Aviation and Seaport Committee - Regular Meeting

Good afternoon, everyone quiet in the chambers. Please close the doors to the chambers and everyone please take a seat unless you're a sworn officer. Please find a seat in our chambers. To the clerk, please call the roll. Again, please close the door to the chambers.

Everyone, please have your seat again. We are about to commence our Aviation and Seaport Committee. We are going to be led by prayer by Commissioner Gonzalez, followed by Pledge of Allegiance led by Commissioner Orbis.

Dear Lord, thank you for this wonderful day you've given us. Please bless each and every one of us here today. All the people that have come to give public testimony, all of the commissioners and committee persons. Please guide our decisions today. Let your will be done for the betterment of Miami-Dade County. Let your will always be done and let all glory be yours. In your holy name we pray. Amen.

At this time, I'll ask my colleagues to join us in the well. The mayor has a presentation. Mayor, would you like for us to join you in the well for the presentation? She is indicating yes. Okay. Please join us in the well as the mayor presents certificates on behalf of her Flight Forward team.

But we're not advocating you all go to the airport unless you have to be there.

Thank you, Madam Chair, and thank you for highlighting the progress that we've made at Miami International Airport. It truly has been a collective and a collaborative effort. I think our Madam Mayor prides in calling herself collaborator-in-chief. And the efforts made at our international airport have been really, really great in a very truncated period of time. And I think everybody that has been involved in that effort, all of us moving towards the same goal of making sure that our airport is the absolute best reflection of this extraordinary community. And so, Madam Mayor, thank you and I l

Please quiet as you exit our chambers. Please quiet as you exit our chambers. At this time, we'll open the reasonable opportunity for the public to be heard. I do not have any speaker cards on reasonable opportunity for the public to be heard. This is your opportunity to address the body on anything on our agenda. Seeing no one approaching at this time, I will close the reasonable opportunity for the public to be heard. To the attorneys, any changes or updates to this morning's agenda?

Thank you. I'll entertain a motion to set the agenda. So moved. Second. It's been second. All in favor signify by saying aye. Aye. Anyone wish to be recorded, no. Our agenda has been set. At this time, we'll take up the public hearing item, item 1F1. To the attorneys, can you please read in public hearing item 1F1.

I have one public speaker card on behalf of 1G1. Akhtar Kamal, please approach. You'll have two minutes. Please give us your name and your address. If I'm pronouncing that incorrectly, I apologize in advance. Mr. Akhtar Kamal, you are recognized on 1G1. No. I don't see anyone either. Gentlemen, would you like to be recognized on 1G1? I see you standing up.

Oh, no, it has to be an item on the agenda, and I don't have a public speaking card for you unless you're Mr. Akhtar Kamal. I'm sorry?

Okay. Uh, now is your opportunity. You're recognized on one G one. You'll have two minutes. Please give us your name and your address.

Thank you. Mr. Kamal, you are recognized. Two minutes, please give us your name and your address.

Thank you. Thank you for your testimony. Public hearing on item 1G1 is now closed to my colleagues. Any comments or discussions on item 1G1? Seeing none, clerk please call the roll.

Thank you to my colleagues. Are there any items on this morning's agenda that you'd like to bifurcate or discuss?

Madam Chair, I don't necessarily want to bifurcate. I do want to get an update from the airport director because I understand he's here. And also, I believe that Asmar, as he was leaving, he was saying something about being unfairly a ticket or something. If somebody could talk to him down there and figure out what that was, it'd be great. Madam Chair, the last committee meeting we had, I think, for airport was actually at the airport. And there was a situation we were briefed on with regard to one of the employees and one of the companies, and we had expressed our opinion on it. And I wanted

Thank you Commissioner Gilbert and thank you for bringing that up. I too would like to hear an update to the director. Do you know what Commissioner Gilbert is referring to? We had certain unions that were present. There was one story in particular that stood out that a number of us had some real concerns about and I think our message at that hearing was pretty clear. And so if you could provide us with an update, we'd greatly appreciate it.

Can we have them come up? I think- Sure. Elaine is, yeah.

Okay, thank you. AGI, so AGI is the backhandlers that, I guess they work with us or for us, for the county?

Okay, what's the process for debarment for those type of companies? Because independent of him requesting the OSHA information, I find it offensive that someone's wife was dying from cancer and you fired them. I find that offensive. And so to the extent that our governance reflects our values, that's outside the paradigm that I would understand to be acceptable values. We've expressed ourself previously in as nice a way as it was going to be expressed by me at least. So what are those procedures?

Thank you for that update. To my colleagues, any bifurcations on this morning's agenda? I'll entertain a motion on the entire agenda. It's been moved. It's been moved. It's been seconded. All those in favor signify by saying aye. Anyone wish to be recorded? No. The agenda carries. To the attorneys, any unreadiness or any unfinished business before the body this morning? Okay, I believe we have. I believe we have budget presentations by Miami International Airport, Port Miami, and the Miami Dade Economic Advocacy Trust. Can we commence with Miami International Airport, please?

Thank you, Director. Any questions for our Director regarding the budget update from Miami International Airport? Thank you very, very much. I don't have any questions. Can our seaport please approach for a brief budgetary update? You also are a proprietary fund, which we understand, not general fund tax dollars. If you could give us a brief update regarding the financial health of Port Miami.

And Director, how much time do you think you'll need for this?

Director, yeah, I don't necessarily want you to read from the, I really would prefer just kind of a macro financial outlook if you could hone in on that. Thank you.

Thank you. Any questions or comments for Port Miami? Seeing none, thank you so much. I think our final presentation is from the Miami-Dade Economic Advocacy Trust. If you can please approach and tell us how much time you'll need for your presentation. Good morning and welcome. Actually, it's good afternoon. So good afternoon and welcome.

Thank you very much, Director. Any questions or comments for Mr. Diggs? Seeing none, thank you for the presentation. Thank you. To the attorneys, is that the last on our agenda for this afternoon? Okay, thank you. I'd like to request that item 3G be advanced to the July 21st calendar. I know it's subject to the discretion of our chair, but I'd like 3G advanced if possible. If nothing further, we are adjourned. Thank you so much, everyone.