OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Miami-Dade Recreation, Tourism, and Resiliency Committee Meeting - April 14, 2026

BCC Committee Meetings — Tuesday, April 14, 2026
BodyMiami Dade County, Florida
SessionBCC Committee Meetings
DateTuesday, April 14, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 18:52
Transcript — Verbatim
0:08

Commissioner McGee to lead us in um prayer, please.

0:13

Thank you, Mr.

0:14

Chairman.

0:14

If we can ask that everyone to bow their heads.

0:16

Heavenly Father, we come to you once again to say thank you for allowing us to see another beautiful day, and thank you for protecting our families and our friends of this great state, this great county, and this great nation.

0:25

And we ask that you continuously do these things.

0:28

Amen.

0:28

Amen.

0:29

Commissioner Galato, can you please lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance?

0:32

The Pledge Allegiance.

0:36

And to the Republic for which it stands.

0:39

One nation under God and indivisible with liberty and justice.

0:54

Morning, Mr.

0:55

Chair.

0:55

Morning.

0:56

Now would be an appropriate time to extend the reasonable opportunity for the public to be heard.

1:01

All right, so we're opening up public comments.

1:05

Any public comments.

1:07

Seeing no public comments, and obviously we have any items that come before us.

1:13

So seeing no public testimony comments, we will go ahead and close that off.

1:18

So now we are back on the agenda.

1:19

We have to set the agenda, correct?

1:22

Correct.

1:22

The matters on today's agenda are those listed in the official agenda as well as the item of the addition of item 3e in the changes memo.

1:30

Item 3e authorizes the mayor to apply for Florida Inland Navigation Waterway Assistant Program Grant.

1:36

A motion to set the agenda is now in order.

1:41

All in favor say aye.

1:44

All opposed like sign.

1:46

The agenda is set.

1:47

Madam Attorney, we're now on the agenda.

1:49

Is there anyone that wants to pull any items?

1:56

3B.

2:01

Okay, with a polling of item 3B.

2:04

Um any other motions?

2:09

Yes, Mr.

2:10

Chairman.

2:10

Mr.

2:10

Chairman, I would like to uh co-prime 3C.

2:13

That's perfectly fine.

2:15

Thank you.

2:16

Show that done.

2:17

I'm happy to move the prime which item I'm sorry.

2:21

3C.

2:22

I'm happy to move the remainder of the agenda.

2:25

All right.

2:26

Sir second.

2:28

Second.

2:29

There's a motion and a second to move the remainder of the agenda.

2:32

All in favor say aye.

2:34

Aye.

2:34

All opposed like sign.

2:36

See the agenda all adopted except for 3B that was pulled by Commissioner Bestien.

2:43

Uh thank you, Mr.

2:44

Chair.

2:45

I just wanted to I have a quick question.

2:47

Um in the item it indicated that uh the solicitation solicitation was cancelled because of the no bid received, right?

2:56

But later it stated that the current law beater complied with all applicable county ordinances and regulations.

3:08

Madam Commissioner, the the project was put out to bid two different times and received no bids.

3:13

And so the department negotiated this uh under the same terms as the solicitation, and and I think that's what it's referring to.

3:21

The department directors here if if you wanted to speak to that, but uh the the reason why it's coming as a as a bid waiver is that we got no bids on two solicitations.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Parks and Recreation█████████████████████████████████████████████54%
Procedural████████████████████████████33%
Budget Equity Analysis███████████13%
Summary of Proceedings

Miami-Dade Recreation, Tourism, and Resiliency Committee Meeting - April 14, 2026

The Miami-Dade Recreation, Tourism, and Resiliency Committee met on April 14, 2026, under the chairmanship of Sen. René García. The committee considered several resolutions, including grant awards, a bid-waiver contract, and a contract for Zoo Miami renovations, along with a presentation on Amelia Earhart Park improvements and a policy discussion on park revenue generation. All items were recommended favorably or approved, with one item pulled for discussion.

Consent Calendar

  • Item 3A: Resolution authorizing 23 grants totaling $134,000 from the Department of Cultural Affairs Fiscal Year 2025-2026 Community Grants Program (Third Quarter). Approved 5-0 and forwarded to the full Board of County Commissioners (BCC).
  • Item 3C: Resolution approving a $6,206,280 contract with Quality Construction and Performance, Inc. for Zoo Miami Giraffe Feeding Station and Exhibit Renovations, with a 548-day term plus 55-day contingency. Co-sponsored by Sen. René García and Commissioner McGhee. Approved 5-0.
  • Item 3D: Resolution authorizing 27 grants totaling $850,000 from the Department of Cultural Affairs Fiscal Year 2025-2026 Summer Arts & Science Camps for Kids Grants Program. Approved 5-0.
  • Item 6A: Approval of the Clerk’s Summary of Minutes for the committee meetings of February 3, 2026, and March 10, 2026. Approved 5-0.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • No members of the public spoke during the reasonable opportunity period.

