City Council - Regular Meeting

Good morning, everyone. Welcome to our February council meeting. Today is Wednesday, February 18th. The time is now 10.15 a.m. We apologize for a little bit late start. I hereby call this meeting to order. Just a reminder to please place your phones on silence. If you need to take a call or have a conversation, we kindly ask that you please step outside to maintain a respectful atmosphere. Madam Clerk, please call the roll.

Councilwoman Nicole Reynoso. Present. Councilwoman Maureen Porras. Here. Councilman Rafael Pinero.

Present.

Vice Mayor Digna Cabral. Present. Mayor Chrissy Fraga. Present.

Mayor Halcuan. Thank you. Please rise for the Pledge of Allegiance. And today, we are going to be led by Bill Watts from our Military Affairs Advisory Board.

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Thank you, Mr. Watts. And now we will have our invocation, which will be led by Pastor Athena Floyd from Dios Con Nosotros.

Good morning.

honorable mayor, city officers, distinguished guests, and beloved presidents of Europe. It's a privilege to stand here with you guys. This is a city of opportunity, diversity, and vision. Doral is not only a place on the map. It's a safety environment to live, to build, and construct not only money, if not family, relationship, and more. We live together, and the Bible says that we have to live in peace. This is a place to live in peace. This is a place to grow and strengthen. A lot of things going on here. All the people in the nation is talking about Doral. Doral is a place to be. It's a place to invest. It's a place to grow. We are all here together here together. Because God put us here in this amazing place. God is making differences between we and other cities. So we are an example. All the people are watching us. All the people are seeing and saying something about Doral. So I want to remind Psalms 127.1, unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain. So we have to build in love, in compassion, in peace, and more of that, in family relationship. We are a family people. We are here together because God placed us here in this moment. We are all different ages, but we are all combined together saying that we trust in God and we trust in you guys. We trust in the people that make entrepreneur every day, that they walk up with all their hearts to build something special for this nation. I declare, God, that you are going to open doors for Doral. You are going to open doors for every resident. You are going to bless all officials, members. And I declare united in vision and in powerful of the Lord in every minute in this place. In Jesus' name, amen.

Thank you. Thank you, Pastora. That was beautiful. All right. We're going to move into the agenda order of business. We'll go ahead and start with the manager's office.

We don't have anything, Mayor.

Perfect. Thank you. Mr. City Attorney?

Good morning, Mayor. Nothing from us.

All right.

Councilman Pinedo?

Nothing, Mayor.

Thank you. Vice Mayor Cabral? I'm going to move E and F for discussion. Six. Six E and F. Okay. Councilwoman Reynoso? Thank you, Mayor. I'd like to post 6Q. Okay.

Councilwoman Forrest? Nothing for me.

All right. Madam City Clerk, you have nothing?

Okay. And I do not at this time either.

All right. We will go ahead and move into our public comments.

We will now open the floor for public comments. Each speaker will have three minutes to address any item on today's agenda or anything germane to this council or the city of Doral. Please begin by stating your name and address for the record to ensure that you are registered with a city clerk. If you have not pre-registered, please go see her after. I'll start with any pre-registered names. We will first hear from you if you've registered. And if not, then we will open it up to anyone who has walked in. I always like to remind our public speakers to have a code of conduct to make sure that our remarks are respectful, courteous, and in an orderly manner. Personal attacks, offensive language, or disruptive behavior will not be allowed. Let's work together to make this a productive meeting. So, Madam Clerk, is there any pre-registered speakers? No, there's two. I don't have any names at this time. If anyone would like to speak, this would be a reasonable opportunity. Please approach the podium. BEING NONE, PUBLIC COMMENTS IS NOW CLOSED, AND WE WILL GO AHEAD AND MOVE INTO THE CONSENT AGENDA. MADAM CLERK, CAN YOU READ THE ITEMS ON THE CONSENT AGENDA?

IT WILL BE ALL OF THE ITEMS ON SECTION 6 WITH THE EXCEPTION OF 6E, 6F, AND 6Q.

OKAY. I NEED A MOTION ON THE CONSENT AGENDA.

MOTION.

Motion to approve by Councilman Pinedo. Second. Second by Councilwoman Reynoso. On favor say aye. Aye. Madam Clerk, let the record reflect that the consent agenda has been passed unanimously. I now need approval of the minutes.

Approval of minutes, item 7A. Motion.

Motion by Councilman Pinedo. Second. Second by Councilwoman Reynoso. On favor say aye. Aye. Let the record reflect that the minutes have been approved unanimously. We will now move into presentations.

Presentations, item 8A, Keep Draw Beautiful Business Award.

ALL RIGHT. GOOD MORNING, HONORABLE MAYOR, VICE MAYOR, MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL, MADAM CITY MANAGER, MR. DEPUTY MANAGER, MR. CITY ATTORNEY, AND MADAM CLERK. GINA VENIA, CO-COMPLIANCE FIELD SUPERVISOR, THIS MONTH WE ARE PLEASED TO RECOGNIZE LAY'S FOOD SERVICE FOR THEIR OUTSTANDING COMMITMENT TO KEEP THEIR The property which is being recognized is located at 10490 Northwest 26th Street. Lay's Food Service has been in the city of Doral for 30 years. This property is approximately 46,000 square feet, and the business has nine employees. Lay's Food Service is a full-service commercial food facility design and equipment firm specializing in design and build services. The company typically supports projects from initial concept through completion. Some of the recent improvements include painting of the entire building, replacement of the awnings, installing low-maintenance landscapes to prevent overgrowth, and biannual trimming of their royal palms. It is with great pleasure that we name Lay's Food SERVICE FOR THE KEEP DORAL BEAUTIFUL BUSINESS AWARD FOR THEIR CONTINUED EFFORTS TO KEEP DORAL BEAUTIFUL. MADAM MAYOR AND COUNCIL, HERE TO ACCEPT THE AWARD ON BEHALF OF THE PROPERTY IS COMPANY PRESIDENT LUIS FERNANDEZ, SENIOR, ACCOMPANIED BY HIS CHILDREN LUIS AND ELIZABETH FERNANDEZ AND HIS GRANDCHILDREN LUIS A. FERNANDEZ AND ANGELICA RODRIGUEZ OLLARSON.

ALL RIGHT. WONDERFUL. ARE YOU THERE? COME ON UP, PLEASE.

Would you like to say anything?

Good morning, Mr. Mayor. Thank you.

Thank you.

Well, thank you so much for awarding us with this. 30 years ago, we accomplished this beautiful building, and we try to keep it as beautiful as possible. Thank you to the code enforcement people as well. to try to enforce the codes of the city and make our properties keep their value. And the city beautiful. Thank you.

We appreciate your investment and your dedication to the city. Would you like to come up for a picture? Yes. Awesome. Come on up. Thank you. Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Okay, great. We move on. Madam Clerk, we're going into discussion items.

Discussion item 9A, a resolution of the Mayor and the City Council of the City of Doral, Florida, regarding business tax receipts and compliance with laws prohibiting businesses with Cuba, directed to city managers to coordinate with the Miami-Dade County Tax Collector, providing for implementation, incorporation of recitals, and an effective date.

All right. This is my item. Give me one second. Let me get there. members of the City Council I present this item to you as many of you know I participated and have been working with our tax collector as well as other mayor's within Miami-Dade County to continue to protect our communities. There's many Venezuelans, as well as Cubans that live not only in Doral, but Miami-Dade County. And so the mayors have gotten together, our cities, along with our tax collector, to continue to enforce and protect against the, obviously, the criminal organizations that happen in countries like Cuba and Venezuela, as we're seeing a rebuild of Venezuela now. and hopefully Cuba at some point, and even Nicaragua, we have decided that getting together and creating stronger regulations within our cities to make sure that companies are following OFAC regulations and that are not conducting direct business with the Cuban regime is important. for protecting the integrity of our community, of our democracy, and protecting those who suffer at the hands of communism. So that's basically what this item does. It's a resolution. There is an ordinance to follow tonight that will continue to strengthen this policy and allow us to revoke licenses when we find, after an investigative process and a process of due diligence that that a company is not following OFAC regulations, that we can't pull their licenses. But this resolution is working with the tax collector. They have already identified several businesses that could be in violation, and so therefore we will be working with them to make sure that should that be the case, that we will not, it is unacceptable for them to be doing business in the city of Doral. I'll take any questions. And also, the city attorney has reviewed this for legal sufficiency.

Motion.

Motion to approve by Councilwoman Reynoso, seconded by Councilwoman Porras. They both did it at the same time. So if there's no more questions, then we will go ahead and roll call.

Motion to approve, made by Councilwoman Reynoso, seconded by Councilwoman Porras. Councilwoman Reynoso?

Yes. Councilwoman Porras? Yes. Councilman Pinedo? Yes.

Vice Mayor Cordell? Yes. Mayor Fraga?

Yes. Motion passes. Thank you very much for your support on this item. We move on.

Item 9B, a resolution of the Mayor and the City Council of the City of Darylford expressing support for straightened enforcement of federal sanctions against the Cuban regime, urging federal authorities to review and investigate certain Cuban-related business authorizations, supporting transparency and compliance with the Office of Foreign Assets Control requirements, supporting intergovernmental coordination to prevent sanctions abuse, providing for implementation, incorporation of recitals, and an effective date.

OK. Again, this is similar to the same policy that we just passed, except that this will create, oh, I'm sorry, this is Councilman Pinedo's item. Go ahead. I'm confused with my ordinance tonight. I was like, I thought this was on tonight. Go ahead, Councilman Pinedo.

Thank you, Mayor. First of all, thank you for the previous resolution, which I think is great, and it shows our commitment as a city, the longstanding commitment to democratic values, human rights, and so on. And certainly we have been always very supportive of these issues when it comes not only to address issues with Venezuela and Nicaragua, but this time When we speak about Cuba, that, as we already know, has been suffering of a regime for over 60 years. So this resolution also complements what you may have already expressed. Also, recently, the Miami-Dade County Board of County Commissioners adopted legislation addressing this matter. regarding the potential misuse of federal authorization and licensing processes connected to sanctioned transactions involving Cuba. The county's action highlighted the importance of ensuring that economic activity originating within local jurisdiction complies with federal sanctions requirements and does not, certainly benefit sanctioned entities. So I think that as a city that is the hub or the home of so many refugees and political, not only political persecution, people that have left their countries from Cuba and Nicaragua and Venezuela, this also sends a clear message that we are in support of our communities and we want to make sure that there is transparency when it comes to potential entities or businesses that might be doing, currently doing businesses with Cuba and the regime in Cuba. So, such the proposed resolution seeks to reinforce, as I mentioned before, the city's longstanding commitment to these democratic values and certainly supporting the freedom of countries like Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua. Therefore, I REQUEST YOUR SUPPORT AS WELL, AND THIS WILL BE TRANSMITTED TO THE COUNTY, MAYBE THE COUNTY COMMISSIONERS AS WELL.

