 the harbe of Miami homestate Clinic served 550 women their services were promly supported it supported the Hispanic Latino and African-American
communities in the hosted area and since 2007 mothers have given birth to over 68,000 babies with the assistance of the heartbeat of Miami heartbeat of Miami continues to grow in South Florida and
the transformation we have witness is short of miraculous the clinic offers various services including pregnancy related consultation test counseling goods for babies Wellness education and ongoing support
and the C holds it commen the work now therefore the Garcia know a lot about insulation when one of them wants to get away they insulate themselves in another room but that doesn't keep all the sound out unless you close the door
just like sound cooled and heated air is always on the move but with the right insulation you have a protective thermal barrier that keeps the conditioned air where you want it truth is insulation is one of the most most costeffective ways to lower your bills insulation is important anywhere your house meets the
outdoors a cathedral ceiling walls crawl spaces but the best and easiest place to insulate your home is in the Attic its Effectiveness is measured as an R value meaning resistance to heat flow to do the job right you'll need at least R30
but R38 is the best now the garcas know how to insulate themselves and their house brought to you by your local municipal IAL electric utility and the Florida Municipal Power agency well good evening everyone and welcome like to call the City of
Homestead um presentation portion of our regular monthly council meeting to order and first I want to apologize for the delay I know we were supposed to uh begin at uh 5: we had some meetings upstairs and uh again our apologies for
the uh DeLay So first on our agenda tonight is the city's presentation to the homestead soup kitchen uh as we began working in the the budget year last year uh we began with the the
thought process of of picking a a service organization and not for-profit and assist them with their Endeavors and our award e this year is the uh the homestead soup kitchen and I see we have the contingent so if yall want to come on
[Applause] up so the soup kit you know so many times you know it seems that everybody has their knot for profit and somebody promises you something and maybe they deliver and and and maybe they they
don't but the soup kitchen has been a staple in our community for 43 44 years 83 okay so so 4 1 years now and last I spoke to you Karen you were talking about you were on track for 33 35 38,000
meals last year we did over 41,000 41,000 and we'll probably do more this year so over 40,000 meals three times a week three times a Monday Wednesday Friday Monday Wednesday Friday at the soup kitchen that has been in their current home for decades now providing a
meal ready to go to whoever comes in the door and says they need it all done with with volunteers dedicated volunteers and I know many times other organizations come and they they Tred to help you and over
the years you've you developed uh other Partnerships so uh we want to uh the city we uh want to you commend you for all that you do and and assist you in
your endeavors and we have uh the the C check to the homestead Su citchen the counsel if you want to join me down here in the presentation this is the last is going to be in the way come on get up
[Applause] except for today uh so we have we work solely on a volunteer basis so everybody in here just comes because they want to help out their community so this is Kitchen Karen I'm office Karen we have two of us so she's one of our main people that works in the kitchen and
this is Maria who does pretty much everything and works really quickly uh this is Mary You Can Tell She's All Decked Out and she does a lot of the kids meals and the desserts and gets everything organized for us here's Greg we call him mcer because he is our fix
it and server and cook and everything else and uh Vicki's not here tonight but she's like our main cook and there's a few others that are missing but uh they're awesome and I love them so uh thank you so much for for supporting us
because we definitely need it serving lots of people thank you well and and and before you leave I get the uh the honor of representing the Rotary Club of Homestead here tonight and I have in my pocket a check from rotary for $2,000
to assist you and we've got got the big ceremonial check here well the the not as big ceremonial check here from uh rotary than you so much I just want you know I just want to say that you know from the beginning of the soup kitchen
uh the Rotary Club and its members were very instrumental in the uh the instituting of of the organization and uh helped fund it and helped it find its current current home uh many of those Members Plus Bob Jensen have passed on
now but their uh their good work continues and and we thank you for everything that uh that you help to do for the for the folks in need in our community again thank you [Applause] all all right very good councilwoman
Bailey think you've got the next thank you mayor good evening everyone so we say it often this is the very fun part of our meetings we we get to do things like donate money to wonderful organizations and we also get
to thank pillars of our community and it could not have worked out better because the lady we are honoring tonight has also donated much of her time to the soup kitchen so I love how these two
come together we have one of our other swack members here Pastor Joseph our vice chair if you will please join me in presenting this next Proclamation oh and Mr pton perfect timing all right so before I read this
Proclamation I would like to invite Miss Janette mallerie to join us as well so before I get into the details you know that we have City committees and these three members up here are part of the best city committee called the
Southwest advisory committee they have donated countless hours and just time to make the lives of those in the southwest better so if we we could take one moment to thank these board members
here so now on to the lady of the hour um the proclamation today reads in recognition of over 45 years of dedicated community service and Outreach we hereby Proclaim Janette s mallerie
for her outstanding contributions to the Southwest advisory committee for over 10 years 10 years Janette has been a beacon of support for the homestead Community through her Ministry work and her role as a public servant under several of the
city of homestead's Mayors including the honorable Rosco Warren Steve Shyer Steve baitman Jeff Porter and our mayor Steven lner whereas Janette mallerie's impactful initiatives include spearheading food drives with Farm share
to serve the Elders of of the community organizing back to school events Christmas toy drives and feeding programs her commitment to the community extended to her role as PTA vice president at Laura C Saunders Elementary
where she was a pillar known for her Outreach to underserved populations she served alongside Russell black and Brock Schiffer in the prayer in schools initiative and the Hallelujah Night In the City of Homestead providing aist
safe Halloween experience for the Youth in the community Miss mallerie is also the founder and serves as president of the Outreach and Community engagement at intentional provis Provisions Outreach corporation whose mission is to ele
Elevate edify and educate underserved communities through after school tutoring and they do this at Homestead Gardens and Cutler Manor Miss mallerie continues to demonstrate unwavering support by supplying the homestead soup
kitchen with goods for over 20 years an initiative that began under the leadership of Mrs Juanita Smith this initiative continues in honor of Miss mallerie's late husband Mr laurian mallerie senior who also served alongside her in providing Goods to the
homestead soup kitchen for over a decade Miss mallerie's dedication to the City of Homestead has been unwavering serving as a Trailblazer for her community her role as a community advocate in our city has been
acknowledged and and awarded many times showcasing her commitment to making a difference Miss mallerie has served on boards for the south east Dade ministerial Alliance as Deaconess of service and acted as a school Ambassador
for Miami dat County Public Schools and received several awards for her outstanding service service it's almost over it's not all in here but it's almost over she has also been an ambassador for citra's health health network and recognized for her support of the
military through the Memorial Sloan Cancer Center volunteer program today we commend Miss mallerie for her exceptional service and dedication to the community and we express our deepest gratitude for her tireless efforts in making a positive impact on the lives of
many miss mallerie your legacy of service will continue to to inspire and uplift the community for years to come now therefore our mayor Steven D lner of the City of Homestead
does hereby Proclaim August 21st 2024 as Janet mallerie day [Applause] board
members any family members please come up so we can take a picture together please come join us e e thank you so that concludes the uh printed agenda
for our presentation ceremony tonight but I understand that we we need to have one other recognition today and little birdie shared with me that one of my colleagues has a birthday
today so hey don't be a I don't think it's one that Milestone birthday yet so you're the 25 one yes it's 25 thank you thank you mayor that one so I I think we should sing to the council woman don't
you birthday thank you all very much and I was here for Andrew so that might give you some timeline thank you so with that this meeting is adjourned and we will convene the regular council meeting at 6 PM again
thank you all for being here and all that you do good evening everyone and welcome I'd like to call the City of Homestead regular city council meeting meeting to order today is Wednesday August 21st
2024 and it is 6:00 p.m. uh tonight we'll have the invocation by Pastor Nick ha pastor of the Miami Vineyard Community Church followed by the Pledge of Allegiance with councilwoman Avala and our great
Homestead police explorers you all rise please is the pastor here welcome thank you mayor let's pray God we thank you so much for this day that you've given us we thank you God for your grace and your mercy and
bringing us all here together and God I thank you for this city and God we come together and collectively uh pray for every single person that calls Homestead their home and God we pray for every person here that represents so
many we pray God for your favor for your love to reach each one of us and God I pray for our leadership that's present here I pray God that you would give them wisdom and I pray God that you would
give them everything that they need to lead our city well into the vision and the future that you have for us God we pray all this in your name amen Amen on guard
right face on joined Al aliance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands one nation under God
indivisible with liberty and justice for all left forward thank you all please be seated have a roll call Madam clerk councilman Davis here councilwoman aula here councilwoman Bailey here councilman
anal here councilman Roth here vice mayor Fletcher here mayor La here thank you all right we have now the uh time of the evening when we invite uh members of the public either online or in person to
make General Public comments not necessarily with respect to any agenda item um please uh give us your name and address for the record and uh will limit you to uh to three minutes first we have
a registered speaker uh CIA Gonzales with Gonzalez are you with us here caia Gonzalez with the uh Farm worker Association okay do we have anyone
online is there anyone else in the audience wishing to speak make make a uh a general public comment seeing none I will close the public comment section section of the
agenda Mr manager are there any additions deletions or deferrals good evening Mr mayor council members at this time the administration would like to delete uh car item
4323 top seven F do T and Landscape Maintenance joint participation agreements we intend to have a meeting on Friday this Friday August the 23rd at 2 p.m. with the district Secretary of
fdot to explore possibility of enhancements in the type of reimbursements that the city is entitled to thank you sir do we have a motion to defer Tab S move by councilman Bailey seconded by the vice
mayor any discussion all in favor all right any osed all right does that complete the uh deferrals that's cor sir thank you all right our next item is the consent agenda which consists of tabs
one through nine with the exception of Tab S uh do have a motion to approve mov by vice mayor Fletcher seconded by Council and cannibal any further questions or comments all in favor any
