Welcome to the City of Miami Beach Commission Chambers.

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Laura Dominguez.

Alex J.

Fernandez.

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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.

The City of Miami Beach Park Rangers program was established in November 2015 with the primary goal of improving the visitor experience, enhancing the quality of life for our residents through dedicated park service.

The Miami Beach Park Rangers received specialized training from the police department training unit, including but not limited to de-escalation techniques, CPR, radio communications, ATV Bike Construction, Florida Association of Code Enforcement Certification, Homeless Resource Services and Referrals, Aerosol Deterrent Spreak, creating a professional uh creating a concrete adaptive service that serves as a model for other municipalities.

Um, our park rangers service at extra eyes and ears, providing critical assistance to police, fire department, parking department, code compliance, basically like uh utility uh extraordinar extraordinaire in our city, uh providing and demonstrating versatility by providing aid in complex situations.

Um we wanted to recognize you and the fact that you're all here in the amounts.

I'm trying to count exactly how many you are here, but it shows the significance of what you provide to our city and how meaningful this is to recognize you in this 10-year anniversary.

So, whereas Miami Beach recognizes the Parks and Recreations Park Ranger program for its 10 years of dedicated service, professionalism, and invaluable contribution to the quality of life safety and our of our parks and community.

Now, therefore, do we, as the mayor and commission of the city of Miami Beach, here by proclaim October?

Well, we're they're saying November 14th, but that's the official date, but today's so here by proclaim November 14th, 2025 as Park Ranger Program Day.

Thank you.

Ready?

Very big.

And one here?

Congratulations.

It's called PA 16.

PA sixteen is certificate of recognition.

Miami Beach Senior High School students participating in academic world quest.

Commissioner Dominguez.

So academic world quest is a competition that happens and sponsored through the World Affairs Council of America.

We have a local chapter here in Miami Beach, and it's a uh Miami Beach-based nonpartisan 501c3 nonprofit, and it serves as the public education and world affairs um incubator.

They have uh talks and all sorts of things.

It's a wonderful organization.

Academic WorldQuest is a trivia competition for high school students.

And the past few years, Miami Beach High had not uh participated, and they did earlier this year, and they came in first place in the county.

And it was led by uh Russ Rywell, their teacher.

And um, four students got to go up to Washington, DC on a trip uh for them to compete on the national level.

It was very exciting.

So I would like to recognize Russell Rywell, London Bruni, one of the students, and Jonathan Toledo and Vander Lee.

And Russ, if you'd like to say a few words, and then we'll take a picture.

And while you guys are getting set up there on the mic, um, if you'd like to say a few words.

Yeah, at the podium.

Um, I I just like to thank the commissioner and our principal Alfred Terosian and Aaron Rosen over there from AWQ to getting us involved.

Uh we didn't have much time to prep this year, but we managed to come through.

Uh this coming year, we're we're coming back even harder and hoping to make it to Washington again.

Defending champs.

The students, would you like to say anything?

Um yeah, I'm sure we'll be able to get it a bit uh better in the national tournament and maybe go to Instable once we win this national tournament.

Love it.

Yeah, um, I just want to thank Aaron and the World Affairs Council for supporting us in Miami Beach in your high.

And you know, I'm really glad for the opportunities, and I'm excited for next this year.

Amazing.

Congratulations to all of you, and congratulations on coming in first place in the county.

I'll let's take a picture.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Right, everybody's one, three, two, one, two, three, another one, three, two, one.

Thank you.

Congratulations.

It's called PA5.

PA5 is a proclamation.

Dr.

Brooke Owens requested by Commissioner Rosa Gonzalez.

Dr.

Brooke, are you here yet?

I believe she's still working.

She'll be here because we'll have to call it later.

Got it.

Let's call um.

Why don't you call the um is Jeff and David Adams?

Okay, PA6.

PH6, a certificate of recognition, David Adams and Jeff Posh.

There is a very special Facebook group here in Miami Beach.

It was started eight years ago, and it was a group that came together, residents who wanted to fight crime.

And over eight years, they have diligently daily posted pictures of people who are arrested.

Um, and we have people, some people that we arrest 20 and 30 times a year.

And so they really create a lot of awareness, and they've actually attended court hearings that have resulted in you know prosecuting uh people and and criminals who really are robbing tourists and residents alike, and their Facebook presence has really helped uh, you know, the police department.

I think it has made Miami Beach safer.

And here is David Adams, and of course, we're also honored honoring Jeff Posey too, or Popoji Posh.

But um, it's all volunteer-led.

They are not being paid for the work that they do, and I've never seen a group of residents work harder to make our community safer.

Um it's true.

You've taken a real leadership role and really not been paid for it, and the amount of work that you guys have put into it and the amount of convictions that you've gotten and people off the street and the awareness that you've created, and you really have made South Beach and I would say Miami Beach in general a much safer place.

So today we're presenting you with a certificate of recognition because I think it's time.

Um so it's an official certificate of recognition for the Miami Beach Crime Prevention Facebook group.

And we just want to thank you for all that you've done.

Thank you for being such active volunteers and caring citizens.

So thank you, David, and too.

Yeah, I just like to thank uh the commission and uh the police department for all the transparency and helping our grassroots effort to uh fight crime uh in Miami Beach.

Keep everyone safe.

Awesome, thank you.

Thank you, thank you, thank you for all you do.

Thank you so much.

I'd like to do the uh PA4 next.

P4 is proclamation honoring the life of Holocaust survivor survivor David Schechter.

I'm gonna try to get through this one uh without getting too emotional.

Um I always called him Mr.

Sachter when I spoke to him.

So I'm gonna keep to that, not call him by his uh first name.

But uh we all knew him here.

This is this is uh I may have put this on, but this is this is really from our commission.

He was uh he was a special person, he was an ambassador, not just for the Holocaust, but to show what where hate can lead.

And you just met him and talked to him, and you realized that words and propaganda in a hateful uh manner leads to what ultimately he had to live through and survive, then created a beautiful family and a legacy here in Miami Beach through his family, but also through his words through his mission, even up until the end in his mid-90s, he was present at literally every event that I that I went to, and I'm sure he was at many others relating to the Holocaust.

He was there, and he would speak and he would inspire.

And um it's uh it's a it's a major loss for us in Miami Beach, but uh but a major loss for the world uh as well at the commission meeting.

We um it was uh an item brought by Commissioner David Suarez that we're gonna have a formal recognition of action by our commission that um declares April 30th of each year as David Schachter Day in perpetuity.

It's a rare, a very rare honor that we do here in Miami Beach a high honor, but it acknowledges what he meant, the test the testament that he did.

He testified before the United States Congress as well to warn about the dangers of hate and in this example anti-Semitism.

Um we have his beloved wife, Sidney Shachtters here.

I'm gonna ask her to come up and say a few words before we do the formal proclamation.

Um I actually I just want to hear from you because you can say it better than anybody.

Okay, well, David was so strong and so humble at the same time.

He was everyone's hero.

Um I was blessed to be by his side for the last 19 years.

Before me, he was married for 53 years to another woman, a beautiful woman who was behind him when the Holocaust Memorial was built, and they had um two children and five grandchildren, and now five great-grandchildren.

He embraced my own children as if they were his.

Born in Slovakia on June August 4th, 1929.

David Schacht survived the atrocities of Auschwitz and Buchenwald.

And during the loss of a hundred and five family members during the Holocaust, a hundred and five family members.

And emerging with a commitment to remembrance, education, and justice.

On April 30th, 2025, at the age of 95, Mr.

Schachter testified before the United States Congress, declaring this is where I got emotional.

I'm here.

And the Nazis obviously invaded and took over Poland.

I am here to remind everyone that there are still thousands of survivors alive today who are in desperate need and who cannot be forgotten.

Thank you for having this hearing on anti-Semitism.

It has been a problem and is still a problem.

Mr.

Schachter's testimony, lifelong accuracy, moral presence, and civic partnership left an indelible mark on Miami Beach, the state of Florida, the Jewish people and the world, his voice helped define the mission of the memorial and legacy.

And his legacy continues to shape the way our community remembers, educates, and acts, which is obviously it's it's a collective community remembrance, but obviously our Holocaust Memorial that is very close to where we're sitting here right now.

Um testifies to that memorial.

Now therefore, do we, as the mayor and commission of the city of Miami Beach, hear probably proclaim that April 30th of each year shall be observed as David Schachter Day.

Why doesn't everyone come up and if my colleagues want to join me down uh for this picture collectively?

Of course, everybody is here for David and I can't.

I just have a whole content.

Okay.

This is your can we get in the middle of a picture?

I don't worry about it.

Okay.

Three, two, one.

Thank you.

Thank you.

I think I might be a follower.

I think I could have called you.

PA 19.

PA19 is proclamation Feeding South Florida requested by Commissioner Bott.

Of course, it was the one at the bottom of the pile.

Good evening, everybody.

Thank you for joining us.

This is one of my favorite um meetings of the month because it's always so interesting to hear everybody's story.

I know a lot of people in the community, obviously, we all do.

But it's so illuminating to meet the people and understand what motivates them that my colleagues recommend for for nominations and for proclamations and awards.

So it's it's a real treat for us to be here.

But this is for um feeding South Florida, which since 1981 has worked to address hunger and food insecurity across South Florida.

And where are the folks from Feeding South Florida?

Up you come, Missy.

You can't sit quietly in the crowd.

Approximately, just in South Florida, approximately a million individuals face hunger, impacting children, seniors, veterans, working families.

I mean, you name it, you least expect it, and somebody you know is is being affected by it.

Um feeding South Florida is is dedicated to alleviating this crisis by providing immediate access to nutritious food.

So there's no delay in this whole process, advocating for systemic change and empowering individuals through education and innovative programs that promote long-term stability and well-being.

And in Miami Beach alone, this organization, um, Feeding South Florida provides essential services to combat hunger and food insecurity, including monthly food distributions in Midbeach, where they serve over 50 families each month.

And if we all donate, we could serve more.

So obviously these efforts are vital to the community and to our neighbors, and often people you don't even know are are wrestling with these problems and trying to hold it together.

So we really value the work that you do.

Um we um value the support and the compassion and the the the um incredible service that feeding South Florida provides to our residents and our our community.

Your commitment to ending hunger and uplifting lives, strengthen the fabric of our community, and we are proud to recognize Feeding South Florida and and honor your commitment towards a hunger few hunger-free future.

And we were supposed to have done this in September.

So it's a little weird, but we didn't have an awards meeting in September, so just for a second, we're gonna time travel together, and we're gonna proclaim the month of September as hunger action month.

So just for a second, we're gonna time travel together and we're gonna proclaim the month of September as Hunger Action Month.

And just as a point of personal privilege, if I might, I would like to brag as a proud mom.

My older daughter was just accepted into an NYU graduate program to study these very issues.

So I'm I had to I had to brag on Anna a little bit.

So you are not alone in the fight.

There are people in the next and the upcoming generations who are there to carry the torch with you.

