everyone. Every Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Happy. Hey.
Hey. Hey. Heat. Heat. Heat. Hey, Heat. Green. Hey, hey, hey. Hey. Hey. Hey.
Heat. Heat. Hey, hey, hey. Hey, back. Hey, hey, hey. Heat.
Heat. Heat. Heat. Hey, hey, hey. Heat. Hey, heat. Hey, heat. Welcome to the city of Miami commission meeting. I am Christine King, chairwoman
of the city of Miami Commission and commissioner for district 5. I'm joined by with my colleagues, Commissioner Ralph Rosado, Commissioner Escalona, and Commissioner Partardo. We are going to start our meeting with
recognitions. I believe my colleague, Commissioner Rosado, has a recognition for someone very special. Oh, he says he doesn't think they're here yet, and it's the only one that we have. So, let's go ahead and start our
meeting with prayer. We have Pastor Davis here. Eddie, >> good morning. Thank you everyone that can and will please stand. If we can bow our heads. Father, in the name of Jesus, we thank you for
affording us the opportunity to come before your presence. And we thank you for allowing us to see another sunrise. And Lord God, as we go through this day, throughout this meeting, we ask that you bless each and everyone. Bless the
mayor. Bless the commissioners. And Lord God, we ask that you give them the the sagacity and the insight to do what needs to be done for our community. And we thank you for our chair, our chairwoman.
And we ask that you bless each and every family here that's represented. In Jesus name we pray. Amen. >> Thank you, Pastor. Thank you, Commissioner Scalona. I pledge allegiance 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. >> Mr. City Attorney, would you please read your statement for the record?
>> Good morning, Madam Chair. Yes, thank you. Um, George Weissong, city attorney, city of Miami. Uh detailed information about the processes, order of business, rules of procedure, and scheduling or rescheduling of city commission meetings can be found in chapter 2, article 2 of
the city code. A copy of which is available online at www.mmunicode.com. Any person who is a lobbyist pursuant to chapter 2, article 6 of the city code must register with the city clerk and comply with related city requirements for lobbyists before appearing before
the city commission. A person may not lobby a city official, board member, or staff member until registering. A copy of the code section about lobbyists is available in the city clerk's office or online at www.mmunicode.com. Any person making a presentation, formal request, or petition to the city
commission concerning real property must make the disclosures required by the city code in writing. A copy of the city code section is available at the office of city clerk or online at www.mmunicode.com. The city of Miami requires that anyone requesting action by the city commission must disclose before the hearing any
consideration provided or committed to anyone for agreement to support or withhold objection to the requested action pursuant to city code section 2-8. Any documents offered to the city commission that have not been provided 7 days before the meeting as part of the agenda materials will be entered into the record record at the city
commission's discretion in accordance with section 2-33FG of the city code. The agenda and the material for each item on the agenda is available during business hours at the city clerk's office and online 24 hours a day at www.miamgv.com. The meeting of the Miami city commission
is a limited public forum. Any person may be heard by the city commission through the chair for not more than two minutes on any proposition before the city commission unless modified by the chair. Public comment will begin at approximately 9:00 a.m. and remain open until public comment is closed by the chairperson. Any person making offensive
remarks who becomes unruly in the city commission chambers will be barred from further attending city commission meetings and may be subject to arrest. No clapping, applauding, heckling, or verbal outburst in support or opposition to a speaker or his or her remarks shall be permitted. No signs or placards shall be allowed in the commission chambers.
Persons exiting the commission chambers shall do so quietly. Members of the public wishing to address the body may do so by submitting written comments via the online comment form. Please visit www.miamiggov.com/meing instructions for detailed instructions on how to provide public comment using the online public comment form. The
comments submitted through the comment form have been and will be distributed to the elected officials, their staff and city administration throughout the day so that the elected officials may consider the comments prior to taking any action. Additionally, the online comment form will remain open during the meeting to accept comments and distribute to the elected officials,
their staff and city administration up until the chairperson closes public comment. Public comment may also be provided here live at city hall located at 3500 Panamean Drive, Miami, Florida, subject to any and all city rules as they may be amended. If the proposition is being continued or rescheduled, the
opportunity to be heard may be at such later date before the city commission takes action on such proposition. While when addressing the city commission, the members of the public must first state their name, their address, and what item will be spoken about. Any person with a disability requiring assistance,
auxiliary aids, and services for this meeting may notify the city clerk. The city has provided different public comment methods to indicate, among other things, the public support opposition or neutrality on the items and topics to be discussed at the city commission meeting and compliance with section 286.01144C, Florida statutes. The public has been
given the opportunity to provide public comment during the meeting and within reasonable proximity in time before the meeting. Please note, commissioners have generally been briefed by city staff and the city attorney's office on items on the agenda today. Anyone wishing a verbatim record of an item considered at this meeting may request it at the office of the communications or view it
online at www.mygov.com for planning and zoning items. PZ items shall proceed according to section 7.1.4 of the Miami21 zoning ordinance. parties for any PZ items, including any applicant, appellant, appale, city staff, and any person recognized by the decision-making body as a qualified
intervenor, as well as the applicant's representatives, and any experts testifying on behalf of the applicant, appellant, or appale may be physically present here at city hall to be sworn in by oath or affirmation by the city clerk. The members of the city commission shall disclose any exparte communications to remove the presumption
of prejudice pursuant to Florida statute section 286.0115 and section 7.1.4.5 4.5 of the Miami 21 zoning ordinance. The order of presentation shall be as set forth in Miami 21 and in the city code. Staff will briefly present each item to be
heard. The applicant will present its application or request to the city commission. If the applicant agrees with the staff recommendation, the city commission may proceed to its deliberation and decision. The applicant may also wave the right to an evidentary hearing on the record. For appeals, the appellant will present its appeal to the
city commission followed by the appeal. Staff will be allowed to make any recommendation they may have. Please silence all cell phones and other noise making devices. This meeting can be viewed here live on Miami TV, the city's Facebook page, the city's Twitter page, the city's YouTube channel, and Comcast
channel 77. The broadcast will also have closed captioning. Thank you, Madam Chair. >> Thank you, Mr. City Attorney. Mr. City Clerk, would you please read your statement for the record? >> Thank you, chair. The procedures for individuals will be providing testimony
to be sworn in for planning and zoning items and any quasi jud items on today's city commission agenda will be as follows. The members of city staff or any other individuals required to be sworn in who are currently present at city hall will be sworn in by me, the city clerk, immediately after I finish explaining these procedures. Those
individuals who are appearing remotely may be sworn in now or at any time prior to the individual providing testimony for planning and zoning items and or quasi judicial items. Commissioners, are you comfortable with all the notice provisions set forth in these uniform rules and procedures we have established for this meeting? >> Yes. >> And chair may administer the for the
planning and zoning items, >> please. >> Thank you, chair. >> Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. If we be speaking on any of today's planning and zoning items, those are the PZ items. May please have you stand and raise your right hand. It's only for the PZ items, just so
you're aware. Um, do you slemly swear or affirm that the testimony you're about to give at today's hearing is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth? And your response is, thank you, chair. >> Thank you. And at this time, Mr. City Attorney, would you please read into the
record the pocket item that will be before us today? >> Yes, Madam Chair. Um, a resolution of the Miami City Commission waving the private property limitation for special events pursuant to chapter 52, article 1, section two of the code of the city of Miami, Florida, as amended, titled special events, special events permits,
special events in general duration and limitations. City commission waiver for the Upper East Side Eater X World Cup event being held at 701 Northeast 79 Street, Miami, Florida from June 25 through September 30, 2026. Thank you,
Madam Chair. and that will be known as PI1. And at this time, I believe Commissioner Rosado, your um recognition ready. Okay. >> Thank you, Madam Chair. Good morning,
everyone. So, today I'd like to recognize Bero Aamean Partners. I know we have Willie Burmeo, president of the company, here with us this morning. Uh he's somebody I've known for uh a number of years, but more importantly, he has been
a major contributor to our design community here in South Florida and far beyond. Uh Willie and his partner Louisa Hamil met in Coral Gables High School and then they reconnected some years later at our very own Monty's Robbar where they decided to start an
architecture and engineering firm that has done work not only locally including in the Port of Miami and a number of hospitals and very prominent projects here locally but also in places such as Dubai and New York and the Bahamas and a
range of other countries throughout the world. So, they have graced us with their talents in architecture and engineering and have grown to be one of the largest Hispanic design firms in the entire world. If you have not had a chance to see it, their work uh is on
exhibition right now at the Cuba Museum on Coral Way uh in the Roads area and it is absolutely spectacular. I had the opportunity to help them cut the ribbon on the exhibit a couple months ago. I would really encourage everyone to go and see it and see the caliber and d uh depth and breadth of work that they've
done uh to be not just our largest Hispanic design firm but one of the ones the top ones in the entire uh world. So with that Willie on behalf of the mayor and commission congratulations and today is Bero Aame
and partners day. >> Congratulations Madame Mayor, uh, Commissioner Rosal, Commissioner, City Manager, uh, ladies and gentlemen, it's a pleasure, uh, to be here. This is a distinct honor. Um, I have the God-given opportunity to have
been working in the city of Miami now since 1975 when I came back from Philadelphia after finishing graduate work and I have seen this city develop. My first project was in fact doing the comprehensive neighborhood development plan in 19 for 1985 from 1975. So I I've
been part of this process. I've grown up here part of the public school system through Miami date county and I am proud to call Miami home and in everything that we do all over the world to represent this beautiful city that is makes so much proud for all of us. So
thank you very much for recognizing us this morning. Thank you and God bless you. Thank you so much. At this time, we're going to start open the floor for public comments. I understand we have a lot. >> Did you want to do the order of the day before?
>> Oh, that's right. I didn't do the order of the day. Um because Okay. Uh Mr. Manager, do you have any items that will be withdrawn or deferred today? Good morning, Madam Chair and commissioners.
The administration would like to defer or withdraw the following items. PH2 to be deferred to July 9th. PH2 to be deferred to July 9th. PH6 to be withdrawn.
PH6 to be withdrawn. RE3 to be deferred to July 9th. RE3 to be deferred to July 9th. F FR6 to be deferred to July 23rd. F FR6
to be deferred to July 23rd. DI2 to be withdrawn. DI2 to be withdrawn. PZ2 to be deferred to July 9th. PZ2 to be
deferred to July 9th. And finally, PZ3 to be deferred to July 9th. PZ3 to be deferred to July 9th. And that completes the order. Gentlemen, do you have any items on the agenda that you would like to withdraw
or defer? No. Commissioner Rosado. No. Mr. City Clerk. >> Thank you, Chair. I have a few co-sponsor requests to read into the record. Mayor Higgins will be co-sponsoring RE4 and RE7. Chairwoman King will be co-sponsoring RE5 and RE7.
Commissioner Escalona will be co-sponsoring RE7, FR2, and FR4. Commissioner Rosado will be co-sponsoring FR2. Thank you, Chair. >> Thank you. Now, um, you guys, if you would indulge me because
>> and my apologies. Did you I didn't catch the motion. My >> may I have a motion >> to set the agenda? I have a motion and a second. All in favor? >> I. >> Motion carries unanimously. Our public commenters here. We have a
lot of co public commenters that are outside and because we are experiencing a heat advisory, I would ask if we can allow the folks outside to speak first so we can get them because you're in the air condition. I'm I'm just saying if
you guys say no because you're here first, we'll go with no. But I'm just saying to be considerate because it's hot outside and we are inside in the air condition >> democracy. Let me see a show of hands.
>> What's the question again? If we could if we could allow the folks that are here for public commenters that are outside because it's so hot outside, can we allow them to speak and then those that are here in the air condition speak
after? >> Are they all here on the same controversial issue? >> I don't know what issue they're here on, but if we can. So, but the majority of the folks that are sitting in here said yes. So, if you guys could go back to
your seat and let and our sergeants will let 10 in at a time and we'll move through it, please. >> They can take two white spaces. It's really I'm skinny. >> Thank you. Thank you. If it wasn't so hot outside, I wouldn't
ask, but I don't want anybody to faint. Good morning. >> Good morning. >> My name is Maria Vessa and I am a citizen of Miami. Have you ever been hounded as you work? The women who work in the
nurseries in Homestead have they know that the migra is coming. They run. They run and hide or they go into the ditches waiting
for the danger to be over. I plead you with you. Please do not make the immigration c police accompllices
of this crimes. The fear that these women have, the fear that they lose their job, the fear that they lose their children, the fear that they will be arrested, incarcerated
is very real. I don't think any of you have ever felt that. But I am pleading with you, please do not make yourselves accomplice. Thank you.
Shh. Nope. Nope. Nope. Nope. No. No. No clapping. We'll have you removed from chambers. Good morning. This we do this instead of clapping. >> Good morning, commissioners. >> Good morning. I had hoped to see Mayor
Higgins here today so I could encourage her to keep the promise she makes to voters to end the Miami participation to in 27G agreement. Since she's not here, I hope the rest of the commissioners will answer the question many Mayami
resident are still asking. When will that promise become action? My name is Maria Bilvao. I am a community organizer and for years I have accompanied immigrant families at the ICE office in Miramar. So the Miramar circle of
protection every week we meet parents, children's and grandparents who are terrified of being separated from the people they love. Over the past year, I have seen a dramatic increase in
arrest following interaction with local enforcement agencies that participate in two A7G agreements. The C the city of Miami was not required by state law to enter this agreement. It was a choice. It was a
choice made despite warning from community members, faith leaders, civil right organizations and public safety experts. Programs like 2A7 agreement demand demand trust between immigrant community and local governments. They
make people afraid to report crime, ask for help or cooperate with law enforcement. That does not make our city safer. Miami is a city built by immigrants. Our police should reflect our values. Today, I urge the
commissions to begin the process to ending Miami's participation in 2 A7G agreements and to honor the commitment that was made to the people of the city. It's time to turn that promise into actions. Thank you.
>> Thank you. Good morning. >> Good morning. Good morning, commission. My name is Courtney Proppus and I come before you today on behalf of the League of Women Voters of Florida, a proudly nonpartisan organization. Our advocacy
is grounded in positions that have been carefully studied and adopted through a grassroots member-driven process. The League urges the city of Miami to end their 287G agreement. These 287g agreements are not mandated
for cities despite the state's deceptive claims to the contrary. Because local governments choose whether to enter into these agreements, they also choose to maintain these agreements. Municipalities have an imperative to consider the impact on
equitable treatment, community trust, and effective governance. The League's long-standing positions support fair treatment under the law, due process, equal rights, opportunities for all, family reunification, and humane humane effective immigration
policies. The League believes policy to promote family unity rather to than contribute to family separation. We also believe that public safety is strengthened when all residents can interact with local government and law enforcement without fear. Trust between
communities and public institutions is preserved. 287G agreements undermine every single one of these principles that I have just articulated. Our request for the city of Miami is to end their 287g agreement. It is not a
partisan request. It reflects the League of Women Voters enduring commitment to civil liberties, to equal justice, to family unity, and responsive government that serves the entire community. Thank you. >> Thank you. Good morning.
>> Good morning. My name is Rachel Prepino and I'm here representing Catalyst Miami. First, I wanted to comment on um the first ordinance FR1 um in regards to removing environmental impact studies from traffic studies. Um, who here's been stuck in traffic in Miami? Yep, I
was stuck at a light for about 20 minutes. It was broken on the way here. We all know that, um, we have traffic problems. Of course, we are going to need traffic projects to try to alleviate some of that stress of sitting in Miami traffic. Um, but what we absolutely don't want to do is take any
shortcuts in doing that, right? And moving past envir looking at the environmental impact because the environmental impact is the human impact. It's the impact on our health, right? When we're sitting in traffic, we already know that um those emissions are bad for us. And also the storm water
runoff um from certain traffic projects is bad for our drinking water, bad for the air we breathe. Um and the communities where so many of these traffic um studies would be implemented are communities that are already environmentally burdened um by uh greater industrial use. You know, these
are neighborhoods uh where there's a ton of development happening right now and debris like Overtown, Little Havana, Model City, etc. Um, and so these communities are already burdened, right? The the air impact and uh rates of asthma, things like that are already so much higher in these communities and getting rid of these environmental
impact studies would only exacerbate that problem. So, I urge you to please reconsider that and not take any shortcuts when it comes to your resident's health. Um I'm also with the group um that is here urging you to
please act on your power and exit out of this 287g agreement. You have the power to do it. The question is do you have the will? Will you listen to your residents and preserve um the trust that we need with our local police to be able to actually protect us and serve us as
they have pledged to do. And they can only do that if there's a relationship of trust. And this agreement is destroying that relationship. It's destroying our families. So, please act on your power. You can do it. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Madam Chair, if I could take a quick
point of personal privilege because there seems to be some confusion. >> No, no. We're going to let everyone say and then we're going to it. That's why it's a discussion item. I I wouldn't want >> No, no, I'm not referencing the discussion item. I'm referencing FR1.
There was a substitution. >> But we can we can discuss FR1. pull it and we'll talk about it. We'll clear up any confusion, but I just want to get through public comments and I don't want us to, you know, cherrypick someone said this and someone said that and before you know it, we're all doing public
comment and the commission meeting at the same time. Good morning. >> Good morning, chairwoman and members. Thank you so much for taking the time to talk about this very important issue. My name is La Steania Munoz Kones and I
have the absolute honor to serve Florida Student Power as our civic engagement director. And I am here today because every morning I wake up very proud to work with incredible young people and immigrant families. Young people who
every day work because they want to build this city. young people who every day wake up because their parents clean the city, build this city, do all the labor that make sure this city can run. And to me, I don't know what else builds
a condition for safety than care, than the labor that it requires for people to be fed, for our houses to be clean, for our children to be taken care of. And when the children and when these families as for the basic decency for something that I know regardless of
party all of you believe which is that families belong together which is that families should not be torred apart for senseless needs and fear for a politic of fear and agreements that do not work.
Immigration belongs to the federal government. Why are we cutting apart the fabric of our communities just because we're fearful? I know that we can do better. I am a woman of faith. I know each of you, regardless of party here, can do the right thing. So, please
don't disappoint us. Thank you. >> Thank you. Good morning. >> Good morning, uh, Chairwoman King and commissioners. My name is Elena Munoz. I am here to ask all of you to please opt out of agreement 287g.
The police were formed to protect the people, not to take them away without any proof of wrongdoing. There is no way you can tell who is a criminal or an undocumented person just by looking at
someone. That's racial profiling. And I know I've been witness of that. people taken because they look Hispanic. The fact that the police will have to carry the new job of assisting ICE detracts them from their real job, the
job they sign up for, which is to protect life and property, maintain public order, and enforce local, state, and federal laws. It is also unfair to the policemen having to go against people from their own communities.
