Dear Friends and Neighbors: 

And just like that we are at the last week of school! Many schools in the community have already recessed for the summer and our public schools' last day is this Wednesday. Please note that schools will dismiss early this week so take extra caution in the school speed zones as indicator lights may not be in sync with the new hours. Click here for early dismissal hours. 

Tonight we have our Regular Council Meeting and will be recognizing individuals and organizations doing great things in Palmetto Bay including State Representative Alina Garcia and Justin Klecha from SAVE LGBTQ for Pride Month, and members of our graduating class of 2023! Recognitions start at 630 pm and our meeting begins at 7 pm. Click for the agenda. You can also use the new eComments to send us your comments on items on the agenda. It's simple and easy. Here is a quick tutorial. Click here to use the feature for tonight's meeting.

💰 A special shout out to our State Senator Alexis Calatayud and State Representative Alina Garcia. Our hard work, advocacy, and collaboration with our proactive state reps paid off and we were able to bring home significant funding for our appropriations from this year’s #legislativesession, contingent of the Governor's approval. This will help the Village with several of our projects. Our State Rep will be joining us at tonight's meeting and our Senator, Alexis Calatayud, will be with us on July 10th.

🌳 Residents in District 3 have probably noticed lots of new greenery over the past few days! That’s because Palmetto Bay applied for and received funding through the GREEN Miami-Dade Neat Streets Matching Grant Program to plant 51 Crepe Myrtle and Redberry Stopper trees in our District 3 public swales as we continue rebuilding our tree canopy and inventory. By including Redberry Stopper trees in this planting, the Village is giving a boost to a tree that was listed as Endangered by the state of Florida in our southeast area. Redberry Stoppers have small, fragrant flowers and attractive berries, making it a great ornamental and bird-friendly addition to our Village!

🏓🏀Pickleball and Basketball are officially partnered at our Palmetto Bay Park. Yesterday we celebrated with our youth and local sports clubs to celebrate the grand reopening of our court space at the Park. Thank you to Lily Azel, I9 Sports, and Elev8 for joining the festivities. Want to reserve a court? Click here. Courts are open five days a week from 8 am -12 pm. Additional hours and open play will be coming soon.

🌉On Wednesday May 31st, the Court held a Case Management Conference (CMC) to have the Village and County inform the Court as to the current status regarding any outstanding issues that need the Court’s attention before an eventual trial related to the 87th avenue bridge. The main issue for the Village was to remind the Court that there are still outstanding Motions to be ruled upon. One is the Village’s Motion for an Injunction, the other is the County’s Motion for a Summary Judgment. It was also brought to the Court’s attention that the Army Corps of Engineers is accepting public comment on the eventual construction of the Bridge until June 8th. We advised the Court that we will bring a separate Motion in this regard; while the Court has no jurisdiction over the Corps, we will ask the Court to again remind and instruct the County not to continue any construction irrespective of receiving a permit from the Corps. The next hearing on these Motions will be on July 5th at 3:00 p.m. I will provide a link as soon as we have one.

Hurricane Season has begun and the first storm has already formed and taken the first name on the list, While Tropical Storm Arlene has already been downgraded, this is a good time to start your families preparation for the season. The first of Florida's two Disaster Preparedness sales tax holidays runs from May 27 through June 9, with a second holiday running Aug. 26 to Sept. 8. On those days, household goods including pet food, household cleaners and batteries will be exempt from sales tax. Click for more information. The Village also has an updated page with lots of information on how you can begin preparation.

As always, I am here to answer questions or lend a helping hand and I encourage you to tune into reliable sources of information. Click to sign up for the Village Newsletter. Please feel free to contact me at kcunningham@palmettobay-fl.gov or at 305-799-0695. Together we are making Palmetto Bay an even better place to live, work, learn, and play.

Warm regards,