opposed all right next item is our public hearings ordinances land use items Etc Mr White yes please be advised the following items on the Quai judicial nature on the agenda or Quai judicial nature if you wish to comment upon any of these items please indicate the item
number you would like to address when the announcement regarding the quazi judicial item is made an opportunity for persons to speak on each item will be made available after the applicant and staff have made their presentations on each item swearing in all testimony
including public testimony and evidence will be made under oath or affirmation additionally each person who gives testimony may be subject to cross-examination if you do not wish to either be cross-examined or sworn your testimony will be given at du8 the general public will not be permitted to
cross-examine Witnesses but the public May request the council to ask questions of Staff or Witnesses on their behalf the full agenda packet on each item is hereby entered into the record persons representing organizations must present evidence of their authority to speak for the organization further details of the
quazi judicial procedures may be obtained from the clerk in accordance with code section 2590 any lobbyist must register before addressing the Council on any of the following items at this time it asked council members to disclose any exp parte Communications
they've had concerning quazi judicial items on this evening's agenda that would be Tab 10 and 11 any disclosures on for either tabs 10 or 11 nothing new but nothing so this time
I'd ask anyone in the audience who wishing to speak on any of those both of those items either 10 or 11 please stand raise your right hand to be sworn in by the clerk do you hear by swear firm to tell the truth and nothing but the truths so help me gone thank you you may be
seated Tab 10 car number 43 40 is a resolution of the City of Homestead Florida approving a special exception as requested by Kamal partway for the development of a single family dwelling unit on approximately 6,850 ft parcel within the multiple
apartment R3 zoning District located at 846 Northeast 5th Avenue as legally described in exhibit a and providing for an effective date thank you Mr cordino yes sir thank you very much count um staff recommends the mayor and Council approve this special exception it's very similar to
something we heard just I think last month uh in in these cases um an applicant is allowed to put a single family home in the R3 District uh if it is compatible with the surrounding neighborhood that's done through special
exception so it's not by right you guys have to approve it in this case um we we looked at the property the property's vacant it's surrounded by another vacant property two single family homes and a multif family uh property so we believe this is
compatible with the neighborhood because of because of that condition is a vacant home and two single family homes and we're recommending approval good thank you sir you're welcome all right are there any questions or comments from the public a public comment okay and I'll
close the public hearing and I'll ask the applicants representative to uh come forward good evening Mr Proctor [Music] than 57th Avenue thank you um we uh like the staff
recommendation um this matter is uh was filed several years ago so it was filed in advance of your moratorium it is less than a 7500 square foot lot uh but it is a
grandfathered uh lot and as Mr coradino explained this is uh an application really of an underdevelopment a development in a multif family area of a single family home um
thank uh the property is at 8:46 Northeast 5th Avenue uh and as Mr cordino also mentioned there is a multifam use 4unit building directly to our
South uh in the picture that's on the screen I hope you'll be able to see that the 4unit apartment building to the South also the proximity to Campbell Drive and to the busway uh my client has owned this
property for about five years he wishes to develop a one-story single family home and we would uh ask for your support and be available to answer any questions thank you Mr Proctor questions or comments from Council we have a
motion to approve mooved by councilman Cannibal seconded by councilman Davis roll call Madam Court councilman Ross Yes councilman Davis yes councilwoman aula yes councilman cannibal councilwoman Bailey
vice mayor Fletcher yes mayor lner yes the motion carries thank you Mr proor thank you and good evening all right Mr White second reading on Tab 12 tab 11 tab 11 tab 11 is uh resolution of the City of Homestead Florida
granting final platter approval as requested by DR Horton Inc for the development of a new residential subdivision totaling 74 single family dwelling units on an approximately 37 acre parcel of land generally located at the North West corner of Southwest 304th Street in Southwest 192nd Avenue as Le
described an exhibit a and providing for an effective date thank you hi good evening hello good evening uh mayor council it's great to be before you today Meritt Haro office at 200 souis g Boulevard uh we're here on the final step for the Aspen
Estates uh subdivision uh the final plat I have a brief presentation but you're all familiar with the project uh this is really just um the last step in um before uh final approval so the this is the site it's 37 Acres it
was approved last year with 74 uh luxury estate uh homes on the screen you'll see that's the tentative plat uh that was also approved last year and before you this evening is the final plat which is consistent both with
the approved site plan and the approved tenative plat has 74 Lots uh and two tracks for private roads in mail the maale kiosk as required by USPS uh and that's it I'm available for
any questions thank you any final questions from Council and this is just for the public mostly an administrative process this project was approved long ago all right this moved by councilman cannibal second by vice mayor Fletcher
before we have a roll call vote is there any public comment hearing or seeing none I'll close the public hearing and ask for a roll call vote councilman rth yes councilman cannibal yes councilwoman Bailey
councilwoman aula yes councilman Davis yes vice mayor Fletcher yes mayor lner yes the motion carries thank you all right next item tab 12 yes moving on to your legislative items this evening tab 12 is a second reading
of an ordinance of the City of Homestead Florida amending the city code of ordinances by creating section 30-55 4 exception for existing schools through Article 5 non-conforming law to uses and structures to allow certain expansion exceptions in whole or in part within a
property or onto an adjacent property or onto a contiguous property onto a contiguous property not already containing such use to existing schools having already received site plan approval pursuant to section 30-47 of the city with Summer here be sure you're prepared for extreme heat what is
extreme heat it's a period of high heat and humidity with temperatures above 90° for at least 2 to 3 days posing significant health risks among vulnerable groups are older adults young children and those with chronic conditions a few ways that you can beat
the heat are keeping Cooling air conditioned spaces avoiding direct sunlight reducing outdoor activities and staying hydrated by reducing your coffee and alcohol intake while drinking plenty of water for more tips on how you can
beat the heat visit homestead. goov Heat big improvements are coming to Homestead sewer infrastructure starting this month the city of homestead's Public Works Department is starting essential construction to upgrade Pump Station number 22 bringing it into compliance
with Miami day County regulations this project will install 4500 ft of new sewer Force main extending from our wastewater treatment facility to The Pump Station construction is set to take place until mid December 2024 residents
can expect temporary lane closures and detours during non- peak hours but don't worry our team is working hard to minimize disruptions for residents and businesses we appreciate your patience as we improve our community's infrastructure for a better
[Music] [Music] future City of Homestead diagonal beautiful summer is here and with it comes extra cost to keeping it cool with
extra electrical demand to cool our homes and businesses it's up to all of us to do our part to reduce Peak Demand by avoiding the use of major appliances during the day and using Eco settings when available setting your thermostat to 78° while away waiting until your
dishwasher or laundry is full to run the cycle and using energy efficient light bulbs and fixtures for tips on how to save money and cool your home efficiently visit Homestead f l.gov heat well good evening everyone and
welcome like to call the City of Homestead um presentation portion of our regular monthly council meeting to order and first I want to apologize for the delay I know we were supposed to uh begin at uh 5: we had some meetings
upstairs and uh again our apologies for the uh delay so first on our agenda tonight is the city's presentation to the homestead soup kitchen uh as we began working in the the budget year
last year uh we began with the the thought process of of picking a a service organization and not for-profit and assist them with their Endeavors and our awarde this year is the uh the homestead soup kitchen and I see we have
the contingent so uh if yall want to come on [Applause] up so the soup kit you know so many times you know it seems that everybody has their not for profit and somebody promises you something and maybe they
deliver and and and maybe they they don't but the soup kitchen has been a staple in our community for 43 44 years3 83 Okay so yeah a so 41 years now and last I spoke to you Karen you were
talking about you were on track for 33 35 38,000 meals last year we did over 41,000 41,000 and we'll probably do more this year so over 40,000 meals three times a week three times a week Monday Wednesday Friday Monday Wednesday Friday at the soup kitchen that has been in
their current home for decades now providing a meal ready to go to whoever comes in the door and says they need it all done with with volunteers dedicated volunteers and I know many times other organizations come
and they they try to help you and over the years you've you developed uh other Partnerships so uh we want to uh the city we uh want to you commend you for
all that you do and and assist you in your endeavors and we have uh the the ceremonial check the homestead suit kitchen counsel if you want to join me down here in the presentation this is the last going to be in the
way come on get up [Applause] on for today uh so we have we work solely on a volunteer basis so everybody in here just comes because they want to help out their community so this is
Kitchen Karen I'm office Karen we have two of us so she's one of our main people that works in the kitchen and this is Maria who does pretty much everything and works really quickly uh this is Mary You Can Tell She's All Decked Out and she does a lot of the kids meals and the desserts and gets
everything organized for us here's Greg we call him mcgyver because he is our fix it man and server and cook and everything else and uh Vicki's not here tonight but she's like our main cook and there's a few others that are missing but uh they're awesome and I love them
so uh thank you so much for for supporting us because we definitely need it serving lots of people thank you well and and and before you leave I get the uh the honor of representing the Rotary Club of Homestead here tonight and I
have in my pocket a check from rotary for $2,000 to assist you and we've got got the big ceremonial check here well the the not as big ceremonial check here from uh from rotary
you so much I just want you know I just want to say that you know from the beginning of the soup kitchen uh the Rotary Club and its members were very instrumental in the uh the instituting of of the organization and uh helped
fund it and helped it find its current current home uh many of those Members Plus Bob Jensen have passed on now but they're uh their good work continues and and we thank you for everything that uh that you helped to do for the for the
folks in need in our community again thank you [Applause] all all right very good councilwoman Bailey I think you've got the next thank you mayor good evening
everyone so we say it often this is the very fun part of our meetings we get to do things like donate money to wonderful organizations and we also get to thank pillars of our community and it could
not have worked out better because the lady we are honoring tonight has also donated much of her time to the soup kitchen so I love how these two come together we have one of our other swack members here Pastor Joseph our vice
chair if you will please join me in presenting this next Proclamation oh and Mr pton perfect timing all right so before I read this Proclamation I would like to invite Miss Janette mallerie to join us as well
