COUNCIL MEETING

Good morning, everyone. Welcome to our August Council Meeting. Today is Wednesday, August 12. The time is now 10:07 AM. And I hereby call this meeting to order. Remember to please silence your phones. If you must take a call, we ask you to kindly step outside so that we can maintain a respectful atmosphere. Madam Clerk, please call the roll. Councilwoman Nicole Reinoso? Present. Councilwoman Maureen Porras? Here. Councilman Rafael Pineyro? Present. Vice-Mayor Digna Cabral? Present. Mayor Christi Fraga? Present. Mayor, you have quorum. Please rise for the Pledge of Allegiance, led by Councilwoman Reinoso. I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Before we continue, I'd like to ask you all to join me in a moment of silence as we remember some from our team that we have recently lost. We honor the life of Officer Edwin-- Erwin Fernandez and thank him for his service and his family for service and dedication to our community. We also remember our City of Doral Public Works employee, Carlos Cuba, who has passed away in July. Carlos was a valued member of our city family. And our thoughts remain with him and his loved ones and all his colleagues. Likely, I would like to ask for solidarity as we stand with the people of Colombia, as they mourn the lives of those who were lost in the devastating earthquake. Our hearts are with the victims and families and all those affected during this incredibly difficult time. Please join me in a moment of silence. Thank you. We now have our invocation, led by Pastor Ricky from Dios con Nosotros. Pastor? Before I start, I'll start to read a Bible verses in Jeremiah 29, verse 7. Says, "Seek peace of the city. And pray to the Lord for peace. We will have overcome and will come to the city that you live in. Seek for peace. Pray for the Lord and peace that surpasses all understanding." In obedience to the word, I gather today and give thanks to God for every moment that he gives us. We come unto you, O, Lord, as one nation under God. We come unto you, Father, asking and thanking you for the privilege that we woke up today, that we're able to breathe, that we're able to stand, that we're able to come here today. I pray that you bless our mayor, city councils, and every decision they may hold with integrity. And above all, Lord, the missed city, this community, may receive the blessing for their needs, for what they're about to do, for what they're about to establish. Today, you remind us how fragile we are. We pray for the people in Venezuela. We pray for the people in Colombia. We pray for the people in the United States of America. You know what is happening. They were waking up this morning with a different atmosphere as what happened two days ago. Anywhere, anything can happen. You hold in the palm of your hand the whole Earth. And today, we're reminded how fragile we can be. We thank you that this is the land of the free. But over there, they're experimenting a very difficult situation. May I ask everybody here to please stand for a moment and pray with me. We pray for those, Lord, that lost family members. We pray for those, Lord, that lost everything they had. But you still, in your amazing love, you spared a lot of lives, Lord. We pray for those in Venezuela who lost not only what they lost, but they lost even more when they lost family members. Today, we're reminded how important it is to keep our family together. Also, we pray for the people in Colombia and for every aid to reach the right places. We are here, Father, privileged and also honored to come together as one body, one family. We thank you for the opportunity to pray here together. And we come as one. Thank you, as the city has allowed us to come here and come together to pray. If everybody can please say these words with me. Dear God-- --have mercy. Bless those-- --in need. Provide for them. Give them peace. In your name we pray, Lord. Amen. Thank you. Thank you, Pastor, for those beautiful words. We will now move into our Agenda/Order of Business and go ahead and start with our City Manager's office. Mayor, we don't have anything. Thank you. Mr. City Attorney? Madam Manager, I'd like to defer item 6B. 6B, as in boy? 6B as in boy, yes. OK. Anything else? That's all. OK. Councilman Pineyro? I don't have anything, Mayor. Thank you. Vice-Mayor Cabral? None. Councilwoman Reinoso? No, Mayor, nothing. OK. Councilwoman Porras? None. Madam City Clerk? None. All right. So we'll go ahead and defer that. All right, well, we'll now move into the public comments section of our meeting. Each speaker will have three minutes to address any item on today's agenda or any other matters related to the City of Doral. Please begin by stating your name and address for the record to ensure that you are registered with the City Clerk's office. We will first hear from those who are preregistered, followed by any walk-in speakers. Once all have spoken, I will ask if any final speakers would like to use the reasonable opportunity time to speak. As a reminder, in accordance with the city code of conduct, we ask that all remarks be made in a respectful, courteous, and orderly manner. Personal attacks, offensive language, or disruptive behavior will not be permitted. Let's work together to keep this forum productive and constructive for all. And I'll go ahead and start with Mr. Richard Glukstad. Excuse me. Richard Glukstad, 4768 Northwest 114th Avenue. All right. Today, I brought two visual aids-- my brown belt and a jacket. And you say, why did you bring a belt and a jacket? So I'm going to explain. First of all, this brown belt represents to me my Uncle Manfred from Germany. He was a prisoner of war of the French because he was German. They didn't care that he was Jewish. They still kept him as a prisoner of war. He was a very religious Jew. He went to Cuba first. And then from there, he went to New York. He lived in the Bronx. He went to temple every Saturday. And money, for him, was no object. He didn't really care about it. And one day, I stayed-- I was in his house. And I was spending the week there. And I brought two belts with me. I always had two belts, a brown one and a black one. He said, Richard, what do you need two belts for? He said, you really only need one belt to hold up your pants. Why spend money on another belt? Well, this was his philosophy because showing off and having money meant absolutely nothing to him. He probably just died with one belt. Whereas his brother, my father, he was all into what other people thought about him-- to make money, be a success. He became a multimillionaire. But you know what? They both wound up in the same place-- 6 feet under. And they lived about the same time. So I don't think-- actually, he was probably happier when he died than my father. So I just wanted to show you that the quest for money doesn't really bring happiness. The second thing to talk about has to do with money, too. It's about the Vietnam War. I was in the Army in ROTC for three years, from 1967 and 1970. And I was getting ready to go to Vietnam as an infantry officer. So we were basically brainwashed. We have to go over there, fight communism, because if we don't fight communism, it's going to spread all over the place, yada, yada, yada. Well, they extended the war. They extended it. We were losing. But they would never admit that we were losing the war. And they kept sending more and more people to die. 55,000 Americans died there. But yet, I