City Commission Meeting

welcome to the city of miami commission meeting for JUNE 11th 2026. I am joined here by our mayor, my colleagues commissioner rosado, commissioner escalona, commissioner pardo, our manager. We want to get this party started today. Middle of the we're deep in warm warm warm weather. Are we enjoying that? We have a couple of proclamations today that we're going to recognize. We're going to recognize our corporate run folk. Come on up. MADAM Chair, MADAM Mayor, would you like to do this? Come on. Because fun fact the mayor and I are both very, very into exercise. We walk and run, we lift weights and we are supportive of this effort with I started the fit city challenge years ago so that our employees could work out with us and it's really a bit of a selfish thing on my part because I just want people to work out [Laughter] With me so I drag them all in. Oh all right. Well good morning. Come on in guys. Get in the middle. This is your day and your celebration. Um, as the CHAIRWOMAN Said, uh, fitness is it's not just part of physical health. I think it's part of mental health. Um, we we all feel better. Move better. What do they say motion is the body's lotion. Um and so I have been proud to participate in the corporate run over so many years and did pretty well, um to do pretty well this year and it was just thrilled to see thousands of people um in downtown whether you were walking, running, pushing a baby carriage, uh, or in some cases just hanging out at the tents. Uh, it is a way to bring the city together and get people downtown and so congratulations and of course, uh, lori into the whole team at footworks everything you do to get people ready for the marathon and half marathon that's how you I got ready, uh, so I appreciate you training me up as well. And so we're just happy to have you here not just this year but next year and the year after that and the year after that. Would anyone else want to say a few words? [Laughter] Commissioner pardo. All right. I'm actually I'm really honored to recognize you and I wanted to do this proclamation. First of all, you're in our district right in downtown. You've been doing this for over 40 years. Started in 1985. I think I might have gone to the first one of these. I used to work at southeast bank and today everybody's running there all kinds of run clubs. But you're number one the original run club that started it all and you're often referred to as south florida's largest office party because everybody kind of tailgates everybody has a good time. It's very positive you have programing through the whole year. You're really focused on health and fitness. I think what you do is great work and that's why we [Applause] Wanted to recognize you with this proclamation. Thank you very much.. >> any of you. Know and you know every year since I got elected the corporate run is on thursday a commission meeting day every single because I would love to go out there as a city as an employee of miami-dade county, I participated in a corporate run every year. Then I get elected every year it's on a thursday and that thursday is commission meeting day. But congratulations guys. Thank you. Thank you for showing up and thank you for being the example of why [Applause] Moving our bodies is so important. Congratulations. [Laughter] [Laughter] [Applause] Thank you so much I appreciate [Laughter] You. [Laughter] Let them they don't like where we are. [Laughter] [Applause] [Laughter] Thank you thank you. Our next recognition is for MR. Carlos migoya and he has served for so many years in the city with public health. He has such a stellar resume and it is an honor to recognize him. My colleague commissioner rosado has taken the lead on recognizing MR. Migoya pleasure day. Thank you CHAIRWOMAN. Yes. Carlos migoya is a leader across so very many fields. He was born in cuba and immigrated to miami at a young age. He attended miami high right here in our fair city and fiu. And then he had an illustrious career in the banking field where he was one of the top bankers in town and somebody that everybody really, really appreciated and regarded very highly when the city was going through a troubled time. He served pro bono as city manager and got us out of a financial slump using that business and finance acumen that he had developed over the course of his career. From there about 15 years ago he became the ceo of the jackson health system when they were going through some troubled times and now under his leadership it's become one of the preeminent health care systems in our entire country and most importantly it serves us all of us in miami-dade county, especially in times of crises and health emergencies. We could not be more honored to thank you for your leadership on the professional level, at the governmental level and for the fact that you serve on so very many civic boards across miami-dade county. Carlos, thank you for a [Applause] Lifetime of exemplary leadership. You know, a lot of people forgot that I was a banker. It was [Laughter] Only 40 years. I know you do. I know you do you work with me. Um but seriously, um we're not done. We're in we've already announced that and thanks to the previous seat that the mayor had, we're building 1500 workforce housing right on 12th avenue and 17th street for jackson. And we're also with the partnership of miami dade college starting in 800 kid uh healthcare high school that will open in SEPTEMBER 27th, uh, for kids to be able to get an associate's degree at the same time as a high school degree when they come out of out of high school and be able to go to work right away into healthcare, something that I think is very, very needed in this community. So and all of that is in the city of miami. So I live in the city of miami. I'm very proud to be a city of miami. I've always lived in the city of miami. This this city has given a lot to me. So [Applause] I'm just happy to be able to give back. So thank you all for the [Applause] Recognition. So carlos, um I just want to say thank you. Um I've had the privilege of working with you on the county commission for nearly eight years and watched all of your work to make and transform jackson into a world class institution that's a model for the rest of the country. Um, I also remember deeply all of the efforts during covid where there was no hospital with better outcomes for covid patients than jackson. And so your efforts to make sure that our community is healthy no matter what their income level is extremely meaningful. And and you mentioned the fact that now you are even moving more holistically into how to care for the community by making sure that jackson's land is also used for affordable housing and for working families. And so I just every time I meet with you I see a new level of innovation. I'm so proud of what you've accomplished at jackson. I am proud that you have left it in good and capable hands and I can't wait [Applause] To see what you do next. And I just want to commend carlos because let me tell you, uh you're in my district in the uh in the health district and I've been there all my life in allapattah and I've seen the change day and night what jackson was 10 or 15 years ago to what it is now. And you're a very good administrator. I thank you for that night and day really transformational. Thank you very much for your work. I will say something because what I do want to say is I did have the pleasure