City of Miramar City Commission Regular Meeting - April 1, 2026
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City of Miramar City Commission Regular Meeting - April 1, 2026
The City of Miramar City Commission held a regular meeting on April 1, 2026, at 7:00 PM in the Commission Chambers. The meeting included presentations, proclamations, consent agenda items, resolutions, and commission reports. A moment of silence was observed for Vice Mayor Nancy Metayer Bowen of Coral Springs, who passed away earlier that day.
Presentations
- Legislative Update: State Representative Robin Bartleman provided an update on the 2026 legislative session. She reported that over 2,000 bills were filed, with 242 passing. She highlighted two of her bills that passed: HB 47 (allowing parents of infants with potential abuse injuries to obtain a second opinion) and a human trafficking training bill for nurses. She also discussed the failure of a bill to ban incinerators (opposed by the city), the passage of a DEI bill (HB 1134) that could affect city programs, and a property tax elimination proposal that would cut Miramar's budget by 42% if implemented. She urged residents to call her office for assistance with voting ID issues.
- Florida Neuroinclusion Toolkit: Miami-Dade County District 7 Commissioner Raquel Regalado presented the toolkit, which covers neurodiversity including autism, ADHD, dyslexia, and other conditions. She described initiatives such as the sunflower lanyard for invisible disabilities, training for first responders, sensory spaces in libraries, and employment opportunities. She offered the city a physical copy of the toolkit.
- Strategic Planning Update: Chief of Staff Kassandra Carvalho-Lindsay presented a community engagement plan for the city's strategic plan. The plan includes an educational campaign ("Your City, Your Future"), three community meetings (April 30, May 14, and May 28), a survey with a target of 1,000 responses, and a commission retreat on August 26, 2026. Raffles for gift cards and iPads will incentivize participation.
- Police Update: Chief Derwish Moss reported that the Miramar Police Department discovered that FIFA World Cup plans (June 13-July 5) included using Miramar Parkway and University Drive as a checkpoint for Miami Gardens residents, potentially impacting the city. The department objected and is working to be included in planning.
Proclamations
The following proclamations were presented and approved:
- Autism Awareness and Acceptance Month (April 2026) – recognized city initiatives including the autism-friendly designation, employee training, police registry, and events (workshop April 6, walk April 9, resource fair April 18, community walk April 25).
- National Garden Month (April 2026) – recognized the community garden and Everglades High School garden; noted garden renovation and upcoming plant sale on April 18.
- Child Abuse Prevention Month (April 2026) – recognized the Children's Services Council of Broward County and the pinwheel campaign.
- Water Conservation Month (April 2026) – highlighted the city's reuse water production (up to 7.5 million gallons per day) and conservation efforts.
- Government Finance Professionals Week – recognized the city's financial staff.
- Financial Literacy Month (April 2026) – noted the city's eighth year participating, with financial seminars planned.
- NAREB Realtist Week (April 12-18, 2026) – recognized the National Association of Real Estate Brokers.
- Independence and National Day of the People's Republic of Bangladesh – proclaimed by Mayor Messam.
Consent Calendar
- Minutes of February 23, 2026 – approved.
- Temp. Reso. #R8664 – approved the interlocal agreement with Broward County for a reuse distribution expansion project on Miramar Parkway (not-to-exceed $190,000).
- Temp. Reso. #R8637 – approved renewal of VMware and Microsoft cloud disaster recovery licenses from R2 Unified Technologies (up to $575,361) and Carahsoft Technology Corporation (up to $409,116), both over three years, using NASPO contract.
(All consent items were approved unanimously by roll call vote: Commissioners Chambers, Cherasard, Vice Mayor Colbourne, and Edwards, plus Mayor Messam – all ayes.)
Public Comments & Testimony
No members of the public registered to speak virtually. No members present in chambers spoke during the public comment period on the consent agenda or other items.
Discussion Items
- Selection of Vice Mayor (Temp. Reso. #R8645): Commissioner Carson Edwards was nominated and unanimously selected as Vice Mayor for a one-year term. He accepted with appreciation.
- Wyland National Mayor's Challenge for Water Conservation (Temp. Reso. #R8646): The commission approved the resolution supporting the challenge, which runs through April. Residents are encouraged to pledge at MyWaterPledge.com. Unanimously approved.
- Water and Sewer Emergency Repair Services (Temp. Reso. #R8639): The commission approved awarding a contract to three lowest responsive bidders (Cacique Utilities, Plumber Mike's Inc., and Foster Marine Contractors Inc.) on an as-needed basis, with an annual cap of $1,000,000. The contract is for two years with three one-year renewal options. Discussion clarified that contractors are called on a rotation basis, but during emergencies availability and pricing may determine selection. The contract covers deep pipe repairs (8-10 feet) that city crews cannot handle. Commission approved unanimously.