So if my colleagues would like to uh join us for this incredible proclamation, would you like to say a few words?

Yeah, um just real quick.

Uh again, very honored to be here.

Uh we've been working with the city of Miami Beach for a while.

Um the need is growing.

Uh as you said, the situation is changing.

We're finding that people are really struggling at a different level lately in the last six to eight months, uh, and the need is growing.

Um so any and all uh help support is greatly appreciated.

The goal is obviously to feed people, that's an immediate need, but to grow them into uh get them from food insecure to food secur security through workforce training and different programs that we can advocate for them.

Uh but uh hunger doesn't discriminate.

It's uh and that's happening.

Uh we're seeing that very visibly right now, uh, as we did in COVID.

So we appreciate the support.

Um the distribution is one of my favorite things my volunteers do.

They love to come to the city of Miami Beach, 4000 Chase Avenue every uh third Thursday of the morning to come and volunteer.

Um and we're excited to be part of that, and we thank you for the honor of declaring October, September Hunger Action Month.

You know, one way or the other every month is hunger action month.

Everybody does every month is hunger.

Um Ruth, thank you for those remarks.

And again, it's feeding southflorida.org.

Just as a reminder.

This is amazing.

Three, two, one.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you very much.

Called PA 7.

PA 7 is certificate of recognition.

Hector Hernandez requested by Commissioner Rosa Gonzalez.

Hector, are you here?

Why don't you come up?

Magnolia, if you would like to come up too.

You know, Harvard University did a longitudinal study of how long people live and what they found over studying people for decades and decades, is that it wasn't necessarily level of education.

Um it wasn't um socioeconomic status, what it what it was was connection to community.

We have very special you can come over here, Hector.

Uh senior center here in Miami Beach.

I'm gonna have to do this in English and Spanish.

Um, okay, it's okay, it's okay.

We have a very special senior center in Miami Beach, and it's called Rebecca Towers.

Then it was uncentro de las personas mayores muy special in front of La Silla de Miami Beach, que se llama Rebecca Towers, and Hector volunteers every day in the senior lunchroom at Rebecca Towers.

Hector stay and El Comedor de Rebecca Towers, todos los días serviendo a sus amigos y asuscolegas ahí and Rebecca Towers.

And Hector has done this for years selflessly.

And he's always smiling.

So we just wanted to recognize all your hard work.

We just uh wanted to recognize you and Magnolia, you're here if you would like to say a few words about Hector.

Just want to thank the commission.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to recognize our valuable volunteer.

We have like Hector many seniors that make it possible.

They help the administration with all the activities we have there because our goal is basically to make the life wonderful, to give them a quality of life, and he is a key component of that.

He makes our residents happy and they live with quality.

So thank you, Hector, and thank you, Commissioners.

Felicity Bale.

Okay.

Thank you.

All right.

It's called PA18.

PA18 is Czech presentation from CERT program highlighting city savings.

Well, before it was the park rangers standing in the back.

Now we have the uh the CERT team with the green and yellow vests.

So thank you.

I'm sure you know some people may not recognize the acronym, but when they see your faces and you see your vest, people will recognize because you are everywhere.

Our community emergency response team, the CERT team.

Um I welcome the entire team.

Irene Irene Vallinas, our CERT program manager, and everyone who's here.

I'm gonna say a few words and then I'm obviously gonna turn it over to you.

But the CERT team is uh a national model developed by FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and the core mission is to train and equip our residents with basic disaster response skills when our professional first responders may be temporarily temporarily overwhelmed.

Um beyond you know what?

I'm gonna turn it over to you instead of keep uh I'm like you're taking part of my speech here.

Okay.

All right, so good evening, Mayor, Commissioners, Mr.

Manager, and the City of Miami Beach guests.

Um thank you for recognizing your community emergency response team and the important support they provide for our city.

Now, before I proceed, I would like to ask those of you here who have received the CERT basic training to please stand up and or join me at the podium.

I'm sharing one, I'm staring at my okay.

The program has grown since then with support from city commission and city administration.

Basic CERT training, which is a national program that educates participants in what to do before, during and after hazards and disasters, is available to residents and businesses in our community free of charge.

Many of our trained CERT individuals have asked for additional training.

And now, besides being trained to assist city public safety professionals during disasters, they have chosen to receive training in skills such as hands-on, hands-only CPR, crowd control and de-escalation tactics, and our police department.

Our police department also provides them active assailant training.

The skills learned through training enable our CERT volunteers to assist the public and support the city during special events.

For example, during spring break in the Air and Sea show on Memorial Day weekend, CERT volunteers staff, the first aid and hydration station, helping visitors who are affected with heat-related symptoms and providing support for paramedics.

The team was also deployed to assist during Mayor Minors Operation Summer Relief program last year to assist homeless members of our community during one of the hottest summers on record.

Our CERT volunteers are the team that conducts biannual call downs to our Miami Beach residents enrolled in the county's emergency evacuation assistance program.

We were the first city permitted to have CERT volunteers to do this with the county.

Throughout the year, CERT volunteers conduct outreach, ensuring that residents, businesses, employees, youth, and tourists are prepared for flooding, hurricanes, and other hazards.

They serve as force multipliers in getting the message of resilience out into our community.

You have no doubt seeing them distributing preparedness information and interacting with the community at spring and summer commission meetings.

The Bass Museum, events such as Turtle Fest, the Homeless Resources Fair, Fourth of July, Back to School Events, Health Fair, City Business Concierge events, and many more.

We'd like to say that the volunteers work countless hours on behalf of the city.

But you know what?

We can actually count those hours.

We recently calculated the hours our volunteers have dedicated to the activities I just mentioned and more.

And we calculated conservatively that just this year, from January 1 to October 2nd, our CERT volunteers have put in 3,401 hours of training and service.

Multiply, multiply these hours by $34.79.

The yearly national average set by independent sector, which is the primary source for state and national data on the value of volunteer time in the United States.

And the grand total in dollars, the city has saved utilizing our CERT volunteers to prepare citizens, businesses, and visitors is $11,320 and $79.

That is.

Now this is this is for less than one year's worth of volunteer work.

Remember, it only is only gone to October 2nd.

CERT will continue to train, support, and provide outreach to everyone in our community.

We look forward to adding events and training as well as new CERT trained volunteers.

Thank you.

Thank you all.

It really is selfless sacrifice that you are out there.

And I and I've seen, we've all seen firsthand just helping people.

Obviously, if there's God forbid an emergency crisis, you're trained to do that.

But even just at events, I've seen you help elderly individuals just getting them water when they're dehydrated.

Actually, my mom was one of those people.

You didn't even know she was my mom, and you went over to her when she was so and I've seen you do it for countless others, so we we couldn't thank you enough.

Eric is going to take the check and deposit that.

But I have to, I have to sign the back of it.

So really from the bottom of our hearts, thank you for for all that you do.

And this is, I feel like this is the least we can do, but uh, but something to have this certificate of recognition for all each and every one of you for what you do for our city.

Thank you.

Great, thank you.

All right, come on, guys.

Up front, upright Friday.

I don't want to take this public.

All right, everybody's coming up.

Three, two, one.

Clean Miami Beach volunteers.

Requested by Commissioner Dominguez.

So this is a uh recognition to Sophie Ringell and all of the volunteers that have s helped her organization.

Where is Sophie?

Uh, to achieve five hundred cleanups.

Um in six years, is it Sophie?

Yes.

And we're so appreciative of everything that you do uh to go above and beyond and help keep our beaches and our parks and our streets clean.

I know I've participated in several, and we wanted to recognize this momentous occasion because you couldn't have done it with all of the volunteers and their hard work.

So if you'd like to say a few words and then I'll call up the names and we'll take a picture.

Well, thank you so much.

Um thank you, Commissioner, City Manager, uh, city attorney, city clerk, and of course the mayor.

I am so excited.

This is has been a wonderful journey journey for the past six years.

Who would have thought that I'm moving from Germany to Miami Beach to pick up trash and educate about plastic pollution?

But it is more than just a passion, it is uh fulfills uh everyone and it helps the planet.

Um on our website it says, and I live by this every single day, uh, it's a statement by Theodore Roosevelt.

Our wildlife and its habitat cannot speak, so we must and we will.

And with your s uh with your uh support and help, we are able to do the work that we do, and I'm so proud that we hosted now over five hundred cleanups, remove mode and one hundred ta 20,000 pounds of trash, and worked with over twenty thousand volunteers from the city of Miami Beach, Miami and Miami Day County, even visitors from all over the world come and join us, and it's just such a pleasure that everyone here allows us to do the work that we do, and I could not be prouder of my team, and that's actually why we're here, so I kind of feel put on the spot here because I want to celebrate my team, all our volunteers and crew members that come to almost every cleanup.

I'm so proud of all of you.

I can't do this work without you.

You are what Clean Miami Beach makes so wonderful, and I'm forever thankful for each and every one of you.

Thank you.

Congratulations to all of you.

And Sophie, will you help me give up the awards as I called uh the people out to Jennifer Bynton?

And then we'll take a picture.

Uh Gina Press Earthlin Hampton.

He's welcome.

Okay, Veronique Van Engeland.

Brady Olson, Anya Baruta, Jasmine Morez, Anne Lemozzi, Diego Achata, Dominic Mackey, Maria Federica Lugo, Liz Rivas, Mariano Ramirez, Matthew Rodriguez, Maxine Vega, Sheila Suarez, Trent Bryan, Alora Williams, Bernadette Basca, Jake Reed, Matt Stein, Monica Rojas, Nicole Robertson, Simei Savas.

Susan Ask you.

Okay.

Richard Alvarez.

Heather Laster.

Caesar Camacho?

Andres Cordoba?

Andres Perez?

Valentina, Alvarez?

Yes.

Amanda Reese?

Yes, thank you.

And Sophie, you get one too.

Thank you, everybody.

Okay, everybody ready.

Oh, another one.

Three, two, one.

Thank you, guys.

PA five as proclamation.

Dr.

Brooks Owens requested by Commissioner Rosa Gonzalez.

Dr.

Brooke, are you here?

Come up to the podium, please.

Today we are here to honor a local hero, Dr.

Brooke Owens.

She is a veterinarian who has a clinic on Forty First Street, which we love, Royal Vet.

And uh the other night, Dr.

Brooke was eating at Call Me Gabby when a man had an episode at a table and fell to the ground.

And Dr.

Owens jumped up from her table and was able to give him a life-saving thump that revived him, and he is alive and well today because of her work.

So thank you.

You saved a life, which is pretty impressive.

Is the gentleman that you saved here today, right now?

Yes, okay, come on up.

Go ahead.

We have our state representative here.

So hi everybody, and thank you guys for this.

So the the community member doesn't want the attention.

And I came to just say thank you.

But I want to just recognize something else.

Um I've known Brooke very long time.

Anyone who knows Brooke knows she's a champion.

I mean, in so many ways, for animals, for humans.

But I'm going to tell you something about that evening.

Um, and you know, we're we're in politics, so we see a lot of ugly.