of working with you at southeast bank and you were always a great role model, very great at what you do but also your community work. You led by example on all of that. So proud to have you in our district. Thank you for everything you do. I enjoy talking with you and being able to help in whatever way we [Applause] Can. Thank you. You deserve it. Congratulations. Yeah. [Laughter] You guys saved my life I love you, I love you thank you thank you thank you. How is how is everything you doing. Now we are going to have father raul from saint agnes episcopal church located in the historic overtown to lead us in prayer. Let us pray. Almighty and everlasting GOD, we give you thanks and praise for our chair and our commissioners. We give you thanks for our mayor. We give you thanks for the work that they do. We ask that you fill us with the spirit of gratitude. Help us not to fall victim to the need to complain about everything, but to be thankful for the blessings you've bestowed upon us. Grant them health and strength. Grant their staff health and strength, knowledge, wisdom and understanding. Help us above all as a people not to succumb to greed but to share and share alike, to give and to care for the well-being and the building up of the common life. therefore almighty GOD go before us in all our doings with thy most gracious favor and further us with thy continual help that with all our works begun, continued and ended in you we MAY glorify your holy name and finally by your mercy obtain everlasting life through christ our lord. Amen. Amen. Okay. And now for the pledge of allegiance. 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. Please be seated. MISTER City attorney. Good morning, MADAM Chair. Thank you. Detailed information about the processes order of business rules of procedure and scheduling or rescheduling of city commission meetings can be found in chapter two article two of the city code, a copy of which is available online at www.Municode.Com. Any person who is a lobbyist pursuant to chapter two, article six of the city code must register with the city clerk and comply with related city requirements for lobbyists before appearing before the city commission. A person MAY not lobby a city official, board member or staff member until registering a copy of the code section about lobbyists is available in the city clerk's office or online at www.Municode.Com. Any person making a presentation, formal request or petition to the city commission concerning real property must make the disclosures required by the city code in writing a copy of the city code sections available at the office of the city clerk or online at www.Municode.Com. The city of miami requires that anyone requesting action by the city commission must disclose before the hearing any consideration provided or committed to anyone for agreement to support or withhold objection to the requested action pursuant to city code section 2-8 any documents offered to the city commission that have not been provided seven days before the meeting as part of the agenda, materials will be entered into the record at the city commission's discretion in accordance with section 233 f and g of the city code. The agenda and material for each item on the agenda is available during business hours at the city clerk's office and online 24 hours a day at www.Miami.Com. The meeting of the miami city commission is a limited public forum. Any person MAY be heard by the city commission through the chair for not more than two minutes on any proposition before the city commission unless modified by the chair. Public comment will begin at approximately 9:30 A.M. And remain open until public comment is closed by the chairperson. Any person making offensive remarks or becomes unruly in the city commission chambers will be barred from further attending city commission meetings and MAY be subject to arrest. No clapping, applauding, heckling or verbal outbursts in support or opposition to a speaker or his or her remarks shall be permitted. No signs or placards shall be allowed in the commission chambers. Persons exiting the commission chambers shall do so quietly. Members of the public wishing to address the body MAY do so by submitting written comments via the online comment form. Please visit www.Miami.Com/meeting instructions for detailed instructions on how to provide public comment using the online public comment form. The comments submitted through the comment form have been and will be distributed to the elected officials or staff and city administration throughout the day so that the elected officials MAY consider the comments prior to taking any action. Additionally, the online comment form will remain open during the meeting to accept comments and distribute to the elected officials, their staff and city administration up until the chairperson closes public comment. Public comment MAY also be provided here live at city hall located at 3500 pan american drive, miami, florida subject to any and all city rules as they MAY be amended if the proposition is being continued or rescheduled, the opportunity to be heard MAY be at such later date before the city commission takes action on such proposition. When addressing the city commission, the members of the public must first state their name, their address and what item will be spoken about. Any person with a disability requiring assistance auxiliary aids and services for this meeting MAY notify the city clerk. The city has provided different public comment methods to indicate, among other things, the public support opposition or neutrality on the items and topics to be discussed at the city commission meeting all in compliance with section 286.01144 c florida statutes the public has been given the opportunity to provide public comment during the meeting and within reasonable proximity in time before the meeting. Please note commissioners have generally been briefed by city staff and the city attorney's office on items on the agenda today. Anyone wishing a verbatim record of an item considered at this meeting MAY request that the office of communications or view it online at www.Gov.Com for planning and zoning items. Pc items shall proceed shall proceed according to section 7.1.4 the miami 21 zoning ordinance parties for any items including any applicant, appellant, appellee, city staff and any person recognized by the decision making body as a qualified intervenor as well as the applicant's representatives and any experts testifying on behalf of the applicant. Appellant or appellee MAY be physically present here at city hall to be sworn in by oath or affirmation by the city clerk. The members of the city commission shall disclose any ex parte communications to remove the presumption of prejudice pursuant to florida statute section 286.0115 and section 7.14.5 of the miami 21 zoning ordinance. The order of presentation shall be as set forth in miami 21 and in the city code staff will briefly present each item to be heard. The applicant will present its application or request to the city commission. If the applicant agrees with staff recommendation, the city commission MAY proceed to its deliberation and decision. The applicant MAY also waive the right to an evidentiary hearing on the record for appeals. The appellant will present its appeal to the city commission followed by the appellee. Staff will be allowed to make any recommendation they MAY have. Please