City Commission - Regular Meeting

Hi, everyone. They're not looking. They're talking. I don't even know if they can hear me. My microphone there might not be activated.

I don't know how to use it. I don't know how to use it. Recording in progress.

Okay, good evening, everyone. Welcome to the regular meeting of the City Commission, April 7th, 2026. Let's call the meeting to order and let's have a roll call.

Mayor Weinberg.

Here.

Vice Mayor Bloom. Here. Commissioner Ayn.

Here.

Commissioner Blatchman.

Here.

Commissioner Friedland. Here. Commissioner Cruz. Here. Commissioner Olinsky. Here. Mr. Begese. Here. And Mr. Myers. Here. You have a quorum.

Thank you. Those that are able, let's rise for the Pledge of Allegiance. Thank you. Any deletions or additions to the agenda, Mr. Manager?

No, Mayor.

Okay. Any commission reports? Okay. Special presentations. Special presentations. We have the Florida Neuroinclusion Toolkit. We're honored to have, ah, here you are, County Commissioner Raquel Regalado here. And welcome. Welcome to Aventura.

Thank you.

Welcome to the greatest part of Miami-Dade County, the greatest city in Florida. You do not have to comment, but this is how we feel. And we're... Welcome. We're happy to have you here, and the floor is yours.

Thank you. Thank you. It's a pleasure to be here with all of you, and I want to thank my dear friend, Enid Wiseman, for making the introductions. I really appreciate it. So my name is Commissioner Raquel Reglado, and for those of you who don't know me, I was actually a school board member for two terms before becoming a county commissioner. And the reason that I ran for office is because I am the proud parent of two neurodivergent adults. My daughter, Isabella, and Sebastian are both in the autism spectrum. My daughter is 22 years old, and my son turns 21 next week. And this is the work that I will do until I draw my last breath. So I've been working on neurodiversity first at the school board, and now as a county commissioner since I was elected in 2020. And one of the things that I've found is that cities and counties want to do this work, but it can be a little overwhelming. So what this toolkit is, it is a free resource that I wrote and giving out. You can go on the website, which is www.neuroinclusiontoolkit.com. And I have a physical copy for you all also. And it walks through everything that we've done in Miami-Dade County as a pilot. to prove these concepts and how you can pick up at any point and do it. The most valuable part of the toolkit is the appendix, which has all the legislation already drafted, all the data points, and all the ways that it can be replicated. And I'm just going to give you a few examples of the things that I've done over the last decade that I think are useful and important. And I will say also that the neurodivergent community continues to grow. Now one out of five children and adults are neurodivergent. And I want to explain a little bit why that term and why that term is important, if you'll indulge me. But obviously, I'm the parent of two autistic children. My daughter actually has a dual diagnosis of autism and ADHD, which is very common. One of the things that we're seeing with neurodiversity is a lot of secondary findings after a certain age. But when you look at what is neurodiversity, on one side, you have neurological delay, which is autism, epilepsy, Tourette's, dyslexia, ADHD, there's a lot of different things combined in what could be categorized as a developmental delay. Then in the middle of the neurodivergent spectrum, you have people who've suffered traumatic brain injuries, and different instances where they became neurodivergent because of something that happened to them. And on the other side, you have neurological decline, and that includes dementia and Alzheimer's. And I mention that because a lot of the things that are in the toolkit are also for that community. So a prime example is making events and places sensory-friendly. Although when you talk about dementia and Alzheimer's, usually the first time someone notices and when people start forgetting things, 83% of that population, the first symptom that they have is issues with sensory overload, issues with lights, noises, textures, a lot of the things that neurodivergent children have and is kind of the entry point into that diagnosis. So one of the very easy things that we did at Miami-Dade County is we partnered with the Sunflower Lanyard. This is a lanyard that you can purchase for invisible disabilities, and it comes with a training. We have it at our airport, and we also have it at all of our transit stations. And we give these out to our residents, and it's a very simple thing for people who do not feel comfortable talking about their invisible disability. But when you see it, you know that that person may need some assistance. if you see them wandering or if you see them alone. The other thing that we did was really focus on training. So to date, we've trained over 4,150 police officers in Miami-Dade County, specifically on autism and neurodivergence. And that training included meeting autistic adults and talking to them specifically about deescalation. We rolled it out. We rolled out the special needs occupant with autism decal, which we're now working with the sheriff. And this year she expanded to include the registration on cars. But this allows parents and caregivers to register the individual on the website. It's available throughout Miami-Dade County. So that resource already exists. And your 911 will also receive that information immediately. And that allows the parent to put in specific information about their ability to speak, communicate, and also what is the best way to deescalate. We've already reduced Baker acting and necessary arrests dramatically. And it really allows caregivers to feel more safe when their neurodivergent children or adults are out in public. So everything from making public spaces more accessible by making them sensory friendly. And I'll give you a super easy example. At the Youth Fair, we've partnered with them over the last three years. The first year, they did a sensory room and social stories. The second year, we did a sensory map where parents could stop at different locations. so they could deescalate. And this year we started sensory hours, which is we turned off all the music and all of the lights on Saturdays and Sundays on all the rides from 12 to three o'clock, making it more accessible for people who are interested in going during the sensory hours. So those are all super simple things that are in the toolkit. We also asked folks to consider celebrating April and October. April as Autism Acceptance and Not Awareness Month and October as Disability Employment Month. One of the things that I did was instead of creating new things, I just tweaked existing systems that we had at the county. So for example, our internships, now a percentage of those are available to neurodivergent adults. Miami-Dade County's Zero Drowning Initiative now also includes autistic adults and neurodivergent children and adults. Most people don't know that the number one cause of death for autistic children and adults is drowning. Water is a sensory relief. And they are drawn to it. And unfortunately, a lot of them do not know how to swim. So there are very simple things that we can do to include parents in these spaces. And one of the things that I also recommend that is in here that I've done in my district and has been very helpful is creating task force roles. or a special committee or including it in your disability committee so that parents can have a one-stop shop to go and talk about different things. And then ensuring that the cities are meeting also so that we don't duplicate resources. So you might have a parent that wants a particular thing in your city, but there might be something right next door. that is accessible to them. And it's just about giving them that information. So those are just some of the things that are in the toolkit. I'm here to answer all of your questions. We have a big event on April 25th at Beth-OM where we're inviting everyone and we're gonna have resources for all ages, but we're also gonna have Autism Speaks doing their summit and talking about the toolkit. And we're also gonna have a lot of information about adult services and programming that I've helped create that is also in the toolkit as an example of what we can do working together with educational institutions.