so before I get into the details you know that we have City committees and these three members up here are part of the best city committee called the Southwest advisory committee they have donated countless hours and just time to
make the lives of those in the Southwest better so if we could take one moment to thank these board members here so now on to the lady of the hour um the proclamation today reads in recognition of over 45 years of
dedicated community service and Outreach we hereby Proclaim Janette s mallerie for her outstanding contributions to the Southwest advisory committee for for over 10 years 10 years Janette has been a beacon of
support for the homestead Community through her Ministry work and her role as a public servant under several of the city of homestead's Mayors including the honorable Rosco Warren Steve Shyer Steve baitman Jeff Porter and our mayor Steven
lner whereas Janette mallerie's impactful initiatives include spearheading food drives with Farm share to to serve the Elders of the community organizing back to school events Christmas toy drives and feeding programs her commitment to the community
extended to her role as PTA vice president at Laura Saunders Elementary where she was a pillar known for her Outreach to underserved populations she served alongside Russell black and Brock Schiffer in the prayer in schools
initiative and the Hallelujah night in the city of home stead providing a safe Halloween experience for the Youth in the community Miss mallerie is also the founder and serves as president of the Outreach and Community engagement at
intentional provis Provisions Outreach corporation whose mission is to ele Elevate edify and educate underserved communities through after school tutoring and they do this at Homestead
Gardens and Cutler Manor Miss mallerie continues to demonstrate unwavering support by supplying the homestead soup kitchen with goods for over 20 years an initiative that began under the leadership of Mrs Juanita Smith this
initiative continues in honor of Miss mallerie's late husband Mr laurian mallerie senior who also served alongside her in providing Goods to the homestead soup kitchen for over a decade Miss mallerie's dedication to the City of Homestead has been
unwavering serving as a Trailblazer for her community her role as a community advocate in our city has been acknowledged and and awarded many times showcasing her commitment to making a difference Miss mallerie has served on
boards for the south east Dade ministerial Alliance as Deaconess of service and acted as a school Ambassador for Miami dat County Public Schools and received several Awards for her outstanding service it's almost
over it's not all in here but it's almost over she has also been an ambassador for citra's health health network and recognized for her support of the military through the Memorial Sloan Cancer Center volunteer program today we
commend Miss mallerie for her exceptional service and dedication to the community and we express our deepest gratitude for her tireless efforts in making a positive impact on the lives of many miss mallerie your legacy of service will continue to to
inspire and uplift the community for years to come now therefore our mayor Steven D lner of the City of Homestead does hereby Proclaim August 21st 2024 as Janet mallerie day
[Applause] fell board members any family members please come up so we can take a picture together please come join us e e
thank you so that concludes the uh printed agenda for our presentation ceremony tonight but I understand that we we need to have one other recognition today and a little birdie shared with me that one of my
colleagues has a birthday today so hey don't be I don't think it's what that Milestone birthday yet so you're the 25th one yes the 25 thank you thank you mayor that one so I I think we
should sing to the council woman don't you birthday thank you all very much and I was here for Andrew so that might give you some timeline thank you so with that this meeting is adjourned and we will convene the
regular council meeting at 6: pm. again thank you all for being here and all that you do good evening everyone and welcome I'd like to call the City of Homestead regular city council meeting to order
today is Wednesday August 21st 2024 and it is 6 pm. uh tonight we'll have the invocation by Pastor Nick ha pastor of the Miami Vineyard Community Church followed by the Pledge of Allegiance with
councilwoman Avala and our great Homestead police explorers you all rise please is the pastor here welcome you may let's pray God we thank you so much for this
day that you've given us we thank you God for your grace and your mercy and bringing us all here together and God I thank you for this city and God we come together and collectively uh pray for every single person that calls Homestead their home
and God we pray pray for every person here that represents so many we pray God for your favor for your love to reach each one of us and God I pray for our leadership that's present
here I pray God that you would give them wisdom and I pray God that you would give them everything that they need to lead our city well into the vision and the future that you have for us
God we pray this in your name amen Amen on hope right face join aliance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic
for which it stands one nation under God indivisible with liberty and justice for all left forward thank you all please be seated have a roll call Madam clerk councilman Davis here councilwoman aula
here councilwoman Bailey here councilman cannibal here councilman Roth here vice mayor Fletcher here mayor La here thank you all right we have now the uh time of the evening when we invite uh members of
the public either online or in person to make General Public comments not necessarily with respect to any agenda item um please uh give us your name and address for the record and uh we'll
limit you to uh to three minutes first we have a registered speaker uh Claudia Gonzalez Gonzalez are you with us here Claudia Gonzalez with the uh Farm worker
Association okay do we have anyone online is there anyone else in the audience wishing to speak make make a uh a general public comment seeing none I will close the
public comment SE section of the agenda Mr manager are there any additions deletions or deferrals good evening Mr mayor council members at this time the administration would like to delete uh car item
4323 top 7 F dot T and Landscape joint participation agreement we intend to have a meeting on Friday this Friday August the 23rd at 2 p.m. with the district Secretary of fdot to explore
possibility of enhancements in the type of re urements that the city is entitled to thank you sir do we have a motion to defer Tab S moveed by Council Bailey seconded by the vice mayor any discussion all in
favor all right any opposed all right does that complete the uh referrals that's cor sir thank you all right our next item is the consent agenda which consists of tabs
one through nine with the exception of tab seven uh do we have a motion to approve move by vice mayor Fletcher seconded by councilman cannibal any further questions or comments all in favor
any opposed all right next item is our public hearings ordinances land use items Etc Mr White yes please be advised the following items on the Quai judicial nature on the agenda or quaz judicial nature if you wish to comment upon any
of these items please indicate the item number you would like to address when the announcement regarding the quide judicial item is made an opportunity for persons to speak on each item will be made available after the applicant and staff have made their presentation on each item swearing in all testimony
including public testimony and evidence will be made under oath or affirmation additionally each person who gives testimony may be subject to cross-examination if you do not wish to either be cross-examined or sworn your testimony will be given its due eight the general public will not be permitted
to cross-examine Witnesses but the public May request the council to ask questions of Staff or Witnesses on their behalf the full agenda packet on each item is hereby entered into the record persons representing organizations must present evidence of their authority to speak for the organization further
details of the quazi judicial procedures may be obtained from the clerk in accordance with code section 2590 any lobbyist must register before addressing the Council on any of the following items at this time i' ask council members to disclose any expart
Communications they've had concerning qu judicial items on this evening's agenda that would be Tab 10 and 11 and it just go closures on for either tabs 10 or 11 nothing new
but so this time I'd ask anyone in the audience who's wishing to speak on any of those both of those items either 10 or 11 please stand raise your right hand to be sworn in by the clerk do you hear by swearer firm to tell the truth and nothing but the troops will help me
gone thank you you may be seated have 10 c number 4340 is a resolution of the City of Homestead Florida approving a special exception as requested by Kamal partway for the development of a single family dwelling unit on approximately 6,850 foot parcel
within the multiple apartment R3 zoning District located at 846 Northeast 5th Avenue as legally described in exhibit a and providing for an effective date thank you Mr cordino yes sir thank you very much count um staff recommends to the mayor and Council approve this
special exception it's very similar to something we heard just I think last month in in these cases um an applicant is allowed to put a single family home in the R3 District uh if it is compatible with the surrounding
neighborhood that's done through special exception so it's not by right you guys have to approve it in this case um we we looked at the property the property is vacant it's surrounded by another vacant property two single family homes and a multi family uh property so we believe
this is compatible with the neighborhood uh because of because of that condition it's a vacant home and two single family homes and we're recommending approval good thank you sir you're welcome all right are there any questions or comments from the public a public comment okay I'll close
the public hearing and I'll ask the applicants representative to uh come forward good evening Mr Proctor [Music] 57th Avenue thank um we uh like the staff
recommendation um this matter is uh was filed several years ago so it was filed in advance of your moratorium it is less than a 7500 square foot lot uh but it is a
grandfathered uh lot and as Mr coradino explained this is uh an application really of an underdevelopment a development in a multif family area of a single family
home um thank you uh the property is at 8:46 Northeast 5th Avenue uh and as Mr cordino also mentioned there is a multifam use for 4
unit building directly to our South uh in the picture that's on the screen I hope you'll be able to see that the 4unit apartment building to the South also the proximity to Campell
drive and to the busway uh my client has owned this property for about 5 years he wishes to develop a one-story single family home and we would uh ask for your support and
be available to answer any questions thank you Mr Proctor questions or comments from Council we have a motion to approve moved by councilman Cannibal seconded by councilman Davis roll call Madam
clerk councilman Ross Yes councilman Davis yes councilwoman aula yes councilman cbball councilwoman Bailey vice mayor Fletcher yes mayor lner yes the motion carries thank you thank you Mr proor thank you and good evening all
right Mr White second reading on Tab 12 tab 11 tab 11 tab 11 is uh resolution of the city of homestad Florida granting final platter approval as requested by DR Horton Inc for the development of a new residential subdivision totaling 74 single family dwelling units on an
approximately 37 acre parcel of land generally located at the northwest corner of Southwest 304 Street in Southwest 192nd Avenue as Le described in exhibit a and providing for an effective date thank you hi good evening hello
good evening uh mayor council it's great to be before you today Meritt Haro office at 200 test game Boulevard uh we're here on the final step for the Aspen Estates uh subdivision uh the final plat I have a brief presentation but you're all familiar with the project
uh this is really just um the last step in um before uh find approval so the this is the site it's 37 Acres it was approved last some exciting news for the City of Homestead we're thrilled to announce the launch of our
new website domain www. homestead. effective June 17th 2024 this significant update marks a pivotal moment in our digital Evolution offering a fresh and intuitive web address that
enhances cyber security and provides residents with peace of mind when interacting with city services online rest assured you can still access the same reliable information and stay updated on city news and events visit us at www.
