Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners Meeting - March 5, 2024
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Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners Meeting - March 5, 2024
The Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners convened on March 5, 2024, at 9:30 AM in Commission Chambers. The meeting began with special presentations, including a performance by Piano Slam, and announcements recognizing International Women's Month, National Social Workers Month, and the crisis in Haiti. The board addressed a full agenda of consent items, first-reading ordinances, public hearings, second-reading ordinances, and departmental resolutions. Key debates centered on airport zoning changes, county facility development in incorporated areas, procurement processes, and mutual aid agreements with municipalities.
Consent Calendar
- Commissioner Consent Items (3A1-3A6): Resolutions approving FY 2023-24 discretionary reserve allocations from Districts 1, 5, 6, 9, 11, and 13, including arena naming rights fund waivers. All passed unanimously (11-0).
- Departmental Consent Items (3B1 Substitute): Ratification of three federal grants totaling $7,360,000 for the Miami-Dade Police Department (hate crimes program, Operation Safe Ride, and COPS Technology and Equipment Program). Passed 11-0.
- Reports and Other Items: Items 2B1 (National Agriculture Day report), 15B1 (public hearing dates), 15B2 (approval of minutes), 15B3 (gender composition of advisory boards), and 14A1 (co-designation of Omega Psi Phi Way in Miami Gardens) all passed unanimously.
Public Comments & Testimony
- No members of the public testified during the public hearing portions of the meeting. The public hearings for items 5A, 5B, 5C, and 5E were opened and closed with no speakers.
Discussion Items
- 7B – Airport Zoning Regulations (Outer Safety Zone): Prime Sponsor Commissioner Regalado introduced an ordinance to revise prohibited uses in the outer safety zone for Miami-Dade County airports, permitting certain residential uses for airport workers. A friendly amendment offered by Commissioner Gonzalez to exempt Miami Executive Airport for five years was accepted. The ordinance also requires an annual report on the number of airport employees accessing priority housing. Passed 11-0.
- 7A – Development of County Facilities in Incorporated Areas: Prime Sponsor Senator Garcia presented an ordinance setting minimum standards for municipalities to review county-operated developments and providing an appeal process to the Board of County Commissioners if a municipality denies or imposes unacceptable conditions. Several commissioners expressed concerns about home rule and reciprocity. The item passed 7-4, with Commissioners Hardeman, McGee, Steinberg, and Bastien voting against.
- Motion to Reconsider (Item 240249): Commissioner Hardeman moved to reconsider a previous allocation of General Obligation Bond funds from the February 21, 2024 meeting, seeking to exclude $2 million for the City of Miami Gardens' Center City project. The motion passed, and the item was amended to ensure those funds, if recaptured, would be reallocated per policy. Passed unanimously.
- 8P1 – Procurement for Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI): Discussion on rejecting all proposals and continuing negotiations with four proposers to avoid restarting the process. Commissioner Steinberg raised concerns about procurement inefficiencies. The resolution passed 11-0.
- 8P3 – Green Waste Processing Services: Commissioner Bastien questioned the cost analysis and feasibility of in-house processing versus outsourcing. The resolution awarding a contract to Florida Wood Recycling, Inc. passed 10-1.
- 8P4 – Building Efficiency 305 Challenge Training: Commissioner Gonzalez voted no, citing concerns. Passed 9-1.
- 8P5 – IT Research & Advisory Services: Passed 10-0.
- Miami Beach Spring Break Policing: Commissioner Hardeman raised concerns about the county's mutual aid agreement with Miami Beach, stating that the county bears the cost of policing spring break without reimbursement and that officers are used to enforce policies he deemed draconian. He requested a review of mutual aid agreements. Chairman Gilbert noted the agreements are already under review. No formal action was taken.
Key Outcomes
- Ordinances on First Reading (4A-4E, 14A2): All passed unanimously (11-0). These include sign zoning revisions, special taxing districts, community development district boundary amendments, conflict of interest revisions, and expansion of the Smart Corridor Subzone.
- Public Hearings (5A, 5A1, 5B, 5B1, 5C, 5E): All adopted unanimously (10-0), including creation of special taxing districts and approval of affordable housing lease bifurcation at Brownsville Metrorail Station.
- Aviation Contracts (8A1, 8P2): 8A1 (pre-conditioned air systems at MIA) passed 11-0; 8P2 (security equipment prequalification pool) passed 11-0.
- Board Appointments: Dulak Edward Gurrier to the Construction Trade Qualifying Board and Alyssa Zapato to the Planning Advisory Board were approved. Senator Garcia was appointed to the Mental Health Advisory Board.
- Allocation Extension: Motions to extend the approval period for legislative requests were adopted.
Meeting Transcript
We're chairman of the Board of County Commissioners, and this is the public presentations portion of our agenda today. During this time, we we often give awards, recognition. This morning we're actually featuring uh some some local talent from the piano slam. Piano slam is an event that'll be happening here, I guess, in in a in a month or so. We'll be hearing more about it because it's an extraordinary, it's extraordinary undertaking that actually engages kids around poetry and music. And so I'm going to good morning, Commissioner. I'm going to turn it over to uh our wonderful pianist. The piece is called Horizons. That was that was absolutely wonderful, amazing. And that was original composition uh horizons. Um, Madam Mayor. So the the mayor and I are actually hosting Piano Slam together. And so when she's finished taking this picture right here, she's gonna come and greet folks. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chair, for bringing so much life and light and culture to our commission. And not only here, but we had spoken word downstairs in the lot in the lobby. That was amazing. And uh, of course, we have the best arts and culture program anywhere in the whole United States. And Piano Slam is one of our very fine nonprofit organizations that we partner with, and as county commissioner, I had the great pleasure to support the organization as well in my district, and of course, countywide, we're so proud. How about that? And right here we have a young, aspiring and already successful uh musician represented uh through their work with Piano Slam. So a uh fellow at the Arsh Center. Did you know we have fellows at the Arch Center? I did not know that. All right. All kinds of wonderful surprises here in uh Miami Dade County. So Piano Slam is an organization that doesn't just find talent, it actually creates talent. He sings, he plays, I know he dances. Lots of talent. So it helps everybody to discover their talent and then grow their talent. So it's just a beautiful program. Uh it it goes into places where people would not otherwise have access to this kind of training and uh opportunity to perform. And it's not just about the performance, it's about discovery, discovery of their own personhood, their uh joys, their aspirations, and helps people to really uh connect in a way that is very, very meaningful across our community. So thank you so much again to the chair for bringing Piano Slam to the people and music to the people. Yeah, and so today is a great day to celebrate Miami Dade County's diverse and dynamic culture. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Thank you, Madam Mayor. That was the last presentation we have, but we have an announcement by Commissioner Bastion. Commissioner Bashin, you recognize you want to do it now or not. Okay, go ahead. We have a chair who sings, who plays the piano, who dance, we have a mayor who sings and dances too when she has to. So it is a pleasure for us to have Carlin here and our young leaders, and congratulations, by the way. So today, as you know, this month is International Women's Month. Yes. Yes. So I joined my voice with that of the mayor, the board chair, and the Board of County Commissioners to wish every woman. In Miami Dead County, in the community, those who have you know remained in the struggle for equity for generations and those who broke barriers and shredded the path for us. And then when we talk about bury woodbreakers, we have our own mayor here.
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