City Council - Regular Meeting

I call this meeting to order at 7.03. Call the roll, please.

Mayor Fajas?

Here.

Vice Mayor Deon? Here. Councilman Santin? Here. Councilman Llamas?

Here.

Councilman Perez-Grespo?

Here.

There is a quorum present.

Thank you. Let's all please rise for the invocation led by Vice Mayor Joseph Deon.

First, I would like to ask for a moment of silence for the loss of one of our neighbors, Manny Frias. who recently passed, a friend of this community, including two of his beloved city employees, Officer Kevin Frias, Justin Frias and family. Lord, thank you for your many and abundant blessings. Thank you for the ability to be involved in useful work and for the honor of bearing appropriate responsibilities. Today I pray for our mayor, all levels of city officials in Miami Springs, and in particular for this assembled council. I am asking that you would graciously grant us the wisdom to govern with the true needs of our residents. I ask all of this in your name, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, amen.

Okay, please remain standing and we will have the Pledge of Allegiance. Repeat after me. 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. You may be seated. OK, we will. Agenda and order of business. We're going to move a few things around. So first thing we are going to do is 13D, which is a request by HOSA Club. They will move up to awards and presentation. At least that's what I'm proposing. Obviously, you guys would have to agree with that. But we want to try to see if we can get them out of here. Or actually, I'm lying. We're going to do it after open forum because that would be something that we would have to vote on. So we'll do it right after open forum. So between 6 and 7. Okay, the other thing is I'd like to propose that we move the recognition of the 100 year homes because there are eight of them. This is a really big deal and half of them are not here. So it's only gonna buy us about 15 minutes, but I'd like to give an opportunity because this was the first thing up. I wouldn't want somebody to get here like 10 minutes late and kind of miss out. So if you guys are willing to hold on, I'd like to propose that we move this to the beginning of reports and boards and commission. And that's when we're going to be talking to Dr. Jim Watson of the Historic Reservation Board. And we will do these presentations right beforehand. And that way, he can actually be involved in the presentation. So I think that that makes sense. So we would move the historic homes TO THE BEGINNING OF REPORTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS. AND THEN THE ONE LAST THING THAT I WANTED TO PROPOSE WAS UNDER NEW BUSINESS, AN ITEM, 12B WE WILL CALL IT, THAT WILL BE A DISCUSSION ABOUT POSTPONING OUR MEETING FOR MARCH 23rd. So those are the things that were being proposed. A discussion about postponing our meeting the 23rd and 12B. We're moving HOSA up to after open forum and we're moving the Centennial Homes to 8A. I'd like to entertain a motion to approve the agenda with those changes.

Motion to approve the agenda with the changes proposed.

Do we have a second? Second. OK, so we have a first and a second. We can do that via voice vote. All in favor of approving the agenda as stated, say aye. Aye. All opposed, say no. OK, the motion carries. And we move on to 5, which is awards and presentations. And so we have 5B, a presentation of Yard of the Month. So can we please have Mr. and Mrs. Alcaine come to the front. Daniel, you want to get up in here and take a picture with them? Join us up here. So you guys live at 998 Ibis Avenue? Yes. Hold on, I want to get a microphone, because I'd just like you guys to say a few words. So who's the brainchild and who's the muscle that made this beautiful yard happen?

Neither one of us have a green phone, so.

OK. But has it been a labor of love? Of course. And is there a particular theme? What would people expect if they go by and see?

Green. It's palm trees and there's various palm trees. Okay, so let me back up. A few years ago we did the big project in the backyard and we had a landscape architect come out and kind of give us some ideas. I would say maybe half of the stuff that they gave us stuck and then the other half was just finally coming to terms with what would work and what didn't. And then some stuff that we had pulled away because they were dying came back out of nowhere.

And so in the front, did you do similarly or that was in the front?

That was in the front and then it carried into the back. So I don't know where some plants started to pop up which we knew were dying before and all of a sudden they're beautiful.

All right. Awesome. Well, look forward to going by and seeing it. Thank you very much. How about a round of applause? Thank you, thank you guys. Okay, so. We move on. That's all we have right now for presentations because we've moved the 100-year down. So we have open forum. No one signed up for open forum this evening. No one online. Okay, so that being said, we will now move on to the HOSA Club, who has a presentation for us, a request for a city donation towards their HOSA Club, which is a future healthcare association. So you guys take it away, tell us what we need to know.

Good evening. Good evening. Mr. Mayor, council members, Mr. Manager, my name is Thad of Clark. I'm a long-term resident here in Miami Springs. I'm here tonight on behalf of the HOSA Club, which is a new club that we started this year at AI Charter School. As Mayor Fahed has mentioned what HOSA stands for, this is our future health care providers of America. So our group and organization teach life necessary skills and basic first aid, as well as CPR. as will also these young men and women compete in various organizational competitions, with the first one being the county. We were fortunate enough to 10 of our members. They aren't all here tonight, but 10 of the members are advancing to the state competition, which is going to be in April, April 16th through the 19th. And, again, we're hoping to do very well. And at the same time, as we mentioned, we're looking for a little donation to help us get us there. With that being said, I'm going to turn it over to our president and vice president, Ms. Catherine and Ms. Marcella to tell you a little more about the club. Thank you.