I remember the times when people look up at to the policemen and saw them as friends. Program 287G would take time from what they should be doing, thus making us less safe. The money could be spent for other purpose like some
community projects. I also it also makes residents afraid or hesitant for normal service call to police for fear of immigration informing. Real criminals stay committing crimes and innocent
hardworking people are stopped and taken away separated from families. The great majority of which follow rules waiting for their asylum cases, family petition, etc. I beg of of you to do the rising
and vote against agreement 28. Thank you. >> Thank you. Good morning. >> Good morning, Chairwoman King, board members, and community members. My name is Jennine Pickkins. I am an Overtown business owner, resident, and community
activist. I am here today because I believe Overtown existed businesses deserve to be included in financial opportunities being created in our own community. Economic inclusion means more than watching redevelopment happen
around us. It means having the opportunity to participate in it. Redevelopment should not only build buildings. It should build the people and the businesses that have never stopped believing in Overtown. Several months ago, I submitted my proposal to
executive director copy staff and chair of women office and um commission staff. I've also previously appeared before this board. As of today, I have not received a response or guiding guidance regarding my proposal. Understanding
that not every proposal will be approved, I am not asking for special treatment. I am asking for fair opportunity. Every dollar invested in the in an over existing Overtown business has the potential to create jobs, strengthen families, and build
generational wealth right here in Overtown. We do not want to stand outside and looking at opportunity. We want a seat at the table. Today, I respectfully request that the board direct staff to place the issues of financial opportunities for existing
Overtown businesses on a future CRA agenda for discussion and possible action. My request today is simple. Give Overtown existing businesses the opportunity to help build Overtown's future. Thank you for your time and
consideration and have a great day. >> Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Um, ma'am, Look through that glass. The lady speaking to the police officer. >> Please go speak to her. That's my chief of staff. Moving forward, I'm going to ask everybody what item you are here to
speak on because what you just spoke on is not before us at this moment, but I didn't want to interrupt you and and tell you to stop. So, I let you. But moving forward, everybody, please let me know what item you're speaking on because I don't I don't want to cut anyone off while they're speaking. But
if you could please go speak to my chief of staff and share with her what you just said and she'll make sure that you get a meeting with the executive director of the Southeast Overtown Park West CRA. >> Thank you very much. >> Thank you. And we currently have a small
business grant in Overtown, so I'm not clear where the disconnect is, but my chief of staff, Miss Harold, will help you. >> Thank you. Um I I'll go talk to her. >> She's right there. >> Good morning. Good morning, Chairwoman
King, city councilors. Um, my name is Anosia Pelis. I'm the executive director of Miami Freedom Project, but I'm speaking today as a resident of District 3, Zip code 33145. And I'm writing to urge you to I'm speaking to urge you to review and resend the 287G task force agreement
with ICE. Beyond the social impact, which you're going to hear very forcefully from community today, this is a matter of good governance and responsible allocation of our city's resources. This agreement subjects our community to an unreliable immigration database, arbitrary enforcement, and the
the denial of due process. Such actions lead to unlawful arrests which result will result in costly liabilities and litigations for our city. Furthermore, taxpayers will bear the burden of increased cost and diminished services. This agreement makes our communities less safe by discouraging individuals
from reporting crimes, seeking medical care, finding shelter, or reporting abuse, ultimately undermining trust in law enforcement. While we recognize the pressures involved, the city remains responsible for its fiscal and constitutional obligations and to its constituents. I strongly encourage you
to review and reject this agree agreement. Thank you, Chairwoman, for bringing it forward. and you know last year you you you're behind history but you know urge you all to not fail to meet the moment again. Thank you. >> Thank you. Good morning.
>> Good morning chair. Good morning members. My name is Yaris Mendes Aurora and I serve as the policy coordinator for American Friends Service Committee, a Quaker faith-based organization that has been around since 1917 leading humanitarian efforts throughout the world. And I'm here today to urge the
city to do the right thing and to end their 287g agreements. 287g agreements have done nothing but inspire fear in our communities. It has done nothing but cause harm, cause confusion, cause chaos. People don't know who to trust.
There are victims of harm, of um crimes that are unable to report because they feel that they're going to be caught in the deportation pipeline. Imagine that. that people feel uncomfortable going and reporting harms done to them because they think that they're going to end up
in a country that they may not have been to in over a decade. Our youth are frightened. I also work with youth and I can tell you that they are scared to even go to schools to college campuses. They don't know what their future holds.
But you do. You can end these agreements and make sure that our families are safe. make sure that our youth are able to walk freely and without fear. I know that you can meet the moment, meet it, do the right thing. I know that there
are so many of us who have offered public comment on this before and we believe that if we keep speaking up, eventually things will change because they have to. Thank you. >> Thank you. Good morning. Good morning
and Father Federico from Corpus Christi Catholic Church. Our thoughts and prayers are with Venezuela today as they suffer the earthquake. Good morning everyone. I'm here today to
speak in support of ending cooperation between our local police and the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement or ICE. Local police have an important responsibility to protect public safety and to build
trust within the communities that they serve. When local law enforcement becomes involved in federal immigration enforcement, that trust can be damaged. Many immigrant families become afraid to report crimes, serve as witnesses, or
seek help when they may be in danger. When people fear that a call to the police could lead to detention or deportation, everyone in the community becomes less safe and more infected with their own fears.
Our communities are made stronger by the contributions of immigrants. They are our neighbors, co-workers, classmates, business owners, and friends. Everyone deserves to feel safe taking their children to school, going to work,
visiting a doctor, or reporting a crime without fear. Today, I urge our leaders to prioritize community trust, public safety, and equal treatment for all residents. A safer community is one
where everyone feels protected. No one where people are afraid to come forward. Let us work toward policies that unite our communities, strengthen trust, and ensure that our law enforcement can and
do invest on serving and protecting our residents. Thank you. >> Thank you. Good morning. >> Good morning, uh, Chairwoman King and distinguished members of the commission of the city of Miami and the general public. Uh my name is Paul Christiani.
I'm the political director and the lead organizer of the Family Action Network Movement uh 100 Northeast 84th Street in the city of Miami. And we're here, as many others have spoken before me, there's something that we can all agree
on here is that the cement that binds city of Miami decision makers, our law enforcement officers, and our communities is the cement of trust. And the only way that we can ensure that trust is ensuring that
when you get that knock on your door, when you get that call and you're in the community, that that officer is there to help you. And what we are seeing right now, we remember last year on that
fateful day when the vote for 287G went down. And we want to commend the courage of Chairwoman King and of Commissioner Partardo for taking a vote of conscience. And unfortunately, Chairwoman King and Commissioner Parter
were alone on that day. But now we have a new reality this year. We have a new mayor who's committed to cost of living issues and of resolving getting out of 287g agreements. We have new faces on the
commission and we believe that this is a critical moment as we think about keeping the 480 to 500,000 people living in Miami to keeping their families together because so many of them were born somewhere else and almost
all of them have relatives, friends who do not have permanent status and the only way to maintain that trust that people will not be sent back to a Venezuela, the conditions that Father Federico mentioned to Haiti, to Cuba, to
Central America is that we have this coalition. >> Thank you. >> of officers and the public. So, please appeal to commissioners Rossado, Escalona, King, Gabella, and Partardo, do the right thing. Thank you so much.
>> Thank you. Good morning. >> Good morning. Uh my name is Jen Pner. I'm from the uh University of Miami Climate Resilience Institute and also representing the Center for Urban and Community Design at M. I'm here today to support the sponge resolution agenda item number RE7 sponsored by
Commissioners Partardo and Commissioner Rosado. Um this is an acronym for a stormwater parks offering natural green infrastructure enhancement. Um, and this program would evaluate and prioritize candidate sites citywide where sponge program parks would be most effective
and coordinated with the city's existing graywater infrastructure uh, storm water infrastructure. This initiative represents an important step forward for Miami's resilience efforts by recognizing the critical role that green infrastructure plays in managing storm water, reducing flood risk, improving
water quality, and creating healthier public spaces for residents. The resolution's emphasis on strategic site selection, integration with existing storm water systems, and collaboration with academic and international partners positions Miami to become a leader in
innovative nature-based adaptation strategies. Our initiative aims to bring together a host of uh practitioners and and experts uh academic researchers, designers, elected officials, civic leaders, and the
community to develop a clear understanding of what sponge urbanism looks like in our community. We will be hosting a studio this fall comprised of students in architecture, urban design, and ecosystem science and policy. That will be the first phase of this work. We
will also be collaborating on this studio at the University of Pennsylvania and TU Delft in the Netherlands uh for a really robust knowledge exchange and development of best practices and strategies. Um the background of our center uh the center for urban and
community design it is a joint initiative of the climate resilience institute at M and the school of architecture. Uh it was created in the aftermath of Hurricane Andrew with the goal of embedding community engaged resilience and that's exactly what we're doing here today. >> Thank you.
>> Thank you. Good morning. My name is Alva Alva and is very important to greet all of the commission commissioners on the city commission. Police and the community and the population need to work together.
>> Police are from the community and the commissioners, the elected officials are also from the community and after their terms are over they will return to the population. So the the elected officials, the police, the community need to work
together. >> And we do not want to see agreements and impediments coming between the police and the community that they are there to protect and serve >> because the police come from the population.
So please, we're asking the elect officials to make sure that their work continues consistent for the police and the population to work together. Thank you, >> Mr. Ny. Mr. Ny, can can we have the speaker's name for the record? >> Yes.
>> The ovida Alva >> Oi Da and the last name is A L Va. >> Thank you. Thank you. >> Thank you. Good morning. >> Hi. Good morning. Uh my name is Lindseay
Kaine. I am a resident of Miami Dade and also the founder of the Crow Creek Impact Fund, a nonprofit organization focused on environmental justice and tribal sovereignty. I want to speak to call an end to the 287 agreement. Miami
is historically a sanctuary city. We even have the Freedom Tower which is representative of that. And I find it interesting that this conversation is happening as we host immigrants from all around the world and we are a beacon of international diversity. And to be
honest, anybody who is not indigenous or a captive brought here via slavery is an immigrant. And no one has more authority or the right to decide who comes here and lives a peaceful life. It should be left to the federal government to handle the criminals that actually need to be
removed. The police are here to protect and serve, not handle immigration proceedings. I also want to speak on item FR1 against the removal of the environmental impact studies. Miami's environmental ecosystem is in a very delicate position right now where every
tree decision will increase the temperature. Every decision related to the air and water is critical and needs to be considered with any decisions that are made. In the Miami Citizen Bill of Rights, it says that the city shall promote the right of the people to clean air, pure water, freedom from excessive
and unnecessary noise and the natural and scenic, historic, and aesthetic qualities of the environment to remove this environmental impact study violates this. Um, and I wish that Mayor Higgins was here as she's been speaking on a host of environmental conferences. And last thing, RE5, I'm in support of
limiting the power of developers with the Live Local Act. It should remain in the hands of residents and local planners to decide what is built in the city. >> Thank you. Good morning. >> Good morning. Uh Katrina Morris, 4130 Lie Avenue. Um our neighborhood
conservation district. Well, first off, thank you for putting uh the the 287g um resend rescending the 287g uh on the discussion um as a discussion item. Um, our neighborhood conservation district
has uh is holding on by a thread. Uh, but zoning alone isn't enough. Following federal anti-moneylaundering crackdowns around 2017, real estate market uh pivoted towards highinterest private credit funds demanding aggressive profit
margins. Today, corporate private equity vehicles and institutional lenders are stripmining our city. They target vulnerable con condominium associations struggling under posturfside safety mandates, buying them out, exploiting live local loopholes to steamroll our
NCD and clear cutting our old growth tree canopy. Medical science shows a person can lose up to 50% of their lung capacity before showing symptoms. The body quietly compensates until a crisis hits. Our tree canopy operates the same
exact way. These trees are the physical lungs of our city. They filter air, mitigate flooding, and keep the city livable. Because nature quietly adapts when a lot is clear-cut, we fool ourselves into thinking our environment is fine by putting in some landscaping.
But ecology proves that takes 30 years just to regrow the visual illusion of a forest and 500 years to fully restore a functioning ecosystem. It is important that we challenge this overreach of live local. Thank you for putting that in, Commissioner Partardo.
Um, and also, can we explore a natural capital TDR bank? Thank you so much. >> Thank you. Good morning. >> Good morning. My name is Richard Lamond and I'm a husband to my immigrant wife, dad to my four-year-old son, and I'm also the Democratic nominee to be your
next state senator. I'm here today as a deeply concerned citizen to speak about the 287g agreement. This is Miami. We are a city built by immigrants who came here fleeing the exact government overreach that we are discussing here today. When you turn our local police
into federal immigration agents, you do not make this city safer. You make every resident less safe. A mother becomes afraid to dial 911 when she's a victim of domestic violence. A witness to a crime stays silent rather than risks their family safety. So, let's be honest
about what this really is. This is our lame duck governor using our police as a prop for his future ambitions. And I know he has threatened removed elected officials who refuse to comply. So, I want to say this directly to you. That threat is real and I don't take it
lightly. But each of you took an oath not to Ronda Santis, but to this country, to this city, and to the people in it. And I'm asking you today to honor that oath, especially when it's hard, because that is exactly when an oath means something. I think about my own
family. My dad and wife both came to this country to build a life here, like so many of yours did. Like so many of our neighbors did. I think about my son and the kind of Miami I want him to inherit from us. Bullies count on people standing alone. They count on fear
winning, but we elected you to stand up for us. This commission has a choice. You can rubber stamp Tallahassy's agenda out of fear or you can stand up for the people who actually elected you. And I'm asking you respectfully but urgently to reject this agreement and remember who
you serve. It's time we lead. Thank you very much. >> Thank you. Good morning. >> Good morning, Chairwoman. Uh can I actually defer my time to Richard for a different item, please? >> He's going to speak on a different item. There's too many folks here today for
stuff. So, >> and there are people >> instead of me speaking, I just want to >> either speak or let the next person come up and speak. >> All right. Well, on behalf of Richard Lamond and our campaign, uh Alexis Kalateude is the author of the live
local act and uh we are here to speak against it. It is another example of government overreach. It is another example of, you know, developers and special interests coming into our neighborhoods and building uh without community input. This is a bill that
removes your local power, removes the power of our community uh and we are asking you to approve the resolution to seek all legal challenges uh to challenge this in court. Thank you. >> Thank you. Good morning. >> Good morning, Chairwoman, commissioners.
My name is Marcelo Fernandez, 35 36 um Charles Avenue. I was a two-term uh um elected official for the um Coconut Grove Village Council. Served as chair for both those terms. I've also been the recipient I'm a developer. I've been
recipient of some funding through district 2 for to bring 80 affordable housing into the grove which are going. So I'm really passionate about housing alternatives. And in 2020, I partnered with uh the Gibson Health Initiative and we bought some more properties. and looking for some alternative housing
opportunities. And what we did is um I've been spearheading this affect for with planning your planning and zoning department to bring alternative housing. You're it was supposed to be today, but they're coming back uh soon for a um the cottage legislation is coming into play.
And it was a PLA approved by Pab. And what I I'd like to say today is that's a great plan for you guys to review and approve. There's one issue that they did not look at. They took the data from just GIS and they're proposing thousands of lots that could be potentially done
this which is not the case. Um this is being proposed for T30 and subsize standard T3R. T30 already allows two units per lot. So there's a net increase in housing. And what I'd like to do is try to see if we there's a lot that we
have in in the district that is with only a quarter mile of of the transit zone. is on sewers and we're trying to propose a demonstration project to bring this housing to to fruition. Um I'm going to leave some packages for you all to please review and see if you can I
can speak to one of your um one of your staff members to to review this and and please consider it during the first reading. >> Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Good morning. >> Uh good morning. My name is Haley Margolus and I'm a Miami Dade resident.
I'm an elementary school teacher in Miami Dade and my job as an elementary school teacher is to provide a safe space where children can learn and experience joy. I can't do my job when ICE and police work together in this city. Your job is to create a city where
the people of Miami can feel safe to work and live with dignity. We're in a historical moment. Every single citizen in the US has a duty to oppose ICE and the unjust targeting and incarceration of immigrants in America. I only have the power to speak for two minutes. You
actually have the power to make a difference in this moment and end Miami Dade's 287G agreement. Our streets in Miami don't look like the streets of Minnesota because of this 287g agreement. It doesn't mean our community is safer. It just means that police collaboration with ICE hides the
injustice from neighbors to look out for and protect each other. My cities families here in Miami Dade live in fear and isolation and uncertainty. It is your duty to protect protect your community and I hope you feel moved in this moment to stand on
the right side of history. Any effort to support or protect ICE in collaboration with police is empowering a fascist regime and the mass incarceration of immigrants. >> Thank you. Good morning. >> Good morning madam chair commissioners.
My name is Camilo Mahia. I'm the senior director of policy at Catalyst Miami. We are located at 3250s um Southwest 3rd Avenue 33129. And I'm here to speak against the removal of environmental impact studies uh because these studies
are directly connected to uh protecting our community from inclement weather, from saltwater intrusion. Uh it protects us against flooding, extreme heat, extreme winds and storms, hurricanes. uh and it protects our water, air, and soil from pollution, ensuring that we have a
healthy environment for our community and for generations to come. I'd also like to speak out against 287G agreement. Uh this police ICE collaboration is the shest way to ensure that uh we don't have public safety because it erodess the trust between
community and police. I know this from serving on the community advisory board here at the city of Miami which aimed to repair the trust between community and and police and I can tell you that this agreements are really really bad for that purpose. We have been in this
situation before with the secure communities program during the Bush administration. Um it was shown time and time again that this type of agreements actually have a really really detrimental effect in public safety. Also, it's tearing our our families and
our community apart. Uh, it's having a direct impact in the social and emotional well-being of our community. Um, and it's just really bad. It's also if if you're not convinced by that, it's it's also our economy is taking a direct hit because there are a lot of uh
industries and sectors that rely on immigrant labor and they're going after everyone. this this um persecution against immigrants is not only against people who don't have papers but people who have who are seeking asylum who have work permits who are trying to renew
their their green card etc. So it's really really really terrible for our community and you have the ability to question that in court. So please do so. Thank you. >> Thank you. Good morning. >> Good morning Chair King and commissioners. My name is Emily Sarasa. I'm a resident of Miami Dade County. Um,
I've grew up here, born here, the grandchild of immigrants, and I'm asking today that you resent in 287G agreements. Um, I am really concerned with uh both the federal overreach and our governor's overreach. I am concerned about the no bid contracts that went
into building alligator Alcatraz and the filling of immigrant bodies in these spaces. Um, I think our tax dollars are better off spent improving the community, investing in schools, and keeping communities safe. Um, I'm also a lawyer, an attorney advocate and
community organizer. I'm duly concerned with core civic go and the immigrants that are being shipped all over the country. I'm also the child of two law enforcement officers and I think that forcing officers to um engage in this practice arresting our community members or neighbors is wrong. So, I hope you
vote to resend and encourage the mayor to do so. Thank you. >> Thank you. Good morning. >> Hi. Good morning. Um, my name is Carla Deanda. I'm the founder and director of the Right to Freedom Network. Our organization was founded by domestic
workers. Some of them are survivors of labor trafficking. Um I'm part of the human human trafficking task force, but I want to be clear. Everybody's going to talk about crime and people not reporting. I'm going to talk about what I'm seeing
every single day. Human victims of human trafficking are not reporting. Every single day I receive calls of wage death, labor abuse, sexual harassment, name it. We offer to go with them to
file the report. We offer lawyers, support step by step and almost no one got with us to file a report. This is what we are seeing. They are afraid. We all know we I think that immigration and
the police are working together. They will never going to report a crime. The other thing that we I'm I'm going to expect that reports the statistics about crime going low, but that's not true.
We will never know how many women that been abused didn't report the abuse. And then lastly, um I want to if I lost Commissioner Rosalo because most of my cases are in
his district. Um, but if you want to meet the victims, if you want to hear from them directly, we are willing to come and talk to you. I want you to see firsthand what a
victim of human trafficking is is feeling and not be able to report the crime because they are afraid that's a crime. Thank you. >> Thank you. and invite me where I'm willing to come with my members.
>> Thank you. Good morning. >> Good morning, Madame Chair. My name is Mel Minehart and I come to you today as the volunteer chair of Friends of the Commodore Trail. I come in to speak on PZ4 and the Greenways amendment. uh
through the chair. I'd like to uh congratulate Commissioner Reszado and the excellent performance of the staff of the city of Miami, especially the planning department on the way in which they did community outreach for this
particular measure. It's a the greenways measure which will enable and empower funds to be used in support of Miami trails and parks throughout the city. However, I would like to ask for a technical amendment to a particular
sentence in there which after examination in the working sessions, we've asked it be included and the idea is to protect the NCDs from the possibility of a change in other laws in the of the
city of Miami. We've recommended through commissioner part a technical addition. I don't know of any opposition from city of Miami planning staff or commissioner uh Rosado or any of the other participants and I'm asking please for
this belt and suspenders extra protection for the neighborhood conservation districts. Again, big shout out to the process. Excellent program for greenways and the use of those funds, but we're asking to close a
possible future loophole. Thank you very much, Madam Chair. Thank you, Commissioner. >> Thank you. Good morning. >> Hi. Good morning. My name is Sai Portigo. I work with Florida Rising. I've been living in the city of Miami for the last 20 years. 1288 Northeast,
191st Street. And um I just come here to give my testimony. I've been living here witnessing the streets. Uh our community, we here we are community organizing organization. Every day we seen how our community has been persecuted in the streets by border
patrol uh either by or police officers or by uh the state um guards on the highways. So here we are once again to demand you to really do your job. 287 energy agreement is not a good agreement
for our community and please please please just listen to the community. Give us a chance to really live here, work here, play here. We make contributions. You all know that our community depends on this and you are just making our life more miserable with
this agreement and aligning yourself with the federal government. You're not protecting the community. So, you must end the 287g agreement. Thank you. >> Thank you. Good morning. >> Good morning. Uh my name is Emilio Morad
Nutell. Uh I'm a Miami date citizen and a new member of Miami DSA. Uh but I'll be speaking before myself today. Uh I'm here to oppose uh the 287 agreement
between uh Miami Day Police and ICE officers in order to curb immigration. I don't believe this is good for anyone sitting in this room. I don't think this is good for anyone
inside Miami Date's borders. I think it creates an environment of fear amongst the populace and I think that's the point of this collaboration. Um, ICE for the most part is allowed to work without impunity.