Thank you so much. I appreciate all that. That's a lot of information. It's a lot to unpack. Yes, but I actually think that in this municipality, we're actually very sensitive and very aware of that battle and the autism and the neurodiversity. And we have people here at the city that are actually very, very involved. So this is great, and I'm sure you'll find that we're a willing partner. So long after this evening is over, however we can help you, including our manager, our police department, and our park and rec department, I'm just thinking now about our Founders Day event. If we set aside a time to just have a quiet time with the rides, it's something that I'd be willing to sacrifice us getting on the rides to do those promos and have the children that will really enjoy it instead. We actually shut down one of the rides because it's for children and we crammed ourselves in and it actually stopped running. So we don't need to repeat that. Let's do it for the kids. That's wonderful. Who would like to comment in any way? Yes, Vice Mayor.

So just going off of what the Mayor said, just wanted to let you know that I'm very proud that the City of Aventura's Police Department has a resident autism expert on staff, so apparently you're aware of Officer Arrocha and her expertise, so she's very involved with training our officers on how to deal, to look for the signs and how to deal in those situations. She also has a police vehicle that's wrapped with autism awareness, so it's just wonderful that she's part of this effort.

Yes, thank you.

Other comments? Yes, Commissioner Cruz. So, Commissioner Regalado, thank you for coming and for this wonderful report. I just want to say I was just welcoming our police chief. If you see his shield, you'll be very proud to see that that's exactly what we stand for as well. And I also wanted to recommend that maybe next year you're doing... a nice event at Beth Am in the south. We have a couple of large synagogues here or facilities that we, I think it would be great to do something up here to bring more awareness to it in our North Dade area.

I would love to, and I would love to do it in October if you want, or if you want to wait till April. You know, one of the other things that's in here that's very easy is creating social stories. So we did them in all of our libraries and in all of our parks, but those are super easy things that can be done that just allows parents to kind of download that from the website and go to these events. And that way it's not, it doesn't produce as much anxiety because it's not an unknown place, but I would love to host something up here. So thank you for that. I'll definitely take you up on the offer.

Other comments? Okay, we're not done with you yet though. Stay right there.

We have a special proclamation for you.

Oh, thank you.

Whereas autism, also known as autism spectrum disorder, ASD, is a developmental condition that affects communication, behavior, and social interaction and impacts individuals of all backgrounds, ages, and communities and

Whereas, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, autism affects approximately one in 36 children in the United States, highlighting the importance of increased awareness, early diagnosis, and access to appropriate services and support. And whereas, Autism Awareness Month provides an opportunity to promote understanding, acceptance, and inclusion of individuals with autism, while recognizing the unique strengths, talents, and contributions they bring to our community and

Whereas Miami-Dade Commissioner Raquel Regalado has developed the Florida Neuroinclusion Toolkit as a roadmap for local governments to build more inclusive communities for neurodivergent residents and

Whereas the city of Aventura is committed to fostering a welcoming and inclusive environment for all residents, including individuals with autism and their families by supporting programs, services, and initiatives that enhance quality of life and accessibility and...

Whereas increased public awareness and education can help reduce stigma, encourage acceptance, and empower individuals with autism to reach their full potential.

You see, we share in this city.

It's amazing. I love it so much. I want every proclamation to be read like that moving forward. It's beautiful.

But I get to do the super fun part. Now, therefore, be it resolved that I, Howard Weinberg, as mayor, and on behalf of the city commission of the city of Aventura, do hereby proclaim this month of April 2026 as Autism Awareness Month.

