City Commission - Regular Meeting

I want to, good evening, good evening. Okay. I'm sorry, can you repeat that? Okay, let's call to order. The Aventura City Commission regular meeting for September 8. I need a roll call, please.

Mayor Weinberg here. Vice Mayor AIME here. Commissioner Bloom here. Commissioner Blatchman here. Commissioner Friedland here. Commissioner Cruz is absent. Commissioner Orlinsky here. Mr. Begese here. And Mr. Myers here. You have a quorum.

Okay, those who can please rise for the Pledge of Allegiance.

I pledge allegiance.

Thank you, Mr. Manager. Any deletions or additions?

There are none.

Okay. Commissioners, any reports? Anything you want to tell everyone? Yes. Commissioner Bloom.

The second annual Aventura Police Foundation golf tournament is coming up on October 16th. We still have some sponsorship opportunities available. So if you are interested in sponsoring a wonderful organization, the organization that keeps you safe here in this city, you can come and speak to me after the meeting, or you can speak to the chief after the meeting, or you can visit aventurapolicefoundation.org and make a donation. Thank you.

thanks any other commission reports i i want to report that um at when was it mr manager yesterday the closing today today today just happened we closed on 0.4 sorry 0.84 of an acre uh of land we purchased from Gulfstream, contiguous with the approximately 3.7 acres that we had already closed on. Three of those acres we were able to acquire at no cost to our taxpayers. That's $30 million of land at no cost. Combined, we now have four and a half acres which is the location of our brand new school that is currently as we stand. I think the crew is out there right now. It is under construction. They're working as fast as possible. We are building the new school as promised. Just for reference, if the current Don Sofer High School sits on two acres. So this is more than double the footprint. This is going to be the state of the art crown jewel. And as I say, every time we are going to have an elementary, a middle and a high school, and we are going to be the best public school system in the state of Florida. Ladies and gentlemen, that's happening. Okay. Special presentations, proclamations. So these are like good things. Proclamations are always very, very special, very special people. and I need help from my commissioners. This is the first of three proclamations. Will you start?

Whereas September is Hunger Action Month, an initiative created by Feeding America to help raise awareness about the issue of hunger in the United States and in local communities and

Whereas Feeding America food banks across the country, including Feeding South Florida, will host several events throughout September to raise awareness about the issue of hunger and inspire action towards ending hunger in our local communities and...

Whereas Feeding South Florida has worked to end hunger since 1981 by providing food and grocery products to those in need in South Florida, including children and seniors and

whereas the city of aventura would like to recognize feeding south florida a leading domestic hunger relief organization for their efforts in serving a large percentage of the food insecure population throughout south florida including miami-dade county it's okay

That worked out that well. Wow.

Now, therefore, be it resolved that I, Howard Weinberg, as mayor, on behalf of the City Commission of the City of Aventura, do hereby proclaim September as Hunger Action Month in the City of Aventura. And I encourage our residents to join in the initiative to end hunger. Is there any representative here? Yes. Come on up, please. And the floor is yours. Make sure that green light is on. And then you'll come up here for a picture.

Thank you so very much to Mr. Mayor, to the commission, to the city of Aventura. Feeding South Florida really appreciates everything that the city and the community has done to support Hunger Action Month and not just Hunger Action Month, but also throughout the year. We serve as Feeding South Florida 1.7 million people. in 2025. Around 6,538 were served in the city of Aventura and it is so impactful for the community to come together and be able to support individuals or neighbors who are in a position that we are able to provide for them. And we really truly do appreciate all of the service and the support that comes from the city and from the people that live within the city. So we do thank you appreciate it very much.

Thank you. And Commissioner, I know you have been very involved. Can you just say a couple of words because I know it's important to you with Aventura Cares.

So thank you for being here with us every year. It's an honor to see you again. Back in COVID in 2020, my family and I founded Aventura Cares with the former mayor, Enid Weissman, our current mayor, Howard Weinberg, and a dear friend of ours, Evan Ross. And if you recall back then, we were able to help the first responders and use money that we collected and partner with Feeding South Florida and bring the trucks to our city to the temple and many times since then we've been partnering with aventura cares and feeding south florida to help the community and the point of aventura cares is to show that people in aventura care beyond just our community so that's what feeding south florida is all about and we appreciate you and all that you give back to the community and we will always be there to support you too thank you come on up for your plaque please

Okay, another proclamation. And we do this every year. And I'm hopeful that one year, we won't have to. So let me start at the other end this time.

Thank you.

Whereas September has been designated National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month to honor those children whose lives have been lost, those irrevocably impacted by this terrible illness, and to strengthen the nation's resolve to search for a cure and

Whereas cancer is the leading cause of death by disease among U.S. children and...

Whereas childhood cancers cross all racial, ethnic, geographic, and socioeconomic backgrounds, and each year tens of thousands of children face the battle of cancer with incredible bravery and inspiring hope and...

Whereas the city of Aventura recognizes the devastating impact that this disease has on members of our community and the importance of increased research on childhood cancer and

Whereas this month, we recognize that these burdens are shared by countless dedicated healthcare professionals, organizations, charities, and parent advocacy groups that support patients and their families by offering advice, encouragement, hope, and financial assistance, and work tirelessly to lift the spirits of children suffering from cancer.

Now, therefore, be it resolved that I, Howard Weinberg, as mayor, on behalf of the City Commission of the City of Aventura, do hereby proclaim September 2026 as Childhood Cancer Awareness Month in the City of Aventura. Sylvia, would you like to come up? And all of those lovely children are welcome as well. I couldn't be prouder to be able to call you a friend, and you're always welcome, not only in these chambers, but in the city of Amatora. You are a remarkable woman.

It's not me, it's our children, but thank you. I am so beyond thankful to you, our mayor, our vice mayor, all of our commissioners, city attorney, city manager, city clerk, all of you for always supporting our children. Most of you know my story. My baby was diagnosed with cancer at the age of four and a half. He battled for three and a half years. He underwent 55 cycles of chemotherapy, 50 rounds of radiation, 12 surgeries. He had over 200 blood and platelet transfusions. He was treated in seven hospitals across the country and just so much more. And sadly, that is the norm for our children battling these aggressive cancers. And you may hear that there's an 80% cure weight for our children, but that's just for the most common forms of childhood cancer, such as leukemia. Some of our childhood cancers are still considered terminal upon diagnosis, such as DIPG, which is an inoperable brain tumor. It is the same brain tumor that Neil Armstrong's daughter died from in 1962. And in all of these years, we've done our our world has done so many amazing things. We've sent him to the moon and we have nuclear weapons. We have electric cars. We have so much. But we have yet to find a way to break the blood brain barrier to find a cure for these children. And the only way that we will find cures for our children is to raise awareness, which means we will be able to raise funds. So thank you for helping us to raise awareness. This is Jake, and he battled cancer. He is NED, which is no evidence of disease, for the last two years. These are his siblings, mom, Christina, and one of our most amazing volunteers, Emma. I just want to remind you with the high school that we're always in need of volunteers. You know, we have a childhood cancer haven. The heroes hang out literally right down the street. We serve children from all of our South Florida hospitals. Thank you. Thank you again so much.

Thank you. Come on up for a picture, please. And your proclamation. all of you oh

That's a beautiful picture. There we go. Everyone has a smile.

awesome i just want to make sure please step over a tiny bit should we put the microphone down yeah that'll be good all right guys one two three i'm gonna get up mine now she's she's like ready all right for me one two three big smiles i'm gonna get two more One last one. Awesome, thanks guys. Thank you.

Yes, you can go like that if you want.

Thank you for helping.