bought a jacket from the Gap. It's made in Vietnam. So today, we have diplomatic relations with Vietnam. We have factories over there. We do business with them, as usual. And Americans go there on vacation all the time. It's a real big vacation spot. So why did we do this? Well, the answer was money. People can make money from wars. If you support people who support wars, don't support them anymore. There's very few wars that are just wars. And a war has to be a just war, according to the Catholic Church, anyway, for you to even participate. Thank you, Mr. Glukstad. I know my time is over. But please, think about it. Don't support wars, only if it's a just war. Thank you. And don't look at money as your goal in life, because it'll probably make you less happy than somebody like-- even like my Uncle Manfred. Thank you, Mr. Glukstad. You're welcome. Thank you. All right. I next have Maurizio Bettoli. Hi. Yes, I'm here to talk about Agenda Item 9A, Vending Machine Services. I don't like to waste anybody's time. So we sent a letter from an attorney for you all to review. I hope that you read it. The items in there, I want to echo. If you have any questions or clarifications of those issues, I'll be sitting here. So when you bring the item up for a vote, I want to discuss it. Thank you. Just to clarify, this is the time for reasonable opportunity if something needs to be put on the record. We don't normally open up public comments in discussion items. We also have Leonardo Bettoli. Good evening, Mayor, Vice Mayor, and members of the Council. My name is Leonardo Bettoli. I'm here in support of Compass Group USA through its Canteen division. Again, thank you for the opportunity. I respectfully ask the Council to select Canteen for the city vendings operations and management contract. Canteen is ready to perform from day one. It holds the proper business licensing for vending machines operations in the city, county, and state, including the NAICS Code 4542. And its proposal satisfies the city solicitation's requirements. Canteen has also demonstrated its financial capability by transparency by providing the city with the required audited financial statements. By doing so, Canteen gave the city the financial information required to evaluate its strength and ability to perform through the contract. Canteen is not simply a local vending operator. It is a national operator backed by Compass Group USA with coast-to-coast capabilities. Canteen serve clients across the country and provides food service solutions at more than 60,000 locations. That national scales give Doral access to established operating systems, advanced technologies, substantial resources, and broad organizational support, while its local team remains accountable for responsive day-to-day service. Canteen also brings proven track record in Doral and extensive experience serving municipalities, counties, public entities, and other governmental throughout Florida. It understands the accountability, reporting, responsiveness, and continuity of service required in a public-sector partnership. Doral will also receive a mature service model supported by dedicated account management, preventive maintenance, real-time monitoring, extensive local staffing, technical support, and comprehensive reporting. Canteen smart tech service-- Canteen Connect and smart tech platforms are designed to reduce downtime, improve inventory management, respond quickly to service needs, and provide the city with transparent oversight of performance. Canteen is also offering significant financial value-- a minimal annual guarantee of $95,000 and prepaid commissions of $285,000 on day one. These are concrete commitment that provide the city with immediate value and predictable annual revenue. This decision is about selecting a partner with national strength and local accountability, proper licensing, proper financial capabilities, public-sector experience, advanced technology, and a record of dependable service. For those reasons, I respectfully ask the Council to award this contract to Canteen. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Bettoli, for being here. I have Alexander Recalde. Hello. My name is Alexander Recalde. My address is 5670 Northwest 116th Avenue, Doral, Florida, 33178. Good morning, Mayor, Councilmembers, and City Administration. My name is Alexander Recalde. And I'm owner of Fresh Service & Repair. First, I want to thank the evaluation committee and the city manager for recommending our company for this opportunity. It truly means a lot to me. We have experience more than 15 years in the business. I spent more than 50 years building this company. And I'm very proud of what we have to build. But what makes this opportunity special is that Doral is also my home. I have lived here for many years. I have invested in this community. And I'm proud to be raising my family here. Having the opportunity to serve my own city would be an honor and something I will take very personally. You won't be dealing with faraway corporate office. You would be dealing directly with me. My name and my reputation are behind this company. And I will always make sure we provide the level of the service that our community deserves. Thank you for your opportunity and your consideration. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Recalde. All right. That is all I have for the preregistered speakers. If anyone else would like to speak, now would be your reasonable opportunity. You may speak on anything on this agenda or anything that is germane to this Council. Being none, we will now close reasonable opportunity. And I will take a motion on the consent agenda once the City Clerk reads the item that has been pulled into the record. This will be for all the items on Section 6, with the exception 6B. All right. I need a motion. Motion. Motion to approve by Councilwoman Reinoso. Second. Second by Councilman Pineyro. All in favor say, "aye." Aye. OK. Madam Clerk, let the record reflect that the consent agenda has been approved unanimously. I now need a motion on the minutes. Motion. Motion to approve by Councilwoman Reinoso. Second. Second by Councilman Pineyro. All in favor say, "aye." Aye. Madam Clerk, let the record reflect that the minutes have been approved unanimously. All right, we'll now move into presentations. Presentations item 8A, Keep Doral Beautiful Business Award. Good morning, Honorable Mayor, Vice Mayor, members of the Council, Madam Manager, Mr. Deputy Manager, Mr. City Attorney, Madam Clerk. Danny Del Toro, Code Compliance Director. This month, we are pleased to recognize Chick-fil-A for their outstanding commitment to keeping Doral beautiful. The property for which they are being recognized is located at 9815 Northwest 41st Street. This Chick-fil-A has been in the City of Doral for two years. The property is approximately 65,000 total square feet. And the business has 70 employees. Chick-fil-A is a nationally recognized restaurant known for its diverse selection of chicken-based menu offerings. Its menu includes a variety of options for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, as well as salads, treats, kids meals, and more. In 2023, Chick-fil-A made a significant investment in the city by demolishing the previous structure on the property and constructing the facility that exists there today. Since its completion, the property has been maintained to a high standard through daily inspections