Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners -Joint Meeting BCC/Youth Commission

>>commissioner gilbert: >>commissioner gonzalez: >>commissioner hardemon: >>commissioner higgins: good morning, I'm here. >>commissioner steinberg: >>vice chair: >>chair: present. >> 12 members present, we have a quorum . >>chair: please stand up, remain standing those that are for our invocation today read by father-in-law zero from st. Timothy catholic church at the invitation of commissioner cabrera led by the pledge, our vice chair so father. >> good morning brothers and sisters, in the name of the father son and holy spirit we stand before you holy spirit on our sinfulness but in your name come to us and enlighten our past. With all light and strength to make it our own and with our life. Guide us in your wisdom I the glory of the father who decides justice for all enable us to hold in the light of others and clear our minds of ignorance and fear of failure. Unite us in the bonds of love and keep us faithful to all that is true. As we gather in your name MAY we convert justice with love and in all our decisions we place to you and earn the award and promise for your faithful servant the father and the son one GOD forever and ever, amen. >> 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. >>chair: you MAY be seated. Colleagues , before we get officially started with the joint cmmission meeting I would like to recognize for a second commissioner regular low followed by rabbi harley in honor of autism awareness month which is APRIL so commissioner you have a few minutes . >>commissioner regalado: thank you so much, everyone is wondering why I have pink in my hair. I started this autism journey 20 years ago. My daughter isabel is about to turn 22 and at 18 months I was convinced she was on the spectrum but two decades ago autism was something that was believed to only impact boys which is why we lighted a blue and we have a puzzle piece autism was something to be fixed and we were told our children were broken because my daughter was not a boy and did not hve epilepsy I was told he could not be autistic. It took me five years to finally get a diagnosis and to start treatment for her. Today it's very different. Today we know autism does not know race. It does not know gender and neuro- diversity is not something we want to eradicate, quite the opposite. That's why we no longer say autism awareness, we say autism acceptance and talk about neuro-diversity and this concept of intellectual diversity so in miami dade county where we embrace all forms of diversity this month we celebrate nuro-diversity and specifically our amazing children and adults in the spectrum and what they bring to our community, how they are different and how we celebrate that difference so 20 years ago I would have given anything for my children to be neuro- typical. Today I will change a thing about them. They are too wonderful neuro-diverse individuals who make my life and everyone's life a touch better and that's what we celebrate this month so with that I would like to have the rabbi come up and talk about the friendship circle and amazing work they are doing in miami-dade county. >>chair: you are recognized. >> thank you so much, good morning esteemed commissioners, thank you for the opportunity to speak with you today. It is an honor to be here to talk about something that is incredibly close to my heart and into the hearts of many in our community. This month as we said APRIL is atism awareness month. A time to raise awareness about autism spectrum disorder, neuro-diversity, a developmental disability that affects communication and behavior. As you know autism affects I don't know what the numbers are today, they used it to say one out of 54, I'm sure it's much more and it's not just a statistic, these are our neighbors, our family members , our colleagues and our friends. individuals with autism and their families face unique challenges but bring unique gifts throughout our society. However despite the prevalence of autism I need for understanding support and inclusion is critical. That's why it's important to take this month not only to raise awareness but make areal lasting commitment to the community. This is for you are county commissioners play an integral role. You have a responsibility one that I believe is essential to support and protect all the members of our community including those with special needs. You're not just lawmakers, you are advocates for a more inclusive and compassionate society. Your decisions directly impact the resources opportunities and services available to individuals with disabilities and therefore to their families . By prioritizing the needs of the special needs community to ensure all residents can lead meaningful fulfilling lives regardless of the challenge. This month as we celebrate autism awareness month we also have a reason to celebrate a major milestone. The opening of the friendship campus for the friendship circle here in miami, this campus is a shining example of what happens when we as a community invest in the future of an individual with autism and development challenges. With neuro-divergent that will serve as a safe space for these individuals to develop life skills, build friendship and integrate fully into society. The friendship campus with his in south dade is more than just a building. It's a place where dreams can be realized , where individuals are empowered to live their best lives and where inclusion is at the very heart of what we do. I am excited because this campus represents the very spirit