Art in Public Places Board - Regular Meeting

Thank you for watching. you Thank you. Thank you. you Thank you.

Yes. Yes.

Florence, excuse me, are we good to go?

Yes.

Okay, thank you. Alrighty. So could you read the lobbyist note, please?

Raymond Breda, Office of the City Attorney. Any person who receives compensation, remuneration, or expenses for conducting lobbying activities is required to register as a lobbyist with the city clerk prior to engaging lobbying activities before the city staff, boards, committees, or the city commission. A copy of the applicable ordinance is available at the Office of the City Clerk, Miami City Hall, located at 3500 Pan American Drive, Miami, Florida, 33133. Thank you. Excellent.

May we have a roll call, please?

Chair Francisco-Heritez?

Here.

Board Member Olga Granda? Board Member Maria Napolis?

Here.

Board Member Nelson Delgado? Board Member Christina Cravo? Board Member Gary Feinberg? Board Member Odalis Deyuri? Board Member Juan Valadez?

Here.

Board Member Jacqueline Roach, we do not have Chrome.

Why not?

As the council indicated, we have 11 and it's only five here present. If you can verify that.

Can you clarify the position of the legal department?

Sure, give me one moment please.

Yeah, I've seen, well, parts of it.

Entertainment. I'm sure it's about to get really good too after tomorrow.

be requesting a deferral and a withdrawal for the two items on the agenda. But I can project the agenda on your screens if you'd like.

Did you know this?

that I know the request for deferral. One of the items that was deferral at the past meeting, we're also deferring it at this meeting. And item number two, we recently heard about the applicant's request to withdraw the item.

So when did you know that we were not gonna be hearing any items today?

Friday, last week.

And why did you not notify that to this board?

because I was in the understanding that we still had to hold the meeting and come in person.

Wow, Indra. Really? You couldn't advise the board members that we were not going to have anything on the agenda? What's the difference between deferring it officially and just letting it defer because of lack of quorum?

When we've had meetings where an item has been deferred, I usually or staff will provide updates or have the option to discuss things with the board. That's how the practice has been in the past.

To the city attorney, can you please clarify if five is the majority of nine?

So it is my understanding that it is 50% plus one member to constitute a majority. And so therefore, at this moment, we do not have a majority.

I don't understand your mathematics, sir. What is 50% of nine? 4.5.

And rounding up 5.5 would be six.

That's not how it works. That's not how math works. The majority of nine mathematically is five. If it's a whole number, it's five.

If you could give me a moment, I can continue looking into it.

Sure, absolutely. Please confirm. Thank you. Please confirm this. Indra, I'm going to address this directly with the planning director, okay? I believe that you should have advised this board member, at least me, that we were planning to defer both items on tonight's agenda. I think it was a waste of this board's time. I'll bring it up with him.

Okay.

Because of Basel, do they move it?

Yeah, it's the second.

December. Okay, because I thought Monday was the first.

Chair, if I may. I've received confirmation we're okay to proceed tonight. Thank you.

We are with that majority, with five as the majority of nine, that's fine. Don't worry, don't worry about it, don't worry about it. We're gonna defer items anyway, so. An important question. Do we have to, now that we did roll call, Florence, and there was a clarification, can you please confirm that we do have quorum?

Per the city council, we have quorum.

Thank you. Now that we have quorum, Indra?

AIPP staff and the city is requesting deferral of item number one and withdrawal of item number two on the agenda tonight.

Sorry, you were asking? Remember your microphone, you have to. Item number one is being deferred until when? Is it being continued?

Yes, it's being continued.

And the other one is being withdrawn?

Yes, the second item is being withdrawn.

Why?

The applicant chose to withdraw the item and the application. The artist is hosting an exhibition during Art Week, and the timeline doesn't work out with her for this component of her project.

Okay. And why are we deferring the first item?

We are in conversations with District 1 Commissioner Gabela on this item, so at that request of the Commissioner's Office and the Planning Department, we're requesting deferral.

What's the conversation about?

About the modification of the artwork and possibly making aesthetic amendments to the mural at Antonio Maceo Park.

Okay, and... What's the PAC's role in this? Do they review it after, or do they...

The PAC does not review it. It comes before this board.

Right, but... But since the commissioner's office is changing...

They're possibly requesting changes to the item. They're in conversations with planning and the artists to reach a resolution. So we will bring it back before the board when those conversations are finalized.

I just want to comment in support of what the chair said, that at any time that we've already been sent the agenda and then there's going to be a substantial change like this, like, you know, that we should be notified that there's been a major change in the agenda.