And we get very little time off.

And this was an evening with some family friends and family members.

And this was just such an unexpected moment.

It was a bad reaction to some new medication that took a man's life.

Cold.

Like I'm shaking, just repeating the story.

And within the blink of an eye, you saw this community, the restaurant, you know the restaurant, it's a local favorite.

It's packed.

Like a dance.

Tables moved, people just there was no mess, no fun, just elegantly moved out of the way with such quickness.

So many people just charged to clear a pathway.

Brooke flew from the other side of the restaurant.

I don't know how she got there.

There was like, it was insane.

I looked down, all you see is her hair going like this and pumping.

And the community just pulled through.

They didn't care who, what, when, where, they just knew someone was in trouble, and they needed to take action before like it was the most impressive thing ever, and that should just remind everything, everyone here for everything that we fight for every day.

This is an amazing community.

Thank you, Brooke, for all that you are, and thank you, Miami Beach.

I'm all in and doing everything I can to make life better for everybody, for people like Brooke, and everyone we represent together.

So thank you, Brooke.

Wait.

This is uh not just a certificate of recognition, this is a proclamation.

So let me just read.

Because Dr.

Owens exemplifies the very best of our Miami Beach community, compassion, professionalism, and selfless service to others.

Now, therefore, do we, as mayor and commissioners of the city of Miami Beach, on behalf of our residents and visitors, extend heartfelt gratitude and recognition to Dr.

Brooke Owens, whose heroism will be remembered as the shining example of humanity and courage in our city, and do we hereby proclaim October twenty second, twenty twenty-five as Dr.

Brooke Owens Day.

Oh my God.

I forgot to mention the first responders.

They were amazing.

I know.

I mean, anybody's coming up three, two, one.

Three, two, one.

Thank you.

PA1.

PA1 proclamation presented to South Beach Jazz Festival.

Requested by the mayor.

Come on up.

David and Laurie.

So I know many are familiar with the great work of the South Beach Jazz Festival.

The work foundation that you've built, David, and obviously with Laurie's help.

Accessibility and inclusion, highlighting musical artists with disabilities.

Obviously, I I think I've come to everyone since I was elected first as commissioners six years ago, and have come, had the opportunity to address the crowds, and they grow every year, the crowds that you bring.

But I I would actually ask everyone to go to your website, David, and read your life's story.

And if you are not inspired and motivated and realize what a person is capable of doing, you are the epitome.

So David, you are the founder of the South Beach Ads Festival, and Laurie Beckham, the executive director.

And I'd love to hear you uh hear from you.

Thank you very much.

Uh it's a pleasure to be here and to be recognized.

Um I'm very proud of our mission of accessibility in the arts.

It's been my driving force for quite some time now, and we are approaching our 10th anniversary, and our organization is growing in leaps and bounds.

It's only expanding and getting better and bigger every year.

And I'm proud to bring the organization and our events to Miami Beach.

Uh it's a wonderful city for that's my mom calling.

Um I'm just real I'm thrilled.

I'm thrilled uh that we've been welcomed with open arms, and it's wonderful to be part of this community, and I'm gonna pass it over to Lori now.

Thank you, David.

David's truly the inspiration why all of us get involved, and then it becomes a passion that becomes our life.

And we want to thank the mayor, all of the commissioners, the city staff, Lisette and her team at Cultural and Tourism, the community, our board of directors, our advisory council, our volunteers and supporters, our partners, the Rhythm Foundation, who's our music team curation, um, and each and every one of you because really this tiny and mighty organization that David and some really community leaders started because the need was there, and because we all love Miami Beach has grown because of the support of Miami Beach, and we are now worldwide recognized because of the cultural arts and accessibility of this city and the welcoming of this administration and every administration really since the beginning, since David founded it.

And we just want to thank everyone to be part of it.

Um our 10th anniversary festival is January 8th, 9th, 10th, and 11th.

We invite the whole city and the county and the world to come to it.

Most of our events are free.

Accessibility and artists of all abilities from students to emerging artists, local legends, and Grammy winners are all there.

And we have a big concert that is a headliner concert with Spanish Harlem Orchestra this year, and we do that's a ticketed event, but we have Miami Beach discounts for everybody, and like I said, most of it is free.

So thank you all, and thank you to the administration.

Um every one of you make us known how much we're wanted and needed all the time.

Thank you.

And David, and David, you mentioned your mom called, and I love speaking to her every time she comes to the festivals.

I was hoping she would uh be here tonight, but we'll see her in January.

Yeah, definitely.

I'll just read a little bit.

We have a certificate of recognition.

Um much of it has been said, but I will add to what you mentioned and highlight uh that uh this will be the 10th year anniversary into a fourth day celebration in 2026.

It will feature over 20 performers and activations, most free to the public, drawing international claim and showcasing the vibrancy and diversity of our Miami Beach community.

Power Access has earned a prestigious state of Florida specific project grants for 2026 and has qualified for expanded county and state grant categories for 2027, affirming its role as a leading cultural presenter in the region.

And we're so proud and happy that you're in Miami Beach.

The city of Miami Beach proudly celebrates Power Access for its artistic excellence, inclusive vision, and enduring impact on our community.

Thank you.

Thank you.

We we do have board members, advisory council members, volunteers, and supporters here.

So all of you come up.

We want each and every one of you on the photo.

We love you.

Okay.

Yeah.

There we go.

Thank you.

Okay.

We're gonna say, All right.

Look at his camera.

Three, two, one.

Three, two, one.

These cameras here, thank you.

Thank you.

Yep, PA.

You want to call it your item?

Uh PA 9.

PA9 is proclamation.

Jamie Cabrera Gonzalez, requested by Commissioner Fernandez.

Thank you, Mr.

Mayor.

And if Haime is here, if you could come to the front.

So a while back, I received an email.

Actually, I was connected to Claudia Rosnow through Ray Breslin.

Claudia uh is uh is a coordinator of the creative the the creative writing workshop at Globe Literario at the Miami Beach uh Regional Library.

And we believed it was so opportune, so proper during Hispanic Heritage Month to recognize Jaime.

Uh he's published several books, and he has a vast experience as a literature professor, professor in different universities and colleges in Colombia and in Israel before moving to Miami Beach more than 30 years ago.

His career as a writer has been very successful.

He has received numerous literary awards in the United States and in Latin America.

Also, he had been a special guest to the most important uh book fairs in the sp in the world.

And by way, and by the way, this year, he is presenting his new book, Como Sinala Pasará at the Miami Book Fair in November.

Even though all of these are very impressive accomplishments, the most important one is the fact that for the last 10 years, Jaime has devoted himself free of charge to leading this class at the Miami Beach Library, a class that encourages and inspires people to write.

He has created a space for everyone, whether they have experience or not, and is and they welcome everyone to learn to write, to learn about literature and to celebrate Hispanic culture right here in our community.

Jaime, thank you so much for being for bringing such honor to Miami Beach for sharing your talents with others for keeping our Hispanic culture alive, for keeping Spanish literature alive, and for allowing our community to benefit from your talents from your knowledge.

Thank you so much for for your work, and it's our honor today to recognize October 22nd, 2025 as Jaime Cabrera Gonzalez Day in the city of Miami.

And I don't and I don't know if Claudia is here, if Claudia could come to the front and Haime if you would like to say a few words.

Okay.

And really honor and humbled to receive this proclamation.

I want to thank the mayor, Stephen Mayor, the commissioner Alex Fernandez, and the city of Miami Beach, for recognizing my work as a writer in a city that I love.

And where I have live for 30 years.

Thank you very much.

Claudia Rosenov and my family, a los amigo, but in especial, a loss members del Taller de Scrittura Creativa Club Literario de la Miami Beach Regional Library in Sudmo Aniversario.

Gracias.

I mean, it's a wonderful place, the library, and the library open up their arms for this program when basically there was no anybody available or anybody that was going to come to the class, and then the class has been alive for the last 10 years, and that can only happen in a city like Miami Beach.

I am really proud to be a resident.

Toda Roma.

And right now, the Club Literario has grown into an international literary community with 40 permanent students spanning from Miami Beach, Argentina, Colombia, Ecuador, and reaching as far as Spain, London, and Vienna, uniting diverse voices through the power of storytelling and written words.

That is just incredible.

Thank you and congratulations.

Thank you.

Ready?

One, two, three.

PA8.

PA Certificate of Recognition, Anthony R.

Gomez requested by Commissioner Rosa Gonzalez.

Anthony or Tony, come on up to the podium.

So it is Hispanic Heritage Month this month.

And we are here to recognize a Miami Beach resident who's lived here for many years.

Both of his daughters, who are now medical doctors, were born in Mount Sinai.

But that's not why we're here to recognize Anthony.

You recently became or the president of the Latin Builders Association, correct?

And this is very important organization of Hispanic entrepreneurs who are also builders.

And I know your company, Unitech has done a lot of work on Miami Beach, resiliency work as a matter of fact, and places like Normandy Shores.

We need more bidders, so you need to come back and work on the beach.

I know it's not easy, but we'd probably like you to bid on a contract.

As a builder, entrepreneur, and civic leader, your ongoing commitment to public service and community advancement.

It reflects the very best of Miami Beach.

And that is why today we are presenting you with a certificate of recognition on your presidency of the Latin Builders organization, and we are so proud of you.

Our Miami Beach resident.

So thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mayor.

Thank you, Commissioners.

Thank you, City Clerk, City Attorney, City Manager.

Thank you very much.

I want to thank also uh state representative Fabian Basada.

He's been in uh a supporter of mine since becoming presidency.

He's helped the Hispanic community uh so much.

Uh not only being a vendor for the city of Miami Beach, I can tell you that I came from immigrants that worked in the Fountain Blue in the Eden Iraq 57 years ago watching these dishes.

So just coming from that heritage and having today able to have my two daughters a doctors today.

I mean, it's it's such overwhelming to me, and thank you for the honor for being honored in my city birthplace.

Thank you very much.

By the way, the Latin Builders Association has the best lunches everywhere.

By the end of the lunch, everybody is kicking back and smoking Havana cigars.

I went one Friday afternoon and I said, gosh, you builders know how to throw a party.

So thank you.

Thank you very much.

Chris, I just want to check congratulations.

So thank you, Commission, for recognizing my friend here.

Um I just want to tell you a little bit more about what they do.

First time I met him, and he told me he was with the Builders Association.

I said, I represent Miami Beach.

We don't take the builders' title lightly.

And then he introduced me to what they actually do and who they represent.

And it's not just builders, it's the tradespeople, it's engineers, architects, plumbers, the laborers, the workforce, the backbone of our of our cities.

And he told me how important it was to that organization to lay the integrity, the standards, and the infrastructure for them to come in and restore.

The resiliency is a major, major priority for them.

Um, restoring what we've got.

They've got a lot of attention, a lot of great ideas for Miami Beach.

So I welcome the partnership and thank you for recognizing them.

I'll be I'll be knocking on your door soon, by the way.

Um would your daughters like to join you up here for a photo?