silence all cell phones and other noise making devices. This meeting can be viewed live on miami tv, the city's facebook page, the city's twitter page, the city's youtube channel and comcast channel 77. The broadcast will have closed captioning thank you MADAM Chair. Thank you MR. City clerk would you please read your statement for the record? Thank you chair the procedures for individuals who providing testimony to be sworn in for planning and zoning items and any quasi judicial items on today's city commission agenda will be as follows the members of city staff or any other individuals required to be sworn in who are currently present at city hall will be sworn in by me, the city clerk immediately after I finish explaining these procedures. Those individuals those individuals who are appearing remotely MAY be sworn in now or at any time prior to the individual providing testimony for planning and zoning items and or quasi judicial items. Commissioners, are you comfortable with all notice provisions set forth in these uniform rules of procedures we have established for this meeting? Yes, CHAIRMAN. Administer the oath for the planning and zoning items please. Thank you chair. Good morning ladies and gentlemen. If you will be speaking on any of today's planning and zoning items. Those are the items. MAY I please have you stand and raise your right hand? Do you solemnly swear or affirm that the testimony you're about to give at today's hearing is the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth? And your response is thank you chair. Thank you. At this time, MR. City manager, do you have any items on the agenda that will be withdrawn or deferred? Good morning. MADAM Chair. MADAM Mayor, commissioners, the administration would like to defer or withdraw. The following items are e one to be indefinitely deferred are e one to be indefinitely deferred? Are e two to be deferred to the JUNE 25th meeting? Are e two to be deferred to the JUNE 25th meeting are e five to be indefinitely deferred? Are e five to be indefinitely deferred? Are e eight to be indefinitely deferred? Are e eight to be indefinitely deferred? And finally fr1 to be deferred to the JUNE 25th meeting fr one to be deferred to the JUNE 25th meeting. This completes all of the items. Thank you colleagues. Are there any items on the agenda that you would like to defer or withdraw? I see a no from my two. Not at this time. Not at this time, commissioner. No, ma'am. Okay. >> MAY I have a motion to set the agenda motion? I have a motion and a second. All in favor. Aye. >> motion. >> chair, if I MAY, I apologize for the interruption. Um, yes? Would you like to city attorney read the title into the record, please? Thank you, MADAM Chair. MR. City clerk, pocket item a resolution of the miami city commission pursuant to chapter 52 article one, section 52-2I of the code of the city of miami, florida as amended titled special events special events permits special events in general duration and limitations city commission waiver waiving the limitation placed on the issuance of a special event permit for a period in excess of ten days for the allapattah soccer community field activation special event consisting of a temporary soccer pitch and related community programing to be produced by miami bethany community services inc. And not for not for profit florida corporation on city of miami owned property located at 850 and 920 north west 23 street miami, florida folio number 0131260150040 and 0131260150110 property for the period commencing JUNE 11th 2026 and ending JUNE 19th 2026 inclusive of setup and teardown dates subject to the organizers compliance with all permitting requirements, conditions and limitations of chapter 52 of the city code and all other applicable city, county, state and federal laws, rules and regulations further authorizing authorizing the city manager to issue said special event permit and to negotiate and execute any and all other necessary documents all in forms acceptable to the city attorney for said purpose and providing for an effective date. Thank you. At this time I'm going to open the floor for public comment. Anyone who wishes to speak, please join us at the lecterns here five at a time so we don't create a fire hazard. Good morning. >> good morning. I want to try to be thankful as the pastor said uh so I'm thankful that I have this forum to share my thoughts about what I feel about what's going on with the city. Um, I went for a run this uh this week I went for a run this morning. I run regularly, uh, right along the bay right to my house and on the run out I saw um two things that kind of startled me. Uh, one was fdot clearing the dinner key, uh, outfall and um, they were doing it with a little net this big a couple guys with no real plan and part of that was with a rake raking against a scraping against the grate and the entire bay was filled with styrofoam. They weren't preventing it maybe captured about 10% of the waste. We ended up calling uh derm on them and stopping them from doing what they were doing, which was supposedly cleaning the grate. What they were doing was just emptying out everything into the bay. It was really disturbing to see that they didn't have a plan and that we at this day and age don't organize ourselves to put a plan so we can implement best practices when we're trying to do the right thing. So it's really disturbing. I went on a walk with an associate of mine that basically is an advocate that I helped promote to advocate because that's what I do. And we turn right by city hall and we see a dead loggerhead turtle completely split on the back. It was disturbing. Voter safety is a thing that we're dealing with and right now, you know, our values are upside down. We have uh, for doing uh, ski jet soccer when we're not putting the pyramid of values in the right place. We love our ecology, we love our wildlife, we love our bay, we love what we have. Those are things that bring value to our life. Put those on the top of the pyramid and then finally please defer that item or remove that item. Right of way should be for the trees not for the builds or not for fpl bury the lines. Think about the trees. Thank you. Good morning. Good morning. My name is rebecca george. I'm really grateful for your time. Thank you so much. Good morning MADAM Mayor and commissioners. I am here to support agenda item p h for representing allapattah. I'm asking you not only to say yes to sports but actually to healthy lifestyles. We know any hour that the youth is not busy they get busy doing something else that they shouldn't be doing. So we just want to redirect their their lives, redirect them and give them some purpose. Our coaches are ready. Our people are ready. Our volunteers, our families, our young people are ready. But the only thing that we need is your approval. Um we see that we've come for two years now and we're struggling to understand why every time we come and we feel like we're moving forward, we're actually not everything is pushed into the future but not into today. So we're not asking for special privileges. We're just asking that you would please approve this and help us. We simply want to partner with city of miami to serve residents and create positive opportunities for young people and transform an abandoned property into a valuable community asset. This is why we realize that will come as often as we need to come. But we are leaving