OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Forever Bond Citizens Oversight Board Meeting - May 19, 2026

Meeting Portal — Tuesday, May 19, 2026
BodyMiami, Florida
SessionMeeting Portal
DateTuesday, May 19, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:25:53
Transcript — Verbatim
0:02

We're good.

0:02

Yeah, we're good to go.

0:04

Thank you.

0:06

All right.

0:08

Good evening, everyone, everybody.

0:10

I want to call to order the Forever Bond Citizens Oversight Board meeting.

0:15

Um it's uh 610.

0:20

So we're only missing uh Mr.

0:26

Martinez this evening, but everyone else is in attendance.

0:31

Okay.

0:32

Um the minutes from the previous meeting were already distributed from the January 26, 2026 meeting.

0:47

If you all have had a chance to look at them, may I have a motion to approve the minutes?

0:54

So moved.

0:55

Second.

0:57

Second.

0:58

All in favor.

1:01

Aye.

1:02

Aye.

1:03

They're approved.

1:04

Thank you.

1:14

So old business updates on previously requested items.

1:19

I would like to thank uh Mr.

1:21

Gabriel for providing all of these wonderful large sheets that we can read without a magnifying glass.

1:32

Thank you for providing this materials first tonight.

1:37

Thank you.

1:39

At this time, uh open the floor for any public comments.

1:52

Hearing none, move on to uh our new business and the overall status and expenditures report.

2:01

Um good evening.

2:07

This is Gabriel Breto, C P budget for coordinators for the city of Miami.

2:14

Um just as a recap of the the last meeting.

2:19

Since our last meeting, we've allocated 20 million five hundred and thirty-nine million dollars from the public benefits.

2:25

Um I'm sorry, public safety category and the um uh roadways category, and you'll see under the public safety and roadways category.

2:38

We have uh notated that right under the total issued amount.

2:43

So you'll see five million five ninety.

2:47

So that's currently pending issuance, but it's been allocated through official intent, and right under that, pointing to the roadways category, the top number 757 million five ninety was what had been issued, and the remaining amount is 14,949, and that's pending issuance.

3:07

Um and then proceeding to affordable housing component as of this as of today's date, 92 million seven eighty-four has been allocated through official tenth, and about five point one million remains unallocated.

3:27

So on the next slide, you'll see a summary of the expenditures to date on the left box on the leftmost box.

3:35

See as of today's date, we've actually spent 120 million of the overall bond with 47 million housing, 30 million uh through 30.3 million from parks, uh 341 from public safety, 6.8 million from roadways, and 36 million from sea lower rise flood prevention.

3:55

And that will sum up to a change of 8.6 million from the last bond board meeting held.

4:02

Um and just to give you uh um background on that, you'll see from the last Bond War meeting.

4:11

We roughly had spent about the same amount, 8.5 million dollars.

4:18

On the top right corner, you have the actual expenses against uh the bond.

4:23

So that's a comparison between the 120 million actual expenses and the 400 million dollars of the Mammy Forever bond uh referendum, and then on the bottom right corner, you have the total allocated by official intent, and includes the issued amount and official intent totals for a total of 386 million 365.

4:50

So the 386 is what has been allocated in totality of the 400 million dollars as of today's date.

5:00

And between encumbrances and the actual expense, meaning active contracts that have been encumbered, the total committed amount is 208 million dollars 906.

5:09

So roughly 54% of the $386 million allocation.

5:22

So on the next slide, we just wanted to revisit uh uh same slide from from last meeting.

5:29

We wanted to go over and make sure that there's understanding of the structure of the financial projections, and uh just as a recap on the color key of the spreadsheets that you that you received.

5:45

Anything that any cell that you see that's orange would denote the anticipated month, the 85% of the project bond funding is expended.

5:55

Blue would denote three year the three-year time frame or point in time from the date of issuance, and the green cell would denote the five-year time frame from the date of issuance.

6:11

Um before we proceed to the next slide, just want to make sure that there's any questions specifically as per the projections.

6:28

Are there any questions from Mr.

6:30

Gabriel?

6:36

All right, thank you.

6:40

Okay, so proceeding with the next slide.

