OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Virginia Key Advisory Board Meeting - June 23, 2026

Meeting Portal — Tuesday, June 23, 2026
BodyMiami, Florida
SessionMeeting Portal
DateTuesday, June 23, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 56:03
Transcript — Verbatim
0:05

It's Tuesday June 23rd, 2026.

0:11

Virginia Key Advisory Board.

0:14

Thank you all for being here.

0:16

And we'll promptly see if we if we have a quorum.

0:21

And we have also we have one new, we have one new member who we will we will say hello to up after the we hear about the quorum.

0:34

Excuse me, Monte.

0:57

Thank you very much.

1:00

Rafa, do we do we have a quorum this evening?

1:05

Yes, we do.

1:07

Yes.

1:08

Okay, wonderful.

1:08

Thank you, everybody, for coming.

1:10

We will do a pledge of allegiance and then we'll move on with the agenda.

1:19

Pledge of agents to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands.

1:26

One nation under God and divisible with liberty and justice for all.

1:35

Thank you very much.

1:37

And a call to order, please.

1:41

Alejandro Martinez Esteve.

1:44

Present.

1:45

Peter Ehrlich.

1:47

Here.

1:48

Luis Casamayod, Steven Leiner, Lynn Lewis, Gary Milano, Vincent Richter, Monty Trainer, Nicholas Lopez Jenkins.

2:05

Here.

2:07

Jackie Collier.

2:10

Carrie Johnson.

2:12

Christopher Norwood.

2:15

Chuck Ellis.

2:16

Here.

2:22

Thank you.

2:23

Thank you very much, Rafa.

2:24

Any requests for absence waivers?

2:26

Yes, the new board member Christopher Norris requested an absence waiver.

2:31

Okay.

2:33

And just so everybody knows when would be their next meeting?

2:37

Will it be in August or September?

2:39

August, I believe it's August 25th.

2:42

Let me confirm.

2:55

August 25th.

2:57

Okay, thank you very much.

2:59

If everybody can put that in their calendars, it's very close to Labor Day, but there'll be a meeting on August 25th at 5 30.

3:11

Um we're gonna move on to the Virginia Key Advisory Board discussion items.

3:18

And there's one item that's been on our prior agendas that hasn't been that's not on this agenda, which is uh chairmanship for this board.

3:29

I'm currently the chairman of the Virginia Key Advisory Board, but I'm I may be at my eight-year term limit.

3:36

I may be stepping down before the next meeting.

3:41

So the board, board members will have to nominate and appoint a new chair, and probably a new vice chair.

3:50

Uh so I'm just letting everybody know.

3:53

Um, see how see what you think of who wants to stand up or step up and be a new chair, but we'll probably have a new chair at the August 25th meeting, or certainly at the October meeting.

4:08

Just so everybody has a heads up.

4:13

Stephen, any comments?

4:14

What's the protocol if no one uh gets nominated or accepts the nomination?

4:20

That you'll have to ask the city attorney, I'm afraid.

4:27

Yeah, we would do we would have to go through the clerk's office, so hopefully we don't have to, you know, go through that protocol, and we can come up with there's a lot of board members that have been removed that you know the organizations are going to be appointing, so there'll be a lot of new faces on this board.

4:44

So hopefully we can wait until you know those appointments are made, and then the new faces are are already on the board, and then they can uh you know decide on a chair.

4:55

I think that would be the best process since there's so many vacant seats right now.

5:01

Um I I know in previous boards there's always been one or two board members that are happy to be chairman or be the vice chairman.

5:10

I'm sure that will be the case again.

5:13

And I also would like to announce that Andreas Rivero, who's been a board member for um two or three, the last two or three meetings.

5:25

He is not a board member today, but he may be a board member again representing a different group.

5:31

He was representing uh Francis Suarez through the mayor's office, and he may be the representative of the Urban Environment League if he sits on the board again in August or October.

5:45

Just everybody has a heads up.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural█████████████████████████25%
Parks and Recreation███████████████████19%
Public Engagement██████████████14%
Environmental Protection████████████12%
Personnel Matters███████7%
Community Engagement██████6%
Urban Forestry Management██████6%
Water And Wastewater Management██████6%
Planning and Zoning█████5%
Summary of Proceedings

Virginia Key Advisory Board Meeting - June 23, 2026

The Virginia Key Advisory Board met on Tuesday, June 23, 2026, at 5:30 PM (note: the transcript timestamp indicates 10:45 AM UTC, but the meeting was conducted in the evening). The board had a quorum. Chairman Monty Trainer announced he may step down due to term limits, prompting a future election for chair and vice chair. A new board member, Chris Norwood (appointed by the mayor), was introduced. Several board members were removed due to attendance violations. The main discussion focused on the landfill site conceptual master plan, the Virginia Key Basin, and the proposed mooring field. No formal votes were taken.

