* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. I WANT [00:00:01] EVERYONE TO KNOW THAT WE [CALL TO ORDER ] ARE, THAT YOU ARE AVAILABLE, AND WE ARE REQUESTING THAT YOU PLEASE ENGAGE YOURSELF IN THE CONVERSATION, WHETHER IT'S VIA ZOOM, VIA EMAIL, OR IN PERSON, OR THROUGH A PHONE CALL. EVERYONE IS WELCOME AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING FROM YOU AT ONE POINT THROUGHOUT THE MEETING. UH, WITH THAT BEING SAID, I'D LIKE TO TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO INVITE FATHER DAVID SAKO FROM THE CHURCH OF LITTLE FLOWER. PLEASE JOIN US. FATHER, THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE WITH US ONCE AGAIN. IT'S ALWAYS A PLEASURE, UH, TO WELCOME YOU BACK TO THE CITY. BEAUTIFUL, MR. MAYOR. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. AND, UH, ALSO LIKE TO THANK THE, THE COMMISSION FOR THE HELP THEY'RE GIVING US FOR THE, FOR OUR CENTENNIAL, RECOGNIZING THE MISSION OF CHURCH FLOWER IN THE CITY OF CORAL GABLES. WE KNOW THAT, UH, UH, THE SOURCE OF ALL INJUSTICES IS THE HEART OF MEN. THAT'S WHY THE GREATEST POLITICAL ACT THAT WE CAN DO IS TO PROCLAIM THE GOSPEL, TO CELEBRATE THE EUCHARIST, THE CHANGES THE HEART OF MEN. 'CAUSE THE CHANGE OF THE, OF THE EXTERNAL STRUCTURES IS TOTALLY USELESS. SO THANK YOU FOR RECOGNIZING THE IMPORTANCE OF THIS MISSION OF OUR CHURCH IN, UH, IN THIS CITY. WITH THIS BEING SAID, WE CAN BEGIN IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER AND OF THE SON, AND OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. LORD, WE GIVE YOU THANKS FOR THIS DAY. WE GIVE YOU THANKS FOR, UH, FOR THE GIFT OF LIFE. WE KNOW THAT YOU, YOU KNOW US, LORD, YOU KNOW OUR SINS IN OUR POVERTY, YOU KNOW OUR WEAKNESSES. AND YET YOU KNOW THAT WE KNOW THAT THE RESURRECTION IS GREATER THAN ANY KIND OF DEATH. THAT YOU CAN FILL US WITH YOUR GRACE AND GIVE US DISCERNMENT. WE PRAY, LORD, FOR THIS COMMISSION MEETING. WE PRAY FOR, UH, THE COMMISSIONERS AND THE MAYOR OF THE CITY, THAT YOU MAY GIVE THEM YOUR SPIRIT AND YOUR WISDOM. WE PRAY THROUGH CHRIST OUR LORD. AMEN. AMEN. THE FATHER AND THE SON OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. FATHER, AS ALWAYS, WE'D LIKE TO STAND OUR BEST WISHES TO YOU, TO YOUR CONGREGATION. THANK YOU FOR MAKING THE TIME FOR BEING HERE. THANK YOU FOR BEING SUCH A BEACON OF HOPE AND LIGHT, UH, IN THE CITY. BEAUTIFUL. IT'S ALWAYS A PLEASURE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. GOD BLESS YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. AND NOW WE HAVE A TRUE PRIVILEGE. AS WE MOVE ON TO THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE. I'D LIKE TO INVITE ONE OF OUR VERY OWN, ONE OF THE MOST RESPECTED OFFICERS THAT WE HAVE HERE, SERGEANT THOMAS ELLO. UH, TODAY WE'RE GONNA DO SOMETHING A LITTLE DIFFERENT TODAY. NOT ONLY WE HAVING AN OFFICER, UH, LEAD US IN THE PLEDGE, BUT ALSO A VETERAN OF THIS COMMUNITY. AND I'D LIKE FOR HIM AFTER THE PLEDGE JUST TO SAY A FEW WORDS ABOUT HIS SERVICE, IF YOU'D BE SO KIND. THANK YOU. PLEASE RISE. PLEASE RISE. FLAG TO THE FLAG OF UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS. ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL. THANK YOU, SERGEANT. PLEASE JOIN US. MORNING, EVERYONE. GOOD MORNING. UH, THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME HERE TODAY. UM, DIDN'T, I WAS GONNA COME UP HERE, BUT I APPRECIATE IT. UM, I, UH, I WANT TO THANK, I WAS THINKING ABOUT THIS AND I APPRECIATE, UM, THE COMMISSION AND THE CITY HONORING VETERANS. UM, I KNOW IT'S GONNA BE A NEW PROGRAM, TRYING TO DO THIS EVERY MONTH, BUT, UM, I'VE BEEN IN THE CITY, ACTUALLY, I BELIEVE NEXT WEEK'S GONNA BE 23 YEARS. UM, TOTAL IS GONNA BE 26 IN LAW ENFORCEMENT. UM, AND IT'S BEEN A GREAT EXPERIENCE. I'VE, UM, PRETTY MUCH BEEN IN ALMOST EVERY UNIT IN THIS APARTMENT. AND, UM, I ENJOY THE CITY AND, UH, I LOVE WORKING HERE. BUT THANK YOU ALL FOR HAVING ME HERE TODAY. AGAIN, SERGEANT, OUTSIDE OF YOUR, YOUR TIME HERE IN THE CITY IN REGARDS TO LAW ENFORCEMENT, CAN YOU TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOUR MILITARY BACKGROUND? UM, JOINED THE MARINES, ACTUALLY AT THE AGE OF 25. A LOT OF PEOPLE THERE, UM, ARE ACTUALLY 8 17, 18 YEARS OLD. I WAS ONE OF THE OLDEST ONE IN MY PLATOON. UH, IT'S SOMETHING I ALWAYS WANTED TO DO. I WAS RAISED BY MY UNCLE, AND I'M FROM COLUMBIA. I WAS RAISED BY MY UNCLE IN COLUMBIA. HE WAS IN THE ARMY OVER THERE, SO HE WAS A COLONEL IN THE ARMY. SO I PRETTY MUCH GREW UP AROUND TANKS AND MILITARY PEOPLE, UM, WHEN I WAS A KID. SO IT'S SOMETHING I ALWAYS WANTED TO DO. AND THEN, UH, I'M GLAD I DID IT. IT'S, IT'S A GREAT HONOR. AND THEN, UM, IT'S, IT'S A GREAT EXPERIENCE. AND THEN FROM THERE, AFTER I, UM, ACTUALLY, LET ME GO BACK A LITTLE BIT. IN THE MILITARY, I WAS AN AND FURIOUS A CREW AND, AND FURIOUS ASSAULT CREWMEN, WHICH USED TO THE AMTRAKS, THEY'RE AN AMTRAK IS AN FAMOUS VEHICLE THAT GOES OUT THE BACK OF THE SHIPS. IT'S, SO, IT'S THERE OVER 26,000 TONS, WHICH, AND IT'S A TROOP CARRIER. THEY'RE ON THE WATER AND THEN POP BACK UP AND THEN CARRIES TROOPS. THEN I BECAME, UH, A SCOUT FOR, UH, ANTI-TANK PLATOON, WHICH IT'S LIKE A FORWARD TEAM THAT GOES OUT AND OBSERVES, LOOKS FOR ENEMY AND ALL, YOU KNOW, UM, BUT LIKE BACK TO LAW ENFORCEMENT, I GOT HERE AT, I BELIEVE I JOINED THE AGE OF 29 IN PINECREST. AND THEN I CAME OVER TO THE CITY, WHICH, UM, AND EVERYONE ALWAYS ASKED ME WHY, WHY WE, UH, CORRU GABLES, COR GABLES, EVER SINCE I REMEMBER, WAS ONE OF THE MOST HIGHLY RESPECTED POLICE DEPARTMENTS AROUND. AND I BELIEVE IT STILL IS. SO, [00:05:01] I, YOU KNOW, TO ME THAT'S AN HONOR. SO THANK YOU GUYS AGAIN. APPRECIATE IT. SO BEFORE WE CONCLUDE AND WE MOVE ON TO THE REST OF THE AGENDA, I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. BUT I ALSO WANNA THANK MARTHA INE, UH, FOR WORKING WITH MY OFFICE TO PUT THIS NEW PROGRAM TOGETHER. UH, WE HAD A VERY NICE WRITEUP, BUT I KIND OF PIVOTED AND YOU DID AN AMAZING JOB WITHOUT KNOWING THAT I WAS GONNA PIVOT, UH, TO ALLOWING YOU TO TELL YOUR OWN STORY. BECAUSE I THINK THAT WHEN A PERSON TELLS THEIR OWN STORY, UH, THEY ADD CERTAIN DETAILS THAT, AGAIN, WE MAY FORGET OR NOT BE AS IMPORTANT, BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, THEY'RE, THEY'RE IMPORTANT TO ME. AND IT WAS VERY WELL COVERED. SO, UH, I THINK IT WAS A GREAT WAY TO START, UH, THIS NEW OPPORTUNITY HERE TO ALLOW VETERANS IN OUR COMMUNITY, UH, TO LEAD WITH A PLEDGE. I THINK IT'S A BEAUTIFUL OPPORTUNITY TO PAY THE ULTIMATE RESPECT, UH, TO INDIVIDUALS LIKE YOURSELF, UH, WHO GAVE SO MUCH FOR THIS COUNTRY. AND AT THE END OF THE DAY, ARE THE ONES THAT ALLOW US TO HAVE THE FREEDOMS THAT WE HAVE EVERY SINGLE DAY. SO I WANT TO THANK YOU SO MUCH, UH, WISH YOU THE VERY BEST, AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE, NOT ONLY WITH THE, WITH THE MARINES, BUT ALSO, UH, WITH THE CITY BEAUTIFUL POLICE DEPARTMENT. NO, THANK YOU ALL. I APPRECIATE IT. AND I'VE ENGAGED WITH YOU A LITANY OF TIMES OUT ON THE STREET, UH, WHEN YOU'RE DEALING WITH RESIDENTS, YOU'RE DEALING WITH CHAOTIC ISSUES AND, UH, YOUR BREATH OF FRESH AIR AND A CONS AND PROFESSIONALS. SO THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU, SIR. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MARTHA, FOR EVERYTHING. THANK YOU. HAVE A WONDERFUL DAY. YOU TOO. THANK YOU, OFFICER. MOVING [MERRICK MOMENT] ON. ONE OF MY FAVORITE MOMENTS OF THE DAY, THE MERRICK MOMENT. THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. WELL, I'M HERE, UH, REPRESENTING TWO ORGANIZATIONS TODAY. ONE, OF COURSE, THE MERRICK HOUSE, BUT ALSO PROUD MEMBER OF THE VILLAGERS WHO WILL BE WEIGHING IN ON THE PRO THE, UH, PROJECT AT ONE 10 VENETIA FANIA THROUGHOUT THE DAY. THE MERRICK HOUSE BRINGS YOU THE MERRICK MOMENT, LITTLE TIDBITS THAT ADD UP TO A REMARKABLE STORY. OUR CENTENNIAL YEAR WILL TECHNICALLY COME TO A CLOSE. ON APRIL 27TH, 2026, GEORGE MERRICK'S VISION V VISAGE HANGS PROUDLY IN THESE COMMISSION CHAMBERS, BUT HE WASN'T ALWAYS VENERATED AS HE IS TODAY. IN FACT, HE WAS FORGOTTEN FOR A TIME. WE HAVE HISTORIAN ARVA MOORE PARKS TO THANK FOR REINTRODUCING US TO OUR CITY'S FOUNDER. AND HERE ARE SOME OF HER WORDS. WHEN I MOVED INTO A HISTORIC CORAL GABLES HOME IN 1970, I NEVER DREAMED THAT SOMEDAY I WOULD WRITE A BIOGRAPHY OF GEORGE MERRICK. MANY THOUGHT THE PURCHASE WAS A MISTAKE. BY THIS TIME, THE CITY HAD LOST MUCH OF ITS HISTORIC AMBIANCE, AND GEORGE MERRICK WAS LARGELY FORGOTTEN. THE HOME, WHICH I LATER LEARNED WAS DESIGNED BY WALTER DE GARMO, ONE OF CORAL GABLE'S MOST VAUNTED ARCHITECTS, WAS A BARGAIN BECAUSE IT WAS RUN DOWN AND IN WHAT WAS THEN CONSIDERED A DECLINING NEIGHBORHOOD. THE MOVE OPENED MY EYES TO WHAT WAS AROUND ME, AND MARKED THE BEGINNING OF MY STUDY OF AND LOVE FOR CORAL GABLES. IN 1974, I WAS RECRUITED TO LEAD THE NEW CITY OF CORAL GABLES PRESERVATION BOARD. WITH NO MODEL TO GUIDE US, WE FORGED AHEAD. FORTUNATELY, THE BOARD INCLUDED MANY WHO HAD KNOWN GEORGE AND OTHERS WHO HAD GROWN UP IN CORAL GABLES. WE LEARNED FAST AND SOON FOCUSED ON THE MERRICK HOUSE, WHICH WAS IN SERIOUS DISREPAIR, OUR CRUSADE TO CONVINCE THE CITY TO BUY IT FROM THE MERRICK MANOR FOUNDATION. PUT ME BACK IN TOUCH WITH EUNICE MERRICK. SHE INTRODUCED ME TO GEORGE'S BROTHER, RICHARD, WHO BECAME OUR MOST VALUABLE RESOURCE AS WE STRUGGLED TO RESTORE HIS BOYHOOD HOME AND OPEN IT TO THE PUBLIC. ALTHOUGH CONSIDERABLY YOUNGER THAN GEORGE, THEY WERE VERY CLOSE THROUGH HIS EYES. WE WERE ALMOST ABLE TO REENTER THE PAST AND TO GET TO KNOW HIS REMARKABLE FAMILY. SO, THERE'LL BE MORE FROM ARVA IN A FUTURE MERRICK MOMENTS. AND OF COURSE, FOR MORE OF THE STORY, PLEASE COME TO THE MERRICK HOUSE. WE HAVE TOURS ON THE WEEKENDS AT ONE, TWO, AND THREE O'CLOCK. AND AS ALWAYS, TOURS ARE FREE FOR CITY EMPLOYEES. THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH AS ALWAYS. UH, MR. CLERK? THANK YOU, MS. MAYOR. I JUST WANNA LET THE COMMISSION KNOW THAT COMMISSIONER FERNANDEZ IS NOT HERE. UH, THIS MORNING. HE DID SEND ME A TEXT MESSAGE EARLY THIS MORNING, UH, AND HE WANTED ME TO TELL THE COMMISSION THAT HE HAS BEEN DEALING WITH ACUTE BRONCHITIS OVER A WEEK. AND IT HAS GOTTEN WORSE THE LAST 24 HOURS. HE WAS ON HIS WAY TO URGENT CARE, BUT HE STILL INTENDS TO BE HERE LATER TODAY. OKAY. JUST WANNA LET THE COMMISSION KNOW. THANK YOU, MR. MAYOR. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. UH, AND AS YOU CAN SEE, THERE'S SOMETHING A LITTLE DIFFERENT ON, ON OUR, ON OUR COMMISSION HERE. UH, I WANT TO THANK, UH, AGAIN, MARTHA BING AND THE CITY MANAGER AS WE MOVE FORWARD WITH AMERICA TWO 50. I THINK IT'S A BEAUTIFUL ACT OF PATRIOTISM AND TO REALLY SHOWCASE, UH, THE, THE CITY, NOT THE CITY, EXCUSE ME, THIS GREAT COUNTRY IS ABOUT TO CELEBRATE 250 YEARS. SO IT'S A BEAUTIFUL MOMENT. I THINK YOU'LL BE SEEING THAT. YOU'RE SEEING IT ON OUR, ON OUR LOGOS, OUR LETTERHEADS, OUR EMAILS, UH, AND [00:10:01] I THINK THAT, UH, THE COMMISSION AGREES WITH ME. I'M SURE THE COMMISSION AGREES WITH ME ON THE FACT THAT THIS IS A TIME TO CELEBRATE. 250 YEARS IS A MONUMENTAL MOMENT IN OUR HISTORY. UM, SO YOU'LL BE SEEING A LOT OF THAT LOGO AND A LOT OF THAT CELEBRATION OVER THE NEXT YEAR AS WE LEAD UP INTO JULY 4TH. UH, MOVING ON [A.-1. 26-1004 Presentation of a Proclamation declaring February 10, 2026 as "Snows Jewelers Day" in Coral Gables.] TO ITEMS IN REGARDS TO OUR PRESENTATIONS AND PROTOCOL DOCUMENTS. ITEM A ONE. GOOD MORNING, EVERYBODY. MR. MAYOR. I'D LIKE TO READ THE PROCLAMATION. YES, SIR. SO, WHEREAS SNOW'S JEWELERS HAS BEEN A BELOVED INDEPENDENT FAMILY OWNED BUSINESS ON CORAL GABLES MIRACLE MILES, SINCE ITS OPENING DOORS ON MARCH 1ST, 1974, EARNING GENERATIONS OF LOYAL CUSTOMERS THROUGH EXCEPTIONAL CRAFTSMANSHIP, CUSTOM DESIGN, DIAMOND ENGAGEMENT RINGS, FINE WATCHES AND EXPERT REPAIR. AND WHEREAS OWNERS, EDDIE AND JUDY SNOW HAVE EMBODIED THE SPIRIT OF PERSONAL SERVICE AND COMMUNITY STEWARDSHIP, TRANSFORMING THEIR STOREFRONT AT TWO 70 MIRACLE MILE INTO A WELCOMING GATHERING PLACE WHERE FAMILIES CELEBRATED ENGAGEMENTS, ANNIVERSARIES, AND LIFE'S MOST MEANINGFUL MILESTONES. AND WHEREAS JUDY SNOW MADE HISTORY IN 1978 AS FLORIDA'S FIRST FEMALE GRADUATE, JAMIS GEMOLOGIST INSPIRING WOMEN IN THE, IN THE JEWELRY INDUSTRY AND EXEMPLIFYING THE CITY BEAUTIFULS TRADITION OF LEADERSHIP AND INNOVATION. AND WHEREAS SNOW'S JEWELERS HAS EARNED DISTINGUISHED HONORS, INCLUDING THE ALBERT H FRIEDMAN MIRACLE MILE MERCHANT AWARD, TWICE AND RECOGNITION AS BEST JEWELER IN SOUTH FLORIDA BY BOTH THE DAILY BUSINESS REVIEW AND CORAL GABLES MAGAZINE. AND WHEREAS AFTER MORE THAN FIVE DECADES OF DISTINGUISHED SERVICE, EDDIE AND JUDY SNOW ANNOUNCED THAT THE CORAL GABLES STOREFRONT WILL CLOSE IN APRIL, 2026, WHILE THEY TRANSITIONED TO PERSONALIZED CONCIERGE JEWELRY SERVICES, CONTINUING TO SERVE CLIENTS WITH THE SAME TRUSTED EXPERTISE OUTSIDE OF THE A TRADITIONAL RETAIL SETTING. AND WHEREAS THE CITY OF CORAL GABLES WISHES TO HONOR SNOW'S JEWELERS FOR ITS CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE VITALITY OF MIRACLE MILE, ITS EXEMPLARY CUSTOMER SERVICE AND ITS POSITIVE IMPACT ON THE ECONOMIC ECONOMIC LIFE OF OUR COMMUNITY. NOW, THEREFORE, I VINCE LAGO AS MAYOR OF THE CITY OF CORAL GABLES, AND ON BEHALF OF THE CITY COMMISSION DO HEREBY PROCLAIM FEBRUARY 10TH, 2026 AS SNOW'S JEWELERS DAY IN CORAL GABLES. IN OBSERVANCE THEREOF, I HEREBY ENCOURAGE ALL RESIDENTS AND VISITORS ALIKE TO RECOGNIZE THE EXTRAORDINARY LEGACY AND PERSONAL SERVICE THAT DEFINES SNOW'S JEWELERS OVER FIVE DECADES IN THE CITY. BEAUTIFUL. PLEASE JOIN US. PLEASE, SIR. GOOD MORNING. GOOD TO SEE YOU AGAIN. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. PERFECT. JUST THE WAY I WROTE IT, , JUST THE WAY WE PRACTICE IT, SIR. GOOD. IF YOU'RE HAPPY, WE'RE HAPPY. THAT'S ALL THAT MATTERS. EXACTLY. PERFECT. REALLY. ANYWAY, MAYOR LAGO, COMMISSIONERS, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR DESIGNATED TODAY AS SNOWS DOERS DAY. IT WAS REALLY QUITE AN HONOR. YOU KNOW, JUDY AND I HAVE BEEN RESIDENTS HERE IN CARL GABLES FOR OVER 50 YEARS. OUR CHILDREN LIVE HERE. UM, I'M LUCKY TO HAVE MY OLDEST DAUGHTER, JJ AND HER HUSBAND CHRISTOPHER, MY YOUNGEST DAUGHTER, MARY, AND MY GRANDSON TEDDY HERE TODAY. JUDY, WE'RE VERY PROUD. AND WE HAVE A COUPLE OTHER GRANDDAUGHTERS, AND LUCY AND CHARLOTTE COULDN'T MAKE IT TODAY. THEY'RE IN SCHOOL ACTUALLY NOT FEELING SO GOOD, RIGHT? YEAH. BUT ANYWAY, WE ARE OUR, OUR FAMILY. WE'RE PART OF CARL GABLES. I MEAN, THIS IS IMPORTANT TO US. UH, AND INTERESTING, OVER THE 50 YEARS, WE'VE SEEN A LOT OF CHANGES ON MIRACLE MILE , RIGHT? PETER, WITH THE RE UH, RE REINVENTING MIRACLE MILE, THE EXCITING TIMES IN THE SEVENTIES AND EIGHTIES, WE SURVIVED SOME, SOME, UM, RECESSIONS. WE SURVIVED COVID. WE SURVIVED AN ARMED ROBBERY THAT I WAS LUCKY ENOUGH TO BEAT THE CRAP OUTTA THIS GUY, . WE'VE HAD SOME REALLY GREAT HIGHS AND LOWS, AND WE'RE STILL HERE. AND THEN, LIKE ANYTHING, IT'S NOT ABOUT ANY ONE PERSON. IT HAS TO DO WITH THE TEAM. AND NOT UNLIKE SPORTS TEAMS, EVERYBODY CONTRIBUTES. AND THIS MORNING, ONE OF OUR LONGTIME EMPLOYEES, VICKI PASSARELLI, SHE'S BEEN WITH US FOR ON AND OFF FOR OVER 40 YEARS, AND SHE WAS HERE, AND A COUPLE OF THE OTHER GIRLS, COULDN'T MAKE IT TODAY, BUT PLAYED A VERY, A VERY IMPORTANT, UH, ROLE WITH US. UM, THE OTHER THING IS, WE COULD HAVE DONE THIS WITHOUT THE SO MANY FRIENDS AND LOYAL CUSTOMERS THAT HAVE SUPPORTED US OVER THE 50 YEARS. IT WAS REALLY INCREDIBLE. UM, JUST GREAT. SO AS WE KIND KIND OF DRAW TO AN END HERE, UM, OUR LEASE RUNS OUT APRIL 1ST. I TURN 82. [00:15:01] I WAIT, ELISE RUNS OUT APRIL 15TH. I TURNED 82 APRIL 1ST, SO WE FIGURED IT WAS TIME TO DROP BACK IN PUNT A LITTLE BIT. SO WE'RE GONNA OPEN A CONCIERGE TYPE OFFICE ON THE OCEAN BANK BUILDING ACROSS FROM PUBLIX. AND, UM, YOU KNOW, THAT'S GONNA BE A NEW CHALLENGE, A NEW ADVENTURE FOR US. BUT HERE'S THE GOOD NEWS FOR EVERYBODY IN THE ROOM. VALENTINE'S IS SATURDAY . YOU STILL HAVE A CHANCE TO COME AND TAKE ADVANTAGE OF OUR RETIREMENT SALE, . ANYWAY, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. WE ARE OUR WHOLE FAMILY. VERY HONORED. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. OH, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. MR. MANAGER, WILL YOU DO ME A FAVOR? WILL YOU DO THE CITY A FAVOR, PLEASE? THROUGH, THROUGH MARTHA TING, WILL YOU, UH, PROVIDE THIS VIDEO FOR OUR NEWS, OUR NEXT NEWSLETTER? AND ALSO WITH A LITTLE BIT OF AN EXPLANATION OF THAT, THE SNOW FAMILY'S NOT LEAVING US, THEY'RE JUST TRANSITIONING TO A NEW LOCATION. I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE OFFER 'EM THE BEST RUNWAY TO BE AS SUCCESSFUL AS POSSIBLE. YES, MA. UM, THEIR PARTNERSHIP TO THE CITY, AGAIN, I'LL JUST A QUICK ANTIDOTE. UM, MY GRANDMOTHER WHO PASSED AWAY, UM, ABOUT 10 YEARS AGO, WHO LIVED ON MENORCA, SHOPPED AT SNOW'S JEWELERS, UM, YOU KNOW, MY GRANDMOTHER LIVED IN THE CITY FOR A LONG TIME. IT WAS BASICALLY THE FIRST HOME. IT WAS, IT WAS THE FIRST HOME THAT WE BOUGHT IN THE CITY OF CORAL GABLES. UH, AND MY FATHER GAVE IT TO MY GRAND, GAVE IT TO MY GRANDPARENTS, HIS PARENTS, UH, VERY SMALL HOME, BASICALLY ABOUT TWO BLOCKS AWAY FROM HERE. AND IT WAS WHERE I GREW UP. AND I REMEMBER GOING WITH HER AND WALKING MIRACLE MILE, ONE OF THE PLACES THAT WE WOULD WALK WITH SNOW SHOOTERS. AND THEN I HAD THE PRIVILEGE AND HONOR OF NOT ONLY MEETING THIS FAMILY, UH, AND EVERYTHING THAT THEY DO, BUT ALSO SPENDING A LOT OF TIME WITH MARY. UM, UH, MARY WAS A CATALYST, UH, TO GETTING THE MAYOR'S GALA STARTED, UH, AND MAKING SURE THAT MONEY WENT TO THE FOUNDATION BEFORE SHE MOVED ON. AND ALSO, SHE BROUGHT ME IN, UH, TO CHAIR THE WINE AUCTION, UH, WHICH IS, WE JUST CELEBRATED A FOURTH YEAR, UM, UNDER NEW LEADERSHIP AFTER MARY STEPPED DOWN AND MOVED ON TO BIGGER, AND I DON'T WANNA SAY BRIGHTER, BUT JUST BIGGER RESPONSIBILITIES, MAYBE BRIGHTER. UM, BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, UH, THIS FAMILY HAS A LONGSTANDING LEGACY. AND IT'S, IT'S INCUMBENT ON US TO DO EVERYTHING WE CAN TO MAKE SURE THAT WE PROVIDE ANY WAY THAT, YOU KNOW, ANY OPPORTUNITY THAT WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE THEIR BUSINESS CONTINUES TO THRIVE, AND WHATEVER WE CAN DO. AND THEN THERE'S NO SKIN OFF OUR BACK TO JUST PROMOTE THEM, PROMOTE THEM, AND MAKE SURE WE DO THAT. MAYOR, I HAVE A, FOR A OF COURSE, POINT OF PERSONAL PRIVILEGE. SO I JUST WANT TO RE ECHO OR ECHO, I SUPPOSE, WHAT I JUST HAD READ, UM, THIS SNOW FAMILY'S INCREDIBLE EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU, BUT I REALLY, REALLY WANNA FOCUS ON JUDY SNOW FOR JUST ONE MINUTE, BECAUSE I LEARNED SOMETHING NEW EVERY DAY. AND, UH, THE FIRST FEMALE GEMOLOGIST IN THE ENTIRE STATE OF FLORIDA. I MEAN, THAT IS AN AMAZING, UM, ACHIEVEMENT OF JEWELRY. UH, BUT IT'S JUST SUCH, UM, I'M A FATHER OF THREE DAUGHTERS, RIGHT? AND SO THE FIRST FEMALE, ANYTHING, RIGHT? I I I'M WORKING TO ERADICATE SUCH A TERM BECAUSE WE'RE DONE WITH THE FIRST OF FEMALE BECAUSE EVERYONE SHOULD BE OH, NO. , EVERYTHING THAT CAN BE. AND THE LAST QUICK PERSONAL POINT OF PRIVILEGE, I WANNA, UM, JUST NOTE THAT IN THE, UH, AUDIENCE TODAY, WE HAVE A NEAR AND DEAR FRIEND OF MINE AND OF THE SNOWS, RETIRED DETECTIVE HOMICIDE DETECTIVE JOHN KO. JOHN KO, YOU ARE A HERO. THANKS FOR BEING WITH US TODAY. LOOKING AS HANDSOME AS EVER. I WANT WHATEVER YOU'RE DRINKING, I'LL HAVE A, I'LL HAVE A DOUBLE. THANKS MADAM VICE MAYOR. MY, AND ONE MORE POINT OF PERSONAL PRIVILEGE. WHILE, WHILE, UH, THE FACE OF MIRACLE MILE WON'T HAVE SNOW J JEWELERS, I AM VERY EXCITED THAT YOU'RE GONNA BE ON THE SAME FLOOR IN THE SAME OFFICE BUILDING. IT'S VERY CONVENIENT, FOLKS. IT'S ON LAJEUNE AND VALENCIA FIFTH FLOOR. AND THERE'S A GREAT SET OF RECEPTIONISTS OUT THERE THAT WILL TELL YOU AND REACH OUT TO, TO CONTACT WHOEVER HAS AN OFFICE ON THAT FLOOR. IT'S WITHIN WALKING DISTANCE OF CITY HALL. SO I'M VERY EXCITED THAT YOU'RE GONNA BE IN THE BUILDING AS WELL. I ALREADY HAVE MARY SNOW IN THE BUILDING. IT'S, IT'S ONE HAPPY FAMILY THERE. SO, VERY EXCITED FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER. SO, MR. MAN, BEFORE WE TAKE A PICTURE, YOU'D BE SO KIND. JUST HOPEFULLY WE CAN, WE CAN DO EVERYTHING WE CAN IN THE NEXT NEWSLETTER TO, UH, TO EXPLAIN TO THE RESIDENT, TO THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY THAT THEY'RE NOT LEAVING THE CITY. THEY'RE JUST MOVING A FEW DOORS DOWN. YES, MA'AM. HAPPY TO. ALRIGHT, LET'S TAKE A PHOTO. PHOTO MAYBE HERE SO YOU DON'T HAVE TO GO. IT'S BETTER. MOM, JUST STAND HERE. YOU GOTTA STAND RIGHT HERE. JUST STAND RIGHT HERE. WE STAND AROUND. YEAH, STAND AROUND. YOU HAVE A MOM LIKE THIS. YOU HAVE A MOM LIKE THIS. I KNOW. I'VE SEEN YOU OUT WITH HER. . HOW YOU DOING BY THE WAY? HOW YOU TEDDY? WHAT'S UP THE PROCLAMATION [00:20:02] RIGHT THERE. TEDDY, YOU FOR ALL EXTRA. MY GRANDMOTHER. ME TO SCHOOL ALL TIME. AND WE HAD LOVE. MARRIAGE, JOB. YOU GOTTA HOLD ONTO, WE SURVIVED THAT, THAT RENOVATION. WE SURVIVED. JESUS. I DON'T MICHIGAN. MR. CLERK. MR. CLERK. YES SIR. YES SIR. ALRIGHT, WE'LL BE MOVING ON TO ITEM A TWO, A PRESENTATION OR A PROCLAMATION DECLARING FEBRUARY, 2026. GIMME ONE SECOND. I WANT TO PAY THE, THE PROPER RESPECT. ALRIGHT. A TWO, [A.-2. 26-1156 Presentation of a Proclamation declaring February 2026 as "Black History Month" in Coral Gables.] A PRESENTATION OF A PROCLAMATION DECLARING FEBRUARY, 2026 AS BLACK HISTORY MONTH IN CORAL GABLES. I AM GONNA READ THE PROCLAMATION OF THE RECORD AND I ASK FOR OUR FRIENDS TO PLEASE JOIN US AFTER. WHEREAS FROM ITS EARLIEST DAYS, THE CITY OF CORAL GABLES WAS SHAPED BY THE LABOR SKILL AND PERSEVERANCE OF BLACK SETTLERS, INCLUDING BAHAMIAN WORKERS AND FAMILIES FROM THE SOUTHERN UNITED STATES WHOSE CONTRIBUTIONS WERE ESSENTIAL TO BUILDING MUCH OF THE CITY. BEAUTIFUL. AND WHEREAS TWO HISTORIC NEIGHBORHOODS, MCFARLAND AND GOLDEN GATE WERE ORIGINALLY ESTABLISHED BY THOSE EARLY SETTLERS AND HAVE REMAINED VITAL PARTS OF THE CORAL GABLES COMMUNITY FOR MORE THAN A CENTURY. AND WHEREAS THE MCFARLAND NEIGHBORHOOD IS LISTED ON THE NATIONAL REGISTRY OF HISTORIC PLACES IN RECOGNITION OF ITS HISTORIC SIGNIFICANCE AND ITS PRESERVATION OF MUCH OF ITS ORIGINAL ARCHITECTURAL AND COMMUNITY CHARACTER WITH DESCENDANTS OF MANY OF ITS EARLIEST SETTLERS CONTINUING TO CALL THE NEIGHBORHOOD HOME TODAY. AND WHEREAS THE MCFARLAND AND GOLDEN GATE NEIGHBORHOODS STAND AS ENDURING REMINDERS OF THE CULTURAL HERITAGE, RESILIENCE AND LASTING LEGACY OF CORAL GABLES BLACK RESIDENTS WHOSE HISTORY AND CONTRIBUTIONS ARE INSEPARABLE FROM THE CITY'S IDENTITY AND DEVELOPMENT. AND WHEREAS BLACK HISTORY MONTH PROVIDES AN OPPORTUNITY TO HONOR AND CELEBRATE THE ACHIEVEMENTS, CONTRIBUTIONS AND INFLUENCE OF BLACK AMERICANS, BOTH NATIONALLY AND WITHIN THE CITY OF CORAL GABLES. NOW, THEREFORE, I VINCE LA WAS MAYOR OF THE CITY OF CORAL GABLES, ALONG WITH THE MEMBERS OF THE CITY COMMISSION TO HEREBY PROCLAIM FEBRUARY, 2026 AS BLACK HISTORY MONTH IN CORAL GABLES. GOOD MORNING. DON'T BE SHY. IF ANYBODY WANTS TO JOIN US, WE'RE MORE THAN WELCOME. EVERYBODY CAN COME UP. COME UP, COME UP. DON'T BE SHY. HOW ARE YOU DOING TODAY? FINE. YOU'RE DOING WELL. GOOD? YES. GOOD MORNING, MR. MAYOR MADAM VICE MAYOR COMMISSIONERS, MR. CITY MANAGER, MADAM CITY ATTORNEY, MR. CITY CLERK, AND ALL THOSE PRESENT IN THE CHAMBER. THANK YOU FOR THE CITY OF CORAL GABLE'S. RECOGNITION OF BLACK HISTORY MONTH. THE NATIONAL THEME FOR THIS YEAR'S CELEBRATION IS A CENTURY OF BLACK HISTORY. COMMEMORATIONS ALLOW ME TO REFERENCE CERTAIN SIGNIFICANT EVENTS THAT OCCURRED IN THE CITY OF CORAL GABLES IN THE LAST HUNDRED YEARS AS THEY RELATE TO BLACK HISTORY. THE FOUNDER OF THIS BEAUTIFUL CITY, MR. GEORGE MERRICK, PURCHASED ABOUT 20 ACRES OF LAND FROM SCHOOL TEACHER FLORA MCFARLAND AROUND 1925. AND THAT AREA WAS HOME TO BLACK FAMILIES WHO MIGRATED FROM THE BAHAMAS AND THE AMERICAN SOUTH. THAT AREA BECAME KNOWN AS MCFARLAND HOMESTEAD DI DIVISION AS AFTER IT WAS THEN NEXT TO THE CITY OF CORAL GABLES. THE AREA ALSO PROVIDED MR. MERRICK WITH THE WORKFORCE NECESSARY TO BUILD, DEVELOP, AND BEAUTIFY THIS CITY. [00:25:01] ADDITIONALLY, IN THE 1920S, BLACKS LIVED AMONG THE POND, LEON BOULEVARD CORRIDOR WEST OF LAJEUNE ROAD, BUT WERE RESETTLED INTO WHAT IS NOW GOLDEN GATE SUBDIVISION BECAUSE THE LAND ON WHICH THEY OCCUPIED WAS NEEDED FOR THE EXPANSION OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI. SOME OF THOSE RESIDENTS WERE ALSO AMONG MR. MERRICK'S WORKFORCE. IT HAS BEEN REPORTED THAT THE EARLIEST STRUCTURES OF ST. MARY'S FIRST MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH, WHICH SERVED AS THE SPIRITUAL BEACON TO MANY BLACK CORAL GABLES AND A JASON COCONUT GROVE RESIDENCE AND WAS ESTABLISHED IN 1924, WERE BUILT BY THE HANDS OF ITS MALE MEMBERS, UH, ON EVENINGS AND WEEKENDS AFTER COMPLETING THEIR DUTIES AT THE HOMES AND GROUNDS OF THEIR WHITE EMPLOYERS. THE CORAL GABLES IMPROVEMENT ASSOCIATION WAS FORMED IN THE LATE 1940S BY SEVERAL RESIDENTS OF THE MCFARLAND HOMESTEAD SUBDIVISION. AND THAT GROUP APPEALED TO OFFICIALS FOR SERVICES AT THE SAME LEVELS OF THE CORAL GABLES AS WHITE RESIDENTS. THAT ORGANIZATION WAS REFORMED IN THE LATE 1980S AS THE LOLA B WALKER HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATION OF CORAL GABLES BY MR. WILLIAM A. COOPER AND MR. CARL PRIME, AND WAS INCORPORATED ON THE, THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF FLORIDA. MR. COOPER SERVED AS ITS PRESIDENT UNTIL HIS DEATH IN 2008 AND WAS FOLLOWED BY MR. PRIME'S WIDOW EDWINA PRIME, WHO SERVED AS PRESIDENT UNTIL HER DEATH IN 2021. THE LOLA B WALKER HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATION IS NOW HEADED BY MR. CARL LEON PRIME , WHO'S PRESENT TODAY . AND THAT ORGANIZATION WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR MCFARLAND HOMESTEAD RECEIVING ITS HISTORIC DESIGNATION IN 1994 AND BEING LISTED ON THE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES. THE LOLA B WALKER HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATION ALSO ESTABLISHED THAT DONALD R. HOPKINS AND WILLIAM A. COOPER SCHOLARSHIP FUND IN COLLABORATION WITH THE, THE CITY OF CORAL GABLES FOR GRADUATING HIGH SCHOOL SENIORS. WE ARE PROUD TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THIS SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITY HAS RESULTED IN CAREERS NOW BEING ENJOYED BY A SCHOOL PRINCIPAL, AN ACCOUNTANT, AN ATTORNEY WHO RECENTLY BECAME AN EPISCOPAL PRIEST AND SEVERAL EDUCATORS. THE CITY OF CORAL GABLES RENAMED INDUSTRIAL AVENUE IS GEORGE ALLEN AVENUE IN 1994, IN HONOR OF BAHAMIAN NATIVE GEORGE ALLEN, WHO HAD WORKED FOR GEORGE MERRICK AND BECAME A SUCCESSFUL BUSINESSMAN AND REAL ESTATE INVESTOR, SEVERAL CITY OF CORAL GABLES PARKS BEARS THE NAMES OF ITS BLACKS, RESIDENTS WHO WORKED TIRELESSLY TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF LIFE IN THEIR COMMUNITIES. NAMELY NELLIE B MOORE, LOLA B WALKER, AND WILLIAM AND LEONA COOPER. LAST YEAR, A HISTORIC MARKER WAS PLACED ON THE SITE WHERE GRAND AVENUE AND US ONE CONVERGED THAT COMMEMORATES THE TWO HISTORICALLY BLACK SUBDIVISIONS IN CORAL GABLES BEING THE MCFARLAND HOMESTEAD HISTORIC DISTRICT AND GOLDEN GATE. WHAT IS REMARKABLE ABOUT THE TWO SUBDIVISIONS IN THEIR CURRENT AND EVER-CHANGING LANDSCAPE IS THAT SOME OF ITS DESCENDANTS OF THE EARLIER FAMILY STILL RESIDE WITHIN THOSE BOUNDARIES. NAMELY THE SCARBOROUGHS, THE ANDREWS PAYNE, RAYFOOT, WILD GOOSE, MAJOR PRIME AND COOPER FAMILIES. WE REMAIN COMMITTED TO UPHOLDING THE HARD WORK AND DEDICATION DEMONSTRATED BY OUR ANCESTORS IN PRESERVING THEIR LEGACY. AND I THANK YOU. NO, THANK YOU. THANK YOU MR. PRIME. GOOD MORNING. GOOD MORNING. ALL MEMBERS OF THE, UH, DAIS THERE. IT WOULD TAKE FOREVER TO ACKNOWLEDGE EVERYONE, SO DO IT ALL AT ONCE. JUST LIKE TO SAY THAT THE CITY, I APPRECIATE ALL OF ITS EFFORTS IN MAINTAINING AND PRESERVER, PRESERVING THE HERITAGE THAT WE'VE WORKED FOR AND IN HELPING US TO KEEP IT. IF WE FORGET OUR HISTORY, WE HAVE NO IDEA WHERE WE'RE HEADED FOR THE FUTURE. AND I MUST SAY THAT THE CITY OF CORAL GABLES HAS DEFINITELY DEMONSTRATED THAT IT WANTS TO PRESERVE ITS HISTORY MM-HMM . AND NOT ONLY JUST FOR BLACK HISTORY MONTH, BUT THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. AND WE APPRECIATE THAT FROM THEIR CENTENNIAL AND TO NOW. THANK YOU. THANK YOU CARL. THANK YOU MR. PRIME. UM, IF I MAY, I ALSO WANTED TO HAVE OTHER RESIDENTS WHO ARE HERE, WHO ARE VERY PROUD. WE ARE VERY PROUD TO HAVE YOU HERE. UH, IF YOU'D LIKE TO SEE A FEW WORDS, I SEE MY FRIEND IN THE BACK OVER THERE. SHE'S HIDING. DON'T BE SO SHY. COME OVER HERE. [00:30:01] COME OVER HERE. AND I SEE ANOTHER FRIEND OVER THERE IN THE BACK THAT SHE DOESN'T WANT TO GET UP HERE, BUT I GET IT. I UNDERSTAND. CAN WE HAVE SOME WORDS? UH, CAN YOU TELL A LITTLE, CAN YOU TELL PEOPLE TO ONE, WHO YOU ARE, WHO YOU ARE, AND WHO YOU'RE THE WHO, WHO YOU ARE THE GRANDDAUGHTER OF? I THINK PEOPLE NEED TO BE NOT REMINDED, BUT I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE CONTINUE TO REMIND, TO REMEMBER THE PEOPLE ABOUT THE LEGACY THAT YOUR FAMILY HAS PLAYED IN THIS COMMUNITY. SURE. SURE. GOOD MORNING EVERYONE. UM, I'M LEE COOPER WILLIS. I'M THE GRANDDAUGHTER OF WILLIAM AND LEONA COOPER. UM, I CURRENTLY LIVE IN THE GOLDEN GATE SUBDIVISION WITH MY HUSBAND ALFONSO WILLIS AND WHO'S HERE TODAY. AND OUR SON LOGAN WILLIS. HE'S A STUDENT ALSO IN CORAL GABLES AT, UM, GEORGE WASHINGTON CARVER ELEMENTARY. HE'S JUST IN KINDERGARTEN. AND WE ARE SO EXCITED FOR HIM TO GROW UP AS THE FOURTH GENERATION MAYBE, MAYBE FIFTH. I HAVE TO GET IT RIGHT, UM, IN CORAL GABLES. AND IT'S JUST A BEAUTIFUL THING FOR HIM. IT'S A LEGACY. AND WE'RE PROUD TO TAKE HIM AROUND TO SHOW HIM EVERYTHING, ALL THE STREETS. AND WE'RE EXCITED ABOUT THE PARK THAT IS NAMED FOR MY GRANDPARENTS. WHEN HE GOES BY, HE'S LIKE, OH, IT'S MAMA LEE AND DIDI'S PARK IS WHAT HE ALWAYS SAYS. AND SO, UM, WE'RE HONORED TO PRESERVE THE LEGACY OF OUR COMMUNITY IN THE GOLDEN GATES AND MCFARLAND DISTRICTS. AND I'M NOT AS INVOLVED AS I SHOULD BE, BUT I WILL BE MORE INVOLVED JUST SO THAT WE CAN, UM, CONTINUE THE LEGACY. THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE SO MUCH. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. GOOD MORNING YOUNG LADY. HOW ARE YOU? GOOD TO SEE YOU, MAYOR. GOOD TO SEE YOU GUYS. HOW YOU DOING TOO? THANK YOU FOR RECOGNIZING OUR COMMUNITY AND BLACK HISTORY MONTH. I CALL MYSELF BLACK HISTORY 'CAUSE I'M A PART OF CAR GABLES SINCE I WAS 12 YEARS OLD. YEAH. SO I'VE BEEN IN CAR GABLES FOR 61 YEARS. I'VE SEEN IT GROW AND IT, I'M VERY PROUD TO BE A RESIDENT OF CAR GABLES. SO THANK YOU FOR THIS MORNING. THANK YOU FOR THE, MY KIDS WHO'VE BEEN TO THE SCHOOLS WE WERE RAISED IN. AND I'VE SEEN IT GROW FROM WHEN THAT MIRACLE MILE HAD WOOLWORTH THERE AND THE SINGLE SEWING MACHINE AND CAROL'S JEWEL. SO I KNOW EVERY CRACK AND CORNER. AND WHEN THE BUILT MORE HOTEL, I'VE SEEN IT WHEN IT WAS A HOSPITAL. SO, YOU KNOW, I'VE SEEN ALL THE CAR GS AND EVERYWHERE IN EVERY SCHOOL, AND I'VE BEEN A PART OF IT. AND I'M STILL PROUD TO BE A RESIDENT OF THE CITY CARGAS. I THINK IT'S NOW 61 OR 62 YEARS THAT I'VE BEEN HERE. AND I THANK YOU FOR ALL THE TIME YOU ALL AND BEING INCLUSIVE IN WHATEVER'S GOING ON. AND I THANK YOU FOR WHAT YOU COME AND LISTEN TO WHAT WE HAVE TO SAY. AND THAT'S VERY IMPORTANT THAT YOU HEAR WHAT WE HAVE TO SAY AND YOU LISTEN TO US AND YOU RESPOND TO WHAT WE HAVE TO DO SOMETIME NEGATIVELY, MOST OF THE TIME POSITIVELY. BUT THAT'S GOOD. THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO DO. YOU HAVE TO AGREE OR NOT AGREE. AND I'VE BEEN VERY HAPPY TO BE A PART OF CITI. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THIS MORNING. AND I THANK YOU AGAIN FOR WHAT ALL YOU DO FOR OUR COMMUNITY. THANK YOU. UM, JUST WANT TO TOUCH ON A FEW POINTS THAT I THINK ARE IMPORTANT AND WE'RE GONNA HIGHLIGHT MORE THIS YEAR IN 2026, UH, BECAUSE THERE'S GONNA BE A VERY PROUD MOMENT FOR THE CITY OF CORAL GABLES COMING UP IN 2026 IN SEPTEMBER, UM, THROUGH THE LEADERSHIP OF, OF, I THINK THEY STARTED ABOUT THREE YEARS AGO, THREE OR FOUR YEARS AGO, WE STARTED THE PRIOR COMMISSION. UH, WE STARTED HAVING CONVERSATIONS ABOUT TRULY HONORING THE LEGACY OF THE INDIVIDUALS WHO PLAYED THE BIGGEST ROLE, THE MOST IMPORTANT ROLE IN ENSURING THAT GEORGE MERRICK'S VISION BECAME TRULY A REALITY. AND THOSE ARE THE MEMBERS THAT LIVE IN MCFARLAND AND GOLDEN GATE. UH, SO IN, IN 2026 AND SEPTEMBER, THROUGH THE LEADERSHIP OF THE INDIVIDUALS THAT YOU'VE JUST HEARD FROM AND MANY OTHERS IN THAT, IN THOSE NEIGHBORHOODS, WE WILL BE PUTTING UP A BEAUTIFUL SCULPTURE. AND THE CONVERSATION WAS HAD WHETHER THAT SCULPTURE SHOULD BE IN MCFARLAND IN GOLDEN GATE. AND ONE OF THE COMMENTS THAT I MADE, I SAID, UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES WILL THAT SCULPTURE BE IN MCFARLAND IN GOLDEN GATE. AND I REMEMBER HAVING THIS CONVERSATION WITH CARL AND, UH, WE CAME TO THE CONSENSUS THAT, THAT, THAT THAT SCULPTURE SHOULD BE FRONT AND CENTER IN FRONT OF CITY HALL ACROSS THE STREET AND WHERE AMERICA IS. UH, TO ME THAT IS INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT. SO WHEN, FOR EXAMPLE, WHEN PEOPLE COME TO THE CITY AND THEY SEE A BEAUTIFUL SCULPTURE, IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN IT, UH, MARTHA BATING HAS, AND AND THE MANAGER HAVE REALLY EXHIBITED IT. WHEN THIS, WHEN, WHEN IT WAS CHOSEN, IT WAS SELECTED THROUGH MANY ARTISTS THAT THAT CONTRIBUTED, UH, THROUGH THE THOUGHTFUL CONTRIBUTIONS AND AND IDEAS OF THE MEMBERS OF OUR COMMUNITY IN MCFARLAND AND GOLDEN GATE, [00:35:02] WE ARE GONNA PUT SOMETHING UP THAT'S GONNA BE BEAUTIFUL AND MAKE EVERYONE VERY, VERY PROUD. BUT THE INTENT OF IT IS TO REALLY SHOWCASE AND HIGHLIGHT THE FAMILIES, THE FAMILIES THAT ARE THE REASON WHY CORAL GABLES IS HERE TODAY. 'CAUSE GEORGE MERRICK HAD A VISION, BUT HE WASN'T SURE EXACTLY HOW TO IMPLEMENT THAT VISION. AND THAT, AND THAT IMPLEMENTATION CAME THROUGH THE LEADERSHIP OF MEMBERS IN THAT COMMUNITY. SO THAT WILL BE HERE IN THE CITY. IT'S IN A BEAUTIFUL SCULPTURE. I ALSO, UH, WOULD BE REMISS IF I DIDN'T MENTION A LOT OF THE THINGS THAT HAPPENED HERE OVER A FEW YEARS AGO, WHICH PLAYED A BIG ROLE IN UNIFYING OUR COMMUNITY. I THINK THERE WAS A VERY UNIFYING FRONT. ONE OF THOSE, FOR EXAMPLE, WAS OUR TROLLEYS USED TO NEVER GO ACROSS US ONE. AND I REMEMBER SITTING DOWN WITH LEONA, UM, THE EDWINA, ALL THE MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY AND TALKING ABOUT, WE WANNA SEE THE TROLLEYS CONNECT ON THE OTHER SIDE SO THE YOUNG KIDS CAN RIDE THE TROLLEYS INTO CORAL GABLES. AND THAT'S, THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE WORKED ON WITH THE CITY OF MIAMI. AND THEN, UH, COMMISSIONER, UH, SU SUAREZ. AND WE WERE ABLE TO CONNECT THE TROLLEYS AND WE WERE HAVE MORE, NOT ONLY MORE CONNECTIVITY, BUT ALSO MAKING SURE THAT OUR COMMUNITIES WERE CONNECTED, WHICH TO ME, I THINK IS INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT. AND THAT CAME THROUGH THE LEADERSHIP OF THE RESIDENTS IN THAT NEIGHBORHOOD. SO, UM, WE'VE DONE MANY GREAT THINGS WITH ST. MARY'S BAPTIST CHURCH. WE'VE DONE THINGS WITH THE PARKS. UH, A LOT OF THINGS IN CELEBRATION OF, OF, OF, OF THE HISTORY OF THAT COMMUNITY, OF OUR COMMUNITY, UH, MORE IMPORTANTLY. SO I'M EXCITED EVERY TIME WE GET TO REALLY HONOR BLACK HISTORY MONTH, BECAUSE AT THE END OF THE DAY, OUR COMMUNITY HAS A LOT TO CELEBRATE, HAS A LOT TO BE PROUD OF. AND LIKE I SAW YOU THIS PAST WEEK. YOU KNOW, IT'S INTERESTING WHEN YOU'RE WALKING INTO THE MANAGER'S OFFICE ON A THURSDAY OR FRIDAY MORNING AND YOU SEE MEMBERS OF GOLDEN GATE AND MCFARLAND WALKING OUT, HAVING A MEETING WITH A MANAGER, UH, TALKING ABOUT THEIR CONCERNS. YOU'RE ACTIVE, YOU'RE VOCAL. AND AT THE END OF THE DAY, THAT'S WHY IT WORKS. RIGHT? THAT'S WHY IT WORKS. LIKE YOU SAID, LISTENING AND DOING THE BEST THAT WE CAN TO DELIVER ON YOUR VISION AND WHAT YOU SEE IS IN THE BEST INTEREST OF THE COMMUNITY AS A WHOLE. SO I COMMEND YOU FOR STAYING ACTIVE, FOR ENGAGING, AND FOR LEADING THE WAY. UH, AND MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE ONE COMMUNITY. WE'RE NOT TWO COMMUNITIES, WE'RE ONE COMMUNITY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. CAN WE TAKE A QUICK PHOTO OR IF ANYBODY WOULD ELSE WOULD LIKE TO ADD A FEW WORDS, PLEASE. I SPARE. UH, I JUST, UH, I LIKE THE WAY, UM, AND I ESPECIALLY APPRECIATE THE WAY YOU PARTICIPATE IN THE COMMUNITY. DON'T STOP. YES. JUST KEEP, KEEP DOING IT, . IT'S TRUE. THANK YOU AGAIN. GREAT TO SEE YOU THAT, THANK YOU, MARK. ALRIGHT, WE'RE MOVING ON [A.-3. 26-1157 Keep America Beautiful Declaration of Action for Greatest American Cleanup in honor of America's 250th Anniversary.] TO ITEM A THREE, KEEP AMERICA BEAUTIFUL DECLARATION OF ACTION FOR GREATEST AMERICAN CLEANUP IN HONOR OF AMERICA'S 250TH ANNIVERSARY. GOOD MORNING, MAYOR. COMMISSIONERS. UH, WE'RE HERE TODAY TO, UM, BASICALLY DO A DECLARATION OF ACTION FOR THE GREATEST AMERICAN CLEANUP THROUGH KEEP. CORAL GAVE US BEAUTIFUL. WE PARTICIPATE IN THE GREATEST AMERICAN CLEANUP EVERY YEAR, BUT THIS YEAR WILL BE EXTRA SPECIAL, UH, IN CELEBRATING AMERICA'S 250TH [00:40:01] UH, ANNIVERSARY. UM, AND AS SUCH, WE ARE GONNA COMMIT TO DOING AT LEAST THREE CLEANUPS, UH, TWO RECYCLING OR BEAUTIFICATION EVENTS AND ONE CELEBRATION EVENT IN HONOR OF AMERICA'S 250TH ANNIVERSARY. AND JUST TO LET YOU GUYS KNOW, GREATEST AMERICAN CLEANUP IS FROM MARCH 20TH THROUGH JULY 1ST. AND WE ARE ALREADY PLANNING OR HAVE PLANNED 12 EVENTS, UH, INCLUDING, UH, WE'RE GONNA BE HOSTING A SUSTAINABILITY VILLAGE AT THE LAST FARMER'S MARKET. SO WE'RE INVITING, UH, ENVIRONMENTAL VENDORS, UH, FROM AROUND THE, THE COUNTY TO COME AND BE A PART OF THE LAST, UM, FARMER'S MARKET OF THE YEAR. WE'RE ALSO GONNA BE, HOPEFULLY PLANNING WITH PARKS A BRING YOUR DOG TO THE NEW BARK PARK, UH, AND DO A CLEANUP, UM, EVENT AS WELL. WE'LL BE PARTNERING WITH HISTORIC ON DOING A PINEWOOD CEMETERY INVASIVE SPECIES REMOVAL. AND WE HAVE OUR CLOGGING EVENT. WE HAVE A BUNCH OF EARTH MONTH EVENTS, INCLUDING SHOWING AN ENVIRONMENTAL FILM AT THE CORAL GABLE CINEMA AS WE DO EVERY YEAR. UM, SO WE'RE EXCITED AND WE WILL, IT'LL BE A CULMINATION OF THE RECYCLING DRIVE-THROUGH EVENT AT THE END OF APRIL IN HONOR OF EARTH MONTH, UH, ON APRIL 25TH IN THE CITY HALL PARKING LOT. SO WE HAVE A LOT PLANNED. OUR TEAM HERE WITH ME WILL BE BUSY. UM, BUT WE WILL, WE'RE EXCITED AND, UM, AND BE ABLE TO DO THIS FOR, FOR OUR COMMUNITY BY WAY, MAYOR. SO, UH, BEFORE I READ THE DECLARATION, I'M JUST GONNA HIGHLIGHT A COUPLE OTHER THINGS. 'CAUSE YOU KNOW, YOU AND I ARE GONNA DO A DUO ON THE FARMER'S MARKET. WHEN, WHEN IS THE LAST DATE, UH, THAT WE'RE GONNA GET THIS, THE 20? I THINK IT'S THE, LIKE IN THE 2020 EIGHTH, I THINK. 20TH. UH, YES, I BELIEVE SO. IT'S A SATURDAY. YEAH. AND WE'RE, IT'S LAST SATURDAY MARCH. WE'RE GONNA DO IT AT, WHAT, 10 O'CLOCK? YES. OKAY. AND THEN, BECAUSE I'VE RECEIVED A LOT OF QUESTIONS FROM RESIDENTS, SO WHY DON'T WE TEACH MORE ABOUT RECYCLING MM-HMM . BUT THERE'S A LOT MORE THAT WE CAN TEACH ABOUT AS WELL. UM, WE'RE ALSO GONNA BE BRINGING, UH, COMPOST BIN OVER AT THE LIBRARY. UH, STAFF HAS BEEN WORKING ON THIS FOR MONTHS. SO, UH, WE'LL HAVE OUR RIBBON CUTTING SOMETIME A DATE TO BE DETERMINED SOMETIME IN APRIL FOR EARTH MONTH WILL FOR EARTH MONTH. SO, BUT YOU CAN COME LEARN MORE ABOUT IT. YES. AT THE MARCH 20TH, UM, FARMER'S MARKET AT 10:00 AM AND WE'LL HAVE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FOR YOU THERE AS TO WHAT YOU CAN BRING TO COMPOST AT THE LIBRARY AND THE METHOD TO DO IT. AND IT'LL GIVE US A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO REDUCE, UH, THOSE METHANE GASES AND SO FORTH THAT COME OUT OF THE LANDFILLS AND, AND MAKE IT INTO PRODUCTIVE SOIL. SO, UM, ALL EXCITED ABOUT THAT. IT'S BEEN IN THE WORKS FOR AT LEAST SIX MONTHS. UM, SO WE'LL BE ABLE TO LAUNCH IT YES. THIS YEAR. SO THE DECLARATION OF ACTION FOR THE GREATEST AMERICAN CLEANUP, UH, DECLARATION IS WHEREAS THE PEOPLE OF THE CITY OF CORAL GABLES ARE DEDICATED TO ENHANCING THE BEAUTY AND CLEANLINESS OF OUR COMMUNITY. AND WHEREAS WE RECOGNIZE THE IMPORTANCE OF PRESERVING OUR ENVIRONMENT AND FOSTERING CIVIC PRIDE AMONG OUR CITIZENS, AND WE AS WE ACKNOWLEDGE TRANSFORMATIVE POWER OF CLEAN AND GREEN SPACES TO SUPPORT, PROMOTE, AND PROMOTE THE WELLBEING OF ALL PEOPLE. AND WHEREAS AMERICA'S 250TH ANNIVERSARY ON JULY 4TH PRESENTS A HISTORIC OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO SHOWCASE OUR COMMITMENT TO SUSTAINABILITY AND COMMUNITY BEAUTIFICATION, WE, THE CITY OF CORAL GABLES DO HEREBY PROCLAIM OUR SUPPORT AND FOR PARTICIPATION IN THE DECLARATION OF ACTION FOR THE GREATEST AMERICAN CLEANUP. AS SUCH, WE COMMIT TO DO THE FOLLOWING ON AN ANNUAL BASIS. ONE, ORGANIZE THREE NEW COMMUNITY CLEANUPS TO INSPIRE OUR CITIZENS OF ALL AGES TO WORK TOGETHER TO REMOVE LITTER FROM OUR STREETS, PARKS, WATERWAYS, AND PUBLIC SPACES TO HOLD TWO, REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE, OR BEAUTIFICATION EVENTS. EACH YEAR, ENHANCING OUR COMMUNITY'S APPEAL THROUGH REDUCED WASTE, PUBLIC ART, PLANTING TREES, FLOWERS, AND CREATING AND IMPROVING OUR, MAINTAINING OUR GREEN SPACES. THREE, HOLD ONE EVENT TO CELEBRATE OUR PROGRESS AND ACHIEVEMENTS TO HELP AMERICA LOOK HER BEST FOR THE 250TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION BY DECLARING OUR SUPPORT FOR THE GREATEST AMERICAN CLEANUP WITH KEEP AMERICA BEAUTIFUL. WE INTEND TO MAKE THE CITY OF CORAL GABLES A SHINING EXAMPLE OF ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AS WE WORK TOGETHER IN OUR COMMUNITY, UH, TO MAKE OUR COMMUNITY GREENER, CLEANER AND MORE BEAUTIFUL FOR GENERATIONS TO COME. SO I'M GONNA ADD A COUPLE MORE THINGS TO THIS AS TO WHAT WE'VE BEEN DOING TO IMPROVE OUR ENVIRONMENT. WE'VE REDUCED THE PERMITTING FEES FOR, UM, THE LIVING SEA WALLS, WHICH CLEAN THE WATER AND THE WATERWAY, AND PROVIDE FOOD FOR THE MANATEES BECAUSE YOU HAVE THE GOOD STUFF GROWING ON, ON THE SEA WALLS. AND IT'S MADE OUT OF A CEMENT THAT DOESN'T, UH, DAMAGE THE WATER. IT'S MORE COMPATIBLE WITH THE WATER, AND THAT'S WHY IT'S, IT'S BEING PROMOTED. UM, [00:45:01] WE ALSO HAVE A MICRO FOREST IN THE WORKS, AND I THINK BY NEXT COMMISSION MEETING, UH, DINO WILL BE READY TO PRESENT THE FINAL DRAWINGS, UH, TO THE COMMISSION. UH, THERE IS A FUNDRAISING EFFORT BY THE CORAL GABLES GARDEN CLUB TO HELP SUPPORT THE PLANTING OF THE TREES THAT ARE GONNA BE COMING IN THERE. A MICRO FOREST IS AN AMAZING, UH, FEATURE THAT CLEANS THE AIR, SUPPORTS WILDLIFE, AND REDUCES NOISE AND POLLUTANTS ALONG, UH, HEAVILY TRAVELED, UM, HIGHWAYS, WHICH IS WHY YOU SEE THE DENSE PLANTINGS THAT YOU DO ALONG, UM, THE UNDERLYING. SO THIS IS VERY EXCITING AND I HOPE EVERYBODY COMES OUT AND PARTICIPATES. THANK YOU, VICE MAYOR. UM, I HAVEN'T DONE THIS IN A WHILE. I CAN'T REMEMBER THE LAST TIME I DID. I THINK IT WAS PROBABLY ABOUT A YEAR AGO. YOU MENTIONED THREE CLEANUPS, RIGHT? YES. AT LEAST THREE. SO I WOULD LIKE TO PERSONALLY AGAIN, UH, PROVIDE A CASH CHECK AS WE'VE GIVEN IN THE PAST. OKAY. UM, AWARD OR PRIZE, WHATEVER YOU'D LIKE TO PUT OKAY. FOR THE PERSON THAT COLLECTS THE MOST GARBAGE. OKAY. CAN YOU TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT WE'VE DONE IN THE PAST AND HOW, HOW THAT'S WORKED OUT? YEAH. SO MAYOR, THROUGH YOUR, YOUR DONATIONS, WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO, AT THE, UH, DOWNTOWN CLEANUPS THAT WE DO WITH THE CORAL GABLES CHAMBER, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE CHAMBER, WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO AWARD PRIZES, UH, TO THOSE FOLKS, WHETHER IT'S AN INDIVIDUAL OR A GROUP THAT COLLECTS THE MOST AMOUNT OF LITTER DURING THAT EVENT. AND IT GETS VERY COMPETITIVE OUT THERE, AS YOU ALL HAVE BEEN OUT THERE AND SEEN. UM, UH, IT DOES GET VERY COMPETITIVE AND FOLKS ARE ABLE, UH, BE, BE ABLE TO GO OUT THERE AND HAVE A HUGE IMPACT IN A VERY SHORT PERIOD OF TIME. I DON'T THINK I'VE DONE IT IN ABOUT A YEAR. WHAT, WHAT, WHAT'S THE MOST THAT WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO GIVE TO, TO, TO AN INDIVIDUAL? I THINK YOU'VE BEEN MAKING A $500 DONATION, I WANNA SAY. YEAH. ALRIGHT. SO I WANNA GIVE THE 500 DONATION AGAIN. WHAT SHOULD WE SPLIT IT UP TO? LIKE 300 AND 201ST AND SECOND COULD, OR SOMETHING LIKE HOWEVER YOU WOULD LIKE TO DO IT. OR MAYBE TWO 50 AND 200 AND, AND THE THIRD PLACE GETS THE REMAINING BALANCE. OKAY. THAT WAY EVERYBODY GETS SOMETHING. WE GET AS MANY PEOPLE OUT THERE. AND YOU'RE GONNA DO THREE OF THEM, RIGHT? WE'RE GONNA DO THREE THIS YEAR. YEAH. SO WE, THE NEXT ONE WILL BE ON, UH, WE'RE BETWEEN APRIL 6TH AND APRIL 20TH. WE'RE FINALIZING THAT DATE NOW WITH THE CHAMBER, SO I'M COMMITTED TO THAT DAY, AND I'LL, AND I'LL BE OUT THERE. PERFECT. THANK YOU, MAYOR. WE APPRECIATE YOUR SUPPORT AT ALL. I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO TRYING TO GET AS MANY PEOPLE OUT THERE. DEFINITELY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. TAKE A PHOTO. SEE A PHOTOS. TAKE A PHOTO. LET'S DO IT. MOVING [A.-4. 25-1186 Congratulations to The Plaza Coral Gables on receiving the 2025 Commercial Beautification Award.] ON TO ITEM A FOUR. CONGRATULATIONS TO THE PLAZA CORAL GABLES ON RECEIVING THE 2025 COMMERCIAL BEAUTIFICATION AWARD. GOOD MORNING. GOOD MORNING. PEREZ WITH THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT. SO WE'RE CLOSING THE 2025 COMMERCIAL BEAUTIFICATION AWARDS IN A BIG WAY. THE PLAZA CORAL GABLES HAS, UM, RECEIVED IS RECEIVING THIS AWARD. THE COMMERCIAL BEAUTIFICATION AWARDS IS A, UM, IT RECOGNIZES BUSINESSES THAT HAVE GONE ABOVE AND BEYOND THE BE BEAUTIFICATION AND MAINTENANCE OF THE STOREFRONTS AND SURROUNDING AREAS. AND SO WE HAVE A POWERPOINT HERE, AND BY THE WAY, WE HAVE MATT ANDERSON, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF MOBILITY AND SUSTAINABILITY, AND WE ALSO HAVE THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, JORGE RETA, UM, HERE WITH US AS WELL. BUT AS YOU CAN TELL, I'M THE PLAZA HAS DONE AN AMAZING JOB OF KEEPING THE AREA MAINTAINED WELL. THE LANDSCAPING IS IMPECCABLE, AND, UM, THERE'S ALWAYS SOMEONE CLEANING THE AREA. AND SO THIS IS SOMETHING THAT THEY ARE, THEY'RE GREAT STAKEHOLDERS, GREAT PARTNERS, AND WE CAN LEARN A LOT FROM, UM, THEIR BEST PRACTICES AND, AND, AND THE, YOU KNOW, IT'S JUST ENHANCING THE SURROUNDING AREAS AS WELL, MATT. SO I ALSO WANT TO THANK THE SUSTAINABILITY ADVISORY BOARD WHO VOTES ON THESE EVERY YEAR, AND ALSO THE DEPARTMENTS THAT PARTNER WITH US ON RECOGNIZING THE BUSINESSES, UH, CODE ENFORCEMENT, OBVIOUSLY THE CHAMBER, OUR RESIDENTS THAT SUBMIT APPLICATIONS BLOCK BY BLOCK THAT IS OUT CLEANING GIRALDA AND MIRACLE MILE. AND ALSO, I WANNA RECOGNIZE THE PLAZA BECAUSE THEY ACTUALLY ACHIEVE LEAD CERTIFICATION ON ALL NINE OF THEIR PROJECTS WITHIN THAT, THAT FOOTPRINT. SO, UM, NOT ONLY HAVE THEY BEEN A LEADER IN BEAUTIFYING, BUT THEY'VE ALSO BEEN A LEADER, LEADER IN BUILDING ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY, UH, FACILITIES THERE ON, ON THERE. SO CONGRATULATIONS ON THAT ACHIEVEMENT FOR THEM AS WELL. AND WE HAVE, UH, JOSE ANTONIO PEREZ, WHO HAS COME TO RECEIVE HIS WONDERFUL [00:50:01] AWARD, HIS PLAQUE. GOOD MORNING, SIR. GOOD MORNING. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. I'M JUST GONNA THANK, THANK YOU ALL. UM, MR. MAYOR, VICE MAYOR, ALL OF YOU, MELISSA COMMISSIONERS, PETER, MOST OF YOU, ALMOST ALL, ALL OF THIS IN THIS ROOM. WE'RE PART OF THIS BIG ENDEAVOR, INCLUDING YOUR MOM BACK THEN, 12 YEARS AGO WHEN WE STARTED THIS. AND WE JUST VERY PROUD OF WHAT WE DID. THE LEGACY THAT WE'VE DONE FOR, FOR THE CITY, OF COURSE, FOR, FOR MY PRINCIPLES, THE OWNERS IN MEXICO, THE BECKMAN FAMILY, BUT, UM, FOR OTHER COMMUNITIES. I JUST SAW CHIEF OUTSIDE AND I TOLD HIM THAT I MISS HIM ALREADY, YOU KNOW, FOR LIKE FOUR YEARS. IT WAS EVERY DAY WITH ALL THESE BEAUTIFUL STUFF. NOW, YOU KNOW, KNOW WE HAVE THE, THE CHIEF, UH, POLICE, UH, FACILITIES THERE. SO JUST TO REAFFIRM THAT, THAT PROJECT IS FOR US, IT'S A LEGACY FOR THE CITY, UH, FOR ANY THINGS THE CITY WANTS TO USE FOR EVENTS, SPECIAL THINGS. NOW WITH THE PARK CLOSE, CLOSE BY TO COME JUST TO REAFFIRM THAT, UH, IT IS, IT'S A PROJECT FOR THE CITY, AND WE ARE VERY HAPPY AND THANKFUL FOR ALL THESE YEARS THAT THE CITY SUPPORTS. THANK YOU HERE, YOUR PLAQUE. THANK YOU. WELL, I JUST VERY QUICKLY, JOSE ANTONIO, THANK YOU FOR YOUR TEAM. EVERY DAY WHEN YOU DRIVE BY, UH, YOUR PROPERTY, THERE'S SOMEBODY CLEANING THE EXTERIOR, UH, NOT ONLY BY HAND, BUT ALSO WITH MACHINES. I MEAN, YOUR SIDEWALKS LOOK IMPECCABLE. EVERYTHING IS CLEAN, THE LANDSCAPING IS BEAUTIFUL. UH, THE ARTWORK LOOKS FIRST CLASS. THERE'S ALWAYS SOMEBODY WORKING ON IT, MAKING SURE IT'S VERY PRESENTABLE. AND THAT'S WHY, AGAIN, YOU'RE HITTING RECORD NUMBERS, NOT ONLY ON THE COMMERCIAL, ON THE RESIDENTIAL, BUT ALSO ON THE RESTAURANTS THAT ARE OPENING UP THERE. AND I THINK THAT THE INVESTMENT THAT YOU'VE MADE, ALONG WITH ALL THE INCREDIBLE WORK IN REGARDS TO THE UPKEEP AND THE MAINTENANCE, AS BEKE SAYS, IT'S PAYING OFF. UH, THANK YOU FOR, YOU KNOW, PUTTING YOUR BEST FOOT FORWARD BECAUSE IT REALLY HELPS THE CITY A LOT. YOU SET THE EXAMPLE FOR EVERYONE ELSE, AND I CONTINUOUSLY USE IT HERE AS AN EXAMPLE FOR, YOU KNOW, WHAT OTHER, OTHER, UM, ENTITIES SHOULD BE DOING. THE CITY SHOULD BE DOING, SHOULD BE FOLLOWING YOUR FOOTSTEPS IN REGARDS TO MAINTENANCE AND QUALITY CONTROL. AND YOU'RE DOING AN AMAZING JOB, AND IT'S OBVIOUSLY PAYING DIVIDENDS FOR YOU. SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR MAKING THAT INVESTMENT IN THE CITY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR PLEASURE. THANK YOU, MR. PRESIDENT. THANK YOU, MR. MAYOR. JUST, UH, USE THE OPPORTUNITY TO, ON BEHALF OF THE CORAL GABLES CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, COMMEND, UH, JOSE, ANTONIO AND HIS ENTIRE TEAM FOR, AS YOU SAID, MAYOR, LEADING BY EXAMPLE. UH, NOT ONLY IS IT THE ENTIRE FACILITY IMPECCABLE, UH, DAY AND NIGHT, UH, IT'S JUST, UH, A PHENOMENAL, UH, UH, YOU KNOW, LOCATION THAT HAS ACTUALLY REINFORCED THE REALITY OF OUR DOWNTOWN, UM, EXPANDED OUR DOWNTOWN A LITTLE FARTHER SOUTH THAN PERHAPS, UH, IT WAS AT ONE POINT. AND IT'S JUST REALLY BEEN, BEEN AN INCREDIBLE ADDITION, UH, TO, TO THAT AREA. AND WITH WHAT'S PLANNED FOR THE, UH, THE FUTURE OF PONDS PARK. IT'S JUST EXCITING TO SEE WHAT'S AHEAD FOR THAT AREA. NOT, NOT TO MENTION SOME OF THE OTHER DEVELOPMENTS THAT ARE COMING OUTTA THE GROUND, AS WELL AS THOSE THAT ARE ALREADY OUT OF THE GROUND, UH, INCLUDING MR. CODINA AND THE MERCEDES-BENZ. THAT WHOLE AREA IS JUST REALLY EXCITING TO, TO SEE, UH, AT ANY TIME OF DAY, BUT ESPECIALLY AT NIGHT WHEN YOU LIGHT IT UP AS BEAUTIFULLY AS YOU'VE DONE. BUT AGAIN, CONGRATULATIONS ON ONCE AGAIN, LEADING BY EXAMPLE AND PUTTING, UH, UH, YOUR MONEY WHERE YOUR MOUTH IS, RIGHT? UH, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, LEADING, UH, AND, AND, YOU KNOW, LEADING, UH, THIS COMMUNITY WITH, UH, EVERYTHING YOU DO. SO THANK YOU. YEAH. ONE OF THE THINGS I FORGOT TO MENTION, WE, WE, EVERY TIME THAT WE CALL UPON YOU FOR ONE REASON OR ANOTHER, WE'RE, YOU KNOW, FOR PHILANTHROPY, UH, FOR WHATEVER THAT MAY BE, UH, YOU NEVER SAY NO. UH, I HAD, I HAD A, I HAD A CRAZY IDEA TO WATCH THE COLLEGE FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME AT THE PARK. UM, AND, UM, WE TALKED WITH STAFF. WE, WE REACHED OUT TO YOU, YOU SAID, LISTEN, COUNT ON US, YOU GAVE A SIGNIFICANT DONATION. SO MAKE SURE WE COULD HAVE, YOU KNOW, EVERYTHING DONE TO A CERTAIN STANDARD. AND GUESS WHAT HAPPENED? WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE PICTURES, LOOK HOW MANY PEOPLE SHOWED UP THOSE PEOPLE. THEN WHEN THE GAME WAS DONE, THEY WENT TO HAVE DINNER, THEY WENT TO HAVE A DRINK, THEY WENT TO ENJOY THE AMENITIES, UH, IN YOUR FACILITY. SO AGAIN, UH, YOU NEVER SAY NO. WE'RE VERY GRATEFUL, VERY, VERY GRATEFUL, UH, FOR THAT. AND THE COLLEGE FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME WAS JUST A TESTAMENT TO THAT, THAT, UH, AGAIN, YOU'RE CRITICAL, INTEGRAL PART OF OUR DOWNTOWN, AND YOU'RE ALWAYS LEADING BY EXAMPLE. AND WE ALWAYS THANK YOU FOR THAT. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. AND WE'LL ALWAYS BE THERE. WHATEVER THE CITY NEEDS, IT'S OUR PLEASURE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. LET'S TAKE A PHOTO. [00:55:55] THANK YOU, SIR. MOVING ON [A.-5. 26-1038 Congratulations to Division Chief Louie Fajardo, recipient of the City of Coral Gables “Firefighter of the Month Award,” for the month of February 2026.] TO ITEM A FIVE. CONGRATULATIONS TO THE DIVISION CHIEF LOUIS FABO, RECIPIENT OF THE CITY OF CORAL GABLES FIREFIGHTER, THE MONTH AWARD FOR THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY, 2025. CHIEF, GOOD MORNING. THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. GOOD MORNING, MAYOR. GOOD MORNING, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN OF THE COMMISSION. UH, IT'S MY PLEASURE TO INTRODUCE OUR FIREFIGHTER OF THE MONTH AND TO TELL HIS STORY AND WHY HE WAS NOMINATED. I CALL ON ASSISTANT CHIEF JONES, WHO NOMINATED HIM. GOOD MORNING EVERYBODY. IT'S ALWAYS A, A GOOD ITEM TO BE ABLE TO HIGHLIGHT THE GREAT WORK THAT OUR FIREFIGHTERS DO. THIS PARTICULAR CASE, UH, DIVISION CHIEF LOUIS FARDO IS BEING NOMINATED AS FIREFIGHTER OF THE MONTH BECAUSE ABOUT A YEAR AGO, HE WAS, UH, IN COMMUNICATIONS WITH ONE OF HIS FAMILY FRIENDS IN ABACO, BAHAMAS, AND FOUND OUT ABOUT A CALL WHERE A FEMALE AND HER DAUGHTER WAS INVOLVED IN A CAR ACCIDENT AND TRAPPED AND WAS UNABLE TO BE, UH, EXTRICATED FROM THE VEHICLE BECAUSE THE FIRST RESPONDERS DID NOT HAVE PROPER EQUIPMENT. HE HAS TAKEN IT, HE TOOK IT UPON HIMSELF, UH, TO LOCATE VENDORS LOCALLY HERE IN SOUTH FLORIDA, COORDINATED THEM. DONATING, UH, TOOLS THAT IS SIMILAR TO THE JAWS OF LIFE THAT IS USED TO HELP PEOPLE OUT OF VEHICLE ACCIDENTS, COORDINATED THE DELIVERY OF THAT EQUIPMENT TO THE BAHAMAS, AND, UH, MAKING SURE THAT THOSE FIREFIGHTERS THERE, OR FIRST RESPONDERS THERE HAS WHAT IT NEEDS OR WHAT THEY NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT THIS DOESN'T HAPPEN AGAIN. I THINK THIS DEMONSTRATES AND CONTINUES TO DEMONSTRATE THE, THAT THE WORK OF THE FIREFIGHTERS OF CORAL GABLES CONTINUE TO GO, UH, BEYOND THE BORDERS. AND NOT JUST BEING COMMITTED TO OUR LOCAL COMMUNITY, BUT BEING LOCAL, UH, COMMITTED TO THE GLOBAL COMMUNITY. SO, CONGRATULATIONS TO THE FIREFIGHTER OF THE MONTH, DIVISION CHIEF LOUIS FARDO. MORNING MAYOR. GOOD MORNING COMMISSION. UM, THANK YOU. I'M HONORED TO RECEIVE THIS AWARD. I WANNA MAKE IT KNOWN. IT, IT WAS NOT AN INDIVIDUAL, UM, ACCOMPLISHMENT, BUT A COLLECTIVE ACCOMPLISHMENT WITH THE INDIVIDUALS BEHIND ME AND THE REST OF THE MEMBERS, UH, AS ALONG WITH THE, THE VENDORS THAT THAT'S APPLIED, THE, THE EQUIPMENT. UM, ULTIMATELY MY GOAL, MY VISION IS TO HAVE OUR MEMBERS, UM, EXTEND THIS TRAINING TO THE, OUR NEIGHBORING CITIES, BECAUSE I'M A BIG BELIEVER THAT ONCE YOU CAN TEACH A TRAIT OR A SUBJECT, YOU'VE MASTERED IT. AND NOTHING MORE TO PROTECT OUR CITIZENS AND THE RESIDENTS OF CORAL GABLES. THANK YOU AGAIN. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. UM, CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR EFFORTS. WELL DESERVED, UH, THE RECOGNITION, UH, AGAIN, THAT'S WHAT SETS THE CITY APART, EVEN THOUGH IT'S NOT IN OUR BACKYARD, WE'RE STILL LOOKING OUT FOR OUR NEIGHBORS. IF OUR NEIGHBORS ARE SAFE, WE'RE SAFE. ABSOLUTELY. SO, I CONGRATULATE YOU ON YOUR EFFORTS IN LEADING BY EXAMPLE. UH, AND I THINK THAT'S A VERY SELFLESS, UH, TRAIT AND OBVIOUSLY A VERY SELFLESS ACT THAT YOU DID. AND ANY WAY THAT WE CAN HELP YOU FROM THE COMMISSION, FROM THE CITY, UH, WE'RE HERE TO, WE'RE HERE TO ASSIST YOU IN THAT TYPE OF, UH, ACTION. SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THAT. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU, SIR. I GET [01:00:04] ITEM A [A.-6. 26-1159 Congratulations to Emergency Dispatch Operator Monica Dinescu, recipient of the City of Coral Gables “Operator of the Year,” for 2025.] SIX. CONGRATULATIONS TO EMERGENCY DISPATCH OPERATOR, MONICA ESCU, RECIPIENT OF CITY CORAL GABLES OPERATOR OF THE YEAR FOR 2025. CHIEF, GOOD MORNING, MR. COMING, SIR. UH, FIRE DEPARTMENT'S GOT THE DOOR BLOCKED. YES, . GOOD MORNING, CHIEF MORNING, MR. MAYOR, COMMISSIONERS, VICE MAYOR. MONICA, YOU CAN STAND OVER THERE. THERE WE GO. GOOD MORNING. UH, ON BEHALF OF THE POLICE DEPARTMENT, I AM VERY PROUD TO BE HERE TODAY TO INTRODUCE YOU TO OUR OPERATOR OF THE YEAR. MONICA ESCU HAS BEEN WITH OUR DEPARTMENT, UM, A FEW YEARS, NINE, NINE YEARS ALTOGETHER. UH, I WANNA TAKE SOME EXCERPTS OF, OF WHAT SHE HAS ACCOMPLISHED, BUT ALSO WHAT SHE HAS DONE. AND ONE OF THE CALLS WE SHE HAD HANDLED WAS SOMEBODY ON THE AREA OF ASTORIA THAT WAS AN EMOTIONAL DISTRESS. THERE WAS AN EXTREME MENTAL DISTRESS, CRYING UNCONTROLLABLY ABOUT HER HUSBAND AND DEMANDING TO SPEAK TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES. UH, MONICA REMAINED CALM, COMPOSED THROUGHOUT THE CALL WITH A REASSURANCE AND ACTIVE LISTENING, AND WHERE IT WAS ABLE TO MAINTAIN CONTROL IN THE SITUATION WHILE SHOWING GENUINE EMPATHY. WE KNOW THIS BECAUSE THESE, AS WE KNOW, OUR CALLS ARE RECORDED AND THIS IS WHAT IT IS TO HAVE A 9 1 1 CENTER WITH COMPASSIONATE PEOPLE ON THAT SIDE OF THE, ON OUR SIDE OF THE PHONE. UH, SHE WAS ABLE TO EX REDIRECT INDIVIDUALS AND RESOURCES AND HELP HER GET THROUGH THAT VERY TRYING TIME AND THAT, AND THAT FAMILY'S LIFE. SHE'S ALSO BEEN RECOGNIZED BY HER PEERS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR AS PROACTIVELY SHARING INFORMATION AND CONDUCTING A THOROUGH RESEARCH. I CAN TELL YOU FROM FIRSTHAND KNOWLEDGE THAT WHEN I'VE, I ASKED IF SOMETHING OF MONICA, IT COMES THROUGH QUICKLY. EXACTLY. AND IN EXTREMELY, UH, CONSISTENT FASHION. ACCORDING TO HER, ACCORDING TO HER PEERS, AS WELL AS HER SUPERVISOR, SHE HOLDS HERSELF TO THE HIGHEST STANDARD AND EXPECTS THE SAME LEVEL OF EXCELLENCE FROM OTHERS. MONICA TAKES BRI TAKES HER ROLE SERIOUSLY AND CONTINUALLY STRIVES FOR SUPERIOR PERFORMANCE BECAUSE OF THESE ATTRIBUTES, BECAUSE OF THE OTHER CALLS THAT SHE HANDLES EVERY DAY, AND THE SUPERVISORY TONE OF WHICH SHE HAS CONTINUED TO BUILD OUR COMMUNICATION SECTION INTO A WORLD CLASS COMMUNICATION SECTION. UH, SHE WAS AWARDED THE OPERATOR OF THE YEAR FOR 2025. THANK YOU. I JUST WANNA SAY THANK YOU. GOOD MORNING. UM, IT'S BEEN A PLEASURE TO WORK FOR THE CITY FOR THE LAST NINE YEARS. UH, I WANNA SAY THANK YOU TO MY SUPERVISORS, SORAYA AND MICHELLE BOBS FOR WRITING ME UP AND, YOU KNOW, ALWAYS HAVING THE UTMOST FAITH IN ME AND TRUSTING ME AND, YOU KNOW, TO MY WHOLE TEAM FOR ALL OF THE GUIDANCE AND TRUST I'VE RECEIVED THROUGH ALL THE YEARS. SO, THANK YOU. CONGRATULATIONS. GREAT WORK. THANK YOU. YOU WANNA DO BOTH [A.-7. 26-1158 Congratulations to Officer Thiago Falcao, recipient of the City of Coral Gables “Officer of the Year,” for 2025.] OF YOU THEN? WE'LL DO THE PICTURES. WHAT I REALLY LIKE. OKAY. YOU CAN STAND OVER THE ASSISTANT CHIEF AT THIS TIME. I'D AFTER FA TODAY, I'D LIKE TO INTRODUCE YOU TO THE OFFICER OF THE YEAR FOR 2025. OFFICER FACA, I GET THAT RIGHT. YES, SIR. ALSO DOUBLES AT BAD BUNNY . UH, IN PORTUGUESE. IN PORTUGUESE. HE SINGS IN PORTUGUESE. UH, SOME OF THE WORK THAT OFFICER FAU HAS DONE THROUGHOUT THIS 2025 IS, UH, WHEN I MENTIONED THIS TO YOU NOT TOO LONG AGO, UH, A HIT AND RUN AT, UH, TOOK, STRUCK DOWN TWO OF OUR CORAL GABLES RESIDENCE AND LEFT THE AREA. AND IF YOU REMEMBER WHEN WE TALKED ABOUT THAT THE WORK THAT OFFICER FAL DID AT THAT TIME WAS BETWEEN CONTRACTING THE CELL SITES USING THE APRS INTELLIGENCE CENTER RESOURCES THROUGHOUT DADE COUNTY, WAS ABLE TO GET WARRANTS FOR THE INDIVIDUAL TALK WITH THE FAMILY OF THE INDIVIDUAL, AND WAS ABLE TO TAKE HIM INTO CUSTODY. AFTER USING A LPR SUNPASS, UM, TRACKS, WORKING WITH THE SUNNY ISLES POLICE DEPARTMENT AND FOUND THE INDIVIDUAL AND WAS ABLE TO HOLD THEM ACCOUNTABLE IN THE SYNOPSIS OF, OF THE NOMINATION, OFFICER FAU DEMONSTRATED EXTRAORDINARY TENACITY, DEDICATION, AND PROFESSIONALISM. HIS INVESTIGATIVE AND INTERROGATIVE SKILLS, ALONG WITH THE COLLABORATIVE WORK ACROSS MULTIPLE JURISDICTIONS LED TO THE IDENTIFICATION, LOCATION, AND ARREST OF A SUSPECT INVOLVED IN A SERIOUS HIT AND RUN CRASH IN OUR CITY, [01:05:01] AS WELL AS RECOVERED THE VEHICLE AND, AND USED IN THE CRIME. AND IT WAS ALSO AT THAT TIME WHERE INDIVIDUAL WASN'T TAKEN INTO CUSTODY, ALSO WAS PROBABLY HAVING SOME ILLICIT DRUGS AND THINGS AND GOT THAT OFF THE STREET AS WELL. IT'S BECAUSE OF THIS AND WHAT, WHAT HE DOES EVERY DAY IN OUR TRAFFIC HOMICIDE UNIT, ALONG WITH THE REST OF HIS TEAM, THAT HE WAS AWARDED OFFICER OF THE YEAR FOR THE 2025 CORAL GABLES POLICE DEPARTMENT. HE WANTS TO SING A SONG. THAT'S WHY USE THE BAD BUNNY. PEOPLE NORMALLY PAY ME FOR THIS, SO WE'LL SAVE IT FOR A LATER TIME. , THAT WOULD BE GOOD. I JUST WANT TO THANK, UM, GOD AND MY FAMILY CHIEF, MY TEAM, THE COMMISSION, AND EVERYONE FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE HERE. UM, I'M VERY HUMBLE, LIKE I SAID, A COUPLE MONTHS AGO. UM, I HAPPEN TO BE HERE BECAUSE I WAS THE LEAD INVESTIGATOR ON THAT CASE, BUT, UH, TOOK A LOT OF HARD WORK FROM THE WHOLE TEAM AND, UH, EVERYONE INVOLVED TO GET IT DONE. SO THANK YOU. OFFICER. HOW MANY YEARS HAVE YOU BEEN WITH THE FORCE? THIS IS MY FIFTH YEAR. FIFTH YEAR? YES SIR. SO, AS YOU NOTICED BEFORE WITH, WITH, UH, DISPATCHER ESCO WHO WAS HERE, UH, SHE WAS BEEN HERE FOR NINE, YOU'VE BEEN HERE FOR FIVE. THE FUTURE'S VERY, VERY BRIGHT. UH, AND I WANNA COMMEND YOU FOR YOUR HARD WORK FOR BOTH OF YOU. UH, YOU ARE TRULY THE FRONT LINES. YOU ANSWER THE CALL, YOU RESPOND, UH, YOU KEEP US SAFE AT NIGHT. THIS IS WHY PEOPLE LIVE IN THE CITY OF CORAL GABLES. YES, SIR. AND I ALSO WANT TO COMMEND THE, THE COMMAND STAFF IN THE BACK, ALONG WITH THE CHIEF AND THE CITY MANAGER. UM, THANK YOU FOR PREPARING THESE YOUNG MEN AND WOMEN TO TRULY MAKE THIS THE PREMIER CITY IN MIAMI COUNTY, IN THE STATE, AND IN THE COUNTRY TO LIVE IN. I HAVE A DEEP RESPECT ALONG WITH THE COMMISSION FOR OFFICERS AND FOR THE ENTIRE TEAM AROUND THE OFFICERS. THANK YOU FOR YOUR HARD WORK. DON'T EVER, AND I SAY THIS ALL THE TIME, WHEN WE HAVE, WHEN WE HAVE, UM, YOU KNOW, CEREMONIES TO BRING IN OUR NEW OFFICERS, DON'T EVER, NO MATTER HOW HARD THIS JOB GETS, THINK THAT THIS COMMISSION AND THE CITY DOES NOT HAVE YOUR BACK. WHATEVER YOU HEAR ON THE STREET, WHATEVER'S BEING NEGOTIATED IN THE BACK OF A ROOM IN REGARDS TO A UNION CONTRACT, WE ADORE, APPRECIATE, RESPECT, THE HARD WORK THAT YOU'RE DOING, AND WE UNDERSTAND HOW DIFFICULT IT IS AND WHAT IT TAKES OUT NOT ONLY ON YOURSELF, BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY YOUR FAMILY. WE'RE HERE TO SUPPORT YOU 110%. WE BACKED THE BLUE UNEQUIVOCALLY. AND I WANNA CONGRATULATE BOTH OF YOU BECAUSE TO BE RECOGNIZED IN YOUR PROFESSION AS THE INDIVIDUAL OF THE YEAR MEANS, I MEAN, SPEAKS VOLUMES OF YOUR CHARACTER, SPEAKS VOLUMES OF WHAT YOU DO. HOW SERIOUS YOU TAKE THIS JOB, HOW YOU TURN OVER EVERY STONE, YOUR SHIFT ENDS. LEMME JUST STAND ANOTHER FIVE MORE MINUTES. LET ME, LET ME LOOK BEHIND THAT GARBAGE CAN, LET ME ASK THIS QUESTION ON A, LET ME, I SEE A SUSPICIOUS PERSON. I SEE A PERSON THAT DOESN'T MAYBE LOOK RIGHT. HEY, I GOTTA GET HOME. I GOT A PARTY TO GET TO. I GOT A BIRTHDAY. I GOTTA HAVEN'T SEEN MY DAUGHTERS, MY KIDS, WHATEVER THAT MAY BE. WHAT DO YOU DO? YOU GO AND YOU SPEAK TO THAT PERSON ON THE PHONE FOR MAYBE AN EXTRA TWO OR THREE MINUTES. YOU STOP THAT PERSON AND SAY, HEY, HOW CAN I HELP YOU? I'VE SEEN YOU DO IT ON THE STREET. I'VE SEEN A LOT OF YOU DO IT. AND YOU'RE THE OFFICER OF THE YEAR, YOU'RE THE DISPATCHER OF THE YEAR. BUT YOU CAN'T DO THIS WITHOUT THIS INCREDIBLE TEAM THAT'S HERE. THESE INCREDIBLE LADIES IN THE BACK RIGHT THERE, THESE OFFICERS IN THE BACK, THE REST OF THE TEAM, ALL OF YOU ARE PART OF A TEAM THAT MAKES A CITY LOOK THE BEST IT CAN. SO I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR YOUR HARD WORK. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU. UM, IF MONICA WANTS TO COME UP AND THEN HER MOM, I THINK THERE'S SOMEONE MOM, COME. COME ON MOM. ALL LET'S TAKE A PHOTO. THANK YOU. COME MOM, GET A PICTURE TOO. WE'LL TAKE THEM AND THEN WE'LL GET THE REST OF HER TEAM UP IF THEY LADIES YOU WANT TO COME UP AND GENT FROM COMMUNICATIONS. THIS IS LIKE . SORRY EVERYBODY. WE GOTTA MAKE SURE YOU FRONT CENTER, SO LEMME SEE. MAKE SURE I CAN SEE YOU. FORGET US. ALRIGHT, THANK YOU. SO [01:10:45] ADAM, MONICA? YES. THE, UH, YOU. OH YEAH, NO PROBLEM. ALRIGHT, MOVING ON TO APPROVAL [B.-1. 26-1169 Regular City Commission Meeting of January 13, 2026.] MINUTES. B ONE. MR. CLERK. UH, MAY I HAVE A MOTION? MOVE IT. SECOND. ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. THANK YOU. MOVING [C. PUBLIC COMMENTS] ON TO PUBLIC COMMENT. UH, YES, MR. MAYOR, WE HAVE SEVERAL SPEAKERS THIS MORNING. OKAY, FIRST SPEAKER MARIA CRUZ, MRS. MARIA CRUZ, 1447 MILLER ROAD, 3 0 5 3 2 3 2 1 5 4. AFTER THE LAST COMMITTEE COMMISSION MEETING, A LOT OF PEOPLE CONTACTED ME ASKING WHY I WAS ATTACKED SO MANY TIMES. I EXPLAINED WHAT I THOUGHT WAS THE ANSWER AT THAT POINT, THAT SINCE, UH, COMMISSIONER CASTRO WAS NOT HERE BECAUSE SHE WAS IN TALLAHASSEE, I WAS THE TARGET. AND THEN I REMEMBER SOMETHING THAT ELA USED TO SAY, I'M GONNA SAY IT IN SPANISH AND THEN I'M GONNA TRANSLATE IT, CIA, WHICH MEANS INESS DOES NOT BRING GOOD THINGS. SO LATER ON I DECIDED TO GO TO MY FAVORITE BOOK, THE BIBLE. AND I FOUND ON PROVERBS 1627, SOMETHING THAT REALLY FIT VERY WELL. IDLE HANDS ARE THE DEVIL'S WORKSHOP. IDLE LIPS ARE HIS MOUTHPIECE. AND THEN AN EXPLANATION THAT SAYS A WORTHLESS MAN DEVISES MISCHIEF, AND IN HIS SLEEPS THERE'S A SCORCHING FIRE. SO AFTER I READ THAT, I FELT MUCH BETTER BECAUSE IT REALLY CONFIRMED WHAT I THOUGHT WAS THE REASON. SO ALL I HAVE TO SAY IS, IT IS TIME THAT THE MAYOR FIND SOMETHING WORTHWHILE TO DO AND STOP ATTACKING ANYBODY WHO DOESN'T AGREE WITH HIM, ESPECIALLY ME ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. I THANK HIM BECAUSE ACCORDING TO MY FRIENDS, I WILL NEVER NEED A PR PERSON WHEN I DECIDE TO RUN FOR OFFICE BECAUSE [01:15:01] EVERYBODY KNOWS ME ALREADY, THANKS TO MY, WHAT DID HE CALL ME THAT DAY, MY DEAR FRIEND. SO, ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. LET'S DO BUSINESS AND STOP ATTACKING PEOPLE, ESPECIALLY WOMEN. GINA GUILFORD. MR. CLERK, ONE SECOND, PLEASE. AS A REMINDER, I HOPE THAT WE WOULD HAVE TO DO THIS, BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, WE HAVE NO OTHER REASONS AND WE CONTINUE TO DO IT. WELCOME. I WAS HOPING THAT WE HAD A LITTLE BIT MORE RESPECT IN THE COMMISSION AND WEREN'T INCAPABLE OF HAVING RESPECT. SO I HAVE TO READ THIS EVERY SINGLE TIME I HAD GONE DAYS WITHOUT READING THIS COMMISSION ME COMMISSION JUST LIKE HER, I RECEIVE DOZENS OF PHONE CALLS, DOZENS OF PHONE CALLS AS A RESULT OF THIS INAPPROPRIATE BEHAVIOR. THE T-SHIRTS, THE CONSTANT ATTACKS, ALL THAT KIND OF STUFF. SO I'LL READ IT INTO THE RECORD AGAIN, I WAS HOPING NOT TO. WELCOME. I'M GOING TO ASK EVERYONE WHO COMES UP TO STATE THEIR NAME AND ADDRESS FOR THE RECORD. YOU'LL HAVE THREE MINUTES TO SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH THE COMMISSION. AS A REMINDER, THESE COMMENTS ARE LIMITED TO THOSE ITEMS ON THE AGENDA. LEMME LEMME REMIND YOU. AS A REMINDER, THOSE THESE COMMENTS ARE LIMITED TO THOSE ITEMS ON THE AGENDA OR WITHIN THE SCOPE OF THE CITY COMMISSION'S JURISDICTION. IF YOU WISH TO SPEAK ON AN ITEM THAT IS ON THE AGENDA RIGHT NOW, PLEASE REMEMBER THAT YOU WILL NOT BE GIVEN AN ADDITIONAL OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK AGAIN ONCE THE ITEM IS CALLED, ALL COMMENTS SHOULD BE DIRECTED TO THE COMMISSION AS A WHOLE. WHEN THE THREE MINUTES IS UP, THE TIMER WILL BEEP. I ASK YOU TO PLEASE WRAP UP YOUR SENTENCE AND LEAVE THE PODIUM WHEN YOU'RE DONE SPEAKING. MOST CITIES GIVE TWO MINUTES. WE GIVE THREE MINUTES. NONE OF THOSE COMMENTS WERE ON TODAY'S AGENDA AND THEY WERE DIRECTED AT ME, NOT AT THE COMMISSION AS A WHOLE. THANK YOU AND HAVE A NICE DAY, MA'AM. I APOLOGIZE FOR TAKING UP YOUR TIME, MR. CLARK. GOOD MORNING, MAYOR LAGO AND COMMISSIONERS. MY NAME IS GINA GUILFORD AND I AM PRESIDENT OF THE VILLAGERS. THE VILLAGERS IS THE OLDEST HISTORIC PRESERVATION GROUP IN MIAMI, AND WE ARE ENTIRELY RUN BY VOLUNTEERS. I AM SPEAKING TODAY REGARDING ONE 10 FANIA AVENUE AGENDA ITEM E ONE. THIS ONE AND A HALF ACRE PROPERTY IS A HISTORIC, CHARMING GREEN SPACE THAT HAS BEEN PART OF THE SURROUNDING RESIDENTIAL COMMUNITY FOR 74 YEARS. ONE 10 FANIA BUILT AS ST. JAMES LUTHERAN CHURCH IN 1951 WAS DESIGNED BY NOTED ARCHITECT ROBERT FITCH SMITH. THE FORMER CHURCH IS LOCATED ACROSS THE STREET FROM THE HISTORICALLY DESIGNATED CORAL GABLES WOMEN'S CLUB. AND IT TELLS A STORY OF A PEACEFUL MID-CENTURY LIFE IN THE CITY OF CORAL GABLES. THE NORTH PONCE NEIGHBORHOOD CONSERVATION DISTRICT OVERLAY INCLUDES THE GREENWAY CONNECTION BETWEEN POA, LEON BOULEVARD AND DOUGLAS ENTRANCE, THE HISTORIC NORTHERN GATEWAY TO THE CITY OF CORAL GABLES. THIS DESIGNATION WAS CREATED IN 2016 BY THE CITY WITH THE ENTHUSIASTIC SUPPORT OF THE RESIDENTS TO FIND A BALANCE BETWEEN THE OLD AND THE NEW IN THE NORTH PONCE NEIGHBORHOOD. THE COMMISSION AT THE TIME HAD THE FORESIGHT TO CREATE LAWS TO PROTECT THIS HISTORIC NORTHERN CORNER AGAINST OVERDEVELOPMENT. ACCORDING TO THE CITY ZONING CODE, THE PURPOSE OF THE NORTH PONDS NEIGHBORHOOD CONSERVATION DISTRICT IS TO RESERVE AND ENHANCE THE GARDEN APARTMENT CHARACTER OF THE NORTH PONDS RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOOD PROPERTIES. THE OWNER OF THIS PROPERTY PURCHASED THE LAND WITH THE FULL KNOWLEDGE THAT IT WAS PART OF THE NORTH PONDS NEIGHBORHOOD CON CONSERVATION DISTRICT OVERLAY. CURRENT ZONING CODES DO NOT PERMIT AN EIGHT STORY 177 UNIT DEVELOPMENT AS PROPOSED, THE BUILDING WOULD REQUIRE THE APPROVAL OF MANY ZONING VARIANCES, SUCH AS SETBACKS, FAR, HEIGHT AND OPEN SPACE. ALLOWING THIS PROJECT TO CONTINUE WOULD BE IGNORING THE GUARDRAIL SET IN PLACE TO SAVE HISTORIC AREAS IN CORAL GABLES AND WOULD FOREVER CHANGE THE INTEGRITY OF A HISTORIC NEIGHBORHOOD. THIS IS NOT JUST ABOUT A CHURCH OR A GARDEN, OR EVEN A 100-YEAR-OLD TREE. VOTING AGAINST THIS PROJECT IS ABOUT PRESERVING THE SOUL OF THIS NEIGHBORHOOD. THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. KELLY CHILD. GOOD MORNING. GOOD MORNING. THANK YOU FOR JOINING US. MORNING MAYOR COMMISSIONERS. MY NAME IS KELLY SHIELD AND I LIVE AT 9 0 5 UNIVERSITY DRIVE. I'M SPEAKING ON AGENDA ITEM E ONE REGARDING ONE 10 ISHA AVENUE. THE QUESTION TODAY IS NOT, IS THIS PROPERTY HISTORIC? THE QUESTION IS, DOES THE COMMISSION AGREE WITH THE DESIGN THAT WAS APPROVED BY THE BOARD OF ARCHITECTS IN 2023? ONE 10 ESIA IS IN ONE OF THE MOST HISTORIC NEIGHBORHOODS IN CORAL GABLES NORTH PONDS. IN FACT, THE CITY TOOK ACTION TO PROTECT THIS CORNER OF CORAL GABLES BY CREATING THE NORTH POND'S NEIGHBORHOOD CONSERVATION OVERLAY DISTRICT. THIS DISTRICT ZONING REQUIREMENTS [01:20:01] WAS WRITTEN TO PRESERVE AND ENHANCE ITS GARDEN APARTMENT CHARACTER. THE AREA INCLUDES THE CORAL GABLES WOMEN'S CLUB, FOUNDED BY EUNICE MERRICK IN 1923. AND JUST A STONE'S THROWAWAY IS THE DOUGLAS ENTRANCE, THE HISTORIC GRAND ARCH INTO OUR BEAUTIFUL CITY. IT IS INTERESTING TO NOTE THAT IN 1966, THE DOUGLASS ENTRANCE WAS SLATED TO BE DEMOLISHED, TO MAKE WAY FOR A SUPERMARKET AND PARKING LOT. HOWEVER, BEFORE THE OWNERS COULD PROCEED, THE PROPOSAL REQUIRED APPROVAL OF A ZONING CHANGE BY THE CITY OF CORAL GABLE'S COMMISSION BY A NARROW VOTE. THE COMMISSION DENIED THE DEMOLITION. AND TODAY WE ARE GRATEFUL THAT THE LANDMARK WAS SAVED. PEOPLE CHOOSE TO LIVE IN CORAL GABLES BECAUSE IT'S A HISTORIC, LUSH CITY THAT IS FAMILY FRIENDLY, BUT THERE IS GROWING FRUSTRATION WITH TRAFFIC CONGESTION AND OVERDEVELOPMENT. WHILE GROWTH IS THE SIGN OF PROGRESS, SOME RESIDENTS FEEL ZONING CODES ARE MEANINGLESS AND OFTEN OVERRIDDEN TO PROCEED. THIS PROJECT REQUIRES SUBSTANTIAL REZONING. THE HEIGHT AND SIZE OF THE HIGH-RISE DEVELOPMENT IS OVERWHELMING WITH MORE THAN TWICE THE ALLOWED FOUR STORIES AND FOUR TIMES THE FAR SQUARE FOOTAGE ALLOWED TO ACHIEVE THIS LARGE SCALE PROJECT. THE PLANS REQUEST THE USE OF MIXED USE ZONING, TYPICALLY USED DOWNTOWN ALONG MAJOR CORRIDORS AND ON SOUTH DIXIE HIGHWAY. THE ENCROACHMENT OF A MIXED USE ZONING INTO THIS AREA COULD ALSO SET A DANGEROUS PRECEDENT FOR FUTURE PROJECTS. ZONING CODES SHOULD NOT BE POINTLESS. PEOPLE VOTE TO UPHOLD THE REQUIREMENTS. PLEASE VOTE TO PLACE AND TO PUT PROTECT AND PRESERVE THIS NEIGHBORHOOD AND TO SEND THIS PROJECT BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD. THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, RITA. DAILY. GOOD MORNING. MORNING, MR. MAYOR. MADAM VICE MAYOR COMMISSION WITH RESPECT. I DON'T HAVE ANYTHING PREPARED. I'M HERE TO ASK FOR YOUR HELP. UM, I'VE LIVED IN CORAL GABLES MY WHOLE LIFE AND I'M USED TO HAVING RACCOONS. I'M USED TO PEACOCK MATING SEASON. UM, BUT NOW WE HAVE A PROBLEM. WE HAVE AN INFLUX OF COYOTES BESIDES ALL THE PICTURES THAT I HAVE SENT TO YOU ALL AND TO THE POLICE. I WAS JUST SPEAKING TO MARY SNOW AND HER SISTER'S HOUSE ON THE BILTMORE GOLF CO COURSE. SHE HAS MORE PICTURES. 'CAUSE I, I RAN INTO THE CHIEF EARLIER. NIA TOLD ME THAT THEY NEED ADDRESSES. MARY, I RAN INTO YOU AND YOU TOLD ME THAT YOU'RE WORKING ON SOMETHING WITH A COUNTY. I MEAN, IF, AND THAT YOU DON'T NECESSARILY HAVE A TEAM, I WILL BE HAPPY TO VOLUNTEER TO LIKE, BE THE LIAISON WITH WHOEVER IT IS FROM THE COUNTY. YOU KNOW, I'LL GET MY, MY NEIGHBORS. THERE'S FOUR CATS MISSING IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD. MY, MY NEIGHBOR FOUND HALF A SQUIRREL IN HER YARD. I HAVE TO GO OUTSIDE TO MY BACKYARD EVERY TIME I TAKE MY DOG, WHO LIKES TO RUN THE LENGTH OF MY YARD. HE CAN'T DO IT ANYMORE BECAUSE MY FAMILY ROOM IS ALL WINDOWS. SO I COULD WATCH HIM. NOW, IT'S NOT ENOUGH TIME. IF, IF I GOT ONE OF THOSE AIR HORNS AND I HAVE TO GO OUTSIDE WITH HIM EVERY TIME. HE DOESN'T LIKE IT. I DON'T LIKE IT. IT'S A PROBLEM. THERE'S CATS MISSING. MY NEIGHBOR FOUND HALF A SQUIRREL. I DON'T WANNA FIND HALF MY DOG. BUT I'M ASKING FOR YOUR HELP. I HONESTLY, LIKE I TOLD THE REPORTER WHO SHOWED UP AT MY HOUSE, AND I DON'T SPEAK TO THE MEDIA, BUT I, I NEED TO BRING ATTENTION TO THIS BECAUSE, UM, WE DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO AS RESIDENTS. WE JUST DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO. THIS ISN'T LIKE, I HAVE A RACCOON INVASION IN MY ATTIC AND I CAN HIRE A, A A A COMPANY AND THEY CAN COME UP. IT, IT'S ISOLATED. THEY CAN DO IT. THIS IS CITYWIDE PROBLEM. AND THESE GUYS ARE PREDATORS. LIKE THEY WILL ATTACK, YOU KNOW, ANIMALS. I THINK RON MCGILL HAD SAID THAT BECAUSE THEY SEE THEM AS COMPETITION FOR FOOD. BUT IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD, PEOPLE WON'T EVEN LET LITTLE KIDS OUT. MY HOUSEKEEPER'S ABOUT TO QUIT. SHE'S FREAKED OUT. SHE THINKS THEY LOOK LIKE WOLVES AND SHE'S AFRAID THEY'RE GONNA ATTACK HER HELP. WELL, FIRST AND FOREMOST, IT WAS A PLEASURE, UH, TO TALK TO YOU THIS MORNING. THANK YOU. ON THE WAY INTO CITY HALL, AS I MENTIONED, THE CITY HAS NEVER BEEN EQUIPPED AND WE DON'T HAVE, UH, THE PROPER MEASURES IN PLACE TO ADDRESS WITH OBVIOUSLY DOGS, CATS, OR WILD ANIMALS LIKE IGUANAS AND PYTHONS AND ISSUES LIKE COYOTES THAT IS USUALLY REFERRED TO THE COUNTY. THE MANAGER AND HIS TEAM ARE CURRENTLY WORKING WITH THE COUNTY. WE'VE HAD CONVERSATIONS, MULTIPLE CONVERSATIONS WITH THE DCM, WHO'S HERE ALSO, UH, IN AN EFFORT TO BASICALLY COORDINATE WITH THE COUNTY TO SEE WHAT OUR NEXT STEPS FORWARD ARE. AS YOU CAN TELL, YOU HAVE PEOPLE ON BOTH SIDES OF THE AISLE, PEOPLE WHO SAY, LEAVE THEM ALONE. [01:25:01] AND THEN YOU HAVE PEOPLE WHO SAY, GET RID OF THEM IMMEDIATELY. I DON'T, TRUST ME. I UNDERSTAND. I'M DOING THIS AT THE RISK OF BEING CALLED THE COYOTE LADY. I UNDERST I UNDERSTAND. OR THE ONE THAT WANTS TO KILL WILDLIFE. I UNDERST UNDERSTAND THAT'S, I GIVE YOU, LIKE I SAID, THE DCM IS RIGHT THERE. I WANT YOU TO GIVE YOUR INFORMATION. WE'RE, WE'RE WORKING ALREADY WITH THE COUNTY IN AN EFFORT TO ADDRESS THIS CONCERN. YOU'RE NOT THE ONLY ONE. WE'VE PROBABLY RECEIVED ABOUT 10 OR 15 EMAILS, UH, OVER THE LAST FEW DAYS TO THE POINT THAT WE EVEN PUT OUT A MESSAGE ON SOCIAL MEDIA AND THROUGH OUR CHANNELS HERE IN THE CITY, UH, TO ENSURE THAT PEOPLE KNEW THE APPROPRIATE MEASURES TO TAKE. AND HERE IT IS AGAIN. AS YOU CAN SEE, I WANT TO THANK MARTHA AND HER TEAM, UH, FOR PUTTING THIS TOGETHER. UM, AND WE'RE WORKING ON, WE'RE WORKING ON AN ACTION PLAN, UH, TO ADDRESS IT WITH THE COUNTY. AGAIN, THIS IS NEW TERRITORY FOR US. IN MY TIME HERE, I HAVE NOT DEALT WITH SOMETHING LIKE THIS. UH, BUT WE'RE GONNA FIND A RESOLUTION A WAY THAT AGAIN, DEALS WITH THESE ANIMALS IN AN APPROPRIATE MEASURE. UM, AND, AND FINDS THEM A NEW HOME, UH, ENSURING THAT THEY'RE NOT, AGAIN, COMPETING OR CAUSING ANY MORE DAMAGE HERE IN THE CITY. OKAY, THANK YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH. WILL YOU, WILL YOU, WILL YOU HELP GIVE YOUR INFORMATION TO THE, TO THE DEPUTY CITY MANAGER? HE'S RIGHT THERE. I CERTAINLY WILL. THANK, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. MR. CLERK. NO, CLELAND. GOOD MORNING, SIR. HOW ARE YOU, SIR? GOOD MORNING. MY NAME'S NOEL CLELAND. I LIVE AT 59 90 SOUTHWEST 50TH STREET, AND I'M A MEMBER OF CORAL GABLES CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH AND PART OF AN INTERFAITH GROUP THAT IS CONCERNED ABOUT CONFLICTS IN THE MIDDLE EAST HERE TO SPEAK ABOUT FO UM, IT IS IMPORTANT WE RECOGNIZE OUR COMMUNITY AS A MUL MULTICULTURAL DIVERSE CITY WHERE WE'RE ALLOWED TO CELEBRATE OUR FAITH WITHOUT FEAR OF REPERCUSSIONS. IN MANY COUNTRIES, THAT'S NOT THE CASE. IN FACT, THE LIST OF THE OPPRESSED RELIGIOUS FREEDOM IS LONG. SO I APPRECIATE THE EFFORTS TO RECOGNIZE OPPRESSION ON THE WORLD, BUT I CAUTION THE COMMISSION THE IMPACT OF SINGLING OUT IRAN AS A LOCAL GOVERNMENT THAT FOCUSES ON LOCAL ISSUES THAT THE RESIDENTS ARE DEALING WITH, TRYING TO ADDRESS INTERNATIONAL ISSUES LEADS US DOWN THE ROAD OF WHAT ABOUT ISM? WHAT ABOUT SOMALIA? WHAT ABOUT YEMEN? WHAT ABOUT LEBANON? WHAT ABOUT SYRIA? WHAT ABOUT THE GENOCIDE IN THE WEST BANK? UH, WHAT ABOUT THE THREATS TO TAKE OVER GREENLAND? WHAT DO WE DO ABOUT VENEZUELA? IF YOU WANNA MAKE A STATEMENT, I WOULD SUGGEST THAT IT BE MORE INCLUSIVE OF THE OPPRESSION THAT EXISTS AROUND THE WORLD AND EVEN HERE IN OUR COUNTRY AS ICE AGENTS DISRUPT THE LIVES OF OUR FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS IN ORDER TO ACHIEVE SOME SORT OF ARBITRARY QUOTA. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, SIR. MR. CLERK JACKSON HOLMES. GREETINGS. UM, MY NAME IS JACKSON HOLMES. JACKSON RIP HOLMES. I LIVE AT 35 SIA AVENUE IN CORAL GABLES. UM, I OWN PROPERTY ON MIRACLE MILE. SO SUBJECT MATTER OF THIS WILL BE, UM, MY, UM, UNHAPPINESS WITH WHAT PUMA HAS DONE IN TRY SPENDING $176,000 OF OUR TAX MONEY, UH, TO COME UP WITH, UM, UNWORKABLE, PREPOSTEROUS SOLUTIONS. WHEREAS WHAT I'VE SAID ALL ALONG IS THAT, UM, THE CITY, IF, IF WE REMEMBER THE OLD BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT, UH, WAS PROVABLY CORRUPT, THEY, THEY, UH, COULD BE SAID EVEN TO HAVE CORRUPTED, UH, THEIR REELECTION VOTE HERE IN THE CITY COMMISSION. THEY WERE, THEY WERE TAXING PEOPLE WITHOUT REPRESENTATION. IT'S A VIOLATION OF STATE LAW. AND WITH ALL OF THEIR DONATIONS TO VARIOUS, UH, COMMISSION RACES, UH, THEY WERE ABLE TO ACTUALLY GET THE FORMER CITY ATTORNEY TO SAY IT'S LEGAL TO, TO DO, UH, UH, TO TAX WITHOUT REPRESENTATION, TO VIOLATE STATE LAW ON SPECIAL TAXING DISTRICTS. UM, UH, WHERE AM I GOING WITH THIS? WHAT, WHAT, WHEN THE CITY, INCLUDING MAYOR LAGO AND ARIEL FERNANDEZ, UH, UH, RODE TO THE RESCUE ON GETTING THE, UH, THE BID OUT RIGHT? UM, NOW WHAT, WHAT THEY ALSO DID, WHAT YOU MAYOR LAGO DID WAS YOU STEPPED IN AND SAID, WE'LL DO THE CHRISTMAS LIGHTS. WE'LL DO THE HALLOWEEN ON THE MILE. WE'LL DO, TURNS OUT THE MUSIC, UH, AND ALDA AND ON THE MILE, UH, THE CITY CANNOT BE EXPECTED TO BEAR THESE COSTS, UH, THAT, THAT [01:30:01] NEEDS TO BE PAID FOR BY THE BENEFITED PROPERTIES. WE DO NEED A SPECIAL TAXING DISTRICT TO, UH, TO TAKE OVER THE BURDEN OF THE CHRISTMAS LIGHTS AND, AND, AND THE OTHER THINGS I'VE MENTIONED. AND I THINK THAT COMES TO LIKE $750,000. BUT WHAT WE DON'T NEED IS ALL OF THE REST. UH, I THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR LISTENING. WE, THE, THE, THE, THE PUMA, I, I DON'T KNOW, ARE THEY ON, UH, DRUGS OR SOMETHING? THEY'RE NOT HELPING FOR $176,000. WE CAN SOLVE OUR OWN PROBLEMS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, SIR. MR. CLERK EDDIE AND MARILYN MARTINEZ. GOOD MORNING. NICE TO SEE YOU AGAIN. GOOD MORNING. GOOD MORNING. GOOD MORNING. GOOD MORNING. I'M EDDIE MARTINEZ FROM BLISS IMPRINT AND GIFTS. AND I'M MARILYN MARTINEZ, ALSO FROM BLISS IMPRINTS AND GIFTS. AND I WANNA THANK ALL OF YOU, MAYOR LAGO, VICE MAYOR ANDERSON, AND THE ENTIRE COMMITTEE FOR SUPPORTING OUR VISION, UM, AND POSSIBLY MAKING HISTORY IN THE CITY OF BEAUTIFUL. AND I ALSO WANTED TO, UM, THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH FOR SUPPORTING US AND BLISS PRINCE AND THE INITIATIVE WE DID WITH THE MARK CHAGE CHAMBER FOUNDATION AND THE CHAMBER. UM, IT'S PRETTY EXCITING. AND WE'RE HERE TO SHOW YOU A PREVIEW COPY OF WHICH I LIKE TO CALL MYSELF THE GAME MASTER. THANK YOU VERY MUCH OF GABLE OLY. UM, UH, LIZ, IM PRINCE, UH, IS ALSO WANTS TO RECOGNIZE CHRISTINA MILLER FROM THE CHAMBER FOUNDATION FOR LEADING THE BOARD INTO MASSING A MASSIVE LIST OF SPONSORS TO MAKE THE INITIATIVE AN OVERWHELMING SUCCESS. UH, WE HAVE BLISS, UH, INCORPORATED LANDMARKS, COMMUNITY AND CITY ORGANIZATIONS TO AND, AND EVENTS TO TELL THE STORY OF LIVING, WORKING, AND PLAYING IN CORAL GABLES ABOUT THE GAME. WE HAVE A RUBBER DUCKY TOKEN REPRESENTING MARK. AND LIKE THE ORIGINAL, YOU CAN BUY AND SELL PROPERTIES, BUILD HOMES AND RESORTS. NOW, WITH ALL DUE RESPECT TO THESE HALLOWED HALLS, IN LIEU OF A JAIL, GABLES, OLES MAIN PENALTY IS LOSE A TURN SUMMONS TO ATTEND A COMMISSION MEETING, . BUT YOU MIGHT BE LUCKY ENOUGH. YES, THANK YOU, VANNA. BUT IF I MAY INTERJECT, I INTENTIONALLY PURCHASED THAT SITE. IT WAS, IT WORKED OUT PRETTY GOOD. IT WORKED OUT PRETTY WELL. I WANTED TO LEAVE IT GO TO JAIL, BUT, UH, IT WAS A GOOD, IT WAS A GOOD, UH, IT WAS A NICE, NICE JOKE ON. AND, UH, BUT THAT'S OKAY BECAUSE YOU MIGHT BE ABLE TO GET THE DITCH THE MEETING PASS, WHICH YOU CAN CHARGE THE COMMISSION AND PULL OUT OF GOING. YEAH, WE'D LIKE TO INVITE YOU ALL TO THE PUBLIC LAUNCH AT GERARD, THE LIVE ON MARCH 6TH. UH, WE WILL HAVE A LARGE SCALE PLAYABLE LANDMARK VERSION OF GABLES OLY, WHERE PLAYERS CAN WIN PRIZES, INCLUDING GABLES, OLY KEY CHAINS, UH, FOR THOSE HOMES AND RESORTS. AND WE HAVE SOME OF THOSE HERE. GABLES LY IS AVAILABLE NOW FOR PRE-SALE, AND WE ARE ACTIVELY LOOKING FOR RETAILERS IN THE AREA THROUGHOUT THE CITY TO, UH, PROVIDE THE PRODUCTS TO THEIR CUSTOMERS. I SINCERELY HOPE YOU'LL AGREE THAT GABLES OLY WILL BE A QUINTESSENTIAL PROMOTIONAL PRODUCT FOR THE CITY, AND A KEEPSAKE FOR SNAPSHOT THAT SNAPSHOTS THE CORAL GABLES AREA AS IT IS TODAY FOR LOCALS AND VISITORS ALIKE. THANK YOU VERY MUCH AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO PLAYING WITH Y'ALL. I ALSO LIKE TO RECOGNIZE, UM, GEORGE FROM THE CHAMBER, UH, WITHOUT HIS VISIT. UM, IT WOULDN'T BE A SUCCESS THAT IT IS. UM, AND WE'D LIKE TO ALSO SHOW YOU WHAT THE BOARD LOOKS LIKE ALONG WITH SOME OF THE COMMUNITY, UM, CHECK CARDS OR THE CHANCE CARDS, UM, AND ALSO THE MONEY. UM, ALL OF ALL THE FOUNDING FATHERS FROM THE CITY ARE DISPLAYED IN THE MONEY. UM, SO IF I MAY ADD A LITTLE BIT, UH, 'CAUSE I HAD THE PLEASURE OF, OF SEEING THIS FIRST HAND YESTERDAY. UM, I REMEMBER WHEN YOU CAME TO MY OFFICE TO DISCUSS THIS, AND WE TALKED ABOUT THE CITY OF CORAL GABLES. UH, OBVIOUSLY THE, THE MAIN SPONSOR OF THE EVENT. AND I OBVIOUSLY, I OBVIOUSLY SPONSORED, UM, ONE OF, ONE OF THE PIECES HERE, UH, PERSONALLY SPONSORED IT. UH, I THINK THIS IS AN AMAZING OPPORTUNITY. UH, YOU'VE ORDERED 1,200 TO START, TO START, WE'RE ALMOST HALFWAY THERE IN REGARDS TO PRE-SALES. YEP. IF WE MEET THE 1200 SALES, THE NUMBER WAS HOW MUCH IN CHARITY IS, IS RAISED. UH, WE RAISED ABOUT $150,000. SO $150,000 FOR CHARITY, WHICH NET, NET, NOT GROSS NET, WHICH IS A KEY WORD AFTER EXPENSES. UH, AND THE IMPORTANT THING IS THAT WHEN YOU CAME TO MY OFFICE TO DISCUSS THIS ISSUE, AND THE, THE FIRST AND FOREMOST OBJECTIVE WAS TO OBVIOUSLY MEMORIALIZE MARK TROBRIDGE AND THROUGH MARK TROBRIDGE [01:35:01] IS RAISE MONEY, RAISE MONEY FOR THE MARK TROBRIDGE FOUNDATION, WHICH AGAIN, IS GONNA BE INVESTED IN OUR COMMUNITY AND POSSIBLY, AND HOPEFULLY GOD WILLING, UH, IN THE CHARITIES THAT HE SO LOVED. UH, MARK WILL ALWAYS BE A VERY DEAR FRIEND AND A PERSON WHO I, WHO I HOLD IN HIGH REGARD. AND JUST A PERSON WHO CHANGED THE LANDSCAPE AFTER 18 YEARS OF SERVICE, UH, TO THE CHAMBER. AND NOW WE'RE BLESSED TO HAVE GEORGE HERE LEADING THE CHAMBER. BUT THIS IS A, THIS IS A VERY FITTING WAY, UH, TO NOT ONLY, I HATE TO USE THE WORD SELL, BUT, AND I MAKE PEOPLE AND PROMOTE, PROMOTE THE CITY, UH, BUT ALSO RAISE MONEY FOR CHARITY. ABSOLUTELY. WHICH IS THE BEAUTIFUL THING. SO I WANT TO THANK BOTH OF YOU 'CAUSE THIS IS A LABOR OF LOVE FOR YOU OVER THE LAST FEW MONTHS, UH, OVER THE LAST YEAR, EXCUSE ME, SINCE WE FIRST TALKED ABOUT IT. I APOLOGIZE. AND YOU BROUGHT IT TO FRUITION. UH, YOU SOLD OUT COMPLETELY IN REGARDS TO THE, UH, THE OPPORTUNITIES FOR SPONSORSHIPS. AND IT'S SO TASTEFUL AND WELL DONE, UH, IN REGARDS TO THE CITY THAT I THINK THAT WE'RE GOING TO EASILY SELL OUT ON THE 1200, IT'S $29. IT'S A GREAT GIFT. AND IF YOU HAVE A BUSINESS AND YOU'RE TRYING TO, UH, GET A CLIENT, UH, IN REGARDS TO, AND THEY HAVE AN ASSOCIATION WITH THE CITY, BEAUTIFUL, THIS IS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO GIVE SOMEBODY A NICE LITTLE GIFT, A NICE LITTLE DETAIL THAT I THINK THEY'LL REALLY, REALLY ENJOY. SO I WANNA COMMEND BOTH OF YOU FOR YOUR HARD WORK, UH, ALONG WITH THE CHAMBER PRESIDENT. UH, AND ALWAYS REMEMBER THAT THIS IS FOR FUN. THIS IS FOR CHARITY. THIS IS TO REMEMBER MARK. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, ACTUALLY YES, IT IS ABOUT MARK. 'CAUSE WE, WE, SORRY, SORRY. HE, HE WAS THE FIRST PERSON THAT CAME TO VISIT US WHEN WE OPENED OUR STORE. SO IT WAS VERY IMPORTANT TO US TO REMEMBER HIM AS WELL. YEAH. SO I WANTED TO THANK ALL OF YOU, EDDIE, MARILYN, UH, OF COURSE GEORGE AS WELL. FOR WHAT A WONDERFUL IDEA. AND, UH, ECHOING THE MAYOR'S SENTIMENTS. I CAN'T THINK RIGHT NOW OF A BETTER WAY TO NOT ONLY PROMOTE THE BUSINESSES, BUT ALSO TAKE PRIDE. YOU KNOW, THE MEMBER, THE RESIDENTS OF THE CITY, UM, WILL PLAY THIS GAME AND WILL BE REMINDED AS THEY SHOULD, TIME AND TIME AGAIN OF ALL THE BEAUTIFUL AREAS OF THE CITY. ALL THE THINGS THAT MAKE IT SO WONDERFUL TO BE, UH, A PROUD RESIDENT OF THE CITY. BEAUTIFUL. UH, LIKE THE MAYOR AND LIKE, UH, THE VICE MAYOR. I'M ALSO A PROUD SPONSOR OF THE BOARD. SO ALL OF YOU KNOW NOW WHERE I LIVE, BUT REPRESENTING THE NORTH HISTORIC CORAL WAY. UM, I HOPE THAT YOU, YOU LAND ON IT OFTEN AND I CAN'T WAIT TO OWN IN MY HOME. THE USE EXCLUSIVE USE OF THE RUBBER DUCKY, UH, TOKEN ICON, BECAUSE THAT SOUNDS LIKE THE ONE IS THE WINNER IN HONOR OF MARK. AND IF YOU MAY ADD SOMETHING I DIDN'T ASK YOU, AND I WANNA MEMORIALIZE THIS, I DIDN'T ASK YOU, BUT IT WAS GREAT THAT YOU PUT THE, THE NICE CLOCK ON IT, UH, AS ONE OF THE, AS ONE OF THE LITTLE FEATURES. I THINK IT'S BEAUTIFUL. UH, AND IT'S A, YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT WAS A NICE LITTLE DETAIL, UH, REALLY REPRESENTING THE CITY. MADAM VICE MAYOR. I, I'M ENJOYING LOOKING AT ALL, ALL THE SPACES HERE. AND I DID SEE THAT YOUR HOUSE IS PICTURED ON FAR AWAY. COMMISSIONER LAURA, I HAD ALWAYS ISN'T A TARGET ON MY OWN . UH, AND I'VE HAD A LOT OF PEOPLE ASK ME, WHY DIDN'T I LIVE ON ANDERSON ROAD? NOW I DO LIVE ON ANDERSON ROAD BECAUSE I PURCHASED IT ON THIS, THIS ONE. AND OF COURSE IT HAS A NICE TREE CANOPY. SO THOUGHT IT WOULD BE. BUT THANK YOU FOR, THANK YOU FOR THIS MR. PRESIDENT. THIS IS GREAT, MR. GREAT, MR. MAYOR COMMISSION. UH, LET ME JUST REAL QUICK IF I MAY, UH, FIRST AND FOREMOST, THANK, UH, MR. AND MRS. MARTINEZ FOR THIS LABOR OF LOVE. UH, WHICH IS VERY, UH, VERY WELL DISPLAYED IN THAT PHENOMENAL BOARD GAME. YOU KNOW, WE'RE NOT THE FIRST, UH, CITY, UH, IN THE WORLD THAT DOES THEIR OWN MONOPOLY. 'CAUSE IT'S HAPPENED, UH, ACROSS, I THINK AT ONE POINT, I THINK YOU WERE SELLING NEW YORK'S AND MAYBE CUBA'S. WE GOT CUBA, MIAMI, FLORIDA, AMERICA, THERE'S PUERTO RICO, MEXICO, MEXICO. I MEAN, I BELIEVE YOU'RE ONLY SELLING CORAL GABLES FROM THIS POINT FORWARD, RIGHT? BUT ANYWAY, YOU COULD SELL, YOU COULD SELL WHATEVER YOU'D LIKE. UH, I'M SURE THEY ALL HAVE A MARKET. BUT MY POINT IN BRINGING THIS UP IS THAT THE LABOR OF LOVE THAT WENT INTO PRODUCING WHAT YOU'RE SEEING, UH, BY MINISTER AND MRS. MARTINEZ IS JUST, UH, INCREDIBLE. THEY, THEY REALLY PUT THEIR ENTIRE EFFORT AND TIME AND HEARTS INTO THIS. AND I THINK THAT'S THE REASON WHY. IT'S THE KIND OF QUALITY THAT YOU SEE HERE. UH, SO ON BEHALF OF OUR CHAIR, MARIA GARCIA, THE CHAIR OF THE MARKETBRIDGE FOUNDATION, UH, CHRISTINA, UH, MILLER AND THE ENTIRE CHAMBER TEAM, UH, WE WANT TO FIRST THANK ALL OF YOU 'CAUSE YOU'VE ALL PARTICIPATED IN THIS EFFORT. IF YOU LOOK THROUGH THAT ENTIRE BOARD, YOU SEE THAT EVERY KEY STAKEHOLDER OF THIS CITY IS A PART OF THIS, UH, EFFORT FROM DAY ONE. SO IT'S NOT JUST, UH, UH, A, A, UM, A GAME, UH, THAT ACTUALLY PROMOTES THE CITY. IT PROMOTES OUR PARTNERS. IT PROMOTES, UH, THE REALITY OF OUR HISTORY. UH, AND IT REALLY IS A GREAT, UH, UH, GAME THAT WILL BE HERE, UH, IN PERPETUITY. UH, THAT TELLS THE STORY OF THE, OF THE CITY, OF THE CITY. BEAUTIFUL. I, I THINK IT'S, UH, GONNA BE A WONDERFUL OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO NOT ONLY, UH, GIVE OUR FRIENDS THESE, THE KIDS, [01:40:01] UNFORTUNATELY, WE COULDN'T DO IT IN TIME FOR CHRISTMAS, BUT WE'RE GONNA HAVE MORNING ENOUGH OF THEM, UH, TO BE GIVEN AS GIFTS, UH, GOING FORWARD. SO AGAIN, THANK YOU, EDDIE, FOR, UH, YOUR, YOUR PASSION, WHICH IS WHAT YOU ALWAYS DO. AND EVERYTHING YOU DO, IF YOU HAVEN'T BEEN TO HIS STORE, YOU OUGHT TO GO. 'CAUSE, YOU KNOW, STUFF THAT YOU CAN BUY AT BLISS IS PRETTY, PRETTY NEAT, PRETTY UNIQUE. SO WE THANK YOU. AND AS THE MAYOR SAID, THIS IS GONNA BE $150,000 NET OF PROFIT FOR THE MARKET BROKERAGE FOUNDATION FOR ALL THE GOOD WORK THAT WE HAVE AHEAD OF US. SO, SO WE HAVE, UH, 51,000 RESIDENTS IN THE CITY, OUR CITY BALLOONS DURING THE DAY AS A RESULT OF PEOPLE COMING TO CONDUCT BUSINESS OR COMING TO WORK IN THE CITY. SO, I, I DON'T SEE WHY WE CAN'T SELL 2, 3, 4 TIMES, UH, AND REALLY RAISE SOME SERIOUS MONEY FOR THE FOUNDATION. UH, MR. MANAGER, WILL YOU DO ME A FAVOR ON BEHALF OF THE COMMISSION, IF THE COMMISSION SO DEEMS APPROPRIATE, I'D LIKE TO HAVE THIS ON OUR NEXT, UH, MONTHLY NEWSLETTER. UM, I LIKE TO HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY OF WHERE, OF, WHERE PRE-SALES, WHERE PEOPLE CAN BUY IT. AN EXPLANATION OF, OF, UH, OBVIOUSLY WHERE THE PROCEEDS GO. HAVE MARTHA PUT TOGETHER SOMETHING THAT DETAILS THE FOUNDATION, THAT DETAILS THE CITY WHERE PEOPLE CAN BUY, YOU KNOW, GREAT FUTURE CHRISTMAS GIFT, GREAT FUTURE, UH, I DON'T KNOW, BIRTHDAY GIFT. OR IF YOU'RE A BUSINESS, YOU SHOULD HAVE THIS. SO, AND I ALSO, AS ALWAYS, YOU KNOW, AND IT, AND IT DOESN'T SURPRISE ME, IT DOESN'T REALLY SURPRISE ME, BUT I WANT TO THANK THE VICE MAYOR, UH, RHONDA ANDERSON, AND I WANT TO THANK COMMISSIONER LARA, WHO EVERY TIME THAT THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY TO GIVE BACK TO CHARITY, THEY ALWAYS SAY YES WITH THEIR OWN PERSONAL MONEY, AND THEY WRITE A CHECK. UH, THEY, THEY NEVER FAIL. I DO IT EVERY TIME THAT I HAVE TO DO IT, JUST LIKE I DID IT RIGHT NOW IN REGARDS TO CLEANING UP IN THE DOWNTOWN. BUT THEY ALWAYS DO IT. IF IT'S THE NATIVITY SCENE OR IF IT'S THE GIRL SCOUTS, OR IF IT'S AN EVENT FOR THE, FOR THE WOMEN'S CLUB OR FOR, FOR WHATEVER IT MAY BE. UH, THEY NEVER FAIL. THEY'RE ALWAYS THERE AND THEY'RE ALWAYS INTERESTED IN SUPPORTING, UH, THIS COMMUNITY WITH OUR HARD EARNED DOLLARS. SO THANK YOU TO COMMISSIONER LATA, THANK YOU TO VICE MAYOR ANDERSON FOR DOING THIS. AND THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING ME TO PICK THE FIRST PIECE. . UH, AND I, WHEN YOU BROUGHT IT TO ME, I SAID, I WANT TO DO THIS, AND I WANT TO ANCHOR AND ANCHOR YOUR OPPORTUNITY TO SELL. UH, AND LIKE THE PRESIDENT SAID, WHEN YOU WALKED IN AND YOU SHOWED HIM WHAT THIS, WHAT THIS WAS LITERALLY WHEN YOU WALKED IN AND YOU EXPLAINED WHAT WAS BEHIND IT AND WHERE THE MONEY WAS GONNA GO, EVERYBODY SAID YES. COUNT ON ME, COUNT ON ME, COUNT ON ME. I SPOKE TO, YOU, WOULD CALL ME AND SAID, YOU BOUGHT, I SAID, OF COURSE I BOUGHT, I WOULD'VE MISSED THE OPPORTUNITY. UH, ANYTHING THAT CAN MEMORIALIZE THE CITY, NUMBER ONE IN A POSITIVE LIGHT. AND NUMBER TWO, MARK TROBRIDGE, I'M ALL IN. YOU GUYS DESERVE ALL THE CREDIT, THE CHAMBER BLISS. THANK YOU SO MUCH AND YOU DESERVE THE SUCCESS THAT COMES WITH THIS. THANK YOU FOR YOUR HARD WORK AND ALWAYS REPRESENTING THE CITY SO INCREDIBLY WELL. YOU'RE AT EVERY CHAMBER EVENT. YOU'RE AT THE RIBBON CUTTINGS, YOU ARE A CLASS ACT, AND YOU EMBODY EVERYTHING THAT'S GREAT WITH THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY AND THE CITY OF CORAL GABLES. THANK YOU TO BOTH OF YOU. THERE'S NO WAY TO FOLLOW UP WHAT, UH, THE MAYOR SAID. I ECHO EVERYTHING, BUT I JUST WANNA EMPHASIZE AGAIN THAT WHILE THIS IS AN AMAZING PINPOINT, UH, PROJECT FOR PERPETUITY, IT'S A LOT OF ALLITERATION THERE. YEAH. UM, I WANT EVERYONE WHO'S LISTENING TO COME VISIT BLISS OR MIRACLE MILE BECAUSE IT REALLY IS AMAZING STORY. AS GEORGE SAID, IT'S SUCH A FUN PLACE. IT'S, IT'S KITSCHY, IT'S COOL, IT'S UNIQUE, IT'S CHANGING ALL THE TIME, AND YOU JUST CAN'T BEAT THE SMILES THAT GREET YOU WHEN YOU SHOW UP THERE AND SAY, I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO GET, BUT I KNOW I WANT SOMETHING COOL. MARILYN WILL BE THERE, EDDIE, TO HELP US OUT. SO PLEASE COME DOWN TO BLISS ON MIRACLE MILE INVITATIONS, EVENTS, YOUR SPECIAL EVENTS. MR. MANAGER, PLEASE MAKE SURE, PLEASE MAKE SURE THROUGH THE APPROVAL OF THE, OF, UH, OF THE COMMISSION, THAT WE INCLUDE BLISS. THAT WE INCLUDE BLISS. THEY WORKED HARD ON THIS FOR THE LAST YEAR. YOU KNOW, I WANT THEM TO INCLUDE LISTS, PROMOTE THEM, MAKE SURE THEY GET THE POSITIVE PRESS, BECAUSE I PROMISE YOU, THEY'RE NOT MAKING MONEY ON THIS . THEY'RE LOSING MONEY ON THIS ALL TO ALL TO HONOR MARK TROBRIDGE AND HIS AMAZING LEGACY AND GIVE MONEY TO A FOUNDATION, $150,000 IS A LOT OF MONEY. AND YOU DESERVE ALL THE CREDIT. ONE LAST ONE LAST COMMENT. I, I'VE HAD A LOT OF FUN HERE READING THESE CARDS. AND IT'S A TESTAMENT . THAT'S WHAT WE, YESTERDAY, THAT'S WHAT WE DID YESTERDAY IN MY OFFICE WHEN THEY SHOWED IT TO YOU FOR THE FIRST TIME. TESTAMENT TO YOUR CREATIVITY IN YOUR WIT AND THE LABOR OF LOVE THAT YOU'VE PUT INTO THIS NEIGHBORHOOD HERO, CORAL GABLES CRIME WATCH. YOU HELP CORAL GABLES, CRIME WATCH, PROMOTE THE COMMUNITY SAFETY. AND YOU'RE NOW ON PATROL THE PLAYER TO YOUR LEFT MOVES TO YOUR TOKEN, TO ANY SPACE TO CONTINUE YOUR GOOD WORK. THESE ARE FUN. YOU, YOU'VE GOTTA, YOU'VE GOTTA GET THIS JUST TO READ ALL THIS AND ALL THE DETAIL THAT YOU'VE PUT INTO THIS. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THIS PROMOTIONAL PIECE. THANK YOU. GREAT WORK. I REALLY WANT TO THANK YOU ALL FOR SUPPORTING RETAIL IN THE CITY. BEAUTIFUL. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. I DO HAVE, UM, JUST A LITTLE, SO, UM, FOR YOUR HOTELS AND RESORTS, FOR THE PROPERTIES WE DECIDED TO MAKE TOO LITTLE. AH, THAT'S AWESOME. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. LITTLE CUTE. I LOVE IT BLURBS. THANK YOU. WELL DONE, WELL DONE AS ALWAYS. THANK YOU. VERY DETAILED. [01:45:02] YEAH. IT'S ALWAYS ONE OF THE DETAILS. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. HAVE A WONDERFULLY MR. PRESIDENT, THANK YOU. PICTURE. YEAH. YEAH. WE TAKE A PICTURE. LET'S DO IT. PICTURE. TAKE A PICTURE. ONE . YEAH. HOLD UP. SO COOL. OH, LORD. OH, ACM. TAKE PICTURE TODAY. ALL RIGHT, LET'S GO OVER HERE. LET'S GO. ALRIGHT, COME ON OVER HERE. LOOK OVER HERE. LET'S TURN AROUND. COME ON. LIKE WE EACH OTHER. OKAY. LEMME CLOSE THE PICTURE. SHE'S AN HONOR. SUPPORT. THANK YOU. ARE YOU COOL? PICTURE GOOD WE GO. I'M GONNA FIND A BIG RUBBER DUMP. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. ALRIGHT. THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING US. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. YOU'VE GOT YES, YES. I LOVE IT. THANKS FOR EVERYTHING. YOU READY? ALRIGHT, MR. CLERK, DO YOU HAVE ANY FURTHER PUBLIC COMMENT? YES, MR. MAYOR. UM, I HAVE ONE SPEAKER ON ZOOM, I BELIEVE TO BE ELIA GAR, WHICH I'M RECOGNIZING HER TO SPEAK NOW. GOOD MORNING, ELIA. GOOD MORNING. THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE WITH US. SORRY, . THANK YOU. HI, EVERYONE. HI. GOOD MORNING. CAN YOU ALL HEAR ME? YES, MA'AM. ABOVE ALL THE EXCITEMENT, . UM, WELL, UH, GOOD MORNING EVERYONE. I JUST WANTED TO SAY THAT I AM SO EXCITED ABOUT GABLES OP BECAUSE FIRST OF ALL, IT IS THE PERFECT, UM, JUST THE PERFECT RECOGNITION FOR MARK TRO. HE WAS SUCH A GAME PERSON AND A FUN PERSON. AND WE, UM, ALSO, UH, THE HISTORIC PRESERVATION ASSOCIATION REALLY JUMPED AT THE CHANCE TO BE A SPONSOR. SO YOU'LL SEE ON THAT BOARD GAME THAT, UM, WE BOUGHT RIVIERA DRIVE. AND THE REASON IS BECAUSE OUR, THE WHITE WAY LIGHTS, THERE'S A WHOLE CORRIDOR OF WHITE WAY LIGHTS FULLY RESTORED. AND, YOU KNOW, IT WAS JUST THE PERFECT OPPORTUNITY TO NOT ONLY SUPPORT THE FOUNDATION AND MARK TROBRIDGE, BUT ALSO THE CITY AND OUR CENTENNIAL AND THE LIGHTS. AND IT REALLY JUST CAME TOGETHER. AND I WANNA SAY EDDIE MARTINEZ IS, IS A DARLING TO WORK WITH. SO, UM, WITH THAT, I'M EXCITED, WE'RE EXCITED AND CAN'T WAIT TO SEE THE GAME. SO THANK YOU ALL. THANK YOU. UH, SO MR. MAYOR, I DO HAVE, UH, ONE COMMENT THAT I RECEIVED FROM A RESIDENT AND SAID HE COULDN'T BE HERE, BUT HE WISHED THAT IT BE READ INTO THE RECORD AND IT READS, MAYOR LAGO, AS I'M SURE YOU KNOW, THE FIRST AMENDMENT TO THE CONSTITUTION, ENSHRINES ARE RIGHT FOR FREE SPEECH. AND AS I AM SURE YOU KNOW, THE OLYMPICS WERE BEBE BEGUN TO BE A PEACEFUL RESPITE FOR WARRING GREEK CITY STATES. I AM IN COMPLETE AGREEMENT WITH YOU THAT WHAT THE IRANIAN GOVERNMENT IS DOING IS AN ATROCITY. BUT WHY, WHEN IS I STERILIZING THE CITIZENS OF MINNEAPOLIS AND OTHER CITIES? ARE YOU PRIORITIZING SUPPORT FOR PROTESTERS IN IRAN OVER SUPPORT FOR PROTESTORS HERE AT HOME? AND WHY? WHEN ISRAEL CONTINUES TO KILL INNOCENT CIVILIANS IN PALESTINE, IN THE MIDST OF A CEASEFIRE, ARE YOU PROPOSING A RESOLUTION SOLELY IN THE SUPPORT OF THE PEOPLE OF IRAN? OVER SUPPORT OF THE PEOPLE OF PALESTINE AND THE PEOPLE OF MANY OTHER NATIONS IN THE WORLD [01:50:01] LIVING IN OPPRESSION? THIS RESOLUTION, IF PASSED, WILL HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO EFFECT ON THE PEOPLE OF IRAN. AND THEY'RE PRESSING LOCAL ISSUES TO THE CITY'S COMMISSION SHOULD BE DEVOTING ITS TIME INSTEAD OF ENTANGLING ITSELF IN FOREIGN AFFAIRS. I ENCOURAGE YOU TO EITHER MODIFY THE LANGUAGE OF THE RESOLUTION TO UNIVERSALLY SUPPORT ALL PEACEFUL PROTESTORS HERE AND ABROAD, OR WITHDRAW THE RESOLUTION FROM CONSIDERATION ALTOGETHER. THIS IS FROM TOM CARNEY 8 2 4 CORTES TEAM. THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. WE'RE DONE. OKAY. YES, SIR. ALRIGHT, UH, MOVING ON TO CONSENT [D. CONSENT AGENDA] AGENDA. UH, BEFORE THE VOTE ADOPTING THE CONSENT AGENDA IS TAKEN, IS THERE ANYONE WHO WISHES ADDITIONAL DISCUSSION OR REVIEW OF ANY ITEM ON THE CONSENT AGENDA? IF NOT, MAY I PLEASE HAVE A MOTION? I'LL MOVE IT. SECOND. ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. THANK YOU. WE HAVE A TIME STARTING ITEM FOR 11:00 AM WE'RE GOING TO TAKE A FIVE MINUTE BREAK, BATHROOM BREAK, AND THEN WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. OKAY. UH, MR. CLERK, WE READY? YES, SIR. ALRIGHT. WELCOME BACK. UH, WE HAVE A TIME, CERTAIN ITEM FOR 11:00 AM AGENDA ITEM [H.-2. 26-1076 Update regarding Development Services Study.] H TWO UPDATE REGARDING DEVELOPMENT SERVICES STUDY LONG AWAITED, UH, VERY EXCITED TO SEE THIS. I THINK WE'VE KEPT, UH, A GOOD TIMEFRAME, A GOOD TIMELINE IN REGARDS TO DELIVERING, UH, THE STUDY AND MAKING SURE THAT WE DID A LOT OF OUTREACH. AND, UH, MR. MANAGER, I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO THE RESULTS AND HAVING A GOOD CONVERSATION IN REGARDS TO THE FUTURE OF THE PERMITTING DEPARTMENT. THANK YOU, MAYOR. I, I THINK WE, WE'VE DONE, UH, EXTENSIVE STUDY, UH, WITH, WITH MR. DUBIOS. AND, UH, AND WE'VE IMPLEMENTED A, A NUMBER OF THINGS, UH, ACTUALLY VERY, VERY, VERY QUICKLY. AND I WOULD LIKE TO, FOR MR. DES TO START THE PRESENTATION. AND, UH, A VERY THOROUGH, A A ACTUALLY MAYOR'S A VERY THOROUGH EXAMINATION OF THE, OF DEVELOPMENT SERVICES AND SPECIFICALLY THE BUILDING APARTMENT. MR. OZ, IF I MAY, BEFORE, UH, FIRST AND FOREMOST, THANK YOU FOR MEETING NOT ONLY WITH ME MULTIPLE TIMES IN THE CITY AND OUT OF THE CITY. THANK YOU. UH, NUMBER TWO, THANK YOU FOR MEETING WITH MY COLLEAGUES ON THE COMMISSION AND MEETING WITH RESIDENTS CONCERNED RESIDENTS, UH, IN REGARDS TO OUR PERMITTING DEPARTMENT. YOU'VE DONE AN AMAZING JOB. AND I ALSO AS A SENSE OF PRIDE THAT YOU'RE A RESIDENT OF THE CITY, SO YOU HAVE SKIN IN THE GAME. AND I THINK THAT IS, UH, AN IMPORTANT, AN IMPORTANT ASPECT TO THE EFFORTS THAT YOU'VE MADE IN REGARDS TO THIS REPORT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UH, GOOD MORNING, MAYOR, VICE MAYOR, COMMISSIONERS GEORGE DIOS WITH JRD AND ASSOCIATES. OUR FIRM WAS HIRED, UM, A LITTLE OVER 10 MONTHS AGO, UH, TO CONDUCT AN ASSESSMENT OF, UH, PERMITTING OPERATIONS, UH, LOOKING AT STAFFING PROCESS TECHNOLOGY, UH, FOR THE BUILDING DIVISION WITHIN THE DEVELOPMENT SERVICES DEPARTMENT. UH, WE'VE WORKED OVER THE LAST 10 MONTHS ON A TWO PHASE, UH, PROJECT TO ADDRESS THESE, UM, THESE OPERATIONS. THE FIRST PHASE WAS TO, UH, LISTEN TO THE VOICE OF THE CUSTOMER. SO IT WAS A CUSTOMER OUTREACH, UH, EFFORT THAT WE CONDUCTED. AND THE SECOND PHASE WAS TO DO A DEEP DIVE INTO, UH, THE, THE BUILDING DIVISION. AND, UH, I HAVE A BRIEF PRESENTATION HERE THIS MORNING. UH, THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO PRESENT. UH, FIRST THING I WANTED TO DO IS JUST KIND OF, UM, LAY THE GROUNDWORK AS FAR AS WORKLOAD AND, UM, WHERE THE CITY IS AS FAR AS, UM, PERMITS ISSUED AND, AND ACTIVITY AND WORKLOAD. SO WE COMBED OVER, UM, AL ALMOST 25,000, UH, PERMITS OVER THE LAST THREE YEARS. ON AVERAGE, THE CITY ISSUES ABOUT 8,000 PERMITS, UH, PER YEAR OVER THE LAST THREE FISCAL YEARS. THE BREAKDOWN OF THOSE PERMITS IS APPROXIMATELY 64% RESIDENTIAL, 36% COMMERCIAL. AND THIS IS TO GIVE YOU A, A, A PERSPECTIVE ON THE NUMBER OF PERMITS. CITY OF DORAL ISSUES ABOUT 4,000 PERMITS PER YEAR. UH, CITY OF MIAMI, ABOUT 27,000 IN MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, AROUND 60,000. CITY OF CORAL GABLES IS AT ABOUT 8,000. UM, WHEN WE LOOKED AT ONE YEAR OF ACTIVITY IN, UH, FISCAL YEAR 25, WE TRIED TO LOOK AT WHERE THE CONSTRUCTION AND THE PERMITTING ACTIVITY IS HAPPENING. AND 73% OF YOUR PERMITS IN THE LAST FISCAL YEAR WERE FOR PROJECTS UNDER $10,000. SO THERE'S A LOT OF SMALL WORK GOING ON IN THE CITY OF CORAL GABLES. 