And maybe that's amazing.

All right.

PA 10.

PA10 Certificate Certificate of Recognition, Aerial Recovery.

Question by the mayor.

Brittany and Jeremy, why don't you come up here?

I'm gonna tee it tee it up.

So I got a call from Andres Asian uh several weeks ago, a month ago, telling me there's this incredible organization called Aerial Recovery.

They're an anti-human trafficking organization.

Um do great work, they coordinate with police departments.

And I obviously got invited as the mayor.

I get invited to tons of events.

I try to make most of them.

Um but I went down and I tell you, uh I could see firsthand the work that you do.

I'm I obviously want to hear from you, but I want to set the stage for this.

So you're training with our police department for three days, correct?

And I come in on Sunday, and I was told, by the way, this is all volunteers, right?

All volunteers, former military individuals who help with this, help individuals to combat human trafficking.

And I'm told that, hey, by the way, most of the individuals are former military.

And I walk into that room, and if nobody told me, I would have known it in a second.

You could see, you could see it.

But I want to hear from you.

It's thank you for doing this with our police department.

Thank you for the work that you do.

This is the selfless sacrifice that your organization and you are doing, along with your volunteers, and you're literally saving lives.

It's that is that is an understatement that you are saving people.

But tell us about your organization and what the impact of the work that you do.

Very grateful.

Thank you, Mr.

Mayor.

And thank you, Andreas, wherever you are there, brother.

He's uh the greatest tour guide ever of showing, especially Miami.

He loves this place, and I'm so impressed by not just you, Mr.

Mayor, but the entire uh committee here and everybody.

It's such a safe neighborhood, and I go to a lot of cities that aren't very safe, and I am very comfortable with my wife and two-year-old going around here and your recent uh recent residence, correct?

Yes.

All right, awesome.

So um aerial recovery is something we're very proud of.

I'm I'm myself in retired uh U.S.

Army Special Forces, and I got the opportunity to join with my wife who's an entrepreneur who has this amazing vision since she was young to end human trafficking.

It's a vision that so many of us need because of how large of the problem it is.

And being able to come in and have continued service after my service was a huge benefit for me, uh, especially being a recovering alcoholic and a suicide survivor myself.

So aerial recovery is more than just rescuing those in from the clutches of human trafficking and those after natural and man-made disasters, but it's also a organization that focuses on our veterans and first responder community that suffer from a lack of purpose, alcoholism, dependency, depression, anxiety, all these things that take out a military veteran once every 84 minutes, which is just something that needs to stop.

So through the genius mind of my wife and an amazing amount of supporters that we have at Aero Recovery, we've been able to develop a program where we rehabilitate these veterans and first responders, and then we redeploy them out to continue to use their God's given talents to go out and help those most in need.

So there's nothing I've been more proud of in my entire life than to wear this hat and stand next to my wife and be able to do this this good work.

Wow.

We're very, very incredibly proud to be here, and thank you.

It's just such an amazing city with incredible leadership that is willing to try things and make this world a better place.

And that's all we've done is we've repurposed veterans and first responders to save lives and stop evil.

And it's a case study that works, and that's something we're happy to continue to help anything we can here in Miami Beach and uh this incredible community that you all have worked so hard to build is the things that are working because in less than three years, we've rescued over 8400 people from human trafficking and deadly disasters with many people.

Thank you.

So thank you again.

We really appreciate this.

So we have a certificate of recognition presented to Aerial Recovery, really.

We could say to uh to Brittany and Jeremy, but um the city of my beach proudly recognize aerial recovery for its impactful leadership in protecting vulnerable communities and advancing the fight against human trafficking through specialized training, intelligence support, and operational assistance from September 21 to 23, 2025 air recovery led and anti-human trafficking training at the Miami Beach Police Department community room, equipping members of the MBPD human trafficking division with advanced tools and strategies to identify disrupt and dismantle trafficking networks.

Your veteran-led team brings vital experience and compassion to this work, and your partnership with law enforcement agencies enhances our city's ability to respond with precision, care, and resolve.

With deep appreciation, we recognize your service and lasting impacts of your efforts.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Okay, ready to camera?

Three, two, one.

Photo, three, two, one.

Thank you.

All right.

No.

Okay.

Three, two, one.

Three, two, one.

Thank you.

So we're very fortunate to have an incredible community.

As I mentioned at the beginning, we have 27 awards tonight.

I unfortunately it's a busy time of year, and I double booked a bit.

So I'm gonna ask Commissioner Fernandez if he can continue uh leading.

So please, no no disrespect to anybody who's here.

And uh we haven't gotten to and I and I and I'm gonna step out, but uh you're in good hands with Commissioner Fernandez and the rest of my colleagues.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mr.

Mayor.

Commissioner Botton.

Let's call item PA20.

P820 is proclamation, Childhood Cancer Awareness Month requested by Commissioner Bach.

Thank you.

Sylvia, where's Sylvia?

Hi.

Do you want to come up?

Do you want to have your whole crew come up with you, please?

So for all the kids who are here, thank you for putting up with this very long meeting.

You came on a busy day.

And I'm sure there are things you would rather be doing than hanging out here with us.

But we are so honored that you are here with us, and it is through the incredible work that you're doing together.

The Mystic Force Foundation is doing.

Um you are here with us and fighting the good fight, and we are thrilled to see you here in your resplendent cure of childhood cancer t-shirts and and um and stickers.

So thank you.

I I want to um let everybody know again, this is a little bit of a weird thing because it was supposed to be in September.

We didn't have the meeting, so again, we're gonna time travel for a quick moment.

But September, as some people may know, it has been designated as National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.

And it's nobody wants to think about this because you can't think of anything worse that could happen than a child getting sick with with this kind of really um devastating disease.

Um it is a time to honor the kids whose lives have been tragically lost and uplift those who continue to fight with extraordinary courage and renew our collective commitment to finding a cure for this devastating illness illness.

It doesn't just affect the kids, obviously, it affects everybody around them.

It's a whole ecosystem.

Cancer remains, and this is um may be surprising, but it remains the leading cause of death by disease among children in the United States between infancy all the way up to age 15.

And it robs families and communities and friends of precious moments and obviously futures for the kids themselves that are filled with promise.

For the last 17 years, the Mystic Force Foundation has served as a vital lifeline for families navigating this unimaginable kind of challenge of pediatric cancer through a wide range of meaningful programs, events, and both financial and emotional support.

The foundation brings comfort and hope to countless kids and their families.

Initiatives like the Heroes Hangout, a one-of-a-kind childhood cancer haven is a dedicated space in which kids can safely play and celebrate and experience the joys of childhood without the stress of hospitals and who knows who's touching what before they touch you.

So it is a really, really magical special place and cannot be undervalued.

We recognize at the city of Miami Beach the profound toll this disease takes on our families and neighbors, and we affirm the importance of investing in research, resources, and compassionate care.

Cannot state that enough.

And we'll hear about that in a in a moment a little bit more.

Um for its unwavering dedication and the vital support it it provides to kids and their families affected by this disease.

We join them in their mission to raise awareness, foster hope, and restore joy in the lives of those facing this unimaginable challenge.

So I am going to turn it over to you in a second, but before I do that, I do want to say that we, as the mayor and commission of the city of Miami Beach, hereby proclaim September and into October.

Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.

And together we are going to make strides to bring an end to this horrible set of diseases.

So with that, I will turn it over, Madame, to you.

Thank you for the.

Thank you, Commissioner.

Thank you all for your support of our children battling cancer year after year.

The postcards that Jake gave you all of that's my baby, and he passed away from cancer 14 years ago.

In three and a half years of treatment, Sal underwent 55 cycles of chemotherapy, 50 rounds of radiation.

He had 12 surgeries.

So thank you.

So thank you for raising awareness, not only for our children here in Miami Beach and uh across the county, but across the world.

Uh have Jake here who finished treatment about two years ago.

And we have Zaya here.

Zaya actually lives in Miami Beach.

Um did you want to say something real quick?

Sure, yeah.

So this is my daughter Zaya.

Uh Isaiah.

I'm Heather.

We live in Miami Beach.

Um, and I want to thank you all for raising awareness for uh for childhood cancer, and thank you, Sylvia, for everything that you do.

Sylvia and I met uh gonna get a little bit emotional, but we met in a hospital room um almost 10 years ago.

Um, Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital, and she's become not only a friend, but like family to us.

Um Zaya was diagnosed with stage four neuroblastoma when she was three months, and she's a survivor.

She's here.

Amazing.

Well, thank you.

This is extremely important, not only for Zaya, but for the amazing children that fight every single day.

Um childhood cancer is something that when you look at the commercials, you see a smiling child.

But behind the scenes, the children are suffering, and we are have to be their voice.

We have to.

It's our job.

So thank you.

Thank you, Commissioner Bob, for bringing this presentation.

And I think we can all take a picture because this brings so much hope for us.

I I will just say um it is amazing because I had a friend from college whose daughter was diagnosed with a neuroblastoma 25 years ago, and her third birthday party was her last birthday party.

So, Zaya, I'm so deeply excited to meet you and see you and see you kicking cancer's ass.

So, to all of you guys, let's uh let's get a picture of you guys.

And um we will be doing a blood drive.

We didn't have it organized for today, but stay tuned.

We will be doing a blood drive, and that is another way you can help is by giving blood as well as giving some dollars.

Okay, are you all that?

You come right here with that.

All right, let's call Commissioner Dominguez's item P A thirteen.

P A thirteen proclamation, Michael Bernstein, civic engagement and public service.

So as Michael walks up, I'll read a little bit about him.

So Michael Bernstein has called Miami Beach home since nineteen ninety-two, and he's been enriching our community with his unwavering dedication to civic engagement and public service.

He is a distinguished alumnus of Miami Country Day, class of eighty-three, and attributes his lifetime uh lifelong commitment to service to the inspiring people, example set by his parents, Ike and Barbara Bernstein, who instilled in their children the values of compassion, leadership, and generosity.

He currently serves as senior vice president and producer for Lockton Companies, where he continues to champion the principle of offering a hand up, not a hand out, to those in need, embodying the spirit of community upliftment.

He is a Tocqueville Society member of the United Way and Miami Dade County, a member of the President's Community Leadership Council at Bray University, and a supporter of Big Brothers Big Sisters.

He's demonstrated exceptional leadership in neighborhood advocacy, which is where I met Michael over ten years ago, serving as president of the Nautilus Area Homeowners Association from 2013 to 2025 as founder and president of the Middle North Bay Road Homeowners Association from 2004 to 2012.

So I was writing stuff like a millennial on my phone.

So now I'm gonna be trying to do this.

All right.

Three, two, one.

Yeah, another one.

Three, two, one.

Thank you so much.

Let's see.

Mr.

Clerk, let's call item PA2.

PA2 proclamation, Cafe Avanti celebrating 36 years in the Miami Beach community.

Requested by Commissioner Fernandez.

All right.

Thank you.

And our Jessica and Lewis in the house.

Alright, let's come to the front over here.