homestead. and stay connected with your city ah cooling off in the pool or relaxing in the hot tub is what the Johnson's live for but these Leisure moments of bliss became an energy Bandit and an expensive one at that the culprit
was running the pump longer than necessary the Johnson's discovered if they cut their pump time they cut their expenses too in fact most pool pumps run much longer than necessary it's best to ask a pool professional about the proper runtime a recent study in Florida found
that people were able to reduce their pumping bills by 60% by decreasing the runtime purchasing an energy star rated two speed or variable speed pump can also cut energy use so after resetting their timer for a few short Cycles over 24 hours and doing the same for their
hot tub they're now enjoying the water without getting soaked brought to you by your local Municipal electric utility and the Florida Municipal Power agency introducing the energy wasting Johnson's when it comes to Heating and
Cooling conserving energy was never at the top of the Johnson's to-do list they said their AC on 72 all day long adding up to 8% more to their bill for every degree below 78 they also let their bushes get overgrown around the outside
compressor a device that accounts for more than 40% of the household's energy expense and all that wasted energy was costing them a bundle but today the Johnson's have learned their lesson are energy smart and discovered how to not only save energy but save money as well
now their to-do list includes keeping the compressor clean and debris free so nothing blocks or restricts air flow to the unit allowing it to work as efficiently as possible setting the thermostat between 78° and 80° and installing a more efficient High sear
heating and cooling system including a heat pump and their new ceiling fans make it feel up to 5° cooler and could reduce energy use by 10% with all their saving the top of their new list includes a fun-filled family vacation brought to you by your local Municipal
electric utility and the Florida Municipal Power agency as temperatures rise in Homestead the risk of heat related illnesses and injuries also increases posing significant threats to outdoor worker safety and productivity follow these
tips to stay safe and beat the heat stay hydrated and take breaks in the shade wear appropriate clothing and wear sunscreen know the signs learn the symptoms of heat illnesses more information on extreme heat safety visit Homestead
fl.gov slhe it's up to all of us to keep Homestead beautiful do your part and get involved with little things like Recycling and planting native trees or big things like organizing litter cleanups and helping beautify your neighborhood together we can ensure our
quality of life for today and tomorrow visit cityofhomestead.com beautiful to learn more [Music] [Music] [Music] of well good evening everyone and
welcome like to call the City of Homestead um presentation portion of our regular monthly council meeting to order and first I want to apologize for the delay I know we were supposed to uh begin at uh 5: we had some meetings
upstairs and uh again our apologies for the uh DeLay So first on our agenda tonight is the city's presentation to the homestead soup kitchen uh as we began working in the the budget year
last year uh we began with the the thought process of of picking a a service organization and not for-profit and assist them with their Endeavors and our award e this year is the uh the homestead soup kitchen and I see we have
the contingent so uh if yall want to come on [Applause] up so the soup kit you know so many times you know it's seems that everybody has their not for profit and somebody promises you something and maybe they
deliver and and and maybe they they don't but the soup kitchen has been a staple in our community for 43 44 years 83 okay so so 41 years now and last I spoke to you Karen you were talking
about you were on track for 33 35 38,000 meals last year we did over 41,000 41 ,000 and we'll probably do more this year so over 40,000 meals three times a week three times a week Monday Wednesday Friday Monday Wednesday Friday at the soup kitchen that has been in their
current home for decades now providing a meal ready to go to whoever comes in the door and says they need it all done with with volunteers dedicated volunteers and I know many times other organizations
come and they they try to help you and over the years you've you developed uh other Partnerships so uh we want to uh the city we uh want to you know commend you
for all that you do and and assist you in your endeavors and we have uh the the ceremonial check to the homestead suit kit the councel if you want to join me down here in the presentation everyone this is the last one the is
going to be in the ways come on get up there [Applause] except for today uh so we have we work solely on a volunteer basis so everybody in here just comes because they want to help out their community so this is
Kitchen Karen I'm office Karen two of us so she's one of our main people that works in the kitchen and this is Maria who does pretty much everything and works really quickly uh this is Mary You Can Tell She's All Decked Out and she does a lot of the kids meals and the desserts and gets everything organized
for us here's Greg we call him Meyer because he is our fix it man and server and cook and everything else and uh Vicki's not here tonight but she's like our main cook and there's a few others that are missing but uh they're awesome
and I love them so thank you so much for for supporting us because we definitely need it serving lots of peoplek you and and and before you leave I get the uh the honor of representing the Rotary Club of Homestead here
tonight and I have in my pocket a check from rotary for $2,000 to assist you and we've got got the big ceremonial check here well the the not as big ceremonial check here from uh from
rotary so I just want you know I just want to say that you know from the beginning of the soup kitchen uh the Rotary Club and its members were very instrumental in the uh the instituting of of the organization and uh helped
fund it and helped it find its current current home uh many of those Members Plus Bob Jensen have passed on now but they're uh their good work continues and and we thank you for everything that uh that you helped to do for the for the
folks in need in our community again thank you all [Applause] all right very good councilwoman Bailey I think you've got the next thank you mayor good evening everyone so we say it often this is the
very fun part of our meetings we get to do things like donate money to wonderful organizations and we also get to thank pillars of our community and it could not have worked out better because the
lady we are honoring tonight has also donated much of her time to the soup kitchen so I love how these two come together we have one of our other swack members here Pastor Joseph our vice chair if you will please join me in
presenting this next Proclamation oh and Mr pton perfect timing all right so before I read this Proclamation I would like to invite Miss Janette mallerie to join us as well so before I get into the details
you know that we have City committees and these three members up here are part of the best city committee called the Southwest advisory committee they have donated countless hours and just time to
make the lives of those in the southwest better so if we could take one moment to thank these board members here so now on to the lady of the hour um the proclamation today reads in recognition of over 45 years of
dedicated community service and Outreach we hereby Proclaim Janette s mallerie for her outstanding contributions to the Southwest advisory committee for over 10 years 10 years Janette has been a beacon of
support for the homestead Community through her Ministry work and her role as a public servant under several of the city of homestead's Mayors including the honorable Rosco Warren Steve Shyer Steve baitman Jeff Porter and our mayor Steven
lner whereas Janette mallerie's impactful initiatives include spearheading food drives with Farm share to serve the Elders of the community organizing back to school events Christmas toy drives and feeding programs her commitment to the community
extended to her role as PTA vice president at Laura C Saunders Elementary where she was a pillar known for her Outreach to underserved populations she served alongside Russell black and Brock Schiffer in the prayer in schools
initiative and the Hallelujah Night In the City of Homestead providing a safe Halloween experience for the Youth in the community Miss mallerie is also the founder and serves as president of the Outreach and community engagement at
intentional provis Provisions Outreach corporation whose mission is to ele Elevate edify and educate underserved communities through Afterschool tutoring and they do this at Homestead Gardens
and Cutler Manor Miss mallerie continues to demonstrate unwavering support by supplying the homestead soup kitchen with goods for over 20 years an initiative that began under the leadership of Miss is Juanita Smith this initiative continues in honor of Miss
mallerie's late husband Mr lauan mallerie senior who also served alongside her in providing Goods to the homestead soup kitchen for over a decade Miss mallerie's dedication to the City of Homestead has been
unwavering serving as a Trailblazer for her community her role as a community advocate in our city has been acknowledged and and awarded many times showcasing her commitment to making a difference Miss mallerie has served on
boards for the south east Dade ministerial Alliance as Deaconess of service and acted as a school Ambassador for Miami Dade County Public Schools and received several awards for her outstanding service it's almost
over it's not all in here but it's almost over she has also been an ambassador for citra's health health network and recognized for her support of the military through the Memorial Sloan Cancer Center volunteer program today we
commend Miss mallerie for her exceptional service and dedication to the community and we express our deepest gratitude for her tireless efforts in making a positive impact on the lives of many miss mallerie your legacy of service will continue to to
inspire and uplift the community for years to come now therefore our mayor Steven D lner of the City of Homestead does hereby Proclaim August 21st 20124 as Janet mallerie
[Music] [Applause] day MERS any family members please come up so we can take a picture together
please come join us e I thank you so that concludes the uh printed agenda for our presentation ceremony tonight but I understand that we we need
to have one other recognition today and a little birdie shared with me that one of my colleagues has a birthday today so hey don't be I don't think it's what that Milestone birthday yet so
you're the 25 one yes it's 25 thank you thank you mayor that one so I I think we should sing to the council woman don't you [Applause] birthday thank you all very much and I
was here for Andrew so that might give you some timeline thank you so with that this meeting is adjourned and we will convene the regular council meeting at 6pm. again thank you all for being here and all that you
do good evening everyone and welcome I'd like to call the City of Homestead regular city council meeting to order today is Wednesday August 21st 2024 and it is 6: p.m. uh tonight we'll have the
invocation by Pastor Nick ha pastor of the Miami Vineyard Community Church followed by the Pledge of Allegiance with councilwoman Avala and our great Homestead police explorers you all rise please is the pastor
here welcome thank you mayor let's pray God we thank you thank you so much for this day that you've given us we thank you God for your grace and your mercy and bringing us all here together and God I thank you for this