Uh, we've seen this in Minnesota. Uh, we've seen this attempted in uh, California. And I don't want to live in that kind of environment where I'm walking in the street or friends of mine or anyone really are walking in the street and are
stopped, ask for papers, harassed uh because they speak with an accent or English is their second language. Uh that's not good for only, you know, the people that that live here. That's also bad for the people who are visiting.
That's bad for people who are in the process of uh getting their papers uh because they have no legal recourse. For the most part, they have no legal recourse. Uh ICE is allowed to detain people and uh hold them for an
indefinite period of time without any access to, you know, lawyers or courts. There are people being held uh right now inside ICE detention facilities. uh that are not even speaking to their lawyers or cannot even afford a lawyer,
can't even afford a public servant. Uh >> thank you. >> Thank you. I appreciate it. >> Thank you. Good morning. >> Good morning. My name is Carl Anthony. I'm a resident of Coconut Grove and I'm here in support of Commissioner Partardo's resolution to find out ways
to counteract the um live local act. It's real simple. This country was built on not having outside um control of this country. So why would
we want the state to control how we run our municipality? There's not a whole lot that can be argued, but I think this uh um the state attorney should be able to find ways to
counteract this live local bill so that we can have our own regulations. We can decide what our community needs and how our community operates. Thank you. >> Thank you. Good morning. >> Good morning, Elvis Cruz. Thank you,
Commissioner Pardo, for sponsoring item RE5, which opposes the Live Local Act, one of the worst laws ever passed in the state of Florida. A law which enables huge overdevelopment and harms our quality of life, our neighborhood
character and scale, and our already overburdened public infrastructure. I've been speaking out against that law for three years, so it's great to see the city finally take action. Everyone, please know there are ways to provide
affordable housing without more overdevelopment, including tax exemptions, tax credits, section 8 vouchers, or by building dedicated affordable housing projects within the existing zoning. Any underfunding in
those programs can and should be addressed directly. If the state of Florida and the USA were serious about affordable housing, they would ban foreign and corporate buyers. That's the
big problem. An analysis from the Miami Association of Realtors found that foreign buyers account for 52% of all new construction sales across South Florida. Next item PZ4 is the greenway funding
which is based on more overdevelopment. Allowing three additional stories to T5 is a de facto upzoning. Another in a long line of gifts to developers. That bonus height should never have been enacted. It should be repealed, not
legitimized. Greenways are a good thing and should be funded, but by some other means. Continually allowing bonus height and density to developers in exchange for so-called public benefits is a very bad habit that the city should break.
Lastly, item FR1 would do away with requiring independent traffic analysis. I heard there's a substitution memo, but it was not on the agenda. You may want to defer that. Thank you. >> Thank you. Good morning. Good morning. My name is Sebastian Kaiso. I'm here on
behalf of our members from Florida rising. I reside in Miami. I am an immigrant. I see a room full of immigrants in the front and in the back. And I'm speaking here against the 287 G agreement.
Um we're here a year later when you approve this. During this year, there's been hundreds of family that have been separated. There's people that have been detained here in our neighborhood in our backyard in Aligator Catras. Now that
has been shut down. A lot of those people have been shipped to many states that people and their family don't know where they are. And currently in city of Miami, there's people getting arrested. There's families being separated. And it's time for all of you to make the
right decision. This is a second chance for all of you. Some of you were here elected recently with a promise of protecting immigrants. So this is the time from the city manager to the mayor, from the commissioners, from everybody
in city Miami. You have a responsibility as immigrants, as residents of this city to protect us. You took an oath. So you should serve by that. Thank you. >> Thank you.
>> Good morning, commissioners. uh and Madame Miro who I'm sure is listening or will be. My name is Andy Parish. I'm here in support of RE5. Miami is a tough place politically as you know. You must be a fighter to win a
commissioner seat which you all have. We have seen you fight for your own districts as when those unspent impact fees were discovered. Now, we ask you to fight together for home rule, guaranteed by article 8 of
the Florida Constitution. Home rule puts you in charge of our zoning laws, not the state of Florida. The state's live local act turns that upside down, saying Tallahassee knows
what is best for Miami, not you. To be fair, the state is saying more affordable housing is needed everywhere. And the quickest way is to preempt home rule and force all cities to build more
and only high-rise buildings. They are saying one sizefits-all. That doesn't work for shoes, doesn't work for diverse cities. The Live Locally Act has yet to prove it will create any affordable housing.
Meanwhile, developers have been exploiting the Live Local Act to create expensive and highly profitable high-rise condominiums where the neighbors, your citizens, don't want them. I suggest this instead. All five
of you and Mayor Higgins join together and ask Tallahassee to amend the Live Local Act as follows. quote, "Give us just 12 months using our home rule. We will amend our Miami 21 zoning code, and
we will amend our comprehensive plan and our future land use map and hand you a pledge to provide Miami's fair share of the state's goal of affordable housing. Will you take that risk? It's a big risk, but fight for us and fight for yourselves because home home rule needs
to be preserved." Thank you very much. >> Thank you. Good morning. >> Good morning. My name is Peter Rabino and I represent friends of Lelham Trail and we urge the commission to pass both Miami Greenway leg legislation items today FR5 and PG4. Lelum Trail is going
to be an iconic trail connecting the Miami River Greenway to the underline at Dland North Station. It connects five schools and three parks. It's going to be an iconic greenway and it's so important for our city and this legislation is going to accelerate that
development. Uh the developers should be paying for the greenway near their developments. It creates a teamwork between the developers and the trails. There's going to be clear design standards. Neighborhood conservation districts are protected.
And this legislation does not increase density. Developers can earn bonus height and floor space by investing in greenway infrastructure. There's going to be transparency built in with F FR5 requiring the city to publish an annual quarter level report showing how much
money was collected near each greenway and how it was spending spent. The planning, zoning, and appeals board already voted 8 to zero in favor at their June 3rd meeting and I hope the commission will do the same today. Thank you. >> Thank you. Good morning.
>> Hi, good morning. My name is Gina Romero, my media organizers of Florida Rising. >> I am a community organizer from Florida Rising. I have seen that this G287 agreement has divided our communities. Many of you were supported by your
voters so that you would not agree to G287. Now, we need that you help and support our community. We need you to support our small businesses since they too have been affected by this agreement. Please stop persecuting our community members. Thank you.
Thank you. Good morning. Thank you for hearing all of us. I know is a lot of us and chair woman king very impressive command of the room and empathetic. Thank you. Uh my name is
Augustina. I am an immigrant. Uh I have 30 years of public policy work across the Americas. Um and the moral argument is fantastic. I have the scars. My children have the scars. My grandchildren will have the
scars probably. But I think we also need to remember that is sometimes not enough unfortunately when we're talking about public policy. So I want to bring another numbers and I want to name that
I I moved here because of the disaster that has been caused by ICE in Alabama where only 2.5% of the population is immigrants. These
laws have caused the state to lose 11 billion dollars a year. And we're talking about Miami where immigrants are 56%. How happy are we going to be when we don't have money?
I've lived it. That's why I come here. As of now, I am a single mother, a widow. We have two bathrooms, but we only use one because there is nobody to come fix our toilet. They have a beautiful backyard, but
there is nobody to come mow it. There are a lot of restaurants, but not a family own one where you can go and speak Spanish loudly and try other foods and interact with other people. It is boring.
It is expensive. It is unsafe. And it took away the future of our youth. So please say no to these agreements. >> Thank you. Good morning. >> Good morning, Mr. Chairwoman and
commissioners. My name is Alexander Ringlip. Uh here about the ICE agreement. I stand before you as a product of the American dream and as the voice of thousands of your residents. I moved to Miami from Germany in the year of 2000. For eight years, I lived right
here as an undocumented immigrant. Today I'm a proud US citizen. I own three businesses and I employ over 100 people who pay taxes and serve this community every day. During those eight years, I lived in fear of deportation every
single day. But I worked hard by state owners and I built something for myself. When I had nothing here in Miami, the immigrant community in Miami, many of them undocumented, opened their doors to me. There's an entire community living
just beneath the surface like me before of this city. They're working. They're paying into our economy. And most of them are good, honest people like me who just wanted to provide for their families. They they should not have to
be in fear for a routine traffic stop that will tear their lives apart. If our local police become immigration officers, we destroy the trust that keeps us safe. People will stop reporting crimes. Victims will suffer in
silence. Witnesses will not come forward anymore. That makes our straits less safe for everyone, our citizens included. I'm positive the pastor that opened this meeting would agree that do not use our local police to do the
federal government's job. Let IES do their job. Let our police protect our streets. I became a citizen and my fellow immigrants should have the same opportunity as I did. Do not disappoint thousands of your voters. Please don't even consider this. Thank you so much
everyone. >> Thank you. Good morning. >> Hi, John Doulson, 4205 Lennox Drive, Coven Grove. Two items. Number one, live local. And number two, I end it. Um on the live local, I like what I see up here on the dis. This is a pretty good
commission right now. You listen to us. I think you do things that are the right thing to do. Um, and I'm firmly convinced that you know more about how to run your dis your districts than anybody else. So, why do you let the
state of Florida come in here and tell you what to do with your zoning laws? Now, one other thing. There's five of you up here. I'd love to see nine because that's even better representation, but that's a whole other topic. and come out here in the future. But live local just asserts all the
local control. It's the wrong thing to do. It's the right reason to build more affordable housing. But I agree with Andy Parish. That's not accomplishing the uh mission at all. Um on ICE, this was a contentious vote a year ago. Uh Commissioner King and Parted against
joining it. There were over a hundred people that came here and said, "Don't enter into the agreement." and you're hearing it again today. Um, now my grandson's going to talk a minute. He's a little nervous about that, so bear with it. And he lives in a city, one of
one of 25 cities in Florida that are suing the state of uh Florida over live local. So, you won't be alone by opposing it. Thank you. >> Thank you. Good morning. >> Good morning, chairwoman and commissioners. My name is Maria Yuren
and I'm the policy director at Miami Worker Center. My address is 2900 Bird Avenue. Today I'm here to speak on DI3. As a community organization, we see firsthand how workers and renters who are immigrants are targeted and
exploited because of their status. This past weekend, we held a community meeting in District 1 with over 150 residents. We knocked over a thousand doors and spoke to residents and local businesses in Alipata. They told us that after cost of living, their top concern
is the targeting of their community by immigration enforcement. We invite immigrants to come to this city with the implied promise of jobs or safety from their home countries and then they are met with an immigration system that is almost impossible to navigate and
operates like a lottery. Doing things the right way is largely a matter of luck, especially when there is so little lowcost or free legal support to match the immense need. We invite this commission, especially those who voted in favor of the 287g agreement last year
and some of whom were not born in this country to actually represent the desires of your constituents and end this inhumane collaboration is endorsing the attacks on our community. Thank you. >> Thank you. Good morning.
>> Hi, my name is Conrad. Doulson, >> sorry, Debbie Doulson, 4205 Linux Drive, Coden Grove. Um, Conrad is a grandson and granddude and I are very happy that he could be here to participate in
democracy and Conrad has a few words he would like to say about um where he lives. >> Um, I live in Lando Lake. Um, when I was little, there were cows and
horses all over our neighborhood and a bunch of land, but now it's full of hotels and apartments. And um, I haven't seen cows or horses in many years. So,
I would like it to like have actual animals and like it'd make me very happy if there was actually animals on the land now, but there's not anymore now. um where Conrad lives um along with more
than 25 cities and counties in Florida um they're challenging the provisions of the Live Local Act. Conrad and his little brother are growing up with the Live Local Act right in their neighborhood and you can see the impact that it's had on him. He went from seeing cows and horses and open space
and trees to hotels and apartments and um an Amazon center. Um, we are also seeing that impact every day in Miami and right outside our doors here at city hall. Um, so, uh, we would like to
support our E5. Um, and please challenge the Live Local Act for our next generation and all generations to come. Thank you. >> Thank you. Good morning. >> Good morning, chairwoman and commission. Uh, my name is Senna Perez. I'm with the
Florida Immigrant Coalition. I am also an immigrant mother and I'm here joining my community filling up these chambers to speak on behalf of the tens of thousands of Miami families whose lives are being devastated by the 287g
agreement. We refuse to accept this. It is appalling to me that the mothers who stood next to me during school pickup are now considered criminals and treated as so and caught in this drag net. I want to live in a city where people can
trust their authorities, the police, their bosses, their neighbors. 287G is destroying all of these. It's breaking the fabric of our Miami, a city that was built entirely on hospitality and welcoming the stranger. Most of you here
are here because of that. So, Mayor Higgins has broken her promise, but she has the power to correct her betrayal and put this agreement for a vote. So, stop wasting my tax money on persecuting my neighbors and invest in my community.
Thank you. >> Thank you. Good morning. Good morning. My name is Steve Swanson and I came down from Largo, Florida. So, I left at 2 in the morning to support the Miami community to speak out against
the 287G. Um, what I was surprised with is how many people spoke as eloquently as they have. And because I want to say the words that you want to hear, I'll be quick. Um,
what the lady just said, the last lady, she talked about Miami being a beacon. We see that in Largo. We see those things that you do and what you're doing now. It has the potential to make
changes for not only your community, but communities throughout the state, which will benefit everyone. I understand that your job is a very parochial one. You're supposed to look out for Miami, but here's an an opportunity. You can help Miami and you can help communities
throughout the state. Thank you very much. >> Thank you. Good morning. >> Good morning, commissioners. My name is Rick Madan. I'm the president of the Bisquet Neighborhoods Association. I'm here to strongly urge your support for agenda item RE5. The Live Local Act has handed private
developers an administrative weapon to bypass our city zoning laws. completely ignoring local planning for infrastructure, traffic, and public safety. In Edgewater, developers are using the threat of live local merely as
leverage to force neighbors and elected officials into unfair concessions. This is zoning by extortion. The timing of this resolution is critical. Congress just passed the bipartisan
21st century Road to Housing Act, which explicitly aims to give more control over housing back to local jurisdictions, rewarding cities that manage their own growth. The federal government recognizes that local cities
know best. Yet, Florida's Live Local Act does the exact opposite, stripping you of the very authority you need to protect our streets, our infrastructure, and our residents. Other municipalities like Hillsboro
County have already sued the state to protect their home rule. Miami must join this fight. Defend our neighborhoods, reclaim your local authority, and vote yes on R5. Thank you. >> Thank you. Good morning.
>> Good morning, commissioner. Thank you, chairwoman. My name is Gloria Romero Roses. I am a business owner, a past chair of the Women's Fund of Miami Dade, and also a past chair of the Jen Cleo Action. I'm a current candidate for Florida State House District 113, and I
appreciate the opportunity to speak with you on two issues today. Number one, DI3. I echo many of the advocates comments that have spoken eloquently for this item to be rescended with 287g task force agreement. I want to also point out some of the extenduating circumstances that we woke up to this
morning with images of the earthquake in Venezuela. Let us not forget the lessons learned from 2010 when the incredible uh tragedy unfolded in Haiti with the earthquake and the road to recovery is
going to be long. the suffering for the Venezuelan people will be long lasting. I really believe that we have to take these extenduating circumstances into account and understand that policy is not abstract. It affects real lives every single day and it tests our
values. And I believe we have a moral obligation to resend this agreement so that our Venezuelan neighbors aren't going to be deported back, detained unfairly without due process. And that can also apply to all the other immigrants that are here playing by the
rules, contributing to our economy, and they deserve a fair shot to also achieve their American dream. On item RE5, for the past 6 months, I've been talking to hundreds of Miamiians throughout House District 113. And that what I hear consistently is that the pressures of
overdevelopment, replacing older buildings, displacing longtime residents, and changing the fabric of neighborhoods is crushing. We all want more workforce housing. We all want to see that there's constructive paths for the state to set boundaries, to set goals towards achieving more workforce
and affordable housing. But the prescription is what's wrong here. Let's get back to what was the guiding principle in Tallahassee for decades. Government works best when it's closest to the people. Thank you, Commissioner, for your support. >> Thank you. Good morning.
>> Good morning, uh, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you so much, Chairwoman King and members of the commission. My name is Patrice Gillespie Smith and I'm the president and COO of the Underline. It is my pleasure to be here this morning in support of FR5 and thank you
Commissioner Rosado for your leadership on this greenway legislation. Just a quick bit of context, the underlying has had visitors from every single zip code in the city of Miami as well as in the city in the entire county. And that's because everyone is
seeking trails. They're seeking safe places to bike and walk. And that's why we're very excited about FR5 because it gives tools to developers to extend that network to more neighborhoods. Each of you, I'm proud to say, have been to one
of our more than 200 free events on the Underline. And all neighborhoods should be able to enjoy those safe places to bike and walk. and we hope that this legislation is just one of many tools to help increase that network across the entire city of Miami. Thank you.
>> Thank you. Good morning. >> Morning Frankie Ruiz, 3575 West Gleno Street. As co-founder of the Friends of the Ledum Trail and Miami Marathon, I strongly support the Miami Greenway legislation sponsored by Commissioner Rosso because it represents smart,
accountable, and forwardthinking city planning. It ensures the development, helps build the public infrastructure our growing city needs. If a project benefits from being next to and near a greenway, it's only fair that its contributions help complete that very corridor. That's common sense. This
legislation will accelerate the completion of a connected greenway network that gives residents safer places to walk, run, and bike, improves public health, reduces traffic dependence, and enhances Miami's quality of life for generations. Just as importantly, it creates transparency by
ensuring the public can see where these funds are collected and how they're invested. This is an opportunity to leave a lasting legacy of connectivity, sustainability, and healthier neighborhoods. I respectfully urge you to vote yes on both items. Thank you. >> Thank you. Good morning.
>> Good morning. My name is Michelle Vargas. I live in the Silver Bluff area and I'm here to speak on two agenda items, PZ4 and DI3. First, I'm in support of PZ4 because it turns new development, which is already happening
near greenways into a to a tool for comp um excuse me, for completing the Miami loop without relying on public dollars alone. It protects neighborhood conservation districts, ensuring the loop gets built without altering the character of
communities it um serves, and it sets design standards for nearby buildings to better integrate into the public greenway network. Second, I want to speak in strong opposition of DI3, the city's involvement in 287G, and urge you all to
rescend our involvement in it. It is detestable that despite hours of public comment in opposition to 287G, three of five commissioners last year dragged our city of almost half a million people into such a waste of time, resources,
and irresponsible use of our taxpayer money. And for what? to intimidate, spark fear, and separate families. Legally speaking, as a municipality and not a county, it wasn't even required for the city to join in. We could have
just deferred the vote. If what you feared was governor intimidation, but remember, you five work for half a million of us. You're supposed to represent half a million of us, not one governor, not one president.
Listen to all the calls, emails, petition signatures, and all the folks that have come bearing the heat and taking time off of work today to demand that you fix your mistake from last year and figure out how to get the city out of this terrible involvement with 287G.
Thank you. >> Thank you. Good morning. >> Good morning. Uh, first of all, I want to thank Commissioner Parardo and Commissioner King for voting against 287G. I appreciate your leadership on this issue. Thank you. Uh I am an im
immigrant by choice. I was born in Peru but but the United States is my country. My daughter was born here at Mercy Hospital. Recently when she returned from Lima, Peru, she was detained at the airport for 3 hours. The experience felt
more like intimidation than than public safety. It was profiling definitely. What happened to her could happen to any anyone in our community. America has always been a place where people come seeking freedom and refuge from pers
persecution. We should not support policies that create fear and divide our community. I urge you to reject 287g. I have no idea how you're going to do it, but I really hope you can. Then I'm also speaking on RE5, live local. I oppose
this 12-story building. People choose to live in the grove because of its unique character and scale. This project would permanently change both. When Vicky Lopez spoke to residents at Biscaya Village, she were a she we were assured
that the Live Local Act would not negatively impact the growth. Yet, here we are. This isn't this is it. This isn't about opposing growth. It's about protecting the neighborhood we love. Thank you so much. >> Chair, if I could have the speaker's name.