We're all gonna go to celebrate out of Auntie letter later.

There's actually a scrivener's error in this because it's actually 35 years.

35 years.

35 years, but we've been trying to do this proclamation.

Believe it or not, we've been trying to do this proclamation.

It feels like all year long.

And Cafe Avante is so busy that every time we've tried to do this, we've had to postpone it.

But that's Cafe Avanti.

It's a beautiful heart of Miami Beach.

I think everyone has a beautiful story, a beautiful memory, a beautiful celebration, a beautiful victory that they've had at Cafe Avante.

So many of us like it for that purpose.

Thank you, guys.

Thank you so much.

And you are you're just a cherished part of the Miami Beach community.

Not only do you have great food, but it's your warmth.

You know everyone that goes to Cafe Avante.

Thank you.

You give them love.

And that's really what makes Cafe Avante the beautiful gem that it is in Miami Beach.

Lewis, Jessica, on behalf of the Miami Beach family and the greater community.

Congratulations on your 35th anniversary.

On behalf of the mayor and the city commission, we hereby proclaim today as Cafe Avanti Day in the city of Miami Beach.

Thank you, thank you.

And I'm gonna let Lewis and Jessica say something, and then I'll open it up to the dais.

Yes.

I just like to thank you guys.

Um the community, thank you for helping us build like the place that we have built there.

Um it's like very friendly.

Everybody knows everybody's name.

It's been a joy.

It's been 35 years of meeting people and and having fun.

It's been great.

And with her on my side, and my son as well, and the support from the family, it's been a great joy and a great ride.

Thank you.

Commissioner Rosen Gonzalez.

I know a thing or two about restaurants.

And when you're a restaurateur, you have to be there every night.

And every night that you go into Cafe Avanti, you will find one of these two who are standing there patiently working over 35 years, which is a really long time.

And one of the most special things about Cafe Avanti is that because both of you are there all the time, welcoming everyone, and we expect you to be there.

Just kidding.

Um the servers welcome you are starting.

They know your name, the bartender, the staff, the kitchen staff comes out and says hello.

So it and everybody in the dining room, you know, every single person in the dining room when you go there.

So I congratulate you because I know the level of effort that that is to be in hospitality and be there every single night.

And that really is a community service at 35 years.

So thank you so much.

Thank you for having me.

Thank you guys.

Jessica.

So I can't take credit for 35 years.

Although I grew up there, I joined him uh almost 16 years ago.

But um Dad, you bought into this extraordinary community, and this extraordinary community bought into extraordinary you.

You are the reason, and I am so proud of you.

Thank you.

Lewis, Jessica, may God bless you.

We've been waiting all year to do this, but perhaps this providential that we're doing it on Hispanic Heritage Month, because as uh as a Hispanic uh business owner so you guys are what an example to other people that have a dream that come to Miami Beach to leave a legacy like yours.

Because as uh as a Hispanic business owner, so you guys are what an example to other people that have a dream that come to Miami Beach to leave a legacy like yours.

Thank you for being that example for so many others to buy.

Thank you, Alex.

Thank you.

You guys want to come down?

Okay.

All right.

I'm happy to share my day with Michael Bernstein.

I agree.

We're missing our resume.

Three to one.

Three, two, one.

Three, two, one.

Thank you.

All right.

Everyone getting a proclamation tonight has to go to Cafe Avante to celebrate.

Make sure you got the record on a cheesecake.

All right.

Patrick and Dave, they're in the house.

Mr.

Clark, let's call items 22 and 23 together.

So PA22 is proclamation.

David Greasher, 2823, proclamation, Patrick Brushcart.

All right, Commissioner Bond, these are your items.

So Patrick and David, if you'd like to come up to the hot seat.

So I met you, I don't know, three years ago, maybe, and you have always, in my mind, been linked and joined.

And you are in your lives.

And in your initiative for what you're about to be recognized for, you are as well.

So it's it's very fitting.

So you guys, the story is that you guys were paddle boarding together off of the South Beach beach, just uh north of the pier, um, or the jetty rather, and um you discovered a thriving coral ecosystem, like thriving better than John Pennicamp State Park, thriving with a capital Thrive, an underwater treasure hidden in plain sight.

Your passion for scuba diving.

If you you guys, if you want to watch cool scuba diving, follow these guys on Instagram.

They're like in the water constantly.

I don't know how you don't look like prunes all the time, but you look fresh and healthy.

Um clearly handsome, that's a given.

Um, your passion for scuba diving and environmental advocacy has led you to champion the protection of this reef and working to educate all of us about this reef to ensure that it remains a safe, accessible, protected protected, easy for me to say, protected, it's time's a charm, protected experience for both residents and visitors alike.

And your advocacy has actually inspired us, the city of Miami Beach, through my colleagues leading the charge and and and unanimously supporting a resolution to protect and allocate funds to protect this part of our underwater city as a marine park and a conservation area.

Um there is a documentary that has been made about this that will be unveiled at the Sundance Film Festival, but just won a prestigious FIU award highlighting all of the work that's being done.

Um and then also, by the way, as human beings and residents of the city, you guys are not too shabby either.

You're your advocates for micromobility and safe bicycling around the city.

Um Patrick, you're a very gifted artist, and um among other things, and oh the mic.

And um David, you are forensic accountant, which sounds terrifying to me on every possible front, but um you've you serve this community well.

And so um thank you for the advocacy, thank you for leading the charge on this.

Um it fits so beautifully with the reef line that was just dedicated.

It's this sort of organic thing that already exists, and it they're gonna be like cousins when all those little corals get planted.

And it's amazing because what you're doing in the water is what we're trying to do on the land with blue zone.

So it's this really symbiotic ecosystem, and uh, I'm just thrilled, and I'm proud to call you my friends.

I'm so proud of who you are and what you've done for the city.

It's a lasting legacy, and it's a serious one, and you guys should be very, very proud, and so should your parents.

So, with that, I'm gonna let you guys both say a few words, then we'll take some photos.

Sure.

Uh thank you, commissioners.

Um, it's been really exciting to work on this project with all of you.

Uh you not many cities have the privilege of being next to a endangered ecosystem like we are.

Um, it's the equivalent of having a major city next to the Amazon rainforest.

Right.

Um, having something as endangered as rhinoceros on our doorsteps and um residents of our city as well.

So it's been a joyful process to go through this and looking forward to partnering with the city as we keep pushing this all the way to the finish line.

And do you really want to thank the community?

This has been possible because we've had buy-in from so many organizations and people and um citizens and residents in Miami Beach.

And it's been an incredible privilege to get to meet all of those people as we've gone on this quest.

So thank you all.

I think you guys captured everything, and we're really looking forward to working together with the city and the sustainability department to keep on making this an even more protected area for residents and uh visitors alike.

So thank you.

Commissioner Bond, thank you for bringing this item because these guys represent the best of Miami Beach, and they do advocacy, but advocacy always with a smile.

It comes for the goodness of your heart.

So thank you for the love you give to our city.

And congratulations.

I neglected to say I would be remiss in not um recognizing my colleague Laura Dominguez, whose item it was to sponsor this.

And so we all wouldn't.

A reef champion.

Oh, I love David and Patrick so much, and uh so proud of everything that they've done.

They discovered the reef, they've advocated for it, they've been strong in speaking to everybody in the community, outside the community, people that would listen, and here we are.

We just got the funding approved to make an assessment.

Thank you for the long haul support.

Commissioner Wilson Salis who recognize.

And I just want to add in Pride Park.

Pride Park was part of the convention center complex, and because of your advocacy, Pride Park is now being programmed by our parks and recreation and is now a resident park as opposed to being the convention center park, at least 10 months out of the year.

Thank you for everything that you've done, because that really impacted a lot of lives here on Miami Beach.

Our marine life, the parks, advocates for the arts, advocates for bicycle safety.

You guys really put your love into our city, and you're so worthy of this recognition.

Thank you, Commissioner Bond.

Congratulations, guys.

Thank you all.

Thank you.

Mr.

Clerk, let's call PA11 and Commissioner Domingos.

This is your item.

PA 11 is certificate of recognition, Tyler Sheldon.

Come on up, Tyler.

So this summer I had an intern, Tyler Selden.

And uh we learned so much from you, uh, my aides and myself, and I hope that you learned a lot from us.

You were so professional and poised at such a young age.

Uh we were proud to have you as part of the team.

And I'm just gonna read a few things about you.

So, born at Mount Sinai Hospital, Tyler was educated locally, and he's grown with the city's cultural and civic spirit from seven years in the Boy Scout Troop 65, boxing at South Beach Boxing, and at City Hall, working in my office as an intern.

Tyler has shown leadership, discipline, resilience, and this certificate honors your journey as a true son of Miami Beach.

You embody the heart, the energy, and the promise.

And we're so proud of you and wish you much success.

Thank you.

And if your parents will come up and take the picture with us.

All right, let's take a picture.

Do you want to say anything more?

Do you want to say something?

What was your experience like at City Hall?

It was great, honestly.

Um I want to really thank Commissioner Dominguez and her team, uh, Julian and Alberto.

They did, I mean, without them, I mean, it was just a great experience.

Okay.

Sorry.

Something.

We're almost sent to it.

There we are.

Central issues.

All right, Mr.

Clerk, let's call item PA twenty five.

PA twenty five recognition celebrating the design and completion of Bay Shore Park.

Requested by Commissioner Fernandes.

I want to call up over to the podium.

Everyone that has been involved with Bay Shore Park.

And there are a lot of people to that that have been involved, the residents, the Bayshore HOA.

I see Delena and Leslie and the audience, if they join us in the front.

I see Barry Miller and Adriana Savino, they can join us in the in the front.

The Buslam group.

We celebrated a month ago as we unveiled Bay Shore Park as a majestic public green space, a lasting symbol of resiliency, of collaboration, a space that Miami Beach for generations will be proud of this green space that was decades into making community members for decades, community members who moved into the Bay Shore neighborhood with children saying that they wanted to take their children to Bay Shore Park, and now those children have their own children that a community members are going to be able to take those grandchildren to Bayshore Park is the advocacy of the residents.

It was a golf course, then it was just an abandoned green space, then it was a staging site, then it was a dumping site.

Then it was contaminated land that you all had to go in and re-envision and redevelop.

What a legacy each and every one of you are leaving for the city of Miami Beach.

Every single one of you.

And people from around the world that will come and enjoy this green space, that will go and enjoy the majesty of this beautiful Banyan tree.

That you not only get to see this beautiful Banan tree, but you get to experience it, that you get to walk through it, that you get to really enjoy it.

That you all went out of your way to design a park that actually preserves nature.

The attention to detail to preserve the mature trees and to build around them.

To enhance the resiliency of the neighborhood.

Miami Beach is so proud.

And on behalf of our residents, on behalf of our community, on behalf of my colleagues, thank you.

We want to recognize you today.

We have certificates of recognition for each one of you for your service for this great project that's going to bring joy to so many people.

