“We just have we we launched the walk through process for commercial spaces less than 2500 square feet for interior renovations. Why wouldn't they? They may, but this is a unique situation because most restaurants are bigger.”

Discussion of walkthrough program applicability to restaurants

“So my suggestion is what's the size for what would you say? Because I want to make sure we launched a program. And the program is not broad enough to really make the difference that we hope for it to make. Then we need to amend the program. So what's the average size of the restaurants that we're bringing to?”

Inquiry into average restaurant size to adjust walkthrough thresholds

“So we have the commercial walkthrough for up to 2500 square feet. And however, when it comes to restaurants, can we expand that square footage for restaurants? Given some of the concerns that Mel has raised?”

Request to expand walkthrough program square footage for restaurants

“Somebody comes in. What type of hands on treatment do they have? And as we're sitting up here, somebody texted me. I'm sure we could all say anecdotal stories. And I don't want to say that that's the rule, not the exception. So I'm not sure where this falls, but somebody sent this to me looking for an office, right, to get a new office in South Beach. It's already an existing building, already an existing structure. And it took 21 days to essentially set up the review date, and then it comes back on the 21st day failed. They go, we need a letter of intent to indicate more details of the office use. Why would we need that? I have no idea.”

Commissioner providing real-world example of slow and unexplained permit rejection

“Right. And that's kind of one of my points, right? Are we being just too onerous and ambiguous on why we're failing some of these things? And then too, it's okay. Now he has this next appointment in 21 more days, and all of a sudden now we're sitting there two months. And time is money. Time is important to people. We need to respect people's times.”

Commissioner criticizing inefficiency and lack of respect for applicant time

“Why can't that person that failed in the planning department pick up the phone and call the applicant and say, I'm reviewing your application. You have this. Here's the details I need. Can you tell me that? Or like, have a 24 hour period when you can come in and provide whatever is missing? Like if you need more information, rather than failing and putting the person now through a new review, reach out and be like, hey, listen, reviewing this, you're missing this, give me. Do you have 24 hours to submit this? Otherwise, I have to fail you. But at least giving people a window.”

Commissioner proposing more proactive and customer-friendly communication during review process

“With the restaurants that you're working with? What's the average interior square footage that we're talking about?”

Question about restaurant size for walkthrough program applicability

“If we do need to control on street parking, I wonder if we could do it in more esthetically pleasing and welcoming ways. Everybody loves our firefighters. Perhaps we have fire trucks that are out there instead of barricades. Something that is interactive and welcoming to the community, but still serves as a public safety mechanism.”

Proposing alternative to barricades that maintains safety while improving aesthetics

“For the license plate readers. I agree with you, Commissioner Fernandez, about pushing it back. I do believe, Mr. City Manager, they started being implemented at 6 P.M. in years past. I think over time it's gotten later and later.”

Supporting delayed start times for LPR checkpoints

“I may have to recuse from that because, full disclosure, I'm a little monster. I'm a Gaga fan. I hope to be going over to that concert.”

Indicating potential conflict of interest regarding Lady Gaga concert decisions

“One thing that we haven't talked about, but I think would be great to implement, is some sort of evening wellness activations along Ocean Drive. Evening volleyball games in our volleyball courts, evening pickleball games in our pickleball courts.”

Proposing wellness activities to create vibrant but controlled evening atmosphere

“I think evening wellness pilates activations, things like that, along Ocean Drive. It goes hand in hand with the brand that we're going to be rolling out for our marketing campaign.”

Suggesting wellness programming aligned with new marketing initiatives

“I do wholeheartedly agree with more beach access points. While I am comfortable providing these accommodations that we talked about because we are in a very different place it also should come with knowing where that line is.”

Supporting expanded beach access while maintaining enforcement standards

“I want to ensure we're having strict, strict enforcement and zero tolerance for public drinking, drug use and public loud music and speeding. Really doubling and tripling down on our traffic enforcement.”

Emphasizing need for heightened enforcement alongside policy relaxations

“I also suggest going alpha bravo with our parking enforcement really doubling down in our residential areas, because I know where some of that problem came in was not so much on Washington Avenue, where the enforcement is very robust. But when those visitors got routed into our residential areas like Flamingo Park.”

