POLISCOPE

The public record

CORALGABLES (MIAMI-DADE COUNTY) · LOCALDecisions publishedPartial coverage

Sustainability Advisory Board

Monday, April 20, 2026 · Government meeting record

The 30-second read

Recorded outcome

The board unanimously approved the minutes from the February 25, 2026, meeting.

The Sustainability Advisory Board reviewed recent environmental initiatives, including the launch of a new community composting program and updates on traffic calming measures. The board also discussed upcoming Earth Month events and progress on city-wide sustainability assessments.

Why it matters

Coral Gables residents can now participate in a new free food-scrap composting program and access updated recycling guidelines following recent changes at the local waste management facility.

What happens next

Next meeting: Wednesday, May 27, 2026.

An official outcome record - an action agenda or minutes - is published for this meeting.

Captured actions

9

Recorded outcomes

1

Source artifacts

2

What changed

Other key decisions

1 captured item has a publicly linked outcome.

Search all 9 meeting actions
  • Item 2

    The board unanimously approved the minutes from the February 25, 2026, meeting.

    The Sustainability Village event at the Farmer’s Market on March 28 hosted 140 participants and eight local organizations, with board members discussing potential improvements to event visibility.

People and votes

Board Member Brock

Present at this meeting

The reviewed record lists this person as present but does not attribute a motion, statement, or individual vote to them.

Record text

No transcript is held for this meeting. Recording: Watch video

Monday, April 20, 2026 5:00 PM City of Coral Gables Parking Department Conference Room Sustainability Advisory Board Chairperson Teddy Lhoutellier Vice Chairperson Dipak Joshi Board Member James Brock Board Member Nicolas Eterovic Board Member Joseph A. Fadel Board Member Nelson Manstein Board Member Anabella Smith Board Member Ruben Rodriguez Board Member Tiffany Troxler Board Member Stephen Wisniew Meeting Minutes https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82049614201

April 20, 2026Sustainability Advisory Board Meeting Minutes Roll Call / Introductions1. Board Member Fadel,Board Member Rodriguez,Board Member Smith,Board Member Brock,Board Member Troxler,Chairperson Lhoutellier and Board Member Wisniew Present: 7 - Board Member Etercovic and Board Member MansteinAbsent: 2 - Vice Chairperson JoshiExcused: 1 - Approval of February SAB Meeting Minutes2. February 25, 2026, Meeting Minutes – Jasper motioned to approve the meeting minutes; Stephen seconded the motion. The motion was unanimously approved. Board Member Fadel,Board Member Rodriguez,Board Member Smith,Board Member Brock,Board Member Troxler,Chairperson Lhoutellier and Board Member Wisniew Yeas: 7 - Board Member Etercovic and Board Member MansteinAbsent: 2 - Vice Chairperson JoshiExcused: 1 - Public Comment Ana Ordoñez introduced herself as a Coral Gables resident. She mentioned she was at the compost unveiling earlier that day and she does bio-tech consulting for her job. She is interested in learning more about sustainability initiatives within the city. 3. Presentation on Traffic Calming by Melissa DeZayas, Assistant Public Works Director for Transportation i. Melissa mentioned the Multimodal Transportation Plan was launched in 2016 which included reducing the speed limit from 30 to 25mph. This plan included an Interlocal Agreement with Miami-Dade County which allowed the City to bypass certain permits for traffic calming items. She explained how locations are rated is based on a point system on certain criteria such as Daily Traffic Volumes, 85th Percentile Speeds, Sidewalks, Pedestrian Generators like schools, parks, etc., Driveway Density, and number of accidents in the area. She went on to explain how the City addresses requests for traffic calming, which in 2025 they received over 150. This entire process is based on resident feedback. She explained that County approved measures include speed tables, speed cushions, raised intersections, and roundabouts. Melissa also went through the process from receiving a request all the way to the final design, the point system and construction of all traffic calming installations. Lastly, she mentioned the City sends out ballots to residents in the area and requires 50% favorability to move forward. 4. Page 1City of Coral Gables