Oh, wonderful. Thank you so much.

If you'll come on up to the desk, we'll take a picture. Of course, of course. And your folks can take pictures as well.

Thank you, thank you.

person over there or everybody scoots down? Yeah, there we go. That's better. All right, one, two, three. I'm going to get just two more, something like that. One last one. Okay, perfect. One more, please. You can use it. Okay, thank you. Did you sign the waiver? Did you sign the waiver? I'm safe.

Okay? Thank you.

Okay, moving on. We have another proclamation, but Jenny, do you want to speak first? You're more than welcome to. Come on up and tell us what you do and who these wonderful people are.

Wonderful is correct.

Give everyone your name, please.

My name is Jennifer Ensline and I am the director of the Rock Steady Boxing at the March ACC program. And there are no coincidences that we would be talking about another neurological condition. So behind me, On my left are members of the Rock Steady Boxing family, includes my personal family, includes boxers who are Parkinson's patients, includes coaches and volunteers. If I may ask them to stand up for one second before I speak. Everybody who's wearing a shirt is either a patient, a coach, or a volunteer. It's worth the effort of standing up and being recognized because they are amazing fighters. Thank you. Dr. James Parkinson, more than 200 years ago, was the first to identify and document the condition known today as Parkinson's disease, a progressive movement disorder. Its hallmark is damage to the dopamine-producing neurons in the brain that can lead to muscle stiffness, slowness, balance issues, and a host of other problems. By 2021, public health researchers reported there were almost 12 million cases worldwide. The number of people living with Parkinson's disease is projected to top 25 million by 2050. The disease burdens the patient, their family, their community, and society as a whole. Parkinson's, as a neurodegenerative disease, is growing faster than Alzheimer's. That should grab everyone's attention. Parkinson's disease is so much more than just a shaking palsy. As scientists have come to learn since 1817, it isn't just a disease of dopamine. It isn't just a disease of the brain. We see it in the gut. We see it in the skin. We see it in multiple organs. Genetics plays a key role in about 20% to 15% of the cases. For many others, the underlying cause of the disease is due to exposure to environmental toxins. Via the air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat, and the chemicals with which we regularly come in contact. I will share with you that the largest group of boxers or patients in my program are former dentists who work with mercury for years, The second largest group, like my husband, are former golf players who were exposed to pesticides that I sprayed on the golf courses. My husband Spencer's Parkinson's diagnosis 15 years ago motivated me to seek alternative therapies beyond medication. And hence, Rock Steady Boxing at the March ACC was born on August 2016. I'd like to recognize Commissioner Paul Cruz, who at the time was the president of the MARJCC and was very supportive in my efforts. And 10 years later, I'm still thanking you. We started this affiliate available free of charge with the goal of offering hope to Parkinson's patients. Rocksteady Boxing is a non-contact boxing program designed to help people with Parkinson's disease, improve their quality of life, strength, and balance. The goal is to fight back against Parkinson's by slowing disease progression through high intensity exercise. As we celebrate our 10th anniversary this upcoming August, I'm happy to share that since the start of the program, we have registered more than 300 patients fighting back against Parkinson's disease, all of them attending free of charge. We are grateful to the dedicated coaches and volunteers, some of them are here represented, and to our donors and sponsors for their continued support. Join us at the March ACC on Sunday, August 30th at 10 a.m. at our annual Box with a Heart event and 10th year anniversary celebration. Representing all Parkinson's patients today, I'd like to say thank you to the City of Aventura Commission for issuing this important proclamation and for helping to bring awareness about this unforgiving and challenging disease. Thank you.

Thank you, Jenny. And we have... Another proclamation, but would you like to say something? Go ahead. Whoever wants to speak, please, on the commission, go ahead.

I just want to recognize Jenny Einselin and her whole team. I'm so thrilled to see you all. I was introduced to Rock Steady Boxing because I learned that a lot of our Aventura residents were going to the JCC for this wonderful free program to get help and to make friends and have a community of getting stability. And a little bit more than a year ago, I went to the events. I missed the first one I was invited to, and I went to an event in April. And to tell you the truth, I had a great time exercising with everybody. And little did I know that Parkinson's would hit my own family just shortly after that. So now I'm learning to find research and ways to help a close family member, something I didn't even expect when I just went there because it was something helping supporting the rest of our community. So as Jenny says, it's larger than Alzheimer's, it's affecting 25 million people in the United States and Jenny Einselin is a leader in finding alternative therapies and we are thankful to have her in our community. And we're not just recognizing her, but recognizing Rock Steady Boxing and recognizing that we all have to be aware of Parkinson's disease. And I want to encourage you, I will be back on April 14th at the JCC if they'll take me to exercise again with them. And anyone else in the commission, it was a beautiful, wonderful program to see. and an organization that if anybody wants to help and donate to because they do this for free, I highly support and ask you and encourage you to reach out to them. So, thank you.

