Virginia Key Advisory Board - Regular Meeting

you you Thank you.

Were there any requests for absence waivers?

No.

So we don't have a quorum. We're going to jump right into some discussion items, and everybody will get out early tonight. The first item Gary mentioned, we've had a legislative item that we sent to the city a while ago regarding to reduce the size of our quorum. I know it was in front of the city commission, and it wasn't heard four or five months ago. Can we get an update on where that stands?

It was submitted to the manager's office for approval, but I haven't heard anything back in regards to it being added to the agenda.

Can you follow up on that? Yes. Or would the city attorney follow up?

Yeah, I'll follow up.

You'll follow up. Thank you very much. We'd like it back on the agenda.

We can follow up, but we can confirm they do have it. So I don't know when they're going to place it on the agenda, but I know they have it. So we'll follow up with them.

It was previously approved, and it was on the City of Miami Commission agenda. Since it's already been approved and was on the City of Miami Commission agenda, can't you just send it to the agenda office and have them put it on the next commission agenda?

That's what we did, but it has to be approved through the city manager's office before it goes on the agenda, and I submitted it back to the city manager's office, but I haven't heard back.

Well, it was approved. It was approved the first time and submitted and put on the agenda.

Yeah, last year. Correct. But this year we had to resubmit since the item.

Every time you submit an item to the agenda, it does have to go through the city manager's office. So even though it was placed on the agenda before, the item was withdrawn. So that was last year. So every time you want to put something new on the agenda, it does have to be approved.

Do you know somebody on the city manager's staff that would help with that?

It was sent directly to the chief of staff or the city manager. So that's anybody who wants to submit anything to the agenda office, it has to be submitted to the chief of staff, and then they're the ones that proceed with moving it forward.

Is he new to the city?

So the city manager is new and his chief of staff is new too.

Yeah, so no background, no experience, no institutional knowledge. He's just showing up cold to the position. If you don't mind, can you maybe educate them and get it on the agenda again as soon as possible?

I mean, I requested it to be submitted. I submitted it and I requested it for it to be placed, but once I do that, it's beyond my... Well, you can follow up. No, no, correct, and I said I will.

All right. Gary, do you have any comments on that item? The next item, discussion on events at Marine Stadium parking lot area. Has anybody seen anything lately or any comments on traffic or events at the, on the Marine Stadium parking lot? Our residents from Kepa Skane have any feedback or?

If everybody could please speak into the microphone though so we can hear it in the recording. Thank you.

Nothing unusual.

Your mic is off, Peter, sorry. I'm sorry. It's okay.

How's that? Discussion on the Rickenbacker Marina. As we all know, there was an RFP a number of years ago, and there was a winning bidder with the process was withdrawn by the former city manager. Does anybody have an update on what the status is with the Rickenbacker Marina? and who will be managing the Rickenbacker Marina? Hector, maybe? Anybody? Anybody heard anything pertinent?

We can ask Andrew for him to provide an update in the next meeting in June, right? May, June, yep, in June.

Okay, thank you very much. That's certainly important to Virginia Key Park, and Virginia Key historic, the basin. Next item will be discussion on the proposed museum of the historic Virginia Key Beach Park. Is everybody familiar with that proposal for the museum? Anybody have any heard anything about the status of that lately? I haven't heard anything or seen anything in the media about that lately either. I guess it's in the works. I think there's $20 million coming from Miami-Dade County. Is that right, Ms. City Attorney Rafa? A $20 million was in a bond issue?

I don't know. I don't have that information. Yeah, I don't either.

Adding this to the agenda was the first I heard of it.

Oh, it might have been 20 million allocated in the Homeland Bond Fund 12 or 15 years ago with the city of Miami. Hector, do you remember the funding for the museum?

Yeah, I believe it's, there's 15.5 from Miami-Dade County GOB, and a $5 million grant from Community Development Tax. I believe we're under the cone of silence now for the selection of an architect for the museum. The trust is handling that. No, it's for the selection of an architect for the museum. So there's no design. It's the selection to start to defer. A bid, yes. Yeah, it's a normal process. Once you complete design and permitting, we go out to bid.

Do you recall the approximate square footage that the architect might be bidding on? I couldn't tell you, to be honest with you.

I know it's changed from the original design, but I couldn't tell you right now.