94% OF PERMITTING ACTIVITY OCCURRED FOR PROJECTS THAT WERE UNDER $100,000. SO THERE'S A LOT OF SMALL WORK GOING ON IN THE CITY. UH, THE REMAINING 6% ARE THE BIGGER PROJECTS. THOSE THAT, UM, REALLY CAUSE, UM, UH, THE, THE, THE LENGTH OF, UH, PERMIT ISSUANCE AND, AND THOSE [01:55:01] THINGS THAT I'LL TALK ABOUT IN A, IN A MINUTE. UM, BUT 6%, THE REMAINING 6% OF THESE PERMITS ACCOUNT FOR 85% OF THE TOTAL VALUE OF CONSTRUCTION IN THE CITY. SO THAT'S TO GIVE YOU A BREAKDOWN, UM, IN ORDER TO GO IN AND, AND DO THE ANALYSIS. WE ALSO WANTED TO LOOK AT THE WORKLOAD 'CAUSE WE ADDRESSED, UH, STAFFING, UH, AS WELL AS, UM, PROCESS ISSUES, TECHNOLOGY ISSUES, ORGANIZATIONAL ISSUES. SO WE LOOKED AT ONE YEAR OF, OF, UM, OF DATA AND WE LOOKED AT PLAN REVIEW CYCLES. UM, 'CAUSE, UM, AND I'LL TALK, I'LL TALK ABOUT THE, THE CUSTOMER SURVEY THAT WE DID. BUT, UM, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE HEARD FROM THE CUSTOMERS WAS, YOU KNOW, IT, IT TAKES, IT TAKES A LONG TIME IN THE PLAN REVIEW PROCESS. UM, SO WE WANTED TO LOOK AT HOW LONG A SET OF PLANS TAKES IN, IN THE REVIEW PROCESS. SO FOR A YEAR'S TIME, WE HAD ALMOST 9,900, WHAT WE CALL PLAN REVIEW CYCLES. THESE ARE ALL SETS OF PLANS THAT WENT IN. SO IT COULD HAVE BEEN A, UM, JUST A, A, A BUILDING PLAN REVIEW FOR A FENCE OR SOMETHING VERY SMALL, OR IT COULD HAVE BEEN A SET OF COMPLETE PLANS WITH STRUCTURAL BUILDING ALL THE TRADES FOR MORE COMPLEX ITEMS. SO, SO THIS IS WHAT WE CALL THE FIRST, UH, CYCLE OF PLAN REVIEWS. AND THEN LOOKED AT HOW MANY OF THOSE GO ON TO A SECOND REVIEW. UH, SO A A LITTLE OVER, UH, A THIRD GO ON TO A SECOND REVIEW CYCLE. SO THAT MEANS THAT WITHIN THE FIRST REVIEW CYCLE, UM, VERY, UH, SMALL PERCENTAGE OR A THIRD GO ON FOR A SECOND REVIEW, THOSE ARE, UM, PLANS THAT HAD SOME COMMENTS FROM THE PLANS REVIEWERS, UH, FOR CORRECTIONS OR, OR THE PERMIT. APPLICANT WANTED TO MAKE SOME CHANGES TO THE PLANS AND, AND GOT THEM BACK. THEN WE LOOKED AT, UM, HERE YOU SEE THAT 81% OF PLANS ARE REVIEWED BY THE SECOND REVIEW CYCLE, UH, CONSISTENT WITH THE DATA THAT I SHOWED AS FAR AS, UH, THE SMALL PROJECTS THAT ARE, UH, COMING THROUGH THE DEPARTMENT AND THE CITY FOR PLAN REVIEW AND FOR PERMITTING. THIS IS CONSISTENT WITH THAT DATA. THOSE THAT GO FROM THE SECOND REVIEW TO THE THIRD REVIEW, APPROXIMATELY HALF OF THEM. SO, UM, HALF OF THE, UH, THE ISSUES ARE BEING RESOLVED BY THE SECOND PLAN REVIEW. UH, BUT HALF ARE GOING TO A THIRD PLAN REVIEW. AND THEN, UH, ALMOST ALL OF THOSE ARE COMING BACK FOR A FOURTH. SO THERE'S SOMETHING GOING ON FROM THE THIRD REVIEW CYCLE TO THE FOURTH WHERE, UM, THE PLANS ARE, ARE STILL BEING REJECTED. THE AVERAGE TIME ACROSS ALL OF THESE REVIEW CYCLES, UH, VARIES. BUT FOR THE FIRST REVIEW CYCLE, THE AVERAGE TIME IN PLAN REVIEW IS JUST UNDER SIX DAYS. UM, WHEN WE GET TO THE SECOND ONE, IT'S, UH, A LITTLE OVER SIX DAYS, AND THEN IT JUST GOES UP SLIGHTLY. SO IF YOU'VE HAD, UH, A SET OF PLANS THAT HAVE BEEN APPROVED ON, UH, TWO CYCLES, HAVE GONE THROUGH TWO REVIEWS, YOU'RE AT ABOUT 12 OR SO DAYS IN THE PLAN REVIEW PROCESS. AND WE LOOK AT PER BUILDING PERMIT TURNAROUND TIME. SO WE WANTED TO TAKE A LOOK, UH, IN THE SAME PERIOD OF TIME, HOW LONG IS IT TAKING FOR THE CITY TO ISSUE A PERMIT? SO THIS IS APPROXIMATELY 7,500 PERMITS OVER ISSUE ISSUED OVER THIS TIME. YOU SEE THAT 49% OF THE PERMITS ARE ISSUED WITHIN THE FIRST, UH, TWO WEEKS OR WITHIN TWO WEEKS. THEN WITHIN FOUR WEEKS, ALMOST 70% OF PERMITS HAVE BEEN ISSUED. THIS IS FROM THE TIME THE PERMIT APPLICATION IS RECEIVED, UH, BY THE CITY TO THE TIME THE PERMIT IS ACTUALLY ISSUED. AND THEN BEYOND THE REST OF THE TIME IS, IS BEYOND A MONTH. THIS IS, UH, IN, IN THE RED BOX. THIS IS, THIS IS WHERE WE FOCUSED A LOT OF OUR REVIEW BECAUSE THIS IS WHERE THINGS, UH, MIGHT GET HELD UP. IT'S IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT THERE ARE A LOT OF PLAYERS IN, IN THIS PROCESS. THERE'S OBVIOUSLY THE CITY, UH, DOING THE PLAN REVIEW. THERE'S THE CITY, THE BUILDING, UH, DIVISION FOR THE BUILDING PERMITTING PROCESS. THERE'S ALSO, UM, PUBLIC WORKS, HISTORIC PRESERVATION, FIRE. UM, THEN THERE'S ALSO THOSE OUTSIDE THE CITY. SO THESE PLANS ARE PROBABLY THE ONES THAT ARE TAKING TYPICALLY LONGER. UH, THEY'RE GONNA GO, UH, PROBABLY TO THE COUNTY FOR WATER AND SEWER. DURHAM MIGHT GO TO THE STATE FOR HRS IF THERE'S, UH, SEPTIC TANK REVIEWS. AND THEN OF COURSE, THERE'S THE, THE PLANS THAT GO BACK TO THE DEVELOPERS, UM, OR THE, THE, UH, DESIGN PROFESSIONALS TO, UH, TAKE A LOOK AT THE COMMENTS THAT WERE MADE AND ADDRESS THOSE COMMENTS. SO, UM, WE FOCUSED OUR ANALYSIS ON THE BUILDING PERMITTING PROCESS AND WHAT COULD BE DONE, UH, FROM THE CITY'S [02:00:01] SIDE. SO I MENTIONED THAT WE STARTED OFF THIS PROJECT, UH, REACHING OUT TO YOUR CUSTOMERS. UM, WE TOOK MULTIPLE APPROACHES THERE. WE SPENT, UH, A WEEK AT THE DEVELOPMENT SERVICES DEPARTMENT CONDUCTING FACE-TO-FACE INTERVIEWS, UH, FIVE DAYS IN A WEEK IN APRIL LAST YEAR, UH, RECEIVED A LOT OF GOOD FEEDBACK FROM 66 OF YOUR CUSTOMERS THERE AT THE BUILDING. UH, THEN WE, UH, RECEIVED THE EMAIL ADDRESSES FOR, UH, CUSTOMERS THAT HAVE PULLED PERMITS, UH, THAT HAD CLOSED PERMITS OVER THE LAST FIVE YEARS. WE SENT 5,000 EMAILS. WE RECEIVED 186 RESPONSES, SO WE HAD 252 TOTAL SURVEY RESPONSES. AND WE ALSO, UM, CONDUCTED A SERIES OF FOCUS GROUPS TO, UM, HAVE A MORE, UH, FOCUSED DISCUSSION ON ISSUES. SO, UH, THREE KEY THEMES THAT CAME OUT OF, UH, OF THE SURVEYS WERE TIMELINES AND PREDICTABILITY. THIS IS THE CUSTOMER FEEDBACK. UM, AND THESE THREE THEMES, THIS WAS THE MOST DISCUSSED THEMES. AND FROM THE CUSTOMER PERSPECTIVE, IT'S THAT THE, THE INITIAL PLAN REVIEW IS, UH, IS COMMONLY PERCEIVED AS TAKING LONGER THAN IT TAKES. IT'S INTERESTING BECAUSE OUR DATA SHOWED THAT, UM, THAT, UH, ALMOST HALF OF THESE, UM, PLANS ARE, ARE TURNED AROUND WITHIN TWO WEEKS. BUT THIS IS THE CUSTOMER'S PERSPECTIVE ON THIS. AND THEY ALSO EXPRESS UNCERTAINTY AROUND, UM, THE TIMELINES FOR PLAN REVIEW AND ALSO REAL TIME INSPECTION NOTIFICATION. SO IN SOME MUNICIPALITIES, UM, THE INSPECTIONS, UH, A HOMEOWNER OR A CONTRACTOR CAN TELL WHERE THE INSPECTOR IS IN THE ROUTE, IN THE CITY OF CORAL GABLES, THAT'S NOT, UM, AVAILABLE RIGHT NOW. IT'S SOMETHING THAT THE CITY IS WORKING ON WITH, UH, WITH E GOV THE, UH, SOFTWARE PROVIDER, UM, TO ADDRESS. BUT THIS WAS A, THIS WAS AN, UH, A REPEATED COMMENT. THE SECOND ONE WAS STAFF AND TOOLS. SO STAFF WAS RATED, UH, HIGHLY. WE HAD, UH, SOME QUESTIONS ON OUR SURVEY THAT WERE ON THE LINKER, ONE TO FIVE SCALE. UH, STAFF, UH, WAS RATED AT, UM, UH, SOMEWHERE IN THE LOW FOURS OUT OF FIVE. SO THEY WERE RATED HIGHLY FOR THEIR PRO UH, PROFESSIONALISM, THEIR ABILITY TO, UH, AND WILLINGNESS TO HELP AND, UH, BEING COURTEOUS. UH, BUT THEN THERE WERE, UH, ISSUES REGARDING, UM, PHONE ACCESS SYSTEM USABILITY, UH, WHICH IS, UH, A VERY REPEATED ITEM HERE IS THE ABILITY TO USE THE INTER GOV SOFTWARE. AND THEY WERE CITED AS OPPORTUNITIES FOR IMPROVEMENT. AND THEN FINALLY, CUSTOMER VALUE EMPHASIS. THERE WAS, UM, A, A, A BIG EMPHASIS ON THE LACK OF CLEAR, UM, INSTRUCTIONS AND STEP-BY-STEP REQUIREMENTS, UH, UPFRONT AND ALSO CON, UH, THE LACK OF CONSISTENCY ACROSS STAFF WITHIN, UH, THE DEPARTMENT AND ACROSS OTHER DEPARTMENTS, UH, IN THE CITY. SO THIS IS CUSTOMER FEEDBACK THAT, UM, THAT WE TOOK, UH, TO OUR SECOND PHASE OF OUR REPORT, WHICH WAS TO, UH, CONDUCT A DEEP DIVE INTO THE OPERATIONS. WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE TOOK INTO ACCOUNT WHAT THE CUSTOMER SAID, UM, BECAUSE WE DIDN'T, UH, WANT TO, WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE WE DIDN'T MISS ON THOSE AREAS. SO IN, IN PHASE TWO, WE SPENT MONTHS, UM, ANALYZING, UH, QUITE A BIT OF DATA FROM THE INTER GOV SYSTEM, PERMIT TIMES, UM, AND SOME OF THE DATA I SHOWED ALREADY. UH, WE INTERVIEWED, UH, LEADERSHIP IN THE DEPARTMENT, UH, AS WELL AS OTHER DEPARTMENTS THROUGHOUT THE CITY THAT ARE INVOLVED IN THE PERMITTING PROCESS. AND, UM, AND DID RIDE ALONGS WITH INSPECTORS, SAT WITH THE PERMIT COUNTER PERSONNEL TO LOOK AT THEIR ACTIVITIES, UH, ON A DAY-TO-DAY BASIS, AS WELL AS, UH, SITTING WITH THE PLANS EXAMINERS TO LOOK AT THEIR REVIEW PROCESS. SO WE HAD A, UM, A GOOD UNDERSTANDING. SO WE, UM, WE PUT THESE FINDINGS BASICALLY INTO THREE, UH, THREE BUCKETS. FIRST ONE IS PEOPLE IN LEADERSHIP. UM, THESE ARE FINDINGS THAT, THAT WE, UH, CAME UP WITH BASED ON OUR ASSESSMENT. AND THE FIRST ONE IS A SHORTAGE OF STAFF IN KEY AREAS. THIS INCLUDES, UM, PERMIT, COUNTER PLAN REVIEWERS. UM, THE CITY HAS TAKEN SOME ACTION, AND MR. RAMIREZ IS GONNA PRESENT AFTER I AM ON WHAT THE CITY HAS BEEN DOING. WE'VE WORKED COLLABORATIVELY WITH, WITH CITY STAFF FROM THE BEGINNING. SO THEY HAVE BEEN PROACTIVE IN ADDRESSING SOME OF OUR FINDINGS AND IMPLEMENTING SOME OF OUR RECOMMENDATIONS. THIS IS ONE OF THEM. UH, LOSS OF TECHNICAL EXPERTISE. UH, [02:05:01] THIS IS SOMETHING, THIS IS A VERY SMALL POOL OF, UM, UH, PARTICULARLY PLANS, REVIEWERS AND, UH, AND INSPECTORS. SO EVERYBODY'S COMPETING IN THE SAME POOL, UM, NOT JUST FROM OTHER MUNICIPALITIES, BUT ALSO THE PRIVATE SECTOR. UH, SOME OF THE, UM, THE FIRMS THAT, THAT DO THIS TYPE OF WORK, AND SOME PEOPLE HAVE LEFT, WHICH OF COURSE, UH, CREATES A GAP. UM, AND THEN THE SPAN OF, OF CONTROL, UH, CHALLENGES. UH, THE, THE DEPARTMENT WHEN WE STARTED, STARTED THIS STUDY, UH, DID NOT HAVE AN ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF ADMINISTRATION. IT DIDN'T HAVE AN ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF IT. THESE ARE IMPORTANT POSITIONS TO RUN THIS OPERATION EFFICIENTLY. UM, AND THOSE, THOSE POSITIONS HAVE BEEN ADDED. THE SECOND, UM, AREA OF FINDINGS WAS ON SYSTEMS PROCESS AND GOVERNANCE. UM, ENTER GOV IMPLEMENTATION HAS BEEN, UM, A BIG ISSUE. UH, THE, THE, UH, THE CHANGE IN, IN, UH, THE TURNOVER IN LEADERSHIP IN THE DEPARTMENT. UM, THE, THE, UH, SOFTWARE WAS IMPLEMENTED DURING COVID. SO THERE WERE DISRUPTIONS, UH, SOME OF THE FOLKS THAT WORKED WITH TYLER TECHNOLOGIES. THE, UH, THIS, THE SOFTWARE COMPANY THAT OWNS INTER GOV THAT WERE WORKING ON THE IMPLEMENTATION FOR THE CITY LEFT. UH, SO THE CITY IS, IS JUST STARTING TO CATCH UP ON SOME OF THE, SOME OF THE ISSUES WITH INTER GOV THAT, UM, NEED TO BE ADDRESSED. AND WHEN THIS SYSTEM IS REALLY THE, UM, THE ENABLER OF AN EFFICIENT PERMITTING PROCESS, IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT THAT, UM, EVERYTHING BE WORKING AS, AS WELL AS POSSIBLE. ALSO, UH, INCOMPLETE STANDARDIZATION. UH, THERE ARE GAPS IN, UH, STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES IN, IN THE BUILDING DIVISION THAT'S BEING ADDRESSED RIGHT NOW. AND THE SHIFT TO ELECTRONIC, UH, PERMITTING HAS REALLY CREATED, UM, WHAT WE CALL WORKAROUNDS, UH, TO TRY TO, UM, GET PLANS TO WHERE THEY NEED TO BE ROUTED. UM, AND, UM, AND THAT'S BEING ADDRESSED ALSO. AND THEN THERE'S LIMITED SYSTEM, UH, ADMINISTRATION CAPACITY. UM, THE INTER GOV ADMINISTRATION, AS I MENTIONED, UM, ISSUE RESOLUTION. UH, I THINK THE, THE CITY OF CORAL GABLES IS ONE OF THE, THE, THE LEADERS, AT LEAST IN THE STATE OF USERS OF INTER GOV THAT CREATES TICKETS FOR ISSUE RESOLUTION. UM, SO THAT'S GOOD IN THE SENSE THAT THE ISSUES ARE BEING IDENTIFIED AND BEING BROUGHT TO THE ATTENTION OF, UM, OF INTER GOV. BUT IT'S NOT GOOD IN THE SENSE THAT WHEN YOU ARE ISSUING, UH, HUNDREDS AND HUNDREDS OF, UH, HELP DESK TICKETS, UH, THAT THERE ARE A LOT OF ISSUES. SO, UM, THE THIRD ONE IS, UH, THE CUSTOMER NAVIGATION AND SUPPORT DEMAND. THIS IS, UH, A, A A LOT OF TIME SPENT IN, UH, WITH PERMIT COUNTER FOLKS HELPING THE PUBLIC NAVIGATE THE SYSTEM, HOW TO PULL A PERMIT, WHAT THEY NEED TO DO, HOW TO NAVIGATE THE WEBSITE, HOW TO CREATE AN ACCOUNT ON INTER GOV. SO, UM, SO THERE'S A BIG DEMAND AND OUR, OUR RECOMMENDATIONS ADDRESS SOME OF THESE, THESE ISSUES. UM, I, UH, WILL MENTION THAT, UH, WE HAVE A SERIES OF RECOMMENDATIONS. WE'LL BE PROVIDING A REPORT TO THE CITY IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF WEEKS. SO, UM, WHILE PLANS, UH, ARE ARE BEING TURNED AROUND IN, UH, ABOUT SIX DAYS, WE STILL IDENTIFIED 25 AREAS FOR IMPROVEMENT THAT WILL BE DETAILED IN OUR REPORT. SO THESE ARE THE THREE BUCKETS OF OUR ASSESSMENT FINDINGS. AND WE GROUP THESE INTO FIVE CORE, UH, FINDING AREAS, LEADERSHIP GAPS IN SPAN OF CONTROL, CONSTRAINTS, WORKFORCE CAPACITY AND RETENTION, UH, PRESSURES, DISRUPTED SYSTEMS IMPLEMENTATION, LACK OF SOPS, AND CUSTOMER DEMAND AND SUPPORT BURDEN. SO WE TOOK THESE FINDINGS AND WE CREATED A, OUR RECOMMENDATION FRAMEWORK WITH FIVE FOCUS AREAS THAT ADDRESS THE ROOT CAUSES, UH, OF THESE FINDINGS. SO WHEN WE LOOK AT THESE FOCUS AREAS, UH, AND WHEN WE SUBMIT OUR REPORT, UH, THE RECOMMENDATIONS WILL BE, UH, CENTERED AROUND THESE FOCUS AREAS. AND HERE ARE SOME RE REPRESENTATIVE RECOMMENDATIONS UNDER LEADERSHIP AND STRUCTURE, ESTABLISH ASSISTANT DIRECTOR ROLES, CREATE AND FILL KEY POSITIONS. UM, AS I MENTIONED, WE'VE BEEN, UH, WORKING ON THIS ANALYSIS SINCE, UH, LAST APRIL OR SO. SO, UH, SOME OF THESE, UH, RECOMMENDATIONS HAVE BEEN ALREADY ADDRESSED BY THE CITY, AND I'LL SHOW THOSE IN A MINUTE. WORKFORCE CAPACITY AND ENABLEMENT, UM, ADDING PERMITTING RELATED PERSONNEL, THAT'S PLANS, REVIEWERS AND INSPECTORS, AND ESTABLISHING AN INTER GOV TASK FORCE. THE CITY IS ACTUALLY WORKING [02:10:01] ON A TASK FORCE TO ADDRESS THESE INTER GOV ISSUES WITH OTHER MUNICIPALITIES IN THE COUNTY THAT USE THIS SOFTWARE. UH, DURAL MIAMI BEACH. HIALEAH. THE COUNTY IS ACTUALLY LOOKING TO GET AWAY FROM THEIR SYSTEM AND IS LOOKING POTENTIALLY AT INTER GOV. SO ALL THE MUNICIPALITIES ARE SHARING, UM, UH, NOT JUST THEIR PAIN POINTS, BUT ALSO THEIR BEST PRACTICES. 'CAUSE SOME MUNICIPALITIES HAVE BEEN ABLE TO WORK AROUND SOME OF THE ISSUES UNDER PROCESS AND POLICY STANDARDIZATION. UH, CONDUCTING BUSINESS PROCESS REENGINEERING, LOOKING AT THE BUSINESS PROCESS AND SEEING HOW IT CAN BE STREAMLINED, AS WELL AS CREATING SOME STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES BECAUSE NONE EXIST, UH, AT, AT THIS POINT. UNDER SYSTEMS AND DATA BUILDING PERFORMANCE DASHBOARDS, THIS IS A MANAGEMENT TOOL SO THAT, UH, THE LEADERSHIP IN THE DEPARTMENT CAN ASSESS WORKLOAD, CAN ASSESS WHERE THERE MIGHT BE GAPS IN EITHER STAFFING OR PERFORMANCE. AND DEVELOPING COMPREHENSIVE PERMIT TRACKING REPORTS. THIS IS TO, TO, UH, HAVE THE ABILITY TO SHOW, UM, EITHER ON A PERMIT BY PERMIT CASE OR IN IN GENERAL AS A WHOLE, WHERE PERMITS ARE IN THE SYSTEM. WHERE ARE THEY IN THE CITY? ARE THEY BEING HELD UP IN THE CITY? WHERE ARE THEY OUTSIDE THE CITY? UM, ARE THEY WITH THE DESIGN PROFESSIONALS? ARE WE THEY WITH THE COUNTY RIGHT NOW? THE, THE CITY IS NOT TRACKING THAT, AND IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO SHOW WHERE THAT IS. AND THEN FINALLY, UNDER CUSTOMER ACCESS AND COMMUNICATION, UH, DEVELOPING CUSTOMER PERSPECTIVE PROCESS MAPS, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE HEARD FROM THE CUSTOMER OUTREACH, THAT THERE IS REALLY NO MAPPING TO, UH, TELL A HOMEOWNER OR DEVELOPER. WHAT IS THE PROCESS WE NEED TO GO THROUGH. SO WE THINK THAT'S, UH, THAT'S A GOOD IDEA THAT SHOULD BE DEVELOPED, AND TO DEVELOP THE REAL TIME INSPECTOR TRACKING TOOL THAT I MENTIONED BEFORE. SO WITH THE IMPLEMENTATION OF, OF THESE RECOMMENDATIONS, UM, THE CITY WILL BE ABLE TO ACHIEVE PREDICTABLE, TRANSPARENT, AND EFFICIENT PERMITTING. UH, THE RECOMMENDATIONS THAT ARE OUTLINED IN BLUE ARE THOSE THAT THE CITY HAS ALREADY UNDERTAKEN AND IS CURRENTLY WORKING ON. SO, AS I MENTIONED, UH, IT'S BEEN A VERY, VERY COLLABORATIVE EFFORT OVER, UH, THE LAST YEAR WORKING WITH THE CITY. AND, UM, THEY'RE NOT WAITING FOR OUR REPORT TO BE FINISHED, THEN SUBMITTED TO TAKE ACTION ON SOME THINGS THAT THEY COULD HAVE TAKEN ACTION ON ALREADY. SO THESE ARE SOME OF THE ONES THAT THEY HAVE ALREADY IMPLEMENTED. AND THEN, UM, THE NEXT STEPS, AS I MENTIONED, THE, UM, WE WILL BE SUBMITTING A REPORT WITHIN THE NEXT COUPLE OF WEEKS DETAILING ALL OF OUR, UM, FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS. AND, UH, ALSO THE CITY IS, IS WORKING ON AN IMPLEMENTATION PLAN, UH, TO ADDRESS THE RECOMMENDATIONS WE'VE MADE. AND I BELIEVE, UH, MR. RAMIREZ WILL FOLLOW UP WITH, UH, SOME INFORMATION ON WHAT THE CITY HAS DONE SO FAR. UH, BUT AT THIS POINT, I'LL OPEN IT UP TO QUESTIONS, COMMENTS. UH, FIRST AND FOREMOST, THANK YOU FOR YOUR HARD WORK OVER THE LAST 10 MONTHS. UH, YOU CAN SEE THAT YOU'VE PUT IN ALL THE HARD WORK. UH, WE'RE EXCITED, UH, ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITIES WE HAVE, THE, WE HAVE, UM, THE OTHER CONSENSUS, UH, TO INVEST A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF MONEY, UH, NOT ONLY IN MANPOWER, BUT ALSO IN TRAINING AND IN SOFTWARE AS REQUIRED, UH, TO MAKE SURE THAT WE PROVIDE WORLD CLASS SERVICE. SO I WANNA THANK YOU FOR THAT. UM, DO YOU WANT TO HEAR FROM STAFF, THE COMMISSION, AND THEN WE'LL COME BACK AND OPEN IT UP, OR HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO DO IT? IF WE COULD PRESENT MAYOR, AND THEN CERTAINLY WE CAN OPEN IT UP FOR DISCUSSION OF, THANK YOU. THANK YOU, SIR. GREAT WORK. THANK YOU, SIR. MR. RAMIREZ, HOW ARE YOU? GOOD MORNING. DOUG RAMIREZ, ACTING DEVELOPMENT SERVICE DIRECTOR. THANK YOU FOR GIVING ME THE OPPORTUNITY TO GIVE YOU THIS UPDATE. MR. DIOS, UH, HAS BEEN VERY HELPFUL. HE'S GIVEN US A LOT OF RECOMMENDATIONS. UH, WE'RE VERY EXCITED TO REPORT ON WHAT WE'VE DONE SO FAR. UH, THIS IS NOT EVERYTHING. THERE'S A LOT MORE THAT, THAT WE WILL BE DOING. UH, BUT WE WERE ABLE TO START EARLY ON IN THE PROCESS WHEN MR. DIOS GOT HERE, UH, AND BEGAN HIS PROCESS. UH, WE'VE BEEN COLLABORATING WITH HIM AND THE CITY MANAGER, AND WE'VE, UH, GOTTEN QUITE A BIT DONE. SO, UM, I WOULD LIKE TO WALK YOU THROUGH WHAT WE'VE DONE SO FAR. SO FIRST THING AS, UH, HE MENTIONED, UH, THE, THE WORKFORCE. UH, WE'VE CREATED QUITE A NUMBER OF POSITIONS SINCE, UH, THE MIDDLE OF LAST YEAR, AND WE'VE BEEN IN THE PROCESS OF FILLING THEM. I'M VERY PLEASED, UH, TO INTRODUCE MS. LI LOPEZ AND JEAN DOMUS, WHO ARE IN THE ROOM HERE. UH, THEY ARE OUR NEW, UH, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF BUILDING ADMINISTRATION AND ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF INFORMATION SYSTEMS, RESPECTIVELY. THEY BOTH COME FROM OTHER, UH, JURISDICTIONS, AND THEY BRING US A LOT OF EXPERIENCE THAT, THAT WE NEEDED. AND [02:15:01] I AM VERY HAPPY TO HAVE THEM HERE. UH, SINCE THEY'VE GOTTEN HERE, WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO START MOVING THINGS ALONG QUITE RAPIDLY, AND I COULDN'T BE PROUDER TO HAVE THEM ON OUR TEAM HERE. WE'VE ALSO, UH, FOUND A SENIOR ADMIN ANALYST, UH, THAT, THAT WE PROMOTED FROM WITHIN, UH, AS WELL AS A DEVELOPMENT SERVICE AMBASSADOR THAT WE ALSO PROMOTED FROM WITHIN THE CITY, UH, UH, QC ANALYSTS. AND, UH, WE'VE, WE WERE ABLE TO ALSO HIRE TWO PERMIT COUNTER STAFF AS PART OF THE ADDITIONAL POSITIONS. AND TO DATE, WE'VE, UH, HIRED A TOTAL OF NINE REVIEWERS AND INSPECTORS. WE ARE CURRENTLY CONTINUING TO, UH, LOOK FOR A PERMANENT DIRECTOR FOR DEVELOPMENT SERVICES, AS WELL AS A DEPUTY BUILDING OFFICIAL, A STRUCTURAL ENGINEER, AND THREE REVIEWERS AND INSPECTORS. I DID NOT INCLUDE ON THE SLIDE, UH, VACANCIES THAT MIGHT HAVE OPENED UP ALONG THE WAY. TH THIS SLIDE ONLY COVERS ALL OF THE NEW POSITIONS THAT WE'RE HIRING AS A, AS A RESULT OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF MR. DUOS. UH, ALSO AS A RESULT OF ALL OF THE ADDITIONAL STAFF, WE, WE LOOKED AT OUR VEHICLES. WE MET WITH THE CITY MANAGER, AND WE, WE DISCUSSED IT WITH OUR, OUR, UH, PERSONNEL OVER AT PUBLIC WORKS. UH, WE WILL BE GETTING EIGHT ADDITIONAL VEHICLES AND 13 REPLACEMENTS FOR SOME OF OUR MORE AGING, UH, VEHICLES THAT ARE CIRCULATING THE CITY. SO, UH, MR. LIOS HAD MENTIONED A COUPLE OF TIMES THE IMPLEMENTING TECHNOLOGIES FORCE. WE'VE IDENTIFIED, UH, EIGHT PEOPLE WITHIN THE CITY THAT WILL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS. UH, THEY, THEY'RE GOING TO HELP US TO IMPLEMENT ALL OF THE CHANGES IN THE TECHNOLOGIES ACROSS THE BOARD, ACROSS DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS. AND WE WILL, UH, WE WILL RESPECTIVELY HAVE, UH, ASSIGNED PEOPLE TO CERTAIN TASKS. SO IT'LL BE EASIER TO FOLLOW UP, UH, ON ALL THE, ALL THE DIFFERENT, UH, PROJECTS THAT WE'RE WORKING ON. WE'VE ALSO, UH, CONTINUE TO MAKE IMPROVEMENTS IN OUR PROCESSES. THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON SINCE DAY ONE. UH, FOR AS LONG AS I'VE BEEN HERE, WE'VE BEEN IMPROVING PROCESSES. BUT, UH, LATELY WE'RE, WE'RE GOING TO BEGIN WORKING ON THE CREATION OF SOPS. WE HAVE, WE HAVE ESTABLISHED SOME CHECKLISTS FOR PLAN REVIEWERS. AND, AND RIGHT NOW WE'RE, WE'RE TRYING TO SEE IF WE COULD BRING IN A CONSULTANT, UH, SERVICE TO HELP US WITH, UH, USING AI, UH, TO PROVIDE CUSTOMER SERVICE USING ALL THE INFORMATION THAT'LL COMPILE FROM OUR WEBSITE, FROM WHATEVER WE FEED INTO IT, SO THAT IT CAN ANSWER QUESTIONS FROM MANY, MANY CUSTOMERS THAT WE, WE GET PHONE CALLS EVERY DAY. WE ALSO HAVE DONE A LOT, UH, BECAUSE DEVELOPMENT SERVICES DOESN'T WORK IN A VACUUM. WE ARE PART OF A CITY WITH OTHER DEPARTMENTS. WE HAVE FIRE, WE HAVE PUBLIC WORKS, WE HAVE HISTORIC, UH, WE HAVE SO, SO MANY PIECES OF THIS THAT EXTEND BEYOND THE WALLS OF 4 27 BUILDING. UH, SO WE, WE REALIZED EARLY ON THAT WE WERE GOING TO NEED TO DO THINGS, UH, TO KIND OF BRING ALL OF THIS TOGETHER IN, IN, IN A MORE UNIFORM WAY. UH, SO, YOU KNOW, RECENTLY WE, WE ASSISTED, UH, AND WORKED WITH THE FIRE DEPARTMENT TO CREATE A SIMPLIFIED PERMIT PROCESS FOR SOME OF THEIR SMALLER PROJECTS. UM, WE ALSO NOTICED THAT THERE WAS, UH, IN DISCUSSING IT WITH OUR COLLEAGUES OVER AT ART IN PUBLIC PLACES, THAT THERE WAS AN AUTOMATION THAT THAT WASN'T WORKING AS INTENDED. IF, IF AN APPLICANT, FOR EXAMPLE, WOULD'VE APPLIED FOR A PROJECT THAT HAD A CONSTRUCTION COST BELOW A MILLION DOLLARS. BUT THEN AT SOME POINT IN THE PROCESS, WE REALIZED THAT THE CONSTRUCTION COST WAS ACTUALLY GOING TO BE ABOVE A MILLION DOLLARS. IT WASN'T TRIGGERING THAT REVIEW AUTOMATICALLY, WE HAVE CORRECTED THAT. SO NOW IF, IF THE CONSTRUCTION COSTS ARE CHANGED ALONG THE WAY, UH, ART IN PUBLIC PLACES WILL AUTOMATICALLY BE BROUGHT IN TO, TO LOOK AT THE PROJECT. UH, WE'RE ALSO, UH, GOING TO BE WORKING WITH OUR CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS PROJECTS TEAM, UH, SO THAT THERE'S A MORE COHESIVE, UH, UNDERSTANDING OF HOW APPLIC APPLICATION FOR PERMITS HAPPENS. AND WE ARE CONSTANTLY TRAINING AND MEETING WITH OUR REVIEWERS FOR PLAN REVIEW PROCESSES TO BE UNIFORM. UH, THERE, THERE ARE PLAN REVIEWERS THROUGHOUT THE CITY, NOT ONLY IN 4 27 BUILDING. SO IT, IT, IT, IT'S, IT'S, UH, ALWAYS INTERESTING WHEN WE BRING THE DIFFERENT, THE DIFFERENT, UH, SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS INTO THE ROOM. UH, SO, 'CAUSE WE GET DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES AND WE'RE ALWAYS WORKING ON MAKING SURE EVERYTHING IS CONSISTENT SO THAT THE APPLICANT WILL SAY, GET THE SAME INFORMATION FROM DEVELOPMENT SERVICES THAT THEY WOULD'VE GOTTEN IF THEY HAD DISCUSSED IT. WITH PUBLIC WORKS, WE WANNA MAKE SURE WE'RE ALWAYS ON THE SAME PAGE. AND, UH, IN ADDITION TO THAT, WE'VE, WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO BRING INTO OUR FOLD [02:20:01] AT DEVELOPMENT SERVICES, UH, TO DATE. WE, WE, WE HAVE A, A LANDSCAPING REVIEWER THAT WORKS VERY CLOSELY WITH, UH, DINA BELL, UH, AT PUBLIC WORKS. AND, AND WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO BRING A, A PUBLIC WORKS REVIEWER THAT, THAT ACTUALLY WE, SHE CAME FROM PUBLIC WORKS AND SHE'S EXTREMELY KNOWLEDGEABLE. WE'RE PLEASED TO HAVE HER. AND THEN ALSO HISTORIC, UH, WE HAVE, WE HAVE, UH, A, A TEAM MEMBER NOW FROM THE HISTORIC TEAM. SO WE ACTUALLY HAVE PEOPLE IN OUR BUILDING. NOW, IF CUSTOMERS COME AND THEY WANT TO ASK A QUESTION ABOUT PUBLIC WORKS, UH, I CAN WALK THEM RIGHT OVER. I'M, I'M, I'M LOOKING OVER HERE BECAUSE I DID THAT LAST WEEK. UM, AND THEY HAVE ANSWERS FROM SOMEBODY WHO'S VERY KNOWLEDGEABLE IN OUR BUILDING. WE DON'T HAVE TO SEND THEM OVER TO 72ND. AND, AND IT'S PROVING TO BE VERY, VERY USEFUL TO HAVE ALL THOSE PEOPLE IN, IN OUR BUILDING. SO WE HAVE ALSO BEEN WORKING ON SYSTEM PROCESS IMPROVEMENTS. UH, ONE OF THE THINGS MR. DUOS MENTIONED THAT HAS ALWAYS BEEN A CONCERN IS THAT THE APPLICANTS WERE HAVING A HARD TIME APPLYING CORRECTLY. UH, OUR, AS HE MENTIONED, OUR, OUR PORTAL IS NOT USER FRIENDLY IF, IF YOU HAVEN'T USED IT BEFORE. UH, AND A LOT OF OUR RESIDENTS ARE APPLYING FOR ONE PERMIT EVERY 10 YEARS. SO IT'S NOT LIKE THEY DO THIS EVERY DAY. UH, SO WE, WE'VE BEEN DEVELOPING BETTER DESCRIPTIONS, UH, ON THE WEBSITE SO PEOPLE WILL KNOW EXACTLY WHAT TYPE OF PERMIT THEY, THEY SHOULD APPLY FOR, DEPENDING ON THE WORK THAT THEY'RE DOING. THIS MINIMIZES A LOT OF WORK LATER ON FOR THE APPLICANT AND FOR STAFF. IF PEOPLE APPLY WRONG, USUALLY THEY END UP MAKING A PAYMENT THAT WE HAVE TO REFUND THAT, THAT INVOLVES TWO DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS. UH, SO JUST FIXING THIS SO THAT PEOPLE APPLY CORRECTLY THE FIRST TIME IS A HUGE STEP. IT'S GONNA HELP A LOT OF PEOPLE ALL THE TIME. UM, AND THEN WE'VE, WE'VE ALSO, UH, BEEN ABLE TO AUTOMATE THE EXTENSIONS OF MASTERS AND SUB PERMITS. UH, ONCE THE INSPECTIONS ARE APPROVED. UH, THIS WASN'T ALWAYS WORKING CORRECTLY. SO WE, WE'VE BEEN, UH, WE'VE BEEN CORRECTING THAT SO THAT NOW WHEN YOU GET AN APPROVED INSPECTION, NOT ONLY THE INSPECTION FOR THAT PERMIT THAT YOU CALLED, WE'LL EXTEND THAT PERMIT, BUT NOW IT'LL EXTEND THE, THE MASTER AND, AND EVERYTHING SIMULTANEOUSLY. UM, WE'VE ALSO, UH, CREATED A PROCESS WHERE THE, ANY, ANY PERMIT REVISIONS THAT GET SUBMITTED AUTOMATICALLY GET FINALIZED. THIS WAS, THIS WAS CREATING FLAWS IN OUR DATA AND OUR TRACKING. 'CAUSE IT, IT WOULD LOOK LIKE WE HAD ALL THIS UNFINALIZED WORK, EVEN THOUGH IT WAS AN APPROVED REVISION FROM YEARS AGO. AND, UH, ONE OF THE OTHER THINGS THAT WE'RE ALWAYS TRYING TO FIND WAYS NOT ONLY WITH FEES, BUT WITH EVERYTHING, ANYTHING THAT WE CAN AUTOMATE THAT WE CAN GET OUR HANDS OFF OF IT SO THAT IT WILL WORK WITHOUT ANYONE HAVING TO TOUCH IT IS ALWAYS GOOD IF, IF IT'S DONE CORRECTLY. UM, AND THERE WERE A NUMBER OF FEES THAT WERE BEING MANUALLY CALCULATED. AND OF COURSE, ANYTIME YOU HAVE TO CALCULATE NUMBERS MANUALLY, THIS LEADS TO MATHEMATICAL ERRORS. SO WE'VE BEEN CORRECTING THESE AND, UH, IT'S OKAY TO SAY IT ALSO LEADS TO FRAUD. AND, UH, I'M HAPPY THAT YOU TOOK CARE OF THAT BECAUSE I, I ONCE YOU'LL PROBABLY SEE AN UPTICK, UH, IN REGARDS TO THE RECEIVABLES. UH, NOW THAT WE'RE DOING IT, NOT ALLOWING IT TO BE DONE MANUALLY, I THINK THAT'S IMPORTANT. SO, UM, WE SAW THAT THE OTHER DAY, FOR EXAMPLE, WHEN WE HAD, UM, THE LEADERS FROM, FROM, UM, ANTIGUA THAT WERE HERE, CORRECT? THAT WAS, UH, ANTIGUA, WHERE THEY USED THE EXAMPLE OF, UM, THESE WERE NEWLY ELECTED, ELECTED OFFICIALS. AND THEY, THEY BASICALLY DID THE SAME THING YOU DID AFTER IT NOT BEING DONE FOR 10 YEARS. AND THEIR FIRST PROJECT WHERE THEY REVIEWED THE FEES, THE FIRST PROJECT WHERE THEY REVIEWED THE FEES, UH, THAT WERE COLLECTED IN THAT ONE PROJECT WERE MORE THAN ALL THE FEES COLLECTED IN THE LAST 10 YEARS OF PROJECTS. UH, AND THEY DID THE SAME THING WHEN THEY AUTOMATED, UH, THE PARKING REVENUE. THEY USED TO COLLECT THE PARKING REVENUE BY HAND. WHEN THEY STARTED DOING AN AUTOMATED SYSTEM, THEY WERE ASTOUNDED THAT THEY COLLECTED THREE TIMES MORE PARKING REVENUE. SO THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE, WE, WE HAD A CONVERSATIONS AND THEY WERE TALKING ABOUT TECHNOLOGY AND HOW IT'S PLAYING A MAJOR ROLE NOW IN SOUTH AND CENTRAL AMERICA. SO I THINK THAT'S A GREAT MOVE. AND I'M GONNA COMMEND YOU ON A FEW OTHER THINGS THAT WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON TOGETHER THAT I THINK THAT YOUR TEAM HAS DONE A GREAT JOB ON. AND I'LL LEAVE THAT TO THE END. BUT I WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU, IT WASN'T JUST, YOU WERE VERY KIND TO SAY THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, IT, IT, IT ENSURES THAT LESS ERRORS ARE MADE. YES. BUT IT ALSO STOPS FRAUD, UH, BECAUSE WELL, PEOPLE WILL PUT, YOU KNOW, THE VALUES OF CERTAIN THINGS TO BE A LOT LESS THAN WHAT THEY ARE. YES. MR. MAD GOOD, MAYOR. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UH, SINCE YOU'VE MENTIONED THAT WE'VE ALSO, UH, FOR THE LARGER PROJECTS, THERE'S ALSO A MANUAL CHECK BEFORE THEY GO OUT. SO IT'S DOUBLE IT'S, IT'S, IT'S THROUGH THE AUTOMATED SYSTEM. AND THEN FOR THE LARGER PROJECTS, WE CHECK THE MAKE SURE THE SCRIPT FOOTAGE AND, AND THE, AND THE COSTS ARE, ARE CORRECT. YEAH. BY THE WAY, THAT'S CONTESTED AND THAT'S CONTESTED. BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, THE NUMBERS ARE THE NUMBERS, YOU KNOW, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT. [02:25:01] ALRIGHT, SO YES, THE MANAGER ACTUALLY GOT TO MY NEXT BULLET. UH, HE MENTIONED IT, SO HE BEAT ME TO THE PUNCH ON THAT ONE. THANK YOU, PETER. UM, WE'RE, WE'RE VERY EXCITED ABOUT THAT SENIOR LEVEL OVERVIEW ON THE HIGH VALUE PROJECTS. UH, WE, WE'VE BEEN DOING THAT NOW, AND, UH, WE HAVE VERY HIGH LEVEL PEOPLE LOOKING AT IT TO MAKE SURE THAT THE CONSTRUCTION COST ALIGNS WITH THE SCOPE OF WORK. AND, UH, IT, IT'S, IT'S BEEN INTERESTING. SO WE, WE, WE HAVE APPRECIATED THAT THAT'S STARTED TO HAPPEN. SO THE, ONE OF THE OTHER THINGS THAT WE STARTED TO NOTICE IS THAT THE, UP UNTIL RECENTLY, CONTACTS ON A PERMIT COULD, COULD BYPASS NOTIFICATION TO THE OTHER CONTACTS SIMPLY BY CHANGING THE, CHANGING THE DEFINED CONTACTS, UH, AT ANY TIME. UH, SO THIS WAS, THIS WAS DONE AT THE BEGINNING. IT WAS A DECISION THAT WAS MADE THAT WOULD ENABLE THE APPLICANTS TO BE ABLE TO DO THEIR OWN WORK. UH, AND THEN SOME CITIES HAVE DONE IT THAT WAY, AND THEN OTHER CITIES HAVE CHOSEN TO, TO NOT ALLOW THAT. UH, WE REALIZED THAT IT, IT WAS IN OUR BEST INTEREST TO GO AHEAD AND, AND NOT ALLOW THAT HERE. UH, THE APPLICANTS AT THE BEGINNING CAN, CAN CREATE THEIR CONTACTS. AND NOW WE MADE A CHANGE WHERE ONCE THE CONTACTS ARE INITIALLY CREATED, UH, THEN IF THEY WANT TO CHANGE A CONTACT, THEY WILL NOTIFY US, AND STAFF WILL MAKE ANY CHANGES AFTER THAT. UH, THERE, THERE WERE OWNERS THAT WERE BEING REMOVED, UH, FROM CONTACTS. AND THEN OF COURSE, THIS CREATES A PROBLEM BECAUSE THE OWNER WON'T KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON WITH THEIR PERMIT. THERE WERE CONTRACTORS THAT WOULD BE REMOVED AS A CONTACT. AND THEN OF COURSE, THIS CREATES OTHER ISSUES BECAUSE THERE'S AN ACTUAL FORMAL PROCESS WHERE THE BUILDING OFFICIAL HAS TO ALLOW, UH, CONTRACTORS TO BE CHANGED AS, AS, YOU KNOW, MR. MAYOR . THAT, THAT THAT CAN JUST HAPPEN WILLY-NILLY. SO IN AN EFFORT TO PROTECT THE INTEGRITY OF THE NOTIFICATION PROCESS, NOT ONLY FOR THE PEOPLE ON THE PERMIT, BUT FOR STAFF TO BE AWARE OF WHAT'S GOING ON, UH, WHAT WE DID IS FIRST WE, WE CLAR CLARIFIED FOR APPLICANTS SO THAT THEY'RE FULLY AWARE WHAT THE CONTACT ROLES SHOULD BE, UH, SO THAT THEY DON'T CONFUSE THEMSELVES AND PUT THEMSELVES AS THE OWNER IF THEY'RE JUST WORKING AS A PROJECT MANAGER. WE, WE CLARIFIED THOSE ROLES ON OUR PORTAL, UH, GIVING THEM GUIDANCE SO THAT THEY DO IT CORRECTLY. AND THEN, AS I MENTIONED EARLIER, UH, WHEN THEY WANT TO MAKE A CHANGE, IT COULD STILL BE DONE. UH, ONLY NOW THEY WOULD REACH OUT TO STAFF, AND THEN STAFF WILL MAKE THE CHANGE FOR THEM. UH, THEY'RE ONLY ALLOWED TO DO IT AT THE VERY BEGINNING. SO, IF I MAY ADD, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT, UH, AND I WANT TO, I WANT TO PROVIDE A LITTLE MORE CONTEXT FOR RESIDENTS WHO ARE ASKING WHY OR WHY DID WE DO THAT. OKAY. SO A PERMIT EXPEDITER WOULD SUBMIT A PERMIT TO THE CITY, AND THEN WHAT THEY WOULD DO, WHICH I I, I SAW IT HAPPEN FOR SOME REASON, THEY WOULD IMMEDIATELY, WHEN THAT PERMIT WAS SUBMITTED, THEY WOULD REMOVE THE GENERAL CONTRACTOR WITHIN AN HOUR WITH HOURS. AND WE'RE STILL TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHY. WE'RE STILL TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHY. BUT THIS HAPPENED DOZENS AND DOZENS AND DOZENS OF TIMES WITH JUST ONE OR TWO PERMIT EXPEDITERS THAT WERE DOING THAT HERE IN THE CITY. AND THEN THAT GENERAL CONTRACTOR WAS IMMEDIATELY THE SAME. ONE WAS REINSTALLED INTO THE PERMIT RIGHT BEFORE THE PERMIT WAS PULLED. AND, YOU KNOW, THAT WAS ALL DONE THROUGH THE BACK DOOR OF THE PROGRAM. AND I WANT PEOPLE TO UNDERSTAND THE BACK DOOR OF THE PROGRAM HAS BEEN CLOSED. THERE'S NO MORE ACCESS THROUGH THE BACK DOOR OF THE PROGRAM FOR PERMIT EXPEDITERS THAT'S BEEN CLOSED. NOW, WHAT WE'RE REQUIRING IS VERY SIMPLE. IT'S THE SAME THING WHEN, WHEN I SUBMIT A PERMIT APPLICATION TO THE CITY, I HAVE TO PUT ALL MY INFORMATION, MY ADDRESS, LICENSE NUMBER, EVERYTHING HAS TO BE PROVIDED. AND YOU PUT IT AND YOU SUBMIT IT TO THE CITY. IF YOU WANT TO MAKE A CHANGE TO THAT PERMIT APPLICATION, YOU'RE NOT ALLOWED ACCESS TO THE BACK DOOR CHANGING WHAT YOU'D LIKE. IT HAS TO BE DONE THROUGH THE MANAGER STAFF. SO TO ME, TO ME, THAT IS A TRANSPARENT WAY OF DOING BUSINESS. I DON'T THINK THAT ANYBODY SHOULD HAVE ACCESS TO THE BACK DOOR OF A CITY SOFTWARE WHERE THEY CAN CHANGE OR ADD WHATEVER THEY LIKE, CHANGE NUMBERS, UH, YOU KNOW, CERTAIN THINGS THAT AT THE END OF THE DAY COULD NUMBER ONE, HINDER THE ABILITY FOR THE CITY TO CONDUCT BUSINESS IN A TRANSPARENT FASHION. UH, AND THAT WAS HAPPENING, THAT WAS HAPPENING HERE IN THE CITY. SO THAT'S ONE THING THAT I THINK IS CRITICALLY IMPORTANT. I'M GONNA BRING UP SOME OTHER ISSUES THAT I THINK ARE ALSO COMMENDABLE ON, ON REGARDS TO STAFF AND THE MANAGER AND THINGS THAT I'VE DONE IN REGARDS TO MY OWN INDUSTRY THAT WHERE I HAVE ALREADY RECEIVED CALLS FROM GENERAL CONTRACTORS THAT TOLD ME, VINCE, THIS IS THE SECOND TIME YOU DO THIS. THE FIRST ONE THAT I DID WAS WHEN I WROTE LEGISLATION THAT STOPPED SATURDAY EXTERIOR WORK. I GOT PHONE CALLS FROM MULTIPLE AGENCIES AND ORGANIZATIONS HERE THAT ARE, UM, [02:30:01] ASSOCIATED BUILDERS AND CONTRACTORS. THE LATIN BUILDERS WHO I LOVE THEM BOTH. I'VE BEEN A MEMBER OF THOSE ORGANIZATIONS. UM, THEY CALLED ME AND SAID, VINCE, THIS IS HINDERING OUR, OUR OUR ABILITY TO DO BUSINESS, BUT IT'S IN THE BEST INTEREST OF THE CITY. WE DO NOT WANT TO HAVE OUR RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOODS HAVING EXTERIOR CONSTRUCTION. PEOPLE WANT TO BE ABLE TO LIVE AND HAVE A QUALITY OF LIFE ON WEEKENDS. YOU CAN STILL DO WORK IN THE INTERIORS, BUT YOU JUST CAN'T BE MAKING, YOU KNOW, HOT MOPPING A ROOF. SOMEONE'S IN THEIR POOL, THEY SMELL THAT IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD, OR, YOU KNOW, PUTTING, UH, THOUSANDS OF, OF, UH, OF NAILS INTO A FRAME OR ON A ROOF OR, YOU KNOW, LAYING CONCRETE. AGAIN, THERE'S NOISE. THERE'S SMELL. PEOPLE ARE, PEOPLE HAVE WORKED ALL WEEK, AND AT THE END OF THE DAY, THEY WANNA BE ABLE TO RELAX. SIMILAR CHANGE. WHY DO I BRING THAT UP? BECAUSE THE SECOND THING THAT I DID WAS I ALSO REQUESTED FROM THE MANAGER, WHICH HAS ALREADY BEEN IMPLEMENTED DUE TO YOUR LEADERSHIP, THANK YOU. AND THEN THE TEAM OVER HERE, BUT I'LL BE CODIFYING IT IN THE NEXT COMMISSION MEETING. I ALREADY TOLD A, A FEW OF, OF THE GENERAL COLLEGES, THEY WERE NOT HAPPY ABOUT IT. UM, AND THAT IS, THAT IS THE, THE SIMPLE FACT THAT IF YOU HAVEN'T EXPIRED PERMIT, YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO TAKE OUT ANOTHER PERMIT. OUR CITY WAS NOT DOING THAT. WHERE DID I LEARN THAT? I LEARNED THAT IN THE CITY OF MIAMI WHEN I HAD TO DEAL WITH THE MANAGER, BECAUSE I HAD AN ISSUE WITH, WITH A PERMIT THAT WAS EXPIRED IN THE CITY OF MIAMI. NOT AT MY OWN FAULT. IT WAS AN ISSUE WHERE WE'RE WAITING FOR A FIRE ALARM AND WE FORGOT TO CALL AN INSPECTION. AND THE, AND THE INSPECTION, UH, EXCUSE ME, THE PERMIT LAPSED. I WENT TO THE MANAGER AND THE MANAGER TOLD ME, YOU CANNOT PULL ANOTHER PERMIT UNTIL YOU REACTIVATE THAT PERMIT. AND, UM, YOU MOVE FORWARD. THAT'S THE LAW OF THE CITY OF MIAMI. THAT WAS NOT THE LAW HERE IN THE CITY OF CORAL GABLES. NOW, THAT IS THE LAW. GENERAL CONTRACTORS ARE NOT HAPPY ABOUT THAT. BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, WHY IS THAT IMPORTANT? BECAUSE THINK ABOUT IF YOU'RE A HOMEOWNER AND A GENERAL CONTRACTOR, LET'S JUST SAY FORGETS TO CLOSE OUT YOUR PERMIT, OR THEY THOUGHT THEY CLOSED IT OUT WHEN THEY DID A TCO, BUT THEY REALLY DIDN'T GET THEIR CO FOR ONE REASON OR ANOTHER, THEY DIDN'T SUBMIT. A DOCUMENT HAPPENS, IT FALLS THROUGH THE CRACKS, HAPPENS TO THE BEST. YOU NOW GO TO SELL YOUR PROPERTY, YOU HAVE A LIEN, AND THAT LIEN HAS BEEN RUNNING FOR TWO YEARS, THREE YEARS, FOUR YEARS, AND THERE'S THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS THAT SOMEBODY IS RESPONSIBLE FOR. WHAT HAPPENS TO THAT GENERAL CONTRACTOR CEASES TO EXIST? WHAT HAPPENS IF THAT GENERAL CONTRACTOR RETIRES? WHAT HAPPENS IF THAT GENERAL CONTRACTOR MOVES OUTTA STATE? WHAT HAPPENS IF THAT GENERAL CONTRACTOR LOSES THEIR LICENSE? WHO IS HELD RESPONSIBLE? SO THIS IS AN ACCOUNTABILITY MEASURE TO ENSURE THAT GENERAL CONTRACTORS ARE FOLLOWING THE RULES AND PUTTING THEIR CLIENTS AND THE RESIDENTS FIRST. SO THESE ARE SIMPLE THINGS THAT ARE COMING OUT OF THE GEORGE DUOS EFFORT WHERE YOU'RE SEEING THINGS, YOU'RE LIKE, WAIT, THAT'S NOT RIGHT. LET'S HOLD PEOPLE ACCOUNTABLE, EVEN IF IT IS MY OWN INDUSTRY. SO IN THE ISSUE OF THE PERMIT PROVIDERS, THEY HAD BACKDOOR ACCESS TO THE CITY PRO, THE CITY PROGRAM, AND YOU COULD CHANGE FIGURES, YOU COULD CHANGE ADDRESSES. AND WE'RE STILL TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHY THEY WERE REMOVING, WHY THEY WERE REMOVING A GENERAL CONTRACTOR AT THE BEGINNING AND THEN PUTTING THAT GEN, THAT SAME GENERAL CONTRACTOR FOUR MONTHS LATER. WAS IT A NOTIFICATION ISSUE? WAS IT THAT THEY WERE DOING SOMETHING ELSE? BUT THIS WAS HAPPENING, ESPECIALLY WITH ONE GENERAL, WITH ONE PERMIT EXPEDITER HERE IN THE CITY. SO THAT IS NO LONGER THE CASE. THE BACK DOOR IS CLOSED AND NOW YOU AND YOUR STAFF HAVE THE ULTIMATE, THE ULTIMATE SAY IN REGARDS TO A PERMIT IS TOUCHED HERE IN THE CITY, BECAUSE THAT'S TRANSPARENCY. AND WE WANT TO BE, WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE PROTECT THE HOMEOWNER, MR. MANAGER. UH, THANK YOU MAYOR. UH, IT ALSO IS SOMETHING THAT CAN VIOLATE THE, UH, THE BUILDING CODE. IF YOU HAVE A BACK DOOR, OF COURSE, COMPLETELY OPEN, YOU CAN ACTUALLY CHANGE A GENERAL CONTRACTOR AFTER THE PERMIT'S ISSUED, UH, WHICH VIOLATES THE BUILDING CODE. AND THEN YOU HAVE TO HAVE A, A CHANGE OF CONTRACTOR APPROVED BY THE BUILDING OFFICIAL. SO THAT BACK DOOR HAS BEEN COMPLETELY CLOSED. NOW ANY, ANY WORK THAT ANY CHANGE TO THAT HAS TO BE DONE BY CITY STAFF. AND ANY CHANGE OF CONTRACTOR HAS TO BE DONE PER THE BUILDING CODE, WHICH IS AS THE CHANGE OF CONTRACTOR THROUGH THE BUILDING OFFICIAL. AND ANOTHER THING TOO THAT I'VE REQUESTED TOO, AND THAT I'LL BE IMPLEMENTING IS THAT REMEMBER ON A, ON A PERMIT, NOT THAT YOU NEED TO BE REMINDED, BUT JUST FOR THE RESIDENTS UNDERSTAND THAT, UM, WHEN YOU PRO WHEN YOU DO A PERMIT CARD, THERE'S ONLY THREE LICENSED INDIVIDUALS ON THAT PERMIT CARD. NUMBER ONE IS THE ARCHITECT, NUMBER TWO IS THE ENGINEER, AND NUMBER THREE IS THE GENERAL CONTRACTOR. THOSE ARE PEOPLE, PEOPLE WHO HAVE LICENSES. A PERMIT EXPEDITER DOES NOT HAVE A LICENSE TO DO BUSINESS. SO AT THE END OF THE DAY, I BELIEVE THAT THERE SHOULD ALSO BE A LITTLE SPOT WHERE A PERMIT EXPEDITER PUTS THEIR NAME AS A PER AS, BECAUSE OTHER CITIES HAVE THAT WHO'S RUNNING POINT ON THESE PLANTS. IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE A PERMIT EXPEDITER. IT CAN BE THE GENERAL CONTRACTOR. IT COULD BE THE ARCHITECT COULD ALSO BE THE PERSON RUNNING POINT ON THESE PLANS. THERE HAS TO BE A POINT, A POINT PERSON, UH, TO ENSURE ACCOUNTABILITY ON, ON ALL THESE PERMITS. EVEN THOUGH WE'VE CHANGED THE, WE'VE, WE'VE NOW CLOSED THE BACK DOOR, WHICH WAS AN ISSUE BEFORE, UM, THERE STILL SHOULD BE A POINT PERSON OR A CONTACT INFORMATION ON EVERY SINGLE PERMIT. NOT ON THE FILE, NOT ON THE FILE, ON THE PERMIT CARD THAT SAYS, THIS PERSON IS RESPONSIBLE FOR HANDLING THIS PERMIT. COMMISSIONER. [02:35:01] THANK YOU. SO BOTH MR. DIAZ AND MR. RAMIREZ, JUST TO MAKE THINGS SIMPLE, RIGHT? SO WOULD YOU AGREE, YOU KNOW, THAT THE, UH, THE ULTIMATE GOALS FOR THIS PARTICULAR DEVELOPMENT STUDY DEVELOPMENT SERVICES STUDY IS TO SIMPLIFY FOR THE RESIDENTS, THE PERMITTING PROCESS. WOULD YOU AGREE THAT'S THAT'S ONE OF THE GOALS? YES. AND IN DOING SO, SPEED UP THE PROCESS FROM APPLICATION TO THE ISSUANCE OF THE PERMIT FOR THE RESIDENTS, RIGHT? YES. AND THAT TO MAKE, MAKE IT EASIER FOR THE RESIDENT WHO'S NOT FAMILIAR WITH THIS PROCESS, TO MAKE IT EASIER FOR THEM TO SUCCESSFULLY APPLY AND OBTAIN A PERMIT, RIGHT? YES. AND, UH, TO REDUCE THE ERRORS THAT OTHERWISE IN THE PAST MAY HAVE OCCURRED THROUGH AS, UH, MR. RAMIREZ WAS SAYING, IMPLEMENTATION OF THINGS LIKE AI AND TO REDUCE THE HUMAN ELEMENT THAT COULD BE CONTRIBUTING TO ANY ERRORS, ULTIMATELY SPEEDING UP THE PROCESS, RIGHT? YES. SO WOULD YOU SAY THAT ULTIMATELY THE GOAL IS TO HELP THE RESIDENT NOT ONLY GET THE PERMIT, BUT MAYBE EVEN SAVE THEM MONEY, BECAUSE THIS SHOULD, MAYBE ONE OF THE GOALS IS ALSO TO EITHER ELIMINATE OR AT LEAST REDUCE RELIANCE ON PERMIT EXPEDITORS IF ALL OF YOUR GOALS ARE MET. IS THAT RIGHT? UM, HMM. WELL, THE, THE SIMPLER THE PROCESS IS, UM, FOR ANYBODY PULLING A PERMIT, OBVIOUSLY THE, THE BETTER'S GONNA BE FOR THE PUBLIC, WHOEVER'S PULLING THE PERMIT. SO, UM, THERE IS THAT WE NOTICED, UM, AND AGAIN, TALKING TO THE CUSTOMERS, SOME OF THE, THE COMPLICATIONS WITHIN THE CITY OF, UM, AVAILABLE INFORMATION PROCESS MAPS AS TO HOW TO, UM, GET A PERMIT. SO SOMETIMES THEY GO OUT AND THEY HIRE SOMEBODY TO DO IT FOR THEM, UM, BECAUSE, UM, THEY KNOW THE PROCESS BETTER. SO THE IDEA IS THAT, UM, THE PROCESS IS, UM, AVAILABLE, EASY TO UNDERSTAND, TRANSPARENT, UM, AGAIN, AVAILABLE ON THE CITY'S WEBSITE, MAYBE POSTED IN DEVELOPMENT SERVICES BUILDING. UM, SO THAT, THAT FOLKS KNOW HOW TO GET THROUGH THE PROCESS ON THEIR OWN RIGHT. SO I WOULD THINK IT WAS A RHETORICAL QUESTION, BUT, YOU KNOW, KNOW IN MAKING THE PROCESS SIMPLER, EASIER, QUICKER, WITH LESS ERROR, ALL OF IT SHOULD BODE IN FAVOR OF THE RESIDENTS ALSO SAVING MONEY. IF ALL OF YOUR GOALS ARE MET, THEN YOU WOULD HAVE LESS OF A DEPENDENCE OR A NEED TO GO TO EXPEDITORS TO DO THE PROCESS. ISN'T ISN'T THAT THE GOAL OF WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO HERE IS TO MAKE IT EASIER FOR THE RESIDENTS TO MANEUVER A PROCESS THAT NEEDS TO BE IMPROVED. AND YOU, YOU SOUND LIKE YOU'RE ON THAT PATH YES. TO THE MAYOR. YES. UM, COMMISSIONER, I'D LIKE TO ANSWER THAT QUESTION PLEASE. UM, WE HAVE, WE CURRENTLY, WE ARE REVIEWING PLANS AT A RATE OF, OF THE FIRST REVIEW AT, AT SIX DAYS. AND 81% OF THE PLANS ARE, ARE REVIEWED AND APPROVED IN TWO WEEKS. SO I, I DO THINK THAT THE ADDITIONAL STAFF, SO I TO SAY THAT WE ARE DOING DRAW, UH, THAT WE ARE, THAT WE ARE IN A, IN A, IN A BAD WAY, IT'S NOT, IT'S JUST NOT TRUE. IT'S JUST NOT THERE. THE FACTS BRING, BRING THAT OUT. WHAT WE ARE DOING WITH, WITH, WITH, WITH THE FACT THAT IT IS AN ENTERPRISE ZONE AND WE'RE PUTTING ADDITIONAL PEOPLE IS TO ASSIST THE RESIDENTS INTO IN AND, AND, AND, AND CREATE A, UH, A MORE A, A, A BUILDING APARTMENT THAT, THAT CAN PROVIDE OUR RESIDENTS, WHICH DO NOT PULL PERMITS ALL THE TIME. RIGHT. A MUCH BETTER EXPERIENCE, UH, REALLY, UH, TO THE NEXT, THIS WILL BE A NEXT LEVEL BUILDING APARTMENT. ONCE WE GET, ONCE WE GET EVERY, ALL THE STAFFING DONE, HOWEVER WE ARE, OUR AVERAGE AMOUNT, UH, OUR AVERAGE REVIEW TIME IS SIX DAYS. I THINK, UH, THE MAYOR WHO'S, WHO'S, WHO'S A WHO'S A CONTRACTOR, UNDERSTANDS THAT THAT IS A VERY FAST REVIEW TIME. AND 81% OF THE, OF THE, OF THE DRAWINGS OF, OF THE, UH, PERMITS APPROVED WITHIN TWO WEEKS. THAT'S A VERY FAST REVIEW TIME. I THINK WHAT, WHAT WE, WHAT THE, THE NEW SYSTEM IS GOING TO DO, IT'S GONNA REALLY HELP THOSE THAT ARE DOING THIS FOR THE FIRST TIME OR ONLY DO IT ONE TIME. AND, AND THAT'S WHERE OUR EXTRA STAFFING IS GOING IN. AND THAT'S WHY WE HAVE THAT, THAT THAT ENTERPRISE ZONE. UH, AND, AND I THINK, I THINK IT, IT WILL TAKE US REALLY TO THAT NEXT LEVEL. WE, WE BUY ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WHAT WE WERE, UH, UH, LACKING WAS A, A, A ADMINISTRATOR AND A TECHNICAL PERSON IN, IN THAT DEPARTMENT. AND WE HAVE THAT, THOSE TWO NOW, IT, THOSE WERE, I CAN TELL YOU THEY WERE EXTREMELY HELPFUL HAVING THAT IN, IN THE CITY OF MIAMI. WE COULDN'T FUNCTION WITHOUT IT. SO, SO, UH, THE CITY OF MIAMI WAS A MUCH LARGER DEPARTMENT, BUT THE FUNCTIONALITY IS THE SAME. IT'S STILL A BUILDING APARTMENT. WELL, WE HAVE TO THE MAYOR. SO WITH RESPECT TO WHAT YOU JUST SAID, PETER, AND THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THAT AND ALSO FOR ANSWERING MY QUESTIONS. DO YOU FEEL AT THE STAGE OF YOUR STUDY THAT THE, THE PATH IS CLEAR THAT [02:40:01] THE WAY THAT THE CITY SHOULD BE GOING WITH ADDRESSING PERMITTING AND TO IMPROVE SYSTEMS IS THROUGH, UH, THE ENTERPRISE FIND TO ADD THE PERSONNEL, UPGRADE THE SOFTWARE, INTEGRATE AI, AND ELIMINATE THESE BACK DOORS THAT THE MAYOR WAS REFERRING TO, THAT APPARENTLY WERE OPEN. UM, ALL OF THIS IN LIEU OF EXPORTING IT TO A THIRD PARTY TO HANDLE, UH, PERMITTING FOR AN ADDITIONAL FEE. UH, IF YOU RECALL THAT THAT WAS ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WAS BEING CONSIDERED BY THE CITY, DO YOU FEEL WE'RE ON A BETTER PATH VERSUS THAT ALTERNATIVE? IF, IF YOU ARE REFERRING TO THE, UH, THE PROPOSED, UM, EXPEDITED, UH, PERMITTING PROGRAM, I THINK THE DATA SHOWS THAT AT SIX DAYS, THAT'S A VERY GOOD TURNAROUND TIME FOR PLANS, UM, WITH THE ADDITION OF STAFF THAT SIX DAYS WILL COME DOWN BY SOME NUMBER. UM, DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT IS. UM, BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, WE ALSO TOOK A VERY COMPREHENSIVE LOOK, NOT JUST AT STAFFING, BUT, BUT THINGS THAT WILL EXPEDITE THE PROCESS AND MAKE IT MORE EFFICIENT, SUCH AS THE DEVELOPMENT OF STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES, WHICH DON'T EXIST. SO EVERYBODY IN THE DEPARTMENT IS, YOU KNOW, GOING BY THE SAME PLAYBOOK. UM, 'CAUSE RIGHT NOW THERE'S A LOT OF ROOM FOR INTERPRETATION BECAUSE IT'S NOT DOCUMENTED. THE TECHNOLOGY ISSUES THAT WE BOTH TALKED ABOUT ARE, ARE A BIG ISSUE. UM, UH, A LOT OF WORKAROUNDS, UM, BECAUSE OF THE WAY THE SYSTEM HAS BEEN DESIGNED, UM, AND THE WAY SOLUTIONS HAVE NOT BEEN PROVIDED EITHER INTERNALLY OR BY, UM, BY THE SOFTWARE COMPANY. UH, SO AGAIN, WE HAVE 25 RECOMMENDATIONS. SOME DEAL WITH STAFFING, SOME DEAL WITH LEADERSHIP LIKE THE ADDITION OF ASSISTANT DIRECTORS, WHICH THE, UH, THE DEPARTMENT ALREADY HAS, HAS HIRED. UH, SO IT'S A VERY COMPREHENSIVE LOOK AT HOW TO, UM, MAKE THE, THE PROCESS MORE EFFICIENT, HOW TO IMPROVE CUSTOMER SERVICE. AND IT'S SOMETHING THAT SHOULD BE CONTINUED TO BE MEASURED. WE ALSO RECOMMENDED, AS I MENTIONED, DEVELOPMENT OF, UH, PERFORMANCE DASHBOARDS FOR MR. RAMIREZ AND HIS LEADERSHIP TEAM TO USE TO SEE, UM, AGAIN, ARE THERE INTERNAL CONTROLS THAT WE HAVE BUILT IN FROM EITHER, UM, HOW LONG IS IT TAKING TO, UH, GET PERMIT APPLICATIONS FROM INTAKE TO PLANS REVIEW? HOW LONG IS IT TAKING FOR PLANS REVIEWER TO REVIEW DIFFERENT TYPES OF PLANS, WHETHER THEY'RE SIMPLE OR COMPLEX? HOW LONG IS IT TAKING FOR AN INSPECTOR TO CONDUCT INSPECTION? SO ALL THESE THINGS THAT WE TALK ABOUT DOCUMENTING AND MESSAGING OUT THERE, UH, FROM A DASHBOARD PERSPECTIVE AS WELL AS THE PER THE, UH, THE REPORTS, THE PERMITTING TRACKING REPORTS THAT WE MENTIONED, BECAUSE, UM, AND WE'VE WORKED IN A LOT OF, OF BUILDING DEPARTMENTS, CITY OF CORAL GABLES IS, IS NOT UNIQUE TO THESE CHALLENGES. THERE'S, UM, WE HEAR THIS ALL THE TIME. IT TAKES, YOU KNOW, A, A YEAR, TWO YEARS TO GET A BUILDING PERMIT. AND WHILE THAT MIGHT BE TRUE, UH, WHEN YOU LOOK AT IT FROM A TIME PERSPECTIVE, YOU HAVE TO LOOK AT AS TO WHY AND WHERE, WHERE ALONG THE STEPS OF THE PROCESS ARE THE PLANS. UM, A LOT OF TIMES THEY'RE WITH THE DESIGN PROFESSIONAL OR THEY'RE WITH THE COUNTY. WE KNOW HRS WE TAKES AT LEAST 30 DAYS JUST TO LOOK AT YOUR, YOUR PERMIT APPLICATION. SO THERE, THERE ARE FACTORS OUTSIDE THE CITY THAT CAN'T BE CONTROLLED IN THIS, YOU KNOW, HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO GET A PERMIT DISCUSSION? SO WE FOCUSED ON WHAT THE CITY CAN DO. THANK YOU, MAYOR. YES. OH, THE VICE MAYOR. I'M SORRY, SIR. YOU CAN, YOU CAN GO FIRST. I CAN PROBABLY FEED OFF OF WHAT YOU THANK YOU VICE MAYOR. UH, WE, WE NEED TO LOOK AT A LITTLE, UH, A LITTLE, UH, HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE AS TO AS TO WHERE, WHERE WE'RE AT NOW. UH, ONE OF THE KEY ISSUES OF, OF, UH, OF, UH, BUILDING 4 27 WAS THAT WE HAD TO, WE HAD TO GET THE BUILDING DEPARTMENT OUT OF, OUT OF CITY HALL. IT WAS JUST DYSFUNCTIONAL HERE. IT, IT, WE WERE WORKING, UH, AT, AT THE MEZZANINE AT THE THIRD FLOOR IN OUR CARS. AND, AND ALSO WE NEEDED TO, TO MOVE IT BECAUSE OF THE RESTORATION OF CITY HALL. THAT WAS ITEM NUMBER ONE. UH, THAT, THAT PROJECT WAS DONE. WE, WE MADE THE MOVE AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE. WE GOT HIT WITH COVID WITH A PANDEMIC, UH, WHILE IMPLEMENTING INTER GOV, WHICH BY THE WAY IS NOT MY FAVORITE PROGRAM, UH, COMMISSIONER. BUT IT'S, IT'S THE BEST ONE OUT THERE UNLESS WE DO IT OURSELVES, LIKE WE DID IN CITY MIAMI WITH I BUILD, WHICH IS A MUCH SUPERIOR PROGRAM, BUT WE DON'T HAVE ACCESS TO THAT. UH, AND, AND, AND THEN WE, WE LOST OUR BILLING DIRECTOR. WE, WE, WE, WE HAD OTHER ISSUES. WE ARE, WE ARE NOW AT, AT THE POINT WHERE MR. WHERE MR. DUO'S RECOMMENDATIONS WILL BE IMPLEMENTED BECAUSE [02:45:01] IT ONLY MAKES US BETTER. UH, BUT SO THAT, THAT'S A LITTLE HISTORY BEHIND IT. SO WE, HERE'S WHERE WE'RE AT NOW, WHERE WE, MAYBE WE SHOULD HAVE BEEN HERE A YEAR AND A HALF AGO. OKAY. ACTUALLY TWO YEARS AGO. UH, HOWEVER, UH, IF WE LOOK AT A SIX DAY REVIEW PROCESS, LET'S CONSIDERED EXPEDITE IN MANY CITIES, LET'S CONSIDER EXPECT IN MANY CITIES JUST TO, JUST TO, JUST TO, JUST TO SAY THAT. BUT I WISH WOULD'VE BEEN HERE TWO YEARS AGO, BUT WE ARE HERE NOW. WE WILL, WE, WE WILL, WE WILL MAKE, UH, UH, BECAUSE IT IS AN ENTERPRISE PROGRAM, IT ALLOWS US TO PROVIDE A BETTER PRODUCT. AND, AND I THINK, BUT I THINK RIGHT NOW WE'RE WORKING AT A VERY HIGH LEVEL. WE'RE GONNA WORK AT A SUPERIOR LEVEL, UH, FOR OUR RESIDENTS ONCE WE IMPLEMENT, UH, THE, THE, THE NEW STAFFING, WHICH WE DID LAST YEAR. BECAUSE, BECAUSE WE, WE ARE AN ENTERPRISE FUND. SO WE ARE NOT SUBJECT TO THE GENERAL FUND AND VICE MAYOR. SO I'VE GOT, UH, THREE POINTS. AND FIRST QUESTION TO YOU IS, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE A, AN APPEAL THIS AFTERNOON ON A PARTICULAR DEVELOPMENT. AND WHEN YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT THE TIMELINES TO ISSUANCE OF PERMITS, UM, ARE MATTERS SUCH AS THAT WHERE THERE'S BEEN APPEALS TO THE BOARD OF ARCHITECTS DECISION ON ARCHITECTURE? IS THAT PART OF THAT SAME TIMELINE THAT EXPLAIN HELPS EXPLAIN SOME OF THE ANOMALIES FOR THE LONGER TIME TO GET A PERMIT? IT, IT DOES. UM, BECAUSE IF THE PERMIT HAS BEEN ALREADY APPLIED FOR, UM, AND THE BOARD OF ARCHITECTS, YOU KNOW, FACTOR, WHICH WE DIDN'T ASSESS THE BOARD OF ARCHITECTS PROCESS OR TIMELINE, JUST ONCE PERMIT APPLICATION TAKES PLACE TO ISSUANCE OF A PERMIT MM-HMM . IF BOARD OF ARCHITECTS APPEALS THINGS ARE IN THEIR, UH, IT WOULD BE REFLECTED IN THE TIMELINE AND WILL PROBABLY BE ON THE, ON THE RIGHT SIDE. THAT ONE, TWO MONTHS PLUS THAT, YOU KNOW, COULD TAKE MONTHS AND MONTHS TO RESOLVE WOULD BE INCLUDED IN THERE. OKAY. MY, MY SECOND, UM, POINT IS ONE OF THE COMMENTS THAT I GOT FROM A NUMBER OF FOLKS IS HOW LONG IT TAKES TO, FROM APPROVAL TO INVOICING. IS THAT SOMETHING THAT YOU LOOKED AT? WE LOOKED AT THE, THE ENTIRE, UM, PROCESS OF, UM, ONCE THE APPLICATION IS IN ALL THE WAY TO PERMIT ISSUANCE AND, UH, THE INVOICING IS IN THERE, I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING THE DEPARTMENT IS ADDRESSING AS PART OF THE PROCESS NOW, UH, BECAUSE I BELIEVE IT'S A MANUAL PROCESS RIGHT NOW, AND THEY'RE TRYING TO GO AUTOMATED WITH THE INVOICE. SO AS SOON AS THE, UH, PLANS ARE APPROVED, THE INVOICE CAN GO OUT SO THAT THE PERMIT CAN BE ISSUED. SO MAYBE THE ASSISTANT DIRECTOR CAN ANSWER THAT QUESTION BETTER TO, UH, WHERE ARE WE ON EXPEDITING THE INVOICING PROCESS? SO RIGHT NOW, THE, THE, THE PROCESS AS IT WORKS IS WHEN ONCE THEY HAVE ALL THEIR APPROVALS, THE, THE, THE PERMIT GETS ROUTED BACK TO THE PERMIT COUNTER. THEY NEED TO COMBINE THE, THE ACTUAL CONSTRUCTION SET, THE EQUIVALENT OF IN THE OLD DAYS WHEN THEY WOULD HAVE TO STAMP EVERYTHING THAT THAT PART STILL NEEDS TO BE DONE DIGITALLY. MM-HMM . AND THEN AT THAT POINT, THEY ALSO DO THE, THE, THEY MAKE SURE THAT THE CONTRACTOR'S INFORMATION IS CURRENT, THAT IT HASN'T EXPIRED AT SOME POINT ALONG THE WAY, UH, SINCE THEY FIRST APPLIED THAT THE INSURANCE IS THERE, THAT EVERYTHING IS UP TO DATE. AND THEN THEY DO, THEY DO CREATE THE INVOICE. SO ALL OF THAT DOES HAPPEN AT THE TAIL END. AND ALSO, I MENTIONED EARLIER THE, THE, THE, THE HIGH VALUE PROJECTS. THOSE ALSO, WE, WE ADDED THAT EXTRA STEP NOW THAT WASN'T THERE BEFORE WHERE WE VERIFY THE CONSTRUCTION COST AND ALL OF THAT. UNFORTUNATELY, THAT DOES TAKE TIME. THOSE, THOSE PROCESSES DO TAKE TIME. UH, WE STRIVE TO, LIKE IN, AS HE MENTIONED, ALL THE SMALL PERMITS, IT'S MUCH QUICKER THAT IT'S VERY SIMPLE. THERE'S VERY FEW THINGS TO BE DONE, AND THOSE GET DONE WITHIN A COUPLE OF BUSINESS DAYS. RIGHT. UH, BUT THE BIGGER PROJECTS MIGHT TAKE A BIT LONGER. THEY MIGHT TAKE A WEEK. THEY MIGHT TAKE TIME FOR, FOR ALL OF IT TO BE DONE CORRECTLY. YEAH. NO, I MEAN, MY, THE MAYOR, UH, VICE MAYOR, ARE YOU DONE? ARE YOU DONE? I I HAVE, UH, ONE MORE QUESTION. GO AHEAD. GO AHEAD. IT'S RELATED. YOU, YOU HAVE AN ANSWER TO THE QUESTION? UH, YES, YES. UH, THROUGH THE MAYOR. YES. UH, YES. UH, THANK YOU, VICE MAYOR. UH, WE WILL BE, WE WILL BE ADDING THE ADDITIONAL STAFFING TO EXPEDITE THAT. WE, WE UNDERSTAND THAT, UH, THAT THAT'S AN ISSUE. AND WE ARE, WE ARE LOOKING TO, UH, TO AUTOMATE AS MUCH AS THAT ISSUE AS POSSIBLE. IN ADDITION TO THAT, THE, THE ADDITIONAL STAFFING, UH, WILL TAKE CARE OF THOSE, OF THOSE OF THOSE ISSUES THAT WE CANNOT, UH, AUTOMATE. UH, I'M NOT REALLY KEEN ON THE INTER GO PROGRAM. UH, IT'S THE BEST ONE OUT THERE THOUGH. THAT'S WHY PEOPLE, PEOPLE ARE GOING TO IT. UNLESS YOU'D HAVE A PROPRIETARY PROGRAM I MENTIONED I BUILT THAT WE DID AT CITY OF MIAMI. IT WAS, THAT WAS, I LEFT 10 YEARS, 11 YEARS AGO. STILL A BETTER PROGRAM THAN WHAT WE HAVE NOW. I WISH I COULD USE IT. UH, SO, SO WE WILL AUTOMATE AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE AND, AND THEN THE, THE ADDITIONAL STAFFING WILL, WILL, WILL HELP THAT ALONG. SO YES, WE ARE DEFINITELY LOOKING AT THAT. ALSO, I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS THAT IF YOU LOOK AT [02:50:01] MR. UH, DUO'S IN HIS, IN HIS SLIDE, IS THAT YOU HAVE SOME PROJECTS THAT EXTEND A LONG TIME. UH, THOSE, THOSE ARE PROJECTS. WHEN YOU HAVE A PROJECT THAT GOES OVER FOUR REVIEWS, THAT TELLS YOU THAT THERE THERE COULD BE A TECHNICAL PROBLEM, UH, THAT'S WHAT THEY'RE SAYING. IT, IT'S ALSO, IT'S ALSO AN ISSUE. FOR INSTANCE, UH, WHEN YOU GO TO, TO THE STATE FOR SEPTIC TANK, THERE'S SIX MONTHS BEHIND. SO YOU'RE ADDING SIX MONTHS TO THAT SCHEDULE OF THAT HOME. THAT'S, THERE'S NOTHING WE CAN DO ABOUT THAT. UH, SO, SO WHEN, WHEN YOU'RE DEALING WITH OUTSIDE AGENCIES, THAT IS SOMETHING THAT, THAT, THAT WE CANNOT CONTROL, UH, FOR THAT SIX MONTH PERIOD IS SO, SO IF YOU HAVE A HOUSE NOW ON A SEPTIC TANK THAT DOESN'T HAVE SEWER, THEN YOU ARE, YOU ARE ADDING SIX MONTHS DELAY ON THAT PERMITTING. 