and cleaning of the exterior, weekly landscape inspections, and biweekly landscape maintenance services. These ongoing efforts demonstrate Chick-fil-A's commitment to maintaining an attractive, clean, and well-kept property within the city. It is with great pleasure that we named Chick-fil-A for the Keep Doral Beautiful Business Award for their continued efforts to keep Doral beautiful. Madam Mayor and Council, here to accept the award on behalf of the businesses Operations Director Janet [? Sedidas ?] and Marketing Director Rachel Tapia. In behalf of Chick-fil-A, Doral, we just want to say how honored and grateful we are to receiving this reward. It's the reflection of the hard work that our team everyday puts into our restaurant. And we are just very thankful to be part of this wonderful and amazing community. Thank you so much. And Chick-fil-A always does a great job of keeping their properties clean and wonderful service. Please come up for a photo. [INAUDIBLE] Thank you so much. Congratulations. Thank you. Thank you so much. OK, we move on to the next presentation. Yes. Good morning, Mayor. The Chief, I think, has a few words. We're going to do a commendation for our officers. Madam Clerk, would you like to read the record-- read the item into the record real quick? Yes. Item 8B, Special Recognition Officers Adrian Ochoa and Samuel Guerra. Good morning, City Manager. Good morning, Mayor and Council. Thank you all so much. I want to first off say that we suffered a tragedy last week. And we appreciate all the support and love from the community and from your positions. Thank you all so much. Together, we're going to become a bigger and stronger and better agency through this tragedy. So I just want to say-- give you that and give you my commitment. Now I want to pivot to a commendation that was on April 17. I would like to ask the two officers to step up to the plate, Officer Adrian Ochoa and Officer Samuel Guerra. Can you go in front? So I want to paint the picture because I read this paper. And I told Lauren earlier this morning, I said, the paper doesn't do it justice. I want you guys to actually visibly see what these officers did. They saved a life. It all occurred on April 17. And I'm going to give you the rundown of the call. It was basically a sick or injured person. And the call came out as a 41-year-old male who just fainted. And we get those calls all the time. It's a routine call. But this call ended up not being routine. That's why I want to really commend these officers. And I want to show you visually what they did. So can you go ahead and play the video, please? [VIDEO PLAYBACK] - OK. - [INAUDIBLE], 24, starting CPR. [INAUDIBLE] - Don't stop because [INAUDIBLE]. - [INAUDIBLE] - Someone told me that I look so [INAUDIBLE]. - When I said, "Starting CPR, she raised you throughout till 20 to advise you that they were-- - Yes. All right. [END PLAYBACK] OK, that's enough. So these two officers right here, they were on probation. They were their second month as officers. And they responded to this call of a fainted person, which ended up being someone going through cardiac arrest. He was purple to the touch. And these officers, they went into action. And it's very commendable about what they did. They didn't hesitate. And their performance of CPR saved this individual's life. And they are a direct reflection of this police department and the professionalism of this police department. So with that said, a congratulations so much, Officer Samuel Guerra and Officer Adrian Ochoa. And Officer Adrian Ochoa, his father is Major Leo Ochoa. And I would love for him to come up and present this award to him. A good father-son moment. [APPLAUSE] Congrats. Congratulations. You can give him a kiss. We won't tell anybody. We got it on camera. You want to go first? Yeah, I think Mayor and Council. So actually, if you can go behind the dais. It's a photo with Mayor and Council. Oh, we're all going to come forward. Thank you. It's so cute. I want to cry. He's his son. I want to cry. Pose like a beautiful man. There's so much space. This is really nice. They gave it to him. That's mine. Oh, that's yours? Yeah. I'm like, wait, I didn't know that. Mayor, can we figure out-- Mayor, can we-- [INAUDIBLE] Yeah. Let's turn to you guys. So take a step this way so you're centered with the seal. I wanted to try to get them all. Frank, can you come on this side? Perfect. [INAUDIBLE] Oh, OK. All right. Everybody, look straight ahead. Officers, are you showing your plaques? I can't see from here. Yes. OK. Did everybody get their photo? One more. Yes. Monica, you got it? Yes. Thank you. Thank you, Mayor. Thank you. Great job. Thank you. Congratulations. Thanks. [INAUDIBLE] You know how I do [INAUDIBLE]. I know. After you. [INAUDIBLE] I will. Madam Manager-- actually, [INAUDIBLE]. OK. Madam Clerk, next item. Next item is item 8C, Doral International Art Fair Presentation. Thank you. Good morning, Mayor Christi Fraga, members of the City Council, City Manager, and members of the staff of the City of Doral. My name is Billy Garcia. And I'm here joined by the team members of the DIAF. It's really an honor for us to officially present the fourth edition of Doral International Art Fair, which-- it will take place from November 12 to November 15 of this year at the Doral Cultural Arts Center. As is well known, every year, Miami-Dade becomes one of the leading destinations for contemporary art. During the arts season in South Florida, all the galleries, artists, business leaders, media representative, and visitors from around the world come together, bringing economic and cultural benefits to our community. This year, DIAF will have the privilege of opening the International Art Fair season and positioning the City of Doral as the starting point for one of South Florida most relevant cultural events of the year. For this fourth edition, we have already confirmed participation from galleries and art organizations from Houston, Ecuador, Cuba, Spain, Mexico, Colombia, Venezuela, and more. This shows the international reach of the fair and reinforce Doral's position as a city that welcome art, culture, new ideas, and business opportunities. We are also proud to welcome the Museum of the Americas, MoCAA, the Biennial of Cuenca from Ecuador, and the Spanish Cultural Center of Miami. We expect around 3,000 visitors to attend DIAF 2026 during that weekend. This level of attendance will help boost the local economy, directly supporting hotels, restaurant, shops, transportation services, cultural venues, and businesses across the city. DIAF is more than an art fair. We believe it's also a great opportunity to promote the City of Doral. Through this event, Doral can be presented and showcased to the public, both locally and internationally, as a modern, diverse, business-friendly city in the heart of Miami-Dade. As we prepare for this fourth edition on September 15 of this year, we will open an special exhibition called Water Trail at the Miami Dade College West Campus gallery, lead and curated by Félix Suazo. The exhibition will be on display during September and October and will explore the theme of water through photography and painting. This project reflects our ongoing support for the arts and our collaboration with educational and cultural organizations. Each edition, DIAF gives another opportunity to place Doral among the major events that make Miami-Dade special. Our goal is for the