April 20, 2026Sustainability Advisory Board Meeting Minutes Keep Coral Gables Beautiful Program Updates i. Recent Events: 1. Pinewood Cemetery Invasive Plant Removal – March 20 a. There were 30 volunteers at the event and together we removed 2,520 pounds of invasive species such as snake plants and oyster plants. This event series is in partnership with the Coral Gables Historic Preservation and Greenspace Management teams. 2. Sustainability Village at Farmer’s Market – March 28 a. We had 8 local non-profits and groups talking to residents and giving out items. We had a total of 140 participants. Comments were made by the Board regarding moving the Sustainability Village closer to the Farmer’s Market next year to make it more visible. The City mentioned they will talk to event organizers to see if it is possible. 3. Green U Baseball Game – April 3 a. Teddy spoke about inviting the city to speak on KCGB programs, including the new community compost program that the city would be launching during the week of Earth Week. KCGB had a table to give out items and educate the public on the city’s sustainability initiatives throughout the baseball game. There were 65 people who had come by our table. 4. Quarterly Downtown Community Cleanup – April 6 a. Participants met at the Chamber of Commerce, dispersed throughout the downtown, and reconvened at a city lot to weigh the litter that was collected. Post-event refreshments were provided by Books and Books. There were 27 volunteers who collected 146 pounds of litter from the downtown area. 5. Baynanza – Chapman Field – April 11 a. Miami-Dade County had 32 volunteers at Chapman Field Park. KCGB attended to assist and donate supplies to MDC’s DERM team. KCGB staff and the volunteers removed approximately 300 pounds of litter from the mangroves and surrounding areas. The litter that was collected mainly comes from the tides washing up items. 6. Tortuga Music Festival – Keep Florida Beautiful – April 11 a. Diego attended the Tortuga Music Festival to assist Keep Florida Beautiful and to reach a new audience to discuss KCGB programs. The estimated outreach was around 400 people. 5. Page 2City of Coral Gables

April 20, 2026Sustainability Advisory Board Meeting Minutes 7. Plogging at Chapman Field – April 18 a. KCGB had 18 volunteers and 45 pounds of litter collected. Many of the items found were micro-plastics as opposed to large items, especially after the cleanup efforts from Baynanza the previous Saturday. 8. Renuable Compost Bin Installation – April 18 a. The city was present to help install the new compost bin at the Coral Gables Library. 9. Community Compost Program Unveiling – April 20 a. The city introduced its new community composting drop-off program with 50 people attending the unveiling. This pilot program will allow residents to bring their food scraps and reduce food waste at no cost to participating residents. ii. Upcoming Events: 1. Earth Day Environmental Film & Earth Day Fair – April 22 a. The city is working with the Coral Gables Art Cinema to screen “With or Without: A Coral Story” on Earth Day at 6 pm. There will be a post-film discussion with PhD students about coral reef rescue programs in Florida Keys b. The annual UM Earth Day Fair will host local sustainability organizations and feature a brand-new reverse vending machine for students and residents to recycle bottle containers. 2. Take Your Child To Work Day & Employee Earth Week Presentations a. The KCGB team will present at the city’s annual Take Your Child To Work Day and play Sustainability Bingo so the children can win prizes – April 23. b. To update city employees on the new sustainability initiatives available to them, the Sustainability team is hosting two different presentations during Earth Week for fellow employees. This is in conjunction with Human Resources and Greenspace Management as each employee in attendance will be given native plants to begin cultivating a native garden at home. 3. Arbor Day – April 24 a. The city will be hosting an event to celebrate Arbor Day. A tree planting will take place on Friday, April 24 at Fewell Park at 10 am. KCGB will have a table at the event to discuss the city’s sustainability events and programs. Page 3City of Coral Gables