of what we can achieve when we work together to foster a community of care respect and opportunity. This wouldn't be possible without the support of our local leadership from our county mayor was been supportive on the building beginning but this is just the beginning. There's so much more we can do and it's our responsibility to continue to advocate for the support and needs of this battle needs community by providing access to necessary services, promoting inclusive policies and ensuring all families can drive your not only doing what is right, you're fulfilling a moral obligation. We want to thank each one of you for being there for us and continuing to be for our community. Thank you . >>commissioner regalado: thank you rabbi and MR. Chair, tomorrow is officially internationally autism acceptance day. We asked everyone if you could wear pink for our girls who get a late diagnosis and shout out the myth so tomorrow we will be rolling out one hour programming is for this year with our constitutional officers, thank you. >>chair: thank you commissioner, I know you're eager to start our joint meeting and we'd like to recognize commissioner cohen higgins. >>commissioner cohen higgins: I want to take a moment to recognize the life and legacy of captain dustin who is a miami-dade county firefighter who passed away recently MARCH 17, 2025. He had over 50 years of service to our miami dade county fire department and a legend and a legacy with not only within that department but our entire community and upon his passing not only mami-dade fire rescue but city of miami and all our sisters in neighboring fire rescue departments all immediately honored him, honored the ways in lighting up there fire trucks and rolling out the flag. I just wanted to take a moment in recognition of the passing of the work life and legacy of captain dustin who left us on MARCH 16, my condolences to him and to his family and to the entire miami-dade fire rescue department. Commissioner cohen higgins in a moment of silence. >>... >>chair: thank you. With that I'd like to recognize for a second , we have our clerk comptroller fernandez martin , dario fernandez and we also have with us senator florez, thank you for being with us today. Commissioner are you to be recognized? >>commissioner regalado: because we have our meeting we can't be at the ceremony but I would request we do something for our firefighters in recognition of his service at our next meeting since we can't attend the event occurring in about an hour because we will be here. I know we've all spoken to the firefighters, our miami-dade firefighters are in the family. I think it's also an opportunity for us to have a much broader conversation about mental health so I hope that that comes of that and the impact, the work our firefighters do . >>chair: before we get started with our scheduled agenda items for our joint meeting is it better for the clerk to square in those youth commissioners that need to be sworn in at this time? MR. Clark would you like to come down and instruct the youth commissioners that are required to be sworn in today to stand up? The fontographer's, this is where we need our photographers. You have photographers in the chamber? Here he comes. >> thank you MR. Chair. >>chair: do all the commissioners need to be sworn in? >> I believe all of them. >> if we can please stand. Please raise your right hand and repeat after me. I, state your name do solemnly swear that I will support and protect and defend the constitution and government of the united states and of the state of florida , that I am duly qualified to hold office under the constitution of the state and that I will well and faithfully perform the duties as a member of the youth commission on which I am now about to enter. Congratulations . >>chair: cngratulations. [Applause] >>chair: congratulations commissioners, welcome to our chamber. This is officially our joint meeting, it will be recorded in our minutes. This is not a game so please govern yourself accordingly. Mdm. Attorney can we start with item 28. >> reasonable opportunity for this portion would be appropriate. >>chair: reasonable opportunity is open, do I have any speakers ? Any speakers signed up to speak for reasonable opportunity at the joint meeting, reasonable opportunity is now closed. Let's take item 2a. Do you need to read something? >> item 2a recognizing commission's efforts in 2425 , district 8 . >>chair: CHAIRWOMAN, if you need to approach the well and have opening remarks for us? Please of course state your name for the record . >> I am youth commissioner . >> I want to start us off by saying good morning to mme. Mayor and esteemed members of the board of county commissioners, thank you for your time here today. I name is martina and I am a senior and the ib program at coral reef senior high and a proud member of district 8. As chair of miami-dade county youth commission I stand before you with a deep sense of responsibility. For over a decade our commission has worked diligently to amplify the 350,000 diverse voices in our county to ensure their well-being and foster meaningful change. We are not just the leaders of tomorrow but an integral part of our community today and it is our responsibility to speak up take action and help shape the future we want to see so when I first joined the youth commission in my sophomore year I wasn't sure what to expect. I was passionate about service in local government and grassroots activism. However I quickly found myself surrounded by the most passionate driven individuals who share a commitment to serving