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Record of Proceedings

Miami-Dade County Commission Joint Meeting with Youth Commission – April 21, 2026

Board of County Commissioners — Tuesday, April 21, 2026
BodyMiami Dade County, Florida
SessionBoard of County Commissioners
DateTuesday, April 21, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 29:45
Transcript — Verbatim
0:13

I'd like to recognize that uh and take a moment of personal privilege that my appointee Victoria Puente made it to FSU and will be going to the state capital to go to college.

0:26

So to a great university.

0:28

So thank you and congratulations on that huge accomplishment.

0:33

Uh with that, Madam Attorney, if we can move into and and I and I'm sure that there are many others that are not in my district that have made it into great universities and colleges, those that are graduating and are seniors.

0:45

Uh but if your commissioner knows, I would let them recognize that if they so wish to.

0:51

Um Robbie, which is my other district commissioner, will be going to Boston College.

0:58

So uh Robbie, I know you couldn't be here today, right?

1:02

You could not make it.

1:04

But congratulations on getting accepted into Boston College.

1:07

I wish both of them continued success as they begin this exciting new chapter.

1:15

And normally, but that is a very exciting uh thing uh for someone who is starting their their next chapter in life, but normally, just as a rule of thumb for those that will stay beyond this meeting uh with the youth commissioners.

1:28

We don't actually clap in the chamber.

1:29

We like wave or we we like don't clap, but that merited that certainly merited the applause.

1:36

So with that, madam attorney, can we move into our official joint meeting with our youth commission and swear in our new youth commissioners?

1:43

Madam Attorney.

1:44

Yes, that would be appropriate.

1:48

Can we have them sworn in?

1:50

Is it the clerk?

1:54

Good morning.

1:56

Please raise your right hand and repeat after me.

1:58

You should stand, maybe.

1:59

Should they stand?

2:00

Yes.

2:01

Please stand and raise your right hand and repeat after me.

2:04

I say your name.

2:09

Do solemnly swear or affirm.

2:14

Thou will support, protect, and defend the constitution.

2:17

I will support and defend the constitution.

2:21

And government of the United States and the government of State of Florida.

2:27

Governments of the United States and the government of Florida.

2:30

That I am duly qualified to hold the office under the Constitution of the State.

2:40

And that and that I will well and faithfully perform the duties as a member of the Miami Dade County Youth Commission.

2:55

On which I am now about to enter, so help me God.

3:03

Thank you and congratulations.

3:04

All right, congratulations on being sworn in officially for some of you all again.

3:10

All right, Madam Attorney, can we take up item 2A first?

3:15

Um now would be an appropriate time for reasonable opportunity for the joint meeting.

3:20

All right, reasonable opportunity is now open on this joint meeting.

3:24

I don't have do I have anyone signed up to speak?

3:27

No, there are no uh public speakers registered to speak.

3:31

Therefore, reasonable opportunity is now being closed.

3:35

And now we can take up item two A.

3:38

Item 2A.

3:39

All right.

3:40

Do you need to read it or item 2A1 recognizing the commission's efforts 2025-2026?

3:48

Chairwoman Sil Silvana Lodano, District Six.

3:52

All right, Chairwoman, you're recognized.

3:59

Good morning.

4:10

Thank you for your time here today.

4:12

My name is Silvana London, and I'm a senior at our Lady of Lords Academy and a proud resident of representative of District 6 with Commissioner Natalie Milian Orbis.

4:35

Now I stand before you as chairwoman of the Miami Dade County Youth Commission and an active member of Mayor Coba's America 250 committee board.

4:43

This is my third year visiting the chambers, and I pray that this will be the year that our urgings and dedication are met with the same enthusiasm and care with which we wrote them.

4:53

As a member of our commission, I've observed that we have consistently met standards of excellence.

5:00

We have not only done our best, but I feel we have served as an example that the youth of our county is capable of shedding light on modern issues and tackling them from efficient and unique perspectives.

5:10

And while the work we've done has been impressive on paper, I'm proud to say that the minds and attitudes behind me are even stronger.

