Town Council - Regular Meeting

Good evening everyone. Today is Wednesday, June 17th, 2026, 5 PM. We are having our town council workshop on our budget. With that, Mr. Clerk, if you could please take the role.

Thank you. Could you please join and rise for the Pledge of Allegiance? I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. All right, Ralph, I'll let you go ahead and take over from here.

I'll open it up. Vice Mayor Callahan, you're recognized.

Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Yeah, I was really the one that was working hard on revising this and really to protect the reserves. That's not what happened to us when I was first on the council where we were consistently digging into our... reserves to to meet budgetary numbers and there was just a lot of issues back then um that have been been corrected the way i see it is that i don't feel that we should hold the staff responsible for uh something that was unforeseen this this was i mean if again like you just stated right if if we weren't building legacy park if we didn't have so over mediation we

Okay. So the total then ends up being 1.1 million overall, the nine, the 988 that we're short plus the 1 23, if we approve that. So we're looking at about 1.1 million, right? No, no, no.

I'm not against going forward with that. You're right. They shouldn't be held responsible for something that was unforeseen. But would it be more prudent to find out what's going to happen with the... With the homes home, homestead tax situation and how that affects us. I mean, I don't know what our total numbers.

I think that's a, that's the lecture. Yeah. I mean, I think we'll kind of get into that. This is the, we're talking about 120. so, and again, right now, we're just, I'm going to agree with the vice mayor on that. When we. Put this before I remember our discussion is like, for things that happened to us. Right. And this isn't something that happened to us. This is something that we decided to do to remediate an environmental condition. And again, so do we really want to hold our employees accountable for something we decided to do? Uh, instead of something that happened to us, and, you know, I'm in agreement with the vice mayor on it. You know, it should not be on their back solely.

All right. So, you know, the ordinance requires that we take council, take action on that call. So I don't know if it was regarding an ordinance or just a, or a resolution.

Ralph, let's go ahead and we'll do that. We have consensus up here unless anybody...

Okay. Councilman Lord, you're recognized.

Thank you, Mayor. Maybe I missed it. When you were going through the parks and rec projects for next year, I didn't see a project for the Saga Bay Playground. Are we not going through with that?

And it would still be an inclusive park.

Nothing but roses and sunshine here. All right, go ahead, Councilman Duncan.

Thank you. It was just a comment. So the exercise that we're discussing as far as the $2.5 million, that's for the $150,000 threshold, but to remind our residents that that goes up to a $250,000 threshold in the following fiscal year, which then I believe would amount to a $4.3 million cut.

Other comments? Nobody wants to say anything on here. I'm like, oh my goodness. There is, I guess, a downside from being efficient.

Yes. And I know that we've had this conversation individually.

nearly 60%. So it is a real big whammy. And which means we're going to have to get real, real creative between now and the end of the year when we get our final budget going on. Working with your staff to let us know their recommendations. Hopefully they're going to be creative as possible as well, but it's not a great thing. Is it doable? Yeah. Or will we You know, there's mention of grants coming from the state. We don't know any of the details on that yet, but judging by our success with the red pen in a couple of years. I don't know how much success we'll have with that, but we'll obviousl

I think it's real helpful, the exercise of kind of identifying what exactly does our ad valorem cover. And again, those non-essentials can be anything from our STEM camps to our elderly activities, to public works, cleaning. They seem like they're non-essential, but the removal obviously will reduce the quality of life. So trying to find that balance between those things is gonna be very, very, very difficult.

As I was told in one interview, or actually as I said in one interview, if you're a homeowner, you're going to lose, you're going to gain by losing, not having to pay a certain amount of taxes, but you're also going to lose services which you're providing. So you might break even. If you were not a homeowner, more than likely you're going to see, you're going to lose the services. More than likely you would see an increase in your income.

