Volume 40 | January 13, 2021
Your Weekly News and Updates
Key Biscayne COVID-19 Vaccination Survey
Please take a minute to fill out this brief seven question survey provided by the Key Biscayne Community Foundation in partnership with the Village of Key Biscayne and the Key Biscayne Chamber of Commerce. We are collecting data in order for local officials to make informed decisions related to vaccinations.
COVID-19 Vaccination
Village of Key Biscayne staff is in communication with the Florida Department of Health regarding the state’s rollout of the COVID-19 vaccines. New vaccination sites throughout Miami-Dade County and the state are opening regularly, but the demand still significantly outweighs the supply.

For the latest vaccine information, visit Miamidade.gov/vaccine.

Mount Sinai Medical Center is requesting individuals call 305-674-2312 or email och@msmc.com for an appointment at it's Miami Beach location.

Jackson Health System has an online appointment portal for individuals to be able to book an appointment when vaccines and times become available.

Baptist Health is continuing to update their site and will announce once more vaccines become available.

Hard Rock Stadium is currently taking 1,000 appointments per day. To register, call 1-888-499-0840 or 1-888-256-8918 (TTY).

For the latest information from for state, visit the Florida Department of Health.
Key Biscayne Residents Have Options for Covid-19 Testing
The Village of Key Biscayne has partnered with Curative Inc. to offer a COVID-19 testing kiosk at the southeast corner of the Village Green (by the public restrooms) and mobile testing van in Calusa Park.
 
The kiosk and van are operational from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., six days a week (Monday through Saturday) until June 30, 2021. These sites offer oral-fluid swab testing to test for COVID-19. Test results will be emailed or texted to the individual within 24-48 hours, upon the lab receipt of the test. The self-service kiosk and van allow individuals to conduct the oral swab themselves for a more comfortable and painless experience. The sample collection process can be viewed here.
 
Curative offers patients this complimentary service that is billed via the individual’s health insurance or subsided by the federal CARES Act. There is no cost to The Village of Key Biscayne or the individual testing. Patients can sign-up for testing in advance by visiting the Curative website or on-site.

Additionally, drive-through testing at the Key Biscayne Community Center remains available 2-days per week by appointment only and is self-pay. The COVID-19 self-pay cost at the drive-through testing is $85 and registration is available on the Key Biscayne Community Foundation website. Dates are subject to change, please confirm your date and time when making your appointment.
 
Additional testing options include the Baptist Health Urgent Care Express located at 240 Crandon Blvd. Suite #110; CVS Pharmacy located at 726 Crandon Blvd; and Ethos Wellness Pharmacy, located at 260 Crandon Blvd C33.
MDCPS Magnet Application School of Choice
Reminder to Village residents that all MDCPS Magnet school applications are due by the deadline this Friday, January 15, 2021. This includes MAST lottery applications.

The magnet schools in MDCPS are governed by the regulations set forth by the School Board of Miami-Dade County.

To apply, go to the School of Choice website at www.yourchoicemiami.org. Please check individual school websites for admissions requirements.
Request for Qualifications: Continuing Architecture & Engineering Services
The Village of Key Biscayne has issued a Request for Qualifications (“RFQ”) to interested and qualified firms to receive sealed proposals for professional engineering services on the Continuing Architectural & Engineering Services project.

The Village is seeking professional architectural and engineering firms to provide project development, design, administration, and oversight services within the following disciplines: architecture; civil engineering; coastal engineering; construction engineering and inspection; construction/project management; landscape architecture; mechanical, electrical, and plumbing engineering; urban planning; structural engineering; sustainability consulting; traffic and transportation engineering; and water resources engineering.

More information about the project can be found at on the Village's Procurement Portal. Responses must be submitted electronically to the Village by no later than 4:00PM, February 5, 2021 at https://keybiscayne.bonfirehub.com/portal.

Any response received after the deadline or delivered in any other manner shall not be considered for award.
Do you know about Miami-Dade County’s Landscape Irrigation Ordinance? 
According to the University of Florida, IFAS Extension: overall, homeowners over-water by as much as 2–3 times the amount needed by the plants, based on estimates of climate demand.

Since 1991, Miami-Dade County (“County”) has had a landscape irrigation ordinance, codified in Section 32-8.2 of the County Code, to help protect our environment by encouraging more responsible use of water resources.

These restrictions are based off of general landscaping water needs in Florida. In general, a healthy landscape only needs 3/4 to 1 inch of water per week during the summer growing season and only as needed to supplement rainfall. During the winter season, when a lawn goes dormant, it requires even less.

The County’s two-day a week landscape irrigation ordinance is applicable across the County to all users of any water sources, including public or privately owned water utilities, private wells, and any private connections with surface water bodies including canals and lakes. Water restrictions are permanent and enforced year-round. To learn more about the County’s water restrictions, click here.

Recently, the South Florida Water Management District requested that all municipalities, including Key Biscayne, adopt the District’s model ordinance implementing landscape irrigation conservation measures to bring greater awareness to existing landscape irrigation measures. Key Biscayne has acknowledged the importance of implementing these landscape irrigation measures to protect and preserve Key Biscayne’s precious water supply and ecosystems.

On August 25, 2020, the Village Council approved on first reading a Landscape Irrigation Ordinance to advance sustainable use of water resources in Key Biscayne. The Village’s proposed Ordinance is identical in nearly all respects to the County’s existing ordinance and the South Florida Water Management District’s model ordinance, which Village residents are likely already familiar with.

If the Village Council adopts the ordinance on second reading, Village residents may:

  • Continue irrigating two-days a week before 10:00 a.m. or after 4:00 p.m.; days depend on whether the property address is odd-numbered or even-numbered
  • Continue watering using methods such as hoses with nozzle attachments and watering cans, which are low volume irrigation, without regard to schedule restrictions.

Prior to second reading -that will take place on January 26, 2021- Village officials are working with the condominium associations and homeowners to clarify the ordinance and how it advances water conservation across the Village.

For more information about the Village’s proposed landscape irrigation ordinance, please contact Dr. Roland Samimy, Chief Resilience Officer for the Village of Key Biscayne at rsamimy@keybiscayne.fl.gov.
Your Village Government 
Mayor Michael W. Davey
Vice Mayor Edward London
Councilmembers: 
Franklin H. Caplan
Luis Lauredo
Allison McCormick
Brett Moss  
Ignacio J. Segurola
 Interim Village Manager Charles R. Press
Village Clerk Jocelyn Brewster Koch
Village Attorneys Weiss Serota Helfman Cole & Bierman
 
Comments? Questions? Suggestions?
Send an email to communications@keybiscayne.fl.gov