Good evening, mayor, council members, and members of the community. My name is Catherine Lorenzo, and I am a student at AIE Charter School. I currently serve as the president of our school's Future Health Professionals, HOSA, chapter. And I also had the privilege of founding the chapter this year. HOSA, standing for Health Occupation Students of America, is an international student organization that helps prepare students for careers in health care. Through HOSA, students gain leadership experience, learn about medical science, and compete in events that test our knowledge and skills in healthcare fields. Even though this is our very first year as a chapter, our students have worked incredibly hard and shown a lot of dedication. We meet regularly to study medical topics and practice for our competitive events. These meetings also allow us to collaborate, grow as leaders, and plan how we can continue building and improving our chapter for future students. I am proud to share that many of our members have already qualified to compete at the HOSA State Leadership Conference. For our first year chapter, this is a huge achievement and it reflects the commitment and effort of our students. However, attending the state conference comes with significant costs, including registration, travel, and hotel fees. Our team has been working hard to fundraise so that every student who qualified has the opportunity to attend and represent our school. I would also like to take a moment to recognize the people who helped make this possible. First, I would like to thank our HOSA sponsor, Mr. O, for his support and dedication to helping our students succeed. I would also like to thank Dr. Iser and other sponsors supporting the creation of this chapter and encouraging opportunities for students interested in healthcare. HOSA has already made a big impact at our school. It's inspiring students to pursue careers in healthcare and helping prepare the next generation of doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals who will one day serve our communities. As the president of this chapter, it has been incredibly meaningful to see how much our students have accomplished in our first year. We are proud to represent Miami Springs and hope to continue growing this program for years to come. Thank you for your time and for supporting the students of our community.

Thank you guys. Thank you for your presentation, and we will deliberate now.

Thank you, thank you. And we are hosting a car wash this Saturday at AIE Charter School.

Okay, say that into the mic.

We are hosting a car wash this Saturday. If you want to come on and support, it's going to be at AIE Charter School. Thank you.

Okay. Thank you very much. All right. You guys are, do you want to just state for the record what you are asking for? By way of donation, it's $250. $250 would be great.

That would be appreciated.

OK, that's what it says on the agenda. So $250. OK. Thank you. Thank you for the request. Gentlemen, what do you think?

I think that's encouraging to see these young students get involved early on in these professions. And I've got some good leaders with that there as well. But yeah, I think $250 is fine. OK.

One of the few professions not run by artificial intelligence. Give it time. Yeah, well, they're on the right track. And FIU has a great program also. We've got young students going out to homes as part of the outreach program.

So yeah, they're on the right track. I agree. I think it's a great investment in our community.

Okay. So then that being said, I'd like to entertain a motion to approve the $250 donation to the HOSA club. Would someone like to make that motion?

I set a motion to approve the $250 donation to the HOSA club.

Okay. Do I have a second? I second. Okay. Call the vote please.

Vice Mayor Dionne?

Yes.

Councilman Santine?

Yes.

Councilman Llamas?

Yes.

Councilman Perez-Crespo? Yes. Mayor Pahead? Yes. The motion carries.

Okay, thank you. All right, congratulations, guys. Good luck in your competition. Okay, so we are done with that. We move on to approval of our council minutes. I'd like to entertain a motion to approve the council minutes for the February 9th regular meeting. I approve to, I motion to approve the council minutes. All right, do I have a second?

A second.

Okay, do we have a first and a second? Go ahead and call the vote on that.

Vice Mayor Dionne?

Yes.

Councilman Santine? Yes. Councilman Lamos? Yes. Councilman Perez-Crespo?

Yes.

Mayor, go ahead.

Yes.

The motion carries.

Okay, all right, so I think we got at least one more historic home in, so I'm glad that we were able to do that. So at this time, We move on to eight. And we are going to do a presentation of certificates of recognition to homes that have celebrated 100 years. So it's our historic centennial homes. So come on up if you have one of these centennial homes. I believe we have. 372 Lavilla, 141 North Melrose, 537 Glenway. Gentlemen, we're going to be going up. 489 South Drive. and 50 Truxton Drive.

So come on up, we got... Alright, congratulations. Come on in.

You guys are important this evening.

All right, so I'm going to put each family on the spot. Yeah.

Oh, which house? Come on in.

270 what street? Rosedale. 270 Rosedale. All right, we're going to start with you. So when I give you the mic, please say your name or the family, and how long you've lived in the address, and how long you've lived in the house. And don't take too long, and we'll give you the hook. But just tell us your name, and how long you've been there, and tell us about your house briefly.

TALKING TO THE MIC.

AND YOUR HOUSE IS?

270 ROSEDALE DRIVE.

270 ROSEDALE DRIVE. FANTASTIC. PASS IT ON TO THE NEXT ONE.

MY NAME IS ERIC CABRERO, 537 GLENWAY. I haven't stepped a foot into the house because I don't remodel. I just bought the house. All right. Since November, so I should be moving in by the end of the month, hopefully.

Awesome. Awesome. Thank you.

On behalf of the Fayho family, we are at 372 La Villa Drive. We've been watching it for a few years. We finally snagged it a year ago.

