Community Redevelopment Agency - Regular Meeting

Top of the morning to everyone. As soon as the clerk tells me we're ready, we'll go ahead and call the meeting to order. Susan, good morning. Are we ready? All right, top of the morning, everyone. Today is September 2nd, 2026. Happy to see all of you here for our CRA meeting. Looking forward to this agenda. Let's go ahead and start with the Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty Let's activate the microphones here, and then we'll hit roll call. Go ahead.

Board Member Shuham? Here. Board Member Hernandez? Here. Board Member Gruber?

Here.

Board Member Biederman? Here. Board Member Quintana? Vice Chair Kalari?

Here.

Chair Levy.

Here. Thank you. I know that Board Member Quintana is on her way, will probably arrive momentarily. Let's go ahead with any conflict disclosures today. If none, then let's go ahead to 9 a.m. citizens' comments. So if you're a member of the public or any person here and you'd like to speak to the board regarding any CRA business, you have an opportunity to grab a comment card from Lisa right there, and we'll give you an opportunity to speak. So if you haven't, please go ahead and fill out a card, and we'll call you in the order that we have them. Let's go ahead and invite Claudia Villatoro here up with the Villatoro Global Foundation, followed by Bob Glickman, Jesse Hernandez, and Christine Monealo. Claudia, welcome.

Thank you.

You might have to turn on the mic there on the button down there. How are you? You might have to turn the mic on with the little button there. There we go.

Good morning.

My name is Claudia Villatoro, and I'm the CEO and founder of VillatorosGlobalFoundation.org. We fight child trafficking. So I'm organizing the nonpolitical community event against human trafficking. at the Arts Park at the Young Circle on Saturday, January 30, 2027. I have this. I got this permit about a month ago. But after I talked to Josh, to Mayor Levy, we talked about other opportunities maybe in another place. Our purpose is simple. raise awareness, protect children, and give families information that can help prevent exploitation. Our purpose is simple. raise awareness, protect children, and gave families information that can help prevent exploitation. I'm sorry, I'll repeat that. The event will be open to the public, and it will bring together community leaders, future speakers, elected officials, live music, food trucks, and local partners. Because the event will take place at the Artson Park in downtown CRA district. and there is no admission charge, I respectfully ask to guidance on the proper process to explore possibility CRA and city support. I am not asking the board to make a decision today. I am asking for a brief follow-up meeting with the appropriate staff and discuss eligible promotion, coordination, sponsorship, and a kind of assistance and, if possible, the support under the city and CRA policies. I have brought one copy, one page, an event summary, and a flyer for your review. Thank you for your time in helping and protecting children and strengthen our community.

Thank you, Claudia. Looking forward to the event and participating. Yes, sir. Let me recognize Board Member Hernandez. Go ahead. Thank you, Claudia.

You're asking to see how we can support you. The question that I have is, have you received the prize from Parks and Recs?

Yes, I'm aware of that.

What is that prize?

$10,000 to start.

Okay, and we'll get with staff, see what we can do regarding something like, this is a non-profit, non-political, this is not an event.

Non-political.

It's not a concert or anything like that.

Just to create awareness with the citizens. Okay, thank you. Yeah.

Thank you. Thank you, Claudia.

Thank you.

And I connected her with Ricky Engel and Chris O'Brien and the police department to kind of coordinate. You know, it's an important public message.

Oh, I agree. I agree. That's the reason I asked. What was the event about and, you know, whatever we can do to help.

Thank you so much to all of you. Have a great day. Thank you, Claudia.

Bob Glickman, please come on up, followed by Jesse Hernandez. Bob's got his friends from DOT here. It's a big morning.

Good morning. Bob Glickman, Hollywood Beach. I would agree with what the previous speaker just said, and I hope you support her fully. A couple of things. What brings me out here today is a couple of things about A1A that I'd like to talk about, and then something else. But on A1A, you have some of the blue and white paver crosswalks. Those need to be cleaned. The roadway traffic just makes them black. It just blends in with the road. It's not good. Some of the trees along A1A are still dying from the water coming up. And as long as we have our friends here from FDOT, A1A and Sheridan Street is a real problem. It's a real bottleneck. Traffic can't get through the way they have it. They don't have workers working on those areas all at one time. They're jumping from area to area for the pump stations instead of having people working at each area. So there's many times you drive by there all day long and there's nobody working. And it's just not right. And you can't get through. Cars are being backed up a mile down A1A south and trying to head east over the bridge. They're all the way back to Westlake Village. and you just can't get through with the configuration that they have. And I would just hope that they can open up that bottleneck somehow and make things a lot better for not only the residents, but the visitors and the businesses, because some of the businesses are suffering, and we can't get people across to come. So that becomes very problematic. One other thing I'd like to talk about is, not FDOT this time, but there was a meeting of the, a joint meeting of the historic and planning board back in June, and there was a land use element that they voted on. And I chaired that meeting, and I have a concern that that was not a planning board meeting, that that was a joint meeting. And my concern is if I'm asked to sign minutes, I'm the secretary of the planning board, I have a concern that it wasn't really a planning board meeting, and I'm going to be asked to sign those minutes. I've been asking city staff, where does it say that you can have a joint meeting and pull some of the members out of that joint meeting and have a vote on something? All of the planning board members were not invited to that meeting. Because it was a joint meeting, only five of the nine members could attend. So it truly wasn't a planning board meeting where we heard something. So I would just like for somebody to show me in black and white where that was an actual meeting. And so I have a comfort level of being able to sign minutes. If I'm putting my name on something, I want to make sure that it's accurate. And that's the reason. So that's what I'm asking again. I'm coming before this body to ask. I've asked various departments within the city, and it was advertised as a joint meeting, and I just have a concern about it. So I just want to bring it to your attention and see if something can be done. Thank you.

Thank you. Let's call Board Member Shuham.

Bob, real quick, I just want to make sure I understand. Are you asking for something from our legal department to establish that notice of a joint meeting constitutes legal notice of the local planning authority that voted that night?

Yes.

Okay. Damaris, can you please provide us with that interpretation one way or the other? Yes. Thank you.

Thank you. All right. Let's go to Jesse Hernandez. And Christine . Hello there. And Melina . Good morning.

Good morning, vice mayor, commissioners, city staff. We are here representing the Hispanic Affairs Council. And we want to give you a quick update about the event. I know that we send the invitation, but we want to invite all of you to participate in the parade of flags. Not to sing.

We're not going to sing.

Not to sing, but you can dance. And we're going to have schools representing 20 countries. And we're going to make a small parade of flags. And we would like you guys to join the parade. It's going to start at 3 PM sharp. And then at 4 o'clock, we're going to have the presentation of the electoral officials at the consulates. We invite them to the event as well. So I hope you can participate. You can choose the country you want to represent. And you can dress accordingly.

I'll take Colombia.

We can do that. Yeah.

But I love all the Latin American countries and Central America.

And just to piggyback, there are a bunch of the different embassies that have been invited. And so far, we have confirmation from at least two or three of the countries that will be coming to the event. So it would be great for you guys to be able to meet them as well. And it's just very exciting that we're able to bring this. And of course, Melina will be singing.

Yes.

And we have a lot of business support. We have all our sponsors. So we are very excited. And business and the community are willing to participate and support our idea, bringing together our heritage. And we are looking forward for October 10.

Great, I see the La Casita Tropical logo there. Those guys can help get the word out.

Can I say all the sponsors? Well, we start with City of Hollywood, La Casita Tropical, Coffee Cold, Ace Pump and Supply, GLG Government Law Firm, GTI Trucking, Reaction Realty, Miramar Bakery, Key Foods, Deborah Gutierrez Realtor, and The Club at Emerald Hills. So we are very excited with all these sponsors and we are very confident that we're going to have an excellent event.

We have an amazing group of

We have an amazing group of artists that are going to be with us representing Venezuela, Colombia, Puerto Rico, Cuba, almost every Latin American country, Peru. And it's going to be something really special that nobody in South Florida has. So we put something together for you here at the City of Hollywood that is very unique. So we hope that you guys can come and witness this amazing lineup of artists. We have young, young artists, and we have older artists. We have included everyone. So we're really proud of the production that we have made.

So thank you. Sounds like there'll be some good food there, too.

Yeah. Yes, always.

Board Member Hernandez, please. Thank you, Mayor. I only have one rhetorical question. She said 3 o'clock sharp. Is that Latin time? No. That's Christina, I believe.

It's 3 o'clock sharp. The thing is, we have so many artists, and we don't want to get late. So we want to start at 3 o'clock with the Parade of Nations. That's why I'm saying. We're going to have participation of high schools, middle school, all these local schools. The students are going to be there holding the flags, representing the countries.

