On Thursday, November 18th, the Village of Palmetto Bay celebrated the 19th Annual State of the Village Address! For the first time in more than a year, residents had the opportunity to attend both in-person and virtually. The evening marked the official launch of the Village's 20th Anniversary Celebration!
Mayor Karyn Cunningham delivered an inspiring address from the Student Activity Center at Westminster Christian School to nearly 200 residents who attended in person and more than 100 who watched on Facebook and YouTube! In her address, Mayor Cunningham highlighted the many accomplishments that the Village has achieved over the past year despite very challenging times, thanking residents for their engagement and involvement in the Village.
Mayor Cunningham began the address by recognizing individuals and organizations that have made significant contributions to the community. She, along with other notable presenters, including Vice Mayor Leanne Tellam, Councilmembers Patrick Fiore, Steven Cody & Marsha Matson, School Board Member Luisa Santos, Local Artist Xavier Cortada, Education Advisory Board Chair Dianne Quick, and the members of the Youth Community Involvement Board, acknowledged the following honorees:
PAY IT FORWARD AWARD
Mr. Eric Eikenberg, The Everglades Foundation
Ms. Taylor Moxey, Taylor Moxey Foundation
AJ Paredes, Project Lend A Hand
#PALMETTOBAYSGOTTALENT AWARD
Palmer Trinity Schools
Westminster Christian School
XAVIER CORTADA POWER OF ART AWARD
Mrs. Dana Pedzolt
GUS BARREIRO CHAMPION FOR CHILDREN AWARD
State Representative Vance Aloupis
LARRY AND COLLEEN BARFIELD SMALL BUSINESS AWARD
Chamber South
Palmetto Bay Business Association
ROSEMARY FULLER AWARD FOR EDUCATION & COMMUNITY SERVICE
Jane Forman, Jane Forman Tennis Academy
Congratulations to all!
Following the award presentations, Mayor Cunningham, presented the address announcing that the Village was officially launching the celebration of its Twentieth Year Anniversary leading up to the anniversary date on September 10, 2022. As she presented the many achievements of the Village, Mayor Cunningham underscored the reasons why the Village of Palmetto Bay is a great place to live, work, learn, and play! From launching new technology so that we could communicate better with residents to allocating funding for needed projects and services, Palmetto Bay continues to lead the front in many ways.
Mayor Cunningham also addressed the issue of traffic, the SW 87th Avenue bridge and development in the Village. "The council has taken strong positions on some issues like our opposition to the construction of a bridge on SW 87th Avenue over the C-100 canal. We have also taken a strong position on development and have worked to lower density in the Village to the greatest extent available under the law.", said Mayor Cunningham. At the conclusion of her speech, Mayor Cunningham addressed the residents once again thanking them for their involvement in the community, "I am proud of the many engaged residents that have worked tirelessly to challenge us, support us, and work with us to make the Village a better place to live, work, learn, and play."
The evening was marked by celebrations, acknowledgments and well-deserved recognitions. We would like to especially thank Mistress of Ceremony, Ms. Danielle F. Spiegelman who did an amazing job presiding over the event, Reverend Wynemah Hinlicky of St. Thomas Lutheran Church for the moving invocation, The Children's Voice Chorus for their beautiful performances under the guidance of Founder & Artistic Director Jamie Sutta, and our County Mayor Levine Cava and County Commissioner Cohen Higgins for their positive remarks.
Please click the links below to see photos of the event or to watch it on Facebook or YouTube.