>> Ma'am, may I have your name? >> Just for the record. >> Sorry, >> I forgot. Cecilia Tava. Oh. To Gral Drive and 3091 Day Avenue. >> Thank you. Good morning. >> Good morning. My name is Henrietta Schwarz and I live at 2627 South Bay
Shore Drive. Um, thank you for allowing me to speak this morning. I urge the commissioners to support finding a way to regain home rule and I thank Commissioner Partardo for bringing this to your attention. We do need affordable
housing, no doubt. But our skyline is proof the building is happening east of 95 and it's not affordable. Instead of your Instagram accounts full of hateful messaging, fight for us. We are begging you to stop facilitating
developer giveaways. Excuse me. For the greenways, in addition to what Mel recommended, um please strengthen the penalties against developers who take advantage and profit from being
next to a greenway and that they pay up and if they don't, triple the penalties. Make it hurt. Otherwise, we know what happens in Miami when developers get a little crack in the wall. Thank you.
>> Is it my turn? >> Good morning. >> Good morning. Um, before I even read the speech, I just recognize that every single name aside from the chair is a Spanish name.
What I'm pointing out is that we were all immigrants at one time. I too am a first generation American. So I have every right to stand up here and fight for the rights of every human being that
has their feet on American soil. My name is Stephanie Rup. I'm a native Miamiian. I grew up right down the street on 24th Avenue. I was a student at Shannondoa Junior High School when the first influx
of Cuban refugees came to Miami. That was about 65 years ago. Yes, I'm that old. The Cubans, Caribbeans, Latino immigrants, many who came to our shores with nothing but what they could carry,
built up greater Miami and South Florida into a worldclass area of mixed cultures, vibrant, colorful, and allincclusive. 287G is trying to get rid of that in my
city. This is my city and I don't like it. Now there's a certain dread in the air. People are afraid to be friendly. We were afraid to get to know our neighbors. Darkhaired, dark-skinned people from all over the world have
become marginalized and need to carry their papers. What is that? This is America. It's disgusting. Our city runs on tourism, but we are chasing our tourists
away. The billionaires who are moving here into South Florida because we have no state income tax are not going to do the essential work like the construction, maintaining our streets, our roadways, work in agriculture, take
care of our children, our elderly, our handicapped. >> Thank you. I've got a lot more to say. I'll wait in line again. >> Good morning. >> Good morning. Alisa Margules, Rice Street Center Grove in support of RE5.
>> You're not the boss of me. We've all heard it and truth be told, most of us have said it or at least thought it. You're not the boss of me is the universal Declaration of Independence. But those simple words convey a powerful message. Don't tread on me. It's
something the city of Miami should be saying to Tallahassee commissioners. As the elected stewards of our neighborhoods, I urge you to support RE5. With a one-sizefits-all cookie cutter formula, live local significantly reduces your ability to decide what's
appropriate for the districts you were elected to represent. It allows developers, many of whom are outsiders, to bypass traditional local review public input in ways that are forever changing our communities. This is why home rule matters. Each of you has been
entrusted with protecting neighborhoods that are historically significant, culturally diverse, and fundamentally unique to Miami. District 1, Alipata and Flaggami. Commissioner Partardo has Coconut Grove and Morningside. Commissioner Escalona, Little Havana,
and the world famous Cayo. Commissioner Rosado, Silver Bluff and Shannondoa. and Chairwoman King has historic Overtown and the Bohemian Buenav Vista. These communities are not interchangeable. Each community has its
own unique identity. Miami is a beautiful tapestry. We're not just another exit off I95. We're not baloney sandwiches. We're media anoce. We're not Pop-Tarts. We're pastitos and cafeesitos. Residents recognize there is a genuine need for affordable housing. We're not
asking for repeal. We're asking for the right to self-determination. Every child knows how to respond when someone's pushing them around. It's time for Miami to stand up and tell Tallahassee, "You're not the boss of me." Thank you.
>> Thank you. Hey, good morning. >> Good morning, chairwoman and commissioners. I am Taperti. I serve as the executive director of the Florida Immigrant Coalition. Miami is the most diverse city in the
state with close to 60% of its residents foreign born and over 26% living in mixed status families. Meaning that there is one person in the household who is either on a temporary
status or undocumented. In addition, the efforts of the current administration to cancel temporary status for immigrants has impacted the city of Miami because we are home to Nicaraguans, Venezuelans, and now
Haitians. About 30 minutes ago, the Supreme Court put out their ruling and decided to authorize the termination of TPS for Haitians. You know what that means for the streets of Miami? You know what that means? effective July 2nd for the
Haitians communities that you have. If you continue to unleash Miami police officers on your community members, Miami can make the choice to recognize and honor its immigrants in its
communities. Miami can make the choice to stand up for those who make Miami what it is today. I urge the commission to withdraw their participation in the
287G agreement. It is legal. You have the right to do it. You can stand in front of the state and do what is legally right and what is right for the community that you represent. Thank you.
Hey, don't don't make our police have to work and put everyone out. Please, please. It's this. It's this. Good morning. >> Good morning. My name is Cani Cox.
First, I want to thank the chairwoman for sponsoring this discussion item. Miami is a city built by immigrants. what we are seeing from the federal government, masked agents detaining and kid detaining and kidnapping people and creating fear in our communities. This
is unacceptable. Local police officers should not be given these kinds of powers. This agreement is not legally mandatory. The mayor campaigned on being a mayor for immigrants and previously said, quote, "There's no reason in the city of Miami that our police department
should be in the job of federal immigration enforcement." When a constituent raised concerns about ICE directly to the mayor, she directed her to the staff instead. So why has the mayor suddenly gone silent on this
issue? People deserve clear answers from their elected leaders. We do not need local law enforcement acting as federal immigration force. We do not need a secret police force operating in our communities, tearing families apart, and making people afraid to seek help. I
urge the commission to take action and make clear that ICE enforcement is not the role of the city of Miami and that city police officers should not act as ICE agents. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Good morning, Billy Corbin on DI3. Thank you, Madam Chair, for putting this on
the agenda and allowing this community engagement. This is what democracy looks like. And it's good to see Francis Suarez back at city. I'm sorry. I thought that empty chair was Francis Suarez. It looked just like him uh when he used to be here. Uh it turns out actually that empty chair belongs to
Eileen Higgins. I understand that she's in London on a climate change event and climate change is unquestionably an existential issue that impacts the city just as much if not more. But the business of the city of Miami is in the city of Miami, not over the pond. She
just has to be here 2 days out of the month at these meetings like she promised she would when she campaigned for office. But why should she start fulfilling her campaign promises now, right? She certainly hasn't done it on 287g. So I first have to start by thanking
again the chair and commissioner part for last year being on the right side of history. You see where the people in your community, this community of immigrants stand. Hours of comments last year, hours of comments today. So all it takes really is one more commissioner of
this commission of immigrants and children of immigrants to have the spine to join them. I think we all know it's not going to be Rosado. So I'll talk to you, Commissioner Escalona. You're here in this country what 11 years. You started as a dishwasher. You worked your way to being the GM of a
multi-million dollar hospitality brand. And now you are a commissioner in the largest city in one of the largest counties in the country. It's unbelievable. I think it's time to do the right thing and to tell this community that they deserve the same opportunity that you
do. I believe in public safety. I believe in taking criminals off the street. 287G does the exact opposite. It sews mistrust between our community of immigrants and our law enforcement and stops victims and witnesses from coming forward to take dangerous people off the streets. And of course, you were elected
to end the Corollo era and Coro stood up here and gave a beautiful speech you might remember about his immigrant experience and then voted for this. You can do the right thing. Do the right thing, Commissioner Escalona. Thank you, Madam Chair. >> Good morning. Good morning, uh,
chairwoman and commissioners. Uh, my name is Miss May. I am the co-founder and executive director of DRIM 305, a sex worker-led organization based right out of here in Miami Dade County. Um, our goal is to decriminalize sex work in
Miami Dade and beyond. Um, and so I am here to represent a very vulnerable population that is being targeted and has continuously been targeted by police and by immigration. Um, this 287G agreement is horrific and I do implore
you to uh to oppose it and to get rid of it. Um, I represent uh I represent the uh Asian Latino diaspora which represents 2% of the population in Florida. It's a very small population.
Okay. So, we experience a very specific type of racism from Latino people, from white people, from a lot of different people who are here because we are such a small population. And therefore, police already targets our community. They target they target ma massage
parlors specifically and then they put our faces on the news in order to combat trafficking. Okay? But then they do nothing to provide resources to these supposed victims. So they call us victims and then they arrest us and persecute us. But then they do nothing
to stop the John's and the people who are actually doing the trafficking. And this is only heightened and only gotten worse with the 287g agreement because the police are often the people who rape us and who target us and who do these
crimes to us. And so who do you think who do you think is also doing these crimes to us? It is ICE agents who are doing these crimes to immigrants. And so I implore you to take the to take this away because it is sex workers who are
being the most targeted. Somebody you love is a sex worker. We are experiencing the most economic vitriolic times in our lives. So you need to get rid of this. Thank you. >> Thank you. Good morning. >> Hello. Good morning. My name is Tomas
Kennedy. I live in 6601 Northwest First Place uh near District Commissioner King. Uh, and I'm here as a uh concerned resident and an immigrant. First, I want to just echo the disappointment that the mayor is not here to uh hear from the
residents. Um, I'm also disappointed that Commissioner Gabella, who voted for this agreement uh last year, is not here. Uh, but I do want to thank Commissioner Partardo for your vote against joining the agreement and your vote also, Commissioner King, and for introducing uh this item today and
giving opportunity for the community to be heard. So, thank you uh both. I also want to say uh Commissioner Rosado uh and I mean this sincerely uh it's never too late to do the right thing and to correct the mistake uh that was your vote to sign this agreement last year.
We hope that um yeah, you join us in uh calling for this agreement to be rescended. And Commissioner Scalona, um you seem like a great guy actually. Uh you seem like a reasonable person. And I I agree with Billy, your immigrant story is inspiring that you've gone um to be
commissioner of this of this great city. Uh and we hope that you also will uh be with us in opposing this agreement because I want to echo uh what uh Tessa from the Florida Immigrant Coalition shared earlier. The Supreme Court just gave the green light to end temporary
protected status, legal protections for 350,000 Haitians in this country, the vast majority of them who live in our city who are now targets of deportation. And it's not the job of our police officers to target them. The jobs of our police
officers is to do police work. They didn't sign up to be federal immigration enforcement. Uh this this agreement was signed by City of Miami voluntarily. You guys were not under any state mandate to do so. And you guys have legal backing
to rescend it and to do the right thing and to steer our police force to do their job which is public safety and not join this witch hunt against immigrants which now is threatening thousands and thousands of people in our community. So we call on you to do the right thing. Thank you.
>> Thank you. Good morning. >> Good morning. My name is Caesar Flores and as a lifelong Miamiian and the child of Honduran immigrants that have been in this city for generations, I am here today to ask, not ask, to urge you to terminate the city of Miami's agreement
287g with ICE. Around this time last year, despite the fact that the vast majority of the community stood in opposition to our city's police entering into this agreement, two of our city's current commissioners up on this deis voted in favor of doing so. As a result,
our immigrant community has suffered the consequences. Because of this, people are afraid of reporting crimes to law enforcement when they need help the most in fear of being apprehended and turned over to an ICE detention center. All while, according to the New York Times,
Miami has become the national epicenter of immigration enforcement. The fact that the city entered into this agreement in the first place represents a betrayal to our community by those who themselves are descendants of immigrants and even immigrants themselves. This is
the opportunity to redeem yourselves and take a stand against a partnership that is quite literally terrorizing our communities. Terminate the agreement and regain the community's trust. Thank you. >> Thank you. Good morning. >> Good morning. My name is Miriam Haskell
and I'm an attorney with the Community Justice Project in Miami, Florida. And we understand that you all and local leaders around the country, frankly, but especially in Florida, are under tremendous pressure to comply with immigration enforcement. But I am here as an attorney to say that 287g
agreements are not required for the city of Miami uh by state law and to to tell you that there are paths forward to to undo this agreement to exit this agreement and to keep your jobs. We are spreading the word and we encourage you
to be brave and bold and talk to us about it if you have questions. And we invite you and your attorneys to work with us to solve this problem and to exit this exit this agreement. And we, you know, echo what Miss Katite and the and um Damas Kennedy have said. I mean, now is the time to do this, especially
hearing from the Supreme Court just this morning that our um that our community especially is going to be targeted now with the and to TPS. Thank you. >> Thank you. Good morning. >> Good morning. Um thank you for your time today. My name is Claudia Anderson and
I'm speaking on behalf of FR5 and PZ4 as part of Transit Alliance Miami. Before I start, I just want to commend the commissioners that I know are actively listening and can show us that they're listening by being here present, making direct eye contact. That really means a lot to us. I'm an avid commuter cyclist.
I rode my bike here today. It's parked outside. Um, and one thing that I'm sure you all know makes biking very difficult in this city is that it's there's a lack of connectivity. Our bike network is severely disconnected and fragmented and there's a lack of public spaces to do
that. So PZ4 would help build the Miami loop over time by using the growth near greenways to support the public network. This proposal would use certain development near Miami greenways to help build, improve, and maintain public trails and open spaces. It makes
development contribute to public infrastructure that residents, visitors, and also local businesses can use. Um eligible projects within the one half mile of the greenway um that seek additional height would need to provide a public benefit such as constructing
part of a greenway, improving an existing segment or maintaining it or contributing funds that are directed back specifically to the greenway in that area instead of anywhere else in the city. So, this is an opportunity to hold development accountable and use it
as a tool to improve our communities and strengthen our muchneeded green spaces and trails. Overall, it's going to help with public safety and quality of life for the um community members that reside in those own neighborhoods. So, I really urge you to help pass this proposal. Thank you so much.
>> Thank you. Good morning. >> Good morning, everyone. We have been here before. We're revisiting the partnership between police and ICE. There is overwhelming evidence that ICE engages in illegal
unconstitutional behavior and cruelty, which is only appropriate if you're trying to terrorize a community such as an afascist or a communist uh authoritarian state. I'm here to remind us that we live in a democracy. We still
live in a representative democracy. We need to act like it. Our police needs to uphold legal due process, not violate it. They need to be our partners and our
examples. The basic question is, and I see a lot of faith leaders here, and I see a lot of community a an overwhelming amount of community organizations. We have been here before. We've been very vocal and I think the
basic question is will our elected officials uphold the law and the US Constitution? Will you all have the courage to rise to your duty to represent your constituents?
We have placed our trust in you. Do not betray it by being less than transparent. Thank you. Thank you. >> Sheriff, if I speaker's name for the record? >> May I have your name for the record? >> Irene Martinez, and I grew up across the
street. >> Thank you. >> Thank you. Good morning. >> Good morning. My name is Lindsay Mroy. I'm a lifelong resident of the city of Miami. My address is 2355 Dcastella Lane. And I also have served the
undocumented and asylumseeking community with the Guatemala May Center for the past 12 years. I'm here today to tell you about the families and the children who are directly being impacted by the 287g agreements. Just yesterday morning,
I accompanied eight small children to the Miami International Airport because their parents and their caretakers have been deported by law enforcement acting as ICE officers. I was holding the hand of three-year-old Christina, who had
both of her parents taken, her dad at a routine immigration check-in, and now she's been living with her auntie for the past 5 months at just 3 years old. I was with one-year-old Anhel, who mother is so afraid that she'll be deported
soon because both of her parents have, that she sent her baby home to be with them while she continues to work and send money home. There was a three and a six-year-old whose father didn't want to let them go, but his wife had already been deported and he's going to continue
working in the fields here picking food for us to send money home to his children in Guatemala. We serve families from over 28 different countries. Cubans have had an increase in detentions by 463%.
Commissioner Escala, I want you to remember this. A 463% increase. The Trump administration has revoked parole for Cubans. I have many Cuban friends who have had their parole and work permits revoked. They have a pending green card. They are lawfully
here, but they may end up in detention and end up in limbo, as many people have. We have reunified 45 people back to their parents' home country after the children have been deported. My friend Olga Perez was detained 9 months ago.
Local law enforcement threatened to knock the window down if her daughter, who is a citizen, did not give her mother's ID who was not driving. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Good morning. >> Good morning. My name is Raul Hernandez. I'm I'm a resident of the city of Miami
uh reinfor uh I'm here because I am afraid. I'm afraid to the point that now I'm carrying a copy of my US passport in my wallet.
46 years ago, I was surrounded by a mob organized by a dictatorship. Dictatorship that was governed by executive orders. I survived the mob, but I was detained by unnamed agents
without an arrest order and thrown into detention center without any formal charges. And that was only the beginning. I was not allowed to call anyone. There was no notification to my family. Legal representation was unthinkable
because under a dictatorship there is no due process because human rights are considered a threat to the preservation of a totalitarian regime. That was years ago under the Cuban dictatorship. But if any of this sounds familiar to you today, it's because
we're witnessing about the same tragedy here in our city, in our country. So this is personal to me. If you have never experienced the moment when the state decides it owns your
body, let me assure you is not comforting, is brutal, is violent. And when the police uniform turns into an object of fear, it stops being law
enforcement and it becomes a symbol of repression. ICE has an obscene budget. ICE doesn't need the police of our city. We do. Please consider receiving this
unnecessary and harmful 287g agreement. Thank you. >> Thank you. Good morning. >> Good morning. Good morning to all of you. My name is Nicole Krooks and I'm a resident of Historic Overtown. I work
with Catalyst Miami and I work alongside the Overtown community champions and I'm deeply concerned about the humanity of this city and I thank those of you who are taking that responsibility
seriously. Um, it's important that you honor the humanity of the people that you were elected to represent. And so, for this reason, I urge the termination of 287G. I'm in support of RE5.
And today, I'm speaking on and in I urge you to vote no on FR1. I came today because I'm struggling to understand why in a city that's already facing extreme heat, flooding, poor air quality, respiratory illnesses, and
unprecedented development, we would choose to remove a tool that helps us understand environmental impacts before they occur. And I keep coming back to the one question, why is everybody in such a rush?
This past January, a woman from our community died from an asthma attack. She was younger than me. She's a wife. She's a mom and she should still be here. Instead, her family is carrying that loss. And one of her daughters was
actually there when she took her final breath. And so when I think about the environmental impacts, I think about breath. I think about the particulate dust from all of the construction going on. I think about the air quality. I think about communities like Coconut
Grove and Overtown that have carried envir environmental burdens for generations. We have the highest respiratory disease rates in the city. I think about old Smokeoky and the lessons our history should have taught us.
And the environmental impacts are not just small hiccups. They are the catalyst for huge consequences. They're in our green spaces. They're in our bodies. They are killing us. >> Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Good morning.