I'd also like to say a few words. This program, the Rocksteady Boxing Program at the JCC was one of the proudest moments I had as president of the JCC and the work that's being done there is incredible. I go every year to support and be part of, we get a lot of elected officials to go. But the truth of the matter is Jenny has said that she is the director, but she's also the founder and the driving force behind this incredible, incredible program. She did a tremendous amount of research to find out which was the best way to combat this terrible disease. And she's created a huge, amazing program All of you, the coaches, the trainers, and all of you boxers are all heroes of ours. What you're doing is really setting an example for people around the country and around the world of how to combat this terrible disease. And Jenny, I just want to say that Your dad was a mentor of mine and one of my best friends. And I'm sure he's looking down now on you and Arielle and the whole family and Spencer and the whole family and beaming and very, very proud of all the incredible work you're doing with not only with Rock Steady Boxing, but all your advocacy work. So wish you Rock Steady Boxing continued success and we'll be there to support you. Thank you very much.

So, you know the drill, commissioners. We're going to read this proclamation. Jenny, while we're reading this, if you want to start gathering everyone, we're going to take a picture, not up here. We're going to come down there so everyone can start lining up here. It's easier. And we will come down there after we read this proclamation.

Whereas Parkinson's disease is a progressive neurological disorder that affects movement, balance, and coordination, impacting millions of individuals and their families around the world, and Whereas increased awareness, education, research, and community support are essential to improving the quality of life for those living with Parkinson's disease, and

Whereas individuals diagnosed with Parkinson's disease demonstrate extraordinary strength, resilience, and determination as they face the daily challenges associated with this condition and

Whereas caregivers, medical professionals, therapists, researchers, and community organizations play a vital role in providing compassionate care, innovative therapies, and critical support services for those affected by Parkinson's disease and

Whereas community-based wellness initiatives, such as the Rock Steady Boxing program at the Jewish Community Center, offer specialized non-contact boxing-inspired fitness training designed to help individuals living with Parkinson's disease improve balance, mobility, strength, and confidence, while also fostering encouragement, camaraderie, and hope, and...

Whereas the City of Aventura recognizes the importance of promoting public awareness and supporting initiatives that enhance the health and well-being of residents and neighbors. Now therefore, be it resolved that I, Howard Weinberg, as mayor, and on behalf of the City Commission of the City of Aventura, do hereby proclaim the month of April as Parkinson's Awareness Month. Let's go down there, commissioners.

Okay.

Perfect. Everyone look at me. Big smiles. One, two, three. I'm going to get two more. Say just like that. One, two, and one last one. Beautiful.

Thanks, guys. Thank you.

This is okay.

Okay, let's move on. We have some special recognitions. We're going to present some certificates of appointment. Mr. Manager, this is for the newly created Arts in Aventura board members. You want to take that?

Yes, Mayor, thank you. The City of Aventura recently created the Arts in Aventura Board, and this board consists of five members who are going to bring arts and cultural initiatives here to the city. And I can assure you that all of the members are extremely enthusiastic, qualified, and ready to meet and to get going. So I know three, I think three of the members are here today. I'd like to present them with their certificates. This is the newly formed board, first of its kind, and we're super excited and enthusiastic about what you guys are gonna be able to accomplish. So if I could ask Luli Selection to come up, please.

Thank you so much, Commissioner.

Tam Grimm. Michael Jacobs.

Thank you everyone.

Congratulations and thank you in advance for your service. I know you all will be great. Okay, I need a motion to recess the commission meeting so we can go into LPA. Vice Mayor Bloom, seconded by Commissioner Ayne. Can we have a roll call on that?

Commissioner Ayne?

Yes.

Commissioner Blatchman?

Yes.

Commissioner Friedland? Yes. Commissioner Cruz? Yes. Commissioner Orlinsky? Yes. Vice Mayor Bloom? Yes. And Mayor Weinberg?

Yes.

Motion passes.

Okay. So, we are adjourned, and that is at 6.42, and... We are going to sit here now in our capacity as the local planning agency. So I'm going to call the LPA to order with a roll call.

Mayor Weinberg.

Here.

Vice Mayor Bloom. Here. Commissioner Ayn.

Here.

Commissioner Blatchman. Here. Commissioner Friedland. Yes. Commissioner Cruz. Yes. Commissioner Olinsky. Here. Mr. Pegues. Here. Mr. Myers. Here. You have a quorum.

Can I have a motion to approve the March 3rd, 2026 minutes? Commissioner Ayn. SECONDED BY VICE MAYOR BLOOM. ROLL CALL, PLEASE.

VOTE. COMMISSIONER BLACHMAN.

YES.

COMMISSIONER FREEDLAND. YES. COMMISSIONER CRUZ. YES. COMMISSIONER ORLINSKI. YES. COMMISSIONER AYE. YES. VICE MAYOR BLOOM. YES. AND MAYOR WEINBERG.

YES.

MOTION PASSES.

OKAY. WE HAVE AN ORDINANCE. I'm going to need for the clerk to call to read for us the ordinance. That's item 4A, please.