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah.

okay and before we move on i want to recognize i see former mayor enid weissman is here hello enid former commissioner gladys mizrahi and i see um former vice mayor billy joel is here very nice of you to be here billy okay moving on is i think that is that it for special presentations Oh, we have one more. I'm sorry. We have one more. Another person that I'm so happy to be able to call a personal friend, a longtime friend and served together for many, many years up here on this days. I guess I'll start the first and then I'll pass it around. Whereas Billy Joel has dedicated his life to public service, philanthropy, and community leadership, leaving an indelible mark on the city of Aventura and throughout South Florida. And

Whereas commissioner Joel served with this with distinction as a member of the Aventura city commission beginning in 2005 as commissioner and later as vice mayor through 2014. And again, from 2022 through 2024, earning the respect and admiration of residents, colleagues, and community leaders through his commitment to the city's continued growth and success and

Whereas throughout his years of public service, Commissioner Joel championed numerous charitable, educational, healthcare, and civic initiatives demonstrating a steadfast commitment to improving the lives of others and strengthening the fabric of our community and

Whereas his dedication to the principles of generosity, service, compassion, and civic engagement has inspired countless individuals and has contributed significantly to the quality of life enjoyed by the residents of Aventura and.

Okay.

Whereas the city of Aventura wishes to recognize Billy Joel as he achieves yet another milestone of turning 90 years young on September 13th, 2026, as we all join in celebrating his remarkable life achievements and contributions that have enriched our community for decades.

Now, therefore, be it resolved that I, Howard Weinberg, as mayor and on behalf of the City Commission of the City of Aventura, Florida, do hereby proclaim September 13th, 2026, as Billy Joel Day in the City of Aventura. So, anyone who wants to say something can, but I just want Before we move on, I want to say that, Billy, I want you to speak. And I know that you sometimes have a tendency to get emotional. And I want you to know that, for better or for worse, that rubbed off on me from sitting up here with you. And now every time I talk about my children, I get very teary eyed. And it's so not me, but it's really you are strong enough to let your emotions show that is something that i learned from you and it's really like freeing you know it's really it's it's really a wonderful quality and a wonderful trait you're so real i guess would be how i want to explain it but so before anything else i want to tell you that our friends from the avatar marketing council and chamber of commerce have brought a special guest for dr billy joel This young lady is a superstar singer from the City of Aventura's Young Star Showcase. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Camille Liz.

Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday, Dr. Billy Joel. Happy birthday to you. Unforgettable, that's what you are unforgettable though near or far like a song of love that clings to me oh how the thought of you does things to me never before unforgettable in every way and forevermore that's how you'll stay That's why darling, it's incredible that someone so unforgettable thinks that I am unforgettable too. Like never before Has someone been born Unforgettable in every way and forevermore that's how you'll stay That's my darling. It's incredible that someone so unforgettable thinks that I am unforgettable too. Too.

Let me just say that this young lady I met 16 years ago when we were running our shows for Young Talent. You were nine years old? Nine years old at that time. And she has come along so well. She's a star. Thank you. Thank you.

Thank you so much, Cami. And thank you, Elaine. You, the stage is yours. Maybe you want to sing a song.

Billy Joel, I love you just the way you are. Don't go changing. Anyway. This has been a wonderful night. I must say, I'm used to being on the other side. So am I talking to everyone now? Anyway, this is... She is. She's a darlish young lady that was here. I mean, I've known her for all these years and she seems to get better and better and better every year. And just wonderful. And one day you're going to see her on the screen all over the place because we're working on it and she's going to be tops. Right, Elaine? anyway this has been a real pleasure uh i miss being up there and i'm down here instead but uh my city i i consider it my city because i've been involved in the city for many many years since it started really i started coming to meetings in the 90s when they were first formed i got very involved as a commissioner and then served for a while then dropped i finished my but i'm still the longest running commissioner in the city of aventura and i don't i don't know whether anyone else will catch up with me but i still have that honor of the longest serving and it's been such a pleasure i don't want to bore you with a lot of other things but you can see how much i love my city and this is just a wonderful evening guys really appreciate it i feel funny not sitting up there though that's the only thing i'm used to that but uh like i say i i really didn't prepare any speeches or anything i first found out about this yesterday the city manager called me up and said we want you here you know we want to celebrate and so forth And I didn't know anything about it. Then I start finding out that a lot of my friends all know about it. So it was a complete surprise to my wife and myself. And my children are here. My daughters are here. And my son-in-laws. And not a son-in-law yet, but... But anyway, thank you. Thank you for all of you that came. I really, really appreciate it. Especially Elaine, who runs the whole marketing, Aventura Marketing. She's up there. You probably set this up. And that little girl up there who I love, I really do. She's wonderful. What did I buy you as a gift when you were nine years old, ten years old?

Yes, you bought me my first ever professional sound system, which I still use today. So I take it to all the restaurants around and I get to make some money from it. So thank you, Billy.

I knew she was going to be a big hit. I knew it from the day I met her. Anyway, thank you for all coming. I really appreciate it. And like I say, I love my city. I hope you all come to Aventura more often. Thank you.

Thank you. Come on up. You're familiar with up here. Come on up for a picture and bring your family. Everyone needs to be in the picture.

One, two, three. Just like that. yeah. Oh. yeah. yeah. guys what yeah yeah okay oh hey. All right, one, two, three. So just look out for one second. I'm gonna get two more. One, two, three. So you're going to have some That's enough.

Elaine, you are in the picture.

Okay, Mr. Manager, I know you have a

a special special recognition yes mayor thank you i would like to ask miss lake the director of finance and administrative services from the city of coconut creek to come up to the podium she's going to be presenting the triple crown award once again to our finance department this is a prestigious an incredible achievement i think three years in a row that they've been able to achieve this and just So, for facts, there is only four, including us, municipalities in Miami-Dade County that have achieved this status and this award. And there is only 28 of 411 municipalities in the state of Florida that have achieved the Triple Crown Award. That's only 7% of cities and counties in Florida. So, I'll turn it over to Ms. Lake, and thank you for being here.

No problem now that was a very hard to follow earlier, maybe I can sing my presentation, but I think i'll spare everybody today so. Mayor Vice Mayor Commissioners city manager city attorney city clerk everyone here good evening, my name is peter gay lake, I am honored to be here today to present the city of aventura as the recipient of the GFAs. Triple Crown Award. So I am a representative of the Government Finance Officers Association, and we do have three major programs, and Aventura is the recipient of the award for all three. So the Triple Crown is a distinguished recognition awarded to governments that have received all three of GFOA's major awards for excellence in financial reporting and budgeting. The Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting, the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award, and the Popular Annual Financial Reporting Award. Each of these awards represent a significant achievement on its own, but together they demonstrate a government's commitment to excellence, transparency, accountability, and effectively communicated financial information to its residents and all its stakeholders. So I'm very pleased to recognize this city having received the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence for 29 consecutive years, the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award for 17 consecutive years, and the Popular Annual Financial Reporting Award for four consecutive years. Even more, they have received the triple crown recognition for the past four years. So again, these accomplishments reflect their professionalism, dedication and hard work of the finance department and all their staff, as well as the leadership and support of the mayor, city commission and the city manager. So it is my privilege on behalf of the Government Finance Officers Association to recognize the City of Aventura as the 2024 GFOA Triple Count recipient recognition. So congratulations to the Mayor, Commission, City Manager and the Finance Department and the entire City of Aventura for this outstanding achievement. Thank you. So I don't know if the finance department is going to come up for a photo opportunity. Okay.

