[1:02:27] please invest $20 million for

[1:02:28] fiscal year 2026 and 2027.

[1:02:32] Thank you.

[1:02:32] >> good evening.

[1:02:42] >> good evening. I am here to

[1:02:52] represent a trailer park. My

[1:02:53] address is 8050 northwest.

[1:02:54] Miami ct. My address is 8050

[1:02:57] northwest. Miami ct. Zip code

[1:03:13] 33150. With our representative

[1:03:22] from district 2. We have

[1:03:23] attended two budget hearings

[1:03:24] but we have not received an

[1:03:37] answer yet. The county knows

[1:03:39] we are here but our family

[1:03:39] remain at risk for

[1:03:47] displacement.

[1:03:51] >> we will not be calling out

[1:03:52] names. Please, thank you so

[1:03:54] much.

[1:04:03] >> we would like to have a

[1:04:04] meeting with some

[1:04:08] representatives. And the

[1:04:18] residents. We would also like

[1:04:24] to know if regulatory economic

[1:04:25] resources department and

[1:04:26] housing and community

[1:04:34] development department could

[1:04:35] name people who are responsible

[1:04:36] and present a clear plan to

[1:04:44] prevent displacement. We are

[1:04:45] not asking more for silence, we

[1:04:52] are asking for a specific date.

[1:04:53] And we would like an answer on

[1:04:54] our behalf. Thank you.

[1:04:55] >> thank you so much. As a

[1:04:58] matter fact someone is here and

[1:04:59] it will meet you in the back.

[1:05:00] To address that concern and I

[1:05:03] do believe others you made

[1:05:04] request to meet with. Staff

[1:05:05] will be in the back waiting for

[1:05:07] you. Thank you so much.

[1:05:18] Daniel, andy, sophia, maria,

[1:05:24] daniela, andrew, daniel,

[1:05:29] isabel, rachel, taylor, please

[1:05:42] come to the podium.

[1:05:43] >> good evening.

[1:05:44] >> good evening how are you?

[1:05:45] >> I'm doing great thank you

[1:05:53] so much. My name is andy

[1:05:54] allen. I am the state director

[1:05:54] for best study.

[1:05:55] > hold on andy, we have to

[1:05:56] make sure everybody is giving

[1:05:57] you their full attention.

[1:05:58] >> I love that. I will

[1:05:58] wait.

[1:06:03] >> thank you. Let's go.

[1:06:04] >> okay. Best buddies is

[1:06:05] located at 100 se. 2nd st. In

[1:06:07] miami. Best buddies is a

[1:06:15] 501(C)(3) Nonprofit that

[1:06:16] provides friendship, leadership

[1:06:17] development, and supported

[1:06:18] employment opportunities for

[1:06:19] individuals with intellectual

[1:06:21] and develop mental abilities.

[1:06:22] Through our partnership with

[1:06:22] miami-dade county, we serve

[1:06:25] more than 2000 county residents

[1:06:29] annually. Our cbo funding

[1:06:30] helps individuals with

[1:06:31] disabilities develop the social

[1:06:32] skills and workplace skills

[1:06:36] they need to obtain employment,

[1:06:38] be palm more independent and

[1:06:40] participate actively in their

[1:06:43] communities. We are grateful

[1:06:44] that cbo funding remains in the

[1:06:46] proposed budget and we

[1:06:53] respectfully ask the board of

[1:06:54] county commissioners to

[1:06:55] preserve this critical funding.

[1:06:56] I am joined by daniel of best

[1:07:00] buddies participant who will

[1:07:01] share what the program means to

[1:07:02] him.

[1:07:03] >> thank you so much. Daniel?

[1:07:08] >> greetings. My name is

[1:07:10] daniel and I live at 10951

[1:07:11] greetings. My name is daniel

[1:07:14] and I live at 10951 84th st.

[1:07:15] Greetings. My name is daniel

[1:07:16] and I live at 1095 184th st. In

[1:07:17] miami, fl. I was diagnosed

[1:07:17] with autism when I was three

[1:07:20] years old. Growing up I found

[1:07:21] it difficult to make friends

[1:07:27] and I was -- [Indiscernible].

[1:07:30] i believe that would never live

[1:07:31] independently or achieve my

[1:07:32] dreams. My friends used to

[1:07:36] tell me, don't say you can't do

[1:07:37] something just because you have

[1:07:45] autism. I search for answers

[1:07:45] until I found best buddies.

[1:07:46] Best buddies change my life

[1:07:47] forever. Through best buddies

[1:07:48] I have been able to build lots

[1:07:53] of friendship, work travel and

[1:07:54] advocate for inclusion for

[1:07:55] others as an ambassador I am

[1:07:58] proud of the community thanks

[1:07:59] to best buddies. I am asking

[1:08:00] you to retain the same level of

[1:08:06] funding for community-based

[1:08:07] organizations. Organizations

[1:08:08] like best buddies can continue

[1:08:10] to help people like me thrive.

[1:08:10] Thank you.

[1:08:20] >> thank you. So awesome.

[1:08:20] Yes, ma'am.

[1:08:21] >> my name is sophia. My

[1:08:22] address is 3235 southwest. 59th

[1:08:23] avenue, miami, fl 33155. I

[1:08:24] live in district 6. I am here

[1:08:28] to speak about funding septic

[1:08:28] to sewer conversions. My

[1:08:29] neighborhood shall be park is

[1:08:32] only one that was receiving

[1:08:32] funding this year. I urge you

[1:08:40] to increase funding for these

[1:08:41] conversions. We still have

[1:08:42] about 120,000 septic systems in

[1:08:46] the county. Many of them are

[1:08:47] vulnerable or touching ground

[1:08:48] water, yards flushing back into

[1:08:49] people's homes and biscayne

[1:08:50] bay. The county promised in

[1:08:51] the 1970s to phase out septic

[1:08:57] tanks. So please fulfill this

[1:08:58] promise. I'm also here to talk

[1:08:58] to you about urging you to

[1:08:59] allocate $20 million for the

[1:09:01] management restoration,

[1:09:07] acquisition, and maintenance of

[1:09:08] land. You mention parks as a

[1:09:08] priority this year so please

[1:09:10] uphold that for ill. Thank

[1:09:10] you.

[1:09:16] >> thank you.

[1:09:17] >> good afternoon my name is

[1:09:18] maria. My address is 1095

[1:09:22] raven avenue as they reside in

[1:09:23] district 6. I'm here today as a

[1:09:24] citizen to talk about the

[1:09:26] program. This program protect

[1:09:32] treat canopies, wildlife. This

[1:09:32] program protect all of our

[1:09:33] well-being since they protect

[1:09:36] sensitive lands that absorb

[1:09:37] floodwater. Scientists have

[1:09:43] warned us that money -- miami

[1:09:46] -- [Indiscernible]. It will

[1:09:47] cost us over $5 billion to come

[1:09:52] by flooding and long-term

[1:09:53] resiliency. In light of this

[1:10:01] we cannot mismanage lands that

[1:10:02] absorb this flooding. The

[1:10:03] continued investment in this

[1:10:04] program now is a concrete step

[1:10:05] the commissioners can take to

[1:10:06] protect us. While I am only

[1:10:06] mentioning flooding because

[1:10:07] over time the everglades, reefs

[1:10:08] and biscayne bay has benefits

[1:10:09] to the population.

[1:10:10] Contributing to the well

[1:10:18] billion -- being in many ways.

[1:10:21] >> thank you so much.

[1:10:31] >> district 5. As community

[1:10:32] liaison as transit alliance

[1:10:33] miami I along with my

[1:10:35] colleagues and volunteers spent

[1:10:36] AUGUST talking with 5:00 A.M.

[1:10:36] Bus riders. I invite you to

[1:10:37] join one of these rides to

[1:10:40] really understand just how

[1:10:44] packed these buses are while

[1:10:45] the rest of the county sleeps.

[1:10:48] It would be a tremendous and

[1:10:49] disrespectful disservice to cut

[1:10:55] early morning bus service.

[1:10:56] Riders are shocked and have no

[1:10:57] idea how they are supposed to

[1:10:58] get to work otherwise. Some

[1:10:59] reactions adventure with me

[1:11:01] since the county is taking a my

[1:11:14] way to work that is 1 and a

[1:11:14] half b

[1:11:14] two hours of wages each

[1:11:15] way. I don't feel safe walking

[1:11:16] in the dark for 30 minutes.

[1:11:17] The county functions on the

[1:11:18] surface of the 6868 workers.

[1:11:21] We owe them our respect, we owe

[1:11:22] them dignified and dependable

[1:11:23] transportation. Therefore, I

[1:11:25] urge you to restore the to

[1:11:30] restore the $12.4 million

[1:11:31] funding needed for early

[1:11:31] morning bus service. Thank

[1:11:32] you.

[1:11:32] >> thank you so much.

[1:11:47] >> hello my name is -- 22. --

[1:11:48] [Indiscernible]. Being from

[1:11:49] south florida mean the outdoors

[1:11:50] is a part of who you are. It

[1:11:51] is the reason people move here

[1:11:51] and reason those of us born

[1:11:52] here stay. But the natural

[1:11:55] spaces we love are not protect

[1:11:56] themselves. That is what the

[1:11:56] environment silly endangered

[1:11:58] land program is for. The lands

[1:12:02] absorb floodwater, they give

[1:12:05] space for wildlife to thrive.

[1:12:06] These lands are essential for

[1:12:10] miami-dade to thrive. If we do

[1:12:10] not leave room for our original

[1:12:14] lands to thrive how can we

[1:12:15] expect the environment around

[1:12:20] us to keep working for us? We

[1:12:21] are between two national parks.

[1:12:22] We have biscayne bay and the

[1:12:23] everglades. You cannot cut

[1:12:27] this program by the 54%. And

[1:12:28] expect our great spaces to

[1:12:28] survive. I'm asking you to

[1:12:30] fund the $20 million for the

[1:12:33] fiscal year 2026 b

[1:12:33] 2027.

[1:12:34] Protect the places that make us

[1:12:35] who we are. Thank you.

[1:12:42] >> thank you.

[1:12:47] >> good evening. I reside at

[1:12:55] 50 district 6. Between 5:56 am

[1:13:00] is for miami working people.

[1:13:01] The early shifts and nursing

[1:13:02] jobs, construction, school and

[1:13:07] daily life. Cutting them hurts

[1:13:08] riders and makes it harder to

[1:13:08] live and work in miami.

[1:13:09] Transit line spoke to hundreds

[1:13:10] of riders on these early

[1:13:14] morning buses and I don't know

[1:13:15] what I am going to do if this

[1:13:22] passes. I'm no other option.

[1:13:23] I spoke to an exhausted woman

[1:13:24] on her way home from her

[1:13:25] overnight shift at burger king.

[1:13:26] You should've seen her face

[1:13:26] when she heard this news at

[1:13:32] 5:30 A.M.. This is our only way

[1:13:33] home from work and she had to

[1:13:34] make ends meet. What does the

[1:13:34] county expect workers to do?

[1:13:35] Pay for an expensive rideshare

[1:13:36] to work every day to mac be in

[1:13:37] the dark on unprotected rows?

[1:13:39] Please restore the $12.4

[1:13:44] million to keep early morning

[1:13:45] service running. If you don't

[1:13:46] use the service your neighbor

[1:13:46] does. Thank you.

[1:13:47] >> thank you.

[1:13:51] >> hi commissioners matta

[1:13:55] mayor, CHAIRMAN, good evening.

[1:13:56] Thank you so much for having me

[1:14:02] here. My address is 2867

[1:14:03] southwest. 38th avenue, miami,

[1:14:11] fl 33134. My name is b

[1:14:12] I.[Indiscernible]. I think you

[1:14:13] are probably here on what I am

[1:14:14] going to talk about. I have a

[1:14:15] confession to make. I grew up

[1:14:15] here in miami. While I was

[1:14:17] there, I hated miami. I can

[1:14:19] wait to leave. And when I left

[1:14:22] , I realized that this place my

[1:14:24] hometown is the only place

[1:14:28] where you can go kayaking and

[1:14:28] mangroves, you can go on a

[1:14:31] swamp walk, and you can see

[1:14:32] dozens of wild flowers blooming

[1:14:35] in a pine rock all in one day.

[1:14:39] If you haven't done that, I'll

[1:14:40] invite you to come out with me.

[1:14:41] I will to take you out to do

[1:14:45] any of those things. Miami

[1:14:46] nature is what made me come

[1:14:56] back and why I'm here. What

[1:14:56] this is about is the

[1:14:57] environment silly endangered

[1:14:58] lands program. I'm asking you

[1:14:59] to please fund the program at

[1:15:00] $20 million. It is what allows

[1:15:01] the program to london -- run.

[1:15:05] Do all of the incredible

[1:15:06] services. Thank you.

[1:15:09] >> thank you so much. We

[1:15:10] almost made it. I saw it and

[1:15:14] it was coming.

[1:15:15] >> good evening commissioners

[1:15:16] my name is amanda. I'm the

[1:15:33] director of zero waste cultural

[1:15:34] change at the oceans. I reside

[1:15:35] at 11319 southwest. 248 terrace

[1:15:36] in district 8. Briefly ocean

[1:15:37] works to build the cultural and

[1:15:38] infrastructural capacity for

[1:15:38] transition from a linear to

[1:15:39] circular economy so that all

[1:15:40] can have access to clean water

[1:15:41] and healthy environments. We

[1:15:42] are asking you to fully fund

[1:15:43] the zero waste master plan in

[1:15:43] year 2026 b

[1:15:43] 2027 budget. We

[1:15:49] leave -- lead more than 150

[1:15:50] members who have helped shape

[1:15:51] this plan. Initiatives that

[1:15:52] are aligned in the plans are

[1:15:52] with the miami-dade community

[1:15:53] wants and we are eager for

[1:15:54] implementation to begin. I'm

[1:15:55] joined by my colleague isabella

[1:15:56] who will tell you why the plan

[1:15:58] is so awesome.

[1:16:11] >> resident --

[1:16:12] [Indiscernible]. Funding the

[1:16:19] master plan and create

[1:16:20] healthier communities for all.

[1:16:21] There were zero waste master

[1:16:22] plan will be more efficiently

[1:16:25] conserve natural resources

[1:16:25] lower greenhouse gas emission,

[1:16:28] reduce waste by attacking waste

[1:16:32] at its source. Fully

[1:16:33] implementing the plan allow us

[1:16:48] to increase the rate from its

[1:16:48] current 36% b

[1:16:49] 77%. This will

[1:16:49] reduce 1.7 million metric tons

[1:16:51] of co2 equivalent. Funding the

[1:16:51] zero waste master plan is

[1:16:52] integral to ensuring a more

[1:16:53] resilient and sustainable

[1:16:54] future for miami-dade county

[1:16:55] and our communities. Thank

[1:16:58] you.

[1:16:59] >> good evening MR. Vice

[1:17:00] CHAIRMAN, MR. CHAIRMAN, county

[1:17:00] commissioners and of course

[1:17:01] matta mayor. My name is --

[1:17:07] [Indiscernible]. My address is

[1:17:08] 5530 sunset DR., miami 33133.

[1:17:10] Like many of the others that

[1:17:11] are here today, I am here to

[1:17:15] talk about the land. I am here

[1:17:16] to emphasize a letter that was

[1:17:20] sent to all of you on behalf of

[1:17:21] several organizations from

[1:17:23] across our community urging the

[1:17:25] funding of $20 million to the

[1:17:25] environment silly endangered

[1:17:27] lands program. We recognize

[1:17:28] that this is a difficult budget

[1:17:31] cycle. But eo is more

[1:17:32] conservation. As many of the

[1:17:40] post before he has said, it is

[1:17:41] natural infrastructure. These

[1:17:42] lands reduce flooding in

[1:17:42] extreme heat, protect drinking

[1:17:44] water, preserve biodiversity

[1:17:44] and strengthen climate

[1:17:45] resilience. These benefits are

[1:17:48] exactly why the ill program was

[1:17:50] approved by miami-dade county

[1:17:51] voters in the 1990 referendum.

[1:17:54] The people want to protect the

[1:18:02] most environmentally sensitive

[1:18:03] lands for present and future

[1:18:03] generation. I urge you to

[1:18:04] honor that commitment and

[1:18:05] increase funding for ill.

[1:18:08] Delaying these acquisitions and

[1:18:09] management will only make them

[1:18:10] more expensive and increase

[1:18:11] risk of losing these lands

[1:18:12] forever. Thank you for your

[1:18:12] time.

[1:18:15] >> thank you so much.

[1:18:26] >> good afternoon. I come

[1:18:31] from miami workers center. My

[1:18:35] address is lotus house. 217

[1:18:41] northwest. 15th 217 northwest.

[1:18:58] 15th st., miami, fl 33136. My

[1:18:59] -- I'm a mother fighting for

[1:18:59] her son but a voice to be

[1:19:12] listened to. I am a single

[1:19:12] mother and my son shares this

[1:19:15] world with me. I am living at

[1:19:25] the lotus house. But today

[1:19:26] fear is reaching us again. We

[1:19:29] need to find more empathy for

[1:19:39] people with autism disorder.

[1:19:44] For someone in the autistic

[1:19:45] spectrum, the world is already

[1:19:50] very hard. Being unable to

[1:19:51] navigate the situation that

[1:19:51] most people don't have to

[1:19:59] navigate. Building a routine

[1:20:04] safe space and being able to

[1:20:05] have emotional development for

[1:20:18] me and my son. Having lost our

[1:20:21] home it is meant for us to

[1:20:38] break the stability and health.

[1:20:39] >> thank you so much. I

[1:20:50] appreciate it. Kathy, sharon

[1:21:07] frazier, paul, monica, patrice,

[1:21:08] please come forward to the

[1:21:14] podium. Thank you.

[1:21:15] >> good evening matta mayor

[1:21:20] and commissioners my name is

[1:21:21] marianna. 11 3180 core weight

[1:21:22] 33145. I am here tonight to

[1:21:24] ask you to rapidly fund the

[1:21:24] environment silly endangered

[1:21:26] lands program. With the full

[1:21:31] 20 million, he needs to

[1:21:32] properly upgrade. Endangered

[1:21:38] lands are not just pretty, they

[1:21:43] -- [Indiscernible]. The budget

[1:21:44] has dropped dramatically over

[1:21:45] the years. Land costs keep

[1:21:46] climbing. It is considering

[1:21:48] waiving the 10 million legal

[1:21:52] minimum fee that the management

[1:21:53] trust requires according to the

[1:21:54] code. There is currently

[1:21:59] 34,000 acres in the acquisition

[1:22:00] base. We defund this program

[1:22:05] every year we lose land forever

[1:22:06] an important ecosystem

[1:22:07] services. I respectfully ask

[1:22:07] you to fund ill at $20 million.

[1:22:08] Thank you.

[1:22:12] >> thank you so much.

[1:22:15] >> good afternoon my name is

[1:22:16] geraldine and 4298 geraldine

[1:22:20] and 4298 southwest ter.