April 20, 2026Sustainability Advisory Board Meeting Minutes 4. Recycling Drive-Thru – April 25 a. The bi-annual Recycling Drive-Thru will be on Saturday, April 25, from 9 am to noon in the City Hall parking lot. Paper shredding, plastic film, household hazardous waste, old electronics, plastic film, and clothing donations will be securely and properly recycled during this event. 5. My Squad Earth Month Event – April 29 a. My Squad is a club run by the city for adults with special needs. This annual event is to speak to the club about the different environmental initiatives the city has and do a fun activity to get the members excited about sustainability. 6. Pups for the Planet – May 9 a. This first-time event will take place at the new Chewy Bark Park near the Underline at 9 am. KCGB invited Miami-Dade County’s Pet Adoptions, the CG Fire Department to demonstrate their new canine CPR educational presentation, Scenthound, Royal Vet, and Dooty Calls. This event encourages volunteers to come out with their dogs to participate in a cleanup, speak to the vendors, and learn lifesaving skills. Page 4City of Coral Gables

April 20, 2026Sustainability Advisory Board Meeting Minutes Sustainability Related City Commission i. Proclamation Declaring April 2026 as “Earth Month” in Coral Gables – March 10 1. This is an annual proclamation that the Sustainability team brings to the Commission before the month of April. This proclamation is to declare that the City of Coral Gables recognizes April as Earth Month. ii. Recognition of Keep Coral Gables Beautiful: Recipient of the 2025 Keep America Beautiful National Innovation Award – March 10 1. KCGB was awarded the national KAB Innovation Award for the two GIS maps Thiago Esslinger worked on during his internship in the city. Diego attended the KAB National Summit in New Orleans to receive the award. iii. Presentation on Compost Program & Recycling Updates – April 14 1. Matt presented to the Commission with updates on composting and recycling as Waste Management has opened the new recycling facility. There are now more acceptable items that are allowed in the curb-side recycling stream that were not previously. Matt updated them on the upcoming composting program as well. 2. Matt reached out to WM to schedule a recycling tour for the SAB to see the new facility. The two available dates are May 8 and May 19, the tour lasts approximately an hour to an hour and a half. 6. Standing Agenda Items i. Vulnerability Assessment Update 1. The vulnerability assessment is 80 percent complete with a draft expected within three to four weeks. The consultant will present to the Board at the meeting following the draft submission so the Board can provide feedback. The deadline for the grant is June 30, 2026. ii. Block by Block Update 1. Block by Block conducted the quarterly cleaning on Giralda the morning of this meeting. Giralda will see significant activity with new Cielo Tejido, A Woven Sky, installation on May 1 (two different overhead art installations approximately 6 months total). The installation is expected to drive pedestrian traffic and support the local businesses similarly to the first installation. 7. Page 5City of Coral Gables

April 20, 2026Sustainability Advisory Board Meeting Minutes Member Comments i. Tiffany: 1. Tiffany is helping with the compacts, nature-based solutions workshop that is going to be in June. They are potentially interested in showcasing the Giralda Plaza project as an example of sustainable infrastructure. ii. Stephen: 1. Stephen is interested in working on marketing the quarterly Downtown Community Cleanups to bring much more attention to the event, making it the most volunteers and largest cleanups. He gave a quick rundown of the four-phase approach he proposed leading up to the cleanup by getting the local businesses involved and other city departments. The city will coordinate meeting with the Economic Development team and Communications to explore feasibility and promotional support. Teddy brought up the GetGreen app UM students use as it could be utilized for gamification on event day. iii. Anabella: 1. Friday, April 17, the Sustainability team, Anabella, and the Chamber of Commerce President met regarding the partnership on the Green Business Certification program. Anabella proposed meeting with Erika, the Chief of Staff, who has worked at the Chamber before and decided to come back, and has a lot of historical knowledge. Teddy offered a potential partnership with UM’s MS in Sustainable Business program for capstone projects to boost program visibility and effectiveness. iv. Teddy: 1. Made an update that there will be a webinar on Resilience and Sustainability in South Florida. UM is hosting and the moderator is the Executive Director of Communications for FIFA. The topic will be what is happening in the soccer industry with sustainability and resiliency. 2. Next spring, the Floating Wetland on UM’s Lake Osceola will be a pilot project by Jazmin Locke-Rodriguez, FIU Post-Doctorial Researcher, who did several floating wetlands for her PhD in the Coral Gables waterways. The project has already been approved, and funding will come from Student Government Eco Agency. 8. Page 6City of Coral Gables