work. We are leaving, you know, other responsibilities and we know and we thank you for coming today, but we ask you please to approve and give us a definitive solution for ph for today and stop pushing it for tomorrow. Thank you so much. Thank you. Good morning. Good morning honorable commission chair and commissioners and mayor. My name is kendall coffey. I am an office at coffee burlington 2601 south bayshore drive. Like all of us who are present, we appreciate your public service and appreciate the difficult decisions you often have to make. But I'm here because this is not a difficult decision. I'm here on the virginia key matter, ari three and four and the courts have decided and they have decided that this is to be and must be put before the voters. It is not a matter of discretion judgment. It is a present tense command from our courts to this city and you are the city doesn't matter what prior commissioners did or didn't do, this is now your responsibility and we suggest that the language which is operative from the court went through the appeals, went through every process imaginable, directs the city to award the marina contract to my client virginia key llc and put the proposal before the voters by referendum. There's no room on this. In fact, mandamus is an extraordinary remedy. It means literally we command we don't talk about mandamus commonly but that is how emphatic the courts are and felt that it was necessary that this matter move forward. I thank you for your attention. I ask that you follow the law and by following the law and respecting the courts rather than delay or somehow divert, do the duty that you hold in your hands today. It is a duty that not only involves respect for the courts frankly obedience to the court but also the ultimate which is to put this matter in the hands of the voters. Let the voters decide. Thank you. Thank you. Good morning. Good morning. Good morning, MADAM Mayor and commissioners. My name is stephanie olguin and I am also here representing the allapattah community in support of agenda item pf four. Thank you for the opportunity to address you here today. Every person who comes before you today has made a sacrifice to be here. Some have left work early, some have lost wages, some have missed classes, some have rearranged family responsibilities and no one does that because it is convenient. We do it because we believe in this project and because we believe in our community. For two years residents have invested their time, their energy and resources trying to bring life to a property that has sat unused for decades. We continue showing up because we believe civic participation matters. We continue showing up because we believe our voices deserve to be heard and we continue showing up because we believe this commission has the ability to help make this project a reality. Please recognize the commitment of the residents who continue to participate in this process and who continue to believe in the future of allapattah. Please approve a definitive solution for pf for today. Our community has already waited too long. Thank you.,thank you. Good morning. Good to see you again. Thank you. >> good morning MADAM Mayor and commissioners. My name is mindy martinez and I am here representing the community in support of agenda item pf four. Thank you for the opportunity to address you today. Today I stand before you to remind you of the simple reality that we have been waiting for two years two years waiting for you to put in service a public property that has sat abandoned for more than 30 years 30 years without benefiting residents, 30 years without providing opportunities for our youth and 30 years without contributing anything positive to our neighborhood. Two years ago this commission recognized the value of our proposal and opened a path forward. But since then we have attended meetings, answered questions and provided information and complied with. Every request has been made of us yet here we are again. Our community cannot continue watching a vacant property sit idle when there is a real opportunity to transform it into a place of service, recreation and community development. Two years has been enough. We respectfully ask you to allow this vision to move forward and to finally put this property to work for the residents that it has been meant to serve. Please approve a definite solution for pf for today. Our community has already waited too long. Thank you. Thank you and thank you for your advocacy. Good morning. >> good morning. Good morning. Uh my name is james sanderson. I am with the bayside residents association uh, the community association with which the prescott estates sits and the association that worked with the original applicant during the 22 negotiations. I'm here regarding pf two the prescott estates replat my understanding is this item would accept the final plat for prescott estates including five residential lots and one tract for a private road. Our concern is not simply the use of the word private. Our concern is whether the final plat accepted today is consistent with what was represented to the neighborhood and to the city during the 22 negotiations and appeal process in the 22 record, the applicant stated that the replat would include language providing that the general public shall have perpetual easement for immediate entry, continued access and right of way over prescott lane the common driveway that language appears in the applicant's JULY 2122 filing to the commission and it also appears in the original developer minor streets commitment letter provided in connection with the negotiations. The applicant also described the project as including public access through a new road. So the question for us today is straightforward does the final plat now before the commission actually contain that public easement and right of way language? If it does then the record should clearly reflect that this is not simply a closed private road. If it does not then we believe there MAY be a material inconsistency between what was represented in 2022 and what is being formalized now. So we respectfully ask that before acceptance of the plat the commission confirm on the record the exact easement language applicable to prescott lane and whether the public access commitment made during the 22 process is being preserved in the final plat. Thank you, thank you. Good morning. Good morning, MADAM Mayor and commissioners. My name is lydia and I'm here representing the allapattah community and in support of agenda item pf four. Thank you for the opportunity to address you today. With all due respect we are tired. We are not tired of working. We are not tired of serving. We are not tired of fighting for our community. We are tired of seeing a new obstacle appear each time we believe we have satisfied the previous one. When one concern is resolved, another concern emerges when one question is answered, another requirement appears when we think we are finally moving forward the process seems to start all over again. This is not how communities how community projects succeed residents to fear deserve clear, fair and predictable processes. We are not asking for special treatment. We are simply asking for a fair opportunity to complete a project that will benefit families, youth and residents throughout our neighborhood after two years the question should not be what new obstacle can be created? The question