city God we come together and collectively uh pray for every single person that calls Homestead their home and God we pray for every person here that represents so many we pray God for your favor and for your
love to reach each one of us and God I pray for our leadership that's present here I pray God that you would give them wisdom and I pray God that you would give them everything that they need to lead our city well into the vision and
the future that you have for us God we pray all this in your name amen amen forward on guard right face on please
pledge Al aliance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands one nation under God indivisible with liberty and justice for all forward
thank you all please be seated have a roll call Madam clerk councilman Davis here councilwoman aula here councilwoman Bailey here councilman cannibal here councilman Roth here vice mayor Fletcher here mayor law here thank
you all right we have now the uh time of the evening when we invite uh members of the public either online or in person to make General Public comments not necessarily with respect to any agenda
item um please uh give us your name and address for the record and uh we'll limit you to uh to three minutes first we have a registered speaker uh Claudia Gonzalez Gonzalez are you
with us here Claudia Gonzalez with the uh Farm worker Association okay do we have anyone online is there anyone else in the audience wishing to speak make make a uh
a general public comment seeing none I will close the public comment SE section of the agenda Mr manager are there any additions deletions or referrals good evening Mr mayor council
members at this time the administration would like to delete uh car item 4323 Tab 7 F dot tough and Landscape Maintenance join participation agreement
we intend to have a meeting on Friday this Friday August the 23rd at 2 p.m. with the stre Secretary of fdot to explore possibility of enhancements in the type of reimbursements that the city is entitled to thank you sir do we have
a motion to defer tab seven move by Council Bailey seconded by the vice mayor any discussion all in favor all right any opposed all right does that complete the uh deferrals that's cor sir thank you
all right our next item is the consent agenda which consists of tabs one through nine with the exception of Tab 7 uh do we have a motion to approve move by vice mayor Fletcher seconded by
councilman cannibal any further questions or comments all in favor any opposed all right next item is our public hearings ordinances land use items Etc Mr White yes please be advised the following items on the quide
judicial nature on the agenda or quaz judicial nature if you wish to comment upon any of these items please indicate the item number you would like to address when the announcement regarding the quazi judicial item is made an opportunity for persons to speak on each item will be made available after the
applicant and staff have made their presentations on each item swearing in all testimony including public testimony and evidence will be made under oath or affirmation additionally each person who gives testimony may be subject to cross examination if you do not wish to either
be cross-examined or sworn your testimony will be given its due weight the general public will not be permitted to cross-examine Witnesses but the public May request the council to ask questions of Staff or Witnesses on their behalf the full agenda packet on each item is hereby entered into the record
persons representing organizations must present evidence of their authority to speak for the organization further details of the quazi judicial procedures may be obtained from the clerk in accordance with code section 2- 590 any lobbyist must register before addressing
the Council on any of the following items at this time it ask council members to disclose any exp parte Communications they've had concerning quasi judicial items on this evening's agenda that would be Tab 10 and 11 any disclosures on for either tabs 10
or 11 nothing new but so this time I'd ask anyone in the audience who wishing to speak on any of those both of those items either 10 or 11 please stand raise your right hand to be sworn in by the
clerk do you hear by swearer firm to tell the truth and nothing but the truths will help me gone thank you you may be seated Tab 10 C number 4340 is a resolution of the City of Homestead Florida approving a special exception as requested by Kamal partway for the
development of a single family dwelling unit on approximately 6,800 50t parcel within the multiple apartment R3 zoning District located at 846 Northeast 5th Avenue as legally described and exhibit a and providing for an effective date thank you Mr cordino yes sir thank
you very much count um staff recommends the mayor and Council approve this special exception it's very similar to something we heard just I think last month in in these cases um an applicant is allowed to put a single family home
in the R3 District uh if it is compatible with the surrounding neighborhood that's done through special exception so it's not by right you guys have to approve it in this case um we we looked at the property the property is vacant it's surrounded by another vacant
property two single family homes and a multif family uh property so we believe this is compatible with the neighborhood uh because of because of that condition it's a bacon home and two single family homes and we're recommending approval very good thanks you sir you're welcome
all right are there any questions or comments from the public any public comment and I'll close the public hearing and I'll ask the applicants representative to uh come forward good evening Mr
[Music] Proctor 57th Avenue thank you um we uh like the staff recommendation um this matter is uh was filed several years ago so it was filed in advance of your
moratorium it is less than a 7500 squ foot lot uh but it is a grandfathered uh lot and as Mr coradino explained this is uh an application really of an underdevelopment a
development in a multifam area of a single family home um thank you uh the property is at 8:46 Northeast 5th Avenue uh and as Mr cordino also
mentioned there is a multifam use 4unit building directly to our South uh in the picture that's on the screen I hope you'll be able to see that the 4unit apartment building to the
South also the proximity to Campbell Drive and to the busway uh my client has owned this property for about 5 years it's up to all of us to keep Homestead beautiful do your part and get involved with little things like Recycling and planting
native trees or big things like organizing litter cleanups and helping beautify your neighborhood together we can ensure our quality of life for today and tomorrow visit cityofhomestead.com betiful to learn
more well good evening everyone and welcome like to call the City of Homestead um presentation portion of our regular monthly council meeting to order and first I want to apologize for the delay I know we were supposed to uh
begin at uh 5: we had some meetings upstairs and uh again our apologies for the uh delay so first on our agenda tonight is the city's presentation to the homestead soup kitchen uh as we
began working in the the budget year last year uh we began with the the thought process of of picking a a service organization and not for-profit and assist them with their Endeavors and
our award e this year is the uh the homestead soup kitchen and I see we have the contingent so uh if yall want to come on [Applause] up so the soup kit you know so many times you know it seems that everybody
has their not for profit and somebody promises you something and maybe they deliver and and and maybe they they don't but the soup kitchen has been a staple in our community for 43 44 years3
83 Okay so so 41 years now and last I spoke to you Karen you were talking about you were on track for 33 35 38,000 meals last year we did over 41,000 41,000 and we'll probably do more this year so over
40,000 meals three times a week three times a week Monday Wednesday Friday Monday Wednesday Friday at the soup kitchen that has been in their current home for decades now providing a meal ready to go to whoever comes in the
door and says they need it all done with with volunteers dedicated volunteers and I know many times other organizations come and they they try to help you and over the years you've you developed uh other
Partnerships so uh we want to uh the city we uh want to you commend you for all that you do and and assist you in your endeavors and we have uh the the ceremonial check to the homestead suit
catchen the counsel if you want to join me down here in the presentation this is the last going to be in the come on get up [Applause] so for today uh so we have we work
solely on a volunteer basis so everybody in here just comes because they want to help out their community so this is Kitchen Karen I'm office Karen we have two of us so she's one of our main people that works in the kitchen and this is Maria who does pretty much everything and works really quickly uh
this is Mary You Can Tell She's All Decked Out and she does a lot of the kids meals and the desserts and gets everything organized for us here's Greg we call him mcgyver because is our Fixit man and server and cook and everything
else and uh Vicki's not here tonight but she's like our main cook and there's a few others that are missing but uh they're awesome and I love them so uh thank you so much for for supporting us because we definitely need it serving
lots of people you well and and and before you leave I get the uh the honor of representing the Rotary Club of Homestead here tonight and I have in my pocket a check from rotary for $2,000 to assist you and we've got got
the big ceremonial check here well the the not as big ceremonial check here from uh rotary so much I just want you know I just want to say that you know from the beginning of the soup kitchen uh the Rotary Club and its members were very instrumental
in the uh the instituting of of the organization and uh helped fund it and helped it find its current current home uh many of those Members Plus Bob Jensen have passed on now but they're uh their
good work continues and and we thank you for everything thing that uh that you helped to do for the for the folks in need in our community again thank you [Applause] all all right very good councilwoman
Bailey I think you've got the next thank you mayor good evening everyone so we say it often this is the very fun part of our meetings we get to do things like donate money to wonderful
organizations and we also get to thank pillars of our community and it could not have worked out better because the lady we are honoring tonight has also donated much of her time to the soup
kitchen so I love how these two come together we have one of our other swack members here Pastor Joseph our vice chair if you will please join me in presenting this next Proclamation oh and Mr penon perfect
timing all right so before I read this Proclamation I would like to invite Miss Janette mallerie to join us as well so before I get into the details you know that we have City committees and these three members up here are part of
the best city committee called the Southwest advisory committee they have donated countless hours and just time to make the lives of those in the southwest B so if we could take one moment to
thank these board members here so now on to the lady of the hour um the proclamation today reads in recognition of over 45 years of dedicated community service and Outreach we hereby Proclaim Janette s mallerie
for her outstanding contributions to the Southwest advisory committee for for over 10 years 10 years Janette has been a beacon of support for the homestead Community through her Ministry work and her role as a public servant under several of the
city of homestead's Mayors including the honorable Rosco Warren Steve Shyer Steve baitman Jeff Porter and our mayor Steven lner whereas Janette mallerie's impactful initiatives include spearheading food drives with Farm share
