Miami Beach Proclamation Ceremony – October 22, 2025
Miami Beach Proclamation Ceremony – October 22, 2025
The City of Miami Beach convened a proclamation ceremony on October 22, 2025, to recognize 27 individuals, organizations, and initiatives for their contributions to the community. Mayor Steven Meiner presided over the ceremony, which featured remarks from commissioners and honorees. No regular business or public comment was taken.
Proclamations and Recognitions
- Park Rangers (10th Anniversary) – Mayor Meiner celebrated 10 years of the Miami Beach Park Rangers program, noting its role in enforcing open container laws, curtailing drug activity, supporting major events, and assisting with mental health crises and medical emergencies. He proclaimed November 14, 2025, as Park Ranger Program Day.
- Academic WorldQuest – Commissioner Laura Dominguez honored Miami Beach Senior High School students London Bruni, Jonathan Toledo, and Vander Lee, along with their teacher Russ Rywell, for winning first place in the county Academic WorldQuest competition. The students attended the national competition in Washington, D.C.
- Miami Beach Crime Prevention Facebook Group – Commissioner Rosa Gonzalez recognized David Adams and Jeff Posh for creating a volunteer‑led Facebook group that posts booking photos, attends court hearings, and helps secure convictions. She stated the group “has really made Miami Beach safer.” The certificate was presented for their work.
- David Schachter (posthumous) – The commission declared April 30 of each year as David Schachter Day in perpetuity. Schachter, a Holocaust survivor who lost 105 family members, testified before Congress on April 30, 2025, about antisemitism. His widow, Sidney, spoke of his humility and strength.
- Feeding South Florida – Commissioner Sally Bond recognized the organization for addressing hunger in South Florida, where approximately one million individuals face food insecurity. In Miami Beach, Feeding South Florida serves over 50 families each month through distributions at 4000 Chase Avenue. September was proclaimed Hunger Action Month (the ceremony was rescheduled from September).
- Hector Hernandez – Commissioner Gonzalez honored Hector Hernandez, a volunteer who serves daily in the senior lunchroom at Rebecca Towers, “selflessly” and “always smiling.”
- CERT Team – Irene Vallinas, CERT program manager, reported that volunteers logged 3,401 hours of training and service from January 1 to October 2, 2025. Using the national volunteer value of $34.79/hour, this equates to $11,320.79 in savings for the city. CERT volunteers assist during spring break, the Air & Sea Show, and other events.
- Clean Miami Beach – Commissioner Dominguez recognized Sophie Ringell and her team for organizing 500 cleanups over six years, collecting over 120,000 pounds of trash and engaging more than 20,000 volunteers.
- Dr. Brooke Owens – A proclamation declared October 22, 2025, as Dr. Brooke Owens Day. Dr. Owens, a veterinarian at Royal Vet, performed a life‑saving thump on a man who collapsed at a restaurant. State Representative Fabian Basabe praised the community’s rapid response.
- South Beach Jazz Festival (Power Access) – The mayor presented a certificate recognizing the festival, which will celebrate its 10th anniversary from January 8–11, 2026, with over 20 free performances and a ticketed concert featuring Spanish Harlem Orchestra. The festival highlights accessibility and artists with disabilities.
- Jaime Cabrera Gonzalez – Commissioner Alex Fernandez proclaimed October 22, 2025, as Jaime Cabrera Gonzalez Day. Cabrera Gonzalez, a writer and literature professor, has led a free creative writing workshop at the Miami Beach Regional Library for 10 years, now with 40 permanent students including participants from Argentina, Colombia, Ecuador, Spain, London, and Vienna.
- Anthony R. Gomez – Commissioner Gonzalez honored Gomez, newly elected president of the Latin Builders Association, noting his company Unitech’s resiliency work on the beach. Gomez shared his family’s immigrant story and his daughters becoming doctors.
- Aerial Recovery – The mayor recognized the veteran‑led anti‑human trafficking organization. From September 21–23, 2025, Aerial Recovery provided advanced training to the Miami Beach Police Department’s Human Trafficking Division. Founder Jeremy stated the organization has rescued over 8,400 people in less than three years, while also helping veterans and first responders find purpose.
- Mystic Force Foundation – Commissioner Bond recognized the foundation for 17 years of supporting families facing pediatric cancer. Children’s cancer remains the leading cause of death by disease in children aged infancy to 15. The foundation operates the “Heroes Hangout” play space. September was proclaimed Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.
- Michael Bernstein – Commissioner Dominguez honored Bernstein for his civic engagement, including 12 years as president of the Nautilus Area Homeowners Association and founding the Middle North Bay Road Homeowners Association. He is a Tocqueville Society member of United Way.
- Cafe Avanti (35th Anniversary) – Commissioner Fernandez proclaimed October 22, 2025, as Cafe Avanti Day. Owners Lewis and Jessica were celebrated for 35 years of hospitality and community warmth. Commissioner Gonzalez noted that as Hispanic business owners, they set an example.
- David Greasher and Patrick Brushcart – Commissioner Bond recognized the two residents for discovering a thriving coral ecosystem off South Beach and advocating for its protection. Their advocacy led to a commission resolution to protect the reef as a marine park. They were also praised for their work on micromobility and park advocacy.
- Tyler Sheldon – Commissioner Dominguez honored her former intern, a local Miami Beach native who served in Boy Scout Troop 65 and boxed at South Beach Boxing, for his leadership and discipline.