NEW SPEAKER THANK YOU, I APOLOGIZE, I THOUGHT IT WAS MY ORDINANCE SHE WAS READING OUT LOUD. IS THERE ANY QUESTIONS FOR COUNCILMAN PINEDO? MOTION. MOTION TO APPROVE BY COUNCILMAN I need a second. Second.

Second by Vice Mayor Cabral. Madam Clerk, please call the roll.

Motion to approve by Councilman Reynoso, seconded by Vice Mayor Cabral, Councilman Reynoso.

Yes.

Vice Mayor Cabral.

Yes.

Councilman Porras.

Yes.

Councilman Pinedo. Yes. Mayor Fraga.

Yes. Motion passes. All right. Thank you very much. We'll move on to the next item.

Item 9C, a resolution of the Mayor and the City Council of the City of Doral Ford awarding request for qualifications RFQ 2025-26, architectural engineering services and related disciplines for Doral Central Park parking garage and recreation area. Authorizing the City Manager to negotiate an inter-zone agreement with Kimley Horn and Associates Inc. as a top-ranked firm. Subject to approval is to form in legal sufficiency by the City Attorney for the provision of architectural design and engineering related services. AUTHORIZING THE CITY MANAGER TO NEGOTIATE AND ENTER INTO AN AGREEMENT WITH THE NEXT HIGHEST RANKED FIRM SUCCESSFULLY FUNDED AGREEMENT CANNOT BE NEGOTIATED WITH THE TOP RANKED FIRM AUTHORIZING THE CITY MANAGER TO EXPEND BUDGET FUNDS IN FURTHERNESS HEROF PROVIDING FOR IMPLEMENTATION INCORPORATION RECITALS AND AN EFFECTIVE DATE ALL RIGHT THIS IS OUR CITY MANAGER'S ITEM MADAM CITY MANAGER THE FLOOR IS YOURS

Good morning, mayor and council. We have a presentation that we are going to share. This item is the award of the ITB that was done by the procurement department. But we do want to do a presentation for the benefit of council and the community to be able to show what this project will be about and the benefit that it has for the city. SO I WILL CALL UP NOW OUR CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS DIVISION CHIEF WHICH IS LAZARO TO EXPLAIN FIRST THE PROJECT AND THEN OUR ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER CFO FERNANDO CASAMAYOR WILL GIVE US THE SECOND PART OF THE PRESENTATION WHICH DEALS WITH THE FINANCIAL PART OF THE PROJECT.

IF IT CAN PUT UP THE PRESENTATION PLEASE. All right, thank you. Good morning, honorable mayor, vice mayor, members of the city council, Madam Manager, Mr. Deputy City Manager, Mr. City Attorney, and Madam Clerk. Lazaro Quintero, Capital Improvements Division Chief. As the manager mentioned, we prepared a small presentation for you this morning to discuss the proposed Doral Central Park parking garage and recreation area directly related to items 9C and 9D on today's agenda. The location for this project is on the northwest corner of Doral Central Park, adjacent to Northwest 33rd Street and Northwest 92nd Avenue. The area is currently an overflow parking area utilized during large scale events and programming. Last May, after this project was discussed during the 2025 strategic planning session, the city began working on the creation of a concept plan for the proposed garage and adjacent recreation, entertainment slash concession space area. After several discussions and meetings with staff administration, the concept plan you will see in the next few slides was developed. The concept for this project identifies a three-level parking garage which accommodates approximately 532 spaces and includes pickleball courts on the rooftop level, the adjacent recreation entertainment concession area, It's a two-level building with a total approximate area of 24,000 square feet, with each level being approximately 12,000 square feet. The first level of this building is envisioned to provide a space for a recreation entertainment slash concession component, which will complement the use and amenities provided by the park. The second level of this building is envisioned to provide for a flexible event space with a suitable kitchen for event cooking and additional infrastructure components to allow for a variety of events to be hosted. The parking garage will feature two entry exit points and will also allow for reversible traffic flow for large-scale events operations. IN ADDITION, THE GARAGE WILL FEATURE A DEDICATED DROP-OFF AREA FOR THE CITY'S TROLLEY TO ALLOW FOR A DIRECT, ALTERNATIVE, CONVENIENT TRANSPORTATION METHOD FOR RESIDENTS TO VISIT THE PARK. THE CURRENT CONCEPT ASSUMES A PRECAST CONCRETE STRUCTURE FOR THE GARAGE. THIS TYPE OF STRUCTURE IS VERY COMMON FOR MULTILEVEL PARKING GARAGES DUE TO ITS COST EFFECTIVENESS AND QUICKER CONSTRUCTION. Further conversations with the awarded design firm and construction manager will be held to determine if the precast construction method will serve as the best method based on the overall goals of the city. The third level of the garage shows the inclusion of nine pickleball courts with areas for restroom storage and park staff office. This area also includes designated spectator seating areas. Access to this level will be provided via elevators and stairs. So to recap, here are the main concept elements. THE OVERALL CONCEPT PLAN WILL BE FURTHER REVIEWED AND VALIDATED WITH THE AWARDED DESIGN FIRM AND CONSTRUCTION MANAGER TO DETERMINE ANY POTENTIAL MODIFICATIONS WHICH WILL SERVE THE PROJECT BETTER FROM A CONSTRUCTIBILITY AND FUNCTIONAL STANDPOINT. THIS INCLUDES REVIEWING THE LOCATION OF THE PICKLE BALL COURTS AND DETERMINING IF THE ROOFTOP LEVEL WILL SERVE AS THE BEST OR IT MAY BE MORE BENEFICIAL FOR THE PROJECT TO PLACE ON THE GROUND LEVEL. With regards to estimated construction costs, this slide shows the opinion of probable construction costs based on the cost of developed. The parking structure enhancement line that you see there includes the added cost to accommodate the pickleball courts and its supporting infrastructure. As far as project timeline is concerned, WE'RE ANTICIPATING APPROXIMATELY EIGHT MONTHS FOR DESIGN WORK, FOLLOWED BY AN ADDITIONAL 90 DAYS FOR PERMITTING AND DEVELOPMENT OF A GUARANTEED MAXIMUM PRICE PROPOSAL BY THE CONSTRUCTION MANAGER. FOR CONSTRUCTION, WE'RE ANTICIPATING AN 18-MONTH CONSTRUCTION PERIOD. THE SCHEDULE WILL BE FURTHER REFINED ONCE WE BOTH HAVE THE AWARDED DESIGN FIRM AND CONSTRUCTION MANAGER ON BOARD. AND NEXT I WILL PASS IT ON TO OUR ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER, MR. FERNANDO CASAMAYO.

Good morning. Fernando Gasamayor, Assistant City Manager, Chief Financial Officer. Before I get into the numbers, I kind of want to put a little bit of context into this. I think the first day I came to Doral, we were given a challenge to diversify funding sources and try to get less reliant on ad valorem taxes. This garage originally was supposed to go into Central Park. It was value engineered at some point during the early process because of additional costs and COVID and everything else that was going on at the time. So this is fulfilling, A, the first promise of what that park was originally designed to do, and also give us a benefit to diversify revenue and monetize an asset. As you see on this slide, we've developed preliminary revenue estimates starting in 2029, which will be the first full year of operation for the garage. Assuming 532 spaces at about 65% capacity, about 350 days a year, We're assuming about $2.4 million in revenue just on the parking operations alone, and that is based on the current cost of on-street parking right now, with some additional CPI increases that would probably happen over the next couple of years. We do anticipate parking violations to also come in as a revenue source. People don't always pay. And on the recreation and entertainment spaces, that's a 12,000 square feet on the first floor of the standalone building. Based on current Doral lease rates of dollar per square foot, on the low end is where we developed this estimate right here. Pickleball Court, since it will be a premium pickleball facility with rooftop, lighting, and other amenities, we do anticipate that we'll be able to charge for the use of the nine pickleball courts. And the additional 12,000 square feet on top, the recreation slash rental event space, you can see that it should have a revenue as well on that. On the expense side, The debt service on this is estimated to be about $2 million a year, so $32 million in today's interest environment with our AAA bond rating. Our financial advisors gave us an estimate of approximately $2 million a year. That number could change depending on what the market does with interest rates. And then we're estimating operating costs of just under $900,000 on year one. And the next columns are about 10-year increments. I didn't put every single year through the operation. It would be very long and wide, and you would need eyeglasses to look at it. But definitely, you'll see that over time, the revenue estimates continue to increase, A, because of CPI, but also We are estimating that adding the amenity to the park will add additional visitors that are going to want to come and utilize the services at Doral Central Park. As you see, year one, we do estimate a net revenue increase of $1.2 million. That is what we would call a profit for the facility. Going out into the final year, which is 2058, which is the first full year without a debt payment, This facility could be generating upwards of $5 million a year in additional revenue to the city of Doral, meaning the Parks Department would be less reliant on ad valorem taxes in order to fund their services. 30-year net revenue estimate of about $63 million additional to the city of Doral. There's the eyeglass page. This is the debt service schedule based on what our financial advisors have given us. This, of course, can change subject to the market itself. And finally, this meets recreational needs with pickleball, additional retail slash dining spaces, a banquet area that Doral desperately needs. We need parking for the water park, for the amphitheater, for the large events that we have in Doral. And obviously we can increase our programming needs. And that's what I have for you. We will entertain any questions that you have at this time.

Thank you very much. First, I want to thank you and our city manager and the entire administrative team because obviously it was heard loud and clear that our priority for this year and really for the next couple years is leveraging our assets, the ones that we have, to create revenue. After the discussions that I think all of us have had in Tallahassee and we're watching come down the pipeline, it's extremely important that we become less reliant on property taxes and find ways to create revenue for the city in creative ways, which we're doing actively. And this is a first look at that. So I'm very pleased to see the numbers, which I do think are very conservative. I don't think you even took into account potentially rentals of the parking garage for special events at a higher rate per parking. For example, right now with the PGA, we're looking at parking and they're having issues looking and finding locations to be able to have multiple vehicles and so on. There's many events that happen in the city that people look or that the event producers look for parking. So I think having a parking garage within our portfolio of assets is extremely valuable. And so I think that this is a great use of the space. It also brings additional recreation, which is extremely needed. It's additional event space, which is extremely needed and very popular in Doral. So I think that this will generate potentially a good amount of revenue to offset costs for the parks and therefore increase freeing up general revenue funds for additional services that we can provide for our city. So I'm very happy and pleased with this. I think the numbers are extremely conservative. And while I am not a fan of going out to debt, I think that we can very well justify that this will pay for itself and still leave revenue for the city, which is very much needed. So I'm extremely pleased with the team and everything you all have put together. the design concept is spectacular. So congratulations to Kimley Horn for putting that concept together. I think it was spot on to what matches the park and our needs and I think maximizes the potential space, which we are running out of. it's important to be able to leverage those assets. So congratulations, and I look forward to seeing this project move forward and the potential of what it will generate to provide new additional resources and fill the gaps where they may need to be filled, unfortunately, should we see drastic changes that could be detrimental come down from the state. But I know that we have the best team to make it, to do a lot with very little. So, thank you. I don't know if anybody has any additional questions on the presentation or the item.