An ordinance of the City of Aventura, Florida, amending Chapter 31, Land Development Regulations of the City Code of Ordinances, by amending Section 31-145B, Town Center, TC1 District. Subsection 3, conditional use is permitted to allow hotels and mixed-use structures within the district, providing for several ability, providing for inclusion in the code, and providing for an effective date.

Thanks. Could I have a motion to approve? Motion to adopt the ordinance. Commissioner Cruz, seconded by Commissioner Ayn. I'll turn it over to our development director to review this item. Kevin.

Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Good evening to the LPA board. This is LDR 2603-0001. It's an application for a change to our land development regulations, specifically the Town Center One regulations. It would add a conditional use to allow hotels with a minimum of 100 units to the TC1 district. That would make it similar to the TC3, 4, and 5 districts. On the screen, you can see here the TC1 district that exists, so you would know where hotels now would be added as a conditional use. I'll show you an aerial photograph. You have the Publix along Biscayne Boulevard in the center, and the TC1 is in the surrounding area. The applicant for this is specifically the town center area just west of the building we're in now, here at the government center complex. Staff believes this is an appropriate thing. We support it because it will increase this as an active mixed-use district and encourage infill development. The development is proposed by the Apollo companies, and the next step is, assuming this is approved tonight, their actual conditional use request will be on the next LPA and City Commission agenda. The applicant and attorney are here for questions if necessary. But this is simply a change to the code at this point, not the project.

Thank you. Does the applicant want to provide any comments whatsoever? Okay. You don't have to. It's your choice. Okay. No problem. Public comment on this item 4A. Any member of the public want to speak on this particular item? Seeing none, I'll close it for public comment. Any commission comments or questions? Seeing none, I will ask the clerk for roll call vote.

Commissioner Friedland? Yes. Commissioner Cruz? Yes. Commissioner Walensky? Yes. Commissioner Aime? Yes. Commissioner Blatchman? Yes. Vice Mayor Bloom? Yes. And Mayor Weinberg? Yes. Motion passes.

4B, please, Madam Clerk.

An ordinance of the City of Aventura, Florida amending Chapter 31, Land Development Regulations of the City Code of Ordinances to create Section 31-144G, Aventura Metropolitan Urban Center Zoning District Overlay, to provide for a new zoning district overlay and related regulations and standards, providing for several ability, providing for inclusion in the code, and providing for an effective date.

Mr. Manager, did you want to comment on this?

Yes, Mayor, thank you. We request that this item be deferred to the May 5th, 2026 Local Planning Agency meeting.

Can I have a motion to defer to May 5? Vice Mayor Bloom, seconded by Commissioner Friedland. Let's vote.

Commissioner Cruz? Yes. Commissioner Orlinsky? Yes. Yes. Commissioner Ayn. Yes. Commissioner Blatchman. Yes. Commissioner Friedland. Yes. Vice Mayor Bloom. Yes. Mayor Weinberg. Yes. Motion passes.

Motion to adjourn. The LPA. Vice Mayor Bloom. Seconded by Commissioner Ayn. All those in favor say aye. Any opposed? We're adjourned. Okay. Let's return to the commission meeting for the rest of the agenda. It is 6.48. Let's have a roll call.

Mayor Weinberg.

Here.

Vice Mayor Bloom.

Here.

Commissioner Aime.

Here.

Commissioner Blatchman. Here. Commissioner Friedland. Still here. Commissioner Cruz.

Here.

Commissioner Olenski. Here. Mr. Biggies. Here. And Mr. Myers. Here. You have a quorum.

Okay, anyone on this dais want to remove an item from the consent agenda? Seeing none, I will ask for motion to approve consent agenda. Vice Mayor Blum, very quick tonight. Commissioner Ayne, almost just as quick tonight. Seconded by Commissioner Ayne. Let's vote on that.

Commissioner Orlinsky. Yes. Commissioner Ayne.

Yes.

Commissioner Blatchman. Yes. Commissioner Friedland. Yes. Commissioner Cruz. Yes. Vice Mayor Blum. Yes. And Mayor Weinberg.

Yes.

Motion passes.

Okay. Does any commissioner want to comment on any of the items that were in the consent agenda? Seeing none, we will move on to zoning hearings, item seven. We've got first reading of an ordinance. It's 7A. Madam Clerk.

An ordinance of the City of Aventura, Florida, amending Chapter 31, Land Development Regulations of the City Code of Ordinances, by amending Section 31-145B, Town Centers, TC1 District, Subsection 3, conditional uses permitted to allow hotels and mixed-use structures within the district, providing for servability, providing for inclusion in the code, and providing for an effective date.

Okay, motion approved that ordinance. Commissioner Blanchman, seconded by Commissioner Cruz. It sounds very familiar, Kevin.

Unless there's any other questions, I'll just ask that my previous presentation be put into the record for the commission meeting.

As it shall be. I'm assuming the same response from the applicant. You don't need to get up. Public, has anyone come in the room in the last four and a half minutes that wants to speak to this item? Seeing none from the public, I will close for public. Any commission comments? Seeing none, I think we're ready to vote, Madam Clerk.