And also, we have an art exhibit that's being headed up by Alejandra, who Does all the art stuff. And she has commissioned some great artists. And there's going to be a pavilion just dedicated to artists from South and Central America. So the point is, is that we have jammed so much into a short time. I mean, some of these people, like the Peruvian singer is an older gentleman. who's won like an OT award, Ecuadorian, I'm sorry, an OT award. We have like a child protege from Colombia that's going to be doing vallenato. It's not going to be salsa only. It's going to be really representative of all these countries. So there's so much that if you really get there late, you're really going to miss out because it's a lot.

October 10th. October 10th. Everybody's coming up. Very exciting. We're looking forward to hearing all the promotions from CMED and also from any media partners that you might have, radio stations. I mean, I would think this would be something that all of South Florida should know about and learn about.

Yeah, and CMED, and I have to say, CMED has really risen to the occasion. The Arts Park staff, too. Like, it's such a collaboration, and it's so beautiful to see. the interlacing of all the departments in Hollywood rising up to do this. So we are very, very, very grateful for all the support and everything everybody is doing.

I love it. Thank you for the initiative, Vice Chair Kaleri.

Thank you, Mayor. Just out of curiosity, and it kind of like sparks the interest of raising the flags of all the countries that are participating as a United Nations, kind of like a consulate. I don't know if that's something that we can do also, but just to represent each country and put the flags around, I think would be really exciting.

No, we are doing that.

And that represents the city of Hollywood because we're such a mixed and diverse community that perhaps we can keep them year-round.

I love it.

Oh, OK. So that would be great. We wanted to do the Parade of Nations in order to represent all the nations. But if we wanted to get the flags up that day at the arts park, that'd be great. How would we do that?

Well, the thing is, we have flags. Maybe not so soon. Flag falls along the stage. So we have flags that all of, we are going to have like 20 kids from each school representing different countries. So when they do the Parade of Nations, they will Now, if there's something else that can be done on a grander scale that's beyond our ability to do, that would be great.

I think that's what the vice mayor is talking about, if we could go around the park and actually have the different flags in different countries. But that's something that the commissioner would take up at some point. That would be a great exposure for the city.

Well, maybe they can get it done. That's on them. So the pressure's on you, you know, if you can get that done.

Looking forward to an amazing event. Thank you all.

Thank you very much.

All right. Thank you, thank you. All right, that's awesome. So that completes citizen comments, everyone. Onto our regular agenda today. We have items five, six, and seven, and eight. Let's go ahead with item five, a resolution of the CRA approving minutes of the regular CRA meeting of July 7, 2026. Motion from Vice Chair Kaleri, second from Board Member Quintana to approve item five. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed? Hearing none, the item carries unanimously. go ahead to item six then item six the resolution of the cra authorizing the cra to execute an amendment to the burkhart construction and contract for installation of and utilities relocation of the new surf road right-of-way to increase the contract amount of the construction cost of phase four undergrounding by roughly 900 000 and change and further authorizing the cra to execute all applicable agreements and documents necessary to implement the project Let's go ahead and just hear from the executive director or staff about this incremental increase in the contract amount.

Yes, so this is specific to the relocation of Surf Road in the area of a development project, which we have a settlement agreement on that required the developer to pay for the relocation of Surf Road that was sought. And so we're in the course of doing that work right now. It makes sense for Burkhart to do the work. They gave us a guaranteed maximum price for that work. And so item six is essentially the change order for that amount. And then item seven is the development agreement, which secures the reimbursement for that amount from the Pride project development. And so... These are somewhat companion items, but just so that you understand the interplay of those two.

We'd like reimbursement. Yes. Are there any speaker cards on item six or seven? No. All right, so let's go ahead to the queue. Let's go with Board Member Hernandez on item six.

Thank you, Mayor. This is basically, as the city manager stated, a wash. We put the money up, and then we get the money back. Motion to approve.

We have a motion to approve and a second from Board Member Biederman. Let's go to Board Member Shuham.

Thank you, Chair. In my one-on-ones, I had asked for confirmation that the funding agreement fully indemnified and protected the city and the CRA should there be any problems during construction, before or after construction, and proper insurance provided by the developer. Has that research been done?

We did look at it. And what we determined was that it is the city doing the work, or it is rather the CRA who is undertaking the work. And indemnification would not be appropriate here because we are the ones who are doing the work. So they're not going to indemnify the CRA for work that we have undertaken and we are controlling. So they are providing monies to cover the cost of that work. However, they are not indemnifying the work that we are controlling.

But we are doing it this way, in essence, as a service. And were we not doing work in the area right now, they would be contracting directly with someone to relocate these utilities. So if there is any problem, which there won't be, I'm sure, because Burkhart's amazing, but I think that it should be more than a transfer of funds. I think it should be treated as if. They, the developer, is doing the work. We are providing a convenience, but I don't think that the exposure to the CRA in the city should be increased as a result of that convenience, unless I'm misunderstanding.

Well, let me just add, I imagine Burkhart, of course, is insured, right, and has its own guarantees and representations and warranties of the work that they do. So I think from that perspective, it sounds, you know, obviously we're covered in the same way that we're covered for all of the work that Burkhart is doing in Phase 4. So.

I mean, I don't agree. Let's say Burkhart then says this wasn't our fault, this was the city's fault. You know, I just think that the developer is being put into a better position than if they were to have done the work themselves and If you're all okay with that, that's one thing I I wanted assurances that that wasn't the case that through the funding agreement those Exposures were protected by the developer and you're telling me that it's just a pure transfer of dollars That's correct.

We are as the mayor as the chair board chair has stated that There is indemnification by the contractor for their work, but there is no indemnification by the developer.

I mean, I can foresee issues where there is a disparity between the developer, the city, and the contractor. But the developer will have no dog in the fight because of how this is set up. So that's my concern.

Thank you. Let's go to Vice Chair Kaleri with any comments.

Just out of curiosity, does this have lessons learned from this lawsuit and development? It was a Burt Harris Act, correct? Does this have any ramification or future vision, I guess, enlightenment of what's the future with Live Local enactment on our central beach?

Our office has not examined that or analyzed that specifically, but we can certainly take a look at it and every place that we can garner information or otherwise learn and better protect the city, we endeavor to do.

So I think that that would be something that we should do prior to September 8th, which is right around the corner, when we will be discussing the beach overlay in Central Beach. I think it's very important to know that. I've done a little bit of research myself. amongst the 500 pages and I think that this would be a valuable tool to help educate and inform our residents of what could be if we don't protect ourselves. Thank you.

Thank you. We have a motion and a second to approve item 6. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed? Hearing 1. Item passes 6-1. All right. Then let's go ahead to that companion item. This is the funding agreement with Pride Hollywood Beach LLC for the reimbursement of the $903,000 and change associated with the construction of the cost of the relocation. We have a motion from Board Member Hernandez, a second from Vice Chair Kaleri. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed? Hearing 1, the item passes 6-1. All right, on to item number 6, ladies and gentlemen. We're happy to have some folks here from DOT. This is a presentation of the Hollywood CRA summarizing the traffic engineering findings by Marlin Engineering for the feasibility of adding a mid-block pedestrian crossings along State Road A1A between Johnson and Sheridan Street. Welcome. Go ahead, Executive Director.

Thank you, Board Chair. We have Eric Katz with us from Marlin Engineering. We also have Jonathan Overton from FDOT and some other folks who have been involved. Our other consultant working on projects along A1A, Matt Fertzer with Kimley Horn, and then also Victor Zarzula. from FDOT, the contractor working on some of the drainage improvements. So we certainly appreciate all the folks being here today and looking forward to this presentation.

Thank you. Good morning. My name is Eric Katz. I'm with Marlin Engineering, now IMEG. I'm a transportation planner, deputy project manager for this project, and I will be providing the results of the A1A mid-block pedestrian crossing study. So for the agenda, I'll provide a brief overview of the project, provide the existing conditions of the study area, details about our project approach, the findings of the crosswalk analysis, our final recommendations, and then happy to take any of your questions. So for the project overview, this is working with the Hollywood Community Redevelopment Agency. And the purpose is to identify potential locations where mid-block pedestrian crossings can be installed, controlled by rectangular rapid flashing beacons, also known as RRFBs, and to be in accordance with the Florida Department of Transportation, who owns and manages A1A, and also to be in accordance with the Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices, also understood as the MUTCD. So the study area is one mile long.

It is along A1A, also known as Jimmy Buffett Memorial Highway, bounded by Sheridan Street to the north, Johnson Street to the south.