our community. Over the years these fellow commissioners have become more than colleagues but close friends and a source of motivation. The work we do together from drafting policy proposals to engaging with local leaders has shown me firsthand how powerful youth advocacy can be. This past year the youth commission has actively participated in various initiatives aimed at empowering and serving our community. We passed for urging resolutions addressing critical youth issues and these include raising fentanyl awareness, celebrating arts educators, promoting safe volunteerism and protecting mobile home communities from displacement. I am incredibly excited to share this JUNE the youth commission will be traveling to washington dc to participate in our annual legislative tour where we will meet with congressional representatives from miami to expand our advocacy on a national level. However, none of this would be possible without the support of the board of county commissioners and for that we are incredibly grateful. We want to extend our appreciation to the miami-dade juvenile services department specifically director bass, chief community services ofc. Kathy burgos and our dedicated liaison with whom we would be nothing without MISS Letizia loretto and of course I want to thank my fellow youth commissioners who are some of the most dedicated and inspiring leaders I have had the privilege to work with. We have accomplished so much together in the past year but our work is far from over. With that I would now like to introduce our youth commission secretary. >> I'm currently a junior and the past year I've had the privilege to serve a secretary of the miami-dade youth commission member of the advocacy legislation commission and member of the committee change maker awards. As part of the youth commission board I've been able to see how dedicated this group of changemakers are and I've seen how great they are addressing the issues for essential needs. I can say with sincerity this family we've created has worked to amplify the voices of our community and find solutions to the problems we've observed. Acting as a youth commissioner under district 6 I've been given the opportunity to write a proposal alongside the support of the advocacy legislation committee I would like to touch on this proposal consists of further regulation of the participation of adult volunteers and as members of the youth commission we hold responsibility to establish a safe environment for all youth who are part of programs in the community focusing on but not limited to our students from who volunteer for a minimum of 100 hours. In the light of growing concerns about child safety it is imperative we take steps to protect our most vulnerable individuals. This proposal advocates for the implementation of a policy requiring all adults who MAY come into contact with children must undergo thorough background checks for being committed to volunteer any capacity or timeframe under the jurisdiction of miami-dade county area high school students that are 18 and older must provide approval letters ensuring they meet certain standards. These letters can only be used up to one school year before they must be renewed again. I am for you to capitalize on positions you've been afforded as representatives by supporting this motion, protecting the most vulnerable members of our community area next welcome the chair for advocacy and legislation. >> thank you, my name is annie and I am district 13 representative appointed by commissioner garcia as well as the chair of the advocacy legislation subcommittee. It's an honor to represent district 13 and lead initiatives to advocate for involvement and legislative changes. One event the subcommittee has sponsored is the miami-dade youth commission seminar held at hialeah senior high school. This will serve to spread awareness of the youth commission while providing students with an open forum to engage in conversation about what it means to be a youth leader. Today the legislation subcommittee is proud to present two important proposals. First we bring forth the key movements over miami said drafted by madison morello . This proposal serves miami dade county tenants from displacement by requiring park owners to give at least nine months notice before infection due to development opposed to the current six-month period. if struggles faced by residents of the little adler mobile home park were where redevelopment projects threatened both affordable housing and small businesses. The proposal aims to amend miami-dade county's ordinances to insure more security for vulnerable residents during large-scale projects. Additionally you heard from silvana, her proposal on background checks for all adult volunteers working with children. This is a crucial step in safeguarding our community and ensuring miami-dade county remains a safe place for children to grow learn and thrive. As chair of the advocacy legislation subcommittee I would like to express our gratitude and the support of the miami-dade county board of commissioners has given to this commission. It is through your continued encouragement our students are able to engage in civic activities learn and teach through hands-on experiences. Bank you for your time and your consideration of our proposal and I would like to introduce the chair of the advocacy services subcommittee, thank you. >> it is an honor to stand before you as the chair of the education services committee for the miami-dade youth commission. I am eva and after the past year I've had the privilege of using my platform advocate