5:18

This year I've been in awe of how intelligent and creative each district representative has proven to be through their focus on various projects, including a proposal for obligatory county responses to reports of damaged and unsafe sidewalks, combating human trafficking, improving overpasses, adding clear sugar warning labels on restaurant menus, and establishing fellowships to nurture potential future youth commissioners, among others.

5:46

These items will not only be discussed here, but also in the District of Columbia, where we will be visiting in early June for legislative tours and conversations with congressional representatives.

5:56

However, our participation in local government would not be possible without the support of the county commissioners and the Miami Date Community Services Department, Director Kathy Burgos, Assistant Director Lotto and Bess, CSD advisor Rahel Wildizis, and our dedicated liaison, Leticia Laredo.

6:14

And of course, I want to thank my fellow commissioners who inspire me every day to be a better version of myself.

6:19

If you're the smartest person in the room, you're in the wrong one, and with all of you, I never am, so I thank you for that.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Youth Programs█████████████████████████████████████████████54%
Environmental Protection██████████12%
Procedural█████████11%
Transportation Safety████████10%
Community Engagement████████9%
Arts And Culture███4%
Summary of Proceedings

Miami-Dade County Commission Joint Meeting with Youth Commission – April 21, 2026

On April 21, 2026, the Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners held a joint meeting with the Miami-Dade County Youth Commission. The meeting featured the swearing-in of new youth commissioners, presentations from youth commission leadership on their year's accomplishments and policy proposals, and recognition of graduating seniors. The joint meeting adjourned before the board proceeded to its regular agenda, where the tax collector expressed strong support for a pending item (7A).

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Reasonable opportunity for the public to be heard was opened and closed with no registered speakers.

Discussion Items

  • Swearing-In Ceremony: New youth commissioners were sworn in by the clerk, pledging to support the constitutions of the United States and Florida.
  • Chairwoman Silvana Londono (District 6): Recognized the Youth Commission's efforts for 2025–2026, highlighting proposals for obligatory county responses to damaged sidewalk reports, combating human trafficking, improving overpasses, adding clear sugar warning labels on restaurant menus, and establishing a youth commission fellowship. She thanked county commissioners, the Community Services Department, and liaison Leticia Loredo.
  • Secretary Madison Moreno (District 11): Described the Youth Commission Policy Fellowship, which empowered 10 high school students to develop policy proposals addressing issues from bees to tree canopies. She noted the fellowship passed by a single vote and expressed hope to collaborate with the mayor's office and county commission to expand the program.
  • Advocacy & Legislation Committee Chair Jaden Lawton (District 11): Presented four proposals: (1) "Safe and Sightly Sidewalks" – requiring the Department of Transportation and Public Works to respond to hazardous sidewalk reports within 30 days (or 15 days for city jurisdiction), noting falls are the leading cause of fatal injury among elderly adults in Florida. (2) "Connecting the Dots Against Human Trafficking" – urging a centralized reporting system with a joint task force involving the mayor's office, police, state attorney, and DHS, citing that Florida ranks second nationally in reported trafficking cases and Miami-Dade ranks first in the state. (3) "One Step Too Wild" – advocating for wildlife crossing infrastructure along corridors like Tamiami Trail and Chrome Avenue, referencing that crossings elsewhere have reduced collisions by up to 80%. (4) Clear sugar warning labels on restaurant menu items containing 50 grams or more of added sugar, citing links to diet-related illnesses.
  • Education & Services Committee Chair Christina Hamilton (District 2): Reported on an outreach tour visiting schools and collecting data on student issues (academic pressure, resource access), a toy drive for Title One schools (South Miami Heights Elementary, Gold's Elementary, Laura C. Saunders), and sponsorship of the Youth Policy Fellowship. She urged commissioners to continue appointing two youth commissioners per district.
  • Cultural Arts & Community Engagement Committee Chair Alicia Medina (District 6): Highlighted that more than 290,000 children are reached by the arts in the county each year. Initiatives included a Reading Hotspot project with toddlers, a grant-funded arts access voucher program, and a planned student arts competition with virtual submissions.
  • Changemaker Award Committee Co-Chair Lucas Martinez-Miro (District 12): Announced a record 75 applications for the Changemaker Award, recognizing three winners. He requested the board to designate April 30 as Youth Changemaker Day in Miami-Dade County, reinforcing that youth are leaders today.
  • Parliamentarian Stacy Cautier (District 2): Shared personal growth from the program, including participation in an FIU ROPES course, volunteer work with the mayor's toy drive, collaboration with the North Miami Youth Council, and interactions with elected officials.
  • Vice Chair Gabriela Lopez (District 5): Recounted the Youth Commission's participation in the 44th annual Baynanza cleanup on April 11, 2026, with nearly 5,000 people across 33 sites, including A.D. Barnes Park, dedicated to safeguarding Biscayne Bay.
  • Mayor's Office Representative Aidan Biss: Recognized graduating seniors and their college destinations: Julian Farrington (FSU), Stacy Cautier (Rice University), Christina Hamilton (University of Miami), Max Feldman (Duke), Silvana Londono (UF), Jennifer Pinheiro (UPenn), Naima Medric (UF), Victoria Puente (FSU), Jaden Lawton (Columbia), Lucas Martinez-Miro (MDC Honors), Maggie Car de Nache (Duke), Diana De House (MDC Honors), Alicia Medina (Harvard), and himself (University of Miami). Several were also Silver Knight nominees.