I have some questions. Yes, Councilwoman Forrest. Thank you for the presentation. Can you send it to us as well? Can you clarify, the approximate cost is about $34 million, right?

It's just over $33 million, I believe.

OK. And again, this is just so that residents understand. Where would that come from?

So the bulk of it, we already have some money that we budgeted to the project in this fiscal year. The bulk of it, which is about $32 million of it, would be a debt issuance, not a general obligation debt, which is what funded all of our parks several years ago. That is raising your tax rate in order to pay for debt. This is a special obligation. So it is pledging our own general fund revenues to cover debt. So we're not asking the taxpayers to pay any more. We are going to find it through ourselves. Originally, the idea was to pledge the current parking revenue that we have, which is approximately $2.2 million a year. Depending on when we're going to issue this debt, we can either pledge parking revenue or pledge ad valorem revenue to cover it. Either way, I think the only year where we will have to pay debt service without having the full benefit of revenue would be possibly 2028. But then clearly, as soon as it's operational, it'll definitely pay for itself.

OK. So it's not like a bond?

It's not a what? A bond. It is a bond, per se. We are issuing debt, but it is not a general obligation bond, which is a very different issuance.

So just comparing it to, obviously, the Central Parks bond. And I just want residents to understand the difference between that bond and this bond and why it wouldn't go to the residents for a vote, essentially.

Correct. There are different rules regarding general obligation. Even though this could possibly qualify for a GEO, it's not enough money to put in front of our taxpayers. Also, we believe that our taxpayers have already have enough debt burden with the parks bond that was issued several years ago. And this is based on our credit rating, based on our revenue projections. It's something that we could issue ourselves. It's kind of like taking a personal loan versus mortgaging for a property. It's a bad comparison, but it's the closest I can get to a normal person's thought of

And then just my last question. Do we expect any other items to come before us regarding this? The reason I ask is because, you know, obviously this is the first time I'm seeing the presentation. It's a lot of numbers. I want to evaluate it more. Honestly, I'm not willing to support it right now because I want to evaluate it. And, you know, my last conversation with you guys last year was I wanted... More than the week before the agenda came out to really look at it. Have you guys explain the numbers fully to me for me to feel comfortable enough, obviously, during a time that, as the mayor said, we're looking at. potential changes in our revenue as a city. So I guess, again, my question is, is there going to be another item related to this or any other opportunity after I've done a couple of, you know, just an evaluation to support this or, you know, whatever the next step is?

SO THROUGH THE MAYOR. MAYOR AND COUNCILWOMAN, THIS FORMULA THAT WE'RE USING TO CREATE THIS REVENUE GENERATING ASSET IS A FORMULA THAT'S BEEN USED BY THE CITY OF COOR GABLES WHERE I WAS AND I MANAGED TWO OF THESE GARAGES IN THIS SENSE. Um, one of them goes back to 1997, which is the one that has the Graziano's in it. Um, and the Fritz in France. And the other one is the museum garage. It's the same exact formula that they use. Um, there's, uh, The only difference is that it's not in a park and it's not recreational use. They have retail leases on the bottom and they use the parking revenue and the retail leases and they are revenue generating assets for the city. One of them is about paid off right now and the other one will be paid off later. actually in 2034. So what we wanted to do was be able to follow a formula that has been a winning formula for other municipalities to be able to use it here. We have the ability to say, and I was very surprised in being conservative right now, like the mayor stated, we haven't considered the parking that we will be able to provide for people throughout the city for temporary parking for events, right, that happen, that all of the time we get approached to do that. We haven't considered other sources of revenue like valet and all of those things that will be generated by it. So I believe the CFO has been very conservative in his numbers. I think it actually will be more, but we want to be able to do that. IT MORE THAN PAYS FOR ITSELF AND CREATES REVENUE OVER TIME. AND I THINK THE FORMULA IS RATHER EASY. WE'VE IDENTIFIED THE SOURCES OF REVENUE OF WHERE IT WOULD COME FROM, PICKLE BALL, PARKING, THE EVENT SPACE AND THE RECREATIONAL SPACE ON THE BOTTOM OR ON THE FIRST FLOOR. The only, what it takes to maintain the garage going forward would be the expense and the debt service. So that's basically, and I understand if you're not all together there, I will tell you these are two items. Right now we are awarding the architectural and engineering services, which is why I wanted to bring it. And we are, the second one is construction management at risk. So basically, after these two items are approved, the project moves forward.

OK, thank you. And I do want to thank you guys for thinking of ways to diversify the revenue that we need, really. And I think, in general, an investment in a garage is a solid investment. A lot of people do that. Again, I'm just very hesitant to invest taxpayer money in something. Again, it looks great. I wish I would have had this presentation a little earlier and had been able to kind of evaluate it more and ask a little bit more questions. But I understand. Again, thank you guys for putting this together. And right now, it does look good. But I would like to take some time. So if there's another item that's coming up. But it's not on this agenda, right? The second item? The second item. It's also on the agenda.

So I think to clarify a little bit, the process that we went through for this is it goes through the CCNA standards, which means today what we are awarding is to move forward to create the actual plans so that then we can go into the construction. So we will see something come back to us as far as contract for pricing up in the future, no?

Yes, on the pricing in the future, yes.

Right, that doesn't happen right now because first we need to have the design so that then we can get the construction cost and then the design is a percentage of that. So that's how these standards work to be able to move forward. So what you're seeing today is us moving forward with this decision to create... Parking garage to move forward with the plan that we've discussed several times. I want to make it very clear That's not the first time we've discussed it here. We discussed it in strategic plan. We have had multiple conversations up here about it We've had opportunities to discuss it with the city manager in our private meetings in preparation for the agenda the numbers I think what the manager was trying to express right now the numbers are the numbers and they're very clear This is the price what it is to construct. This is how we pay for it and which we have we can leverage our general fund and and The triple-a bond rating that we have it is not an increase in taxes to our taxpayer on the contrary it is lessening the burden on our taxpayers because we anticipate that there would have an extensive revenue generation to be able to offset costs on other services provided in the parks, so Obviously, we all have the opportunity to make the decision we want. But I just don't want to make it more complicated than it is, that this is basically us moving forward to say, go ahead. Let's build. There will be one other time for us to come forward and have a discussion about that cost. But more than often, these estimated numbers are spot on. Usually, they're actually maybe even a little more than what it actually turns out to be. So that's what we're doing here today. We're moving forward with an architectural engineering firm and a construction company, which work together to make the process more seamless and also more expeditious and more efficient. I just want to clarify that, because I think that was more of the question, and I want to put it in layman's terms. So any other questions? Yes, Council Member Biennial.

Thank you, Mayor. As well, I just want to say thanks to the city manager, the administration, our CFO, Parks, and all applicants as well that were part of the process. This is what I always like to call smart, responsive investment. Because at the end of the day, what we're doing is we're investing, looking into the future of the city. Not really for the next two, three, five, four years. We're looking for the next 30 plus years that hopefully in 30 years, we're not going to be here for sure.

I plan to be alive.

Well, yes. But speaking about the council, but we're looking forward for certainly building the basis for what is needed to happen as a city. And the fact that we're going to keep growing when it comes to our population, and the fact that businesses are going to keep coming to the city. We're going to have more activities coming into Doral Central Park in the near future, starting this year. And not only inside Central Park, but as the city manager mentioned, citywide as well. PGA is coming back to Doral, which is great. And that's what we have to think about. I mean, we have to think about the future. So it's something that it makes sense. And since I love things that make sense, obviously I'm going to support this. The only comment that I made during my meeting with the city manager and the administration yesterday was about the design. facing 33rd Street only facing the design is amazing I like it I love it very nice but facing 33rd Street we have residential units across the street so I guarantee you the last thing that you want to see as you open your your balcony is to see cars across the street parking or cars parked across the street facing the garage. So my only recommendation would be to take a look into that particular design. If we can help to make it more attractive to, not only to the property owners across the street, but certainly for people driving, passing by 33rd Street, I think that will help. I know we spoke about art and different ideas, but just keep it in mind. as part of the design. Other than that, I think it looks great. And again, I'm happy that this is a conversation that we started last year, as the mayor mentioned. So I'm happy that we're moving forward and I'll be in favor. And that's why I placed the motion to approve as well.

Motion to approve by Councilman Pinedo. Any additional questions? Councilman Reynoso? Nope, second. Second? Okay, awesome.

The mayor.

Real quick, just as a follow-up to what the councilman said. So there will be, as you know, an Art in Public Places fee that goes along with all of this, which will be substantial. So we will be able to do, I think, very nice art on the side that faces 33rd Street and the park as well. So...

Yes. No, absolutely. I think all those comments will be well taken, and we will be able to see a final design concept as we move into the construction. Obviously, we have full access to the manager's office anytime when we want to see the design concepts as they move forward. I hope and I know that we will be a part of those conversations. Our own code says that when a parking garage is built, it shouldn't look like a parking garage. So I have full faith in the team and our capital improvements department to make sure that we're abiding by all those things. Again, I just want to reiterate, the point of this is that the future people that are sitting here 10, 20, 30 years, 50 years later are saying thank you. for thinking about how we can generate revenue and not be reliant on taxes. And that's been a huge priority for me, and it's one of the main reasons I was so enthusiastic about bringing Zeta on as our city manager, because it's a concept that is well understood and has been put in practice before in her profession. And this is that first example. And I think there's much more that we'll see coming in down the pipeline. Because my goal is that when we're not here, the people that are sitting here are saying thank you to those who were here thinking about this. Unfortunately, no one sitting here before had ever thought about this. All we did was spend money and create things in the community, which is great. We have lots of wonderful facilities. But it all costs money. And it has to be paid for. And so we have to think of leveraging our assets as much as possible and having that business mindset. I'm extremely happy about this, and I do think those numbers are very conservative, so I anticipate that we will be able to generate more revenue as we see it come online, but I'm not going to hold you to it, Fernando.

Point of personal privilege?

Yes, absolutely.

In 2058, if I'm able to answer the equivalent of a phone, I expect you guys to call me and tell me how off I was to the bat.

Yeah. I'm going to tell you, look how much more money the city has to do more senior programs and special needs programs, all with revenue-generating assets that we did 50 years ago. All right. We have a motion to approve by Councilman Pinedo, seconded by Councilman Reynoso. Madam Clerk, please call the roll.