The director was here, presented to us four or five months ago of the trust, and I think Based on the budget and money that needs to be set aside for operating expenses, the maximum size of the museum would be approximately 11,000 square feet. I think she spoke about that. Anybody who was here recalls? Thank you very much, Hector. Thanks for your help. Any other questions?

I was going to say, Chair, what I remember is the commission, the City of Miami Commission approved the, I think it was $5 million for operating. So money, I think that was what was holding the process up. They needed a commitment for operating funds.

Yes, I remember the item first came up almost 20 years ago, and it kept getting vetoed by the city manager, whoever was the city manager of the City of Miami. wouldn't let it go forward because no there was no operating funds available from the city or any other source and that put it like a 15 or 20 year delay on the process so maybe it's it's been rectified yes um so the next discussion item discussion item about the civitas plan for the parking lot areas is i think we all heard several presentations from civitas regarding their proposed plan for the parking lot area. Gary was here.

Nicholas, Nick, did you ever hear one?

As far as what they have planned for the parking lot? I mean, I know what they do with the parking lot now is that's where basically all the events are. So I think it'll, I think once the stadium gets built, it'll take the stress of that and that'll be, I don't know if it's going to be compliant with what's actually in the plan for Virginia Key, but it'll become less event oriented and more, as I said, parking area, parks, and

Sorry, if everybody can speak into the microphone, I'm sorry.

Sorry about that. I don't have any individual insights beyond what we've been presented.

Speak into the mic.

For a little bit of background, the city of Miami did a request for proposals for a landscape architect designer for the 15, approximately 15 acres adjacent to Marine Stadium. And they hired a firm out of Colorado called Civitas. And Civitas came up with a plan after being paid, I believe, a $900,000 fee. And they came up with a plan for the parking lot area. And the estimate to pay for that plan, the proposed plan, I think was originally $115, $120 million. It was elevated features and covered parking and things for children. And it was, you know, for $115 million, it would have been huge. And yes, I suppose the visitors would have greatly impacted the causeway. And we saw a few presentations. The architects were here and presented to us three or four or five years ago. David Snow, the director of planning, was in charge of this, and he managed this process with Civitas. But we haven't heard much about it in the last 18 months, and I believe the winning bidder for Marine Stadium is not only getting permission to manage Marine Stadium, but they've been given the 15 acres to use as they decide to make as much money as they can And I think the Civitas plan has seemingly been thrown out, but the city is still out the $900,000 fee to the firm. Has anybody else heard anything about the proposed Civitas plan for the parking lot area?

I just remember it kept getting scaled back. became one story. I mean, originally it was like a Gaudi-esque, like you said, a two-story, really, I thought, magnificent proposal. But in the end, I think it just is kind of a grassy area, some cement, some asphalt, and to accommodate, actually, the parking as well for the boat ramp. Dual purpose.

Yeah.

Yeah. I'm not sure the management company's going to have the ability to change the design of what actually goes in there. I think they're more the event management company as opposed to the actual design of the facility. Maybe, like I said, I do know that the one company that won wanted specific areas for VIP parties and holding areas and stuff like that, but I don't think it reached out into what the Civitas part of this was. But I'd like a little more information on it, because you're right, we haven't heard anything about that in a long time.

Peter, if you'd like, I can add it to the upcoming agenda and ask Andrew to see if he has any updates that he can share in the upcoming meeting.

That would be great. Or David Snow, who was quarterbacking it originally. Thank you. Either one would be great.

I'll reach out to both.

All right. And then I'd like to talk about a suggestion from Gary Milano. The former aquarium site... And that's in Miami-Dade County, owned by Miami-Dade County, but it's pertinent to all of us because it's adjacent to Virginia Key Park, and it's on the causeway. Gary, can you, you want to suggest?

Rafael, I was just wondering if we could have someone from the city ask the Miami-Dade

Sorry, Gary, if you can talk in the microphone, just so who's watching can hear.

If we could have somebody come to the next meeting to discuss plans for the old Seaquarium site, because it's under new lease agreement with Miami-Dade County.

Even better would be somebody from the county who's handling the relationship between Terra and the county. Whatever works. Yes, that's right. Whoever's got substantial knowledge.

How about David Martin?

Yes.

Andres, have you heard anything new about the post-sequarium site?

No, I haven't. I haven't.

Okay.