Proposing intensified enforcement in residential neighborhoods

“The license plate readers coming into the city on a permanent basis. Is that correct? So even though the lane reduction, what we're talking about is the deployment of the lane reduction. And rather than starting that lane reduction where you pretty much only have one lane coming into the city, push that back by an hour or so or whatever time you are determined to be appropriate. That doesn't mean we still have the permanently fixed LPR reader that if someone is wanted and it gets identified by that tag, our police department, the Real Time Intelligence Center would get notified.”

Clarifying the distinction between permanent LPR readers and the temporary lane reduction deployment

“This is a small detail, but we can do better than this when we're closing our beaches. We are a world class city. We need to do better than this. It's an embarrassment. Let's up our game. Well, let's up our game a lot. We don't need permanent installations, but come on. Make it beautiful and not unwelcoming.”

Criticizing the appearance of beach closure signage

“That was beautifully said. I share the sentiment. I think we all do.”

Response to Vice Mayor Mateo-Salinas's comments on community

“That was wow. That was beautifully said. I share the sentiment. I think we all do. Say one more thing. I, you know, I try to reach out to every single one of you at some point to speak.”

Opening comments during citizen forum discussion

“I'm told all the time, every day, multiple times a day, that from our residents that they're so grateful they live in our Miami Beach. Of course, there's always things to do better and make it better, and that's why all our residents and us are working toward that goal. But residents telling me there's not a place in the world they'd rather live. They feel safe here, they feel comfortable.”

Response to public comment about city safety and resident satisfaction

“And then sometimes specific groups across the spectrum tell me as a whatever fill in the group, there's no other place I'd rather be in Miami Beach, because we are a safe haven for everyone, and we're going to continue to be. And that's why our ratings amongst these different categories that get rated by national groups are always we're at the top of the charts, but that happens because that doesn't happen by accident.”

Discussion about Miami Beach being a safe haven and diverse community

“There's a reason why this city is such a safe haven. First of all, it's because of all of you, because of our residents that are incredible and don't tolerate a level, are very tolerant and don't tolerate a level of hate. And it happens. Of course, there's going to be one offs. There's not a city in the world that doesn't have situations come up. We're made of a very diverse opinions of people. But I also saw this morning how the seven of us are reflecting the residents and being tolerant, and we're not going to accept hate. We are not ever going to accept hate in this city. And we put our foot down this morning in a big way and we showed it.”

Comments about city's commitment to rejecting hate and protecting all communities

“So I'm very supportive of Miami Design Preservation League and everything that the organization has done in our city for decades. You are Art Deco, and it's because of DPL that our postcard exists, and that's pretty exciting. I'm a long time member of DPL, and I'm proud to attend your events at the location. I too received a call from the Inspector General, and the interpretation I received was let's hold off right now on the contract, because there could be tweaks that we'd want to add or that the city would want to add in there.”

Commissioner Magazine expressing support for MDPL's mission while explaining IG concern

“So I think that's where this was coming, but as an organization, you should feel proud of everything that you've done for Miami Beach. It's been terrific, and I respect both of you. And I look forward to getting past the Inspector General report and continuing the relationship, because what you guys advocate for is incredible.”

Commissioner Magazine expressing confidence in MDPL's future

“One of the things that currently that for me is very important, the firewall between development and fundraising and advocacy, that firewall needs to exist. I have led advocacy organizations, particularly in the French Quarter. That is something that I feel very strongly about. There has to be clear separation. Advocacy has to be its own thing. It has to be totally independent.”

Discussing governance and transparency concerns with Art Deco Historic District

“Don't mean to keep beating this horse, but since our budget meeting nearly eight months ago, we highlighted we were preparing for a large hole or gap in our transportation funding, and we talked about creative ways to raise revenue. We've talked about advertising. I've been paying increasing notice to the amount of busses and trolleys we have that are completely unwrapped or completely unadvertised.”

Discussing alternative funding mechanisms for transportation to offset rate increase

“We're in the middle of it. We had the college football national championship game. We have, of course, our prized events like Art Basel that recur every year. We have a new revamped spring break. We have the World Cup coming up. We have G-20 in a year. I am really having a hard time believing we can't find better advertising for our trolleys as a way to plug some of that.”