city to play an active role while welcoming visitors, supporting cultural tourism, creating new opportunities for local businesses, and celebrating the cultural richness of our community. Finally, we want to say thank you, Mayor Fraga. Thank you, member of City Council, City Manager as well. Thank you to all the members of the staff of the City of Doral for your support and commitment to this event. We kindly ask you for your continued partnership so we can keep bringing artists, galleries, media, visitors from around the world to visit Doral. We are sure that together, we can continue building Doral as an important destination for culture, art, and economic growth in South Florida. Thank you so much. Thank you. Thank you very much. I just want to congratulate you guys for the work that you've done, the entire team. Every year, it's been an improvement, more visitors, and exceptional artists and galleries. So thank you for your commitment to the city. We really value the partnership. I think it's brought a true meaning to what the Cultural Center was supposed to really be for for our community. Art and culture is definitely something that we, as a community, cherish and our community enjoys and value. And so I think that the Art Festival has really brought significance to that in our community. And it's been recognized not just countywide but regionally. And that's a testament to your work, dedication, and professionalism. So we appreciate it. And we look forward to this year's festival. We know that it'll be a great success once again. So thank you for your presentation. If there's any additional comments or questions-- I have a comment. Thank you. Councilwoman Reinoso. Hold on. There's a comment. Yes? DIAF, I'm really proud of all the work that you have done throughout the years. I value the continued effort of making it better every year and to include art that is diverse, that is unique. And it's really adding to what the cultural diversity of Doral is and really bringing up what-- art and the meaning of keeping that alive and present within our community and the importance of doing so. So I'm glad that you all have been tasked to do that. It's a big responsibility because art and culture is something that if we don't do as a city, it's going to be hard for anyone else to do. So thank you for your efforts. Thank you for the diversity that you bring to the community and for keeping art alive. Thank you. I have some comments, Mayor. Councilwoman Porras? I want to thank you guys. I can't believe it's already the fourth edition. And since the beginning, I've always been supportive. It's something that you guys have always done with professionalism. You've given a lot of local artists, as well, opportunities. And to reiterate the comments that my colleagues have made, you really have elevated our culture and our art, which is something that residents really wanted to see here in our community. So I want to thank you for that great work. And hopefully, we can continue this. And wishing you a lot of great success and to continue expanding and making our city proud. Thank you. Councilman Pineyro, you had a comment? Thank you, Mayor. I also just want to say congratulations because I always-- there has been a before and after when it comes to art in Doral. And you guys, as a group, have accomplished that. I always like to say this is like our mini Art Basel or our Art Basel of the year. So I see the excitement, the opportunities, and the collaboration from a lot of the local businesses and other businesses from other places as well. So I just want to say thank you for everything you guys are doing as a group, because it's also your time. And we also have to recognize that. I mean, you're putting a lot of hours every year into this great, great event. And it's not that you guys are getting paid for this. So you do it because you love art, you love what you do. We have local business owners here. We have residents as well as part of the organization. So congratulations because you're-- and let me say this as well-- we also have to recognize that art is a way of moving the city, financially speaking. It's an economic engine. And if we don't see it that way, then, certainly, we don't know anything about art. But that's why you also have actually created that sense of mobility around the city when it comes to people visiting Doral, people after the fair staying in downtown Doral or other places around the city also spending money here. So I just want to say congratulations because every year is more and more participation. And I certainly look forward to be there this year once again. Thank you. Thank you, Councilman Pineyro. Thank you all again. Thank you. Best of luck. All right. We're going to move into our discussion items. Madam Clerk? Discussion item 9A, A resolution of the Mayor the City Council of the City of Doral, Florida, awarding invitation to negotiate ITN 2026-11 "Vending machines operation and management" to Fresh Service & Repair Corporation; authorizing the City Manager to enter into an agreement with Fresh Service & Repair Corporation for a period of three years, with an option to renew for two one-year periods; authorizing the City Manager to execute the agreement; providing for implementation and incorporation of recitals and an effective date. All right. Madam City Manager, it's your item. Good morning, Mayor and Council, again. I just have a few words with respect to this item. So this ITN was issued on April 1, 2026. And the city received three responsive proposals. The procurement consisted of four phases-- the evaluation and ranking, the presentations and the question and answer, the negotiations, and the final evaluation recommendation. On May 12, 2026, the evaluation committee unanimously advanced all three proposals to phase 2. Following presentations and question and answers, two finalists, Canteen and Fresh Service, were selected to proceed to negotiations. Negotiations with the two finalists were held on June 2, 2026. And on June 8, 2026, the evaluation committee completed its final evaluation and unanimously ranked the proposals as follows. Number one, Fresh Service & Repair Corporation with 91 points. And number two, Canteen with 82.67. The difference between the two finalists was an 8.33 points difference, resulting in the committee's recommendation to award the ITN to Fresh Service & Repair Corp. The city's intent to award was signed and announced on June 9, 2026. On June 12, 2026, a bid protest was filed with the City Clerk. On June 22, the Procurement and Asset Manager Director submitted a written decision to the City Manager. On July 27, 2026, the City Manager, I, issued a decision resolving the protest and affirming the ITN 2026-11 award to Fresh Service & Repair Corp., with headquarters in the City of Doral. The final decision was emailed to the protesting party on July 27, 2026 at 3:52 PM. Pursuant to Section 2-338 of the City Municipal Code, any appeal was required to be filed within five calendar days of that notice. Accordingly, the appeal deadline was August 1, 2026. The protesting parties submitted their appeal two days late, on Monday, August 3, at 5:03 PM. All actions related to this bid protest, appeal, and resolution were conducted pursuant to Section 2-338 of the City Municipal Code. The code also provides that the protesting party must first follow the established protest and appeal procedures before seeking judicial