>> Good morning. I'm Reverend Charlane Stevens and I am the senior pastor of Ebene United Methodist Church in the Alipata community and I also serve as the current president of packed people acting for community together. and our
organization represents over 40 congregations throughout the county of Miami Dade. I stand here as a faith leader in the community and I speak opposing the 287g agreement. In my faith tradition in Matthew 22:es
36-4 reads, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind." And the second is, "Love your neighbor as yourself." It's known as the great commandment. That is the commandment
upon which everything stands. Love of neighbor. Unfortunately, this agreement has done the opposite. It's set us in division. It certainly has caused separation of families. And one of the
things that as a pastor that I hear, commissioners, I hear stories I hear the stories of family members who were taken and somehow uh end up in other countries. I hear the stories of a
father who goes to work and he's missing and his family has no idea where he is and he's sent all the way to California and somehow is able to get a phone call back to let his wife and children know where he is. And this has happened to the relative of one of the members of my
congregation. My concern is that these agreements help us to move towards a place that is inhumane. I'm also concerned about the emotional health of our officers. I know it seems like everyone speaks against the
officers. They're doing what they're told to do, what they're being charged with, but we have to also be concerned about their emotional and mental health because they're being set to go against to police and abduct their family
members and neighbors and friends. >> Thank you. And so I ask that you would consider and certainly rescend this agreement. >> Thank you. Good morning. >> Good morning, commissioners. My name is Salah Habash and I'm here on behalf of Transit Alliance Miami in strong support
of PZ4. Right now, too many people in Miami have no safe way to walk, bike, run, and exist in third spaces in our city comfortably. We ask families to share the road with fastmoving traffic, then wonder why so many people choose to drive and contribute to our ever growing traffic problem. paths like the
Commodore Trail and Miami River Greenway and the Miami Loop change that by giving residents true protected paths and make walking and biking real choices instead of risks. As you know, many of the greenway um parts already exist but are far from finished and a trail only reaches its full potential when it
connects end to end. PZ4 is how we complete the network. Right now, fees collected near our trails can be spent anywhere in the city. PZ4 keeps that money in the corridor where it was raised and turns every new building near these trails into a partner in finishing the Miami Loop with clear and mandatory
design consistency and quality across the entire network and not just sections of that network and not up to the developers either. So they have to build it. Miami deserves safe and connected walking paths and third spaces and this is a clear opportunity to push that forward. Please pass PC4 today. Thank
you. >> Thank you. Good morning. >> Good morning commissioners. Thank you chairwoman for putting 287G for discussion. My name is Ronaldo Bazero and I have the honor of serving the members the 85 organizations that make
the Florida immigrant coalition as a deputy director. Our coalition was founded 20 years ago right here in Miami. And I don't think we ever expected that right here, the city of Miami would hold the most shameful
record of being the municipal police that has ex executed uh more encounters that has made more encounters with our community related to immigration. I could speak about data. I could speak about the 27,000 people who had an
immigration encounter since the state start publishing this in a public uh database and the 22,000 people who actually um are now have an arrest related to this. But the reality is when
you have a hotline that processes about a thousand calls per month and I'm glad Commissioner Rosado that you are rejoining us. When you have a thousand uh calls processed by our hotline, we know stories and people who are
really impacted by this. So, I'm here because of Maria who did not return home after a traffic stop or Axel who called the police and end up in detention or Danielle who was a victim of a traffic accident and end up in the Everglades
detention camp. And the reality is I know for sure that you also know names of people impacted by this very choice of collaborating with ICE because if you know your constituents, you know them. If you don't know a name of a person who
has been impacted by this, you it's because you don't have a relationship with the community of Miami. The reality is this agreement has been voluntary and I praise and appreciate that. Commissioner uh Partardo and King
were with the right side of history in refusing this in the first place. And the reality is because it is a choice. It's a choice that can be reversed and the city has the responsibility and the capacity to terminate it. The last thing
that I will end with is that we don't do politics in London. We don't do politics in Haiti. We do politics here. And I don't want our neighbors to be returning to Haiti. Those impacted by earthquake in Venezuela don't need to be returned.
We can act now. Thank you. >> Good morning. >> Good morning everybody. Uh my name is Albert Rey. Thank you to the city of Miami for allowing me to speak against item uh DI3 today. So the 287g agreement
does not serve the interests or protects the constituents of Miami. From the perspective of a nicarawa such as myself, I would ask and hope for you to empathize with the many people who traveled faithfully in the hopes of finding a new future here. My family built a life in Miami just as many other families did in the further date county.
It's not right to emotionally blackmail families in this city and for that matter the millions of our county's population through the use of terror. Allowing ICE to expand their powers, powers fueled by fear, into a city whose lifeblood is immigrants is inherently a hypocritical anti-American sentiment.
ICE has thoughtlessly murdered countless innocent people and will continue to do so as long as they're allowed to continue their trek along injustice. For the sake of the people who make up your city's body and for the people who come searching for a new life and the 287g agreement. Thank you.
>> Thank you. Good morning. >> Hi. Good morning, commission. My name is Connor Palmville. Uh it's good to be here this morning. I was here about a year ago uh speaking in opposition of the 287g agreement as I'm here to do
today. Um particularly I've been concerned with the deta uh conditions in these detention camps. There's been reports coming out of these places of people being held in inhumane conditions, being
denied of due process, being denied contact with the outside world, and often coerced into uh self-deportation. A lot of the times people are not actually ordered to deport, but just subjected to such cruel conditions that
uh they give up and they want to leave. And the sort of cruelty is happening right here, right now in our city. I'm very tired of um living in that reality. And I encourage uh the commission today
to re revoke this agreement. It's not going to be easy. I don't think there's going to be an easy time to do it. Um but it's the right thing to do and it needs to be done sooner than later. Uh this has to stop. I appreciate um I want to say to Commissioner King and
Commissioner Partardo uh or Chairwoman King that I appreciate your uh opposition of this and um thank you for your time. >> Thank you. Good morning. >> Good morning. My name is Luna Plasa and
I am a local youth organizer and a recent graduate from the University of Miami. I'm here this morning to speak directly against a 287G agreement between the city of Miami and ICE. This program has no place in our city and we need to cancel it. We have seen what
happens when these agreements expand. Um we know from Department of Justice investigations in states like Arizona and North Carolina that 287G leads directly to racial profiling. And in those jurisdictions, Latino drivers were stopped at rates 9 to 10 times higher
than non-Latino drivers. the DOJ had to step in and sue to stop it. And yet, we are here in Florida expanding these exact same agreements. 27G agreements have impacted students across Florida, um including those attending our local public schools, community colleges, and
universities. Currently, the board of governors is at FAU and Boca Raton right now discussing a regulation that proposes to ban undocumented students from enrolling in college and participating in programs that help them obtain their GED. This is the reality that we are in. We know the city of
Miami has seen low enrollment rates in public schools. And while there are various factors, we know that concerns around immigration enforcement have impacted school enrollment in our districts. Our educators deserve to teach in environments where their students feel safe. And that means keeping immigration enforcement out of
our schools and our communities. By keeping the city of Miami's 287 injury agreement, you are normalizing a system that has already reached into our colleges and universities. We cannot claim to be a welcoming city while our police forces partner in a program the Department of Justice itself once sued to shut down due to civil rights
violations. Commissioners, these agreements do not make our community safers. They make them more divided, more fearful, and more vulnerable to an abuse of power. I urge you to dismantle the connection between the city of Miami Police Department and ICE by formally canceling the 287g agreement. Thank you.
>> Thank you. Good morning. >> Good morning. Good afternoon all. Madam Chair, uh I'm here in reference to PH uh one and the exemplary of my request to each and every one of you. I recognize in writing that we talk about having
exclusive, inclusive, and very much interpreted laws and commitments to federal regulations. I look at policies that say any monies attached to federal monies still takes on federal regulations. I say that because
currently I I'm an American, you know, citizen, but when they say fair housing, they say rights to informal hearings, uh you need to be heard before you just simply snatched away or condemned. I'm asking that these forms and these documents that are sign are signed
according to regulations and that we include in the package the fair housing and the HUD and any other federal regulations that oversee and have oversight over the enforcement of these regulations. I think that should be the way the constitution is as well. My
neighbor before me, I live in an abandoned building basically with a landlord that has been designated a slum lord. I've been in there for a long time, but still, even when the owner comes there to knock on the door, I want to make sure that the federal regulations are applied. I think word is
bond, but it's just funny that people sign for money to build safe, decent, sanitary for one group of people and not provide safe, decent, sanitary for others. That oversight not be confused with enforcement or enforcement for oversight. Lastly, I'll end with this.
If we as taxpayers are the first in the constitution and sworn to have our monies, we need to be careful what we tell other people about oversight. I don't think policing authority is is is a miss. I just think you can't do enforcement without the authority of the
law. Thank you so much on behalf of PH1 and to all my sisters that were put out the same unit before then the minute that their husbands were taken into custody. This is important as well in this language. Honor your word. Thank you. Thank you. Good morning.
>> Hi. Thank you for having me. My name is Caitlyn Daly and I'm here to urge you to put an end to the city of Miami's involvement with the horrifying 287g program. See, as a second generation citizen, I was born here in Miami, Florida. But I come from a Cuban background. I look around the room today
and I see so many people here that are just like me. Whether you were born here or immigrated here, it should not be a crime to seek a better life for you and your loved ones, just like my family did once a long time ago. All of you in front of me, especially those with Hispanic backgrounds and last names like Rosado,
Parlo Escalona, and more, I urge you not to forget the efforts that your family went through to establish your surname in this country. Your families, just like the other million foreignb born Miami Dade residents today, had the same wishes that anyone else, which was to seek freedom. It is terrifying that
there are constantly growing numbers of brutal, unjust murders of innocent people by ICE agents. Some of them were born here and some of them were foreignb born. Clearly, it doesn't matter your citizenship status, when or how you arrived, or who you are as a person. This is terrifying, and I know I don't
feel safe. And I'm certainly positive that many others feel the same way. It is not fair that your residents must live in fear in our schools, in our highways, in our workplaces, our universities, and even our own homes. For this reason, I beg you to end City of Miami's involvement with the 287G
program. Thank you. >> Thank you. Good morning. >> Uh, good morning. My name is Valeria Donets and I'm speaking on FR1 today. I represent friends of Biscane Bay. We're the citizen support organization that works to protect and restore Biscane Bay aquatic preserves and helps to implement its management plan. Given the state of
Biscane Bay and its economic importance to all of us, we were concerned to see the environmental impact statement review process removed from the your regul uh your required regulations under chapter 62. We appreciate the effort that has gone into strengthening the city's traffic analysis requirements, clear thresholds, updated methodologies
and ensuring traffic studies remain current are all positive improvements that will help the city make better informed planning decisions. However, given multiple current and pending proposals for marine expansions and waterfront developments within city boundaries, we have to always think about the impacts to the bay. As our shoreline becomes increasingly developed
and our coastal waters face growing environmental pressures, this is precisely the time when independent environmental review becomes more important, not less, we must place we must place limits on bay impacts as water quality data shows Northern Biscane Bay has already reached the ecological tipping point. And we must
put effort into reversing the damage to protect our 64 billion economic blue heart. Independent environmental studies provide decision makers and the public with with objective science-based information about potential impacts before the projects moves forward move forward. They improve transparency,
strengthen public confidence, and ultimately lead to better projects in right locations and better economic and community outcomes. Increase safeguards for traffic impacts and environmental impacts should not be viewed as competing priorities. Both are essential components of responsible planning in a coastal city where economy, resilience,
and quality of life are fundamentally tied to the health of Biscane Bay. We respectfully ask the commission to retain the improvements to the traffic study requirements while recogni while reconsidering the removal in of independent environmental impact studies. Thank you. >> Thank you. Good morning.
>> Good morning. Hello everyone. I'm here today to address item DI3. My name is Sebastian Gonzalez and I'm an American citizen, Miami date resident, Miami DSA member, and both Colombian through my mother and Cuban through my father. I was hesitant to speak this morning
because I felt like anything I would have to say would have already been said. But then I realized this would be my first time speaking out like this, and even if I repeat what's been said, it still serves to emphasize those points and also to convey feelings. Although nebulous in nature, they compelled myself and many others to come
out to city hall and make our voice heard for the sake of protecting. Protecting our fellow person and for me to remain silent feels like a disservice. Similarly to how 287G is a disservice to the people because DHS deputizing state and local law enforcement only leads to increased
racial profiling, further eroding people's trust in the police and makes immigrant communities fearful of calling 911 or reporting crimes, which undermines the intended purpose of the police in the first place. that being to protect and serve. But who is this protecting? Who is this serving? Not my
family, not my friends, not their family or their friends, and not anyone who spoke before me, nor anyone to speak after. So, please consider if an army of officers turn federal deportation agents protects and serves or harms and forsakes. Thank you for listening and
thank you for your time. >> Thank you. Good morning. >> Good morning. My name is Katherine Accardi, address 816 Northwest 11 Street, District 5. I am here today to urge you to end the 287g agreement. For many immigrants and their families, the possibility of detention, family
separation, or deportation is a constant source of stress and trauma. Racial profiling and the fear of being targeted because of how someone looks, speaks, or where they come from undermines trust and makes people feel less safe, not more safe. Immigrants are one of our
city's greatest strengths. They contribute a lot of money to local economies through their work, spending, entrepreneurship, and innovation. We do not want our tax money going towards cooperation with ICE. We want policies that promote safety, dignity, inclusion,
and opportunities for all residents. Shout out to Commissioner King and Commissioner Partardo for originally voting against 287G and to the rest of the commissioners. Please stand on the right side of history and end the 287g. Thank you. >> Thank you. Good morning.
>> Good morning, Chairwoman, Commission. Uh, my name is Matias Quas, and I came to speak against 287G and to ask for you all to rescend um this agreement. Since January of last year, there have been 39,000
uh immigration arrests in Florida. And I can guess where the majority of those were made. And by who? By highway patrol. Um, so that is also to say to urge whoever is, you know, with a broken
tail light or um has tints that are too dark to get that fixed. But we all know the pain and the fear that this agreement has caused and there's no reason absolutely to maintain this agreement because all it has brought is
negativity. um not only from the social standpoint, also the economic standpoint um and there is absolutely all the reason to resin this agreement and um so I urge you to do so. Thank you.
>> Thank you. Good morning. >> Good morning. My name is Anna Maria Ernnandez. I am a proud immigrant and I'm here to speak in strong opposition to agenda item DI3 and ask the commission to do something courageous,
end these agreements. This conversation is not about immigration policy. It is about what kind of communities we want to build in our city and how we can ensure that all Miamiians and Florida residents have the opportunity to work, live, love, and
thrive in our state. People who are immigrants are part of the foundation of Florida and of Miami. We are the workers. We are business owners. We are students. We are caregivers, taxpayers. We're neighbors. We're family members.
We power the Florida economy, strengthen our state, and contribute to Miami success every single day. Miami is a world known city, and we are the reason for that. 287g agreements are the opposite of
public safety. When people are afraid to report crimes, go to the doctor, or seek help in an emergency, our communities are not becoming more safe. They are becoming less safe. Local for law enforcement is strongest when us the
residents see them as partners and as people that are there to protect and serve us as not as the people in charge of pro p prosecuting us, harassing us, detaining us and uh treating us poorly. Today you have a choice. You can support
policies that create division and fear, or you can invest in solutions that will strengthen public safety, economic opportunity, and our city. I ask you to protect Miami residents by ending the 287g agreements.
>> Thank you. Good morning. >> Good morning. My name is Marcela Bayadarez. I'm a resident of Miami Date County. I'm also an immigrant and a member of Miami DSA. It's been a year since we saw the city of Miami agree to enter into a 287g agreement. despite them being under no legal obligation to
do so. Miami is a city that was literally built and maintained by immigrant labor largely from the Caribbean and Latin America. And there is a historical pattern of these same immigrants that helped to build and maintain Miami being treated terribly. Since August of 2025, when that
agreement went into effect, the city of Miami police have reported hundreds of encounters directly to ICE. According to their public records, Florida leads the country and as the state with the most 287g agreements. And at the state level, we've seen immigrants being turned into
a punching bag by state leaders and in too many cases forced to undergo cruel abuses of their human rights at detention centers like the Chrome detention center and Alligator Alcatraz. 287g agreements weaken people's trust in local police and local government. And
that trust is not something that can easil easily be earned back. Rescending the 287g agreement is the first step in earning that trust back. Do not let this be the new normal. Take a strong stance for your community, neighbors, and your friends and 287g. Thank you.
>> Thank you. Good morning. >> Good morning, Madam Chair. My name is Truly Burton and just on a personal note, I'm the daughter of an immigrant. My father came here from Greece on a boat alone at 11 years old. Okay. I know you all will vote your conscience and do the right thing on the ICE issue. Also
immigrants from the where the gentleman spoke most recently from the Caribbean from Central and South America are craftsmen in our industry in the construction industry. Our industry you want to talk about housing affordability. There would be none
without immigrant labor. Okay. First second I'm also here just to put in a good word on two items FR1 and two. FR1 streamlines the traffic studies opposed to having duplicate traffic studies. However, it does retain any environmental studies that have got to be done. They have got to be done. I
don't care who does it, just just do it. But just one of them. Again, that goes back to housing affordability. FR2 has also needed improvements to update the public works code um which have been we've been working on, you know, for quite a while. Also, I want to personally thank the mayor, the city
manager, the city attorney's office, deputy manager, Ace Morero, and the public works director for their cooperation and support during this long time as we revise these ordinance. And a bigger thank you to all my BASF traffic engineers, civil engineers, and the attorneys that have been working uh with
us on that. We also look forward to continuing this cooperative relationship and any other issues. And thank you, and go immigrants. >> Thank you. Good morning. Good morning. I live in district 5. I am an activist.
I work in different organizations. I am currently working in district 1, Alipata. My commissioner is Christine King, who I'd like to thank for not supporting 287G, which has brought so many problems to our community since it has affected our small businesses,
families, jobs, and children's safety. I've been knocking on doors and talking to community members. They've been telling me about their fears and feeling feelings of prosecution. They fear being trapped on the streets, being separated from their families, and children from
their parents. Many businesses have closed down due to low sales. People also fear to go out shopping. I plead to the commissioners Gabell and Rosalo and to the ex-commissioner Koyo who supported and approved this
agreement 287G which has caused much pain and continues to hurt us. They have forgotten who voted for them. They promised in their election speeches to keep us safe and promote development and they've only given us the complete opposite.
They only promise us everything and deliver nothing. They don't comply with our safety nor anything else in our community. Thank you. >> Thank you. Good morning. >> Good morning. Uh my name is Wendy King.
I'm a Broward County resident, but I'm here this morning because I serve as a immigrant detention support coordinator for Florida Immigrant Coalition. Um, and I operate a program that's managed here in Miami. Um, in my role, I've had the opportunity to visit with dozens of
Miami residents um that are detained at the Chrome Detention Center in Southwest Miami Dade, which of course now folks have been evacuated due to the nearby wildfires. Um, we are receiving reports that folks are not getting access to their medications, to ample food and
water. So, it's just an example of how detention does hurt our community and how these traffic stops can contribute to that. At least half of the people that I visit at Chrome have told me they were turned over to ICE custody as a result of a traffic related stop by
local police. According to Amnesty International, Chrome is plagued by complaints of overcrowding, inadequate medical care, prolonged solitary confinement, and obstacles to legal help. Our Miami neighbors and family that that are held here at Chrome have told us that detained people have been
attempting or committing suicide at even higher rates over the past year. I was talking with a new friend detained at Chrome just last week. He's originally from Cuba and has been in ICE detention for over a year. I sent him to Chrome after first detaining him at the
Everglaze concentration camp. He told me he never thought in this life that I would suffer so much mistreatment and injustice. He said, "I'm not perfect, but I'm a human being. It's scary to be detained here for so long. Uh, please do the right thing today, uh, the city of
Miami, and end this 287g agreement. Uh, deportation and caging our neighbors is not the work of the city or the city's police officers." Thank you. >> Thank you. Good morning. >> Oh, I wish it was a good morning. My name is Le Spicer.
Once upon a time, Miami was a city that people felt proud to be from. Pictured beaches, abundant mangoes, diversity from all across the world, especially Latin America and the Caribbean. Like any place, we had our problems, but generally we've served as a stepping
stone into the United States, the pinnacle of the American dream. for folks from Jamaica, Cuba, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and all over the world. Almost a year ago, hundreds of people came to this very building because they saw storm clouds headed their way. This commission was
considering an unnecessary partnership with federal kidnappers. Sorry, I mean ICE agents. We waited in the sun, passing waters to each other and nervous to speak, wondering how long it would take for the hundreds of us to get inside. And yet, despite the hundreds of us
again opposing the 287g agreement, the commission voted and went forward with it. Now, I traveled earlier this year to Brazil. And when people heard I was from Miami, they said nervously, "Are you okay? Are your neighbors and your friends okay? I hear the local
government supports those human rights atrocities. I wouldn't visit again. I know they're arresting people that shouldn't be detained. The government should be ashamed. Miami leads the country in ICE arrests, largely ones that come from the 287g
collaboration between local police and ICE. I'd love for you to answer honestly when you can. Do you want to be known internationally for locking up more people than any other city? Today is your chance to change the next
chapter of the story. Maybe the next chapter starts with, "Once upon a time on June 25th, 2026, the commissioners looked at themselves and decided to make a change for the better." >> Thank you. Good morning.