Motion to approve by Councilman Pinedo, seconded by Councilman Reynoso. Councilman Pinedo?

Yes.

Councilman Reynoso?

Yes.

Councilman Porras?

No, for now.

Vice Mayor Cabral? No.

Yes.

Mayor Fraga. Yes. Motion passes.

All right. Very good. So the next item goes hand in hand. So Madam Clerk, if you could just read it, and we're going to incorporate the same presentation and comments into that, and go ahead and move forward.

Item 90, a resolution made in the City Council of the City of Doral, Florida, awarding request for proposals RFP 2025-27, pre-construction and construction management services for Doral Central Park, parking garage, and recreation area, authorizing the city manager to negotiate an entry to an agreement with Kauffman and Link Construction as a top-rank firm, subject to approvals to form and legal sufficiency by the city attorney. for the provision of pre-construction and construction management at-risk services, authorizing the manager to negotiate and enter into an agreement with the next highest-ranked firm successively if an agreement cannot be negotiated with the top-ranked firm, authorizing the city manager to expand budgeted funds in furtherance hereof, providing for limitation, incorporation of recitals, and an effective date.

All right. We're going to go ahead and incorporate the same presentation for the benefit of the public and comments into this item. However, I do have some comments and some questions for Kauffman. Lin, if that's OK. I don't know if I can go through them directly or if someone wants to approach. So I know Kauffman Lin did build our park. The timeline that has been put forward is an aggressive one that we see here. So there was obviously a lot of delays in Doral Central Park. We won't go into those. Some were for reasons outside of our control. But I just want to know a little bit about the team that's going to be working on this project. Is it the same team that did Doral Central Park?

Yes.

Yes. OK. Do you currently have any other projects that you're working on with the same team?

Yes.

OK. And how do you feel that the handling of this project can meet these timelines?

The way we've looked at it with the precast garage moves pretty swiftly. A lot of the things get built off-site ahead of time. So when it's time to get to the site, everything just starts going together like the Legos versus the cast-in-place methods. They're traditionally slower. So that's why we saw that this timeline could be met aggressively And we have all the confidence that we'll be making that those dates I think the city had a great working relationship with with the team you see a couple of our team leaders here today. And I think that those relationships that were already built and the understanding on how we work together, that's ready to hit the ground running. We've worked with Kimley Horn in the past. That's a relationship that's there ready to hit the ground running. We're ready to work with the city and with the design team to really help every step of the way understanding where all the dollars are so that you guys consistently see as it's making its way through the design phase, where those dollars constantly stand, providing options so that you guys make those fully informed decisions every step of the way. It's not a price that happens at the end to then rewind.

That's a great segue to my next question.

And hopefully we don't have COVID that hits us this time. Yes, no.

That's a great segue to my next question, which was, obviously, we're not looking at any pricing structure right here. You need to see the full design and plans to be able to have that number. It's extremely important for me, and I think for all of us, that we are on budget, on time. Particularly, it would be great to be under budget. So I think that those conversations and understanding how our team works is going to be extremely important. So I'm happy that you guys are back, and we'll see the full... full generation of this park with this missing piece, that will be a great asset to us. But it's extremely important that we work together and that we don't have some of the hiccups we had last time, which, again, I'm not blaming any of you all for. I know some of them were out of our control, but it's a new team here, for the exception of some that you've been working with. So we look forward to being able to be up here in a couple of years and say it was on time and under budget.

Absolutely. We're looking forward to it, and we appreciate the opportunity.

We appreciate it, too. All right. Thank you very much. Appreciate it. Any other questions?

Motion to approve.

Motion to approve by Councilman Pinedo.

Second. Second by Councilwoman Reynoso. Madam Clerk, please call the roll.

Motion to approve made by Councilman Pinedo. Seconded by Councilman Reynoso. Councilman Pinedo.

Yes.

Councilman Reynoso. Councilman Porras. No. Vice Mayor Corral.

Yes. Mayor Fraga. Yes.

Motion passes. All right. Wonderful.

Thank you all very much. We look forward to it.

All right, Madam Clerk, we'll move on to the next item. Next item, 9E, a resolution of the Mayor and the City Council of the City of Doral, Florida, approving a special event permanent use of the city logo requested by Jean-Paul Ginestro on behalf of World Soccer Event LLC to host the Doral Cup at various City of Doral parks as detailed in Exhibit A from Saturday, March 14, 2026 through Sunday, March 15, 2026 from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., providing for implementation and cooperation of recitals on an effective date. Mr. Guillermo, nice to see you.

Good morning, Madam Mayor, Vice Mayor, Council Members, City Manager, Deputy City Manager, City Attorney, City Clerk. Item 90 is for the Doral Cup Special Event. We have a presentation. I'll keep going. The applicant, John Paul Ginestra, on behalf of World Soccer Event, is requesting a special event permit and use of the city logo. The proposed event...

This is the presentation from the... Is this the same presentation the applicant has?

Yes, this is the applicant's presentation, but we had our own.

Oh, you have your own.

Okay.

All right, so the proposed event will be hosted simultaneously at different parks and schools throughout the city. It will begin at 7 a.m. From 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. Saturday, March 14th through March 15th. They're expecting 4,000 participants. Setup will be 7 a.m. They'll break down. They match the event times. The applicant has hosted several events here in Doral, including last year's Doral Cup. And planning and zoning request approval for the event.

I believe the applicant is here and wanted to say a few words and give a presentation. So we'll go ahead and ask them to come up now. Please approach the podium. Thank you, Guillermo.

Hi, good morning to everybody. Connie?

You want the video? IT, if you can please play the video.

Doral Cup 2025 was a celebration of passion, talent, and community. Thanks to the City of Doral's invaluable support, we played at Legacy Park, Meadow Park, Morgan Levy Park, as well as on the fields of Monsignor Edward Pace, Ronald Reagan, and Divine Savior, uniting players, families, and friends. A big shout out to our young volunteers whose dedication made this event unforgettable. And to Mayor Christy Fraga, thank you for your continued commitment to sports and youth. We're excited to make Doral Cup 2026 even bigger. Thank you, City of Doral. Let's keep growing together. Thank you. That was a little video that we want to show to you.

Today we are not here simply to present a soccer tournament and wait for its approval. We want to take this opportunity to talk about something bigger, to talk about community, unity, growth. The Doral Cup is not just a sport competition. It is a platform that brings together families, clubs, local business, city officials, and volunteer with one common purpose, to build something meaningful together. Over the past two years we have witnessed extraordinary growth. We can express that in our first tournament we had 70 teams And last year we had 140 teams and we expect this year 200 teams. We have witnessed extraordinary growth. What began as a sporting event has become a true gathering point for thousands of people. Entire family come to our city Our parks come alive, our local businesses welcome visitors, and most importantly, our children live experiences that have a lasting impact on their lives. Today, many families who live in the city of Doral travel to other cities every weekend so their children can participate in tournaments and leagues. However, the city, the Dora Cup represents the opportunity for our family to stay here at home, to celebrate the sport within their own city. However, when it comes time to celebrate the Dora Cup, not always able to fully enjoy and experience an important tournament within their own. This situation should lead us to profound reflection as a community about where we want to go and what example we as a leader are setting. When a community unites behind An event like the Doral Cup, the impact goes for beyond goals and trophy. It's strengthening the local economy. It promotes sport tourists. It positions our city as a regional reference point. And most importantly, it sends a clear message to our youth. The impacts go for beyond sport. We are talking about community identity. We are talking about multicultural integration. We are talking about real opportunity for our family. This tournament can become a symbol of identity for our city, but that will only be possible if we all understand that it's not the event of one organization. It's the event for the entire community organization. It's built with institutional leadership, it's a stranger to official support, and it's constantly to share vision. Today, we ask you to see the tournament not simple as a date on the sport calendar, but as a strategy investment in the present and future of Doral and its development in our park, in our family, and in the projection of the city. Because when a city comes together around the children, it doesn't just organize a tournament. It builds identity, opportunity, and future. And above all, it builds a legacy. Thank you so much.

Thank you. Thank you very much. All right, I think we have the presentation and the comments. If there's no questions for the applicant or for staff, we need a motion. Motion. The motion by Councilwoman Reynoso, second by Councilman Bineto. Councilman, did you have a comment?

Yeah, I just want to make a few comments. Go ahead. Thank you, Mayor. Well, first of all, thank you, John Paul, for the presentation and your team that is here. It's the third consecutive year that this is hosted in the city. I have seen the – when you talk about the numbers, I mean, we can tell. I mean, from just a few, now it's over 200. And now it's not only in Doral, now you have to use a facility outside of the city, I guess in Hialeah, one of the parks in Hialeah too. So that means that you guys are doing a great job. And that also means as you touch on your comments, and by the way, very good speech. That was good. But you touched very important things for me, and I believe for the rest of the council, too, when it comes to, you know, you're talking about community identity, you're talking about supporting our local businesses, and we see that when we have this type of activities citywide. If you have people coming from other places, that they have to spend money in a hotel here, that they have to go to a restaurant. And again, we're moving the local economy too. So yes, I mean, it's a great family community event. But at the same time, you're helping our local businesses. You're moving the economy, especially now when small businesses really need to see the movement. So I want to congratulate you. And I also would like to entertain the idea, since it's the third consecutive year, I don't think that you guys have to keep coming back to request for the use of the city logo, because it's becoming the Doral Cup. And as you mentioned, and I hear from other soccer teams as well, that it's great that now they don't have to travel to Naples. or that there used to be a Doral Cup in Naples instead of the city of Doral. So when you hear that, it stands to you guys. So thank you for moving and bringing this great idea. It's a great community event. I have been present in the last two. I'm planning to be present this year too. So again, when it comes to the city logo, I don't think that you guys have to keep coming back is my humble opinion. And when it comes to the special event permit, I know that you guys have to keep doing it, but I don't believe you have to keep coming back before us either. So it's not that we don't want to see you, and I don't want to hear from you guys anymore, but I think that it has been proven that you guys do a very good job. that I'm aware we haven't received any complaints or any situations that we can say is affecting our community. So I'm just going to leave that on the table, and I hope my colleagues can consider that as well. Okay.

Councilman, I think what we can potentially do is, because it's been multiple years now as well, and we've done this with other organizations and events like Eduardo with the Run, potentially this year it's already in front of us, but for the next year we can have it approved for multiple years so that they don't have to come for a special event permit. for every year. We can do three years. I wouldn't want to do it farther than the time of all of us being here, because everybody should have an opportunity to have their decisions. But maybe we do next year for three years, and we can just approve it. I don't know if we could do that now, Lorenzo, if it needs to be evaluated. But this year, we did add Central Park, which I spoke to them about last year. The open field, they can line it temporarily and use that. So we did include that this year. So I have no problem approving it for them for the next three years. And then they would have to come back after that. I have no issue with that. I think they've proven to do very well. And I think it should be evaluated from time to time. But I agree, I don't think they have to. As long as they're paying their fees and doing what needs to be done to recover the costs for the city, I have no issue with them getting an approval for multiple years and using the local.