relief. I want to just state that I stand by the decision and the recommendation I've made to Council. And I would ask for you to uphold that recommendation and select Fresh Service & Repair Corp. for this contract. Thank you. Thank you, Madam City Manager. Before we open to any questions or discussion, I think the City Attorney also has-- go ahead, Mr. City Attorney. And then I'll ask for any ex parte communication before we discuss. Thank you, Madam Mayor, Council. The job of the Council today is twofold. First, you're treating this protest that we received. It's before you. You've received in the-- in your agenda and in other documents that we forwarded to you the letters that were submitted by Canteen by their council, the different protest letters that they forwarded, and including the August 3, which was untimely, but it is before you. And I think you should consider it and, in your determination, take that into account. You've also listened to the testimony that's been presented by the Canteen and also by the awardee. And so your job today is to take all this evidence into account and weigh that and make a decision first on whether to uphold the protest, and then what would happen is that the item would be rebidded, or to uphold the manager's decision and move forward with the awarding. OK. Thank you, Mr. City Attorney. At the advice of the City Attorney, he's asked me to ask for ex parte communication, as the protester has taken a litigious approach. So we're going to ask if there's been any ex parte communications at this time before there's any comments or questions and a motion. There's been communication with my office. But it will not influence my decision. I also have been contacted by the protesting party. And it should not have any effect on my decision. Mayor, I've also had ex parte communication. And it will not affect my decision. Likewise here. None. OK. All right. Is there any comments, questions, or a motion based on the recommendation? Motion to approve. Motion to approve by Councilman Pineyro. Second. Second by Councilwoman Reinoso. Based on the recommendation-- yes? Madam Mayor, so is the motion to approve-- is the motion to uphold the Manager's decision, Councilman? Yes. Any comments or questions before we call the question? OK. Madam Clerk, please call the question. Motion to approve the Manager's recommendation made by Councilman Pineyro, seconded by Councilwoman Reinoso. Councilman Pineyro? Yes. Councilwoman Reinoso? Yes. Councilwoman Porras? Yes. Vice Mayor Cabral? Yes. Mayor Fraga? Yes. Motion passes. All right. Thank you very much for your time and consideration. All right, we move on to the next item. Item 9B, A resolution of the Mayor and the City Council of City of Doral, Florida, adopting a fiscal transition policy for Council office budgets, providing for applicability, implementation, incorporation of recitals, and an effective date. OK. Thank you very much, Madam Clerk. This is my item. Councilmembers, the item that is before you is something that has come to my attention in the past, not just at the School District. I ran into this issue. I know Councilwoman Reinoso ran into this issue when she was elected here. And what I have experienced and what we have discussed through the administration is, in preparation for the budget, it's come to our attention that there is no policy or no, really, way for there to be a barrier for a Council member that is outgoing or termed out or in an election process to expend their office's budget in one month for the full year, leaving the potentially incoming Council member, if it's a termed-out person, or if someone is up for reelection and doesn't succeed, then that coming-- incoming person would basically be left with zero budget, which is what happened to Councilwoman Reinoso. In one month, the former Council member expended the entire budget. And she was basically left with almost nothing. Happened to me at the School District also. You remember because you were with me at the time. We came in. And basically, the person before me, knowing they were on their way out, expended all the funds. And so taxpayers are basically double-burdened because it's unfair for that person coming in to not have the funding that is intended for that person to do their job. And so funds have to be replenished in some cases. And so this policy, well, it does assess a strict fiscal responsibility and transparency, as well as a policy that basically prorates those funds into 1/12. So you will be able to continue doing your job by the time you're there, but you're not allowed to expend over the prorated amount for that month that you are there. There are exemptions such as you should not be ordering logo wear or cards or anything like that if you are termed out. So this just creates a standard procedure and policy to be followed so that there is no questions, and there's no-- it's not abused from the office of the person sitting there, leaving that other person basically helpless when they come in with no funding. I think it's pretty self-explanatory. If there's any questions, I'm happy to answer them. The City Attorney has reviewed this for legal sufficiency. And the policy is before you. I have some quick questions, Mayor. Yes, Councilwoman Porras. I get the intent. And I do agree with it. I mean, I've heard this happening at the county level and different governments-- levels of government. What was done in Councilwoman Reinoso's case, was her budget replenished? I don't remember, actually. Councilwoman, you remember? No. No? No. I think you had to wait for the new fiscal year. Whatever was spent-- through the Mayor. Whatever was spent was spent. And then I don't remember having funds. Yeah, it was, I think, promotional items, memberships, and journals. I don't remember. But I know that it was spent. Got it. And there was no money to replenish that account. Yeah. No, I agree with the policy. Again, I've seen it happen and-- in different offices. My only question is I don't see it including the mayor's office. Is that something that we can add as well? It is included. Oh, is it? Yes. Because it just says-- I'm considered a Council member, too, as far as-- OK. Yeah. OK. I just wanted to clarify that. It is included. OK. All right. Motion to approve. Motion to approve by Councilman Pineyro. Second. Second by Councilwoman Reinoso. If there's no further questions, Madam Clerk, please call the roll. Motion to approve moved by Councilman Pineyro, seconded by Councilwoman Reinoso. Councilman Pineyro? Yes. Councilwoman Reinoso? Yes. Councilwoman Porras? Yes. Vice Mayor Cabral? Yes. Mayor Fraga? Yes. Motion passes. Thank you for your support. We'll move on to the next item. Item 9C, A resolution of the Mayor and the City Council of the City of Doral, Florida, directing the City Manager to establish a "Doral Ready Squad" Hurricane Preparedness Volunteer Program in conjunction with the Parks and Recreation Department's Silver Club and the Military Affairs Advisory Board, pairing veterans, high school student volunteers teams through our Student Volunteer Program, providing for implementation, incorporation of recitals, and an effective date. Councilwoman Reinoso, this is your item. Thank you, Mayor. So this item would already use an established volunteer program that we do have through our parks, I believe. And it would be using our Military Affairs Advisory Board to lead the Doral squad in events of