This is a context classification of a C4 general urban that relates to the actual characteristics of the roadway and the surrounding land use. It has a consistent speed limit of 35 miles per hour and an average annual daily traffic of about 24,000 vehicles per day. This is a four-lane divided urban coastal facility with raised medians scattered throughout the corridor. There are various types of existing transit, bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure along this segment, as well as various pedestrian generators and attractors, also known as destinations that can attract consistent pedestrian activity on a daily basis. So for the next level of the project was to do actual data collection, going out into the field, collecting data. So first was to collect traffic data. This was a combination of pedestrian and bicycle volume data, as well as traffic counts and speed data. So that graphic there that you see to the right, you'll see 10 orange horizontal segments. Those are the analysis zones in which we put in our traffic sensors. Those represent the blue dots that were analyzing those zones. And those were the potential areas that were under consideration for future mid-block crosswalks. In addition to the traffic data collection, we had various field visits in which we were identifying raised medians. That's important because for cost savings, we're using existing infrastructure that could be modified that will be future refuge islands for pedestrians. We took note of existing and potential traffic signals coming along this segment, and we made sure that any potential crossings had to have a 300-foot buffer from the nearest intersection or crossing. Also, we did crash analysis. We looked at bicycle pedestrian crashes happening along the corridor for the past five years. All those factors come into play in regard to developing the crosswalk analysis. So here we have some of the results in regard to pedestrian generators and attractors. You can see the one-mile corridor. You can see the 10 analysis zone segments in orange. And all those blue dots represent significant pedestrian generators and attractors. To the north end, you have the Broward County North Beach Park. To the south end, you have the very popular Margaritaville Resorts. And in between, you have an assortment of hotels, motels, condominiums, restaurant, bars, pocket parks. And of course, running along parallel of the whole segment is the very popular Hollywood Beach Broadwalk. and Hollywood Beach. Overall, we know this is a very vibrant segment of the corridor. It has a lot of all ages and abilities that use this corridor, so it should be anticipated that there are all ages and abilities using this corridor morning, daytime, nighttime, and weekends on a consistent basis. In regard to transit, pedestrian and bicycle facilities existing, the purple dashed line represents the broad walk that is a very popular shared use path. It does have delineations for bicycles, pedestrians, and numerous types of micro mobility devices that utilize it consistently. We have transit route four. Those are the blue icons that go up and down A1A. There are dual sidewalks as well as a combination of bike lanes and share roads throughout that corridor. Regarding crash data, for the past five years, we were able to identify a total of eight crashes that occurred with bicycles and pedestrians along that corridor. The green dots and the yellow dots represent bicycle and pedestrian crashes that had serious injuries, and we did have one unfortunate fatality that occurred around McKinley Street, and that is the red icon. So taking all those factors into account, it was what created the crosswalk analysis findings. So we did identify all the medians, all the major pedestrian generators. When we did our bicycle pedestrian volume counts, it was location one to the north end of the study segment and location 10 to the south end that had the most consistent bicycle pedestrian activity while data collection was happening. Again, factor in that the traffic data was consistent with order traffic online. past five years of traffic data, crashes, all together takes the ten initial segments that were under analysis and the four that we have proposed to move forward for implementation is location one, SRA1A from Thomas Street to New Hampshire Street. Location 4, Missouri Street to Coolidge Street. Location 8, Cleveland Street to Connecticut Street. And then finally, location 10, Grant Street to Minnesota Street. And you can see there on the graphic all the segments. I'm now going to go one by one, taking a closer look at each one of those locations. starting with the north end, A1A Thomas Street to New Hampshire Street. That orange segment is the analysis zone that we looked at. You can see the existing median, and then you can see the green bar represents the potential crosswalk. The red bars represent the driveways. That was a consistent challenge in this study. There's a lot of access management to be aware of regarding this segment. So we really had to work hard on finding that ideal sweet spot. So for this location, you can see we're avoiding driveways and we're using the existing median. And that is what it looks like. Here is an existing conditions photo of what the site looks like today. Here's a bird's eye view of the segment. Again, the orange is the analysis zone, and then the green is the sweet spot. Moving on to location four. Again, you can see the analysis zone that we looked at. And then this will be the first of the next three will all be consistent. These are two-stage crosswalks, which have two benefits. One, it helped us regarding our challenge with the driveways so that we can avoid driveways. And also there's an added safety benefit. This precludes someone from darting across all five lanes of the crosswalk. It makes them stop midway, take refuge, change a little bit of direction, and then keep going. So that is what this alignment looks like for this location. While we are using an existing median for this alignment, it will require the median to be extended approximately seven feet. So we do make note of that in the report. This is the existing conditions photo of that location right now. You can see the median and you can see right there, there's that temporary traffic control, which looks to be about seven feet. That's already occupying that space. Here's the overhead view. And then moving on to location eight, Cleveland Street to Connecticut Street, here again you can see the analysis zone, the median that was identified, and then the same two-stage crosswalk approach for this location. And then this is one that we actually have a rendering for, so I'm now going to show this is the existing condition of that location. And then here is a rendering of what it could look like. So you could see the stop bars that have been added. You could see the signage. You could see the crosswalk itself. You could see the median has now turned into a refuge island. And then on the crosswalk, signs themselves, you can barely see them. But at the RFP, the rectangular flashing beacons are on those yellow signs. Here's the overhead view. And then the final location, location 10, you can see the analysis zone, the median itself, and then again another two-stage crosswalk, which helped us again avoid all the driveway conflicts. But that is the Fourth site, this is in existing conditions, but this is a Google Earth image. But when we had our roadway engineer walking the field, she did take note that that fixture in the median and that tree are actually not there anymore. So that helps, as those would have to be removed. But she confirmed that those are not there. Here is the aerial of that location. And those were the four locations that moved forward. So these locations qualify traffic engineering criteria and preliminary design criteria. There will have to be deeper levels of analysis before this can move forward into full installation. There will have to be additional outreach with community, with community associations, property owners, more countywide review and coordination, more coordination with FDOT. And then an actual final feasibility and design analysis, which will provide detailed cost estimates and timelines regarding construction. That is the presentation. I'd like to thank Mr. Rick Meitinger, project manager for this project, and Myra Pitino, the consultant project manager with Marlin. She couldn't be here today, but I'm happy to take any questions. Thank you, executive director.

I just wanted to highlight a couple of things. And I think that the presentation hopefully gave you a good idea of this. This has been a conversation that's been taking place for some period of time, as each of you know. And it really came up last fall when there was a discussion of a changing sentiment where these mid-block crossings really could be accommodated and that FDOT was more open to considering them if they met certain criteria. And so really, this study was to understand whether or not we had locations that could meet the criteria. And so we appreciate all of the analysis that's gone into that and present that to you. It is important for you to know right now that, as you heard, this is the first step in this process. And we don't have any crosswalks currently funded or proposed to be funded at this point. This is part of the discussion this morning. The proposal is that there are four areas that could accommodate this. It may not be that you want to do all four, or you may want to do them in phases. You may want to see. So those are just some of the things that I think are important to consider.

And though, Raelynn, obviously with FDOT, I know that they've Been in touch with Marlin, and they've reviewed this. Preliminarily, everything looks achievable, correct?

Yes, that has been part of the coordination is to understand that these are locations that with the right engineering controls, the right reconfiguration of the median, and that type of thing that would be able to be permitted. Obviously, we're several steps away from actually applying for a permit, but that's the

Would the gentleman from FDOT like to come up and say anything for traveling down to Hollywood? From Commercial Boulevard?

Good morning, commissioners. My name is Jonathan Overton. I am the district traffic operations engineer for FDOT. Right. Thank you for the invitation to speak a bit. My main reason really for being here is to express support for these four locations. As the gentleman mentioned, there are probably some design details to make sure that things like pedestrian ramps fit within the right of way. Got to make sure that that's possible. So a little bit of ground truthing here to make sure. But the concepts that were presented we're OK with. And then my office specifically is responsible for authorizing crosswalks, things like crosswalks, which is a traffic control device. And really, what we're really trying to do at the end of the day is accommodate them safely, making sure that they're in the safest place on the road possible, both for pedestrians and for the motorists. Motorists need to see the pedestrians. Pedestrians need to see the cars coming, that sort of thing.

So yeah. Thank you for joining us in this mission to have a safe crosswalk opportunity on A1A. And thank you for being here. It may be that one of our board members might have questions as we discuss. Sure. Thank you so much. OK. We do have one speaker car. Let's go ahead, and then I'll call all the board members who would like to speak. Let's go ahead to Bob Wickman. Bob, this could be a hallelujah for you, you know? I know you've been talking about this for years, but are you happy?