The other thing while I've I just wanted to ask the city attorney, but I see her talking. Go ahead. I have a question for the city attorney. Hi. I was wondering if there's, you know, it's very frustrating, and I want to thank all the members that did come tonight. I mean, we've got one, two, three, four, five, six people here, which is plenty as far as volunteerism, you know, providing support. free time to the city. Could you please engage and enforce the minimum attendance requirement in the bylaws? Because it's not being done. There's people that consistently don't come to these meetings. There's no challenge to the people that submitted them to be a member of this board. So we need to go back to the people that basically designated this person that's not showing up to ask them to designate another person. This has been very frustrating because this has been going on for a year now. And we even got to the point where we tried to reduce the number of people for a quorum and you can see the government tie up that we're in here. So bottom line is we should have enough representation right now here at this table to be able to vote. I mean, good golly, the city commission only has five members. So I don't understand this bylaw stuff that keeps getting bogged down in the legal sort of, you know, nothing is being, there's no activity. There's no legal sort of let's do something, guys. So could you look into that, please? I know you're new, and I know you're just a messenger, and this is not heat for you. I'm just frustrated in that we have all these people here that made an extra effort that are not getting paid. to come here and it's frustrating that there's no, as far as minimum attendance requirement being enforced.

Right, absolutely. So we can certainly enforce the minimum requirements by contacting the various boards that are appointed and hopefully, you know, but we rely on them to appoint, you know, people to the board as well. So if the organizations are not cooperating when we try to enforce by appointing folks to the board, then it's also difficult for you guys to meet quorum and, you know, and have the necessary people

here so we can certainly enforce it but we also need cooperation from the organization so they can appoint the you know the members to the board it's not the organizations it's mostly city sort of commissioners it's city sort of managers it's city representatives that are not following through to present I am presented by Tropical Audubon Steve is Sierra Club and so in in You know, Peter is UEL. So these are people, these are not-for-profits out there as far as, you know.

But they're the ones that, it's my understanding that those various organizations are the ones that have to appoint the members to the board. But we're here. It's the bottom line.

Right.

I'm saying if we're going to enforce, right, the members that are not coming and are not attending and we're kicking them out of the board as pursuant to the bylaws, then we need to contact the various organizations that appoint those members and let them know you need to appoint new members because XYZ member is not showing up to the board. But that's not something that has to do with the city. That has something to do with each board. So we can enforce the rule, but we do need to reach out to the boards and say, hey, this person is no longer on the board. He's not showing up or she's not showing up to the meetings. Who is your next appointment? And then we'll put it on the city commission to be confirmed. But that would be the process. The city commissioners are not the ones appointing people to these chairs is what I'm trying to say.

I don't want to make a big deal about this. Could you pay attention to that? I mean, this is frustrating for us. So if you could just, we take attendance each time. The people that aren't here, you can identify clearly because we have a list of people that are on this board. The people that don't, put an X by their name and then call that representative tonight, tomorrow, the next day. But do something. Let's not just leave it for another meeting and another two months, another four months, another six months. It's very frustrating.

Andres, you want to add?

Yeah, I have a couple of questions. How is the quorum determined? Is that by some kind of legislation or rule passed by the city, by the committee? How is it determined?

That was established in ordinance. It's quantified in the code, and that was done when the board was created.

And so is it an absolute number or how do you get to the number?

Yes, it's a 50% plus one of the members sitting on the board.

So let me ask her, I'm just looking at the, I'm new.

Right, right, right, absolutely.

But this is my third meeting, there hasn't been a quorum once. Right. You know, it is what it is. But in the... If I'm reading this right, I think we have eight members who are not at large or ex officio. So there are nine board members. So how do you count the ex officio?

In quorum, but not for voting purposes. So you do count them for voting purposes. For quorum purposes, right, but they cannot vote on an item. So voting on an item is by majority vote.

Okay, and these, and so I'll, one of my fellow board members handed me the thing. The ex officio are also by ordinance?

Yes, by ordinance. All is codified in the code.

Okay, but it's 50%.

Plus one. Plus one, so that would be seven. That would be eight, 50% plus one, because it's 7.5. and then that would be year eight. No, wait, there's 15 members? There's 13, I believe. Okay, thank you. Yeah, you're welcome.

Well, as board members have been stating, it's a tough threshold to meet quorum, particularly when you've got two city employees who are both directors of their department that don't show up.

Mr. Chairman, I just want to go back. No, I count 11, not 13.

It cut off when I did the agenda, so it's missing Jackie. And I have to see, but yeah, there's a total of 13. I can give you a specific list, but I think what the format that I used the program to coordinate the agenda, I think it cut off. Yeah, I apologize.