But most specially, most specially, we really need to highlight Barry Miller and Adriana Sabino.

Adriana Barry, your work in Bayshore Park exemplifies the highest standards of design and the community engagement.

It stands as a model for public space development throughout South Florida, probably a model in the nation and the world that other people are going to be coming from around the world to see how we didn't.

You're leaving a legacy, and it's not only beautiful, but it's deeply meaningful to our community.

And the smile and the tears in your eyes, Adriana, and the love that was emanating from you.

When we unveiled the Bayshore Park, I'll never forget that, and therefore that beautiful energy will forever live in Bay Sharp Park.

So therefore, today, on behalf of the mayor and city commission, we hereby proclaim today October 22nd as Adriana Savino and Barry Miller Day in the city of Miami Beach.

Please.

Thank you.

Thank you so much.

We well, we we wouldn't be here without all of you, actually, the whole community and the commissioners, the previous commission, this commission, throughout all these years.

And uh it it it truly takes a village to build something like this.

Is it's not by chance, and uh and we are lucky that we design public spaces.

I think that's you know where everybody comes together and and to heal a site is just uh a privilege.

I think we we were lucky to have that privilege and have the support of a city staff, which was amazing throughout.

And uh, well, here we are.

And it's not done yet.

And I hear you guys are on site every single day, paying attention to the details, putting that final bow on it.

You know, uh, someone mentioned a little while ago about bringing community together and not knowing your neighbors since the parks opened up.

It's just been amazing.

We go out there pretty much every day to go look at what's going on gone, and uh we see people that we haven't seen for a long time, and now we are starting to meet new people.

Everybody's coming from the from the city from all around and outside the city, and uh just the smiles we see on their face and how much they we hear from them is just made it all the long time we took for this job uh uh all worthwhile.

Uh so we want to thank you guys uh especially for for the trust you had in us.

This is a very complex, long project, and uh you showed uh trust and confidence in us, which uh is great.

One of my landscape architect heroes uh said, You're only as good as your client.

Okay, so uh that that park is a reflection of of where you guys took us and allowed us to take you.

So we we really appreciate that.

Oh, and the Buzzlam too.

The Boslim group.

Well, and I want to highlight that because we forgot to mention our construction team, which was amazing, and also our our office, you know, our staff, which is incredible, especially Kelly Patty and all the time.

Kelly Hitzing, if you're watching, yeah.

We're thanking you, our project manager who is really you know in the trenches day to day.

And uh I was gonna say it's it's not it's not often that you are become friends with the general contractor.

There's always rivalry, right?

You're usually like this, and we've uh it's been great to see uh these guys and get to know them, and we hope we do more work with them later on.

And it goes it goes to show you when you in when you hire local stakeholders, the reinvestment, the return that you get not only on the investment with the product, but in the love and the dedication that that local stakeholder puts into it.

You're just not a contractor for the city of Miami Beach.

You live in the city of Miami Beach, you live in the neighborhood, you love the neighborhood, you love this park, and the same can be said for the contractor for for Boslam, uh, that you are a local company here in the city of Miami Beach, and not only have you delivered a quality product, but quality and on time.

And we and we're so so proud.

Um, Mr.

Manager, uh you're you're the head of the organization.

Uh, thank you for delivering this.

I pass the floor to you.

Uh I appreciate the mayor and commission for recognizing all of the efforts that went into this.

I thank every single person that was up here, because as many people said, it really does take a village to bring something like this to fruition.

And this park represents the best of Miami Beach, and Miami Beach deserves the best that is this park.

So thank you very much.

And I'd be remiss uh David David Martinez, our assistant city manager, David Gomez, our director of capital improvements.

If you guys want to uh say anything, because you guys have been so instrumental in bringing this for Lanting.

Thank you, Commissioner.

I won't take very long again.

I just I'm I'm I'm just very fortunate to have had the opportunity from just when I first started with the city in 2011 to be involved in this project in some way or another and be able to to turn it into what it did.

It was a labor of love.

Uh it does it does in fact take a village uh a few steps forward, a few steps back backwards.

But at the end of the day, we we come through uh and we're extremely happy.

I'm extremely proud to deliver this to the city of Miami Beach to the residents and to mayor and the commission.

So thank you.

And David.

If I could be so bold as to speak for everyone up here, I think we can all agree that everyone has been involved in this project due to their dedication to the community and their commitment to the community.

I want to thank you for the recognition.

We all appreciate a pat on the back.

Um, but it was really a love of labor that led us to this project.

And everything that we do, we do it for the residents.

We do it for the residents that have been asking and who were promised this project when they approved the general obligation bonds.

I don't know if the representatives of the Bay Shore Homeowners Association, uh, Delena and Leslie that are here.

If you would like to say anything, you're more than welcome.

First of all, I want to thank everyone that's on the dais right now, all the commissioners, the mayor currently, and as said before, previous commission members, you know, uh Mr.

Ricci Ariola, Kristen Gonzalez.

Um I'd like to thank other members within Bay Shore that have been at it for over 30 years.

Tetya Midema, Sylvia Wenitsky, Sylvia, Carlos, and many, many more.

Tanya Batt was part of it as well.

Um I'd like to thank Carolina Jones from the Parks and Recs Committee, who really at the end pushed through in many ways.

Um there's just such a big list of people to thank.

Alex Fernandez, Kristen Rosenwell.

I mean, I don't know where to start and where to end.

This is a labor of love for 30 plus years.

I do want to thank the staff, especially uh Martinez, Mr.

Martinez, I mean, who's always been a lifeline towards us, Mr.

Gomez, sorry, I'm trying to get everything together, and obviously so many more people within the neighborhood.

We are truly a community that is thankful.

And this is a park for everyone within the city.

I mean, it brings people together, like Mrs.

Savino said, I go daily by the park.

The playground is packed.

I hear children yelling, screaming, joyful.

I had hoped that would be my kids, but I'll bring my grandkids one fine day there.

You know, but it's just so beautiful to see how active, how packed the park is.

How I mean, people are truly enjoying it, and that was the goal all together.

It's something for everyone.

So I want to thank everyone all together and you know, continue on a good path for more great things within the city.

Thank you.

Commissioner Bond, I know you would like to.

Yeah, thank you.

Um so I I do um have this weird, very emotional reaction to the park.

I became a baby activist working alongside Yelena and Leslie and George Esposito and Carlos and Sylvia and all kinds of other people, Tetsia, um trying to make this work and the drama of what was being dumped and how could it be dumped and why was it being dumped, and why the lawsuits going back decades, like all the drama.

And I too thought that my kids, I could send them out for you know, go play in the park for a few hours, and I'll call you be home for seven for dinner at seven.

Well, they're in New York and in Miami now, they're 23 and 25, so that ship has sailed, but they have already heard how incredible this park is.

And I, you know, we went to the opening and then I went back the uh the next weekend early, so I could really experience it.

And the number of people just walking through with shoulders back and relaxed and joy.

There's so little joy in the world right now.

And this park just exudes joy and calm and beauty.

And for those who might be listening or watching down the road, what folks might not know is that Barry and Adriana are not just Miami Beach residents, but neighbors, like literally adjacent to the park.

And you know, and so we this is this is how I got to know Miami Beach as a as an activist.

And look what activists can do.

Look what residents can do when they are single-minded and work with the city and there's transparency.

And David, as you said, two steps forward, one step back, but you get there, and keeping residents engaged and and active and being a part of the process is critical because great things come of it.

I'm so proud of what you guys have done.

It it is so joyful.

Um and people around the country are already talking about it because my older daughters in New York with former Miami Beach residents, and they can't wait to come back and see, you know, yeah, sure.

I'll see mom and dad, but I can't wait.

I hear the park is the bomb.

I'm like, it is the bomb.

You should come.

So anyhow, thank you all for the work that you've done, and it's a huge gift to the city.

Commissioner Russing Gonzalez.

I just want to say a few things.

First and foremost, I can't believe that we did it.

You did it.

So congratulations, David.

I mean, we really pushed you and you got it done.

But this park had every single obstacle that you could possibly imagine.

I mean, at one point there was arsenic on there, and then you know, they wanted to change the design of the park and change the design.

And and then after that, there was the shared use path.

I mean, I cannot imagine how many things.

Oh, and then after that, the person from CIP came to me at one point and said, I'm not working on that project anymore.

I said, No, you are going to continue to work on this park.

So, you know, we made it through all of these obstacles, and frankly, the day of that opening, I was so proud of you and your design and Yelena and Leslie and how transformative transformative it was and seeing all the residents there.

It was remarkable.

So, congratulations to all of us, because those are one of those things that you think is gonna happen, it's looming out there, and we actually realized it and made it a reality.

Let me follow that up by saying um we haven't forgotten Kristen.

Um Kristen was the uh sole commissioner back then that uh basically was always at our back, or not at our back, you know, uh at supporting us and helping us get through this uh adverse times, and uh so we remember that.

And I also wanted to do a shout out to um uh former commissioner uh Nancy Liebman, who did the same for us.

You may remember the meeting.

Uh and so we always remember her for we without her, we probably wouldn't be here.

It's so incredible the generations of commissioners that has taken.

And we all remember our our dear friend and our late commissioner George Exposito, for whom there is a dog park uh dedicated in his honor inside that park.

For us it's easy.

We we we have the simple job of bringing it in for the landing at the very end.

I was very proud of the you know the little you know budget thing that I did at at the end, but it was like dozens and dozens and dozens of commissioners beforehand that really fun, they're really fun to get it to this point, and you all have made the community so proud.

And uh to the contractor, I don't know if you want to say anything because you guys really helped the deliver this on time, and so if you want to say anything.

So, first of all, I want to say we're humbled by being given the opportunity to do this park for the city of Miami Beach.

As you said before, we're our local contractor, and it's very uh we're very proud of leaving a legacy that the whole city and neighbors can enjoy.

We want to thank all of you, commissioner, especially you, Commissioners Fernandez, city manager, and especially CIP for supporting us and giving us the opportunity to do this project.

And we also want to thank uh Barry Miller because he was a tremendous partner in this project.

And like you said, it's not usual that you get along with contractors and and uh and the designers in our case.

It's pretty usual.

But uh but we're very proud, we're very happy to to have been able to do this and bring this to fruition, and it was uh labor of love, and that's why it's the park that it is on on our end as well.

It was a labor of love.

So thank you so much for all right.

Well, let's take a picture when we all get together.

All right, there we go.

There we go, Maria Cerda.

There we go.

Ariel.

Here we go.

Ryan.

Hey, Ryan.

Oh none.

No, don't there we go.

I don't know.

But on Cisco.

Gloria Salon.

To the incredible contractor.

There we go.

And to Adriana and Barry, whose day we're celebrating today.

Well, I think that means you are a couple.

Can everybody look in here?

Okay, ready right over here.

One, two, three.

Okay, now we're looking up here.

Everybody up here.

Okay, Sydney.

One, two, three.

One, two, three.

And one more here, right?

One, two, three.

Perfect.

Thank you.

Congratulations.

All right.