Questioning lack of trolley advertising during major events

“You know, we've spent so much time talking today about how we've pivoted away from the anything goes party crowd from the crime and chaos that had plagued our city in years past and how we're focusing on health, wellness and an elevated environment. Miami Beach. I think we're perfectly capable of walking and chewing gum at the same time. This I view as an amenity to our residents or tourism. This is providing in very limited specific areas that are specified.”

Supporting alcoholic beverage ordinance for beach concessions

“We're sending back $500 checks to residents. Right. How great is that? For the first time in 20 years, we're sending back $500 to every homesteaded resident. And we talked about creative ways to raise revenue. And like I said, because we are in a much different place right now than we were five years ago. This really provides us a great opportunity to continue elevating that beach experience in a limited number of ways.”

Emphasizing revenue generation benefits and budget discipline

“I think this area here. This will be the American Riviera in several years, right? We have some of the most prized properties in the entire world, including the Sherbrooke. Okay along this area. We have the Shore Club being renovated. We have new owners of the Delano moving that project forward. We have the SLS that's under renovation right now, and we have the Faena, which has just been such a tremendous asset to our city.”

Discussing development potential of oceanfront properties in Faena District

“We have about 13,000,000 square feet of unused F.A.R. in South Beach. And here we would be doing blanket upzoning that will create even more F.A.R. for 2400 new residential units for 6100 additional people.”

Expressing concern about excessive F.A.R. creation given existing unused capacity

“Do you know Feinberg Fisher? They're losing students. And didn't they just lose some sort of accreditation certification because they've lost so many students? Yeah, they've lost Title One because despite Florida adding all these residents, Miami Beach is seeing a population exodus in large part because some of our most vulnerable residents have nowhere to live.”

Discussing housing affordability and population loss in Miami Beach

“We've had the Hotel Overlay District for, what, 12 years? This resulted in two projects, right? And Tom actually went live. Local was passed. We actually down zoned a large part of our city.”

Discussing historical effectiveness of zoning incentives on Washington Avenue

“While this, in some sort of perfect world or imperfect world would result in 2400 units, the chance of that number zero not remote zero. Okay. The Hotel incentives that were provided in 2016 were much more substantial than this, and it's resulted in two projects.”

Discussing projected housing units and effectiveness of prior incentives

“Does anybody ever walk on First in Washington? Eat a Pura Vida and look at the Cosmopolitan where there's families there, there's young professionals. Gerald and Trish, their authors, the prizes of our community and go, wow, look at that over development. Oh, it's a beautiful, beautiful project. And that's what a community is, right?”

Discussing the Cosmopolitan project as an example of good development that creates community

“This is going to reduce the traffic in our city. That's why we have traffic on Alton Road on Washington Avenue, because people need to drive to get there. This is a walkable downtown type of community. It's going to help housing affordability.”

Discussing benefits of Washington Avenue zoning plan

“If we want to go up to Tallahassee, which I plan to do this session with a straight face and say Live Local does not is not the pathway forward, we want our own control. Then we need to make true, bona fide efforts to say, please don't do this because we're going to do that.”

Discussing relationship with state legislature and Live Local legislation

“Sometimes it's best government just get out of the way, right when we try and be too much and really try and fine tune this, we get to a point where nothing ever gets done, and I think that's really where we're at.”

Discussing over-regulation and project delays

“The most substantial thing that I hope I take on during my time of the day. So thank you to my colleagues for your for your vision on this, for working together collaboratively.”

Expressing support for Washington Avenue comprehensive zoning plan

“So you know, Commissioner Fernandez, that was last year. Okay. You came as a representative of the City of Miami Beach, and you spoke in front of state legislatures, and you advocated for this exact piece of legislation. That's not for that. For the. Excuse me. Let me finish. But that's not correct. Excuse me. Let me finish, please. With the intent to stop Live Local from happening in Miami Beach and taking away our local control.”