Commissioner Ayne?

Yes.

Commissioner Blatchman?

Yes.

Commissioner Friedland? Yes. Commissioner Cruz? Yes. Commissioner Olinsky? Yes. Vice Mayor Bloom? Yes. And Mayor Weinberg? Yes. Motion passes.

7B, please.

An ordinance of the City of Aventura, Florida amending the official zoning map by applying the Aventura Core Subdistrict Overlay, MUC1, to an approximate 122-acre tract of land currently zoned Community Business District B2, generally located east of Biscayne Boulevard to West Country Club Drive and south of Aventura Boulevard to the William Lehman Causeway, providing for several ability, providing for inclusion in the code, and providing for an effective date.

Mr. Manager, did you want to comment on this?

Yes, Mayor. We'd ask that this be deferred to the May 5th City Commission meeting on 2026. Okay.

I would do it if I could, but I need a motion. Commissioner Raines, seconded by Vice Mayor Bloom. Let's vote on it.

Commissioner Blatchman?

Yes.

Commissioner Friedland? Yes. Yes. Commissioner Cruz. Yes. Commissioner Walensky. Yes. Commissioner Ayn.

Yes.

Vice Mayor Bloom. Yes. And Mayor Weinberg. Yes. Motion passes.

8A.

An ordinance of the city of Aventura, Florida amending chapter 31 land development regulations of the city cut of ordinances to create section 31-144G Aventura Metropolitan Urban Center zoning district overlay to provide for a new zoning district overlay and related regulations and standards, providing for sub mobility, providing for inclusion in the code and providing for an effective date.

Mr. Manager, did you want to comment on this?

Yes, one more time, Mayor. We request that this item, again, be deferred to the May 5th, 2026 City Commission meeting.

Okay, I'm not sure the Commission has the stomach for that, but let's try. I need a motion to defer. Commissioner Friedland, seconded by Commissioner Ayne. Let's vote.

Commissioner Friedland? Yes. Commissioner Cruz? Yes. Commissioner Orlinsky? Yes. Commissioner Ayne? Yes. Commissioner Blatchman? Vice Mayor Bloom? Yes. And Mayor Weinberg? Yes. Motion passes.

8B.

An ordinance of the city of Aventura, Florida, amending Article 2, local business taxes of Chapter 18, business regulations, taxes, and permits of the city code by amending Section 18-42 tax schedule by providing an increase of 5%, providing for severability, providing for inclusion in the code, and providing for implementation, and providing for an effective date.

Motion to approve. Commissioner Cruz, seconded by Commissioner Ayn. Mr. Manager.

Thank you, Mayor. This item is a proposed biennial adjustment to the city's business tax rates, also known as our BTRs, for fiscal year 26-27. In accordance with Florida State Statute 205, the city may increase business tax rates by up to 5% every two years through commission approval. The Community Development Department is recommending a 5% increase as a prudent and consistent approach to maintaining revenue that supports ongoing city operations. This adjustment is projected to generate approximately $55,000 in additional revenue for fiscal year 26-27. And the city has historically reviewed and adjusted BTR structures periodically to ensure fairness and competitiveness with surrounding municipalities while continuing to support economic activity. and I would recommend that the city adopt this resolution.

Thank you. Any member of the public wish to speak on this item 8B? Seeing none, I'll close it for public comment, and I will ask the commission the same question, comments or questions. Seeing none, let's vote.

Commissioner Cruz?

Yes.

Commissioner Walensky? Commissioner Ayn?

Yes.

Commissioner Blatchman.

Yes.

Commissioner Friedland. Yes. Commissioner Olenski. Vice Mayor Bloom. Yes. And Mayor Weinberg.

Yes.

Motion passes.

8C.

ordinance of the city of Aventura, Florida amending article 3 advisory boards of chapter 2 administration of the city code by amending section 2-191 creation and composition by authorizing the city manager to increase the size of the board when necessary and removing the residency requirement for board members Providing for several ability providing for inclusion in the code and providing for an effective date motion approved

Commissioner Cruz, seconded by Vice Mayor Bloom. Mr. Manager.

Thank you, Mayor. This item is a proposed ordinance amending Section 2-121 of the City Code related to the Arts and Aventura Advisory Board. As the board is being established, this amendment is intended to provide greater flexibility and ensure that the city can appoint the most qualified individuals. The key changes include increasing the board size to allow up for seven members and modifying the residency requirement to permit non-residents with relevant arts experience to serve while still maintaining preference for city residents. It's my recommendation that these adjustments will strengthen the board's effectiveness and support the continued growth of the arts and cultural initiatives within the city of Aventura.

Thank you. Any member of the public wish to comment on this item? I'll close it for public comment. Any commissioner have a question, comment? Okay, let's vote.

Commissioner Aime?

Yes.

Commissioner Blatchman?

Yes.

Commissioner Friedland? Yes. Commissioner Cruz? Yes. Commissioner Walensky? Yes. Vice Mayor Blum? Yes. And Mayor Weinberg?