to serve the Elders of the community organizing back to school events Christmas toy drives and feeding programs her commitment to the community extended to her role as PTA vice president at Laura C Saunders Elementary
where she was a pillar known for her Outreach to underserved populations she served alongside Russell black and Brock shiffer in the prayer in schools initiative and the Hallelujah night in the city of hom stead providing a safe
Halloween experience for the Youth in the community Miss mallerie is also the founder and serves as president of the Outreach and Community engagement at intentional provis Provisions Outreach corporation whose mission is to ele
Elevate edify and educate underserved communities through Afterschool tutoring and they do this at Homestead Gardens and Cutler Manor Miss mallerie continues to demonstrate unwavering support by
supplying the homestead soup kitchen with goods for over 20 years an initiative that began under the leadership of Mrs Juanita Smith this initiative continues in honor of Miss mallerie's late husband Mr laurian mallerie senior who also served
alongside her in providing Goods to the homestead soup kitchen for over a decade Miss mallerie's dedication to the City of Homestead has been wavering serving as a Trailblazer for her community her role as a community
advocate in our city has been acknowledged and and awarded many times showcasing her commitment to making a difference Miss mallerie has served on boards for the south east Dade ministerial Alliance as Deaconess of
service and acted as a school Ambassador for Miami date County Public Schools and received several Awards for her outstanding service it's almost over it's not all in here but it's almost over she has also been an ambassador for
citra's health health network and recognized for her support of the military through the Memorial Sloan Cancer Center volunteer program today we commend Miss mallerie for her exceptional service and dedication to the community and we express our deepest
gratitude for her tireless efforts in making a positive impact on the lives of many miss mallerie your legacy of service will continue to to inspire and uplift the community for years to come now therefore our mayor
Steven D lner of the City of Homestead does hereby Proclaim August 21st 2024 as Janet mallerie day [Applause]
fellow board members any family members please come up so we can take a picture together please come join us e e thank you
so that concludes the uh printed agenda for our presentation ceremony tonight but I understand that we we need to have one other recognition today and a little birdie shared with me that one of my
colleagues has a birthday today so hey don't be I don't think it's what that Milestone birthday yet so you're the 25 one yes 25 thank you thank you mayor that one so I I think we
should sing to the council woman don't you birthday thank you all very much and I was here for Andrew so that might give you some timeline thank you so with that this meeting is adjourned and we will convene the
regular council meeting at 6: PM again thank you all for being here and all that you do good evening everyone and welcome I'd like to call the City of Homestead regular city council meeting to order
today is Wednesday August 21st 2024 and it is 6 PM uh tonight we'll have the invocation by Pastor Nick ha pastor of the Miami Vineyard Community Church followed by the Pledge of Allegiance with
councilwoman Avala and our great Homestead police explorers you all rise please is the pastor here welcome thank you mayor let's pray God we thank you so much for this
day that you've given us we thank you God for your grace and your mercy and bringing us all here together and God I thank you for this city and God we come together and collectively uh pray for every single person that calls Homestead their home
and God we pray pray for every person here that represents so many we pray God for your favor and for your love to reach each one of us and God I pray for our leadership that's present
here I pray God that you would give them wisdom and I pray God that you would give them everything that they need to lead our city well into the vision and the future that you have for us
God we pray all this in your name amen Amen on guard right face on join Al aliance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic
for which it stands one nation under God indivisible with liberty and justice for all left forward thank you all please be seated have a roll call Madam clerk councilman Davis here councilwoman aula
here councilwoman Bailey here councilman cannibal here councilman Roth here vice mayor Fletcher here mayor La here thank you all right we have now the uh time of the evening when we invite uh members of
the public either online or in person to make General Public comments not necessarily with respect to any agenda item um please uh give us your name and address for the record and uh we'll
limit you to uh to three minutes first we have a registered speaker uh Claudia Gonzalez Gonzalez are you with us here Claudia Gonzalez with the uh Farm worker
Association okay do we have anyone online is there anyone else in the audience wishing to speak make make a uh a general public comment seeing none I will close the
public comment SE section of the agenda Mr manager are there any additions deletions or deferrals good evening Mr mayor council members at this time the administration would like to delete uh car item
4323 top 7 F do T and landscap joint participation agreement we intend to have a meeting on Friday this Friday August the 23rd at 2 p.m. with the district Secretary of fdot to explore
possibility of enhancements in the type of reimbursements that the city is entitled to thank you sir do we have a motion to defer Tab S move by councilman Bailey seconded by the vice mayor any discussion all in
favor all right any opposed all right does that complete the uh referrals that's cor sir thank you all right our next item is the consent agenda which consists of tabs
one through nine with the exception of Tab S uh do we have a motion to approve move by vice mayor Fletcher seconded by councilman cannibal any further questions or comments all in favor
any opposed all right next item is our public hearings ordinances land use items Etc Mr White yes please be advised the following items on the Quai judicial nature on the agenda or quazi judicial nature if you wish to comment upon any
of these items please indicate the item number you would like to address when the announcement regarding the quazi judicial item is made an opportunity for persons to speak on each item will be made available after the applicant and staff have made their presentations on each item swearing in all testimony
including public testimony and evidence will be made under oath or affirmation additionally each person who gives testimony may be subject to cross-examination if you do not wish to either be cross-examined or sworn your testimony will be given its due eight the general public will not be permitted
to cross-examine Witnesses but the public May request the council to ask questions of Staff or Witnesses on their behalf the full agenda packet on each item is hereby entered into the record persons representing organizations must present evidence of their authority to speak for the organization further
details of the quazi judicial procedures may be obtained from the clerk in accordance with code section 2590 any lobbyist must register before addressing the Council on any of the following items at this time it ask council members to disclose any exp parte
Communications they've had concerning qu judicial items on this evening's agenda that would be Tab 10 and 11 and it just go measures on for either tabs 10 or 11 nothing new but nothing so this time
I'd ask anyone in the audience who's wishing to speak on any of those both of those items either 10 or 11 please stand raise your right hand to be sworn in by the clerk do you hear by swear firm to tell the truth and nothing but the troops will help me gone thank you you may be
seated Tab 10 number 4340 is a resolution of the City of Homestead Florida approving a special exception as requested by Kamal partway for the development of a single family dwelling unit on approximately 6,850 foot parcel within the multiple
apartment R3 zoning District located at 8:46 Northeast 5th Avenue as legally described in exhibit a and providing for an effective date thank you Mr cordino sir thank you very much count um staff recommends to the mayor and Council approve this special exception it's very similar to
something we heard just I think last month in in these cases um an applicant is allowed to put a single family home in the R3 District uh if it is compatible with the surrounding neighborhood that's done through special
exception so it's not by right you guys have to approve it in this case um we we looked at the property the property is vacant it's surrounded by another vacant property two single family homes and a multi family uh property so we believe
this is compatible with the neighborhood uh because of because of that condition is a vacant home and two single family homes and we're recommending approval good thank you sir you're welcome all right are there any questions or comments from the public a public comment he and I'll
close the public hearing and I'll ask the applicants representative to uh come forward good evening Mr Proctor [Music] 57th Avenue thank you um we uh like the staff
recommendation um this matter is uh was filed several years ago so it was filed in advance of your moratorium it is less than a 7500 square foot lot uh but it is a
grandfathered uh lot and as Mr coradino explained this is uh an application really of an underdevelopment a development in a multif family area of a single family
home um thank you uh the property is at 8:46 Northeast 5th Avenue uh and as Mr cordino also mentioned there is a multifam use for
unit building directly to our South uh in the picture that's on the screen I hope you'll be able to see that the 4unit apartment building to the South also the proximity to cble drive
and to the busway uh my client has owned this property for about 5 years he wishes to develop a one-story single family home and we would uh ask for your support and
be available to answer any questions thank you Mr Proctor questions or comments from Council we have a motion to approve moved by councilman Cannibal seconded by councilman Davis roll call Madam
Court councilman Ross Yes councilman Davis yes councilwoman aula yes councilman cannibal councilwoman Bailey vice mayor Fletcher yes mayor lner yes the motion carries thank you thank you Mr pro thank you and good evening all
right Mr White second reading on Tab 12 tab 11 tab 11 tab 11 is uh resolution of the city of homestad Florida granting final platter approval as requested by DR Horton Inc for the development of a new residential subdivision totaling 74 single family dwelling units on an
approximately 37 acre parcel of land generally located at the northwest corner of Southwest 304 Street in Southwest 192nd Avenue as Le described in exhibit a and providing for an effective date thank you hi good evening hello
good evening uh mayor council it's great to be before you today Meritt Haro office of at 200 South B game Boulevard uh we're here on the final step for the Aspen Estates uh subdivision uh the final plat I have a brief presentation but you're all familiar with the project
uh this is really just um the last step in um before uh final approval so the this is the site it's 37 Acres it was approved last year with 74
uh luxury estate uh homes on the screen you'll see that's the tenative plat uh that was also approved last year and before you this evening is the final plat which is consistent both with the approved site plan and the the approved tenative
