LEGISLATIVE NEWSLETTER Commission Meeting Dec 14th, 2017

Dear Neighbor,    This week marks the last Miami City Commission meeting of the year. With a new mayor and two new Commissioners on the dais, I look forward to a cooperative spirit that will help move Miami forward. We are taking on many subjects that I care about this week. If the votes are there, we’ll be telling the state government to stay out of municipal tree regulations. We’ll be urging the federal government to honor the thousands of productive, job-holding, home-owning, local immigrants who are at risk of deportation to unsafe conditions as TPS expires. We’ll be deciding the future of the Coconut Grove Playhouse, one of our community’s great gems which has been left to neglect. Thursday is also the final reading of my Lobbyist Reform legislation which will make lobbying in the City of Miami more transparent and accountable. Thank you for staying informed and involved. Please follow the commission meeting on twitter @kenrussellmiami or watch live for the full session which will most likely last a riveting 12 hours online at www.miamigov.com . Your Commissioner, Ken Russell City of Miami Commissioner District 2

WHAT I'M SPONSORING

RESOLUTION RE.14 - The City of Miami is deeply impacted by recent actions by the federal government to discontinue Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitian and Central American immigrants. I am sponsoring this resolution, urging President Donald Trump and the United States Congress to reinstate TPS for Haitian and Central American immigrants, and to extend TPS to Venezuelan immigrants fleeing the circumstances of their country.  Full legislative summery here RESOLUTION RE.13 - The state legislature is presently considering bills that would preempt local tree protection ordinances. I am sponsoring this resolution opposing Senate Bill 574 and House Bill 521, which would be harmful to the City's tree canopy.  Full legislative summery here RESOLUTION PH.9 - This resolution would approve a $50,000 allocation of District 2 share of City Anti-Poverty Funds to the Thelma Gibson Health Initiative for TGHI's wraparound program providing life skills, social skills, and money management training for affordable housing residents and other at-risk individuals and families.  Full legislative summery here RESOLUTION RE.17 & 19  - These separate resolutions direct the City Manager to end the City of Miami's Red Light Traffic Camera program and terminate the agreement with American Traffic Solutions. I am co-sponsoring RE.19. Please read full legislative summary below. Full legislative summery here Full legislative summery here FIRST READING SR.8 - Back before the Commission for second reading, I am sponsoring a rewrite of the City ordinance regulating lobbying activities in the City of Miami in order to better align City requirements related to registration and reporting with the Miami-Dade County Code. Full legislative summary here. RESOLUTION RE.11 - This resolution I am sponsoring would accept and approve the Finding of Necessity study prepared by PMG Associates for the creation of a West Grove sub-area under the Omni Community Redevelopment Agency. [This item will be deferred to the January 11 Commission meeting] Full legislative summery here FIRST READING FR.1 - I am sponsoring an ordinance that would create a framework for completing the missing links of the Baywalk/Riverwalk. Legacy owners of several properties along Biscayne Bay and the Miami River were not subject to the same setback requirements that exist today. Unless these properties are redeveloped by the owners, there currently exists no incentive to complete the missing links. This ordinance would allow the City to obtain an easement and construct the Baywalk in advance of any redevelopment on these properties, and to obtain a reimbursement from the property owner if the land is ever redeveloped in the future. Full legislative summary here.

FIRST READING ORDINANCE

FR.3 & PZ.4 - These companion amendments to the City Code and Miami 21 would establish an Underline Public Benefits Trust Fund under the City's Public Benefits Program, which would allow projects abutting the Underline to contribute to construction, maintenance, operation, or improvements to the Underline within City limits. Full legislative summery here Full legislative summery here

SECOND READING ORDINANCE

SR.1 & PZ.3  –These companion items are comprehensive amendments to the City Code and Miami 21 sections regulating the sale of alcohol Citywide, including hours of sales. Full legislative summary here Full legislative summary here

SR.2 & PZ.2  -  These companion amendments to the City Code and Miami 21 will create Phase II of the City’s Art in Public Places program and impose a public art requirement on private developments. The City Commission approved Phase I of the Art in Public Places program for all public development project at the City Commission meeting on January 12, 2017. Commissioner Russell will be requesting that this item be deferred to the first meeting in February. Full legislative summary here

RESOLUTIONS

RE.3 - This resolution would authorize the City Manager to review all existing agreements between the City of Miami, the Miami Sports and Exhibition Authority, and the Miami Children's Museum to consider whether the City should transfer approximately 26,599 square feet of land on Watson Island to the Miami Children's Museum. Full legislative summary here.