Thank you. I'm Melissa Cruz, the finance director for the city of Aventura. And I just want to say that I couldn't have done this without my staff. We only have half of them here right now. Brent Rogers, our controller, Sarah Simpson, our budget manager, and Linda Mazzy, our cashier. I couldn't do it without them. And so without them, we wouldn't have earned this prestigious award. Thank you.

Thank you. Come on up, everyone, for a picture. How many years in a row? Four years in a row, that is amazing. Come on up, all of you, come on up.

Oh yeah. That's perfect. There we go. all right one two three i'm gonna get a few more they like that hey

i need a motion to recess the commission meeting so we can go into the first budget hearing uh i second uh commissioner bloom made the motion seconded by vice mayor ayne

um can we have a roll call vote please commissioner linsky here no okay voting on a motion to recess yes commissioner blashman yes commissioner bloom yes commissioner friedland yes commissioner cruz is absent vice mayor aim yes and mayor weinberg yes motion passes we are in recess and now um

We're going to our city commission first budget public hearing. Let's call that to order with a roll call.

Mayor Weinberg.

Here.

Vice Mayor Aime.

Here.

Commissioner Blum. Here. Commissioner Blachman.

Here.

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

Thank you. Adam Clarke, can you read 3A, please?

An ordinance of the City of Aventura, Florida, establishing and adopting the City of Aventura ad valorem tax operating millage levy rate at 1.7261 mills for $1,000 of taxable assessed property value. which has a percent change of rollback rate of 1.6918 mills is 2.03% above the rollback rate computed pursuant to state law by the 2026 tax year, providing for conflicts, providing for several ability, providing for an effective date.

Thank you. Could I have a motion to adopt? Commissioner Friedland, seconded by Commissioner Blanchman. Mr. Manager.

Thank you, Mayor. It is recommended that the City Commission approve the proposed millage rate of 1.7261 mills for fiscal year 26-27. The Miami-Dade County Property Appraiser certified the city's 2026 taxable value at approximately $14.3 billion, representing an increase of approximately $113 million or 0.8 percent over the prior year the proposed millage rate remains unchanged from the current rate and is consistent with the city commission's direction to not increase the the millage rate the proposed rate is projected to generate approximately 23 million 452 500 in ad valorem revenue which is approximately 185 815 dollars more than the prior year's budget amount Again, this is the same millage rate consistent for 31 years without any increase, and I recommend approval.

Thank you. Any member of the public wish to speak on this specific budget item 3A? Seeing none, this is on this, just this item, not anything else. Okay. So seeing none, I'll close it for public comment. and ask if there was any questions or comments from the commission. Seeing none, I'll ask for a roll call vote.

Commissioner Blatchman?

Yes.

Commissioner Bloom? Yes. Commissioner Friedland? Yes. Commissioner Cruz is absent. Commissioner Walensky? Yes. Vice Mayor Ayn? Yes. And Mayor Weinberg?

Yes.

Motion passes.

3D please.

An ordinance of the City of Aventura, Florida adopting the attached tentative operating capital budget as reviewed and approved by the City Commission at the meeting held on July 23rd, 2026 as the City of Aventura final budget for the 2026-2027 fiscal year pursuant to section 4.05 of the City Charter authorizing expenditure of funds established by the budget, providing for budgetary control, providing for personnel authorization, providing for gifts and grants, writing for amendments, providing for our procedures regarding conferences and the reappropriation of unexpended capital appropriations, establishing the committed fund balance for capital reserve, providing for several ability and providing for an effective date.

Thank you. Could I have a motion to approve? Commissioner Bloom, seconded by Vice Mayor Ayne. Mr. Manager.

Thank you, Mayor. This is the approval for the proposed fiscal year 2627 budget, which is balanced and preserves the city's current service levels, continues major investments in public safety and infrastructure, and does not increase the property tax rate. The total budget for all funds is approximately $69.05 million after Interfund transfers are removed. That is $1.77 million or 2.5% less than last year's amended budget. before interfund transfers are removed total spending is approximately 71.64 million this is about three and a half or four point six six percent below last year's amended budget of 75.14 million The general fund is balanced at approximately $56.87 million, which is about $458,000 less than last year, and the building fund declines by approximately $690,000 from $5.78 million to $5.09 million. No general fund reserve carryover is needed to balance the budget, preserving reserves for emergencies and for unforeseen economic conditions. These savings reflect the completion of most ARPA-funded projects, the temporary exclusion of the new high school construction fund until project costs are better defined, and reductions in discretionary departmental spending. Savings include eliminating the printed city newsletter, reducing selected training, conference technology, maintenance, communication, and special event expenses, and eliminating two vacant positions. final insurance updates were also incorporated property and liability insurance came in at about 170 000 below the amount budgeted health insurance however is now expected to increase 23 over last year Even with that increase, the overall budget remains below last year. Taxes and service levels, the recommended millage rate remains unchanged at 1.7261 mills. This marks the 31st consecutive year without a millage rate increase and continues Aventura's position as one of the lowest tax municipalities in Miami-Dade County. The budget maintains the city's high level of service while taking a conservative approach to state-shared revenues, grants, and possible changes this year in November to property tax. laws. In police and public safety projects, public safety remains the city's largest operating priority. The police department budget increased by approximately 1.46 million, or 5.3%, primarily for personnel, pensions, contracts, and technology. Key investments include $260,000 for police vehicles, $104,000 for vehicle equipment, $189,000 for mobile radios, ballistic vests, and for our police records expansion. The five year capital improvement plan or program includes approximately 24 and a half million including 4.9 million in the first year for technology drainage parks, facilities, transportation and equipment. Major projects include citywide computer equipment, Biscayne Boulevard landscaping, HVAC replacements for the IT server room for the police equipment and Community Recreation Center improvements and also arts and cultural center improvements. Also, stormwater and drainage remain a major priority within the city. $2.5 million for drainage system improvements is allocated, and the monthly stormwater fees remain unchanged. The new Don Silfer High School construction fund is not yet included because the final construction costs are still being developed. and funding will return to the commission through a budget amendment later on in the year. In closing, this budget spends less than last year, holds the millage rate steady, preserves reserves and services, and invests in public safety infrastructure and the city's future. And I recommend adoption of the budget.

Thank you. Any member of the public have a comment on this item 3B? I'm opening it for public comment. Seeing none, I'll close it for public comment and ask if any commissioner has a question or comment. Seeing none, I will ask for a vote.

Commissioner Bloom. Yes. Commissioner Friedland. Yes. Commissioner Cruz is absent. Commissioner Olinsky. Yes. Commissioner Blatchman.

Yes.

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

Okay. I'm going to ask for a motion to adjourn the first budget public hearing. Vice Mayor Ains, seconded by Commissioner Bloom. All those in favor say aye. Any opposed? Okay, we are adjourned. Next,

uh let's call to order the lpa for september 8th 2026 by the way it's 6 57 p.m uh let's call this to order with a roll call mayor weinberg here vice mayor ayn here commissioner blatchman here commissioner bloom here commissioner friedland here commissioner cruz is absent commissioner olinsky here mr beguese here mr myers you have a quorum okay

Let's approve, if we can, the minutes from July 7th, 2026. Could I have a motion to approve the minutes? Vice Mayor Ayne, seconded by Commissioner Orlinsky. Can we vote on that, please?

Commissioner Friedland? Yes. Commissioner Cruz, absent. Commissioner Orlinsky? Yes. Commissioner Blatchman? Yes. Commissioner Bloom? Yes. Vice Mayor Ayne? Yes. And Mayor Weinberg?

Yes.

Motion passes.

Okay. Or A, please.