Of course I'm happy. I'm very happy. How could you not be happy? I've been pushing this for 20 years. Before most of you were even... Before you had a white beard, everybody. So of course, this is a great thing. And we just hope that you can go through with it. But I have a few questions about that and a couple of concerns. Number one, you have a traffic light at Scott Street, proposed traffic light there. Nobody wants that traffic light there. That's one area of the North Central Beach area where you have more units, probably close to 300 units compacted into that one little area. So they would desperately want on that street this crosswalk. It's my understanding from previous meetings that we've had with both Marlin and DOT that if you have a traffic light there, you have to space out the crosswalks much greater. Crosswalks can't be close to traffic lights. That's what they've said in the past. I don't know if that's correct or not anymore, but that's what was said. So like at Scott Street, And if you can pull up page seven, I think it was, they show traffic lights on there. Nobody ever came out and spoke to any of the residents there if they wanted traffic lights or anything else. There has been no outreach. Of course, Rich Chapazian and I have met with these people many times. And we've met with DOT many times. We're thankful that they've responded to us. And we've been to Tallahassee a couple of times in order to keep this thing moving forward. But our concern is You have proposed traffic lights there. If you may never put them in, we'd rather have a crosswalk there with these hybrid beacons. You have probably 500 people living in that one little enclave from all the little buildings that are there, the new buildings across the street, the Quint, the Sky Harbor. You've got Yacht Harbor there. You have my building, Hollywood Towers. Just to the north of us, you've got four or five other buildings. So in that area, we would like that. We love the idea of mid-block crosswalks with a safe crossing area. And this is what we want. We would like to keep pushing forward with this. We appreciate everything staff has done. I know Ray Lynn has taken over when George Keller was here. And Chris O'Brien got us started all over again a couple of years ago to keep pushing this thing forward. And yes, we're very happy about it. The residents want it. This is something that we've been asking for for over 20 years. And we just want to keep moving forward with this. But we would like you to consider not putting in the traffic lights where they're located, because it spaces out the crosswalks more. So if you can reevaluate that when you do that, and they come back to the community, and hopefully they come to the individual buildings that are there as well, not just come to the civic associations, because they don't represent the buildings. So if you can come and meet with some of the residents that live in these buildings, we're happy to host you. We're happy to hear what you have to say. But yes, we're in favor of mid-block crosswalks. We'd like them all up and down A1A. It's for everybody's safety and benefit. And we appreciate it being on the agenda for today. And let's go get them.

Thank you, Bob. Let's go ahead to Board Member Hernandez.

Bob, I got a question for you, if I may. And then I have a question for our engineer. Yes, sir. Now, you don't particularly want the traffic light on Scott Street, correct?

That's correct.

But let me ask you something. Doesn't that doubles as a crosswalk if you need to cross the street? Wouldn't that have the way of being able to do that if we press the button? So, in other words, you're complaining because maybe the traffic, it'll slow down, but at the end of the day, it could also serve, it could also double as a crosswalk. Would it not?

Not necessarily, because you have all of the cars coming in and out of the street. And I'm afraid when you have the traffic light, it's going to set the traffic light off much more frequently. From our building, depending on which side of the street they put the traffic light on, it will impede people coming in and out of the building. So if you're going to make a right turn and the light is on that side of the building, Every time you go up there, it's going to set it up, and it's going to make the light change to red for all the traffic going up and down A1A. The other concern is the closeness to the bridge. Okay, we're very close to the Sheridan Street Bridge. It backs up the traffic over the bridge, and our big concern is if that light stays red, people on the west side of A1A can't get out of their driveways. The traffic will be backed up and over the bridge and make it worse than it is currently today.

Okay, I understand what you're saying, but that's more of an in-depth answer than what you said originally, that it would just space out the mid-block crosswalks, because it could also double as a crosswalk. Now, you're talking about an engineering feat that I have no clue, and you live there, so you get to see it, so I yield to you when it comes to that, but as far as the other one, being able to cross the street, I don't really have an issue having the light there if it's warranted, but I'm not... I'm not taking anything away from what you said. I get your point. And so I understand that. Thank you, Bob. Thank you. I have a question for the engineer. The mediums that we're talking about that you mentioned about extending, is that going to impede anyone from making a left turn from a driveway when you do this? Do you know?

According to our preliminary findings, no. And we also did meet with police and fire who wanted to make sure, they wanted to make sure that access was not going to be having any issues and they did not have any objections.

Okay, because that's the other question that I have, but thank you for answering that. I would ask for support from the board and give direction to our executive director to actually set aside funding for this project if you could have an estimate cost or something like that. The beach CRA is going to be sunsetting at some point. And the way things have been going, you never know how long this is going to be. Yet if we have the funding set aside for a particular project, we are able to maintain that funding for future expense. So I would ask support for that. Okay, so this way you can actually set aside, get an estimate of what the funding would be for something like this and have it ready for when the projects are ready to be shovel ready. So that's my great, great presentation. Thank you for DOT for being here. Bob, thank you for voicing your concerns, and I'm sure that they'll hear that and there'll be some more conversation regarding that. I think the concern that Bob has had notoriously in the past is the traffic at Sheridan Street. and the fact that it backs up traffic not only to his building but other buildings as well. But we have a larger need when it comes to the community. So I would like to take his comments into consideration when it comes to that. Thank you so much. We'll take note of that.

Thank you.

Thank you. All right, Vice Chair Kaleri.

Yes, thank you so much. So the traffic light that we've heard so much about on Scott Street was implemented for crosswalk purposes as well. So do we still need to have that traffic light there is my question.

Executive Director, I think maybe further analysis, but go ahead.

So the traffic light at Scott Street is not in place.

There is no traffic light there currently. No, no, I know, but we've been setting stage for it. Right. So we have just the infrastructure there. And of course, there is a commercial lot that you see just south of Scott Street there between Scott and Missouri Street that is zoned for commercial development and We understand that there will be a hotel, that that will be sort of one of our landmark sites, to use a term from the proposed beach overlay zoning. So that was the original analysis and thought that in the future, a light may be warranted at that location. I don't believe that under current standards warrants that it is warranted at this moment in time. And it's not funded at this moment in time. So it is an option that we have the conduit there. And we could pursue it if we found that there was a need in the future. as part of the A1A improvements. The underground infrastructure is kind of there for it, but that's really not all. As of right now, we don't have to move forward with implementing contracts.

So I think that, you know, my saying is always find a solution, and the squeaky wheel gets the oil, all of that. So kudos to you, Bob, for constantly, and your other member that has come several times. Rich Chapazian. Correct. You know, it warrants itself. My only question is comparison. Like, I'd like to see an analogy of how much it is going to cost for the implementation of putting a signal light and the maintenance versus the crosswalk, which I think is going to be substantially less, but not with all the crosswalks, just in that area. And, you know, it makes it, I feel, a little bit more... public friendly to have these crosswalks instead of the traffic lights. So I'm in favor of it. I would like to ask just by the presentation, I know it's just the beginning preliminary, but THE FLASHING LIGHT PORTION SO THAT IT BRINGS AWARENESS BECAUSE AT NIGHTTIME OR EVEN DURING THE DAY WHEN YOU HAVE THAT FLASHING LIGHT, IT DOES CAUSE THE DRIVERS TO SLOW DOWN. WOULD THAT BE SOMETHING THAT WE'RE GOING TO INCORPORATE BECAUSE THE PRESENTATION DIDN'T SHOW THAT?

YES, ALL THESE WERE CONSIDERING RFB MID-BLOCK CROSSWALKS.

WITH THE FLASHING LIGHTS. YES. OKAY, PERFECT. ALL RIGHT.

THANK YOU. BOARD MEMBER SHUHAM.

Thank you. I want to thank Marlon and FDOT. Jonathan, a huge thank you. This is something that obviously our residents and our board has talked about for a very long time, and good things come to those who wait. So we appreciate your willingness to be more open-minded about these things. It's a unique stretch in between the ocean and the intercoastal where we just have pedestrians crossing these streets all day. And I agree with Bob. I mean, the more the better. These locations have been identified for now, but as things develop on the west side, we're going to have more people. And they're just walking across to the beach, and they're not going to walk up, you know, five blocks to do so. They're just going to continue to cross where there is no crosswalk. So hopefully this is a start. I had mentioned during my one-on-ones that while this is a CRA analysis of south of Sheridan, we do have points north of Sheridan, particularly at Tiki Tiki, where this would be very beneficial. And so I would just ask as we move forward that we not limit ourselves and somehow come up with a way to proceed beyond that. the CRA boundary so that we get the benefit of cost efficiencies. And the only other comment that I have is bus stops. I know in front of the Quint, there is a bus stop there. And I'm sure there's relationships that are better or worse for where a crosswalk should be in conjunction with a bus stop. And the bus stop can shift. Yours seems to be more of a challenge than where the bus stop would be. But I would just ask staff, as we move forward, to coordinate where the bus stops are with where these crosswalks are going. And I think down by Billy's and Gigi's, there's traffic lights there. So those are non-issues. But tiki-tiki on the north end of A1A is a very dangerous situation right now. So thank you. And we're very excited about this.

Thank you. Board Member Quintana.