April 20, 2026Sustainability Advisory Board Meeting Minutes Adjourned: 6:36 P.M. Next Meeting – Wednesday, May 27, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. at the Parking, Sustainability & Mobility Services Office For more information on the Sustainability Advisory Board please visit: CoralGables.com/SAB Email Sustainability@coralgables.com Call 305-461-6769 9. Page 7City of Coral Gables

Monday, April 20, 2026 5:00 PM City of Coral Gables 405 Biltmore Way Coral Gables, FL 33134 www.coralgables.com Parking Department Conference Room Sustainability Advisory Board Chairperson Teddy Lhoutellier Vice Chairperson Dipak Joshi Board Member James Brock Board Member Nicolas Eterovic Board Member Joseph A. Fadel Board Member Nelson Manstein Board Member Anabella Smith Board Member Ruben Rodriguez Board Member Tiffany Troxler Board Member Stephen Wisniew Agenda https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82049614201

April 20, 2026Sustainability Advisory Board Agenda 1. Roll Call / Introductions 2. Approval of February SAB Meeting Minutes 3. Public Comment 2 minutes each guest 4. Presentation on Traffic Calming Melissa DeZayas – Assistant Public Works Director for Transportation 5. Keep Coral Gables Beautiful Program Updates a. Recent Events i. Pinewood Cemetery Invasive Plant Removal – March 20 ii. Sustainability Village – March 28 iii. Green U Baseball Game – April 3 iv. Spring Downtown Community Cleanup – April 6 v. Baynanza – April 11 vi. Tortuga Music Festival – April 11 vii. Plogging at Chapman – April 18 viii. Inaugural Community Composting Program – April 20 b. Upcoming Events i. City Employee Earth Week Presentations – April 21 & 23 ii. UM Earth Fair – April 22 iii. Earth Day Movie Screening – April 22 iv. Arbor Day – April 24 v. Recycling Drive-Thru – April 25 vi. Earth Month with My Squad – April 29 vii. Pups for the Planet – May 9 6. Sustainability Related City Commission Items a. Proclamation Declaring April 2026 as “Earth Month” in Coral Gables – March 10 b. Recognition of Keep Coral Gables Beautiful: recipient of the 2025 Keep America Beautiful National Innovation Award – March 10 c. Presentation on Compost Program & Recycling Updates – April 14 7. Standing Agenda Items a. Vulnerability Assessment Update b. Block by Block Monthly Report 8. Member Comments Page 2City of Coral Gables Printed on 4/15/2026 4:59 PM