So looking on the same point, looking at the board members, I think only one is appointed by a city commissioner. Is that right? The District 2 commissioner appoints one board member of our board, and the mayor has an appointment?

And the mayor, yes. Okay. So only two. So one is by a city commissioner from District 2, and then another one's from the mayor, and the rest are appointed by different organizations.

All right. I mean, as Gary brought up, I'd like to point out that the attendance from the You know, the volunteer organizations has been very, very high on this board. Sierra Club, Dade Heritage Trust has been very high. Tropical Audubon UEL. So, yes, I guess there should be a phone call to some board members that don't show up very often to see if they'd like to resign because they're busy and other things. Thank you very much.

Any other comments?

I have a last item on the agenda. It's this discussion about the history of Virginia Key Park. I'd like to hear from each of the board members for a minute or two on something that comes to mind related to Virginia Key Park, something that you recall either recently or from years ago that's pertinent to your thoughts on Virginia Key Park. Anybody like to start?

Yeah, I'll start.

Gary, thank you.

It's been neglected, that park. I feel really bad. We're talking about the historic beach, right?

No, the entire park.

Oh.

All 800 acres.

Virginia Key.

Virginia Key Park.

I think portions of it have been neglected. The old beach park site that we were talking about, the museum, I worked at that site and did a lot of restoration work there, and it's just not being kept up. I mean, you go there today, and it's just sad. It's very sad. And parks, supposedly... is supposed to be overseeing it, and we don't have our parks representative here tonight to talk to him about it, and it seems like there's a high turnover in the parks department head. We probably had three or four since this board was first put together, but it's very frustrating to see the neglect that's going on, not only there, but some of the other areas that there's really no funds being provided to, whether it be a naturalist, you know, that's trying to take care and preserve of the natural areas on Virginia Keys. So, anyway, that's my two cents.

Thank you. Lewis, any thoughts on...

well junior key park i'll just share you know uh my memories as growing up you know we used to go to the beach as a family and then also um in the marine stadium uh you know watching miss budweiser race when i was a kid also jimmy buffett uh in concert so you know i have a very fond memories you know living in on the key for a very long time and and you know driving through and enjoying also In high school, you know, we'd all hang out in high school late nights. Maybe I shouldn't say that because sometimes we weren't allowed to be there. But it was a lot of fun to go by there as well. And I remember, too, when jet skiing was allowed on the park there, being able to jet ski. And it was just very fond memories of growing up. up and around that area, every part of it, you know, in the marina too. I actually had a boat in the marina, in Rickenbacker Marina for a while as well. So, you know, I have everything. It's fond memories throughout there. I would ride bike as well in the mountain bike area too, which is, you know, I've seen the evolution. I've smelled the smell coming out of there too throughout those years. But I have very fond memories, and I'm really excited about the future of it.

Great. Thank you so much for your thoughts. Absolutely. Nicholas?

Well, I mean, I actually, to piggyback on what Louis says, I have some very fond memories from my youth, but they're starting to fade, to be honest with you. Driving, I've lived in Key Biscay now, give or take about 25 years, and driving by that stadium every day, it's an embarrassment. It really is. It's an embarrassment to our community. The fact that I know it was, you know, there's been some great intentions and, you know, the potential that's there I probably brought this story up before, but it reminds me of what happened with the Biltmore, all those years the Biltmore was closed. even thought of the billboard being closed and fenced in as beautiful as, as a place it is now. And the fact that we haven't been able to get something going, and I know it's not incumbent on this board to do that. It's obviously there's a, there's powers beyond this, but I want new memories of just something really, you know, impactful and successful so that other people, I mean, I've got a six year old and a soon to be eight year old. And I'd love them to have those same memories that are really, like I said, sadly starting to fade for me because you know, There's such potential there. So hopefully we'll get something done sometime soon. Thank you very much. Steven?

Okay. So certainly as a native Miamian, I certainly went to Marine Stadium for concerts, but I really got involved when a contractor took down a strand of mangroves in preparation for the first boat show, and that might have been about 10 years ago. Yeah. And that incensed me, and I mobilized as many organizations and people as I could. We managed a protest, but the protest was a day after, I don't remember the hurricane's name. So we maybe got 100 people to march on Rickenbacker Causeway. And we continue to object to the boat show moving forward on Virginia Key, but the city was already moving forward, investing like $22 million on infrastructure. And so I've been engaged ever since.