[1:22:21] Geraldine and 4298 southwest

[1:22:22] ter., miami in district 6. I am

[1:22:23] here today to speak against the

[1:22:25] early bus and late -- I'm

[1:22:32] sorry. Last year I joined the

[1:22:33] transit alliance 24 hour

[1:22:34] transit marathon across the

[1:22:36] county. At 4:30 A.M. As we are

[1:22:37] standing in homestead one of

[1:22:39] the bus stops most of the

[1:22:50] people at that stop were from

[1:22:51] jackson, u health and other

[1:22:51] hospitals in miami. I was

[1:22:52] surprised to see that. And it

[1:22:53] also meant that those badges

[1:22:54] were deeply familiar to me

[1:22:55] because in 2017, I spent almost

[1:22:58] a month in icu at the trauma

[1:23:00] center cared by those very same

[1:23:09] essential workers. I saw them

[1:23:10] arriving at 6:00 am shift and

[1:23:11] leaving at 11:00 pm shift

[1:23:12] taking care of me day after

[1:23:16] day. These workers are there

[1:23:17] for us when we are most

[1:23:18] vulnerable. In many rely on

[1:23:19] these early and long distance

[1:23:19] buses. Please restore the

[1:23:24] $12.4 million that keep

[1:23:24] early-morning buses running.

[1:23:25] These routes are lifelines for

[1:23:26] the people who keep miami-dade

[1:23:27] running.

[1:23:30] >> thank you so much.

[1:23:49] >> -- [Indiscernible]. The

[1:23:49] taxpayer causing us $1.2

[1:23:58] million every day. Florida tax

[1:23:59] was.1 $0.2 million. We spent

[1:24:03] $5 million a year for mental

[1:24:04] health on 22nd which would cost

[1:24:11] the taxpayers 115. We spent

[1:24:15] and we just proved $21 million

[1:24:21] for performing arts center in

[1:24:22] miami gardens. That should

[1:24:23] have kept the workers on the

[1:24:24] job when you come to our

[1:24:27] community talking about laying

[1:24:28] off. You gave yourself a raise

[1:24:32] three years ago without the

[1:24:33] voters. You are changing the

[1:24:44] name -- [Indiscernible]. We

[1:24:45] never voted on this. The $21

[1:24:46] million can be helping

[1:24:46] employees that you're trying to

[1:24:47] put out. You all are taking

[1:24:53] money. I have your package.

[1:24:55] >> thank you so much.

[1:25:00] >> good evening. Monica, the

[1:25:01] ceo of greater miami 43 forgery

[1:25:10] flag that that turn into. --

[1:25:17] [Indiscernible]. With eviction

[1:25:18] diversion funding we have

[1:25:19] conducted dozens of outreach

[1:25:24] events across all 13 districts

[1:25:26] and provided legal assistance

[1:25:27] to more than 3000 households in

[1:25:27] the county. Not only providing

[1:25:28] greater stability to these

[1:25:29] families but in many cases

[1:25:30] saving critical county

[1:25:31] resources that would have

[1:25:32] otherwise been utilized in

[1:25:41] addressing the potential

[1:25:41] homelessness. We respectfully

[1:25:42] ask for your continued support

[1:25:43] and urge you to vote in favor

[1:25:44] of the proposed level funding

[1:25:45] for the program. Thank you.

[1:25:51] >> thank you. Go ahead, thank

[1:25:52] you.

[1:25:54] >> good afternoon.

[1:25:55] >> good evening, how are you?

[1:25:58] >> good evening vice chair,

[1:26:02] commissioners and mayor. I

[1:26:05] live at 6560 northwest. 12th

[1:26:10] avenue miami, fl 33150. In the

[1:26:11] complex of liberty square

[1:26:12] housing. As you guys can see

[1:26:13] I'm still in a wheelchair and I

[1:26:14] am in a walker because I fell

[1:26:20] in the complex. Number two, I

[1:26:21] am going to make it quick

[1:26:22] because I told the CHAIRMAN

[1:26:28] That I would be less than a

[1:26:29] minute. Mme. Mayor, please we

[1:26:29] need a roundtable.

[1:26:30] Commissioner, please tell the

[1:26:34] people stop intimidating me.

[1:26:35] Retaliation is happening at

[1:26:35] liberty square against me

[1:26:39] because I am the crime watch

[1:26:40] person. I need to talk to

[1:26:46] rosie. I need the roundtable

[1:26:48] mayor. Commissioner Mcgee told

[1:26:52] him with representative lopez

[1:26:56] and all the ones that sit. He

[1:26:58] said do not retaliate against

[1:27:01] your constituents. That is why

[1:27:02] you cannot get any volunteers.

[1:27:08] Because they target us

[1:27:08] commissioners.

[1:27:10] >> thank you and let's refrain

[1:27:11] from naming the commissioners

[1:27:17] at this time.

[1:27:21] >> matta mayor, I'm going to

[1:27:22] address two things. Can we get

[1:27:28] some want to speak to MRS.

[1:27:29] Frazier? And secondly if we

[1:27:30] have a cell phone go off my

[1:27:38] only request is the cbo's are

[1:27:39] in need of extra funding and we

[1:27:40] will pass around a hat that you

[1:27:41] can make a donation if you hear

[1:27:42] your cell phone go off. If you

[1:27:43] can do a huge favor for the

[1:27:47] next three seconds look at your

[1:27:49] phone to make sure it is on

[1:28:06] silent.

[1:28:07] >> there is at least $12.4

[1:28:15] missing from this budget. We

[1:28:16] need to keep 47 early bus

[1:28:17] routes running. This budget

[1:28:18] currently leaves behind almost

[1:28:23] 7000 daily riders who need the

[1:28:24] 6:00 am bus. They need it and

[1:28:25] the writers like MISS Rosa who

[1:28:25] ride the 37, seven and 103.

[1:28:26] have no alternative it is to

[1:28:31] get cuts. And would have to

[1:28:35] take a $25 over daily. Both

[1:28:36] her and her daughter rely on

[1:28:39] the tree to get to work and to

[1:28:40] get to school. This is not the

[1:28:51] full stack. This is their

[1:28:51] livelihood and we need them to

[1:28:52] get to work. Because not there

[1:28:53] miami runs on the work. These

[1:28:54] cuts mean that we will have

[1:28:55] delayed construction sites no

[1:28:56] housekeeping hotels and get

[1:28:59] into their shifts late. Is

[1:29:00] this the miami-dade that we are

[1:29:03] striving for? Stop the cuts.

[1:29:06] >> thank you kathy.

[1:29:09] >> it is an honor and

[1:29:13] privilege to come before the

[1:29:16] board. I come with no malice

[1:29:19] towards anyone. There is

[1:29:22] something going on --

[1:29:23] >> did you give me your

[1:29:25] address?

[1:29:26] >> 2100 northwest. 192nd?

[1:29:29] >> 2100 northwest. 192nd ter.

[1:29:30] Last year I came here with my

[1:29:36] boots on. This year I am here

[1:29:36] with my heart.

[1:29:37] >> did you give your name

[1:29:38] also?

[1:29:45] >> it is hebrew. I am here

[1:29:52] because of a nonprofit and the

[1:29:53] people I met today. I'm

[1:29:55] fascinated with the use but I

[1:29:57] am fascinated with what GOD

[1:30:00] told me to do. It is the

[1:30:06] museum and the afro american

[1:30:07] negro, collard or whatever you

[1:30:10] want to call us. It was 500

[1:30:12] years of slavery and I'm here

[1:30:16] to save my parents was a slave.

[1:30:24] >> is nexus to the budget? I

[1:30:25] appreciate you.

[1:30:27] >> $31,000 grant that I want

[1:30:30] you all to address. I died

[1:30:34] this year. I went into a coma.

[1:30:42] >> thank you.

[1:30:43] >> can I speak on behalf of my

[1:30:44] other half?

[1:30:44] >> that would kick off a wave

[1:30:45] of follow-up to do the same

[1:30:46] thing. Thank you so much. I

[1:30:50] appreciate you.

[1:31:08] >> I do not want to go.

[1:31:09] >> here's an update.

[1:31:09] Everything appeared and we do

[1:31:25] normally something we are

[1:31:26] seeing from you. The response

[1:31:27] is whatever you give us we give

[1:31:28] you back. The only thing we

[1:31:29] are asking for this particular

[1:31:30] moment is that each and every

[1:31:30] last one of you respect each

[1:31:31] other. Because what ends up

[1:31:32] happening is the longer you

[1:31:33] take at the podium, you're

[1:31:34] basically forcing someone else

[1:31:34] to wait behind you. That

[1:31:35] forces them to have to

[1:31:36] rearrange their calendar

[1:31:39] schedule to pick up their kids,

[1:31:40] go to work or do something that

[1:31:40] are very important to the

[1:31:41] quality of life. Someone asked

[1:31:42] that you respect one another by

[1:31:43] simply number understanding

[1:31:44] when you are -- going over your

[1:31:45] time, you are holding someone

[1:31:50] else up of things that they

[1:31:51] need to be doing. Thank you so

[1:31:59] much.

[1:32:00] >> good evening I will be as

[1:32:07] quick as possible. I am from

[1:32:10] 240 e. I am from 240 e. 1st

[1:32:11] avenue highly of florida. I'm

[1:32:14] here representing community

[1:32:15] coalition nonprofit

[1:32:17] organization. We support the

[1:32:18] elderly population. On behalf

[1:32:22] of of the organization I would

[1:32:23] like to sincerely thank you for

[1:32:25] your continued support of

[1:32:26] community-based organizations

[1:32:27] an important work that we do

[1:32:33] every day. We are especially

[1:32:33] grateful for you mme. Mayor for

[1:32:34] your commitment to including

[1:32:36] ceos in this budget. By

[1:32:37] providing these services at the

[1:32:38] community level, we save

[1:32:40] taxpayers money and making a

[1:32:42] meaningful difference in the

[1:32:46] lives of the people we serve.

[1:32:47] .

[1:32:48] We are proud to be a part of

[1:32:49] the collaborative working

[1:32:51] alongside our other community

[1:32:56] organizations to strengthen and

[1:32:57] service and maximize our

[1:33:15] impacts. I want to thank you

[1:33:16] for believing in our

[1:33:17] communities, listening to her

[1:33:18] needs and recognizing that

[1:33:18] investing in cbo's as an

[1:33:19] investment in a stronger and

[1:33:20] healthier miami-dade county.

[1:33:21] We appreciate your partnership

[1:33:22] and continued support. Thank

[1:33:22] you.

[1:33:24] >> thank you so much.

[1:33:26] >> good evening my name is

[1:33:26] beatrice. I am the director of

[1:33:27] advocacy of pro bono legal

[1:33:28] services located at 2400 s.

[1:33:30] Dixie hwy. On behalf of our

[1:33:30] team, thank you for your

[1:33:31] support in this year's budget

[1:33:32] including funding to the cbo

[1:33:33] grant program and support of

[1:33:39] our landlord-tenant eviction

[1:33:40] program. Our legal services b

[1:33:41] s transforms lives. It reaches

[1:33:45] survivors of human tracking --

[1:33:57] trafficking, children in foster

[1:33:58] care, tenants facing eviction

[1:33:58] and more. With the growing

[1:33:59] team of more than 40 employees

[1:34:01] including more than 20

[1:34:02] attorneys on staff, we provide

[1:34:03] free legal representation to

[1:34:04] more than 5000 clients every

[1:34:04] year. Thank you for standing

[1:34:05] with us in protecting children

[1:34:06] and families in miami-dade

[1:34:07] county.

[1:34:10] >> thank you.

[1:34:12] >> good afternoon. My name is

[1:34:16] paul. I represent the family

[1:34:21] with less charisma than the

[1:34:22] three young ladies use our

[1:34:23] earlier. Our address is 84

[1:34:26] street. 39 we are --

[1:34:33] [Indiscernible]. Families come

[1:34:34] to us with multiple challenges

[1:34:35] as one. Housing, food,

[1:34:45] employment, transportation and

[1:34:45] other basic needs. The case

[1:34:46] manager help consultative

[1:34:47] system and connect them to the

[1:34:48] right resources. Some time

[1:34:49] with family need is not another

[1:34:50] program someone who will sit

[1:34:51] with them and understand their

[1:34:52] situation. Can investment and

[1:34:58] case management allows

[1:34:59] organizations provide critical

[1:35:00] one-on-one support. We ask you

[1:35:01] to recognize case management as

[1:35:02] an essential part of miami-dade

[1:35:03] county safety net and continue

[1:35:03] funding services that help

[1:35:04] families move from b

[1:35:10] testability. These are crucial

[1:35:10] resources. We dedicate the

[1:35:13] last 10 seconds to the memory

[1:35:14] who fought for empowerment and

[1:35:23] opening

[1:35:26] entered.

[1:35:27] Would you like to have the

[1:35:28] podium at this time, sir?

[1:35:33] >> good evening sir.

[1:35:35] >> good evening.

[1:35:37] CHAIRMAN, commissioners, thank

[1:35:38] you so much.

[1:35:44] It is an honor to be here again

[1:35:44] in the budget process.

[1:35:48] As you know, we are really

[1:35:50] already sent our budget to the

[1:35:52] dor and it was approved.

[1:35:56] Wttw.Com/comments this year-

[1:36:07] >> hold on one 2nd, please.

[1:36:08] >> it wasn't me!

[1:36:11] [Laughter]

[1:36:12] >> I know it wasn't you go

[1:36:13] ahead.

[1:36:14] >> the budget for the coming

[1:36:16] year was approved by the dor.

[1:36:17] We had a great meeting with the

[1:36:18] mayor, several weeks ago.

[1:36:21] with our budget.

[1:36:23] And, we reduced it from the

[1:36:29] original proposal of $4

[1:36:29] million.

[1:36:31] So, we are a part of the whole

[1:36:36] reduction issue.

[1:36:36] In our county.

[1:36:39] So, I thank you so much.

[1:36:44] And, have a great, great

[1:36:44] meeting.

[1:36:44] Thank you.

[1:36:45] >> thank you so much.

[1:36:46] I do so para, veronica brown,

[1:36:51] angelina evans, rachel s

[1:36:55] aloneness, ebony felton, semi

[1:37:00] and wade, pasta.Cn, stephanie

[1:37:05] gomez, sarah marino, breanna

[1:37:11] joseph, katrina cvila, sharon

[1:37:14] springer, please approach the

[1:37:14] podium, the well.

[1:37:21] Thank you.

[1:37:22] >> hay.

[1:37:22] Who wants to go first?

[1:37:29] >> good evening my name is ida

[1:37:29] with cap upon a legal services

[1:37:31] at 2400 s. Dixie florida miami

[1:37:31] florida.

[1:37:32] I am here today regarding your

[1:37:34] investment in cbo's.

[1:37:35] More than half million children

[1:37:36] call our community home.

[1:37:39] Applying cc estimate that one

[1:37:39] in 6 children have a

[1:37:44] developmental disability and

[1:37:45] that means nearly 100,000

[1:37:46] children in our county with a

[1:37:48] developmental disability.

[1:37:51] Tiffany is one of them.

[1:37:52] As she approached adulthood,

[1:37:53] her family feared for her

[1:37:53] future.

[1:37:56] Through legal support made

[1:37:58] possible by your investment,

[1:38:01] tiffany found her voice and her

[1:38:02] family found the legal

[1:38:03] protection to honor it.

[1:38:04] Her mother told us simply, we

[1:38:09] really appreciate you being

[1:38:09] involved.

[1:38:12] On behalf of kappa pro bono

[1:38:13] legal services, I am here today

[1:38:14] to thank you for your

[1:38:15] consideration and the sears

[1:38:16] county budget.

[1:38:17] Because of your investment we

[1:38:23] are providing free legal

[1:38:24] assistance to children and

[1:38:24] family is in need.

[1:38:25] Thank you for making meaningful

[1:38:26] difference in the lives of the

[1:38:27] children and families that we

[1:38:28] serve.

[1:38:32] >> think you so much.

[1:38:33] >> good evening CHAIRMAN,

[1:38:36] vice-CHAIRMAN, commissioners,

[1:38:37] MADAM Mayor my name is angelina

[1:38:39] evans 1300 sw. 120th st.

[1:38:40] District 7. I am here on behalf

[1:38:47] of ywca south florida which has

[1:38:48] served miami-dade county for

[1:38:49] over 107 years.

[1:38:49] E think the

[1:38:50] mayor for proposing a budget

[1:38:51] that maintains funding for

[1:38:55] community-based organizations

[1:38:56] including ywca south florida's

[1:38:57] economic prosperity work.

[1:38:58] Every day we and our fellow

[1:38:59] studios work alongside mandated

[1:38:59] residents who are working,

[1:39:02] raising families and striving

[1:39:03] for financial stability and to

[1:39:04] thrive here in our beautiful

[1:39:07] community but we don't do it

[1:39:08] alone and we can't.

[1:39:08] S the

[1:39:10] strength of the entire network

[1:39:11] of ceos in partnership with

[1:39:20] your offices which supports

[1:39:21] residents and families with

[1:39:21] services like financial

[1:39:22] coaching, education and youth

[1:39:23] services, entrepreneurship,

[1:39:24] health, transportation and

[1:39:25] other resources.

[1:39:32] Investment in cbo isn't just

[1:39:33] supporting individuals, it

[1:39:34] strengthens families,

[1:39:35] neighborhoods and our local

[1:39:35] economy.

[1:39:36] we recognize the difficult

[1:39:37] choices involved in balancing

[1:39:38] this year's budget and my ask

[1:39:39] is that you preserve the

[1:39:40] proposed full investment in cbo

[1:39:42] so organizations like all of

[1:39:43] ours can continue delivering

[1:39:44] results for your miami-dade

[1:39:44] residence.

[1:39:45] >> thank you so much.

[1:39:48] >> good evening mayor in

[1:39:49] distinguished members of the

[1:39:50] county commission my name is

[1:39:52] rachel representing family

[1:39:55] action network movement on

[1:39:56] 184th street.

[1:40:00] Fund is a larger part of

[1:40:01] community based organization

[1:40:02] serving miami-dade residence

[1:40:02] everyday.

[1:40:14] Our message today is simple.

[1:40:15] Please continue investing in

[1:40:16] the community organizations

[1:40:16] that residence trust and depend

[1:40:17] on.

[1:40:17] Whether a family needs food,

[1:40:18] childcare, transportation,

[1:40:19] housing assistance, case

[1:40:20] management, work or support or

[1:40:25] help navigating a difficult

[1:40:26] system community organizations

[1:40:27] are often the first door they

[1:40:27] knock on.

[1:40:28] Ee the challenges

[1:40:30] our residents face but we also

[1:40:31] see the resilience.

[1:40:31] Ith the

[1:40:32] right resource and support

[1:40:33] families can overcome barriers

[1:40:38] and build stronger futures.

[1:40:39] County funding allows us to

[1:40:40] meet people where they are and

[1:40:41] provide services before a

[1:40:42] crisis becomes an emergency.

[1:40:43] Thank you mayor and

[1:40:44] commissioners for your

[1:40:44] leadership and for recognizing

[1:40:46] that supporting community

[1:40:49] organizations is an investment

[1:40:50] in strength, stability and

[1:40:51] future of miami-dade county.

