Remarks by Eileen Higgins
260 remarks on the record, newest first · Page 4 of 11
- Play at 3:13:58
“All right. Moved as amended by Commissioner King. Second. Second by Commissioner Escalon. All in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed? So those passed unanimously. Commissioner Gabella, are you ready if we recess to do the Allapattas CRA?”
City Commission · Jul 23, 2026
- Play at 3:14:13
“Okay, show this meeting recessed for just a few minutes. And Commissioner Gabella, let's open the Allapattas CRA. I know you have a little tape changing, sorry.”
City Commission · Jul 23, 2026
- Play at 3:14:24
“We can stretch our legs for a minute. What's the tape?”
City Commission · Jul 23, 2026
- Play at 3:17:11
“All right, we have a new tape. So we are reconvening today's commission meeting. I think we are starting back at the top of the public hearing items. PH3 was bifurcated. Commissioner Pardo, that's the Dade Heritage Trust site. Would you like to take the lead on that?”
City Commission · Jul 23, 2026
- Play at 3:18:13
“Thank you for working on this. You and I collaborated on that when I was still at the commission. And if you don't mind, I might also want to put some comments on the record because there were some misleading newspaper articles But I remember you and I talking, it was March of 2025, because I was going over to visit with the board of Dade Heritage Trust. And we delivered that message together that whatever Dade Heritage Trust wanted to do with that site, if they wanted to stay there, they were going to have a county and a city that supported that. And if they thought there was another path…”
City Commission · Jul 23, 2026
- Play at 3:19:46
Not quoted here: it may name a member of the public. Hear it at the meeting.
City Commission · Jul 23, 2026
- Play at 3:19:58
“All right. Show that item moved by Commissioner Pardo as amended. Seconded by, I can no longer remember, the second Commissioner King. All in favor, say aye. Aye. Show that item passed unanimously. Congratulations. All right. PH5, our Hope Hydration Commissioner.”
City Commission · Jul 23, 2026
- Play at 3:20:20
“I think Commissioner King, you, but we can have any discussion that's needed.”
City Commission · Jul 23, 2026
- Play at 3:21:51
Not quoted here: it may name a member of the public. Hear it at the meeting.
City Commission · Jul 23, 2026
- Play at 3:22:39
“Folks. Commissioner King, you have the floor.”
City Commission · Jul 23, 2026
- Play at 3:23:08
“I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Okay. We'll go to you, Commissioner Cabela. Then we'll go to Commissioner Pardo. Thank you.”
City Commission · Jul 23, 2026
- Play at 3:24:58
“Excellent. To the city attorney. It's clear that Commissioner Pardo wants to have a little bit of yes, no, maybe so on the locations that are recommended. Do we need to put a caveat in here? Or do we just need a gentleman's agreement with hope that you will make sure that Commissioner Pardo is happy? Please say that loudly and into the microphone.”
City Commission · Jul 23, 2026
- Play at 3:25:41
“Okay. All right. So we have a motion for the item. We know the manager is going to negotiate. He's put that on the record. We know you're going to work with Commissioner Pardo and others. Is there a second?”
City Commission · Jul 23, 2026
- Play at 3:26:03
“I'd like to negotiate and then come back.”
City Commission · Jul 23, 2026
- Play at 3:26:27
“This item is a pilot program. Even if we negotiate a lot more for an extra percentage point, whether it's 5%, 10%, we're still talking in year one very, very low dollars. I think it is worth moving this forward in the summer to get these things open because we will be able to negotiate the full agreement should we like it and like how it looks and like how it physically works as well.”
City Commission · Jul 23, 2026
- Play at 3:27:37
“It's one year, if we like it, and we renew and we decide to expand. If we defer, we are deferring until September 9th, so we would delay starting this about two months.”
City Commission · Jul 23, 2026
- Play at 3:28:55
Not quoted here: it may name a member of the public. Hear it at the meeting.
City Commission · Jul 23, 2026
- Play at 3:29:02
“As is with all the comments on the record, noting that those will become part of the long-term agreement. Thank you. All right, PH6, we can now take up, I believe... Mr. Clerk, since we've had the Allopata CRA meeting, which is the approval of the CRA redevelopment, do I have a moment?”
City Commission · Jul 23, 2026
- Play at 3:29:55
Not quoted here: it may name a member of the public. Hear it at the meeting.
City Commission · Jul 23, 2026
- Play at 3:30:30
“Okay. RE4, I believe, is the next one, Mr. Clerk, that we have yet to do.”
City Commission · Jul 23, 2026
- Play at 3:30:37
“Great. Colleagues, when I arrived here, one of the first things I did was actually go out to our sanitation facilities and met with Dale and and learned that four out of every ten of our sanitation trucks are broken and unusable every day because our fleet is so old. We also have aging police vehicles. We have aging fire vehicles. And I asked myself the question, you know, all municipalities have to save money, but how can we be in a predicament where our vehicles are so much older than anyone else's And the manager and I began discussions on what were alternative ways of financing other than…”
City Commission · Jul 23, 2026
- Play at 3:32:24
“Yeah. Okay. So we'll start with you, if you don't mind.”
City Commission · Jul 23, 2026
- Play at 3:36:50
“Perhaps our finance chair could talk about what this is. This is a different way of buying vehicles. We can purchase the vehicles and own them forever, in which case they age. No, no, I know that. I know that. And it's how we finance. But these are totally different sources.”
City Commission · Jul 23, 2026
- Play at 3:37:34
“We're not going to, okay. We're going to talk one at a time. Commissioner Gabala, or Commissioner Pardo, you finished. It sounded like you were finished and passed on. Okay, so Commissioner Gabala, you have the floor. If anyone else raised the floor, you raise your hand, and then I'll let you know.”
City Commission · Jul 23, 2026
- Play at 3:38:39
“Folks. Folks. Everybody's going to get to talk. Mostly as much as they want, okay?”
City Commission · Jul 23, 2026