An ordinance in the City of Aventura, Florida, emitting the official zoning map by applying the Aventura Core Subdistrict Overlay, MUC1, to an approximate 85-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.

have a motion recommending adoption commissioner bloom seconded by commissioner blanchman um mr city development director good evening thank you mr mayor yes this is um

the first time actually the lpa is hearing this recommendation which was initiated by the city commission to do three overlays in our zoning map as you have heard this many many times i will run through it very quickly there are three overlays suggested core center and edge this is the second set of public hearings when it goes to the commission this evening the first time the lpa is hearing it this will add these three overlays to the zoning map the city's comprehensive plan and policy 2.2 sets forth the policy for this to be incorporated in the zoning map it is not a rezoning parcels maintain their existing zoning property is so designated can choose to develop under existing zoning or under the overlay regulations which have already been adopted in the code there is a minimum lot size and a requirement for conditional use for any property to take advantage of the overlay very quickly the core is the area inside of abigail road as well as two parcels that front Biscayne Boulevard shown here on the map. The center is everything between the Lehman Causeway, Aventura Boulevard, Country Club Drive and Biscayne Boulevard that is not within that core that I mentioned. And finally, the edge is the area known as Uptown Aventura, the southern portion of that, from Biscayne Boulevard over to Dixie Highway, and on the north, 209th Street, our Aventura Hospital, and on the south, the flyover at 206th. So if the LPA agrees with the city commission initiated application of these overlays at its meeting later this evening, Aventura will have transit oriented mixed use regulations in effect. It's been a long road, but here we are the last time you'll hear about this. And hopefully the next time you hear about this is when somebody is coming forward to take advantage of them. Thank you very much.

Thank you. On this issue, which is 4A, any member of the public wish to speak? Yes, sir.

okay sorry about that uh representing turnberry associates and the aventura mall i'm hopefully only going to speak once this evening we have been working with your administration on this concept for about five years and your manager and community development director got it right this is land use planning 101 it's directing development to where investments in transit have already been made. These ordinances will encourage good urban design, mixed-use development, strengthen your tax base, and reduce dependence on cars by locating future development near transit. We urge you to approve the Metropolitan Urban Center Zoning Overlay District Ordinances, and I ask that you incorporate my remarks into the City Commission hearing on those items. Thank you.

Thank you. Any other members of the public on this issue? Seeing none, I'll close it for public comment. Any Commission comments or questions? Okay, I just wanna ask Kevin, this MUC, is this a county initiative?

that is correct the county is requiring that cities have these types of regulations and if we don't put them in place an applicant excuse me an applicant can go to the county and take advantage of them so just so the record's clear when you say a a city initiated uh

event or commission initiated it's because basically we are told you will do this or the county will do it for us and that result may be worse am i correct that's correct okay so we are doing what we need to do to protect our taxpayers would you agree with that yes sir okay thank you i just want to make that clear okay any other commission comments or questions

no okay go ahead so kevin so it's clear on the record the request for the overlay was not because of requests by the city commission it was a requirement because of the county we didn't come to you and ask for this overlay is that correct in order to have a zoning change someone needs to initiate it

we could say that turnberry initiated it but they were only looking for their portion so rather than have a turnberry initiated plus other initiated overlay zones the city initiated all of them yes it was because the county is telling us we need to do it Yes, it is because Turnberry has been asking for it for, as you just heard, five years. But technically and legally, it is city commission-initiated overlays. But as the mayor just identified with his questions, it is as a result of the county saying, you need to do this because it's in the county code and applicants will otherwise come to us and take advantage of much higher densities that the county code would allow.

Okay. Any other commission comments? Okay. Then I'll close it. And this is a, Madam Clerk, is this 4A?

Correct.

Okay, let's vote.

Commissioner Cruz is absent. Commissioner Olenski? Yes. Commissioner Blatchman? Yes. Commissioner Bloom? Yes. Commissioner Friedland? Yes. Vice Mayor Ayn? Yes. And Mayor Weinberg? Yes. Motion passes.

4B, please.

An ordinance of the city of Aventura, Florida, amending the official zoning map by applying the Aventura Center Subdistrict Overlay, MUC2, to an approximate 35-acre tract of land currently zoned Community Business District B2 and Community Facility District CF, generally located east of Biscayne Boulevard to West Country Club Drive and south of Aventura Boulevard to the William Lehman Causeway, providing for servability, providing for inclusion in the code, and providing for an effective date.

Thank you. Can I have a motion to recommend adoption? Commissioner Bloom, seconded by Commissioner Blanchman. Kevin? Same as we heard before. No need to repeat it. I'll ask the same question. Any member of the public wish to speak on this? This is now 4B. Seeing none, I'll close it. Any commission comment or questions? Seeing none, let's vote.

Commissioner Orleski? yes commissioner blatchman yes commissioner bloom yes commissioner friedland yes commissioner cruz is absent vice mayor aim yes and mayor weinberg yes motion passes okay thank you um let's go to 4c please madam An ordinance of the City of Aventura, Florida amending the official zoning map by applying the Aventura Edge Subdistrict Overlay, MUC3, to an approximate 10-acre tract of land currently zoned Medical Office District, MO, and Neighborhood Business District, B1, generally located west of Biscayne Boulevard to East Dixie Highway and south of Northeast 209th Street to Northeast 206th Street, providing for sub-ability, providing for inclusion in the code, and providing for an effective date.

Can I have a motion to recommend adoption, please? Commissioner Bloom, seconded by Commissioner Blunkman. Same, Kevin. Okay, make it part of the record. Any member of the public now wish to speak on 4C? Seeing none, I'll close it with public comment. Any commissioner wish to speak or have a question on 4C? Seeing none, let's vote.

Commissioner Blatchman? Yes. Commissioner Bloom? Yes. Commissioner Friedland? Yes. Commissioner Cruz is absent. Commissioner Walensky? Yes. Vice Mayor Ayn? Yes. And Mayor Weinberg?

Yes.

Motion passes.

4D, please.

In ordinance of the City of Aventura, Florida amending section 30-180 termites development of land annual inspection of chapter 30 amending section 31-71 procedures of general applicability section 31-78 subdivision plot approval section 31-79 administrative site plan review section 31-145 town center zoning districts Section 31-150 Specific Use Regulations and Section 31-232 Subdivision and Site Development Design Standards of Chapter 31 to clarify and update certain terms, providing for servability, providing for inclusion in the code, and providing for an effective date.

Thank you.

kevin thank you mr mayor this is what we call the annual code cleanup some of the items may not be directly clean up but they are policy items that were determined over the last year as needing some clarification they were presented at workshop with the exception of one I can go through them all quickly, but I will start with the one that was not presented at workshop. So it's on the record. And just to let you know, this is in front of the LPA because it does change the land development regulations and the LPA has to recommend changes to the city commission. So I'm going to go to first this one, which was not presented at workshop, but it is to revise terminology pertaining to food trucks in order to match state law. State law says that cities may not outright prohibit food trucks. our city code does not outright prohibit food trucks but our terminology is not the same as the state law and so it has caused a little bit of confusion people to write letters to the city saying we're not in compliance so what we're doing is simply changing the words in our code to mirror what state law says about food trucks and we thought it was timely to bring this in front of you now rather than as its own item since it's really just a cleanup item I'm happy to answer any questions about the other items or go through it if you'd like me to one by one.

Unless there's a request by the commissioner, it's okay. Okay, thank you. Before we move on, I need a motion to recommend adoption. Commissioner Blankman and seconded by... Commissioner Orlinsky. Okay. 4D. Any member of the public wish to speak on 4D? Seeing none, I'll close it for public comment. And I will ask if any commissioner has any questions or comments. Seeing none, we're ready to vote.