Beautiful. Absolutely.

I've been there since 1993. This is my daughter. She moved in in 1993, too. But I lived next door to 489 at 481 since 1957. Wow.

That's awesome.

Larry and Michelle Goodall, we live at 141 North Melrose Drive. My family's been in that house since 92. Awesome.

The Kaplan family, I'm here with my mother, 50 Truxton Drive. We moved into the house in the spring of 2020, around there, yeah.

All right. So I just wanted to say that not only are they going to be receiving plaques in a second, but they're going to be getting a yard sign that designates and shows everybody that they are a centennial home that they can have in their front yard. So that'll be nice. And I think I speak for all of us like you guys. Thank you for your dedication to these historic properties. You guys are like preserving the beauty and the elegance of it. Those homes have been here witness to the hundred years of our city. So as we celebrate it today, they saw it when you see those old pictures that they were like nothing but green lots and a few homes. They were those homes that were here when Glenn Curtis was riding around. So thank you again. Your homes give us a sense of place and permanence and we appreciate you. And I'd like to hear a few words from Dr. Watson. You're coming up anyways, because you're next on the agenda, but I do want, as we pass these out, so 141 North Melrose. There you go. Thank you. Can you guys help me with these? 50 Truxton Drive, yes?

We send it to the Via.

So I did want to say, I have some friends that live in the city of Miami and they got a hundred year proclamation from the city of Miami from their commissioner. And I thought it was so cool and they have it hanging prominently in their house. And so I kind of brought it back and was like, hey, can we do this? But I think it really became meaningful to me when I sat in on a Historic Preservation Board meeting because you guys had to, like, it was some work for you guys to identify these homes.

Just verify.

Right, right, right. But can you just speak to the significance of what they're doing with their homes and why it's important for what you believe in as the chairman of the Historic Preservation Board?

I'll try to speak for the Preservation Board. Well, I get to make it as simple and concise as possible. You are like maintaining the historic fabric of this community. You are like representing what the foundation of the community was 100 years ago, and hopefully we'll see it in another 100 years. So you're taking care of that structure. You're taking care of a living museum and enjoying it, I hope. And I also want to mention, too, I think a good push came from the mayor and also from Ken Wilder, city historian. So there was a lot of people pushing on this. So congratulations. I think I'm really excited to see that recognition. Thank you.

And this is something that we hope to continue as we identify with the help of the Historic Preservation Board. As we identify in coming years homes that turn 100, we want to do the same thing. But you guys are in the inaugural celebration of recognition of the historic homes. So how about a big round of applause? All right, let's take pictures. And then we'll walk.

One, two, three. One, two, three.

All right, thank you guys.

Ladies, if you see a car in front of you, it's not stalking you, it's just trying to see what your house looks like.

Okay, so we continue with 8A reappointment.

I'll give you a second to get back, I'm sorry.

A day is a reappointment of Dr. Jim Watson to the Historic Preservation Board for an additional term. Dr. Watson, you serve as the chair, correct?

Yes.

Yes. I mean, I can think if you guys know Jim Watson, you know what he contributes to that board and the city in general. I would love to... SUPPORT HIS REAPPOINTMENT TO THIS ORDER OF PRESERVATION BOARD FOR AN ADDITIONAL TERM, BUT, AND THIS JUST HAS TO BE DECIDED ON BECAUSE THERE ARE TERM LIMITS, BUT THE COUNCIL CAN REAPPOINT AND KIND OF START THAT OVER, BUT YOU GUYS WANT TO CHIME IN?

WELL, AS THE LIAISON TO THE BOARD AND SPENDING A LOT OF TIME WITH DR. WATSON, ESPECIALLY ALL THE PROFESSIONALISM THAT'S SHOWN DURING A LOT OF THE WORK THAT WE'VE SEEN LATELY, YOU GUYS HAVE BEEN, TO SAY THE LEAST, TESTED to your knowledge, with the Fair Havens project. And I give you credit because you've been there through the whole thing. And thanks to your expertise, I think ultimately the community is getting a big benefit from it. And you have a lot to do with that. So to me, it's a no-brainer to have you again, if you accept. But I'd love to have you continue, of course, on the board as a chair.

I'd like to just say thank you. Thank you for your service to the city. Thank you for your service to the history of Miami Springs. We're grateful to have you. You have my support.

Anybody else want to chime in?

Thank you, Dr. Walton. I mean, I've been in the audience when you lead the meetings, and you're so knowledgeable and you care about this community and the preservation of the history. So you have a great team, and I'd love to see you reappointed as chairman.

Thank you. Same as I'd say thank you for all your attention to detail. I think it really came through in Fairhaven especially. Thank you very much, and I'd love to see you stay on the board. Thank you.

All right. So we need to vote on this, correct? We need a motion. Okay. So I'd like to entertain a motion to approve 8A, reappointment of Dr. Jim Watson to the Historic Preservation Board.

I set a motion to approve 8A.

Okay. Do I have a second? Second. Okay. We have a second from Councilman Perez-Crespo. So call the vote, please.

Vice Mayor Dionne?

Yes.

Councilman Santine? Yes. Councilman Llamas? Yes. Councilman Perez-Crespo? Yes. Mayor, go ahead.