emergency, particularly a hurricane. So during the time of a hurricane warning, I would like-- because our community is so strong, and we're so united for even a time of need, such as a hurricane-- to be able to establish an emergency team based of volunteers, led by the Military Advisory Board, to dispatch within our different communities, particularly to our Silver Club and our Special Needs group, help during a hurricane, whether it be setting up shutters, maybe bringing in groceries. But it's just a neighborly initiative. And the idea behind it is for the Military Advisory Board to essentially break the city into separate sections. And they would lead a certain section of the city. And my hope is to have enough volunteers registered that each community has at least two volunteers in case of emergency. Now, this could very well be seen as a pilot program. And it could turn into something greater. But I think it's a beautiful thing when we have a community that is so united and to extend that neighborly help in a time of need. So this item sets some parameters to do that. And I hope that I can have the support of my colleagues. Thank you, Councilwoman Reinoso. Any comments or questions for the Councilwoman? Motion to approve. Motion to approve by Councilman Pineyro. Second. Second by Councilwoman Porras. Finished it? Yeah. Thank you. All right. If there's no other comments or questions, Madam Clerk, please call the roll. Motion to approve moved by Councilman Pineyro, seconded by Councilwoman Porras. Councilman Pineyro? Yes. Councilwoman Porras? Yes. Councilwoman Reinoso? Yes. Vice Mayor Cabral? Yes. Mayor Fraga? Yes. The motion passes. All right. Next item, Madam Clerk. Next item, 9D, A resolution of the Mayor and the City Council of the City of Doral, Florida, directing the City Manager to explore mental health options for City of Doral employees, providing for implementation, incorporation of recitals, and an effective date. All right. Councilwoman Reinoso, this is also your item. Yes. So the City of Doral has had some hard last couple of months. But we are resilient. We are a community with heart. The reason why things affect us so closely is because of the close relationship that our employees have with each other, our community has with us. And it's a bittersweet thing. But again, it shows what a great job we are doing as a city that all these different people and events intertwine us, keep us connected. So mental health needs to be our priority. I know that the city has been doing things. But we need to do more. And we need to do better. So public service can be demanding. And we must ensure our employees have ample resources to address and discuss challenges that may be affecting them, both personally and professionally. While the city currently provides support, I believe we should educate and give this area the attention and funding it deserves. I ask the City Manager to look into the different programs that may be available and, if it is within her budget, to move forward, and if it is not, to bring it back to Council. I am requesting, therefore, the City Manager to work with staff and the experts needed to develop a comprehensive mental health program for all of our employees, every single one. The goal is to provide resources, private help, anonymous private help, and reduce the stigma behind mental health. I believe, as the leaders that we are, sitting up here, it is our role to call attention to these things. And it needs to be done. It needs to be done. And it needs to be a conversation that is comfortable, a conversation that needs to be had because grief is normal. It is an extension, a different phase, of love. Life can be overwhelming and demanding. But you're not alone. You're loved. There's resources. And we need to be able-- as Council, as staff, as administration, we need to be able to provide that resource. So supporting the mental health of our employees is an investment in their well-being and the continued strength within our city. God bless the staff. God bless our city. And I hope to have the support from my colleagues as well to pass this along. Our employees are our top priority. And we love you. And mental health needs to be discussed. And you all need the resources available to help you do the best for our city and to help do the best for yourselves. Thank you, Councilwoman. I couldn't agree more. And I would like to co-sponsor this item if possible. And I think it's an extremely sensitive item. So I really appreciate your approach on it, because I know that it's something that is extremely, deeply personal to people. And so we want to be able to extend that help and that resource. But it is extremely personal. And so I think that we should absolutely have the experts look into it and see how we can continue to improve and be better and continue to grow and learn from these circumstances. So thank you for bringing this forward. I also want to just piggyback off of it and mention I have been having conversations right after learning about this with the Manager and our Parks Director to include a monthly mental health emotional intelligence support or-- we're calling it-- what was the word I used? Not a support group, but a come-together group through our parks in our monthly programming. So not just sports and art and all these great things that we do, but also to have one programming a month in our parks, a public opportunity for people to either come to a workshop, a class, a motivational speaker, a group of colleagues that get together. So we will be starting to incorporate some of that into our monthly programming. So I just wanted to mention that as well. And I think it's extremely valuable for our community, not just our employees. So thank you for bringing this forward. You have my full support. And I look forward to working with all of you to improve this in our-- amongst our community. Motion to approve. Motion to approve by Vice Mayor Cabral. Second. Second by Councilman Pineyro. And Councilman Pineyro? Sure. Comment? Thank you, Mayor. And thank you, Councilwoman Reinoso, for bringing this forward. And I would love to co-sponsor as well this item. Thank you. But I also want to mention just an idea as well, because I think we did something similar when it came to the discussion about the domestic violence as well, that we included a section on our website about services, local providers, or approved institutions that provide these type of services, not only for staff, but also for residents as well. So maybe we can look into that option as well, that we can provide information in our website about mental health. And, as a matter of fact, we-- I have been working on hosting-- next week-- I believe it's the 22nd-- at Albizu University a workshop conference about mental health. We have been working on this for the past almost two months. So I'm going to pass the information to you as well so you can attend and speak about it because it's something that certainly is needed to speak and to-- and for residents to know what type of resources are available. So I'm going to be sharing that information as well. And speaking of Albizu University, it's here in Doral. And they do provide a lot of these services. So just for you to keep that in mind as well. And we can work with them in a lot of these initiatives. So thank you. Absolutely. Thank you, Councilman. Yes, absolutely. So all right. Mayor? Yes. So I just wanted to make a