I have a question about that. Because obviously, if we do that for one organization, There's going to be multiple organizations. I don't mind as long as we're applying the same rules to everyone. Well, it's up to the council. That's a policy decision. I mean, but meaning giving them the option to do it for multiple years. Obviously, if the council for that organization says no, that's a decision. But giving them the option to submit it for an approval for three years. You understand what I'm saying? So not just having one organization come every year and submitting or requesting the logo, allowing them the opportunity to also request the logo for three years and obviously leaving it up to the council to approve it or not. That's what I mean.

So that would be a decision that in the application process they could change to opt for. We can have a discussion offline about that. That's an administrative, whether they want to include that as an option to have the applicant request. But I think what's been proposed here today, which again, very similar to what we've done with the Runderal, is that we've seen the success of it for multiple years. And therefore, the councilman is making a suggestion to allow them to not have to go through this process every year because they've proven themselves. I'm comfortable with that. I would not consider it for a first-time organization. So putting it as an option for me is not something that is necessary. I think that once they've proven themselves, they want to come and ask, hey, I'd like to have this for multiple years. It's something that this council and whoever's sitting here at the time can decide. So I'm okay moving forward with allowing them to have it for the next year.

Five years four years whatever everybody decides, but madam mayor if I may to answer your question Yes If this council decides that that you want to allow them to be able to use the logo For the city of Doral and have the event every single year. That's fine They still have the responsibility to come in every single year and follow for your their permits and so on so forth Right, but it's gonna have to come to council because that's what we did.

Correct, right They still have to go through the process, but at least it doesn't have to come to council Which is what we've done with Brenda Rao

Correct.

He has to go through the process with the department. As long as everything stays the same, there's no requirement to come to council because it's become a continuous plug and play event.

If that's what this council decides, yes.

I have no problem with that. So, Councilman, you want to make your motion?

Yeah, I place a motion for that. But I also just to follow up on your comments, Mayor, and to clarify. And yes, I mean, we did it for Ron Doral because they have been doing it for the last three years as well. And they have proven that it's a great organization. Same thing with Doral Cup. We haven't heard about another Doral Cup in the last three years. So you guys have been doing it for the last three years. So, I mean, it's just common sense. And for me, again, it's all about making sense to a lot of things that we didn't used to do before. So that's why I think it's a great community event and we have to be supportive of it. So that's why I placed the motion based on my comments too.

Through the mayor? Yes, Councilwoman.

I think really the question is just lying on what's the threshold? How many years of success does an organization that is coming in front of the council need in order to hit the threshold of not having to come to council to ask for the permission of the logo?

So I'm not opposed to that.

I think setting a threshold of what that's going to look like for every other organization today is good policy. And it could start with this one. And then from now on moving forward, I think as the council goes and deciding other events and what success means to us, but as long as maybe three years of a successful event is occurring, then after that they can apply for multiple years of using our logo.

I agree with that. Yeah.

OK. So I think we can extend. Councilman, can you amend your motion to include the amount of years?

Yeah, three years is fine.

Okay, perfect. So we'll go ahead and extend the three years so that you don't have to come back and you can use the local for that time. But you still have to go through the process with staff. All right, I think I need a second.

Second. Second by Councilwoman Reynoso. Madam Clerk, if there's no more additional questions, please call the roll.

I have a motion to approve and work with the applicant on a future three-year agreement for the use of the logo made by Councilman Pinedo, seconded by Councilman Reynoso. Councilman Pinedo? Yes. Councilman Reynoso? Yes. Councilman Porras? Yes. Vice Mayor Cabral?

Yes. Mayor Fraga.

Yes. Motion passes.

All right. Thank you very much. I believe we have another special event.

Thank you, gentlemen.

In item 9F. Item 9F, a resolution of the mayor and the city council of the city of Doral Ford approving a special event permit for the use of the city logo and marketing support requested by Derek Hodes to host the Downtown Doral Arts Festival. at 5252 Paseo Boulevard, Doral, Florida 33166 along Northwest 53rd Avenue between 87th Avenue and West 84th Avenue from November 14, 2026 to November 15, 2026 from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., providing for implementation and incorporation of recitals and an effective date. Mr. Guillermo?

The applicant, Derek Holds, is requesting approval of a special event permit and use of the city logo for the Downtown Doral Arts Festival. It will take place on 53rd Street between Northwest 87th and Northwest 84th Avenue on November 14th and November 15th from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. with full street right-of-way closures beginning November 13th at 6 a.m. and opening back up at 11 p.m. on the 15th. They're expecting 4,000 attendees per day, so 8,000 in total. And yeah, they're requesting the city logo. They've had previous events here in the city. Last year's, here we go. So this is the location. Right, set up 6 a.m. to 11. This is the site plan. They're requesting street closures from 87th to 84th, and on Paseo, just a little north of 53rd, and just south of 53rd. LIKE I SAID, ROW CLOSURES 6 A.M. TO 11 P.M. FOR THE EVENT. AND PLAN ZONING IS REQUESTING APPROVAL.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH. I BELIEVE THE APPLICANT IS HERE AS WELL. AND I'VE HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO MEET WITH THEM. CAN WE BRING UP THE SITE PLAN AGAIN REAL QUICK? I JUST WANTED TO MAKE, DEREK, DO YOU WANT TO COME UP VERY QUICK? I just want to make sure we did receive the letter from Codina partners. They're supportive of this event because I know we had some issues with the last one. So looking at the site plan and having conversations that you and I had last time, And conversations I've had with some of the businesses in the community in this area is, is there an opportunity to put the tents in the middle facing back to back so that it's not blocking the businesses and the sidewalks? So that when people are walking around the tents, they're still seeing the businesses? You have a problem with that, Michelle? Sorry.

Just the concern of blocking the public right-of-way and pedestrian access on the sidewalks.

Well, it's no different than how they do it in Miracle Mile.

Again, we would have to evaluate how that ADA compliance may or may not be affected.

Yeah, I just think that if you go to any of the other fairs, they put the tents back-to-back, and people walk around the tents, and it doesn't block the businesses. Yes.

We would just have to evaluate the spacing, just to make sure.

So is there a way we can approve it without being re-evaluated?

We can approve it conditionally, if that works.

Yes. Yeah. Are you guys okay with that?

We're okay with it, just knowing that what we have to take into consideration is, of course, safety, you know, codes, be able to get access in and out, also artist setup. A lot of the... like a Coconut Grove Arts Festival or Miracle Mile, where you may have seen where the tents are put together in the middle of the street, those streets are wider. And then load time for the artist can change. So it's something we absolutely, actually in our initial Even before we approach the city 2 years ago when we first wanted to do we we wanted to push the artist in the middle. But we wound up going in this direction for several reasons we're happy to revisit it it's just in certain areas of that street it becomes tighter. Versus other so. Some of it has to do with safety and fire code and access points and some of it has to do With how artists are able to get in and out based on setup times, okay?

I know this diagram shows cars, but the street is closed Okay, just yeah Yeah, I just I did talk to some of the vendors and we hadn't had the chance to speak again after we spoke over the last I think it was a great event. It was very successful. We talked about it people really enjoyed it I think anytime that you create this environment and close off the street and people can come and walk and enjoy the businesses and the art and additional food vendors and things like that is successful. Our farmer's market has been super successful thanks to Councilman Moreno. So I invite this opportunity in our city and I think it's great. But some of the business owners weren't happy that the tents were kind of blocking the view to their restaurants. Like people were walking in the middle of the street and didn't even see the restaurants. And so the idea is also the promotion of the local businesses in the area, right? Not to take away from them, but to add to the area. So after having that discussion, it kind of dawned on me that, yeah, Miracle Mile, the tents are in the middle. And then people walk around, you still see the businesses. So I'd really, really like to see if that can happen. potentially happen. I would hate to ask you to reduce the number of tens, because I know that that's how you generate also your revenue. But I think that ultimately, quality over quantity sometimes makes it more successful. So something to think about. So if we can conditionally look at that opportunity. We have time. This is in November. So you have time, which I really appreciate that you're coming early. I mean, you came and talked to me in January about this. I'm very pleased that you guys are taking your time and really dedicating your efforts to it. I think it could be very successful. I do want to also state that you all asked if there was any opportunity for support from the city. So I will leave that to discussion with my colleagues. However, as I stated and I know was brought to your attention by our planning and zoning department is we do have a no waiving of fees ordinance where we cannot waive any direct costs for the event. And I say that to you guys as well. I don't want to set a precedent of waiving permitting fees or closing of street fees because it makes it very difficult for us to pick and choose who we want to support or not. It was the first year of your event. I think it was very well done. You guys obviously are committed to coming back and doing this multiple years. I know that Codino Partners is Also supportive and partnering, and I would hope that they are being supportive and helping as well. So we did lend our logo. We did do a lot of marketing and promotion for you last year, which we're happy to redo again this year to enhance it. We would love for us to have like a staple Coconut Grove type arts festival or Miracle Mile style. That's exactly our intent. What is it? They call it Walk on the Mile? What is it? What's the Miracle Mile one that they call it? Oh, come on. You talk about Coral Gables all the time, and you don't know the name of it. Well, whatever they call them. Walk on the Mile or whatever it is. So Carnival on the Mile. We would love to be able to create that type of environment, and I think you guys are on your way there. Again, as I mentioned to you guys all, I'm a little hesitant in a new event to pledge additional resources, but I'm open to having the discussion with our colleagues if we can sponsor in any way or promote more. I know last year we had our constituent services out there one day providing information. I would love for us to be out there again because it's a great way to engage with residents and provide access to services and information on a weekend when people are out there enjoying, they get to learn more about what the city is doing. So we appreciate your partnership on that. So I'm open to it. I'd like to hear what my colleagues have to say. And if it's not today, we can always bring it forward closer to the event if we see that there's an opportunity for sponsorship. We also have grants. I don't know. Are you guys a nonprofit? I think we discussed this. No, you did. That's what it was. Yeah. So we have opportunities to enhance partnerships and things like that in our community. But we are... you know, careful as to how we pledge certain participation.

Any comments or questions from my colleagues? Motion. Motion to approve by Councilwoman Reynoso. Second. Second by Councilman Pinedo.

Any other questions? Okay. Well, we can, let's, we'll motion with the condition of looking at the tents, how we set them up. And we'll revisit the opportunities to see how we can continue to help and support. We want you guys to be successful. Awesome. Thank you guys. Thank you so much.

Thank you. All right. I have a motion to approve with the condition of the placement of the tents made by Councilman Reynoso, seconded by Councilman Pinero. Councilman Reynoso?