should be what can be done today to finally allow this project to move forward? Please approve a definite solution for pf for today. Our community has already waited too long. Thank you. Thank you. Good morning. Good morning. My name is andrea martinez and I'm here to represent the allapattah community in support of agenda item page four. I want to thank you all for having me. Um the opportunity to address you guys today today we're not asking for another meeting. We're asking we're not asking for another study. We're not asking for another delay. We're asking for a solution after two years our community deserves a clear and definite answer. The constant uncertainty serves no one. It does not serve its residents and it does not serve the city. It certainly does not serve the people who have invested countless hours trying to bring this project to life. Our community has demonstrated patience and we have demonstrated cooperation. We have demonstrated persistence and now we need leadership. There comes a point where every discussion must lead to a decision. There comes a point where every process must lead to result. There come there comes a point where waiting becomes unreasonable. We believe that that point has arrived. Please provide a clear path forward today so this property can finally begin serving its people of allapattah please provide a definite solution for ph for today. Our community has waited long enough. Thank you. Thank you. Good morning. Good morning honorable commissioners and of the city of miami and MADAM CHAIRMAN um I would like to apologize to billy corbin as well as to the commission for taking away MR. Corbyn's phone while he was legally videotaping video recording of public meeting on MAY 30th 2025. I understand that my doing so was only a disruption of the proceedings but a crime i will not happen again. I want to stress that violence of any kind is unacceptable, especially in a hearing where people are exercising their constitutional protected rights to engage our government. Thank you all for understanding. Good morning. >> good morning. Um my GOD bless you and I'm here to represent the community. So before I want to say something no one can do more things with less than our community. Good morning. My name is maria moreno and I'm here in favor of the allapattah eden village for today I want to talk about something that makes allapattah special. Our community knows how to accomplish great things with very little. Our community. Um the truth is that, um. I'm sorry. The truth is that no construction company, no government agency and no outside organization can stretch a small budget that we accumulate community community can. Why? Because we're not depending on large contracts we're depending on of people. We're depending on volunteers and we're depending on neighborhoods. We depend depending on parents, coaches, churches and community leaders and small donations from hardworking families who cares deeply about this neighborhood? We built something really weird our hands when we prove something we prove it together. We're investing in youth. We did it because we're children and our future there is the power of the community. There is the power of the church. We really have coaches to serve. we have volunteers ready to work. We really have residents who really contribute their time, their time, their time, their talent and their resources. What we need now is our opportunity. Please do not understand me why you need community can accomplish what is empowering of residents. Give us a chance and we will transform this property into something that can be a problem. Please approve a different solution for beach for today. Our community has already waited too long. Thank you. >> thank you thank you great job. Good morning. Good morning robert christophe junior 90 alton road, miami beach, florida. I'm here r'3 and r'4 good morning mayor, commissioners and members of the public. My name is robert christophe junior. I'm here on behalf of virginia key llc. First I want to congratulate the new mayor the first female mayor. Congratulations and commission. I've not been in front of you yet. This is my first time I'm excited to be here before you and look forward to being on the NOVEMBER ballot so the people of miami can finally have their say. Rci has a long history of successful public private partnerships in south florida we have developed and operated first class public assets while generating significantly higher rent revenue for municipalities. Examples include projects such as montes as well as the miami beach marina. Virginia key llc was selected not once but twice through a competitive rfp process by two separate and independent selection panels. Unfortunately, the prior city commission chose to delay and defer this project for approximately 15 to 20 months. During that time, the real losers were the residents of the city of miami. The city lost tens of millions of dollars in potential rent and revenue. Those numbers are clearly reflected in the proforma that was submitted as part of the rfp. The competing bidder, the abod group, lost both rfp processes. Not only did they lose before independent selection committees, but they were ultimately placed on a referendum through an inappropriate process. The voters of miami rejected their proposal as well. After years of litigation, both the trial court and appellate court determined that the actions of the prior commission were improper. The courts awarded the rfp to virginia key llc upheld the lease that was attached to our proposal. The court further issued a writ of mandamus requiring the city of miami to place the matter before the voters, recognizing the risk that continued political gamesmanship could otherwise prevent the public from having its voice heard. Thank you. All right. Thank you, thank you. Good morning. Good morning. MAY the lord bless you all. My name is angelica torrents and I'm here in support of the agenda page four. Thank you again for the opportunity to address you today. Our message today is very simple it is time to stop allowing bureaucracy to stand in the way of community progress rules are important. Regulations are important. Oversight is important. But when regulations become an obstacle instead of a safeguard, something is not working properly. For two years we have navigated meetings, reviews, requirements, conditions and delays. For two years we have complied with requests after request yet the property remains unused and the residents the community we all still waiting and opportunities continue to be lost. Our government should protect us as a public but it also should empower us to succeed. Our government should create solution not endless delays. Our government should encourage us as community partnership not discourage us. Today we respectfully ask you to please break this cycle, allow us this project to move forward. Allow this property to finally serve for a purpose. Allow the residents of allapattah to see that government. Our government can work together with the community to accomplish something good. Please in jesus name we request you to approve our project in GOD we trust and I believe he will. His will will be done. Bless you. Amen. >> thank you. Good morning. Senora senora. Good morning. Uh, thank you for the opportunity of being here today. Um, my name is jose vasquez. I'm a citizen from morningside area for almost 30 years now. Um, I