Thank you, Chair. I just tapped in to say that I'm very much in support of what's being proposed. And just Bob Glipman mentioned about community outreach. And as I heard it, you said that hasn't happened yet, but that it's in your plans. And so just to make sure that that's on the record, that community outreach will happen and input will be taken so that everyone knows what's coming. And then I mentioned it in my one-on-ones that I saw some pretty scary things when I was recently on A1A in terms of the truck deliveries. And just wanting to get clarification on what's supposed to happen because definitely our visitors are just walking across the street baby stroller In the middle of the street with a truck delivery obstructing the sidewalk And so once just the whole idea about safety on the beach with so many people there In such a small space is something that I think is the right direction for us to go and Thank You Bob

Thank you. Board Member Biederman.

I, too, am excited that persistence pays off, Bob. I just want to point out that Liberty Street was spelled wrong.

Thank you.

I will fix that. Thank you. Sorry about that. Otherwise, great presentation, Marlon. OK.

Well, everybody else said that. I don't want to repeat.

Thank you. All right. Well, thank you all so much for your comments. Thank you to Board Member Hernandez for requesting support and having been given support to direct staff to pursue this, to identify funds and designate them so that... We can have this move forward as the sunset of the CRA sets forth this summer, or next summer. So thank you so much for the presentation. Thank you, Executive Director. Thank you, Mr. Overton, and thank you, team from FDOT and consultants. All right, on with that positive spirit. Bob wants to clap hands. Don't give them a hard time in the community meetings, Bob. That's about it. OK, that's all I can ask for you. Those guys are smiling. All right, informational reports, executive director. Any updates downtown or beach for the previous month?

Sorry about that. So I do want to let you know that we're making some very good progress on the love mural on the back of the band shell. It is nearly completed. The artist, the mosaic artist, has been fine tuning some of the mosaic work. And the conceptual artist or the design artist has been also engaged. During the course of this, the CRA board also asked us to look at the overall paint of the band shell. And so we have been experimenting with different concepts, and we don't have a final to show you, but I do feel like it might be beneficial to give you a little update. I would like to do that with the cautionary note being that while we're interested in the feedback right now, we really, I don't think, want to try to get into a design session.

We shouldn't have a 30-minute discussion? Yes.

So it's really just, you know, if you, you know, do have some initial concepts.

Contemplate and get back to you.

We are interested in hearing them, but then ultimately we're going to fine tune these and come back with you, come back with a final. But I do want to just give you a little peek at some of the progress that we've heard from and some of the comments. And so there is a presentation, I believe.

JONATHAN ZITTRAIN- At your own risk, Rylan. RYLIN RODRIGUEZ- I know. I know. JONATHAN ZITTRAIN- The artist doesn't show the drawing before it's done, but that's OK. RYLIN RODRIGUEZ- I know.

But I do think it's important for people to know that this is something that we're working on. And we do have some things that are somewhat final.

So obviously, this is the- JONATHAN ZITTRAIN- Ruber says, there goes lunch. But go ahead.

RYLIN RODRIGUEZ- This is us.

All right. There's lots of disclaimers here with this one.

Oh, we were going to talk. I know you're going to talk. But no, existing condition.

Yes, and also because Chris Crescito, one of the project managers at the CRA, he has been working on this and playing around with different concepts. And so I did want to kind of recognize that. his efforts on this. Unfortunately, we are losing Chris. He's going to another city to be their city architect. So we're very happy and excited for him. And I think you'll see they will benefit greatly from his talents. So you see the current conditions of the band shell. And the back of it now has the mural in place that's being finalized. The back stairs will be painted to kind of correspond with some of the colors in the mural. And everything is coming along really nicely there. So if we can go forward, please. Then this is really just a paint scheme to pick up on some of the colors in the mural. And I think most notably, the stone facing, which I know has a specific name, the Coquina Stone. Thank you. I should know this. I've heard Susan say it a bunch of times. Anyway, the Coquina Stone would then, I think we're pretty set on using the coquina stone on the front of the band shell to create that consistency with the wall that is the decorative wall throughout the beach area along the broad walk. And so this is just using some of the blue colors. And I think most notably, we think an upgrade to the lettering above the Above the stage, thank you, Mayor, will be a really nice addition. Then we also heard some feedback that, boy, what if we were to try to add something a little splashier to some of those panels. And so we do have to be mindful of not kind of replicating the artists on the back, their design, and really having a separate design. So this wave effect is what Chris kind of came up with. And you see it kind of wrapping around there so that it kind of creates a colorful, eye-catching area, sort of Pucci-inspired. that then is carried to the front and goes into those inset panels where you have the screen on the one side and the surfboards on the other. And it uses some of the colors that are on the back wall mural, island scene mural, sort of tying the front and the back together a little better. And then let's go ahead and just look at the next. This is... Oh, I think we need to go the other direction. I'm sorry. There we go. Go to the next one. Let's see. Okay. You guys can blame me for this one. I said let's try something lighter altogether. So here it is. I don't know. I'm not really loving it after I said it. But you just see where we are exploring different things. Go to the next one, please. Oh, and there you go.

You could go back to the blue one. There we go. The one before this.

The one before? OK, good.

Yeah, I think that's. So I'm opening up the floor. I just see some folks. Hopefully we won't try to redesign on the fly, and we can get back to staff. But let's go ahead and hear from board members. This is an exciting opportunity to make this better. And I know the side panel there, Ray Lynn, on the west and south elevation is also something that you guys are working with to liven up. Since that wasn't part of the mural yet, it's visible as you walk by the bandshell.

Right. All right, let's go to Board Member Gruber. Thank you. I was walking on the broad walk on Sunday, and I did notice that that panel – that most people see doesn't have anything. So I'm glad that we've got some, you know, some concept that we're going to do something. So I totally support doing something on that panel because as I was walking, I was saying, oh, I wonder why we didn't bring the mural to that panel. So I don't know if it's possible to bring the mural to the panel. Great. But just to add something there, I'm totally in favor of it. Thank you. Let's go to Board Member Biederman.

So I like the idea of the coquina stone because then it matches the knee wall. Mm-hmm. I like the brightness. My concern is, and it's long overdue to kind of bring it up to par, but is there a reason why we're not holding Margaritaville's feet to the fire on bringing this up to the standard that we would expect and that they would expect? I mean, we just renewed our licensing agreement with them. And you would think that they would take more

see I don't want to like well I think they have a maintenance and repair aspect they do the agreement calls for maintenance repair and they did recently complete some significant work to the roof of the a little bit better do you think that this gets there this is what we see in front of us

I love the coquina stone, but when we originally talked about this, we were talking about wrapping that front with somewhat of that.

Some exciting pop. Yeah.

Yes.

I mean, the reality is the mosaic is very nice, but it is also very expensive. So, you know, the.

This will last longer.

Yes.

Just one question on this design, if I could. I see I like the white accent on the top. It has a fresh look to the roof line. And then the underside of the soffit kind of has a soft blue appearance. Is that just an illusion of the rendering, or is that a different shade of color? it is a different shade of color it's the flyway blue okay i see it now on the bottom yeah it adds some visual interest there all right well thank you i mean this is uh it looks elegant and yet energetic with the art and it looks clean um especially with the coquina so i think we're we're going places uh hopefully you can implement this since we're talking mostly about paint um you know quick uh quick and and implementation does anyone have an issue with moving ahead is this a good enough direction or do we want staff to come back let's go uh if i could just give uh executive director some feedback board member hernandez thank you mayor um i like the light that you put out and the goofy question is if i'm looking at this right now if you can move forward a couple of them

Next. There you go. If you could use that color on the columns next to where the advertising is and where the surfboards are with the blue. So you have a combination of blue and white. It'll break up some of that monotonous of the blue and it'll give you the lightness that you're looking for. And I think it may strike a balance when it comes to that. There's food for thought.

Yeah, let's take a look at that and see. Maybe give the column some interest.

Happy to provide.

Because this way, the Coquina would actually, it would seem as if being extended, and yet you have the depths of the blue, which would go with the sky that you're looking for. And this way you get a compromise above.

Thank you.

Thank you so much.

And then just also, was there any, I'm sorry, was there any, we will finalize some ideas and then present a final to you before we proceed with additional work. And then I just also want to mention in the informational report that there is updates on a lot of the projects that are underway. And so it's really, I think the staff does a really excellent job putting together the informational report each month. And so it really is a source. It's also on the website, and it's really just a good source of information for residents, business owners, property owners that want to really understand the status of how things are going over on the beach and in the downtown.

Thank you. Does that conclude the updates? That concludes mine. I know that Jennifer Homan is here.

Yes, you want to do that under, I was going to do it under my comments, but I can do it under the, maybe it's better. Let's do it now. Go ahead and do it. Okay. So the commission, or the CRA board will remember that we had asked Jennifer to come back and give updates on the progress of Cinema Paradiso. She did that after the first and second quarters. Thank you, folks from FDOT. Yes, thank you. We're now into the fourth quarter. Hold on.

Folks from FDOT, if you have comments about the stage and the color scheme. Traffic yellow. That always works, right? Thank you. I love traffic yellow. Go ahead. Go ahead.