Yes. Councilman Pinero? Yes. Councilman Porras? Yes. Vice Mayor Cabral? Yes.

Mayor Fraga? Yes.

Motion passes. All right.

We move on to the next item. The next item is we're going back to the consent items that were pulled. Item 6E, a resolution of the Mayor and the City Council of the City of Rodale, Florida, awarding invitation to bid 2025-25, Doral Government Center, third floor renovation, new City Council members area, TO HIGH CON INVESTMENTS AS THE LOWEST MOST RESPONSIVE AND RESPONSIBLE BIDDER, AUTHORIZING THE CITY MANAGERS TO NEGOTIATE INTO AN AGREEMENT WITH HIGH CON INVESTMENTS FOR THE PROVISION OF PERFORMING RENOVATIONS OF AN EXISTING SPACE IN THE CITY OF DURAL GOVERNMENT CENTER AND THE CREATION OF A NEW CITY COUNCIL AREA IN THE AMOUNT OF $432,3308.32 PER 10% CONTINGENCY FOR A TOTAL NOT TO EXCEED AMOUNT OF $475,627.15. AUTHORIZING THE CITY MANAGERS TO NEGOTIATE AND ENTER INTO AN AGREEMENT WITH THE NEXT HIGHEST RANKED FIRM SUCCESSIVELY IF AN AGREEMENT CANNOT BE REACH

Authorizing the city manager to expand budgeted funds and for those hereof Providing for implementation incorporation or recitals and an effective it this was pulled by a vice mayor Cabral Okay, you pull this item Everybody knows exactly where I'm standing on this project, so I just wanted to bring into a vote Okay, any other comments or questions from anyone regarding this item motion motion to approve by councilman Reynoso second by councilman Pineda Any other questions? All right. Being none, Madam Clerk, please call the roll.

Motion to approve by Council Member Reynoso, seconded by Council Member Pinedo. Council Member Reynoso?

Yes.

Council Member Pinedo?

Yes.

Council Member Porras? No. Vice Mayor Cabral? No. Mayor Fraga?

Yes.

Motion passes.

Sorry, Mayor. Happens to me, too.

Next item, item 6F. A resolution of the Mayor and the City Council of the City of Doral for approving the purchase of interior furniture for the new City Council area in the Doral Government Center from Office Furniture Warehouse via the State of Florida Contract 5612000024NYACS in the amount not to exceed $65,000, authorizing the City Manager to expand budgeted funds in further than a year off, providing for implementation, incorporation of recitals, and an effective date. This was polled by Vice Mayor Cabral.

Vice Mayor Cabral. Same reason as 6E. So I just wanted to bring it to a vote.

Okay. Any other questions, comments? Motion. Motion to approve by Councilman Reynoso.

Second.

Second by Councilman Pinero. Madam Clerk, please call.

Motion to approve by Councilman Reynoso. Seconded by Councilman Pinero. Councilman Reynoso. Yes. Councilman Pinero.

Yes.

Councilman Porras. No. Vice Mayor Cabral. No. Mayor Fraga. Yes. Motion passes.

All right. I believe item 6Q was also pulled.

Correct. Item 6Q, a resolution of the mayor and the city council of City of Darfur authorizing municipal sponsorship to HISPA, Hispanics Inspiring Student Performance and Achievement in the amount of $1,000 pursuant to section 279 of the city's code of ordinances providing for authorization, implementation, incorporation of recitals in an effective date. This was pulled by Council Member Reynoso.

Thank you, Madam Clerk. Well, this organization is abbreviated as HISPA, Hispanic Inspiring Students Performance and Achievement. Councilman Pinedo and myself last month attended one of their banquets, and it was an absolutely beautiful event. I thought it was very homegrown. And their mission is really to link big businesses, well-known businesses, and a mentoring system between students, ideally within our community. They are in other communities right now, and I think it's just such a great program to start inspiring the youth from very early on. having them have the opportunity to shadow people that are successful within these big organizations and see if there's a pathway to employment too. So it's an excellent organization. I'm really behind this one. And we have one of their volunteers, Veronica Haino, that's here. Or Haino, I always kind of butcher her name. But if we can just give her a moment to speak a little bit about the organization.

Yes, please approach the podium.

Good morning. Major Fraga, council members, and city, after all, leadership. I'll take just a minute. I know I'm probably between us and lunch at this point. So thank you again for this meaningful recognition and for your support for HISPA and its mission to enable youth to discover their potential, embrace education, and achieve success. For those of you who don't know HISPA, it was founded to eradicate the lack of role models for students. It mobilizes professionals to ignite the desire for higher education and to overcome obstacles to example. As a proud resident of Doral and a longtime volunteer for HISPA, it is truly an honor to receive this recognition on behalf of our founder, Dr. Yvonne Diaz-Claes, whose vision created this national organization. And most importantly, this recognition, I accept this recognition on behalf of the thousands of students, many right here in Doral and in South Florida, who have been inspired to pursue their highest potential because they've seen others being able to do it. Hispa's work is rooted in a simple but very powerful belief that when students can see leaders who reflect their aspirations, their sense of possibility really expands. Partnerships with the city of Doral and our other entities that impact that impact really at the local level strengthen not just the students' lives, but our families, our school, and the future workforce. So thank you very much for believing in our students, for investing in our education and community, and for helping us continue to inspire the next generation of leaders. I know everybody sitting here today started somewhere. And today, look where you are. So when we show that to our youth, we're paying it forward. It's a privilege to stand here again, and thank you. Anybody interested in joining, please look for me, look up Hispa, and share your stories.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you so much. So through the mayor, I'm hoping I can gain support from my council members to help with some sponsorship, and we'll see where the city of Doral can participate in the future.

Thank you. Motion.

Second.

All right, we have a motion by Councilman Pora, second by Councilman Pinedo. Thank you, Councilwoman, for bringing this forward.

Motion to approve, made by Councilwoman Porras, seconded by Councilman Pinero. Councilman Porras?

Yes.

Councilman Pinero?

Yes.

Councilman Reynoso? Yes. Vice Mayor Corral?

Yes.

Mayor Fraga? Yes. Motion passes.

All right. Wonderful. Thank you very much. I believe this exhausts our agenda.

Mayor's report.

Yep.

All right. So very quickly for the mayor's report, I just wanted to wish everybody a very happy Valentine's Day. I hope you all had a great one. And I just wanted to thank also our incredible Parks Department, Michael, and the entire team for a great campaign under the stars. the Silver Club Valentine's Day, which was beautiful, and the Special Needs Appreciation Ceremony. We really appreciate your hard work. All of you do a great job. So thank you very much for what you do in our city. You make us shine. And I want to also wish some of our team members a very happy birthday. It was Maggie Forster's birthday on February 10th. Happy birthday, Maggie. And also it was my Chief of Staff's birthday on February 5th. So happy 40th birthday. Oops. To Marion. I think she's in the back. All right, and that's pretty much it. I really don't have much more, except I hope to see everybody at the MISO this Saturday. Always a beautiful event. It's at the Amphitheater this Saturday, so I look forward to... And the Farmer's Market, yes. The Farmer's Market official ribbon-cutting will take place this Saturday. It's been a tremendous success. People are very happy. We've gotten nothing but great comments every time we're there, so thank you for everybody who's supported the Farmer's Market. And that's it for my mayor's report, manager's report.

Oh, we have the advisory board reports, mayor.

Oh, that's right.

We have the youth advisory board this month.

I forgot.

I'm sorry.

Item 11A, youth civic committee. Please, come on up. I apologize.

Good morning, Honorable Mayor, Honorable Vice Mayor, and the Honorable Doral City Council. My name is Joya Ploy Gentile, and I serve as the chair to the Youth Civic Committee.

Good morning, Honorable Mayor and Honorable City Council. I am Luciana Barandica, and I serve as the vice chair of the Youth Civic Committee.

Good morning, Doral Council. My name is Alessandro Molina, and I serve as a member to the Doral Youth Civic Committee.

Good morning, Doral City Council. I'm Maria Corina Mogollon, and I serve as a member of the Youth Civic Committee.

I know you guys have been through a lot of presentations today, but I can't promise our presentation will be brief. But what I can promise is that everything we're saying is of major importance, at least to us and the constituents we hope to represent here today. Today, I, along with my fellow board members, have come to address a memo we have drafted for you for a proposal for our College for Parents prep event. We come today not only as civil servants, but as sons and daughters of immigrants in the city of Doral, and most importantly, as high school students who have pursued education in the city, with many of us still being seniors pursuing the finality of the college application and acceptance process. The forum we propose is consisting of free presentations to both students and their families regarding college preparation within academics, extracurriculars, financials, and overall increasing awareness on college opportunities. The wonderful city clerk, Ms. Connie, is actually passing around a tentative flyer we have prepared for you guys to look at. And this forum that we're proposing is especially important because, as per the City of Doral website, we noted that 87.5% of Doral residents have either graduated high school or have a degree equivalent to that. Simultaneously, however, only a little bit over 50% of Doral residents have a bachelor's degree or a degree equivalent to that. We hope that this event, increasing awareness for college preparation, will be one of many that can help serve those who will not only be part of the 87.5% graduating with a high school degree, but also increase the 50% in higher education as well. I'd like to also emphasize the logistical importance of this event. Not only will these presentations be especially helpful to immigrants who are just now navigating the American college process, but their children, grandchildren, and future generations who hope to pursue higher education. We hope to have this event held on Saturday, April 18th, aimed at high school students right before the end of the school year, so that juniors and sophomores especially can start to prepare to apply to college and for their parents to start preparing on how to support their children throughout the process, whether it's arduous financial documents or just emotional support for their children. Additionally, we are requesting $2,000 for food and light refreshments for the individuals who will sit through this event, ranging from 10 AM to 2 PM. We have also contacted local Doral counselors who give their services to the students of Doral to help give us credible information and experience for this event. as well as us, students of Doral, or the entirety of the civic, sorry, or the entirety of the Youth Civic Committee to give a student panel open to both English and Spanish questions which will reduce any language barriers to education. To cover a key part that I myself strongly believe is a vital aspect of the awareness we want to spread, specifically regarding on how higher education can be accessible. I want to touch on the stigma around college applications and financial aid components, such as FAFSA and the CSS profile. I'm not sure how many people in this room are familiar with these terms, but we all know that Doral is a very commendable spot for educational institutions, whether it's high school or Floridian colleges and universities. But as prices rise for tuition, room and board, and more, it is unbeknownst to many college applicants and their families the need to have extensive college preparation, whether it's writing, recommendation letters, and financial aid documents submitted to achieve an affordable education, which is especially concerning when understanding that each semester in higher education, especially in state, can cost each family up to $20,000. Financial aid applicants are to be done on the parent or guardian's behalf, but it is often confusing and can hinder the applicant's process to receive financial aid. This educational event aims to bridge that gap through awareness, instruction, and advice, and will aim to not only educate, but to inspire Doral residents to reach for the stars in higher education without barriers such as finances, immigration status, or lack of knowledge that will stop them from reaching their potential. Now that I've emphasized the overall importance of this event, I will pass it on to my fellow board members to discuss key aspects of the forums that have personally impacted them and how it will impact those who will be helped by this event. Hello.