Yes.

The motion carries.

Thank you. Okay. thank you uh don't go too far because 8b is report by the historic preservation board and councilman santine on historical markers for six identified locations in the city who's going to take it away you want to i could be watching you can start it and then i'll just finish how we're going to afford this i did not prepare for this i actually was coming i wanted to see the celebration of the speaking into the mic into the mic um so i don't have any

a large presentation, or a presentation, but I do want to advocate for we've identified six structures. What this is is linking, bringing Miami Springs into the rest of the state. We're proposing Florida state historical markers. They're those bronze plaques you see over most of the state. There's not one in the city of Miami Springs, and we have such a wealth of history here. So about five years ago, I started a discussion with the board and it moved forward in terms of trying to identify both the locations, and at the same time, identifying resources. And at that point, I'm going to turn it over more, what I'll say is we have the six, we started with two, and it actually has been brought before, one other time, but due to some confusion with, in terms of how, just some confusion. And then in the meantime, through our liaison, Councilman Santine has been encouraging us to identify others, and um so we actually have six we think this would be a perfect contribution on the part of the board for this year to be able to have these markers placed for the 100th anniversary and potentially seeing what other sites later down it it creates a map across the state of florida and includes us as a part of it so with that i'll turn over to yes thank you dr watson uh yeah so initially in the meetings we heard about these two initial markers which was uh

the bridge, the two bridges. And for some reason it went through the cracks and even though it was gonna be approved, it didn't really tend to get approved. So that's why we're bringing it back up through approval. And the other ones are the Curtis Mansion, the golf course. The golf course, obviously the building is no longer historic. It was after the fire, we lost that possibility. And also the Kuhn Building. and also Zadnik, and as well as the, sorry, the Clune, the Fair Havens as well. So we got what, one, two, lost track. Curtis Mansion. We got six. I'm missing one?

I had Golf Course, Curtis Mansion, Clune,

Just for purposes of us knowing how it's all getting financed the first the two bridges were initially You know, we're going to get approved by former councils and it got it went through the cracks we are going to utilize the cities of funds of that area that the the parking fees that we're getting from the Canal Street and When we do the whole area, replanning of the area, we're going to utilize that to get those two markers funded. In reference to the Curtis Mansion, there's a donor who is giving part on that. I think his donation was for $3,000. We're going to cover the $500 difference because now they've gone up in price to $3,500 each marker. And then the other two, initially, former Commissioner Kevin Gabriela had promised to do it. And of course, he's now the ambassador in Panama. And just before he left, I was able to talk to the new commissioner. and i said look kevin promised this can you promise the same she's obviously from the beginning has been on board with this town and helping as much as she can so she agreed to those two so they're going to be donated from our district 6 commissioner's office now the orbis um and then we got what i apologize we're missing all the fair havens has been spoken about as part of the site plan approval and they're going to donate the buddies for that one and then we're missing one right what about static static was also we have we had the funds that we've been fundraising for from the centennial committee and we're going to help participate on that one and golf course on the golf course was already we're missing that one no you mentioned the golf course oh yeah the golf course definitely so they've got so who's funding now so there's two by natalie orvis right two by the city all right One by a donor, that's five. And then we have what, two more? One more. One by Fairham. One by Fairham. And the other one is by the Centennial Committee. All of them are funded. All right.

So I think it's a wonderful thing.

You guys want to just chime in? It seems like. So Dr. Watson, you mentioned five. What is the normal span between you designate a building and the marker gets put in?

Well, typically the committee in Tallahassee, well, I'll go through kind of the process as I understand it now. We're doing the online application. What the online application does is submits it to Tallahassee and it generates a letter. The letter will go in as a packet from after I'm assuming the city manager will be the signer for the city, will be the custodian in essence. At that point, that packet goes to Tallahassee. Generally, they meet only once every six months. The clerk's office has communicated with them, and they said if they get a sizable number, being three or so, they will call a meeting just for that. There may or may not be a review process on this, so there could be corrections. But once that's approved, they will send, I think, basically, what I understand, they send an invoice. So that's kind of their approval. Once the invoice is paid, to be real honest, I don't know exactly. We're trying to find that out, what it takes. These are cast, cast metal. But my understanding is it's between three to five months.

And if, for instance, I'm thinking about Mammoth Street Women's Club, that building. Is that future a marker? It could be. It could be.

It could be a network in terms of we can identify, there could be a historic trail As we already do have one on our website. But it could be an addition to that. And it could also draw people from outside the community to see these.

I love it because it makes Springs to be a destination for historical buffs. So an example of the Woman's Club. Would they have to help fundraise for the marker?

We can do it anyway. And sure, that could be a suggestion. It could be a message to the Walnut's Cup and have a conversation with them as well as other sites in the city.

Mr. Chair, Dr. Watson and the board have to fill out this, not just the application part of it, but more of the story that's going to go on that marker.

And that takes... That's actually, all six have been completed.

Right, that's what I'm saying, but it takes time.

Oh, right, for a new one to add.

Because you've got to have the board meetings and then you've got to, all of you approve on the wording and the story. And then most of the time, Dr. Watson is in the forefront of that. But it's a little bit of a process. But yeah, of course. I don't know if we could stick in the Women's Club that quickly, but it definitely might not be possible.