>> Good morning, uh, Madame Chair, commissioners. Rob Piper, 1401 Southwest 17 Terrace, uh, former candidate for city commission, now current candidate for C, uh, county commission. And I am here today to cheer
you all on to cheer you on for RE5 uh because uh that is you are about to vote on whether or not to pursue legal avenues to challenge a bad law from Tallahassee and I cheer you on for that.
That being said, I'm also here to cheer you on for DI3 because then you will start the discussion uh in regards to another bad law from Tallahassee. And I'm here to cheer you on for that. I don't know what's going to happen in the discussion, but I hope that from that
discussion that a resolution gets uh gets created comes from that to exit the 287G agreement cuz it never should have happened. And if you're if there is a concern during this discussion about any type of response that might come from
Tallahassee, I would just remind you that there is no law to enter one of these to enter a 287G agreement. There never was. But however, you are seeking to challenge an actual law in the live local act. So, while there there are avenues to challenge that, there are
also avenues to challenge any response that might come from a lame duck governor or a lame ass attorney general to remove any of you. And just remember, if that were to happen, if you do the right thing and create a resolution to
exit that agreement, we all have your back. We will have your back against those at Tallahassee who might seek to not have yours. Thank you very much. Thank you. Good morning. >> Good morning. My name is Nino Sorya
Maddie. I grew up in the roads and I live in Bickl now. Um, I've just come from my job where I work in gardens and title one schools. I'm kind of covered in dirt right now. I teach elementary school students about our native flora and fauna, giving them hands-on experience with their environment, which we are so lucky to have so much access
to here in the beautiful city of Miami. Over my time as an educator, I've worked with students in Liberty City, Alapata, Coral Gables, Overtown, from North Miami to Homestead. When talk of the 287g agreement arose last year, I watched as my classes got
smaller and smaller. My students families were being paralyzed by fear, unafraid to leave their homes for fear of persecution. Um I I urge you to and I repeat the words of my friend Z. Let this moment be a
moment to start a new chapter. When our city uh when our police are given the unnecessary aim of overs surveilling our people, our city becomes a battleground and a war is waged against the families who make Miami what it is. Please do not let our city become more invested in
this attack on human dignity, on democracy, and on life in Miami. Please do not force us into a reality stained by more fear and persecution than already exists. Frankly, there's enough already. Uh we do not need more fear sewn into
our city. We urge you please strongly oppose police involvement in ICE. Thank you. >> Thank you. Good morning. >> Good morning, chair, commissioners. My name is Hetty Green and I'm here for
y'all to actually re withdraw the 287g agreement. The reason why I'm here, my family are Bahamians, Bahamas made up
Coconut Grove, Key West, you name it, overtown. We are silent in the background, but we still are immigrants. You don't hear about the Bahamas. You don't hear 45 We are 45 minutes away
from Miami, but you don't hear anything about us. But we still are immigrants and we would like for y'all to stop this agreement on 287 because my nephew,
he came here getting straight and everything. He was picked up. His daughter had a nerves breakdown because they don't allow you to get to
your family. For days, we hadn't heard from him. We didn't understand what was going on, why they cannot contact their family. He was shipped to Los Angeles, California.
Is this right? for this to happen. So I'm asking I'm begging you in the mighty name of Jesus for y'all this to go against this agreement because it's not human dignity
what they go through when they in those places please I'm begging stop this agreement. >> Thank you. Good morning. >> My name is Lama and the 287G agreement
is a harassment vehicle for people to be treated like violent criminals for the crime of paperwork issues. The people most vulnerable in society are unable to speak out on human trafficking and slavery due to fear and being brutalized to similar similar to the conditions
that is that we have in our jails and in ICE facilities. The things we accuse our state enemies of doing abroad, we are doing right here at home with migrants simply just wanting to get a better life. Corporations then use these people in precarious situations to underpay
said migrants while getting a slap in the wrist whenever it is that they're found out. In fact, they even call ICE on themselves when working migrants get too uppery on their severe exploitation. End this agreement. Omnito. >> Thank you. Good morning.
>> Good morning. Hi everyone. I'm Carla Reyes. I'm the climate justice organizer at the Florida Immigrant Coalition and I work in the city of Miami. I'm here to speak on uh DI3. Um and I want to thank uh Commissioners King and Partardo for
uh being on the side of the community members who were here standing in the extreme heat outside almost a year ago. Uh to and for your support in that. Um, I have the opportunity to work at the intersection of climate and immigration enforcement. And so I'm here to bring a
little bit of a different perspective. But, um, in my work, we've seen that $390 million of our FEMA dollars went into the buildout of the so-called alligator Alcatra, and only 58 million of that was reimbursed. The rest we paid
as taxpayers in the state of Florida. We're hearing today the costs on our communities, on our loved ones, on our trust in this commission. And so I ask, how much of our taxpayer dollars does it cost to deputize city police officers?
How much does it cost our community sitting in this room behind me to jail innocent immigrant workers, parents, grandparents, mothers, fathers, students, children? and how much, if at all, have we been
reimbursed? Have our loved ones been returned to us? If this commission has the answers to these questions, please share them with us. Um, instead of funding the imprisonment of our immigrant neighbors and the separation of our loved ones, we could decide to
offset the everinccreasing costs of living in the city of Miami. The city commission has the power to reconsider and can reconsider your signing on to this agreement. We already know municipalities are not even required to sign on. We hope you take our
testimonies into account when you do. Thank you. >> Thank you. Good morning. >> Good morning. Thank I would like to thank the chairwoman and the commissioners for allowing me to speak. My name is Feta Rodriguez. I live on 3285 Southwest 132nd Avenue. I moved
down here when I was 7 years old and I've been here for 24 years. My family wanted to seek a better life from the Bronx over here after 911. It's been honestly this whole place has been my whole life. And the reason I want to talk about this is because Miami to me
it's in essence a large extended family. I've lived and struggled and had so much joy here. And I'm talking today about the 287g agreement because it's all about families specifically. Families are being ripped apart. Mothers don't
know when their sons are coming back home, where they are. Kids are left confused the next day. I don't want to see this continue continue specifically. And I really do hope that all of you
speak out against this and vote against this. And I want to say thank you for hearing me out. I hope you all have a lovely day. >> Thank you. Good morning. >> Good morning, commissioners. Thank you so much for representing us. Uh my name is Karolina Drake, 2350 Over Brook
Street. I'm a teacher and um I'm here representing another teacher friend neighbor who just wrote this, so I'll just read it. Miami Dade County Public Schools has the largest public school police force already in the country. Spanish here represents 60% of the
primary home language of students. It's only one of them, by the way. There's so many other languages. Uh to turn the police force into ICE agents would be a direct assault on children. In 2022, over 20,000 immigrant children were registered in Miami D County public
schools. Currently, less than 5,000 students are foreignb born right now. That's a dramatic drop due to threats to their safety in a system that is meant to support them. Please vote to cancel this agreement. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Hi. Uh my name is Daniel Mendoza. I live
on 2419 Northwest 11th Street and I'm speaking in opposition of 287G. I did not plan to speak today, but after hearing about the Supreme Court's ruling on TPS, and as a school teacher who works out of Little Haiti, I felt the need to speak out. Little Haiti has had
a history of crime and violence that has been improved over time thanks to the collaboration of community leaders and city law enforcements. Many of our cops are Haitian themselves and have built relationships with the people they swore to protect and serve. As other people have mentioned uh throughout the day, uh
27 uh 287g undermines that trust and that trust will worsen now that TPS has been um is now under threat for the Haitian people. Let's remember why the Haitians cannot go home. The Guardian in 2023 called Haiti a failed state after
its government collapsed completely. Its gangs now rule the country. One that the US Department of State maintains a level four do not travel advisory preventing travel to and from Haiti due to quote crimes involving sexual assault and
kidnapping for ransom to send my students and their family back there may be their death sentence. The mixture of the Supreme Court ruling on TPS and 287G risks crime being uh unreported in Little Haiti. I implore the city to
protect its people and reject 287G. Thank you. >> Thank you. Good morning. >> Hi. Good morning, commissioners. Good morning, everybody. My name is Elliot Rodriguez and I've lived in Miami since 1968
when I was 12 years old. We moved here, but I was born in New York City. My father came to this country as an immigrant from Cuba in the 1940s. My mother came to this country as an immigrant from Cuba as well in the
1950s. They met in New York where I was born. So I always say when I write a book, the title will be from anchor baby to anchor man. My parents at the time of my birth, my father had finalized his
immigration status. My mother had not. I have birthright citizenship. If this a an agreement like this one had existed back then and somebody had stopped my family, they could have taken my mother
away. My father had finalized his immigration status. My mother had not and I had birthright citizenship. So this this agreement is unamerican. It's not the country that my parents
were able to succeed in, were able to work hard in. And when I look across this deis, every commissioner here is also either an immigrant or like me, the child of immigrants. And that's not a coincidence. That's Miami. I spent nearly four decades reporting on this
community. And throughout that time, I've learned that Miami's greatest strength has always been its people. People who came here seeking freedom, opportunity, and the chance to build a better life, like my parents did. That's why I am asking you today to end the
city's 287g agreement. It is wrong. It is inhumane. It is cruel. It is unamerican. And it's not smart. It's not good police work. Police want to have a good relationship with the immigrant community. They do
not want to have an adversarial relationship with the immigrant community. So, please, I ask you to make a motion to stop this agreement. Thank you very much. >> Thank you. Thank you. >> Good morning. >> Good morning, Brenda Baur, 1436 West
Street. Um, about the 287G. Well, I wasn't going to talk about that anyways, but uh I just have a question for all of you. Can you guys explain exactly how many police officers are actually certified
to do the immigration uh assignment as a true 287g according with the last agreement of the one that you guys whoever voted for it signed for it. It was three police officers that were going to be assigned
to attached to this 287G which as long as I remember until today nobody has been certified because you has to be a certified federal agent and you has to go through the process of going to the school and being certified.
And so I would like for you as our elected officials to actually give us the information and the new chief of police might know which of the three officer of the city of Miami has been
actually certified to work on the 287g. Everybody think they the first one the beginning on the end all the police officers are on the ice actions. So it would be nice and it would be very smart for you to guys actually give
information to the citizens who stand here. Some of them live in the city of Miami. summoned that evening. But it would be very smart for you to be able to explain to the citizens who live in the city of Miami who pays every single salary of
the of the police to know if actually these actions the people have been stating in this podium are being actually been done. And sometimes police officers tend to believe that they can do more than what they are supposed to be doing. And we
have already hear many stories about police officer asking people in the city of Miami for the social security status. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Good morning. >> Good morning. Thank you for listening to
the sea of humanity that has been here to speak against La Polyigra, the police enforcement of immigration. My name is Maria Rodriguez. Uh, I'm a homeowner at 910 Bay Drive, Miami Beach, Florida. I
have two important questions. Why, given the moment that we're living historically, would we want to expand immigration enforcement when we know it comes at such a high moral and financial cost? These folks are going after
families, creating widows and orphans of deportation. You will have to carry that in your conscience decades from now. It will be looked at upon shamefully. Number two, why would we divert
law enforcement, public safety resources to go after the workforce of this uh city, whether it's literally or perception, it will undermine all of us, all of our
public safety. I urge you today to make a motion to withdraw from this agreement that has not served us, will not serve us. It comes at a high moral and co and
and financial cost from meases and with as board chair of Florida rising together we understand that we want to build unity opportunity and prosperity for communities. Please today make a choice to step back from this
harmful practice. >> Thank you. >> Good afternoon. >> Good afternoon, chairwoman, commissioners. Good to see you all. Kind of heavy day here today. The
headlines sell us division and fear. Do you know me? My name is Sylvia Po. I'm a resident of District 1. and um very active in seeing what's happening on the ground. And we're seeing that our fabric of the community,
our neighbors are more united today more than ever. When public land was nearly given away for the GSA lot, the entire affordable housing community galvanized. When the charter protections of 17 were threatened, the environmental community
galvanized. And when the fear came to our streets, neighbors have galvanized to protect each other. Again and again, the community shows up. So let's not ask whether people will rise. They already have. Let's empower them. And how are we
empower them as a government? It's also the one-year anniversary for a moment on a personal note since I lost my cousin Evelyn Karat Valdez. Born June 11th, taken on June 14th
by a stray bullet in Windwood, celebrating her birthday, 28 years old. I don't speak to blame anybody. And those of you know me know that I don't come to blame anybody, but I want to find solutions. And I ask you for a
couple seconds to get through this. That that officer, not just our family, also has to carry that burden of what happened. And in her name, I'm standing here building, not breaking.
Grief has taught me what this city needs more than anything. It's to be brothers at arms, not armed against each other. Our deepest infrastructure projects not gray infrastructure. It's not tree canopy. It's trust. And let's bring it
back. We know this model works. We know trains our our fires. We know police has citizens on patrol. I want us to do the same for our most important assets, our community, and bring us together by doing it. We have the solutions, but we need your support. >> Thank you.
Please do what's right. >> Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Seeing no one else for public comment, the public comment period is now closed. Gentlemen, would you like to discuss the pocket
item that is before us? Pull it for discussion. If no, may I have a motion to approve pocket item P1? So move. >> I have a motion and a second. All in favor? >> I. >> Motion carries. Gentlemen, of the
consent agenda items, are there any items that you would like to pull for discussion? CA 1 2 3 4 or five. >> No. >> May I have a motion? >> Some moved. >> Second. All in favor? I
>> item passes. Gentlemen, with respect to the remaining public hearing items, are there any that you would like to pull for discussion? >> No. >> No. >> Um Todd, do you have me as a sponsor for
the RE5? >> Yes, ma'am. >> Okay. Just making sure. All righty. So then may I have a motion for PH1 34 5. So move
>> which will be as amended. >> Second. >> I have a mot and just for the record as you uh mentioned PH5 will be amended pursuant to a substitution memo dated June 18, 2026. >> I have a motion and a second. All in favor? I I
>> motion carries. Gentlemen, with respect to the RE items, are there any items that you would like to pull for discussion? >> Like to pull RE5 >> Mhm. >> and RE7 RE5 and seven.
Anyone else? >> No. >> No. Okay. Then may I have a motion for re 1 2 4 R1 2 and 4
>> chair. Did you want to include RE6? >> RE6 has been >> deferred until July 23rd. >> No. >> No. That's it. >> It was the manager. Mr. Manager, did you >> I don't have that on my list. defer RE6
until cuz I have it written down as deferred until July 23rd. >> Me too. >> R6. So it's not just me. >> I don't have that >> FR6. >> I think you're confused with FR6. >> Okay then. Um so may I have a motion for
RE1 2 4 and six? So moved. I >> have a motion and a second. All in favor? items passes unanimously. Commissioner Partardo RE5 you'd like to discuss? >> Yeah, I'd actually like to have staff uh
come here and kind of describe the major challenges that live local act really poses to our code in Miami 21 and really how it impacts us daily at the city of Miami. >> Yes, good afternoon uh commission uh
David Snow, planning director. Um so just some really quick notes as it relates to uh you know our current zoning code which is Miami 21 um and that impact of the live local act. Uh so that you know that that zoning code was
adopted in 2009 after an extensive roughly fiveyear planning process, neighborhood planning process that went through each neighborhood to look at how this new
innovative formbbased zoning code could assure the success of urban growth within the city of Miami. Um, in addition to that, it also looked at supporting our comprehensive neighborhood plan and the goals within that comprehensive neighborhood plan
that was consistent with the state's law at the time, which was a growth management act, chapter 163. Ironically, we're talking about a state law now, which is live local. Um but within the the the comprehensive plan policies, it
looked at, you know, promoting growth and development in downtown around transit oriented areas. Um looking at also supporting uh efficient land use and encouraging compact development while protecting and enhancing
residential areas within the neighborhoods um and promoting walkability within the neighborhoods as well. Um but I want to also get into some of the specifics on the impacts of live local uh in our code. Um so right
now when a live local project that meets the qualifications of live local so that needs to be on a uh commercial mixeduse or industrial property within the city um can then uh utilize an increased density of roughly thousand dwelling
units an acre and can pull from the tallest building within a mile. Okay. Uh, and you know, we know Miami is a very, it's a small compact city with varying heights uh, throughout it. So, you could be in a uh, adjacent single
family area uh, have that commercial zoning and then you're pulling from a mile the tallest building within it. Um, without any zoning change, right? Um, so it bypasses that process. Um, I mentioned the height and the density. Uh
so we're losing that that transparency that our code currently provides uh as far as height and density within the appropriate areas. Um the building scale. So our our zoning code that uh prescribes a transct uh throughout uh
the it's the community um assuring that the proper transition of height from the single family one story all the way to the more urban transex zones. um that is now removed from this process. Um our
design review board, so projects, large scale projects, projects that are over 200,000 square feet in size, uh go before our uh urban uh development review board or our uh Windwood design review board. That process is now removed. Um
affordable housing. I think this is an important point because uh you know one of the key elements of live local was supporting affordable housing for the state. We need more affordable housing. Um but unfortunately you only need to meet a minimum of uh
140% AMI which does not meet the needs of the city of Miami. Um Miami 21 uh since its adoption has a very prescribed affordable housing policy within it to assure assure the success of housing
that is needed within this community and we continue to evolve that housing policy within the zoning code. Um and then I also mentioned you know the transparency and predictability that Miami 21 had. Again, we went through a five-year planning process working with
each neighborhood to asssure the transparency and predictability of development that was going to happen within those neighborhoods. Um, so I'll leave it at that. And I wanted to ask you also, is there a financial impact? We were briefly discussing that of funds
that would normally come to the city of Miami but don't. >> Right. So, uh, one of the, um, things that Miami 21 had created was a, a public benefit program. Um, and that allows additional development capacity,
uh, if a contribution is made into that, uh, program. So, uh, you can build additional affordable housing, you can provide a park, open space, or you can make a direct cash contribution into the trust fund. um that fund has resulted in
roughly $28 million uh that that the city can use for whether it's park improvements or affordable housing successfully. Um and I do I do want to just mention um the amounts of live local projects that we have within the city right now is
roughly 82 plus live local projects within >> 80 82 >> 82 82 >> under construction under >> two of of which are officially under construction. >> So 80 >> but 82 have been permitted.
>> Two of them are under construction. >> Um director I've been speaking out against this live local. I don't know if you guys recall there was a proposed project in Overtown for a 55
story and I couldn't say anything about it because it was live local. I've asked and asked and asked in addition to the live local and the RTZ. You can build, but you can't build if you don't have rapid transit. And we
don't have rapid transit. And it doesn't take into consideration our historic neighborhoods through my neighborhood, historic Palm Grove. There's the Bright Line, Tri Rail, and that is considered rapid transit and with live local, but
that would be completely outside of the character of our neighborhoods. So, I'm so proud to be a co-sponsor of this item, and we, the city of Miami, need to get on board because live local is not
good for our communities, right? and we should not abdicate our authority to the state. As everyone had said in our public comments today, it is just not good policy for our community. So, I I
hope our city attorney aggressively aggressively um advocates for us with respect to live local. And Madam Chair, just to add to those comments, I think it also puts us in a very precarious situation when we have development teams coming into our
office and saying, "Well, we want this variance and we want this and give us this and we're trying to figure out how do we retain control?" because Miami 21, correct me if I'm wrong, gives a lot more thought to open spaces and the form
and the outside areas and, you know, the envelope of the buildings. And when when we lose control of all of that, which we don't want to do, then we're in a bind because either we do these exceptions and variances, which the residents don't want, >> right?