Thank you.

All right.

So beautiful.

Commissioner Dominguez.

Let's call PA 14.

PA 14, proclamation, Aaron Rosen, advancing Miami Beach's global engagement.

All right.

So I have uh known Aaron Rosen for the last several years.

And um he is such an amazing young man.

All right, let's just let everyone clear clear the chamber so that Commissioner Dominguez can move forward with her presentation.

Okay.

All right.

Ready?

Yes.

All right.

Okay.

So today I'm recognizing Aaron Rosen.

Um, and I've known him for the last several years.

I serve on a board with him for the World Affairs Council.

He lives in Miami Beach.

He has a passion for international affairs and international relations.

And I'm going to read you a little bit about Aaron because he's just an outstanding citizen and deserves this recognition.

So Aaron Rosen serves as president and founder of the World Affairs Council of Miami, which is based in Miami Beach.

Um and it covers uh the Greater Miami area.

He's responsible for standing up for the council and executing its programs, development, youth education initiatives, and strategic vision.

And he is the one that brought academic WorldQuest uh to Miami Beach and kept insisting that Miami Beach High participate, and we saw earlier that they came in first in Dade County.

So Aaron Rosen is a team member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a 2024 Eisenhower Fellow, having conducted international research on disinformation, media literacy, and democratic resilience.

Prior to find founding the World Affairs Council of Miami, Mr.

Rosen contributed to international policy through his work with the Alpha Fellowship Program in Moscow and as a foreign policy specialist in Washington DC with MUFG Bank, formerly the Bank of Tokyo Mitsubishi UF, as well as through a graduate fellowship with the European Parliament in Brussels.

Mr.

Rosen holds a dual master's degree in U.S.

foreign policy and international history from the George Washington University and the London School of Economics, as well as a bachelor's degree in international relations and comparative politics from the University of Central Florida, and is fluent in German and Spanish with proficiency in Russian.

Mr.

Rosen has worked with a wide array of legislative and diplomatic institutions, including the U.S.

Congress, German Bundestag, Australian House of Representatives, Canadian House of Commons, Luxembourg, Chamber of Deputies, the Embassy of Moscow in the United States, and the European Parliament liaison office to the US Congress, bringing a wealth of global insight and experience to South Florida and Miami Beach.

Congress, bringing a wealth of global insight and experience to South Florida and Miami Beach.

He lives on West Avenue with his beautiful wife Nomi, and he holds the World Affairs Council meetings quarterly in Miami Beach, and we're proud to have him as a resident and appreciate all of the contributions that you do to our city.

And today we declare October 22nd in the city of Miami Beach, Aaron Rosende.

Thank you so much, Commissioner.

First, just um one thing, I I work with the Embassy of Mexico, not the Russian Embassy.

Just the in these days and times you need to clarify that.

So thank you so much.

All jokes aside, Commissioner, I'm very grateful for your support.

Uh thank you to the city of Miami Beach.

Um I also want to recognize uh my wife Noemi, who's uh who couldn't make it but is watching from home.

Thank you very much for your support.

Um the the commissioner and her her late partner Mark, who many of you, if not all of you here uh know, uh had been public supporters of the World Affairs Council for several years.

Um, and uh their support and Laura's continued engagement and support um has reminded us why year after year we choose to base our organization in my life here in the city of Miami Beach.

Uh the quality of life doesn't hurt either.

Um, the World Affairs Council is a 501c3 nonpartisan nonprofit that works to educate the public here in Miami Day County uh about U.S.

foreign policy and international affairs.

A key program of ours, as the commissioner mentioned, is Academic WorldQuest, which is our flagship youth education initiative.

Uh you heard about it earlier from the from the commissioner uh when she honored the students and the teacher.

Um but I want to just take a moment to recognize it because it's something that we've worked very hard on uh and I'm very proud of.

It's a free of cost program for students, public, private, charter school students from across the county to essentially learn about uh international affairs, geography, trade policy, international economics, and current events.

Um, and it's also a youth leadership program to help students take that abstract interest in the world and develop a career uh in policy.

Uh with Commissioner Dominguez's support, as she mentioned, we were able to enlist Miami Beach High this this past program year, and they uh came in first in the county.

So we were very proud about that.

One of the things that we do when uh school wins is we fundraise and we send the students and their teacher to Washington, D.C.

free of cost.

Uh the reason why we do that is because we know that it's very difficult to enter uh a field that some see as quite elite and sort of out of touch.

So we raise the funds to send the students to meet with foreign policy professionals to visit embassies, to visit the U.S.

government directly while they're still in high school to get their foot in the door.

I want to take a moment to recognize that these past students from Miami Beach Senior High, they went to the U.S.

Treasury to learn about U.S.

sanctions policy firsthand.

They met with the ambassador of Mexico to the United States uh directly.

They were at the U.S.

House of Representatives uh subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere learning about U.S.

foreign policy in the Americas.

Um, and they were also at uh they met with the uh Embassy of the United Arab Emirates to learn about U.S.

policy in the Middle East.

Uh these are kids that are 16, 17, 18 before they're going to college, getting their foot in the door.

Um, and it's something that the World Affairs Council is really proud to provide as a service, and I'm very grateful for the commissioner's support in enabling us to do so year after year.

So thank you to all of you, to the commissioners, to the city, and to the broader community.

Without that support, we wouldn't be here.

I'm very grateful.

Thank you.

Congratulations.

Thank you.

Okay.

Thank you, Commissioner Dominguez.

Um, with that, let's calm.

All right, let's call a man who needs no introduction.

Number PA15, a presentation for Harvey Bernstein, Commissioner Dominguez.

Well, Harvey Burstein is a dear dear friend of mine and almost a birthday twin.

His birthday is a day after mine.

But here we are today to honor 20 years of Miami Art Zine.

And he's been celebrating for the past two weeks because I've been to at least one function, and this is very well deserved.

So Miami Artzine.com was founded in 2004 by Harvey J.

Burstein as a program of the Miami Beach Arts Trust, Inc.

501c3, not for profit organization.

Whereas under Mr.

Burstein's vision and leadership, MiamiArtzine.com has grown into a trusted and respected online publication with over a dozen contributors and a dedicated web team contributing committed to serving the South Florida arts community.

For two decades, Miami Artsine has provided original coverage of the arts and entertainment, offering previews, reviews, interviews, photo galleries that highlight the vibrancy of our local cultural scene through its online platform and weekly newsletter, MiamiArtzine.com has created an informal yet essential network of support for art lovers, arts organizations, and individual artists across South Florida.

And Miami Art Zine has brought well-deserved attention to countless theaters, productions, and creative endeavors, amplifying their reach, strengthening their impact, and celebrating the value of the arts within the community.

So today we declare Miami Artsine Day in the city of Miami Beach.

Well, thank you.

Hi.

Thank you.

Harvey, you want to say a few words?

I really know how to clear a room, don't I?

Anyway, you want the short speech or the long speech?

Anyways.

And it was in the arts weren't being uh covered by the uh the newspapers, and it kind of came together together with a few people, and we made it happen, and here we are 20 years later.

We have 17 people working on it in Brazil, Mexico, and all over uh Miami and Fort Lauderdale, and of course, Miami Beach.

So to represent the people that cover Miami Arts Scene is myself and Charlotte Libov.

Would you please come up?

So I this is a double honor to get this from the city and to get it from Laura Dominguez, and thank you.

She wants to talk.

No, I just wanted to thank the commission and say how proud we are to be able to represent the arts here, particularly at a time, as you know, where the arts are basically in jeopardy, and thank the city of Miami Beach for stepping up and putting in to make up the shortfall that the state um eliminated.

I think I think we're the only city that did that.

I thought that St.

Petersburg was um considering it.

We were the only one.

Pardon?

We were the only one.

We were the only ones in the entire state of Florida that stepped up and made up that short fall, which was tremendously important considering what happened with the county right afterwards.

So, in terms of Miami Arts scene, speaking for the writers and photographers, we are very, very proud to play a role in helping to build support for our arts community.

Thank you.

Thank you.

All right, well, congratulations, Harvey, Miami Artsine.

Your storytelling really really celebrates our cultural life in Miami.

There you go.

Thank you, Commissioner Dominguez, for for that item.

Uh, is Janina in the house?

Yes.

Yeah, let's call item number 26, Mr.

Clerk.

Proclamation, Yahina Piazetta, dedication to cancer awareness and prevention out.

All right.

I want to thank my colleagues who are who are still joining us at this at this hour.

We we still have a few presentations left, but October is breast cancer awareness month.

And when I was first elected, I had Janina come to my office.

And Janina came to my office with a mission.

And her mission was to educate everyone about breast cancer.

She wanted to make sure that people not only had information about getting diagnosed, but about the healing process.

And most importantly, about the hope that comes after you heal.

Because there's always hope at the end of the day.

No one does it more beautifully with a bigger smile and with more love than Gianina Piazetta.

Janina is dynamic and she is compassionate.

And she she wanted to make sure, she wanted to make sure that in Miami Beach, we were offering that we were offering free mammograms for uninsured people in our city.

And it was almost reminiscent because when I in my previous life, when I worked at Miami Day County, I worked with Commissioner Rebecca Sosa, who is a breast cancer survivor herself.

And one of the most beautiful things that she loved to do was help provide funding for free mammograms for uninsured people.

And when Janina came to my office, it was almost the message that we had to continue that mission, that we had to continue that legacy.

And because of Janina's advocacy, hundreds of uninsured women in Miami Beach have been able to get free mammograms in our city together with the League Against Cancer.

And Janina, that's because of you.

You've brought peace to people.

We've seen people shed tears when news are not that great.

We've seen you provide comfort to people in their darkest moments.

And the work that you do through H3, through health, hope, and healing, truly is beautiful, and it exemplifies the most incredible traits that you carry in your beautiful heart.

So on behalf of our residents, on behalf of my colleagues on the city commission, I want to thank you, and we want to declare today as Janina Piazzetta Day in the city of Miami.

That is a problem because you declare Jania's Piazetta's day on October 26, a few years ago.

There you go.

So what do I do now?

Next week, next time you get an entire week.

And then you got a month.

Listen, um, I wanna really thank you, Commissioner Fernandez and the whole city of Miami Beach for this amazing recognition towards my work on breast cancer through H3, Health Hope, Healing in Our Communities.

Um it means truly means a lot to me and also to those people that are part of my mission, our mission, H3's mission.

Um together we have built this amazing community with compassion, with um courage, and it's so emotional what you just said in terms of the mammogram, because um in August, two women came out of the truck, and they didn't have insurance, and two of them they were from Ukraine, and they hug me, and one was much older, and they cry, and I start to cry with them because I'm just the instrument here, you know.

It's the universe conducting me.

And Commissioner, you have really heard me so clear and loud, and I'm so thankful to you for that.

So remember that H3 is about health, hope, healing, with inspiration and hope together with some fun.

We have a lot of fun while we help people.

So thank you all.