Commissioner Blum. Yes. Commissioner Friedland. Yes. Commissioner Cruz is absent. Commissioner Walensky. Yes. Commissioner Blatchman.

Yes.

Vice Mayor Ayn.

Yes.

And Mayor Weinberg.

Yes.

The motion passes.

Okay. Can I have a motion to adjourn the LPA? Commissioner Bloom, seconded by Vice Mayor Ayn. And all those in favor, please say aye. All those opposed, we are adjourned.

and now we will return to the commission meeting for the remainder of the agenda it is 7 12 p.m let's call the roll mayor weinberg here vice mayor aim here commissioner blaschman here commissioner bloom here commissioner friedland here commissioner cruz is absent commissioner olinsky here mr beguese here and mr myers here you have a quorum

Any member of the commission or the manager need to remove an item from the consent agenda? Seeing none. Let's see. I believe I need a motion to approve the consent agenda.

uh commissioner bloom seconded by commissioner blockman let's vote on improving the consent agenda commissioner friedland yes commissioner cruz is absent commissioner orlinsky yes commissioner blatchman yes commissioner bloom yes vice mayor ayne yes mayor weinberg yes motion passes okay item seven zoning ordinance second reading command clerk seven a

in order to mayor can i just interject for a second please maybe it would be easier because if she could just read all three of them 7a 7b and 7c you have to vote on them separately but might as well just read them all at once and you can combine the public hearing for all three okay so madam clerk if you could read 7a 7b and 7c

7a an ordinance of the city of aventura florida amending the official zoning map by applying the aventura core sub-district overlay muc1 to an approximate 85 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 layman causeway providing for sub mobility providing for inclusion in the code and providing for an effective date item 7b an ordinance of the city of aventura florida amending the official zoning map by applying the aventura center sub-district overlay muc2 to an approximate 35 acre tract of land currently zoned community business district b2 and Community Facility District CF 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. Item 7C, an ordinance of the City of Aventura, Florida, amending the official zoning map by applying the Aventura Edge Subdistrict Overlay, MUC3, to an approximate 10-acre tract of land currently zoned Medical Office District, MO, and Neighborhood Business District, B1, generally located west of Biscayne Boulevard to East Dixie Highway and south of Northeast 209th Street to Northeast 206th Street. Providing for several ability providing for inclusion in the code and providing for an effective date.

Okay, back to seven a motion to approve adoption. Commissioner bloom seconded by Vice Mayor in Kevin anything to say here.

Only to indicate I'm available for questions, if there are any, and to please incorporate the earlier presentation into the record.

So incorporated. 7A, opening it for public comment. Anyone wants to speak on this item only? Seeing none, close with public comment. Any commission questions? Seeing none, we'll vote on 7A.

Commissioner Cruz is absent. Commissioner Orlinsky? Yes. Commissioner Blatchman? Yes.

Yes.

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

Yes.

Motion passes.

7B, notice. Motion to adopt. Vice Mayor Ayn, seconded by Commissioner Bloom. Kevin, incorporated. Okay. Any public comments? Members of the public? I'll close it for public comment. Any city commission questions or comments? Seeing none.

will vote on 7b commissioner olinsky yes commissioner blatchman yes commissioner bloom yes commissioner friedland yes commissioner cruz is absent vice mayor ayne yes and mayor weinberg yes motion passes okay uh we're on 7c is that correct okay i need a motion for 7c to adopt commissioner blanchman seconded by vice mayor ayne

Kevin, you're incorporating your prior comments. Okay. Public comment. Anyone from the public? Seeing none, I'll close it. Commission comments, questions? Seeing none, we'll vote.

Commissioner Blatchman?

Yes.

Commissioner Bloom? Yes. Commissioner Friedland? Yes. Commissioner Cruz is absent. Commissioner Olinsky? Yes. Vice Mayor Ains? Yes. And Mayor Weinberg?

Yes.

Motion passes.

Okay. 7D.

An ordinance of the City of Aventura, Florida amending section 30-180 termites development of land annual inspection of chapter 30. Amending section 31-71 procedures of general applicability. Section 31-78 subdivision plot approval. Section 31-79 administrative site plan review. Section 31-145 town center zoning districts. section 31-150 specific use regulations and section 20 or 31-232 subdivision and site development design standards of chapter 31 to clarify and update certain terms providing for several ability providing for inclusion in the code and providing for an effective date okay a motion to approve on 7d commissioner bloom seconded by vice mayor ayn kevin anything incorporated

Any member of the public on this item only, 7D, seeing none, I'll close it. Any commission comments? Seeing none, let's vote.

Commissioner Bloom? Yes. Commissioner Friedland? Yes. Commissioner Cruz is absent. Commissioner Olinsky? Yes. Commissioner Blatchman? Yes. Vice Mayor Ayn? Yes. And Mayor Weinberg?

Yes.

Motion passes. 8A. ordinance of the city of aventura florida amending article 4 finance of chapter 2 administration of the city code by amending section 2-232 request for information concerning pending charges or liens preparation recording of liens and lead satisfactions to increase the lien search fee from fifty dollars to 125 dollars allowing an annual increase in the fee to be made administratively providing for several ability providing for inclusion in the code and providing for implementation and an effective date okay thank you motion to approve commissioner friedland seconded by commissioner bloom uh mr manager thank you mayor

We are recommending that the city's lien search fee be increased from $50 to $125. lien searches are processed by the Community Development Department and provide important property related information including expired permits, outstanding code violations, unpaid fees and other encumbrances. properties within the city the city has not adjusted this fee in over two decades and since that time the cost of staff time records management and administrative processing has increased while the city's fee has remained significantly lower than those charged by neighboring municipalities The proposed increase to 125 will better align with Avengers fee with regional pricing and help ensure the city is adequately recovering the administrative costs associated with processing these requests. The department currently receives approximately 1560 lean search requests annually, or about 130 per month and continues to maintain a turnaround time of less than three business days. I recommend approval or an adoption of this ordinance to increase the fee to 125.

I need a motion to approve. Commissioner Bloom, seconded by Commissioner Friedland. Did I have a motion already? Well, let's go with the first ones. Was it the same names? It was? That's unbelievable.

Friedland and Bloom.

Okay, there you go. They're working, obviously they're working together. Yes, something is going on. Let me, on this height of 8A, let me open it for public comment. Just on this item. Okay, seeing none, I'll close it. Any commission questions or comments? Seeing none, should we go a third time for a motion, see what we come up with? Okay, let's vote.

Commissioner Friedland? Yes. Commissioner Cruz is absent. Commissioner Walensky? Yes. Commissioner Blatchman? Yes. Commissioner Bloom? Yes. Vice Mayor Aime?

Yes.

And Mayor Weinberg?

Yes.

Motion passes.