Key Outcomes
- Vice Mayor Selected: Commissioner Carson Edwards was elected Vice Mayor for a one-year term (unanimous).
- Executive Closed Session Announced: An attorney-client session on pending litigation (Andrew Turner vs. City of Miramar, case CACE 24-012686) was set for April 22, 2026, at 6:30 PM in the third floor conference room.
- Upcoming Events: Easter egg hunts (April 4 at Miramar Regional Park and Cool Church), Autism Resource Fair (April 18), Rebel Salute concert (April 19, no alcohol/meat), and Rhythms of Africa shows (April 18-19).
- Solid Waste Authority Board Update: Vice Mayor Colbourne reported that the facility amendment was approved on March 20; the master plan will be presented to the governing board on April 17, and a workshop will be held for city input.
- Condolences and Proclamation: The commission expressed condolences for Vice Mayor Nancy Metayer Bowen; a memorial proclamation will be prepared.
Meeting Transcript
They're all low. There we go. There we go. Good evening, everyone. The meeting of the Myanmar City Commission is now called to order. An opportunity was given to the public to register to participate or email the city clerk twenty-four hours prior to the commission meeting with any questions, comments, concerns on items, we will hear on this evening's agenda. Any person may be heard by the city commission through the chair and upon registering pursuant to the published notice for not more than three minutes on any proposition before the commission, unless modified by the chair.gov slash commission meeting and televised on Comcast Channel Seventy Eight and ATT Uverse Channel Ninety Nine for all City of Myanmar subscribers. As of April first, two thousand twenty-six at four thirty PM. No member from the public has registered to participate virtually in this meeting. All comments submitted will be included as part of the record for this meeting and will be considered by the city commission prior to any action taken. At this time, Madam Clerk, please call the role. Carolyn Fenton, Utilities Department, Department. Lost their aunt. Sharon Winter, Finance Department, cousin. Derek Payne, Stormwater Division, Uncle. And as well as the City of Coral Springs, we lost our friend and colleague, Vice Mayor Nancy Matera Bowen tragically today. And in the city of Miramar, we stand with our neighbors in Coral Springs. So at this time, we'll observe a moment of silence. Thank you. On to presentations before we go to our proclamations, I would like to invite our very own state representative Robin Bardeman to the podium to give us a legislative update. Let's give her a round of applause, please. So thank you for that moment of silence. We all loved her. And she is definitely, definitely going to be missed. Okay. Let me get myself together. Okay. So this legislative session uh lasted 60 days. We had over 2,000 bills filed, or close to 2,000 bills filed, but only 242 passed. They have recently been submitted to the governor, and I am proud to say that two of my bills passed, so I have passed 17 bills in five years. I'm sorry, it's really hard. This is just I'll get through it. I'm sorry. I uh HP 47 that I passed with Senator uh Sharif regarding child abuse. Um there are many even people here in Miramar we know of families that uh have see injuries on their newly born uh babies and I have no idea how that bruise or the pain or the bruise got there or the bone was broken, and uh what happens is they usually end up taking them to the hospital and reporting it saying, help me help my baby, and they get charged with abuse. And we had 12 families come and testify at every committee about this, the injustice of this. And I'm gonna speak to one case that illustrates why we need this bill. Um the mother brought her baby in. She the baby was taken away immediately, shortly after birth. The baby was kept in foster care for 18 months, so the family didn't get to bond with the baby. Uh, she had to pay 200 to 300,000 in legal fees so she could obtain a second opinion, and the baby had brittle bone disease. And it was only because she could mortgage her house and afford to pay that and fight that she got that baby back. Now almost an 18-month-old that had to learn to bond with their mother. So this bill was written because of cases like this, because parents deserve the right to get a second opinion. And in terms of when an infant is diagnosed, there are usually five diseases that mimic signs of abuse, Ellers Danlow syndrome, which is a connective tissue disorder, um, uh brittle bone disease, brickerts, rickets, rickerts, and a vitamin D deficiency. So this bill, uh, two years, Senator Sharif and I ran it. It was a passion project for her. Uh, and we were able to get that through. It's headed to the desk, and my second bill that passed has to do with human trafficking, so that when nurses enter the workforce, they're trained immediately. We have 30,000 new nurses enter the workforce every day or every year, and these victims are in the shadows, so the only time you're gonna see a human trafficking victim is if there's an emergency room visit or an urgent care visit, and now they're trained to identify it.
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