>> Or they go higher, more dense, and deliver a product that we have really no control over >> and threaten us with it. Well, we can just go live local. >> Yeah. Right. >> Yeah. That's >> right. Right. No, that's absolutely correct. Um, you know, I think a good example, you know, we went through
another uh addition to Miami 21, which is our neighborhood revitalization districts or NRDs, and Winwood was one of the first ones to do it, right? Um, and again, a two-year planning process that calibrated that neighborhood for future development. Um we've now seen
roughly four live local projects within that neighborhood that are over 40 plus stories. >> Um so that you know it does have somewhat of a disruption to that fabric. >> No, absolutely. And in neighborhoods like Coconut Grove and I mean this is exactly what we're talking about. So I
appreciate the support. >> Commissioner Rosado. >> Sure. I thank you. Uh so I' I've been critical of live local not only in my time on the deis but even prior to that and you all may remember about a year and a half ago I brought a number of residents from my neighborhood because
we were threatened with a project in uh next to Coral Gate which is an NCD where folks were saying oh it's going to be live local and we're just going to have to accept it and and so we at that time this would have been October uh 2024 I urged the commission to take a stance against it back then. So my position's
been consistent uh in regards to having major concerns with this being decided for us. That being said, I would like to have before before you know this item is larger in scope than I'm comfortable with at the moment. Uh I'd like to have
additional legal analysis as to what regarding the validity and also the impacts to the city, right? because I've been critical of it, but at the same time, I understand that creating opportunities for work for h workforce housing is a priority, I think, for everybody up here and for so many in the
city. So, I I'm not ready to throw the baby out with a bath water just yet on this. Um, I would like to request, this would be my motion if if possible. I know I'm not the sponsor clearly. Um, that we have that additional analysis done. If we have 80 plus projects in the
pipeline, what happens to those? Uh, can we request a more nuanced version of the legislation that also takes a position on projects that are proposed next to NCDS, not only in my neighborhood, but in the Grove and elsewhere, projects that are adjacent to historic districts
that would be completely incompatible. I want to have a better understanding citywide of of what the repercussions are before saying, "Yes, let's sue." >> I can respond to that. This comes back to commission, so there's plenty of time when it comes back. So, I think it's open enough in this form for us to go
ahead and vote on it and for the work to get done and come back. >> Is Mr. Attorney, is that your understanding as well? Because the way it's written, it could be, I think, interpreted in in two different ways. What we're saying today, yes, we're all against this. Let's go ahead and sue.
And there's also enough language in there to say, no, no, no, give us some analysis and come back because I'm okay with the latter version. Yeah, I think it's written broadly enough in that it does not um sometimes you adopt resolutions that direct us to take action, use any and all efforts. Um this
one includes um an analyze um look into maybe not suing, maybe joining as an amikas or something like that. Um there's very many options out there where you know perhaps the city is not in the forefront. We're not putting the target on our back. Um that sort of
thing. So, um, and I'll we'll work with the commission. We'll analyze it and bring it back and and seek your guidance as to how aggressive you want us to be. I mean, ultimately that's your decision as a commission to decide, you know, do you want to take the shot and um, we'll definitely keep you in the loop of that
decision. >> Thank you. >> May I have a motion? >> So, move second. >> I have a motion and a second. All in favor? >> I. Item passes unanimously and RE7 was >> called RE7 Eron Deo I think is here is
the chair of our climate resiliency committee and I thought maybe you could just take a couple minutes and explain this specific item and thank you for all the work you have done on this and the committee. >> Thank you. It's uh it is a pleasure to serve as the chair of the city's climate resilience committee and I appreciate
you all um in in hearing this item today called uh the sponge program. So this is a a framework for creating parks that actively function as storm water retention infrastructure. They deliver flood mitigation, urban cooling and
public green space simultaneously. So the city, as you know, already faces compounding flood risks from uh from rain events, from storm surge, from title intrusion, and we also have a lot of high heat days. So the sponge program
would formalize and expand the city's already existing practice of integrating storm water retention into appropriate parks. Also looking to identify new specific locations to expand the program and uh coordinating with existing green
gray infrastructure. So prioritizing low inland neighborhoods would allow for this sponge park to be more effective, particularly where gray infrastructure is not planned for those neighborhoods for potentially a decade or more in the stormwater master plan. And this
multi-ben approach is already acknowledged throughout multiple city policies that have been adopted in the past by some of you all. and the National Flood Insurance Program, the CRS rating would potentially get increased by lowering it from a six to a
five by implementing this sponge program as it identifies in the FEMA CRS manual that by purchasing these uh repetitive loss properties and also uh having an open space preservation credit, we could
improve the flood rating for the whole city even through these targeted effects. Uh, as far as the the timing of this item, I think it's very important as we continue to see these extreme rain events in certain neighborhoods, but also as we heard earlier from another speaker during public comment,
University of Miami in conjunction with the University of Pennsylvania in their fall uh 2026 design studio, they're going to be having a uh a a program where they're going to be looking at sites throughout the county in North Bay Village and hopefully here at the city of Miami. And I think it's great that
there's partnerships with our local universities to collaborate and and use the resources of of those universities to help strengthen our own efforts. So, as I understand, I think everyone sponsored this item, which is incredible, and I I really appreciate all of the uh attention to this this matter. Thank you so much.
>> Thank you. >> I have a question for you. Well, not really a question. I received a very thoughtful email with respect to our tree committee, the citizen advisory tree committee that's helping to um revamp the ordinance. And one of my
constituents recommended that we have someone from the climate's resilience committee on that advisory body make sense for what we're trying to do. Could could Mr. manager. Could we I
don't know if we would need a a motion or anything to have someone from the climate resilience committee as well on that. >> So moved if we need it. >> I I really appreciate that consideration. I as I understand uh our
committee member Ara Jane from the climber. >> Oh yeah, I appointed her. So I think she's a fantastic steward as understanding both from the development side as someone who's done adaptive reuse and new construction and someone who's done a lot of tree preservation. I feel like she's going to be a really
balanced voice and I'm excited to attend those tree committee meetings and appreciate it. I just wanted to make sure that you guys had a voice and were also a part of guiding the um
amendment of this our tree ordinance so that we absolutely get it right. >> We have and we've discussed that actually at a number of our meetings as far as what our role would be of not overstepping and being considerate of the will of the commission and having that committee.
There's various ideas that our committee's come up with in the past and also we've had a lot of public comment at the CRC and we've consolidated that and Miriam Flor has helped consolidate all of those public comments to share with the consensus center and the tree committee so that they could see all of the comments that had already been made
at the CRC so that they have that footing already. But we're ready to participate and assist in the tree committee's actions. >> I would like to make it official because this is going to live beyond me, right? I'm going to um term out and I don't
know that the next person behind me would happen to appoint someone from district five that's also a part of the climate resilience committee and maybe for my colleagues as well. So I'd like to make it more structured official because that
was just good fortune on my behalf that Arva is also a part of your committee. So, if I could have a motion to direct the manager to add climate resilience committee member to I got a motion. >> I'll take a second and >> George has his hand.
>> I just want to say that um the the board was created by resolution. So, could that direction entail us to come back with a resolution amending the board to >> That's fine. >> Achieve your objective. >> Okay. >> Like George said. I have a motion in a second. All in favor? >> I >> I thank you so much.
>> Thank you. Thank you so much. >> Appreciate it. >> Do I have a motion for RE7? >> So move. >> I have a motion. >> Second. >> All in favor? >> I. >> Motion passes unanimously. >> Thank you. >> Mr. City Attorney, would you please read the titles of our first reading items
for um consideration? >> Yes, Madam Chair. FR1 first reading ordinance an ordinance of the Miami city commission amending chapter 62 article uh 1 section 62-2.1 of the code of the city of Miami Florida
as amended titled planning and zoning in general independent traffic and environmental impact studies by updating traffic statement and traffic impact study requirements and removing environmental impact studies containing a severity clause providing for an
effective date. there is a substitution for that um legislation and I believe the title will be affected. Um the the substituted title reads an ordinance of the Miami City Commission amending chapter 62 article 1 section
62-2.1 of the code of the city of Miami Florida is amended titled planning and zoning in general independent traffic and environmental impact studies by updating traffic statements and traffic impact study requirements containing a severity clause providing for an effective date. The difference is the and removing
environmental impact studies is being removed from the substitution. All right. So that's F FR1. F FR2 is um I'm sorry F FR2 an ordinance of the Miami City
Commission amending chapter 54 article 2 section 54-56 of the code of the city of Miami Florida is amended city code titled streets and sidewalks construction excavation and repair construction reconstruction or repair of street improvements required when adjacent property is improved by
construction of $100,000 or more in value or exceeding 1,000 square ft and floor area restriction to provide for the increase of the construction value threshold that triggers required street improvements, reducing the maximum percentage of required rightaway improvement costs for property owners
and requiring compliance with Americans with Disabilities Act ADA and life safety requirements prior to the issuance of certificates of occupancy containing a severity clause and providing for an effective date. This item two is subject to a substitution
and I'll read the title just in case there's any difference. An ordinance of the Miami City Commission amending chapter 54 article 2 section 54-56 of the code of the city of Miami, Florida is amended city code titled streets and sidewalks construction excavation and repair construction or construction or
repair of street improvements required when adjacent properties improved by construction of $100,000 or more in value or exceeding a,000 square feet in floor area. restriction to provide for the increase of the instru the construction value threshold that triggers required street improvements. Reducing the maximum percentage of
required rightaway improvement costs for property owners and requiring compliance with American with Disabilities Act ADA and Life Safety requirements pursuant to the issuance of certificates of occupancy containing seability clause providing for an effective date. Next R FR3 first reading
ordinance an ordinance of the Miami city commission amending chapter 38 article one of the code of the city of Miami Florida is amended titled parks and recreation in general by creating section 38-43 titled naming of Shenondoa dog park to provide for the naming of the property consisting of approximately
10,710 square ft located at 2293 Southwest 17 Terrace Miami Florida Shannidoa dog park further authorizing the city manager to take any and all actions necessary to effectuate the naming of the part containing a separate clause and providing for an effective date, an immediate effective date. FR4
first reading ordinance. An ordinance of the Miami City Commission amending chapter 2 article 11 division two of the code of the city of Miami, Florida is amended titled administration boards committees commission standards for creation and review of boards generally. More specifically, by amending section
2-885 titled terms of office term limit waiver to provide that a board member who has a who has completed eight consecutive years may be permitted to serve additional regular terms upon a unanimous vote of the members of the city commission containing a severability clause and providing for an
immediate effective date. and FR5 first reading ordinance an ordinance of the Miami city commission amending chapter 62 article 12 of the code of the city of Miami Florida as amended city code titled planning and zoning parks and open space trust fund to clarify the public benefits contribution and
expenditure process for properties near a greenway containing a severability clause and providing for an effective date that concludes the FR items >> you did FR6 >> deferred F FR6 was uh deferred. >> Oh, that's what we got.
>> Yes. Yes, >> I see. Okay, that's what we >> July 23rd. >> Okay. >> Okay. Uh would anyone like to pull any of these items for discussion? >> Yes. I'd like to pull FR1.
>> FR1. Okay. Anything else? >> Seeing none, may I have a motion for FR2 as amended three, four, and five? So moved. >> Mr. City Clerk, would you show me as a sponsor for FR5?
>> Yes, ma'am. >> Thank you. I have a motion in a second. All in favor? >> I >> I >> Okay, pass this in FR1. Commissioner Rosado, >> I did. I I just wanted to go on the record on this item because it's my item and it's some somewhere along the process of it being crafted. There was a
misunderstanding. My request was just to amend our traffic study process, not at all to to touch our environmental impact processes. And so the substitution memo that was issued yesterday was a correction to that, but I'm not sure that everybody in the audience was able to see that. Uh and and I think there's
maybe been an article, etc. We never asked to touch the city's environmental impact processes. >> Mr. um Ace, Mr. assistant city manager, could you just confirm that for the record because
I had gotten some emails that we were taking out the environmental study and um we can't afford that. >> Good afternoon, Madam Chair and commissioners, manager, that is correct. That was an oversight uh and it has been corrected.
>> Perfect. Thank you. May I have a motion? >> So moved. >> I have a motion and a second. All in favor? I >> I >> I >> Motion passes unanimously >> as amended. >> As amended. Mr. City Clerk, would you please um for the boards and committees?
>> Thank you, Chair. BC1, Art and Public Places Board. Commissioner Escalona will be appointing Lzette Garcia Aragante to his seat. She requires a four-fifth employment waiver. Also, Commissioner Escalona would like to appoint Jennifer Buna as an atlarge member.
>> May I have a motion? >> So moved. I have a motion and a second. All in favor? I. >> Motion carries unanimously. >> DC2 Little Haiti Revitalization Trust. City manager Reyes would like to appoint Arva Jane. May
>> Jane, sorry. >> May I have a motion? >> Move. >> I have a motion. >> Second. Second. >> All in favor? >> I. >> Motion carries unanimously. >> That concludes the boards and committees. Thank you, Chair. >> Thank you, Mr. City Attorney. Would you please read the titles for our planning
and zoning items for the record? >> Yes, Madam Chair. Um PZ1 second reading ordinance in ordinance of the Miami city commission with attachments amending ordinance number 13114 the zoning code of the city of Miami Florida as amended Miami 21 code by amending article 3
titled general to zone section 3.3.1 to clarify when lots may meet an exemption from lot size restrictions making findings containing a severability clause and providing for an effective date 2 and three were deferred. PZ4 first reading ordinance an ordinance of the
Miami city commission amending ordinance number 13114 the zoning ordinance of the city of Miami Florida as amended Miami 21 code specifically by amending article one titled definitions to introduce new definitions and clarify definitions related to greenways by amending article
3 titled general to zones specifically by amending section 3.1.4 four to introduce a greenway public benefit program to allow development benefits for eligible sites within a half mile of a greenway and by adding section 3.2.0
3.20 titled greenway standards to establish criteria and regulations for developments fronting a greenway and by amending article 4 titled standards and tables to clarify the greenway civic space type making findings containing a seability clause and providing for an
effective date. That concludes the PZ items. >> Gentlemen, would you like to pull either item, PZ1 or PZ4? May I have a motion? >> So move. >> I have a motion and a second. All in favor? >> I. >> Items carry unanimously.
This takes us to our discussion items. DI1. Gentlemen, do we need a report on that? because >> we received it. >> I re So, we're all good with that. Okay. So, we don't have to have that. Which leads us to our last discussion item,
the city's involvement in the 287G agreement, which is my item. I brought it um in speaking to some of the members that came before us today to speak on behalf of this item. I wanted
to give them an opportunity to hear from our police department to clear up some of the misinformation. And let me be clear, my position has not changed. I am not in favor of the city voluntarily entering into this 287g
agreement. We did not have to do it. But I believe our police department is catching some strays that are um not not true because we're not from what I
understand the police department is not enforcing ICE. They are not arresting based on um your immigration status. However, and I want the police department to make sure that my statements are correct. So, if we can
have the police chief come up and just talk about what the police department has or has not done since the city entered into this agreement. >> Good afternoon, Madam Chair. So, we'll have uh police chief Edwin Lopez come up
shortly, but I think obviously with for the sake of the transition, um I think everyone knows I've been very vocal upon taking this position to evaluate what we were doing from the moment last year that said agreement was signed. First and foremost, I'd like to thank everyone that spoke on the issue. It's a very uh
emotional and passionate um discussion that we continue to have today as it relates to 287G. I think it's important um for the sake of us maintaining the positive relationships that we've uh nurtured with our immigrant community uh
to be as transparent and accountable uh as possible since to share with them what we've done since this agreement was signed. Um first and foremost I think we all know 287G takes very different forms depending who implemented it, what city,
what county, what are they doing under the opice or umbrella of the 287g here in the city of Miami. I think this is the biggest priority of the message that I want to to get across today, particularly to our immigrant community,
is that as of today, we have not applied a detainer to an individual that did not get charged with a crime. I think one of the biggest concerns we heard here from the community today were um seeing police officers going into working areas
and um perhaps racially profiling them or going after them based on immigration status. Immigration status has had no factor whatsoever in any of the charges or detainers applied by the city of Miami Police Department since this
agreement was signed. And I think it's imperative that our community uh understands that so that we continue to maintain the trust that we've built and so that potential victims within our community feel comfortable coming to us understanding that we have not applied a
detainer to anyone that has not resulted from a criminal arrest. Now with that said, what did we do as a police department dating back to last year? Upon signing the 287G, then police chief Manny Morales had three individuals not
um full-time detached, simply trained under the task force models. If you would remember, uh the federal government provided different models to local police departments that they could partake in. Task force model, warrant services, u officer model was another
model that they they uh they allow local uh police departments to partake in. Uh our police chief at the time chose the three task force officers. They were trained by ICE and given the authority
to um ask ICE immigration related questions of individuals and pursuant to that to work with ICE to have detainers applied on individuals. Today those three are down to two. Uh again these are not full-time detachments. These are
folks that are detectives that when needed um they are sought out and perform these duties. With that said, I think it's important um to know what instructions were given to the officers
re related to 287G. Related to 287G, we have two major components in the police department. One is investigatory, our investigation division. The other one's our patrol division. under investigations, those that were being investigated for serious
crimes. Post arrest, we asked for our detectives to get those task force officers involved to make sure that there were no outstanding detainers on those folks being charged with serious crimes in our community. In addition to
that, on the patrol services side, um beyond just the ICE enforcement, patrol division was tasked with identifying the 25 most repeat offender in each section of our community here in the city of Miami.
Those 25 were in fact uh referred to the three task force officers to make sure that they were here legally. What resulted from that? I think we've heard uh many in the community speak to the dashboard and that in the dashboard uh
it shows 451 detainers applied and that the arresting agency uh was city of Miami. So I I think it's important to clear that up and what the exact role was. So after that direction was given and considering the three task force
officers, we have applied the city of Miami police department has applied 14 immigration detainers. Those 14 immigration detainers resulted from the directive given to our police personnel. 11 came referred from our
serious crimes investigation division. three uh came from our patrol division for the most uh repeat offenders that we had in our community. The remaining 437 detainers that when you look at the dashboard appears to be
uh attributed to the city of Miami police department was in fact applied those detainers are applied postbooking and post arrest. So they weren't applied by city of Miami police. They weren't applied by these task officers. They
were applied postbooking uh at the county jail. Now, why does it show City of Miami PD? Because in fact, City of Miami PD is the arresting agency of the criminal violations that those folks are being booked in. So, I think the more
that we we communicate what exactly we're doing, what was put into place um after the 287g agreement was signed um is is imperative to continue to maintain that trust and that balance, that very sensitive balance we have with our
immigrant community. Not to say that other communities are not using the agreement to do other things. Not to say that that other entities aren't using that agreement to do other things, but I think especially coming into this position that was important for me to evaluate what had transpired since this
body uh approved the 287G and where we're at today. So, our uh leadership, as you've heard from our new police chief, understands how sensitive this is to our community and that we in no way, shape, or form, are interested in the
immigration status of individuals in our community. But if you do in fact commit a crime in the city of Miami, whether you're legally here or not legally here, we are going to go after you and try to apprehend you.
>> Mr. manager. Thank you for that. But how come either our former police chief, Manny Morales, or our new police chief isn't saying that? Because one of the criticisms that we get is that they
don't trust us. They don't trust us as elected officials, public servants. They certainly don't trust administration. I think what you said would come better if someone wearing blue was saying it. You
know, I I know our new police chief has inherited this and he wouldn't have the institutional knowledge that you just said, but um Chief Morales is still around or any one of our police officers that are here serving that have been
here, um a lieutenant, a sergeant, a commander, a major or some I think the community needs to see our members in blue stand up and say we are not doing this. We are not seeking out any
resident in the city of Miami based on their immigration status. Our police officers are just doing their job. So if we can have someone from the police department come and say that, I think that would go a long way
in trying to build the trust with our immigrant community. And there's no way I could have planned this, but the Supreme Court just said that the government can move forward
with terminating TPS for Haitian immigrants. People are scared. My residents are scared. In District 5, I'm the melting pot. We have all walks
of life. While the city of Miami may be um predominantly Hispanic, I have so many immigrants in my community and throughout the city of Miami. So, I think it's important that our officers
get up and say that also. >> So, chairwoman, I'm going to do one better. Not only am I going to call up Chief Edwin Lopez to say a few words, but I think the rest of the command staff should come up in a show of unity in terms of building and maintaining
this relationship that's so important to us. So, I'm going to ask the command staff to come along with uh Chief Edwin Lopez and let Chief um who I know is very passionate about this issue uh speak to it. >> Good morning, Chief. Welcome aboard.
