Thursday, May 21, 2020
Ensuring the safety and health of Miami Beach residents, visitors and businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic remains the city’s most important objective. Today, the City Manager has extended the city’s State of Emergency Declaration and Emergency Measures through May 22, 2020.

Additionally, the city has published guidelines for religious institutions , which can be found on the dedicated Miami Beach Reopening webpage at www.miamibeachfl.gov/reopening .
Hands Free for Your Health
The City of Miami Beach is the first municipality in the County to implement automatic pedestrian phases at all signalized intersections in the city as a measure to reduce human contact and prevent the spread of COVID- 19.

Automatic pedestrian phases provide pedestrian walk signals automatically without the need for pedestrians to press the button to cross an intersection. Walk signals are automatically activated every cycle at every signalized intersection in the city. This new initiative will remain in place in the interest of public health as a COVID-19 pandemic prevention measure.
Commission and Finance & Economic Resiliency Meetings
The next Commission meeting is being held on  tomorrow, May 22 at 9 a.m.  and will be televised on MBTV and streamed live on  Facebook.

The Finance and Economic Resiliency Meeting will follow at 10 a.m.

The Commission Chambers will be closed to the public, but you can watch both meetings via Zoom at  https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83502049503

  • How to provide spoken public comment during the City Commission Meeting: The public may provide spoken comment by dialing telephone 301.715.8592 or 1.888.475.4499 (Toll Free). The Webinar ID is 835 020 49503#. Press *9 to raise a hand to be placed in queue to speak.

  • How to submit written public comment before the City Commission Meeting: The public may submit written comments by sending an email to CityClerk@miamibeachfl.gov by 5 p.m. the day before the Commission Meeting. Please identify the Agenda Item Number in the email subject line. Emails received will be forwarded to the Mayor and Commissioners and will be included as a part of the meeting record.
Virtual Sustainachella
We continue to bring Virtual Sustainachella to provide the community with the knowledge and tools necessary to live a more sustainable lifestyle.

Tomorrow, May 22
3 PM - 4 PM
Register today to obtain access to this  workshop, as we discuss composting and how you can use organic materials such as leaves, vegetables and food scraps to turn them into a soil to help your at home garden. Click  here to register now.
Drive-Thru Food Distribution
Feeding South Florida and Commissioner David Richardson will host a drive-thru food distribution on Saturday, May 23.

Saturday, May 23
9 AM - 11 AM
2100 Collins Avenue
Miami Beach, FL

The food distribution is on a first come, first serve basis while supplies last. Please remain in your car and open the trunk when it's your turn in line.

If you do not have a car and would like to qualify for food assistance, please call or register online. Phone: 305.604.CITY (2489) or www.miamibeachfl.gov/food
Town Hall with Commissioner Meiner
Commissioner Steven Meiner will hosting a virtual Town Hall on Tuesday, May 26 to provide the community with a reopening update and answer your questions on the latest COVID-19 efforts by the city.

Tuesday, May 26
5:30 PM

The Zoom link to join: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86879677109

Or participate by telephone by calling 312.626.6799 or 888.475.4499, the webinar ID is 868 7967 7109.
Coming Soon: Additional Rent Assistance Funding
The HAND Program, funded by Miami-Dade County, will start accepting online rent assistance applications sometime next week followed by a lottery to select final applicants.

While the application is open to all county residents in need of rent assistance who have a social security card, HAND expects to serve about 300 – 400 households countywide.

As soon as the application site is available, the city will relay this information to its residents.
Miami-Dade County Small Business Assistance Forgivable Loan Program
Miami-Dade County Board of County Commissioners created a $5 million Small Business Assistance Forgivable Loan Program (SBAFLP) utilizing the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds allocated through the Federal Coronavirus Aid Relief and Economic Security Act (CARES Act).

The loans will be up to $25,000, with 0% interest and no origination fees. The "forgivable" feature of the loans rests on the ability of the small business borrower to retain jobs that are held by those of low or moderate income, meaning those who earn less than 80% of the annual Area Median Income. In Miami-Dade County, the annual AMI for a single person is $51,200.