On the marker, is the wording the same on both sides, or is it continuation of the story?

You pay additional for a different story on the back side. Two sides are, I think, approximately $1,000 or so more.

So these markers are currently one-sided?

I believe it's the same wordage on both sides of all of these markers. We kept it down. Okay, that's what I've seen in other cities. Okay, great.

Looking forward to seeing that.

All right. And I make a commitment, if they don't get here on time, I'm making a plywood replica of it so we can have a ceremony before 100 years is out. Because as I said, when we deal with any kind of procedure or bureaucracy that we're not fully in control of, but I guarantee that we can have a celebration before the end of the year. One way or the other. One way or the other. Thank you. Thank you, doctor. All right. Thank you.

So is this something we need to vote on and approve? I said it was just a report, but I think Councilman Santee, and by the way, thank you to Councilman Santee, who has served as our liaison to the Historic Preservation Board, and it's getting paid for by a lot of sweat equity put in by the Historic Preservation Board and Councilman Santin. So thank you for that. Is there anything that we need to vote on when he said we need to approve, that it hadn't gotten approved, or is this moving forward and that was just a report of what will come before us later?

Let me just go ahead and approve it.

OK. All right. So I'd like to entertain a motion to approve the six identified locations and move forward on acquiring the historical markers for those six locations.

Anybody want to? I'll make the motion.

OK. And do we have a second? session okay we have a first and a second go ahead and call the vote on that vice mayor dion yes councilman santee yes councilman lamas yes councilman perez crespo yes mayor go ahead yes the motion carries okay thank you all right thank you again dr washington thank you so much okay so we have no public hearings no consent agenda no previous business we do have new business so we move on to 12 a and ordinance on first reading

In ordinance of the City Council of the City of Miami Springs, Florida, revising the board composition of the employee's retirement system and police and fire pension plan, amending code of ordinance section 35-05 to permit drop participants to serve as pension trustees on the general employee's pension board, amending code of ordinance section 35-56 to permit four-year terms of office and allow drop participants to serve as pension trustees on the police pension board, providing for conflicts and providing for an effective date.

Mayor and Council, I know you were all briefed on this, but this item was prepared by the Pension Board through their attorney. The ordinance, as announced or read by our clerk, EXPLAINS EXACTLY WHAT'S HAPPENING. YOU'RE ALLOWING DROP PARTICIPANTS TO BE MEMBERS OF THE BOARD WHERE THEY OTHERWISE WERE NOT ABLE TO BE THAT, AND YOU'RE EXTENDING THE TERMS FROM TWO YEARS TO FOUR YEARS FOR THE TERMS OF OFFICE FOR EACH MEMBER. THAT'S ALL THAT IT DOES.

IS THERE A REASON THAT IT'S CURRENTLY THIS WAY?

I DID NOT PARTICIPATE IN THIS. IT'S NOT PART OF OUR...

OKAY. ARE YOU AWARE? No, four years.

What was your question?

Why is it currently the way it is, like why?

Oh, it was codified for two years on one board and four years on the other. So two general employees were termed for two years and on the police side it was termed for four years.

No, I mean were they not allowed to say?

Say it into the mic, Erica, since we're, they're hearing the question but they're not hearing the answer.

Were participants in the drop not allowed to be on the board right now?

I don't know what the urgency or not of this ordinance is. So you will have two readings. This is the first reading of the ordinance. It will come back to you at your next meeting. To the extent you have any questions, you can either approve the ordinance on first reading this evening and get answers questioned at the second meeting. If you'd like for the pension board attorney or a member of the pension board to be here to explain, we can certainly arrange for that. Or you can defer this item until.

I mean, my understanding is that there are drop members that would like to participate on the board.

Yeah, it just seems pretty specific if they were omitted the first time. So I wonder why. There's some kind of inherent conflict with it. But I would like somebody present here next time. It seems like a pretty big deal. I think we should defer.

I'm not aware of any urgency on this matter.

Well, I mean, we all had briefings, right? So if this is a concern that just came to you now, I mean, that makes sense. That happens. But the staff's recommendation is for this to be approved, right? That's why it was put on the way it was explained to me. I mean, if you have concerns, we could pass this ordinance on first reading. There's going to be a second reading. We'll be on a whole other briefing. You can get those concerns. And then if those concerns aren't addressed, like you can... Like, you have questions, right? And you don't have answers, so you don't know yet if it's a concern, but you have questions. If we come to the second reading, and now those questions have been answered, you have a concern, bring it up, and if we can defer it then. We still need two readings, but I'd rather not procedurally, you know, kick it down the road. Because, I mean, if there's nobody here to answer the questions, that's why we had the briefings, is to get answers to our questions. And I understand the questions come up as they go, but because we have a second reading, I think that we should uh pass it and then get our questions answered and bring up any concerns that we have for the second and then we'll make it better which usually happens between first and second reading so so can i entertain a motion to approve 12a on first reading make a motion to approve 12a on the first reading okay do we have a second i'll second that okay all right call the vote please

Vice mayor Dion.

Yes.

Councilman Santee.

Yes.