have an issue for over ten years now with, uh with a tree which I brought pictures here to show you and I would like to read my statements to you as all we know, the removal of mature trees within the city of miami have become a growing concern and that say there are circumstances where the removal of a tree is necessary for the public safety and property protection. The city relies on qualified herbalists and other experts to inspect individual trees and evaluate their condition before making recommendations regarding their future. Uh just as we place our trust on the city professionals when they assess and approve projects of much greater magnitude which will extend the same trust to their expertise of evaluating the trees appealing or attempting to have the removal process before they fully understanding the reasons behind an expert recommendation MAY be premature and counterproductive. In many cases, trees MAY present risks to nearby homes structures, pedestrians or utilities as timely action MAY be required to prevent injury or property damage. Moving forward, greater greater consideration should be given to planning the right tree species in the appropriate locations. For example large growing trees. Should you. Thank you. Two minutes. >> I'm sorry. Thank you. >> okay. >> good morning. >> good morning CHAIRWOMAN. MADAM Mayor, honorable commission. >> my name is melissa tappin with law offices at 200 south biscayne boulevard, miami. I'm here on behalf of sb realty and to respectfully request the withdrawal the withdrawal of prs one, two and. Um we will provide that in writing to the department um shortly. Um we would also like to thank the CHAIRWOMAN Uh her staff as well as the community that has engaged in significant uh, community discussions regarding the future of design place and we look forward to bringing forward an application at the appropriate time in the future. Also I'm here representing the owner of pf two that is the prescott estates plat. Um for the record I would just I know that there was public comments um the plat for that is being proposed for approval today specifically provides for a one way private road with a public ingress egress easement. Um and I urge the commission if they have any questions to seek guidance from the director of resiliency and public works. If you have any questions for me of course I'm available. Thank you. Thank you. Good morning. Good morning commissioners and mayor steven lightner 1131 second street bay harbor islands. Thank you, thank you thank you commissioners for safeguarding our canopy at roberto clemente park. Your actions provided inspiration beyond which my words can even capture. So thank you, thank you, thank you. There's an appeal. Uh, and I'm not sure it's on the agenda because I couldn't find it so please indulge me but please vote yes on appeal item that was supposed to be listed as item four. This appeal seeks to overturn intended decision 26087 and save a large straight state threatened mahogany tree located in the city's right of way at approximately 501 north east 55th terrace posting errors the official notice signed for the intended decision was erroneously erroneously posted on the wrong tree denying the community accurate transparency and placing another large state threatened mahogany in jeopardy of being removed. Thank you. Thank you. Good morning. Good morning aboard melanie 3301 rickenbacker causeway here to speak on r three and re4. The court ordered that virginia key llc or v k threatens to enforce does not impose a referendum timeline nor does it require a general or primary election. As you heard this morning, even counsel for v k was silent as to the timing of this referendum during this ten year saga, v k repeatedly stated on the record that it would pay for a special election. The city can satisfy the order by holding a special election only after the required charter conditions have been satisfied. Please comply with the public notice requirements, complete the appraisals, vet the two lease drafts and make the required disclosures run a comparison of the 2017 lease draft that the court accepted from v k as quote, fully negotiated with the modified version that appears before you today. Any material changes to the lease violate the order and trigger a new process. A comparison yields nearly 600 changes and there has been no written certification from the city attorney that these changes are non-material because there are quite a few. Discussion in public record revealed that there were subsequent negotiations and material changes to the document. Your charter requires two appraisals to ensure that you are receiving fair market value. As of yesterday not a single commissioner received them in their briefings. Only yesterday afternoon did they appear as the agenda backup prompted by our second round of public record requests. There is a ten day notice requirement. Thus currently neither the public nor the commission have been afforded notice or a chance for review investigate the composition of vks entity purportedly comprised of suntex and rci. Only rci and its affiliates are members to the v k entity per florida division of corporation. More on this if time allows the subject rfp was published ten years ago. We're in a different world today. Values have skyrocketed. The cost of this project have at least doubled and vks proposed rents are outdated and far below market. No one here is proud of this deal disclosed to the public what you know that this is a terrible deal for them. A forced giveaway of precious public waterfront. Please comply with your charter, educate your constituents and inoculate yourselves from the bad publicity which is sure to come. Thank you. Thank you. Good morning. >> good morning, MADAM Chair. Good to see you. Back in the saddle and behind the gavel billy corbin on bc4 and the p h items. First I want to just accept MISS Mann's apology and I appreciate her taking responsibility for her actions. And I want to condemn political violence in any form and on any scale including threats including calls for violence and including the disgusting social media comments that commissioner bella has expressed concern about. Um I do want to say point of order for the second meeting in a row I'm here on items that have been deferred as I'm sitting here at 930 in the morning. I would like to say I know that other boards like ab have made more of an effort to inform through the administration and comms to let people know as early in advance as possible what items are going to be deferred. So a lot of young people here today speaking for the first time, I think we want to encourage that because it's discouraging and disenfranchizing when people go through the trouble of taking time off of work or school to show up and engage with their government and suddenly the item has been deferred and they're not allowed to to speak on it. I'd also like to say as to the ff items, there is language that appears in a lot of your items that says something something to the effect of to allow the city manager to negotiate in a form acceptable to the city attorney. I would encourage you to cut that out of every single item it exists in. I think you realize that there is often a disconnect between what you vote on here and what winds up in the fine print in these contracts in an acceptable form to the city attorney I would suggest for the most important items you have them