plat has 74 Lots uh and two tracks for private roads in MA the male kiosk as required by USPS uh and that's it I'm available for any questions thank you any final questions from Council I this is just
for the public mostly an administrative process this project was approved long ago all right this moved by councilman cannibal second by Vice mayor Fletcher before we have a roll call vote is there any public
comment hearing or seeing none I'll close a public hearing and ask for a roll call vote councilman Roth yes councilman cannibal yes councilwoman Bailey yes councilwoman aula yes councilman Davis
yes vice mayor Fletcher yes mayor Lao yes the motion carries thank you all right than item tab 12 yes moving on to your legislative items this evening tab 12 is a second reading of an ordinance of the City of Homestead Florida
amending the city code of ordinances by creating section 30-55 4 exception for existing schools through Article 5 non-conforming Lots uses and structures to allow certain expansion exceptions in whole or in part within a property or onto an adjacent property or onto a
contigous property onto a contiguous property not already containing such use to existing schools having already received site plan approval pursuant to section 30-47 of the city code providing for severability providing for inclusion in the code providing for conflicts and providing for an effective date this is second and
final reading thank you um Mr Cordina you're GNA Pass Me By second reading so yes sir we're recommending the mayor and Council consider this proposed code Amendment uh to 30 of the
non-conforming uses essentially what this does is changes the zoning chapter the map um and allows the schools um to expand within this district and so that's changed air flow was hardly a
strong suit in the Johnson home and no wonder their dirty filter made their system work harder and run less efficiently and their duct work was an even bigger problem the leaks and the Ducks raised their energy bill by a whopping 30% scent then there were leaks
in their doors and windows like throwing good money into the wind but the Johnson's got in the know with their air flow they change or clean their filter once a month sealed the leaks in their Ducks cocked the windows weather stripped the doors and put solar screens
or window film on the Southwest and Eastern facing Windows they even tilt their horizontal blinds up in the summer to reduce the heat impact from the Sun and leave them open in the winter to let the sun and heat in now everything at the Johnson's is tight and all right
brought to you by your local Municipal electric utility and the Florida Municipal Power agency the Garcia learned to be energy efficient inside their home from lighting to laundry and everything in between but then they started to wonder about how they use water they found the
leak in their toilet by putting a little food coloring in the tank which showed up in the bowl within minutes indicating a leaking Flash valve this simple fix could save about 200 gallons a day or 6,000 gallons a month they use a lowf flow shower head and change their
leaking faucet washers so what about the outside of their home once again the Garcia went to work now they save about 150 gallons of water by not running the hose constantly when they wash the car the EPA says a typical family uses at
least 50% of their water quenching Lawns and plants unfortunately 60% may be wasted because of evaporation or overwatering so the garcas use a timer irrigate in the early morning and use only the minimal amount of time
recommended by the local Water Authority they've also planted Evergreens to provide year round shade for even more efficiency of their conditioned air now the Garcia are a model of efficiency Mega savers of energy and money and a credit to their community and to the
planet brought to you by your local Municipal electric utility and the Florida Municipal Power agency well good evening everyone and welcome I'd like to uh call the City of Homestead Council presentation ceremony
for November to order it's now 5:00 p.m and today is Wednesday October 16th uh 2024 and I said November didn't I I must have meant uh I'm thinking about Thanksgiving already fall is in the air right so we'll start off tonight with uh Council
wman Bailey thank you mayor good evening everyone so in honor of this coming January's 111th anniversary for the City of Homestead this month's artist in the spotlight was a call to artists to
present anything that makes Homestead Homestead so one of one of the main artists that will be presenting and showcasing their work during um the gallery
opening is Jason gther unfortunately he's traveling he wasn't able to be here today but he is a homestead native his roots go back to his great grandparents and um when his grandfather passed not
long ago he set out to just collect all these different artifacts and things that his family has collected over these hundreds of years um and it's a really cute really cute collection I love his passion um for the things that he wasn't
able to get the physical piece of he has recreated in some type of art form so he is really sad that he can't be here today but he really does hope that you can all make it out to our Gallery our gallery night which give me one moment
as I look for it if uh Miss hedson with the Homestead Center for the Arts can also join me double check in here so the gallery opening will be Wednesday the 30th at 6:00 p.m. at the seminal theater so you
can always check our social media page for the details but it'll be a really fun representation of what homestead means and I'm sure you'll see a lot of different things um because this big beautiful Melting Pot is just so many different things for for everybody that
lives here so I would like to introduce Miss Charlie Hudson from the Homestead Center of the art who is also going to be participating I always have to do this bear with me bear with me uh for those of you that don't don't know me I am in
in fact the president for Homestead Center for the Arts uh we do not have an or uh facility here but we have actually been in Homestead working in an umbrella virtual kind of capacity since 1977 and so we do have on any given day
between 30 and 40 artists I happen to be a writer and normally we would have some of our artists here but there's just been a whole Brash of medical emergencies and this that and the other so we will have because the theme is you know images of Homestead what makes Homestead Homestead we'll have between
four and six of our artists uh the very talented Marie Ferraro who does some beautiful work uh watercolor and some uh other mediums for those of you who are familiar with my husband Hugh Hudson who has a passion among other things for photography so he will have some of his
images of out at the speedway some fantastic shots from there as well as he photographs a number of events uh that take place uh when we're doing the work for the paper so he's got some pieces of that and then we've got two or three other artists wonderful artist uh
Claudia Mella who almost always participates and she couldn't be here tonight so she's got some of her beautiful photographic images and then we've got one or two more I'm not quite sure how many we're going to have total uh but they're all going to be uh like I said a mix of mediums and so we would
invite you to please come out and enjoy those while they're up thank you so yes o October 30th now got saying the wrong month also October 30th 6: p.m. free food always some yummy
things thank you to the seal the friends of the seminal theater um for partnering with us in this program that is a wonderful way to allow our local artists to be able to Showcase their work and for you to be able to come out and be
inspired so thank you again thank you always thank you and uh it's always just for someone who as I've always said can't draw a straight line with the ruler the the talent that will will be there is always just amazing for me coun cannibal
yes good afternoon everybody okay in celebration of spanic Heritage M okay as councilman and on behalf of the of the mayor St ler in the city council I would like to recognize the Hispanic poets writers and authors
authors who are part of a growing Community these 37 participants come from various walks of lives some are Educators business owners retes Etc who perally meet at libraries and B and bookstores to keep the momentum of their
passion for the Arts all our poets writers and or Alters from homestead or Miami day County I was excited when I saw the number of Muses it is interesting that
to learn that five of them are L Ms and they support professional and academic writers by helping them build skills to communicate more effectively their mission is to We Shall life while promoting sharing and
preserving individual Customs through the written word they help build an understanding and appreciation of the variety of cultures and talents inet on behalf of the mayor council and
residents of the city of fet and as councilman I am proud to present each of them with a certificate of recognition and appreciation poets and please step up to a Podium where your name is called and we waiting line to take a
photo or something okay testing testing okay he's we're going to call the names up if you can please come up pick up your um frame and then uh line up please so we'll begin with welcome Stephanie cabal you can check
ad Adriana Carrera Marisol CA Kya Castellano Maria Castillo Carlos colon Rodriguez Angela colon Felicia dearin arela
Diaz Cindy figeroa mayel Gallardo Raul Hernandez aaro Iglesias Mary L America man
mansano Diana Melendez Mercedes Minot Luis Salva Morales if you want we'll wait U until everybody comes up and then we can uh applaud so we get nice one nice big
Applause um where were we America Mar mansano Diana Melendez Mercedes Minot Lis Morales Elsa Mia Alison Natalia Alicia Navaro SAR
PES Maria palachi vivana P Vivian pdon Maria Perry lyia Rodriguez AEL Rosario Elizabeth
rolling Ivon Salas hanina salterini itma Sanchez unior Santana Maya Santos Rosario
solares Fey tol Gabriela [Applause] torente the 37 poets author and writers here so we welcome see see
see everybody has their F thank you thank you all so much thank you councilman Cal for bringing this very talented uh and special group together and to each one of you again thank you for your your commitment to our
community and and we really uh are in allwe of your talent again thank you all probably turn it back around the other way we go ahead and turn the podium the other way yeah turn it around
yeah we're we're done yeah we're done okay so before we wrap this up is before we close this out um is anyone here on behalf of either heartbeat of Miami or help our city think there was some scheduling
issues okay CL heartbeat's here the heartbeat of Miami is here if you want to go do that one no I'm going to do City yeah all right councilman cannibal well this is a proclamation to the heartbeat of Miami
the heartbe of Miami was founded in 2007 as a fake based nonprofit organization to provide competent free and curing services to women and couples facing and plan pregnancies in Miami L County together with the
Christian Community and the harv Miami has established a network of medical clinics equipped with the technology and a sary of Hope in homet in homet and on May 1st 2023 the harbe of Miami homestate Clinic
served 550 women their services were prly supported supported the spanic Latino and africanamerican communities in the whole St area and since 2007 mothers have given birth to over
68,000 babies with the assistance of the heartbeat of Miami heartbeat of Miami continues to grow in South Florida and the transformation we have witnessed is short of miraculous the clinic offers various services including pregnancy related
consultation test counseling goods for babies Wellness education and and Ono support and the City of hosted commence the work now therefore mayor Steven ler by virtue of