Councilman Lana.

Yes.

Councilman Perez-Crespo.

Yes.

Mayor, go ahead. Yes. The motion carries.

Okay. So we move on to 12 B, which is just a brief discussion about, uh, postponing. So we have our next meeting. So remember our meetings for everyone to know are always the second and fourth, uh, Monday of every month, uh, with some exception during the summer months. But so our next meeting is the 23rd, but that happens to be during Miami-Dade County schools, uh, spring break. And then that means that a lot of people are traveling. And if we were to push it back to, I mean, I guess we have two options, right? We could cancel it, but I think we can all afford that with what we're trying to get together. I think we need the time because we've got to talk about our ballot measure and everything that's coming up. But if we move it to the 30th, We will still have the two meetings in April, the 13th and 27th, so we'll still have a two week gap before the first April meeting. So are you guys in favor of pushing back the meeting from the 23rd since that's a lot of people are gonna be on vacation, make it to the 30th and then there should be no ill effects because we'll still have a meeting two weeks later?

Sounds like it works perfectly.

Okay, so unless you guys, I'd like to entertain a motion then. to move the March 23rd council meeting to the 30th? Is that a motion to move the meeting to the 30th? OK. Do we have a second? I'll second. OK. All right. Let's call the vote on that.

Vice Mayor Dionne?

Yes.

Councilman Santine?

Yes.

Councilman Llamas?

Yes.

Councilman Perez-Crespo?

Yes.

Mayor, go ahead.

Yes. Okay, so we'll make that happen. So now we move on to other business. 13A, vote of confidence for the city clerk as required by Section 8.01 of the city charter. So this is the... Erica, do you want to just... Take a couple words. I don't mean to put you on the spot.

I love working for all of you. It's been such a pleasure, still a pleasure. And I want to continue working for you.

How many years have you been with us? 12 years. 12 years. Yeah. All right. 12 years. Awesome.

And it's like a family here, so I truly appreciate it. Thank you.

Okay. All right. So we need a vote of confidence. So who would like to chime in?

I'd like to say it's been a real pleasure working with you, especially my family council. From the moment that I decided to run until today, everything has been very smooth. It's a pleasure working with you. Thank you very much. To you and your family. Thank you.

I agree. It's been a pleasure having you. I look forward to continuing working with you.

FUTURE YES ERIC EVANS SINCE TODAY I PULLED THE PACKET I MEAN YOU HELPED ME ASSISTING ME ALONG THE WAY AND YOU CONTINUE TO BE THERE AND YOU HAVE A GREAT TEAM SO AND I'VE SEEN HOW IT'S GROWN AND SO SO YEAH I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICES TO THE CHAIR I'D ALSO LIKE TO POINT OUT YOUR TEAM IS INCREDIBLE AND I LOVE WHAT YOU'RE DOING WITH THE PASSPORT OFFICE GREAT JOB OVER THERE CHAIR I'VE BEEN

fortunate to have an extra term here versus my colleagues. And so I've had the pleasure of working with you. And even though they say that we're your boss, technically, right? I don't feel that way in a sense because you're always just attentive to me and don't look at, you never give me that impression that I have to get to that point of saying anything differently. I'm sure with the city manager, who deals with you a lot more frequent than I do, but you have to deal with us other four up here. So I give you credit, you've handled it well, and I appreciate it, and it's only to me that you continue so you have my vote of confidence.

Okay, all right. We need a vote on that?

Yes, a motion and a second.

Okay, I'd like to entertain a motion to give a vote of confidence for the city clerk as required by our charter.

I'll set a motion for a vote of confidence for the city clerk. Okay. Do we have a second? Second.

All right. Call the vote.

Vice Mayor Dionne? Yes. Councilman Santee?

Yes.

Councilman Llamas?

Yes.

Councilman Perez-Crespo? Yes. Mayor, go ahead. Yes. The motion carries.

Okay. Awesome. All right. Let's move on to 13B, vote of confidence for the city attorney as required by Section 8.011 of the city charter. Since we put her on the spot, do you want to say a couple words?

Sure. Sure. Good evening, Mayor and Council. It really is our pleasure to serve the city. To answer some of the questions, you asked Erica how long she's been with the city. We're just under 10 years. We took over in the end of 2016. I think you know my former law partner, Danny Espino. I think you know him. I was really honored to join that team, this team, when he asked me to. That's when I joined YSAROTA and became a member of the YSAROTA family and became what I feel part of the City of Miami Springs family. So since then we've worked with you and all of your departments, except pension. We don't do the pension. We don't do your labor and employment work. We don't get involved in those two things. But everything else that makes the city run, we are involved in. And it's our pleasure to do so.

Thank you. Guys?

Mr. Chair? Go ahead. Heidi, I don't know even where to start. It's been incredible working with you. I think we've had some challenges in the city with some other cases that have come up. And it's all hands on deck from Y Sarota. And we've been successful. So I appreciate you working hard for the city. getting the job done. I look forward to what we have to do ahead of us. We have a huge task with 36th Street and I have full confidence that we're working together to get that done. Thank you and congratulations on your presidential appointment with Cuban American Bar Association.

Thank you.

