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Good afternoon.

Thank you, everyone, for coming today for our presentations and awards meeting.

We're gonna get started.

Make sure we get through everything.

Thank you, everyone, for coming.

It's always a great day in Miami Beach to uh recognize and honor uh those who uh done so much for our community.

We don't do an invocation for presentations awards, but we're gonna do the Pledge of Allegiance.

And I think the longest standing employee in this room, I believe is Tom Mooney.

I could be wrong, but uh so I guess you wants you want me to lead you in the pledge.

I would yes, okay.

If everybody could stand and face the American flag, I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands one nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all.

And uh very apropos, as we just did the pledge this morning, we did a very nice uh presentation on uh Ocean Drive, uh well, on the beach by Ocean Drive and 8th Street.

Um with uh a red, white, and blue America 250.

Uh thank you, Commissioner Fernandez for for bringing that item, and it looks beautiful.

And of course, Eric, you actually had to do the work with your team, so thank you for uh for making it look so nice.

Yes.

Uh we're gonna start with uh PA eight.

Thank you, Mr.

Mayor.

So uh William and your mom and dad and your brother, I'd like you to join us at the podium, please, if you could William, hello.

Hi.

I've known William since he was in first kindergarten at South Point Elementary, and you you your family's a longtime residents of Miami Beach, and so it comes to no surprise to me that you did such a kind and important and frankly a life-saving deed a couple weeks ago when you were fishing uh off the pier.

Would you like to share your story, William, about what happened?

It's really a long story.

But uh yeah, I was just like fishing at a bunch of friends on the uh jetty, and then they left.

And it was I don't know, it's like 7 30, and then there's some other there's uh the life birds are gone and there was nobody in the water because they closed the beach because it was like 10 foot swells.

And then there's this one kid who's just swimming out in the water, and he's really annoying me because he's like right in my spot.

Like, and I was catching a lot of fish.

So it was like a great day.

Uh and then uh I don't know, he just starts like screaming for help, and then I think it's like brother and his brother's friends were like on the rocks too, but I was a part of this one out.

Uh and he starts screaming for help, and I think that he's just trying to get tension and stuff.

So then I'm just getting more annoyed with this kid, and he's just like, why is he screaming?

Uh now he's like, I'm screaming even louder.

I'm like, I'm drowning, I'm drowning.

So then uh I'm just like, oh, maybe maybe there's a problem.

And then his brother like wakes up and then he's like, oh, Junior, like whatever his name was.

Then they start running out in the rocks to try to jump in the water, so then I was like, oh, maybe this kid does need help, and then he like goes under the water for like a second, and then he like pops up like five feet further out than he was like a second ago.

So I go, maybe maybe he's in like a rip current sound.

So then I walk out further on the rocks, and then I jump in the water and I landed on a rock and almost broke my tail.

Uh and then his brother also jumps in the water, and then his brother's friend.

There's like four of them, and then two of them went in the water, and then I grabbed the kid, and then I start walking back in, and he was like a monkey, and he's grabbed on and he wouldn't let go.

But without like the swell, I could touch, and like the water just comes at like my chin, and then I was like hopping back, and then I just handed him off to his brother, and then he's like climbed back on the rocks.

Now that amazing.

So, William, I'm going to read this proclamation for you because it's very important that you understand that you saved a life that day.

You demonstrated remarkable awareness and bravery when you notice a young child caught in the dangerous rip current off of South Beach.

You recognize the urgency of the moment.

You fearlessly leapt from the jetty, roughly 30 yards offshore, placing your own safety aside to reach a child struggling against the rip current, and through exceptional presence in mind of and physical strength, you successfully secured the child and guided them away from the life-threatening waters.

William, your instinctive response in a moment of crisis reflect reflects a deep sense of responsibility and compassion that inspires all of us who call Miami Beach home.

And the courage you displayed serves a powerful reminder that heroes are not defined by age, but by the strength of their character and their willingness to act when others are in need.

And your heroism, maturity, and selfless action not only prevented a tragedy, but also stands as a shiny example of the profound impact one courageous individual can make in the lives of others.

And the city of Miami Beach recognizes that your heroic conduct reflects great credit upon yourself, your family, and the community that you proudly represent, and that your current and humanity stand as an inspiring example to all who call Miami Beach home.

Now, therefore, do we, as mayor and commissioners in the city of Miami Beach, hereby proclaim June 10th, 2026 as William Corso Day in the city of Miami Beach.

Mom, Dad, do you want to say some words?

That is not the story that I heard when he came home that night.

But the story we heard was he told us about all the fish he was catching.