Challenging Commissioner Fernandez on his Tallahassee testimony

“And now, for some reason, that has changed. Everything you said up there was amazing. It made perfect sense. It struck a chord of why we don't need Live Local anymore in Miami Beach, or why someone in Tallahassee can write our zoning code.”

Continuing challenge to Commissioner Fernandez regarding apparent policy shift

“This isn't this isn't zoning that I came up with. This came from, you know, our our zoning director, our planning director, Tom Mooney. He came up with this whole concept of how can we incentivize the residential development that Miami Beach wants, that we want to see?”

Crediting planning staff for zoning plan concept

“Now, I understand if we're not going to, we're no longer going to be have management or development agreements with developers that want to build double the height from 150ft to 350ft. To be honest, that's not real urban planning. That's how we end up with five park.”

Discussing development agreements and building heights

“This gives us the ability to say, Hey, we've already passed a comprehensive plan for housing. We don't need you to come here and tell us what you expect and what you want to do to to make money. We're going to be able to incentivize the type of development and housing that we define, not they define.”

Explaining advantages of comprehensive zoning approach over individual development agreements

“And yes, sure, we're not going to be entrenched in, in development agreements with, with, with developers that in reality can literally purchase every single lobbyist on Miami Beach and lobby us till kingdom come and get and get extraordinary development rights. I think this is real urban planning.”

Criticizing influence of developer lobbyists

“We're deciding the future of, of of a corridor. And I think that's the right approach, not piecemeal. I don't want to see a 500 foot building on Washington Avenue. I don't want to see a 300 foot building on Washington Avenue. I don't want to see a 20 story building on Washington Avenue. I want something that's consistent when you walk down, everything makes sense.”

Advocating for comprehensive planning approach

“I'm really hoping that we could put politics aside and we can do what's best for the city. You know, I, I also want to bring up the concern of of infrastructure.”

Transitioning to discussion of infrastructure concerns

“And so there was another point, I think, Commissioner Bhatt brought up it's that brought up TCC and how detrimental that was. And I think one of the biggest issues that TCC was is that they have transient use. You're allowed to these all these I think 12 or 13 developments going up. You're allowed to have airbnbs in them. This particular legislation strictly prohibits that.”

Distinguishing Washington Avenue plan from Town Center Commons regarding transient use

“And also it only limits to a height incentive of 25ft. Now look, if you were to tell me that that is incongruent with with what you think, I'm certainly open to removing the 25 foot height incentive. I'm not married to it.”

Indicating flexibility on height incentive provisions

“And that there was a comment that this is too broad. This is urban planning. Urban planning isn't going by parcel to parcel and deciding what's what, how it's going to look over decades. I don't think that's the right approach.”

Defending comprehensive planning approach against criticism

“Our zoning code hasn't changed since I was five years old in 1989. I think it's outdated. I think we need to to to to adapt to the times. I don't see it there right now. It's incentivized for hotels. I don't see I don't see there a a a mad rush to build more hotels on Washington Avenue. In fact, nothing wants to be built on Washington Avenue. What's on Washington Avenue is crumbling.”

Criticizing current zoning code as outdated

“You know, I mean, we're going to Tallahassee. We're saying one thing, but when it comes down to it, we do another. And before you know it, we're going to just have more Live Local. Because I can tell you one thing. State legislatures are looking at this meeting right here. And they're saying look at that. They're going there. They're coming to us. They're telling us one thing, but they're doing another.”

Discussing state legislature perception of local control

“We need to do. We need to go above and beyond what's already on. Live Local. At least if we pass something here, we have an argument to make to them saying that we have the ability to control our own zoning for the better. It's going to be tailored to what we need, not what someone in Tallahassee thinks.”

Arguing for proactive local zoning to prevent state preemption

“It was four years ago where, unfortunately, CNN was doing a live broadcast on Sunday morning from Ocean Drive, our beloved postcard. There were shop owners cleaning blood with a hose after the second night of a public execution on our streets.”

Reflecting on the serious crime situation that prompted the strict measures

“The owner of the Betsy just shared with me over the weekend. He got contacted by CNBC for the second year in a row for them to set up a live broadcast production from our beloved, beautiful Ocean Drive to do a full day of programming on the largest financial network in the entire world.”