All the things are simple. People would not understand. It's very, very complicated. Ralph, I really look forward to, again, as we can start getting a clearer picture to educate the public and the council with the ad valorem so we can start getting creative and having open discussions while we need getting feedback from our citizens on their ideas. So we're all in this together. And if this is a pass, it's basically our hands are tied, unless you can come up with other creative things. Do you have a parks and recreation bond? that the city gets to vote on every year. Do you want to keep your p

So I just like to end with that, you know We're in a better position or money that Monty Python movie I'm upside down and I'll wish I knew is the other guy getting whipped. Who are you lucky? Yeah So, all right. Any other questions or comments? Okay, Councilwoman Duncan. I'm sorry, Lord. Lord, that's okay.

I just wanted to add on to what Ralph was saying. I saw that they opened the registration for the FLC's conference at the Diplomat, which is mid-August. I've already registered. It's right in the middle of our budget talks, right? And it will be the hot topic. So I think it would be prudent for as many of us who can make it. I'm taking time off of work to go, but I think it's a wealth of information for us and let's use the league and the information they can offer and try and attend that if we could. I think it's gonna be really important this year.

I agree. There's all those conferences we can learn so much. Right. Was that anything else, Ralph?

10 minutes. All right. See you at 10. In 10. What's that? Yeah.

good evening welcome back everybody uh today is wednesday june 17th 2026. welcome to our town council meeting mr clerk if you could please take the role Council Member Lord?

If you please join me for the pledge of allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. it was a good feeling whenever you say the pledge of allegiance and it's the entire crowd and the entire council saying it loudly and proudly so i appreciate that all right welcome to our town council meeting um mr clerk if you could please read the directions for calling in please be advised that when joining the meeting

please be sure to be in a quiet area to avoid unnecessary noise a time limit of three minutes will be imposed for each speaker during public comments all right thank you very much i'm now opening up the floor for public comments wish to speak please come forward is there is none in the auditorium is there anybody in the queue no one please please come forward yes I'll take two boxes. I'm okay.

Can you give me your name and your address?

I'm asking you to continue to get in touch with the town manager and he'll get his staff to work with you on that. Okay.

Justin McKenzie, was everybody here today? No, I'm kidding.

Anybody in the queue? No, one in the queue. Okay, public comments is now closed. Well, that moves us on to our town council announcement board committee reports that submitted any additions. Councilman Duncan, you're recognized.

Thank you. Mr. Mayor. I just have a few items that I'd like to just get consensus on from the council that I'd like to work with town staff on in developing for future councils as far as resolutions and ordinances. The first of which is I'd like to seek consensus to work on urging a new resolution to the state legislature to amend the current firefighters, retired firefighters cancer bill to eliminate the 10-year cap that is currently in place for retired firefighters and to work through some of the other limitations that are currently within that. This kind of hits home to me. I have a cousin

No opposition. And council, I'll give you, after you sign it, is that on that item you want to do? Council Member Ramirez?

I'd like to piggyback on that if you don't mind.

Yeah, that's absolutely fine. Okay, fantastic. Next one, I'd like to work on updating and kind of future-proofing our current ordinance as it pertains to farmers' markets. Our current ordinance on the books is from 2012. It eliminates or it limits the times in which a farmers' market can operate to the morning until 3 p.m., We have a farmer's market that's been operating here in town recently. It's very, very hot in the mornings and up to 3 p.m. Other municipalities allow a farmer's market to operate into the evening. I'd like to work with town staff to explore the feasibility of and to propos

That would be an ordinance because that's part of the code.

Objection. Bring it forward. We can look at it. Okay.

Okay. Number three. I'd like the consensus on creating a Cutler Bay historical task force similar to what we did recently with the environmental task force. It would not be a standing committee or task force. It would be tasked with collecting stories, histories, artifacts, things of that nature, that then after a specified amount of time that the council determines, whether it be six months, what have you, they come back and provide a final report. This would go towards providing historical exhibits in our new legacy park and town hall that highlights the history of Cutler Ridge, of Cutler Ba

there are from my engine there are one or two groups out there that are already kind of working on that kind of stuff so um but i don't know enough about it at this point um even rose martin brought something up to me to know about that um so it kind of i kind of like the idea of having our history chronicled and and put whether it be a task force or a private group would be the best question so if you want to bring it forward let's look at it and then in the meantime For any groups that are already doing that out there, maybe we can explore that together.