8B.

aventura city commission acting in its capacity as the governing board for the aventura city of excellence school an ordinance of the city commission of the city of aventura florida amending ordinance number 2025-07 which ordinance adopted the aventura city of excellence school budget for fiscal year 2025-2026 july 1 to june 30th by revising the 2025-2026 fiscal year budget document 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 thank you and i have a motion to approve commissioner freeland seconded by vice mayor ain mr manager

Thank you, Mayor. The proposed budget amendment totals $604,006 and was prepared by Charter Schools USA as part of the school's standard year-end fiscal review process for 25-26. The amendments were developed after review of projected year-end revenues and expenditures to ensure that any revenue overages and expenditure overruns are properly identified and adjusted. The proposed amendment includes a net increase in operating revenue of $163,000, which includes adjustments to several revenue categories, including lower than budgeted funding from the Florida Educational Finance Program and Capital Outlay. This is offset by increases in food service revenue, grant revenue, and other program revenues and referendum stipend revenue. amendment also includes 440 000 to net increase in other non-revenue sources primarily related to an advance from the city's general fund to cover higher than budgeted expenditures for replacement of the hvac systems on the roof of the school and on the expenditure side the amendment reflects a total increase of 604 000 the most significant adjustments include increases in compensation related costs including tutoring bonuses stipends increased vendor services and pupil transportation it's important to note that although several individual revenue and expenditure lines are being adjusted the proposed amendment does not change the originally budgeted change in fund balance the recommendation is that the city commission approved the ordinance amending the fiscal year budget for aces for 2526. thank you on this item which is i believe 8b

any member of the public wish to speak seeing none i'll close it for public comment and um see if there's any commission comment or questions okay let's vote commissioner cruz is absent commissioner olinsky commissioner blatchman yes commissioner bloom yes commissioner friedland yes vice mayor ayne yes and mayor weinberg yes motion passes hc Aventura City Commission acting in its capacity as a governing board for the Don Sofer Aventura High School. In ordinance of the City Commission of the City of Aventura, Florida, amending ordinance number 2025-OE, which ordinance adopted the Don Sofer Aventura High School budget for fiscal year 2025-2026, July 1 through June 30th, by revising the 2025 2026 fiscal year budget document as outlined in Exhibit A attached here to authorizing the city manager to do all things necessary to carry out the aims of this ordinance and providing for an effective date.

Motion to approve. Commissioner Freeland second by Vice Mayor and Mr. Manager.

Thank you, Mayor. This amendment includes a net revenue increase of $647,281, which is primarily due to higher than budgeted student enrollment, which resulted in additional Florida Education Finance Program revenue, as well as increases in grant revenue, miscellaneous revenue, A plus bonus revenue, AP and ACE revenues, also stipend revenues and proceeds related to leased computer hardware. These increases are partially offset by a decrease in capital outlay revenue due to a lower than budgeted per student rate from the Florida Department of Education. On the expenditure side, the amendment reflects a net increase of $425,000. The most significant adjustments include increases in compensation related costs, including bonuses, stipends, taxes, and benefits. And this amendment also includes increases in vendor services, primarily related to contracted food service and instructional expenses, largely due to increased AP and ACE testing material. In addition, the amendment reflects a decrease in fixed expenditures due to lower than anticipated insurance costs. As well as an increase in capital expenditures related to additional ricotta security system hardware and license in furniture and fitting replacements. The recommendation is that the city commission approve the ordinance amending the fiscal year 2526 done so for avatar high school budget.

Thank you. Any member of the public wish to speak to this issue, 8C, this item? Seeing none, I'll close it. Any commissioners, comments, questions? Okay, let's vote.

Commissioner Lansky? Yes. Commissioner Blatchman?

Yes.

Commissioner Bloom? Yes. Commissioner Friedland? Yes. Commissioner Cruz is absent. Vice Mayor Ains? Yes. And Mayor Weinberg?

Yes.

Motion passes.

Item 10. Madam Clerk.

A resolution of the City Commission of the City of Aventura, Florida relating to the stormwater management system within the city, providing for authority, definitions and interpretation, providing for the determination of stormwater management system costs for the fiscal year commencing October 1, 2026, Providing for the levy and imposition of stormwater utility fees for the fiscal year commencing October 1, 2026. Confirming the initial rate resolution and final rate resolution. Establishing the method by which the proposed stormwater utility fee shall be collected. Providing for equalization, filing, and lien on properties to be assessed. Providing for effective adoption of annual assessment resolution. Providing for several ability and providing for an effective date.

motion to approve commissioner bloom seconded by commissioner olinsky mr manager thank you this resolution establishes the city stormwater utility fee for fiscal year 26-27 the proposed fee remains 74.10 per equivalent residential unit or approximately six dollars and 18 cents per month The fee will continue to be collected through the annual property tax bill and will support storm stormwater operations, maintenance, drainage improvements and related collection costs. The resolution also approves to find the final assessment role and authorizes the necessary necessary filings with the Miami-Dade County property appraiser and tax collectors offices. The complete assessment role is available for public inspection through the city clerk's office.

this resolution is consistent with the city stormwater code prior commission action and applicable florida law i recommend approval of the resolution thank you item 10 any member of the public wish to speak on this item okay so you know i'll close it for public comment and i will ask the commission the same question comments or questions seeing none let's vote on item 10. commissioner blatchman yes

Commissioner Bloom?

Yes.

Commissioner Freeland? Yes. Commissioner Cruz is absent. Commissioner Orlinsky? Yes. Vice Mayor Ains? Yes. And Mayor Weinberg? Yes. Motion passes.

Staff reports, intersection safety program annual report. Mr. Manager?

Thank you again, Mayor. We required annually by the state of Florida that any municipality that maintains the red light program or school safety program reads into the record the revenue and amount of citations that are issued and collected through the programs so for the adventurers intersection safety program which is our red light camera program the annual report covers july 1st 2025 through june 30th 2026. during this period 56 181 notices of violation were issued of those 33 483 were paid and 18,095 resulted in uniform traffic citations. A total of 384 violations were contested. Of those, 295 were repelled, 53 were dismissed, and 35 remain pending final outcome. Ticket revenue totaling $2.6 million was distributed to the city's general fund, and an additional $2.8 million was distributed to the Florida Department of Revenue for allocation among the state's general revenue fund, the Department of Health Emergency Medical Services Trust Fund, and the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis Trust Fund. Regarding the school zone safety program, this report covers July 1st, 2025 through June 30th, 2026. During this period, 7,301 notices of violation were issued. Of those, 4,461 were paid. 2,008 resulted in uniform traffic citations. A total of 29 violations were contested. Of those, 27 were upheld and two were dismissed. An additional 830 violations remain pending a final outcome. The city retained approximately $249,000 in ticket revenue, which was used or reserved for public safety and school security initiatives. An additional $102,000 was distributed to the Florida Department of Revenue for allocation between the state's General Revenue Fund and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement's Criminal Justice Standards and Training Trust Fund.

Thank you very much. On that item, any member of the public wish to speak seeing none i'll close it any commission mr mayor i have a report if uh if yes but let me i have um the manager has one more oh okay and then i want yours um any commission comment on that okay let's move on to the school zone enforcement program annual report i i did that one as well oh you did i'm sorry the second one i missed that yeah It was scintillating, by the way. I'm sorry, Mr. Attorney, please.

I just wanted to give everyone an update about the property tax relief ballot question lawsuit. I think last you heard from me, I had advised you that the court had agreed that the Attorney General had 10 days to rewrite the question or to appeal. He decided to rewrite the question. And that rewrite had to be reviewed and approved by the judge and by our law firm. We think 95%, you know, not 100%, but it's close and it's more neutral, both the question and the summary. And that's what's gonna be on the, on the ballot on November 3rd is the rewritten question and the rewritten ballot summary. So it is more objective, more neutral. And ultimately, it's up to the voters to decide whether approve it or reject it. As you know, it requires 60% of the vote of the public to vote for it. So that's that's what they're going to get a revised ballot question. Thank you very much.

Any other reports by the manager, the attorney or the clerk Seeing none, now we'll move to public comment, and I'm going to ask the city attorney to explain the procedure.

Sure. If anyone from the public wants to speak about items not already addressed by the city commission, you have three minutes to address the commission. It's not a back and forth between you and the commission. You just, you know, state for three minutes, you make your comments on matters, like I said, that haven't been covered by the commission at this meeting. Thank you.