[1:40:51] Thank you.

[1:40:52] >> thank you.

[1:40:59] >> hello, my name is ebony

[1:40:59] felton my address is 7432

[1:41:05] northwest 3rd court miami

[1:41:05] florida.

[1:41:06] I reside in district 2 and my

[1:41:06] commissioner being marlene

[1:41:13] bessie yan and I am

[1:41:14] representing hd miami.

[1:41:15] I am here today to express my

[1:41:15] concerns about the eviction

[1:41:20] diversion program and the

[1:41:21] potential 50% cut that is

[1:41:22] outlined in the proposed

[1:41:22] budget.

[1:41:23] I see the struggles of trying

[1:41:23] to ensure you have a roof to

[1:41:24] sleep under every single month

[1:41:27] every and with assistance, if

[1:41:28] it is inadequate it does not

[1:41:29] offer relief as people are

[1:41:31] making sacrifices to make ends

[1:41:31] meet.

[1:41:32] This is important to me because

[1:41:34] I believe that housing is a

[1:41:35] right that everyone should have

[1:41:38] access to.

[1:41:40] Our-should have a place to

[1:41:41] rest and to see their kids and

[1:41:42] grandkids.

[1:41:48] Children should had not -- have

[1:41:53] to see them fight for basic

[1:41:54] roofs over their head.

[1:41:59] Even shelters and advocacy

[1:42:00] program shelters are full and

[1:42:01] have weightless and because of

[1:42:02] the increase of homelessness it

[1:42:05] continues to rise in miami.

[1:42:06] Sorry.

[1:42:06] >> don't be.

[1:42:07] Thank you so much.

[1:42:09] Great job.

[1:42:10] >> good evening MR. Chair,

[1:42:14] vice chair, commissioners and

[1:42:15] MADAM Mayor, my name is

[1:42:16] veronica brown I am the coo and

[1:42:16] interim coo of ywca south

[1:42:19] florida located at 351 nw. 5th

[1:42:23] st. Strict 3. For 107 years

[1:42:24] ywca has served miami-dade

[1:42:25] county families through

[1:42:28] programs like or care.

[1:42:29] Court care is a unique program

[1:42:34] our community safety net.

[1:42:35] For more than 25 years, ywca

[1:42:36] and the county have partnered

[1:42:38] to provide free, safe, trauma

[1:42:43] informed childcare inside our

[1:42:43] county courthouse is so

[1:42:44] children don't have to sit in

[1:42:47] court or be exposed to

[1:42:52] traumatic proceedings while

[1:42:53] there parents access to

[1:42:53] justice.

[1:42:54] Over the past year we've seen a

[1:42:55] 25% increase in the families we

[1:42:56] have served to that combination

[1:42:57] of child protection, family

[1:42:59] support and access to justice

[1:43:00] sets miami-dade county court

[1:43:03] care program apart.

[1:43:03] We think the mayor for

[1:43:04] maintaining this funding in the

[1:43:07] proposed budget and

[1:43:09] respectfully urge the board to

[1:43:12] protect this critical

[1:43:13] investment as you adopt the

[1:43:13] county budget.

[1:43:15] Thank you for your partnership.

[1:43:16] >> thank you.

[1:43:18] >> hi.

[1:43:29] So maia wade 1-800, 10800

[1:43:30] biscayne blvd., district 3 keon

[1:43:30] hardeman and I am a member of

[1:43:31] engage miami.

[1:43:32] I am here to speak on our

[1:43:33] environmental resiliency

[1:43:33] programs.

[1:43:38] We faced 2 choices today and

[1:43:39] how we invest in our

[1:43:39] communities.

[1:43:39] O or do not.

[1:43:40] I stand here is a fifth

[1:43:41] generation floridian in

[1:43:43] solidarity with all that have

[1:43:44] called our stay home today and

[1:43:45] here thereafter.

[1:43:46] Every department in our county

[1:43:50] is worthy of adequate funding

[1:43:51] but unfortunately we have

[1:43:52] neglected the land that we

[1:43:52] stand on.

[1:43:53] Our region is in the worst

[1:43:54] drought we have seen in

[1:43:54] decades.

[1:43:55] This AUGUST we saw the hottest

[1:43:56] day recorded in miami since

[1:43:56] 1942.

[1:43:58] This year the counties decrease

[1:44:05] 54% of the programs funding

[1:44:05] compared to last fiscal year is

[1:44:06] it really unfortunate and we

[1:44:07] are just asking for 20 million

[1:44:08] in this year's proposed budget

[1:44:09] and the final budget which

[1:44:15] should be allocated to

[1:44:16] managing, restoring and the

[1:44:17] acquisition of land in our

[1:44:17] county.

[1:44:21] There's no guarantee that we

[1:44:22] can so into our everglades

[1:44:23] everything she has provided to

[1:44:24] us but a just effort can be

[1:44:28] made.

[1:44:29] They'll program deserves

[1:44:29] funding.

[1:44:29] Thank you so much.

[1:44:30] >> Chair: thank you and you do

[1:44:31] know that your commissioner is

[1:44:32] super happy for you now he is

[1:44:33] looking over there smiling at

[1:44:33] you.

[1:44:39] [Chuckle] We are ready.

[1:44:40] >> hello my name is sarah

[1:44:41] marino and my address is 1271

[1:44:42] ne. 159th st. North miami

[1:44:47] beach, fl 33162.

[1:44:48] I reside in district 2 and my

[1:44:48] commissioner is marlene

[1:44:51] bastian.

[1:44:51] I represent engage miami.

[1:44:52] I am here today to express my

[1:44:53] concern about the potential

[1:44:56] percent cut to the eviction

[1:44:57] diversion program.

[1:44:58] I recently experienced a

[1:44:59] difficult and stressful since

[1:45:01] the situation where my landlord

[1:45:01] projected to provide safe and

[1:45:05] sanitary living conditions

[1:45:06] despite regulations.

[1:45:07] Fortunately I was able to

[1:45:08] relocate within 2 weeks.

[1:45:11] However we know not everyone is

[1:45:12] as lucky in such situations are

[1:45:22] far too common.

[1:45:23] As a matter of fact we found

[1:45:24] 50% of miami is our renters.

[1:45:24] Miami-dade needs adequately

[1:45:25] funded and fully staffed

[1:45:26] housing programs to ensure

[1:45:27] residence against secure

[1:45:27] housing.

[1:45:29] I respect we urge you to vote

[1:45:30] against cuts to the program.

[1:45:31] Your decision will make a real

[1:45:32] difference to the people in

[1:45:32] miami-dade.

[1:45:34] The key for your time and

[1:45:34] decision.

[1:45:44] >> thank you.

[1:45:45] >> hi my name is stephanie and

[1:45:45] my address is 10800 biscayne

[1:45:46] blvd., miami, fl I reside in

[1:45:47] district 3 and my commissioner

[1:45:48] is keon hardeman and I

[1:45:51] represent engage miami.

[1:45:52] >> your last name?

[1:45:53] >> stephanie gomez.

[1:45:53] >> thank you.

[1:45:54] >> have a dear friend who was

[1:45:55] previously incarcerated.

[1:45:56] He is a hard worker a believer

[1:46:01] in democracy yet these spaces

[1:46:02] misrepresent him by only seeing

[1:46:03] him as a mistake he made a long

[1:46:03] long time ago.

[1:46:04] Reentry

[1:46:04] programs grant people like my

[1:46:07] friend a new beginning.

[1:46:08] This issue is important to me

[1:46:09] and my community because humans

[1:46:12] are deserving of 2nd chances.

[1:46:13] This impacts not only him but

[1:46:18] also his family and those who

[1:46:20] will soon reenter our society.

[1:46:21] Exploitation fractures the

[1:46:21] strength of our workforce.

[1:46:22] a dedicated effort must be made

[1:46:25] so we break the cycle of

[1:46:25] reincarnations.

[1:46:28] County investment and this can

[1:46:31] lead to family sustaining

[1:46:32] careers for formally

[1:46:33] incarcerated residents.

[1:46:34] I respectfully urge you to vote

[1:46:35] in favor of the reentry

[1:46:36] programs that will lead to

[1:46:36] economic stability.

[1:46:37] Hank you.

[1:46:46] >> Chair: thank you.

[1:46:46] >> good evening my name is

[1:46:47] rihanna joseph and my address

[1:46:52] is 1450 nw. 73rd st., miami, fl

[1:46:56] 33147 district 3. [Chuckle]

[1:47:00] When I was 8 years old my mom

[1:47:01] was working 2 jobs to make ends

[1:47:01] meet.

[1:47:04] I guess this one time the ants

[1:47:05] the

[1:47:11] ends just didn't eat.

[1:47:12] No, unfortunately as hard as

[1:47:13] she was trying she fell short

[1:47:13] in our family ended up having

[1:47:16] to live out of a motel for 2

[1:47:16] months.

[1:47:17] Remember being

[1:47:18] nervous and scared.

[1:47:20] And the room being dim, damp

[1:47:23] and moist.

[1:47:27] Most of all I was ashamed.

[1:47:28] Emotions an 8-year-old should

[1:47:29] never have to feel.

[1:47:34] Please do not cut the eviction

[1:47:35] diversion program.

[1:47:35] A program like that could have

[1:47:36] helped keep us in our apartment

[1:47:37] until my mom could get back up

[1:47:38] to her feet and help somebody

[1:47:39] families across our county.

[1:47:41] Around that same time and age I

[1:47:42] was learning about how

[1:47:43] different friends got to

[1:47:43] school.

[1:47:46] I was dropped off, someone took

[1:47:47] the school bus others took the

[1:47:47] county bus with the proposed

[1:47:51] transit cut students and the

[1:47:52] workforce that powers our

[1:47:54] county will suffer.

[1:47:55] Please do not cut or reduce the

[1:47:55] routes.

[1:47:56] Thank you.

[1:48:00] >> Chair: thank you so much.

[1:48:05] >> good evening commissioners

[1:48:06] name is katrina kabila I reside

[1:48:11] at 330 catalonia avenue 33134

[1:48:12] in district 7. I am a member of

[1:48:13] engage miami.

[1:48:14] There's a bus route three

[1:48:15] minutes to my front door route

[1:48:15] 32.

[1:48:18] I really read it because I've

[1:48:19] never been able to count on it.

[1:48:22] This budgets answer isn't to

[1:48:23] fix that, it is to illuminate

[1:48:24] the route along with 11 others

[1:48:25] while draining from the

[1:48:26] transportation infrastructure

[1:48:32] improvement district the

[1:48:33] reserve fund meant to build the

[1:48:34] future transit corridors.

[1:48:35] My best friend lives in liberty

[1:48:36] city now seeing her use a card

[1:48:37] or rideshare I can imagine what

[1:48:41] it would look like if we

[1:48:42] actually build up our corridors

[1:48:43] the way we say were going to.

[1:48:44] Where is that happening when

[1:48:45] this budget is cutting what we

[1:48:46] already have before our final

[1:48:49] vote, protect the reserve and

[1:48:50] fix these routes instead of

[1:48:51] cutting them.

[1:48:51] Thank you.

[1:48:54] >> thank you.

[1:48:55] >> good evening everyone my

[1:48:59] name is.

[1:49:00] [Name] I reside in 529 sw. 10th

[1:49:04] st., miami, fl district 3.

[1:49:05] I am here today to speak about

[1:49:05] the proposed funding cuts to

[1:49:08] the miami-dade public library

[1:49:09] system and I understand the

[1:49:10] county is facing a significant

[1:49:11] budget cut and difficult

[1:49:12] decisions do have to be made

[1:49:13] but I grew up in a family with

[1:49:16] 6 siblings under one income.

[1:49:18] So obviously couldn't afford

[1:49:24] internet access or computers

[1:49:24] and I relied on public

[1:49:25] libraries which I imagine many

[1:49:26] of us did when we were younger.

[1:49:31] The libraries that we count on

[1:49:38] not only was it free but a safe

[1:49:38] space for children.

[1:49:38] Was able

[1:49:39] to focus on education, do my

[1:49:40] homework and finish projects.

[1:49:41] When I hear about potentially

[1:49:50] cutting funding for our

[1:49:50] libraries I can't help but

[1:49:51] think about families who are in

[1:49:52] the same position I was in when

[1:49:53] I was younger.

[1:49:53] Ith the cost

[1:49:54] of living especially with the

[1:49:55] economy we are in now I respect

[1:49:56] we urge you to reject any

[1:49:57] rejections to miami-dade public

[1:49:57] library operating hours,

[1:49:58] staffing ordinance and to

[1:49:59] protect the funding needed to

[1:50:00] keep the services available to

[1:50:00] our residents.

[1:50:01] Thank you so much for your

[1:50:01] time.

[1:50:02] >> thank you so much.

[1:50:04] Vivian pacheco, sheila womble,

[1:50:10] alexa cuvc

[1:50:11] jules schwartz,

[1:50:15] miriam singer, doctor helen

[1:50:20] chassis, amanda altman, is

[1:50:23] this natalie girl, tara kit,

[1:50:27] olga tomasello.

[1:50:29] You can get me at the podium

[1:50:32] for butchering your name.

[1:50:35] Gladys, margaret ledford,

[1:50:42] please come to the podium.

[1:50:43] Not everybody at once, walked

[1:50:43] down.

[1:50:44] Come on, we've got it, almost

[1:50:44] there.

[1:50:45] Thank you.

[1:50:52] >> hi, good evening my name is

[1:50:53] sheila womble my address is

[1:50:54] 1635 sw. 18th ave., miami, fl,

[1:50:54] 33145.

[1:50:58] I am the executive director of

[1:50:58] arts miami where every day we

[1:51:06] build brilliance by turning our

[1:51:07] neighborhood to creative

[1:51:07] studios for our children and

[1:51:08] youth.

[1:51:09] We serve more than 5000

[1:51:09] children youth and hire more

[1:51:10] than 70 professional teaching

[1:51:11] artist to make sure those

[1:51:12] children have a chance to

[1:51:12] create.

[1:51:13] In addition where the county's

[1:51:14] leading partner for the all

[1:51:15] kids included program and also

[1:51:16] a proud founding member of

[1:51:23] access miami and incredible

[1:51:23] collaboration among arts

[1:51:24] education organizations

[1:51:25] dedicated to ensuring all of

[1:51:26] mandy's children have access to

[1:51:27] the power of learning in the

[1:51:27] arts.

[1:51:28] I know all of you have

[1:51:31] supported the arts in the past.

[1:51:32] I has to date you please

[1:51:33] consider making sure the arts

[1:51:34] remain intact for this budget

[1:51:35] year and I think the mayor for

[1:51:35] putting that forth in the

[1:51:36] proposed budget.

[1:51:39] Thank you.

[1:51:39] >> thank you.

[1:51:47] >> alexa cuba coral way cables

[1:51:47] 33134.

[1:51:49] MADAM Mayor's, commissioners

[1:51:52] imagine cassandra the greek

[1:51:53] prophetess imagined her at the

[1:51:59] father of fiction here strongly

[1:52:00] to tell her tragedy in a

[1:52:01] foreign language imagine carlos

[1:52:04] cuba's national award winner

[1:52:04] reading us the story of a woman

[1:52:10] in a square waiting for the

[1:52:11] husband who commanded her to

[1:52:12] become a famous writer.

[1:52:13] Imagine death of a salesman in

[1:52:19] spanish directed by mila lutes

[1:52:20] pulitzer prize winner sharing

[1:52:21] one stage all of this and much

[1:52:26] more has happened right here in

[1:52:28] miami at the cultural arts

[1:52:28] center and thanks to the

[1:52:29] department of cultural affairs

[1:52:33] in miami at they come to you

[1:52:34] commissioners and to you MADAM

[1:52:34] Mayor.

[1:52:37] This was only part of the

[1:52:38] season.

[1:52:39] Hank you and please

[1:52:43] allow us to continue bringing

[1:52:44] first-class theater to our city

[1:52:45] and protect our venues.

[1:52:46] Hank

[1:52:46] you.

[1:52:48] >> Chair: thank you.

[1:52:53] >> good evening I am george

[1:52:54] schultz miami beach 33140.

[1:52:57] Good evening MADAM Mayor and

[1:52:58] members of the board.

[1:53:03] I am a volunteer board director

[1:53:04] at jewish community services of

[1:53:05] south florida.

[1:53:08] Thank you MADAM Mayor for

[1:53:09] recommending full funding for

[1:53:11] miami-dade county's community

[1:53:13] based organizations, cvo's.

[1:53:16] 107 years jcs has been a

[1:53:20] trusted partner helping older

[1:53:25] adults age safely and

[1:53:25] independently through

[1:53:26] nutritious meals case

[1:53:28] management and critical support

[1:53:29] services.

[1:53:34] Today, these services are more

[1:53:35] important than ever as seniors

[1:53:36] on a fixed income face growing

[1:53:37] food insecurity and isolation.

[1:53:38] As a proud member of the

[1:53:41] advocacy collective, we ask

[1:53:46] that you continue investing in

[1:53:47] cvo's.

[1:53:48] Ollectively our

[1:53:49] organizations leverage money.

[1:53:55] The average more than one but

[1:53:56] 15.2 million in additional

[1:53:58] funding from federal, state and

[1:54:00] private organizations.

[1:54:01] Thank you.

[1:54:01] >> thank you so much.

[1:54:10] Thank you.

[1:54:11] >> good evening MADAM Mayor,

[1:54:12] commissioners and everyone

[1:54:13] present my name is natalia earl

[1:54:14] with urban partnerships at 1800

[1:54:15] sw. 1st ave., miami 33139 where

[1:54:17] community health nonprofit.

[1:54:18] I serve as a program manager

[1:54:22] for the miami-dade county

[1:54:23] initiative and we thank you for

[1:54:25] supporting including funding in

[1:54:25] the budget for this

[1:54:26] collaborative effort to create

[1:54:30] committees where older adults

[1:54:31] can remain active, engaged and

[1:54:35] age with dignity.

[1:54:36] Nearly one in 4 miami-dade

[1:54:37] residents is age 60 and older

[1:54:38] and that population will

[1:54:40] continue to grow and are among

[1:54:41] our most vulnerable.

[1:54:42] Since 2012 the initiative has

[1:54:44] brought local government,

[1:54:45] community organizations and

[1:54:46] residents together to make

[1:54:53] miami-dade more accessible,

[1:54:53] supportive and livable for

[1:54:54] people as they age while

[1:54:55] improving quality of life for

[1:54:56] residents of all ages.

[1:54:59] As you finalize the budget, we

[1:55:00] ask that you continue to

[1:55:00] maintain the county's

[1:55:03] investment in this important

[1:55:03] work.

[1:55:04] And on behalf of urban health

[1:55:05] partnerships and our partners

[1:55:07] we thank you for your continued

[1:55:07] support.

[1:55:08] >> thank you.

[1:55:13] >> helen tassel 21845 e.

[1:55:16] Country club drive.

[1:55:19] >> I thought it was doctor?