for equitable education standards across our county schools. At the heart of our committee's work is the strong belief that true educational equity can only be achieved when the students themselves play a vital role in shaping the future of education policies. As a commission we have quickly recognized we serve as the student voices but we cannot do this work alone. Our mission is to amplify the youth perspective that are too often overlooked in the decision-making processes that shape our lives. DECEMBER the education services committee spearheaded the toy drive in an initiative that spanned the northern and southern regions of our county and in partnership with the miami-dade government we were able to facilitate the packaging and distribution of gifts to children in need. We recognize every single child regardless of socioeconomic background deserves to experience the generosity of the holiday season. Recognizing limitations in career-based opportunities for high schoolers we've worked and collaborated with miami-dade economic and advocacy trust for a career immersion program to be launched in MAY where students will have a hands-on opportunity and experience of port miami. Through our career immersion programs these days will provide students with real-world exposure to different careers in miami-dade county. Beyond our work in opportunity and enrichment our work extends the person crises that demand your immediate attention. Four months our committee has worked to address a growing epidemic, the fentanyl crisis. This synthetic opioid 50 times stronger than heroine has claimed 50,000 lives in the us and quadrupled in miami-dade in the youth. While our school system is not yet suffered a singular loss we must work to keep it at zero. The lack of standardized education has led to gaps in student awareness and this is why the education services committee is proposing to proclaim AUGUST 21 are already fentanyl awareness and education day as a day of mandatory education and teacher recognition for response training on fentanyl overdoses. Through action-based solutions I am confident you can save lives and foster a culture of prevention in our schools. After working with the youth commission I am confident the work we do today will shape and define the safety and well-being of the next generation of students. Thank you and I will welcome our chair of the cultural arts community engagement committee jasmine ross. >> my name is jasmine and I am honored to be joining you in this chamber today. For the past two years I've had the privilege of serving as youth commissioner under eileen higgins and this year my commission experience called on meat and my position as chair of the cultural engagement committee which has both an artist and a student has proven to be a fulfilling leadership experience in my high school career. As a group cases ever been covered by one ball which was making cultural opportunities more accessible to our youth. To this end case published its first magazine arts for youth miami in partnership with culture shock of the department of cultural affairs to bring information about youth serving arts organizations to 24,000 residents. This magazine includes a fully interactive map of 36 freed to low-cost opportunities which we created to enable more young people to locate organizations offered services nearby. Later in the year we drafted a proposal to collaborate with the nonprofit avenues for excellence which provides mentorship to adolescent girls throughout the county and additionally had the pleasure of facilitating for weekend workshops with avenues of excellence which several youth commissioners participated in. Now our final projects for this academic year have involved appealing to you on the importance of continued support for the arts. Through an urging problem proclamation proposal the case highlighted its desire to teach the art stay in miami-dade county as a means of celebrating the efforts and accomplishments of arts educators and we are deeply excited to pursue this item with you in the coming weeks. On behalf of all my peers on the case committee thank you to the mayor, board of county commissioners and our wonderful liaison for your support in making withdrawal opportunities more accessible to our youth. I will introduce madison and the chair committee cochairs. Honored to represent district 11 as a youth commissioner. >> I am also honored to represent district 9 is a committee member. >> together we have srved as cochairs of the change maker award committee which became a permanent committee of the youth commission this year. >> although the change maker award is a fairly new concept we are excited to share such a wonderful opportunity with a wide range of students starting with middle school all the way to high school. The award is dedicated to appreciating the work of our students inside their own community. This award highlights change in all its diverse forms. We believe recognition is something powerful and essential for action and it is trough the change maker award we make it known who the future changemakers of the world are. By empowering our youth we are taking small steps to build a stronger more connected miami. >> as we review the outstanding applications of students across miami-dade county we realized there were four more exceptional changemakers that if we could recognize. However we thought these countless students were positively impacting our community through service deserve to be recognized therefore we've proposed desert designating APRIL 25 as young change maker day in miami-dade