Highlighting positive change and new high-profile opportunities for Miami Beach

“We have about 13,000,000 square feet of unused F.A.R. in South Beach. And here we would be doing blanket upzoning that will create even more F.A.R. for 2400 new residential units for 6100 additional people.”

Expressing concern about excessive F.A.R. creation given existing unused capacity

“Do you know Feinberg Fisher? They're losing students. And didn't they just lose some sort of accreditation certification because they've lost so many students? Yeah, they've lost Title One because despite Florida adding all these residents, Miami Beach is seeing a population exodus in large part because some of our most vulnerable residents have nowhere to live.”

Discussing housing affordability and population loss in Miami Beach

“We've had the Hotel Overlay District for, what, 12 years? This resulted in two projects, right? And Tom actually went live. Local was passed. We actually down zoned a large part of our city.”

Discussing historical effectiveness of zoning incentives on Washington Avenue

“While this, in some sort of perfect world or imperfect world would result in 2400 units, the chance of that number zero not remote zero. Okay. The Hotel incentives that were provided in 2016 were much more substantial than this, and it's resulted in two projects.”

Discussing projected housing units and effectiveness of prior incentives

“Does anybody ever walk on First in Washington? Eat a Pura Vida and look at the Cosmopolitan where there's families there, there's young professionals. Gerald and Trish, their authors, the prizes of our community and go, wow, look at that over development. Oh, it's a beautiful, beautiful project. And that's what a community is, right?”

Discussing the Cosmopolitan project as an example of good development that creates community

“This is going to reduce the traffic in our city. That's why we have traffic on Alton Road on Washington Avenue, because people need to drive to get there. This is a walkable downtown type of community. It's going to help housing affordability.”

Discussing benefits of Washington Avenue zoning plan

“If we want to go up to Tallahassee, which I plan to do this session with a straight face and say Live Local does not is not the pathway forward, we want our own control. Then we need to make true, bona fide efforts to say, please don't do this because we're going to do that.”

Discussing relationship with state legislature and Live Local legislation

“Sometimes it's best government just get out of the way, right when we try and be too much and really try and fine tune this, we get to a point where nothing ever gets done, and I think that's really where we're at.”

Discussing over-regulation and project delays

“The most substantial thing that I hope I take on during my time of the day. So thank you to my colleagues for your for your vision on this, for working together collaboratively.”

Expressing support for Washington Avenue comprehensive zoning plan

“So you know, Commissioner Fernandez, that was last year. Okay. You came as a representative of the City of Miami Beach, and you spoke in front of state legislatures, and you advocated for this exact piece of legislation. That's not for that. For the. Excuse me. Let me finish. But that's not correct. Excuse me. Let me finish, please. With the intent to stop Live Local from happening in Miami Beach and taking away our local control.”

Challenging Commissioner Fernandez on his Tallahassee testimony

“And now, for some reason, that has changed. Everything you said up there was amazing. It made perfect sense. It struck a chord of why we don't need Live Local anymore in Miami Beach, or why someone in Tallahassee can write our zoning code.”

Continuing challenge to Commissioner Fernandez regarding apparent policy shift

“This isn't this isn't zoning that I came up with. This came from, you know, our our zoning director, our planning director, Tom Mooney. He came up with this whole concept of how can we incentivize the residential development that Miami Beach wants, that we want to see?”

Crediting planning staff for zoning plan concept

“Now, I understand if we're not going to, we're no longer going to be have management or development agreements with developers that want to build double the height from 150ft to 350ft. To be honest, that's not real urban planning. That's how we end up with five park.”

Discussing development agreements and building heights

“This gives us the ability to say, Hey, we've already passed a comprehensive plan for housing. We don't need you to come here and tell us what you expect and what you want to do to to make money. We're going to be able to incentivize the type of development and housing that we define, not they define.”

Explaining advantages of comprehensive zoning approach over individual development agreements

“And yes, sure, we're not going to be entrenched in, in development agreements with, with, with developers that in reality can literally purchase every single lobbyist on Miami Beach and lobby us till kingdom come and get and get extraordinary development rights. I think this is real urban planning.”