Okay. So whoever wants to speak, I see we have someone right now. Your name, address, and then you have three minutes. Thank you. Good evening.

Good evening. My name is Gladys Mizrahi, 21150 Point Place, Aventura, Florida. Good evening, mayor, commissioners, city manager, city clerk, city attorney. I come here before you not as a former commissioner or as a resident of Aventura, but also as a member of the Miami-Dade County Hispanic Affairs Advisory Board appointed to represent District 4 to ask for your support and recognition of this year's Hispanic Heritage Month. The demographics of this city have changed significantly over the years. In 2000, approximately 21% of our population was Hispanic or Latino. And today, that percentage has more than doubled to 45.1%, according to the latest census data. That means that almost one out of every two Aventura residents is Hispanic. We as Hispanics have helped shape the Aventura we know today. Our businesses, professionals, and entrepreneurs contribute to this economy. Our food, music, traditions, culture, and families are part of the identity, diversity, and the success of this city. Even two of the members of the commission are Hispanic. last year there were several attempts to obtain this support without success and this is why i'm here today i'm asking our mayor and every member of this commission to support a proclamation recognizing the history contributions and impact of the city of the Hispanic community in Aventura, as well as asking for all of your presence in this year's Hispanic Heritage Month on September 15 at 11 a.m. at Miami-Dade Government Center, together with our Miami-Dade County Mayor, Daniela Levin-Cava. Recognition matters. Representation matters. And when almost half of Aventura is Hispanic, recognizing our history and our contributions is not simply about honoring Hispanic culture. It is about honoring Aventura itself. I would like now to introduce Dr. Grisel Marino, director of the Miami-Dade County Hispanic Advisory Board, and board member Dr. Carrillo. Thank you.

Thank you.

Hello.

Wait, I'm sorry. Wait one second. I want her to reset. The clerk will reset. I don't want to give you 11 seconds. Okay. By the way, good timing on the three minutes. Okay. Sorry.

Good evening. I used to live in Aventura before it became a city in the early 90s, but my address is 111 Northwest First Street. So I do staff the Hispanic Affairs Advisory Board, and we would love for the city. Last year, we went around the county, and we received 14 municipal proclamations. We were able to showcase them. at our event, which took place September 16. This year is taking place September 15. We have a great entertainment lineup. We would love for you to join us to present a proclamation if you see fit. Also, we're going to have a lady that sings. Her name is La Diamante, and she sings just like Celia Cruz. We're going to have Muñeca de la Salsa. She's also very famous. And the most famous local mariachis that are in town, They're going to be there with us, along with Folklore Entertainment from Central America, because September 15th is when five countries of Central America celebrate their independence, and Mexico celebrates it on September 16th, and Chile September 18th, all the way until October 12th, when it's just Mexico and also Equatorial Guinea, because we do Hispanics. We also, you know, not only Latin American and Spain, but also in Africa, Equatorial Guinea. They speak Spanish over there. So as a former Aventura resident and as the staff person for the Miami-Dade County Hispanic Affairs Advisory Board, I would love for you to join us. Not only you in the dais, but everyone in Aventura. It's free and open to the public. And as she said, our mayor and our county commissioners will be there as long as the Miami Consular Corp, as they were last year. Thank you so much. Thank you.

Thank you. Is this part of the same topic that you're going to speak? Okay. Okay, so let me just respond, even though we don't have a back and forth, but I want you to know that.

Thank you.

I'm not aware that there was ever a request in the past for a proclamation. It's a very simple process. As the clerk knows, you send me an email and with some proposed language, if you want a Hispanic Heritage Month proclamation, there's zero chance that I would say no. So if it's been asked before, I must not have been aware of it because I make those decisions. Of course, the answer would be yes. You want a proclamation? Send me an email. Again, I'd like to know if, in fact, It didn't happen last year, and I received an email. That I would like to know, because that would have been a mistake. But I don't believe that it happened, at least not to my recollection. I don't know.

I personally sent it to everyone on the day of requesting. I received the addresses from Gladys.

You can forward that to me, that last year's one. I'd like to know what happened. I think the clerk knows. I don't think I've ever said no to a reasonable request for a proclamation. Of course, you can have one. As far as the presenting of it, I know now, this is the first time hearing this, I will be on an airplane on September 15th. Obviously any member of the commission is welcome to go and I will allow them to present my proclamation, or you can arrange to pick it up at city hall and have it at your event. So all you have to do is work with, once you contact me, we work with the clerk and she will tell you when it's ready. So it's not a big issue. And we obviously respect the fact that A very large portion of our population is Hispanic, and so is my lovely sister-in-law. So it's not an issue at all. All you have to do is ask, which now I know you have. So thank you very much. Thank you. Just email me. You can copy the clerk.

Okay.

Just to make sure. Gladys can follow up, and you'll have your, certainly, proclamation. We don't have a lot of time, so send it tonight. Thank you.

Thank you.

Okay, folks. Sorry.

Good evening.

I'll find out.

My name is Jorge Herrera-Dajer. My address is 20489 Northeast 34th Corp, Aventura, Florida. I am here to speak on the issue of the regulations of electric bicycles and scooters. I and other children my age, well, teenagers my age, are aspiring drivers. And we feel very unsafe on the streets of Aventura. Why? We see a lot of e-bikes and electric scooters speeding alongside us. These are not regular motorists. They are small. They can fit in between cars, and they take this to their advantage. I am also a biker almost every day on the Don Sofer exercise trail, where it is explicitly stated in posted signage that there are no motorized vehicles allowed. Yet these motorized vehicles, despite being electric, they are still motorized. constantly traverse this path that should be safe for mothers, children, bikers, pedestrians, and people who are actually following the rules posted. I am also a pedestrian. Like I said, I don't have my driver's license yet. So wherever I go, I need to walk. And sometimes I'm looking out for the cars and there are no cars coming. But out of nowhere, there will be this speeding bike rushing towards me and I have to either pull back or run forward. This should not be the case. Jackson Memorial Hospital, one of the largest hospital systems in South Florida, has also said that many of their hospitals, they receive one injured e-bike or electric scooter victim per week in their ER. The city of Aventura should champion to keep their citizens safe, the pedestrians, the riders of these vehicles, as well as their drivers. That is why I propose two possible solutions. One, keeping these vehicles on the road, but with stricter motorist regulations. They should have to follow the same rules that are there for motorcycles and cars. They cannot run a red light. They should not go forward. They should not turn where they're not allowed to, and they should follow posted signage. Or second, treating them like pedestrians, but they should also follow the posted signage. They should not be allowed on the Don Sofa exercise trail as they can endanger other people that are there following the rules. They should be allowed to go on our sidewalks, but at a decent speed. And if they wish to bypass a pedestrian, they should alert them either through a bell, an alarm, or using their own voice. I also propose that this should be done through stronger enforcement on our Aventura Police Department that has already championed many initiatives to make the city safer for pedestrians and owners of electric scooters and electric bikes. However, I believe that we can always do more to keep our city safer for aspiring drivers, bikers, and anyone else who wishes to translate our streets and sidewalks. Thank you.

Thank you. Are you speaking?