And I want to call also Amani Ayers, she's also board of directors, and I wanna call Susie Charlotte for so much support, and you're here today.

Thank you so much.

I really appreciate it.

And I have to say, Janina, uh, someone close to me, uh had breast cancer.

And um, and I was supposed to do the panel exam.

Uh, that the insurance covers for me, and I had put it off and put it off for years.

I have put it off.

And Gina Janina was like, Alex, you need to go, you need to do it, you need to do it.

And I did the the panel exam.

Genetic, the genetic exam, and it came back that I brought up positive that I carried the genetic mutation.

And it's so important.

It is so important to know that because for me at least, now I can take the preventative steps.

Now I can eat healthier.

Now I can make sure, even though I'm probably not eating as healthy as I should, judging by the amount of weight I've gained, but we're able to take the steps.

But we're able to take the steps.

Why?

Because you encouraged me.

You put in me the courage to go do it.

And each one of those women, you're out there, you're giving out flyers, you're going to where the uninsured people are, and you're getting the word out to save their lives.

And it's the most beautiful thing.

And I am so honored to be able to present to you with this proclamation on behalf of our community.

Thank you so much.

It's my honor to be so bad.

Let's go.

That's awesome.

Let's go, Tanya.

Let's go, Laura.

Let's go, Mr.

Manager.

I'll come back.

Let's go.

Let's go.

Let's go.

Come on.

Susie.

She's she's coming from London, so she has to be here.

Three, two, one.

Right over here.

Over here.

Okay.

All right.

Thank you.

Oh, say something about the events one day.

I think you have some.

Yes.

Thank you.

So tomorrow we are having an event at the Betsy, the gallery at Betsy Hotel from 5 30 to 8.

So it's our ninth panel discussion about cancer.

But this year we move a little bit from science and we are giving inspiration and hope.

And on the panel, we're gonna have two young survivors.

They were diagnosed with breast cancer and bone cancer, one at age 25 and one at age 32.

Twenty years later, they steal a patient, they steal because one of them has a metastasis in the bones, and so is the other, but they are beautiful, so there is hope, inspiration, and Dr.

Jacobs is coming, who was awarded by us last year.

He's coming to give us more hope towards our body, as cancer sometimes deform a little bit our body or our hair.

He will come and say, Don't worry, I can reconstruct again.

So on top of everything tomorrow, we're gonna welcome the audience with Brazilian music, Rosie Mac and Bramatis, and of course at seven o'clock, Commissioner Fernandez who gives some proclamations to caregivers, cancer advocates, oncologists, nurses.

So please guys come and support us and have fun.

We're gonna have Betsy Hotel is amazing.

They're giving us the room, they're giving us some food and refreshments, open cash bars.

So no, open oh cash bar.

But come and support us and see what inspiration hope can do in your life.

And if I can just build on what you guys have said, um, there's a very easy way to test for the BRACA gene.

You can go to test for brca.com.

They literally send you a kit to your house, you spit in the kit, and you send it back.

That's it.

You spit every morning to brush your teeth, you spit every night to brush your teeth.

It couldn't be easier.

So test for brca.com.

And don't be fearful because this can be something that can save your life.

Right.

And Commissioner Fernandez, thank you because you came to my genetic, I think it was my seventh open panel discussion at JCC, which was about genetics.

And that's and it's so important, especially in our Jewish community.

One in 40 Ashkenazi Jews carry carry the genetic mutation, and it's so important uh for the Jewish community, especially here in Miami Beach, uh, to get tested.

And the general population is about one in five hundred uh people in the general population carry the Braka mutation, and in the Ashkenasi Jewish communities about one in four.

And if it comes back positive, it's just another way of taking care a little better of your uh body, be aware of nothing else.

That's right.

Janina, thank you so much for your beautiful work.

Thank you, guys.

Thank you so much.

Commissioner Bond, let's call presentation PA21 for Linda Johnson.

Is there a Linda Johnson in the house?

Calling Linda Johnson.

She works with that.

The real Linda Johnson, please stand up.

Should we um should we do a different one?

How she do um 24?

Okay, let's do PA24.

PA24 is proclamation, domestic violence awareness month.

PA 24 is proclamation, domestic violence awareness month.

So Cecile.

Um covered some really happy um events or not events, but issues today and exciting issues, but also some pretty heavy ones, and this is a little bit of a heavy one.

Um so we are proclaiming today or this month the National Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

Um we did this last year, we're doing it again this year, and we're gonna do it every year so that we can ensure that everybody understands how big of an issue domestic violence is, and the way that you might not know that your neighbor is suffering with food insecurity.

You might not know that your neighbor is suffering with domestic violence, and it might not be the woman in the house, it might be the man in the house.

Domestic violence is a widespread issue that can and does well not does not that can impact anyone.

The National Network to End Domestic Violence reports that one in three women and one in four men and nearly half of all LGBTQ plus people will experience, not may, will experience domestic violence in their lifetime.

Those numbers are staggering.

A third of the people, a quarter of the people, half of the people that you know that fit into those groups, that's like, you know, look around this room.

It it could be people in this room.

High rates of domestic violence are not private individual problems, they have profound effects on communities.

Um it leads to higher crime rates, to family disruption, long-term mental health issues, family displacement, um, economic strain on local economies and social resources and health care systems.

I mean, it's just the ripple effect in the wrong kind of way.

The city of Miami Beach is committing to supporting victims and survivors of domestic violence, and we recognize the Miami Dade Council, uh, Miami Dade County Domestic Violence Oversight Board.

Thank you for being here again this year for your commitment in providing support, raising awareness, and advocating for domestic violence, victims and survivors.

And in acknowledgement to the contributions of advocates, service providers, law enforcement, and community members, we are proud to recognize and raise awareness about uh domestic violence for the month of October.

Cecile, for the whole group that's here today, all of you, some of you, however, you want to split it up, we're all ears.

All right.

I will start.

Hi, I'm Cecile.

I have the privilege of working for the police department as a grants manager, but I also chair right now the domestic violence oversight board from Amy Day County.

Uh we have Liz here, our executive director, and we invited our partners here on the beach, which are the police department, uh victim advocates, Juan Abigail, and the supervisor, Sarah.

Um, because I'm not sure what the actual statistics are right now, but it is a problem on the beach as it is everywhere.

Uh you you mentioned the statistics.

Don't do it now because the room is pretty empty by now.

But if you look at the room the way it was when we started this meeting, if you count one women out of three, one man out of four, that would be a lot of victims in this room.

Yeah, right?

A lot of people, and it's not just that person, then it's a family.

So that would have been a lot of people in this room tonight, impacted.

And on the beach, the victim service, they serve the the victims of domestic violence, which is at some point was up to almost 40% of the cases from that unit.

I'm I don't have the statistics right now.

Um I'm gonna let Liz, who's the executive director for Miami Dade County, who's has more energy than than me for sure, and is doing all the work that we need done in terms of the board and what the board does.

Good evening, everyone.

I am honored to be here.

Thank you for the recognition again this year.

And um, if it wouldn't be for the work in our leadership of our board, I have to tell you it's it's uh 15 committed people that are in it to get the word out to raise awareness.

We have we as we close October, which is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, we have all attended many events that raise awareness about domestic violence.

And Commissioner Bond, thank you for sponsoring this, and not only that, but we lit many buildings throughout Miami Dade County in purple and pink because we share the month with breast cancer.

But I want to say it it does not domestic violence does not discriminate.

It does take a village, like it takes a village to build a park to eradicate domestic violence, and that's what we do.

And that's what we do.

We are a county board, but we are your board.

We want to hear from you on how we can raise awareness in your neighborhoods, where it's happening and how it's happening.

So please use us for that purpose.

And I would imagine that external forces like losing your job or losing your health insurance or all the other things that are pushing putting pressure on residents and citizens and folks around the country and around the state and around the city are only exacerbating the situation.

So I would urge us all to keep our eyes and ears open and to use you as your as a resource.

And for the folks at the fantastic Miami Beach Police Department, I it has to be really brutal work, and I hope you guys are taking care of yourselves as well, because without you, you can't continue to serve the community and the populations that you serve.

So you're part of the village that needs to be taken care of, certainly.

Absolutely.

And I really want to recognize the support of the chief and the entire law enforcement community here on Miami Beach, the victim advocates.

I see them at every meeting that we go to.

So I appreciate the partnership very much.

Commissioner Wilson Gonzalez.

Thank you for the work that you do.

And because those people that are in abusive relationships and can't get out of them.

And many times there's young children involved who have to witness this abuse is so horrific so many times.

And I just want to thank you because those people are suffering.

And they need all the help they can that they can get.

Thank you.

Thank you.

And thank you, Commissioner Bott for sponsoring this item.

Something that I learned earlier in my public service career working at the county is that domestic violence victims don't always follow the stereotypes.

People think of an abusive husband and a wife does a victim.

And you know, that a lot of times is the stereotype.

It comes in different forms too.

A lot of times it's men who are the victims of domestic violence.

A lot of times it happens in LGBTQ relationships.

A lot of times it's elderly people who are the victims of domestic violence.

A lot of times is parents that end up being the victims of domestic uh violence or even domestic violence against domestic workers and at home.

There's so many different types of domestic violence that we have to be aware about.

And it's not always what we traditionally think because a lot of times we're better with the stereotype of what a victim of domestic violence is so much more than what we sometimes think of.

So for your work, we're so grateful.

Thank you very much.

Thank you for your support.

Thank you for your work.

So let us come and take a picture.

Thank you.

Let's take a picture.

Sorry.

One thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Seriously.

And maybe we stay strong.

Commissioner Dominguez, let's do PA17, a certificate of recognition for Jolie.

All right.

We saved the best for last.

Yes, we do.

First, I want to thank Parkview Island President Omar Jimenez for bringing this item forward.

I really appreciate it.

And I am going to tell you a little bit about the special lady that's here with us today.

Most of the children who have come through her home have been teenage boys, but she's also had the privilege of fostering kids of all ages and backgrounds.

After her husband passed away over more than twenty years ago, she chose to continue fostering, and it always felt important to offer a safe and caring home to children who need one.

Many of her former foster children st uh still stay in touch, and it's made her very, very happy to see the lives that they've built for themselves.

Over the years, fostering has given Jolie so much.

So Jolie, we give you a special recognition today on behalf of the city of Miami Beach for everything you've done for the almost two hundred kids that you've fostered through your homes home here in Miami Beach.

Thank you.

Thank you for all you do.

Amazing.

Well nice.

Can we get here?

Okay.

One, two.

No, first line.

Congratulations, Jolie, and may God bless you for your incredible work.

And with that, I think uh Mr.

Clerk, have we completed today's agenda?

Yes, sir.

All right.

So she seems to have left, so we will defer we will defer that item.

It was item PA twenty-one together with item PA twenty seven will be deferred to a future meeting.

Thank you to everyone who's participated in today's meeting.

Thank you to everyone who was recognized.

Congratulations.

Thank you.

To my colleagues.

We can adjourn tonight's meeting.

Thank you.

She needs the website.