come back after the contracts have been negotiated so you have an opportunity to review them once again. And finally commissioner bella, you wrote today and rightfully so that the government has to take every or treat every single taxpayer and public dollar with respect and I would say I agree but it's disrespectful what's happening in bayfront trust today and this month where fifa has taken over our largest public park for a month and they are paying a total of $0 and that includes no revenue share for concessions in the park and if they damage anything in the park after this monumental event we're going to have to pay for it. So it's a net loss and I would encourage you to stop the sports welfare and be good stewards of our property. Thank you, MADAM Chair. >> good morning. Good morning, MADAM Mayor. Good morning MADAM CHAIRWOMAN. Uh good morning to all the commissioners. My name is miguel soliman 1436 southwest sixth street. Uh I'm here to support obviously bc five I've been a member of the civil service board uh for the for the past term and I want to thank commissioner galera for appointing me. It's been an honor and a privilege to have served in that board and I hope after today with your support to continue to serve in that board, I would be very grateful. I also want to take this opportunity to uh, commend commend commissioner davila on the various roads that have been numerous roads that have been reconstructed in allapattah whether drainage sidewalks and new trees also sir your crew cleaning up allapattah is exceptional. Uh, recently I had a I had a someone dumped trash in the block where I own a property in allapattah uh where my office has been for almost a decade now and your crew was there? I didn't even have to call him. It was incredible. Uh, I, I then called the police commander george rodriguez. He responded immediately he sent out the neighborhood resource officer vivian mitchell. Very professional, excellent service. They they investigated they went to the to the building talked to the neighbor. They they're keeping an eye out on that watch, which to me was very impressive. And I want to thank you for your leadership in that in that area. Thank you very much for allowing me the opportunity to speak here and I hope to have your support on bbc five and get a reappointment to the civil service board. Thank you, thank you. Good morning. Good morning, MADAM Chair. Before I begin, MAY I just bring to your attention some interns who happen to be here in the audience? >> I've been watching them. I figured that out. Yes. >> good morning. Interns they are. Some of them are miami residents looking to return to miami after law school. Others are from around the country who recognize this as the community they should live in. And one of them happens to be the grandson of the architect, one of the architects for the marine stadium. Um alex billis he he MAY or MAY not get an offer to work at our firm. I don't know yet. Uh but let me let me introduce myself. Al dodson wilson sundberg, 1450 brickell avenue there's something being handed out to each of you. You've heard a lot about this project over the last nine years. A lot of straw men have been erected and we're going to knock each and every one of them down today so we can get on with this. Every court, every hearing examiner everyone has said that the abad mahoney organization should not be awarded this contract. Your residents have said that the abad mahoney organization should not be awarded this contract. You've had to sue him in order to pay the rent that he has owed you over the years .And the mudslinging continues even ten years later. On the second page we'll talk about now is the time it was a prior commission whose illegal acts were overturned by a judge one deferral, two deferrals all trying to delay this in order to keep him in his place now yes, the lease does say that the referendum must go forward at a time agreeable to both of us. If you want to have a special election and have this fail, do exactly what you heard him say if you want this to pass so that the revenue comes forward to this city the way it deserves it should be on the NOVEMBER ballot notwithstanding recent instagram post, there were prior commissioners who said this needs to go forward now. Next there are two and they actually in this packet I just handed to you two appraisals that have been done and what do they show that the rent that we propose to pay is at or higher than current market. Next this material changes we've gone through each and every one of them. There's no material changes. Thank you. They are in this agreement. We look forward to answering any questions that you have. Thank you. Good morning. Good morning MADAM. MADAM Chair, I'd like to donate my two minutes of time to maria. She is of counsel to rickenbacker marina and to obama. Please. Thank you. Okay . >> good morning, CHAIRWOMAN King. >> good morning. Good morning commissioners maria ferrandino of stearns weaver miller on behalf of rickenbacker marina, I'm here today to ask respectfully for the deferral of resolutions 19189 and 191, 93 and four and not summarily award this rfp and place this referendum on the NOVEMBER 2026 general election ballot. You have heard no one tell you that there is any court order or any obligation to rush this process and to put it on the NOVEMBER election. So this is not a question of whether the referendum should be put on the ballot or whether or not it should be awarded to virginia key llc. Rather, it's about ensuring that the voters that are asked to approve this transaction do so with a transparent process, with economic assumptions that have been thoroughly examined and that the agreement presented to the public is truly the final deal. We're talking about 27 acres of public waterfront land on a lease that could extend as long as 75 years with 80 to $100 million of redevelopment and revenue generating hundreds of millions of dollars over the life of this agreement, it should not be rushed. There are at least seven independent reasons why deferral is warranted. Number one, there was not adequate notice and opportunity to review the appraisal underlying this transaction. As was just pointed out, there were appraisals given but they were only given 24 hours before the meeting and those appraisals expressly acknowledged they rely on, quote, extraordinary assumptions and incomplete information. The appraiser stated that it was not provided with key documents, including a rent roll for the storage units and the market rent don't reflect the market conditions. Second, there are concerns about the ballot language itself. It has not been fully vetted and approved. There are legitimate questions about whether it fully informs voters. It omits many material details, including that the lease could extend as much as 75 years. The assumptions underlying the projected revenue and the material changes that have occurred since the original procurement process. Number three as I mentioned a moment ago, there is no court order requiring that this be done by the NOVEMBER general election ballot. Moreover, the court just. MR. City clerk, would you give us another two minutes? Okay, go right ahead. The appellate orders expressly require that the commission do not bypass the normal procedures to ensure that voters receive complete and accurate information, which has not been done here. Number four, there were material changes to