Key Outcomes

  • The youth commission chairwoman moved to adjourn the joint meeting, which was seconded and passed unanimously by voice vote.
  • After adjournment, the board convened its regular agenda, during which Tax Collector Dario Fernandez expressed strong support for item 7A.
  • No binding votes or directives were taken on the youth commission's proposals during the joint meeting.

Meeting Transcript

I'd like to recognize that uh and take a moment of personal privilege that my appointee Victoria Puente made it to FSU and will be going to the state capital to go to college. So to a great university. So thank you and congratulations on that huge accomplishment. Uh with that, Madam Attorney, if we can move into and and I and I'm sure that there are many others that are not in my district that have made it into great universities and colleges, those that are graduating and are seniors. Uh but if your commissioner knows, I would let them recognize that if they so wish to. Um Robbie, which is my other district commissioner, will be going to Boston College. So uh Robbie, I know you couldn't be here today, right? You could not make it. But congratulations on getting accepted into Boston College. I wish both of them continued success as they begin this exciting new chapter. And normally, but that is a very exciting uh thing uh for someone who is starting their their next chapter in life, but normally, just as a rule of thumb for those that will stay beyond this meeting uh with the youth commissioners. We don't actually clap in the chamber. We like wave or we we like don't clap, but that merited that certainly merited the applause. So with that, madam attorney, can we move into our official joint meeting with our youth commission and swear in our new youth commissioners? Madam Attorney. Yes, that would be appropriate. Can we have them sworn in? Is it the clerk? Good morning. Please raise your right hand and repeat after me. You should stand, maybe. Should they stand? Yes. Please stand and raise your right hand and repeat after me. I say your name. Do solemnly swear or affirm. Thou will support, protect, and defend the constitution. I will support and defend the constitution. And government of the United States and the government of State of Florida. Governments of the United States and the government of Florida. That I am duly qualified to hold the office under the Constitution of the State. And that and that I will well and faithfully perform the duties as a member of the Miami Dade County Youth Commission. On which I am now about to enter, so help me God. Thank you and congratulations. All right, congratulations on being sworn in officially for some of you all again. All right, Madam Attorney, can we take up item 2A first? Um now would be an appropriate time for reasonable opportunity for the joint meeting. All right, reasonable opportunity is now open on this joint meeting. I don't have do I have anyone signed up to speak? No, there are no uh public speakers registered to speak. Therefore, reasonable opportunity is now being closed. And now we can take up item two A. Item 2A. All right. Do you need to read it or item 2A1 recognizing the commission's efforts 2025-2026? Chairwoman Sil Silvana Lodano, District Six. All right, Chairwoman, you're recognized. Good morning. Thank you for your time here today. My name is Silvana London, and I'm a senior at our Lady of Lords Academy and a proud resident of representative of District 6 with Commissioner Natalie Milian Orbis.

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