[1:55:19] All right.

[1:55:20] Let's try that again.

[1:55:23] >> doctor helen chappell.

[1:55:24] >> there you go that sounds

[1:55:24] much better.

[1:55:27] >> good evening MADAM Mayor

[1:55:28] and members of the board, my

[1:55:33] name is doctor helen chassis

[1:55:34] and I am proud to serve on the

[1:55:35] board of jewish committee south

[1:55:35] florida.

[1:55:38] I want to share one client

[1:55:39] story that shares how county

[1:55:41] government and county

[1:55:42] investment and community-based

[1:55:42] organizations matter.

[1:55:43] Our client 13-year-old daughter

[1:55:45] became paraplegic following

[1:55:49] spinal surgery in 2003.

[1:55:54] Most recently the family spent

[1:55:55] 2 weeks at hope's children's

[1:55:56] hospital while their daughter

[1:55:57] underwent another surgery to

[1:55:57] help regain greater

[1:55:58] independence.

[1:55:59] During this difficult time jcs

[1:56:00] helped with their electric bill

[1:56:04] and provided public cards for

[1:56:04] groceries.

[1:56:05] Our client told us this

[1:56:07] assistance came when her family

[1:56:14] direly needed the help.

[1:56:14] It was her breathing room.

[1:56:15] It lifted a burden and reminded

[1:56:16] her that someone was there to

[1:56:17] help.

[1:56:17] That is what county investment

[1:56:18] makes possible.

[1:56:19] These continue fully funding

[1:56:22] the-

[1:56:26] >> thanks so much doctor.

[1:56:26] Thank you.

[1:56:27] >> good evening MADAM Mayor

[1:56:28] and commissioners my name is

[1:56:31] tara load out and I worked at

[1:56:32] urban health partnership 1800

[1:56:36] sw. 1st avenue miami, fl 33139.

[1:56:40] I serve as a community liaison

[1:56:40] with the miami-dade county

[1:56:45] initiative and I'm sorry I am

[1:56:46] there-I am here tonight to ask

[1:56:47] for your continued support for

[1:56:51] the initiative in the year's

[1:56:51] budget.

[1:56:54] Miami-dade is home to nearly

[1:56:55] half familiar adults 65 and

[1:56:57] older and that number is

[1:57:01] growing older and face real

[1:57:04] challenges with things like

[1:57:05] transportation, social

[1:57:09] isolation and the rising cost

[1:57:10] of labor the initiative gives

[1:57:12] older adults like myself a

[1:57:13] voice and a decisions that

[1:57:14] affect our daily lives and

[1:57:15] helps to make sure communities

[1:57:18] are connected, accessible and

[1:57:19] responsive to their needs as

[1:57:19] they age.

[1:57:21] We ask that you maintain the

[1:57:24] current funding amount for the

[1:57:25] initiative in the budget.

[1:57:26] We are grateful for the

[1:57:30] county's continued support of

[1:57:30] older adults to do this work.

[1:57:31] Thank you.

[1:57:32] > thank you.

[1:57:36] >> good evening.

[1:57:37] My name is miriam singer and I

[1:57:42] serve as PRESIDENT Seo jewish

[1:57:43] community services of south

[1:57:44] florida.

[1:57:44] I live in district 6

[1:57:48] represented by commissioner

[1:57:51] natalie and MR. Vice chair and

[1:57:53] distinguished members who

[1:57:54] really appreciate your support

[1:57:58] and championing cvo services in

[1:57:58] our community.

[1:58:00] Thank you MADAM Mayor for your

[1:58:01] leadership for the monthly

[1:58:03] meetings, for your investment

[1:58:05] throughout the year in

[1:58:07] supporting cbo's and addressing

[1:58:07] our issues.

[1:58:14] We are hopeful that this

[1:58:15] commissioner will try to

[1:58:16] continue to fund

[1:58:17] community-based organizations.

[1:58:19] There are 66 safety net service

[1:58:20] providers that serve frail and

[1:58:22] vulnerable members of our

[1:58:22] community.

[1:58:27] Thank you for engagement and

[1:58:28] for your leadership.

[1:58:28] We are the bridge to

[1:58:29] self-sufficiency and improved

[1:58:31] quality of life from residents

[1:58:38] throughout every zip code in

[1:58:39] every district in our community

[1:58:40] we are proud to be of service

[1:58:40] to you.

[1:58:41] Thank you for your

[1:58:42] consideration and if there's

[1:58:43] any opportunity or an increase

[1:58:44] of 3% we would really

[1:58:44] appreciate it.

[1:58:46] Thank you.

[1:58:47] >> thank you meriam can you

[1:58:48] place your address on the

[1:58:49] record, please?

[1:58:50] >> the address is 12000

[1:58:51] biscayne blvd.

[1:58:53] Miami florida.

[1:58:54] >> thank you so much.

[1:58:58] >> good evening MADAM Mayor

[1:59:01] and commissioners my name is

[1:59:02] olga tomasello with urban

[1:59:03] partnerships located at 1800

[1:59:07] sw. 1st avenue miami 33139.

[1:59:11] Support the miami-dade age

[1:59:12] friendly initiative and I'm

[1:59:13] here to ask for your continued

[1:59:14] support of age friendly work in

[1:59:15] this year's budget.

[1:59:16] Our growing older adult

[1:59:20] population is significant.

[1:59:21] One in 5 live in poverty nearly

[1:59:22] 100,000 live alone and many

[1:59:25] live with disabilities that can

[1:59:26] make it harder to access

[1:59:28] services and support.

[1:59:29] Initiative helps address these

[1:59:31] needs by supporting older

[1:59:32] adults to age in place, stay

[1:59:33] connected and remain active in

[1:59:35] their communities.

[1:59:36] Through this work miami-dade

[1:59:39] has become a leader in age

[1:59:40] friendly efforts in a model

[1:59:42] within the age from the

[1:59:43] network.

[1:59:46] We are gratefully fully

[1:59:46] grateful for your continued

[1:59:48] support we ask for funding for

[1:59:49] this initiative as its current

[1:59:56] level.

[1:59:57] Additionally accessible

[1:59:58] transportation is also in each

[1:59:59] family priority.

[2:00:00] We urge you to restore the 12.4

[2:00:00] billion for early-morning

[2:00:01] transit services and protect

[2:00:02] the routes proposed reduction

[2:00:03] many residents depend on these

[2:00:03] routes.

[2:00:05] Thank you.

[2:00:06] >> thank you.

[2:00:06] Hey.

[2:00:08] >> good evening my name is

[2:00:10] amanda altman and I'm the ceo

[2:00:14] of christie house miami

[2:00:14] florida, 33136.

[2:00:20] Christie house is a nationally

[2:00:21] accredited children's advocacy

[2:00:22] center serving all of

[2:00:22] miami-dade county.

[2:00:24] We are a member of the cvo

[2:00:24] collaborative we are grateful

[2:00:25] to have been included in the

[2:00:26] mayor's proposed budget and we

[2:00:28] ask for the sports continued

[2:00:28] support.

[2:00:33] On monday fernando cristiano

[2:00:34] received a life sentence for

[2:00:46] heinous crimes he committed

[2:00:47] against children.

[2:00:48] Thankfully he will never again

[2:00:48] have the opportunity to hurt a

[2:00:49] child in our community.

[2:00:50] That outcome was achieved

[2:00:51] because of a coordinated

[2:00:51] approach by a

[2:00:52] multi-disciplinary team of

[2:00:53] agencies led by christie house.

[2:00:54] Christie house facilitates that

[2:00:55] coordinated approach bringing

[2:00:56] together partners every week to

[2:00:57] ensure children and families

[2:00:58] get the services and support

[2:01:01] they need to heal and to pursue

[2:01:01] justice.

[2:01:02] So as you work towards adopting

[2:01:05] a budget that makes public

[2:01:06] safety the top priority i

[2:01:07] encourage you to continue

[2:01:11] funding for cbo's who work

[2:01:11] hand-in-hand with law

[2:01:12] enforcement and each other

[2:01:13] every day.

[2:01:13] ;-).

[2:01:14] >> thank you.

[2:01:16] >> good evening my name is

[2:01:18] gladys ramirez 3558 magellan

[2:01:20] circle 33180 district 4.

[2:01:23] Thank you mayor for keeping

[2:01:24] arts funding intact and

[2:01:27] appointing ashley thomas to

[2:01:27] lead cultural affairs.

[2:01:29] Last year's arts nonprofit

[2:01:32] survived cut through a

[2:01:33] last-minute scramble.

[2:01:35] This year we are buoyed by the

[2:01:37] mayor's budget but that is not

[2:01:38] a plan.

[2:01:40] Arts nonprofits employ your

[2:01:40] constituents.

[2:01:43] They bring arts to public

[2:01:47] schools in your districts.

[2:01:48] They fill our county's

[2:01:49] facilities, generate revenue

[2:01:50] and create the culture that

[2:01:50] bring the world here.

[2:01:54] A plan for sustainability

[2:01:55] funding for cultural affairs

[2:02:00] has to come from you.

[2:02:00] Unfortunately, most of you

[2:02:01] haven't met with us despite

[2:02:02] requests from arts

[2:02:03] organizations in your district.

[2:02:03] The cultural facilities the

[2:02:05] county owns are either

[2:02:09] underfunded or under

[2:02:09] construction.

[2:02:10] And not one of you has proposed

[2:02:11] a permanent dedicated source

[2:02:13] for arts funding.

[2:02:13] Work with us on that.

[2:02:16] Many with the arts sector funds

[2:02:17] the facilities and spots are a

[2:02:19] permanent plan for miami

[2:02:20] cultural affairs.

[2:02:20] Thank you.

[2:02:21] >> thank you.

[2:02:25] >> good evening everyone.

[2:02:27] i'm name is margaret ledford

[2:02:28] lee 351 sw.

[2:02:30] District 5.

[2:02:38] Thank you MADAM Mayor.

[2:02:39] Representing a budget that

[2:02:40] maintains the same level of

[2:02:41] funding as last year for arts

[2:02:42] and culture and obviously my

[2:02:43] request commissioners is for

[2:02:44] you to also maintain this

[2:02:45] funding for arts and culture.

[2:02:46] As you know every dollar you

[2:02:48] invest in the cultural grants

[2:02:48] program returns $42-$43 back to

[2:02:52] the community and economic

[2:02:54] value to the tune of $2

[2:02:55] billion.

[2:02:58] Think how much more we could do

[2:02:59] we could return to our

[2:03:02] community if you invested more.

[2:03:06] Imagine if you could identify a

[2:03:07] steady, sustainable stream of

[2:03:13] funding for cultural

[2:03:14] institutions.

[2:03:14] I hazard to guess you encounter

[2:03:15] arts and culture in your daily

[2:03:16] life, today even.

[2:03:17] A piece of music, a book a

[2:03:19] painting on your wall heck, we

[2:03:28] also partner with the theater

[2:03:29] where they all stood up on cue.

[2:03:29] These visionary leaders that

[2:03:30] cement a sustainable ecosystem

[2:03:31] for the arts and artists.

[2:03:32] >> thank you so much.

[2:03:37] That was a lot of great energy.

[2:03:38] [Chuckle] Louisiana martinez,

[2:03:43] jane doe.

[2:03:46] Yes, jane doe number 61 kelsey

[2:03:50] dixon, barry bogle, heather

[2:03:53] jones, rosea hayes, renee

[2:03:58] smith, stanley young, nicholas

[2:04:00] osterman, elizabeth estrada,

[2:04:07] valerie rea doughnut, catherine

[2:04:10] lebo, deborah webb, please

[2:04:16] approach the well.

[2:04:21] >> good evening.

[2:04:22] MADAM Mayor, CHAIRMAN,

[2:04:26] commissioners, my name is lisa

[2:04:28] salazar martin is my address is

[2:04:32] 1 42nd ter., miami, fl

[2:04:33] representing young stations

[2:04:34] tonight.

[2:04:36] Picture a child walking into a

[2:04:39] classroom for the first time to

[2:04:42] learn music.

[2:04:45] Quiet, uncertain, unsure of he

[2:04:48] is and what he is good at.

[2:04:50] Then they receive an instrument

[2:04:53] and they find the rhythm they

[2:04:54] are confidence and eventually

[2:04:55] their voice.

[2:04:57] That transformation happens

[2:05:00] every day through young

[2:05:03] stations unite free music

[2:05:07] programs serving more than

[2:05:08] 60,000 children across 106

[2:05:12] schools in miami-dade county.

[2:05:13] But that opportunity doesn't

[2:05:13] happen without investment.

[2:05:15] Cvo funding helps organizations

[2:05:18] like ours bring life-changing

[2:05:22] programs directly to the

[2:05:23] children and families who need

[2:05:23] them the most.

[2:05:26] We thank you for your

[2:05:27] leadership in prioritizing and

[2:05:28] strengthening cvo funds.

[2:05:28] Thank you.

[2:05:31] >> Chair: thank you.

[2:05:34] >> hi.

[2:05:41] My name is kelsey dixon and I

[2:05:42] am here on behalf of hope and

[2:05:43] relief food bank located at

[2:05:43] 6025 nw. 6th ct., miami, fl

[2:05:44] 33127.

[2:05:46] First I want to say thank you,

[2:05:47] thank you MADAM Mayor and

[2:05:48] commissioners for your

[2:05:49] continued support of our senior

[2:05:52] program.

[2:05:56] Currently we are a 501(C)(3)

[2:05:57] Nonprofit based in the heart of

[2:05:57] liberty city with a very simple

[2:06:02] mission to feed hungry and 2

[2:06:03] ways awareness without

[2:06:03] judgment.

[2:06:04] I am here today because our low

[2:06:05] income seniors are in crisis

[2:06:07] every day in our program I have

[2:06:10] seniors on fixed income who are

[2:06:10] forced to make the impossible

[2:06:11] choice whether to eat or

[2:06:12] whether to pay their bills.

[2:06:18] Find medicine.

[2:06:21] Groceries.

[2:06:24] Tonight we are respectfully

[2:06:26] requesting additional funds to

[2:06:28] aid and to continue our

[2:06:29] program.

[2:06:33] Thank you.

[2:06:34] >> thank you.

[2:06:35] >> good evening my name is

[2:06:39] barry bogle and I represent

[2:06:40] easter field south florida 1475

[2:06:43] northwest 14th avenue miami

[2:06:48] florida 331 through 5. MR. Vice

[2:06:49] chair, commissioners, MADAM

[2:06:50] Mayor, thank you very much for

[2:06:51] having us here today.

[2:06:55] I am also part of the advocacy

[2:06:56] collaborative.

[2:06:56] Mayor, I would like to thank

[2:06:59] you for including continued

[2:07:01] funding for the community-based

[2:07:05] organizations in the proposed

[2:07:06] budget.

[2:07:06] I would encourage all of the

[2:07:07] members of the commission to

[2:07:08] continue to support that.

[2:07:09] Easter seals provides services

[2:07:10] for people with disabilities

[2:07:12] for the last 85 years in

[2:07:15] miami-dade county ranging from

[2:07:17] 3 months of age all the way to

[2:07:17] 105.

[2:07:20] The services that we are able

[2:07:21] to provide because of the

[2:07:22] funding we get through these

[2:07:25] grants allows us to enhance and

[2:07:33] extend the service day for

[2:07:33] these clients which allows

[2:07:34] their caregivers, their loved

[2:07:35] ones, to continue to work and

[2:07:36] contribute to the community and

[2:07:40] live a full and productive

[2:07:40] life.

[2:07:41] If there is additional funds

[2:07:42] available like you have heard

[2:07:44] from some of our colleagues, we

[2:07:45] would appreciate an increase as

[2:07:45] well.

[2:07:47] Thank you.

[2:07:47] >> thank you.

[2:07:49] >> thank you good evening my

[2:07:51] name is kathy left and I'm here

[2:07:52] on bigger complex 561 ne. 30

[2:07:55] seconds st. District 3 thank

[2:07:57] you commissioner hardeman.

[2:08:01] I would like to thank you for

[2:08:03] supporting the cultural

[2:08:03] institutions of the past years.

[2:08:06] And also thank the mayor for

[2:08:07] continuing to maintain us on

[2:08:11] the proposed budget this year.

[2:08:13] I know you all appreciate how

[2:08:15] must artist and cultural

[2:08:15] institutions, they create the

[2:08:17] conditions to make

[2:08:21] neighborhoods desirable,

[2:08:22] attract towns, and generate

[2:08:23] long-term value.

[2:08:25] Some of the things that are and

[2:08:26] cultural generally aren't

[2:08:29] measured by certain kept on

[2:08:33] impact on jobs, tourism but we

[2:08:35] failed to measure the ink pack

[2:08:36] that art and culture has played

[2:08:39] in the real estate appreciation

[2:08:42] and tax base that we all enjoy.

[2:08:43] I want to thank you for

[2:08:48] reinvesting part of that tax

[2:08:48] base back into arts and culture

[2:08:49] so we continue to grow and be

[2:08:50] productive members of the

[2:08:50] community.

[2:08:52] Thank you.

[2:08:55] >> good afternoon.

[2:08:56] Good evening.

[2:08:58] To everybody here.

[2:09:00] My name is jane doe.

[2:09:05] My address 2818 nw. 22nd avenue

[2:09:06] miami, fl 33142.

[2:09:11] I am with the career of loving

[2:09:12] you from the heart.

[2:09:16] I am here on behalf of the

[2:09:20] homelessness, what's going on,

[2:09:20] I defend the homelessness.

[2:09:23] I almost went to jail to defend

[2:09:26] to homelessness so they won't

[2:09:27] go to jail because that is

[2:09:31] something that they want to put

[2:09:32] 3 days in jail and then look

[2:09:36] for shelter.

[2:09:37] With that going on, that is why

[2:09:38] I'm here to see if we can give

[2:09:40] some help with the

[2:09:41] homelessness.

[2:09:42] It's not the proper way of

[2:09:44] putting people in jail.

[2:09:46] So that is my offer.

[2:09:51] Thank you.

[2:09:54] >> good evening.

[2:09:55] While it is getting closer to

[2:09:59] my bedtime, good evening

[2:10:01] commissioners, chair, vice

[2:10:04] chair, commissioners, staff and

[2:10:09] those who are coming out to the

[2:10:09] budget hearing.

[2:10:10] I want to thank you personally

[2:10:18] my district to who went above

[2:10:22] and above.

[2:10:23] The chaplain jail ministry 500

[2:10:24] nw.

[2:10:25] 2nd avenue.

[2:10:30] >> can we get your name and

[2:10:30] address, please?

[2:10:35] >> I want to let you know that

[2:10:35] freedom ministry is there to

[2:10:36] help and assist inmates who are

[2:10:37] coming out of prisons and jails

[2:10:43] to let them know that there is

[2:10:43] hope.

[2:10:43] There is new direction.

[2:10:44] There are some new things that

[2:10:49] they can do and produce in our

[2:10:49] community.

[2:10:50] We been doing it for 6 years

[2:10:50] and we love it.

[2:10:58] I want to support the

[2:10:59] miami-dade 's epo fund.