So we're now into the fourth quarter. We unfortunately missed the third quarter report. That was on us, not on Jen. And things are going very well. The PLACER AI data that our CMED team has been using in the downtown to track foot traffic really does show that Cinema Paradiso is an attraction in our downtown. And they've had some really great first-run movies, The Odyssey. I think there's another one that I've been wanting to see that I just saw your poster for the other day. And so it's really been, I think, a really positive addition with the Art and Culture Center managing the cinema. Several of you had expressed that you appreciate the support for the cinema, but that you just really wanted it to come out of a different bucket so that we weren't kind of taking marketing dollars to do this. We have been able to identify that. And that is the proposal in the next fiscal year's budget that we would use economic development dollars for the Cinema Paradiso support. And we would not be using those marketing dollars. Of course, Jennifer is still open to playing the marketing video and the informational video that we put up that has a lot of the progress on various projects and things that are going on on the beach and downtown. And with that, I'll turn it over to Jennifer.

Good morning, chair, vice chair, and board members. My name is Jennifer Homan. I'm the executive director of Hollywood Art and Culture Center. Raylynn did an amazing summary, so thank you, as always. She's very articulate and very concise. She addressed some of the concerns that people had had before, not about the cinema as a whole, but where the funding comes from. And I agreed with taking a big portion of that money and giving it to one organization. I understand that. And former executive director Kameho, when we decided to take over operations, that was kind of a commitment. Where the money came from wasn't really where we got in the weeds on. So we really appreciate the city manager's office and the executive director for continuing the support. You might be talking about the Dog Stars. So that's a great film. So as Raylene said, pointed out and we've talked before, we try to do a variety of programming, from first run, foreign language, and independent films. We had an independent screening on Friday night. We had anybody who I know, Adelman knows, Studio Ghibli. I know your son. We were talking about all the different films that they did. Q&A after a very favorite, favorite My Neighbor Totoro film on Saturday. And then, of course, we have the Dog Stars. And we've been doing a lot of what we call page to screen, because there's so many films that come out, like The Odyssey. Obviously, it was a book. And the dog stars we have breakfast at Tiffany's coming out the 65th anniversary is Next month, so we'll be playing that as well They're revitalizing sense and sensibility because it hasn't been made ten times already That would be coming out as well, so we try to do different engaging so tonight We'll actually be doing a Q&A after the dog stars and so we when we have those page and screen and We promote a specific event where guests can talk about the difference between the book and the film adaptation and just create discussion again. We're always about creating community. And as the executive director Mentioned we do get a lot of traffic and we have been you know increasing we have some improvements planned as well some new paint and some new Upgrades in the in the lobby and it's it's been a great year and so we're our fiscal year starts in October so we've been budgeting for this and We're really excited. We get a lot of people coming from all different areas as different reports you know through all our attendance not just here, because we're able to kind of leverage the cinema as a multiple exposure package where here's a gallery. So that's kind of where the Studio Ghibli came out, is we had an artist in our summer exhibitions, Brian Reedy, who actually designs merchandise for Hot Topic. based upon Studio Ghibli. So he was the one who did the Q&A, and he gave out different promotional items at the event. So for us to be able to kind of leverage that, we're going to be doing an open house on September 27 to the community, very similar to our opening, where we activate all different spaces And we'll be doing, again, it's great because now we can do a screening as well, that one of our artists has the films as part of that day. And so it's just great to be multifaceted and get to work with some of the film festivals. Obviously, we still support the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival and help with their production of that work. And we're open and we get surveys. I know that was a question people had. Are we sending out surveys? We do, to get. some insight of that, as well as, you know, kind of push throughs when people leave. So we have a new card going out that if you, you know, buy a glass of wine, you know, at the vintage, you get the next one half off or something. They'll have cards that will kind of push them out to a dozen or so groups that have responded to us, because, of course, we reach out to a lot of people. But what is their plan? So we're really open. People contact us all the time. Anybody will tell you, whether it's an event in the arts auditorium, the theater, whatever, we always try to say yes. We were really happy to host the Pioneer Days. So we're always open to be in a space to bring people together. Because at the end of the day, we love arts and culture. I'm the biggest fan of all of them. I always say it's like Sophie's Choice, which one do you love the best? I can't pick on the day. But the basis is bringing people together and creating community connection. We've seen isolationism. on all ages. Teenagers right now are less social than their parents. This is the first time ever in the history of humankind that teenagers are less social than their parents. So whatever we can do and serve the community to bring people together, as we always say, we don't care where you're from, what language you speak, how you love, how you vote. We are a place for everybody. And it's really wonderful when people are looking at that. We'll have the discussion tonight somebody will say something like, I never thought of that that way. That's really interesting. So it's very refreshing when people share different ideas and people learn from it and accept it instead of get combative. So the arts can do that better than anything in a really natural way. So we really appreciate the support. We're doing it. Our team, we're small but mighty. And we're going to continue to listen to the community and deliver things that they need.

Thank you, Jennifer. That's a great summary of all that you do. I would just encourage your team to find opportunities to push out the information about all the programs and opportunities. I saw a photo not too many days ago with, I think it was Commissioner Quintana at the Art and Culture Center with a drum type group. I don't know if that was there. I don't know. OK, well.

But we have a drum circle tomorrow night, the first Sunday of every month. If anybody's ever been to the 80th Street one, 80th and Collins, it's the largest drum circle in the country. Aunt Hatcher, who leads that, also leads ours every Thursday night, the first Thursday night. And then we also have Sankofa's Child African Dance that pairs with it. And it's really fantastic. Again, it's just. So that's Thursday. Thursday night starts at 7. The instructor is fantastic. She's lovely. And you see multi-generation.

So my point is, if you can try to get the word out and push it, because less people will just come to your website. You'll have to push the information out through social, through paid, through giving the flyers to our CMED so they can post on our digital. I'd love to see that. And then with regards to Cinema Paradiso, I think some people, and especially visitors on the beach, might be looking, how can I go see a movie? And are you listed on Fandango and those different sites that people can find, like, geographically?

LORETTA LYNCH, Yep. We're Google Fandango. So our actual ticketing site that we chose, we did a lot of due diligence. And it was Indie Cinema. It was this group out of London. And actually, Fandango just acquired them. So we've always been conducted with Fandango. Now we're part of the Fandango system, like, directly. And we have been working with CMED, so I want to thank Joanne and her team. They get a couple posts out of our stuff every single week, as well as the Arts Park team with the monitor, so we really appreciate that.

What portion of your ticket sales for Cinema Paradiso are from Fandango? Like, roughly.

I would say probably 15% to 20%. I got you.

So those are new customers, you could say. Yep. That's good. And then just overall, and then I'll ask Commissioner Hernandez, who's cute to speak. Overall, as ticket sales increase, what can you tell us about performance and visitorship at Cinema Empires you sell?

Our hours has steadily been rising. Some months are heavier than others just because of- Depending on the movie? Yeah, depending on the movie or if we have festivals, et cetera. But I know since we took it over, our numbers have been much higher because we have all of the box office. So anybody that does this knows you have to do daily box office reports. And so we're able to be able to track that data.

So the Odyssey is something we've got to go see. It's a good movie. Have you seen it?

RACHEL STERLING JR.: It was fantastic. We don't have that now. Dogsters just started on Monday. And then we have a one. It's fantastic. Anybody who likes ballroom dancing, it's called Hachan Shake Your Booty. And again, that's one of those kind of independent films that did very well at the festivals and very engaging and very cool.

Last comment I'll make is you're pointing to independent films. We, as consumers, don't have any understanding of them. Maybe if you're allowed to post a trailer on your social media, that could maybe get people to want to come and see. Good teaser. All right. Board Member Hernandez.

Thank you, Mayor. Great job, by the way. I spoke with the city manager at length regarding the cinema parodies and the funding. And the new residents that we have in the downtown, you may want to try to see how you can push the information to them so they can actually walk, because this is an amenity that we have in the downtown. some of them don't even know that it's there so whatever we can do through our city whether our web page or information that would be something nice and maybe you can get with some of the restaurants or some of the other venues that are there regarding coming to a movie, having a dinner, a dessert, or a drink, something like that, and highlight some of the happy hours that are taken there. Use the opportunity to do that, and you may be able to get some marketing dollars from those venues to be able to trade off with you when it comes to something like this, which is what we were looking for in the long run, to have something for the residents to be able to come to the downtown. It doesn't make any sense for us to be able to have 3,000 or 4,000 new venues Units and not have something for them to do in the downtown other than just venue bar venues.

Thank you Yeah, and we have some new rec card stands that are going to be going in some of the new buildings We already have agreements with a few buildings and then exactly what you just said board member Hernandez that creating some kind of monthly poster that we can put somewhere. A lot of people don't want to put it on their front because they have their own aesthetic. But if there's something that we can put in maybe on the way to the restrooms or something that's a little out of the way that doesn't impede the aesthetic that they're trying to do in the different restaurants to draw people to it.