quick comment. So we have been already-- we have already started conversations and meetings. I've met with the HR Director, the Chief of Police, I also met with Councilwoman Reinoso to get some guidance on what it is that we wanted to see. And we are putting together some proposals. If we can do it under my threshold, which I would hope we could, then I'll go ahead and do that. But I will update Council. And also, if it does exceed, then we can examine those as well. But we are coming up with specific programs tailored to specific populations and also to-- but it will cover all of our employees. Thank you. Mayor? Yes, Councilwoman. And I would like for mandatory sessions to be included in whatever the program is because I think if everybody needs to go to a session, whether it's a workshop or whatever it may be, it starts to break down the stigma. It also becomes an avenue that if somebody does need that extra help, they can go through that under the radar and seek that help that they may be needing without a worry of maybe somebody noticing. We just want to be able to provide that resource of help when needed. And to the Mayor's point, I love the now extending this to the community-- perhaps on a monthly basis, is what I'm hearing? Yeah, once a month. We did have tragedies at our local school. And I think it would be nice to also have a component for students, parents, and families that may have gone through some things recently to have some source-- some resource that they can seek guidance or-- we can't prevent tragedies from happening. We have to be ready for when they do happen. And again, these are things that happen within our life. There's a way to prevent the really, really terrible stuff. And I think that's what we're trying to do with this opportunity. But when things do happen, there's people that are heartbroken, that are hurt, that are left over. And they also need help too. So yes, it's a very delicate topic. I don't want to speak more about it. I think enough has been said. But I appreciate that just how we plan parties and feel-good events, that, as a city, we also deal with the harder topics and provide those resources as well. Thank you. All right. If there's no additional comments or questions, Madam Clerk, please call the roll. Motion to approve by Vice Mayor Cabral, seconded by Councilman Pineyro. Vice Mayor Cabral? Yes. Councilman Pineyro? Yes. Councilwoman Porras? Yes. Councilwoman Reinoso? Yes. Mayor Fraga? Yes. Motion passes. All right. Thank you very much for your support. Item 9E, Discussion-- Employee Salary Public Search Portal. OK. Councilwoman Porras, this is your item. Thank you, Mayor. This is just a very, very brief discussion on the implementation of a search tool that's going to allow the public to access and view employee salaries for the city. When I was looking into this, after the City of Miami Beach and the City of Miami passed their own, I-- and I emailed the City Manager's office about it, she informed me that the city was already working on something like this. And so I just wanted to let residents know that it is going to be happening. And also, it is going to be something that new state law is going to require of cities and municipalities. So I wanted to just very quickly have the City Attorney just explain what the city-- what the new law requires and then just, Manager, what you told me so that the residents can know what's going to be implemented later on. Through the Mayor. Councilwoman, so the new law that's going to effect at the beginning of this year basically requires that all local governments post salaries of their employees and updated on a quarterly basis. OK, thank you. So, Mayor and Council, since the law was passed, we have been discussing implementing that, which the timeline for that is January 1 of 2027. We are speaking with our vendors-- our Paycom vendor. I'm trying to be able to make that an efficient process because I don't want something that has to be manually done and inputted all the time. So we are working on that. Because I like to keep things clear, I want to understand-- I want to just state that, yes, we have been working on it. It is an administrative policy. I did ask the Attorney if I was required to ask Council for action on that, and I'm not. So I am going to be handling this in an administrative policy manner. And I will update Council accordingly once we come up with the system. But absolutely, it will be up and running to meet-- to be compliant with state law. Thank you very much. All right. Another-- Thank you very much. Thank you. All right. No action is required. We'll move on to the next item, Item 9F. Item 9F, Discussion-- Advisory Boards, Committees, and Commissions Member Nomination. Mayor and Council, I did receive one nomination from the office of Councilwoman Porras, which is attached here in for the commission on status of women. Do we have a motion? Motion. Motion to approve by Councilwoman Porras. Second. Second by Councilwoman Reinoso. All in favor say, "aye." Aye. Sorry, do we need a full roll call? That's fine, no. OK. Mayor's Report. All right, Mayor's Report. Give me one second. Sorry. So, first, I'd like to thank our Parks and Recreation Department and our Doral Police Department for a great National Night Out event. It was a success. People were happy, very well organized, every year better and better. So thank you to the entire team-- it was a wonderful evening-- and to the Police Department that always does a great job with their National Night Out event. And I think our families truly enjoy it. As our students head back to school tomorrow, I want to wish all our students a very successful, safe, and educational school year, creating new memories. I just want to mention on that, too, I did ask-- I know every year, first week of school is tough with some traffic delays. And so every year, we've gotten, I think, a little bit better and not just implementing more police officers around the schools to help the flow of traffic. [PHONE RINGS] Silence your phones. No, I'm just kidding. So not just on helping with the flow of traffic and making sure that people have an easier route and that they feel and see the presence of our police officers. And we get to engage with the kids and things. So it's always wonderful to see our men and women in uniform out there supporting families. But this year, actually with the help of Public Works, we requested all active MOTs to be delayed and not obstruct the flow of traffic. And so Carlos and his team did a great job of speaking with the County and making sure that there was no MOTs that had been approved through the County that we hadn't seen that would affect the traffic flow, because we know that it's-- it can always be a challenge in the mornings and in the afternoons. So I can't promise there will be no traffic to the residents. But we're going to make it as an easy process and as a safe process as possible. A quick reminder to our city offices that-- I mean, to our city that the offices will be closed in-- for Labor Day in recognition of-- observance of Labor Day on September 7. Obviously, we don't have a Council meeting until then, so I just wanted to mention that. And it will take place on Tuesday, September 8. And then, of course, we have some birthdays this month-- our Director of IT, Eylin Fernandez, on August 13. So tomorrow is your birthday. I forgot what day it was. Our Director of-- our Building Official, I'm