RE.12 - This resolution authorizes the City Manager to take any actions necessary on behalf of the City to join and participate in additional PACE (Property Assessed Clean Energy) programs. PACE financing allows property owners in the City to make clean energy and energy efficiency improvements to their homes through an assessment paid on their yearly property tax bill. Full legislative summery here

RE.16 & 18  - The City Commission will be discussing the selection of the next City Manager. Mayor Suarez has nominated Emilio Gonzalez for the position. Commissioner Carollo has also proposed a resolution that would direct a national search for the next City Manager. Full legislative summery here Full legislative summery here

PLANNING AND ZONING ITEMS

PZ.6 - The City Commission will hear an appeal of a decision by the Historic and Environmental Preservation Board approving a Certificate of Appropriateness for the partial demolition and reconstruction of the Coconut Grove Playhouse, as well as the new construction of the adjacent parking garage.  Full legislative summery here

PZ.10   - This item seeks a rezoning of properties located at 2850 Tigertail Avenue and 2765 South Bayshore Drive. The applicant is seeking an upzoning of the parcel on Tigertail Avenue from T5-O to T6-8-O and a downzoning on the parcel located on South Bayshore Drive from T6-12-O to T6-8-O. The applicant intends to develop the property as Office Use with ground floor retail and has proffered two voluntary covenants limiting the height of the project to 123 feet and the restricting the use to a plaza. Full legislative summery here

PZ.22 & 23 - This pair of ordinances will amend the Ransom Everglades School Upper Campus Special Area Plan (SAP) and amend the previously approved development agreement between the City and Ransom Everglades, incorporating the addition of the La Brisa property and increasing the maximum student enrollment, number of staff, and amount of surface parking. Full legislative summery here Full legislative summery here

PZ.26 - This item seeks a rezoning of properties located at 1441, 1445, 1455 North Miami Avenue; 1412, 1418, 1428, 1432 NE Miami Ct; and 25 and 31 NE 14 Street from T6-24A-O to T6-24-B-O, which would allow for building additional density on the property.  Full legislative summery here

PZ.27 - This item seeks a rezoning of properties located at 70 NE 17 St, 90 NE 17 Street, and 1642 NE 1 Ave from T6-24-A-O to T6-24-B-O, which would allow for building additional density on the property. Full legislative summery here

PZ.29 & 30 - These companion items seek a rezoning from T3-R to T3-O and land use change from Single Family Residential to Duplex Residential for the properties located at 2900 South Miami Avenue and 2890, 2900, 2920, 2940, and 2960 South Federal Highway. The owner will proffering a voluntary restrictive covenant committing to a site plan; restricting the use, density, and access points of the property; and establishing setbacks and landscaping buffers from neighboring properties. Full legislative summery here Full legislative summery here

PZ.31 - The City Commission will hear an appeal of a warrant authorizing an outdoor cafe at 2691 South Bayshore Drive.  Full legislative summery here

CONSENT AGENDA

CA.13 & 14  - Under the City Charter, the positions of City Clerk and City Attorney must be appointed by the City Commission after each general municipal election. These resolutions would reappoint Victoria Mendez as City Attorney and Todd Hannon as City Clerk.  Full legislative summery here Full legislative summery here

If you are interested in items not published here, please refer to the full agenda using the following  link . If you have any questions or suggestions about the upcoming meeting, you may reply to this message or contact my office at (305) 250-5333.  If you are interested in speaking on any of the items, please register with the City Clerk on the day of the Commission meeting. The meeting begins at 9:00 a.m. Thanks for being involved!

Your input matters. If you have any suggestions on how we could improve this newsletter, you can reply to this message or write directly to nvanegas@miamigov.com.

3500 Pan American Dr., Miami, FL 33133 Copyright © 2016 Ken Russell Vice Chairman of the Miami Commission, All rights reserved.