'CAUSE WE CANNOT ISSUE A PERMIT WITH, WITHOUT STATE APPROVAL ON THAT. SO, SO THE OUTSIDE AGENCIES ARE, ARE, ARE AN ISSUE. AND THEN WHEN YOU GET TO MULTIPLE, WHEN YOU GET OVER THREE OR FOUR REVIEWS, THAT TELLS YOU THAT THERE MIGHT BE A TECHNICAL ISSUE TOO. IN, IN MY EXPERIENCE AS A BUILDING OFFICIAL MAD VICE MAYOR, LAST POINT, UH, WE CURRENTLY REQUIRE NOTARIZED SIGNATURE FROM THE HOMEOWNER. UM, AND ELECTRONIC SIGNATURES ARE WELL USED ACROSS INDUSTRY. HAVE WE LOOKED INTO IMPLEMENTING DOCUSIGN OR SOME OTHER ELECTRONIC SIGNING PROGRAM SO WE DON'T HAVE TO, UM, PHYSICALLY MOVE PAPER TO THE OWNER TO SIGN UNDER BEFORE NOTARY. IT'S A, IT'S A VERY TIME CONSUMING PROCESS SOMETIMES. SO WE, WE HAVE HAD THAT CONVERSATION WITH IT. UH, WE'RE TRYING TO FIND THE, THE BEST MECHANISM. 'CAUSE THERE IS A LEGAL ASPECT INVOLVED IN THAT AS WELL. YEAH. UH, CERTAINLY WE, WE'VE ALREADY, YEARS AGO, WE, THE ENGINEERS AND THE ARCHITECTS FIGURED OUT A WAY THAT THEY COULD SIGN AND SEAL PLANS DIGITALLY. UH, UNFORTUNATELY THE, THE WORLD OF NOTARIZATION, UH, PERHAPS A LITTLE BIT SLOWER. AND, AND WE WE'RE, WE AREN'T THERE YET, BUT WE ARE TRYING TO FIND A WAY 'CAUSE THAT WILL MAKE EVERYONE'S LIFE EASIER. THE APPLICANTS, THE RESIDENTS AND OURS. IF I, IF I MAY, MADAM VICE MAYOR, JUST TO GIVE YOU A POINT, UH, IT WAS AN ISSUE A FEW YEARS AGO WHERE, UH, SIGNATURES WERE FRAUD FRAUDULENTLY OBTAINED. UM, PEOPLE GET DESPERATE. UH, THEY'VE GOTTA MEET DEADLINES. UH, THEY'RE BEING PAID, UH, BASED ON COMPLETION. UM, THEY'VE EVEN, THEY'VE EVEN FALSIFIED INSPECTORS SIGNATURES. WHEN YOU USED TO HAVE AN INSPECTOR'S SIGNATURE ON THE PLANS. REMEMBER YOU USED TO HAVE A STAMP AND YOU WOULD, YOU WOULD SEE THE SIGNATURES, AND THAT'S THE WAY THAT THE INSPECTORS WILL COME ON SITE. EVENTUALLY, EVERYTHING WAS INPUTTED INTO THE COMPUTER, BUT ON SITE YOU WOULD HAVE A, A SITE COPY AND A CITY COPY. SO, UM, IT'S, IT'S A, I AGREE WITH YOU WHOLEHEARTEDLY. I'D LOVE TO FIND THE WAY TO DO THAT. UH, I JUST DON'T KNOW IF THERE'S TECHNOLOGY RIGHT NOW, WHICH MAKES ALL PARTIES, ESPECIALLY THE LICENSED PARTIES, FEEL COMFORTABLE, UH, THAT THINGS ARE DONE APPROPRIATELY. UM, ANOTHER POINT THAT I WANTED TO MAKE, UH, WHICH I THINK IS CRITICALLY IMPORTANT AND, AND I'D LIKE TO SEE IT IMPLEMENTED AS LONG AS MY COLLEAGUES ARE FINE WITH IT, IS I WOULD LIKE TO SEE ON FRIDAYS, I KNOW ALL OF YOU DO IT ANYWAYS ALREADY, BUT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE AN OFFICE HOURS FOR FRIDAYS OR FOR THURSDAYS OR FOR MONDAYS, WHATEVER'S APPROPRIATE. UM, MAYBE A TWO HOUR WINDOW WHERE STAFF IS SET ASIDE AND ANYBODY CAN WALK IN AND ADDRESS THEIR ISSUES. STAFF DOESN'T HAVE TO BE SITTING THERE WAITING FOR SOMEBODY. THEY CAN BE CALLED DOWN. BUT MAYBE WE CAN HAVE ONE PERSON WHO'S A LIAISON THAT'S THERE AND SAYS, OKAY, THERE'S A PLUMBING, THERE'S A PLUMBING QUESTION. THEY CAN CALL THE PLUMBING INSPECTOR. THEY CAN CALL THE PLUMBING, UH, DIRECTOR. OR THEY CAN, YOU KNOW, AND SO THAT PEOPLE CAN WALK IN AND SAY, I HAVE AN ISSUE. WHY, WHY DO I THINK THAT'S IMPORTANT? I THINK IT'S BEEN SUCCESSFUL, THE OFFICE HOURS THAT WE RUN AS ELECTED OFFICIALS, BECAUSE WHILE WE MAY NOT BE ABLE TO ADDRESS EVERY PROBLEM, WE CAN AT LEAST GET, THEY CAN, THE INDIVIDUALS CAN GET FACE TO FACE, FACE TO FACE, UM, WITH, WITH THE RESIDENTS, UH, AND THE ELECTED OFFICIALS. AND I THINK WE COULD DO SOMETHING VERY SIMILAR. AND MAYBE IT'S AN HOUR AND YOU HAVE ONE HOUR A WEEK OR MAYBE TWO HOURS A WEEK. AND I KNOW WE DO CERTAIN THINGS THAT ARE SIMILAR, BUT I LIKE TO SEE, YOU KNOW, A PROGRAM TIME IF YOU THINK IT'S APPROPRIATE. IT MAKES SENSE. YES, SIR. UH, YES, MAYOR, UH, WE'RE LOOKING AT, AT A WALKTHROUGH TIME, AT A WALKTHROUGH PERIOD, WHICH IS WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT AS YOU KNOW. YEAH. FROM A CONSTRUCTION POINT OF VIEW, WE, WE ARE LOOKING, WE HAVE APPOINTMENTS NOW AND WE'RE LOOKING AT, AT AS WE MOVE ON TO HAVE A CERTAIN, CERTAIN TIMES AS, AS WALKTHROUGHS. YEAH. I THINK IT PAYS DIVIDENDS. AND I THINK IT'S AN O IT'S AN OPPORTUNITY TO, UH, JUST GET FACE TO FACE. 'CAUSE A LOT OF THINGS THAT HAPPEN ON THESE PLANS, THEY, THERE'S JUST A MISCOMMUNICATION ON AN ITEM AND I JUST, ONCE YOU GET THERE, IT CAN BE ADDRESSED VERY QUICKLY. OKAY. WE ALSO HAVE THE AMBASSADOR, WHICH WE RECENTLY HIRED, AND THAT'S GOING TO HELP US QUITE A BIT AS WELL. BUT I THINK THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE AMBASSADOR, DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE AMBASSADOR AND HAVING OFFICE HOURS IS THAT YOU HAVE A PROFESSIONAL, I'M NOT SAYING THAT THE AMBASSADOR'S NOT, NOT A PROFESSIONAL, BUT YOU HAVE A LICENSED PROFESSIONAL WHO IS, WHO IS, UH, DOING REVIEWS AND CAN BE CALLED DOWN. AND MAYBE WE CAN COINCIDE WITH THE TIMES THAT THEY'RE THERE FOR THE PERMITS. I DON'T WANT TO BE FOUR HOURS. 'CAUSE THEN THEY'RE JUST, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE DEALING WITH THOSE ISSUES FOR HOURS AND NOT REVIEWING PLANS. BUT I WANTED TO MAKE SURE MAYBE WE HAVE AN OVERLAP OR SOMETHING WITH THAT. OKAY. THANK YOU MR. MAN. THERE. ANYTHING ELSE FOR THE GOOD DEAL? [02:55:01] NO, MAYOR, UNLESS THE COMMISSION HAS ANY OTHER QUESTIONS. NO, I THINK IT'S GREAT. UH, CONGRATULATIONS ON, I KNOW IT'S A LONG, A LONG HAUL, 10 MONTHS. GREAT WORK. UM, I'VE ALREADY ASKED, UM, MY STAFF TO PUT TOGETHER A PRESENTATION SO WE CAN SHARE WITH THE, WITH THE RESIDENTS, UH, THROUGH THE MANAGER. UM, AND I KNOW THAT WE'RE HAVING A MEETING HOPEFULLY IN THE NEXT WEEK TO DISCUSS, UM, GETTING FURTHER INFORMATION IN REGARDS TO THE BACK DOOR AND THE PERMITS AND A LOT OF THE CHANGES THAT WERE MADE WITHOUT AUTHORIZATION, UH, OF, OF STAFF AND GET A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF WHY, WHY THAT WAS DONE. WHAT WAS THE INTENT, WHAT WAS THE REASONING BEHIND IT. YES, MISS, I'M SORRY, I JUST HAD ONE MORE QUESTION, UH, JUST A LITTLE CLARIFICATION. IT SOUNDED INTERESTING, KIND OF EXCITING. YOU WERE SAYING, DOUG, THAT WHEN ALL THE INFORMATION ALONG THE WAY IS INPUTTED, YOU'RE GONNA BE LOOKING INTO USING AI SO THAT SOMEONE CAN CALL TO ASK REALLY IN ANY WAY, I GUESS NATURAL LANGUAGE, YOU KNOW, WHAT IS GOING ON WITH X AND THE AI SHOULD KNOW THE WAY AI WORKS, RIGHT? HOW TO ANSWER THAT QUESTION BASED ON ONE, BASED ON WHAT IT HAS ALREADY INPUTTED IN THE SYSTEM. RIGHT. WELL, RIGHT NOW WE, WE ARE TRYING TO GET A, A SOFTWARE BROUGHT IN THAT WILL ASSIST WITH THE PHONE CALLS. THAT'S JUST THE START. OBVIOUSLY AI IS MOVING IN MANY DIRECTIONS THAT WE CAN'T PREDICT RIGHT NOW. UH, AND THEN THAT PARTICULAR, UH, PLATFORM, THE WAY IT WORKS IS YOU FEED INTO IT ALL THE INFORMATION THAT'S IN YOUR WEBSITE OR THAT YOU WANT IT TO HAVE SO THAT IT'LL KNOW HOW TO ANSWER THINGS LIKE, WHAT DO I NEED TO SUBMIT IF I WANT? RIGHT? RIGHT. LIKE, AND THOSE KIND THINGS' LIKE AI AMBASSADOR ALMOST, OR LIKE, AND THIS IS ANOTHER WAY THAT PEOPLE CAN MANEUVER AND MM-HMM . AND A, UM, OR DEMYSTIFY A PROCESS THEY'RE NOT USED TO DOING. RIGHT. AND, AND I JUST KNOW THAT THAT'S GONNA BE A REALLY HELPFUL TOOL FOR THE RESIDENTS. BECAUSE THERE'S AN INTERESTING THING THAT YOUR REPORT ALSO SUGGESTS, RIGHT? IS THAT THERE'S A PERCEPTION THAT'S TAKEN LONGER, RIGHT? A PERCEPTION THAT HAS TAKEN LONGER THAN IT, THAN IT SHOULD, OR THAT IT, OR THAT IT IS TAKING, RIGHT? SO BETWEEN THAT AND AI TO HELP, YOU KNOW, ANSWER QUESTIONS OF THE MOST COMMON TYPE, I'M SURE. RIGHT? IT'S LIKE MANY, MANY DIFFERENT PEOPLE MIGHT BE ASKING THE VERY SIMILAR TYPE QUESTIONS, YOU KNOW, AND SO WHAT'S IN THE DATABASE SHOULD BE ABLE TO GIVE THEM AN ANSWER, BRING DOWN THE FRUSTRATION, HELP WITH THE PERCEPTION, UM, OR THE MISPERCEPTION, I GUESS. RIGHT? AND, UH, AND JUST OVERALL, WE'RE JUST LOOKING TO MAKE THE, THE PROCESS JUST SO MUCH BETTER FOR THE RESIDENTS, RIGHT? BECAUSE THAT SEEMS TO BE ONE OF THE BIGGEST, UH, CONCERNS, IF NOT COMPLAINTS THAT I RECEIVE FROM RESIDENTS WHEN I SPEAK TO THEM ABOUT SMALLER JOBS IN PARTICULAR. SO MAYOR, YEAH. YES SIR. YES. UH, COMMISSIONER, JUST TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION, OUR, WE HAVE A TREMENDOUS IT DEPARTMENT AND THEY HAVE IN THE IT LAB, THEY'VE, THEY'VE DEVELOPED A, A SYSTEM TO DO THAT, THAT WILL BE IMPLEMENTING. IT'S, IT'S OUR OWN DEVELOPMENT. UH, I CAN'T SAY ENOUGH ABOUT OUR IT DEPARTMENT AND THEY REALIZE WHAT THAT, WHAT THAT NEED WAS, WHICH WAS, AS YOU MENTIONED, A FANTASTIC TOOL FOR, UH, FOR ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE. AND SO WE'LL BE IMPLEMENTING OUR OWN SYSTEM, OUR OWN SYSTEM NOW, UH, IN THE BUILDING APARTMENT AND, AND HOPEFULLY GENERALLY THROUGHOUT THE CITY. GREAT. FANTASTIC. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. GREAT WORK. LET'S SEE IF WE CAN RUN THROUGH A FEW OF THESE ITEMS. OH, WE WAIT, SORRY. WE HAVE A PUBLIC COMMENT. I APOLOGIZE. THAT'S FINE. EXCUSE ME. UH, FIRST SPEAKER MARIA CRUZ, MRS. MARIA CRUZ, 1447 MILLER ROAD. THE COMMENTS ARE VERY SHORT. UM, I UNDERSTOOD THIS TO BE AN UPDATE REGARDING DEVELOPMENT SERVICES STUDY. I'M NOT COMPLAINING, THIS WAS A VERY GOOD STUDY, BUT IT WAS NOT ABOUT DEVELOPMENT SERVICES, IT WAS ABOUT A DIVISION OF DEVELOPMENT SERVICES. DEVELOPMENT SERVICES HAS SEVERAL DIVISIONS. SO I THOUGHT IT WAS GONNA BE LIKE 15 HOURS, UH, UM, REPORT BECAUSE IF THEY WERE REPORTING ABOUT EVERYTHING IN DEVELOPMENT SERVICES, IT WAS NOT, IT WAS JUST BUILDING. THERE ARE OTHER, THERE ARE OTHER, UH, DIVISIONS OF DEVELOPMENT SERVICES THAT NEED TO BE ADDRESSED. OKAY? MAYBE THAT'S ANOTHER REPORT TO BE ANOTHER ASSESSMENT OR REPORT OR WHATEVER YOU CALL IT THAT COULD BE PUT TOGETHER. SO YOU CAN GET A PICTURE OF THE WHOLE, THE COMPLETE DEVELOPMENT SERVICES, NOT JUST BUILDING. OKAY. AND, UH, THAT'S THE COMMENT NUMBER TWO. I LOVE TO HEAR ALL THE THINGS THAT WE'RE DOING. I LOVE TO HEAR HOW WE'RE DOING IT, BUT NOW THE, UM, THE PROOF IS ON THE CAKE BECAUSE WE TALK A GOOD TALK, BUT NECESSARILY NOT WALK A GOOD WALK. LUCY LOPEZ, [03:00:01] GOOD MORNING. GOOD MORNING MAYOR, VICE MAYOR, CITY MANAGER AND MEMBERS OF THE COMMISSION. MY NAME IS LUCY LOPEZ, RESIDENT AT 5 0 0 5 UNA DRIVE, AND I AM AN OWNER'S REP FOR RESIDENTS SOLELY WITHIN THE CITY OF CORAL GABLES. I BASICALLY HOLD HOMEOWNERS HANDS DURING THEIR CONSTRUCTION PROCESS, ALL THE WAY FROM PERMITTING TO OBTAINING THEIR SEAL. UH, THANK YOU FOR PROVIDING SUCH AN INSIGHTFUL REPORT. I USE ENTER GOV EVERY SINGLE DAY AND I AM HERE TO BRIEFLY COMMENT ON A FEW ITEMS. UM, IN TERMS OF FEEDBACKS FROM MY CLIENTS, THE HOMEOWNERS WITHIN THE CITY, UM, I WOULD LIKE TO VENTURE AND PROBABLY SAY THAT UPWARDS OF 20 TO 30% OF ALL REQUESTS RECEIVED BY THE COMMISSION ARE PROBABLY RESIDENTS WANTING TO KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON WITH THEIR PERMIT OR WHY IT'S TAKING SO LONG. WHICH LEADS TO MY MAIN POINT. ASIDE FROM ALL OF THE TECHNICAL ADVANCES, TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCES THAT WE'VE BEEN IMPLEMENTING, I THINK IT'S VERY IMPORTANT NOT TO LOSE THE PERSONAL TOUCH, WHICH IS WHAT SETS THE CITY OF CORAL GABLES ASIDE FROM OTHER CITIES. THE FRIENDLY SMILES, THE HANDSHAKES, THE AVAILABILITY, AND THE STAFF AT DEVELOPMENT SERVICES REALLY EMBODIES THAT. FROM REVIEWERS TO PERMIT CLERKS, THE STAFF IS REALLY WONDERFUL. I THINK THERE ARE JUST A FEW RULES AND REGULATIONS THAT THEY MUST ABIDE BY THAT SEEM TO DETER AWAY FROM THIS PERSONAL TOUCH THAT WE ALL REALLY NEED TO KEEP IN MIND. AND I JUST WANNA BRING A COUPLE OF THINGS UP THAT DESERVE ATTENTION. UM, I THINK THAT ALL OF THE WONDERFUL UPDATES ONLINE, HAVING TRANSPARENCY FOR OWNERSHIP IS KEY. BUT I DO THINK THAT THERE NEEDS TO BE SOME MORE TRANSPARENCY FROM THE CITY SIDE, UM, AT THE INCEPTION OF THE PERMITTING AND AT INVOICING, WHERE BASICALLY WHEN A PERMIT IS CHECKED IN, TWO PERMITS ARE SUBMITTED, SAME DATE, ONE GOES INTO REVIEW TWO DAYS LATER, THE OTHER ONE TAKES A WEEK TO BE REVIEWED. WHO HAS THE PERMIT DURING THIS TIMEFRAME? WHY IS IT TAKING ONE, YOU KNOW, WENT IN AT TWO DAYS, THE OTHER ONE WENT IN AT A WEEK. UM, THAT NEEDS TO, THAT NEEDS TO BE SHARED. THAT INFORMATION NEEDS TO BE SHARED. UM, I BELIEVE TO THE PEOPLE THAT ARE RUNNING THE PERMIT OR THE HOMEOWNERS. UM, BECAUSE IT DOES CREATE FRUSTRATION. THE HOMEOWNER HAS AWAITED ALL OF THIS TIME TO RECEIVE THEIR PLANS, TO SIGN THE PERMIT APP, TO DO EVERYTHING. AND THEN YOU INPUT THE PERMIT AND IT SITS THERE IN A QUEUE WAITING FOR SOMEBODY TO TAKE, UM, ON THE PERMIT. THE OTHER ITEM IS, AS RHONDA DISCUSSED, THE INVOICING PORTION, WHICH I'M SUPER HAPPY THAT, UM, EVERYTHING IS BEING WORKED TO AUTOMATE THE PROCESS, WHICH IS WONDERFUL, UM, BECAUSE THE PERMIT HAS TAKEN X AMOUNT OF TIME AND THEN YOU ARE SITTING WAITING IN ANOTHER 3, 4, 5 DAY QUEUE TO RECEIVE THE INVOICE TO BE ABLE TO PAY YOUR FEES, WHICH HOMEOWNERS ARE GLAD TO DO, TO RECEIVE THE PERMIT AND ACTUALLY COMMENCE THEIR WORK. UM, THERE IS ONE OTHER ITEM, UM, THAT IS QUITE FRUSTRATING AND IT IS THE UPLOAD OF THE NARRATIVE. I'M SORRY, FINISH. YOU'RE FINE. GO AHEAD, FINISH UP. UM, SO THE UPLOAD OF THE NARRATIVE, WHICH SEEMS TO, TO HINDER AGAIN, THIS PERSONAL TOUCH. WE ARE THERE IN THE CITY, SOMETIMES WE'RE ACCOMPANIED BY A HOMEOWNER AND WE MUST GET AN APPROVAL FROM A DEPARTMENT. ALL OF YOUR TRADES HAVE ALREADY BEEN APPROVED AND NOW IN THE NINTH INNING, A NARRATIVE HAS TO BE UPLOADED TO SAY, HEY, YES, WE RECEIVED OWNER BUILDER APPROVAL FROM MR. LOPEZ, OR WHATEVER THE CASE MAY BE. IT ADDS AN EXTRA LAYER OF FRUSTRATION FOR HOMEOWNERS AND JUST AN EXTRA TIME. AND IT JUST SEEMS LIKE IT CREATES MORE TIME FOR THE CITY STAFF AND MORE TIME FOR JUST THE HOMEOWNER TO BE ABLE TO OBTAIN THEIR ACTUAL, UM, PERMIT. UM, THE OTHER THING IS THAT I'D LIKE TO JUST SAY THAT I'M AVAILABLE TO SHARE INPUT AT ANY TIME WITH ANYONE. I'M HAPPY TO DO SO. UM, PLEASE COUNT ON ME FOR HELP WITH ANYTHING. I AM ULTIMATELY HERE TO REPRESENT HOMEOWNERS. UM, SO THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. THANK YOU. FOR LISTENING, AND THANK YOU FOR THE IN-DEPTH STUDY. WE SUPER APPRECIATE IT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. LUCY, BY THE WAY, YOU'RE A RESIDENT, CORRECT? YES. I'M OKAY. HAVE YOU EVER, HAVE YOU EVER USED THE BACK DOOR, UH, THAT WE SHUT, THAT WE SHUT DOWN NOW? IN REGARDS TO CITY? IN REGARDS TO CITY OR NO, IN TERMS OF CHANGING PERMIT INFORMATION AND STUFF? IN THE BACK, IN THE BACK OF, OF, NO. SO I HAVE NEVER REMOVED A CONTRACTOR. I HAVE ADDED PEOPLE, BUT I HAVE NEVER REMOVED IT. YEAH, NEVER REMOVED IT UNLESS OF COURSE IT WAS AT THE REQUEST OF AN OWNER, YOU KNOW, WHO CHANGED THEIR OWNER'S REP OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. BUT VERY, VERY MINIMAL. UH, MAYBE ONE TIME IN THE WHOLE ENTIRE PROCESS AS A REQUEST FROM THE OWNER, BUT NEVER, NO, I I, I'M ACTUALLY VERY GLAD THAT THAT'S BEING IMPLEMENTED BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT'S WONDERFUL FOR, I THINK IT'S A TRANSPARENT MEASURE. YES. UM, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. OF COURSE. THANK YOU, MR. CLERK. ANYONE ELSE? THAT'S IT, MS. BROWN. OKAY. WELL, I'D LIKE TO JUST CLEAR UP JUST A FEW COMMENTS, UH, THAT WERE MADE. NUMBER [03:05:01] ONE, UM, NUMBER ONE, THE COMMENT OF THE FACT THAT THIS IS ABOUT A DEVELOPMENT SERVICE. THIS IS NOT ABOUT DEVELOPMENT SERVICES, DEVELOPMENT SERVICES, A CATCHALL. UH, THIS IS ABOUT PERMITTING. THE REASON WHY THIS CAME UP 10 MONTHS AGO WAS VERY SIMPLE, WAS BECAUSE WE WERE ABOUT TO IMPLEMENT A PROCESS THAT THANK GOD WE DID NOT, WHICH IS GONNA BE AN EXPRESS LANE, UH, SO THAT CERTAIN PEOPLE COULD GET THEIR PERMITS DONE FASTER, THEY PAID MORE. I BELIEVE EVERYBODY SHOULD GET THEIR PERMITS DONE FASTER. THAT'S THE PART OF GOVERNMENT. SO LET'S GET EVERYBODY WHAT THEY WANT. SO IT WAS ABOUT PERMITTING AT THE END OF THE DAY. THE STUDY WAS, WE BROUGHT IN MR. DUOS TO GIVE US A STUDY ON HOW WE CAN BE THE MOST EFFICIENT PERMITTING PROGRAM IN THE COUNTRY. THAT'S THE INTENT OF IT. SO LET'S NOT DEVIATE AND TRY TO, YOU KNOW, UH, CAST SHADOWS OR ASPERSIONS, UH, IN REGARDS TO WHAT'S GOING ON, UH, HERE IN THIS PROCESS. UH, NUMBER TWO, UH, THE, IT IS, THE PROOF IS NOT IN THE CAKE. IT'S IN THE PUDDING. THE PROOF IS IN THE PUDDING. UM, THAT'S, THAT'S WHAT IT IS. AND I WANT TO CONGRATULATE STAFF. I WANNA CONGRATULATE STAFF. YOU HAVE DONE AN AMAZING JOB OVER THE LAST 10 MONTHS, AND LET ME TELL YOU WHY I THINK YOU SHOULD ALSO BE CONGRATULATED. UNLIKE THE INDIVIDUAL WHO SPOKE BEFORE LUCY, UM, WHEN I STARTED HERE 13 YEARS AGO, UM, A LOT OF PEOPLE TALK, THEY HAVE EXPERIENCE, BUT THIS IS WHAT I DO FOR A LIVING, OKAY? UH, I DIDN'T HIRE PERMIT EXPEDITERS, I JUST CAME AND ADDRESSED ISSUES MYSELF IN MUNICIPALITIES. THIS MUNICIPALITY USED TO RUN PERMITS ON THE THIRD FLOOR. SO LET ME TELL YOU A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT THE MANAGER DID, ALONG WITH AMI CABRERA AND OTHER MEMBERS OF OUR STAFF WHO ARE HERE WITH US TODAY, WHO DESERVE ALL THE CREDIT. THANK YOU. WE REMOVED EVERYBODY FROM THE THIRD FLOOR, AND WE BUILT A BRAND NEW BUILDING. WE RENOVATED AN EXISTING BUILDING, BUT WE BUILT IT BRAND NEW. EVERYTHING IS IN THE INTERIORS. I MEAN, LITERALLY, WE JUST LEFT THE SHELL. BASICALLY, WE WERE, NO, WE WENT FROM ACCEPTING PAPER PLANS TO NOW GOING FULLY 100% PAPERLESS, AND WE ALSO DIGITIZE MILLIONS AND MILLIONS AND MILLIONS AND MILLIONS OF PIECES OF PAPER. SO IF YOU WALK AROUND THE DEVELOPMENT SERVICES BUILDING, YOU'LL SEE THAT THERE'S NO FILE CABINETS BARELY, EXCEPT FOR WHATEVER'S BEEN WORKING ON AT THAT MOMENT. IF THEY HAVE SOMETHING THAT DEALS WITH PAPER, THAT'S A HUGE ACCOMPLISHMENT. AND NOT ONLY THAT, I DON'T KNOW THE EXACT NUMBER, BUT I THINK IT WAS ABOUT 7,000 EXPIRED PERMITS. THAT'S CORRECT, MA. WE CLOSED 7,000 EXPIRED AND SUAMI CABRERA, UH, BEFORE SHE WAS BASICALLY, SEE, YOU KNOW, PUSHED OUTTA HERE. UM, LEFT HERE WITH, I THINK IT WAS ABOUT 10 LEFT, 10 OR 15 EXPIRED PERMITS PENDING TO COM TO CLOSE. I THINK IT WAS OUT OF, OUT OF ZERO CLOSE IN THERE. THEY'RE ALL CLOSED. SORRY ABOUT THAT. SO, A LOT HAS BEEN ACCOMPLISHED BY STAFF IN THE LAST YEARS A LOT. AND THEY DESERVE TO BE COMMENDED. I KNOW WE WANT TO TEAR PEOPLE, PEOPLE DOWN BECAUSE PEOPLE DIDN'T GET WHAT THEY WANTED, BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, WE ALSO HAVE TO GIVE CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DUE AND WE'RE GONNA GET BETTER. THAT'S WHY WE'RE TAKING THIS ADDITIONAL, ADDITIONAL EFFORT. AND WE'VE DONE THE STUDY AND STAFF IS WORKING HARD. WE'RE BRINGING PEOPLE IN. SO I WANT TO GIVE CREDIT TO STAFF. I WANNA GIVE CREDIT TO THE MANAGER'S OFFICE. I WANNA THANK LUCY FOR COMING HERE AND SPEAKING HER MIND, PROVIDING POSITIVE FEEDBACK. HEY, WE CAN DO THIS BETTER. THIS IS NOT RIGHT. WE NEED TO MOVE FORWARD IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. AND THAT'S WHAT WE WANT. WE WANT FEEDBACK, WHETHER IT'S POSITIVE OR NEGATIVE, BUT TO SAY THAT WE HAVEN'T DONE ANYTHING HERE IN THE CITY, AS YOU CAN SEE, LOOK AT THE AMOUNT OF WORK THAT WE'VE DONE HERE IN THE CITY, OKAY. A LOT. AND THEN THE NUMBERS, THE NUMBERS ARE THERE. I'M GONNA TAKE THIS AND I'M ASKING THE MANAGER TO SHARE WITH OUR RESIDENTS, AND I'M GONNA SHARE WITH OUR, WITH OUR RESIDENTS ALSO ON BEHALF OF MY OFFICE. SO I WANT TO CONGRATULATE EVERYONE. THANK YOU, MR. DOOS. YOU'VE WORKED VERY HARD OVER THE LAST 10 MONTHS, AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO IMPLEMENTING, UH, YOUR IDEAS, YOUR CONCEPTS, AND SEEING HOW WE CAN BETTER. AND THANK YOU TO STAFF. YOU DESERVE ALL THE CREDIT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. UH, MOVING ON TO ITEM E TWO. WE DON'T NEED TO TAKE ACTION, CORRECT? JUST AN UPDATE. CORRECT. OKAY. [E.-2. 26-1082 An Ordinance of the City Commission amending Chapter 2, "Administration," Article VII, "Finance," Division 1, "Generally", to create Section 2-353 of the City Code to formally establish ongoing priority capital projects and capital matrices funding programs; providing for severability clause, repealer provision, codification, and providing for an effective date. (Sponsored by Vice Mayor Anderson)] MOVING ON TO ITEM E TWO. A TWO IS IN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COMMISSION AMENDING CHAPTER TWO, ADMINISTRATION, ARTICLE SEVEN, FINANCE DIVISION ONE, GENERALLY TO CREATE SECTION TWO DASH 3 53 OF THE CITY CODE TO FORMALLY ESTABLISH ONGOING PRIORITY CAPITAL PROJECTS AND CAPITAL MATRICES, FUNDING PROGRAMS PROVIDING FOR FAVORABILITY CLAUSE, REPEATED PROVISION CODIFICATION, AND PROVIDING FOR AN EFFECTIVE DATE. MAD VICE MAYOR. THANK YOU. UM, THERE'S BEEN NO CHANGES SINCE FIRST READING. YEP. UM, AND THIS IS TO HELP US, UH, MAINTAIN OUR BUDGET IN THE WAY THAT WE'VE BEEN DOING. SO, UM, AND MAKE SURE THAT IT HAPPENS GOING FORWARD. SO, UH, I'LL MAKE A MOTION. SECOND. MR. CROW, DO YOU HAVE ANY PUBLIC COMMENT? NO. MR. MAYOR, VICE MAYOR ANDERSON? YES. COMMISSIONER CASTRO? YES. COMMISSIONER LARA? YES. MAYOR LAGO? YES. MOVING ON. ITEM [E.-3. 26-1104 An Ordinance of the City Commission amending Chapter 74, “Traffic and Vehicles,” Article I “In General,” Section 74-3 “Riding of Bicycles Upon Pedestrian Sidewalks Generally” and Chapter 74 “Traffic and Vehicles,” Article IV “Bicycles, Skateboards, Scooters, Shared Mobility Devices, and Other Similar Devices,” Section 74-239 “Definitions” to amend the City Code to add a definition of electric bicycles and prohibit the riding Of electric bicycles on city sidewalks; providing for severability clause, repealer provision, codification, and providing for an effective date. (Sponsored By Vice Mayor Anderson)] E THREE. E THREE IS IN ANCE TO THE CITY COMMISSION AMENDING CHAPTER 74, TRAFFIC AND VEHICLES. ARTICLE ONE IN GENERAL, SECTION 74 DASH THREE, RIDING A BICYCLES UPON PEDESTRIAN SIDEWALKS [03:10:01] GENERALLY. AND CHAPTER 74, TRAFFIC AND VEHICLES. ARTICLE FOUR, BICYCLES AND SKATEBOARD SCOOTERS, SHARED MOBILITY DEVICES, AND OTHER SIMILAR DEVICES. SECTION 74 DASH 2 39 DEFINITIONS TO AMEND THE CITY CODE TO HEAD DEFINITION OF ELECTRIC BICYCLES AND PROHIBIT THE RIDING OF ELECTRIC BICYCLES ON CITY SIDEWALKS, PROVIDING FOR SEVERABILITY CLAUSE, RE REPEAT PROVISION CODIFICATION, AND PROVIDING FOR AN EFFECTIVE DATE. MAD CHAIR, HAVE THERE BEEN ANY CHANGES? GOOD AFTERNOON. NO, THERE HAVE BEEN NO CHANGES. AND WE CONTINUE TO WORK CLOSELY WITH OUR LOBBYING TEAM AND WITH THE CHIEFS ON OUR EMERSON TALLAHASSEE REGARDING THE SAME SUBJECT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MR. CLERK, DO YOU HAVE ANY PUBLIC COMMENT? YES, MR. MAYOR, GO AHEAD. MARIA CRUZ, THIS IS MARIA CRUZ, 1447 MILLER ROAD, 3 0 5 3 2 3 2 1 5 4. VERY, VERY SUPPORTIVE OF THIS. FOR THOSE OF US THAT LIVE NEAR THE UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI. AND WE SEE THE STUDENTS RUSH INTO CLASS. UM, YOU HAVE TO LOOK BOTH WAYS AND SOMETIMES LOOK AGAIN, BECAUSE THE ELECTRIC BIKES DO NOT LOOK, THEY JUST GO FAST. SO, VERY, VERY GOOD. MR. CLERK. THAT'S IT, MR. MAYOR. ALRIGHT, I'LL MOVE IT. I'LL SECOND. COMMISSIONER CASTRO? YES. COMMISSIONER LARA? YES. VICE MAYOR ANDERSON? YES. MAYOR LAGO? YES. ITEM [E.-4. 26-1138 An Ordinance of the City Commission amending Chapter 105, “Buildings and Building Regulations,” of the Code of the City of Coral Gables by amending Section 105-30, “Construction Staging Plans,” to modify construction fencing requirements; requiring visual displays in multi-family, mixed-use, and Special Use and Preservation zoned districts; establishing standards for temporary storefront barricades; and by creating Section 105-33, “Demolition Standards,” to establish requirements for demolition activities; providing for a repealer provision, severability clause, codification, and providing for an effective date. (Sponsored by Mayor Lago)] E FOUR E FOUR IS IN NO TO THE CITY COMMISSION AMENDING CHAPTER 1 0 1 0 5 BUILDINGS AND BUILDING REGULATIONS OF THE CODE OF THE CITY OF CORAL GABLES BY AMENDING SECTION 1 0 5 DASH 30 CONSTRUCTION STAGING PLANS TO MODIFY CONSTRUCTION FENCING REQUIREMENTS REQUIRING VISUAL DISPLAYS AND MULTIFAMILY MIXED USE AND SPECIAL USE AND PRESERVATION ZONE DISTRICTS. ESTABLISHING STANDARDS FOR TEMPORARY STORE FOR BARRICADES. AND BY CREATING SECTION 1 0 5 DASH 33 DEMOLITION STANDARDS TO ESTABLISH REQUIREMENTS FOR DEMOLITION ACTIVITIES, PROVIDING FOR REPEATED PROVISIONS, FAVORABILITY, CLAUSE, CODIFICATION, AND PROVIDING FOR AN EFFECTIVE DATE. GOOD AFTERNOON DIRECTOR, UH, JIM GARCIA, PINE ZONE DIRECTOR. UM, THIS, UH, ADDRESSES CONSTRUCTION ISSUES IN OUR CITY CODE. THE SECTION MANAGER, THERE'S BASICALLY FOUR ISSUES THAT WE'RE TRYING TO RESOLVE HERE. THE FIRST ONE BEING REQUIRING A PARKING PLAN FOR ANY CONSTRUCTION, UH, SITE. UM, THIS IS A RECOMMENDATION DIRECTLY FROM THE LANDSCAPE BEAUTIFICATION ADVISORY BOARD. UM, THIS WOULD REQUIRE THAT A CONSTRUCTION, UM, PARKING PLAN WOULD BE SUBMITTED AT THIS TIME OF CONSTRUCTION, UM, AND REVIEWED BY STAFF, OBVIOUSLY. AND THEN AFTER CONSTRUCTION, THEY'D BE REQUIRED TO THEN RESTORE ANY SWALE OR RIGHT AWAY OR ANY OFF STREET, UM, AREAS. THE SECOND ONE IS DEALS WITH, UH, CONSTRUCTION FENCING. UM, RIGHT NOW WE HAVE A VERY LIMITED, UM, LINEAR FEET THAT WE CAN, UM, ALLOW A VISUAL DISPLAY OR A ADVERTISING OF FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS. UM, IN OUR CITY RIGHT NOW, WE ONLY ALLOW 50% OF A LINEAR, UM, STREET FRONTAGE TO, UM, ALLOW FOR THE VISUAL DISPLAY. THE REST WOULD BE EXPOSED, UM, DUST BARRIER . SO WE'RE EXPANDING THAT THEN TO BE A HUNDRED PERCENT OF THE LINEAR FOOTAGE. AND ALSO INCREASING THE STREETS THAT YOU CAN MAKE ABLE TO, TO FRONT ON. UM, THAT WOULD BE A REQUIREMENT FOR ANY, ANY, UH, COMMERCIAL, UH, CONSTRUCTION. UM, AND THEN BASICALLY MAKING IT VERY CLEAR THAT WE'RE PROHIBITING THAT WITHIN OUR RESIDENTIAL AREAS, WE HAD TO DO THE CONSTRUCTION, UM, CONSTRUCTION, UM, UH, DUST BARRIER. THE THIRD ITEM DEALS WITH CONSTRUCTION, UM, STOREFRONT BARRICADES, UM, BASICALLY MODELING OFF OF OUR WINDOW, UH, WRAP THAT WE HAVE IN OUR ZONING CODE AND ALLOWING THAT FOR CASE ONE NEEDS TO REPLACE A STOREFRONT, OR THEY HAVE AN ARCADE TO BE ABLE TO, UM, REQUIRE THAT THEY HAVE SOME KIND OF COVERED, UH, PLYWOOD, UM, AND NOT HAVE EXPOSED TO THE STREET. AND THEN THE FOURTH ITEM DEALS WITH, UM, DEMOLITION. SO DEMOLITION, WE'RE CLARIFYING OUR CODE THAT WE'RE ONLY ALLOWING DEMOLITION TO BE PART OF A MASTER PERMIT OR A STANDALONE PERMIT. AND STANDALONE PERMIT WOULD BE DEMOLITION OF A PROPERTY AND THEY HAD TO RESTORE THE PROPERTY, TAKE AWAY THE FENCING, AND HAVE IT BE SAW. SO THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION IF I, ME, UM, , WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT COMMERCIAL PROPERTY AND THESE, AND THESE ENCLOSURES, THE WALLS, THE FENCES, THEY STILL HAVE TO BE APPROVED BY THE CITY, CORRECT? YES, THE ARCHITECT. OKAY. AND IF THEY'RE NOT APPROVED AND THEY PUT UP THEIR OWN FENCE WITH THEIR OWN SIGNAGE, 'CAUSE I SEE A LOT OF CONSTRUCTION SIGNAGE, AGAIN, GOING BACK TO MY OWN INDUSTRY, UH, THAT IS OUTSIDE OF, OF THE SCOPE, UH, IN REGARDS TO THE DESIGN, THE SIZE, THE COLOR, AND AGAIN, UH, I DON'T SEE CODE ENFORCEMENT REALLY PUSHING BACK WHAT I, WHAT I TOLD THE MANAGER, UM, JUST LIKE, JUST LIKE, UM, WE'RE DOING NOW WITH THE TREE, WITH THE TREE BARRIERS, WHICH ARE IN ROUGH SHAPE. MM-HMM . UH, THAT I GAVE, I BROUGHT IT THE OTHER DAY TO COMMISSION, UM, AN INSPECTOR THAT GOES ONTO A JOB SITE. AS YOU'RE PARKING IN THE CAR, THE FIRST THING YOU SEE IS THE TREE BARRIER. THE EXISTING CONDITION OF THE PROPERTY. IS THE CONDITION OF THE PROPERTY CLEAN? IS THE SILT FENCE TORN? IS THERE GRAFFITI? [03:15:01] IS THERE CONSTRUCTION SIGN THE SIZE OF FIVE FEET BY FIVE FEET WHEN IT'S ONLY ALLOWED TO BE A CERTAIN DIMENSION. BUT I JUST SEE THAT OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN. IT JUST CONTINUES TO PROLIFERATE. AND THE DCM WILL TELL YOU, BECAUSE I SENT IT TO HIM ALL DAY, I SEND IT TO HIM ALL DAY, I SEND IT TO HIM THAT CONSTRUCTION SITES ARE NOT UP TO THE STANDARDS RESIDENCES DON'T STOP CALLING ME AND TELLING ME THAT IT'S A REQUIREMENT. WHY DO CERTAIN PEOPLE GET AWAY WITH CERTAIN THINGS WHEN THEY DON'T GET ADDRESSED? SO WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IS ONCE SOMETHING IS APPROVED, HOW DO WE HAVE A MECHANISM IN PLACE TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY DON'T DEVIATE FROM THAT APPROVAL? YOU UNDERSTAND? BECAUSE YOU HAVE AN ELECTRICAL SUB OR A PLUMBING SUB OR A STRUCTURAL SUB THAT'LL COME AND PUT UP A GIANT SIGNUP. BUT THEN AGAIN, IT JUST TAKES AWAY FROM THE BEAUTY OF THE CITY. DO WE HAVE ANYTHING THAT WE CAN, CAN, MR. MAYOR, UH, DOUG, DOUG RAM, MAYOR'S ACTING DEVELOPMENT SERVICE DIRECTOR. WE ACTUALLY HAVE A PRESENTATION LATER TODAY. OKAY. TO ANSWER THIS SPECIFIC SET OF QUESTIONS. UH, IF YOU WISH TO DO IT, NO. IMMEDIATELY AFTER THIS ITEM, WE CAN NO, I JUST WANTED TO BRING IT UP. WE'LL DO IT LATER. WE, WE, WE HAVE, UH, IT'S, THERE'S AN OVERLAP OF DEPARTMENTS AND, AND WE HAVE IMPLEMENTED SOME NEW, UH, PROCEDURES FOR ADDRESSING THESE CONCERNS. THAT'S MY ITEM F TWO. THANK YOU. I APPRECIATE IT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. OKAY. UM, MR. CREW, DO YOU HAVE ANY PUBLIC COMMENT? YES. MR. MAYOR. OKAY. MARIA CRUZ. THANK YOU, MADAM DIRECTOR. MRS. MARIA CRUZ, 1447 MILLER ROAD. LET ME PICK MY WORDS VERY WELL, SO I DO NOT GET CORRECTED. UH, CAKE, PIE, WHATEVER. UM, I AGREE WITH THIS. UH, THIS ORDINANCE, MY ONLY QUESTION IS THE USE OF THE WORD TEMPORARY, BECAUSE YOU GO THROUGH PLACES AND AT THE BEGINNING THEY'RE GOOD, AND THEN THEY DO NOT LOOK AT ANYMORE. SO WHAT IS TEMPORARY? HOW MUCH TIME DURING THE CONSTRUCTION? DURING WHAT TIME? BECAUSE WHAT YOU JUST SAID WAS REAL. YOU KNOW, THEY GET THE PERMIT TO DO WHATEVER, AND THEN THEY SLACK OFF AND NOBODY CATCHES IT. AND THAT'S WHAT THE PROBLEM IS, THAT WE HAVE. THANK YOU, MR. LET'S SAY, MR. MAYOR. ALRIGHT. UH, WE'LL ENTERTAIN A MOTION. I'LL MOVE IT. COMMISSIONER LARA? YES. VICE MAYOR ANDERSON? YES. COMMISSIONER CASTRO? YES. MAYOR LAGO? YES. OKAY. MOVING [F.-1. 26-1148 A Resolution of the City Commission expressing solidarity with the Iranian people in their pursuit for freedom, human rights, and economic justice. (Sponsored by Mayor Lago)] ON TO ITEM F1. F1 IS THE RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COMMISSION EXPRESSING SOLIDARITY WITH THE IRANIAN PEOPLE AND THEIR PURSUIT FOR FREEDOM, HUMAN RIGHTS, AND ECONOMIC JUSTICE. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. I AM THE PROUD SPONSOR OF THIS ITEM. UM, AND I'LL TELL YOU WHY I PUT THIS ON THE AGENDA. JUST AS WE HAVE STOOD IN SOLIDARITY WITH THE PEOPLE OF CUBA AND VENEZUELA IN THEIR PURSUIT OF FREEDOM, DEMOCRACY, AND ECONOMIC STABILITY, I BELIEVE THAT WE MUST ALSO STAND WITH THE PEOPLE OF IRAN. WE MUST SUPPORT THE FUNDAMENTAL RIGHT OF THE IRANIAN PEOPLE TO PEACEFULLY PROTEST AND TO SEEK A GOVERNMENT THAT RESPECTS HUMAN RIGHTS, DEMOCRAT PRINCIPLES, AND THE LEGITIMATE ROLE OF POLITICAL OPPOSITION. LATEST REPORTS HAVE SHOWN THAT TENS OF THOUSANDS OF PROTESTORS HAVE BEEN KILLED IN THE STREET MOWED DOWN BY MACHINE GUNS. AND OVER 42,000 PEOPLE HAVE BEEN ARRESTED. COUNTLESS ARE MISSING, NEVER TO BE FOUND AGAIN, OPPRESSION IS NOT AN OPTION, AND WE MUST CONTINUE TO STAND WITH THOSE WHO SEEK LIBERTY AND JUSTICE. IF YOU HARKEN BACK TO THE DAYS OF IRAN, 30 PLUS YEARS AGO, 40 PLUS YEARS AGO, IT REMINDED YOU OF A CITY IN EUROPE. WHAT HAS IT BECOME NOW? SO I ASKED YOU TO PLEASE SUPPORT THIS IN AN EFFORT TO SPREAD DEMOCRACY AROUND THE HEMISPHERE, AROUND THE COUNTRY, AROUND THE WORLD. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. TO THE MAYOR. YES. YEAH. I MOVED TO THE FURTHER ITEM, AND I ASKED THE SPONSOR TO PLEASE RECONSIDER THE LANGUAGE, TO BE MORE INCLUSIVE AND UNIVERSALLY SUPPORT ALL AND AVOID FROM TAKING SIDES. AND, AND I SAY THIS RESPECTFULLY, AFTER RECEIVING VARIOUS PHONE CALLS AND EMAILS AND WITH THE PUBLIC COMMENT THAT WAS HERE, I REALLY, UM, APPRECIATE IF YOU CONSIDER MAYBE CHANGING SOME OF THE LANGUAGE HERE. AND I WOULD SUPPORT IT. MY LANGUAGE IS COMPLETELY INCLUSIVE. IT'S TALKING ABOUT DEMOCRACY, IT'S TALKING ABOUT HUMAN RIGHTS. IF YOU'D LIKE TO PRESENT YOUR OWN LEGISLATION, YOU CAN MADAM MR. CLERK, UM, I'D LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION. I'LL PASS THE G ON TO THE VICE MAYOR. I'LL SECOND IT. I ANYTHING ELSE? [03:20:03] THROUGH THE MAYOR? YES, SIR. NO, THE VICE MAYOR. THROUGH THE VICE MAYOR. THAT'S RIGHT. VICE. UM, YOU KNOW, SO, SO TYPICALLY, AND I, I PREVIOUSLY MADE THIS POINT WHEN WE WERE TALKING ABOUT AN EARLIER RESOLUTION, SEEKING TO RAISE THE STATE OF ISRAEL'S FLAG MM-HMM . WHICH I, WHICH I WAS AGAINST AT THE TIME. SO WE NEVER REALLY VOTED ON THAT BECAUSE IT WAS DEFERRED BY THE MAYOR. AND IT CAME BACK IN A DIFFERENT FORMAT. IF I MAY, MAY, MAY I INTERRUPT YOU, SIR. I APOLOGIZE. I JUST DIDN'T, I DIDN'T KNOW THAT I, I KNEW THAT I DIDN'T HAVE THE VOTES. THAT'S WHY I DIDN'T WANNA PUSH THE ENVELOPE. UH, BUT NEVERTHELESS, I THINK WHAT YOU DID WAS, UM, DIPLOMATIC, RIGHT? BECAUSE IT WAS TRYING TO SEEK INCLUSION. YOU DIDN'T WANNA DO SOMETHING ON A THREE, TWO. UM, BUT, BUT, BUT, BUT MY REASONING FOR THAT AT THAT TIME, AND IT REMAINS THE SAME TODAY, IS I DON'T BELIEVE IT'S THE BUSINESS OF THE CITY TO BE INVOLVED IN, UH, WHAT COULD BE SEEN AS CHOOSING SIDES IN A POLITICAL OR A MILITARY CONFLICT, WHICH IS HOW I PERCEIVED THE ISSUE WITH, WITH RESPECT TO THE STATE OF ISRAEL FLAG BEING PROPOSED AS BEING FLOWN OUTSIDE OF CITY HALL. HOWEVER, IN THIS INSTANT, I THINK IT, IT WOULD BE, UH, VIRTUALLY IMPOSSIBLE TO FIND ANYBODY WHO WOULD BE IN FAVOR OF THE REPREHENSIBLE, UNETHICAL CRIMINAL, UH, BEHAVIOR. UM, ACTS BEING PERPETRATED BY, UM, THIS, UH, THIS REGIME ON ITS OWN PEOPLE. SO I DON'T SEE THIS AS TAKING SIDES IN A MILITARY CONFLICT. I DON'T SEE THIS AS TAKING SIDES IN A POLITICAL CONFLICT. I SEE THIS AS SIDING ON THE SIDE OF HUMANITY, ON THE SIDE OF DECENCY. AND FOR THAT TYPE OF SOLIDARITY, THAT'S THE TAKEAWAY THAT I FEEL YOU GET FROM THE RESOLUTION IS DRAFTED IN ANY EVENT. SO, WHILE I, I REPEAT, I BELIEVE THAT THE BUSINESS OF THE CITY, UH, SHOULD TYPICALLY BE, UH, LIMITED TO, UM, LOCAL ISSUES. I FEEL THAT, UM, THERE IS SOMETHING MUCH BIGGER, BROADER, AND ONE THAT WON'T BE POLARIZING IN ANY REASONABLE, UM, UH, INTERPRETATION OF THE RESOLUTION AMONGST THE RESIDENTS OF THE CITY, BECAUSE NO ONE COULD BE IN FAVOR OF THE ACTS THAT ARE, UH, DOCUMENTED, UH, BEING TAKEN AGAINST, UH, INNOCENT PEOPLE EXPRESSING THEIR, THEIR, THEIR VIEWS AND, AND EXPRESSING THEIR, THEIR, THEIR THOUGHTS. UH, THAT'S WHAT I, MADAM VICE MAYOR, MAY I SAY SOMETHING IN RESPONSE? MAY, UM, I THINK THE COMMISSIONER HIT DANIELLE ON THE HEAD. BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, WHETHER IT'S ONE SIDE OR THE OTHER, WHEN PEOPLE ARE BEING INNOCENTLY KILLED JUST FOR TAKING A POLITICAL STAND AND ASKING FOR FREE ELECTIONS, ESPECIALLY WHEN MANY, WHEN MANY OF THEM ARE WOMEN WHO ARE OPPRESSED IN A COUNTRY. AND AS A FATHER OF TWO GIRLS, I FIND IT PRETTY SHAMEFUL THAT OPPOSITION FOR THIS LEG OPPOSITION FOR THE SIMPLE RESOLUTION IS GESTURE. JUST BECAUSE I BRING IT FORWARD. UM, AT THE END OF THE DAY, UM, WE SHOULD STAND WITH THESE PEOPLE. WE SHOULD SUPPORT THESE PEOPLE. UM, I THINK IT'S THE RIGHT THING TO DO. I THINK THAT MORE COUNTRIES CAN SERVE, CAN BE SERVED WELL WITH DEMOCRACY, HUMAN RIGHTS, UH, YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT YOUNG CHILDREN THAT ARE, YOU KNOW, BEING MARRIED OFF INTO SLAVERY AT 14 YEARS OLD, 10 YEARS OLD. READ THE INFORMATION THAT'S HAPPENING IN THIS COUNTRY, PEOPLE THAT ARE BEING SHOT IN THE HEAD IN THE STREET FOR HAVING A DIFFERENT OPINION. I WILL ALWAYS STAND IN OPPOSITION OF THAT TYPE OF BEHAVIOR. SO AT THE END OF THE DAY, YOU CAN SIT THERE AND LAUGH AND GIGGLE AND, YOU KNOW, DO THE RIDICULOUSNESS THAT YOU DO. YOU'RE ON TV, EVERYBODY CAN SEE YOU. UH, BUT I'M PROUD TO BRING THIS FORWARD. AND IF I GET CRITICIZED, IT'S PERFECTLY FINE, PERFECTLY FINE WITH ME. SO, UM, I'M GONNA ADD SOME ADDITIONAL COMMENTS AS TO WHY I SECONDED THIS, UH, MOTION. IN THE UNITED STATES, WE DO HAVE A PROCESS. WE DO HAVE DUE PROCESS. WE DO HAVE INVESTIGATIONS. UH, AND WHEN LAW ENFORCEMENT IN OUR COMMUNITY DOES THINGS INCORRECTLY, UH, THEY WILL FACE THE CONSEQUENCES. THIS IS NEVER GONNA HAPPEN IN IRAN. THIS IS NEVER GONNA HAPPEN IN CUBA. IT IS NEVER GONNA HAPPEN IN VENEZUELA, YOU KNOW, WHERE YOU HAVE THE SPREAD OF COMMUNISM, UM, WITH NO PROCESS AND NO RECOURSE WHATSOEVER. UM, IF THIS RESOLUTION WAS, YOU KNOW, SIMILARLY REPLACING IT FOR, UH, REPREHENSIBLE ACTS OF THE GOVERNMENT OF CUBA, UM, THIS WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN, IN MY OPINION, SOMETHING THAT YOU WOULD HEAR THIS COMMUNITY SAYING, WELL, YOU DIDN'T INCLUDE EVERYBODY ELSE IN THE WORLD. THIS RESOLUTION OF FOCUS IS ON ONE THING BASED UPON RECENT ACTS OUTSIDE OF OUR COUNTRY. BUT WE DO HAVE INDIVIDUALS THAT LIVE WITHIN OUR CITY THAT ARE FROM IRAN. AND WITH RESPECT TO THAT, UH, WE SHOULD HONOR [03:25:01] THAT. UM, BY THE SAME TOKEN, WE RESPECT EVERY OTHER GROUP THAT LIVES WITHIN OUR CITY, UM, YOU KNOW, WITH EVENTS AND RECOGNITION AND, UM, INTERFAITH EVENTS. AND I THINK THAT'S THE APPROPRIATE THING TO DO, IS TO, UH, FOSTER PEACE, FOSTER LOVE, AND, UH, RECOGNIZE THAT HUMANITY IS AN IMPORTANT THING IN OUR COMMUNITY, AND THIS IS ABOUT HUMANITY. SO, UM, WITH THAT, UH, DO WE HAVE ANY OTHER PUBLIC COMMENTS? YES, MA'AM. YES. UH, FIRST SPEAKER MARIA CRUZ. THIS IS MARIA CRUZ, 1447 MILLER ROAD, 3 0 5 3 2 3 2 1 5 4. YES, MA'AM. I WAS NOT GONNA SPEAK ON IT, BUT THEN IT GOT SO DEEP THAT I HAVE NO CHOICE. WE ARE CONCERNED ABOUT IRAN. LET ME TELL YOU, I TOOK THE TIME TO LOOK AT, UM, 13 YEARS OF, UM, MINUTES AND VIDEOS. AND YOU KNOW, IT'S VERY INTERESTING TO ME HOW 13 YEARS AGO, 12 YEARS, EVERY YEAR, FROM THAT POINT THIS WAY, THERE HAVE BEEN OTHER PLACES WHERE THERE HAVE BEEN ABUSES, WHETHER THERE HAVE BEEN HUMAN TRAFFICKING, WHERE HAVE BEEN EVERYTHING THAT WE ARE USING TODAY. AND YET, NOT TILL RECENT TIME, NOT EVEN IN THIS CHAMBER, ANYBODY THOUGHT OF TALKING ABOUT ABUSES IN CUBA, IN VENEZUELA, IN HAITI, CLOSE TO HOME WHERE WE HAVE PEOPLE THAT CAME FROM THERE. BUT TODAY, WE'RE NOW IN A DIFFERENT MODE. TODAY, WE HAVE TO DEFEND THE WORLD BECAUSE THERE'S, YES, THERE ARE PEOPLE THAT ARE FROM IRAN IN THIS CITY, BUT THERE ARE PEOPLE FROM OTHER COUNTRIES TOO. EVERY IS RARE THE WEEKEND THAT I DON'T HEAR ABOUT CHRISTIANS BEING KILLED IN AFRICA. OKAY? AND GUESS WHAT? WE'RE NOT MAKING IT A A BIG THING. YOU KNOW, THIS IS A POLITICAL EVENT. THIS IS, I WON VOTES, AND THIS IS THE ONLY TIME. THAT'S WHY WE'RE DOING IT. AND I'M SORRY, NOT ALL OF YOU LOOK FOR THAT. NOT ALL OF YOU ARE DOING IT FOR THE SAME REASON, BUT THERE'S OBVIOUSLY SOME THAT DO. AND I'M GONNA TELL YOU, IF YOU'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT FREEDOMS AND ABUSES, TALK ABOUT, TALK ABOUT A WHOLE BUNCH OF OTHER FREEDOM OF ABUSES, BECAUSE LET ME TELL YOU, 30 OVER 30 YEARS AGO WHEN THE AYATOLLAH WENT INTO IRAN, I GOT IN TROUBLE BECAUSE IN MY CLASS, I TALKED ABOUT THE ABUSE WHEN THEY WENT INTO THE EMBASSY. SO I'M NOT A NEWCOMER. I DIDN'T JUST THINK ABOUT IT BECAUSE I'M RUNNING FOR OFFICE, BECAUSE EVEN THOUGH PEOPLE HAVE ASKED ME, I'M NOT RUNNING FOR OFFICE. WHAT'S RIGHT IS RIGHT. IF YOU'RE GONNA DO IT, DO IT FOR ALL THE PLACES, NOT JUST FOR THE PEOPLE THAT, AND THEIR PEOPLE IN THIS CITY THAT OBJECT TO THAT, BECAUSE WE'RE NOT TALKING ABOUT EVERYBODY. JUST WHAT'S CONVENIENT FOR US. JACKSON HOLMES, MADAM VICE MAYOR, MAY I RESPOND, PLEASE? YES. OKAY. FIRST AND FOREMOST, UH, IN TYPICAL FASHION, IT'S THE TEAR DOWN MENTALITY AND THE, THE LACK OF REAL INFORMATION, UM, TO MENTION, TO MENTION, TO MENTION, UH, NOT ALL THAT, THAT SHE'S MENTIONED THERE HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH WHAT WE'RE DEALING WITH TODAY, LITERALLY TAKING ATTACK ATTACKS AT ME AND SHOTS. IT'S JUST THE, THE AMOUNT OF RIDICULOUSNESS ABSURD TO CALL AND INTO QUESTION AND SAY THAT I'M A A JOHNNY KLE. IN REGARDS TO CUBA, MY GRANDFATHER WAS A POLITICAL PRISONER IN CUBA, OKAY? NUMBER ONE, I'VE BEEN A MEMBER OF DICTOR HERE, AND I'VE BEEN A MEMBER OF SINCE INCEPTION. SO I WILL ALWAYS STAND ON MY PRINCIPLES OF REGARDS TO HUMAN RIGHTS AND FREE ELECTIONS IN CUBA. NUMBER TWO, READ THE LEGISLATION. INSTEAD OF JUST TRYING TO FIND SOMETHING TO PUT ON THE BLOGS, THE LEGISLATION IS VERY CLEAR. IT SAYS THAT THE CITY COMMISSION EXPRESSES SOLIDARITY AND SUPPORT FOR THE PURSUIT OF FREEDOM, FUNDAMENTAL HUMAN RIGHTS AND ECONOMIC JUSTICE FOR THE IRANIAN PEOPLE. AND THROUGHOUT THE WORLD, IT'S VERY CLEAR. READ THE LEGISLATION, STOP LOOKING FOR A REASON TO GET ON A BLOG, PLEASE. AND BY THE WAY, REMEMBER, THERE'S CAMERAS LOOKING AT YOU. SO ALL THE LAUGHING AND GIGGLING, IT MAKES YOU LOOK ABSURD. AND A HUNDRED PERCENT I DO STAND WITH THE CHRISTIANS THAT ARE BEING KILLED IN AFRICA. IF YOU WANNA WRITE A PIECE OF LEGISLATION ON THAT, A RESOLUTION, I'LL SUPPORT THAT TOO. BUT THE IDEA IS TO SAY THAT NOW I'M INTERESTED IN HUMAN TRAFFICKING. LET ME EDUCATE YOU [03:30:01] REAL QUICK. OKAY? MADAM CITY ATTORNEY, MR. CLERK, WHEN DID, WHEN DID, UH, I WRITE THE LEGISLATION STOPPING HOURLY MOTELS AND BEING THE FIRST IN THE STATE OF FLORIDA TO DO THAT. WHAT IS THE REASON WHY? BECAUSE OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING? I GUESS, I THINK IT, I THINK IT WAS MAYOR 20 17, 20 17. YOU THINK I'M GOING OFF MEMORY. SO THERE'S NO, THERE IS NO JOHNNY C*M LELY. WHAT'S JOHNNY C*M? LELY IS THE CON THE CONVERSATION ABOUT RUNNING FOR PUBLIC OFFICE. I PRAY ON BENDED KNEE THAT YOU RUN FOR PUBLIC OFFICE. PLEASE. I PRAY. I HOPE THAT'S THE CASE. SO WHEN WE TALK ABOUT HUMAN TRAFFICKING, LOOK ON MY RECORD IN REGARDS TO, UH, HOURLY MOTELS, TAKING IT TO THE CITY OF MIAMI, THEN TAKING IT TO THE STATE OF FLORIDA AND GETTING A BANNED IN THE STATE OF FLORIDA, GOING ON NIGHT OVERNIGHT, RAIDS WITH THE POLICE CITY, CORAL GABLES, CITY OF MIAMI, UH, KATHY FERNANDEZ RUN'S HUMAN TRAFFICKING DIVISION. SO BEFORE YOU, BEFORE YOU COME AND SAY SOMETHING, I DON'T SEE YOUR RESUME. UH, NUMBER ONE, IT'S SO EASY TO STAND FROM THE GRAND STANDS AND MAKE COMMENTS LIKE THAT, BUT IT SURE SEEMS TO BE THAT IT'S EASY TO TEAR DOWN, BUT IT'S VERY DIFFICULT TO BUILD THINGS UP. SIR, I APOLOGIZE. SO I HAVE A, UH, EXPECT, I THINK THAT YOU ARE ALL GONNA AGREE WITH, I'M ABOUT TO SAY, UM, WE HAVE SUFFERED IN OUR HEMISPHERE THE FAILURES OF SO MANY ADMINISTRATIONS TO LIBERATE CUBA. WE HAVE SUFFERED. FINALLY, WE'RE GETTING SOME ACTION ON VENEZUELA, BUT AS YOU MAY KNOW, UH, MY WIFE'S PERU HAS BEEN COMMUNIST FOR THE PAST FIVE YEARS, AND PEOPLE DON'T EVEN KNOW THAT BECAUSE BIDEN COVERED IT UP OR WHATEVER, YOU KNOW, UH, COVERED IT UP, RIGHT? BUT ANYWAYS, UH, WE GOT FIVE COMMUNIST COUNTRIES. UH, HERE'S MY POINT, HERE'S MY POINT. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I FOUND IS THAT, THAT SOMEHOW OUR COUNTRY GETS COMMITTED TO FIGHTING WARS IN THE MIDDLE EAST, WHEN WHAT WE REALLY SHOULD DO. I MEAN, THERE'S, DO YOU KNOW THAT THE POPULATION OF CUBA, I THINK HAS, HAS, UH, TUMBLED FROM 11 MILLION PEOPLE TO 10 MILLION PEOPLE? AND WHO'S THE FAULT OF THAT? IT'S THE GOVERNMENT. IT'S THE COMMUNIST SYSTEM. UH, AND SO WHAT I FEAR WITH, WITH THE THING OF, OF FALLING INTO A TRAP OF TALKING ABOUT THE MIDDLE EAST, IS WE CAN'T LET THEM, UH, DIVERT OUR ATTENTION. LIKE HOW ABOUT SENDING THE MARINES TO CUBA RIGHT NOW? THANK YOU. THANK YOU, SIR. MS. MAYOR, THAT'S IT FOR PUBLIC COMMENT, BUT I DID RECEIVE AN EMAIL DURING THE, UH, THE MEETING. IT SAYS, GOOD MORNING, MR. CLERK. I'M UNFORTUNATELY UNABLE TO LEAVE WORK AND WOULD LIKE TO, THE FOLLOWING COMMENTS COULD BE READ INTO THE RECORD REGARDING THE MAYOR'S RESOLUTION ON IRAN. I AGREE THAT ALL PROTESTORS TO SERVE TO HAVE THE SAME FREEDOM, BOTH TO SPEAK OUT IN ADVANCEMENT OF THEIR OWN FREEDOMS, AND TO BE FREED FROM GOVERNMENT ACTION THAT ENCROACHES UNDER HUMAN RIGHTS. THIS IS THE SAME WHETHER IN IRAN, PALESTINE, ONCOLOGISTS, CAMPUSES ACROSS THE UNITED STATES OR IN MINNEAPOLIS. BUT WE DO NOT WISH TO SEE OUR GOVERNMENT MAKE STATEMENTS IN OUR NAME THAT LEND SUPPORT TO MILITARY ACTION, EITHER DIRECTLY BY THE UNITED STATES OR FROM THIS COUNTRY'S ALLIES LIKE ISRAEL. WHETHER WE HAVE SEEN UNFETTERED MILITARY SUPPORT BE USED TO MASSACRE CIVILIAN POPULATIONS, JOURNALISTS, AND HEALTHCARE WORKERS IN PALESTINE, SYRIA, AND LEBANON, THIS CITY COMMISSION MUST CONSIDER ITS RESPONSIBILITY AND ROLE TO THE COMMUNITY THAT IT SERVES, AND WHETHER IT WILL BE SIMILARLY SUPPORTING PROTESTORS WHO HAVE BEEN BRUTALIZED AND KILLED AT THE HANDS OF OUR OWN GOVERNMENT. THEREFORE, I WOULD LIKE TO REQUEST THE CITY ADD A PROVISION TO THE PROPOSED RESOLUTION. ONE, CLARIFYING THAT THE RESOLUTION DOES NOT SUPPORT MILITARY ACTION AGAINST IRAN. AND TWO, THAT IN ADDITION TO IRANIAN PROTESTORS, THE PROCLAMATION LEND SUPPORT FOR PROTESTORS ACROSS THE WORLD AND IN AMERICA WHO STAND FOR FREEDOM IN THE FACE OF TYRANNICAL AND AN OPPRESSIVE GOVERNMENT ACTION. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. CATHERINE SHABBAT SHAHAD, 1133 NORTH GREENWAY DRIVE. THANK YOU. THAT'S GOOD. OKAY. I THINK I CALL THE, CALL HER FOR A VOTE. YES, MA'AM. COMMISSIONER CASTRO, BEFORE I TAKE AWO VOTE, I WANNA GO AHEAD AND CLARIFY THAT ABSOLUTELY I STAND WITH THE PEOPLE OF IRAN, BUT AT THE SAME TIME, I WANNA PUT ON THE RECORD, I ASKED THE MAYOR TO GO AHEAD AND AMEND THE LANGUAGE, NOT TO SINGLE OUT JUST IRAN, TO SUPPORT ALL THAT WOULD MAKE ME MORE COMFORTABLE AFTER HEARING PUBLIC COMMENT AND FROM HAVING RESIDENTS REACH OUT TO ME THAT LIVE IN THIS CITY. SO I WILL NOT BE SUPPORTING THIS, UM, I DON'T KNOW, AS A LOCAL GOVERNMENT WHERE WE DRAW THE LINE AND WE'RE GETTING OURSELVES INVOLVED IN, IN ASPECTS OF THE WORLD THAT WE REALLY HAVE NO JURISDICTION OF. [03:35:01] BUT, UM, I DO SUPPORT THE, THE PEOPLE FROM IRAN. I JUST DON'T SUPPORT THIS EXACT LEGISLATION. WE SHOULD BE REALLY SUPPORTING EVERYBODY UNIVERSALLY. SO, NO COMMISSIONER LADA FOUR OF THE PREVIOUS REASONS THAT I STATED, YES, MAYOR LAGO, UM, VERY CLEARLY. WE'LL READ IT AGAIN FOR THE RECORD THAT THE CITY EXPRESSES SOLIDARITY AND SUPPORT FOR THE PURSUIT OF FREEDOM FOR FUNDAMENTAL HUMAN RIGHTS AND ECONOMIC JUSTICE FOR THE IRANIAN PEOPLE. AND THROUGHOUT THE WORLD. WE CANNOT BE AFRAID TO STAND UP AND VOICE OUR OPINION FOR DEMOCRACY, FOR FREE ELECTIONS, AND FOR THE POSITIVE AND CORRECT TREATMENT OF HUMAN BEINGS, ESPECIALLY WOMEN AND YOUNG CHILDREN. TURN THE TV ON AND YOU'LL SEE VERY CLEARLY WHAT'S GOING ON ALL OVER THE WORLD. AND WE NEED TO SHOW SUPPORT. AND FOR THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE CONTACTED ME, CALLED ME IN REGARDS TO WHO ARE RESIDENTS HERE AND SUPPORTED US, I THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU FOR ALWAYS EDUCATING, AND THANK YOU ALWAYS FOR BRINGING A POSITIVE LIGHT TO ALL CAUSES. YES, VICE MAYOR ANDERSON, AND FOR THOSE REASONS AS WELL, BECAUSE IT SUPPORTS PEACE, UH, AND FREEDOMS THROUGHOUT THE WORLD. YES, THANK YOU. ALRIGHT, HOPEFULLY [F.