Absolutely. And we can absolutely, and that's something that if I have the consensus to bring it forward, then I'll bring it forward and we can debate that on the dais and figure out the best way to kind of put that forward.

Thank you. And then the last item that I have, it's just kind of something that in going through our code and going through our charter, there's nothing, ultimately what it is, is I would like to work with the town staff to kind of future-proof The way that we conduct business in that ethics, transparency, and public trust safeguards as it pertains to people who serve on this council, on this body. Right now, there's no protections in place if you are directly related to somebody who serves. There's nothing legally that prohibits that from happening, but there is a certain... Idea that if you

Yeah, okay. Go ahead. I got the advice. Sorry.

I have a comment. I think this is a great idea. In my very first Florida League of Cities event after I was first elected, I met a husband and wife who were both sitting on a council and I was intrigued how they

handle the sunshine and and all of that so i i actually think this is a great idea i think it's again i'm always worried about creating new laws uh things like that that can be challenged so um I would suggest that you get with Mitch first, kind of explore it a little bit, and then bring it forward if you think it's something that any of us can bring something forward. But this is something that I have no objection to our town attorney. Thank you very much. That's all I got. All right. So that takes us to our town attorney report.

Anybody there? We're not hearing Stefano right now. Marisa, do you have one? He's muted.

The final lift is going to be starting. Yeah. The question is, why didn't they pave it all the way up to the manhole?

That's the... Ralph, we saw FENL recently and they said they're going to expedite getting that power to those poles. Apparently that was just lift service.

Thank you very much. Takes us to the town attorney's report. So this takes us to our town clerk's report.

All right. Thank you very much. Takes us to our consent agenda. It pulls. None. I'm looking for a motion to approve. So moved. We have a motion by Vice Mayor Callahan. We have a second by Councilwoman Lauer. Oh, if they ever say aye. Aye. I apologize for that. Okay. All right. That takes us to... Second. Okay. All right. It takes us to item 6A. All right. This is quite judicial. Mitch, do you need to read the statement?

Mr. Mayor, I have met with the builders for the contemporary on two separate occasions just to discuss the project.

All right. Anybody else? Councilwoman Lord?

And I've actually disclosed this before, but we've had the developer present to the Age-Friendly Community Committee on two separate occasions in 2022 and 2026.

All right. Nothing else. All right. Julian, anything else, sir?

And we're going to set the timer for 20 minutes, please.

Thank you very much for my mom and open up the floor now for public comments. They'd like to come forward, speak on this item. Please come forward now. If you're going to go ahead and get in line if you could.

Thank you. This is not a question and answer session. This is for public comments. The applicant or staff can maybe address some of those things after the public comments.

All the way to the front. There you go. Okay.

oh by the way my wife's a teacher in this in the school board as well so thank you thank you all right anybody else anybody in the queue no one of the queue okay public comments is now closed you know as far as with property values it's kind of hard to answer that question because there's so many different variables going into it but uh just as a general you know you have legacy park going in you have blue heron park being rich i think the property values in that area are going to be pretty good um So all of Cutler Bay has been doing very, very well, but that area is going to do really, really

And the trash, of course. We require everybody to keep their trash taken care of. Mitch, did you have a comment, sir?

And I don't know if you all remember a couple years ago when a similar project, I remember a little boy saying, I'd love to go and get ice cream. Because one of the things that we do need in Cutler Bay we've all been working on is more restaurants, more types of places like that. And I think one of the things that I like about this project is the cornerstones on each side is specifically for restaurant space. um which is great there's nothing better than having a good restaurant uh within the neighborhood there's so many you know you see ones like elaine's down the street struggles for for pla

Good evening. All right. Thanks for the presentations. You know, pretty good presentation. I have been on the fence a little bit because I'm not a huge fan of developers getting something approved and then coming back and trying to ask for more and more and more. But Live Local actually kind of created that, so we kind of have to live within those confines. Basically, it kind of boils down to, do we have 322 units that are actually split in threes to accommodate different generations? And also for people that are first responders, teachers, and such. Or do we say no, and we have 644 units with

Councilman Duncan, you're recognized. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Thank you, Councilmember Ramirez. Yeah, I'll echo some of the sentiments that he had said. I do have a few, I guess, questions or points for clarification. Could you put the slide back on that demonstrates what the rents will be just so that our residents will have an understanding as to what that is? Because, I mean, we can, you know, until we're blue in the face, say 120% of the AMI, but for most people, you know, you tell them what the monthly rents will be and that's a little bit easier to kind of grasp and understand.