Okay, I will notify the board in the future. I was under the understanding that the meeting still had to be called because the agenda was published. So I will take that into account and notify the board if it happens again. But I believe the meeting still has to be called, correct?

Correct, yes, the meeting would still have to be called.

Right. Nobody's saying don't call the meeting, but you already know that it's not going to be held, so we can make our own decisions. You must have read the emails today from Florence going back and forth about the attendance to the meeting today. Well, many, many emails about the attendance to the meeting today. So, I mean, one of them could have been from staff letting us know. Should have been. Okay, so I'll make a motion. Oh, I apologize. Of course. Sorry, sir. You're in the public. Do you wish to speak today? Absolutely. Please, could you swear? Yes, absolutely.

Please, Florence, could you swear in the gentleman's name? May you please raise your right hand? Do you solemnly affirm the testimony you will give is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?

Yes.

Please speak into the mic. Please state your name and your address for the record.

Kyle Anders, 2475 South Bayshore Drive. Thank you. So what exactly does this board do?

Indra, do you want to explain?

The board, so the board reviews and approves or denies items brought before the board from the public art program. So the city's public art program has purview over art placed in city property or in projects where private and public partnerships So just our public art. So we have a two-step approval process. We have, once an application is received or a donation is received, the professional advisory committee is a recommending body to this board. They will review and screen the applications and make a recommendation to this board, and the board will ratify that recommendation from the PAC.

And then you guys, are you guys elected or are you guys appointed?

We're appointed. It depends on, but we're appointed by the city commissioners. Some of us are appointed directly by a city commissioner in one district. Others of us are appointed at large. So they're appointed by the commission in general. But we're all appointed by the commission of the city of Miami.

And what time do meetings like this, like, not particularly this meeting, but meetings in general at City Hall, are they typically late? Yes.

Well, it depends. Like, the City Commission will meet during the day. They have their meetings during the day, and normally the other boards, because the City Commission and others are using the use this hall later in the evening. We're the Art in Public Places board. We're an 11-person board. Right now, we have nine members that have been appointed. We're in charge of the city's Art in Public Places program. And so all of the sculptures and public art that you see installations all over the city of Miami, those Projects come to this sport, we review them, approve them, and we find funding for their commissioning, installation, maintenance, education, etc.

I have one more question.

Sure.

Never mind.

Don't worry, don't worry, don't worry.

I'm just trying to get an idea of public government.

Of course, of course, of course.

You guys, it's a paid position, correct?

No. No, we're all volunteers. The city commission is a paid position, but the city of Miami has, I don't, maybe the city attorney knows, but I think it's over 25 boards for different things. So we have a planning, zoning, and appeals board. We have a, Art and Public Places Board and Arts and Entertainment Council. We have different boards, Historic Preservation Board. I could probably go on and on. You have the Little Haiti Revitalization Trust. You have all these different boards that serve the city of Miami, and they're either city boards or quasi-governmental boards.

And what's the time commitment look like for you guys, like having to do this? Do you do this once a month?

I don't know, I'm hogging the microphone here. Yeah, we meet once a month, but we review information during the month. As Indra also mentioned, This board has what's called a professional advisory committee, so they're like a sub-board. And so they're meeting also on certain projects and at different times.

But our commitment, to be honest, is not high, time-wise.

So you think three hours a week, five hours a week? You have to give a number to it?

Yeah, it could be.

say less than that it was probably less than that yeah once a month and we review items for that monthly meeting and then how what who's like the longest serving member here me well all of us know me and I believe you you've been here as long as I have been Maria right the beginning your deputy oh you're brand new okay may I ask what is your interest in this particular board are you a new citizen in Florida?

No, no. I'm not particularly interested. I'm just trying to get a general idea of how... Because you're an artist? I'm not an artist, no.

So the idea of a board, how the boards function in the city of Miami.

Yeah. I definitely would like to work with artists one day, maybe in the future, because I'm fascinated by art. But yeah, I'm just trying to get a general idea of who shows up to these meetings, which is apparently not that many people, but yeah.

Because this board as well kind of identified the needs of the developers, construction, when they need artists to represent a particular building, and they can provide a presentation, the developer, a presentation when a particular artist, and we approve that too. So this is one of our missions as a board.

I guess, how long have you guys served? I didn't hear an actual. 17?

I think it was 17, 17. Mm-hmm.

Would you say you've enjoyed it and you're happy you've done it?

I'm not an artist myself, but I work extensively in the art world. I'm an art dealer.