Criticizing influence of developer lobbyists

“We're deciding the future of, of of a corridor. And I think that's the right approach, not piecemeal. I don't want to see a 500 foot building on Washington Avenue. I don't want to see a 300 foot building on Washington Avenue. I don't want to see a 20 story building on Washington Avenue. I want something that's consistent when you walk down, everything makes sense.”

Advocating for comprehensive planning approach

“I'm really hoping that we could put politics aside and we can do what's best for the city. You know, I, I also want to bring up the concern of of infrastructure.”

Transitioning to discussion of infrastructure concerns

“And so there was another point, I think, Commissioner Bhatt brought up it's that brought up TCC and how detrimental that was. And I think one of the biggest issues that TCC was is that they have transient use. You're allowed to these all these I think 12 or 13 developments going up. You're allowed to have airbnbs in them. This particular legislation strictly prohibits that.”

Distinguishing Washington Avenue plan from Town Center Commons regarding transient use

“And also it only limits to a height incentive of 25ft. Now look, if you were to tell me that that is incongruent with with what you think, I'm certainly open to removing the 25 foot height incentive. I'm not married to it.”

Indicating flexibility on height incentive provisions

“And that there was a comment that this is too broad. This is urban planning. Urban planning isn't going by parcel to parcel and deciding what's what, how it's going to look over decades. I don't think that's the right approach.”

Defending comprehensive planning approach against criticism

“Our zoning code hasn't changed since I was five years old in 1989. I think it's outdated. I think we need to to to to adapt to the times. I don't see it there right now. It's incentivized for hotels. I don't see I don't see there a a a mad rush to build more hotels on Washington Avenue. In fact, nothing wants to be built on Washington Avenue. What's on Washington Avenue is crumbling.”

Criticizing current zoning code as outdated

“You know, I mean, we're going to Tallahassee. We're saying one thing, but when it comes down to it, we do another. And before you know it, we're going to just have more Live Local. Because I can tell you one thing. State legislatures are looking at this meeting right here. And they're saying look at that. They're going there. They're coming to us. They're telling us one thing, but they're doing another.”

Discussing state legislature perception of local control

“We need to do. We need to go above and beyond what's already on. Live Local. At least if we pass something here, we have an argument to make to them saying that we have the ability to control our own zoning for the better. It's going to be tailored to what we need, not what someone in Tallahassee thinks.”

Arguing for proactive local zoning to prevent state preemption

“That was beautifully said. I share the sentiment. I think we all do.”

Response to Vice Mayor Mateo-Salinas's comments on community

“That was wow. That was beautifully said. I share the sentiment. I think we all do. Say one more thing. I, you know, I try to reach out to every single one of you at some point to speak.”

Opening comments during citizen forum discussion

“So I'm very supportive of Miami Design Preservation League and everything that the organization has done in our city for decades. You are Art Deco, and it's because of DPL that our postcard exists, and that's pretty exciting. I'm a long time member of DPL, and I'm proud to attend your events at the location. I too received a call from the Inspector General, and the interpretation I received was let's hold off right now on the contract, because there could be tweaks that we'd want to add or that the city would want to add in there.”

Commissioner Magazine expressing support for MDPL's mission while explaining IG concern

“I have on the agenda today. I've been working with two multinational international brands that want to do an activation that they're rolling out in six cities globally, including Monaco, Sandra Bay, cities like that. They are going to do on Ocean Drive in the middle of March. And those international brands are Prada and National Geographic.”

Announcing major international brand activations coming to Ocean Drive

“A lot of the problems stem from not really people that would come here and stay in our hotels, but would drive in from quasi surrounding areas, party in their cars. Those are the ones that bring weapons. You're usually not bringing it on a plane.”

Identifying key source of problem behavior and weapons

“When we talk about some of our traffic or parking, I think it should be with that goal of threading the needle of having a very robust public crowd, but preventing us from being overwhelmed.”

Explaining strategy for balancing visitor access with public safety

“Opening the garages, but some type of pricing mechanism and control. It's not $3 an hour or anybody can come. But there is some sort of cost control there.”

Supporting tiered pricing approach for garage access

“The barricades just cannot remain. It just echoing the comments from some of my colleagues, it just sets a very negative tone. It tenses people up. It's just not the image that we want to project.”