Hello, my honorable Doral City Council. And my name is once again. As someone who has lived in this community for the past 15 years, I know that Doral is more than just a city. It offers so much for people of all cultures, making a safe space for anyone willing to share ideas or to start something new. Therefore, I hope you guys are willing to hear my board and I out regarding our college prep-preparance event. With over 70% of Doral residents being immigrants, this event would help parents and students who are unaware of the college application process. As a student of immigrant parents myself, I have learned so much through this process, and I hope to share my experience regarding standardized tests, both the SAT and the ACT. These tests are mandatory for the college application process, and it is important that both students and parents understand that serious preparation must be done months leading up to the exam. The Youth Civic Committee plans to share many online study methods during the event, such as Blue Book, One Prep, and Prep Pros. While not every school in Doral offers test preparation, we hope that this event will help bridge the gap between the city of Doral and its schools within it. As someone who has taken both the SAT and the ACT, I can attest to the importance of taking both tests and not only relying on one. While the tests have similar qualities, they are significantly different. And this event will help explore this. Many citizens, especially those not from the United States, are unaware of the value of the SAT and the ACT. For starters, a good score can lead to thousands of dollars worth of scholarships that can be used for college funds, not including the Bright Futures Scholarship, which covers 75% to 100% of Florida University tuition. My fellow seniors and I have all received 100% Bright Futures, the scholarship. So we can all attend any public institution in the state of Florida without the burden of paying tuition. This scholarship is extremely attainable, and it is important that all parents in Doral are informed about the benefits of this scholarship and the doors it could open for their children. While the price of taking these tests is high, ranging up to $100 per test, students can receive a free lunch waiver allowing up to four free ATTs and two free SATs. This will be mentioned in the event so families know that they can take the test without worries. Through this waiver, students can also apply to up to 20 colleges for free on the Common App, saving them hundreds of dollars in application fees. And trust me, it adds up. I've been there. The college application process takes a toll on students both mentally and financially, and this event will promise to remove these burdens from our youth while simultaneously educating parents. Thank you. Awesome.

As already said, good morning to our council. My name is Alexander Molina, and I just want to say I have resided and studied in our beautiful city for the past 13 years, and I just want to thank you all. I want to thank you all because I have nothing but gratitude for the educational opportunities and programs provided by the Miami-Dade County Public School System. With that, I'd like to show my appreciation by paying it forward to the community that raised me and educating the locals with the benefits and freedoms available to them. Within the presentation we have planned lies two areas of distinct significance, dual enrollment slash club credits and parent involvement. When I attended Doral Academy, I was presented with the chance to attain college credits through various facets. I personally chose to attend MDC. And since fall of 2023 up until now, I have been studying throughout various courses through the introductory and the bachelor level. And luckily enough, this semester I will be attending my associates in arts. I'd like to not only share my story and also share the various paths that are available to upcoming high school students, but I'd also like to share the accommodating options such as FOVS, AP classes, the IB program, CLEP exams, and so many more, which are available to students of all backgrounds. This can serve as a channel through Dural's platform to make our scholars stand out from other students nationwide. On top of the distinction from others, I can attest to the fact that these classes can give pivotal exposure to the learning environment of higher institutions and the skills needed for a stable student lifestyle. Furthermore, there's the topic of money. I'm sure everybody in this room loves saving money, and college credits provide students with the qualifications to skip past these classes for college and save them money. In doing so, students can save up to $1,000 to $3,000 per class, which can give our future scholars an economic advantage. Finally, I just want to point out that it is just as important to reach out to students as it is to parents. Parents of students may not be aware of their role during the college application process and how they can support their children. I can testify to the fact that it is not fun to be scrambling for documents hidden away in Abuelita's closet in some random box that you just might not know where it is. These documents range from simple electricity and water bills to even original driver's licenses that could have come out years ago. And so it is also important to collect tax forms that might have been thrown away, and it is pivotal for parents to have the proper and necessary information for Common App season. Most importantly, reminding students that they are loved and supported is key. Just a few months ago, I was slaving away in the middle of Panera on 41st Street after school and working hard to get ahead of my deadlines. Some families may not understand that their kids need time out of the house to organize their thoughts and put them on their paper, whether that be to complete their college essays, which only gives you around 700 words to put your life story on paper, or supplementals. And as a final message from the heart, I want to emphasize that time is money. This is bigger than just a row. It's about the impact that our children can make around the world. Thank you.

Once again, good morning, Doral City Council. My name is Maria Corina Mogollon, and I'm a board member of the Youth Civic Committee. Today, I'm honored to speak about an issue that affects families all throughout Doral, college application fee waivers and access to scholarship opportunities. For many students, including myself, financial barriers commence long before tuition is ever due. The stress of whether college will be affordable or even possible is one that students should not worry about as tools such as fee waivers and scholarship opportunities exist. Because of the lack of awareness surrounding these opportunities, apprehension tends to consume students as early as sophomore year, something that I am guilty of. College application fees, standardized testing costs, and limited awareness of financial aid options can often discourage students from applying to a wide range of schools, students who are often motivated and capable of profound change. These barriers do not reflect a lack of ambition or ability, but rather a lack of access to information and resources. Many students and their families simply are not made aware that fee waivers exist or that scholarships are available beyond what is commonly advertised. Parents specifically might not even be made aware of their important role in the college application process. This is especially notable when it comes to understanding deadlines, financial aid forms, and available assistance. By increasing awareness of fee waivers and scholarship opportunities, we can empower both students and their families. To be educated on this topic is to hold the resources needed to open doors throughout the grueling process that is application season. I believe that by supporting the college prep for parents, the city of Doral has the opportunity to be a leader in this tireless effort. Keep this in mind. When we invest in our students, we invest in the future of our city. Thank you for your time and for your continued commitment to the youth and families of Doral.

So for a closing remark, we want to thank you for your time and consideration, and we hope you understand that investing in education is what really matters for us youth in our city. We hope to seek your support and approval, and we'll now give this time for any questions. Oh, and before we finish, we want to give a big thank you to our sponsor, Chris Hovde, because this is the first time that the Youth Civic Committee has ever presented to the City Council, and we couldn't have done it without him. So thank you, Chris.

Good job, Chris. Awesome. You guys did wonderful. First off, I was just going to say that. So the Youth Advisory Board was an initiative I brought when I was a councilwoman in 2013. It was, I think, my first item as a council member. So I'm super proud to see you guys up here presenting. Congratulations. Thank you. We did do a couple of events with the Youth Advisory Board back in the day. I actually hosted a college prep event. And one of the things that I did out of my office many times, and I tried to get the youth advisory board involved. It was just hard because everybody's on a volunteer schedule, but it seems like you guys are really committed, so we're going to do a lot of great things together, was a college fair. So I did it for several years. It was very successful. Unfortunately, it's just a lot of work to put together. I think you're going to have full support from us to get this going. But I'd love to see this be a college prep and college fair. We can invite the universities to come and they will come. FIU, UF, FSU, if we do it with time, like now, they will come and they will put up a table and we could do not just a college prep seminar, but a college fair. And the date is great because, I mean, it's a little bit short notice for them. I don't know that we'll get all of them, but we could get a lot of them. And I have those contacts because I did it for several years I love that it's Central Park because I think this is the last weekend of the drought farmers market unless we extend it so I know it's depressing I know but we're going to try and extend it but either way it's a great opportunity this time frame because it's at the same time the farmers market's going on so you guys could be outside getting people in to know that it's going on so we can take up I just we need to make sure that the rooms are available so did you look Michael are the rooms available these days yes okay can we save the whole thing for them okay So we can save the whole thing. And maybe even if we put a divider, you can have seminars and stuff going on on one side with the college prep. And we can have the college fair going on on the other side. The room is big enough for your first year. And then we can work on it for second year also to bring more universities. If there's time, we can bring several universities. Usually they like to receive the request to come for college fairs like September, October for the following year. So yeah, and most college fairs happen at the beginning of the year. But we can work on that. But for this year, we can try and get as many of them as possible. So we can definitely help you guys work on that and put it together. And if you are an engaged group and stay very, very involved, other cities sometimes even take their youth advisory boards to Tallahassee. to watch a legislative session. So I'd love to be able to do that. That was always my dream with the Youth Advisory Board. It's just been hard to get a committed group to do it. So you guys seem to have the drive for it. So we will definitely work together to make that happen in the next year. We just need a motion to approve. Are you guys okay with adding that?

Yes, absolutely. Thank you so much. A second, and I have a comment.

Okay, so we have a motion to approve.

Madam Mayor, I believe you would need to make also a motion to waive the fee for the room.

Yes, yes. Well, obviously, we're going to make a motion to waive the fee for the room as we're going to host it alongside you. So yes, absolutely. So I've already told my team to get with you, because I have the list of all the colleges that we did it with before. So we'll reach out to them and help you guys put it together. But great job. You guys did a wonderful, wonderful job. Anybody else have any comments?

I want to thank you guys for your time, for this great initiative. And I love that it's geared towards parents, because there's a lot of parents that want to help, but they don't know how. And so I think this is great, because a lot of them are geared towards students. I think this one would be for both, it seems. But it's really great to involve the parents. I was also a first-generation college student. So when I was applying for college, my parents had no idea. What that entailed or what that meant so this is this is going to be a great program and so again? Thank you. We're very proud of you and of course. I'm in full support of it

Thank you. All right.

Anything else? Yes, Council Member Reynoso. Well, I think you guys did such a great job with your presentation, great advocating skills for this program that you guys are trying to put together. Education is absolutely important. It is the gateway to a lot of opportunities. And I know a lot of our community members, their system of education is completely different. than what you all have gone through and are still going through. So I think this is an absolutely great event. And I wanted to highlight something that one of the four of you said, paying it forward to a city that has helped raise them. And I think it's such a beautiful thing to be able to come up to council, talk in front of your city and your community members, and show that pride, that of being raised in such a great city and looking for opportunities to continue to benefit what is the future. And you guys are still building your future. So to even have that mindset to know that this is such an amazing city, that it's a good place to invest your time in, and knowing that there's people behind you that are coming up and that need guidance and your preparation skills, how you described everything was so eloquently done. And you can really see the drive and the passion behind what you're doing. I mean, I have no other option than to say absolutely count on us. And I can't wait for you guys to get this out and going. I do have a comment. about the time. If we're going to add potential colleges, I would suggest to extend the time of this event, maybe from 9 to 3, so you have enough time to maybe go around the different tables for parents to go around the tables, students. And I think that would be a better use of the date. So just expanding it a little better so you can get all those touch points in at the time that you've reserved. But I'm very proud of all of you. Great, great impression. And I'm glad that the youth, you guys are the type of people that are representing our city. So thank you for that.