6:42

Um, this is a recap of the projects that have been chosen for the allocation of the 20 million 539, which would be the public safety uh category and the roadways category, and we'll have the department of OCI and public works to give you a feedback as per where these projects are today.

7:23

Good evening, Jose Perez Director of Capital Improvements with regards to fire station 10.

7:29

Uh that project currently is in the final stages of permitting.

7:34

The next step, uh, which is what my office is working on, is uh acquiring uh purchasing the trailers for to relocate the firemen into the trailers while we get the general contractor to demolish the building.

7:50

So we anticipate to have that general contractor by the beginning of next year.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Fiscal Sustainability████████████████████████████████32%
Affordable Housing████████████████████20%
Engineering And Infrastructure█████████████████17%
Parks and Recreation████████████████16%
Procedural█████5%
Budget Equity Analysis███3%
Community Engagement███3%
Public Safety██2%
Public Engagement██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Forever Bond Citizens Oversight Board Meeting - May 19, 2026

The meeting was called to order at 6:10 PM. All members were present except Mr. Martinez. The board approved the minutes from the January 26, 2026 meeting unanimously.

Consent Calendar

  • Approval of meeting minutes from January 26, 2026 (motion carried, all in favor).

Public Comments & Testimony

  • No public comments were made.

Discussion Items

  • Status and Expenditures Report: Gabriel Breto, C.P. Budget Coordinator, reported that $20,539,000 has been allocated from the public safety and roadways categories since the last meeting. He noted that $5,590,000 is pending issuance, and $14,949,000 remains to be issued. Total expenditures to date are $120 million across all categories: $47 million housing, $30.3 million parks, $341,000 public safety, $6.8 million roadways, and $36 million sea level rise/flood prevention. Total allocated via official intent is $386,365,000 of the $400 million bond. Committed amount (encumbrances and expenses) is $208,906,000, approximately 54% of the allocation. An explanation of the color-coded financial projections was provided.
  • Project Updates on New Allocations: Jose Perez, Director of Capital Improvements, reported that Fire Station 10 is in final permitting stages with trailers to be purchased for relocation; construction expected next year. The Office of Public Works provided updates on the Miami River Greenway (Curtis Park East out for bid, next segment at 90% design with a $1.3 million funding gap), Edgewater flood improvements (design-build project, phase one includes pump station and road raising), Southwest 15th Road (30% design, working with Miami-Dade County, includes traffic signal and park improvements), Golden Pines no-outlet streets (multi-phase, first phase ready for construction by end of 2026), Northeast 3rd Avenue (plans adjusted to preserve existing trees, construction expected late summer 2026), and District 5 roadway improvements (a general pot of money for various projects).
  • Sea Level Rise and Flood Prevention Projects of Concern: A detailed review of projects that may exceed the 85% expenditure milestone within the 3-year and 5-year timelines. Deputy City Attorney Javi Abon clarified that extensions are not a formal approval but a documentation process for IRS/SEC compliance. He explained that the three-year timeline starts from first expenditure, and extensions require proof of reasonable delays (e.g., complexity, weather, conflicts). He noted that the city has handled similar situations before and is working with bond counsel. The board discussed the implications of failing to meet deadlines, including potential loss of tax-exempt status, penalties, and bondholder lawsuits. Specific projects discussed: Lapada, Melrose, 70th Street, seawall projects, Averndale, Brickle Bay Drive, Edgewater, Little Havana, Winwood, Clemente, Little River Mini Park. Many are in design or facing cost overruns.
  • Affordable Housing Updates: John Quaid, Assistant Director of Housing and Development, reported on several projects. Citadel Village had a groundbreaking and will start construction this month. Essence Miami is 25-30% complete. District 5 homeownership program had a groundbreaking for infill lots. Flagler Villas is on schedule. C Vita has closed financing and is under construction. Grand Bahamas project is undergoing community input and design changes; financing discussions are ongoing, with a presentation to the Housing and Commercial Loan Committee in June. For Gallery at Wagner Creek, Quaid provided details: a 27-story mixed-use tower with 460 units, 70 of which are affordable at 30% AMI (half for special needs), total project cost $193 million, with $4.848 million in bond funds. The board also clarified that the partially de-obligated item for 5215 West Flagler Street was due to reallocation of a HUD grant to 5350 West Flagler.
  • Community Outreach Updates: OCI and Parks reported groundbreakings and ribbon cuttings: Gary Curtis Park Community Building (groundbreaking Feb 27, completion March 2027), Grapeland Heights baseball fields (ribbon cutting March 9), Ambrister Park Community Center (community meeting March 26, trailers for bathroom facilities, demolition expected summer 2026). Public works reported a ribbon cutting for a completed portion of Alberndale flood improvements and planned groundbreakings for East Flagami and Edgewater in June 2026.
  • Future Meeting Dates: The board discussed scheduling the next meeting in early September 2026 due to the August break. Staff will circulate date options.

