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Commissioner’s Message

O n January 26th, the City Commission gathered for the Annual Goal Setting
Workshop at the L.A. Lee YMCA/Mizell Community Center to set goals for
the upcoming year. Key themes from our workshop are as follows:
Infrastructure & Resilience, Housing & Homeless, Traffic & Transportation, Parks &
Public Spaces, Economic Development & Diversification, and Public Safety. Staff will
continue to refine these goals and bring them back to the Commission for final
approval. These goals will help guide the preparation of the City’s annual budget for
FY 2024, which will be adopted in September.
During the meeting I raised a number of issues and concerns that I hope to see
addressed in the coming year, including the hiring of additional police officers to
deal with crime and expanding calls for service, increased focus on problems with
short-term rentals, and panhandling at intersections along Federal Highway. In
addition, I outlined my proposed plan for the construction of a new City Hall. The
City had been engaged in an effort to partner with the County to construct a joint
governmental campus to house both the City and County offices. These efforts
eventually were terminated for a variety of reasons. The need for a new building for
the City remains however. I’ve proposed that we construct the new building on the
open space adjacent to our existing building, up against the parking garage. This
allows us to avoid the cost of acquiring land and building a new garage. In
addition, we will be able to continue operation in our existing building while
construction is underway.
Finally, at our January 24th Commission conference meeting, my colleagues agreed
to appoint me as the point person to finalize negotiations with Jorge Mas, Managing
Owner of InterMiami, for the completion of the park at Lockhart Park. We had our
first meeting to get alignment on a scope of work, timeframe and desired amenities.
While the final details of the plan are still being developed, I am hopeful that we will
be able to complete the long-awaited park in the next 12 months. One of the new
items I’ve requested be included in the design is the addition of pickleball courts.
During the public hearings about the installation of pickleball courts at Snyder Park,
it became apparent that there is a large and growing fan base for pickleball. This is
precisely the type of activity that will encourage residents throughout the City to get
in their cars and drive to Lockhart Park.

I continue to welcome the input of
individuals and of our neighborhood
associations. I’ve been able to attend
many of their meetings across the district
during the past months and plan on
attending as many more as my schedule
permits.

12 The Landings & Bay Colony

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