[2:11:00] Let's support it, let's keep it

[2:11:00] going.

[2:11:01] Let's develop it.

[2:11:02] Thank you and GOD bless.

[2:11:02] >> thank you.

[2:11:04] >> good evening MS. Ea 1637

[2:11:09] south st. Thank you mayor, for

[2:11:13] proposing a budget that

[2:11:14] supports arts and culture

[2:11:15] funding for previous years as

[2:11:16] to before you all talking about

[2:11:17] emphasizing the economic impact

[2:11:18] of the art talking about the

[2:11:20] $2.1 billion impact of the art

[2:11:21] here in miami and how every

[2:11:28] dollar invested bring back $41

[2:11:29] invested into the economy.

[2:11:30] The numbers are important but

[2:11:31] today I want to talk about

[2:11:31] what's harder to measure and

[2:11:32] that is what makes miami miami.

[2:11:34] Miami doesn't stand out because

[2:11:35] were the only town with beaches

[2:11:38] skylines and skyscrapers.

[2:11:45] Our community above artists and

[2:11:46] organizations is given miami

[2:11:47] the language entirely of its

[2:11:47] own.

[2:11:48] This is one that the rest of

[2:11:51] the world recognizes and

[2:11:51] celebrates.

[2:11:52] As we continue to grow into a

[2:11:53] cultural capital we need to

[2:11:57] continue to grow our arts and

[2:11:57] culture.

[2:11:58] This is continuing investment

[2:11:59] in the very identity and

[2:12:00] community that has made the

[2:12:01] world look our way in the first

[2:12:01] place.

[2:12:02] Commissioners I urge you

[2:12:03] please, please commissioners I

[2:12:04] urge you to approve this budget

[2:12:05] and ensure the miami we love

[2:12:07] today will be here tomorrow.

[2:12:12] Thank you.

[2:12:13] >> my name is nicholas

[2:12:14] ahlstrom address is 31 6 north

[2:12:16] 42nd st. And I reside in

[2:12:20] commissioner hardeman's

[2:12:21] district that evening

[2:12:22] commissioners I am here because

[2:12:22] I am scared.

[2:12:23] I am scared that a budget

[2:12:24] decision made in this room can

[2:12:24] cost me my job.

[2:12:28] I take route 32 every morning

[2:12:32] at 6 A.M. To get to work.

[2:12:34] It's not a convenience it's my

[2:12:35] lifeline.

[2:12:39] If that first bus is cut I have

[2:12:47] no backup plan.

[2:12:48] Right share isn't an option I

[2:12:48] can afford.

[2:12:49] That money would come straight

[2:12:50] out of my rent, medication and

[2:12:50] my groceries.

[2:12:51] I am already stretched thin.

[2:12:52] I am one of the 14,000 working

[2:12:53] residents who will be pushed to

[2:12:55] the edge by these cuts.

[2:13:00] People go to work, to doctor

[2:13:01] appointments, to school every

[2:13:02] single day because they have

[2:13:02] to.

[2:13:05] Because we don't have a choice.

[2:13:08] Please, I am asking you as

[2:13:09] someone whose livelihood is

[2:13:10] directly on the line.

[2:13:13] Vote against these bus cuts.

[2:13:14] Thank you.

[2:13:20] >> heaven jones 1637 sw. 8th

[2:13:21] st. 33135.

[2:13:23] Thank you members of the

[2:13:28] commission and mayor cava for

[2:13:29] giving me the opportunity to

[2:13:30] speak once again on behalf of

[2:13:31] our olson culture community.

[2:13:35] The arts in miami-dade are more

[2:13:36] than cultural institutions.

[2:13:37] They create jobs and give our

[2:13:38] communities something to lean

[2:13:41] on beyond basic needs.

[2:13:42] These same organizations rely

[2:13:43] on public funding to provide

[2:13:48] free and low-cost programs that

[2:13:49] educate, uplift and engage our

[2:13:49] diverse communities.

[2:13:50] I am a product of the arts and

[2:13:51] culture.

[2:13:52] A young girl from

[2:13:56] unincorporated miami-dade who

[2:13:57] spent summers at the african

[2:13:58] cultural arts center is now an

[2:14:00] arts administer, artist and

[2:14:01] artist featuring.

[2:14:02] The introduction into arts and

[2:14:09] culture completely influence my

[2:14:10] life and that's why I'm here

[2:14:11] today.

[2:14:11] Keeping full funding of arts

[2:14:12] and culture budget is an

[2:14:13] investment in miami-dade's

[2:14:14] future and identity.

[2:14:14] Without we are excluding the

[2:14:15] very things that make our

[2:14:16] counties thrive.

[2:14:17] We are economic drivers and

[2:14:17] community builders.

[2:14:19] Thank you mayor cava and the

[2:14:19] commission.

[2:14:19] Thank you.

[2:14:20] >> thank you.

[2:14:23] >> good evening I'm a member

[2:14:25] of catalyst miami at 3550

[2:14:28] southwest ave., miami.

[2:14:30] I am here today to express my

[2:14:31] concern about the proposed cuts

[2:14:33] to the public library system.

[2:14:36] As an emergency management

[2:14:37] practitioner I see libraries as

[2:14:38] a trusted community resource

[2:14:41] that supports residents during

[2:14:41] emergencies.

[2:14:47] As extreme heat becomes a

[2:14:48] chronic public health challenge

[2:14:49] many of our libraries serve as

[2:14:50] cooling centers providing

[2:14:53] access to ac for residents

[2:14:59] seeking relief from dangerous

[2:14:59] temperatures and for those who

[2:15:00] might not have adequate cooling

[2:15:01] a home.

[2:15:02] For older adults and other

[2:15:03] vulnerable populations these

[2:15:05] spaces can help prevent heat

[2:15:05] related illness.

[2:15:09] Reducing library hours or

[2:15:10] services would limit access to

[2:15:11] a resource that residents

[2:15:12] increasingly rely on during

[2:15:13] extreme heat events.

[2:15:14] I respectfully urge you to

[2:15:19] prohibit reductions to library

[2:15:20] hours, staffing and maintenance

[2:15:20] funding.

[2:15:21] Thank you for your time and

[2:15:22] consideration.

[2:15:24] >> yes?

[2:15:25] >> hello.

[2:15:34] Renee pesci smith 1637 sw. 83

[2:15:35] 3135.

[2:15:35] I am here is the executive

[2:15:36] director of arts and business

[2:15:37] council but today I'm also

[2:15:38] speaking as a mother supporting

[2:15:40] the arts.

[2:15:41] When my daughter was very young

[2:15:43] her father passed away and

[2:15:54] theater and dance became her

[2:15:54] lifeline.

[2:15:55] Looking for a safe space to

[2:15:55] belong, mentors who believed in

[2:15:56] her inner way to express grief

[2:15:57] when she didn't have the words

[2:15:58] and yes they helped keep her

[2:15:59] out of a lot of trouble.

[2:16:00] As an adult she is building a

[2:16:01] career in the arts when we talk

[2:16:02] about the arts and culture

[2:16:03] grant not just talking about

[2:16:04] numbers and a budget.

[2:16:05] We are talking about children,

[2:16:07] families, jobs and lives

[2:16:07] changed forever.

[2:16:08] Somewhere in miami-dade there's

[2:16:10] another child who needs what

[2:16:11] the arts gave to my daughter

[2:16:14] and that child, please give

[2:16:14] them the same chance my

[2:16:20] daughter had.

[2:16:21] Dq mayor for proposing full

[2:16:22] funding for the arts and

[2:16:23] culture grants and this budget

[2:16:24] and we urge all of you

[2:16:25] commissioners to please vote to

[2:16:26] fully fund arts and culture

[2:16:28] grants in the fy 27 budget and

[2:16:29] please help us work on long

[2:16:30] term sustainable funding for

[2:16:30] the arts.

[2:16:32] Thank you very much.

[2:16:34] >> good evening numbers of the

[2:16:35] commission MADAM Mayor my name

[2:16:41] is gloria and my address is sw.

[2:16:42] 67th avenue and today I am

[2:16:45] speaking on behalf of friends

[2:16:46] of biscayne bay are slickly

[2:16:52] asked the commission to name 2

[2:16:53] successful investments in

[2:16:53] miami-dade's future.

[2:16:54] First the proposed 6% increase

[2:16:55] in rate adjustment we cannot

[2:16:57] protect biscayne bay without

[2:16:59] -while underfunding the system

[2:17:01] that sewage out of the public

[2:17:01] waterways.

[2:17:05] For the average customer it is

[2:17:06] approximately $0.12 per day and

[2:17:08] the adjustment is necessary for

[2:17:09] the infrastructure to reduce

[2:17:11] sewage spills and complete

[2:17:12] utterly mandated improvements.

[2:17:14] During this work it will not

[2:17:17] eliminate the cost but instead

[2:17:18] reduce the likelihood of system

[2:17:21] failures and more expensive

[2:17:22] projects in the future 2nd

[2:17:26] replaced 20 million for the

[2:17:27] meal program the proposed

[2:17:30] budget provides 6.5 million for

[2:17:32] roughly 3500 acres these are

[2:17:37] not simply underdeveloped

[2:17:39] parcels, these are GOD-given

[2:17:42] natural infrastructure that

[2:17:43] protects our drinking water

[2:17:47] supply, and dangerous feces and

[2:17:47] protects floodwaters.

[2:17:48] Thank you.

[2:17:49] >> thank you.

[2:17:49] Thank you county commissioners

[2:17:51] and thank you mayor, for all of

[2:17:55] your support and including

[2:17:56] critical funding for the cvo

[2:17:56] for miami-dade.

[2:18:00] I am deborah webb the ceo of

[2:18:01] key clubhouse south florida

[2:18:07] located northside 301 nw.

[2:18:08] 27th avenue and now in west

[2:18:10] kendall at 9000 sw. 137th

[2:18:11] avenue I believe district 2 and

[2:18:15] district 11 but I do live in

[2:18:16] aventura the beautiful

[2:18:16] aventura.

[2:18:19] We are an international

[2:18:24] accredited program operating a

[2:18:25] proven recovery through work

[2:18:25] model serving adults living

[2:18:30] with serious persistent mental

[2:18:30] illness.

[2:18:31] In the last 2 years between r b2

[2:18:36] 2 locations we placed 90 people

[2:18:37] with mental illness back to

[2:18:38] work and 25 went back to

[2:18:39] school.

[2:18:42] Every day I hear families like

[2:18:43] you must also that are

[2:18:45] desperate for help for loved

[2:18:47] ones living with mental

[2:18:47] illness.

[2:18:48] Our outcome?

[2:18:51] 90% report that overall quality

[2:18:54] of life has improved and they

[2:18:55] are more positive about the

[2:18:57] future, not contemplating

[2:18:58] ending it all.

[2:19:02] 94% report needing fewer or no

[2:19:03] hospitalizations.

[2:19:07] Thank you so much.

[2:19:08] >> all right will the

[2:19:09] following residents please come

[2:19:12] up.

[2:19:13] I apologize ahead of time if I

[2:19:16] mispronounce your name.

[2:19:19] Deborah cox robert ryle natalie

[2:19:21] herod don, pedro deas, don

[2:19:25] david harrison, richard lemond

[2:19:28] and, or rate should money and

[2:19:30] camille munguia.

[2:19:31] Yes.

[2:19:36] Thank you.

[2:19:37] >> alice malin 6240 sw. 33rd

[2:19:45] st. Miami, fl 33155.

[2:19:46] I am the executive director of

[2:19:46] adults mankind organization and

[2:19:47] first I would like to thank

[2:19:48] MADAM Mayor for your support

[2:19:49] and leadership this year and

[2:19:53] for working hard to include us

[2:19:54] in the budget.

[2:19:55] I hope the rest of the

[2:19:56] commission will also support

[2:19:57] these programs because

[2:20:00] investing in our safety net

[2:20:05] organization has a significant

[2:20:05] impact.

[2:20:06] Not only on the lives of our

[2:20:08] residents but also on our local

[2:20:09] economy.

[2:20:09] we provide workforce

[2:20:10] development services focusing

[2:20:13] on work readiness skills and

[2:20:13] employment assistance.

[2:20:18] We help residents develop the

[2:20:19] skills and confidence they need

[2:20:20] to secure and maintain

[2:20:21] employment so they become

[2:20:26] productive members of the

[2:20:27] workforce.

[2:20:27] And I know you like data.

[2:20:27] O

[2:20:28] let me tell you.

[2:20:29] This year we served over 329

[2:20:31] miami-dade residents from all

[2:20:34] 13 districts.

[2:20:35] We placed 125 in subsidized

[2:20:37] employment and that, if you use

[2:20:39] a conservative estimate at $14

[2:20:43] per hour, $35 per week that is

[2:20:45] 2.45 that is back in the

[2:20:45] economy.

[2:20:49] So much.

[2:20:51] >> good evening I am fernanda

[2:20:52] jorgensen I am the director of

[2:20:56] philanthropy miami biscayne

[2:20:57] boulevard.

[2:20:59] First I would like to extend my

[2:21:00] gratitude to mayor cava and

[2:21:02] county commissioners for your

[2:21:03] commitment throughout this past

[2:21:07] year to work alongside our

[2:21:07] cpus.

[2:21:08] Philanthropy miami strongly

[2:21:14] supports this budget and they

[2:21:15] continued investment in these

[2:21:16] organizations.

[2:21:17] It's a smart investment and now

[2:21:18] have the data to back it up.

[2:21:18] Independent study recently

[2:21:19] conducted by the health council

[2:21:20] of south florida showed that

[2:21:21] for every dollar the county

[2:21:22] invest in cbo's save $10 from

[2:21:25] expenditures from hired systems

[2:21:29] of care.

[2:21:30] See po's are more than just

[2:21:35] recipients of county funds they

[2:21:36] are essential infrastructure

[2:21:36] and community partners and

[2:21:37] philanthropy miami stands ready

[2:21:38] to work with our nonprofit

[2:21:40] partners, our philanthropic

[2:21:40] community and government to

[2:21:42] make sure that these investment

[2:21:44] remain beneficial to our

[2:21:44] community.

[2:21:45] Thank you very much.

[2:21:48] >> thank you.

[2:21:49] >> good evening MADAM Mayor

[2:21:50] commissioners debbie cox

[2:21:53] christie house nw. 12th ave.,

[2:21:55] miami, fl.

[2:21:58] First, thank you MADAM Mayor

[2:21:59] for keeping the nonprofit

[2:22:01] community in your heart and

[2:22:02] budget.

[2:22:03] We very much appreciate that.

[2:22:07] Your support recognizes that

[2:22:10] strong public systems depend on

[2:22:12] strong committee centers

[2:22:13] christie house provides hope

[2:22:18] and justice for people

[2:22:19] subjected to sexual abuse,

[2:22:20] human trafficking and sexual

[2:22:21] trauma every day our team

[2:22:25] brings together child

[2:22:26] protection professionals, child

[2:22:27] support, medical providers,

[2:22:30] therapist and advocate so the

[2:22:30] child can tell their story once

[2:22:31] in a safe and supportive

[2:22:32] environment rather than relive

[2:22:35] that trauma over and over

[2:22:35] again.

[2:22:37] Behind every budget line there

[2:22:39] is a child who can begin to

[2:22:44] feel safe, a caregiver who can

[2:22:48] receive support had a family.

[2:22:50] Your investment helps make this

[2:22:51] all possible.

[2:22:53] You for your leadership thank

[2:22:56] you all for your partnership

[2:22:56] and your commitment to

[2:23:02] miami-dade 's children.

[2:23:04] >> good evening at noon.

[2:23:11] My name is estella velasquez I

[2:23:12] am 15 years old and remember

[2:23:13] had the honor of singing the

[2:23:13] national anthem for all of you

[2:23:14] at the board of county

[2:23:15] commissioners inauguration 2

[2:23:16] years ago and I am here today

[2:23:23] because I found young musicians

[2:23:24] tonight when I was 6 years old

[2:23:25] and I found a group of talented

[2:23:29] rock stars and I was like wow!

[2:23:30] I want to be like that when I

[2:23:30] grow up.

[2:23:31] And I am proud to say that

[2:23:32] almost a decade later I am a

[2:23:33] recording artist thanks to

[2:23:35] young musicians unite.

[2:23:42] Free songwriting program at

[2:23:42] ymca studio and I was able to

[2:23:43] join my first ever band called

[2:23:44] the lounge band where I with

[2:23:48] hundreds if not thousands of

[2:23:49] students were able to perform

[2:23:51] at venues across miami-dade

[2:23:52] county and meet amazing people.

[2:23:53] Young musicians unite is not

[2:23:58] just a place where you can

[2:23:59] learn to play music, it is a

[2:24:00] voice, a community where you

[2:24:01] can achieve what you thought

[2:24:02] was once impossible.

[2:24:06] Fund the arts and fund these

[2:24:07] organizations that are helping

[2:24:08] us shape the minds of the

[2:24:09] future of miami-dade county!

[2:24:09] Thank you.

[2:24:12] >> thank you.

[2:24:14] [Applause]

[2:24:18] >> tough act to follow.

[2:24:18] >> yes.

[2:24:22] >> good evening mattmadam

[2:24:23] mayor and members of the board

[2:24:28] my name is natalie herod and

[2:24:29] 12000 biscayne blvd.

[2:24:30] I have the privilege of serving

[2:24:31] our community through jewish

[2:24:33] committee services of south

[2:24:33] florida.

[2:24:34] Thank you mayor cava for

[2:24:35] recommending full funding for

[2:24:36] our cbo.

[2:24:45] For 107 years jcs is help

[2:24:45] seniors age with dignity

[2:24:46] through meals, case management

[2:24:47] and critical support.

[2:24:48] Today as seniors face raising

[2:24:49] costs, food insecurity and

[2:24:49] isolation, these services

[2:24:50] matter more than ever.

[2:24:56] As a proud member of the

[2:24:57] advocacy collectively urge you

[2:24:57] to fully fund the cbo.

[2:24:58] Together we leverage more than

[2:24:59] 15 million in additional

[2:25:03] federal and state private

[2:25:03] funding as evinced by the

[2:25:04] health council pro bono study

[2:25:05] previously shared your

[2:25:06] investment strengthens our

[2:25:08] entire committee and project

[2:25:09] services for our most

[2:25:11] vulnerable neighbors and what

[2:25:12] they depend on.

[2:25:13] Thank you.

[2:25:16] >> good evening MADAM Mayor

[2:25:17] MR. Vice chair, commissioners

[2:25:20] my name is pedro deas 6251 n.

[2:25:23] Waterway doctor.

[2:25:25] I stand here today not only

[2:25:31] representing young students

[2:25:31] unite as her chief officer but

[2:25:32] as a father and someone who

[2:25:33] benefited from arts education

[2:25:34] and as a fierce advocate for

[2:25:35] investing in the arts.

[2:25:36] Because I have seen what the

[2:25:43] arts can do, they give young

[2:25:44] people a voice, they create

[2:25:45] community, they build

[2:25:48] confidence, discipline and most

[2:25:48] importantly a sense of

[2:25:49] belonging.