Key Outcomes

  • The minutes of the January 26, 2026 meeting were approved unanimously.
  • No formal votes were taken on substantive items; the board received updates and discussed project timelines, extensions, and legal considerations.
  • The board will proceed with documenting extension requests for projects exceeding the 3-year and 5-year expenditure deadlines, as advised by the city attorney.
  • The next meeting is tentatively scheduled for September 2026; dates will be confirmed by email.

Meeting Transcript

We're good. Yeah, we're good to go. Thank you. All right. Good evening, everyone, everybody. I want to call to order the Forever Bond Citizens Oversight Board meeting. Um it's uh 610. So we're only missing uh Mr. Martinez this evening, but everyone else is in attendance. Okay. Um the minutes from the previous meeting were already distributed from the January 26, 2026 meeting. If you all have had a chance to look at them, may I have a motion to approve the minutes? So moved. Second. Second. All in favor. Aye. Aye. They're approved. Thank you. So old business updates on previously requested items. I would like to thank uh Mr. Gabriel for providing all of these wonderful large sheets that we can read without a magnifying glass. Thank you for providing this materials first tonight. Thank you. At this time, uh open the floor for any public comments. Hearing none, move on to uh our new business and the overall status and expenditures report. Um good evening. This is Gabriel Breto, C P budget for coordinators for the city of Miami. Um just as a recap of the the last meeting. Since our last meeting, we've allocated 20 million five hundred and thirty-nine million dollars from the public benefits. Um I'm sorry, public safety category and the um uh roadways category, and you'll see under the public safety and roadways category. We have uh notated that right under the total issued amount. So you'll see five million five ninety. So that's currently pending issuance, but it's been allocated through official intent, and right under that, pointing to the roadways category, the top number 757 million five ninety was what had been issued, and the remaining amount is 14,949, and that's pending issuance. Um and then proceeding to affordable housing component as of this as of today's date, 92 million seven eighty-four has been allocated through official tenth, and about five point one million remains unallocated. So on the next slide, you'll see a summary of the expenditures to date on the left box on the leftmost box. See as of today's date, we've actually spent 120 million of the overall bond with 47 million housing, 30 million uh through 30.3 million from parks, uh 341 from public safety, 6.8 million from roadways, and 36 million from sea lower rise flood prevention. And that will sum up to a change of 8.6 million from the last bond board meeting held. Um and just to give you uh um background on that, you'll see from the last Bond War meeting. We roughly had spent about the same amount, 8.5 million dollars. On the top right corner, you have the actual expenses against uh the bond. So that's a comparison between the 120 million actual expenses and the 400 million dollars of the Mammy Forever bond uh referendum, and then on the bottom right corner, you have the total allocated by official intent, and includes the issued amount and official intent totals for a total of 386 million 365. So the 386 is what has been allocated in totality of the 400 million dollars as of today's date. And between encumbrances and the actual expense, meaning active contracts that have been encumbered, the total committed amount is 208 million dollars 906. So roughly 54% of the $386 million allocation. So on the next slide, we just wanted to revisit uh uh same slide from from last meeting. We wanted to go over and make sure that there's understanding of the structure of the financial projections, and uh just as a recap on the color key of the spreadsheets that you that you received. Anything that any cell that you see that's orange would denote the anticipated month, the 85% of the project bond funding is expended. Blue would denote three year the three-year time frame or point in time from the date of issuance, and the green cell would denote the five-year time frame from the date of issuance.

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