I don't want to prolong because I know Commissioner Groover would like to have lunch at some point, but the point is... No, I'm just kidding. The point is maybe you can get with some of these associations so they can highlight what's going on at the movie theater. And some of the buildings, their management team, maybe you can give them a flyer and they can highlight that in their web page or however they get the information out to their residents. In other words, let's do a marketing for the locals in the downtown, and then hopefully the rest of the city will catch on as to what is actually happening there. So thank you.

Thank you. Let's go to Board Member Biederman.

I like the way you think, but let's add a little bit to it. Do we have, is the ticket buy still part of our deal, or is that like the old deal and we're just giving money now?

No, I think that wasn't, it didn't fit. I know even before I started, that program had twilighted. But we do offer the city residents the 15%. We also offer Tuesdays $9 tickets all day plus a free promo popcorn. And then we do a BOGO on Art Walk all day.

OK, so here's my question, kind of idea bouncing off of Commissioner Hernandez. Maybe you can fit into your budget free tickets. somehow and provide a welcome to the neighborhood enjoy a ticket or two free tickets on a city for moving into one of these buildings or even if you do a list from our water department on new water bills and sending them a redeemer so we don't have to give away everything but a redeemable buy one, get one free, or redeemable two free tickets just for moving into Hollywood. And this way, it's drawing people into Hollywood. I can't imagine there'd be hundreds of people taking advantage of it. But it might provide goodwill, and it might provide just that one new customer that's going to fall in love with the theater and come back for more and more and more.

And we suggest that, like, with the buildings that we're trying to get our RAC card stands into, you know, in their mail rooms so they're constantly seen. That's Broward Center does the same thing with all the Riverwalk buildings. But we also suggest we can give you a really discounted member card that comes with free passes as well for anybody that moves in. So we're doing that as well.

And the other thing that Commissioner Hernandez brought up is in our establishments, It's amazing where they advertise these days. I mean, you could... walk into the bathroom and there's a poster or advertisement, a framed.

Does that happen in the ladies' room too?

Not so much for us. Not so much. So I mean, on the stall doors or on the bathroom doors. So some restaurants might allow you to do that. And then you just have to update it with the upcoming stuff, just like the city puts our flyers on the doors at community centers. I think that might be a good opportunity.

I'll just add that a lot of these new buildings have apps for their residents. And maybe you can get an opportunity to be featured on the app. And also, while we're giving you advice on marketing, direct mail. So the U.S. Postal Service has something called everyday direct mail, where you can just focus on the carrier route that's in the downtown vicinity, the people who can walk to the cinema of Jardizo, and very inexpensively send them a postcard, like super inexpensively. So you might want to do that from time to time. Board Member Hernandez?

Thank you, Mayor. Just to give a shameless plug, Richards Hardware, whenever you register with them as a customer, they give you two free tickets for their movie theater on there. So maybe you can get with the leasing agents. And that's in your neck of the woods. That's the reason I did that idea. And they actually, with the leasing agents, to do something like that when it comes to that. And the marketing that the mayor was talking about, it's called Every Door, which means every door in that area. will go, and it's pennies on the dollar for the marketing. So thank you. Good work. Thank you for finding funding other than the marketing when it comes to this. And hopefully we will continue the efforts to be able to work for the residents in the downtown as well as the businesses in the downtown to get people in their doors.

Thank you.

Thank you.

All right. Thank you, Jennifer. Looking forward to hearing more. Thank you. Have a good day. Yep. All right. Executive Director, does that conclude informational reports? Yes, it does. Or did you have any other special opportunity?

No, that was all for informational reports. I have something under Director's comment.

Sure. Let's go to Board Member Biederman. Let me activate his microphone. Here we go.

So the only thing I have today is I'm very excited that we're ahead of schedule on the Harrison Street construction. It was very nice to see that we're ahead on something.

Great. Let's go ahead to Board Member Quintana.

I'll wave.

That's even greater. Let's go to Board Member Shuham.

First, I want to wish Chris the very best. He's been a wonderful asset to the CRA. And I will miss you. And I'm very excited for you in the new position. So congratulations. Vin, I sent an email this morning. When you turn, when you head down Sheridan, I'm sorry, A1A just past Sheridan, The filters are still on those drains, and there's no construction work there, so I know we've had this issue before. But then as you continue down A1A, a lot of those drains are full of debris. I'm talking about the west side, but as long as they're going up and down A1A, if they could check all of it. We had a meeting a few months ago at, I think it was a downtown business association meeting at the Greek Joint and talking about parking. And I had suggested that the restaurants could put up some signs advising their patrons that we have half price parking for residents. But it's just occurring to me as we're sitting here talking about this marketing that maybe it's a sign that we could we could provide to the restaurants for them to frame and post on their walls. In other words, just to have somebody eating there, and they're annoyed that they have to pay for parking, but they live in Hollywood. They don't even know that they could apply. So just an idea. I don't know if I need support, but just a poster to provide to downtown businesses, letting their customers know that if they're Hollywood residents, they could get half price parking. And I think that's it. Yep, that's it. Thank you.

Thank you. Good idea. Let's go to Board Member Hernandez.

Thank you, Mayor.

That's a great idea. The businesses are willing to put the posters up because some of them just don't like putting things on their window. But we've got to find a way of marketing that even more. I am supportive of the flags idea. I don't know if we need any more support, but I think that I got support from everybody regarding it.

Well, hold on. I mean, I don't know about permanent placement of flags. Like, all year round, then they end up getting, you know, worn and all that. But for the event, I think that's... What is your idea, Peter?

Well, my idea was if we have the ability to be able... Well...

What is your interpretation of the vice chair's idea?

To further her idea was in order for us to be able, we have sister cities. And we have the flags of the sister cities here. And if we have the arts park and we have the ability to, and we discussed this at the sister city program at some point, to be able to have some sort of art from that particular city. And if we have a flagpole that has their flag and we have their art in front of them, it could be used as an education to highlight some of what's going on, not only in that country, but in that city as well. I mean, so this is something, the cultural base of the city of Hollywood is something that Sister City is looking to promote. And this is not all the countries of the world, but basically we can start with our sister cities. We can have a permanent flagpole for them, and we can have a flag for them, and we can have the art display at the arts park. That's something that I would like to ask support for something like that if you guys think it's something feasible at some point. Not anything else?

I think it's worth exploring to be a companion to the art piece. I like that it gives it more meaning. Correct. So that could be interesting.

We need one more? Okay. So thank you. That's something that, you know, for...

OK. Support to look into. We would like to come back to you all with options and costs and things like that.

Absolutely. And also, there has been a lot of talk from the new residents that are coming into the downtown that there's not much for their children to do at the Arts Park. So if we could have any kind of amenities for the children to do. And we do know that we have a splash pad and everything else, but something more entertaining for them, for the kids to, for the parents to be able to take the kids and be able to have them be there and enjoy maybe half hour, 45 minutes before they get worn out and then take them home. because we're starting to have more and more younger families move into the neighborhood. It's something for that to consider for the CRA or the city to be able to do something regarding that. I mentioned something last time. which it was last week, by the way. We had a meeting last week as well. The lighting on the north side of the boulevard and Fillmore Street and some of the US 1, it's working, which it wasn't working. We have other taller poles that are not working. And my question would be is, are we looking to keep those there without being lit? Or are we looking to remove those? I was told at one point that once the lower ones would be working. The taller ones would be removed. Some of the residents are asking if that's going to happen. So just information purposes, when you have the info, if you could let us know. And what's happening with the south side of the boulevard, do we still need some lighting that we've been waiting for a long time? Tree trimming. I know that we're working with the one-way pilot in order to be able to do some drainage, new drains that we structure that we talked about, the repaving of the roads. and the lighting hopefully will go along with that as well. and tree trimming in order for the drains not to get clogged. I think one of the things that we're looking on the pilot program is to see how the new pitching of the road, the tweaking that it's taking place to push the water into the swells. If that works, it kind of becomes a mute point if the drains are not maintained or if they're full of leaves. So if we get, it's a concerted effort from everybody to be able to try to keep the area in a pristine stage in order to see if that's something that it can be done in other parts of the city. So we don't do anything if we actually have a nice road, we have a nice landscaping, and we don't maintain everything else. So I would just ask for that to be steady. And that's all. And thank you. Good work on everything that's going on.