Hi, I would like to say a few things because I go to Don Sofer Aventura High School and I completely agree with what he says. There are many people and many students at my school that use e-bikes and it's very dangerous because we have a crosswalk and there are cars coming. And like he said, they just come out of nowhere. And I also agree that there shouldn't be e-bikers just coming out of nowhere or slowing cars down because if there are certain rules for e-bikers then it would cause less accidents to happen and it would make our community more safe thank you thank you so let me just briefly respond um do you follow me on instagram

um yes but i don't check my instagram very often i should be okay so if you scroll through my instagram mayor howard weinberg one word you'll see the videos that we did they're also at city of aventura on instagram and probably facebook and um We did videos. We are 100% in agreement with everything that you said. So we did one video that includes an ER doctor talking about the traumatic brain injuries. We did one where I lambasted the parents for being irresponsible for giving these e-motorcycles, e-dirt bikes. These are not e-bikes. Some of these are dirt bikes, like motorcycles that are not gas powered. That's the only difference. And they're more dangerous because you can't hear them. I'm a walker. We've had, what, Mr. Manager at least? seven or eight workshops where this is exactly what we discussed we do have a new ordinance we are enforcing i'm surprised you don't see that there's been a difference our police department and your your words were heard by our chief of police and our city manager okay i think twice a week they're doing special detail where they are confiscating these where they are fining where the parents have to pay a lot of money to get them back um if they're under 16 and don't have a helmet on there are now all kinds of rules on those ike smart boards you see we've posted it so we agree with you and we're looking for the best solution some people say put them in the street well then there's a risk of being hit by a car put them on the sidewalk what about the person pushing the stroller what about the person walking their dog what about me who can't hear them coming from behind me okay so There's no perfect solution, but we continue. It's a work in progress. We have, and you can meet with the manager and he'll even give you the numbers, how many we've confiscated, how many tickets have been issued, how many parents have had to pay money and how many we've taken off the street. We even had at least one arrest from someone that, you know, tried to escape. So it's a problem in every community. It's crazy. And one of the biggest things that handcuffs us is that Once again, the law has not caught up with the technology. So we're somewhat limited by Tallahassee state law in terms of what can be considered having to be registered as a motor vehicle and what isn't. And a lot of it depends on the power of the vehicle, which you can't really tell by seeing it drive past you. Our police are very good at it, but I certainly can't tell. Anyway, we're 100% with you. I can't tell you how many memos we've sent to your principal at Don Sofer telling him, please, No, but you go to Dunsover, right? Please tell your students, here are the new policies. Here is the ordinance in Aventura. We are working on it. Your feedback is important. But there's no one up here that disagrees with a single thing that you said, just so you know that. It's a huge problem. And again, I'm a walker, and it's dangerous. And nobody wants to see any of these kids hurt. But what about the pedestrians that are just walking or pushing a stroller or walking their dog? with a leash, it's very, very, very dangerous. And then there's the ones on the wheelies that cut in front of my car. And I don't know how many times I've called the manager and said, there's three wheelies going all the way down 29th Ave, all the way down and then 188th. I call that in as soon as I see it. So we're trying and we'll continue to tweak the ordinance. But I urge you to look at the videos we put out there. We had about 8,000 views on each one of them. We also got 400 helmets donated to us that our police officers kept in their vehicles to hand out to anyone under 16. So they can't say, I don't have one. Here it is. It costs you nothing. Wear this. You might save your life. Anyway, thank you. I appreciate the fact that you came here tonight. Thank you, Mayor. Go ahead.

I want to say, though, I do appreciate that you're not that much time on social media. It's really OK. And it's nice to see some of our youth aren't only on social media, but. I do want you to know the mayor was trying to share that we have been trying to get the messages out there. And you've just proven that's not the only ways for us to get the messages out there. It's not only social media. So thank you for bringing that to our attention.

Thank you. Hi, how are you?

Good evening. Mr. Vice Commissioner, Commissioners. Excuse me.

Talk right into the microphone or we'll be fine.

Yeah. Okay. My name is Karen Gurian. I know some of you from the luncheons. I'm from Point East. I live at 2910 Point East Drive, apartment M606. I'm here because of issues we're having on Mall Lake. We have issues that have occurred since West Marine opened. We have pollution. We have boats move closer to our property. We've had to put combination locks on our bathrooms at the pool. We've had to lock one of the gates at the pool. They are invading our privacy. There is piracy where they're stealing boats. I have a gentleman here who had a sailboat, a little sailboat. The first thing they did was steal his motor, and then they sunk his boat. This can't go on. We feel that there's some drug dealing going on at night. There's lights flashing between boats. There is one boat that comes in with a lot of motors on it and goes to one of the areas of Gretel's Park. And then that's during the night. And then the boats go around. And West Marina lets them put their dinghies on their beach. So that why they come closer because they want to get there. But we also have parts of boats floating on our seawall, cushions, buoys, doors. It's disgusting. And probably we have fecal material floating in there. We used to have a beautiful marine life. We don't see anything anymore. Just dirty water. Something has to be done. Behind our tractor, which is next to West Marine, we have vagrants living there. People jump off fence and come on our property. The other day, there were two boys arrested and handcuffed because they were going from door to door

ringing doorbells requesting money thank you thank you for coming um I visited yesterday I walked Mall Lake and um I agree the liveaboards are a problem they're a problem there they're a problem in Surfside, they're a problem in Miami Beach, they're a problem in Hollywood. They're not a value added to the community. I'm sure there's fecal matter. I'm sure there's garbage floating up on your seawall. I'm sure there's criminal activity and they're not paying any taxes. It's something that... I brought to the manager after I was there and I think he's on it. And I think, uh, I think our, you're also just told your story to our police chief and we do have a new vessel and the Marine patrol vessel. And, um, I think, you know, it's something that should be coordinated with. more than one jurisdiction, right? Mall Lake is not, most of it's not Aventura, am I correct? Most of it, I think North Miami Beach, but we need to get with them. And I think the managers indicated that we're gonna make an effort. So, and you're more than welcome to meet with him anytime, but I'm with you. It's not easy. And I don't know how far the law allows, I don't know what crosses the line into criminal activity, but I know it's been a topic discussed many times in Tallahassee

I wonder how many are illegal.

Yeah, well, it's another good question. So it's good you came because in the first person, our chief just heard it, our manager just heard it. So they're on it. They can't tell you, ooh, that's a look you're giving him. Yep, that's him. So he hears it. He hears you, believe me. And that's it. That's a problem area for sure. The water is the soft underbelly of our security, in my opinion, because we are a community surrounded by water. And so there's no gates, right? There's no gates. You need a gate to drive into most of our communities, but there's the water right there. So thank you. And let's see what we're able to do about it. Yes.

We're already aware of it and making and working on the issue, but we'll meet with the chief here, we'll meet with her after the meeting and get some additional details.

Stick around. After. Thank you.

I just wanted to add, I think the mayor explained it to you. I know, hi, Commissioner Friedland, we've met before. I just wanted to add, I think the mayor explained it and then the chief will further, but the Little Mall Lake does fall within the city of Aventura grounds in our city limits. The majority of Big Mall Lake is touching up against North Miami Beach, maybe even unincorporated Dade County. We don't have full jurisdiction over that entire large mall lake. But I know that we definitely want to protect our residents and our waterways as much as we can. So I'm sure they'll work with you. Thank you for bringing this to our attention.

Thank you, Rachel.

Any other member of the public wish to speak? Seeing none, I'll close public comment. Any other business? Anyone have anything to say up here? Yes.

I just have a very simple question. The future meeting, our meeting on the 15th, our calendar invites at 5 p.m. This says 6 p.m. Is it at 5 or 6?

The meeting is actually at 5.01 p.m., but the calendar invite was sent out for 5 p.m.

Right. Correct. Okay. Yes. Okay, anything else? If not, I need a motion to adjourn. Commissioner Freeland, seconded by Commissioner Bloom. All those in favor, say aye. Aye. Any opposed? We're adjourned.