Discussion Items

  • Landfill Site Master Plan Update: Patricia Matamoros (landscape architect, Saviano Miller Design Studio) presented an abbreviated update on the conceptual master plan for the landfill site. The plan includes four soccer fields, four softball fields, tennis and pickleball courts, additional parking, and preservation of over 90 acres of natural mangrove and hammock. The plan aims to integrate the site's existing topography (elevated to 30 feet from fill from the Port of Miami Tunnel) with the Miami-Dade County minimum safety closure requirements. Board member Gary Milano provided historical context, noting the community-driven 2010 Virginia Key Master Plan and the importance of preserving specimen trees. The consultant's fee was not immediately available but will be provided to the board. The project is in early stages with no construction timeline.
  • Virginia Key Basin and Mooring Field: The board discussed recent articles (Miami Herald, Miami Today, Miami New Times) about the basin's improved water quality and reduced derelict vessels. Gary Milano questioned the need for a mooring field, as derelict boats were removed without it. A city staffer noted that the mooring field project is managed by the Department of Real Estate and Asset Management (DREAM). New board member Alejandro Martinez Esteve (DREAM director) committed to providing an update. Board members expressed support for reducing the number of boats and limiting engine sizes if the mooring field proceeds.
  • Board Member Changes: The chair announced that several board members (Lynn Lewis, Vincent Richter, Jackie Collier, Carrie Johnson) were automatically removed due to attendance violations per city code. Vincent Richter, an original board member, attended his likely last meeting. The board discussed the possibility of reappointment after a two-year hiatus.
  • Meeting Frequency: Gary Milano advocated for returning to monthly meetings, citing the need for more frequent oversight. The city attorney clarified that the ordinance requires meetings every other month, unless the board needs to review land use changes or procurement. The board will consider this for future meetings.
  • Future Agenda Items: The board requested the following items for the August 25, 2026 meeting:
    • Presentation on the Crandon Park Marina (Crandon Marina) voter referendum question (November 2026 election).
    • Update on the Marine Stadium renovation bond issue.
    • Presentation on the Crandon Park (Cranium) site leased by Miami-Dade County, which may host a new marina and boat ramp.

Key Outcomes

  • No formal votes were taken during the meeting.
  • The board will hear a consent agenda item (CA4) on Thursday, June 25, 2026, to reduce the required quorum from eight to five members. Board members were encouraged to support it.
  • The next regular meeting is scheduled for August 25, 2026, at 5:30 PM.
  • The board will follow up on the landfill master plan consultant costs and DREAM's update on the mooring field.
  • The chair will step down before the August meeting, necessitating a new chair and vice chair election. The board will likely wait for new appointees to fill vacant seats before the election.

Meeting Transcript

It's Tuesday June 23rd, 2026. Virginia Key Advisory Board. Thank you all for being here. And we'll promptly see if we if we have a quorum. And we have also we have one new, we have one new member who we will we will say hello to up after the we hear about the quorum. Excuse me, Monte. Thank you very much. Rafa, do we do we have a quorum this evening? Yes, we do. Yes. Okay, wonderful. Thank you, everybody, for coming. We will do a pledge of allegiance and then we'll move on with the agenda. Pledge of agents to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands. One nation under God and divisible with liberty and justice for all. Thank you very much. And a call to order, please. Alejandro Martinez Esteve. Present. Peter Ehrlich. Here. Luis Casamayod, Steven Leiner, Lynn Lewis, Gary Milano, Vincent Richter, Monty Trainer, Nicholas Lopez Jenkins. Here. Jackie Collier. Carrie Johnson. Christopher Norwood. Chuck Ellis. Here. Thank you. Thank you very much, Rafa. Any requests for absence waivers? Yes, the new board member Christopher Norris requested an absence waiver. Okay. And just so everybody knows when would be their next meeting? Will it be in August or September? August, I believe it's August 25th. Let me confirm. August 25th. Okay, thank you very much. If everybody can put that in their calendars, it's very close to Labor Day, but there'll be a meeting on August 25th at 5 30. Um we're gonna move on to the Virginia Key Advisory Board discussion items. And there's one item that's been on our prior agendas that hasn't been that's not on this agenda, which is uh chairmanship for this board. I'm currently the chairman of the Virginia Key Advisory Board, but I'm I may be at my eight-year term limit. I may be stepping down before the next meeting. So the board, board members will have to nominate and appoint a new chair, and probably a new vice chair. Uh so I'm just letting everybody know. Um, see how see what you think of who wants to stand up or step up and be a new chair, but we'll probably have a new chair at the August 25th meeting, or certainly at the October meeting. Just so everybody has a heads up. Stephen, any comments? What's the protocol if no one uh gets nominated or accepts the nomination?

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