Strong opposition to continued use of barricades

“If we do need to control on street parking, I wonder if we could do it in more esthetically pleasing and welcoming ways. Everybody loves our firefighters. Perhaps we have fire trucks that are out there instead of barricades. Something that is interactive and welcoming to the community, but still serves as a public safety mechanism.”

Proposing alternative to barricades that maintains safety while improving aesthetics

“For the license plate readers. I agree with you, Commissioner Fernandez, about pushing it back. I do believe, Mr. City Manager, they started being implemented at 6 P.M. in years past. I think over time it's gotten later and later.”

Supporting delayed start times for LPR checkpoints

“I may have to recuse from that because, full disclosure, I'm a little monster. I'm a Gaga fan. I hope to be going over to that concert.”

Indicating potential conflict of interest regarding Lady Gaga concert decisions

“One thing that we haven't talked about, but I think would be great to implement, is some sort of evening wellness activations along Ocean Drive. Evening volleyball games in our volleyball courts, evening pickleball games in our pickleball courts.”

Proposing wellness activities to create vibrant but controlled evening atmosphere

“I think evening wellness pilates activations, things like that, along Ocean Drive. It goes hand in hand with the brand that we're going to be rolling out for our marketing campaign.”

Suggesting wellness programming aligned with new marketing initiatives

“I do wholeheartedly agree with more beach access points. While I am comfortable providing these accommodations that we talked about because we are in a very different place it also should come with knowing where that line is.”

Supporting expanded beach access while maintaining enforcement standards

“I want to ensure we're having strict, strict enforcement and zero tolerance for public drinking, drug use and public loud music and speeding. Really doubling and tripling down on our traffic enforcement.”

Emphasizing need for heightened enforcement alongside policy relaxations

“I also suggest going alpha bravo with our parking enforcement really doubling down in our residential areas, because I know where some of that problem came in was not so much on Washington Avenue, where the enforcement is very robust. But when those visitors got routed into our residential areas like Flamingo Park.”

Proposing intensified enforcement in residential neighborhoods

“The license plate readers coming into the city on a permanent basis. Is that correct? So even though the lane reduction, what we're talking about is the deployment of the lane reduction. And rather than starting that lane reduction where you pretty much only have one lane coming into the city, push that back by an hour or so or whatever time you are determined to be appropriate. That doesn't mean we still have the permanently fixed LPR reader that if someone is wanted and it gets identified by that tag, our police department, the Real Time Intelligence Center would get notified.”

Clarifying the distinction between permanent LPR readers and the temporary lane reduction deployment

“This is a small detail, but we can do better than this when we're closing our beaches. We are a world class city. We need to do better than this. It's an embarrassment. Let's up our game. Well, let's up our game a lot. We don't need permanent installations, but come on. Make it beautiful and not unwelcoming.”

Criticizing the appearance of beach closure signage

“I'm told all the time, every day, multiple times a day, that from our residents that they're so grateful they live in our Miami Beach. Of course, there's always things to do better and make it better, and that's why all our residents and us are working toward that goal. But residents telling me there's not a place in the world they'd rather live. They feel safe here, they feel comfortable.”

Response to public comment about city safety and resident satisfaction

“And then sometimes specific groups across the spectrum tell me as a whatever fill in the group, there's no other place I'd rather be in Miami Beach, because we are a safe haven for everyone, and we're going to continue to be. And that's why our ratings amongst these different categories that get rated by national groups are always we're at the top of the charts, but that happens because that doesn't happen by accident.”

Discussion about Miami Beach being a safe haven and diverse community

“There's a reason why this city is such a safe haven. First of all, it's because of all of you, because of our residents that are incredible and don't tolerate a level, are very tolerant and don't tolerate a level of hate. And it happens. Of course, there's going to be one offs. There's not a city in the world that doesn't have situations come up. We're made of a very diverse opinions of people. But I also saw this morning how the seven of us are reflecting the residents and being tolerant, and we're not going to accept hate. We are not ever going to accept hate in this city. And we put our foot down this morning in a big way and we showed it.”