April 20, 2026Sustainability Advisory Board Agenda 9. ADJOURNMENT Next Meeting – May 27, 2026. Additional Zoom Meeting Call-In Information Below Zoom Link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82049614201 Meeting ID: 820 4961 4201 Phone Number: 305-461-6769 For more information on the Sustainability Advisory Board please visit: CoralGables.com/SAB Email Sustainability@coralgables.com NOTE Any person who acts as a lobbyist pursuant to the City of Coral Gables Ordinance No . 2006-11, must register with the City Clerk, prior to engaging in lobbying activities before city staff, boards, committees and/or the City Commission. A copy of the Ordinance is available in the Office of the City Clerk, City Hall. Any person, or persons, wishing to appeal any decision made by the City Commission with respect to any matter considered at this meeting or hearing, will require a verbatim record of the proceeding upon which the appeal is based. Interested persons should, therefore, take the necessary steps to ensure that a verbatim record of the proceedings is made which contains the testimony and evidence upon which the appeal is based. Any person making impertinent or slanderous remarks or who become boisterous while addressing the Commission, shall be barred from further audience before the Commission by the Chair, unless permission to continue or again address the Commission is granted by the majority vote of the Commission Members present . Clapping, applauding, heckling or verbal outbursts or any remarks in support or opposition to a speaker shall be prohibited. Signs or placards shall not be permitted in Commission Chambers. Any person with a disability requiring communication assistance (such as a sign language interpreter or other auxiliary aide or service) in order to attend or participate in the meeting should contact the City’s ADA Coordinator Raquel Elejabarrieta, Esq., Director of Labor Relations and Ris k M a n a g e m e n t ( E - m a i l : relejabarrieta@coralgables.com, Telephone: 305-722-8686, TTY/TDD: 305-442-1600), at least three (3) business days before the meeting. Page 3City of Coral Gables Printed on 4/15/2026 4:59 PM

All meeting actions

Source coverage incomplete

9 meeting items captured. The published sources do not prove this is the complete docket.

Showing 9 of 9

Browse by category9 actions
  • Agenda item 4PresentationNo recorded outcome

    Assistant Public Works Director for Transportation Melissa DeZayas will give a presentation on traffic calming.

    Department: Public Comment 2 minutes each guest · Topics: transportation

  • Agenda item 3ContractsNo recorded outcome

    Presentation on Traffic Calming by Melissa DeZayas, Assistant Public Works Director for Transportation i. Melissa mentioned the Multimodal Transportation Plan was launched in 2016 which included reducing the speed limit from 30 to 25mph. This plan included an Interlocal Agreement with Miami-Dade County which allowed the City to bypass certain permits for traffic calming items. She explained how locations are rated is based on a point system on certain criteria such as Daily Traffic Volumes, 85th Percentile Speeds, Sidewalks, Pedestrian

    Topics: procurement, transportation

  • Agenda item 6ProclamationsNo recorded outcome

    The commission will consider a proclamation for Earth Month, recognize Keep Coral Gables Beautiful for a national award, and receive a presentation on the city's compost and recycling programs.

    Department: Public Comment 2 minutes each guest

  • Agenda item 1Other meeting itemsNo recorded outcome

    Thirty volunteers removed 2,520 pounds of invasive plant species from Pinewood Cemetery on March 20.

  • Agenda item 2Other meeting itemsapproved

    The board unanimously approved the minutes from the February 25, 2026, meeting.

    The Sustainability Village event at the Farmer’s Market on March 28 hosted 140 participants and eight local organizations, with board members discussing potential improvements to event visibility.

  • Agenda item 5Other meeting itemsNo recorded outcome

    Keep Coral Gables Beautiful staff and 32 volunteers removed approximately 300 pounds of litter from Chapman Field Park during the Baynanza event on April 11.

  • Agenda item 7Other meeting itemsNo recorded outcome

    Eighteen volunteers collected 45 pounds of litter, primarily micro-plastics, during a plogging event at Chapman Field on April 18.

  • Agenda item 8Other meeting itemsNo recorded outcome

    City staff assisted with the installation of a new compost bin at the Coral Gables Library on April 18.

  • Agenda item 9Other meeting itemsNo recorded outcome

    The city launched a pilot community composting drop-off program on April 20, which allows residents to dispose of food scraps at no cost.

Official record

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Agenda packetNot published in the sources we holdunavailable
Budget documentNot published in the sources we holdunavailable
Action agendaNot published in the sources we holdunavailable
Transcript or captionsNot published in the sources we holdunavailable
AttachmentNot published in the sources we holdunavailable

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  • Sustainability Advisory Board — Minutes
  • Sustainability Advisory Board — Agenda

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Canonical record: cb0dfb80f0f39c049fa62f66f7844566. This page changes as stronger artifacts are published; it never overwrites an agenda with minutes.

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