Yes.

Motion passes.

Item nine.

An ordinance of the City Commission of the City of Aventura, Florida, amending ordinance number 2025-17, which ordinance adopted a budget for the 2025-2026 fiscal year by revising the 2025-2026 fiscal year operating and capital budget as outlined in Exhibit A, attached here too, authorizing the city manager to do all things necessary to carry out the aims of this ordinance and providing for an effective date.

Can I have a motion to approve? Motion to adopt, Vice Mayor Bloom, seconded by Commissioner Ayne. Mr. Manager.

Thank you, Mayor. This item is our mid-year budget amendment for fiscal year 25-26. This suggests the budget to account for items that were not included in the original adoption to align with revenues and expenditures based on actual activity. Overall, the general fund reflects a net increase of approximately $1.49 million, driven primarily by higher than anticipated revenues, including grants, interest earnings, and prior year carryover. These additional revenues are being used to fund operational needs and one-time expenditures. Just some key highlights from this are additional funding for state lobbyists, personal adjustments within our finance department, reclassification of a position to procurement manager, tuition reimbursement for... Our police department, we received a grant for CREST training that provides crisis intervention training for all of our police officers, and that training is fully funded. It's about $243,000 that we brought in through a grant for that. We also had some facility improvements over in our community recreation center, one of our buildings, and then our HVAC system at the Arts and Cultural Center that needed an emergency repair, if you recall, earlier this year or last year. Also, one of the large expenditures, which is a positive thing, this is for our new state-of-the-art high school that we're building. So we had additional monies that were required to hire the construction manager at risk, the architectural firm, and also to begin site clearing and permitting with the South Florida Water Management District to relocate a stormwater drainage pipe within the site. So in summary, this amendment ensures that the city's budget accurately reflects current revenue, supports ongoing operations, and advances key capital and public safety initiatives. And it's recommended that the city commission approve this ordinance.

Thank you. Any member of the public wish to speak on this item? I'll close it for public comment. Any commission comment? Seeing none, let's vote.

Commissioner Aime.

Yes.

Commissioner Blatchman. Yes. Commissioner Friedland. Yes. Commissioner Cruz. Yes. Commissioner Walensky. Yes. Vice Mayor Bloom. Yes. And Mayor Weinberg. Yes. Motion passes.

Item 10.

A resolution of the City Commission of the City of Aventura, Florida, authorizing the City Manager to continue to negotiate with Gulfstream Park for the purchase of a .84 acre parcel of land adjoining the existing 3.7 acre parcel. for a total conveyance of approximately 4.5 acres from Gulfstream Park for future use as the new charter high school, directing the city manager to purchase this parcel in an amount not to exceed $6 million, authorizing the city manager to execute a purchase and sale agreement for this parcel, authorizing the city manager to do all things necessary and proper to carry out the aims of this resolution, providing for implementation and providing for an effective date.

I need a motion to approve. Commissioner Blanchman, seconded by Commissioner Friedland. Mr. Manager, you can discuss this, but I want to first congratulate you, because I know you've been negotiating with Gulfstream, and I just want to say that I'm confident in how these commissioners are going to vote, and I want to let people know what we're doing. We are committed to building a new school and we have already acquired, first we acquired three acres, which is something that I promised during my campaign. It worked. We dealt with Gulfstream, and we got $30 million of land, appraised value about $10 million an acre. We got three acres to build a new school. And then, through the efforts of the city administration, we got another .7, And now, which we paid for at a very fair price, and now another 0.84. So the bottom line is we are going to have a footprint for a new school of four and a half acres. Just to put that in context, the existing high school is on two acres. We will be building a state-of-the-art high school. It will be a fantastic high school. We're going to put another 6 million, if we vote for this tonight, it's actually less than that because our manager negotiated. It's 5 million and change. And we are going to build that high school. The current high school will become our middle school. The K through eight right now, ACES will become our elementary school. We will have three schools. We will hire a superintendent. And our goal is to be the finest public school system in the state of Florida. The reason why we're spending this money is for the future. This is a legacy item. There are children that have not yet been born that are gonna benefit from this. There are children in our elementary school that are gonna benefit from this. There are children in our middle school that are gonna benefit from this. and our high school. So we're gonna do everything we can to get that school up and running in less than two years. It's very ambitious, but we're already preparing the ground, right? Mr. Manager, we're already preparing the ground. That is correct. There's some preparation that needs to be done to satisfy Durham, just like with the existing high school. But we have closed on the bulk of the land. We will close on this .84 soon. We have our architect. We have our general contractor. We have our owner's rep. We have everything. We are rocking and rolling. If we have to get out there ourselves... with a shovel and a hard hat, we are getting that school built and open, and we are taking 1,000 kids off that waiting list that breaks moms' hearts every year. And I wanna thank this commission and this administration, and we haven't voted on it yet, so do not make me look bad, ladies and gentlemen. Mr. Manager, do you wanna add anything?