the authority based in him as mayor of the city to Herby Proclaim October 16 2024 as harbe of Miami day in hom [Applause]
ni again thank you all all right that concludes our presentation ceremony um as soon as those of you it appears those of you who aren't going to hang around or gone we will uh convene the council Workshop again good evening and thank you for coming out
tonight it's up to all of us to keep Homestead beautiful starting in our own backyard everyone's quality of life depends on the things we do at home like taking the time to recycle or simply mowing the lawn if you see something in your neighbor neighborhood you can
report overgrown grass bulk trash violations or unsafe housing to City of Homestead Code Compliance by calling 305 224 5580 together we can keep our community clean for today and tomorrow visit
cityofhomestead.com beutiful to learn more as temperatures rise in Homestead the risk of heat related illnesses and injuries also increases posing significant threats to outdoor worker safety and productivity follow
these tips to stay safe and beat the heat stay hydrated and take breaks in the shade wear appropriate clothing and wear sunscreen know the signs learn the symptoms of heat illnesses for more information on extreme heat safety visit
homestead. goov [Music] heat the City of Homestead is cracking down on illegal dumping and encourag its residents to report any violations to Code Compliance or Homestead PD we not just talking trash here it's the law
illegal dumping can result in fines up to $500 a day until the trash is picked up and in some cases it can even result in an arrest so what is illegal dumping it's not just throwing garbage into a vacant lot or Alleyway it includes using a
dumpster that doesn't belong to you or adding to your neighbor's bulk waste pile without permission this illegal dumping has many negative effects on your community like health issues from unsanitary conditions decreasing property values and using your tax dollars to clean up someone else's mess
health issues can arise in sites where garbage collects unattended as it acts as a breeding ground for insects and animals that carry diseases when it rains runoff from improperly disposed chemicals can contaminate the land and our water supply it can also wear on
resident mental health because studies show that unclean environments can contribute to increased stress and decreased feelings of security illegal dumping also affects property values according to the visible litter cost study real estate agents reported a 9 to
24% decrease in home price when litter was visible in the neighborhood as the gateway to Everglades and bisc national parks we have the unique responsibility of not only caring for our own Community but the natural Treasures right in our own back yard because it's up to all of
us to keep Homestead beautiful [Music] [Music] [Music] City of Homestead dional beautiful
the garcas know a lot about insulation when one of them wants to get away they insulate themselves in another room but that doesn't keep all the sound out unless you close the door just like sound cooled and heated air is always on the move but with the right insulation
you have a protective thermal barrier that keeps the conditioned air where you want it truth is insulation is one of the most cost-effective ways to lower your bills insulation is important anywhere your house meets the outdoors a cathedral ceiling walls crawl spaces but
the best and easiest place to insulate your home is in the Attic its Effectiveness is measured as an R value meaning resistance to heat flow to do the job right you'll need at least R30 but R38 is the best now the garus know
how to insulate themselves and their house brought to you by your local Municipal electric util IL and the Florida Municipal Power agency there's some exciting news for the City of Homestead we're thrilled to announce the launch of our new website domain
www. homestead. effective June 17th 2024 this significant update marks a pivotal moment in our digital Evolution offering a fresh and intuitive web address that enhances cyber security and provides
residents with peace of mind when interacting with City service online rest assured you can still access the same reliable information and stay updated on city news and events visit us at www. homestead. and stay connected with your
[Music] city hey welcome to community matters the show where we bring you important information and insights about our City's issues departments and initiatives I'm your host Josh padet and
today joining us here in the studio is the co-compliance director Adrien CIO co-compliance officer lilan Valencia and officer Paula cabosa from the Homestead police welcome to the show guys thank you for coming in thank you for having to be here yeah well this is an exciting
time because in the last four months the City of Homestead launched the interdepartmental quality of life task force now the mission of this task force what is that it's to add address the quality of life issues that pertain to a cleaner safer and more beautiful city
here in Homestead our big topic today is illegal dumping so co-compliance and the police you guys are the main pillars of this quality of life task force uh you guys have been working very closely to address illegal dumping here in the city first I want to ask you guys what is
illegal dumping so illegal dumping is when you dump junk debris mattresses whatever on the Public's RightWay sale or on somebody's property um in one case it's a criminal violation which ends up being a felony misdemeanor type deal but
also from Co compliance standpoint it's a code violation as well so we issue citations for that up from 500 to $1,000 to $5,000 and obviously you if you're caught in the act police can and can actually arrest you up to Father what's about the first
citation first citation is 500 if you become a repeat offender then it's a th000 and then after that 5,000 and then after that every single One's Gonna Be 5,000 okay so as far as uh how does the C compliance of how do you guys operate
in this task force what's your main well the well the officers we have a lot of roles within this task force because it's not just legal dumping but as it pertains to Illegal dumping we do a lot of patrols we have some cameras set up I know we worked in conjunction with PD on that uh and we basically uh we Patrol
hotspots to make sure that those areas are not being dumped as frequently um and to make sure we can try to stop them flat out then we we issue citations based on that tickets uh like I said $500 to $5,000 and and police obviously if we can get in contact with them they
can make arrests as well okay so now we got that we got two sides to this collabor of heard yes yeah you guys are collaborating so what's the police's role in this I mean how are you guys catching these people so once it's determined that it's not a civil infraction which means when code um
issue Their fines then it can be a a once it's a criminal matter then that's when police take action and you can arrest the people they can be charged with felonies misdemeanors their vehicles can be towed if it's a business that is doing The Dumping they can be
very serious repercussions to their business all their vehicles can be seized their licenses can be affected it's a serious crime how does this get from like a civil citation to a criminal arrest well it depends on the amount that is being dumped so anything under
15 would be considered a a civil infraction where the fines can be between 500 and uh up to 1,000 um sorry 5,000 5,000 yeah um dollars anything between 15 and 500b it uh miss the meter
in the first degree and then anything over 500 lb is a felony in the third degree additionally if it's a commercial vehicle that is doing the The Dumping it doesn't matter if it's one piece of paper it's immediate medely a felony how
are you guys catching uh these so we have uh our task force has set up surveillances we have several cameras throughout the city and obviously this is a collaborative effort with the community so our tip lines having the residents call us in and give us information write down the tag number
write down the vehicle information give us the information on where there's maybe hotpots of where these items are being dumped that we we can we cannot be everywhere at all the time so it's just a little bit of code patrolling our officers doing their surveillances and the big piece is the
community how they bring the information up to us educating the community and having them voice their concerns towards us okay and and then are there any um technological advancements that you guys use and what kind of Technology you use well we have several cameras throughout the city surveilling uh different areas
um we use uh the main thing it's not technology related but again the tip line having information being given to us whenever we get information and it's not a criminal matter we will forward all this information to code enforcement and they will follow up the addresses
the vehicles the description of like the people the businesses it's um nice okay so the cameras are picking up people as well they are we can use them to get uh tag information on the vehicles that are doing this description on the individuals that are doing it and then from then on we can open an
investigation based on those leads that we have and it could lead to arrests like it has in the past and are there any plans to expand technology usage with the police um at this point is just enhancing on what we have I don't know specifically what additions will be made
but definitely enhance enhancements to what we currently use and possessed just to make better use of it and make it more effective and also to modify as well because we have certain cameras on certain locations but once those locations kind of quiet down we move them to locations that are a little bit more problematic right because dumpers
will sort of understand that okay these are the areas that are being monitored right because they've had some citation some arrest Etc but then they'll try to shift to other areas so at that point then we'll just ship the cameras over there so we can catch them in the act as well okay and then you guys have the
entire city is split out into different districts and zones temperatures rise in Homestead the risk of heat related illnesses and injuries also increases posing significant threats to outdoor worker safety and productivity follow these tips to stay safe and beat the
heat stay hydrated and take breaks in the shade wear appropriate clothing and wear sunscreen know the signs learn the symptoms of heat illnesses more information on extreme heat safety visit homestead. goov
[Music] heat airflow was hardly a strong suit in the Johnson home and no wonder their dirty filter made their system work harder and run less efficiently and their duct work was an even bigger problem the leaks in the Ducks raised
their energy bill by a whopping 30% then there were leaks in their doors and windows like throwing good money into the wind but the Johnson's got in the know with their airflow they change or clean their filter once a month sealed the leaks in their Ducks the
windows weather stri the doors and put solar screens or window film on the Southwest and Eastern facing Windows they even tilt their horizontal blinds up in the summer to reduce the heat impact from the Sun and leave them open in the winter to let the sun and heat in
now everything at the Johnson's is tight and all right brought to you by your local Municipal electric utility and the Florida Municipal Power agency summer is here and with it comes extra cost to keeping it cool with extra electrical demand to cool our homes and
businesses it's up to all of us to do our part to reduce Peak Demand by avoiding the use of major appliances during the day and using EOS settings when available setting your thermostat to 78° while away waiting until your dishwasher or laundry is full to run the
cycle and using in