Thank you so much. Andres?

Well, it's interesting to hear other native Miamians and people who enjoyed Virginia Key, and I have very fond memories of many of the things you guys are saying. I remember going not just to the Buffett concert and to boat races, but to political events when I was a kid. This was a place that was really, I'm talking about the Marine Stadium, of course, but also as a child going to Seaquarium, which, you know, there's a commercial aspect that things have changed. But this was like a very vibrant place, windsurfing. I wasn't a jet skier, but I've jet skied there, but I also windsurfed there. And jimbos later in life. So this is a place that is really unique. I was talking to the chairman about this the other day. And I would tell you what I think. I think... It's really been neglected. I've been watching since Hurricane Andrew, and I looked into the sort of history of, in particular, the Marine Stadium property. And what I learned was that that property was granted by the Matheson family many, many years ago. And the grant to the city says that it must be used for a Marine Stadium. So the grant hasn't been honored since 1992. We're talking about 34 years. And there's a reverter clause. And so, you know, listen, the folks who are supposed to be in charge of this are playing with fire because some annoyed litigator may come along someday, I won't name any names, and sue over this and take this property away from the city. So I really think it's important and I'm glad that you all are, I'm glad to hear that my fellow board members are passionate and interested about this subject. Mr. Chairman.

I do, thank you so much. I'm looking at an article from Preservation Today on the historic Miami Marine Stadium. This is from 2009.

It's a good article, good history, some wonderful photos.

I was looking for the piece on the deed revision that might be included that Andres was, maybe it's in here. You want to take a look, Andres? But I will make some comments from an email that I received today. And this is from a lady who uses the Miami Rowing Club, who's been at dozens and dozens of our meetings, Leah Kennard. All of you remember her. She spoke to our board many, many times, and she gives us an excellent personal perspective because she actually rows a boat in the Marine Stadium. And she sent me an email today, and it's very interesting. As you all know, for years we had a problem with the abandoned boats and the sewage and the waste and just the broken-down boats that were in the basin. And the city, as we know, has a desire to turn the basin into a mooring field with maybe 75 slips for big boater boats. But this is what Leah writes. She was going to come to the meeting tomorrow if it was on a Tuesday, but she couldn't make it tonight. She says that the water quality... of the basin since the parked and delinquent boats have been removed is remarkable. She said the bottom of the basin is now visible even in its deepest sections, which I don't think people had seen for a couple decades. She says marine life is returning with fish jumping in the water and occasional dolphins. She says jet skis are no longer a problem as long as enforcement continues. She says safety for kayakers, crew teams, and outrigger and dragon boat paddlers have improved greatly. Opportunities for events once the Marine Stadium renovation can get underway are encouraging. She says trash along the shoreline is much less a problem. Users of the basin for recreation and training are appreciative of the changes that the city has made. Wonderful comments from somebody that's actually in a boat in the basin. And I am disappointed that the city is going forward with 75 big motorboats in the basin, which will prevent rowers from having races, and it would be extremely difficult for rowers and kayakers to train without running into the huge motorboats. But I'm always appreciative of Leah Kennard and members of the public that come and give us their personal comments. Really, that's all I have to say for now. I think we will, if anybody else have any other comments they'd like to make before we leave?

I would. Just an update in terms of a couple meetings ago, we were told that certain of us were being sunsetted from our positions. Is there any update on terms and organizations'

So I'm going to be reaching out to the clerk's office because I was told that notifications had been sent out, so I don't want to duplicate efforts. So I'm going to reach out to the clerk's office tomorrow to confirm, and if not, I'm going to be reaching out directly to the organizations to see who they'd like to appoint.

Thank you. Thank you very much. Stephen, that was a good comment to make. My group, the Urban Environment League, we've spoken to one or two very competent applicants and waiting to hear if it's in their schedule. And other groups, too, will have to find applicants for us. I'll continue coming until that takes place. But we also will need a new chair. That can be on the next election for a new chair. And board members can vote for a new chair or keep your current chair for another meeting or two, whichever, whatever board members decide is best. And would anybody like to call for adjournment?

I'll make that motion.

Thank you. Thank you all very much. Thank you, Andres. Thank you all for coming tonight. I know it wasn't easy, but we'll be here in two months.

And thank you, Rafaela, for the heads up regarding the traffic situation. That's very helpful.

Of course. Thank you.