Okay, thank you so very much for sharing that. Moving on, so I'm very pleased of the development where essentially the certificate of occupancy for the retail would also come online the same time as the residential. That was one of the things that I was hoping to at least discuss tonight, but I'm glad you all worked that out ahead of time. Similarly to how the vice mayor was able to work with the public's property to get those out parcels insured that they were built and not just get the residential part built and then oops, we're not going to build these. So I think that is the biggest public

So, the traffic study that that's currently underway, or that's pending if the traffic study comes back saying that improvements need to be made. beyond the $450,000, what is the enforcement mechanism for that?

I do want to emphasize that the traffic study is performed by us internally.

Looking out for what's in the best interest of the residents, especially along that 216th corridor. So any sort of negative impacts of traffic with this development, if anything needs to be added, whether lighting or traffic signaling, curb, what have you, it would have to be handled at that point.

Okay, perfect. And then the only other point that I'll make, and just to re-emphasize in the same way that Councilmember Ramirez did, is with the live local, just for the residents to understand, they can, as of right, so 714, I believe was the number that we did, 714 units without this council ever saying yay or nay correct so i'm glad that that our town staff and and the team has been able to negotiate a lot of very positive community benefits that are going to benefit all of the community not just you know the lakes by the bay and isles bay shore community but all of cutler bay So thank you

then one other if i may i'm sorry uh the linear part so the hours being extended publicly to 9 30 then that will require lighting to be installed absolutely thank you councilman lord thank you mr mayor um i'm gonna piggyback on what he just asked about the lighting i have concerns that the lighting might spill into the residents the residencies do we have like assurances that that won't happen

what this could have looked like if you guys didn't live local and and i really appreciate this so these we i have two of these these are from it looks like a prison to me and i'm just not comfortable with that and i'm glad we're not doing that I had a great deal of phone calls, one of which was from our former Mayor, Peggy Bell, with many, many, many concerns about this project. Now, like I said in the beginning of this, we were presented at the Age-Friendly Community Committee twice on this project. It was well received both times. It was better received the second time that we're doing inte

I also want to shout out that this linear park is at the sole cost of you guys. This is a gift. I look at it as a gift. And the maintenance. Yeah, and the maintenance and the security, the cost of the lighting, right? All of that, the landscaping, the park furniture, it's all here in the Covenant. I personally feel like that's a gift. This is a win in the situation. And it's not just for Lakes by the Bay, it's for all the residents of Cutler Bay. So if we can add more parks, I'm all for that. As a former member of our Parks and Rec Committee, I'm like, let's do that. I also wanted to point out

when applicants come back before us requesting changes to something that we've already approved. For me, over the years, it's really been a bait and switch type of thing. Hey, this is a great idea and we approve it. And then six months later, the applicant comes back and just kidding, we wanna do this. And usually at these meetings, I have a legal pad filled with comments and notes But I must say this is the first time in six and a half years that I've had an applicant come back for a modification that's actually better what the original plan was and we loved the original plan i remember i i t

So, uh, So again, you know, that property's been sitting vacant for a long, long time. It's quite honestly, it's an eyesore because waste just kind of roped off and overgrown. I like the component of, you know, cleaning it up with the arsenic as a brownfield. When I first became mayor, I sat down with the base commander, Colonel Piferero, who's now General Piferero. and you said you know i know we're not uh right next to you but how can we support you and he said he goes i'm a colonel i can afford when i move i can afford first last in security he goes but my enlisted men can't and they can th

All right. Anything else, sir? All right. I'm looking for a motion. So moved. We have a motion by the Vice Mayor Callahan. Looking for a second. We have a second by Councilman Lord. Call the roll. Call the roll call vote, please.

Yes. Motion passes. All right. Thank you. All right. That concludes our meeting. This meeting is adjourned.