All right.

All right, well, that's all I got. Thank you for your time. Yeah.

Thank you.

I make a motion to defer item number one and withdraw item number two.

Second.

Second by Ms. Napoles. All those in favor say aye.

Aye. Aye.

Chair, we have minutes to approve and also absent waivers.

Okay. What minutes do we have to approve?

Minutes for June 9th, 2025, July 14th, 2025, and September 8th, 2025.

I make a motion to approve the minutes of June, July, and September.

Second.

Second by Ms. Granda.

She beat you to it, Juan.

Seconded by Ms. Granda. All those in favor, say aye. Aye. And absence waivers?

Absence waivers will be Nelson Delgado, Christina Cuervo, and Gary Feinberg.

I make a motion to approve them. Approve the absence waivers for Nelson Delgado, Gary Feinberg, and Christina Cuervo. Second by Ms. Napoles. All those in favor, aye.

Aye.

Thank you. They passed, right?

Approved.

Passed.

Awesome. Any other items?

No, I do have a couple of updates if you would like to hear them.

Yes, please.

Please. Update number one, we are coordinating with the hearing boards team in a joint PAC and AIPP board meeting for January 2026. We consulted with the hearing boards chief and her recommendation is that we hold that meeting in January as other housekeeping items are scheduled for the January meeting. We are also developing a more refined framework for PAC operations. We're standardizing PAC meeting structures and including an annual calendar rather than a project by project approach. So we will be... Handing over the PAC meetings to the hearing board's team will be following up via Minitrack, which is our internal software, to move those items and have them as companion items to the AIPP board file ID items. So the motions made at the PAC and recommendations will then travel with the file ID and the backup documents in this board's agenda for the following meeting.

Can I ask about that? Are there enough projects that it makes sense to have a calendar?

There are, and we can always cancel those meetings if... They come about, but I think standardizing that calendar would help the PAC members as well. Also, the commission appointed temporary PAC members, which is what we struggle kind of arranging. So having this calendar with dates that they can then follow would be helpful for all of us. So those meetings will be most likely relocated here to City Hall somewhere here, maybe the staff room. They're previously held at the MRC in our conference room, but since they are open to public comment, we feel that relocating them here could be a benefit as well. updates on the public art master plan. We have engaged a potential main consultant and a sub-consultant. We've refined the scope of work to align with the key deliverables in the two-year phased project. And we're conducting ongoing meetings with the consultants and partner organizations to define the roles and outcomes. They've provided an out, ON AN OVERVIEW DOCUMENT FOR US TO REVIEW, STAFF AND PLANNING IS PROVIDING COMMENTS TO INITIAL DOCUMENTS. SO THE BOARD WILL BE PROVIDING UPDATES AS THESE MILESTONES ARE REACHED.

WHERE ARE THEY FROM, THE COMPANY?

THE MAIN CONSULTANT IS BASED OUT OF MIAMI.

REALLY?

THE SUBCONSULTANTS ARE BASED OUT OF CALIFORNIA.

So are we going to see what this agreement looks like in advance of it moving forward?

Yes, we will be providing the board with the updates. We have not finalized the agreement yet, but the meetings have been productive. They've provided us with a good response to the overview document that we shared with the board earlier this year, so I'll keep you updated with that.

What's the name of the group?

The main consultant? DPZ.

It's Duany Platter-Zyberg?

It's what DPZ stands for? I'll give you the name now. The PZ call design, that's correct. Duany and Platters. And the sub-consultant that we are looking to engage would be Barbara Goldstein from California. She's done several master plans nationwide, including Fort Worth, Glendale. So that was our ideal choice for this project from the beginning. So we're glad that we've received a positive response from her and her team.

I mean, these are the people who did Miami 21, right?

Yeah.

What are the remaining issues or hang ups in the in the contracting process?

We are just finalizing the scope of work based on the framework that they provided us. So we're going to provide the comments. We had the meeting, we had another meeting earlier this week, I mean last week. And we will move forward most likely with finalizing those agreements in the near future, in the coming weeks.

Any other updates? No, that's all we have. All righty. Well, thank you. Thank you. Thanks for coming.

Can you remind us which day in December is the next meeting? It's December 8th.

December 8th. Monday, December 8th.

I'm sorry. Just to clarify, the item that's being deferred, is it being deferred to the December meeting? Yes. That's correct. Yes.

Sorry, I didn't say that.

Yeah.

The first item is being deferred to the December meeting.

Thank you.

Thank you. I make a motion to adjourn.

All those in favor?

Aye.