[2:25:49] The arts are the expression of

[2:25:51] what we are.

[2:25:52] They tell our stories, carry

[2:25:54] our culture and connect one

[2:25:57] generation to the next.

[2:26:00] When we invest in the arts and

[2:26:01] culture we are not just

[2:26:03] investing in musicians, dancers

[2:26:04] or artists, we are investing in

[2:26:09] human beings.

[2:26:10] We are investing in our

[2:26:10] communities.

[2:26:11] we are investing in our future.

[2:26:12] Arts change lives.

[2:26:15] Arts save lives.

[2:26:20] Arts need your support please

[2:26:21] get back to the funding for the

[2:26:22] miami-dade cultural.

[2:26:22] Thank you.

[2:26:24] >> hi good evening MADAM Mayor

[2:26:28] and members of the board of

[2:26:29] county commissioners, my name

[2:26:35] is rachel -- south florida

[2:26:42] 12000 biscayne blvd., miami

[2:26:43] 33181 thank you for your

[2:26:44] continued commitment for the

[2:26:44] healthy one being of our

[2:26:45] community and recognizing the

[2:26:49] essential role of nonprofit

[2:26:49] partners.

[2:26:50] Today I am speaking not only on

[2:26:51] behalf of jewish community

[2:26:52] services of south florida but

[2:26:56] as part of the advocacy

[2:26:56] collective of more than 60

[2:26:57] social service agencies that

[2:26:58] depend on county cbo funding.

[2:27:00] If the camera wants to zoom in

[2:27:03] on this all the people in the

[2:27:09] community here that support the

[2:27:09] miami-dade county residents.

[2:27:10] We are the safety net for the

[2:27:10] community.

[2:27:12] We feed families and seniors.

[2:27:13] People struggling with mental

[2:27:15] health and vulnerable

[2:27:19] individuals facing

[2:27:19] circumstances they never

[2:27:20] imagine what happened.

[2:27:22] The county funding is not

[2:27:23] simply a line in the budget it

[2:27:27] keeps doors open and services

[2:27:28] available and keeping people

[2:27:30] fall from the cracks.

[2:27:36] Please gas to keep the cbo's

[2:27:37] funding thank you for your

[2:27:37] partnership and investment in

[2:27:38] our community.

[2:27:40] Thank you.

[2:27:42] >> thank you.

[2:27:47] Good evening CHAIRMAN And

[2:27:47] members MADAM Mayor I am jd

[2:27:52] harrison 176 25th st. Miami

[2:27:52] florida.

[2:27:55] Jake was program MAY manager

[2:27:57] for the outgoing legislation

[2:27:59] program jacob served laws be as

[2:28:04] program manager since 2014.

[2:28:05] And from this perspective we

[2:28:05] have seen tremendous progress

[2:28:09] made in reducing ocean

[2:28:10] discharges, expanding water

[2:28:12] reuse and improving treatment

[2:28:15] capacity and strengthening the

[2:28:19] reliability and resiliency of

[2:28:20] wastewater.

[2:28:20] The county is now very close to

[2:28:21] completing this important work.

[2:28:25] 6 active construction projects

[2:28:26] valuing approximately 840

[2:28:28] million are underway with 4

[2:28:31] additional projects in design

[2:28:32] for 450 million.

[2:28:37] Slowing down and stopping no

[2:28:38] would not eliminate the need

[2:28:39] for these projects, it would

[2:28:40] cause escalations, contractor

[2:28:41] claims, regulatory risks,

[2:28:44] jeopardize ability to the

[2:28:45] statutory commitments and delay

[2:28:50] critical improvements and

[2:28:50] supporting alliance.

[2:28:52] 6% adjustment is necessary and

[2:28:55] responsible investment.

[2:28:56] Jacob respectfully urges

[2:28:56] approval.

[2:28:56] Thank you.

[2:28:57] >> thank you.

[2:28:58] >> good evening mayor and

[2:29:07] commissioners my name is --

[2:29:08] thank you mayor for restoring

[2:29:08] the 2 million for the

[2:29:13] enrichment diversion program.

[2:29:14] Commissioners, municipalities

[2:29:16] that have eviction levers

[2:29:17] program see a drop of 98% in

[2:29:19] legal addictions.

[2:29:20] It's really crucial you

[2:29:22] continue supporting this

[2:29:22] program.

[2:29:25] Also the office of housing

[2:29:26] efficacy needs added staff to

[2:29:30] track and monitor residents who

[2:29:31] are being displaced from county

[2:29:32] housing.

[2:29:38] You all remember the mess that

[2:29:38] the house of lies revealed.

[2:29:39] We could have a similar

[2:29:40] situation if we don't keep

[2:29:41] track of residents who are

[2:29:42] given vouchers and are not able

[2:29:48] to return once the project has

[2:29:51] been rebuilt or renovated.

[2:29:54] Also I remember when I was in

[2:29:58] university I had to go away to

[2:29:59] sunny tables I would not be

[2:30:01] able to make it on time if not

[2:30:02] for the early morning service.

[2:30:04] Later on in life I worked at

[2:30:07] the casino in hollywood.

[2:30:08] I lived in north miami and I

[2:30:10] had to take a bus from there

[2:30:10] also.

[2:30:11] It's really crucial that you

[2:30:12] keep the service going.

[2:30:14] Thank you.

[2:30:22] >> miami florida 33233.

[2:30:22] Good evening MADAM Mayor

[2:30:23] commissioners and county staff

[2:30:28] my name is richard lemond and I

[2:30:28] am a business owner and father

[2:30:29] in miami-dade and also I will

[2:30:30] be your next state senator and

[2:30:31] district 38.

[2:30:32] Throughout the campaign I've

[2:30:33] heard from thousands across our

[2:30:35] community and tonight I speak

[2:30:36] for them.

[2:30:37] Our seniors and workers depend

[2:30:39] on bus routes.

[2:30:40] Our kids to learn to read in

[2:30:42] our libraries and enjoy our

[2:30:42] parks.

[2:30:43] Small business owners drowning

[2:30:46] in costs they can't control.

[2:30:47] The young people who did

[2:30:48] everything right and still

[2:30:49] can't afford to stay in the

[2:30:50] firefighters, police and nurses

[2:30:50] wondering if this budget will

[2:30:53] have their back.

[2:30:57] A budget of what we find is

[2:30:58] what we believe in but right

[2:30:59] now tallahassee is stripping

[2:31:01] our local government of their

[2:31:02] tools that we need to serve.

[2:31:04] Preemption from 500 miles away

[2:31:07] and decision after decision has

[2:31:10] resulted in this community and

[2:31:11] budget being smaller than it

[2:31:12] should be.

[2:31:16] Miami-dade deserves a center

[2:31:20] who resources home and protects

[2:31:21] your authority to govern and I

[2:31:22] will do that as your next

[2:31:22] senator and I will say thank

[2:31:23] you and good luck.

[2:31:26] >> all right.

[2:31:26] Yes?

[2:31:31] >> my name is catherine leyba

[2:31:32] and I am the executive director

[2:31:33] of engage miami located at

[2:31:33] 108000 biscayne blvd.

[2:31:34] I reside in district 3 and

[2:31:38] appointed to the miami-dade

[2:31:39] county commission for women.

[2:31:40] I am here today to speak

[2:31:45] against the proposed removal of

[2:31:46] the early morning bus service I

[2:31:47] was able to attend my high

[2:31:48] school because of the

[2:31:49] long-standing partnership that

[2:31:51] miami-dade transit and mcps

[2:31:56] have to allow the students get

[2:31:56] to school by the first bell.

[2:31:57] I am the leader I am today

[2:32:01] because of my education but

[2:32:02] first I actually had to get to

[2:32:02] school.

[2:32:03] School of choice has made miami

[2:32:04] home to the largest public

[2:32:05] magnet school district in the

[2:32:08] nation and ending early service

[2:32:09] would disconnect students from

[2:32:10] schools that sit on routes

[2:32:10] including miami northwestern

[2:32:16] miami central miami senior,

[2:32:17] southwest mamie senior, kylie a

[2:32:18] lakes american senior high,

[2:32:19] coral gables, booker t and

[2:32:23] miami-dade senior just to name

[2:32:24] a few.

[2:32:24] these routes make school of

[2:32:25] choice possible and fuels our

[2:32:33] future in this county.

[2:32:33] My ask is simple please

[2:32:34] preserve the early morning bus

[2:32:35] services so our students can

[2:32:36] actually get the education they

[2:32:37] want and deserve.

[2:32:37] Thank you.

[2:32:38] >> thank you will the

[2:32:39] following residents please get

[2:32:40] in the queue you are up next.

[2:32:43] Joseph delia, fred christian,

[2:32:48] devorah siegelman, vivian

[2:32:53] esther gonzalez, anna ruth so

[2:32:54] lush and apologize if I

[2:32:55] mispronounce of his name.

[2:33:01] Jamie lee parris ceuta, mila

[2:33:02] cabrera mercedes cabrera susan

[2:33:11] holtzman laura nicholson.

[2:33:12] >> good evening I am deborah

[2:33:13] spiegelman ceo of the miami

[2:33:14] children's museum 980 macarthur

[2:33:18] parkway good evening mayor and

[2:33:19] members of the county

[2:33:20] commission thank you for your

[2:33:24] continuing support of the

[2:33:25] cultural arts in miami.

[2:33:26] Mamie welcomes 400,000 visitors

[2:33:26] each year.

[2:33:29] E serve over 600

[2:33:32] children every afternoon in the

[2:33:32] community through our

[2:33:36] afterschool programs in our 8

[2:33:37] partner schools.

[2:33:42] Many in underserved immunities.

[2:33:43] In a time of a growing mental

[2:33:44] health crisis these programs

[2:33:48] fred children with state

[2:33:49] consisted nurturing

[2:33:49] environments where they can

[2:33:50] learn, express themselves and

[2:33:51] thrive.

[2:33:53] The cost is sustaining this

[2:33:58] work continues to rise.

[2:33:59] Our security cost become one of

[2:34:01] the most critical and costly

[2:34:01] responsibilities.

[2:34:02] Yet, it is essential to protect

[2:34:04] the children and families and

[2:34:05] staff who serve.

[2:34:07] As the final adjustment are

[2:34:09] made if at all possible the

[2:34:11] aspr funding to help us

[2:34:13] maintain these vital programs,

[2:34:17] meet critical security cost.

[2:34:18] >> thank you so much.

[2:34:18] >> I'm sorry thank you so

[2:34:19] much.

[2:34:26] >> good evening commissioners,

[2:34:27] MADAM Mayor, staff, my name is

[2:34:28] joseph delia 6355 nw. 36th st.,

[2:34:30] virginia gardens 33136 I am the

[2:34:33] PRESIDENT Of transfer union 391

[2:34:34] representing more than 2500

[2:34:39] miami-dade transit workers and

[2:34:44] working people who use public

[2:34:44] transit.

[2:34:45] These cuts will eliminate 12

[2:34:46] routes and 4 million rides per

[2:34:49] year including early morning

[2:34:50] and what every speaker hasn't

[2:34:51] mentioned is late-night service

[2:34:52] that working people depend on.

[2:34:53] Every commissioner sitting here

[2:34:57] has constituent will be hurt.

[2:34:58] Worker schedules and life don't

[2:34:59] change because of bus route was

[2:34:59] cut.

[2:35:00] Before cutting routes essential

[2:35:04] to citizens and the ministries

[2:35:04] they serve maybe start looking

[2:35:08] at consultants and other

[2:35:08] unnecessary spending.

[2:35:09] Instead we look at how

[2:35:10] top-heavy the department is.

[2:35:11] There's plenty of areas where

[2:35:12] you can trim the budget,

[2:35:15] transit routes are not it.

[2:35:15] County dollars should serve

[2:35:19] county residents.

[2:35:19] Transit is just an essential

[2:35:23] service as every constitutional

[2:35:23] office.

[2:35:25] For some citizens transit is

[2:35:26] the only means of

[2:35:27] transportation and it is there

[2:35:28] most important service you

[2:35:29] provide.

[2:35:30] Commissioners these writers are

[2:35:31] your constituents and work

[2:35:31] horse.

[2:35:34] >> thank you.

[2:35:38] >> should I go?

[2:35:39] Hi I am vivian gonzalez my

[2:35:40] address is 6601 sw.

[2:35:44] 16th ct., apt. 108.

[2:35:46] I'm the executive director of

[2:35:50] grader at mama symphony and we

[2:35:51] serve the students of

[2:35:53] miami-dade county from public,

[2:35:56] charter and homeschools and

[2:35:57] from every commissioners

[2:35:57] district.

[2:36:00] Our students have gone on to

[2:36:01] prestigious universities

[2:36:02] throughout the nation, state

[2:36:07] and internationally.

[2:36:07] Our alumni include grammy

[2:36:08] winners esteemed residence

[2:36:09] throughout miami-dade county

[2:36:10] thank you for your support, for

[2:36:13] continued full arts funding and

[2:36:14] for your efforts to ensure

[2:36:15] funding well into the future as

[2:36:17] arts especially music is

[2:36:18] fundamental to the human

[2:36:18] experience.

[2:36:20] Thank you.

[2:36:22] >> cuda from north county

[2:36:25] commissioners my name is fred

[2:36:27] christian address 20733 nw.

[2:36:33] Miami gardens florida and here

[2:36:34] representing my organization #

[2:36:36] impact/at mpeg media ink and on

[2:36:37] behalf of my friends at calyx

[2:36:40] miami and support what you said

[2:36:40] today.

[2:36:43] As a person who advocate who is

[2:36:43] disabled and advocates for

[2:36:45] those with disabilities and the

[2:36:47] elderly unmasking new to please

[2:36:51] retain funding at current

[2:36:52] levels.

[2:36:52] Where I live is a senior

[2:36:53] community which is able be the

[2:36:56] fire department to respond on

[2:36:57] time we need the police

[2:36:58] department and we commend you

[2:36:59] for the great responses you do

[2:37:00] for the miami gardens police

[2:37:01] department for what they do.

[2:37:04] We ask you also to please,

[2:37:05] maintain the evictions

[2:37:06] diversion program to seniors

[2:37:08] and the disabled do not deserve

[2:37:09] to lose their homes.

[2:37:12] Please do this.

[2:37:13] Finally, please keep the bus

[2:37:14] routes because seniors and

[2:37:16] disabled depend on them at the

[2:37:17] same time do not eliminate

[2:37:18] anything to not change

[2:37:20] anything.

[2:37:24] Please find a way keep the

[2:37:28] disabled services and for the

[2:37:29] hospital, too. Thank you.

[2:37:31] >> I am mercedes call vieira.

[2:37:36] [Address] Good evening

[2:37:37] commissioners and mayor as a

[2:37:38] survivor of domestic violence

[2:37:39] of stocking and getting a

[2:37:40] restraining order was not the

[2:37:40] end of my nightmare.

[2:37:42] It was just the beginning.

[2:37:44] While my stocker is currently

[2:37:45] in custody a cycle of abuse

[2:37:47] does not stop with a piece of

[2:37:47] paper.

[2:37:55] For my family the abuse has

[2:37:55] persisted.

[2:37:56] When abusers and enablers are

[2:37:58] not held accountable they are

[2:37:59] emboldened to continue their

[2:38:00] torment.

[2:38:04] Right now the system most

[2:38:07] crucial resource is equal

[2:38:08] representation survivors are

[2:38:11] left alone to navigate in this

[2:38:11] court battles, safety

[2:38:14] violations against dangerous

[2:38:15] abusers with zero counsel.

[2:38:16] I urge this board to allocate a

[2:38:19] look funding for legal

[2:38:19] representation to support

[2:38:23] survivors beyond the initial

[2:38:23] order.

[2:38:25] Survivors need safety not just

[2:38:26] a temporary fix.

[2:38:29] Thank you.

[2:38:30] >> thank you.

[2:38:30] >> hi good evening

[2:38:33] commissioners my name is

[2:38:34] andrea's latte and I live at

[2:38:36] 776 ne.

[2:38:42] Tranny unmasking the county to

[2:38:43] restore 12.4 million in funding

[2:38:43] for early-morning transit

[2:38:44] service.

[2:38:45] These routes are not just

[2:38:45] numbers on a budget they are

[2:38:50] the lifeline for more than 6000

[2:38:51] workers and families every

[2:38:52] single week including nurses,

[2:38:53] construction workers and school

[2:38:54] staff who depend on reliable

[2:38:55] transportation to get to work.

[2:38:58] 11% reduction in transit

[2:38:59] service means cutting

[2:39:00] approximately 31.5 million in

[2:39:03] services and eliminating 12

[2:39:04] routes while reducing service

[2:39:06] on dozen more.

[2:39:09] We would be making these cuts

[2:39:13] to most cost effective transit

[2:39:15] services which costs around

[2:39:15] $6.30 per ride.

[2:39:26] Saving.

[2:39:26] Saving money I cutting routes

[2:39:27] that working families rely on

[2:39:28] to get to work is not okay.

[2:39:29] I urge the county to restore

[2:39:30] the full 12.4 million and

[2:39:31] protect early-morning transit

[2:39:31] service.

[2:39:31] Thank you.

[2:39:32] >> thank you.

[2:39:32] Yes.

[2:39:32] Thank you.

[2:39:33] >> my turn?

[2:39:33] Okay.

[2:39:34] Hello my name is alana

[2:39:36] scarborough is a local resident

[2:39:36] affected by the proposed

[2:39:38] transit changes I strongly urge

[2:39:40] you to reject the proposed

[2:39:42] elimination of prop 57.

[2:39:46] Residence along this quarter

[2:39:46] bus 57 is not an option it is

[2:39:54] our soul lifeline.

[2:39:55] removing the service creates a

[2:39:55] total transit desert.

[2:39:56] Cutting off residence while

[2:39:57] access to private vehicles from

[2:39:58] jobs, school, healthcare and

[2:40:01] essential services.

[2:40:02] This route is double impacted

[2:40:03] as changes from the federal bus

[2:40:05] network increase wait times to

[2:40:08] 90 minutes and reduce eating

[2:40:13] opacity to a 16 seat tiny bus

[2:40:13] with broken pass counters.

[2:40:17] Public transportation is a

[2:40:18] fundamental public good and we

[2:40:21] cannot leave an entire quarter

[2:40:23] completely unserved.

[2:40:25] Residents who receive safe

[2:40:25] reliable transmission.

[2:40:32] Thank you.

[2:40:33] >> thank you good evening

[2:40:34] commissioners MADAM Mayor and

[2:40:34] fellow residents of miami-dade

[2:40:35] county thank you all for being

[2:40:39] here tonight and for this

[2:40:40] opportunity to speak my name is

[2:40:41] susan holtzman and I reside at

[2:40:41] 9 055.

[2:40:54] [Address] I represent the

[2:40:55] miami-dade affiliate for the

[2:40:55] national alliance of mental

[2:40:56] illness I am the PRESIDENT And

[2:40:57] ceo and we want to commend the

[2:41:00] mayor on funding cbo and urge

[2:41:01] you to continue to fund the

[2:41:05] work we are at nami providing

[2:41:05] education support and advocacy

[2:41:07] to people who live with mental

[2:41:07] health conditions and their

[2:41:10] loved ones.