To be eligible, the small business must meet certain criteria such as: having no more than 25 employees, providing some evidence of being impacted by COVID-19, and not previously having received assistance from other special COVID-19 programs, such as the federal Paycheck Protection Program. Click here to learn more.
Restaurant Openings
Today, various retail stores, personal grooming establishments, offices and museums reopened as part of the city’s  Phase 1 Reopening Emergency Order .

Next week, the city’s order will allow restaurants and sidewalk cafes to reopen on  Wednesday, May 27, 2020  as part of phase 1b.

Get Counted!
Now more than ever it's important to get counted! For the first time in Census history, you can now fill out the form online as well as by phone or mail.

Responding is fast, easy, safe and important —  and it’s key to shaping the future of your community.

Visit  my2020census.gov  and make sure you get counted.
Facial Covering Requirements
 Face coverings  MUST be worn at all essential retail and commercial businesses. If you are visiting one of our open parks/greenspaces and/or beachwalks/baywalks, you must wear a face covering unless social distancing can be achieved.

This does not apply to children under the age of 2, person's who have trouble breathing due to chronic pre-existing conditions or persons engaged in strenuous physical activity.

All city parks and tennis centers that are currently open close at 8 p.m. South Pointe park is open Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. and is closed on the weekends.

Click here for a full listing of parks/greenspace openings and view below facial covering requirement details.  Click here to learn how you can easily make your own face covering.
Hybrid Testing Site
The COVID-19 testing facility at the Miami Beach Convention Center campus has the capacity for up to 750 tests per day. Testing is FREE and available to anyone, 18 years or older, regardless of COVID-19 symptoms. A patient that has been tested is welcome to be retested at any time.

For more information on testing or testing for homebound seniors view the 'Testing' tab on our Coronavirus dedicated webpage .
 Customer Service
Our city hotline at 305.604.CITY (2489) is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. You can also email your questions to MBCovid@miamibeachfl.gov
To help keep you informed on the latest details of this ever evolving COVID-19 pandemic , the city has created a dedicated, city-related coronavirus webpage. We encourage you to continuously visit www.miamibeachfl.gov/coronavirus f or the most up-to-date information, including a list of frequently asked questions , important resources, impacts to city services and more.
Below is an ongoing summary of updates from the City of Miami Beach.

Miami Beach Resource Center
Has your business or job been impacted by coronavarius pandemic? The City of Miami Beach is here to help! Please email your contact information and inquiry to resourcecenter@miamibeachfl.gov and one of our resource agents will assist you.
You can also view some helpful tools and resources for businesses impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, including information on Governor DeSantis' Florida Small Business Emergency Loan Program and more on our dedicated business portal .

Meals for Seniors
If you are a senior citizen 60 years or older and are having problems getting meals, please call Miami-Dade County’s 311 Call Center between the hours of 7 a.m. and 7 p.m . and you will be immediately patched in with their Emergency Operations Center to get you the meals or other services that you may need. If you are not a senior, we still encourage you to share this message with any senior you may know.

Miami-Dade Public Schools Meal Distribution
Nautilus Middle School has replaced Miami Beach Senior High as the meal distribution center for Miami-Dade Public Schools grab-and-go meals in our community.

Those in need can pick-up meals from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesdays and Fridays, click here  for more information and other school locations. Free meals for kids are also available through  FLIPANY, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services  and  Feeding Florida.

Impacted Meetings/Events
For a full list of impacted meetings and events, please visit www.miamibeachfl.gov/coronavirus .

Miami Beach Restaurants - Takeout and Delivery
The City of Miami Beach is maintaining the general curfew throughout the city beginning at midnight each night, but permited restaurants to continue to operate their kitchens after midnight, for delivery services only .


Created to help out local restaurants,  Miami Eats  has now expanded its efforts to also support your local front-line medical staff, police and fire first-responders through  Meals for Heroes Miami . 

Stay Informed
The City of Miami Beach remains committed to ensuring the safety and public health of our residents, visitors and local businesses. As the information is changing rapidly pertaining to COVID-19, the administration is conducting daily interdepartmental calls to monitor the progression of novel coronavirus COVID-19 to ensure that we stay informed and respond when needed. We are also closely following the guidelines provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Florida Department of Health (FDOH).

For updated information on the city’s efforts, please visit: www.MiamiBeachFl.gov/coronavirus . We will also post updated messages via email , Nextdoor , Facebook, Twitter and via text message (text MBAlert to 888777).
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