this lease. As noted earlier, there were not just 550 edits to the lease when it was first approved until now. But those lease changes show shift the allocation of risks and protections away from the city and towards virginia key they favor virginia key llc in other words, they create new procedural delay mechanisms that delays attributable to the city MAY result in rent abatements and extensions of project deadlines. If the city fails to approve timely requests, then the city will lose future control over events and other approvals. It also reduces the revised lease, reduces the security deposit over time and expands virginia key's rights to transfer interests and broadens its ability to obtain rent relief. These are considerable material changes that are not permitted under the city code and charter number five virginia key is likely not even eligible now for the rfp award. As noted before, centex made admissions on the record and in sworn depositions that they are no longer a part of virginia key llc and therefore they cannot stand beside rci waiting to accept this award. You need to investigate the eligibility of virginia key to even comply with the court order six given the extraordinary duration and the lengthy history of the litigation here we are asking voters to authorize a lease that could remain in effect for 75 years and there is no rush or haste for that by allowing a few months to relieve the city of the problems that we've identified. And finally this project deserves focused attention on a special election ballot. Voters need to not have this issue buried among numerous candidates, constitutional amendments and other ballot questions during a busy general election. It needs to receive focused attention that this major waterfront development deserves the risk of not having a public process with transparency warrants deferral of these two items and we stand ready to address any questions you MAY. Thank you. Thank you. Good morning. Good morning commissioners. My name is lucas pizzuti offices at 1450 brickell avenue and I yield my time to MR. Dotson. What? >> no, you already spoke. MADAM Chair. He was he was signed up to speak. We didn't realize you could defer time. Yeah, but that I mean, everybody knows that I don't know, george, um, weigh in here. I personally don't like that give a time thing because it can be taken advantage of but to speak and then not then you know and I only want to be fair I only I only want to be fair and follow whatever the rule is. So he's saying somebody gave him time. Can he come back or does it have to be done at the same time. The code does permit it and and the chair MAY recall that but you're only entitled to receive it one time um because you can't have 25 people come up. And say right exactly. So um a two minute extension is appropriate. Okay. >> thank you MADAM Chair again for the record al dotson al dotson 1450 brickell avenue um you just heard again about all these changes I've given you all the changes you put some dates, added exhibits. I don't know what she's talking about. It's not the one you're here to approve. Second, as it relates to all the time that has passed and why this is being rushed, the court entered its order in 2023. We're in 2026 and the argument is why are we rushing? The statement is why does it have to be in NOVEMBER? The lease says that the two parties must agree on when this is to occur. We agreed with the administration that we would focus on the NOVEMBER election, so I don't know what's going on here but it seems like another attempt to delay and defer which the courts found illegal when it happened over and over and over again before three city managers have recommended this for award. Two evaluation committees have recommended us for award. We have no idea why they want to stay. Actually we do and so do you. So we ask that you take action today, not continue to delay and defer for no reason at all. Those appraisals have been dated from JANUARY and APRIL, public records available for anyone to see the fact that they haven't seen them I can't help them with that. And if you look at those appraisals, they expressly state that what our client is prepared to pay is market rent. Thank you. Thank you. Good morning. Good morning commissioners MADAM Mayor brenda betancourt 1436 sixth street. Um I'm. In support of pf four. The community has been working on this for several years and we hope that this meeting will be the final voice for it and the finally the commission is approving this project finally for the community who's been asking for a long time, we've been seeing all the projects that have been going around in the city of miami about fifa why not la para? It's very important for us as a community to not just represent many businesses in allapattah that we own property in allapattah there are family members own property in allapattah super important for us not to see the freedom park going up but not many people in in the area has the money to go and pay for those tickets so why not giving some of what we own our city, our property to the community? Who's going to be providing services for the most vulnerable community are we are going to be just giving away property again to people who don't even live in the city, have worked and sweat for the city of miami. We're giving so many properties to so many other people. Why can't we just approve one project for our community? Thank you. Good morning. Good morning CHAIRWOMAN How are you today? Nice to see you. Um I actually came to speak on one item specifically and then this whole controversy on virginia key kind of piqued my interest because we are considered a watchdog. So prs for save the canopies that's a huge issue. I think maybe you should look in doing a moratorium on some of this stuff. But now let's switch to re three and four. Virginia key should be moving forward. It should be handed to the voters to decide what happens next. And the reason I say that it should not be delayed anymore because something that I found rather interesting is that there's 2 or 3 of you up here that have received pac money from that gentleman over there. I don't think that's right. If you guys are going to continually delay because it becomes a pay to play scenario, do the right thing. Thank you. Anyone else like to appear for public comment? Seeing none public comment period is now closed. Gentlemen MAY I have a motion to approve our pocket item. Motion motion and a second. All in favor? Aye aye. Great. >> gentlemen, MAY I have a motion to approve a m one which are the commission meeting minutes for APRIL 9th 2026 and a m two. Which are the city commission meeting minutes for APRIL 23rd 2026. Move second. I have a motion and a second. All in favor. >> aye. Perfect. >> gentlemen, for the consent agenda items are there any items ca1, 2 or 3 that you would like to pull for discussion seeing none MAY I have a motion? Motion. >> second. >> motion and a second. All in favor? Aye. >> items passes unanimously. Gentlemen for a public hearing items one through five are there? Well, there's one item I want to pull phph2 for discussion. Are there any items that you would like to pull for discussion? No, no. MR. City clerk. And chair just for the record ph4 will be amended to substitute exhibit a. >> okay seeing no other items um to be pulled for discussion MAY I have a motion for ph134 and five and four as amended. So move. I have a motion and a se