[2:41:10] In the past year we have

[2:41:11] reached thousands of residents

[2:41:13] and hundreds of thousand of

[2:41:17] county employees through the

[2:41:19] mayors stigma free workplace

[2:41:20] initiative giving that one in 4

[2:41:21] people live with a mental

[2:41:25] health that's nearly 700,000

[2:41:26] people in miami-dade county so

[2:41:27] if it isn't you, it is someone

[2:41:27] that you care for.

[2:41:31] the work is great and nami is

[2:41:34] the voice of those people.

[2:41:35] We are making a big difference.

[2:41:39] Our participants report

[2:41:40] increase awareness of mental

[2:41:41] health conditions and the

[2:41:42] resources available to address

[2:41:42] those conditions.

[2:41:43] >> thank you so much.

[2:41:46] Thank you.

[2:41:47] >> while.

[2:41:48] >> good evening my name is

[2:41:53] jamie set up, [Address].

[2:41:56] I am the founder and executive

[2:41:57] director of local youth miami

[2:41:59] an organization that raises

[2:42:02] empathic and creative leaders

[2:42:02] through vocal music.

[2:42:09] I am also here representing

[2:42:10] arch access mammy a collective

[2:42:11] organization that last year

[2:42:12] served more than 12,000 student

[2:42:12] across 57 locations providing

[2:42:17] 30,000 are of arts instruction.

[2:42:18] I see the young people behind

[2:42:20] those numbers.

[2:42:21] It's a child who wants to come

[2:42:23] to school because they have

[2:42:25] choir, a teenager who finds

[2:42:28] their people, a student who

[2:42:29] once could not imagine

[2:42:30] themselves on a major stage

[2:42:34] performing at carnegie hall.

[2:42:35] That's what investments in the

[2:42:36] arts makes possible and why am

[2:42:39] so grateful for your support of

[2:42:40] the arts and culture in this

[2:42:41] proposed budget and I ask you

[2:42:42] to please protect this

[2:42:43] investment as you finalize it.

[2:42:45] Thank you.

[2:42:47] >> my name is laura nicholson

[2:42:54] my address is 2212.

[2:42:54] [Address]

[2:42:57] >> residing district 6 with

[2:43:01] commissioner natalie orbison I

[2:43:06] am with miami water keepers.

[2:43:07] I know we were talking about

[2:43:07] the eel program but I'm going

[2:43:09] to run it back and talk about

[2:43:12] an ecosystem that they help

[2:43:13] protect which is mangroves.

[2:43:15] Mangroves are nature but also

[2:43:18] the best infrastructure against

[2:43:20] our homes flooding.

[2:43:20] Right?

[2:43:23] I mean, thank you mangroves but

[2:43:24] they also don't send an invoice

[2:43:26] to us a while our efforts go

[2:43:29] pretty invisible to us when we

[2:43:31] stop funding the organizations

[2:43:34] that manage to restore them

[2:43:37] that's when we risk losing that

[2:43:40] flood buffer for our homes.

[2:43:41] Every dollar we don't spend

[2:43:42] protecting the lands now is the

[2:43:47] dollar we will have to spend

[2:43:54] tenfold right, recovering from

[2:43:54] the flood damage later.

[2:43:56] I urge you commissioners to

[2:43:57] restore the eel program because

[2:43:57] this money will be spent either

[2:43:59] way whether it's prevention or

[2:43:59] damage recovery.

[2:44:01] Thank you.

[2:44:02] >> thank you so much with the

[2:44:03] following residence please line

[2:44:10] uphelen quinn cynthia brown,

[2:44:15] freddie of ia, claudia carr

[2:44:16] marco, andy arthur, emily

[2:44:20] cardenas, elaine lynn, michael

[2:44:27] rosenberg and rachel presse

[2:44:28] kpeenu.

[2:44:29] I apologize if I didn't

[2:44:32] pronounce your name correctly.

[2:44:32] Thank you.

[2:44:39] >> good evening.

[2:44:40] I am emily cardenas executive

[2:44:49] director of cqo infusion.

[2:44:50] [Address] Our offices are in

[2:44:52] district 11.

[2:44:53] But we represents concerts from

[2:44:58] aventura to palmetto bay and

[2:44:58] our piano slam arts education

[2:45:01] program that many of you

[2:45:02] continue to support service

[2:45:04] more than 1000 public school

[2:45:10] students annually from miami

[2:45:11] gardens to homestead.

[2:45:15] As parts of the arts action

[2:45:16] alliance I want to thank you,

[2:45:18] thank you, thank you for

[2:45:21] recognizing our value and what

[2:45:23] we collectively represent in

[2:45:25] this community.

[2:45:27] Economically and culturally as

[2:45:30] the heart and soul of the

[2:45:31] people.

[2:45:32] So please, pass this thoughtful

[2:45:37] and balanced budget that

[2:45:39] supports arts and culture.

[2:45:41] Together with our cherished

[2:45:42] department of cultural affairs

[2:45:48] and arts council please know we

[2:45:49] are looking for an alternative

[2:45:51] to a dependency of the general

[2:45:51] fund.

[2:45:52] It is however a slow and

[2:45:52] grinding process.

[2:45:55] We support us.

[2:45:56] >> thank you very much.

[2:45:59] >> hello good evening I am

[2:46:02] here as a county employee bus

[2:46:02] driver.

[2:46:04] I feel like you all need to

[2:46:05] hear what the bus driver seat

[2:46:11] every day.

[2:46:12] We've got the best in our

[2:46:12] transit system.

[2:46:14] The residence of miami-dade

[2:46:16] county and I ask you all to

[2:46:19] reconsider the reasonable fair.

[2:46:26] The fair bus we have and do not

[2:46:27] take those calls.

[2:46:28] We need to update the box.

[2:46:32] I think the gas tax adding

[2:46:33] $0.02 to the gas tax that will

[2:46:34] help us out a lot and mainly

[2:46:38] y'all need to go back to the

[2:46:39] revision of healthcare.

[2:46:40] I don't know how you do it but

[2:46:42] you need to revisit it and make

[2:46:43] it a full penny and I think you

[2:46:46] will double your income that we

[2:46:47] have coming into miami-dade

[2:46:47] county.

[2:46:49] Thank you.

[2:46:50] >> thank you.

[2:46:51] >> good evening I name is

[2:46:53] freddie by 8

[2:46:59] .

[2:47:00] [Address] I am representing

[2:47:01] silver court trailer park and

[2:47:04] its residents here for the last

[2:47:05] 6 months we've been facing an

[2:47:06] eviction forcing hundreds of

[2:47:07] residents out of the home and

[2:47:08] many teetering on the verge of

[2:47:09] homelessness.

[2:47:13] I speak for the elderly in my

[2:47:14] community who live on a fixed

[2:47:15] income and cannot afford the

[2:47:19] ever increased income raising

[2:47:19] housing prices.

[2:47:20] I am here for my mother who

[2:47:29] works multiple jobs who survive

[2:47:29] on my support for rent as rent

[2:47:30] prices continue to balloon many

[2:47:31] miami communities are being

[2:47:33] displaced to make room for

[2:47:33] luxury apartments and luxury

[2:47:34] condos here the reason silver

[2:47:35] court has a fighting chance is

[2:47:39] because the help of e arp and

[2:47:40] eviction services and attorneys

[2:47:41] that have been funded to

[2:47:42] represent us and keep us a

[2:47:42] flow.

[2:47:43] I'm asking you continue to

[2:47:46] fully fund these programs in

[2:47:46] order to protect hard work,

[2:47:49] working miami resident facing

[2:47:49] eviction.

[2:47:49] Thank you so much.

[2:47:53] Good night.

[2:47:54] >> thank you, next?

[2:47:55] >> hello my name is andy

[2:47:56] arthur.

[2:48:02] [Address] District 7. Thank you

[2:48:03] for continuing to fund the

[2:48:04] department of cultural affairs.

[2:48:06] I am speaking as a playwright

[2:48:07] in arts and minister and

[2:48:07] teacher at new world school of

[2:48:08] the arts.

[2:48:11] The art are a vital part of our

[2:48:12] economic ecosystem in the

[2:48:13] department and organizations of

[2:48:14] artists that it fun are a large

[2:48:19] part of what make miami's

[2:48:25] magnificent city.

[2:48:26] Fosters emotional resilience

[2:48:27] and protects people through all

[2:48:27] types of differences.

[2:48:28] I know those very many were the

[2:48:29] programs that deserve your

[2:48:31] support but please keep funding

[2:48:33] the department of cultural

[2:48:36] affairs and widen the community

[2:48:36] vibe.

[2:48:45] Thank you so much.

[2:48:56] >>

[2:48:56] .

[2:48:56] [Speaking spanish]

[2:48:59] >> good evening everybody.

[2:49:06] My name is javess the 70 and.

[2:49:06] [Address]

[2:49:07] >>

[2:49:07] .

[2:49:11] [Speaking spanish]

[2:49:13] >> I have lived in silver

[2:49:17] court for 7 years and on MARCH

[2:49:18] 11th 2026 we received an

[2:49:19] unexpected eviction notice that

[2:49:22] we had to vacate our homes.

[2:49:24] >>

[2:49:24] .

[2:49:30] [Speaking spanish]

[2:49:36] >> since then my neighbors and

[2:49:37] myself we have been fighting

[2:49:39] against this eviction notice.

[2:49:40] >>

[2:49:40] .

[2:49:47] [Speaking spanish]

[2:49:50] >> for the situation, the

[2:49:51] eviction wouldn't situation

[2:49:53] that we are living, I encourage

[2:50:02] our mayor trauba and the

[2:50:07] commissioner.

[2:50:08] >> to assign 1.5 million of

[2:50:12] public funds to increase the

[2:50:13] production of renters in

[2:50:14] miami-dade county.

[2:50:15] >>

[2:50:15] .

[2:50:22] [Speaking spanish]

[2:50:31] >> through the program e arp

[2:50:32] and the eviction diversion

[2:50:32] programs because thanks to

[2:50:35] these programs we are being

[2:50:35] benefited.

[2:50:35] >>

[2:50:35] .

[2:50:42] [Speaking spanish]

[2:50:43] >> I appreciate ahead of time

[2:50:46] your time and I trust that our

[2:50:49] voice has been heard.

[2:50:59] >> good evening I am rachel

[2:51:00] presse kpeenu I am here today

[2:51:01] with catalyst miami at 3250 sw.

[2:51:02] 3rd avenue I hold in my hand

[2:51:03] very crumpled copy of the

[2:51:10] analysis from our bus drivers

[2:51:10] union.

[2:51:11] Of the cuts and the effects

[2:51:11] from each of your districts and

[2:51:12] you haven't taken a look at

[2:51:13] this.

[2:51:14] Please take a look.

[2:51:14] Think it

[2:51:19] is notable that the most cuts

[2:51:20] in terms of weekday ridership

[2:51:21] are from districts 2 and 3.

[2:51:22] It is unfortunate to see when

[2:51:23] there is this much of a

[2:51:26] distortion it aspect from

[2:51:30] historically black districts.

[2:51:30] Please take a look at it

[2:51:31] because it affects your

[2:51:32] district and your workers that

[2:51:36] are writing every single day.

[2:51:37] I also want to shout out the

[2:51:40] office of the housing advocate.

[2:51:41] Of course for the eviction

[2:51:42] diversion program which you

[2:51:43] have heard about tonight but

[2:51:43] also the resident relocation as

[2:51:46] we privatize public housing all

[2:51:48] those resident have the right

[2:51:48] to return but the right really

[2:51:52] only works when the staff get

[2:51:53] to contact them and help

[2:51:54] relocate them.

[2:51:55] There are some severely

[2:51:55] underfunded.

[2:51:58] Please support the funding of

[2:51:59] the office of the housing

[2:51:59] advocate.

[2:52:02] Thank you so much.

[2:52:02] >> hi.

[2:52:08] michael rosenberg.

[2:52:08] [Address] When amendment 3

[2:52:10] passes the county loses nearly

[2:52:15] $400 million in property tax

[2:52:16] revenue but I have a solution,

[2:52:17] it is called GOD.

[2:52:18] Government on-demand.

[2:52:22] You pay for what the user needs

[2:52:23] to call the police $100 burglar

[2:52:24] inside this 250.

[2:52:28] Each one is $2000 per hour

[2:52:33] house is on fire that's $300

[2:52:33] county parks $15 admission you

[2:52:35] go down the slide at $3, 3

[2:52:42] slides for 5. Mosquito

[2:52:42] complaints 125 and each

[2:52:46] mosquito that you kill is $25

[2:52:46] each.

[2:52:47] If you want to complain to your

[2:52:49] commissioners $25 for the first

[2:52:52] minute for $5 a 2nd minute

[2:52:52] commissioners I have the

[2:52:56] complete GOD fee schedule and

[2:52:57] when this passes you call you

[2:52:59] paid to the service but don't

[2:52:59] worry your property taxes will

[2:53:02] be lower.

[2:53:03] When 3 passes it's okay because

[2:53:05] in GOD we trust.

[2:53:07] Coming soon to a county near

[2:53:07] you.

[2:53:09] >> Chair: thank you thank you

[2:53:10] MR. Rosenberg.

[2:53:13] I'm calling the next list of

[2:53:18] names maria claudia schubert z

[2:53:20] shyster, mercedes acosta,

[2:53:23] daniela said casey, joe 5th

[2:53:27] from madera, leah list tovar,

[2:53:30] john dixon, elvin, giovanni

[2:53:35] martinez, nicole hayes, carlos

[2:53:36] and stephanie brown.

[2:53:43] >> what happened to

[2:53:44] commissioner steinberg?

[2:53:44] She was doing so well.

[2:53:45] >> she was doing amazing she

[2:53:46] went to grab something to eat.

[2:53:47] >> she does not want to chair

[2:53:47] anymore?

[2:53:50] >> please say your name.

[2:53:51] You will have one minute and

[2:53:56] when the speaker finishes

[2:53:56] please proceed to begin

[2:53:57] speaking immediately

[2:53:57] thereafter.

[2:53:58] >> good evening my name is

[2:54:00] maria claudia I reside at.

[2:54:01] [Address].

[2:54:02] I'm here today with catalyst

[2:54:04] miami and I wanted to share a

[2:54:09] story I'd joint climate

[2:54:10] alliance and we rode on a bus

[2:54:17] at 5 A.M. We rode 107 tubercle

[2:54:18] throughout my ride I spoke with

[2:54:19] construction workers, nurses,

[2:54:19] domestic workers, small

[2:54:23] business owners and high school

[2:54:23] students.

[2:54:24] One woman I spoke with works as

[2:54:27] an at home health aide.

[2:54:28] She wakes up at 4 him every

[2:54:29] single morning to make

[2:54:31] breakfast for her family and

[2:54:31] then she walks or stop along

[2:54:34] 82nd and 8th street.

[2:54:35] She needs to arrive tubercle

[2:54:37] before the family she works for

[2:54:38] lease to their workplaces.

[2:54:40] During our conversation she

[2:54:42] said this cut will cost her job

[2:54:45] because she does not make a

[2:54:49] afford to take a rideshare

[2:54:49] everyday.

[2:54:50] And over at 5 A.M. Cost $35 and

[2:54:53] that 6 P.M. When she is getting

[2:54:54] out of work around $45-$60.

[2:55:00] For working-class miami and's

[2:55:01] spending $75 for transit is

[2:55:01] beyond attainable.

[2:55:03] We are asking the county to

[2:55:04] stop cuts for nighttime and

[2:55:05] early-morning transit.

[2:55:10] >> d spicer, [Address].

[2:55:14] For the folks behind me please

[2:55:15] raise your hand if the extreme

[2:55:21] heat affected your summer?

[2:55:22] Yeah, right, superhot.

[2:55:23] Now raise your hand if you

[2:55:23] think the county is doing

[2:55:24] enough to protect us from

[2:55:25] extreme heat.

[2:55:26] that's what I thought.

[2:55:27] It MAY feel impossible but I

[2:55:29] think you all can manage a

[2:55:30] budget that reflects the

[2:55:31] priorities of the public and

[2:55:32] not those with the biggest

[2:55:33] wallets and weapons.

[2:55:37] Budget the best of everyday it

[2:55:38] might not be $14 million but we

[2:55:40] know ends meet is difficult.

[2:55:42] All we ask is that you put

[2:55:43] people's first when deciding

[2:55:46] where our money goes or finally

[2:55:47] pivot to troop which is of the

[2:55:51] tory budget paid we need more

[2:55:52] bus lines and more bus

[2:55:54] frequency not less.

[2:55:55] The extreme heat marketing

[2:55:57] initiative should never have

[2:55:58] been defended last year and our

[2:56:01] library should never be in

[2:56:01] danger.

[2:56:05] Truly, truly, truly take some

[2:56:06] time and think about how this

[2:56:06] budget reflects you and how you

[2:56:07] want it to reflect the

[2:56:10] priorities of our community and

[2:56:11] public.

[2:56:12] At this moment it definitely

[2:56:12] does not.

[2:56:13] Thank you.

[2:56:18] >> good evening MADAM Mayor

[2:56:19] and commissioners my name is

[2:56:20] mercedes acosta and I am

[2:56:26] attending miami-dade county,

[2:56:33] [Address] This is district 7 in

[2:56:34] my commissioner, thank you for

[2:56:40] your continued work supporting

[2:56:44] the eviction project.

[2:56:45] It is an honor to be in front

[2:56:49] of the people who make these

[2:56:49] projects.

[2:56:50] It is so important because of

[2:56:51] the eviction diversion project

[2:56:52] my daughter and I are able to

[2:56:54] stay housed.

[2:56:55] In 2024 and officer from the

[2:56:57] program came to knock on my

[2:56:57] door.

[2:56:59] It felt right.

[2:57:01] it felt like an angel came.

[2:57:02] I was disoriented.

[2:57:04] I was facing a problem to have

[2:57:09] a roof over my head.

[2:57:11] We respectfully urge you to

[2:57:15] increase the funds for the

[2:57:15] eviction diversion project.

[2:57:16] As part of a community of

[2:57:19] miami-dade, thank you MADAM

[2:57:19] Mayor for the support.

[2:57:21] Thank you all.

[2:57:25] [Speaking spanish]

[2:57:26] >> good evening my name is

[2:57:31] john dixon and tonight rings

[2:57:38] back sorry, [Address] Tonight

[2:57:39] brings back memories as a

[2:57:40] retired department director of

[2:57:43] miami-dade county, thank GOD I

[2:57:45] don't have to do this again.

[2:57:47] But I appreciate the

[2:57:48] opportunity to speak.

[2:57:51] My current life I'm a jazz dj

[2:57:57] with w dna and I hope you are

[2:57:57] listening in.

[2:58:01] I'm also a board member.

[2:58:02] For jazz manny.

[2:58:02] You guys need to listen.