Thank you for taking our calls at all hours, all questions, many, many questions. You know, you guys are great sports, very supportive and very knowledgeable. So I feel very confident by the time we get here, we have great answers. Thank you.

Thank you, Chair. Same sentiments that I had with Eric and our city clerk. Same with you and your staff and Roger. He's your secondhand person there. You missed him here today, too. You know, I've had the pleasure of being with Vice Gerardo and yourself and Roger for the last three years. I can't, you know, I'm glad you guys are part of our team and our family. I appreciate it, and obviously you have my confidence.

I appreciate your insight and your advice, you and Roger and the rest of your firm. And I understand you always present the lawyer's point of view, right? And we're like, we'll fight you on certain things, but you're doing what you're supposed to do. So I appreciate your work and what you do for the city. Thank you.

We have to go to Roger separately.

No, no. So actually, when she said we, she was talking about why Sarota. And while Heidi is meticulous and measured and sensible and great to have on her side to help us filter all the things that are coming at us, she's part of a team, and the fact that we no matter what happens, she can access Susan Tomarth, or Chad Freeman, or Ed Montos, or Pete Waldman, or Roger Poe, or Hosea Rangel. I don't know how we did it with James Seaton when we had, I appreciate the fact that Wiserota is a firm that has expertise in every area, just because they've seen everything, and they have those different lanes of expertise that they could guide us on. obviously vote of confidence to continue our relationship. So thank you. Can I entertain a motion to approve 13B, vote of confidence for the city attorney?

Motion to approve 13B, vote of confidence for the city attorney. Do I have a second? A second.

Okay, call the vote.

Vice Mayor Dionne?

Yes.

Councilman Santin? Yes. Councilman Llamas? Yes. Councilman Perez-Grozbo? Yes. Mayor, go ahead.

Yes.

The motion carries. Thank you, Council.

Thank you. You're very well. I'd like to also point out that I was so busy running the meeting that I forgot to speak on 13A, but obviously an extremely, or city clerk is extremely responsive and also answers at all hours. But not only that, and you're incredibly consistent and, you know, and knowledgeable and in those 12 years a lot of institutional knowledge and so my vote of confidence as well even though i already voted on okay so we move on to 13c uh selection of director and alternates for the miami-dade county league of cities board of directors who are occurring uh uh council vice mayor dion as the director and alternate is councilman uh perez crepo okay currently all right yeah So how do they arm wrestle for it? How do we normally?

Rock, paper, scissors. I'd like to point out that it's been an honor to serve as a director for the League of Cities, being that it's my first year. I've really started warming up to the position mostly in like the last month or so and I'd love to continue the opportunity to do so but it's either way I'm grateful for have had that opportunity so either way I'll still be Sure.

And we are all invited and go to the meetings, but there's one representative for, you know, to be a director and then one alternate. So you served as a councilman on this. Are you interested? Does anybody want to be the director and maybe you be the alternate this time around? Or if not, leave him and be the alternate?

I attend, as my schedule allows.

Are you interested in remaining in the same position? Do you want to switch with Joseph? You be the director this time, and he can be the alternate?

How's your schedule?

It's him. Joseph right now is the director, and you're the alternate. You want to switch that? You take the lead, and he can be the alternate? I'll do it. Okay, so entertain a motion to approve Councilman Damian Perez-Crespo as the director for the Miami-Dade County League of Cities Board of Directors and Vice Mayor Joseph Dion to be served as the alternate for the League of Cities Board of Directors. Would anybody like to? I'll make the motion. Okay. So it is so moved. Do we have a second? Second. Okay. So we have a first and a second. Call the vote on that.

Vice Mayor Dion.

Yes.

Councilman Santine.

Yes.

Councilman Lama.

Yes.

Councilman Perez-Grespo.

Yes.

Mayor, go ahead.

Yes.

The motion carries.

Okay. All right. So we move on to reports and recommendations. Reports from our city attorney.

we will have a report for you at your upcoming meeting.

Okay.

Something that we haven't talked about in a while.

Okay. Ooh, that's intriguing. To be continued. The election, no. It was like a police and vice video. We didn't talk about it tonight. I want more. It's a cliffhanger. Okay, all right.

No, no, we'll talk about the... the election questions, and there's a lot going on.

Okay, awesome, all right, great. And that'll be on the 30th? Yes. Fantastic, okay, reports from our city manager, our esteemed assistant city manager.

Yes, so I just wanted to thank the Women's Club publicly, because they did help us out today with our Women's International Day event that we had an election for our women employees, and the Women's Club was phenomenal at opening up their doors for us. They set up tables, chairs, Councilman Fabian Crest was one of the ones that was there setting up and they served food and everything and it was really nice to have the event there and I thought it was fitting. I want to thank the public because they were a huge part of that today. Awesome. It was a nice event.

Okay, thank you. Reports from our city clerk?

Recently we had a ribbon cutting at the passport office and it was so successful that we saw an uptick in appointments and walk-ins, so it's been great. And just to add on the service, it seems like we're gonna be opening on a Saturday. And it sounds like we're going to be the only ones in the county with a Saturday service or office hours available. So definitely see more in revenues and services. Looking forward to that.

And the patrons that come in, it's like a quick turnaround. So it's great for the residents.