Thank you so much.

Thank you. Very proud.

Good job, guys. Anybody else? Yes, Councilman.

Go ahead, Councilman.

Thank you, Mayor. I just want to... Well, echo what my colleagues just mentioned. You guys are pretty amazing, so congratulations. You guys represent the future of the city, and we're in very good hands based on students, young people like you. Bless you. So congratulations. I'm going to support you as well. Thank you so much. I count 100%. Also, as Councilwoman Reynoso mentioned, education is the key. And you guys represent the future. And I'm happy. And as the mayor mentioned as well, I think it's the first time in a long time that I see a group with this passion. And that really helps. And you guys are going to motivate other kids and other young people to get involved in not only City Matters, but especially when it comes to these type of activities, which I think is important because at the end of the day, you're helping others. You're making a difference in people's lives, especially parents, as you heard, because a lot of these parents, unfortunately, number one, they don't understand the system. Number two, they don't speak the language. So it's hard for them, and I relied to that because I came here when I was going to turn 16 years old, and my parents... didn't know the language either. So it was hard for them to understand how the college system works, and especially when you're going to apply for scholarships and all the tests and all that, the whole process. So I'm happy that we're doing that and we're supporting this, and that you guys are the ones leading this group. So congratulations. Thank you so much. Keep it up. Absolutely.

Great job, guys. All right. Councilwoman, I mean, Vice Mayor, final comment?

I know that we all have praised you for your leadership, and this is wonderful that you're bringing this up. My two older already got through college, and I do know how difficult and complicated sometimes it is. And bringing the colleges to be able to be part of this is very helpful because many of them parents will not have the opportunity to sit down with each of them or to have the contact to go through with the counselors and understand a little bit deeper how it is the process and many things that they like you say saving you know a lot of money on getting all this information so congratulations and thank you for your leadership and be an example for others here at the city thank you all right madam clerk i didn't get who motioned in second i motioned first second Good. All right.

Motion to approve and waive the fees for the facility rental made by Vice Mayor Cabral, seconded by Councilman Porras. Vice Mayor Cabral? Yes. Councilman Porras? Yes. Councilman Reynoso?

Yes. Councilman Pinedo?

Yes.

Mayor Fraga? Yes. All right. Thank you very much. I think my team is in the back. They're going to talk to you guys so we can help you get the list of the colleges. Okay. Thank you, guys. Great job, guys.

Congratulations. All right.

City managers City managers reports wait.

We're so sorry to push our luck, but we have to go back to school Could we get a photo with you?

Oh? Yes? I was just telling them to wait we have two little two minutes. Thank you Do you have anything in your report madam clerk madam manager? We're almost done two items

Yes, Mayor. So I just wanted to provide an update about the solar streetlights that we discussed at the last meeting. So they have picked the site, which is along 82nd Street between 107th and 114th. You directed us to have them install. So the vendors have been working to complete the permitting process and coordinate the installation. One vendor has already completed permitting and is scheduled to install by the end of next week. And the second vendor remains in the process, but is expected to do that shortly after. So once both installations are complete, we will notify council so you may visit the location. And we feel we're in schedule to bring the item back at the March meeting. Great. The last thing is I'm proud to announce that the City of Doral has received the Government Finance Officers Association Distinguished Budget Presentation Award for fiscal year 2526 budget. This esteemed recognition is a testament to our organization's commitment to maintaining the highest standards in government budgeting. To earn this award, our budget met rigorous national recognized guidelines for effective presentation, demonstrating the commitment of both our governing body and staff. The city of Doral has proudly received this award every year since 2015. This achievement highlights the exceptional efforts of our finance team and reinforcements our commitment to fiscal responsibility and building trust with our community. So congratulations to everyone who contributed to this success.

Congratulations.

And we would also like a picture after we take a picture with the use advice report. Thank you.

Mr. City Attorney?

Nothing, Madam Mayor.

Great. Mr. City Clerk?

I got nothing. Just remember it's our PP4K meeting right after that in the training room.

As soon as we take our pictures, we will go ahead and commence that meeting. All right. This has exhausted our morning agenda. We'll be back in the afternoon. Any motion to recess? Motion to recess by Council Member Reynoso. Second by Council Member Bineto. All in favor say aye. Aye. All right. This meeting is recessed. We'll be back at 5 for protocol and 6 o'clock for our meeting. We are calling this meeting to order. We're back for our evening session. Today is Wednesday, February 18th. The time is now 6.11 AM. Before I officially have the roll call, I just wanted to welcome Sara Paguda. She is our mayor for the day, and she'll be assisting me in leading today's evening session. So welcome, Sara. The floor is all yours.

Good afternoon, everyone. My name is Sara Paguda. I'm honored to be here today and have this experience. And thank you all for having me. Madam Clerk, please call the roll.

Councilwoman Corrinoso. Present. Councilwoman Maureen Porras. Here. Councilman Rafael Pinero.

Present.

Vice Mayor Degna Cabral is not present. Mayor Christy Fraga.

Present.

Mayor, you have quorum.

Thank you very much. Everyone, please stand for the Pledge of Allegiance led by our mayor.

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

We will now open public comments. We will now open the floor for public comments. Each speaker will have three minutes to address any item on today's agenda or other matters related to the city of Doral. Please begin by stating your name and address for the record and ensure you're registered with the city clerk. We will first hear from those who preregistered, followed by walk-in speakers. Once all have spoken, I will allow any final speakers before closing public comments. As a reminder, in accordance with our city's codes of conduct, we ask that all remarks be made in a respectful, contagious, and orderly manner. Personal attacks, offensive language, or disruptive behavior will not be permitted. Let's work together to keep this forum productive and constructive for all. Madam Clerk, is there any pre-registered speakers?

Not at this time.

Thank you.

Would anyone like to open up the floor? Now we will be closing public comments. Now we'll be moving to our public hearings.

Madam Clark, please read the first item. Item 28, public hearing, ordinance number 202603, regulating businesses with OFAC-sanctioned countries. An ordinance of the mayor and the city council of the city of Doral, Florida, amending section 41-78 of the city's code of ordinances, providing for incorporation of recitals, conflicts, availability, and incorporation into the code on an effective date.

Mayor Fraga, this is your item.

Thank you, Sarah, our mayor, for the day. Members of the council, this is the ordinance that we had just briefly discussed earlier today. This is a regulation that would be added to our code in an effort to continue to promote what the efforts of our mayor's around the county as well as the tax collector have been promoting to make sure businesses are in line with OFAC regulations if they are doing business with countries as such as Cuba and anyone who is not following these regulations and working outside the scope their license may be revoked before we go ahead and and take a vote I would like to open the floor for any public comments on this item

The floor is now open for public comments. On item 28, 26, 65, 11. No public comments. Very good.

All right, being no public comments, the comments have been placed, and we will entertain a motion to approve.

Motion. Second. Motion by Councilwoman Porras.

Motion.

Motion by Councilwoman Porras.

Motion by Council.

Second by Councilman Pineda. Second by Councilman Pineda. Madam clerk, please call the roll. Motion to approve. Oh, sorry, go ahead.

Madam clerk, please call the roll. Motion to approve ordinance number 20-26-03 on first reading, made by Councilman Porras, seconded by Councilman Pinero. Councilman Porras? Yes. Councilman Pinero?

Yes.

Councilman Reynoso?

Yes. Mayor Fraga? Yes.

Motion passes.

Great job.

We move on to the next item. We move on into the second item.

Second clerk?

Sorry.

SECOND READING, ITEM 20B, ORDINANCE NUMBER 20-26-01, AMENDING CHAPTER 26, NOISE. AN ORDINANCE OF THE MAYOR AND THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF GERALDO, FLORIDA, AMENDING PORTIONS OF CHAPTER 26, ARTICLE 5 OF THE CITY'S CODE OF ORDINANCES RELATING TO NOISE, PROVIDING FOR SEVERABILITY INCORPORATION INTO THE CODE AND AN EFFECTIVE DATE. THIS WAS APPROVED ON FIRST READING ON JANUARY 15th.

WE WILL NOW OPEN PUBLIC COMMENTS FOR SECOND ITEM 20-64-78. No chosen public comments. This item is for the manager.

Good evening, Mayor. I don't believe we have any changes between first and second reading. So the item stands as it was in first reading.

Is there a motion?

Motion.

Motion to approve by Councilman Pinedo. Second by Councilman Pinedo. Second by Councilman Pinedo.

If there's no comments, Madam Clerk, please call the roll.

If there's no comments, Madam Clerk, please call the roll. Motion to approve ordinance number 20-26-01 on second reading by Councilman Pinedo. Seconded by Councilman Pinedo. Yes. Councilman Pinedo. Yes. Councilman Porras. Yes. Mayor Frey. Yes. Motion passes.

Next.

Third item, 20-64-79.

Item 20C, ordinance number 20-26-02, vacation of streets. An ordinance of the mayor and the city council of the city of Doral, Florida, creating chapter 38, article 7 of the city's court of ordinances related to the vacation of streets, providing for civility incorporation to the code and effective date. This was approved on first reading on January 15th.

Opening the floor for public comments for the third reading, 26-64-79. No public comments.

Close the floor. Second reading.

Second reading. Is there any changes?

No, Mayor. There are no changes between first and second reading.

We need a motion.

Is there a motion?

Motion to approve.

Motion to approve by Council Member DeVito.

Motion to approve by Council Member Pinero.

Second. Second by Council Member Reynoso.

Second by Councilman Reynoso. Madam Clerk, please call the roll.

Motion to approve Ordinance Number 202602 on second reading. Made by Councilman Pinedo. Seconded by Councilman Reynoso. Councilman Pinedo. Yes. Councilman Reynoso. Yes. Councilman Porras. Yes. Mayor Fargo. Yes. Motion passes.

All right.

Good job.

Thank you so much for indulging us. This is an opportunity for our youth to see how local government works and civic opportunity within our city. So congratulations, Sarah, for your job well done. We're going to take a picture now with the entire council when we finish. This concludes our meeting. So now what you need to ask for is a motion to adjourn the meeting. Go ahead.

Is there a motion to adjourn the meeting?

Motion. Motion to adjourn. Motion to adjourn.

To adjourn. By Counselor Vinedo.

Second.

Second by Counselor Vinedo.

Second by Counselor Morenoza.

All in favor, say aye.

All in favor, say aye.

Aye. Aye. This meeting is now adjourned. We'll see you all at our March meeting. Thank you very much, and God bless you.