Discussion Items

  • Item 3B (Homestead Bayfront Park Marina Fire Line Replacement): Commissioner Marleine Bastien pulled this item for clarification. The agenda noted a bid-waiver contract to MAC195 Engineering Corporation for up to $5,932,439.72. Commissioner Bastien questioned why the memo stated “current low bidder complied with all applicable county ordinances” when the solicitation had received no bids. The department explained that two solicitations received no bids, so they negotiated directly with MAC195, which had a good track record with the county. Commissioner Micky Steinberg expressed general discomfort with bid waivers but said she felt comfortable after speaking with the department. She recommended adding more information to future bid waiver memos for transparency, such as the contractor’s history. The committee approved the item by voice vote.
  • Presentation on Amelia Earhart Park Improvements: Parks Director Christina White provided an update on nearly $15 million in planned improvements at the county’s largest regional park. Projects include tree planting at the entrance and around the lake, a new walkway around the lake, two new entrance signs, a bike and pump track, and planning for the barn at the farm village. Chair García noted the park had been neglected for years and welcomed the investments.
  • Policy Discussion on Park Revenue and Sponsorship: Commissioner Raquel Regalado highlighted that the parks department recently obtained an autism-friendly designation and then raised broader concerns about limitations under Article 7 of the county code, which restricts certain sponsorship and revenue-generating activities. She argued that the current item-by-item approach was inconsistent and that countywide policy changes were needed to allow parks to generate more revenue (e.g., through Wi-Fi sponsorships, farmers markets) without deterring access. Chair García acknowledged the issue and mentioned that his office has been working on legislation to facilitate public-private partnerships. Both agreed that a policy conversation should begin ahead of the upcoming budget.

Key Outcomes

  • Item 3B (Homestead Bayfront Park Marina Fire Line): Approved by voice vote, forwarded to the BCC with a favorable recommendation.
  • Verbal Recommendation: Commissioner Steinberg recommended that county departments include more background information in future bid waiver memos (e.g., contractor history). The parks director indicated the point was understood.
  • Item 3E (FIND Waterway Assistance Grant): The committee voted to request that Item 3E (resolution authorizing application for a grant to purchase a waterway maintenance vessel, with a $45,000 match from the Biscayne Bay Environmental Enhancement Trust Fund) be moved to the next BCC meeting due to a pending grant cycle deadline. Motion approved by voice vote.
  • Next Steps: The chair signaled that legislation on public-private partnerships for parks would be circulated, and further policy discussion on park revenue was anticipated.

Meeting Transcript

Commissioner McGee to lead us in um prayer, please. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. If we can ask that everyone to bow their heads. Heavenly Father, we come to you once again to say thank you for allowing us to see another beautiful day, and thank you for protecting our families and our friends of this great state, this great county, and this great nation. And we ask that you continuously do these things. Amen. Amen. Commissioner Galato, can you please lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance? The Pledge Allegiance. And to the Republic for which it stands. One nation under God and indivisible with liberty and justice. Morning, Mr. Chair. Morning. Now would be an appropriate time to extend the reasonable opportunity for the public to be heard. All right, so we're opening up public comments. Any public comments. Seeing no public comments, and obviously we have any items that come before us. So seeing no public testimony comments, we will go ahead and close that off. So now we are back on the agenda. We have to set the agenda, correct? Correct. The matters on today's agenda are those listed in the official agenda as well as the item of the addition of item 3e in the changes memo. Item 3e authorizes the mayor to apply for Florida Inland Navigation Waterway Assistant Program Grant. A motion to set the agenda is now in order. All in favor say aye. All opposed like sign. The agenda is set. Madam Attorney, we're now on the agenda. Is there anyone that wants to pull any items? 3B. Okay, with a polling of item 3B. Um any other motions? Yes, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, I would like to uh co-prime 3C. That's perfectly fine. Thank you. Show that done. I'm happy to move the prime which item I'm sorry. 3C. I'm happy to move the remainder of the agenda. All right. Sir second. Second. There's a motion and a second to move the remainder of the agenda. All in favor say aye. Aye.

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