>> Thank you, ma'am. Good to see you. >> Appreciate it. >> Look at you guys looking all handsome and pretty bless. Have a good handsome and pretty. >> Um, please. >> But but let me say again now, my position hasn't changed. We shouldn't voluntarily enter into an agreement when
we didn't have to legally. That position hasn't changed. But it is important for me to let the community know what we are and aren't doing. I don't want to have a black eye or get credit for something that you shouldn't be taking credit for.
>> Thank you, Chairwoman. Good afternoon, Chairwoman, commissioners, entire leadership team. When when I took this position uh when I came on board here just a week and a half ago, the transition coming on over here um was quite easy and it was quite easy
because of the stance of our police department in dealing with this sensitive issue. same issue that I felt in my heart. I didn't have to change my mindset on a professional or personal basis uh dealing with this issue. It's the same decisions I would have made in
conversations with Chief Morales who did a phenomenal job navigating this, being compliant with this with the with the u with the mandate, training individuals to be uh proficient in this and choosing the task force model. I've dove in the
last few days into the analytics and looked at the data, reviewed it with my entire team behind me. I'm glad that the manager had them uh stand behind me because this is truly uh a team effort here combining my vision and my mindset with the institutional knowledge that my
team behind me has and we're all on the same page. When you talk about a unified front, uh this is it. I am the son of a former political prisoner in Cuba. The immigrant community is very sensitive to me. My parents are both immigrants. Uh I
come from three and a half years of leading the Dorado Police Department who most of the community knows has a very high population of Venezuelans who are extremely sensitive to this topic. So I navigated and dealt with this over there creating uh a system where the community
felt comfortable. And as I stand here, the main takeaway that I want to echo to our community that if you need the help of law enforcement in your area, you pick up the phone and call 911 cuz that's what we're going to go. That's what we're trained to do. That's what we're equipped to do and that's what
we're paid to do and that's what we love to do. It's a thankless job, but when that that phone rings and our dispatchers channel that call to us, we're trying to get there and we're trying to get there as quickly as possible. We do not want anyone in the community to feel uh like we are the
boogeyman or we are out to get them when they need our help. Now, like the manager said, we have a zero tolerance stance toward crime in our community. So, if you're here committing crimes and you encounter our officers and you're in custody for committing a crime,
then we're going to look at every single angle to make sure that you don't repeat that offense again. That's my stance and our stance. But did you answer our question? I don't think you said the same thing that the manager said. I'm not sure. I might have
missed it. Um, but you are not other than the three officers that were deployed to and now it's only two officers that were deployed to immigration. Our men and women in blue
are not targeting any immigrant and pulling because I look Hispanic and you pull me over and you're like, "Let me see your green card or your naturalization um papers." None of our officers are doing that. Is that correct?
>> That is 100% accurate. >> Did Dell enter into the 287g agreement? >> Yes. >> Yes. >> Okay. Commissioner Partardo >> actually do we know how many cities have entered into in Miami date county of the
34 municipalities >> I would be guessing but of the what is it 34 municipalities I think 33 have um the only one that I'm aware of that did not is South Miami >> South Miami and actually that was a big source of my frustration because when this item was coming to commission I'd
requested time and time again let's wait for that uh to pan out so that we wouldn't have to enter into a voluntary agreement. That that isn't the the course we chose and both of us uh voted against it. But there's also people here asking, well, if now we're in 287G and I
have all the faith in the world with city of police and I've always been very open with the public, contact us directly. If we know of anybody that's doing anything like we need to be very hands-on as commissioners and as a city
with this entire topic. Many people have said, "Well, we're tiptoeing, walking on eggshells, and I think we're doing a a good job of trying our best, but it's still the same environment. It still adds to a really bad situation for a city that shouldn't have any of this."
Uh, you know, it's just the worst. We're making the best out of a really, really bad situation. People have asked, well, can we resin? Is is there an option to do anything other that wouldn't hurt us as a city? I think we'd probably wear uh
a removal as a badge of honor in this case. So, I'm not worried about anything like that. But what about the city? What what are the impacts to us as a city? >> Well, um this reminds me of a debate uh last meeting, but I I don't want to say something just for purposes of scaring
or threats or whatever. Um, what I can do is >> not >> what I can do is provide what the current Florida attorney general has said because there's at least two letters in the record. Um, one came out March 18, 2025 when the city of Fort
Meyers was interested in entering into actually not entering into a um 287G agreement and um they voted to approve to um not approve it. Um, so the attorney general wrote, "By failing to
approve the department's 287g agreement, Fort Meyers is implicitly implementing a sanctuary policy prohibiting police officers from receiving the necessary federal training to adequately enforce US immigration laws. Not only prevents city police from enforcing current
federal immigration law, but effectively prevents the city police department from participating in federal immigration operations. Sanctuary policies are not tolerated or lawful in Florida. Immediate corrective action is required. Failure to correct the council's actions
will result in the enforcement of all applicable civil and criminal penalties, including but not limited to being held in contempt, declaratory or injunctive relief, and removal from office by the governor. Um, in response, the city of
Fort Meyers rebrought up the item and they changed their mind and they entered into a 287g agreement. Then we had our discussion I think on June 17, 2025. uh subsequent to our discussion
um on June 30, 2025, the Key West, and I'm reading from the governor's I'm sorry, James Omeer, attorney general's letter July 2nd, 2025 to the city of Key West. On June 30, 2025, the Key West City Commission voted to void the city
of Miami, the city of Key West Police Department's 287G agreement with the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement, ICE. in doing so, you directly violated Florida law. Um, then he goes on to explain section 908.103
Florida statutes prohibits law enforcement and local governmental entities from adopting or having an effect any sanctuary policy. Sanctuary policy, quote unquote, means a law, policy, practice, procedure, or custom adopted or allowed by a state or local
government entity which prohibits or impedes a law enforcement agency from complying with 8 USC section 1373, or which prohibits or impedes a law enforcement agency from communicating or cooperating with a federal immigration agency so as to limit law such law
enforcement agency in or prohibit the agency from participating in a federal immigration operation with a federal immigration agency, etc., etc. Um, by declaring the department's existing 287G agreement void, Key West has made itself
a sanctuary city. Prohibiting its police officers from receiving the necessary federal training to adequately enforce US immigration laws not only prevents city police from enforcing current federal immigration law, but also effectively prevents the city police department from participating in federal
immigration operations. Um then he goes on to say um Florida law unequivocally forbids sanctuary policies and it requires local governments to use best efforts to assist with federal immigration
enforcement. Your recent action violated both laws. The city commission must immediately reverse its June 30, 2025 action and allow the police department to resume cooperative engagement with ICE under its 287g agreement. Failure to take corrective action will result in
the enforcement of all applicable civil and criminal penalties including removal from office by the governor pursuant to section 908107 Florida statutes and the Florida constitution. Now in addition to that um
so basically he threatened the um city of uh Key West and its officials and I know as you've just said that you know you're perhaps not persuaded by that threat but it goes deeper than the threats the personal threats to the commission. 908.107 Florida statutes
talks about enforcement and it says in addition the attorney general may file uh 908.107 107 parenthesis 2. In addition, the attorney general may file suit against a local governmental entity or local law enforcement agency in a court of competent jurisdiction for
declaratory or judgmental or injunctive relief for a violation of this chapter. Three, if a local government entity or local law enforcement agency violates this chapter, the court must enjoin the unlawful sanctuary policy. The court has continuing jurisdiction over the parties
and subject matter and may enforce its orders with the initiation of contempt proceedings as provided by law. Um so in addition to that, so that could affect um for example, we just did a sort of back of napkin tabulation. Right now
pending in the Florida legislature, the governor's in the veto stage of his budget, right? And so there's approximately $7.5 million of appropriated funds to the city of Miami um that um who knows the governor could
take um um an antagonistic action against the city of Miami and veto all of these. He may do it anyway. You know, he did last year. Only one item survived the um the governmental vetos, but so there's a potential of $7.5 million on
the table. In addition, um the city participates in multiple federal grants. The Edward J. Burn grant, the uh cops grant, which um community oriented oriented policing service um grant which provides extra officers for the police
department with federal dollars. The Yawwasi grant, urban area security initiative grant, which is millions of dollars to pro protect against terrorism and and other dangerous things. And then there's the FEMA grants. Um there was u
news back in February where the uh the Trump administration had indicated that um any sanctuary city would not be eligible for those federal funds. Now I believe many many cities that have defiantly said that there are sanctuary
cities have filed a suit against those actions but the short term is the city may not get those monies during that period of time and we'd have to litigate those actions. any litigation regarding the um 287g agreement as South Miami
discovered would be removed to Lyon County, Florida. So, um, if the governor were to take action against the city or against the city commissioners individually, um, we would have to either have lawyers going up to Tallahassee to defend you and or
perhaps, uh, retain outside counsel because we'd have to actually check with the Florida Bar to determine if the governor were to move against you, saying that you violated your oath or you violated your position as elected officials, could we even represent you
upfront? Um clearly we would do everything in our power to prevent you from suffering any consequences. But those are sort of the uncertainties that we have um what the governor would do, what the governor's reaction would do. The attorney general has been rather
strong in his words regarding these agreements. I will I will readily admit that um this 287G agreement was initially intended to be a voluntary cooperation agreement between the United States government and the police departments. It's a voluntary
agreement. You can get out of the agreement pursuant to the terms of the agreement. However, the nuance here is that Florida passed the um sanctuary laws and by exiting the agreement, the attorney general would take the position that that is um a violation of state law
which would lead to those consequences. So, um I just wanted to make you aware of those facts and circumstances. >> Okay. >> Yeah. Commissioner Escalona >> like to say a couple of things. I came here 12 years ago and I don't
believe this is about city of Miami and 287 agreement. I believe this is about the fear that we see in our community. Let me My kids were born seven months
ago. I have twins. Two weeks after they were born, I was right there getting their passport because I was afraid. And I'm a US citizen. My wife
three weeks ago got a letter from immigration. My wife has no criminal record. She has never been stopped, nothing. She had to go. She's a resident. She had to go to do her fingerprints or something like that. For
a full week, we couldn't sleep. For a full week, my wife couldn't sleep. And we were thinking about what many of them are saying today because of the fear that we have in our
community. Two days ago, we were I driving we were driving by Little Havana and we were talking to many of our of our residents and what was explained here today by the police department. They don't understand it again because
of the fear that we have in our community. Look at all of us here. Look at all the employees that we have in the city. All of us are coming from somewhere and I believe the fear that we have in
our community is completely absurd. However, I strongly believe believe in law and order. I believe everybody should follow the law. But that's not what we're seeing right now. I think we're going
too far. That's my honest opinion. And if you sir, you're the city attorney. If you tell me that we can legally get out of this agreement, I will vote for it. That's all. >> I would too. >> George, you know, I've never changed my
mind, but George, let me and you know, I beat up on you a little bit past couple of commission meetings, but I just have to say this, George. 7.5 million is worth saving a life, a family.
We'll make it up some kind of way. I know you didn't mean to be insensitive by throwing that in the mix that we might lose 7.5 million, but we will figure it out. We will figure it out. What happened to Key West?
>> The city of Key West upon receiving uh the attorney general's letter reconsidered the item and they then adopted the um >> authorization to enter. >> Madam Chair, sorry. If we didn't have to do it last year, what was it on the agenda? Why? I want to understand. I
wasn't there at that I wasn't here at that time. Why was it on the agenda if we didn't have to do it? >> Why? >> Uh, essentially the former chief of police requested to have it placed on the agenda and it was on the agenda. And you know, had had it not been on the
agenda, hindsight is 2020, right? You can't speculate what would happen. maybe the attorney general would have taken just as an aggressive stance, but the position, the information that came out of the South Miami case, because South Miami never put it on the agenda. They actually sued and said, "Do we have to
put this on the agenda? Do we have to get into this?" And um the court ultimately did not rule on that. They said it wasn't ripe yet. There was not an issue in controversy. But the sort of the takeaway from that among the lawyers was that had because they never took any
affirmative steps to get rid of the agreement, they were okay. >> But sir, who controls agenda? >> Who does the who does the chief work for? >> Uh the city manager. >> I know it was >> and this was before um Mr. Reyes was
even the city manager. I think we have a lot to think about. I don't hear anybody trying to make a a motion one way or the other. I I brought this item because I wanted our community to have as much information as they
could with respect to our police department's involvement. I disagree with if we didn't enter into the agreement, we would be a sanctuary city. We can't really be a sanctuary city because we're part of the whole of Miami Dade County and Miami Dade County
is definitely the enforcer. The sheriff's office had no choice and we fall squarely within Miami Dade County. So, I don't know how we could have been considered a sanctuary city, but again,
Commissioner Partardo and I were on the losing end of that vote. Um, I wanted everybody to get as much information and I'll continue to keep our communities informed. I just felt like, you know, our men and
women in blue were really getting a bad reputation undeservedly because they are not actively at least it has not come to my attention that they're knocking on anyone's door and saying, "Come out here. I want to check
your status or anything like that." So, thank you, Mr. manager, our um men and women in blue, and commissioner partle. >> I'll also say that if there's anything anyone sees, please say something. We get emails all the time to all of our
offices. If there's an incident, we want to know directly. So, please make sure you're keeping us informed so that we can stay vigilant and on top of it. I know we had 70 I don't know how many people, but we had lots and lots of people speaking on this issue. Thank you
for coming out and just understand that we we want to know. We want to be advised of anything at all. >> And the fear fear is fear. The fear is real because my best friend's husband who is an
American citizen walks around with his passport. >> Yeah. because he doesn't speak um English well, heavy accent and is afraid. He's afraid, but he's a US citizen. I'm
a US citizen. You're a US citizen. We shouldn't be afraid of being detained. So, thank you all. As always, thank you for your advocacy. I hear I see our city clerk waving his hand before I can close the meeting.
>> And I apologize, chair. Um the city attorney needs to read a statement into the record scheduling attorney client session for July 9th. >> Mr. City attorney, >> I uh I implored um the city clerk to help me remember this. Uh madam chairwoman and members of the city
commission, pursuant to the provisions of section 286.011 011 parenthesis 8, Florida statutes, I am requesting that at the city commission meeting of July 9, 2026, an attorney client session closed to the public be held for purposes of discussing the pending
litigation in the matter of William O. Fuller Martin Pineia II, the Barlington Group, Kaio Marketplace LLC, Yoamo Kaisete LLC, Little Havana Arts Building LLC, Little Havana Arts Building 2 LLC, Tower Hotel LLC, Bickl Station LLC,
Pedro Villis LLC, Futurama LLC, El Shopping LLC, Beatstick LLC, Bionis Culturales, Cultural Fridays, Inc., Little Havana Bungalows LLC, and Elhab T LLC versus City of Miami at all. Case number 23 CV245
24251 DRG pending in the United States District Court Southern District of Florida to which the city is presently a party. Subject of the meeting will be confined to settlement negotiations or strategy sessions relating to litigation expenditures. This private meeting will
begin at approximately 10 a.m. or as soon thereafter as the commissioner schedules permit and conclude approximately one hour later. The session will be attended by the members of the city commission which include chairwoman Christine King, commissioners Miguel Anel Gabella, Damen Porto, Rolando Escalona, and Raphael Ralph
Ralph Raphael Rosado, city manager James Reyes, city attorney George K. Weisson the third, deputy city attorney Kevin R. Jones, and outside council Angel Cortinius, Esquire, and Jonathan Cascal, Esquire. A certified court reporter will be present to ensure that this session is fully transcribed,
and the transcript will be made public upon the conclusion of the litigation. At the conclusion of the attorney client session, the regular commission meeting will be reopened and the person chairing the commission meeting will announce the termination of the attorney client session. Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you. And this shall conclude the city of
Miami commission meeting. We are going to as soon as the city clerk can flip the tape, we're going to go into our CRA meetings. We have the OmniCRA as well as the Southeast Overtown Park West CRA meeting. Is there a motion to approve the minutes
from June 11th, 2026 OmniC meeting? >> Moved. >> Move. >> So second. >> Yes. >> Great. All right. All in favor? >> I. >> Our attorney will briefly read agenda items. CRA resolutions number one and two into the record.
>> Thank you, Mr. Chair. Good afternoon. Jav Alban, deputy city attorney and councel for the OmniCRA. Item number one is a resolution of the OmniCRA by four-fifths affirmative vote ratifying, confirming, and approving the executive director's written finding that an emergency exists and waving the competitive sealed bidding requirements
pursuant to section 1890 of the city code for the emergency purchase of certain interior renovations and life safety upgrades in connection with the relocation of the CRA's administrative offices from 1401 North Miami Avenue to 50 Northwest 14th Street um from Mass
Construction Corp. and quality wiring services for the aggregate amount not to exceed $150,000. Allocating funds from the construction work in progress account authorizing the executive director to negotiate and execute any and all documents all in forms acceptable general counsel subject to allocations appropriation of the prior bud budgetary approvals and compliance
with all applicable laws. Item number two is a resolution the OmniCRA pursuant to section 18105 of the city code authorizing the settlement of disputed claim of paramount security in an amount not to exceed $85,000 in full and final settlement and satisfaction of all claims for security guard services
previously rendered to the CRA allocating funds from account titled other contractual services. Authorizing executive director disperse funds upon execution of a settlement agreement and general release. Further authorizing the executive director to execute any and all documents necessary for said purpose. Thank you. The public comment
period is now open for all resolution on today's agenda. Seeing no further public comment, the public comment period is now closed. >> Is there any discussion amongst the board members regarding resolution? Motion second. All in favor? >> I.
>> Resolutions pass. >> Thank you everyone. This concludes our omnic meeting. We will move right into the Southeast Overtown Park West CRA meeting as soon as the tape is flipped. It's flipped. >> Flipping. Okay.
Good morning. Good afternoon everyone. Welcome to the Southeast Overtown Park West CRA meeting for June 25th, 2026. Mr. Executive Director, would you please read the items for consideration into the record?
>> I'll let uh Attorney Brown read them in. >> Okay. The first item is a resolution of the board of commissioners for the southeast overtown park west community redevelopment agent authoriz executive director to allocate funds in amount not to exceed $300,000 for public art
activation and beautifification for fiscal year 2625. Item number two is a resolution of the board of commissions of the Southeast Overtown Park West Community Redevelopment Agency resending resolution number CR-R-23-0062 adopted on December 14th, 2023 in its
entirety. Item number three is a resolution by four-fifths vote with attachments rescending CRA resolution R-25-00005
adopted on January 23rd, 2023 in its entirety and enacting a new resolution by four-fifths vote ratifying and approving and confirming the executive director's recommendation and finding exhibit A that competitive negotiations are not necessary uh authorizing
a grant in the amount of $250,000 to underwrite the cost of mandatory 4050-year building resertification for three properties located in the CR district. Historic Lyric Theater located at 8:19 Northwest Second Avenue, the Dr.
Samuel H. Johnson X-ray clinic located at 171 Northwest 11th Street and the historic Dorsy House located at 250 Northwest 9th Street. Excuse me if my sinuses are getting me today.
Uh item number four by four fifths vote a resolution with attachments ratifying approving confirming executive director's recommendation and findings exhibit A that competitive negotiation methods and procedures not practical authoriz director to award a grant in the amount of $3.5 million to Sixth
Street Miami prop partners LLC uh for the purpose of underwriting the cost associated with buildout and development of a conference center located at 59 Northeast 6th Street. And item number five, Madame Chair, board
members, a resolution by for vote ratifying, approving, and confirming executive records recommendation exhibit 8 that competitive negotiated rest and procedures are not practical authorizing executive director to award a grant in the amount of $200,000 and further authorizing executive director execute a
revocable license in the form acceptable to the general counsel for a lease of property located at 1490 Northwest 3rd Avenue, Sweet 110. for the buildout of the Chase and Chance sensory gym and a use term of $500 per month for the
first year. At this time, I will open the floor for public comment. Anyone that chooses to speak on behalf of any of the items before us, please step forward. Seeing none, public comment period is now closed.
Uh, gentlemen, would you like to pull any of these items for discussion? >> No. >> No. >> May I have a motion? So moved. >> I have a motion and a second. All in favor? >> I. >> Items passes unanimously. Thank you all for your advocacy. This shall conclude
the Southeast Overtown Park West CRA meeting for June 25th, 2026. See you in July. Heat. Heat.