county to celebrate the day we've been planning a changemaker day event ringing together a diverse range of students to not only be recognized for their efforts to create a better community but also collaborate to develop solutions to what they feel are the most pressing issues facing our county. We hope this event will demonstrate what all the youth commissioners know to be true: our youth are capable of recognizing and conquering doubting daunting challenges through their perspective unceasing effort and commitment to leaving an indelible mark in our community. That will benefit generations to come. Thank you for taking the time to listen to the youth of our community and we hope you will join us in celebrating youth commissioners for years to come. Now I am pleased to introduce the youth commissioner. >> my name is maritza costa probably representing the great district 13 o the miami-dade youth commission and I'm proud to share a little bit about the youth commission experience. When I joined the youth commission as a freshman in high school I didn't fully grasp the scope of what I was getting myself into. I knew I wanted to speak up for my peers, for my generation and for the future we are all inheriting. Since then I've had the privilege of serving as vice chair, then chair of that committee and last year as vice chair of the full commission. Through these roles I traveled to washington dc along with my fellow youth commissioners carried the voice of youth to national conversations and contributed to countless events urgings and initiatives aimed at improving the lives of young people right here at home in the 305. What makes the youth commission special is not just about the titles we hold or the projects we lead, it's the trust and responsibility this board gives us. You empower us with a real budget, include us in real policy conversations. You don't just tolerate our voices, you uplift them and in doing so you send a powerful message that young people are not just leaders of tomorrow, we are the partners in leadership today. The youth commission should serve as a model for what youth representation can look like when it is done right. At a time when too many young people feel unheard or overlooked this stands as a beacon of possibility that civic education doesn't just belong in textbooks but in chambers like this one. That advocacy isn't limited to adults and student voices along in government. Being in the youth commission has played a role in my journey having me understand how local government works and allowing me to grow as a student, as a volunteer and as an advocate. Now as I leave miami-dade to go off for college I am carrying these experiences with me. To me and my fellow youth commissioners being part of the miami-dade youth commission means more than attending meetings, it means learning how government functions and how to make it work better. It means turning passion and policy, it means realizing you don't have to wait until you're older to fight for what is right. So thank you for believing in us, standing with us and showing the rest of the county what youth empowerment truly looks like. Let us raise our voices not just for ourselves but for every single student who hasn't yet realized the power they hold. Let miami-dade be the blueprint civic education be the foundation and that student representation in government not just be the exception but the expectation. Thank you and I will now introduce callier mobley. My name is kalia mobley and I'm proud to share the experience of my youth commissioners and I had at the course. Located on biscayne bay the teams challenge is designed to enhance leadership communication and through engaging outdoor challenges. It provides participants with the opportunity to step outside their comfort zones, face challenges head on and discover their strength while fostering deeper connections. Our day was about more than just climbing obstacles, it was about building trust and confidence and learning the value of collaboration. From the very first activity we realized a successful part is to follow through and work effectively. Each challenge pushed us to think critically work efficiently and support each other. It was a powerful reminder the great leadership is not just individual strength but how about how well we uplift one another. Particular and impactful moment came during a time when we had to manage. As youth commissioners we engage in passionate discussions over proposals. Wish which can sometimes lead to lengthy debate. During the exercise we learned how to stay focused and make decisions effectively. Applying these lessons have improved our effectiveness. We've been able to pass more proposals engage in meaningful conversations and ensure our time is used in the most impactful way possible. Beyond practical skills the course strengthens our relationships facing challenges together fostering fellowship and mutual respect. It encouraged us to act actively listen and collaborate each other's successes. These connections hve not only made us stronger leaders but also more efficient leaders and understanding individuals. Additionally the experience reminds us the importance of resilience, there were many moments where the task seemed daunting but through perseverance and encouragement we pushed through the confidence we gain from overcoming these obstacles will stay with us as we continue to take challenges on as in our roles as youth commissioners. Finally would like to welcome alisha. Inviting the youth commission to speak and get to know more about county governance