Those that come prepared, within 10, 15 minutes, they're out the door.

Good Lord, yeah.

That makes it worth it right there.

okay awesome okay reports and recommendations from our city council we'll start with uh councilman favorite paris question thank you mayor so i saw some of you at the studio hue 53 at the centennial exhibition called ascension which is celebrating impact of aviation in our community it's ongoing until march 14th so if anyone has not seen it please Stop by Studio Q53 right there next to Burritoville. And I think it's great. It's wonderful to have a small gallery in our community. So if we can support that in any way, I welcome everyone to go and check it out. Miami Springs, speaking about the Miami Springs Women's Club, they're hosting a health care forum tomorrow night at 7. If you want to learn about health care costs, why they're rising in Florida, and how it impacts us in the community, it's a free event. Everyone is welcome tomorrow at the Miami Springs Women's Club at 7. I'd like to thank Juan Pena and Public Works. They repaired a partially collapsed edge of a street around the 700 block of Hunting Lodge Drive. And when I saw that, I coordinated with our city manager and they got out there really quick and they fixed that. And I just want to remind people, That's a benefit of living in our city like ours. That's where our tax dollars go. So as this conversation about tax reform makes its way around the state, remember that we have a very responsive city that takes care of these things. So keep that in mind. And last, remind the residents, there is an official newsletter that's sent by email. If anybody wants to receive that, how do they... I get it. How do they sign up?

Yeah.

Yeah.

We have a link on our website that you can sign, like stay in touch. I think Juan posted the link as well on social media, but we can start doing it.

So I encourage all the residents to sign up for that newsletter. It comes in your email. Follow the city on their Facebook and Instagram. Be careful what you read out there on social media. Be careful what you comment on social media. As someone who's worked in social media and with social media, The algorithm works against you in a way when you're engaging in negative. It knows. The AI is smart enough to feed you this stuff. So be careful what you read. Verify. Be careful what you write. So I just wanted to say that out there. Thank you.

Okay, Councilman Lamas.

I wanted to thank Chief Castillo for the police outreach, the 305, at the end of the 305 day, the croqueta fest. We were doing traffic stops and giving out croquetas, I'm sure. People were shocked. But it's great that you guys do an outreach. It's a very soft touch. I think it's great. It's one of the many things that makes us so special here in Miami Springs. And congratulations on the 100-year celebration of keeping us safe. Thank you.

Vice Mayor?

I'd like to thank the chief for addressing the issue that we recently had. We had a rough situation that happened over the weekend, I believe, and thank you for getting to work on that and getting it done right away and addressing the city, the residents, and all the concerns. And congratulations on the 100th year. Thank you for having us at the gala. It was an honor to be there. Beautiful gala. Thank you.

Councilman?

Thank you. Well, yes, the gala was a lot of fun. And thanks to our mayor's wife, who grabbed my wife just when I was out the door. An hour and a half later, I was still in the dance floor. It took me two days to recover. But it was a great event, and you guys did a great job. And we appreciate it. In reference to the clock, as many of you saw already, the Cavalier clock has been moved. Some have mentioned to me, hey, it's off, it's a couple hours off. Well, it's a little bit more complicated. Obviously, it's a specialty, so we have to call the company in Cincinnati, Ohio. They have somebody over here in Florida, but somewhere up in the middle of central Florida to fix the brain mechanism of it. So it's not something I can just go up there and turn the clock over to the number. It takes a little bit of expertise. So yes, we'll get that fixed, and we'll have the exact time there for everybody who passes by who's already said, What a great location. You know, we enjoy it. I'm glad that we can see even more now than ever. So I think our late Mayor Cavalier would be appreciative of the location of it. So thank you for Juan Paine and his crew, because if you saw the whole undertaking with that, including the base, which was six feet deep of concrete, and to get it over there and still in one piece, basically. I am impressed to say the least. So we gotta take our hats off to Juan Pena and his staff. The Centennial, usually there's something mentioning that we have an event, but because the Centennial hasn't stopped working, but actually this is a month that we're just gonna take it easy with a Centennial committee meeting on Wednesday. And then of course, everybody enjoy your vacation. Those that have school, children and able to take off for a week. The next centennial event will be the River Cities, April 10th, 11th, and 12th, being handled by Lynn and Tom. And last but least, that's it. Thank you very much.

Thank you. And I just wanted to say that after the day, the morning after our last meeting, we actually got on a plane. Some people may have noticed that we went to Washington, D.C. They're asking, what are you doing in D.C.? Well, we were very fortunate to have received a half million chief. We got a half million dollars last year on a request from police from the office of Mario Diaz-Balart, our sitting congressman and our representative. So we went up there to thank him profusely for his support of public safety and our city. And while we were up there, I know some of you guys took advantage and went to the museum and brought back pictures and saw some Curtis some Glenn Curtis memorabilia. But we did visit with the offices of our sitting senators, Ashley Moody and also Rick Scott. But we once again thank Mario Desbillard for his generous support in getting us that appropriation. And we're very happy to have his support in that kind of relationship. and hopefully future appropriations will be as fortunate because it certainly is helpful and goes to good use. So having said that, this meeting is adjourned at 8 o'clock.