- Bay Shore Park – Commissioner Fernandez recognized all involved in transforming a former contaminated golf course into Bay Shore Park. He proclaimed October 22, 2025, as Adriana Savino and Barry Miller Day (landscape architects). Key figures included Yelena and Leslie (Bay Shore HOA), Assistant City Manager David Martinez, and the Boslam construction group. The park features a preserved banyan tree and is now a neighborhood gathering place.
- Aaron Rosen – Commissioner Dominguez recognized Rosen for founding the World Affairs Council of Miami, based in Miami Beach. He sends students free of cost to Washington, D.C., to meet policymakers. October 22, 2025, was proclaimed Aaron Rosen Day.
- Harvey Bernstein / Miami Art Zine – Commissioner Dominguez honored Bernstein for 20 years of publishing MiamiArtZine.com, a nonprofit online publication covering South Florida’s arts scene with over a dozen contributors. Bernstein praised the city for restoring state arts funding cuts.
- Janina Piazzetta – Commissioner Fernandez declared October 22, 2025, as Janina Piazzetta Day for her work with H3 (Health, Hope, Healing) providing free mammograms to uninsured women. Fernandez noted that Piazzetta’s advocacy led him to discover he carries a BRCA genetic mutation, enabling preventative steps.
- Domestic Violence Awareness Month – Commissioner Bond recognized the Miami‑Dade Domestic Violence Oversight Board. Cecile, a police grants manager, stated that one in three women, one in four men, and nearly half of all LGBTQ+ people will experience domestic violence in their lifetime. The city lit buildings in purple and pink. October was proclaimed Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
- Jolie (foster parent) – Commissioner Dominguez presented a certificate to Jolie, a foster parent who has fostered nearly 200 children, mostly teenage boys, over many years in Miami Beach.
- Deferred Items – Items PA21 (Linda Johnson) and PA27 (not specified) were deferred to a future meeting.
Key Outcomes
- Proclamations were adopted declaring specific days (e.g., Dr. Brooke Owens Day, Cafe Avanti Day, etc.) and awareness months (Hunger Action Month, Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, Domestic Violence Awareness Month).
- The commission publicly recognized all honorees and expressed gratitude for their service.
- Two agenda items (PA21, PA27) were deferred to a subsequent meeting.
- No votes on ordinances or resolutions were taken; the meeting consisted solely of ceremonial recognitions.
Meeting Transcript
Welcome to the City of Miami Beach Commission Chambers. We're glad to have you with us today. If you require ADA assistance or accommodations, please notify the City Clerk or any staff member, and we will be happy to assist you. Laura Dominguez. Alex J. Fernandez. Lobbyist disclosure reminder. If you are a lobbyist appearing before the city commission or any city board, you must have registered with the city clerk prior to participating. If you have not yet registered, please do so immediately. As soon as the host grants you permission to speak, a dialog box will pop up on your screen with two options. Please take your seats. The meeting is about to begin. Remember to speak into the microphone as this meeting is being recorded for public record. Please stand by. We are going on air in. Five, four, s three, two, three. Thank you. Wow. Welcome everyone. As we start our proclamations ceremony. You know, we usually get a very good turnout when we do these uh when we honor people of our community, which we're doing today, but this may be the largest I've ever seen. This is uh standing room only in the back. So thank you for being for being out here, and it's really an opportunity for us on the commission, our city government to say thank you to you. Um we are the city we are in large part because of our community, certainly our residents, but people who take uh take the time, volunteer their own efforts, and uh it is it's really uh it's an honor for us to recognize you and what you offer uh and make our city as good as it is. So thank you for that. We'll get started. We have a lot, a lot of items. I'll say in advance, please don't hold it against me. Uh for somebody who somebody's gotta be last, somebody's gotta be first. I try to do it. Partly I try to spread it out amongst the commissioners so we all get the opportunity to hear our items, and partly I do get requests sometimes that people have flights, and and so I try to do it the best I can. So please uh please bear with us. I am going to ask, you know, our we all have uh we're all busy, we're all do uh a lot of hard work, uh, each of us up here, but we also have team members that uh work with us and really make uh our city smooth and try to make us look good uh up here as well. Uh I don't often recognize that. Uh certainly my team, I'm very proud of have been doing a great job. Uh today um I I hate to single someone out because then I leave other people out, but I'm gonna ask my deputy chief of staff Blake Goldon to lead us in the proclamation uh to into the Pledge of Allegiance. Uh he is uh he is a superstar, A plus, uh, and I would like to recognize him and please lead us in the pledge. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which is named one nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. So as I look up and I see the beautiful yellow and black uniform standing in the back, uh I'm gonna start with our park rangers, and I'm I'm proud to recognize our park rangers and and celebrate 10 years of of this program. This program is working so well that uh about a year or so ago when we were understaffed and uh we were we had a lot of vacancies in the park ranger program. Well, we as a commission said we gotta fill those positions and uh do uh do what we have to do to fill that, which we have which we have done. We get so many compliments. Obviously, our police force uh is uh is is out there and visible, but uh I know I get a lot of compliments and saying, well, thank you to our to the park rangers, they're out there, they're helping, they're ambassadors for our city, keeping our city uh safe and orderly, and uh often do get requests from people hey, can we get park rangers in the park here or these times? So thank you, thank you for that. Um as many know our park rangers are are highly trained professionals. Um they're not armed, but they handle everything from enforcing open open container laws, curtailing drug activity, providing critical support during major events uh such as spring break. Uh they really are a force multiplier for public safety. Um they've helped uh individuals with mental health crisis, uh finding missing persons, uh, and responding to medical emergencies. Um I'm gonna read a little bit from the proclamation that we have. And then uh, wow, it's gonna be a lot of people up here for a picture, but we're gonna come up here for a picture afterwards.
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