throughout my entire year on the commission and thank you for your sentiment. My name is alyssa leon, a senior at miami lakes academy through the course of this meeting we been able to reflect on the impact initiatives and mission to foster generations of responsible active youth in our county recognizing the dedication of our commission we would highlight our highly outstanding seniors who spent the next chapter of their lives in college. We ensure their experiences will shape their futures and they will sign in every environment they MAY undertake. As I will be highlighting our accomplished silverlight nominees, these students are handpicked for their commitment to outstanding academics and selfless service. Please join me in celebrating the following seniors area district to commissioner mobley attending prairie view a&m university. District 3 commissioner attending florida state university. District 4 commissioner eva a goes you attending the university of pennsylvania's overnight nominee and winner of the coca-cola scholarship. District 5 commissioner jasmine rossi attending harvard university overnight nominee in music and dance area district 5 commissioner federico cattaneo attending university of chicago . District 6 commissioner MAY win when the attending university of knoxville's overnight nominee and vocational-technical. District 7 commissioner alfredo wolf attending university of chicago. District commissioner martina jaime attending harvard university's overnight nominee in the social science. District 9 commissioner youth commissioner samuel huizinga attending duke university. , district 10 commissioner edward lopez attending florida international university honors . Neil vargas attending the university of miami with us overnight nominee in world languages. Commissioner annie polito attending florida international university. District 13 commissioner and student advisor to the school board marissa costa attending harvard university overnight nominee in social sciences and winner of the coca-cola scholarship. And lastly myself alyssa leon mayer's appointee attending te florida state university honors program's overnight nominee in the digital interactive media. [Applause] We are so proud of our peers and contributions to the youth commission and to the board of county commissioners thank you for your support of the youth commissioner. As you seen our legacy extends far beyond the county and we cannot wait to see the continued growth of our efforts. Thank you. >> thank you so much commissioner. Thank you. And matt a majority I think that covers items 2b and 2c . >> back include your agenda. >> any questions on behalf of our commissioners on the dais, commissioner higgins. >>commissioner higgins: I have one comment, I don't know. You are just so much smarter than we were or perhaps I should speak for myself, maybe you were just like them but I'm so impressed with your dedication to community and to education. So you're able to do both and that's impressive. I'm happy to coordinate with the youth commission on your arts educator day and I don't know if brian MAY is here from the cultural affairs group but I have enlisted his help so reach out to my team on the. >>chair: any other comments or questions . >>commissioner bermudez: how long are you going to be gone for? I've got four years before he runs against me, congratulations. Will certainly be running for your seat at some point and with that commissioner gonzalez . >>commissioner gnzalez: congratulations to each of you that came up to speak, you did a phenomenal job epecially and including district 11, you are amazing, you're awesome and you have a bright fture. I would like to acknowledge that moss high school is here. Their legal magnet program is here and they are incredible speakers and I am proud of them and I'm sorry that newspaper article trgeting you but never let anybody shut your voice down. Your voice will be heard, never waver. >>chair: commissioner steinberg your recognized. >>commissioner steinberg: I want o congratulate our youth commissioners, I know how hard it is the commitment you put forward with your crazy school schedules so thank you for taking the time to be part of this process and to be here today. >>chair: commissioner bastien. >>commissioner bastien: thank you MR. Chair. Youth commissioners, listening to you I said to myself our future is secured with you. Your focus is your power. Your focus is your power. Thank you for your leadership. >>chair: thank you commissioner and I echo the sentiments of my colleagues area that I could never dream of doing a fraction of what you are doing at your age. I want to congratulate my youth commissioner, thank you for being here as well but I see editor florez son has joined us, thank you to all of you and with that chairwoman moves that we adjourn, we have a motion, a have a second, all in favor of adjournment signify by saying aye, thank you commissioners. All right. Colleagues we are now going to start our regular bcc meeting. Do we need to roll call for our new meeting or not necessarily? Certified mediator sitting in a room with both of you for it, 12, 15 hours which we do frequently will allow for a meeting of the minds to take place and I don't believe that a formal mediation has taken place as of yet. Have you all proceedings to make sure we are able to collect the money that is duly owed so I don't know if that's the appropriate time to make that motion, senator garcia I'm not sure if your motion is similar in nature but I do think it is important for us as a board to send a strong message to