Comments about city's commitment to rejecting hate and protecting all communities

“So I think that's where this was coming, but as an organization, you should feel proud of everything that you've done for Miami Beach. It's been terrific, and I respect both of you. And I look forward to getting past the Inspector General report and continuing the relationship, because what you guys advocate for is incredible.”

Commissioner Magazine expressing confidence in MDPL's future

“One of the things that currently that for me is very important, the firewall between development and fundraising and advocacy, that firewall needs to exist. I have led advocacy organizations, particularly in the French Quarter. That is something that I feel very strongly about. There has to be clear separation. Advocacy has to be its own thing. It has to be totally independent.”

Discussing governance and transparency concerns with Art Deco Historic District

“Don't mean to keep beating this horse, but since our budget meeting nearly eight months ago, we highlighted we were preparing for a large hole or gap in our transportation funding, and we talked about creative ways to raise revenue. We've talked about advertising. I've been paying increasing notice to the amount of busses and trolleys we have that are completely unwrapped or completely unadvertised.”

Discussing alternative funding mechanisms for transportation to offset rate increase

“We're in the middle of it. We had the college football national championship game. We have, of course, our prized events like Art Basel that recur every year. We have a new revamped spring break. We have the World Cup coming up. We have G-20 in a year. I am really having a hard time believing we can't find better advertising for our trolleys as a way to plug some of that.”

Questioning lack of trolley advertising during major events

“You know, we've spent so much time talking today about how we've pivoted away from the anything goes party crowd from the crime and chaos that had plagued our city in years past and how we're focusing on health, wellness and an elevated environment. Miami Beach. I think we're perfectly capable of walking and chewing gum at the same time. This I view as an amenity to our residents or tourism. This is providing in very limited specific areas that are specified.”

Supporting alcoholic beverage ordinance for beach concessions

“We're sending back $500 checks to residents. Right. How great is that? For the first time in 20 years, we're sending back $500 to every homesteaded resident. And we talked about creative ways to raise revenue. And like I said, because we are in a much different place right now than we were five years ago. This really provides us a great opportunity to continue elevating that beach experience in a limited number of ways.”

Emphasizing revenue generation benefits and budget discipline

“It was four years ago where, unfortunately, CNN was doing a live broadcast on Sunday morning from Ocean Drive, our beloved postcard. There were shop owners cleaning blood with a hose after the second night of a public execution on our streets.”

Reflecting on the serious crime situation that prompted the strict measures

“I think this area here. This will be the American Riviera in several years, right? We have some of the most prized properties in the entire world, including the Sherbrooke. Okay along this area. We have the Shore Club being renovated. We have new owners of the Delano moving that project forward. We have the SLS that's under renovation right now, and we have the Faena, which has just been such a tremendous asset to our city.”

Discussing development potential of oceanfront properties in Faena District

“The owner of the Betsy just shared with me over the weekend. He got contacted by CNBC for the second year in a row for them to set up a live broadcast production from our beloved, beautiful Ocean Drive to do a full day of programming on the largest financial network in the entire world.”

Highlighting positive change and new high-profile opportunities for Miami Beach

“I have on the agenda today. I've been working with two multinational international brands that want to do an activation that they're rolling out in six cities globally, including Monaco, Sandra Bay, cities like that. They are going to do on Ocean Drive in the middle of March. And those international brands are Prada and National Geographic.”

Announcing major international brand activations coming to Ocean Drive

“A lot of the problems stem from not really people that would come here and stay in our hotels, but would drive in from quasi surrounding areas, party in their cars. Those are the ones that bring weapons. You're usually not bringing it on a plane.”

Identifying key source of problem behavior and weapons

“When we talk about some of our traffic or parking, I think it should be with that goal of threading the needle of having a very robust public crowd, but preventing us from being overwhelmed.”

Explaining strategy for balancing visitor access with public safety

“Opening the garages, but some type of pricing mechanism and control. It's not $3 an hour or anybody can come. But there is some sort of cost control there.”

Supporting tiered pricing approach for garage access

“The barricades just cannot remain. It just echoing the comments from some of my colleagues, it just sets a very negative tone. It tenses people up. It's just not the image that we want to project.”

Strong opposition to continued use of barricades