I think you covered it, Mayor. This is just to allow me to negotiate the purchase and sale agreement for this additional .84 acres to build a state-of-the-art, world-class high school.

And let me say publicly, I've done it in person, but I want to say here for the record, thank you, Belinda Stronich. from Gulfstream, the owner of Gulfstream. She has been wonderful to work with. She cares about our city. 30 acres of Gulfstream is in Aventura. Most of it's in Hallandale. She cares about us. She knows what's most important to us, which is the children. And she's been a pleasure for us to work with and negotiate with. And we obviously wish her all the best. I've asked her to come here so that we could publicly recognize her. Nothing could be less important to her than the public recognition. She just wants to do the right thing. So I just want to thank her. Maybe I'll send her this video, but we appreciate it. I'm opening it up for public comment on this specific item, if anyone wants to say anything. Seeing none, I will close it for public comment. Ask the Commission if they have any comments before we vote. Seeing none, let's do it.

Commissioner Blatchman?

Yes.

Commissioner Friedland? Yes. Commissioner Cruz? Yes. Commissioner Orlinsky? Commissioner Aime? Yes. Commissioner Orlinsky? Vice Mayor Bloom? Yes. And Mayor Weinberg? Yes. Motion passes.

Thank you, Commission. Thank you, Aventura. Okay, any staff reports?

No report.

Okay, so we'll move on to public comment. Mr. Attorney, do you want to state the rules for any member of the public that wants to speak?

Sure, if anyone wants to speak, you have three minutes to address the commission on things that haven't already been covered on the agenda. It's not a back and forth with the commission. You don't ask questions of the commission. You just speak for three minutes about the item that you wish to come up here and speak on.

Okay, any member of the public that wants to speak, come on up, step right up, and state your name, and you've got three minutes. Hi. Make sure that's green on that microphone. Can you hear me? Perfect, perfect.

Good evening, Aventura. My name is Ian Ursi, and I'm the president and founder of my school's Gay-Straight Alliance, also known as GSA. I'm gonna show you two photos. These are the faces of next Benedict and Brianna Gay. These aren't headlines or stories. They're students whose lives were impacted far beyond any school protection. They were both two beautiful souls living in spaces which were unfortunately dismissive towards LGBTQ rights. They faced rampant bullying and harm from their peers, which ultimately resulted in their deaths. These are the stories we are lucky and fortunate to hear of, but for everyone which reaches the public, there are many more students in similar circumstances experiencing the same treatment in our schools. When hearing the term GSA, many don't actually know what it is. I've had people come up to me and ask me what a GSA does as they've never heard of it at all. Others hear the name and start to make assumptions. It's pushing beliefs or influencing students to think negatively. But the reality is, it's much simpler. A Gay Straight Alliance is about two things, safety and understanding. At SOFR, GSA is making change beyond our school. Recently, we had a successful service drive with the Lotus House, a women's shelter in Miami, which was able to raise more than $500. This shows what our club is truly doing, bringing people together through service and our connection. But despite that, there still exists a major gap in our understanding. Like I stated previously, many people don't know and make assumptions about GSA. When I was putting up posters for the school, seeing a brightly colored flyer with a rainbow on it, people obviously started making assumptions, making fun of it or even opposing it just because it has the word gay in it. At the same time, harmful language is thrown around all throughout school. These unaddressed moments send out a message to students, staff, and faculty that this behavior is acceptable and okay. This is why GSA matters for both advocacy and protection. When there's no safe space, consequences can become real, just like in the unfortunate cases of Max Benedict and Brianna Gay. It's crucial for us to act on importance of protection for both student safety and also our staff. As the board of Aventura, you have the ability to make change. Unfortunately, since I'm a senior and I graduate in May, I won't be able to carry on GSA with me. You can support and promote our spaces and work together with students to create stronger protections and create a safe environment. Because at the end of the day, it's not about feelings, politics, or about how someone truly feels with any bias. It's about walking into a class and feeling safe. Thank you.

Thank you. Very well done. By the way, your timing was impeccable. I was going to give you extra time, but you were perfect. So thank you for coming. Appreciate you.

Sure. Anyone has it here? Sure. Go ahead, Commissioner Cruz. I just wanted to address the young man. I just want to say, Ian, we're very proud of you to come out and come to a commission and express your views and we all stand behind you. My question to you is just a quick question. Do you have succession planning so that at Aventura, Don Sofa Aventura High School, we have some kind of continuity? Are you working on getting new leadership?

So the way that the club was set up is that we have both junior and senior positions. So I'm fortunate enough to be the senior president and founder. We currently have a junior president, a junior secretary, and a junior treasurer. Thank you. Thank you. Have a great evening.

Okay, any other public comment? No one wants to tell us we're great or that we suck. This is your opportunity. Okay, I'll close it for public comment. Any other business commissioners? Okay, then I'm going to entertain a motion to adjourn. Commissioner Hayne, seconded by Commissioner Cruz. All those in favor, say aye. Aye. Any opposed? We are adjourned. Thank you.

Bye-bye.

Bye, Cindy.

Recording stopped.

Okay.