-2. 25-1261 Discussion regarding tree protection, construction fences, and silt barriers at construction sites. (Sponsored by Mayor Lago)] THE NEXT ONE DOESN'T TAKE THAT LONG. F TWO. HELLO AGAIN. DOUG MAYORS ACTING DEVELOPMENT SERVICE DIRECTOR. THANK YOU MAYOR, FOR GIVING ME THE OPPORTUNITY TO TALK ABOUT TREE PROTECTION AND CONSTRUCTION FENCES AND SILT BARRIERS. IT WAS VERY INTERESTING TO SEE SOMETHING THAT HAD SO MUCH OVERLAP BETWEEN PUBLIC WORKS AND DEVELOPMENT SERVICES. ONCE YOU START ASKING AROUND TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHO'S DOING WHAT, UH, IT WAS VERY ENLIGHTENING. I HAVE SOME ANSWERS FOR YOU. I WILL TRY TO BE AS BRIEF AS I CAN WITH THE PRESENTATION SO WE CAN GET TO YOUR ANSWERS. ALRIGHT. WAITING FOR THEM TO PUT IT UP FOR ME. SO, UH, IT'S FAMILIAR , I PICKED THAT BEAUTIFUL TREE PROTECTION. I PICKED THAT PICTURE BECAUSE SOMEONE ELSE USED IT IN A PRESENTATION NOT TOO LONG AGO. LOVE IT. LOOK HOW BEAUTIFUL THAT IS. OKAY, SO I'M PROUD OF THAT. KNOW IT'S HOW YOU DO THE LITTLE THINGS. THIS, THIS IS AN EXAMPLE OF HOW THEY SHOULD LOOK. UM, IT'S LIKE KINDERGARTEN. THAT'S WHAT WE WANT. UM, OKAY. SO ALL JOKING ASIDE, REQUIRED BY SECTION 82, 32 OF THE CODE, UH, THE, THE PROTECTIVE BARRIERS AMONG OTHER THINGS, SHALL BE A MINIMUM OF FOUR FEET ABOVE GROUND AND SHALL BE CONSTRUCTED, UH, TWO BY FOUR WOOD POSTS, CROSSMEMBERS, ET CETERA, WHICH SHALL REMAIN IN PLACE UNTIL DEVELOPMENT IS COMPLETED. AND THE TREE PRESERVATION AGENCY HAS AUTHORIZED THEIR REMOVAL. SO THERE, THERE'S A LOT MORE TO IT. I SHORTENED IT JUST SO THAT IT WOULD FIT ON THE SLIDE. BUT, UH, WITH REGARDS TO WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT HERE, WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THEY, THEY, THEY'RE IN GOOD CONDITION, UH, THAT THEY'RE MADE OUT OF TWO BY FOURS. WE'VE, WE'VE FOUND THAT SOMETIMES PEOPLE USE METAL STAKES, AND THAT'S VERY DANGEROUS. UH, CHILD RIDING A BICYCLE CAN IMPALE THEMSELVES WITH THAT IF, IF IT'S DONE INCORRECTLY. UH, AND OF COURSE, UH, WITHIN, YOU'RE ONLY SUPPOSED TO HAVE HAND DIGGING AND HAND GRADING, UH, SO THAT YOU CAN PROTECT THE ROOTS AND, AND NOT DAMAGE THE TREE ITSELF. SO, CONSTRUCTION FENCES, UH, THERE WAS ANOTHER ITEM EARLIER THAT, THAT, UH, JENNIFER PRESENTED AND WE REALIZED WE HAD SOME OVERLAP TODAY IN THAT AS WELL. UH, BUT THIS PART WE'RE NOT CHANGING. UH, A CONSTRUCTION FENCE SHALL BE COVERED WITH A VISUAL DUST BARRIER. UH, THEY SHALL BE KEPT CLEAN, UNDAMAGED, AND WITHOUT GRAFFITI. AND ALL INFORMATION SHALL BE PRIOR, CURRENT AS DEVELOP, AS DETERMINED BY DEVELOPMENT SERVICES. WE HAVE SOME PICTURES THERE, ONE OF A RESIDENCE AND ONE OF A, A VERY LARGE, UH, COMMERCIAL PROPERTY A BLOCK AWAY. SO IN CORAL GABLES, MOST DEMOLITIONS NEW CONSTRUCTION AND ADDITIONS DO REQUIRE A CONSTRUCTION FENCE. UH, IT NEEDS TO, UH, IT'S THERE TO KEEP PEOPLE IN THE GENERAL PUBLIC OUT OF, UH, MIGHT WHAT MIGHT BE A VERY DANGEROUS WORKING JOB SITE. UH, THE BUILDING OFFICIAL ULTIMATELY DETERMINES WHAT IS REQUIRED BASED ON THE TYPE OF CONSTRUCTION PROJECT. UM, AND THEN IN ADDITION TO THAT, UH, WE, WE, WE WANTED TO MENTION PEDESTRIAN PROTECTION. UH, IT'S, IT'S AN UNSUNG HERO. IT KEEPS PEOPLE SAFE WHEN THEY'RE WALKING NEAR THESE JOB SITES. AND CHAPTER 33, UH, PROVIDES, UH, PEDESTRIAN PROTECTION, PEDESTRIAN PROTECTION REQUIREMENTS, UH, THAT ACCOUNT FOR THE HEIGHT OF THE CONSTRUCTION THAT'S TAKING PLACE, AND HOW FAR FROM THE PROPERTY LINE IT'S OCCURRING. AND I PUT A COUPLE OF PICTURES UP THERE SO YOU CAN SEE WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE, SEDIMENTATION AND SILT FENCES. SO THEY'RE NEEDED WHEN THERE'S A POTENTIAL FOR RUNOFF. UH, THIS GOES FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, UH, SECTION 4 0 2 OF THE FEDERAL CLEAN WATER ACT. UH, THEN IT'S [03:40:01] ALSO, UH, THANK YOU HERMES FOR JOINING US. UH, THEN IT'S ALSO IN THE FLORIDA STATUTES, WHICH REFERENCES THAT, UH, THE NPDS NATIONAL POLLUTANT DISCHARGE ELIMINATION SYSTEM. HE'S HERE ON QUEUE, UH, . AND, UH, IT'S ALSO IN OUR CITY CODE REGARDING WATERWAYS AND STORM WATER MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS. THAT IT SHALL BE UNLAWFUL FOR ANY PROPERTY OWNER OR ENTITY PERFORMING CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITIES TO CAUSE LEAD, ALLOW THIS GUARD PERMIT OR SUFFER RUNOFF, EROSION AND SEDIMENTATION INTO ANY STORMWATER DRAINS, INLETS, CATCH BASINS, ALL OF THOSE OTHER THINGS, UH, UH, DESIGNED TO CONVEY STORMWATER RUNOFF WITHIN THE CITY. WE DID INCLUDE A, A DETAIL THERE. UH, SO YOU COULD VISUALIZE WHAT THAT IS. WHEN, WHEN YOU'RE AT A JOB SITE, THEY, THEY, IF THERE'S A POTENTIAL FOR RUNOFF, THEY WILL PUT THIS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE FENCE IN A MANNER SIMILAR TO THIS DETAIL SHOWN HERE. OKAY, SO NOW THAT THE EDUCATIONAL PART IS DONE, NOW I CAN ANSWER YOUR, YOUR QUESTION, MR. MAYOR. UM, HERMES AND I, UH, DISCUSSED THIS WITH STAFF, UH, IN BOTH OF OUR DEPARTMENTS. AND WE DISCOVERED THAT YES, THERE IS INDEED AN OVERLAP OF RESPONSIBILITIES HERE, UH, FOR PERMITTING AND INSPECTION OF THESE ITEMS. UH, WHAT WE DECIDED TO DO, UH, WORKING TOGETHER IS THAT INSPECTORS FROM BOTH DEPARTMENTS WILL INSPECT THE CONDITION OF INSTALLED FENCES AND TREE PROTECTION AND WITHHOLD APPROVALS IN CASES OF NON-COMPLIANCE. UM, SO YES, YOU GET CALLED OUT FOR AN INSPECTION. WE SEE THAT IT HAS DETERIORATED AS IT WAS POINTED OUT EARLIER. IT STARTS OUT REALLY NICE. YEAH. BUT THEN AS TIME GOES BY, IT MIGHT DETERIORATE AND DETERIORATE AND DETERIORATE TO THE POINT WHERE NOW IT DOESN'T LOOK RIGHT. WE WILL FAIL THE INSPECTION, TELL 'EM, HEY, YOU NEED TO FIX THIS. IT LOOKS TERRIBLE. AND UNTIL THEY DON'T FIX IT, WE WON'T APPROVE THE INSPECTION. UH, IN ADDITION TO THAT, UM, OBVIOUSLY CODE ENFORCEMENT, IT IS THEIR DAILY DUTIES TO PATROL THEIR ZONES AND TO DISCOVER THIS SORT OF THING AND TO ADDRESS IT APPROPRIATELY. AND THEY DO HAVE TOOLS IN THEIR TOOLBOX FOR THAT AS WELL. UH, PROACTIVE PATROL'S, EDUCATION CITATIONS. AND IN EXTREME CASES, THEY CAN EVEN BRING IN, UH, THE BUILDING OFFICIAL AND, AND HE COULD USE HIS AUTHORITY TO, UH, MOTIVATE THEM TO FIX THE CONSTRUCTION FENCES AND THE TREE PROTECTION. UM, IN ADDITION, IN THE INTERIM, SINCE YOU, THE LAST TIME YOU BROUGHT IT UP, UH, WE, WE'VE PRE WE'VE PREPARED SOME HANDOUTS, UH, TO EDUCATE APPLICANTS. AND WHAT WE'RE GONNA DO IS WE'RE GONNA SEND THESE HANDOUTS WITH THE PERMIT OUT TO THE, TO THE APPLICANT SO THAT WHEN THEY OBTAIN THEIR PERMIT, THEY'LL GET THE HANDOUTS FOR THE CONSTRUCTION FENCES AND THE TREE PROTECTION. AND THEY WILL, UH, ALSO BE AWARE OF WHAT THE REQUIREMENTS ARE THAT I KIND OF WENT OVER IN THE PRESENTATION. I DON'T KNOW IF HERMES WANTS TO ADD ANYTHING TO THAT, BUT THAT'S ESSENTIALLY WHAT, WHAT I HAD HERE. WELL, THE, THE ONE THING, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE FOUND WAS THROUGH THE EXERCISE, THERE WAS SOME GAPS BETWEEN, BETWEEN, YOU KNOW, THEIR CHOP ON HOURS WHEN IT COMES TO THIS. YOU KNOW, LIKE FOR EXAMPLE, YOU KNOW, GENERALLY SPEAKING, POLY WORKS. WE, WE LOOK AT THE RIGHT OF WAY, THE FOLKS LOOK AT THE INSIDE, UM, ESPECIALLY WHEN CONTACT TO SINGLE FAMILY HOMES WHERE MAYBE SOME OF THE TREE PROTECTION MIGHT BE HAPPEN ON THE OUTSIDE. BUT POLL WORKS, MEN BE INVITED TO THE PLACE UNTIL THE LAST MINUTE. SO I THINK WE KIND OF WORK SOMETHING OUT THAT WE PROVIDE COVERAGE FOR EACH OTHER. SO MOVING FORWARD, UM, YOU KNOW, WE SHOULD, WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO DO A BETTER JOB AT THIS. OKAY. PERFECT. THANK YOU. ALRIGHT. I APPRECIATE YOUR HARD WORK. THANK YOU FOR, THANK YOU. ELABORATING. THIS IS A KEY. THAT'S A, THAT'S A GOOD SIGN. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, GENTLEMEN. UH, [F.-3. 26-1168 Discussion regarding state law and the city’s ability to regulate leaf blowers. (Sponsored by Vice Mayor Anderson)] F THREE, MADAM VICE MAYOR. UH, THIS DISCUSSION REGARDING STATE LAW AND CITY'S ABILITY TO REGULATE LEAF BLOWERS. I'VE ASKED STAFF TO UPDATE US, UM, AND BOTH THE LEGAL ASPECTS AND THE PRACTICAL ASPECTS. UH, WE HAVE DEAN EWEN HERE AS WELL. UM, SO STAFF TAKE IT AWAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, VICE MAYOR STEPHANIE THROCKMORTON, DEPUTY CITY ATTORNEY. AS YOU ALL MAY RECALL, IN UM, 2025 AND THE END OF THE 20 24, 20 25 LEGISLATIVE SESSION, THERE WAS A PREEMPTION BUILT INTO AN APPROPRIATIONS ACT THAT WAS LINE ITEM VETOED BY THE GOVERNOR THEN, WHICH BY OPERATION OF LAW MEANT THAT THAT PREEMPTION WAS ALSO VETOED. UM, BUT WHAT IS PENDING RIGHT NOW AT THE STATE LEGISLATURE, SO WE ARE FREE TO ACT IN THE, UM, WORLD OF GAS POWERED LANDSCAPING EQUIPMENT. AT THE MOMENT, THOUGH, I DO NOTE THAT THERE IS A BILL PENDING, UM, AT THE LEGISLATURE THIS YEAR, MOVING THROUGH THE HOUSE, HB 4 33, WHICH WOULD PREEMPT TO THE STATE ALL REGULATIONS ABOUT GAS POWERED FARM AND LANDSCAPE EQUIPMENT. NOT SPECIFIC TO BLOWERS GENERALLY, BUT ALL GAS POWERED EQUIPMENT. THERE IS A MOVE TO THAT THERE. SO AT THE MOMENT, UM, THAT'S SOMETHING WE CAN REGULATE THOUGH, UM, AS ATTEMPTED IN THE PAST AND, AND AGAIN IN THIS LEGISLATIVE SESSION, THERE IS A MOVE FOR PREEMPTION AT THE STATE LEGISLATURE AS FAR AS THE DETAILS OF HOW THEY WORK AND EFFECTIVENESS. I'LL, I'LL TURN THAT OVER TO DINA. THAT'S OUR AREA. SO I'M, I'M GONNA ASK YOU A LEGAL QUESTION, YOU KNOW, OFF THE CUFF HERE, AND I DON'T EXPECT YOU TO KNOW [03:45:01] THE ANSWER RIGHT NOW. UM, LET'S ASSUME FOR A MOMENT THAT THERE IS SOME KIND OF MUFFLER SYSTEM THAT COMES INTO PLAY TO MUFFLE THE SOUNDS OF THE GAS BLOWERS. UM, I WANT YOU TO LOOK AT WHETHER OR NOT THE PREEMPTION THAT'S PROPOSED, UH, WOULD PROHIBIT US FROM, UM, TRYING TO REQUIRE SOMETHING LIKE THAT. MY UNDERSTANDING OF THE CURRENT LANGUAGE IS THAT THE DEFINITION OF GASOLINE POWERED LANDSCAPE EQUIPMENT, UM, IS WHAT'S PREEMPTED TO THE STATE. AND IT DOESN'T INCLUDE AS FAR AS I CAN TELL AT THE MOMENT, ANY, UM, EXCEPTIONS FOR, UM, NOISE, UM, MUFFLING ADDITIONS. IT'S THE REGULATION OF GASOLINE POWERED LANDSCAPE EQUIPMENT GENERALLY. ALRIGHT, SO I'LL, I'LL TURN IT OVER TO DINA. THANK YOU. OKAY, DINA BELL LEWELLEN, I AM ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS FOR GREEN SPACE MANAGEMENT. AND SO WHAT WE DO IS WE MAINTAIN ALL THE LANDSCAPING SITES IN THE CITY. WE HAVE A COMBINATION OF IN-HOUSE STAFF OF 30 PEOPLE, MORE OR LESS WORKING MOSTLY THE DOWNTOWN SITES. OUR DOWNTOWN SITES, MEANING MIRACLE MILE AND PONDS. AND MOST OF THE, THE STREETSCAPES IN THE URBAN AREA, WE'RE ALREADY USING THE ELECTRIC POWERED BLOWERS. THEY'RE EFFECTIVE IN THESE SMALL AREAS IN DOWNTOWN WHERE YOU HAVE A LOT OF PEDESTRIAN TRAFFIC, YOU HAVE A LOT OF CAR PARKING. UM, THEY, THEY OF COURSE HELP WITH NOISE AND HELP WITH, UM, KEEPING THE STREETS CLEAN. THE DOWNFALL TO THEM IS THE BATTERIES ONLY LAST LESS THAN TWO HOURS. SO WE'RE CONSTANTLY HAVING TO SWITCH OUT, UM, BY EITHER BRINGING TWO OR THREE DIFFERENT BLOWERS IN A TRUCK PER DAY JUST TO CREATE A SHIFT OR GO BACK AND FORTH TO CHARGE THE MACHINES. OKAY? SO THEY'RE NOT AS POWERFUL AS THE GAS BLOWERS. SO OUT IN THE, I GUESS THE HINTERLAND, I CALL IT THE REST OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD, THE REST OF THE CITIES WHERE MOST OF THE RESIDENTIAL HOMES ARE, WHERE WE HAVE OUR LARGER PARKS AND OUR BIG MEDIANS, SUCH AS LOOK AT ALHAMBRA MEDIAN FOR AN EXAMPLE, THAT IS FULL OF THE LARGE FICUS TREES WITH VERY LARGE LEAVES. THESE LEAVES GET WET. IT'S VERY DIFFICULT FOR STAFF TO GET, UM, THE LEAF VOLUME BLOWN OFF OF THOSE STREETS USING THE ELECTRIC BLOWERS. SO THEY CONTINUE TO USE THE GAS BLOWERS JUST FOR EFFICIENCY. NOW, IF WE WERE TO GO TO A HUNDRED PERCENT ELECTRIC IN THESE AREAS, UM, OUR VENDOR WHO'S CURRENTLY SFM WOULD MOST CERTAINLY INCREASE THE COST OF SERVICE TO GIVE THE CURRENT LEVEL OF SERVICE DELIVERING A SITE ON TIME. 'CAUSE WHAT IT WOULD DO IS JUST OBVIOUSLY MAKE LANDSCAPE MAINTENANCE TAKE TWICE AS LONG THEY WOULD HAVE TO GO TO RAKES AND, YOU KNOW, DO A LOT OF MANUAL LEAF BLOWING AND REMOVAL OF DEBRIS. SO WITH THAT SAID, THOSE ARE THE PROS AND CONS. OKAY. ALRIGHT. I MEAN, I JUST WANTED TO GET THE FULL COMMISSION AN UPDATE. I KNOW THERE WAS AN E AT LEAST ONE EMAIL THAT HAD COME TO ALL OF US AND I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE BEST THAT WE ALL RECEIVED THE UNIFORM INFORMATION ACROSS THE BOARD SO WE KNOW HOW TO RESPOND. , THAT'S IT. NO, WELL, THANK YOU, UH, MADAM VICE MAYOR. UM, WE'VE BEEN RECEIVING I THINK LIKE PROBABLY TWO OR THREE EMAILS IN THE LAST WEEK. I THINK WE GOT AS A COMMISSION, UH, IN REGARDS TO THIS. AND, UM, I APPRECIATE THE UPDATE MS. BELL. OKAY, THANK YOU. AND, UM, ANYTHING NEW THAT COMES OUT, FOR EXAMPLE, JUST LIKE WE'RE WAITING FOR LEAF BLOWERS TO BECOME MORE EFFICIENT, WE'RE ALSO WAITING FOR TROLLEYS. WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT ELECTRIC TROLLEYS FOR 10 YEARS. WE'VE, WE'VE ACTUALLY DONE TOURS. WE'VE ACTUALLY, UH, TAKE BEEN ON A TROLLEY, ON AN ELECTRIC TROLLEY. UH, BUT ONE OF THE CONCERNS HAS BEEN WHERE IS IT MANUFACTURED? THEY WERE MADE IN CHINA, SO WE WERE NOT ABLE TO COME CLOSE TO EVEN PURCHASING, PURCHASING THOSE. WE COULD HAVE BOUGHT IT, BUT AGAIN, UM, I ASKED THE MANAGER NOT TO. AND I KNOW THAT MY COLLEAGUES ALSO AGREE WITH ME ON THAT FRONT. SO, UH, WE HAVE TO BE VERY, VERY, UH, CAREFUL THAT WE, WE GET OURSELVES INTO SOMETHING THAT AGAIN, WE LOSE EFFICIENCY. WE'RE TRYING TO BALANCE THAT ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP AND ALSO BE AS EFFICIENT AS POSSIBLE. UH, SO IT'S A TOUGH BALANCE. SO I'LL ADD TO THAT, MAYOR, WE'VE ALSO BEEN LOOKING AT ELECTRIC GARBAGE TRUCKS. YEAH. YOU KNOW, AND AGAIN, YOU HAVE TO LOOK AT PERFORMANCE AND, UH, STAFF HAS TO EVALUATE THAT. IS IT GONNA FUNCTION FOR THE PURPOSE THAT WE'RE USING IT FOR? SO, THANK YOU. IS THAT AN EASY ANSWER? OKAY. ALRIGHT. UH, [G.-1. 26-1163 A Resolution of the City Commission confirming the appointments of Carlos J. Castillo (nominated by Commission As A Whole) and ________________ to serve as members of the Firefighters Pension Trust Fund, for a two (2) year term that began on June 1, 2025 and continues through May 31, 2027.] MOVING ON TO G ONE. THANK YOU, DINA. GREAT WORK AS ALWAYS. G ONE IS A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COMMISSION CONFIRMING THE APPOINTMENTS OF CARLOS J CASTILLO, NOMINATED BY COMMISSION AS A WHOLE, AND A NAME TO BE DETERMINED TO SERVE AS MEMBERS OF THE FIREFIGHTERS PENSION TRUST FUND FOR A TWO YEAR TERM THAT BEGAN ON JUNE 1ST, 2025 AND CONTINUES THROUGH MAY 31ST, 2027. MAY I HAVE A MOTION? I'LL MOVE IT. I'LL SECOND. SO THE MOTION I GUESS IS JUST FOR CARLOS CASTILLO. BUT I, I WAS GONNA SAY, UH, DOES THE COMMISSION HAVE ANY OTHER NAMES THAT WOULD LIKE TO INCLUDE AT THIS TIME? I DO, I DO HAVE A NAME. SO FOR THE FIREFIGHTER PENSION [03:50:01] TRUST FUND, A CPA THAT LIVES IN THE CITY. ALEX SUEDO. OKAY. I CAN GET, UH, OVER TO THE COM, UH, TO THE CITY CLERK. OKAY. HIS RESUME. THANK YOU, SIR. EMAIL, DO WE NEED ONE MORE? NO, WE HAVE THE OTHER ONE. WE HAVE THE OTHER. SO CARLOS CASTILLO AND CARLOS CASTILLO. AND ALEX HUTTLE. WE'RE GOOD? YES. ALRIGHT, PERFECT. ALRIGHT, THAT'S PERFECT. UM, THAT'S WHAT I WAS LOOKING FOR WAS SOMEONE WITH THAT TYPE OF BACKGROUND. YEP. YEP. ALRIGHT. VOLUNTEERING. MAY I HAVE A MOTION? WE HAVE A MOTION. MR. MAYOR. UH, COMMISSIONER CASTRO? YES. COMMISSIONER LARA? YES. VICE MAYOR ANDERSON. YES. MAYOR LAGO. YES. THANK [H.-1. 26-1162 A Resolution of the City Commission authorizing an amendment to the Fiscal Year 2025-2026 Annual Budget to recognize a transfer of $3,000,000 from the Parking Fund reserves and $2,500,000 from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development grant for the Mobility Hub Project and appropriating the funds for cost for the Mobility Hub Capital Project.] YOU. UH, MOVING ON TO H ONE. H ONE IS A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COMMISSION AUTHORIZING AN AMENDMENT TO THE FISCAL YEAR 20 25, 20 26 ANNUAL BUDGET TO RECOGNIZE A TRANSFER OF $3 MILLION FROM THE PARKING FUND RESERVES. AND TWO, UH, 2,500,000 FROM THE US DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT GRANT FOR THE MOBILITY HUB PROJECT. AND APPROPRIATING THE FUNDS FOR COSTS, FOR COSTS FOR THE MOBILITY HUB, CAPITAL PROJECT. MR. MANAGER, UH, MAYOR. YES. THIS IS FOR, THIS IS ALL FOR THE, UH, MOBILITY HUB PROJECT. THE $3 MILLION COMES FROM THE, THE PARKING RESERVE FUND, WHICH WAS, WHICH IS FOR THE MOBILITY HUB. YES. AND THE $2.5 MILLION IS A HOUSING, UH, UH, AND, AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT GRANT THAT, UH, THAT WE MAYBE WILL PROBABLY BE USING, UH, FOR THE, UH, DESIGN COSTS. WHEN DID WE GET THAT GRANT? AT? FOUR YEARS AGO, RIGHT? YES. YEAH, I REMEMBER I WENT UP THERE WITH RHONDA, UH, THE VICE MAYOR RIGHT. AND WENT TO WASHINGTON. AND SO I JUST WANTED TO SAY, MAKE SURE THAT WE THANKED, UH, CONGRESSWOMAN MARIA SALAZAR, UH, WHO PLAYED AN INTEGRAL PART IN, UH, GETTING US, GETTING US THAT GRANT, UH, ALONG WITH OUR ENTIRE TEAM, UH, WHO CAME THROUGH BIG. SO, UH, IS THERE ANY FURTHER COMMENT? I ENTERTAIN A MOTION. I'LL MOVE IT. SECOND. COMMISSIONER LARA? YES. OH, I'M SORRY. SORRY. YES, SIR. JACKSON HOLMES. YEAH. PUBLIC COMMENT. BRAVO. UM, SO MY NAME IS JACKSON HOLMES. I LIVE AT 35 SEDIA AVENUE. UM, I THINK YOU ALL KNOW BY NOW THAT, UH, I'VE LEARNED THROUGH BITTER EXPERIENCE, NO PARKING, NO INCOME. AND SO FOR ME, UM, I'M HOPING REALLY, UH, MAYBE I'M PUTTING TOO MUCH PRESSURE ON PEOPLE, BUT I'M HOPING TO SEE IF WE CAN COME UP WITH ENOUGH MONEY TO BREAK GROUND. UH, 'CAUSE I'M AFRAID OF A POTENTIAL RECESSION. AND, UH, BUT, AND THAT'S WHY I WANT TO GET US LOCKED IN, RIGHT? SO NOW WE HAVE, UH, $5 MILLION PLUS. AND, UH, I DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH Y'ALL FEEL IS GONNA BE THE TRIGGER POINT WHERE WE CAN BREAK GROUND BECAUSE THEN, THEN THERE'S NO PARKING THERE. BUT, BUT THEN AT LEAST WE CAN'T EVER BE DISLODGED. RIGHT? UH, SO, UM, WHAT I'M ABOUT TO SAY IS CONTROVERSIAL. ON THE OTHER HAND, IF I'M DEDICATED TO GETTING THIS DONE, BECAUSE NO PARKING, NO INCOME, UH, WE COULD, MY ANALYSIS IS THERE'S LIKE NINE, LET'S JUST SAY 97 CITY PROPERTIES. UM, IF WE NEED TO, AND MAYBE WE DO, UH, WE COULD SEE WHICH OF THOSE 97 ARE LESS SACRED THAN OTHERS. WE NEVER WANT TO LOSE A PROPERTY. RIGHT? BUT IF IT'S A LITTLE, UH, BACKWATER DUCK POND THAT'S FILTHY, WE MIGHT BE WILLING TO SELL IT AND THEN DO THE MOBILITY. NOW, THANK YOU FOR LISTENING AND THANK YOU FOR GETTING THIS DONE. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. MR. CLERK. COMMISSIONER LARA? YES. VICE MAYOR ANDERSON? YES. COMMISSIONER CASTRO? YES. MAYOR LAGO? YES. [J.-1. 26-1160 A Resolution of the City Commission granting permission to the City Clerk to proceed with preparation of the Municipal Election Order Form in conjunction with Miami-Dade County Elections Department for services, materials and support to be rendered, in connection with the Coral Gables Special Mail Ballot Election of April 21, 2026, to procure the necessary ballots and other forms, to assist in all aspects of the Special Mail Ballot Election and canvass of returns from our designated precincts within the City of Coral Gables.] UH, MOVING TO J ONE J ONE IS A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COMMISSION GRANTING PERMISSION TO THE CITY CLERK TO PROCEED WITH PREPARATION OF THE MUNICIPAL ELECTION ORDER FORM IN CONJUNCTION WITH MIAMI-DADE COUNTY ELECTIONS DEPARTMENT FOR SERVICES, MATERIALS, AND SUPPORT TO BE RENDERED IN CONNECTION WITH THE CORAL GABLE SPECIAL MAIL BALLOT ELECTION OF APRIL 21ST, 2026, TO PROCURE THE NECESSARY BALLOTS IN OTHER FORMS TO ASSIST IN ALL ASPECTS OF THE SPECIAL MAIL BALLOT ELECTION AND CANVAS OF RETURNS FROM OUR DESIGNATED PRECINCTS WITHIN THE CITY OF CORAL GABLES. MR. CLERK, ANYTHING YOU'D LIKE THAT FOR THE RECORD? NO. OKAY. UH, MAY I HAVE A MOTION? I'LL MOVE IT. I'LL SECOND. UH, ANY PUBLIC COMMENT? NO. MR. MAYOR. ALRIGHT. COMMISSIONER LARA? YES. VICE MAYOR ANDERSON? YES. COMMISSIONER CASTRO? YES. MAYOR LAGO? YES. MOVING [J.-2. 26-1161 A Resolution of the City Commission making provisions for holding a Special Mail Ballot Election on April 21, 2026, for the consideration of certain questions amending the City Charter; further designating and appointing the City Clerk as the official representative of the City Commission, with respect to the Supervision of said Special Mail Ballot Election.] ON TO J TWO J TWO'S RESOLUTION OF CITY COMMISSION MAKING PROVISIONS FOR HOLDING A SPECIAL MAIL BALLOT ELECTION ON APRIL 21ST, 2026 FOR THE CONSIDERATION OF CERTAIN QUESTIONS, AMENDING THE CITY CHARTER, FURTHER DESIGNATING AND APPOINTING THE CITY CLERK AS THE MAYOR, AS THE OFFICIAL REPRESENTATIVE OF THE CITY COMMISSION WITH RESPECT [03:55:01] TO THE SUPERVISION OF SAID SPECIAL MAIL BALLOT ELECTION. MR. CLERK, DO YOU HAVE ANY COMMENT THAT YOU'D LIKE TO ADD? NO, SIR. OKAY. MAY I HAVE A MOTION? I'LL MOVE IT. HAVE A SECOND. I'LL SECOND. MR. CLERK, ANY PUBLIC COMMENT? NO. MR. MAYOR. ALRIGHT. VICE MAYOR ANDERSON. YES. COMMISSIONER CASTRO? YES. COMMISSIONER LARA? YES. MAYOR LAGO? YES. UH, I'D LIKE TO ADJOURN FOR LUNCH. UH, WE HAVE ONE ITEM REMAINING ON THE AGENDA IF I'M CORRECT. MR. CLERK? YES SIR. ITEM E ONE, WHICH IS TIME CERTAIN. SO I LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING EVERYONE HERE. PLEASE HAVE A NICE LUNCH. SEE YOU AT TWO O'CLOCK. MR. CLERK? YES, MR. MAYOR, ARE YOU READY TO COMMENCE? YES, SIR. UH, WELCOME BACK. I'D LIKE TO THANK EVERYONE FOR BEING HERE. IT'S ALWAYS GREAT TO SEE DEMOCRACY IN ACTION. UH, WE'RE HERE FOR [E.-1. 26-1140 An Appeal to the City Commission of the Board of Architects Special Masters decision on January 13, 2026, affirming the Board of Architects October 19, 2023 design approval for property located at 110 Phoenetia Avenue, Coral Gables, Florida 33134 . Lobbyist: Jorge Navarro] TIME, CERTAIN ITEM, AGENDA. ITEM E ONE. UH, MR. CLERK, YOU'D LIKE TO PUT AN ITEM ON THE RECORD FIRST? UH, YES. MR. MAYOR, COMMISSIONER FERNANDEZ IS ON ZOOM, BUT I BELIEVE IN ORDER FOR HIM TO BE ABLE TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS MEETING, THE COMMISSION NEEDS TO BE TAKE A VOTE. UH, ALLOWING HIM TO DO THAT. I MOVE, I A MOTION. I MOVE IT. I'LL SECOND. ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. AYE. THANK YOU. UH, MOVING ON TO ITEM E ONE, AN APPEAL TO THE CITY COMMISSION OF THE BOARD OF ARCHITECTS. SPECIAL MASTER DECISION ON JANUARY 13TH, 2026, AFFIRMING THE BOARD OF ARCHITECTS. OCTOBER 19TH, 2023. DESIGN APPROVAL FOR PROPERTY LOCATED AT ONE 10 CIA AVENUE, CORAL GABLES, FLORIDA 3 3 1 3 4. MADAM CITY ATTORNEY. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UM, SO PURSUANT TO SECTION 14 DASH 2 0 8 0.6 IS THE CITY ZONING CODE. THIS APPEAL IS BASED ON THE RECORD OF THE HEARING BEFORE THE BOARD OF ARCHITECTS SPECIAL MASTERS AND SHALL NOT BE A DE NOVO HEARING. WHAT THAT MEANS IS THAT NO NEW OR ADDITIONAL TESTIMONY SHALL BE TAKEN. THIS IS AN APPEAL THAT'S BASED ONLY ON THE RECORD. AND SO, AS A REMINDER, YOUR ROLE IN CONSIDERING THIS APPEAL IS ONE, WHETHER DUE PROCESS WAS AFFORDED TWO, WHETHER THE ESSENTIAL REQUIREMENTS OF LAW WERE MET, AND THREE, WHETHER THE DECISION BY THE PANEL OF SPECIAL MASTERS WAS BASED ON COMPETENT, SUBSTANTIAL EVIDENCE. THE COMMISSION'S RULES TO DETERMINE WHETHER DUE PROCESS WAS AFFORDED, WHETHER THE ZONING CODE WAS FOLLOWED AND WHETHER THE COMPETENCE, SUBSTANTIAL EVIDENCE SUPPORTED THE DECISION OF THE SPECIAL MASTERS. AFTER THE COMMISSION'S REVIEW, THE COMMISSION HAS FOUR OPTIONS AS PROVIDED IN THE ZONING CODE. THE CITY COMMISSION CAN AFFIRM THE DECISION OF THE SPECIAL MASTERS. THE CITY COMMISSION CAN AFFIRM THE DECISION OF THE SPECIAL MASTERS WITH CONDITIONS. THE CITY COMMISSION CAN OVERRIDE THE DECISION OF THE SPECIAL MASTERS OR THE CITY COMMISSION CAN REMAND FOR FURTHER PROCEEDINGS TO THE SPECIAL MASTERS. AND TO BE CLEAR, UH, AFFIRMING THE DECISION WOULD BE AFFIRMING THE APPROVAL OF THE DESIGN. UM, THE MAYOR AS CHAIR OF THE CITY COMMISSION WITH ME AS PARLIAMENTARIAN, HAS ISSUED A PROCEDURAL ORDER THAT WAS PROVIDED IN ADVANCE TO THE COMMISSION AND TO THE PARTIES PURSUANT TO THAT PROCEDURAL ORDER. THE APPELLANT WILL BE ALLOWED 15 MINUTES FOR PRESENTATION, FIVE OF WHICH CAN BE, UH, RESERVED FOR REBUTTAL. AND THAT PRESENTATION SHALL BE LIMITED TO THE RECORD BEFORE THE SPECIAL MASTERS. NEXT, THE ASSISTANT CITY ATTORNEY AS COUNSEL FOR THE SPECIAL MASTERS AND THE CITY ARCHITECT WILL BE ALLOWED 15 MINUTES PRESENTATIONS ALSO LIMITED TO THE RECORD BELOW, THEN THE PROPERTY OWNER WILL BE ALLOWED 15 MINUTES REPRESENTATION ALSO LIMITED TO THE RECORD BELOW. THANK YOU MADAM CITY ATTORNEY. SORRY MAYOR, IF I CAN JUST KIND OF GO THROUGH. OKAY. SO NEXT WILL BE IT'S TIME FOR QUESTIONS BY THE MEMBERS OF THE CITY COMMISSION TO STAFF OR THE PARTIES. AND THEN PUBLIC COMMENT WILL BE ALLOWED BUT WILL BE LIMITED TO TWO MINUTES PER SPEAKER BECAUSE THE REVIEW OF THIS APPEAL IS NOT DE KNOWABLE. PUBLIC COMMENTS SHALL NOT BE CONSIDERED TESTIMONY IN THIS CASE. AND THEN FINALLY, THERE'LL BE TIME FOR ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS AND DISCUSSION BY MEMBERS OF THE CITY COMMISSION. AND AS A REMINDER, THIS IS A QUASI-JUDICIAL ITEMS, SO ANY EXPIRE COMMUNICATIONS SHOULD BE DISCLOSED. MADAM CITY ATTORNEY, JUST FOR THE RECORD, CAN YOU DISCUSS AND PUT IT ON THE RECORD WHAT WE AS A COMMISSION ARE CONSIDERING TODAY? EXACTLY. I WANNA MAKE SURE I PUT THIS ON THE RECORD SO EVERYONE HERE UNDERSTANDS WHEN YOU'RE GIVING TESTIMONY OR YOU'RE SPEAKING ON THE ISSUE THAT I WANT YOU TO BE ABLE TO USE, USE THE TIME AS WISELY AS POSSIBLE AND AS EFFECTIVELY AS POSSIBLE BECAUSE I WANT YOU TO TALK ABOUT ISSUES THAT, AGAIN, COULD BE CONSIDERED OR COULD BE DISCUSSED IN AN EFFORT TO SWING OR ONE WAY OR ANOTHER IN REGARDS TO, UH, WHAT YOU'RE ADVOCATING ON BEHALF. YES, MAYOR. SO THIS IS AN APPEAL OF THE APPROVAL OF THE DESIGN BY THE BOARD OF ARCHITECTS. THAT WAS AFFIRMED BY THE SPECIAL MASTERS, THE BOARD OF ARCHITECTS SPECIAL MASTERS, A PANEL OF THREE. UM, AND SO THAT, THAT IT'S THE DESIGN APPROVAL, ESSENTIALLY THE ARCHITECTURE, THE DESIGN APPROVAL. AND SO THAT IS WHAT'S BEFORE YOU TODAY. BUT AGAIN, YOU'RE BASING IT ON THE RECORD BELOW. SO THIS IS NOT A BRAND NEW HEARING, THERE'S NO NEW TESTIMONY OR ANY TESTIMONY. THIS IS PRESENTATION FOR YOU ALL TO REVIEW THE RECORD BELOW AND BASE YOUR DECISION WHETHER TO AFFIRM OR OVERRIDE THE DECISION. OKAY. SO FOR EXAMPLE, ARE WE TALKING ABOUT, UH, THE TREE IN QUESTION? ARE WE TALKING ABOUT THE PARK? ARE WE TALKING ABOUT ANYTHING THAT DEALS WITH LANDSCAPING? LIMITED TO, TO THE DESIGN APPROVAL. LIMITED. TO DESIGN APPROVAL. PERFECT. ARE WE TALKING ABOUT THE ZONING IN REGARDS TO THE PROPERTY? NO. MAYOR, IF THIS PROJECT CONTINUES. NO MAAM. I'M BEING FACETIOUS. I WANNA ASKS YOU THIS QUESTION. SO I WANNA, I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE I PUT THIS ALL ON THE RECORD. THERE ARE NO ZONING REQUESTS BEFORE YOU [04:00:01] TODAY. THERE WILL BE IF THIS PROCESS MOVES FORWARD, THERE WILL BE A TIME WHEN THOSE ITEMS WOULD HAVE TO COME BEFORE YOU, BUT THAT IS NOT TODAY. THIS IS SOLELY LIMITED TO THE DESIGN. SO AGAIN, THE MAYOR. OKAY. SO IN FOLLOWING THROUGH WITH THE MAYOR'S QUESTIONS TO ME, MAKE THE PUBLIC UNDERSTAND AND EVERYBODY PRESENT TODAY THAT OUR, UM, POSITION, OUR POSTURE HERE ON THE DAIS TODAY IS OF A LIMITED REVIEW QUASI-JUDICIAL LIMITED REVIEW, RIGHT? CORRECT. AND CAN YOU JUST SAY ONCE AGAIN, WHAT IT IS THAT WE ARE TO BE LOOKING FOR? THAT IS, UM, BASED ON THE RECORD BELOW THAT WOULD EMPOWER US, AUTHORIZE US, LEGALLY PERMIT US TO CHANGE A DECISION RENDERED BELOW ALREADY. SO THERE'S, THERE'S THREE PRONGS THAT YOU ARE, UM, SUPPOSED TO CONSIDER. THE FIRST ONE IS WHETHER THE DUE PROCESS WAS AFFORDED DUE PROCESSES NOTICE AND AN OPPORTUNITY TO BE HEARD. UM, THE SECOND IS WHETHER THE ESSENTIAL REQUIREMENTS OF LAW WERE MET. IN OTHER WORDS, WHERE THE CORRECT LAW WAS APPLIED BY THE SPECIAL MASTERS IN REVIEWING THIS MATTER. UM, SO THE CORRECT, UH, UH, PROVISIONS OF THE ZONING CODE. AND FINALLY WHETHER THE DECISION BY THE PANEL OF SPECIAL MASTERS WAS BASED ON COMPETENT, SUBSTANTIAL EVIDENCE. SO ON THAT POINT, IT'S IMPORTANT THAT YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO PUT YOURSELVES INTO THE SHOES OF THE SPECIAL MASTERS. YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO JUST REVIEW WHETHER THERE WAS COMPETENT, SUBSTANTIAL EVIDENCE UPON WHICH THEY COULD HAVE BASED THEIR DECISION. UM, AND THAT WOULD BE SUFFICIENT. SO WE, SO ON THAT POINT, LIKE YOU'RE SAYING, REMEMBER ON, ON THE ADVOCACY POINT, YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES. LET'S TRY TO BE EFFECTIVE AS POSSIBLE. WE'RE DEALING WITH THE DESIGN ISSUE TODAY. I KNOW EVERYONE WANTS TO TALK ABOUT A LINEAR DIFFERENT ISSUES. I WANT TO TALK ABOUT A LINEAR, DIFFERENT ISSUES. BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, TO BE A, TO BE EFFECTIVE, I'LL BE HERE AS LONG AS IT TAKES. BUT TO BE EFFECTIVE IN REGARDS TO ADVOCACY. LET'S REALLY FOCUS IN AND DIAL IN ON THE BOARD OF ARCHITECTURE AND THE EFFORT IN REGARDS TO DESIGN. OKAY? YES, MA'AM. VICE, UH, WE RECEIVED A LOT OF COMMENTS ON BOTH SIDES OF THIS ISSUE, AND MY QUESTION FOR YOU, MADAM CITY ATTORNEY, IS WITH REGARD TO ISSUES THAT WERE PREVIOUSLY CONSIDERED AND, UH, VOTED UPON BY, UH, THE COMMISSION PREVIOUSLY, UH, WHETHER IT BE THE GARDEN OF OUR LORD ISSUE OR HISTORIC PRESERVATION OF A GARDEN, UM, ARE THOSE ISSUES BEFORE US TODAY? NO, THO THAT IS NOT BEFORE YOU TODAY. WHAT IS BEFORE YOU? TODAY IS THE APPROVAL OF THE DESIGN BY THE BOARD OF ARCHITECTS. AND IF I MAY, I'D LIKE TO PUT IT ON THE RECORD. I KNOW MY COLLEAGUES WOULD ALSO LIKE TO PUT IT ON THE RECORD THAT WE'VE BEEN NOTIFIED BY BOTH SIDES OF THE AISLE IN REGARDS TO THIS ISSUE. UH, VIA EMAIL, VIA PHONE CALL, VIA TEXT MESSAGE. UH, THERE'S A WHOLE HOST OF, UH, DISCUSSIONS BACK AND FORTH, UH, WITH BOTH SIDES OF THIS ISSUE. OKAY. ANYBODY ELSE WOULD LIKE TO SAY? PUT IT ON THE RECORD? YES. THERE'S BEEN EX PARTY COMMUNICATIONS REGARDING THIS ITEM. YEP. YES, I, I THINK THAT'S ACROSS THE BOARD AND ACKNOWLEDGED. ALRIGHT, SAME HERE. COMMISSIONER FERNANDEZ. I ALSO ADD EX PARTE COMMUNICATIONS. OKAY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. ALRIGHT, MADAM CITY ATTORNEY. YES. SO NEXT WE'RE, WE'RE READY. MAYOR, IF YOU'RE READY FOR THE PRESENTATION BY THE APPELLANT, THE APPELLANT, PLEASE COME FORWARD. GOOD AFTERNOON. DAVID WINKER OFFICE IS AT 47 20 SOUTH LAJEUNE ROAD. THANK YOU MAYOR COMMISSIONERS, CITY ATTORNEY, CITY CLERK, UH, FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY TO BE HERE TODAY. AS YOU GUYS CAREFULLY SPOKE ABOUT, WE'RE HERE TODAY ON AN APPEAL OF A BOARD OF ARCHITECT DECISION APPROVING THE DESIGN OF THIS PROJECT. WE ARE HERE TODAY AND APPEALING THAT DECISION BECAUSE THE SUBSTANTIAL COMPETENT EVIDENCE IS CLEAR, THE PROPOSED DESIGN IS INCOMPATIBLE WITH THE SURROUNDING GARDEN APARTMENT COMMUNITIES, AESTHETIC STANDARDS, PARTICULARLY REGARDING HARMONY AND PROPORTIONALITY. WE'RE ASKING THAT YOU REVIEW THE EVIDENCE BELOW AND WE BELIEVE THAT YOU WILL FIND THAT IT IS CLEAR THE EVIDENCE. THIS PROJECT IS INCOMPATIBLE WITH THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND IT'S INCOMPATIBLE WITH THE OVERLAY THAT WAS PUT INTO PLACE IN 2015. IN THIS GARDEN APARTMENT DISTRICT. WE OFTEN TALK ABOUT MERRICK'S PLAN FOR THE CITY AND WHAT WE EXPECT OUR NEIGHBORHOODS TO LOOK LIKE. AND AGAIN, I APPRECIATE YOU BEING HERE RESIDENTS SO VALUE THEIR ABILITY TO HAVE A SAY IN WHAT THEIR NEIGHBORHOODS LOOK LIKE. AND YOU'RE GONNA, YOU, YOU WILL SEE FROM PUBLIC COMMENT TODAY AND THE PUBLIC COMMENT AND THE EVIDENCE [04:05:01] THAT WAS PUT ON THE RECORD, THAT RESIDENTS ARE PUSHING BACK. THIS PROJECT IS SIMPLY OUTTA HARMONY AND INCOMPATIBLE WITH THE NEIGHBORHOOD. SO OFTEN RESIDENTS ARE HERE AND THE COMMISSION HAS TO TELL RESIDENTS, OUR HANDS ARE TIED. WE CAN ONLY DO SO MUCH. THIS IS THE OPPORTUNITY FOR THE COMMISSION TO CAREFULLY CONSIDER THE EVIDENCE AND HELP MAKE A PROJECT THAT IS COMPATIBLE WITH THE NEIGHBORHOOD. AND WITH THAT, I'M GONNA TURN IT OVER TO MY CLIENT, BONNIE BOLTON, TO GO THROUGH THE EVIDENCE BELOW. AND, UH, FOR PROCEDURAL ISSUE, I WANTED TO BRING UP THAT DURING THE SPECIAL MASTERS HEARING, AND IT'S PROVEN BY THE TRANSCRIPTS THAT THE, UH, THE DEVELOPER RECEIVED DOUBLE THE AMOUNT OF TIME THAT I DID AND, UM, THE TRANSCRIPTS PROVE THAT INCONTROVERTIBLY. ALRIGHT, GOOD AFTERNOON. UM, MAY YOU PLEASE STATE YOUR NAME AND YOUR ADDRESS. I'M BONNIE BOLTON. I LIVE AT F 42 FANIA AVENUE. UM, GOOD AFTERNOON. AS YOU KNOW, THIS IS AN APPEAL OF THE SPECIAL MASTER'S DECISION TO UPHOLD THE APPROVAL OF THE PLANS BY THE BOA. THE PLANS FOR THE GARDEN OF OUR LORD MUST BE DENIED BECAUSE THEY DRAMATICALLY DEVIATE FROM OUR CODE ONE 10 FANIA AVENUE HAS TWO EXTRAORDINARILY UNIQUE FEATURES, THE GARDEN OF OUR LORD AND THE 200 YEAR OLD TREE. THE GARDEN WAS ONE OF THE FIRST THREE BIBLICAL GARDENS IN AMERICA. IT IS A MILITARY MEMORIAL, COMMUNITY MEMORIAL AND RELIGIOUS MEMORIAL, AND A CEMETERY. SOME OF THE TREES AND BUSHES, WHICH GROW IN THE GARDEN TODAY CAME AS SEEDS FROM GETHSEMANE. THE GARDEN WAS DESIGNED BY ACCLAIMED ARCHITECT ROBERT FITCH SMITH, AND IT WAS DESIGNED TO COMPLIMENT THE HISTORIC WOMEN'S CLUB, WHICH IS IMMEDIATELY ADJACENT TO IT. THE PROPOSED PROJECT SEEKS TO DEMOLISH THE GARDEN, REMOVE SPECIMEN TREES FROM THE SWALE, UH, WITH SPANISH MOSS, AND MOVE THE 200 YEAR OLD TREE EXPERTS FROM SCA, FAIRCHILD MONTGOMERY AND THE GIFFORD STATE WITH AUTHORITY THAT THE ANCIENT TREE WILL DIE IF IT IS MOVED. AND, UH, FOR THAT REASON, A LAWSUIT HAS BEEN FILED AGAINST THE CITY TO PRESERVE THE TREE. AND THE PHOTOS THAT ARE BEING DISPLAYED ARE OF FANIA, ANDIA, GALLIANO, AND EAST PONDS. AND THEY, THEY DEMONSTRATE THE CHARACTER OF THIS RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOOD. OUR CITY CHARTER CLEARLY AND SUCCINCTLY DEFINES THE RESPONSIBILITIES AND OBLIGATIONS OF OUR SPECIAL MASTERS PURSUANT TO THE CITY CHARTER SECTION 14 DASH 1 0 3 2 AND 1 0 3 3. THE SPECIAL MASTERS ARE A DESIGN REVIEW ADMINISTRATIVE BOARD CREATED TO ENSURE THAT THE CITY'S ARCHITECTURE MEETS THE DESIGN REVIEW STANDARDS OF THE ZONING CODE AND IS CONSISTENT WITH THE CITY'S REGULATIONS. AND TO PRESERVE THE TRADITIONAL AESTHETIC CHARACTER OF THE COMMUNITY, THE SPECIAL MASTERS MUST ADHERE TO THREE DIFFERENT CRITERIA. THE FIRST CRITERIA THAT THEY MUST FOLLOW ARE OUR DESIGN REVIEW STANDARDS. DESIGN REVIEW STANDARDS ARE CONCERNED WITH ISSUES SUCH AS CONTEXT COMPATIBILITY, SCALE, MASSING STYLE, DENSITY, HEIGHT, FACADES, AND SETBACKS. THESE DESIGN REVIEW STANDARDS ARE CLEARLY EXPLAINED IN SECTION FIVE DASH 1 0 3, ARCHITECTURAL STYLE LETTER B. THE CODE SAYS, QUOTE, THE ARCHITECTURAL CONTEXT OF AN AREA INCLUDES HEIGHT, SCALE, MASSING, SEPARATION BETWEEN BUILDINGS AND STYLE IN REGARD TO HOW BUILDINGS AND STRUCTURES RELATE TO EACH OTHER WITHIN A SPECIFIED AREA. IN OUR CODE, THE WORD CONTEXT APPEARS NINE TIMES, AND THE WORD COMPATIBILITY APPEARS 12 TIMES. ARTICLE 16 FROM OUR CODE EXPLAINS THAT QUOTE, COMPATIBILITY MEANS THE CHARACTERISTICS OF DIFFERENT USES [04:10:01] OR ACTIVITIES OR DESIGN, WHICH ALLOW THEM TO BE LOCATED NEAR OR ADJACENT TO EACH OTHER IN HARMONY. SOME ELEMENTS AFFECTING COMPATIBILITY INCLUDE HEIGHT, SCALE, MASS, AND BULK OF STRUCTURES, PEDESTRIAN OR VEHICULAR TRAFFIC, CIRCULATION ACCESS, AND PARKING IMPACTS. COMPATIBILITY REFERS TO THE SENSITIVITY OF DEVELOPMENT PROPOSALS IN MAINTAINING THE CHARACTER OF EXISTING DEVELOPMENT. UM, THE, THE PHOTOS BEING DISPLAYED DEMONSTRATE CONCLUSIVELY THAT THIS PROJECT IS OUT OF CONTEXT AND INCOMPATIBLE WITH THIS NEIGHBORHOOD. ON FANIA AVENUE, THERE ARE SIX HISTORICALLY DESIGNATED STRUCTURES, AND ON ANTIA THERE ARE THREE. THIS PROJECT IS INCOMPATIBLE WITH THESE STRUCTURES. THIS PROJECT FAILS TO ADHERE TO THE DESIGN REVIEW STANDARDS, MOST ESPECIALLY CONTEXT AND COMPATIBILITY, BUT ALSO SCALE MASSING STYLE, DENSITY, HEIGHT, FACADES, AND SETBACKS. THE SECOND CRITERIA, WHICH ARE SPECIAL MASTERS MUST ADHERE TO ARE OUR CITY REGULATIONS. THE MOST IMPORTANT REGULATIONS ARE OUR CITY ORDINANCES. THERE ARE TWO ORDINANCES WHICH APPLY DIRECTLY TO THIS PROJECT. CORAL GABLE'S HISTORIC CITY PLAN IS AN ORDINANCE UNANIMOUSLY APPROVED BY THE CITY COMMISSION TO PRESERVE MERRICK'S VISION FOR OUR CITY. IT SPECIFICALLY STATES THAT THE DOUGLAS SECTION, WHICH IS WHAT THAT AREA WAS REFERRED TO IN HIS PLAN, BE LOW IN HEIGHT AND REMAIN IN THE SAME SCALE AS THE SINGLE FAMILY HOMES. THE OTHER ORDINANCE, WHICH APPLIES TO THIS PROJECT IS THE NORTH PONDS CONSERVATION DISTRICT OVERLAY. THE NORTH PONDS CONSERVATION DISTRICT OVERLAY ORDINANCE WAS CREATED FOR THE PRESERVATION AND CONSERVATION OF THE TRADITIONAL GARDEN APARTMENT FABRIC OF THE NORTH PONDS NEIGHBORHOOD. THIS ORDINANCE WAS WRITTEN TO QUOTE, QUOTE, PRESERVE AND ENHANCE THE CHARACTER OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD UNQUOTE. ALSO, YOU MUST REMEMBER THAT THIS RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOOD IS CURRENTLY BEING STUDIED TO POTENTIALLY BE DE DESIGNATED THE NORTH PONDS HISTORIC GARDEN APARTMENT DISTRICT. THE ARCHITECTURE OF THIS PROJECT FLAGRANTLY VIOLATES THE MOST FUNDAMENTAL TENANTS OF OUR BUILDING CODE. THE PROJECT RECEIVED THE MEDITERRANEAN BONUS BECAUSE THE STANDARDS FOR IT WERE VERY LAX AT THE TIME OF ITS APPROVAL. UNDER THE NEW AND REVISED STANDARDS, IT WOULD NOT BE QUALIFIED FOR IT. IT IS ALSO IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT THIS RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOOD LACKS THE INFRASTRUCTURE FOR THE PROJECT. IT SERIOUSLY IGNORES OUR CODES REQUIREMENTS FOR SETBACKS. AND EVEN THOUGH THE PROJECT SEEKS PLANNED AREA DEVELOPMENT PAD IN EXCHANGE FOR PUBLIC GREEN SPACE, IT ONLY PROVIDES AN INSUFFICIENTLY SMALL INTERIOR COURTYARD, WHICH IS TO SERVE PRIMARILY AS A PLAYGROUND FOR THE SCHOOL, WHICH IS TO BE LOCATED ON THE PROPERTY. THUS, THEY WILL ONLY BE PROVIDING AN OCCASIONAL GREEN SPACE, WHICH WILL ONLY BE AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY AFTER 4:00 PM. THE THIRD CRITERIA, WHICH THE SPECIAL MASTERS MUST ABIDE BY, IS THAT THEY PRESERVE THE TRADITIONAL AESTHETIC CHARACTER OF OUR COMMUNITY. THIS CITY WAS FOUNDED UNDER THE PRECEPTS OF THE GARDEN CITY MOVEMENT. NO OTHER NEIGHBORHOOD IN THIS CITY EXEMPLIFIES THE CORE PRINCIPLES OF GARDEN CITY MOVEMENT BETTER THAN THE NORTH PONDS GARDEN APARTMENT DISTRICT. AND NOTHING THREATENS THIS NEIGHBORHOOD MORE THAN THIS PROJECT. THERE ARE A PLETHORA OF REASONS WHY THIS PROJECT MUST BE DENIED. IT UTTERLY DISREGARDS THE SACREDNESS OF THE GARDEN OF OUR LORD AND THE 200 YEAR OLD TREE. AND IT IS AN ABOMINATION AND REPUGNANT VIOLATION OF OUR CODE. AND I'M GONNA SAVE THE REST OF MY TIME, UM, FOR REBUTTAL. THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH MR. WINKER. [04:15:01] IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU'D LIKE TO ADD? UM, I'M JUST WONDERING WHY RHONDA HAS NOT RECUSED HERSELF. SHE HAD RECUSED HERSELF WHEN IT CAME BEFORE THE COMMISSION, DURING THE HER HISTORIC PRESERVATION DESIGNATION. I'LL PROVIDE YOU, I'LL PROVIDE YOU AN EXPLANATION ON THE RECORD. THE ISSUE ON HISTORIC PRESERVATION IS WHETHER OR NOT THE GARDEN ITSELF WAS HISTORIC BECAUSE I HAD PERSONALLY WALKED THE PROPERTY BECAUSE I HAD PERSONALLY SEEN THE PROPERTY FOR DECADES BECAUSE I HAD INLAWS THAT USED TO OWN THE PROP PROPERTY ACROSS THE STREET. I HAD PERSONAL KNOWLEDGE THAT MEANT THAT I COULD NOT SIT ON THAT PARTICULAR ISSUE. THE ISSUE HERE DOES NOT DEAL WITH THE HISTORIC PRESERVATION OF A GARDEN. IT DEALS WITH THE ARCHITECTURE OF THE BUILDING ITSELF. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. MR. WINGER. ANYTHING FURTHER? NO, THANK YOU. OKAY. UH, MR. CITY ATTORNEY. GOOD AFTERNOON. GOOD AFTERNOON, MAYOR, VICE MAYOR AND COMMISSIONERS ASSISTANT CITY ATTORNEY GUS BIOS. UM, BEFORE YOU, UH, AS THE ATTORNEY FOR THE BOARD OF ARCHITECTS AND THE BOARD OF OUR ARCHITECTS SPECIAL MASTER, I WILL KEEP MY COMMENTS VERY BRIEF. THEY'RE MOSTLY PROCEDURAL IN NATURE. JUST TO GIVE YOU SOME BIT OF A BACKGROUND. SO THIS PROJECT ORIGINALLY CAME TO THE BOARD OF ARCHITECTS FOR PRELIMINARY DESIGN REVIEW BACK IN AUGUST OF 2022. AND WAS SUBSEQUENTLY HEARD AGAIN DECEMBER 7TH, 2022. IT CAME BEFORE THE BOARD FOR THE FIRST, UH, FULL HEARING ON DECEMBER 15TH, 2022 AND WAS DEFERRED IN FEBRUARY OF 2023. IT CAME BACK AGAIN AND IT WAS APPROVED FOR MEDITERRANEAN BONUS, MEDITERRANEAN BONUS. AND THE DESIGN APPROVAL ARE TWO SEPARATE APPROVALS. THE DESIGN WAS AGAIN, DEFERRED FOR A SECOND TIME IN APRIL OF 23. IT ONCE AGAIN WAS DEFERRED. AND AGAIN IN JUNE 29TH, 2023, IT WAS DEFOR DEFERRED FOR A FOURTH TIME. ON THE FIFTH TIME THAT THIS PROJECT CAME BEFORE THE BOARD OF ARCHITECTS, IT WAS APPROVED WITH SOME CONDITIONS SPECIFICALLY TO THE, UM, FPL, VAULT DOORS, ARCH TRIMS, AND SOME FINISHED MATERIALS. IT WAS THEN IN OCTOBER OF 2023 THAT IT WAS APPEALED BY THE APPELLANT MS. BONNIE BOLTON. A CONFLICT RESOLUTION WAS HELD ON JANUARY 30TH, 2024 AS REQUIRED BY OUR CODE. WE HAD A SUBSEQUENT CONFLICT RESOLUTION MEETING IN APRIL 26TH, 2024. NO RESOLUTION CAME OF THOSE MEETINGS. A SUBSEQUENT BO OA MEETING WAS HELD WITH A SLIGHTLY MODIFIED DESIGN. THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT THE PROPERTY OWNER AND THE APPLICANT BROUGHT FORTH IN AUGUST OF 2025. IT DID NOT MOVE FORWARD. IT DID NOT GET AN APPROVAL. DID NOT GET DENIED. THEY WITHDREW THEIR APPLICATION. SO THEIR EXISTING APPROVAL REMAINS. A SPECIAL MASTER HEARING WAS SCHEDULED FOR DECEMBER 8TH OF LAST YEAR. WE HAD TO CANCEL THAT AT LAST MINUTE AND IT WAS RESCHEDULED FOR JANUARY 31ST, 2026 AT 2:00 PM THAT SPECIAL MASTER HEARING WAS HELD BEFORE A PANEL OF THREE SPECIAL MASTERS. AS THE CITY ATTORNEY INDICATED BEFORE, BEFORE YOU TODAY IS WHETHER THE THREE PRONGS ARE BEING MET, MEANING WAS THERE DUE PROCESS IN ESSENCE, WAS THERE NOTICE? I HAVEN'T HEARD ANYTHING THAT WOULD INDICATE THAT THERE WAS A LACK OF DUE PROCESS OR NOTICE. UH, MS. BOLTON'S COMMENT ABOUT, UH, DIFFERENT TIMES I KEPT THE TIME AS THE COMMISSION IS USED TO THE CLERK MAY KEEP TIME, BUT IT IS UP TO THE MAYOR TO REGULATE HOW THAT TIME IS CONTROLLED. EVERYONE GOT THE SAME AMOUNT OF TIME. IF SOMEONE SPOKE LONGER, THERE WAS MORE INTERACTION BETWEEN THE SPECIAL MASTER AND THEM THAT'S OUTSIDE, OUTSIDE THE TIME OF THEIR ORIGINAL 15 MINUTES. BUT IN MY RECOLLECTION IS THAT NOBODY WAS CUT OFF AT ANY POINT. NEITHER PUBLIC NOR THE APPLICANT, NOR THE APPELLANT NOR THE CITY STAFF. THE SECOND PRONG IS WHETHER THE ESSENTIAL REQUIREMENTS OF THE LAW WERE FOLLOWED. THE REVIEW OF THE DESIGN WAS BASED ON THE STANDARDS OF ARTICLE FIVE OF THE CORAL GABLE ZONING CODE. AND THE THIRD PRONG WAS WHETHER IT WAS COMMON SUBSTANTIAL EVIDENCE. THE DETERMINATION AS WRITTEN IN THE ORDER WAS BASED ON THE COMPETENT, SUBSTANTIAL EVIDENCE THAT WAS PRESENTED BY BOTH THE APPELLANT, THE APPLICANT, AND CITY STAFF. ALSO TO NOTE IT WAS A UNANIMOUS DECISION BY THE SPECIAL MASTERS TO UPHOLD THE DECISION OF THE BOARD OF ARCHITECTS. MYSELF AND THE CITY ARCHITECT ARE AVAILABLE. IF YOU HAVE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS, PLEASE LET US KNOW. JUST ONE, ONE REQUEST, UH, YOU MENTIONED THE VOTE FOR THE SPECIAL MASTER WAS A THREE ZERO, CORRECT? CORRECT. WHAT WAS THE VOTE OF THE BOARD OF ARCHITECTURE? I HAVE TO DEFER TO THE CITY ARCHITECT ON THE SPECIFICS ON THAT PARTICULAR VOTE. MR. CITY ARCHITECT, IF YOU HAVE THAT INFORMATION, JUST TO PUT IT ON THE RECORD, I, 'CAUSE I KNOW THAT I'M GONNA GET ASKED LATER AND I WANNA MAKE SURE I HAVE THAT ON THAT, THAT IS THE OCTOBER 19TH, 2023 [04:20:02] DECISION. I DO NOT HAVE THAT. MADAM VICE MAYOR. UH, QUICK QUESTION FOR STAFF. SO FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE COMMUNITY, UM, THREE, FOUR YEARS AGO, WERE THERE THREE SPECIAL MASTERS REQUIRED? NO, THIS WAS A DECISION THAT WAS MADE BY THIS COMMISSION TO CHANGE THE REQUIREMENTS SO THAT WHEN ANY COMMERCIAL OR MX USE, UM, REVIEW WENT THROUGH THE PROCESS, THAT IT WOULDN'T BE A SINGLE SPECIAL MASTER, BUT A PANEL OF THREE. THIS IS THE FIRST ONE WE'VE EVER HELD IN THAT WAY. MAY I ADD SOME MORE COLOR TO THE VICE MAYOR'S COMMENT? JUST TO, JUST TO GIVE YOU A LITTLE BIT MORE UNDERSTANDING AT IT. BEFORE IT WAS JUST ONE, NOW IT'S THREE. WHAT, WHEN WAS THAT? DO YOU KNOW WHAT YEAR THAT WAS IN? THAT WAS INSTITUTED THAT, THAT CHANGE EITHER 2023 OR 20. IT WAS IN EITHER 2023 OR 2024. IT WAS RECENT. YEAH. OKAY. UH, IT WAS A, AN ORDINANCE I SPONSORED. RIGHT. UH, BECAUSE I WAS THE FIRST, UH, INDIVIDUAL THAT APPEALED A SPECIAL MASTER'S DECISION, IT WAS BASED UPON A SINGLE OPINION AND FOR PROJECT OF THIS MAGNITUDE, I FELT IT WOULD BE BEST THAT WE NOT HAVE A SINGLE INDIVIDUAL WAY IN. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. MADAM VICE MAYOR. MR. ARCHITECT. I, I DO NOT HAVE THE INFORMATION AVAILABLE FOR THE MEETING. I CAN HAVE SOMEBODY LOOK IT UP IF YOU THAT'S PERFECT. I WE'RE GONNA BE ASKED, SO I JUST WANNA HAVE IT ON THE RECORD. YEAH. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, SIR. I'LL FOLLOW UP ON THAT. I APPRECIATE YOU. ANYTHING ELSE FOR THE GOOD OF THE ORDER? MR. CITY ARCHITECT? MR. CITY ATTORNEY. EXCUSE ME. ALRIGHT, PERFECT. THE APPLICANT? YES. NOW IT'S, UH, THE PROPERTY OWNER'S PRESENTATION. PROPERTY OWNER. GOOD AFTERNOON. GOOD AFTERNOON. YOU GIMME A SECOND BEFORE THE TIMER STARTS. UM, I'M GONNA CONNECT, WE HAVE A PRESENTATION AS WELL. JUST GIVE US A MINUTE TO SET IT UP. OKAY, THANK YOU. OKAY, I THINK WE'RE GOOD. I GOT THE THUMBS UP. UH, GOOD AFTERNOON, MR. MAYOR COMMISSIONERS GEORGE NAVARRO WITH OFFICES AT 3 3 3 SOUTHEAST SECOND AVENUE. I'M HERE, UH, THIS AFTERNOON ON BEHALF OF THE PROPERTY OWNER AND ON BEHALF OF CRYSTAL ACADEMY, UH, TO DEFEND THE BOAS AND THE SPECIAL MASTERS APPROVAL OF THIS PROJECT. UM, THERE WE GO. THANK YOU. IF YOU GO ON THE NEXT SLIDE, THE PROJECT, UH, AND THE DESIGN OF THE PROJECT PROPOSES GROUND LEVEL LIVE WORK UNITS. UH, IF YOU COULD GO ON THE NEXT SLIDE. UH, UPPER LEVEL RESIDENTS AND A NEW 5,500 SQUARE FOOT EDUCATIONAL FACILITY FOR CRYSTAL ACADEMY. FULLY FUNDED AND FULLY BUILT BY THE OWNER AND LEASED BACK TO THE SCHOOL RENT FREE, CREATING A PERMANENT HOME FOR THIS IMPORTANT COMMUNITY RESOURCE AND THE FAMILY IT SERVES. IF YOU GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. WHAT MAKES THIS SCHOOL SO UNIQUE AND SPECIAL IS THE COMBINATION OF ACADEMIC AND THERAPEUTIC PROGRAMS THAT IT PROVIDES IN ONE SETTING FOR CHILDREN WITH DEVELOPMENT DELAYS. OVER THE LAST FEW MONTHS, WE HAVE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO MEET WITH MANY RESIDENTS WITHIN AN EIGHT BLOCK RADIUS, AND WE HAVE OBTAINED 400 SIGNED PETITIONS OF SUPPORT IN FAVOR OF THIS PROJECT AND ITS DESIGN DEMONSTRATING THE STRONG COMMUNITY SUPPORT FOR THIS PROJECT. AS WE CONSIDER THIS APPEAL, IF YOU COULD GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. IT'S IMPORTANT TO CLEARLY DEFINE WHAT IS BEFORE YOU TODAY AND WHAT IS NOT. THIS APPEAL IS LIMITED BY LAW AND BY YOUR CODE TO A REVIEW OF THE EXISTING RECORD TO DETERMINE WHETHER THE SPECIAL MASTER'S DECISION, UNANIMOUS DECISION TO APPROVE THE PROJECT IS SUPPORTED BY SUBSTANTIAL COMPETENT EVIDENCE. THIS IS NOT A REHEARING OF THAT PROCEEDING. MAY I ASK YOU A QUESTION, SIR? I APOLOGIZE FOR INTERRUPTING YOU. YES. EVERYTHING THERE AT GREEN OBVIOUSLY SHOWS SUPPORT. WHAT IS THE RED? IS THAT THE PROJECT? THE RED IS THE PROJECT SITE ITSELF. THANK YOU, MIKEL. IF YOU COULD GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. AS REFLECTED IN THE RECORD, THE MAJORITY OF THE APPELLANT'S PRESENTATION FOCUSED ON ITEMS THAT ARE NOT PART OF THE ARCHITECTURAL REVIEW CRITERIA UNDER THE CODE AND RESPECTFULLY FALL OUTSIDE THE SCOPE OF THIS APPEAL. ITEMS SUCH AS REZONING AND LAND USE POLICY, TREE RELOCATION, ALLEGED IMPACTS TO ADJACENT PROPERTIES. HISTORIC DESIGNATION AND PRESERVATION OF PRIVATE GREEN SPACES ARE ALL GOVERNED BY A COMPLETELY SEPARATE SET OF REGULATORY FRAMEWORK AND APPROVALS AND UNDER THE JURISDICTION OF DIFFERENT BOARDS AND DEPARTMENTS, NOT THE BOARD OF ARCHITECTS. SO FOR PURPOSES OF THE RECORD, I WOULD LIKE TO CLARIFY A FEW POINTS. IF YOU COULD GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE. MIKHAIL. FIRST, MS. BOLTON'S CHARACTERIZATION OF THE NORTH PONDS OVERLAY AREA AS A LOW RISE AREA IS FACTUALLY AND LEGALLY INACCURATE. THE MPCD IS A BROAD OVERLAY, AS YOU COULD SEE HERE, THAT APPLIES TO A MAJORITY OF THE NORTH PONDS AREA. WHILE THE MPCD WAS ADOPTED TO ENCOURAGE THE PRESERVATION OF EXISTING GARDEN STYLE APARTMENT BUILDINGS BY GIVING THEM ADDITIONAL DEVELOPMENT INCENTIVES TO BE ABLE TO DEVELOP WHEN YOU HAVE AN EXISTING APARTMENT BUILDING, IT DID NOT ELIMINATE LAWFULLY EXISTING MF TWO ZONING. [04:25:01] IF THE INTENT WAS TO REQUIRE LOW RISE DEVELOPMENT, THE ORDINANCE WOULD SAY SO INSTEAD. AND IF WE COULD GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, THE OVERLAY ACTUALLY EXPRESSLY ALLOWS BUILDINGS UP TO 97 FEET TALL. AND HERE'S AN AREA THAT SHOWS THE HEIGHT CONTEXT IN THE AREA TO SHOW. THIS IS ALL IN THE MPCD, UH, WHAT THE HEIGHT IN THIS AREA ACTUALLY IS. UM, THE MPCD ALLOWS A HEIGHT OF 97 FEET. THIS PROJECT IS 93 FEET. IF YOU COULD SEE AS WE GO THROUGH THE, UH, PHOTOS HERE, IF YOU COULD GO IN THE NEXT SLIDE. THERE ARE MULTIPLE HIGH-RISE BUILDINGS IN THIS AREA DIRECTLY ADJACENT TO THIS PROPERTY. THE RANGE IN HEIGHTS BETWEEN 130 TO 190 FEET IN HEIGHT, WHICH GREATLY EXCEED THE 93 FEET THAT OUR PROJECT IS PROPOSING. THE BOA AND THE SPECIAL MASTER CAREFULLY CONSIDERED THIS CONTEXT AND ULTIMATELY APPROVING THIS PROJECT FOR ARCHITECTURAL COMPATIBILITY, WHICH IS THE ONLY APPROPRIATE COMPATIBILITY STANDARD UNDER SECTION FIVE DASH 1 0 2 B OF YOUR CODE. REGARDING THE CONCERNS REGARDING THE PROJECT'S PROXIMITY TO THE WOMEN'S CLUB, THERE IS NO RULE CRITERIA OR REGULATION OR OTHER REQUIREMENT IN YOUR CODE THAT ALLOWS OR REQUIRES THE BOARD TO EVALUATE THE BUILDING SIZE, MASSING, OR IMPACT TO NEARBY HISTORIC SITES. IT DOES NOT EXIST, ESPECIALLY ACROSS THE STREET. IN FACT, AS YOU CAN SEE IN THIS IMAGE, THERE ARE NUMEROUS COMPARABLE PROJECTS IN THE CITY AND IN THIS IMMEDIATE AREA THAT ARE CLOSER TO OR TALLER TO HISTORIC STRUCTURES THAN OUR PROJECT IS. FOR EXAMPLE, FINK STUDIOS RIGHT DOWN THE STREET IN DOWNTOWN CORAL GABLES IS FLANKED BY HIGH-RISE BUILDINGS. THIS SHOWS THAT PROXIMITY TO HISTORIC STRUCTURE IS NOT A RELEVANT CONSIDERATION IN YOUR CODE FOR ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN APPROVAL AND IS NOT SOMETHING THAT HAS BEEN DONE IN THE PAST AND IS INCONSISTENT WITH PAST PRACTICES REGARDING THE TREE RELOCATION, WHICH HAS BEEN DISCUSSED AT LENGTH IN THE RECORD. IF WE COULD GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. TREE PRESERVATION AND RELOCATION ARE ALSO NOT LISTED AS AN ARCHITECTURAL REVIEW CRITERIA IN THE CODE. THESE ARE ALSO GOVERNED BY A COMPLETELY SET SEPARATE SET OF CITY AND STATE PERMITTING REGULATIONS. THAT SAID, OUR PROJECT DOES PROVIDE A ROBUST TREE PRESERVATION PLAN. WE'RE PRESERVING A LARGE MAHOGANY THAT WE REDESIGNED THE BUILDING AND THE DESIGN TO PRESERVE, AND WE ARE ALSO RELOCATING A MATURE OAK TREE TO MAKE IT A PROMINENT FEATURE OF THE PROJECT. AS YOU CAN SEE IN THIS IMAGE, THERE'S BEEN MUCH TO SAY ABOUT THE VIS ABOUT MS. BOLTON'S LETTER FROM VISIA. BUT I WOULD LIKE TO RESPECTFULLY MOVE TO DISQUALIFY THAT LETTER THAT WAS SUBMITTED BY MS. BOLTONS FROM MR. SIMPSONS FROM MR. SIMKINS THAT SHE RELIES ON TO SUPPORT HER CLAIM REGARDING THE ALLEGED AGE OF THE ONSITE OAK TREE. THIS LETTER IS NOT CREDIBLE AND IT DOES NOT CONSTITUTE EXPERT TESTIMONY. IT PROVIDES NO INDICATION THAT MR. SIMKINS EVER VISITED THE SITE, NOR DOES IT ADDRESS HIS QUALIFICATIONS OR CREDENTIALS. AND HE WAS NEVER PROPERLY QUALIFIED AS AN EXPERT IN THESE PROCEEDINGS. THE APPELLANT HAS USED THIS LETTER TO SUGGEST THAT IT REFLECTS VISCAS OFFICIAL POSITION ON THE TREE, BUT THAT IS MISLEADING AND INACCURATE AS CONFIRMED BY A LETTER THAT WE RECEIVED FROM THE CEO AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF SCA A, WHICH I WOULD LIKE TO READ INTO THE RECORD. THE STATEMENTS OF MR. SIMKINS ARE HIS PERSONAL VIEWS AND DO NOT REPRESENT THOSE OF SCA. A DEAR CORAL GABLES OFFICIALS, PLEASE BE ADVISED THAT THE ATTACHED LETTER WRITTEN BY SCA SENIOR DIRECTOR OF HORTICULTURE AND SUSTAINABILITY, IAN SIMKINS, ON NOVEMBER 22ND, 2022, REPRESENTS THE PERSONAL OPINIONS OF MR. SIMKINS. I WAS NOT AWARE THAT THIS LETTER HAD EVER BEEN WRITTEN AND IT SHOULD NOT BE CONSTRUED AS REPRESENTING THE VIEWS OF SCA MUSEUM AND GARDEN. AND I'LL BE SUBMITTING THIS LETTER TO THE CLERK AT THE CONCLUSION OF MY PRESENTATION. ON THE OTHER HAND, OUR CERTIFIED ARBORIST, MR. MICHAEL MCCOY, WHO HAS OVER 25 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE WITH TREE RISK ASSESSMENTS, IMPACT EVALUATIONS AND TREE RELOCATION PLANNING, WHO HAS BEEN QUALIFIED AS AN EXPERT AND ACTUALLY INSPECTED THE TREE, PROVIDED A DETAILED ASSESSMENT REPORT THAT'S PART OF YOUR RECORD, CONFIRMING THAT THIS TREE IS AN EXCELLENT CANDIDATE FOR RELOCATION. MR. MCCOY, ALONG WITH MR. DAVID BRYANT, WHO ALSO HAS 40 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE IN RELOCATING LARGE SPECIMEN TREES, SUCH AS THIS, ARE HERE TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THAT THIS COMMISSION MAY HAVE AT THE CONCLUSION OF MY PRESENTATION. IF WE COULD GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE. I ALSO WANT TO ADDRESS THE ISSUE ABOUT THE PRIVATE GARDEN, WHICH HAS ALREADY GONE, AS YOU COULD SEE HERE THROUGH A SEPARATE AND EXTENSIVE REVIEW, REVIEW PROCESS. YOUR HISTORIC PRESERVATION OFFICER, HISTORIC PRESERVATION BOARD, THIS CITY COMMISSION AND TWO COURTS HAVE REVIEWED THIS AND ALL [04:30:01] CATEGORICALLY DENIED THIS REQUEST TO DESIGNATE THIS PROPERTY AS HISTORIC, FINDING THAT IT DID NOT, IN ANY CASE, MEET ANY OF THE CRITERIA TO REQUIRE DESIGNATION OR PRESERVATION. THIS ARCHITECTURAL REVIEW PROCESS CANNOT BE USED AS A VEHICLE TO RE-LITIGATE OR REOPEN HISTORICAL DESIGNATION ISSUES THAT HAVE ALREADY BEEN SETTLED AND ADDRESSED. IF YOU COULD GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. HAVING CLARIFIED WHAT IS NOT AT ISSUE TODAY, LET'S TALK ABOUT WHAT IS ARTICLE FIVE OF YOUR CODE SETS OUT CLEAR AND SPECIFIC SET OF CRITERIA FOR ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN APPROVAL, WHICH IS THE ONLY STANDARD THAT WE ARE TALKING ABOUT HERE THIS AFTERNOON, YOUR BOA, WHICH IS COMPRISED OF HIGHLY EXPERIENCED PROFESSIONALS WHO KNOW THE CITY WELL AND WHO APPLY THIS CRITERIA WEEKLY. REVIEWED THIS EXACT PLANS ON FIVE SEPARATE OCCASIONS, PROVIDED INPUT REQUESTED REFINEMENTS, AND ULTIMATELY APPROVE THE FINAL PROJECT, FINDING THAT IF FULLY COMPLIED WITH THE REQUIREMENTS FOR ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN APPROVAL. IN ARTICLE FIVE, YOUR SPECIAL MASTER'S BOARD, AN EXPERT BODY MADE UP OF THREE ARCHITECTS, THAT EACH HAS FOUR DECADES OF PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE IN ARCHITECTURE CAREFULLY REVIEWED THE TESTIMONY PROVIDED AND THE EVIDENCE PRESENTED AND UNANIMOUSLY DENIED THE APPEAL. OUR LEAD DESIGNER, MR. ALBERT CORDOVA AND OUR EXPERT WITNESS, MR. BOB CHISHOLM, PRESENTED OUR PROJECT TO THE BOARD IN DETAIL, WALKING THROUGH EACH DESIGN ELEMENT TO DEMONSTRATE HOW THE PROJECT MEETS AND EXCEEDS EACH AND EVERY ONE OF THE REQUIRED CODE CRITERIA. AND I LIKE TO INVITE ALBERT CORDOVA UP OUR LEAD DESIGNER TO PROVIDE A BRIEF SUMMARY OF HIS TESTIMONY AND THE MATERIALS THAT WERE PRESENTED TO THE SPECIAL MASTER. SO YOU COULD HAVE THAT AS PART OF, UH, AS PART OF YOUR BACKGROUND. THANK YOU GEORGE. MR. MAYOR BY MA, VICE MAYOR, COMMISSIONERS. GOOD AFTERNOON. UH, ALBERT CORDEZ WITH CORAL ARCHITECTS AT 42 10 LAGUNA STREET, CORAL GABLES, FLORIDA. UM, FIRST AND FOREMOST, I WANNA THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME IN REVIEWING OUR APPLICATION, OUR PROJECT THIS AFTERNOON. UH, THIS IS ONE THAT WE HAVE BEEN WORKING FOR QUITE SOME TIME WITH OUR CLIENT CITY STAFF, UM, IN A INCREDIBLE AND GREAT COLLABORATIVE EFFORT WITH THE BOARD OF ARCHITECTS, WHICH ULTIMATELY APPROVED WHAT WE FELT AND WE FEEL STILL TODAY IS A GREAT PROJECT FOR THE RESIDENTS TO BE AND FOR THE COMMUNITY OF THE CITY OF CORAL GABLES, UH, PROJECT, UH, CONSTITUTES 200 UNITS IN NINE LEVELS, NINE STORIES, UM, A UNIT MIX RANGING FROM STUDIOS TO THREE BEDROOM UNITS. UM, WE ALSO HAVE A 5,000 SQUARE FEET, UH, SPECIAL NEEDS SCHOOL, WHICH IS ONE OF THE, UH, UH, THEATER AND PRIDES OF THIS PROJECT. UM, AND IN ADDITION TO THAT, WE'RE HOUSING 301 STRUCTURED PARKING SPACES WITHIN THE PROJECT. SO FROM THE ONSET, WHEN WE LOOKED AT THIS PROJECT, WE FOUND AN INCREDIBLE OPPORTUNITY, AN OPPORTUNITY TO DESIGN A SMALL CITY BLOCK IN THE CITY. BEAUTIFUL. AND THAT OPPORTUNITY WAS REALLY TO TAKE WHAT'S EXISTING THERE TODAY IN CREATING AN AMAZING AND GORGEOUS PEDESTRIAN WEALTH. AND WE STARTED DOING THAT. THAT'S WHAT WE SET OUT TO DO, AND IT WAS AN INCREDIBLE COLLABORATIVE EFFORT WITH THIS CITY, THE BOARD OF ARCHITECTS. UM, SO IN STARTING TO DO THAT, WHAT WE DID IS WE, WE ACTUALLY WENT AHEAD AND TOOK THAT PERIMETER OF THAT PARTICULAR CITY BLOCK AND DEVELOPED IT WITH ALMOST 95% OF ACTIVE, TRULY ACTIVE USE SPACES. IN ADDITION TO THAT, WE FELT IT WAS REALLY IMPORTANT TO CREATE QUALITY OF LIFE IN THE PEDESTRIAN REALM BY INCREASING THE LANDSCAPED AREAS IN THAT REALM. AND FOR THAT REASON, YOU SEE THAT IN OUR PERIMETER, WE ESTABLISHED, UH, DISTANCES GREATER THAN THE REQUIRED SETBACK BY ARTICULATING THE PORTICO ALONG THE FACADES WHERE YOU HAVE A LIVE WORK UNITS AND ADDING ADDITIONAL LANDSCAPING, WE FELT IT WAS ALSO IMPORTANT TO EXTEND THAT QUALITY OF LIFE TO THE INTERIOR OF THE PROJECT BY CREATING BEAUTIFUL OPEN SPACE. UH, THE CENTRAL POINT OF OUR, OF OUR PROJECT, IT'S A BEAUTIFUL COURTYARD WITH ALMOST 6,000 SQUARE FEET. AND IT'S LINKED IN ADDITION TO THAT, NOT REQUIRED BY CODE, BUT IT'S LINKED THROUGH A PEDESTRIAN PASSAGE THROUGH BLOCK THAT LINKS PEDESTRIAN WITH ABILITY TO GO AND VISIT THE COURTYARD AS WELL. UH, AGAIN, MAXIMIZING THE, UH, UH, PEDESTRIAN QUALITY OF, OF THE ENTIRE PROJECT. UM, THE NEXT THING WE DID IS WE WANTED TO MINIMIZE AND INCREASE THE, THAT QUALITY BY INTRODUCING ONLY TWO CURB CUTS AND INTRODUCING AN INTERNAL VEHICULAR DRIVE NORTH TO SOUTH WHERE WE HAVE ACCESS TO THE SCHOOL FUNCTIONS AS FAR AS DROP OFF IS CONCERNED, WE HAVE ACCESS TO OUR, OUR INTERNAL PARKING CIRCULATION AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, ACCESS TO INTERNALIZED LOADING FUNCTIONS OF THE PROJECT, THEREFORE MINIMIZING ANY IMPACT ON THE PEDESTRIAN REALM ITSELF. ALL IN ALL, I THINK WE INCREASED, UH, A FROM THE 20% REQUIRED OPEN SPACE, UH, [04:35:01] REQUIRED BY CODE TO ALMOST 32% OF THE OPEN SPACE. FORGOT TO MENTION THAT WE ALSO HAVE THE NORTHEAST CORNER OF THE PROJECT, UH, ANCHORED BY AN OPEN SPACE FOR THE SCHOOL, BUT ALSO ALLOWED TO BE USED BY RESIDENTS ON NON-SCHOOL HOURS IN ADDITION TO. SO FROM WHAT WE HAVE TODAY, WE HAVE DEVELOPED ALMOST 30 SOMETHING PERCENT OF OPEN LANDSCAPE PEDESTRIAN AREAS, UH, THAT WE THINK ESTABLISHED INCREDIBLE QUALITY TO, TO THIS PARTICULAR PROJECT. OUR UPPER LEVELS ARE HOUSING THE BALANCE OF THE UNITS, AND AS YOU CAN SEE, THE ONE OF THE MAIN THINGS, AGAIN, IT WAS TO SHIELD THE PARKING GARAGE. AS YOU CAN SEE, IT'S TOTALLY SHIELDED WITH ACTIVE USES AND, AND ESSENTIALLY UNITS FROM, UH, FROM THE STREETS. LASTLY, WE HAVE OUR CULMINATING, UH, CULMINATING AT THE LAST LEVEL WITH AN OPEN BEAUTIFUL DECK, WHICH ESSENTIALLY BRINGS A PROJECT VOLUME FROM AN EIGHT STORY TO A NINE STORY VOLUME. AND I THINK IT ARTICULATES THE MASSING VERY WELL, UM, IN IN THE EXTERIOR COMPONENTS. UH, WE ABSOLUTELY, UH, THROUGH THE EFFORTS OF DESIGN WITH A BOARD, WITH STAFF, WITH OUR CLIENT, DESIGNED THIS BUILDING IN PURELY CORAL GABLES MEDITERRANEAN STYLE COMPLYING WITH EVERY SINGLE GUIDELINE ELEMENT OF THE CODE. UH, WE FEEL VERY PROUD OF IT. UH, I THINK THIS IS GONNA BE AN, AN AMAZING PROJECT FOR, FOR THE CITY, FOR THE COMMUNITY, FOR THE RESIDENTS TO BE. UM, AND, UM, WE ARE HERE TO ANSWER ANY, ANY QUESTIONS, ANY COMMENTS THAT YOU MIGHT HAVE. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. IN CLOSING, I'D LIKE TO, UH, RESERVE, I KNOW WE HAD A QUESTION IN THE MIDDLE AS WELL IN A FEW SECONDS, BUT WHAT I'D LIKE TO RESERVE A MINUTE FOR REBUTTAL. OKAY, AWESOME. THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR THE RECORD, MR. CLERK. 17 SECONDS. THANK YOU. ALRIGHT, NO WORRY. I'LL GIVE ANYBODY ENOUGH TIME. DON'T WORRY. I I I HAD A QUICK QUESTION. I KNOW I WAS, WELL, WE'LL DO QUESTIONS. I JUST WANNA HAVE, MR. WINKER, DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING YOU'D LIKE TO ADD FOR THE RECORD? S DO FOUR MINUTES OF REBUTTAL, MAYOR. OKAY. OKAY. JUST FOR THE RECORD, LIKE, JUST FOR THE RECORD, I WANNA BE CLEAR 'CAUSE THERE WERE SOME THINGS THAT WERE SAID THAT WERE NOT CORRECT, FACTUALLY CORRECT. WOULD YOU LET PROVIDE THE TIME THAT THEY HAVE AVAILABLE? THREE MINUTES AND 58 SECONDS, YOU CAN TAKE THE TIME THAT YOU NEED. GO AHEAD. OKAY. I WANNA STATE, UM, THAT THE TRANSCRIPTS OF THE SPECIAL MASTER HEARING INCONTROVERTIBLY DEMONSTRATE THAT MY DUE PROCESS WAS VIOLATED. I RECEIVED MUCH LESS TIME THAN THE DEVELOPER. THEY RECEIVED DOUBLE THE TIME. DON'T TAKE MY TIME, MR. NAVARRO. I'M HERE TO OBJECT. THAT'S ALL. ALSO THE CHAIR OF THE SPECIAL MASTERS, CONTRARY TO WHAT THE CITY, THE ASSISTANT CITY ATTORNEY STATED CUT ME OFF AND SAID, COME ON, WRAP IT UP, AND THE TRANSCRIPTS DEMONSTRATE THAT. ADDITIONALLY, I WANNA REITERATE THAT THE MEDITERRANEAN BONUS THAT THEY RECEIVED IS NOT THE BED MED BONUS THAT CURRENTLY EXISTS. NOW THAT STANDARDS WERE STRENGTHENED, IT'S COMPLETELY DIFFERENT, AND THIS PROJECT WOULD NOT QUALIFY FOR IT UNDER THE, THE NEW STANDARDS. ADDITIONALLY, THE GREEN SPACE THAT THEY'RE OFFERING IS A BOX. THEY RECEIVED PAD PLANNED AREA DEVELOPMENT IN EXCHANGE, UM, FOR THE ADDITIONAL, UM, SQUARE FOOTAGE. HOWEVER, UM, THEY ARE ONLY PROVIDING OCCASIONAL SHARED GREEN SPACE. AND NEVER BEFORE IN THIS HISTORY OF THIS CITY, HAS THERE EVER BEEN, UM, THIS KIND OF NEGOTIATION WHERE THE GREEN SPACE IS ONLY OCCASIONAL AND THAT, UH, THEY'VE BEEN GRANTED THE PLANNED AREA DEVELOPMENT PAD. SO, YES, UH, UH, ADDITIONALLY, UM, I WANNA REMIND THE COMMISSION THAT THIS PROJECT VIOLATES THE NORTH POND'S CONSERVATION DISTRICT OVERLAY. MANY OF THE PHOTOS THAT MR. NAVARRO SHOWED INCLUDED, UH, PONDS DE LEON ITSELF, WHICH HAS A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT ZONING CODE, AND IT'S NOT APPLICABLE TO THE, TO THE GARDEN APARTMENT DISTRICT, WHICH IS, UH, INSET FROM, UM, PONDS. AND, UM, ALSO, I WANNA POINT OUT THE FACT THAT I HAVE 12 DIFFERENT ARCHITECTS WHO'VE SPOKEN OUT AGAINST THIS PROJECT. UM, MARIA DE LAGUARDIA, RAPHAEL PORTER RONDO, ELIZABETH PLATTER BERG, UM, JOANNA LOMBARD, AND, UH, ROBERT A M STERN ADDITIONALLY WROTE LETTERS, UH, IN OPPOSITION TO THIS [04:40:01] PROJECT. AND LIZ PLATTER BERG EVEN, UH, ALLOWED ONE OF HER EMPLOYEES A LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT, MARIANA, UM, FLIGHT US TO, UH, COME TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS MEETING TODAY BECAUSE SHE IS SO AGAINST THIS PROJECT AND SHE UNDERSTANDS THE NPCO CODE, THE NORTH PONDS CONSERVATION DISTRICT OVERLAY CODE AND SEES THAT THIS IS A MAJOR VIOLATION OF IT. SO, UM, YES, THIS PROJECT MUST BE DENIED. IT FLAGRANTLY VIOLATES TWO CITY ORDINANCES. IT VIOLATES OUR STANDARDS FOR SCALE, FOR MASSING, FOR HEIGHT, FOR DENSITY, UM, FOR, UH, INFRASTRUCTURE. IT, THAT AREA HAS NO INFRASTRUCTURE TO ACCOMMODATE THAT PROJECT. THERE ARE ONLY TWO TALL BUILDINGS IN THAT AREA. AND, UM, FANIA AVENUE, IT'S, UH, 99% OF THE BUILDINGS ARE ONE OR TWO STORIES. ONE BUILDING ON CIA'S, FOUR STORIES ON ANTI, EVERY BUILDING ON THAT STREET IS TWO OR THREE OR ONE STORIES. SO IT'S COMPLETELY OUT OF CONTEXT AND INCOMPATIBLE. OH, WE TAKE YOUR, YOU DON'T HAVE TO END THERE. YOU CAN TAKE A FEW EXTRA SECONDS IF YOU NEED IT. NO, I WANNA MAKE SURE YOU GET ALL THE TIME THAT YOU NEED. THANK YOU SO MUCH, MAYOR LAGO. AND YES, I JUST WANNA REITERATE MY DUE PROCESS WAS DENIED. THANK YOU. ALRIGHT, THANK YOU. UM, I'D LIKE TO PUT ON THE RECORD WHAT OUR CITY, MR. CITY ATTORNEY, WOULD YOU LIKE TO RESPOND TO, TO HER STATEMENT ABOUT, UH, THE TIME. I THINK YOU PUT IT ON THE RECORD, BUT MAYBE YOU WANNA PUT IT ON THE RECORD AGAIN, TO BE CLEAR, THINK IT'S IMPORTANT, ESPECIALLY YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT DUE PROCESS. I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT. SO AS I INDICATED BEFORE, UM, LIKE MOST MEETINGS IN THIS PARTICULAR CASE, THE CITY CLERK KEEPS TIMES AND THE ALARM GOES OFF AND THE MAYOR HAS THE ABILITY TO ASK SOMEBODY TO WRAP THINGS UP. SAME THING HAPPENED IN THE SPECIAL MASTER HEARING. I KEPT THE TIME, THE TIMER WENT OFF. THE TRANSCRIPT DOESN'T INDICATE WHEN THE TIMER GOES OFF, BUT THE TRANSCRIPT DOES INDICATE THAT MR. UH, THE CHAIRMAN DOES ASK HIM TO PLEASE WRAP UP AND SHE PROCEEDS TO THEN PROVIDE MORE INPUT. AND AT NO POINT IS SHE EVER ASKED TO STOP SPEAKING OR ANYTHING OF THAT. AT THE END OF THE DAY, SHE'S, THE LAST COMMENTS BEFORE SHE SAT DOWN WAS GOOD. OKAY, GOOD. GOOD. SHE WAS PERFECTLY SATISFIED WITH EVERYTHING SHE HAD PRESENTED. NOBODY PREVENTED HER FROM PRESENTING ANYTHING ELSE. AND THEN THE OPPORTUNITY WAS GIVEN TO THE, UM, CITY FOR MR. RUCO TO SPEAK AT THAT TIME. OKAY. IS THAT ON THE PUBLIC RECORD? IS THERE A PUBLIC RECORD OF THAT? YES. OKAY. MR. CLERK, UH, PLEASE PROVIDE THAT FOR ANYONE THAT WOULD LIKE TO HAVE PUBLIC RECORD OF THAT TO MAKE SURE THAT OBVIOUSLY THE, THE CITY ATTORNEY'S COMMENTS ARE ON THE RECORD AND EVERYONE UNDERSTANDS THAT NO DUE PROCESS WAS VIOLATED. OKAY. MR. MAYOR, ARE WE IN THE QUESTION MODE AT YEAH, I'M JUST GONNA GO BACK TO, TO, UH, THE COUNSEL FOR THE PROPERTY OWNER. HE HAS A FEW, I THINK HE SAID HE NEEDED A MINUTE. SO I WANTED TO SEE HOW MUCH TIME, MAYOR, WHILE HE COMES UP, I JUST WANNA SAY THAT WHAT, WHAT, UM, MS. BOLTON WAS REFERRING TO AND WHAT THE ASSISTANT CITY ATTORNEY WAS READING FROM THAT IS THE TRANSCRIPT THAT IS PART OF THE RECORD. IT'S ON THE, UH, AGENDA ITEM. UM, AND IT'S PART OF WHAT YOU, IT IS WHAT YOU ARE REVIEWING TODAY. YEAH. I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE WE PUT IT ON THE RECORD, EVEN THOUGH I KNOW, AGAIN, AT THE END OF DAY DOESN'T MATTER. UH, PEOPLE CAN SAY WHATEVER THEY LIKE TO SAY, UH, BUT I THINK IT'S CRITICALLY IMPORTANT THAT WE PUT THINGS ON THE RECORD, ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT DUE PROCESS AND YOU'RE SAYING YOU VIOLATED SOMEONE'S DUE PROCESS. GO AHEAD, SIR. SO BEFORE I START MY REBUTTAL, I JUST WANTED TO PUT AN OBJECTION ONTO THE RECORD, JUST COMMENTS. IF I MAY REMEMBER, WHEN YOU GO INTO YOUR REBUTTAL, EVERY MOMENT YOU GO UNDER THE REBUTTAL, I'M GONNA GIVE HER THE SAME AMOUNT OF TIME. OF COURSE. THAT'S, I THINK THAT WAS, UH, WHAT ALSO HAPPENED AT THE LAST PROCEEDING. SO JUST THE ISSUES OF INFRASTRUCTURE WERE NOT RAISED AS PART OF THE SPECIAL MASTER MEETING, SO THOSE SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED HERE. I KNOW WE'RE GOING OFF THE RECORD, BUT I WANT TO JUST PUT THAT OBJECTION ON THE RECORD REGARDING, UM, THE PRIOR HEARING, AND I'LL TALK VERY FAST FOR THIS MINUTE, BUT MS. BOLTON ESSENTIALLY USED THE ENTIRE PUBLIC COMMENT PORTION OF THE SPECIAL MASTER MEETING AS PART OF HER PRESENTATION IN CHIEF. SHE WAS PERSONALLY SELECTING WITNESSES AND BRINGING THEM UP AND HAVING THE CLERK, UH, PUT UP EXHIBITS AS TO WHAT THEY WERE SPEAKING AND COORDINATING WITH ALL THESE WITNESSES. SO SHE ALMOST HAD DOUBLE THE AMOUNT OF TIME THAT WE HAD, AND I WANNA JUST MAKE THAT CLEAR BECAUSE, UH, IT WAS A, A CONCERN THAT I HAD ON MY SIDE REPRESENTING THE PROPERTY OWNER DURING THOSE PROCEEDINGS. I'LL CONCLUDE WITH THIS, BECAUSE THIS HAS BEEN A THREE AND A HALF YEAR PROCESS OF APPEAL AFTER APPEAL. THE RIGHT TO APPEAL IS FUNDAMENTAL, BUT IT COMES WITH A RESPONSIBILITY TO MAKE ARGUMENTS AT, WITH ACCURACY AND GOOD FAITH. REPRESENTATIONS OF FACT. IN THE PAST SEVERAL YEARS, MANY OF THE CLAIMS ADVANCED BY MS. BOLTON OVER THE YEARS HAVE BEEN CAREFULLY REVIEWED AND CONCLUSIVELY FOUND TO BE UNTRUE. THE FIRST THAT THIS SITE IS A CEMETERY, WHICH THE STATE CONFIRMED TO BE UNTRUE. THE SECOND IS THAT THE TREES ON [04:45:01] THIS SITE ORIGINATED FROM THE GARDEN OF GETHSEMANE, WHICH MULTIPLE ARBORISTS, INCLUDING THE CITY'S OWN, CONCLUDED THAT THAT WAS NOT TRUE. AND MOST RECENTLY THAT AN OAK ON SITE IS 200 YEARS OLD, WHICH IS ALSO UNSUPPORTED BY ANY PROFESSIONAL ANALYSIS OF THE RECORD, BUT ALSO HIGHLY IMPROBABLE AS PRIOR TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF CORAL GABLES IN THE 1920S, MOST OF CORAL GABLES CONSISTED OF PINE ROCKLANDS NOT MATURE HYDE WOOD FOREST. SO, UH, THAT WOULD BE, UH, QUITE IMPOSSIBLE TO HAVE AN OAK TREE THAT'S 200 YEARS OLD. AT SOME POINT, WHEN APPEALS RELY ON UNFOUNDED ASSERTIONS, THEY CAN NO LONGER BE VIEWED AS GOOD FAITH EFFORTS TO RESOLVE LEGITIMATE ISSUES. INSTEAD, THEY RISK TRANSFORMING A PROTECTIVE PROCESS INTO A MECHANISM FOR DELAY. AND THOSE DELAYS HAVE REAL LIFE CONSEQUENCES, NOT ONLY TO THE CITY THAT HAS TO EXPEND TIME AND RESOURCES, NOT ONLY TO MY CLIENT AND THE PROPERTY OWNER WHO HAS TO ABSORB, UH, ADDITIONAL COSTS, BUT IN THIS CASE TO AN IMPORTANT CRITICAL COMMUNITY THAT IS NOT ABLE TO HAVE CERTAINTY AS TO ITS FUTURE IN THIS COMMUNITY. AND THAT IS CRYSTAL ACADEMY. THE RECORD BEFORE YOU IS CLEAR. THE PROJECT'S ARCHITECTURE COMPLIES WITH THE CODE. IT'S UNDERGONE AN EXTENSIVE REVIEW BY TWO EXPERT BODIES WHO BOTH FOUND THE PROJECT, COMPLIED WITH ALL THE REQUIREMENTS IN YOUR CODE. YOUR CITY ARCHITECT HAS ALSO REVIEWED THE PROJECT INDEPENDENTLY AND HAS REACHED THE SAME CONCLUSION. PERSONAL DISAGREEMENTS WITH POLICY OR DESIGN PREFERENCE BY MS. BOLTON IS NOT A LEGAL BASIS FOR REFERRAL FOR REVERSAL. WE ASK THIS COMMISSION, DENY THE APPEAL BASED ON THE SUBSTANTIAL COMPETENT EVIDENCE OF THE RECORD, AND ALLOW THIS IMPORTANT PROJECT TO MOVE FORWARD WITHOUT ANY MORE UNWARRANTED DELAYS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. UH, MR. WINKER, YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES AND 26 SECONDS. OKAY. YES. I, I'M JUST GONNA RE I CAN SEE ALREADY A FEW HEAD SHAKING ABOUT THE TWO MINUTES AND 26 SECONDS. UM, SO GO AHEAD, BUT MAKE IT COUNT. BUT LIKE, LET'S MAKE, LET'S TALK ABOUT THE DESIGN. LET'S TALK ABOUT THE DESIGN, NOT ABOUT THE TREE, ABOUT ANYTHING ELSE. LET'S TALK ABOUT THE DESIGN. LET'S MAKE IT COUNT ON THAT PHONE. OKAY. BUT I, I DO WANNA REITERATE THAT MY DUE PROCESS WAS VIOLATED AT THE SPECIAL MASTERS AND THERE IS PROOF OF THAT IN THE TRANSCRIPT. SO I JUST WANNA REITERATE THAT ADDITIONALLY, ONE OF THE MOST FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS THAT WE HAVE AS AMERICAN CITIZENS IS THE RIGHT TO, TO APPEAL A DECISION. AND I AM SO GRATEFUL AND THANKFUL TO LIVE IN A COUNTRY AND A CITY WHERE I HAVE THAT RIGHT. AND SO I AM, I'M SO HAPPY TO EXERCISE THAT AND I WILL CONTINUE TO DO SO. UM, THE PROJECT IS A MAJOR VIOLATION OF OUR CODE FOR NOT JUST OUR ORDINANCES, BUT OUR DESIGN REVIEW STANDARDS. AND I'M GONNA PASS THE MIC OVER, UH, TO MARIA, UM, DE LEONES, WHO'S AN ARCHITECT AND URBANIST AND SHE'S GONNA GET UP AND USE THE MINUTE AND A HALF. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. YES MA'AM. YEAH, YOU'LL HAVE THE, HI, GOOD AFTERNOON. MY NAME IS MARIA DE LEONES. UM, I AM AN ARCHITECT. UM, I'VE LIVED IN CORAL GABLES FOR 43 YEARS AT 8 2 5 MESSINA AVENUE. UM, I AM PRACTICING ARCHITECT. I'M ALSO A NEW URBANIST AND I'M ALSO ADJUNCT FACULTY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI. UM, I'D LIKE TO SAY THAT WE NEED TO SPEAK WITH FACT, AND THAT IS VERY TRUE, ATTORNEY NAVARRO. UH, FIRST OF ALL, STARTING WITH THE FACT THAT THE RENDERING THAT IS PRESENTED TO ALL OF US, UH, FIRST OF ALL, IN JANUARY I UNDERSTOOD THAT THE BUILDING HAD 177 UNITS. NOW TODAY, THE ARCHITECT IS SAYING IT'S GOT 200 UNITS. UM, THE RENDERING THAT IS SHOWN TO ALL OF US IN PUBLIC SHOWS THE BUILDING ON AN ISLAND, REALLY, THERE'S NO BUILDINGS ADJACENT TO IT. AND IT FRUSTRATES ME VERY MUCH TO SEE THIS BUILDING IS NOT PART OF AN ISLAND. IT IS NOT ISOLATED. IT IS PART OF A VERY TIGHT KNIT COMMUNITY. A COMMUNITY THAT IS COMPOSED OF ONE, TWO STORY AND THREE STORY, UH, BUILDINGS. AND I HAVE A PRESENTATION THAT I CAN TALK TO YOU ABOUT LATER ON, BUT I WANNA SPECIFY THAT RIGHT NOW THAT IT'S NOT TRUTHFUL. AND IF WE NEED TO BE TRUTHFUL, THEN YOUR IMAGES ATTORNEY AND ARCHITECT SHOULD BE TRUTHFUL AND SHOULD SHOW THE NEIGHBORHOOD ADJACENT AROUND IT. YOU'RE NOT BUILDING THIS BUILDING ALONE. THERE ARE BUILDINGS AND THERE IS A COMMUNITY THAT, THAT I SAW IT. YEAH. AND THERE'S NO BUILDINGS ON YOUR RENDERING. SO YOUR RENDERING SHOWS YOUR BUILDING AS AN ISLAND, AND IT IS NOT AN ISLAND. SO PLEASE CONSIDER THAT BECAUSE IT'S NOT FACTUAL AND IT'S NOT TRUTHFUL. THE BUILDINGS ALSO THAT HE TALKS ABOUT ARE ON PUNTS AND THEY'RE FARTHER AWAY. THEY'RE NOT WITHIN THE NEIGHBORHOOD. SO I'LL CONTINUE THIS PRESENTATION IF YOU ALLOW ME TO. THANK YOU SO MUCH. OKAY. FOR THE RECORD, FOR THE RECORD, YOU HAD 16 MORE SECONDS THAN ANYBODY ELSE HAS. HOW ABOUT WE CALL THAT A WIN AND WE CALL IT A TRUCE IN REGARDS TO THE WAR, THE WAR, THE WAR OF THE SECONDS. OKAY, SO JUST FOR THE RECORD, I'M NOT, THIS IS NOT , I HAVE TO CLARIFY THE RECORD. DONE, DONE. FIVE SECONDS. I WANT HIM TO [04:50:01] WIN. I JUST WANNA OBJECT TO THAT BEING CONSIDERED EXPERT TESTIMONY AS THE PRIOR TESTIMONY DONE DONE WAS PROVIDED AS PUBLIC. BOTH OF, SIT DOWN PLEASE. BOTH OF YOU SIT DOWN. LOOK AT YOU. LOOK. YEAH. HOW ABOUT THAT? RIGHT? 10 SECONDS. WE DID IT. ALRIGHT, MR. CLERK? YES, SIR. TO MY COLLEAGUES. WOULD YOU LIKE TO HAVE A CONVERSATION AMONGST THE COMMISSION OR WOULD YOU LIKE TO HEAR PUBLIC COMMENT FIRST? WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO DO? IT'S, IT'S DESIGNED FOR US TO HAVE CONVERSATION FIRST, BUT I'M MORE THAN WILLING TO HEAR PUBLIC COMMENT OUTTA RESPECT FOR THE RESIDENTS WHO MAY HAVE TO LEAVE THROUGH THE MAYOR. I WOULD PREFER PUBLIC COMMENT. OKAY. FIRST, PERFECT. AM I MAYOR? UM, WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE AS FAR AS DISCUSSION? THAT'S ONE THING, BUT HOW ABOUT IF WE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? OF COURSE. YEAH. 'CAUSE IT MAY HELP, UH, WEIGH IN ON PUBLIC COMMENT AS WELL. OKAY. NOT A PROBLEM. I SEE IT. I SEE IT BECAUSE, UH, YOU KNOW, I'VE SEEN, I'VE HEARD A LOT OF CONCERN ABOUT A TREE. MM-HMM . WE HAVE SOME STAFF MEMBERS HERE. WE HAVE OTHER, UM, WITNESSES HERE THAT I THINK CAN HELP, UH, ENLIGHTEN THE PARTIES REGARDING THE HEALTH OF THE TREE, THE MOVABILITY OF THE TREE. AND THE OTHER IS THE COMPLIANCE WITH OUR CODE. 'CAUSE WE HAVE A CITY ARCHITECT WHO'S ALSO LOOKED AT THIS AND WHETHER OR NOT THE MEDITERRANEAN BONUS ITSELF IS COMPLIANT WITH OUR CURRENT CITY CODE. OKAY. IF I MAY, I DON'T HAVE AN ISSUE WITH THAT. WE'LL, WE'LL DO THE Q THE Q AND A NOW. BUT I WANT TO PUT IT ON THE RECORD JUST TO BE VERY CLEAR AGAIN. 'CAUSE I KNOW THE CITY ATTORNEY'S JUMPING AT THE BIT TO PRESS THE BUTTON TO STEP IN. WE'RE NOT HERE TO TALK ABOUT THE TREE. THE TREE HAS NO STANDING IN TODAY'S CONVERSATION. I LOVE TREES. NO STANDING, NO STANDING TODAY. OKAY. REMEMBER? YES MA'AM. GO AHEAD. SORRY MAYOR. AND ONE OTHER THING. THE, THE APPROVAL OF THE MEDITERRANEAN BONUS IS ALSO NOT BEING APPEALED, IS ON APPEAL. I WAS GONNA GET THERE. SORRY. I WAS GONNA GET THERE. UM, OKAY. WE LOVE TREES. THIS IS THE COMMISSION THAT LOVES THE TREES THE MOST. WE'VE DONE EVERYTHING WE CAN FOR THE TREES. OKAY. WE'VE ACTUALLY, WE'VE DONE EVERYTHING. OKAY. OKAY. WE'RE NOT GONNA DISCUSS IT THEN, THEN I'LL WITHDRAW MY QUESTIONS. WE'RE NOT GONNA DISCUSS ABOUT THE MEMORIAL. WE'RE NOT DISCUSSING HERE ABOUT THE MEMORIAL. WE'RE NOT HERE TO DISCUSS WHETHER IT'S A CEMETERY OR NOT. I WOULD LIKE TO DISCUSS LIV LOCO AND ONE OF THE OPPORTUNITIES IN REGARDS TO LIV LOCO ON THE SITE, BUT WE'RE NOT DISCUSSING THAT EITHER. OKAY. WHAT WE'RE HERE TO DISCUSS WHAT WE'VE HAD 35 MINUTES OF CONVERSATIONS ON BY BOTH SIDES WHO HANDLE THEMSELVES INCREDIBLY PROFESSIONAL. MORE THAN 35 MINUTES. EXCUSE ME, I'M HERE TO HAVE A CONVERSATION NOW AMONGST MY COMMISSIONERS. MADAM VICE MAYOR, WOULD YOU LIKE TO DISCUSS ANY ISSUES IN REGARDS TO THE DESIGN, UM, MOVING FORWARD? AS I HAD MENTIONED, UM, I BROUGHT THE ORDINANCE CHANGED THAT WE WOULD HAVE THREE SPECIAL MASTERS ON PROJECTS OF THIS MAGNITUDE BECAUSE I DID, AS A RESIDENT APPEAL, UM, THE DESIGN OF A, A PROJECT ONE TIME AND IT WAS ONE SPECIAL MASTER AND IT FELT ON SOMETHING OF THAT SIGNIFICANCE, WE SHOULD HAVE MORE THAN ONE OPINION. SO THAT'S MY FIRST, UH, COMMENT ON THAT. CAN I, CAN I ADD SOMETHING TO THAT IF I MAY? YEAH. I JUST WANNA COMMEND YOU ON THAT BECAUSE SINCE YOU DID BRING THAT LEGISLATION UP, I THINK IT'S BROUGHT A DIFFERENT, A DIFFERENT KIND OF, UM, HOW DO I PUT THIS? UM, OBJECTIVITY AND OPPORTUNITY FOR HAVE MULTIPLE PEOPLE IN THE ROOM HAVING A CONVERSATION ON THE ISSUE. BUT IT'S ALSO, UH, ALLOWED US TO, TO REVIEW THINGS AND HAVE THREE DIFFERENT PROFESSIONALS IN THE ROOM HAVING A CONVERSATION ABOUT WHATEVER THE ISSUES AT HAND. SO I COMMEND YOU FOR BRINGING THAT LEGISLATION FORWARD. AND I THINK IT'S PAID DIVIDENDS WHEN WE'RE TRYING TO WORK ON, ON, ON ISSUES OF THIS MAGNITUDE. I CALLED THE CITY ARCHITECT UP HERE JUST IN CASE IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS. I THINK THIS IS THE PERSON WHO HAS THE MOST KNOWLEDGE IN REGARDS TO THE PROCESS AND THE ISSUES OF THE, OF THE DESIGN. SO MY SECOND COMMENT IS, I, I WORKED FOR SEVERAL YEARS WITH OUR CITY ARCHITECT, OUR STAFF BOARD OF ARCHITECTS, ET CETERA, ON REVISING MEDITERRANEAN DESIGN BONUS. UH, SO THAT WE HAD STRICTER REQUIREMENTS, UH, ON THE DESIGN BONUS AND HAVING SUNK THAT MANY HOURS INTO IT, 'CAUSE IT TOOK YEARS, UM, I DON'T SEE ANYTHING GLARING ON THIS THAT, UM, WOULD CAUSE THIS PROJECT TO BE NOT IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE DESIGN REQUIREMENTS. AM I CORRECT? YOU HEAR THE, THE PROJECT AT HAND WAS REVIEWED BASED ON THE MEDITERRANEAN STANDARDS AT THE TIME AND WAS APPROVED BASED ON THAT. WE SINCE THEN HAVE MODIFIED THE MEDITERRANEAN STANDARDS AND AS YOU SAID, UH, AFTER SEVERAL YEARS OF BACK AND FORTH, WE'VE MADE THE STANDARDS, I THINK BETTER AND BETTER IS PROBABLY STRICTER AND, AND HAS MORE COMPLIANCE REQUIREMENTS THAN WAS PREVIOUSLY IN PLACE WHEN THIS PROJECT WAS APPROVED. SO DOES THAT ANSWER YOUR QUESTION? IT, IT DOES. AND FOR THE PUBLIC THAT DIDN'T GO THROUGH THE LABORIOUS TASK OF THOSE REVISIONS, UH, WE [04:55:01] HAD BUILDINGS WITH BIRDS ON THEM THAT WERE VERY MODERN, THAT WERE BEING APPROVED WITH A, WITH A MEDITERRANEAN BONUS. AND INSTEAD WE ELIMINATED OTHER ARCHITECTURAL STYLES AND WE, WE LIMITED MEDITERRANEAN BONUS TO ONLY THOSE WHO MET THE MEDITERRANEAN STANDARD WITH HIGH QUALITY MATERIALS. THAT, THAT IS CORRECT. AND THAT WAS THE SOLE LARGEST CHANGE THAT WE MADE TO THE ZONING CODE AT THE TIME WITH REGARD TO MED MED BONUS STANDARDS IS THE ORIGINAL CODE HAD A CAVEAT THAT IT WAS MEDITERRANEAN STYLE AND OTHER STYLES. THAT LAST PART OF THAT SENTENCE WAS REMOVED BASED ON THE WILL OF THE COMMUNITY AND THE, AND THE COMMISSION. AND WE ARE NOW ENFORCING MEDITERRANEAN STYLE ONLY. SO THAT'S WHY THE PREVIOUS PROJECTS, THE ONES WITH THE BIRDS WERE APPROVED BECAUSE OTHER ACCEPTABLE STYLES WERE ALLOWED BACK THEN MM-HMM . TO RECEIVE A MED BONUS. WE'VE SINCE MADE THE CHANGE, WE UNDERSTOOD THE RAMIFICATIONS OF WHAT THAT ZONING CODE IMPLICATION HAD. AND AGAIN, THERE WAS SOME PUSHBACK ON ARCHITECTURAL STYLE AND BUILDINGS THAT WERE BEING BUILT UNDER THE PREVIOUS CODE. AND THAT'S THE REASON WE MADE THE ADJUSTMENT. AND WE HAD ALL THE MEETINGS AND WE HAD ALL THESE EXCHANGES WITH THE COMMUNITY, WITH THE COMMISSIONERS, AND WE MODIFIED THE CODE TO ADDRESS THE CONCERN THAT IS PREVALENT IN THE LAST, I WOULD SAY TWO OR THREE YEARS WHERE WE WERE ABLE TO MAKE THAT ADJUSTMENT. AND NOW MOVING FORWARD, WE ARE DOING THAT. IT HAS TO BE A MED STYLE BUILDING. IT CANNOT BE ANOTHER STYLE IF YOU'RE GONNA RECEIVE A MED BONUS. THAT WAS THE, THE AGREEMENT THAT WAS MADE ACROSS THE BOARD AND BASED ON THE CHANGES TO THE CODE. WHEN WAS THAT APPROVED? I DON'T KNOW THE TIME. THE FINAL VOTE WAS JANUARY OF 2025. HOW? TWO YEARS AGO? A YEAR AND A HALF AGO? WELL, 25. 2025. THE FINAL VOTE WAS, THE FINAL VOTE WAS LAST YEAR, JANUARY OF 2025. WE STARTED A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO. WELL, NO. AND IT WENT THROUGH A COUPLE OF ITERATIONS AND, AND WE MADE SOME ADJUSTMENTS AND WE FINALIZED IT. I'M NOT SURE OF THE DATE, HONESTLY. RIGHT. THE, THE MATERIAL STANDARDS ON THIS BUILDING TO EXTENSIVE CHANGES TO THE CODE. RIGHT. EXTENSIVE TO TABLE ONE, TABLE TWO, TABLE THREE. UM, SO WE WENT THROUGH WORD BY WORD OF THE ZONING CODE FOR MONTHS AT A TIME, BUT IT ENSURED THAT WE USED HIGH QUALITY MATERIALS. ABSOLUTELY. OKAY. THAT WAS ONE OF THE BENEFITS OF THE CHANGES THAT WE MADE TO THE CODE, WAS TO GUARANTEE THAT THE MATERIALITY WOULD BE HIGH END AND NOT JUST SUBSTANDARD STUFF THAT WE WERE GETTING. SO I'LL ASK YOU THIS QUESTION. THE, THE DESIGN THAT WAS APPROVED BY THE BOARD OF ARCHITECTS AND AFFIRMED BY THE SPECIAL MASTERS DOESN'T MEAN MEET THE QUALITY STANDARDS MATERIAL WISE? YES, ABSOLUTELY. OF THE CURRENT CODE. THE BUILDING HAS HIGH QUALITY MATERIALITY THROUGHOUT THE BUILDING. COMPLIES ACTUALLY WITH A LOT OF THE STANDARDS THAT WERE TRIGGERED IN THE CHANGE. AND, AND I THINK THE BUILDING, UH, IT STEPS BACK, IT STEPS IN IT, IT HAS VOLUME CHANGES, IT HAS MEDITERRANEAN FEATURES THAT ARE, THAT ARE KNOWN AND PREVALENT FOR THAT STYLE. UH, IT HAS HIGH-END MATERIALITY. I IT COMPLIES WITH A LOT OF, OF THE CODE CHANGES THAT WE HAVE MADE. I, I WOULD SAY THAT. OKAY. DOES IT COMPLY WITH THE SETBACK REQUIREMENTS? YES, IT DOES. OKAY. UM, EVEN THOUGH, AGAIN, I'M, I'M BOARD OF ARCHITECTS. I'M NOT ZONING. YEP. SO SETBACKS ARE A ZONING CONDITION, NOT AN ARCHITECTURAL CONDITION. I KNOW. NO, I, I UNDERSTAND. I UNDERSTAND THAT THE DIFFERENCE, THERE'S A DIFFERENCE IN AN ARCHITECTURAL SETBACK THAT'S BASED ON A VOLUME OR A MASS, AND THEN THERE IS A ZONING SETBACK THAT SAYS YOU GOTTA BE 10 FEET AWAY. OKAY. SO THIS, THIS PROJECT APPLIES WITH THAT. OKAY. AND THERE WERE SOME COMMENTS ABOUT MASSING MM-HMM . AND THAT, UH, BUILDINGS ARE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD TO, TO THREE STORIES AND HEIGHT. UM, I TOOK A, A LOOK AT THE MAP OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND I SEE BUILDINGS, EIGHT STORIES ON GALLO WITHIN A BLOCK. MM-HMM . IS THAT YOUR, UM, WHEN YOU'VE REVIEWED THE NEIGHBORHOOD, WHAT YOU SAW AS WELL? YES. THAT, THAT'S OUR CONSIDERATION WHEN WE LOOK AT CONTEXT IS WE LOOK, WE LOOK TO THE SOUTH, WE LOOK TO THE NORTH. THERE'S, THERE'S MULTI-STORY BUILDINGS NORTH OF US. THERE'S MULTI-STORY BUILDINGS SOUTH OF US. THERE'S MULTI-STORY BUILDINGS TO THE EAST OF US, I'M SORRY, TO THE WEST OF US. SO CONTEXTUALLY THERE ARE MULTI-STORY BUILDINGS THAT ARE PART OF THAT AREA. OKAY. AND THAT, THAT'S HOW WE BASE OUR COMPATIBILITY. SO THERE ARE MULTI-STORY BUILDINGS YES. AND THE ZONING IN THE AREA ALLOWED FOR THOSE MULTI-STORY [05:00:01] BUILDINGS? YES. IS THAT CORRECT? OKAY. TO MY KNOWLEDGE, I WASN'T HERE WHEN THEY WERE BUILT, BUT THEY, THEY, THEY'VE BEEN AROUND FOR A LONG TIME AND I'M SURE THEY COMPLIED WITH THE REQUIREMENTS AT THE TIME. RIGHT. SO WE'RE NOT HERE FOR ZONING, BUT I JUST WANTED TO BRING THAT UP SINCE IT WAS MENTIONED BY SOMEONE THAT THERE WERE NO OTHER MULTI-STORY BUILDINGS IN THE AREA THAT EXCEEDED TWO TO THREE STORIES IN HEIGHT. SO DO ANY OF MY OTHER COLLEAGUES HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? YES. COMMISSIONER THROUGH THE MAYOR? YES. I HAVE A QUESTION. AND THIS IS FOR MS. BOLTON. YOU SAID THAT YOUR DUE PROCESS WAS VIOLATED. CAN YOU GO AHEAD AND GUIDE ME TO WHERE IN THE TRANSCRIPT YOU FEEL OR IT PROVES THAT IT WAS VIOLATED? UM, YES. IN THE TRANSCRIPT, AND I APOLOGIZE, I DON'T REMEMBER THE EXACT PAGE NUMBERS, BUT YOU CAN SEE WHERE I BEGAN TO SPEAK AND WHERE I END, IT'S ABOUT 20 PAGES AND THEN WHERE THE DEVELOPER HAS AN OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK, IT GOES ON FOR APPROXIMATELY 40, 45 PAGES. SO THAT INCONTROVERTIBLY DEMONSTRATES THAT THEY GOT MORE TIME. BUT DID AT ANY POINT ANYBODY STOP YOU FROM TALKING? YES. UM, CHAIR PERSON, UM, WILLIE ELLO SPECIFICALLY SAID TO ME, YOU NEED TO WRAP IT UP. AND I DID CONTINUE SPEAKING FOR LIKE ANOTHER MINUTE AND I WRAPPED IT UP EARLY BECAUSE I WAS ASKED TO, SO ARE YOU TELLING ME YOUR DUE PROCESS WAS VIOLATED BECAUSE OF THE AMOUNT OF TIME YOU SPOKE? YES. AND THE AMOUNT OF TIME THAT THE DEVELOPER RECEIVED, THEY RECEIVED AT LEAST DOUBLE THE AMOUNT OF TIME AS I DID. THEY HAD ARCHITECT CHM COME UP AND SPEAK. THEY HAD I THINK A MR. MCCOY AND THE OTHER, UM, ARBORIST COME UP AND SPEAK. AND YOU CAN SEE THAT IF YOU LOOK AT WHEN I STARTED TO SPEAK DURING THE TRANSCRIPTS WHEN I FINISHED AND YOU COMPARE IT TO THE NUMBER OF PAGES THAT THE DEVELOPER RECEIVED. ARE YOU TRYING TO TELL ME THAT YOU HAD MORE TESTIMONY OR THAT YOU HAD MORE THINGS TO SAY AND YOU WEREN'T ABLE TO SAY THEM? OR DO YOU FEEL THAT YOU WERE ABLE TO STATE YOUR CASE COMPLETELY? I, THERE WERE CERTAINLY ADDITIONAL COMMENTS THAT I WOULD'VE MADE, BUT I WAS TOLD TO, TO STOP. SO YEAH, MY, MY DUE PROCESS WAS VIOLATED IN A MAJOR MANNER AT THAT HEARING. THANK YOU. AND ALSO, I JUST WANNA MENTION, THIS CLOCK HERE WAS NOT AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC. UM, DURING THE SPECIAL MASTERS HEARING, I COULDN'T SEE IT FROM WHERE I WAS SITTING. AND I WAS WELL AWARE WHEN THE DEVELOPER WAS SPEAKING THAT THEY, THEY RECEIVED MUCH MORE TIME. BUT UNFORTUNATELY I DID NOT HAVE THE FORESIGHT TO BEGIN TIMING THEM. SO THANK YOU. ARE YOU DONE? THANK YOU. I'M DONE. OKAY. IF I COULD JUST, UH, IT WAS ON PAGE 68, LINE FOUR, WHERE CHAIRMAN ELLO SAYS, CAN YOU WRAP IT UP AGAIN FOR THE RECORD? THAT HAPPENS AT EVERY COMMISSION MEETING THAT HAPPENS AT EVERY MEETING HERE. WHEN THERE'S TESTIMONY BEING GIVEN, I ASK PEOPLE TO, THEY COULD PLEASE WRAP IT UP BECAUSE AS WE GO OVER TIME AND THERE'S DISCUSSION, WE HAVE TO MOVE ON BECAUSE WE HAVE TO RESPECT THE ENTIRE AGENDA. THERE'S MANY ITEMS ON THE AGENDA, WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE CAN SPEAK. SO AGAIN, I THINK YOU'VE HAD A FAIR AMOUNT MORE TIME THAN THE INDIVIDUAL, INDIVIDUAL WHO IS, UH, UH, MR. NAVARRO TO SPEAK AND HIS TEAM. YOU'VE SPOKEN MORE TODAY, SO I DON'T THINK YOUR RIGHTS HAVE BEEN, HAVE BEEN IN ANY FORM OR ANY WAY. UH, TRAMP, TRAMP TRAMPLED. BUT PLEASE, PLEASE SIT DOWN THAT, THAT MAY BE USED AGAINST ME LATER. 'CAUSE I ASKED HER TO SIT DOWN, UH, UH, RESPECTFULLY. SO, UH, YOU'VE BEEN GIVEN AMPLE TIME, MORE TIME THAN COUNSEL, UH, TO, I ONLY WANT OKAY, BUT YOU'VE BEEN GIVEN MORE TIME. YOU'VE SPOKEN, YOU JUST GOT UP AND SPOKE AGAIN. SO MY POINT IS THAT IT'S BEEN VERY FAIR AND I WANT TO KEEP IT THAT WAY. COMMISSIONER OTTA, JUST A QUICK QUESTION. MR. WINKLER, CAN I ASK YOU SOME QUESTIONS, PLEASE? YES, SIR. WERE YOU PRESENT DURING THAT PARTICULAR, UM, MEETING THAT MS. BOLTON CLAIMED THAT SHE WAS DEPRIVED AT SPECIAL MASTER HEARING? YES. OKAY. DID YOU OBJECT? NO. DID YOU ASK FOR MORE TIME? NO, WE, WE, WE TOOK OUR ALLOTTED TIME. WE WERE, YOU KNOW, WE, WE, WE, WE, SHE WAS CUT OFF WITHIN THE ALLOTTED TIME AND THE ISSUE IS THE DEVELOPER WAS ALLOWED TO, I'LL DO ALMOST DOUBLE THE TIME. THAT'S WHAT WAS THE ALLOTTED TIME. DO YOU REMEMBER WHAT THE ALLOTTED TIME WAS? I JUST KNOW THE PAGE NUMBER. YEAH, I KNOW. I DON'T, I'M SORRY, COMMISSIONER. I DON'T REMEMBER THE AMOUNT OF TIME. ARE YOU SAYING THAT SHE WAS DEPRIVED [05:05:01] A MINIMUM AMOUNT OF TIME THAT WAS ALLOTTED FOR THE PRESENTATION? NO, SHE, LET'S BE CLEAR, THE ISSUE IS NOT HER AMOUNT OF TIME. IT WAS THE COMMISSIONER. I MEAN, SORRY, IT WAS THE DEVELOPER'S AMOUNT OF TIME. THE ISSUE IS, IT LOOKS LIKE WE DIDN'T HAVE A TIMER, BUT IF YOU LOOK AT THIS TRANSCRIPT, IT'S APPROXIMATELY DOUBLE THE TIME. RIGHT. SO IF I UNDERSTAND, MAYBE WHAT YOU'RE TRYING TO SAY IS LIKE, IF YOU PUT IT ON THE SCALES RIGHT, THERE'S MORE TIME THAT ONE SIDE TOOK TO PRESENT BECAUSE THEY MAYBE HAD MORE TO SAY AND LESS TIME FOR YOUR CLIENT DEVOTED TO SPEAKING. BUT IF YOU FEEL, I THINK THAT'S YOUR, YOUR POINT, RIGHT? THAT YOU FEEL THAT SHE WAS CUT OFF. I THINK YOU ALREADY ANSWERED MY QUESTION. YOU DIDN'T OBJECT. NO. LET'S BE CLEAR. WE COMPLIED. WE USED UP OUR TIME. OKAY. THE DEVELOPER WENT WELL OVER THE TIME. AND THAT'S THE ISSUE. MR. WINKLER, DID YOU OBJECT TO THAT? NO, THAT'S MY POINT IS, SO WE SIT IN A QUASI-JUDICIAL APPELLATE CAPACITY. I'VE LITIGATED FOR 30 YEARS. MAYBE YOU HAVE AS WELL WHAT YOU DON'T PRESERVE BELOW. I CAN'T HEAR AGAIN TODAY, CORRECT? NO, IT'S, THAT'S THE ISSUE. THE ISSUE IS YOU ARE REVIEWING THE RECORD, THE DUE PROCESS. THERE IS NO NECE NECESSITY OF PRESERVING. THIS ISN'T AN OBJECTION SUCH AS HEARSAY, SUCH AS RELEVANCE. THIS IS A FUNDAMENTAL HOW, HOW IT WAS CONDUCTED, THE HEARING WAS CONDUCTED, AND I'M ON THAT POINT. HE GAVE TWICE AS MUCH TIME TO THE OTHER SIDE. WHETHER I'VE OBJECTED OR NOT, THE, THE FACTS ARE THE FACTS. OKAY. BUT YOU SOUGHT NO MORE TIME, CORRECT? THAT'S CORRECT. OKAY. ONTO THE NEXT ISSUE. CAN YOU PLEASE JUST TELL ME WHAT IS THE ESSENTIAL REQUIREMENT OF THE LAW THAT YOU CONTEND WAS NOT MET AS PERTAINS? THAT DESIGN THAT WAS APPROVED BY THE ARCHITECTURAL BOARD? THAT IS MY SPECIFIC QUESTION. WELL, I THINK IT'S GOOD. IT'S, IT'S MIXING TWO ELEMENTS, RIGHT? THERE'S, THERE'S THREE ELEMENTS ON APPEAL DUE PROCESS. NO, JUST EXCUSE ME. I HAVE TO INTERRUPT YOU BECAUSE I ASKED YOU A VERY SPECIFIC QUESTION. THE ESSENTIAL ELEMENT OF THE LAW AS PERTAINS TO THE APPROVAL BY THE ARCHITECTURAL BOARD OF THE DESIGN OF THIS BUILDING, YOU CONTEND, UH, WAS MISSED. IT WAS NOT COMPLIANT. OH, NO, NO. SO WHAT IS THE ESSENTIAL ELEMENT OF THE LAW AS PERTAINS TO THE APPROVAL OF THE DESIGN OF THE BUILDING THAT YOU WANNA BRING TO MY ATTENTION? SO THAT IS NOT OUR CONTENTION. OUR CONTENTION IS THAT THE COMPETENT, SUBSTANTIAL EVIDENCE MAKES CLEAR THAT WHEN YOU APPLY THE LAW, WHICH REQUIRES COMPATIBILITY WITH THE SURROUNDING NEIGHBORHOOD, HARMONY WITH THE SURROUNDING NEIGHBORHOOD, THE EVIDENCE IS CLEAR THAT THE PROJECT IS OUT OF COMPLIANCE WITH THAT. SO NO ONE IS ARGUING THAT A, THE WRONG LAW WAS APPLIED. RIGHT? THE ESSENTIAL REQUIREMENT, THE LAW WAS APPLIED. OKAY. LAW IS APPLIED. RIGHT. THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE, SORRY. THE EVIDENCE IS CLEAR THAT THE PROJECT FAILS TO COMPLY WITH THAT. SO THE, SO HAVING GONE THROUGH PRONG NUMBER ONE DUE PROCESS NOW, PRONG NUMBER TWO, ESSENTIAL REQUIREMENTS OF THE LAW. NOW WE'RE ON TO NUMBER THREE. WAS THERE COMPETENT AND SUBSTANTIAL EVIDENCE TO SUPPORT THE FINDING OF THE ARCHITECTURAL BOARD THAT THE DESIGN OF THE BUILDING, THAT'S OUR, THAT'S THE CONTENTION. THAT'S WHY WE'RE HERE TODAY. THAT'S, THAT'S THE, THE APPEAL IS DUE PROCESS. AND THEN THREE, THE EVIDENCE. AND IT'S OUR CONTENTION THAT WHEN YOU REVIEW THE RECORD, AND AS YOU'LL HEAR TODAY FROM OTHER PEOPLE THAT ARE SPEAKING, THAT WE'LL TALK ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED AT THE MEETING. THE EVIDENCE IS CLEAR THAT IT IS INCOMPATIBLE WITH THE NEIGHBORHOOD. IT FAILS TO MEET THAT STANDARD. SO THAT I UNDERSTAND. THEN, ARE THERE ANY ARGUMENTS THAT YOU'RE RAISING HERE TODAY THAT HAVEN'T BEEN RAISED BEFORE AS PERTAINS THE APPROVAL OF THE ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN, BOTH AND AMONG THE BOARD OF ARCHITECTS AND THE MULTIPLE REVIEW BODIES THAT REVIEWED THE DECISION INITIALLY MADE BY THE BOARD OF ARCHITECTS, ARE THERE ANY NEW ARGUMENTS OR NEW FACTS THAT YOU'RE BRINGING BEFORE US TODAY? NO, AND I, I WOULD AGREE WITH THE, THE CITY ATTORNEY IS, THAT'S NOT WHY WE'RE HERE TODAY. WE'RE TO GO OVER WHAT HAPPENED BELOW, AND THAT'S WHAT WE'RE ARGUING THE TRANSCRIPT BELOW. OKAY. SO FROM THE BOARD OF ARCHITECTS TO THE VARIOUS APPELLATE REVIEWS, WHICH INCLUDES A UNANIMOUS VOTE OF A SPECIAL MASTER, [05:10:03] YOUR CONTENTION HAS TO BE RIGHT, THAT EACH OF THOSE BODIES GOT IT WRONG IN EACH EXACTLY. IN EACH OF THE OPPORTUNITIES THAT YOU WERE GIVEN TO PRESENT YOUR CASE. EXACTLY. AND THAT'S WHAT I SAID EARLIER ON. WE'RE SO OFTEN HERE WHERE THE COMMISSION SAYS OUR HANDS ARE TIED. WE CAN'T HELP YOU RESIDENTS WITH WHAT'S HAPPENING HERE. THIS IS A UNIQUE PROCESS. YOU CAN HAVE AN INPUT ON THE DESIGN OF THIS BUILDING. THIS IS A OPPORTUNITY FOR THE COMMISSION TO SAY, WHAT DO WE WANT THIS TO LOOK LIKE AFTER HEARING THE RESIDENT INPUT ABOUT WHAT THE ISSUES ARE WITH THIS BUILDING. ONE OF THE EXAMPLES THAT WAS SAID BELOW, IT'S UNPRECEDENTED IN CORAL GABLES. WE LIVE IN A, IN A, IN A TROPICAL ENVIRONMENT WHERE WE CAN GROW TREES, WE CAN GROW, WE CAN HAVE OPEN SPACES. THIS IS A SILO WITHIN A BUILDING. WHEN YOU ARE IN THE GREEN SPACE, YOU ARE SURROUNDED BY FOUR WALLS. THE SKY IS ABOVE IT, BASICALLY. IT'S LIKE THIS, THE, THE, THE GARDEN, THE OPEN SPACE IS SURROUNDED BY, AND I DON'T WANT TO MISSPEAK, I THINK IT'S FOUR STORY WALLS AT A MINIMUM THAT YOU'RE IN. WE'VE NEVER HAD IT'S GOT COFFEE CAN ON IT. SO THOSE ARE THE THINGS THAT YOU CAN CONSIDER WHETHER WE WANT TO SET THAT PRECEDENT. RIGHT. WELL, I, I DISAGREE BECAUSE I BELIEVE THAT THE COMMISSION SITTING HERE IN THIS QUASI-JUDICIAL APPELLATE REVIEW OF DECISION IS LIMITED TO DUE PROCESS, ESSENTIAL REQUIREMENTS OF ALONG WHERE THE COMPETENT, SUBSTANTIAL EVIDENCE WAS PROVIDED BELOW. AND THE ONLY CRITERIA WITH RESPECT TO COMPATIBILITY IS THE ARCHITECTURAL COMPATIBILITY. AND I THINK WE'VE HEARD, UNLESS YOU DISAGREE, EVIDENCE BELOW AND TODAY THAT THE DESIGN THAT WAS APPROVED BY THE BOARD OF ARCHITECTS FALLS WITHIN APPLICABLE ZONING. BUT AGAIN, WE'RE NOT, I'M NOT, OKAY. JUST ANSWER THAT QUESTION. IS THAT TRUE WHAT I JUST SAID? WELL, FIRST OF ALL, WE'RE NOT HERE ON ZONING. SO I DON'T KNOW HOW TO ANSWER THAT QUESTION. WE CAN ANSWER IT YES OR NO, BECAUSE I ASKED THAT QUESTION. OKAY. SO IF WE'RE GONNA GET INTO ZONING, WELL, MY ARGUMENT IS, WELL, DO YOU AGREE TO MY QUESTION IS WHETHER THE ARCHITECTURAL COMPATIBILITY IS THE ONLY CRITERIA THAT'S SHOULD BE REVIEWED WITH RESPECT TO YOUR ARGUMENT THAT COMPETENT, SUBSTANTIAL EVIDENCE IN DUE PROCESS WAS, WAS VIOLATED. THE ONLY INCOMPATIBILITY YOU CAN REFER TO IS WHERE THE ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN IS INCOMPATIBLE. ABSOLUTELY. THAT'S WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT. WE'RE TALKING ABOUT DESIGN, RIGHT? WHAT DO WE WANT TO HAVE? BUILDINGS THAT HAVE SILOS. IT'S, IT'S, IT'S REMINISCENT OF THE PLAZA. RIGHT, BUT YOU'RE GOING OFF, AGAIN, I'M ASKING WHETHER OR NOT WITH RESPECT TO ARCHITECTURAL COMPATIBILITY, RIGHT, THE DESIGN, I THINK YOU'RE SUGGESTING THAT WE CAN SIT HERE AND SUBSTITUTE OUR VIEW WITH WHAT WAS RENDERED AS THE OPINION AND DECISION OF THE BOARD OF ARCHITECTS. ARE YOU ASKING ME TO, UH, PUT MY VIEW IN SUBSTITUTED FOR THEIRS? ABSOLUTELY. YOU, YOUR JOB AS THE COMMISSIONER IS TO REVIEW THE EVIDENCE TO DETERMINE WHETHER THIS DESIGN IS COMPATIBLE WITH THE NEIGHBORHOOD. WE'RE NOT TALKING ABOUT THAT. WE'RE TALKING ABOUT WHETHER, I WAS ASKING WHETHER OR NOT THERE'S ANY ARCHITECTURAL CODE OR ZONING PROVISION THAT HAS BEEN VIOLATED WITH THIS DESIGN HAVING BEEN APPROVED. JUST IDENTIFY THAT FOR ME. OKAY. SO I MEAN, I GUESS WE WE'RE, WE'RE GONNA GET INTO ZONING. SO YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT ZONING VIOLATIONS? I'M TALKING ABOUT ANY ARCHITECT NO, NO, NO, THAT'S, HE'S NOT TALKING ABOUT ZONING, BUT, BUT HE DID, HE'S ASKING, HE'S TALKING ABOUT DESIGN. DESIGN IS THE ONLY QUESTION. THIS, WHETHER THIS DESIGN THAT WAS APPROVED, BY THE WAY, BY THE BO OA AND THEN REAFFIRMED BY, BY AN INDEPENDENT PANEL, RIGHT? WAS THREE MEMBERS, WAS ANY LAW VIOLATED? YES. OKAY. AND I DON'T MEAN TO JUMP INTO COMMISSIONER LAW. OH, I WOULD'VE JUST ASKED THEN. YOU KNOW, JUST QUOTE TO ME, THE SECTION, THE CODE REQUIRES THAT THE ARCHITECTURE BE COMPATIBLE WITH THE NEIGHBORHOOD. THAT IS THE STANDARD. SO YOU SIT IN JUDGMENT WHEN YOU SEE THAT MASSIVE BUILDING WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF THIS GARDEN DISTRICT, IS IT COMPATIBLE AND IS IT IN HARMONY? THAT IS THE QUESTION BEFORE YOU OKAY. MADAM CITY ATTORNEY, YOU'D LIKE TO, SORRY, I JUST WANNA CLARIFY. YES. AND REMIND THE COMMISSION OF THE STANDARD THAT, THAT YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO BE FOLLOWING HERE TODAY. SO YOU ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO MAKE A JUDGMENT AS TO WHETHER THE DESIGN SATISFIES THE CRITERIA IN THE ZONING CODE. YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE DETERMINING WHETHER THERE WAS COMPETENT, SUBSTANTIAL EVIDENCE RELIED UPON BY THE SPECIAL MASTERS IN MAKING THAT DETERMINATION. SO YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO STEP INTO THE SHOES, [05:15:01] YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO MAKE A JUDGMENT ON THAT. YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO REVIEW THE RECORD. WAS THERE SUBSTANTIAL COMPETENT EVIDENCE? AND IF THERE WAS COMPETENT, SUBSTANTIAL EVIDENCE TO SUPPORT THE DECISION OF THE SPECIAL MASTERS, THAT IS SUFFICIENT. SO THAT'S, THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE DETERMINING TODAY. WAS THERE SUBSTANTIAL COMPETENT EVIDENCE? DO YOU AGREE WITH THAT, MR. WINKLER? THAT THAT'S THE CORRECT REVIEW? YES. AND SO LET ME QUOTE THE LAW SECTION 5 1 0 3, ARCHITECTURAL STYLE. LETTER B SAYS, THE ARCHITECTURAL CONTEXT OF AN AREA INCLUDES HEIGHT, SCALE, MASSING, SEPARATION BETWEEN BUILDINGS AND STYLE IN REGARD TO HOW BUILDINGS AND STRUCTURES RELATE TO EACH OTHER WITHIN A SPECIFIED AREA, UNQUOTE. THEN WE TALK ABOUT WHAT DOES COMPATIBILITY MEAN? COMPATIBILITY MEANS THE CHARACTERISTICS, CHARACTERISTICS OF DIFFERENT USES OR ACTIVITIES OR DESIGNS WHICH ALLOW THEM TO BE LOCATED NEAR OR ADJACENT TO EACH OTHER IN HARMONY. SO YOUR GUYS TODAY, AND I THINK THE CITY ATTORNEY HAS SAID THIS AND MADE THIS CLEAR, YOU HAVE TO SEE IF THE EVIDENCE SUPPORTS THE CONCLUSION THAT THIS IS IN HARMONY WITH THE OTHER BUILDINGS. SO YOU'RE NOT SUBSTITUTING JUDGMENT, YOU'RE NOT, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE LOOKING, IS THERE EVIDENCE THAT THIS IS IN HARMONY BASED ON WHAT HAPPENED BELOW? RIGHT. WELL, JUST A COUPLE THINGS REAL QUICK, AND THEN I'LL PASS THE, THE, THE GAVEL, I GUESS OR THE, THE DIOCESE OVER TO, UH, THE MIKE TO MY COLLEAGUES. MR. YOU'VE SAID A COUPLE OF TIMES YOU REFERRED TO US HERE AS GUYS. AND I WOULD, I MEAN, I'M NOT TRYING TO STAND ON CEREMONY HERE, BUT WE'RE ALL COMMISSIONERS AND IF YOU REFER TO US THAT WAY, I DOUBT YOU WOULD SAY TO A JUDGE, HEY, FOLKS, OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. YOU MIGHT, BUT THAT'S, THAT'S, I'M TRYING TO MAINTAIN SOME DECO IN THAT RESPECT. AND, AND SECOND, I THINK THAT WE'RE ALL ON THE SAME PAGE SINCE WE ARE NOT, AND I THINK YOU AGREED TO SUBSTITUTES SUBSTITUTE OUR VIEW OF WHAT THE EVIDENCE BELOW WOULD'VE BEEN HAD WE SAT IN THE SHOES OF THE BOARD OF ARCHITECTS. RIGHT. ALL THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT IS WHETHER OR NOT WHAT THEY DID SEE IS SUBSTANTIAL AND COMPETENT EVIDENCE FOR THE DECISION THEY MADE, CORRECT? ABSOLUTELY. SO THE IDEA IS YOU COULD LOOK AT THAT PICTURE AND YOU ARE ABLE TO DETERMINE THAT PICTURE IS EVIDENCE. IS THAT BUILDING IN HARMONY? THAT'S THE DECISION YOU HAVE TO MAKE TO SAY THAT SUBSTITUTING JUDGMENT, YOU HAVE TO SIT BASED ON THE EVIDENCE BEFORE YOU, AND WE BELIEVE THAT THE EVIDENCE IS CLEAR. I I IT'S NOT COMPATIBLE, IT'S NOT IN HARMONY. I KNOW YOUR POSITION, BUT I, I DISAGREE THAT I CAN LOOK AT IT AND DECIDE DIFFERENTLY BECAUSE I CAN LOOK AT THE SAME EVIDENCE AND COME UP POSSIBLY WITH A DIFFERENT, DIFFERENT INTERPRETATION. BUT MY LIMIT IS WHETHER OR NOT WHEN THEY LOOKED AT IT, WHAT THEIR DECISION WAS, IS IT SUPPORTED. YOU WOULD HAVE TO MAKE THE ARGUMENT THAT THERE IS NO WAY THAT THEY COULD FIND THAT IT COMPLIED WITH APPLICABLE LAW, CORRECT? NO, I DO NOT BELIEVE THAT'S THE STANDARD. OKAY. WE'LL AGREE TO DISAGREE THEN. THANK YOU. OKAY, MR. WINK, IF I MAY, I, I HAVEN'T MM-HMM . SAID A WORD YET. UM, JUST A FEW POINTS THAT I THINK I'M, IT'S VERY CONCERNING AND IF YOU CAN TELL FOR THE RECORD, I THINK WE'VE, UH, YOU SAID THAT THERE WAS ABOUT DOUBLE THE AMOUNT OF TIME THAT WAS SPENT GOING BACK AND FORTH, UH, DURING THE SPECIAL MASTER. I THINK WE HAVE SURPASSED THAT BY FAR IN REGARDS TO THE AMOUNT OF TIME THAT YOU'VE GOTTEN HERE TODAY. I THINK THAT'S CRITICALLY IMPORTANT. 