Thank you. Let's go to Vice Chair Kaleri. Wave. Thank you. Let's go to Board Member Gruber, downtown on the beach. Wave as well. All right. So just for some of my comments, thank you, Chris, for your years with the CRA. Congratulations on going up to West Palm Beach and the environs there. I'm going to hold for the executive director to celebrate another CRA member's last meeting here. Looking forward to receiving an update on Charnow Park concepts, as kind of discussed last meeting. But want to see where we are and some ideas and get some feedback from the board when hopefully next meeting. Want to encourage the continuing property improvement program effort on the broadwalk. certainly you know needs to be pursued if we even might want to be more aggressive with the program terms to make it irresistible on the broadwalk so that we can make sure that our you know that our world fronting broadwalk looks the best that it can and and not wait for for people to react to you know get to the point of code violation let's be proactive on how we want it to look and really try to choreograph that image of Hollywood Beach in the best way possible. With regards to downtown, I'll just say Commissioner Board Member Hernandez, your effort to work with CMED and have the one-on-one inquiries with new residents at their buildings for what they'd want to see downtown I think is a good guide to the brokers and property owners out there on what type of businesses the residents who live there would like to see and therefore have success with both for them and for the property owner and for the tenants. whether it's the lifestyle options, you know, with the different restaurant varieties, live music, farmer's market. I'm reading here from the feedback you guys got from the residents, cultural activities, additional family community events on fitness and recreation. They talked about fitness studios and gyms, Pilates and yoga studios, dog park amenities. um which i know ricky has been working on with regards to the dog park at arts park we also have the memorial fitness zone that's coming to the arts park hopefully ricky that's moving along quick to construction When they note basketball and pickleball courts, it makes me wonder. They probably don't know about Jefferson Park, which is, you could say, a walking distance away from downtown with great facilities for basketball and pickleball. Just wellness amenities and wellness programming, they noted. And then with regards to parking and mobility, I'm just looking down the list here. It looks like we do a lot of what is noted here for convenience and for cleanliness and all that they note there. And I know that a large majority of them, I think a 90 percentile, express satisfaction with downtown and living there. Of course, Trader Joe's was mentioned, as we always like to push for, and additional grocery options. Thankfully, Walgreens is opening soon, and so pharmacy was one of their desired things. I love the new store. And a bookstore is always something that people look forward to bring in. So I think we do have a little bit of feedback now for brokers on what people want to see and therefore support. So thank you, Joanne. Thank you, Board Member Hernandez. Go ahead.

Thank you, Mayor. I can't take any credit for that. It might have been my idea to do a survey, but CMIT is the one who actually took the lead in doing the survey and actually put hands on, boots on the ground in getting that information. So thank you for doing that.

All right. Well, we're getting somewhere. Exciting. And looking forward to the next steps with retail strategies and the feedback and the push to fill spaces with desirable tenants. All right. And with that, General Counsel, any comments today? No comments today. All right, Executive Director, the moment we've all been waiting for. We see a bouquet of flowers there, and I wonder what that's for.

I'm going to move over here, because otherwise I'm sort of behind the bouquet of flowers. And this is our moment that we probably get to embarrass Susan just a little bit. As you all know, this is our last meeting with Susan Goldberg, serving as the deputy director of the Hollywood Community Redevelopment Agency. Susan is officially retiring next week. We've been trying to. prevented, but she's doing it anyway, after 26 years of service with the city and the CRA. I, along with all of the CRA and city staff who have worked with Susan during her tenure, would like to take a moment to recognize Susan's extraordinary contributions, which can be seen throughout the city. We have a PowerPoint that will highlight some of her... Before and after Susan?

Is that what this is?

Yeah, yes. So that will highlight some of the most extraordinary

Look at the power lines on the broad walk. Oh my god.

Yeah. Perhaps most noteworthy, as you see, you kind of see the before and after on the broad walk. That was, Susan was a huge part, the lead on the Broadwalk revitalization that took place in 2007, along with the plans for the rehabilitation and beautification of all of our side streets. This actually showed that they actually set up what the Broadwalk would look like in the Hollywood Beach Culture and Community Center with the pavers and the light fixtures, the wall features so that everyone could kind of see what was to come. And it obviously made a huge difference. Susan's work on the Broadwalk was honored by the American Planning Association in 2013, naming Hollywood Beach Broadwalk as one of America's great public spaces, top 10 public spaces in America. And of course, all over Hollywood, Susan has left her mark, both through her years as an architect with the city's original Department of Design and Construction Management, and then as deputy director overseeing all of the improvement projects on the beach. We kind of forget what the Broadwalk looked like. Exactly. So I have a memento that staff has put together.

Not to mention the street ends. There you go.

All right. So the team at the CRA, Susan, if you'd like to join us up here. has created a little plaque with the Broad Walk in it. Susan Goldberg, thank you for 26 years of outstanding leadership and contributions to the city of Hollywood. Your passion, vision, and dedication to public service make this a better place.

She doesn't like to be in front of the microphone.

I think she knew she was going to be put on the spot today. She's prepared, as always.

This is her exit opportunity. All right, Susan. Let it out.

You know, years ago, they used to have exit interviews.

We'll be happy to entertain that.

Thank you so much. I'm glad I'm not crying yet. And I didn't put mascara on today. So thank you, Raelynn. Thank you, board members. And thank you, staff. Chair, vice chair, CRA board members, last time, Susan Goldberg, deputy director of the CRA. After 26 years of service with the city of Hollywood and the CRA, my final day will be September 10. After all of our discussions about marine turtle lighting over the years, I think the sea turtles and I have both aged a bit. People sometimes ask, what kept me here so long? Honestly, it was the opportunity to design public spaces and show that government architecture doesn't have to feel institutional, that good design and durability go hand in hand. My goal was always to champion architectural integrity and create enduring designs that will benefit this community for generations. I started with the city as a senior project manager, and I'm finishing my career as deputy director. A journey that let me see this work literally from the drafting table to big picture decisions. Some of my earliest work back around 2000 included the Fire Station 74, the Emergency Operations Center, and Public Works lockers and lunchrooms, projects that laid the groundwork for the kind of thoughtful, people-first design I'd carry through the rest of my career. On the beach, I led the transformation of the Hollywood Beach Broadwalk into a nationally recognized gem. Back then, our offices were literally a trailer on Van Buren Street. We poured a test slab of the shell concrete, had elected officials come out with their bicycles. We showed mock-up benches, and even had the elected officials run their hands over the pavers and materials before we committed to anything. The hands-on process paid off. I had the honor several years ago of presenting our work to the American Institute of Architects National Convention in Chicago. My team and I also revitalized Charnow Park, built the garage at Garfield Street and Nebraska Street, created street-end plazas with vibrant mosaics, and completed resiliency projects with undergrounding of overhead utilities and drainage, part of over $200 million of infrastructure projects in the Beach CRA. Downtown, I recently oversaw $20 million in the Harrison Street and Hollywood Boulevard projects. We used that exact design hands-on approach, setting up a mock streetscape where business owners and elected officials and the community could weigh in first. None of this was a solo effort. I want to thank my incredible team, Mo and Sarita, esteemed engineers who have been with me for 26 years, along with Lisa, Adam, Phyllis, Francisco, Alan, Manny, and Adriana. Your work and your care mean more than you know. Some of my proudest moments come from mentoring the next generation, Francisco and Christopher. Christopher recently accepted a position as city architect elsewhere, and I could not be prouder. Watching someone you trained go on to lead their own department, that's truly a legacy in itself. I would also like to thank Raelynn, our executive director and city manager, for her support as I've wrapped up this chapter. Thank you for the opportunity to serve the CRAN city and community over these 26 years. I'm deeply grateful for the experiences we shared, the lifelong relationships built along the way.

Well, thank you, Susan. On behalf of the CRA Board, really such a legacy that's been highlighted in the presentation. And to hear you reflect on the 26 years of what you've achieved for the city, we're really, as mayor, really grateful and thankful to the city had the opportunity to have you on board and lead these projects. So many of them were executed so cleanly. And the result, as you said, enduring and beautiful that will last generations. And so just grateful to have had you for 26 years. We're really fortunate. And we look forward to seeing you again, whether it's at the YMCA or elsewhere. We know you're not leaving Hollywood, even though I know you like to spend time in Costa Rica. Thank you, Susan, so much. Really proud. You've always been the most professional and the most knowledgeable person I could call on any subject that I had a question with over the past 10 years. And I might have to still just call you some more. Commissioner Shuham.

Thank you, Chair. I'm just going to echo that. I just want to say that Hollywood as a city has been so lucky to receive the gift of your talents. And as someone in the world of construction, I think it's so cool to be able to walk down a street and say, hey, I had a part of that.

And for you, Susan, it's the beach. It's downtown. It's these monumental spaces that you will continue to walk down and just know that your heart and soul is there. Personally, for me, you have just been such a calm and professional source of advice, and the mayor said it. There's no escape. You say you started out in one position and ended as deputy director, but our choice was for you to end as director, so you escaped that by the hair on your chin, right? And so we're very excited for you in this new chapter, but you'll be very missed, and we'll see you next time.

Thank you so much. Thank you. And with that, there is no further business at the CRA. This meeting and this chapter, Susan, is temporarily adjourned.