sorry, Linda Blanco, on August 26. Happy birthday. And we have a very special birthday. Also, on Monday, August 17, our City Manager will be celebrating her birthday. Happy birthday. Cake. (SINGING) Happy birthday to you (SPEAKING) We sing here. (SINGING) Happy birthday to you Happy birthday, dear Zeida Happy birthday to you (SPEAKING) It looks like a Game of Thrones cake. Thank you, everybody. All right, that concludes my Mayor's comments. Thank you very much. All right, the next item is Advisory Board Comments, Special Needs Advisory Board for August 2026. We do have Mr. Trevor Cunningham here to present the report, Mayor. Thank you. Thank you for your patience. Yeah, absolutely. And thank you for singing. That gives me a little lightheartedness to do this. As mentioned, my name is Trevor Cunningham. And I am the Chair of the City of Doral Special Needs Advisory Board. I just want to quickly thank my fellow board members for bringing this opportunity to my attention, the Department of Public Works here at the City of Doral for answering many of our questions about this, and Madam City Clerk and Miss Juanita Cruz for welcoming me this morning. This is my first City Council meeting, so I'm really happy to be here and be with you all. Our Advisory Board is asking to expand ridesharing options to individuals with disabilities, specifically at free or low cost, specifically looking at providing services for individuals to travel to medical appointments or job opportunities as city residents to city places. These are not necessarily meant to replace the Doral Trolley system or the Special Transportation Services. Both services are great. As someone who has a visual impairment, I use both of them. Every single day, I use the Trolley to get to the Metrorail. And I use my STS card to use the Metrorail. However, both have limitations. The [? Doral ?] Trolley has specific routes that can't go everywhere. And the STS service that is meant to go to door to door is constantly delayed and constantly has its own challenges. And for someone trying to get to a job or a medical appointment and being several hours delayed, you can only imagine how challenging that could be. Our simple ask here is that we ask that the City of Doral explore opportunities to expand the Freebee ridesharing program to people with disabilities and specifically look at opportunities for demand, operational feasibility, and long-term sustainability, specifically long-term cost. We know that this could be an expensive program. But we want to make sure that the demand is there, that the opportunity to make this a successful program would be there as well. So that is our proposal at this moment. And happy to answer any questions. Thank you, Trevor. Just to give some information on this-- so we have-- I've been working with Public Works on this. And we have had discussions about expanding it. The question that hasn't been answered, and what we're trying to understand better, is to what level of capabilities we would allow, whether the rider will be by themselves, accompanied with someone, because we understand the request of going to work and things like that. That's someone who's a little more independent. But we have no way of limiting someone putting someone with less capabilities in a vehicle on their own to go somewhere. So we're trying to figure out how to best service and serve those with the independence that they would be able to. We're working with Freebee on what the disability allow-- what they would allow as a disability for a person to be alone, or if they would have to say you have to be accompanied. So it is something that's being looked at. And then, obviously, the funding is the biggest issue. It is very costly. And it does cost us a lot right now even for the seniors. So we are currently reviewing that and seeing how we can best fund the program and expand it. We do subsidize a lot of special needs programming now. There's a lot of changes potentially coming down from Tallahassee on our revenue structures. So we are looking into all those capabilities, advertising, so on. So it is something that has been in discussion for some time. And I know that we would all be very supportive of it. We're just looking at what's the best model forward to be able to provide some expansion to the program. Great. Any additional questions? We'll let you all know very soon. Hopefully, there'll be a response. But I know Public Works is actively working on it. And they did hear your request that would be coming forward as part of the agenda. Excellent. We really appreciate it. Madam Manager, anything you would like to add on that? No? OK. All right. Thank you, Trevor. Thank you. Thank you so much. We'll keep you up to date. All right. Move on to the next item. City Manager's Report. Madam City Manager? Hi. Yes. Good morning. So I wanted to just bring a few-- a couple things to the Council's attention. It's with great honor that I report that the City of Doral is in receipt of the prestigious Government Finance Officers Association Triple Crown Award for 2024. So the 2024 Triple Crown Award recognizes governments that have achieved the following GFOA awards. The Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting for the FY 2023 ACFR, the Popular Annual Financial Reporting Award, and the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award for FY '25/'26 budget. So Doral is just one of 441 governments to achieve this special recognition for fiscal year ending 2024. The Triple Crown designation represents a significant achievement. To qualify, each entity must meet the high standards of all three separate award programs. Each award program recognizes governments that produce reports which communicate their financial stories in a transparent manner and meet applicable standards. So I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to the entire Finance team for their hard work and dedication. We have commended them for these awards before. [APPLAUSE] In addition to that, I'm also pleased to share that Doral Central Park project has officially earned the Gold certification from the Florida Green Building Coalition. Although the project was originally designed to achieve only the Silver certification, the dedication and collaborative efforts of the City of Doral team followed us to exceed that goal. Through strategic coordination, careful planning, and strong commitment to sustainable design and construction practices, the project achieved the higher Gold certification. This recognition is a significant accomplishment for the city and reflects the hard work of everyone involved in delivering a high-quality, environmentally responsible project that will benefit our community for years to come. I'd like to congratulate and thank Lazaro Quintero and the entire project team for this outstanding achievement. They do have an award that was sent to them, so I'd like for them to come and take a picture with you if possible. Of course. Thank you. Please come up. [APPLAUSE] We'll do it right when we wrap up-- let's finish the reports. Yes. Anything else, City Manager? No, that's it, Mayor. Thank you. OK. Madam City Clerk, next item. City Attorney's Report. City Attorney. Mr. City Attorney? Nothing to report, Madam Mayor. OK, no sessions to call. No sessions to call. OK. Madam City Clerk, your report's always so-- It's very lengthy. It's attached. OK, perfect. Thank you. Thank you very much. All rig