'CAUSE IT'S ONE OF THE FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES OF YOUR ARGUMENT AND MS. BOLTON'S ARGUMENT, UH, THAT DUE PROCESS WAS VIOLATED, AND YOU'RE THE ONE STANDING UP HERE FOR THE LAST PROBABLY 30 MINUTES. SO YOU'VE HAD THE FLOOR, UM, TO REALLY STATE YOUR CASE ON THAT POINT. I THINK YOU INFER THAT THE CITY'S FINGERS WERE ON THE SCALE, UH, IN REGARDS TO WHAT HAS TRANSPIRED OVER THE MULTIPLE DIFFERENT BOARDS FROM THE BO OA TO THE SPECIAL MASTER, AND THAT YOU WERE NOT TREATED FAIRLY. UM, COMMISSIONER LATA VERY ELOQUENTLY, UH, BROUGHT TO LIGHT THE FACT THAT THERE WAS NO OBJECTION ON YOUR PART ZERO OBJECTION. AND AS THE ATTORNEY, I IMAGINE YOU'RE NOT DOING THIS OUTTA THE GOODNESS OUTTA YOUR HEART. YOU'RE BEING PAID TO BE HERE. WELL, ACTUALLY, THAT I'M NOT BEING PAID. WELL, CONGRATULATIONS, . AT LEAST YOU'RE GETTING SOME GOOD PUBLICITY OUT OF IT. PRO, PRO. YOU'RE GETTING, YOU'RE GETTING SOME GOOD PUBLICITY OUT OF IT. THAT'S BEAUTIFUL. I BELIEVE IN CHARITY WORK ALSO. UM, WHY DIDN'T YOU OBJECT? I DON'T THINK IT WAS APPROPRIATE TO INTERRUPT. YOU KNOW, AT THE END OF THE DAY, THE HEARING IS THE HEARING. UM, THIS IS NOT A UNDER LAW. THIS IS NOT A VIOLATION THAT REQUIRES [05:20:01] PRESERVATION BELOW WHETHER PEOPLE WERE GIVEN EQUAL. TIME IS A FACT TO BE DETERMINED BY THIS BOARD. SO LET ME ASK YOU A QUESTION. IF I VOTE IN YOUR FAVOR TODAY, DOES THAT MEAN THAT MR. NAVARRO AND HIS CLIENTS HAVE SOME CLAIM AGAINST ME FOR NOT PROVIDING ENOUGH TIME FOR THEM TODAY? I'M, THIS IS WHEN YOU SAY THERE'S, YOU DON'T WANT TO, YOU DON'T, YOU SAID YOU DON'T WANNA INTERRUPT, BUT YOUR CLIENT HAS INTERRUPTED, THINKS IT'S ABOUT THE THIRD TIME THAT SHE INTERRUPTS, WHICH IS PERFECTLY FINE. I UNDERSTAND THERE PEOPLE WERE A LITTLE OVERZEALOUS ON ISSUES, AND I GET IT, BUT MY, I'M NOT A LAWYER, BUT WHEN YOU'RE BROUGHT IN TO REPRESENT SOMEBODY, YOU SHOULD DO EVERYTHING IN YOUR POWER WITHIN THE CONFINES OF THE PROCESS TO MAKE SURE YOU REPRESENT THEM. SO WHEN YOU TELL ME YOU DIDN'T OBJECT, BUT THEN YOU'RE GONNA COME BACK A FEW MONTHS LATER AND SAY, OR A FEW WEEKS LATER AND SAY, HEY, YOU KNOW, WE, WE, OUR DUE PROCESS WAS VIOLATED. WE WERE NOT AFFORDED THE SAME RIGHTS AS, UH, MR. NAVARRO AND, UH, THE OWNERS OF THE PROPERTY. YOU KNOW, I WANNA HELP YOU. AND THAT'S WHY, IF YOU NOTICE, I'M GIVING YOU A REAL, A LOT OF TIME TO EXPLAIN YOURSELF UP HERE. I THINK WE'VE BEEN MORE THAN FAIR. SO YOU GOTTA GIMME SOMETHING THAT CAN, THAT CAN REALLY HANG MY HAT ON. SO YOU TELL ME DO, BECAUSE YOU'VE REALLY TALKED ABOUT DUE PROCESS AND DUE PROCESS AND DUE PROCESS, YOU KNOW THAT IT WAS VIOLATED. SO I WANNA MAKE SURE, BECAUSE THIS WILL HIT THE BLOGS LATER, AND I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT AT LEAST ON MY ACCOUNT, I FEEL COMFORTABLE WHEN THEY WRITE AN ARTICLE THAT SPINS THIS OFF THE RAILS, YOU KNOW THAT AT LEAST SOMEONE CAN GO BACK AND LOOK AT THE TRANSCRIPT. SO I WANNA UNDERSTAND, YOU FEEL THAT YOU DIDN'T WANNA OBJECT BECAUSE YOU DIDN'T WANT TO. THE PROCESS. WHAT WAS THE PROCESS? YOU KNOW, IT'S LIKE THE IDEA OF THAT I'M GONNA TELL THE CITY HOW TO CONDUCT THAT HEARING. THE HEARING IS THE WAY THE HEARING'S GONNA GO, RIGHT? THERE'S QUESTIONS ASKED, JUST LIKE, YOU'RE GIVING ME MORE TIME TODAY. MS. BOLTON RAISED THE ISSUE, AND IT'S, THERE WAS NO TIMER. LET'S BE CLEAR. FIRST OF ALL, RIGHT? THERE WAS NO TIMER AVAILABLE TO US HERE. WE HAVE A TIMER WHEN, BUT THAT'S NOT AN EXCUSE. THERE IS A TIMER. THE PERSON NO, THERE IS NO TIMER, SIR. WITH ALL DUE RESPECT, THERE IS A TIMER IN THE MEETINGS. YOU'RE GIVEN TIME. THE CLERK OR THE PERSON WHO'S RUNNING THE MEETING'S GONNA TELL YOU HAVE 15 MINUTES, YOU HAVE 15, WHATEVER THE TIME MAY BE, AND THERE'S A TIMER, WHETHER YOU SEE IT OR YOU DON'T SEE IT, THERE IS A TIMER PRESENT BECAUSE BOTH YOU HAVE TIME ON YOUR END. AND I HAVE TIME ON MY END OVER HERE AS I CAN SEE, AND THEN IT'S VERY CLEAR. SO THERE IS A TIMER WE HAVE, BUT IT SHOULD BE CLEAR AT THE MEETING WE WERE AT, MAYBE YOU DIDN'T SEE THE TIMER, BUT THERE IS A TIMER. NO, THERE WAS NO TIMER. ALRIGHT? BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, YOU SHOULD STILL OBJECT. IF YOU FEEL YOU DID NOT GET ENOUGH TIME, YOU SHOULD OBJECT. THAT'S THE BOTTOM LINE. WAIT, WAIT, MAYOR, IF I MAY AS WELL. SO AS I ASKED, AND YOU JUST BROUGHT UP AGAIN, NUMBER ONE, THE BASIS FOR YOUR LACK OF DUE PROCESS, I THINK, IS THAT SHE WASN'T AFFORDED THE SAME OR RELATIVELY THE SAME AMOUNT OF TIME AS HER ADVERSARY, BUT YOU DIDN'T OBJECT AND YOU DIDN'T ASK FOR MORE TIME. THAT'S WHAT I WAS GETTING TO ABOUT, BUT IN THE END, RIGHT? RIGHT. SO THAT'S THE BASIS FOR COMING HERE TODAY AND SAYING THAT I WAS DEPRIVED OF SOMETHING. THEN AS THE MAYOR'S SAYING, HELP US UNDERSTAND IF YOU DIDN'T OBJECT OR DIDN'T ASK FOR MORE TIME, HOW CAN THAT BE CONSIDERED PRESIDENTIAL? SO I'M GONNA, AGAIN, I'M GONNA GET TO THE FINAL POINT. OKAY? WHICH COMMISSIONER A LADA AS A GOOD ATTORNEY, BASICALLY MADE MY POINT, LITERALLY WAS, SO YOU FEEL YOU DIDN'T GET SUFFICIENT TIME? NO, BUT YOU DIDN'T, LET'S BE CLEAR. NOT THAT WE DIDN'T GET SUFFICIENT TIME. YEAH, BUT THEN YOU, BUT THAT'S MY, THEY GOT DOUBLE THE TIME. OKAY, BUT THEN WHY ARE YOU MAKING AN ARGUMENT TODAY IF YOU DIDN'T OBJECT? AND THEN ALSO YOU DIDN'T SEEK OUT ADDITIONAL TIME. SO AT THE END OF THE DAY, I THINK THAT YOU'RE, YOU'RE NOT, YOU'RE NOT FOCUSING IN ON WHAT I BELIEVE IS THE IMPORTANT FACTS HERE. AND THAT IS, DO YOU HAVE ANY COMPETENT, SUBSTANTIAL EVIDENCE FOR ME TO REVIEW, NOT ON TIME DUE PROCESS VIOLATIONS THAT ARE SOMEWHERE, UH, IN THE NEBULOUS, THE NEBULOUS STATE. DO WE HAVE SOMETHING HERE THAT YOU CAN SHOW ME THAT WILL OVERTURN WHAT THE SPECIAL MASTER CLEARLY VOTED ON UNANIMOUSLY? OUR COMPETENT PROFESSIONAL BOARD AT THE BOARD OF ARCHITECTURE, WHICH ARE ALL ARCHITECTS, I NEED YOU TO TELL ME SOMETHING. AND IT CAN'T BE JUST IN REAL, YOU KNOW, MUMBO JUMBO LEGAL TERMINOLOGY TO TRY TO CONFUSE ME BECAUSE I'M NOT A LAWYER. I HAVE LAWYERS ALL AROUND ME. OKAY? THEY CAN IRON THIS THING OUT AND, YOU KNOW, TAKE IT ALL APART FROM ME. I NEED YOU TO DO ME A FAVOR, PLEASE, AND EXPLAIN TO ME, AND I'M GONNA REALLY SIMPLE, DO YOU HAVE ANY COMPETENT, SUBSTANTIAL EVIDENCE THAT WILL RENDER THE DECISION BY THE SPECIAL MASTER INVALID? AND I CAN MOVE IN A DIFFERENT DIRECTION. I NEED YOU TO TELL ME THAT. YES, ABSOLUTELY. OH, WAIT, HOLD ON. WAIT. AND YOU CANNOT TELL ME ABOUT A COFFEE CAN BECAUSE I WROTE THIS DOWN. A COFFEE CAN AND A PARK. SIR, [05:25:01] LISTEN, PLEASE, PLEASE COME FORWARD. GO AHEAD. LET'S, WE'RE FOCUSING IN ON THE PARK. NO, NO. FOCUS ON THE PARK. IT IS ABOUT DESIGN. IT'S ABOUT DESIGN. I NEED YOU TO EXPLAIN TO ME THE DESIGN AND WHERE IT FALLS SHORT AND DOES NOT MEET THE CRITERIA. PLEASE. YES. OKAY, GO AHEAD. THE APPLICABLE LAW IS SECTION FIVE DASH 1 0 3. SIR, WE WENT THROUGH THIS ALREADY. ARCHITECTURAL STYLE, WELL, GIMME TELL ME, TELL ME THE ARCHITECTURAL CONTEXT OF AN AREA INCLUDES HEIGHT, SCALE, MASSING, SEPARATION BETWEEN BUILDINGS AND STYLE IN REGARD TO HOW BUILDINGS AND STRUCTURES RELATE TO EACH OTHER WITHIN A SPECIFIED AREA. ARTICLE 16 OF OUR CODE EXPLAINS WHAT COMPATIBILITY MEANS. COMPATIBILITY MEANS THE CHARACTERISTICS OF DIFFERENT USES OR ACTIVITIES OR DESIGN, WHICH ALLOWS THEM TO BE LOCATED NEAR OR A ADJACENT TO EACH OTHER IN HARMONY, COMPATIBILITY, HARMONY. THE EVIDENCE BEFORE YOU, THE COMMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC, YOU'RE GONNA HEAR 'EM AGAIN. NOW, THIS ISN'T IN HARMONY AND IT IS NOT COMPATIBLE. THIS IS A GIANT BUILDING WITHIN A GARDEN DISTRICT WITH AN OVERLAY. IT'S ACROSS THE STREET FROM THE WOMEN'S CENTER. IT IS JARRING. YOU CAN SEE FROM THE PICTURES IT'S SRING, BUT THE EVIDENCE BELOW THE RESIDENT'S TESTIMONY IS WHAT MATTERS. AND THE RESIDENT TESTIMONY, THE COMPETENT, SUBSTANTIAL EVIDENCE IS THAT IT'S NOT COMPATIBLE AND IT'S NOT IN HARMONY. THAT IS THE EVIDENCE. SO MADAM CITY ATTORNEY, I'VE HEARD, CAN I CONSIDER ANY OF THIS JARRING WOMEN'S CLUB? ANY OF THAT MAKES A DECISION, UM, HELPS ME MAKE A DECISION HERE. SO MAYOR, THE, UH, THERE WAS MY UNDERSTANDING FROM REVIEWING THE TRANSCRIPT AS THERE WAS VARIOUS, UM, EVIDENCE THAT WAS PRESENTED AND, YOU KNOW, IF THE PROPERTY OWNER WANTS TO REVIEW WHAT WAS SUBMITTED OR JUST KIND OF SUMMARIZE IT FOR YOU, BUT IN ADDITION TO WHATEVER THE PROPERTY OWNER SUBMITTED IN TERMS OF PLANS AND SPECIFICATIONS, THE TESTIMONY OF THEIR ARCHITECT, UM, IN ADDITION, I KNOW THERE WAS A STAFF REPORT BY OUR CITY ARCHITECT. I READ A LOT, EVERYTHING. UM, AND SO IF THERE WAS TESTIMONY BY RESIDENTS LAY, YOU KNOW, LAY OPINION, LET'S SAY THAT IS NOT COMPETENT, SUBSTANTIAL EVIDENCE. SO IT'S HAPPY YOU SAID THAT. OKAY? THANK YOU. SO IF THERE'S FACTUAL TESTIMONY BY ANY OF THE RESIDENTS, IF THERE WAS FACTUAL TESTIMONY IN THE TRANSCRIPT, FACTUAL TESTIMONY, THEN THAT CAN BE CONSIDERED SUBSTANTIAL COMPETENT EVIDENCE. BUT IF IT'S JUST OPINION TESTIMONY BY A LAY PERSON, THEN IT'S NOT COMPETENT, SUBSTANTIAL EVIDENCE. SO YOU HAVE BEEN ASKED MULTIPLE TIMES BY MYSELF, BY COMMISSIONER LARA, AND BY, IN REGARDS TO SHOW ME COMPETENT, SUBSTANTIAL EVIDENCE. YOU WILL CONTINUE TO REPEAT THE LAW AND LET'S BE CLEAR AND YOU THE FACTUAL EVIDENCE, I'M GONNA GO OVER IT AGAIN AND HOLD ON ONE SECOND. AND YOU MENTIONED A COFFEE CAN AND A PARK. ALL THAT DOESN'T COME INTO, BUT IT DOES. BUT IT DOES NOT, IT DOES NOT, IT DOES NOT COME INTO PLAY HERE. IT DOES APPLY, SIR. SIR, IT DOES NOT. WAIT, THAT'S, LISTEN. UH, THAT'LL ALL BE TAKEN UP ON APPEAL, BUT THE IDEA IS THE FACTUAL EVIDENCE BEFORE YOU IS THE RESIDENT FACTUAL TESTIMONY ABOUT INCOMPATIBILITY AND OUT OF HARMONY. THAT'S WHAT YOU HAVE TO FOCUS ON. I'D LIKE TO PUT THIS ON THE RECORD SINCE YOU ALREADY MENTIONED IT'S GONNA GO TO APPEAL. I DON'T KNOW HOW YOU KNOW THAT YOU MUST HAVE A CRYSTAL BALL. UM, I'M JUST, I'VE GIVEN YOU EVERY OPPORTUNITY, MR. WINKER, EVERY OPPORTUNITY TO PRODUCE SOMETHING, TO PRODUCE SOMETHING YOU'VE GONE OFF. YOU HAVE IT, YOUR HONOR, BUT YOU HAVE IT, YOUR HONOR. YOU HAVE IT, MAYOR, IT'S IN THE RECORD. YOUR JOB IS TO GO THROUGH THE FACTUAL STATEMENTS FROM THE RESIDENTS REGARDING FACTS THAT GO TO COMPATIBILITY. YOU'RE NOW GONNA HEAR PUBLIC COMMENT. WHAT ARE THEY GONNA TALK ABOUT? COMPATIBILITY AND HARMONY. I, I DO NEED TO CLARIFY JUST YES, KIND OF JUST TO FOLLOW UP ON WHAT I HAD SAID PREVIOUSLY. YES. IF THE RECORD REFLECTS THAT THERE WAS COMPETENT, SUBSTANTIAL EVIDENCE SUPPORTING DIFFERENT OUTCOMES YES. AND THE SPECIAL MASTERS WHO WERE THERE AND HEARD THE TESTIMONY, HEARD THE EVIDENCE, CONSIDERED THE EVIDENCE, THEY ARE THE ONES WHO ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR WEIGHING THAT EVIDENCE YES. AND MAKING A DECISION. SO AS SO LONG AS THERE WAS COMPETENT, SUBSTANTIAL EVIDENCE TO SUPPORT THEIR DECISION, IT DOESN'T MATTER IF THERE WAS OTHER COMPETENT, SUBSTANTIAL EVIDENCE THAT WOULD'VE SUPPORTED A DIFFERENT OUTCOME, THEY'RE THE ONES WHO WEIGHED THE EVIDENCE. YES. SO YOUR JOB TODAY IS TO SEE WHETHER THERE WAS, AND TO MAKE THE DETERMINATION WHETHER THERE WAS COMPETENT, SUBSTANTIAL [05:30:01] EVIDENCE TO SUPPORT THEIR DECISION. NOT WHETHER THERE WAS OTHER, OTHER, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE THE ONES WHO WEIGHED THE EVIDENCE. I'M JUST HOPING AND PRAYING THAT YOU COULD COME UP WITH SOME SORT OF ITEM OR ARGUMENT THAT MAKES ME SEE SOMETHING DIFFERENTLY. BECAUSE AGAIN, YOU'RE HEAR IN PUB, YOU'RE GONNA HEAR IN PUBLIC COMMENT FROM THE SAME PEOPLE. JUST, JUST SO YOU'RE AWARE, JUST SO YOU'RE AWARE, PLEASE, AND I, I DON'T, I TRY NOT TO INTERRUPT YOU. JUST GIMME ONE SECOND. MR. WINKER. I APOLOGIZE. YOU'VE INTERRUPTED ME MAYBE HALF A DOZEN TIMES. UM, I LISTENED TO ALL THE PUBLIC TESTIMONY. I WAS THERE, OKAY, LISTENING TO THE TAPE. IT'S FINE. WE'VE BEEN VERY CLEAR ON THIS. I'M GONNA HEAR AND LISTEN TO EVERYBODY. I'M GONNA GIVE THEM THE TIME THEY NEED. SO, BUT THIS WAS YOUR JOB TO PUT FORTH AN ARGUMENT THAT WOULD EXPLAIN YOUR CASE. AND I'M SORRY, I, I I DON'T THINK I'M THE ONLY ONE UP HERE THAT DOESN'T SEE IT. OKAY, SO, UM, YES, COMMISSIONER THROUGH THE MAYOR. MY LAST QUESTION HERE IS FOR YOU, MR. WINKER, OR MAYBE FOR THE REPRESENTATION OF THE DEVELOPER, AT ANY POINT DURING THE LAST HEARING, DID THE CHAIR ASK THE DEVELOPER TO WRAP IT UP? NO. OKAY. SO YOU'RE TELLING ME THE DEVELOPER GOT HALF THE TIME, WELL, TWO TIMES MORE AND THE CHAIR DIDN'T ASK THEM TO WRAP IT UP, CORRECT? STOP. NO, NO, NO, NO MORE, NO MORE. WE'RE DONE, WE'RE DONE, WE'RE DONE. WE'RE DONE. WE'RE DONE. THAT'S IT. MR. MR. CLERK, MR. CLERK QUESTION. YES, MR. MAYOR, I'M NOT GONNA GET INTO THIS GAME BACK AND FORTH. I'M NOT GOING TO, I KNOW, I KNOW WHERE THIS IS GOING. I KNOW WHERE THE COMMISSIONER'S GOING. I'M NOT GONNA ALLOW IT. I'M NOT GONNA ALLOW IT. I'M NOT GONNA ALLOW IT. OKAY? I'M NOT GONNA DO THAT. BUT, BUT HOLD ON, HOLD ON, COMMISSIONER, HOLD ON. HOLD ON. AT THE END OF THIS COMMISSION MEETING, MR. MR. CLERK, AT THE END OF THE COMMISSION MEETING, I ASKED YOU TO PLEASE, I WANT YOU TO PUT THE COMMENTS BY BOTH SIDES. HOW MUCH TIME, AND I WANNA MAKE IT A PUBLIC RECORD. I WANNA SHOW VERY CLEARLY THE AMOUNT OF TIME AND THE LENIENCY THAT WAS GIVEN TO BONNIE BOLDEN AND HER ATTORNEY. I WANNA MAKE IT VERY CLEAR, BECAUSE WE KEEP GOING BACK TO THE DUE PROCESS AND THE DUE PROCESS AND THAT THE FINGER HAD THEIR, THE, THE, EXCUSE ME, THE CITY HAD THE FINGER ON THE SCALE. I WILL NOT STAND FOR THAT. AND FOR THE COMMISSION TO EVEN IMPLY THAT AND CONTINUE TO SAY THAT IS NOT THE WAY IT SHOULD BE. NO COMMISSION SHOULD SAY THAT. OKAY? NONE. THAT IS, THAT IS, THAT IS AN ASSAULT ON WHO WE ARE AS A CITY AND WE WOULD NEVER DO THAT. WHETHER WE'RE ON ONE SIDE OF AN ARGUMENT OR AN ISSUE OR THE OTHER SIDE OF AN ISSUE, WE RESPECT EVERYBODY'S TIME HERE. OKAY, COMMISSIONER ALL, LET'S WRAP IT UP AND THEN WE'LL, AND THEN WE WILL, UH, WE'LL, UH, WE'LL HAVE OUR, OUR PUBLIC COMMENT, MR. MAYOR, SINCE, SINCE THERE'S BEEN SUGGESTION BY MR. WINKLER THAT HE MAY BE SEEKING, DEPENDING ON THE OUTCOME TODAY AND APPELLATE REVIEW, I THINK WE SHOULD GRANT THREE MINUTES, UH, TO MR. NAVARRO TO AT LEAST GET ON THE RECORD SOME REBUTTAL TO THESE POINTS RAISED BY MR. WINKLER. I WOULD ASK THAT. OKAY. I APPRECIATE THAT. ALRIGHT, COMMISSIONER, COMMISSIONER. JESUS. NOW I'M EVEN CONFUSED. OKAY. UH, COUNCILOR, COUNCILOR NAVARRO, I'M GONNA GIVE YOU TWO MINUTES AND 45 SECONDS. I WILL BE LESS THAN THAT. I WOULD JUST LIKE TO CLARIFY. I KNOW I MENTIONED EARLIER THAT THERE WAS AN ALLOTTED AMOUNT OF TIME, EACH SIDE HAD 15 MINUTES PLUS THERE WAS A ONE HOUR OF PUBLIC COMMENT. THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT I DIDN'T WANT TO DO. I AM JUST SETTING THE RECORD STRAIGHT. TWO MINUTES. I'M JUST GOING TO READ FROM THE RECORD. THIS IS FROM PAGE 21 OF THE RECORD. MS. BOLTON, IT SEEMS LIKE YOU'RE USING THE PUBLIC COMMENT AS PART OF YOUR PRESENTATION AND YOUR PUBLIC COMMENT IS LIMITED TO 15 MINUTES THROUGHOUT THIS RECORD. IF YOU LOOK WHILE THE PUBLIC SPEAKERS ARE SPEAKING, MS. BOLTON'S NAME POPS UP SAYING, PLEASE PUT UP THESE PHOTOS. UH, I'M INTRODUCING SOMEONE AT THE CONCLUSION OF WHERE MR. WINKER SAYS THAT THE CHAIRMAN ASKED HIM TO WRAP UP. MS. BOLTON WAS ABLE TO READ FIVE, FIVE LETTERS INTO THE RECORD AFTER THAT POINT. UH, SO THERE WAS PLENTY OF OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK, NO OBJECTION ON THE RECORD AND NO ASK FOR ADDITIONAL TIME. AND THE RECORD SPEAKS FOR ITSELF AND I APPRECIATE IT. SO IF I MAY, IF I MAY, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THAT WAS, UH, THAT WAS, UH, 52 SECONDS. SO PUT THAT ON THE RECORD. OKAY. STOP THE CLOCK. STOP THE CLOCK. SO I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE ADD THIS UP. BY THE WAY, MR. CLARK, I'M NOT KIDDING. AT THE END, WE'RE GONNA DO THIS AND WE'RE GONNA, AND WE'RE GONNA, WE'RE GONNA GET DOWN TO THE SECOND AND WE'RE GONNA POST THIS BECAUSE THIS IS, AGAIN, THE IDEA, THE IDEA THAT WE'RE SAYING HERE, THAT THE CITY HAS THEIR FINGER ON THE SCALE AND GIVES PREFERENCE TO ONE PERSON OVER ANOTHER. IT'S NOT GONNA HAPPEN HERE. THE KEY, THE KEY HERE, THE KEY HERE WAS TO HAVE A CONVERSATION, WHETHER IT'S ON ONE SIDE OR THE OTHER, TO TALK ABOUT THE COMPETENT, SUBSTANTIAL EVIDENCE THAT WAS PROVIDED BY THE SPECIAL MASTER. THAT'S WHAT THE INTENT WAS, RIGHT? MADAME CITY ATTORNEY, CORRECT ME. IT'S TO REVIEW THE RECORD BELOW AND TO, AND WHAT HAVE WE DONE? WE HAVE SPENT OVER AN HOUR AND A HALF NOT TALKING ABOUT THAT, TALKING [05:35:01] ABOUT DUE PROCESS, TALKING ABOUT TREES, TALKING ABOUT OPEN SPACE, TALKING ABOUT, WE'VE LITERALLY EXACTLY WHAT I DIDN'T WANNA DO. YOU DID IT. OKAY. ALRIGHT. WELL, WITH THAT BEING SAID, WE'D LIKE TO MOVE IT NOW, SO HOPEFULLY WE CAN, PEOPLE CAN GET HOME TO, TO DEAL WITH THE ISSUES THAT THEY HAVE. OKAY? EVEN THOUGH I LOVE THE FACT THAT ALL OF YOU'RE HERE, I'M EXCITED ABOUT, YOU KNOW, CONTINUING TO PUSH FORWARD ON DEMOCRACY. BUT I KNOW YOU HAVE BETTER THINGS TO DO. MR. CLERK? YES SIR. LET'S OPEN THE PUBLIC HEARING. ALRIGHT. FIRST SPEAKER, UH, CHERYL ACKERMAN. OKAY. YOU SEE THAT'S WHY WE HAVE TO DO IT 'CAUSE PEOPLE HAVE TO LEAVE. WELL, CAN I WAIT JUST FOR THE RECORD, PLEASE. WE NEED TO BE HONEST AND TRANSPARENT. DID SHE LEAVE A COMMENT THERE? SHE DID, YES, SIR. UM, WHAT IS IT? SHE, SHE JUST SAID SHE NEEDED TO LEAVE EARLY. THAT'S ALL HER COMMENTS. WELL, SORRY ABOUT THAT. . UH, MARIA CRUZ? YES. , THIS IS MARIA CRUZ. 1447 MILLER ROAD, 3 0 5 3 2 3 2 1 5 4. UM, FIRST COMMENT, WINKER GET UP BECAUSE HE WAS ASKED TO GET UP AND TO ANSWER QUESTIONS. HE DIDN'T GET UP ON HIS OWN. HE ANSWERED WHAT HE WAS ASKED. OKAY, NUMBER TWO, THAT PROJECT IS IN INCOMPATIBLE WITH THE REST OF THE AREA. VERY CLEARLY THAT HAS TO DO WITH DESIGN. MASSING IS ABSOLUTELY OUT OF THE PARK IN MASSING HEIGHT. THIS IS WHAT THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO BE LOOKING AT. THE PROJECT IS OUT OF CONTEXT AND, UM, ONCE AGAIN, THIS IS, THIS PROJECT SHOULD NOT BE APPROVED AS IT IS. THEY SHOULD BE. THEY SHOULD GO BACK AND DO IT THE WAY IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE. THANK YOU. JOHAN MAYER. HELLO, JOANNE MAR, 1225 VALENCIA AVENUE. IM NOT HERE TO TALK ABOUT THE TREE, HOWEVER, I WILL TALK ABOUT THE DESIGN OF THE INTERIOR COURTYARD. SO TREES IN GENERAL WILL BE MENTIONED. THE CHILDREN OF CRYSTAL ACADEMY CURRENTLY PLAY IN THE GRASS UNDER THE SHADE OF TREES THAT HAVE LIVED IN THEIR SCHOOL HOMES SINCE WELL BEFORE THEY OR THEIR PARENTS WERE BORN. THOSE WHO DRIVE IN THE NEIGHBORHOODS SEE MATURE TREES RATHER THAN MORE CONCRETE. THOSE WHO WALK BY, EVEN IF THEY DON'T CURRENTLY HAVE ACCESS TO THE GARDEN OF OUR LORD. WHILE ALL OF THIS PLAYS OUT, BENEFIT FROM A TREE CANOPY THAT SHADES THE SIDEWALK, LOWERS TEMPERATURES AND CONTRIBUTES TO A SENSE OF WELLBEING. DO THESE STUDENTS DESERVE A NEW FACILITY TO ENHANCE THEIR EDUCATION? ABSOLUTELY. DO. THEY DESERVE AN OUTDOOR ENVIRONMENT THAT IS ROBUST. ONE THAT ALLOWS THEM NOT ONLY TO PLAY, BUT TO EXPLORE, TO GET INTO THE DIRT, TO JUST TO OBSERVE BIRDS, BEES, BUTTERFLIES, AND TO LISTEN TO THE CH CH CH OF, OF SQUIRRELS WORKING ON A LIVE OAK ACORN. THE GREEN SPACE COURTYARD IN THIS PROPOSAL, WHICH IS SURROUNDED BY NINE STORIES, FALLS VERY SHORT OF WHAT THESE CHILDREN, THE NEIGHBORS, AND THE PEOPLE OF CORAL GABLES DESERVE. STUDIES HAVE LINKED NATURE EXPOSURE WITH RESTORATION OF COGNITIVE PROCESSES AND INCREASED CAPACITY FOR COGNITIVE PROCESSING IN CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS. DURING THE JANUARY MEETING, THE BOARD OF ARCHITECTS SPECIAL MASTERS, THE DEVELOPERS REP REPRESENTATIVE SPOKE OF A SHADE STUDY BUT OFFERED NO DETAILS. I'M WONDERING HOW MANY HOURS OF SUN THAT COURTYARD WILL GET EACH DAY. WHAT KIND OF TREES WILL THRIVE THERE? WILL THEY JUST PUT IN PALMS? UM, WILL THE GRASS THRIVE? MY PREDICTION IS WHEN THEY DISCOVER IT WILL NOT, THEY WILL INSTALL ARTIFICIAL TURF FOR THE CHILDREN'S SAFETY. GOODBYE BIRDS. GOODBYE BUTTERFLIES, GOODBYE OF SQUIRRELS. THE GREEN SPACE WILL BECOME MERELY A SPACE. IT IS HARDLY GREEN AND WILL HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH NATURE. WE ARE TOLD THAT RESIDENTS WILL HAVE ACCESS TO THIS GREEN SPACE WHEN SCHOOL IS NOT IN SESSION. MY QUESTION, WHICH WAS NOT ANSWERED DURING THE SPECIAL MASTERS MEETING, IS HOW WILL RESIDENTS EVEN KNOW THAT THE SPACE EXISTS OR THAT IT IS AVAILABLE TO THEM? WILL THE TREES PLANTED THEIR TOWER OVER THE NINE STORIES? I BELIEVE NOT. I ENCOURAGE THE COMMISSION TO TAKE VERY, UH, CAREFUL CONSIDERATION OF THE PONCE NEIGHBORHOOD OVERLAY AND GEORGE MERRICK'S MASTER PLAN FOR THE CITY WHEN IT VOTES. AND I URGE THE COMMISSION TO VOTE NO ON THE PROJECT AT IT IS AS IT IS CURRENTLY DESIGNED. THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. ONLY 20 SECONDS OVER. OKAY, JAMES BERLIN. MARIA, CHRISTINA LONGO WILL BE NEXT. JAMES BERLIN, 7 37 TEBO. I'VE BEEN BEFORE THIS COMMISSION SEVERAL TIMES AND I'VE BEEN ON THE ZOOM AND I'VE DONE EMAILS. [05:40:01] MY CONCERN IS AN ADDRESSING, UH, DEVELOPMENT OF HIGH RISE, WHICH ARE NOT TO THE BENEFITS OF THE COMMUNITY. AND IF YOU HEARD THIS DISCUSSION TODAY, I DON'T THINK WE'RE ASKING YOU TO NITPICK OVER THE LAW OR TO LOOK AT THE FINE POINT. THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS HISTORICALLY ON THIS CASE THAT ARE SMELL. UH, WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THE HISTORICAL, WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THE RELIGION, WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THE TREES, BUT AS PART OF IT IS WE'VE ELECTED YOU TO REPRESENT US AND THE COMMUNITY IS UPSET OVER HIGH RISE DEVELOPMENT AND THE RESULTANT TRAFFIC AND CRIME. SO WE CHALLENGE YOU TO LOOK BEYOND THAT AND SAY, IS THIS POSITION YOUR POSITION SERVING THE PUBLIC BY CANCELING A PROJECT BUT JUST NOT DESIRED? THANK YOU. THANK YOU SIR. MARIA, CHRISTINA LONGO. HI, GOOD AFTERNOON. I'M MARIA CHRISTINA LONGO AND I LIVE IN A BEAUTIFUL TWO STORY HOUSE, MEDITERRANEAN, BUT ITALIAN WITH ITS ITALIAN INSPIRED ON CIA JUST ONE BLOCK EAST OF THE PROPOSED PROJECT. AND, UM, I JUST WANNA SAY SOMETHING VERY FAST REGARDING THE AMOUNT OF TIMES THAT THE PROJECT WENT IN FRONT OF THE ARCHITECTURAL BOARD. IF THE PROJECT WOULD'VE BEEN GOOD, IT WOULD'VE PASSED WITH FLYING COLORS. THE PROJECT, BECAUSE IT'S SO CONTROVERSIAL, IT WENT IN FRONT OF THE BOA SIX TIMES THE LAST MEETING. UH, AND UNFORTUNATELY WE DID NOT HAVE THE REVISED MED BONUS, WHICH I ACTUALLY PARTICIPATED. I WAS PART OF THE COMMUNITY WHO PARTICIPATED IN THE REVISIONS OF THE ME BONUS. SO ONE THING THAT HAPPENED IN A SPECIAL MASTER THAT I WANT TO BRING, UM, TO TELL YOU IS THAT, UM, THEY SAID THEY WERE GOING TO UPHOLD BECAUSE IT WENT SIX TIMES IN FRONT OF THE BOA, BUT IT WENT, WHICH MAKES NO SENSE BECAUSE THAT'S WHY WE HAVE A SPECIAL MASTER. AND TO ME IT WAS A LITTLE BIT ABSURD TO HEAR THAT BECAUSE IT WENT IN FRONT OF THE BOA SIX TIMES. IF AGAIN, IF IT WOULD'VE BEEN A GOOD PROJECT, IT WOULD'VE PASSED WITH FLYING COLORS. SO I JUST WANNA TELL YOU THAT THE APPLICANT'S REQUEST FOR MX TWO SONY, IT'S UNREASONABLE. AND I'M HERE TO RESPECTFULLY REQUEST THE PROPOSED PROJECT AT 1 1 0 FINNISH AVENUE, BE REDESIGNED IN STRICT ACCORDANCE WITH THE MF TWO ZONING DISTRICT REGULATIONS THAT GOVERN THE RESIDENTIAL NORTH PONDS NEIGHBORHOOD. WE'RE NOT SAYING THAT AT ONE DEVELOPMENT, I JUST WANT THE ZONING THAT BELONGS TO DESIGN THE PROTOTYPE THAT BELONGS IN THIS NEIGHBORHOOD. MF TWO ZONING IS SPECIFICALLY INTENDED FOR RESIDENTIAL CONTEXT. THE PROBLEM THAT WE'RE HAVING HERE, SORRY, THE PROBLEM THAT IF YOU CAN GIMME PLEASE, BECAUSE I LIVE IN THE STREET. GO GO AHEAD. I LIVE IN THE STREET AND I AM GO VESTED. GO AHEAD. VERY VESTED. GO AHEAD. SO THE, THE, THE, THE MF TWO ZONING FOCUSES ON MULTI-FAMILY DEVELOPMENT THAT IS COMPATIBLE IN SCALE, PROVIDES MOST TRANSITIONS TO SURROUNDING NEIGHBORHOODS AND INCLUSIVE SUBSTANTIALLY MORE GREEN AND OPEN SPACE. AND THE SETBACKS REQUIREMENTS ARE DIFFERENT. THE ONE OF THE DIFFICULTIES WITH THIS PROJECT IS THAT THEY BROUGHT THE MX TWO SETBACKS THAT ARE IS COMMERCIAL INTO A RESIDENTIAL AREA. AND THAT'S WHY WHEN YOU HAVE, AND IT'S NOT THE HEIGHT, I WANT YOU TO TELL YOU THAT I DON'T MIND. I LOVE NEW YORK AND I LIKE HIGH BUILDINGS, BUT WHEN YOU HAVE A MEGA BLOCK PROJECT WITH THAT HEIGHT AND NO SETBACKS, THAT'S THE, THAT'S THE ISSUE. UM, IMPORTANT. ALSO, THE MF TWO REQUIRES 25% OF THE LOT TO BE DEDICATED TO GREEN AND OPEN SPACES. THIS NEIGHBORHOOD, AS YOU ALREADY HEARD, IS PROTECTED BY THE CONSERVATION RESTRICT OVERLAY ESTABLISHED TO PREVENT DEVELOPMENT OF THIS STYLE, IGNORING STANDARDS AND GUIDELINES OF THE ZONING CODE AND OF OUR LATE DISTRICT WOULD CALL INTO QUESTION THE VALUE OF HAVING THEM. AND THIS IS AN UNREASONABLE REQUEST. THE MX TWO ENABLES A DEVELOPMENT PROTOTYPE THAT IS INCOMPATIBLE WITH THE RESIDENTIAL CONTEXT. THAT'S WHY WE'RE HAVING THIS PROBLEM WITH, IN COMPAT INCOMPATIBILITY IS THE PROTOTYPE ALLOWING INTENSITY AND SETBACKS THAT DO NOT, THEY'RE NOT IN CONTEXT, THEY'RE NOT COMPATIBLE. RESORTING TO MX TWO, ESPECIALLY WITH COMMERCIAL USES, COULD ALSO OPEN THE DOOR TO LEAVE LOCAL ACT ZONING GREATLY EXPANDING DEVELOPMENT RIGHTS BEYOND TODAY'S PROPOSAL. I I KNOW THAT I PAUSE. CAN YOU, YOU, YOU'VE DOUBLED THE TIME. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE. NO, NO. BUT WHAT, BUT PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE. BUT OKAY, BUT WHAT THIS MA'AM? MA'AM? YES, MA'AM. YOU'VE DOUBLED, YOU'VE DOUBLED THE TIME. JUST GIMME ONE MORE SECOND. I WANNA TELL YOU SOMETHING. 15 SECONDS. THAT'S IT. OKAY. 15 SECONDS. 91 LETTERS WERE SUBMITTED [05:45:01] TO THE SPECIAL MASTER BY RESIDENTS, ALONG WITH SEVERAL LETTERS FROM RENOWNED RENOWNED ARCHITECTS. I WANNA TELL YOU THAT ONE OF THOSE ARCHITECTS WAS MARIA LAGUARDIA, WHICH HAS NEVER, EVER WRITTEN IN OPPOSITION TO A PROJECT. AND SHE AGREES THAT THE PROJECT SHOULD ADHERE TO MF TWO ZONING AND SHE'S WILLING TO MEET WITH THE COMMISSIONERS. OKAY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. I AM VERY VESTED. I I AM VERY FRUSTRATED. I GET IT. IT'S BEEN A LONG TIME. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. OKAY, SO THAT IS TWO MINUTES AND 23 SECONDS OVER. OKAY. KELLY MADANI. MARIANA FFL WILL BE NEXT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR BEING HERE. HI . MY NAME IS KELLY ANI. I'M A RESIDENT AT CORAL GABLES 10,001 FAIRCHILD WAY. UH, MY SON IS MILES ANI, WHO WILL BE TURNING 13 THIS SATURDAY AND HAS BEEN AT CRYSTAL ACADEMY FOR EIGHT YEARS. IT IS HIS HOME AWAY FROM HOME. AND I'M HERE TO SPEAK ON BEHALF OF SOME OF OUR MOST VULNERABLE RESIDENTS WHO ARE CAUGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THIS ONGOING PROCESS. THIS SPECIAL, THESE SPECIAL NEEDS RESIDENTS AND THEIR FAMILIES ARE WAITING TO MOVE FORWARD BECAUSE CRYSTAL IS THE ONLY SCHOOL OF ITS KIND IN OUR CITY, AND IT AND THE NEIGHBORING COMMUNITY, IT IS A PLACE THEY ALL CONSIDER HOME. WE CANNOT RECREATE THIS IN OUR TOWN WITH THE CURRENT REAL ESTATE COSTS. WE ASK THE COMMISSION TO CONSIDER HOW IMPORTANT IT IS TO MOVE FORWARD WITH THESE PLANS. 'CAUSE WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE OUR CHILDREN WITH PREDICTABILITY AND THESE FAMILIES WHO ARE LIVING WITH THE INSECURITY OF THIS SITUATION EVERY SINGLE DAY. THAT'S ALL I HAVE TO SAY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. YOU STILL HAD A MINUTE IN FIVE SECONDS. MUCH MARIANA ES HELLO. GOOD AFTERNOON. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. MY NAME IS MARANA ESS AND I LIVE AT 1 1 4 ANDIA AVENUE DIRECTLY ACROSS THE STREET FROM THIS PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT. I GRADUATED FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI IN 2024 WITH A BACHELOR'S OF ARCHITECTURE DEGREE, AND I CURRENTLY WORK AT DUANI PLA I AND COMPANY, AN URBAN DESIGN FIRM FOUNDED ON PRINCIPLES OF PLACEMAKING AND HUMAN-CENTERED DESIGN. A FORMER PROFESSOR OF MINE, JOANNA LOMBARD, CONDUCTED RESEARCH WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI BUILT ENVIRONMENT BEHAVIOR AND HEALTH RESEARCH GROUP AND FOUND THAT NEIGHBORHOODS IN MIAMI-DADE COUNTY WITH HIGHER LEVELS OF GREENNESS EXPERIENCE IN 11% REDUCTION IN ALZHEIMER'S, 13% REDUCTION IN HYPERTENSION, A 14% REDUCTION IN DIABETES, AND A 28% REDUCTION IN DEPRESSION. RESEARCH ON GREEN SCHOOLYARDS FURTHER SHOWS THAT CHILDREN THRIVE IN LARGE TREE CANOPY SPACES THAT REGULATE HEAT, SUPPORT MENTAL HEALTH, AND ENCOURAGE POSITIVE SOCIAL INTERACTION. REDUCING CRYSTAL ACADEMY'S OUTDOOR SPACE REMOVES THOSE BENEFITS AND REPLACES THEM WITH SMALLER, MORE CONSTRAINED AREAS THAT ARE FAR LESS COMFORTABLE FOR CHILDREN. I SEE THE CHILDREN AT CRYSTAL ACADEMY EVERY DAY. THEIR MORNINGS BEGIN OUTSIDE PLAYING IN THEIR GARDEN. THE SCHOOL CURRENTLY HAS APPROXIMATELY 20,000 SQUARE FEET OF GREEN OPEN SPACE, IF NOT MORE. THIS PROPOSAL OFFERS JUST 4,138 SQUARE FEET FOR THE SCHOOL, WHICH IS NOT EVEN A QUARTER OF THE ALLOTTED OR WHAT WILL BE LOST. THE PROPOSED PARK WOULD ALSO BE PLANTED WITH 22 PIGEON PLUMB TREES, WHICH IS A SPECIES OF DENSE BUSH LIKE CANOPIES THAT DO NOT BRANCH OUTWARDS OR CAST WIDE POCKETS OF SHADE. THEY ATTRACT LOTS OF BEES FOR MOST OF THE YEAR, ESPECIALLY WHEN IN BLOOM, WHICH IS THE MAJORITY OF THE YEAR WITHOUT ADDITIONAL CANOPY TREES. THIS IS NOT AN APPROPRIATE OR COMFORTABLE ENVIRONMENT FOR CHILDREN. THE CHILDREN REGULARLY WALK AROUND THE BLOCK AS A GROUP ACTIVITY WITH 177 NEW UNITS. WHAT I THOUGHT WAS 177 MIGHT BE 200 MINIMAL SETBACKS ALONG ANTHEA AVENUE AND A LOSS OF EXISTING TREES. THIS BLOCK RISKS BECOMING OVERWHELMING AND OVERSTIMULATING WHILE ALSO JEOPARDIZING CENTURY OLD TREES. I REALLY JUST BEG THAT THERE IS SOME SORT OF REDESIGNING OF THIS DEVELOPMENT. I KNOW IT'S INEV INEVITABLE FOR THE LOT TO BE DEVELOPED, BUT THERE CAN DEFINITELY BE A WAY TO BENEFIT EVERYBODY AND ESPECIALLY THE SCHOOL. THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. 17 SECONDS OVER MARIA DE LEONES. GOOD AFTERNOON. GOOD AFTERNOON. HOW ARE YOU? GOOD. UH, MARIA DE LEON IS 8 2 5 MESSINA AVENUE. WE'VE ALREADY TALKED A LITTLE BIT BEFORE 43 YEARS RESIDENCE OF CORAL GABLES. UH, I AM AN ARCHITECT AND I FEEL STRONGLY IN THE PRESERVATION OF GEORGE MERRICK'S VISION FOR A GARDEN CITY. THE NORTH PONDS CONSERVATION DISTRICT AND THE HISTORY CITY PLAN ORDINANCE ARE MEANT TO PRESERVE THE CHARACTER OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD, WHICH SPECIFICALLY STATES IT TO BE LOW AND HEIGHT AND REMAIN IN THE SAME SCALE AS A SINGLE FAMILY HOMES. UM, I HAVE A, I'M, I'M GLAD THAT COMMISSIONER ANDERSON BROUGHT UP THE, UM, SURROUNDING AREA IN TERMS OF THE HEIGHT OF THE BUILDINGS BECAUSE IT IS MISLEADING TO SAY THAT THERE ARE BUILDINGS THAT ARE 12, 16, 20 STORIES HIGH. YES, BUT THIS IS THE [05:50:01] ADJACENT AREA AND YOU CAN SEE THE SITE, UH, IN YELLOW. THE TWO BUILDINGS THAT ARE DIRECTLY ADJACENT TO THIS SITE ARE SIX STORIES AND EIGHT STORIES. EVERYTHING ELSE ON THIS PICTURE HERE, INCLUDING THE BUILDINGS ON THE EAST SIDE OF PONDS, ARE LESS THAN FOUR STORIES, INCLUDING THE CHATEAU BLUE HOTEL AND EVERYTHING ELSE. NOW TO THE WEST OF PUNTS, WE DO HAVE THE HIGH RISE BUILDINGS, THE, THE MULTIFAMILY BUILDINGS THAT ARE TALLER, THAT IS WEST OF PUNTS AND THAT IS A FOUR, THAT'S A FOUR-LANE ROAD, WHICH WE KNOW IS A VERY WIDE ROAD. UM, THE NINE STORY BUILDING REALLY HAS NO PLACE, UM, IN THIS AREA. UH, IT IS DIRECTLY SURROUNDED BY ONE, TWO, AND THREE STORY SINGLE AND, AND MULTI-FAMILY BUILDINGS, WHICH YOU SEE HERE. THESE ARE THE STREET SECTIONS. THE STREETS ARE NARROW AND WILL HAVE DIFFICULTY SUPPORTING THE TRAFFIC CAUSED BY 177 SLASH 200 UNITS. I KNOW WE'RE TALKING ABOUT ARCHITECTURE, BUT ARCHITECTURE IS A COMPLETE PACKAGE. ARCHITECTURE IS NOT BUILDING A BUILDING IN AN ISLAND. IT HAS TO DO WITH A NEIGHBORHOOD HAS TO DO WITH THE CONTEXT. IT HAS TO DO WITH THE SCALE. SO IT'S IMPORTANT TO CONSIDER THE MATERIALS. IT'S IMPORTANT TO CONSIDER THE WINDOWS THAT ARE GONNA BE PLACED HERE, BUT IT'S ALSO VERY IMPORTANT TO SEE WHERE THE PLACEMENT OF THIS BUILDING IN IS. DO WE HAVE, DO WE HAVE A TRAFFIC IMPACT STUDY DONE FOR THIS AREA? UM, I CONFIDENTLY CAN SAY THAT THIS BUILDING CAN BE RE REDESIGNED IN A MANNER THAT WOULD ACCOMMODATE THE SCHOOL, THE TREE, THE GARDEN, AND FIT WITHIN THE SCALE AND CONTEXT OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD. PLEASE FAVOR THE HISTORY AND BEAUTY OF THIS NEIGHBORHOOD BY VOTING AGAINST THIS PROJECT. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. VICTOR FFL, 24 SECONDS. GOOD AFTERNOON, SIR. GOOD AFTERNOON. VICTOR FLEISS. UH, BORN AND RAISED IN MIAMI. MY FAMILY MOVED TO CORAL GABLES WHEN I WAS FIVE YEARS OLD. I ATTENDED ST. THERESA DEARBORN, UM, CLASS OF 83. WHAT IS YOUR ADDRESS, SIR? WHEN WE MARRIED, MY WIFE AND I PURCHASED A HOME AT 8 25 MESSINA AVENUE WHERE WE STILL LIVE. SO I'VE LIVED IN CORAL GABLES JUST OVER 60 YEARS. I'M NO STRANGER TO CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY. I'M AN FPL ENGINEER. I NEGOTIATED AND PROVIDED SERVICE TO SEVERAL DEVELOPER DRIVEN PROJECTS FROM MIAMI BEACH TO WESTER CHROME. I'VE SEEN A LOT OF CHANGE. SOME OF IT WELCOME, SOME NOT. I RECOGNIZE THE NEEDS FOR PROGRESS AND I RESPECT THAT DEVELOPERS NEED TO MAXIMIZE PROFIT. THAT SAID, I REGRET NOT HEARING ABOUT THIS PROJECT EARLIER IN, IN ORDER TO VOICE MY CONCERNS REGARDING THE NEIGHBORHOOD SURROUNDING ONE 10TH FANIA. I'VE HAD THE PRIVILEGE OF WALKING THE NEIGHBORHOOD ALONG AN GALLO AND S SINCE MY DAUGHTER, WHICH YOU HEARD FROM JUST A MOMENT AGO, MOVED TO ONE 14 LAST YEAR. THE CHARACTER OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD WELCOMES PEDESTRIAN TRAFFIC. DURING THE LAST MEETING I ATTENDED, I HEARD THE ROAD TO APPROVAL FOR THIS PROJECT WAS NOT EASY AND MULTIPLE DESIGN ITERATIONS WERE SUBMITTED FOR REVIEW BEFORE APPROVAL WAS GIVEN. I'M GRATEFUL TO THE CORRU GABLES BOARD OF ARCHITECTS FOR THEIR RIGOROUS PROCESS. HOWEVER, THE PROPOSED, THE PROPOSED PROJECT AT ONE TENIA WILL DWARF ANYTHING IN THE IMMEDIATE AREA. THERE MUST BE AN ALTERNATIVE THAT BETTER REFLECTS THE CHARACTER OF THE SURROUNDING NEIGHBORHOOD. I'M SURPRISED THE BOARD OF ARCHITECTS MOVE THIS PROJECT FORWARD IN ITS CURRENT FORM. AND I RESPECTFULLY REQUEST THAT YOU TAKE ACTION TO PREVENT THE CONSTRUCTION OF THIS PROJECT AS IT IS CURRENTLY DESIGNED. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU, SIR. LIZETTE ARANGO. HI, GOOD AFTERNOON. MY NAME IS GOOD AFTERNOON, LANGO. I LIVE AT FOUR. OH, SORRY. HERE. YEAH, BRING IT DOWN. THANK YOU. 4 0 1 5 2 SOUTHWEST 19TH STREET. UH, APARTMENT THREE CORE GABLES. I DON'T, WHY AREN'T WE ALL TALKING ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF CRYSTAL ACADEMY? IT'S, IT'S THE BEST FOR THE CORE GABLES AND ESPECIALLY FOR THE CHILDREN. IT'S JUST BETTER THAN A PRIVATE GARDEN. AT LEAST THAT'S WHAT I THINK. I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU DO. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR TIME. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. JAMES O'NEILL. GOOD AFTERNOON. I WANNA THANK EVERYONE, UH, HERE FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK AND ESPECIALLY THE CLERK FOR LETTING ME DO IT. I HAVE TO GO PICK UP MY GRANDDAUGHTER, MARYAM O'NEILL AT CRYSTAL ACADEMY. SO THEY HAVE AFTER SCHOOL. UM, UH, I JUST WANT TO SAY, SORRY SIR, WHAT IS YOUR NAME AND YOUR ADDRESS? I'M SORRY. JAMES O'NEILL. PARDON ME? 5 21 PERUGIA AVENUE. CORAL GABLES. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY, MR. MERRI AND COMMISSION. UM, MY GRANDDAUGHTER, MIMI O'NEILL, HAS BEEN AT CRYSTAL ACADEMY NOW FOR FIVE YEARS. AND CHANGING HER, THE NURTURING ENVIRONMENT AND HOW IT HAS LET HER BLOSSOM AS AN INDIVIDUAL HAS BEEN QUITE DRAMATIC. AND I'M HERE, UM, TO SPEAK REALLY FOR MIRIAM AND HER FRIENDS, HER TEACHERS, HER AIDES, AND THE LITERALLY GENERATIONS OF FAMILIES THAT NOW BENEFIT FROM CRYSTAL ACADEMY AND THE WONDERFUL ENVIRONMENT THERE, FROM THE SUPPORT THAT WE'RE GIVEN IN CORAL [05:55:01] GABLES AND FOR THE POTENTIAL FOR GENERATIONS TO COME TO HAVE THIS ACTION, THIS DEVELOPMENT, THIS UM, COMMITMENT BY THE DEVELOPER AND, UH, TO CRYSTAL ACADEMY TO HAVE SUCH A BENEFIT OF A 99 YEAR LEASE, UH, WITHOUT ANY DISRUPTIONS, WITHOUT FURTHER DEVELOPMENTS, WITHOUT, UH, THE UNCERTAINTY AND COST THAT WOULD BE CONCOMITANT WITH THIS PROJECT NOT MOVING FORWARD. THERE ARE BENEFITS TO IT ABOUT HOUSING, UH, AND BUILDING A STRONGER CORAL GABLES COMMUNITY. BUT I'M HERE TO TALK ABOUT THE KIDS AND TO FOCUS ON THEM. AND I HOPE THAT I KNOW I'M OUT OF BOUNDS ON ARCHITECTURE AND I'M NOT TRYING TO BE IN BOUNDS ON THAT. I AM TRYING TO SAY IT'S BEEN FOUR LONG YEARS. AND I THINK WHAT THE COMMISSION AND THIS, UH, THIS ISSUE SHOULD FOCUS ON IS THE JOY THAT THIS GREAT SCHOOL BRINGS TO ITS STUDENTS. THE GRATITUDE THAT WE FEEL AS THE FAMILIES OF THOSE STUDENTS FOR THE OPPORTUNITY PRESENTED AND FOR THE PILLAR THAT IT FORMS IN OUR LIVES. AND SECURING THAT FOR THE FUTURE IS NOT A ZONING OR A PRESERVATION QUESTION. IT'S A LIFE AFFIRMING MOMENT. AND YOU HAVE THE GREAT AND RARE OPPORTUNITY DIRECTLY TO SUPPORT OUR COMMUNITY, CRYSTAL ACADEMY'S FAMILIES AND THOSE WHO COME IN THE FUTURE. IT'S A MOMENT TO ACT AND I HOPE YOU SUPPORT MOVING FORWARD. I'M SORRY I RAN OVER. THANK YOU. THANK SEVEN SECONDS OVER. JAVIER ROTE. YES, SIR. YES. MY NAME IS J ROTE. UM, MY ADDRESS IS 1 0 4 ANTICA AVENUE, APARTMENT SIX. UM, BASICALLY, UM, THIS AREA HAS BEEN DEVELOPING FOR YEARS AND GROWTH IS A NEW FOR CORAL GABLES, BUT IT'S IMPORTANT IS HOW THAT GROWTH HAPPENS. THIS PARTICULAR PROJECT RESPECTS THE CORAL GABLES LOOK AND ARCHITECTURAL STYLE AND MANY OTHER DEVELOPMENTS HAVE ALREADY BEEN APPROVED. SO THAT'S MY POINT OF VIEW ON, OKAY, THAT'S IT. THANK YOU SIR. THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. NICHOLAS CABRERO. GOOD AFTERNOON. I APOLOGIZE. ONE SECOND. I'M GLAD THAT, UH, EX PARTE COMMUNICATIONS WERE DISCLOSED BECAUSE THAT, UH, PERFORMANCE BETWEEN MS. BOLTON AND COMMISSIONER CASTRO WAS WELL-REHEARSED. GOOD AFTERNOON. UH, MY NAME IS NICHOLAS CABRET AND I RESIDE AT 45 AND TIA AVENUE, CORAL GABLES, FLORIDA. FOR CONTEXT, MY BUILDING IS LOCATED DIRECTLY ACROSS THE STREET FROM THE PROPOSED PROJECT ON FANIA. DURING THE SPECIAL MASTER'S MEETING IN EARLY JANUARY, I MADE THE STATEMENT, I MADE THE FOLLOWING STATEMENT DURING PUBLIC COMMENTS, MODIFIED OF COURSE, BECAUSE THIS IS IN THE PAST TENSE. AS A RESIDENT, I WOULD LIKE TO EXPRESS MY CONCERN AND FRUSTRATION REGARDING THE MISUSE OF THE APPEAL PROCESS FOR THE PURPOSE OF OPPOSING A PROJECT THAT IS NOT ONLY COMPATIBLE, BUT WILL CONTRIBUTE TO THE CITY OF CORAL GABLES IN A MULTITUDE OF WAYS. MANY OF THE COMMENTS SPOKEN AT THE SPECIAL MASTERS MEETING IN JANUARY IN OPPOSITION TO THIS PROJECT WERE OUTSIDE THE PURVIEW OF THE SPECIAL MASTERS BOARD AND FURTHER DEMONSTRATE THE MISUSE OF THE APPEAL PROCESS. THIS BOARD WAS ORGANIZED IN ORDER TO ADDRESS ARCHITECTURE AND ARCHITECTURE ONLY. HOWEVER, HOWEVER, MUCH OF THE OPPOSITION DID NOT FOCUS THEIR COMMENTS ON THIS ASPECT AND USE THE SPECIAL MASTERS MEETING FOR A PURPOSE OTHER THAN WHAT IT WAS DESIGNED FOR. THERE ARE MANY REASONS WHY THIS PROJECT IS COMPATIBLE IN THIS NEIGHBORHOOD. MOST IMPORTANTLY, THE FOLLOWING THE NORTHEAST QUADRANT IS PROBABLY THE LAST AND MOST IDEAL AREA FOR DEVELOPMENT IN OUR CITY. AND HERE ARE FOUR REASONS WHY. NUMBER ONE, IT HAS LITTLE TO NO HISTORIC SIGNIFICANCE. NUMBER TWO, IT IS THE MOST ACCESSIBLE AREA WITH SOUTHWEST EIGHTH STREET, DOUGLAS ROAD, AND LAJEUNE ROAD AS ITS PERIMETER AND ACCESSIBLE ROADWAYS. NUMBER THREE, IT IS ALSO THE MOST TRANSIENT SECTION OF OUR CITY WITH MOSTLY RENTAL APARTMENT BUILDINGS AND VERY FEW SINGLE FAMILY HOMES. NUMBER FOUR, THIS DEVELOPER HAS WORKED HAND IN HAND WITH THE CITY TO ENSURE THEIR PROJECT IS SMART DEVELOPMENT, NOT DEVELOPMENT FOR THE SAKE OF DEVELOPMENT. ASIDE FROM THE FACTORS STATED ABOVE, THE VALUE THIS PROJECT WILL BRING TO CRYSTAL ACADEMY IS UNPARALLELED TO ANYTHING, UH, ANY OTHER DEVELOPER HAS OFFERED IN OUR COMMUNITY. EACH DAY, THE STUDENTS, STAFF AND ADMINISTRATION OF CRYSTAL ACADEMY WAKE UP UNSURE OF WHAT THEIR FUTURE HOLDS. I APOLOGIZE, MAYOR, IF I MAY, THE MISUSE OF THE APPEAL PROCESS HAS CONTRIBUTED TO THAT STRAIN. WE'RE HERE TODAY BECAUSE THE FUTURE OF CRYSTAL ACADEMY IS AT STAKE. WE'RE HERE TODAY BECAUSE OF THE IMMENSE FINANCIAL STRAIN THAT HAS BEEN PLACED ON A PRIVATE PROPERTY OWNER BECAUSE OF THE MISUSE OF AN APPEAL PROCESS. WE'RE HERE TODAY BECAUSE CORAL GABLE'S NEEDS GROWTH AND ALL ASPECTS OF THIS PROJECT CONTRIBUTE TO G GROWTH OF THIS NEIGHBORHOOD POSITIVELY, RESPONSIBLY, AND INTELLIGENTLY. WITH ALL THAT BEING SAID, I'D LIKE TO EXPRESS MY SUPPORT FOR THIS PROJECT AND ALL ASPECTS AND LOOK FORWARD TO THE VAST CONTRIBUTIONS IT WILL MAKE FOR CRYSTAL ACADEMY, THEIR COMMUNITY, MY NEIGHBORHOOD, AND OUR COMMUNITY AS A WHOLE. I APOLOGIZE FOR GOING OVER TIME. THANK YOU VERY [06:00:01] MUCH. 39 SECONDS OVER STEVEN PEARSON. ALEXIS SANTOS WILL BE NEXT, SIR, THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. UH, GOOD AFTERNOON, UH, MAYOR AND COMMISSIONERS. UH, I'M STEVEN PEARSON. I DON'T LIVE IN THIS COMMUNITY, BUT MY PARENTS LIVED HERE FOR DECADES AND I CARE ABOUT IT VERY MUCH. UM, COMMISSIONER LAURA ASKED HOW YOU, YOU COULD OVERTURN THIS DECISION. AND I HAVE NOT STUDIED THE, THE, UH, STATUTE, BUT CERTAINLY IF THIS PROJECT IS AGAINST THE SPIRIT OR LETTER OF THE NORTH PONDS OVERLAY ORDINANCE, THAT'S GROUNDS FOR REVERSING IT. IT'S ALSO GROUNDS, I THINK IF IT'S AGAINST THE SPIRIT OF YOUR CHARTER HERE. CERTAINLY MR. MERRICK LOVED TREES AND HE TRIED TO PUT MANY TREES IN THERE. I LOOK AT THIS PROJECT AND IT SEEMS COMPLETELY INCONSISTENT WITH THE OTHER BUILDINGS IN THE WHOLE NATURE OF THAT NEIGHBORHOOD. SO IT SEEMS LIKE A GLARING KIND OF CONTRAST THAT SHOULD NOT BE ENCOURAGED OR ALLOWED. BUT I ALSO WANNA SAY THAT AS THE ELECTED OFFICIALS OF THIS COMMUNITY, YOU'RE CHARGED WITH THE HEALTH AND WELFARE OF THE CITIZENS. AND IF YOU'VE EVER STUDIED THE HISTORY OF LIFE, YOU KNOW THAT OUR LIFE COMES FROM PLANTS WITHOUT PLANTS MAKING OXYGEN. WE WOULD NOT BE HERE. NO HIGHER FORMS OF LIFE WOULD EVER HAVE COME HERE. AND I SUBMIT TO YOU THAT WE'VE COME FULL CIRCLE IN THAT ISSUE. UNLESS YOU DON'T BELIEVE THAT CLIMATE CHANGE AND SEA LEVEL IS RI SEA LEVEL RISE IS REAL. I THINK WE HAVE A, A DUTY NOW AND I KNOW VICE MAYOR ANDERSON, I APPLAUD HER EFFORTS TO ENCOURAGE MORE TREES. BUT I THINK WE'RE AT THE POINT NOW THAT EVERY TREE IS, IS IMPORTANT. THEY'RE THE, THE LUNGS OF THIS PLANET. I THINK WE'RE ALSO AT THE POINT THAT EVERY BIT OF IMPERVIOUS SURFACE WE POUR JUST ENCOURAGES MORE OF THE HEAT AISLE THAT AFFECT THIS WILL CAUSE THE DEMISE OF OUR WHOLE AREA IF THIS CLIMATE CHANGE AND SEA LEVEL RISE CONTINUES. SO I THINK YOU HAVE A DUTY TO, YOU KNOW, ACTUALLY RESIST ANYTHING THAT TAKES OUT TREES AND, AND ENCOURAGES MORE IMPERVIOUS SERVICE AND HEAT ISLAND EFFECT. AND LASTLY, I WOULD SAY SINCE THE DEVELOPER TRIED TO ACT LIKE THIS WAS SOME NARROW ISSUE ONLY ABOUT WHETHER THE ARCHITECTURE BOARD OR THE THE REVIEW BOARD DID THEIR JOB PROPERLY, HE ALSO THROWS IN THAT YOU CAN SAVE THAT GIANT OAK TREE THAT'S OVER THERE. I AND A LOT OF OTHER EXPERTS THINK THAT'S A VERY DOUBTFUL PROPOSITION. OAKS ARE HARD TO MOVE. WE'VE ALL DRIVEN AROUND THE COMMUNITY WHERE YOU SEE AN OAK STANDING THERE WITH A BUNCH OF BROWN LEAVES ON IT. WHEN THAT HAPPENS, THE OAK'S GONE. YOU CAN'T BRING IT BACK. AND EVEN IF THEY MOVE THIS GIANT OAK AND IT MEETS THE CRITERIA, IT LIVES FOR A YEAR, IT'S GONNA BE JUST A SHADOW OF ITSELF. IT'S GONNA TAKE DECADES FOR THOSE ROOTS TO REGROW TO BE STRONG LIKE THEY ARE NOW. SO WHAT HAPPENS IF A HURRICANE OR A DROUGHT HAPPENS IN THE MEANTIME? YEAH, ONE YEAR LATER, MAYBE THEY WATER AND KEEP IT GOING AND THEN IT'S GONE. THAT'S A REAL RESOURCE THAT SHOULD NOT BE SQUANDERED AND I URGE YOU TO DO EVERYTHING YOU CAN TO MAKE SURE THAT THE GARDEN OF OUR LORD AND THAT TREE IS, IS KEPT AND, AND IS A VIABLE THING IN ANY DEVELOPMENT. THANK, I DIDN'T CATCH YOUR NAME AND YOUR ADDRESS. I APOLOGIZE I DIDN'T CATCH YOUR NAME AND YOUR ADDRESS. I'M STEVEN PEARSON. AND WHAT IS YOUR ADDRESS? WHAT IS YOUR ADDRESS? 1 0 6 6 5 SOUTHWEST 62ND AVENUE. PINE CREST, FLORIDA. THANK YOU. A MINUTE AND 15 SECONDS OVER. THANK YOU SIR FOR BEING HERE. I APPRECIATE YOU. ALEXIS SANTOS, ANNA HOLMAN WILL BE NEXT. GOOD AFTERNOON. HI, HOW ARE YOU? MY NAME'S ALEXIS SANTOS. I WAS TOLD TO READ THIS LETTER FOR THE RECORD FROM A FRIEND. GOOD AFTERNOON. MY NAME IS NATALIE MARQUIS AND MY ADDRESS IS 45 ANTI AVENUE CORAL GABLES. I'M THE DEPARTMENT HEAD OF ACADEMICS FOR CRYSTAL ACADEMY, BUT FOR THE RECORD, I LIVE DIRECTLY ACROSS THE STREET. YES, I WALK ABOUT 50 FEET TO WORK EVERY DAY. MY BEDROOM WINDOW WILL LOOK AT THIS NEW BUILDING IF APPROVED AS IT CURRENTLY LOOKS DIRECTLY AT THE ENTRANCE OF OUR SCHOOL. TO BE HONEST, I WAS CONCERNED WHEN I FIRST HEARD ABOUT THE BUILDING ITSELF, IT WASN'T WHAT I HAD SIGNED UP FOR WHEN CHOOSING MY PLACE OF RESIDENCE. THEN I SAW THE ACTUAL RENDERINGS AND I FELL IN LOVE WITH IT. THIS COULD HAVE BEEN A PLACE I WOULD'VE CHOSEN HAD I SEEN IT AND UNDERSTAND IT FROM THE START. CLASSIC CORAL GABLES WITH ALL THE AMENITIES. I MOVED HERE FROM KINGDOM MID 2025 AND ADORE THE RICH GEORGE MERRICK INSPIRED FIELD OF THE PROJECT. IN COMPARISON TO KENDALL, THERE IS NO COMPARISON. [06:05:01] AS FOR THE BENEFITS TO THE SCHOOL, CLEARLY IT GOES WITHOUT SAYING HOW THIS UPGRADE WILL HELP GENERATIONS OF OUR MOST NEEDY CHILDREN. ENOUGH SAID, AS FOR OUR CURRENT BUILDING, IT NEEDS HELP. ALTHOUGH IT FEELS LIKE A SECOND HOME. TRUTH IS REPAIR AFTER REPAIR ARE COSTING PRECIOUS FUNDS THAT, IN THAT INSTEAD COULD GO TO THE CHILDREN AND THE ABILITY TO OFFER THEM MORE THAN WE ALREADY DO. AS FOR SO-CALLED GARDEN, I WON'T SAY IT'S RUN DOWN BECAUSE IT'S CARED FOR, BUT I WILL SAY IT ISN'T ANYTHING TO WRITE HOME ABOUT. AS A NEIGHBOR WHO WANTS TO SEE WHAT'S BEST FOR OUR COMMUNITY, I BELIEVE THIS IS A WIN WIN, A BEAUTIFUL BUILDING AND EVEN MORE SECURE STATE OF ART, BEAUTIFUL SCHOOL WITH ALL THE NEEDS FOR OUR STUDENTS. WRITE IN THE SAME PLACE WHERE IT CURRENTLY IS, THE PLACE OUR STUDENTS ALSO ASSOCIATE WITH THE SECOND HOME. PLEASE ACCEPT THIS LETTER INSTEAD OF MY PERSONAL APPEARANCE AS MY HEALTH DOESN'T ALLOW ME TO APPEAR BEFORE YOU TODAY. THEREFORE, I HAVE ASKED AN OLD FRIEND AND NEIGHBOR TO READ IT TO YOU. THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION. ALSO, FYII WAS ALSO AT THE SPECIAL MEETING LAST TIME, AND I REMEMBER THE OTHER ATTORNEY DID GET DOUBLE THE TIME. JUST FYI. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. ANNA HOLMAN. CAROL SMITH WOULD BE NEXT. GOOD AFTERNOON. HELLO. GOOD AFTERNOON, ANNA HOLMAN, 1400 DOUGLAS ROAD. UM, SO I, I'M HERE SPECIFICALLY BECAUSE I TRULY BELIEVE THAT THIS IS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY. UM, MS. ARCHITECTURE FLEET JUST MENTIONED EARLIER THAT THIS IS CONSIDERED A TIGHT-KNIT COMMUNITY. UM, SO WITH THAT BEING SAID, I THINK IT IS IMPORTANT TO, FOR SOMETHING TO BE BUILT TO BUILD A FUTURE FOR KIDS THAT ARE GONNA BE, CONTINUE TO BECOME PART OF THE COMMUNITY. THEY MENTIONED THAT THERE ARE MASSIVE BUILDINGS AROUND, YET THIS ONE IS 93 FEET, AS ALSO THEY MENTIONED, WHICH IS THERE ARE TALLER BUILDINGS THAN THAT. I THINK THIS IS, AS I MENTIONED, ALSO ABOUT A GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR THE COMMUNITY, FOR THE KIDS, FOR THE FUTURE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, CAROL SMITH. GOOD AFTERNOON, MS. SMITH. GOOD AFTERNOON. JUST WANNA MAKE SURE WE HEAR YOU OKAY. THANK YOU. MY NAME IS CAROL SMITH. I LIVE AT 8 2 4 GALLIANO STREET. UM, AND FOR THE LAST 20 YEARS I'VE LIVED A FEW BLOCKS AWAY FROM CRYSTAL ACADEMY AND I APPRECIATE ALL THAT THEY DO FOR THE KIDS IN OUR COMMUNITY. UM, I'VE COME TO READ A LETTER FROM AN ENGINEER AND LONGTIME RESIDENT OF, UH, CARL GABLES. HIS NAME IS FRANK GONZALEZ. LET'S SEE. I'VE BEEN A RESIDENT OF CARL GABLES FOR OVER 20 YEARS. I AM WRITING TO SUPPORT THE PRESERVATION OF THE GARDEN OF OUR LORD. I BELIEVE BONNIE BOLTON PRESENTS A STRONG CASE FOR WHY THIS SHOULD BE A DECISION THAT THE CITY OF CARL GABLES SHOULD MAKE, BENEFITING BOTH THE RESIDENTS NEAR THE GARDEN AND THE CITY AS A WHOLE. MY LETTER AIMS TO SUPPORT HER EFFORTS TO SAVE THE GARDEN, ALONG WITH MRS. BOLTON'S POINTS. I THINK THAT FROM A COMMUNITY PLANNING STANDPOINT, IT WOULD BE THE RIGHT DECISION FOR THE CITY OF CORAL GABLES. THE EXPECTED GROWTH IN RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT WOULD BENEFIT FROM THE AVAILABLE OPEN SPACE. THE GARDEN WOULD OFFER A PLANNED INCREASE IN GREEN SHADY AREAS FOR RESIDENTS TO GATHER, WHICH WOULD HELP PROMOTE A HEALTHY COMMUNITY. IF WE LOSE THIS OPEN SPACE, THE ADDITIONAL BUILDINGS THAT WILL LIKELY FOLLOW WON'T HAVE MUCH GREEN SPACE WITHIN WALKING DISTANCE. IN MY OPINION, MAXIMIZING OPEN GREEN SPACE IN THAT PART OF THE CITY WOULD DEMONSTRATE THE CITY'S WILLINGNESS TO THINK OF DEVELOPMENT IN CARL GABLES IN A COMPREHENSIVE WAY, RATHER THAN THE SPOT DEVELOPMENT WE OFTEN SEE THROUGHOUT MIAMI-DADE COUNTY. I RESPECTFULLY REQUEST THAT YOU PRESERVE THE GARDEN AND ITS MATURE TREES, NOT ONLY FOR THEIR HISTORICAL IMPORTANCE, BUT ALSO FOR THEIR VALUE TO FUTURE RESIDENTS. THE ALTERNATIVE WOULD BE A NEIGHBORHOOD RESEMBLING GOVERNMENT HOUSING FROM THE OLD SOVIET UNION. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. WELL, THANK YOU. ALRIGHT. I BELIEVE THEIR NAME IS KEVIN KAAS. YES, SIR. GOOD AFTERNOON, SIR. LET'S SEE. MY NAME IS KEVIN KAS. I RESIDE AT 1 2 0 8 SALAZAR STREET, APARTMENT 18, 3 3 1, 3 4. AND I MEAN, [06:10:01] EVERYONE'S BEEN TALKING ABOUT HOW IT'S GONNA FURTHER THE EDUCATION STUFF AND I JUST WANNA SAY A HUNDRED PERCENT SUPPORT, YOU KNOW, CRYSTAL GOING IN THERE AND IT'S GONNA BE A, A GREAT DEVELOPMENT AND THINGS GOTTA MOVE FORWARD IN THE FUTURE, SO WE SHOULD, UH, DEFINITELY APPROVE IT. THANK YOU, SIR. THANK YOU GERMAN TINOCO. GOOD AFTERNOON, SIR. GOOD AFTERNOON. ASKING. AS I MENTIONED, MY NAME IS HERMAN KO. I LIVE IN 8 88, UM, 8 88 AND 37TH AVENUE, AND I'M HERE TO SUPPORT THE PROJECT. YOU KNOW, THERE IS, UH, UH, ONE MAIN REASON THAT MOVE ME TO COME HERE AND TALK IS THE, THE ACADEMIC THAT THAT HELPS THE CHILDREN WITH AUTISM. AND, UM, THAT NUMBER OF CHILDREN WITH AUTISM, UH, IN THE PAST YEARS HAS INCREASED A LOT IS ONE OF 31 CHILDREN, YOU KNOW, FOR, UM, WITH AUTISM IN MIAMI OR ESPECIALLY IN FLORIDA. AND THIS PROJECT IS ALSO, IS A BEAUTIFUL PROJECT. IT GOES WITH THE DESIGN, YOU KNOW, ACCORDING WITH THE CORAL GABLES. AND THAT BRINGS THE, UH, KNOW ALSO THE HOME OPPORTUNITY FOR PEOPLE LIVE IN THE BUILDING AND ALSO, YOU KNOW, THE ACADEMIC, CRYSTAL ACADEMIC TO STAY THERE FOR FREE FOR MANY YEARS. YEAH. AND, UM, THAT'S, UH, SOMETHING THAT HELPS, YOU KNOW, ESPECIALLY FOR THIS, UH, UH, FOR THIS CONCEPT. OKAY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU, SIR. DAVID BARTO, IS THERE A COMMENT? NO, SIR. JUST WROTE CRYSTAL ACADEMY. YOU YOUO RERA. THERE'S NO COMMENT ON THIS ONE. ELENA MENA. GOOD AFTERNOON, EVERYBODY. I COME HERE. MA'AM. MA'AM, WILL YOU DO ME A WILL YOU, WILL YOU USE THE MICROPHONE? OKAY. THANK YOU SO MUCH. MY NAME IS ELENA MENA. I COME HERE FOR MY BEAUTIFUL GRANDSON, AVERY. AS YOU CAN SEE, HE'S ONE OF THE STUDENTS IN CRYSTAL ACADEMY. UM, EXCUSE ME. UM, MY GRANDSON HAS SIGNIFICANT SUPPORT NEEDS. HE REQUIRES TRAINED STAFF STRUCTURE AND ENVIRONMENT THAT UNDERSTANDS HOW TO WORK WITH CHILDREN WHO HAVE COMPLEX BEHAVIORAL DEVELOPMENT CHALLENGES. HE'S FIND HE FINDS THESE THINGS AND WE FIND THESE THINGS IN CRYSTAL ACADEMY THAT PROVIDED SOMETHING THAT WE HAVE BEEN SEARCHING FOR. CONSISTENCY TRAINED PROFESSIONALS AND LEARNING ENVIRONMENT DESIGNED SPECIFICALLY FOR CHILDREN LIKE AVERY. THE REPEATED DELAYS SURROUNDING THIS PERMANENT FACILITY DO NOT JUST AFFECT CONSTRUCTION TIMELINE. THEY AFFECT CHILDREN WHO DEPEND ON ROUTINE. THEY AFFECT FAMILIES WHO ALREADY LIVE WITH UNCERTAINTY. CHILDREN WITH, WITH SPECIAL NEEDS DRIVE UNPREDICTABILITY. THEY DO NOT DRIVE IN IN LIMBO. THIS PROJECT HAS BEEN APPROVED, IT HAS PUBLIC BENEFIT, AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, IT SERVES CHILDREN WHO NEEDS ABILITY MORE THAN MOST. AS A GRANDMOTHER, I AM SIMPLY ASKING YOU AND PRAYING THAT YOU ALLOW THIS PROJECT TO MOVE FORWARD. NO MORE DELAYS, NO MORE UNCERTAINTY FOR OUR CHILDREN. PLEASE GIVE THESE, THESE FAMILIES AND MY GRANDSON DISABILITY THEY DESERVE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, CARLOS RETA. GOOD AFTERNOON, SIR. THANK, GOOD AFTERNOON. CARLOS ARA, UM, 100 SOUTHWEST, 44TH AVENUE, MIAMI, FLORIDA, PARENT OF, UM, UH, OF, UM, MY, MY DAUGHTER, CRYSTAL ACADEMY. UH, A HUNDRED PERCENT IN SUPPORT WITH THIS PROJECT. IT'S DESIGN. UM, IT'S GONNA CHANGE, UH, THE NEIGHBORHOOD. VERY, UH, IT, IT, IT, IT REALLY ALIGNS WITH SURROUNDING PROPERTIES OF, OF, OF WORKED IN CORAL GABLES 15 YEARS. I LIVE CLOSE BY. MY DAUGHTER'S BEEN GOING THERE FOR 14 YEARS, SO I'M VERY FAMILIAR WITH THE AREA. UM, WHEN MARY, A COUPLE OF DAYS AGO, SHE ASKED ME FOR ONCE AGAIN PARENT SUPPORT. HONESTLY, I WAS FLABBERGASTED AND DISAPPOINTED. ANOTHER APPEAL, ANOTHER HEARING, ANOTHER STALLING TACTIC. HOW MANY MORE APPEALS ARE WE GOING TO HAVE? WE HAVE A PERSON HERE THAT LIKES THE STATUS QUO AND WANTS HER BACKYARD TO LOOK EXACTLY LIKE IT WAS 100 YEARS AGO. THIS IS 2026. THIS IS NO 1926. UM, I WAS THERE THE LAST TIME AT THE BOARD OF ARCHITECTS. HEARING THAT THE OPPOSING GROUP IS NOT AGAINST THE SCHOOL, I THINK THEY'RE AGAINST EVERYTHING. UH, WHAT'S MORE IMPORTANT? A THREE OR 40 SPECIAL NEEDS KIDS WITH 40 FAMILIES THAT STRUGGLE DAY TO DAY AND HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE A MOTHER FACILITY AT BASICALLY ZERO COST. ALSO, WHERE'S THE CARE FOR THE EXISTING PROPERTY OWNER THAT IS CARRYING A LOAN, PROPERTY, TAXES, INSURANCE, INVEST MILLION DOLLARS [06:15:01] TO SEE A PROJECT STOP AND MOST LIKELY LOSING MILLIONS DOLLARS. AT THIS POINT, WHERE'S THE CARE FOR THE NEW BUYER THAT WILL BE INVESTING MILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN A NEW, BEAUTIFUL PROJECT IN LINE WITH OTHER SIMILAR DEVELOPMENTS IN THE AREA? IT IS OBVIOUS THAT IF THE PROJECT IS OUT LONG ENOUGH, NEW BUYER WILL DROP THE CONTRACT AND MOVE ON, MOVE ON. AND THAT IS, AND THAT IT'S WHAT'S MOST LIKELY WILL HAPPEN TO CLOSE THE CITY. BEAUTIFUL MUST SAY ENOUGH WITH A DELAYED TACTIC, ENOUGH WITH THIS NONSENSE AND HAVE A STRONGER HAND ALLOWED TO SEE THIS PROJECT THROUGH. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER. SIR, DID I MISS YOUR ADDRESS? WHAT WAS YOUR ADDRESS? 100 SOUTHWEST 44TH AVENUE. THANK YOU, SIR. MARY PALACIO. GOOD AFTERNOON HERE. THE MAYOR, COMMISSIONER, CITY ATTORNEYS, CITY CLERK, CITY MANAGER. UH, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL YOUR COMMENTS. UM, I AM MARI PALACIO 1 7 12, UH, SAMURA AVENUE. I'M ALSO THE FOUNDER OF CRYSTALS ACADEMY, AND I THANK YOU FOR THE COMMENTS AND THE SUPPORT FOR THE SCHOOL. BUT EVERY TIME I HEAR ABOUT THIS, IT'S NOT ABOUT THE SCHOOL, IT'S ABOUT THE ARCHITECTURE, BUT IT'S REALLY ABOUT THE SCHOOL BECAUSE FOR US, FOR MORE THAN FOUR YEARS, WE'VE BEEN LIVING THIS. UH, AND EVERY DELAY DO HAVE AN IMPACT, UM, ON PLANNING FOR US, ON STAFFING, ON FUNDRAISING, BECAUSE WE'VE BEEN DENIED FUNDRAISING BECAUSE THEY DON'T KNOW WHAT THE FUTURE IS FOR US. UM, AND OBVIOUSLY FOR THE FAMILIES THAT ARE NAVIGATING AUTISM, LIKE, LIKE THE FAMILIES THAT WE REPRESENT, AND WE HAVE SERVED FOR 16 YEARS. AND PLUS AT SOME POINT THESE CONTINUED APPEALS, UM, STOP BEING AN OVERSIGHT AND BECOME PROCEDURAL ROADBLOCKS. UH, THERE'S SOME YOU MIGHT NOT KNOW, BUT BE, BEFORE CENTURY BUILDERS, UH, BOUGHT THE PROPERTY, IT WAS ANOTHER DEVELOPER THAT CAME AND WANTED TO BUY THE PROPERTY. AND THE FIRST THING THAT HE SAID TO US WAS ACTUALLY THAT WAS DURING THE PANDEMIC. UH, THE INVESTORS DO NOT SEE A RETURN ON INVESTMENT. AND I SAID, YOU DON'T SEE A RETURN ON INVESTMENT IN THESE CHILDREN. AND IT'S LIKE, I, THEY JUST DON'T. UM, AND THEY OFFER US $60,000 JUST TO LEAVE THE PROPERTY. UM, I PRAYED, I PRAYED HARD, AND THAT WAS THE BEST NOVEMBER IN MY LIFE BECAUSE THAT DAY, THAT NOVEMBER WAS AT THANKSGIVING, UH, TIME AND, AND THE DEAL FELL THROUGH. THAT'S WHEN CENTURY CAME IN. THEY VISITED THE SCHOOL AND THEY SAY, YOU, WE HAVE TO MAKE AN AGREEMENT BECAUSE IF SOMETHING HAPPENS, YOU LEFT WITH THAT, WITH NOTHING. AND THAT, THAT AGREEMENT NOW IS BEING HONORED BY A THIRD DEVELOPER, BY FIELD, UH, DOING THE DUE DILIGENCE. AND LIKE MR. SEGRETA SAID, WHAT ABOUT IF THEY GET TIRED? BECAUSE IT'S JUST BEEN TOO MANY YEARS, TOO MANY DELAYS, TOO MANY APPEALS, AND SOMEBODY ELSE HAS COME AND SAID, YOU KNOW WHAT? THERE'S NO RETURN ON INVESTMENT. SO I'M ASKING THAT THAT UP UPHELD THE DECISION THAT I WAS ALREADY DONE AT THE BOARD OF ARCHITECTS FOR SO MANY, MANY TIMES. AND SO WE CAN MOVE FORWARD AND WE CAN HAVE SOME CERTAINTY ABOUT THE FUTURES OF THE KIDS THAT WE REPRESENT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. 10, 10 SECONDS OVER OMAR PACKARD. GOOD JOB. UH, NO COMMENTS. JUDITH PACKARD. JULIET ROJAS, OMAR PACKARD. OH, YES, I DID. GOOD AFTERNOON, SIR. UH, MY NAME IS OMAR PACKARD. I LIVE IN NINE 11 EAST CONSTABLE BOULEVARD. I'M A LIFELONG RESIDENT OF CORAL GABLES AND I'M HERE TO SPEAK IN OPPOSITION TO THE PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT AT THE GARDEN OF OUR LORD. THIS PROJECT DOES NOT COMPLY WITH THE CITY'S BUILDING CODE. THE CODE EXISTS TO ENSURE PROPER SPACING, SCALE, AND SEPARATION BETWEEN STRUCTURES, ESPECIALLY IN ESTABLISHED NEIGHBORHOODS LIKE THIS ONE. IN THIS CASE, THE DEVELOPER IS REQUESTING DEVIATIONS THAT SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCE THE REQUIRED SETBACKS AND IGNORE LONGSTANDING ZONING STANDARDS. THIS PROJECT IS ALSO NOT COMPATIBLE WITH THE SURROUNDING NEIGHBORHOOD OF HISTORIC LOW RISE HOU HOMES. ITS SIZE, SCALE, AND DESIGN ARE COMPLETELY OUT OF PLACE AND UNDERMINE THE CHARACTER AND IMAGE OF CORAL GABLES. QUITE FRANKLY, THE BUILDING LOOKS CHEAP AND GENERIC, AND IT DOES NOT BELONG IN THIS SETTING. ADDITIONALLY, THE PLAN JEOPARDIZES A HISTORIC GARDEN AND CENTURIES OLD TREE THAT CANNOT SURVIVE RELOCATION. THESE ELEMENTS HAVE CULTURE, ENVIRONMENTAL, AND COMMUNITY VALUE THAT DESERVE FULL PROTECTION. CORAL GABLES HAS EARNED ITS REPUTATION THROUGH CAREFUL PLANNING AND RESPECT FOR ITS CODE APPROVING A PROJECT THAT SO CLEARLY VIOLATES THOSE STANDARDS WOULD SET A HARMFUL PRECEDENT AND WEAKEN THE INTEGRITY OF OUR CITY. I RESPECTFULLY ASK THAT YOU DENY THIS PROPOSAL. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. JUDITH PACKARD. JULIA ROJAS. GOOD. HERE. HERE. OKAY, [06:20:02] MS. PACKARD. GOOD AFTERNOON. PLEASE JOIN US. MY NAME IS JUDITH PACKARD. I LIVE AT NINE 11 EAST PALM BOULEVARD. I'VE LIVED, I'VE BEEN A RESIDENT CORAL GABLES FOR THE PAST 42 YEARS, AND I'M HERE TODAY TO OPPOSE THE PROJECT, THE PROPOSED POD PROJECT AT THE GARDEN OF OUR LORD. THIS DEVELOPMENT IS FUNNILY INCONSISTENT WITH THE CITY'S BUILDING CODE, WHICH WAS ADOPTED TO SAFEGUARD APPROPRIATE SETBACKS, BUILDING, MASSING, AND COMPATIBILITY WITH ESTABLISHED NEIGHBORHOODS. THE PROPOSAL RELIES ON SUBSTANTIAL DEPARTURES FROM THOSE STANDARDS, CREATING A STRUCTURE THAT BEARS LITTLE RELATIONSHIP TO THE SCALE AND INTENT OF THE SURROUNDING AREA. SUCH DEVIATIONS UNDERMINE THE PURPOSE OF THE CODE AND WEAKEN THE PREDICTABILITY AND FAIRNESS OF OUR PLANNING PROCESS. BEYOND THESE REGULATORY CONCERNS, THE PROJECT FAILS TO RESPECT THE UNIQUE CHARACTER OF ITS SETTING. THE GARDEN OF OUR LORD IS NOT AN ISOLATED PARCEL, BUT A PART OF A COHESIVE NEIGHBORHOOD DEFINED BY HISTORIC LOW-RISE BUILDINGS AND CAREFULLY MAINTAINED OPEN SPACE. INTRODUCING A BUILDING OF THIS SIZE AND CONFIGURATION DISRUPTS THAT BALANCE. IT DIMINISHES THE ARCHITECTURAL HARMONY THAT CORAL GIBBLE IS KNOWN FOR. THE PLAN, ALSO PLACES AT RISK, IRREPLACEABLE, NATURAL, AND HISTORIC RESOURCES, INCLUDING A CENTURIES OLD TREE THAT EXPERTS HAVE STATED CANNOT SURVIVE RELOCATION ONCE LOST, SUCH FEATURES CANNOT BE REPLACED, AND THEIR DESTRUCTION WOULD REPRESENT A PERMANENT SACRIFICE OF THE CITY'S HERITAGE. FOR A PROJECT THAT DOES NOT MEET OUR ESTABLISHED STANDARDS, CORAL GABLES HAS EARNED ITS REPUTATION THROUGH DISCIPLINE, PLANNING, AND RESPECT FOR ITS HISTORY. APPROVING THIS PROPOSAL WOULD SIGNAL A TROUBLING DEPARTURE FROM THOSE VALUES. I RESPECTFULLY REQUEST THAT THE CITY DENY THE APPLICATION. THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. JULIET ROJAS. GOOD AFTERNOON. HI, MY NAME IS JULIA ROJAS, 2 3 1 MANOS AVENUE, APARTMENT ONE, CORAL GABLES. 3 3 1 3 4. I'M HERE REPRESENTING CRYSTAL ACADEMY. UM, I WANT TO SAY THAT THIS BUILDING IS REALLY WELL THOUGHT OUT AND BEAUTIFULLY DESIGNED. IT'S NOT JUST BEING DROPPED INTO A NEIGHBORHOOD WITHOUT CONSIDERATION. IT ACTUALLY ACCOUNTS FOR TRAFFIC FLOW, HAS ONSITE PARKING, AND INCLUDES GREAT AMENITIES THAT ARE DESIGNED WITH INTENTION. INSTEAD OF TAKING IT AWAY FROM THE NEIGHBORHOOD, THE SCHOOL WOULD GENERALLY ADD TO IT AND IMPROVE THE AREA OVERALL. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. VANESSA RAMOS. OKAY. IS THERE ANY COMMENT THERE? NO COMMENT, SIR. OKAY. JORGE, MR. CLERK, FOR THE FUTURE, WHEN WE HAVE THESE MANY PUBLIC SPEAKERS, CAN WE REQUEST WHEN THEY'RE, WHEN THEY'RE SIGNING UP, THEY CAN LEAVE A LITTLE COMMENT SURE. JUST IN CASE THEY HAVE TO TOIF. GOOD AFTERNOON, SIR. GOOD AFTERNOON, MR. MAYOR JORGE RTA PRESIDENT, CEO OF THE CORAL GABLES CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 2 0 1 ALHAMBRA CIRCLE, CORAL GABLES. IT'S IMPORTANT TO RECOGNIZE THE BROADER HOUSING NEEDS OF OUR COMMUNITY. THOUGHTFUL DEVELOPMENT. WHEN RESPONSIBLY DESIGNED AND PROPERLY INTEGRATED, PLAY A ROLE IN ADDRESSING THE EVOLVING NEEDS OF RESIDENTS, FAMILIES, AND FAMILIES WITHIN CORAL GABLES. THIS PROJECT REPRESENTS THE TRANSFORMATIONAL OPPORTUNITY FOR CRYSTAL ACADEMY. THE PROPOSAL PROVIDES FOR A BRAND NEW PURPOSE-BUILT FACILITY ALONG WITH A 99 YEAR RENT-FREE LEASE. CRYSTAL ACADEMY HAS SERVED FAMILIES IN OUR CITY FOR MANY YEARS, DELIVERING AN ESSENTIAL AND HIGHLY SPECIALIZED EDUCATIONAL SERVICE, ENSURING ITS STABILITY WITHIN CORAL GABLES IS NOT ONLY COMPASSIONATE, IT IS RESPONSIBLE STEWARDSHIP OF A VALUED COMMUNITY INSTITUTION. THE ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN THAT'S PRESENTED IS CONSISTENT WITH THE SCALE AND CHARACTER OF MANY EXISTING BUILDINGS IN THE SURROUNDING NEIGHBORHOOD. COMPATIBILITY WITH THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT MATTERS IN THIS, THIS PROPOSAL DEMONSTRATES ATTENTION TO THAT STANDARD. FINALLY, THE DEVELOPMENT TEAM AT FIFE FIELD HAS SUCCESSFULLY DELIVERED WHILE SITUATED PROJECTS THROUGHOUT MIAMI-DADE COUNTY. THEIR EXPERIENCE AND TRACK RECORD REFLECT AN UNDERSTANDING OF QUALITY DEVELOPMENT AND COMPLEX URBAN ENVIRONMENTS. THE CORAL GABLES CHAMBER OF COMMERCE WELCOMES RESPONSIBLE INVESTMENT THAT STRENGTHENS OUR COMMUNITY AND CONTRIBUTES TO ITS LONG-TERM VITALITY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION. THANK YOU, SIR. GOOD AFTERNOON. THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. GOOD AFTERNOON EVERYONE. AND [06:25:01] LET ME GET MY STATEMENT HERE UP. UM, SO YES, THIS IS ABOUT THE BUILDING, BUT THE BUILDING MM-HMM . AND THE DESIGN IS NOT MADE IN A BUBBLE. SO I AM GOING TO READ A STATEMENT CONCERNING GEORGE MERRICK CITY PLAN. CORAL GABLES IS AMONG A LIMITED NUMBER OF MUNICIPAL, ACTUALLY, WELL, MARTINEZ CARBON. I'M HERE REPRESENTING THE HISTORIC PRESERVATION ASSOCIATION OF CORAL GABLES. CORAL GABLES IS AMONG A LIMITED NUMBER OF MUNICIPALITIES WHOSE CITY PLAN IS A LOCAL HISTORIC LANDMARK, OFFICIALLY RECOGNIZED IN 2018 BY A UNANIMOUS VOTE OF THE CITY COMMISSION. IN PLANNING, CORAL GABLES, FOUNDER GEORGE MERRICK, EMPLOYED THE CONCEPTS OF THE GARDEN, CITY, AND CITY. BEAUTIFUL MOVEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE PLANNING. THIS TYPE OF PLANNING TOOK INTO ACCOUNT THE PHILOSOPHY OF AESTHETICS, WHICH PLAYED A MAJOR ROLE IN THE MOVEMENTS. FURTHERMORE, THE CITY PLANS LANDMARK STATUS NOT ONLY PROTECTS, ITS CAREFULLY DEVELOPED URBAN LANDSCAPE FROM ILL-CONCEIVED PROJECTS THAT DETRACT FROM THE HARMONIOUS EXISTING ATTRIBUTES OF MERRICK'S VISION, BUT ALSO SAFEGUARDS AGAINST ANY POTENTIAL GIVEAWAYS OR TAKEAWAYS. SPECIFICALLY THE GREENSCAPE, UH, FEATURES THAT ARE AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE GARDEN CITY PRECEPTS TODAY. THE GARDEN CITY MOVEMENT CAN BEST BE APPRECIATED IN THE AREA OF THE NORTH PONDS DISTRICT, WHERE ONE CAN FIND BEAUTY AND SOLACE IN ITS GREEN CORRIDOR, AN ENCLAVE WITH SCULPTED FOUNTAINS. YOU CAN GIVE ME ANOTHER MINUTE, PLEASE. UH, FOUNTAINS, UM, IS AN ENCLAVE AND HERITAGE TREES AND THE LOW RISE SINGLE AND MUL MULTIFAMILY RESIDENCES. AND TO FURTHER UNDERSTAND MERRICK'S INTENTION FOR THE DISTRICT, ONE MUST READ OR REFER TO THE LANDMARK CITY PLAN. ON PAGE 32 OF THE PLAN, MERRICK GOES ON TO STIPULATE EXACT INSTRUCTIONS TO PRESERVE THE TREES IN THE AREA, QUOTE THE TREE, DEVELOP THE NEW DEVELOPMENT ALSO WILL TAKE STEPS TO SAVE FROM DESTRUCTION FULL GROWN TREES WHEN NEW BUILDINGS ARE ERECTED IN NEW STRUCTURES. THIS IS MERRICK, AS ALL OF THE FULL GROWN TREES AND OLD FOLIAGE WILL BE KEPT INTACT. AND TO FINISH, YES, MERRICK WAS A DEVELOPER, AND YES, HE DEVELOPED A BRAND NEW CITY, BUT HE ALSO MADE SURE TO KEEP THE OLD FOLIAGE INTACT. SO PLEASE CONSIDER THAT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. MARIA SENGER A MINUTE IN 10 SECONDS OVER. GOOD AFTERNOON. HI. GOOD AFTERNOON EVERYONE. UH, MY NAME IS MARIA SANG. UM, MY ADDRESS IS TWO 40, UM, SALAMAN AVENUE CORALS. UM, THIS IS WHERE A PUBLIC SPACE, THE CONCERN WILL BE UNDERSTANDABLE, BUT THIS IS PRIVATE LOAN ABANDON PROPERTY. CRYSTAL ACADEMY HAS SERVED AUTISTIC CHILDREN FOR MANY YEARS AND AN OUTDATED FACILITY. THIS PROJECT PROVIDES HOUSING AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, SECURITY AND SUPPORT FOR ONE OF CORAL GABLE'S MOST VALUABLE INSTITUTIONS. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU, UH, MR. PERSON. I'M, UH, MS. MAYOR, I'M GONNA BE GOING TO ZOOM NEXT. GREAT. THE SPEAKER IS THOMAS MOONEY. MR. MOONEY, GOOD AFTERNOON. GOOD AFTERNOON. UH, MR. MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF THE COMMISSION, UM, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR, UM, SPENDING ALL THE TIME THAT YOU HAVE, UM, ON THIS. THERE I AM. UM, MY ADDRESS IS, UH, 6 0 1 DEVAR AVENUE, AND I'VE BEEN A RESIDENT OF THE CITY OF CORAL GABLES SINCE 2000. AND I AM SORRY THAT I WAS NOT ABLE TO BE IN ATTENDANCE IN PERSON TODAY. UM, AS A LOT OF YOU ARE AWARE, UM, AND BECAUSE THE CITY OF CORAL GABLES HAS ALWAYS BEEN [06:30:01] A GREAT HOST, MY SON, UM, HAS BEEN ATTENDING CRYSTAL ACADEMY SINCE 2010. UM, AND I SAY THAT FOR TRANSPARENCY PURPOSES BECAUSE I THINK A LOT OF THE OTHER SPEAKERS HAVE UNDERSCORE THE IMPORTANCE OF THE SCHOOL. BUT ONE OF THE THINGS IN MY LIMITED TIME THAT I WANTED TO STRESS WAS THE IMPORTANCE OF THE PROCESS. UM, WHAT'S BEFORE YOU AS, AS BEEN EXPLAINED, IS AN APPEAL OF A DECISION OF THE BOARD OF ARCHITECTS AND THEIR DECISION, UH, WHICH WAS VERY LENGTHY. IT WENT THROUGH A NUMBER OF HEARINGS, WAS VERY THOUGHTFUL. UM, BUILDINGS SUCH AS THIS EVOLVE OVER TIME. UM, AREAS SUCH AS THIS EVOLVE OVER TIME. AND I THINK THE BOARD, UH, WENT TO GREAT LENGTHS TO ENSURE THAT THIS NEW BUILDING WOULD BE COMPATIBLE WITH THE SCALE, CONTEXT, UH, AND CHARACTER OF THE SURROUNDING AREA. AND THEIR RECORD REFLECTS THAT. AND, UM, BECAUSE OF THAT, I WOULD ENCOURAGE YOU TO, UM, UM, UPHOLD THEIR DECISION, UM, AND TO MOVE THIS ALONG. UM, AND WITH THAT, AGAIN, UH, THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME ON THIS MATTER. THANK YOU, MR. MOONEY. ALL RIGHT. THAT'S IT. MR. RAM. MAYOR. I HAD ONE MORE SPEAKER IN PERSON, BUT THEY HAD TO LEAVE AND THEY DID LEAVE. UH, NOTE. IT'S LYNN BLUESTEIN, 43 30 SOUTHWEST 15TH STREET. UH, THE NOTE READS, I'M ASKING YOU TO PAUSE BEFORE MAKING A DECISION THAT CANNOT BE UNDONE. THE GARDEN OF OUR LORD HAS SHARED COMMUNITY SPACE EVEN IN TIME OF WAR. THE BIBLE GIVES THIS INSTRUCTION, DO NOT DESTROY THE TREES IF RESTRAINT IS REQUIRED IN CONFLICT. SURE. IF IT'S POSSIBLE HERE IN PEACE, I RESPECTFULLY REQUEST YOU TO CHOOSE PRESERVATION. PLEASE SAVE THE GARDEN LONG AFTER THIS MEETING IS FORGOTTEN. THE LEGACY OF THIS DECISION WILL REMAIN EITHER IN WHAT YOU CHOOSE TO PROTECT OR IN WHAT YOU ALLOW TO BE LOST. THAT'S IT. MR. RAM. MAYOR. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, SIR. LET'S CLOSE THE PUBLIC COMMENT. UM, I NEED A MOTION FROM THE COMMISSION, OR WOULD YOU LIKE FURTHER COMMENT? I THROUGH THE MAYOR? YES. OKAY. I, I HAVE SOME COMMENTS AND THEN I'LL GO AHEAD AND I'LL MOVE IT. UM, NUMBER ONE, I WANNA START OFF WITH THE FACT THAT THIS IS, THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH CRYSTAL ACADEMY AS IT COMES TO THIS VOTE. IT MIGHT BE THAT AFTER THIS COMMISSION MEETING, THINGS ARE GONNA BE SET IN BLOGS OR IN, UM, ANONYMOUS BLOGS THAT, UM, I AM AGAINST CRYSTAL ACADEMY. IN FACT, I'VE SPENT MOST OF MY LIFE TREATING YOUNG ADULTS AND CHILDREN WITH, WITH DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES. THAT'S WHAT I SPEND MOST OF MY LIFE DOING. SO MOVING OVER FROM THAT, I'M JUST PUT IT ON THE RECORD BEFORE IT HAPPENS. I ALSO BELIEVE THAT DUE PROCESS WAS NOT MET ACCORDING TO THE QUESTIONS THAT I ASKED THE DEVELOPER. AND, UM, AND BONNIE NUMBER TWO, I'VE LIVED IN THAT AREA FOR OVER 10 YEARS. I DON'T LIVE THERE ANYMORE. I LIVED IN THAT AREA FOR OVER 10 YEARS. AND I DO NOT BELIEVE THAT WHAT IS BEING PROPOSED RIGHT NOW IS COMPATIBLE WITH THE NEIGHBORHOOD. SO THAT BEING SAID, WHAT I'M CONSIDERING AND WHAT I'M, I'M THINKING RIGHT NOW IS VOLUME, MASS SEPARATION BETWEEN BUILDINGS, CONTEXT AND SCALE. I BELIEVE IT'S UNCOMPATIBLE WITH THE CHARACTER OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD. AND MY JOB AS COMMISSIONER IS OBVIOUSLY TO PROTECT AND PRESERVE OUR NEIGHBORHOODS HERE IN CORAL GABLES. THAT BEING SAID, I WILL MOVE TO OVERRIDE THE DECISION OF THE SPECIAL MASTER. I WILL SECOND. OKAY. UM, ANY FURTHER PUBLIC COMMENT FROM THE COMMISSION BEFORE WE TAKE A VOTE. MR. MAYOR, QUESTION? OF COURSE. SO THE VOTE YOU'RE REFERRING TO IS ON THE MOTION THAT WAS JUST SECONDED? YES. OKAY. ALRIGHT. SO, FIRST AND FOREMOST, THERE WAS A COMMENT MADE BY A COMMISSIONER, AND I THINK WE HAVE TO BE VERY, VERY CAREFUL IN CHOICE WITH OUR WORDS. UH, THEY JUST, THEY CARRY A LOT OF WEIGHT. UM, MADAM CITY ATTORNEY, YOU'RE THE ATTORNEY OF THE COMMISSION. I NEED A STRAIGHT AND THOROUGH ANSWER. AND YOU HAVE YOUR ATTORNEY IN THE BACK IF YOU'D LIKE TO BRING HIM UP. I'M MORE THAN WILLING TO BRING THEM UP. I NEED AN ANSWER. 'CAUSE WE'VE BEEN, THIS IS WHY, THIS IS WHY LATER, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE SAY, WHY DID YOU KEEP TABS OF EVERY SECOND THAT WENT OVER? BECAUSE COMMENTS ARE MADE. AND LIKE THE COMMISSIONER SAID, THEY'RE USED ON BLOGS LATER TO MISREPRESENT THE CASE. WAS DUE PRO PROCESS VIOLATED HERE. YES OR NO? I, I NEED AN ANSWER. SO, MAYOR, MY, MY UNDERSTANDING IS THE ARGUMENT THAT THERE WAS, THERE WAS NOT DUE PROCESS BECAUSE THERE WAS NOT EQUAL TIME PROVIDED. SO WHETHER THERE WAS EQUAL TIME PROVIDED OR NOT, IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING FROM REVIEWING THE TRANSCRIPT THAT MS. BOLTON [06:35:01] DID NOT ASK OR DID NOT INDICATE THAT SHE HAD MORE TO SAY OR MORE TO PRESENT AT THE SPECIAL MASTERS HEARING. SO IF THAT IS THE CASE, THEN I BELIEVE THAT SHE HAD THE NOTICE, SHE HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO BE HEARD. I DON'T SEE ANY INDICATION IN THE TRANSCRIPT THAT SHE HAD ASKED FOR ADDITIONAL TIME OR FOR ANYTHING ELSE. SO I WILL ASK A ASSISTANT CITY ATTORNEY GUS EVAS, SINCE HE SERVED AS COUNSEL TO THE SPECIAL MASTERS, TO GIVE US ANY FURTHER INFORMATION FROM THE HEARING. MR. EVAS WAS MS. BOLTON'S DUE PROCESS VIOL? YES, SIR. AS AN ATTORNEY PRESENT THERE FOR THE BOARD OF ARCHITECTS SPECIAL MASTERS, I SAW NOTHING THAT WOULD'VE BEEN A VIOLATION OF ANYONE'S DUE PROCESS AT THAT MEETING. THERE IS AN ABUNDANCE OF COMMENT AND, AND OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK ON BOTH BEHALFS. UM, IF THE TRANSCRIPTS SHOWS MORE LANGUAGE, MORE VERBIAGE ON ONE PARTY. AS THIS COMMISSION KNOWS, WHENEVER YOU ENGAGE WITH A PARTICIPANT WHO'S LIMITED TO FIVE MINUTES, AS SOON AS THERE IS ENGAGEMENT FROM THE COMMISSION, THAT TIME IS NO LONGER PART OF YOUR FIVE MINUTES. YOU'RE ASK ANSWERING QUESTIONS. YEAH. SO I THINK THAT THAT MAY SHED SOME MORE LIGHT ON THE BACK AND FORTH, BUT AT NO POINT WAS ANYONE'S DUE PROCESSES VIOLATED. I WANNA BE CLEAR. RIGHT? SO THE ANSWER IS NO. CORRECT. LEMME EXPLAIN TO YOU WHY? BECAUSE IT'S VERY RECKLESS, VERY RECKLESS, AND A LACK OF PROFESSIONALISM TO MAKE THOSE KIND OF STATEMENTS ON THE RECORD, ESPECIALLY COMING FROM A COMMISSIONER BECAUSE IT GIVES CREDENCE TO THAT. THERE, WE POTENTIALLY HAVE VIOLATED SOMEONE'S DUE PROCESS. AND WHAT I MEAN, WE, I MEAN THE CITY, LET ME GIVE YOU AN EXAMPLE. IF YOU LOOK AT THE RECORD TODAY, IF YOU LOOK AT THE RECORD TODAY WAS THE APP WAS, WAS THE PROPERTY OWNERS DUE RIGHTS VIOLATED? NO, THEY WERE NOT. BUT IF YOU GONNA ADD UP ALL THE TIME, I'M PRETTY SURE THAT THEY SPOKE FOR ONE THIRD OF THE TIME. AND IF YOU LOOK AT THE TIME IN REGARDS TO THE PUBLIC COMMENT, I ADDED IT UP. THE PEOPLE IN OPPOSITION SPOKE EXTENDED FIVE MINUTES AND 54 SECONDS. I HAVE IT WRITTEN DOWN HERE OVER THE TIME, ALMOST SIX MINUTES. THE PEOPLE IN FAVOR OF CRYSTAL ACADEMY AND OBVIOUSLY KEEPING AND A AND A RE AND AFFIRMING, UM, AFFIRMING, UH, THE BOARD'S DECISION SPOKE FOR AN ADDITIONAL 56 SECONDS. I HAVE IT WRITTEN DOWN HERE, AND THAT'S WHY I WOULD ALWAYS SAY AT THE END OF THE SPEAKER, ADDITIONAL TIME. SO YOU CAN GO BACK ON THE TRANSCRIPT AND YOU CAN REVIEW IT. SO, BUT NO ONE'S DUE PROCESS WAS VIOLATED. IT JUST HAPPENED TO BE THAT IT WORKED OUT THAT WAY. THAT WHEN WE HAD A DISCUSSION BACK AND FORTH, MR. WINKER CAME UP AND SPOKE FOR AN EXTENDED AMOUNT OF PERIOD OF TIME BECAUSE COMMISSIONER A LOT ASKED HIM QUESTIONS. I ASKED HIM QUESTIONS. ALSO, I THINK COMMISSIONERS CASTRO AND COM AND THE VICE MAYOR ASK, ASK QUESTIONS. SO AT THE END OF THE DAY, NO ONE'S DUE PROCESS. WE HAVE TO BE VERY CAREFUL WHEN WE SAY THINGS. I KNOW THAT THINGS ARE SAID SOMETIMES, YOU KNOW, FOR THE BLOGS, LIKE YOU SAID, YOU'RE VERY APPROPRIATE ON THAT, YOU KNOW, SO THAT WE CAN, WE CAN MAKE A STATEMENT AND SAY THAT NOBODY HAD THE APPROPRIATE TIME, BUT I THINK WE HAVE BEEN INCREDIBLY LENIENT. RIGHT? UH, COUNCILOR WINKER INCREDIBLY WIN. I WANNA, CAN YOU PUT IT ON THE RECORD? I'LL PUT THAT ON THE RECORD TODAY. YES. OKAY. YOU HAVE GOTTEN EXTENDED A MASSIVE AMOUNT OF TIME, SO YOUR DUE PROCESS WAS NOT VIOLATED. AND WE'RE, AND WE, AND THIS IS YOUR DUE PROCESS WAS NOT VIOLATED. YOU HAVE AN ATTORNEY HERE WHO WAS PRESENT WHO SAID IT VERY, VERY CLEARLY. WE HAVE TO SAY THINGS BASED ON FACTS. WE CANNOT JUST CONTINUE TO REPEAT THINGS AND HOPE THAT THEY'RE TRUE, THEY'RE NOT. OKAY. OKAY. MOVING FORWARD. DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING ELSE YOU'D LIKE TO ADD FOR THE RECORD? THAT WAS MY MOTION. OKAY, PERFECT. COMMISSIONER ALDA, I JUST CONTINUE THE COMMENTARY. SO I FIND A CURIOUS COMMISSIONER CASTRO, THAT YOU MOVED FOR WHAT YOU'VE MOVED, RIGHT? BECAUSE WE ARE HERE TODAY, IF I'M NOT MISTAKEN, ON AN APPEAL OF A DECISION BY THE BOARD OF ARCHITECTS SPECIAL MASTERS OF JANUARY 13TH, 2026. WE HAVE HEARD FOR HOURS NOW TESTIMONY, PUBLIC COMMENTARY, AN ARGUMENT FROM COUNCIL. THE VOTE WILL BE, I ASSUME, BASED ON EVERYTHING WE'VE HEARD FOR ALL THAT TIME, AND YET YOU ARE BRINGING EMOTION TO CREATE YOUR OWN DECISION BASED UPON YOUR FRAMING. THE ISSUE IS THAT YOU ARE MOVING, IF I QUOTE CORRECTLY, TO OVERRIDE THE DECISION OF THE MASTER, AS IF YOU'RE CREATING YOUR OWN, UM, REVIEW BODY WITH NO PARAMETERS AND NO, UH, UH, GUIDE POSTS. WE ARE HERE TO DETERMINE WHETHER OR NOT THERE WAS DUE PROCESS MISSING, WHETHER THERE WAS A LACK OF SUBSTANTIAL COMPETENT EVIDENCE. RIGHT. AND WHAT YOU'RE, YOU'RE TRYING TO DO HERE IS FLIP IT ON ITS BACK AND SAY, I JUST WANT TO VOTE TO SAY, BEFORE WE ANSWER THAT QUESTION, I WANT MY QUESTION TO BE WHETHER OR NOT WE SHOULD OVERRIDE THE MASTER, THE MA THE THREE UNANIMOUS MASTER VOTE. I FIND IT A WASTE OF TIME. RESPECTFULLY, I FIND AN ATTEMPT TO SUBVERT WHAT [06:40:01] EVERYONE HERE HAS SPENT ALL THIS TIME TO CONSIDER. IF YOUR BELIEF IS THAT YOU DON'T AGREE WITH WHAT THE MASTER'S DECISION WAS, THEN RESPECTFULLY YOUR VOTE SHOULD BE NO. I DON'T KNOW WHY YOU FEEL IT'S APPROPRIATE THAT BEFORE WE TAKE THAT VOTE, YOU WANT A DIFFERENT VOTE TO MAKE YOURS THE, UM, THE DECISION TO BE RENDERED IN ADVANCE OF THE ONE WHY WE'RE GATHERED HERE WITH NO PARAMETERS WHATSOEVER. PERHAPS YOU CAN CLARIFY FOR ME WHY YOU WOULDN'T JUST VOTE NO, BUT PREFER TO BRING A MOTION. AND, AND I'LL OPEN IT UP TO ANYBODY WHO WANTS TO ANSWER AFTER YOU GIVE, UH, YOUR POSITION. BECAUSE I ALWAYS UNDERSTAND COMMISSIONER FERNANDEZ SECONDED, BUT MAYBE JUST FOR DISCUSSION THROUGH THE MAYOR. YES, YES. WELL, I'M VERY COMMISSIONER LA I'M VERY SORRY THAT YOU FEEL SO CONFUSED. I DID SAY IN THE BEGINNING WHAT MY REASONS WERE, AND THAT IS MY DECISION. THAT'S IT. I'M NOT GONNA GO BACK AND FORTH WITH YOU. WELL, I, I, I THROUGH THE MAYOR. YES, SIR. I ASKED THE QUESTION. YOU MAY CONSIDER THAT TO BE GOING BACK AND FORTH, BUT IF YOUR ANSWER IS IT WAS ALREADY STATED BEFORE I ASK THE QUESTION, IT FALLS WOEFULLY SHORT OF EVERYTHING I JUST IDENTIFIED. BUT IF THAT'S ALL YOU HAD TO SAY, IF THAT'S YOUR FINAL WORD ON THAT, UH, UNLESS ANYBODY ELSE, ANY, ANYTHING TO SAY, BUT I, I, I HAVE A, I HAVE A POINT. I MEAN, IF I MAY, UH, THE PURPOSE OF BEING AN ELECTED OFFICIALS IS TO DEBATE. AND WHEN YOU'RE UP HERE AND YOU HAVE A DECISION TO MAKE, I LISTEN A LITTLE BIT FROM HERE. I LISTEN FROM A LITTLE BIT, AND THEN I MAKE MY OWN DECISION BASED ON WHAT I BELIEVE IS IN THE BEST INTEREST OF THIS COMMUNITY. SO THE IDEA THAT WE'RE NOT GONNA GET ENGAGED IN DEBATE, WE'RE NOT GONNA ENGAGE IN DISCOURSE, POSITIVE, FRUITFUL DISCOURSE. I THINK IT GOES AGAINST THE SPIRIT OF WHAT IT IS TO BE AN ELECTED OFFICIAL. UM, WE CAN DISAGREE, AND I DON'T HAVE A PROBLEM WITH DISAGREEING. I DISAGREE, I DISAGREE WITH MY COLLEAGUES ALL THE TIME, AND THEY DISAGREE WITH ME PERFECTLY FINE. BUT AT THE IDEA THAT WE'RE, I'M NOT GONNA DEBATE WITH YOU BECAUSE I DON'T WANNA DEBATE WITH YOU. NO, THAT'S NOT THE ISSUE. I UNDERSTAND. IF YOU MAY NOT HAVE A HANDLE OF THE ISSUES AND THAT'S RESPECTABLE, I UNDERSTAND IT, AND IF YOU WANT SOME CLARITY ON THEM FOR THE FACTS. BUT WHAT I WAS TRYING TO MAKE A POINT IS THAT MR. WINKER AND HIS CLIENT BASED, THEIR ARGUMENT TODAY, THE CRUX OF THE MATTER WAS THAT THEIR DUE PROCESS WAS VIOLATED. THAT IS THE, THAT IS ONE OF THE MAIN FUNDAMENTAL POINTS THAT HAS BEEN REPEATED OVER AND OVER AND OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN. AND THAT IS SOMETHING TO ME THAT I'M NOT AN ATTORNEY. WE HAVE BOOKENDS, WE HAVE THREE ATTORNEYS ON THIS DAIS, OKAY? BUT I UNDERSTAND VERY CLEARLY THAT WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT TIME, IF YOUR ATTORNEY DOES NOT REQUEST ADDITIONAL TIME, HOW IS IT INCUMBENT ON ME? I MEAN, I'M NOT AN ATTORNEY AND I UNDERSTAND THAT VERY, VERY CLEARLY. IT'S INCUMBENT OF THE APPLICANT OR THE INDIVIDUAL WHO MR. WINKER IS REPRESENTING TO SAY, HOLD ON ONE SECOND, I WOULD LIKE SOME ADDITIONAL TIME. UH, WHEN YOU TALK, WHEN YOU'RE IN FRONT OF THE SPECIAL MASTER, IT'S JUST COMMON SENSE. IT'S NOT WHETHER YOU WANNA DEBATE IT OR NOT. SO THAT GOES OUT THE WINDOW. AND IF YOU LOOK AT TODAY'S POINT, AND YOU CAN GO BACK, I'VE BEEN VERY CLEAR, I GAVE EXAMPLES HERE. I WROTE IT ALL DOWN. IT'S PART OF THE PUBLIC RECORD. THIS IS JUST THE ADDITIONAL ALLOTTED TIME FOR PUBLIC SPEAKERS. FORGET THE AMOUNT OF TIME THAT WAS GIVEN THROUGH THE BACK AND FORTH THAT WE HAD, WHICH IS A PUBLIC RECORD. SO I THINK IT'S GOOD TO HAVE A CONVERSATION SO PEOPLE CAN UNDERSTAND YOUR POSITIONS. BUT THE IDEA THAT I'M NOT GONNA HAVE A DEBATE WITH YOU BECAUSE, UH, I JUST DON'T WANNA HAVE A DEBATE WITH YOU. IT TO ME IS, UM, IT'S UNDEMOCRATIC IN MY OPINION. UM, VICE MAYOR WANTED TO SAY SOMETHING. SO I'M GONNA, I'M GONNA GO OVER A COUPLE THINGS ON NUMBER ONE. NUMBER ONE, I WANNA COVER DUE PROCESS, UH, BECAUSE THAT'S A FUNDAMENTAL THING THAT I'VE DEALT WITH THROUGHOUT MY CAREER. UH, I'VE DONE, I DID WELL IN EXCESS OF A HUNDRED APPEALS IN MY FIRST 10 YEARS OF PRACTICE, AND I'VE BEEN PRACTICING FOR 38 YEARS. YOU CANNOT USE PAGES TO QUANTIFY TIME. AND IT IS FUNDAMENTAL IN ANY PROCEEDING IF YOU FAIL TO OBJECT, IF YOU FAIL TO ASK FOR MORE TIME, IF YOU FAIL TO COMPLAIN, YOU WAIVED THE ARGUMENT. I THINK WE'VE DEMONSTRATED TODAY THAT NOT ONLY WAS DUE PROCESS AFFORDED, THERE WAS NOT A REQUEST FOR MORE TIME. IF YOU DON'T ASK, YOU DON'T RECEIVE. OKAY? AND I UNDERSTAND MS. BOLTON, THAT YOU'RE SHAKING YOUR HEAD, BUT THE RECORD DOESN'T BEAR YOU OUT. YOU CANNOT COUNT PAGES. SOME OF US SPEAK FASTER, SOME OF US SPEAK SLOWER, SOME OF US PAUSE MORE BETWEEN WHEN WE SPEAK, THAT AIRTIME DOES NOT QUANTIFY INTO PAGES. SO YOU CANNOT USE PAGES TO QUANTIFY TIME. YOU NEVER CAN. OKAY? COMPATIBILITY, TALKING ABOUT MASSING AND SO FORTH AND HEIGHT AND THE, AND THE, YOU NOT ONLY HAVE TO LOOK AT EXISTING BUILDINGS, BUT YOU HAVE TO LOOK AT EXISTING ZONING. YOU HAVE ON PONDS, BUILDINGS THAT ARE 16 STORIES ZONED [06:45:02] FOR 16 STORIES. THEY'RE NOT GONNA NECESSARILY BE THERE FOREVERMORE. THEY MIGHT BE THERE NOW. THEY COULD BE GONE TOMORROW. THE ZONING IS, THE ZONING 16 STORIES IS ALMOST DOUBLE WHAT THIS PROPERTY IS. THE EIGHT STORIES THAT IS ROUGHLY ABOUT, YOU KNOW, 500, 600 FEET AWAY FROM THERE. UM, ON THE CORNER OF EDIA IN GALLO IS MF ZONING OF 80 TO 90 FEET. THIS PROJECT IS 97. THERE'S A 17 FOOT DIFFERENCE. UM, THERE IS MORE GREEN SPACE THAN THE COFFEE CAN THAT WAS DESCRIBED. OKAY? YOU HAVE THE GREEN SPACE THAT IS THE PLAY YARD AREA IN THE NORTHEAST CORNER THAT WAS NOT ADDRESSED. OKAY? YOU HAVE THE GREEN SPACE THAT WOULD BE CREATED, UH, BECAUSE I KNOW THIS HAS BEEN REPRESENTED THAT THIS, UM, DEVELOPER'S WILLING TO MOVE THE TREE, UNLIKE WHAT WE EXPERIENCED IN ANOTHER PROJECT WHERE IT WAS NOTHING BUT A FIGHT TO GET TREES MOVED AND TREES ARE GONNA BE PRESERVED. ELECTRIC LINES WILL COME DOWN. AND THERE'S A HISTORICAL RECORD IF YOU WANT TO DEBATE THE TREE ISSUE, WHICH IS NOT THE ISSUE BEFORE US TODAY, WHERE YOU HAVE TREES BEEN MOVED ON THE UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI FIRE STATION TWO ACROSS US. ONE YOU HAVE THE, THE PROPERTY ON VALENCIA AND CARDENA WHERE ANOTHER TREE WAS MOVED, ANOTHER TREE MAHOGANY ON, ON, UH, CARDENA AS WELL. YOU HAVE SALZEDO STREET AND A 300 BLOCK OF CATALONIA. ALL OF THEM ARE LIVING THE OAK TREE THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT RIGHT NOW. IF YOU LOOK BACK IN HISTORICAL PHOTOS, WASN'T THERE. WHAT YOU HAD WAS PINE ROCKLAND, ALL OF IT WAS TAKEN DOWN. SO IF WE WERE GONNA PRESERVE EXISTING TREES, THE PINE ROCKLAND IS WHAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN PRESERVED. THIS IS THE ZONE SPECIAL USE FOR CHURCH. WE CANNOT FORCE PEOPLE TO KEEP A CHURCH. HOWEVER, A CHARTER SCHOOL COULD BE BUILT ON THAT LAND. THAT WOULD BE A, A FAR DIFFERENT PROJECT THAN WE WE'RE LOOKING AT HERE. UM, IN MY PERSONAL OPINION, WHICH IS IRRELEVANT TO THIS APPEAL WOULD BE LESS COMPATIBLE THAN WHAT IS PROPOSED HERE TODAY. SO, UM, I'M A NO VOTE ON THE COMMISSIONER'S, UM, MOTION BECAUSE I DON'T SEE THAT THE COMPETENT, SUBSTANTIAL EVIDENCE HAS NOT SUPPORTED THE SPECIAL MASTER'S DECISIONS TO THE MAYOR. YES, SIR. THANK YOU, MR. MAYOR. I APOLOGIZE FOR NOT BEING THERE. UM, I HAVE, I'M DEALING WITH BRONCHITIS AND SINUSITIS. UM, I'M GONNA TRY TO GET THROUGH THIS. UM, I'M SECONDING THIS MOTION BECAUSE I DO BELIEVE THERE IS EVIDENCE, AND IT HASN'T JUST BEEN PRE PRESENTED BY MS. BOLTON AND HER ATTORNEY. WE ACTUALLY HAD ONE OF THE WITNESSES WHO SPOKE FROM THE OTHER SIDE WHO SAID THAT SHE AGREED THAT THE OTHER SIDE GOT TWICE AS MUCH TIME TO SPEAK. I DON'T THINK THE ISSUE IS ABOUT HOW MUCH TIME WAS ALLOTTED, UM, IN THE PROCEDURAL SECTION. IT'S FOR ME ABOUT NOBODY WAS ABLE TO ANSWER THE QUESTION ON WHETHER THE DEVELOPER'S SIDE WAS ASKED TO LIMIT THEIR COMMENTS AS MS. BOLTON'S SIDE WAS. AND I'VE HAD THIS CONVERSATION WITH THE CITY ATTORNEY BEFORE. UH, AND I I'M GONNA HAVE A CONVERSATION WITH HER AGAIN ABOUT POTENTIAL, UH, LEGISLATION THAT CAN FIX THIS. UM, THE FACT THAT WE DO NOT RECORD THESE MEETINGS, UM, LEAVES US AS A COMMISSION AT A REAL DISADVANTAGE BECAUSE IT'S REALLY HARD FOR US TO UNDERSTAND WHAT ACTUALLY TOOK PLACE IN THE ROOM. UM, I THINK, YOU KNOW, FROM WHAT I'VE HEARD, UH, YOU HAVE THE VOTES TO, UH, AFFIRM. I STAND BY MY VOTE NOT TO AFFIRM, UH, THE SPECIAL MASTER. AND I'M READY TO VOTE. WE ISSUE YOU THERE. HE'S READY TO VOTE. HE SAID HE'S READY TO VOTE. I AM HERE. OKAY, BISHOP. SO, UH, BRIEFLY, I'M WISHING COMMISSIONER FERNANDEZ A SPEEDY RECOVERY. I HOPE YOU FEEL BETTER VERY SOON. THANK YOU. UM, [06:50:03] I STILL DON'T, UM, BELIEVE, AND I DON'T KNOW, AND MAYBE IT'S A QUESTION TO THE CITY ATTORNEY, UM, WHETHER WHEN WE'RE SITTING AND CONVENED IN THIS PARTICULAR BODY ON AN APPEAL, IF IT'S APPROPRIATE OR PERMISSIBLE TO BRING FORTH A MOTION DURING THE APPEAL, TO SET ASIDE THE APPEAL AND HAVE THE COMMISSION VOTE ON THE OUTCOME OF THE, UH, SPECIAL MASTERS REPORT BELOW, I, I DON'T EVEN KNOW IF THAT'S SOMETHING THAT CAN BE DONE. SO THE WAY I UNDERSTOOD THE MOTION, IT'S A MOTION TO OVERRIDE THE DECISION OF THE BOARD OF ARCHITECT SPECIAL MASTERS. SO THAT WOULD RESULT IN THE, UM, ESSENTIALLY WOULD BE REJECT THE APPROVAL. SO THE PROJECT WOULD NOT HAVE, WOULD NOT HAVE ITS APPROVAL, AND THEN THEY WOULD HAVE TO, YOU KNOW, THEY COULD RESUBMIT SOMETHING NEW, A DIFFERENT APPLICATION, ET CETERA. RIGHT. BUT THAT'S HOW WE'RE VOTING ON TODAY THOUGH, RIGHT? NO, THAT WAS THE MOTION. THERE'S A MOTION PENDING. YEAH. RIGHT. SO A NO VOTE WOULD ACHIEVE THAT, BUT TO NO, THAT TO THE, TO THE APPEAL. WHAT? TO THE APPEAL. A NO VOTE WOULD ACHIEVE WHAT YOU JUST SAID, RIGHT? IF CARRIED, NO, NO, IT DEPENDS ON THE MOTION. SO THE NO, NO, NO, NO, NO. LET ME MAKE, LET ME CLEAR. WE'RE SITTING HERE IN AN APPEAL. MM-HMM . RIGHT? SO IF THE MAJORITY, UH, FINES AND VOTES TO NOT AFFIRM THE MASTER'S OPINION, IT WOULD BE REJECTED. CORRECT? I THINK WE WOULD NEED A A THAT WOULD BE A FAILED MOTION, ESSENTIALLY, IF I'M NOT TALKING ABOUT THE MOTION, TALKING ABOUT US FIRST SITTING HERE IN THE CAPACITY. SO YOU HAVE FOUR OPTIONS INTO THE ZONING CODE AND IT'S SET FORTH IN OUR ZONING CODE. YOU CAN, YOU CAN AFFIRM THE DECISION OF THE BOARD OF ARCHITECT SPECIAL MASTERS. YOU CAN AFFIRM WITH CONDITIONS, YOU CAN OVERRIDE THE DECISION, OR YOU CAN REMAND FOR FURTHER PROCEEDINGS. THAT'S WHAT THE ZONING CODE SAYS. THOSE ARE THE POTENTIAL MOTIONS, ESSENTIALLY. OKAY. SO WE'RE SITTING IN A, WE'RE CONVENED RIGHT NOW MM-HMM . OPEN TO ANYBODY MAKING ONE OF FOUR DIFFERENT MOTIONS. CORRECT. OKAY. SO COMMISSIONER CASTRO, YOUR MOTION WAS TO REJECT WITH NO CONDITIONS. THE DECISION BELOW MY MOTION THROUGH THE MAYOR, YES. MY MOTION EXACTLY AS I STATED BEFORE I MOVED TO OVERRIDE THE DECISION OF THE SPECIAL MASTER, WHICH THAT IS OPTION NUMBER THREE. THANK YOU. YOU'RE WELCOME. SO WITH RESPECT TO, WELL, ARE WE IN THE VOTE YET? WELL, WE HAVE TO FIRST ADDRESS, ADDRESS HER, HER MOTIVE. CORRECT. OKAY. MR. CLERK, WE HAVE A MOTION. AND SECOND, UNLESS THERE'S ANY FURTHER CON CONVERSATION. COMMISSIONER CASTRO? YES. COMMISSIONER FERNANDEZ? YES. COMMISSIONER LARA. AND I'LL JUST SAY BEFORE I VOTE THAT THE FUNDAMENTAL ARGUMENT I'VE HEARD AGAIN AND AGAIN WAS THE DUE PROCESS WAS DENIED TO SAY THAT YOU WERE PROVIDED, UH, MS. BOLTON WITH, AND MR. WINKLER PROVIDED WITH THE MINIMUM ATTI MINIMUM TIME ALLOTTED FOR BOTH SIDES, AND THAT YOU NEITHER OBJECTED TO THE OTHER SIDE. HAVING MORE TIME OR REQUESTED THAT YOU HAVE MORE TIME TO SPEAK. IS INDISPUTABLY A WAIVER OF YOUR ABILITY TO CLAIM TODAY THAT YOU WERE PREJUDICED UNFAIRLY PREJUDICED? THAT'S THE SAME AS SAYING THAT SOMEBODY IS SEEKING LENIENCY FOR BEING AN ORPHAN BECAUSE THEY KILLED THEIR PARENTS. YOU CAN'T USE YOUR FAILURE TO COMPLAIN AT A TIME WHEN SOME CORRECTIVE ACTION, ASSUMING THERE WAS CORRECTIVE ACTION NEEDED, UM, TO BE TAKEN, IS THE PLACE OF THIS BODY RIGHT NOW TO PUT OURSELVES IN THE SHOES OF YOU, MR. WINKLER, WHO I BELIEVE SHOULD HAVE OBJECTED IF YOU FEEL THAT TODAY THERE WAS A HARM THAT WASN'T RECTIFIED OR RECOGNIZED THEN. SO I, I BELIEVE THAT ALL OF THE RECORD AND ALL OF THE ARGUMENT I'VE HEARD TODAY SHOWS THAT THERE WAS NOT ONLY PROPER DUE PROCESS, COMPETENT, SUBSTANTIAL EVIDENCE, NO DEPARTURE FROM THE ESSENTIAL REQUIREMENTS OF THE LAW. IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT I THINK I AM LIMITED IN TERMS OF WHAT MY PERSONAL OPINION MIGHT BE, BUT I'M LIMITED AS AN ELECTED OFFICIAL TO WHAT THE RULES ARE FOR REVIEWING THE LOWER BODIES OF DECISION. AND THERE'S NOTHING THERE TO DISTURB THAT DECISION BASED ON WHAT I'VE BEEN TOLD, WHAT I'VE BEEN SHOWN AND WHAT I'VE REVIEWED TODAY. SO MY ANSWER IS NO MAD VICE MAYOR, MR. CLERK, VICE MAYOR ANDERSON, FOR THOSE SAME REASONS AS WELL AS, I MEAN, WE COVERED THE MED BONUS ISSUE AND THE FACT THAT NOT ONLY THE BOARD OF ARCHITECTS AND SPECIAL MASTERS MEET THE THEN CURRENT MED BONUS, BUT THE CURRENT REQUIREMENTS OF THE MED BONUS PLUS THE ONE STORY DIFFERENCE FOR THE MASSING AND COMPATIBILITY. MY VOTE ON THIS IS NO AS WELL. MAYOR LAGO IN LINE WITH THE COMMENTS MADE BY THE VICE MAYOR AND COMMISSIONER LARA, I ALSO, WE VOTED [06:55:01] NO. NOW, NOW THAT WE'VE ADDRESSED THAT, UH, WE'VE ALSO ADDRESSED THE ISSUES THAT WERE MENTIONED BEFORE. UH, IN REGARDS TO THE TIME CONSTRAINTS, I'LL ENTERTAIN A MOTION. I'LL MOVE TO AFFIRM. SECOND. MR. CLERK. COMMISSIONER FERNANDEZ? NO. COMMISSIONER LARA? YES. VICE MAYOR ANDERSON? YES. COMMISSIONER CASTRO? NO. MAYOR LAGO? YES. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. [K. DISCUSSION ITEMS] UH, MOVING ON, UH, TO THE NEXT ITEM. I'M GONNA SEARCH NOT ON THE AGENDA, UH, FOR THE GOOD OF THE ORDER. MADAM VICE MAYOR, WOULD YOU LIKE TO ADD ANYTHING ELSE? REMINDER TO EVERYBODY WHO'S INTERESTED IN GREEN SPACE. ON THE 19TH, THERE IS A MEETING FOR THE BEAUTIFUL DESIGN THAT OUR STAFF HAS DONE ON UNIVERSITY DRIVE, WHICH WILL INCLUDE FLOWERING TREES, BUTTERFLY PLANTS, AND, UH, PRESERVATION OF GREEN SPACE AT, UH, THE YOUTH CENTER, 6:00 PM FOR THE UNIVERSITY DRIVE DOG PARK. AND FOR ANY OF YOU, I HAVE CHILDREN. I WOULD LIKE TO ENJOY SOME COMPLIMENTS OF THE CORAL GABLES GARDEN CLUB, A COLORING BOOK ON POLLINATOR PLANTS. WE HAVE THAT. AND CRIME WATCH HAS ALSO PROVIDED AND IS AVAILABLE TO PROVIDE REFLECTORS FOUR, INDI FOUR INDIVIDUALS TO BE SAFER ON THE STREETS. AND THEY'VE DROPPED SOME OFF TO ME. IF THEY'D LIKE SOME, I WILL HAVE 'EM IN MY OFFICE AND MY STAFF CAN HAND 'EM OUT. AND IF YOU GO TO THE NEXT CRIME WATCH PRESENTATION, THEY'LL ASK, SHOW YOU HOW TO DO CPR. THEY HAVE CPR TRAINING. UM, THEY HAVE A DOGGY MANNEQUIN THAT HELPS MAKE IT A LITTLE MORE INTERACTIVE. SO THAT'S IT. COMMISSIONER CASTRO? YES. UM, CITY CLERK. I HAVE TWO, TWO IMAGES THAT I WANTED TO GO AHEAD AND PUT. YES. AND CABLE TV SHOULD HAVE 'EM READY. OKAY. SO I AM PARTNERING WITH THE CORAL GABLES RUN CLUB ON FEBRUARY 28TH. SATURDAY AT 10 IN THE MORNING IN FRONT OF THE PARK. UM, WE'RE GONNA DO A RUN, IT'S ALMOST THREE MILES AROUND THE GOLF COURSE, AND I WELCOME ALL RESIDENTS. THERE'S ALREADY SEVERAL RESIDENTS THAT ARE THERE, BUT I THINK THIS IS A NICE OPPORTUNITY TO GO AHEAD AND MEET YOUR NEIGHBORS IN A VERY HEALTHY MANNER. THIS WOULD BE FEBRUARY 28TH, AND I HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE. YOU'LL SEE ME RUNNING THOSE THREE MILES WITH YOU. AND THEN THE NEXT ONE IS, IT HAS TO DO MORE WITH DOGS , MORE DOGS. UM, THE NEXT PACK WALK FOR CORAL GABLES WOULD BE FEBRUARY 21ST. PET SUPERMARKET SPOT. PET SUPERMARKET PARTNERED WITH US, THE MIAMI-DADE ANIMAL UM, SERVICES PARTNERED WITH US TOO. WELL, THEY GOT PARTNERS PARTNERED WITH US TOO. A THERE WOULD BE PORTRAITS PAINTING AND THAT ARE GONNA BE PAINTED DURING THIS EVENT AT THE END OF IN BODEGA. SO I EXPECT PEOPLE TO SEE US THERE AS WELL. WE'RE GOING DOWN MIRACLE MILE, SHOWCASING ALL THE STORES THAT ARE THERE, ALL THE WAY DOWN TO ALL THE WAY BACK. SO IT'S A TWO MILE WALK WITH, WITH THE PUPS, AND THERE'S GONNA BE ADOPTABLE DOGS THERE. SO IF ANYBODY'S INTERESTED, THAT WOULD BE AMAZING. YOU CAN GO AHEAD AND REMOVE THAT. I ALSO WANNA GIVE A LITTLE UPDATE ABOUT THE, THE LAST DOG WALK THAT I HAD. THERE WAS SEVERAL ADOPTABLE DOGS THERE. IT WAS VERY WELL ATTENDED. I WAS VERY HAPPY. UM, THERE WAS A LOT OF DONATIONS WHEN IT CAME TO BLANKETS. I HAD THREE FULL CARS. I WENT INTO DIFFERENT OCCASIONS TO GO, UM, DONATE BLANKETS BECAUSE, BECAUSE OF THE COLD FRONT. I ALSO WENT AHEAD AND I FOSTERED A DOG. AND, UM, IT WAS A WONDERFUL EXPERIENCE FOR OVER, FOR OVER A WEEK. AND I THANKFULLY GOT THAT DOG ADOPTED. SO I'M ENCOURAGING PEOPLE TO GO AHEAD AND, UM, TRY TO DO THE SAME THING. THAT'S IT. OKAY. COMMISSIONER ALADA. RIGHT. SO THE ONLY THING I I REALLY THINK IT'S WORTH, UM, ON MY PART MENTIONING TODAY IS, UM, AND IT CAME UP QUITE A BIT DURING THE LAST, UH, FEW HOURS OF OUR LAST ITEM, IS, UM, WHAT A SPECIAL PLACE CRYSTAL ACADEMY IT IS. AND, UH, MARY PALACIOS WHO RUNS IT, IT IS, UM, UNIQUE. IT IS A PLACE THAT I HAVE TOURED. IT IS A PLACE THAT I WOULD ENCOURAGE, UH, RESIDENTS IF THEY HAVEN'T GONE TO, UH, MEET WITH MARY TO FULLY UNDERSTAND AND MAYBE EVEN EXPERIENCE WHAT A GEM THAT IS. WHAT A REAL SERVICE THAT IS, UM, FROM THE HEART THAT SHE DOES THIS FOR THE MOST NEEDY AMONGST US. UM, PLEASE DO, PLEASE DO VISIT, [07:00:01] UM, MARY AND, UM, GET TO KNOW, UH, A LITTLE BIT ABOUT A PLACE THAT'S, UH, SO SMALL AND SO NEEDY, UH, IN NEED OF SUPPORT AT THIS TIME FOR THE NEEDIEST OF US ALL. UM, IT'S A PLACE WHERE LOVE AND MAGIC AND COMMUNITY COME TOGETHER. A BIG FAN OF CRYSTAL ACADEMY. UM, COMMISSIONER, I CAN'T THANK YOU ENOUGH FOR STATING THAT I'VE BEEN GOING TO CRYSTAL FOR YEARS AND, UM, YOU SAID IT, IT'S MAGIC. IT'S MAGIC. UM, AND WE ARE BLESSED. WE'RE BLESSED TO HAVE THEM IN OUR BACKYARD. UM, MARY WILL TELL YOU, WE HAVE PIZZA PARTIES THERE ALL THE TIME. UM, AND LET ME TELL YOU, WHEN I GO THERE, I GET MORE OUT OF IT THAN THE KIDS GET OUT OF IT. AT THE END OF THE DAY, I GET MORE OUTTA IT THAN THE KIDS GOT. SO I'M HAPPY THAT YOU BROUGHT THAT UP BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, VERY UNEXPECTED. YES, SIR. UH, FOR THE MAYOR. YEAH. THANK YOU MAYOR. UH, I JUST WANTED TO BRING UP THE CITY HALL. OKAY. WE ARE IN CONSTRUCTION DOCUMENTS. UH, THE COMMISSION OFFICE IS ALREADY, OKAY. UH, WE, OUR FIRST MEETING WILL BE IN MARCH, AND I NEED THE SECOND FLOOR TO START EXPLORATORY DEMOLITION. AND SO IF THE COMMISSION CAN MOVE AT THE END OF THE MONTH IF POSSIBLE, UH, IT WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED BECAUSE WE NEED TO GET TO, TO EXPLORATORY DEMO ON THE SECOND FLOOR. AND WE HAVE LESS PEOPLE COMING IN. AND THE WHOLE BUILDING WILL BE REALLY, REALLY ALMOST, UH, A CONSTRUCTION SITE IN A SENSE FROM EXPLORATORY DEMO. WE, WE HAVE TO GET IN HERE AND FIND OUT WHAT'S, WHAT'S IN WHAT'S IN THIS CHAMBER. SO, UH, WE ARE, WE ARE TRYING TO PROCEED AS FAST AS POSSIBLE. SO THANK YOU. I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S ACCEPTABLE TO THE COMMISSION, BUT IT, IT WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED. I THINK IT'S VERY ACCEPTABLE ON, ON THAT POINT. UM, JUST AN UPDATE. A CONTRACT WILL BE SELECTED IN THE NEXT TWO WEEKS, CORRECT? UH, THE, UH, THORNTON HAS ALREADY BEEN SELECTED. I'M SORRY, I APOLOGIZE. WE'RE SELECTING ANOTHER AND THIS WEEK, UH, AND, UH, AND WE, WE ARE SELECTING THE, UH, CON THE, UH, CONSTRUCTION MANAGER AT RISK FOR THE MOBILITY HUB. OH REALLY? I APOLOGIZE. I GOT CONFUSED. UM, I WANTED TO MENTION ON THAT, YOU KNOW, WHAT WAS STATED BEFORE, UH, THIS IS BEING DONE ON MY WATCH AND IT'S GONNA BE ACCOMPLISHED. I MAY NOT BE ABLE TO ENJOY THE OFFICE AS MAYOR, BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, YOU KNOW WHAT IT'S GONNA GET DONE, IT'S GONNA GET DONE. YOU'LL ALWAYS BE WELCOME BACK. AH, COMMISSIONER FERNANDEZ. UH, WOULD YOU LIKE TO SAY ANYTHING FOR THE GOOD OF THE ORDER SINCE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT CITY HALL? I JUST WANNA, I JUST WANNA ECHO THOSE COMMENTS ABOUT THE CRYSTAL ACADEMY. I THINK IF ANYBODY HAS NOT HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO VISIT YOU SHOULD, THE WELCOMING THE KIDS GIVE YOU IS INCREDIBLE. SEEING HOW THEY INTERACT AND, AND, AND HOW THEY REALLY CARE FOR OUR COMMUNITY IS, IS A BLESSING. MARY AND HER TEAM DO AN INCREDIBLE JOB THERE. UH, AND IT'S TRULY ONE OF THE, UH, HIGHLIGHTS OF OF CORAL GABLES. ALRIGHT, GET BETTER, GET BETTER, COMMISSIONER. SO, ALL RIGHT, SO IF I, I JUST WANNA ADD A FEW THINGS. IF I WANNA ADD A FEW THINGS HERE. UM, SO A RESIDENT SENT ME A REALLY INTERESTING PHOTO LAST WEEK THAT I WANT TO PUT UP. I PUT IT ON MY SOCIAL MEDIA AND, YOU KNOW, IT REALLY ENCOMPASSES HOW AMAZINGLY FRAGILE OUR COMMUNITY IS AND WHY WE NEED TO DO EVERYTHING TO PROTECT THE ENVIRONMENT, OUR WATERWAYS. AND, UH, MR. CLERK, DO YOU HAVE THAT PHOTO THAT I COULD PUT UP? THIS IS ONE OF OUR WATERWAYS, UH, HERE IN THE MIDST OF THE COLD FRONT. THINK IT WAS PROBABLY ABOUT 40 DEGREES, 30 DEGREES THAT DAY. UM, AND THAT'S RIGHT ADJACENT TO, UM, NEAR THE THESIS. AND YOU CAN SEE ALL THE MANATEES THERE. AND IF YOU'VE GOT A CHANCE, YOU CAN EVEN SPOT LITTLE BABY MANATEES. THE PHOTO'S NOT THAT GOOD. IT'S BEEN SENT AND PASSED ALONG. BUT, UH, I WANTED TO SHOW, SHOW THE COMMUNITY BECAUSE WE DRIVE BY THIS LOCATION IN OUR CARS ON US ONE, AND WE NEVER TAKE A MOMENT TO REALLY TAKE A STEP BACK, GET OUT OF THE CAR, MAYBE GRAB A COFFEE, MAYBE GO AND EAT A SNACK, AND SIT THERE AND LOOK AT SOMETHING THAT, AGAIN, IS TAKEN FOR GRANTED. AND IT IS A BEAUTIFUL SITE. THESE ARE CREATURES THAT, THAT ARE, YOU KNOW, HAVE TO BE CHERISHED AND HAVE TO BE PROTECTED AT ALL COSTS. AND, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE, THEY'RE RIGHT IN OUR BACKYARD. SO I WANTED TO SHARE THAT, UM, AND JUST HIGHLIGHT HOW BLESSED WE ARE. UM, ANOTHER THING THAT I, UM, THAT I WANTED TO TALK ABOUT WAS THE BARK PARK GRAND OPENING RECAP. AFTER 10 YEARS OF WORKING ON THE UNDERLINE, I'M VERY PROUD AS A PRODUCT THAT I SPONSORED AND THAT I HELPED GET FUNDED. AND THROUGH THE LEADERSHIP OF THE VICE MAYOR, UH, WE WERE ABLE TO FINALLY DELIVER ON A BEAUTIFUL DOG PARK. AND HERE IS JUST A LITTLE QUICK RECAP VIDEO OF, YOU KNOW, A DOG PARK THAT WAS DELIVERED. UM, THIS IS TRUE LEGISLATION. YOU KNOW, THESE ARE, THIS IS TRUE EFFORTS THAT TAKE YEARS AND YEARS TO GET DONE. UM, WE HAD A, AN AMAZING EXPERIENCE THAT DAY. THERE. THERE WAS HUNDREDS AND HUNDREDS AND HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE THERE. UH, I WANNA THANK COMMISSIONER LARA AND, UH, VICE MAYOR AND VICE MAYOR ANDERSON FOR BEING THERE. UH, THERE WAS A, THEY WERE ADOPTING DOGS, BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, IT WAS ABOUT COMMUNITY. I'M VERY PROUD OF THAT. UH, THAT'S A PRODUCT THAT I WORKED ON FOR THE LAST 10 YEARS. UH, THIS IS SOMETHING [07:05:01] THAT TAKES A LOT OF EFFORT. THIS IS A, TAKES A LOT OF PLANNING, YOU KNOW, GOING TO THE COUNTY, GETTING FUNDING. WE RAISED ALMOST, WE RAISED MR. MANAGER, WAS IT AROUND $7 MILLION, 7.1 MILLION, $7.1 MILLION FOR THE UNDERLYING THAT WAS ALL DONE, NOT WITH TAXPAYER MONEY. IT WAS DONE WITH IMPACT FEES. I WROTE THAT LEGISLATION. AND THIS IS A PRIDE THAT BRINGS COMMUNITY TOGETHER. THERE IS NO DARK PARK THAT I'M AWARE OF. TELL ME. IT'S FOR DOG OWNERS THAT IS OF THIS QUALITY THAT I'M AWARE OF, ANYWHERE NEAR, ANYWHERE NEAR. SO I WANT TO THANK MY COLLEAGUES, HIRTA AND THE VICE MAYOR FOR, FOR BEING PRESENT AND FOR ALL YOUR HARD WORK AS DOG OWNERS, UH, TO GET THIS DONE. THANK YOU FOR THAT. UM, AND ALSO THE UNDERLINE AS YOU DRIVE BY, I'M VERY PROUD OF THAT. IT'S GONNA BE COMPLETED. UH, THAT'S ANOTHER, ANOTHER GAME CHANGER, A TRANSFORMATIONAL PROJECT HERE FOR THE CITY. PROBABLY IN THE NEXT THREE OR FOUR MONTHS, IT'LL BE DONE. UH, NOT ONLY IS IT GONNA INCREASE PROPERTY VALUES, WHICH IS IMPORTANT, BUT IT'S GONNA GET PEOPLE OUT OF THE, GET OUTTA THEIR HOUSES, MEET PEOPLE, STOP USING ELECTRONICS, YOU KNOW, GET ON THE STREET, GO TO THE GO TO THE UNDERLINE, GO ENJOY YOURSELF, SPEND TIME WITH YOUR FAMILY, WITH YOUR FRIENDS, WORK OUT. YOU KNOW, I'M VERY PROUD. THOSE ONE, THAT'S ONE OF MY LEGACY PROJECTS, UH, THAT I'VE BEEN WORKING ON FOR 10 YEARS. AND IT'S SOMETHING THAT AGAIN, UH, I'M, I WILL ALWAYS LOOK BACK ON AND SAY, YOU KNOW, THIS IS A PROJECT THAT WE WORKED ON COLLECTIVELY AND WE GOT IT DONE FOR THE CITY. AND I'M VERY PROUD OF THAT. UM, I ALSO WANNA, UH, TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE GABLES OLY THAT, THAT CAME HERE A LITTLE WHILE AGO. ORDER THAT ORDER. THE GABLES LY, IT'S $30. I PERSONALLY SPONSORED, UM, I THINK IT WAS LIKE A THOUSAND DOLLARS PERSONAL SPONSORSHIP OR $1,500. I CAN'T EVEN REMEMBER. I KNOW THAT, UH, THE VICE MAYOR DID THE SAME. AND SO DID COMMISSIONER LARA AS ALWAYS. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT. UH, ALL THE MONEY GOES TO THE CORAL GABLES COMMUNITY FOUNDATION, WHICH IS BEING DIRECTED TO THE MARK A TROBRIDGE FOUNDATION. UH, IF WE, IF WE SELL ALL 1200 UNITS, UH, YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT ALMOST $150,000. AND I REALLY THINK THAT WE'RE GONNA SELL IN THE THOUSANDS BECAUSE IT'S SUCH A COOL GIFT THAT YOU CAN GIVE TO SOMEBODY. YOU KNOW, YOU, YOU GO TO A, YOU KNOW, A DINNER AT SOMEONE'S HOUSE AND THEY'RE GABLE'S RESUME, HEY, I BROUGHT YOU SOMETHING. IT'S 30, IT'S $29. I BROUGHT YOU SOMETHING. SO IT'S REALLY COOL. IT'S SOMETHING YOU CAN SIT DOWN. IT'S GONNA BE A NICE GIFT YOU CAN GIVE HER FOR CORPORATE GIFTS. I'M JUST TELLING YOU TO GO OUT THERE AND, AND DO THAT BECAUSE IT SPREADS THE WORD OF ALL THE GOOD THINGS THAT WE'RE DOING HERE IN THE CITY. BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, AT THE END OF THE DAY, IT'S ALL ABOUT THE CHAMBER AND IT'S ALL ABOUT MARK TROBRIDGE. UH, WHICH AGAIN, UH, IS UH, AN INDIVIDUAL WHO EMBODIED. HE WAS MR. CORAL GABLES. SO, UH, WITH THAT BEING SAID, OH, MAD VICE MAYOR. SO A COUPLE, A COUPLE COMMENTS I WANTED TO ADD ON. CRYSTAL ACADEMY, THE GARDEN CLUB HAS DONE FLOWER ARRANGING WITH THE STUDENTS AND WHAT YOU SAID ABOUT GETTING MORE BACK THAN WHAT IT DOES FOR THE CHILDREN. IT DOES DO A LOT OF GOOD FOR THE CHILDREN 'CAUSE THEY FEEL SPECIAL, BUT PARTICIPATING IN IT IS SUCH AN ENRICHING EXPERIENCE THAT THE GARDEN CLUB MEMBERS CONTINUE TO DO THAT WITH THE CHILDREN. AND THE OTHER NOTE WAS YOU SAW THE VIDEOS OF THE DOG PARK OPENING. ALL THE DOGS GOT ALONG BEAUTIFULLY. BIG DOGS, LITTLE DOGS IN BETWEEN SIZED DOGS. IT WAS QUITE, QUITE AN EVENT. HOW MANY PEOPLE DO YOU THINK WERE THERE? I DUNNO. HUNDREDS THOUSAND. MAYBE. WANNA THANK CHEWY? YEAH, CHEWY FOR THEIR SPONSORSHIP. AMAZING WORK. MEG DALY, THE WHOLE UNDERLYING TEAM CITY STAFF DID A WONDERFUL JOB. UM, AMAZING WORK AND UH, I WANT PEOPLE TO GO OUT THERE AND ENJOY IT. THAT'S, THAT'S ANOTHER AMENITY IN THE CITY. EASILY OVER A THOUSAND. 'CAUSE THEY COME AND GO, RIGHT? I MEAN, BUT LIKE THAT PARK WAS FULL THE ENTIRE TIME. WELL, BURGES HAD A THOUSAND. YEAH. THAT'S WHERE I'M MY LITMUS TEST IS, I MEAN, THE PEOPLE CAME AND WENT AND THE DOGS JUST GOT ALONG. GREAT. SO THIS, ALL THOSE CALLED IT BARK PARK IT. EVERYBODY WAS HAVING A GREAT TIME, EASY WORK MIND, JUST ONE, ONE OBSERVATION, CALLING IT A BARK PARK. RIGHT? BUT I DIDN'T REALLY HEAR A LOT OF BARK. THERE WASN'T . THERE WASN'T A LOT OF DOGS THOUGH. IT WAS A LOT OF DOGS. A LOT OF TAILS WAGGING. YEAH. A LOT, A LOT OF GOOD TIMES. SO, UM, WITH THAT BEING SAID, THANK YOU FOR EVERYONE WHO CAME AND SHOWED UP TODAY, UH, AND GAVE THEIR, GAVE THEIR 2 CENTS. WE SHOWED WHAT OUR DEMOCRACY IS ALL ABOUT HERE IN THE CITY. BEAUTIFUL. UH, WE WELCOME YOU TO THE NEXT COMMISSION MEETING. THANK YOU TO STAFF FOR DOING AN AMAZING JOB. STAFF DESERVES ALL THE CREDIT. MR. MANAGER, D-C-M-A-C-M, ALL THE DIRECTORS, ALL THE STAFF. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR PREPARING US FOR THIS MEETING. UH, WE THOUGHT IT WAS GONNA BE A SHORT COMMISSION MEETING. IT ENDED UP BEING, WE'RE ENDING ALMOST AT FIVE 30. IT WASN'T THE CASE. UH, BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, I HOPE EVERYBODY HAS A WONDERFUL WEEK. STAY, STAY WARM AND GOD BLESS. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.