[2:58:03] If you don't, w dna is a

[2:58:06] community of radio station we

[2:58:11] play main street jazz and

[2:58:11] creole jazz on behalf of our

[2:58:14] board of directors and general

[2:58:15] manager I want to thank you

[2:58:16] guys for your past funding for

[2:58:21] w dna and the funding comes

[2:58:22] from the cultural affairs

[2:58:22] department.

[2:58:23] We encourage you to continue

[2:58:27] that funding to enrich the

[2:58:28] culture here in miami to enjoy

[2:58:28] music and keep listening.

[2:58:29] Thank you very much.

[2:58:31] >> I move to cut the funding

[2:58:33] [Laughter]

[2:58:34] >> go ahead you are

[2:58:35] recognized.

[2:58:36] >> my name is joseph madera

[2:58:46] and my address is.

[2:58:47] [Address] I reside in district

[2:58:54] 7 and my commissioner is raquel

[2:58:54] rogge lotto.

[2:58:57] Am a member and

[2:58:57] PRESIDENT Of the silver park

[2:58:58] hoa.

[2:59:00] I am here to speak about the

[2:59:03] eviction diversion program and

[2:59:04] to express my support for the

[2:59:06] eviction diversion program and

[2:59:09] its absolute necessity.

[2:59:12] We, the remaining residents of

[2:59:14] the park are in a legal battle

[2:59:19] with the owner,

[2:59:24] and as a result the eviction

[2:59:25] diversion program is a

[2:59:29] frontline necessity for us.

[2:59:30] This issue is important to me

[2:59:32] and my community because the

[2:59:36] future MAY depend on these

[2:59:38] programs such as the eviction

[2:59:39] diversion program.

[2:59:40] I respectfully urge you to

[2:59:42] support the eviction diversion

[2:59:43] program, thank you.

[3:00:04] >> beuna noches.

[3:00:09] [Speaking spanish]

[3:00:17] >> I reside at silver court

[3:00:19] trailer park, 3170 southwest.

[3:00:20] Eighth street.

[3:00:21] >>.

[3:00:25] [Speaking spanish]

[3:00:27] >>translator: we received an

[3:00:33] advection notice MARCH 11no

[3:00:38] mercy, no previous notice,

[3:00:38] nothing.

[3:00:42] We are facing this situation,

[3:00:47] we have no place to go.

[3:00:49] We are working low income

[3:00:49] people.

[3:00:56] We are hoping for some kind of

[3:00:57] assistance.

[3:01:02] And we are here advocating for

[3:01:03] you not to cut the eviction

[3:01:06] diversion program.

[3:01:12] We are hoping for your help.

[3:01:16] And congratulations to all you

[3:01:21] brave women and men like me,

[3:01:52] thank you very much.

[3:01:53] >>.

[3:01:56] [Speaking spanish]

[3:01:58] >>translator: good evening

[3:02:00] commissioners and mayor.

[3:02:19] My name is.

[3:02:20] Name] And I live at 175 ne.

[3:02:32] 55th street, zip code 33137.

[3:02:34] >> I forget what I'm speaking

[3:02:35] in.

[3:02:36] [Speaking spanish]

[3:02:37] >>translator: I am representing

[3:02:41] the miami worker center.

[3:02:48] I am here to express my

[3:02:51] concerns regarding the proposed

[3:02:53] budget cuts to our essential

[3:02:57] public services.

[3:02:59] As an activist, I've been out

[3:03:03] in the streets importing the

[3:03:05] majority of you and knocking on

[3:03:08] doors face-to-face.

[3:03:10] I am here to ask you for

[3:03:21] something simple.

[3:03:23] Don't speak values but

[3:03:29] demonstrate those values.

[3:03:36] >> thank you so much.

[3:03:36] >>.

[3:03:41] [Speaking spanish]

[3:03:43] >>translator: good evening all,

[3:03:44] commissioners and good evening

[3:03:50] MADAME Mayor.

[3:03:52] My name is on martinez, 76 00

[3:04:02] northwest. 27th avenue.

[3:04:02] 33917.

[3:04:04] And I am from district 2, for

[3:04:13] marlene bastien.

[3:04:17] As a member of miami workers

[3:04:18] center and my community we

[3:04:20] thank you for the eviction

[3:04:26] diversion program.

[3:04:29] But I want to remind you our

[3:04:33] community needs that program.

[3:04:35] So that many families do not

[3:04:39] end up on the street.

[3:04:42] That's why I'm asking you to

[3:04:51] allocate to this program.

[3:05:00] $3 million, so I request those

[3:05:02] of us who MAY lose our homes

[3:05:04] tomorrow will not end up on the

[3:05:06] street.

[3:05:08] So I am asking for help for a

[3:05:12] family relocation program.

[3:05:18] For trailer parks.

[3:05:23] I thank you in advance for your

[3:05:27] help commissioners and MADAME

[3:05:27] Mayor.

[3:05:29] Because this way we won't feel

[3:05:31] abandoned, thank you very much.

[3:05:36] >> thank you.

[3:05:40] >> good afternoon all.

[3:05:45] My name is nicole hayes, 20138

[3:05:47] northwest. 36th avenue miami

[3:05:53] gardens florida 33169.

[3:05:55] I am speaking on behalf of

[3:05:57] county employees.

[3:06:04] I've been a county employee 20+

[3:06:04] years.

[3:06:06] I was born and raised in miami

[3:06:06] dade county.

[3:06:08] I've spent the majority of my

[3:06:10] year as a county employee in

[3:06:11] one impacts us the most is

[3:06:13] balancing a budget on the back

[3:06:14] of county employees I don't

[3:06:15] think is the answer.

[3:06:17] I've seen budgets go out and

[3:06:18] I've seen them come crumbling

[3:06:20] down know I ask you that we

[3:06:26] please find a solution, a

[3:06:27] positive solution that we all

[3:06:29] can benefit from, thank you.

[3:06:33] >> thank you nicole.

[3:06:35] >> my name is stephanie brown,

[3:06:38] 853 northwest. 35th street.

[3:06:40] Good evening not a mayor, vice

[3:06:50] chair and commissioners, I'm

[3:06:51] once again my name is stephanie

[3:06:53] brown and I'm vice PRESIDENT Of

[3:06:55] local 3292 speaking on behalf

[3:06:57] of the dedicated employees of

[3:06:59] miami-dade county solid waste

[3:07:00] management.

[3:07:01] Eliminating this position they

[3:07:03] look like a cost-saving measure

[3:07:05] on paper but the reality is it

[3:07:06] could create a major

[3:07:08] interruption to the services

[3:07:10] miami-dade residents depend on.

[3:07:11] Our employees are the backbone

[3:07:14] of this operation, they collect

[3:07:15] garbage operate heavy equipment

[3:07:18] and keep our communities clean

[3:07:18] and safe.

[3:07:20] When you eliminate the

[3:07:26] workforce responsible for

[3:07:27] providing these essential

[3:07:29] services you don't eliminate

[3:07:30] the need for the work.

[3:07:32] You simply shift the burden

[3:07:34] somewhere else potentially at a

[3:07:35] higher cost to the county and

[3:07:36] its residents.

[3:07:38] Our members and employees MAY

[3:07:40] not wear bulletproof vests but

[3:07:42] they perform an equally

[3:07:43] essential service to our

[3:07:44] community.

[3:07:46] >>vice chair mcghee: thank you

[3:07:47] so much, heard you loud and

[3:07:48] clear.

[3:08:31] William buie, [Reading names]

[3:08:33] Please line up in the process

[3:08:35] the podium, name and address.

[3:08:56] >> my name is william boyd.

[3:08:58] On coming up on local 3292

[3:08:59] PRESIDENT For solid waste.

[3:09:01] I come here to say sometimes

[3:09:03] people say sometimes you've got

[3:09:05] to let stuff fall for people to

[3:09:06] open their eyes and realize

[3:09:08] what solid waste stands for.

[3:09:09] I hear you every day talking

[3:09:11] about essential workers and not

[3:09:13] one time, not one time will I

[3:09:14] hear you say solid waste are

[3:09:15] essential workers.

[3:09:17] What needs to happen?

[3:09:18] The garbage go on the ground

[3:09:19] for a week or two.

[3:09:21] Let the garbage stay on the

[3:09:23] ground a week or two, it's a

[3:09:24] shame our director has to come

[3:09:26] up before you explain the

[3:09:28] importance of what the

[3:09:29] environment is really about.

[3:09:31] It's a shame we have to go

[3:09:33] through when she's coming up

[3:09:34] here asking for a flat rate

[3:09:36] when she should be asking for

[3:09:37] the same thing fire asks for,

[3:09:40] the same thing the police asked

[3:09:40] for.

[3:09:42] Because you all do not take

[3:09:43] solid waste serious until you

[3:09:45] see the garbage sitting in

[3:09:46] front of your house when you

[3:09:48] come home from work and it

[3:09:49] shouldn't be that way.

[3:09:51] Solid waste should be treated

[3:09:52] fair everybody else.

[3:09:54] >>vice chair mcghee: thank you

[3:09:55] so much.

[3:09:57] >> david diaz, 425 northwest.

[3:09:59] 128 street north miami.

[3:10:01] Iami-dade county solid waste

[3:10:02] employee employed now for 29

[3:10:05] years miami-dade county solid

[3:10:05] waste.

[3:10:07] I want to piggyback on

[3:10:08] something my vice PRESIDENT And

[3:10:23] the CHAIRMAN Said when he

[3:10:24] mentioned when you cut the lawn

[3:10:26] to make sure there is no

[3:10:27] illegal dumping someone has to

[3:10:29] pick up that illegal dumping.

[3:10:31] That's the men and women of

[3:10:33] miami-dade county solid waste

[3:10:34] but how can they do that if

[3:10:36] people are getting laid off?

[3:10:37] That's the threat hovering over

[3:10:38] our department.

[3:10:40] When our men and women at all

[3:10:42] times before during and after

[3:10:44] any type of hurricane, storm or

[3:10:46] any type of storm are there to

[3:10:48] service the community and it's

[3:10:53] not right.

[3:10:55] Once again I have to explain to

[3:10:57] all the commissioners

[3:10:58] miami-dade county solid waste

[3:11:00] is the only one that deals not

[3:11:02] just with collecting but

[3:11:03] disposing of our garbage and

[3:11:05] waste, thank you very much.

[3:11:07] >>vice chair mcghee: thank you.

[3:11:09] >> cc brown, PRESIDENT Of sp

[3:11:11] local 109 and I'm here to talk

[3:11:12] about the impact this budget

[3:11:14] has on the illegal services or

[3:11:17] illegal dumping folks in my

[3:11:17] unit.

[3:11:19] This budget is slated to

[3:11:21] eliminate nine illegal dumping

[3:11:22] positions, we are talking about

[3:11:24] nine families impacted in these

[3:11:42] hard economic times.

[3:11:44] The answer to finding solutions

[3:11:46] to financial problems should

[3:11:48] not be the answer of cutting

[3:11:49] employees or cutting services

[3:11:51] at our employees, the

[3:11:53] constituents depend on so much.

[3:11:54] Illegal dumping for each and

[3:11:56] every one of you is something

[3:11:57] you need, that you request,

[3:11:59] that you look to have done

[3:12:00] regularly in your districts and

[3:12:02] the folks that need it the most

[3:12:04] need these services and the

[3:12:05] people that provide them are

[3:12:07] essential and we shouldn't be

[3:12:08] taking away these functions or

[3:12:10] the people that perform the

[3:12:12] task are constituencies depend

[3:12:13] on, thank you.

[3:12:15] >>vice chair mcghee: thank you.

[3:12:17] >> good evening not a mayor and

[3:12:18] commissioners, thank you for

[3:12:20] the opportunity to speak as a

[3:12:22] partner in the budgetary

[3:12:23] process, I live at 10740

[3:12:25] southwest 1/24 street in

[3:12:26] kendall pines area represented

[3:12:27] in district 7.

[3:12:29] I'm on the board of directors

[3:12:31] for the south florida society

[3:12:33] for the prevention of cruelty

[3:12:35] to animals known as the south

[3:12:36] florida s cpa.

[3:12:37] The south florida scb a is

[3:12:38] miami's partner in caring for

[3:12:43] the counties abandoned horses

[3:12:45] and livestock and I'm here to

[3:12:46] express my gratitude to

[3:12:48] miami-dade county for its

[3:12:49] support of the south florida

[3:12:51] spca and the vital work it

[3:12:51] does.

[3:12:53] That partnership matters

[3:12:54] deeply, I'm here to

[3:12:55] respectfully request the

[3:12:57] correct level of support we

[3:12:58] maintain within the budget

[3:13:00] currently under discussion, the

[3:13:02] south florida spca depends on

[3:13:03] this partnership to continue

[3:13:05] providing critical care for

[3:13:06] miami-dade's large animals to

[3:13:08] benefit the south florida s cpa

[3:13:09] has been doing extraordinary

[3:13:11] work in care of animals that

[3:13:13] have nowhere to go lighting

[3:13:14] rescue response.

[3:13:14] Thank you.

[3:13:16] >> my name is anna and I reside

[3:13:27] at 9660 w. Bay harbor drive,

[3:13:29] bay harbor island 32194, thank

[3:13:31] you MADAM Mayor and county

[3:13:33] commissioners for recognizing

[3:13:35] the importance of the cultural

[3:13:35] sector.

[3:13:37] In my role as ceo of the miami

[3:13:38] music project and miami

[3:13:48] coalition I represent a

[3:13:49] collective of arts

[3:13:51] organizations, schools founders

[3:13:52] and community partners working

[3:13:54] to expand critical access to

[3:13:56] arts education across miami

[3:13:58] dade county and instead of

[3:13:59] reading the rest of my

[3:14:01] statement I want to read a text

[3:14:02] message I received and the

[3:14:03] timing is remarkable.

[3:14:05] Hi anna, it's sylvia, miami

[3:14:07] music project class of 2026

[3:14:08] alumni, how are you?

[3:14:10] I wanted to write a message to

[3:14:11] see how you are doing and thank

[3:14:13] you for the gift cards and

[3:14:15] everything you've done for me.

[3:14:16] Was able to use the gift

[3:14:18] cards to get the items I needed

[3:14:19] for my dorm at fsu.

[3:14:21] I need the program so much,

[3:14:22] thank you for everything you

[3:14:23] do.

[3:14:25] I am rooting am supporting the

[3:14:26] program from afar.

[3:14:44] >>vice chair mcghee: thank you.

[3:14:47] >> good evening not a mayor,

[3:14:48] commissioners, I'm teresa

[3:14:50] rhodes, 13350 southwest. 57th

[3:14:52] avenue district 7, a long-term

[3:14:54] volunteer with the south

[3:14:55] florida society for the

[3:14:56] prevention of cruelty to

[3:14:58] animals or spca who is

[3:15:00] miami-dade's partner to take

[3:15:02] care of miami-dade's abandoned

[3:15:04] and abused horses and livestock

[3:15:06] and I'm here to request

[3:15:07] miami-dade does not reduce the

[3:15:09] spca budget allocation.

[3:15:10] Miami-dade funding is a

[3:15:12] critical component to the spca

[3:15:14] financial operations regardless

[3:15:16] of mental intake levels the

[3:15:18] spca must cover its fixed cost

[3:15:20] for ranch operations, rain or

[3:15:22] shine eight or nine holiday or

[3:15:23] not sba staff will be there to

[3:15:25] answer the call.

[3:15:26] Miami-dade needs this service

[3:15:28] 365 days a year 25 days and

[3:15:30] seven days a week and spca

[3:15:31] delivers year after year and

[3:15:33] from my experience they been

[3:15:35] fiscally responsible with its

[3:15:35] funding.

[3:15:37] They use volunteers as much as

[3:15:39] possible to offset costs and we

[3:15:40] appreciate all the support and

[3:15:42] look forward to the

[3:15:43] partnership, thank you.

[3:15:45] >> good evening not a mayor and

[3:15:46] commissioners, hannah

[3:15:48] baumgartner, coag director of

[3:15:49] dance miami 900 bay drive miami

[3:15:52] beach florida.

[3:15:56] [Humming] We all know what that

[3:16:13] song is and I think we all know

[3:16:15] the value of arts and culture

[3:16:16] from the most destitute child

[3:16:18] to the wealthiest billionaire

[3:16:20] who lives in miami-dade county

[3:16:21] so I want to thank the mayor

[3:16:23] for her tremendous budget,

[3:16:25] maintaining arts and culture,

[3:16:26] thank the commissioners.

[3:16:28] We understand you have our

[3:16:30] backs and you support the arts

[3:16:31] and culture and every aspect of

[3:16:33] our lives in enriches.

[3:16:34] i want to leave you with a

[3:16:35] little time, see you next

[3:16:36] meeting?

[3:16:37] >> don't want to take up her

[3:16:39] time, my name is kevin

[3:16:41] representing captains clean

[3:16:43] water out of fort myers, thank

[3:16:44] you commissioners.

[3:16:46] >>vice chair mcghee: did you

[3:16:48] put your address on the record?

[3:16:50] >> 990 north olmsted boulevard

[3:16:51] homestead florida 33030.

[3:16:53] I'm working on some water

[3:16:55] quality projects reducing the

[3:17:02] microbial levels and increasing

[3:17:03] microbial levels of soil with

[3:17:05] the microbes and all the golf

[3:17:07] courses and plantations.

[3:17:08] It's a big project but the

[3:17:09] commissioners have to make sure

[3:17:12] we quit using insecticides and

[3:17:13] pesticides for our food and

[3:17:14] water, fruits and vegetables

[3:17:28] and everybody here we all come

[3:17:29] from GOD and we are made in his

[3:17:30] image.

[3:17:31] I'm here to restore paradise

[3:17:33] and make sure everybody knows

[3:17:35] there is a way and the solution

[3:17:37] to these insecticides and

[3:17:38] pesticides killing our fruits

[3:17:40] and vegetables that are hurting

[3:17:42] our children but we all have to

[3:17:44] make sure we are doing our part

[3:17:46] and the commissioners are

[3:17:47] making sure the money is going

[3:17:49] to the right spot, love never

[3:17:49] fails.

[3:17:51] >vice chair mcghee: never

[3:17:59] does, thank you.

[3:18:01] >> good evening not a mayor and

[3:18:03] county commissioners, my name

[3:18:05] is beth boone and I'm the

[3:18:06] artistic director of miami

[3:18:08] light project 9806 ne. Seventh

[3:18:10] avenue miami shores 33138

[3:18:11] district 3 is my address.

[3:18:13] As evidenced by my designer bag

[3:18:17] I am an arts voter.

[3:18:18] We are legion.

[3:18:19] make note.

[3:18:20] 'm here

[3:18:21] representing one of the 32,000

[3:18:23] people employed in the art and

[3:18:25] culture sector in miami-dade

[3:18:27] county delivering world-class

[3:18:29] programs every single day.

[3:18:31] Collectively we impact the

[3:18:32] lives of hundreds of thousands

[3:18:34] of county residents generating

[3:18:36] a $2.1 billion economic impact

[3:18:37] in our county.

[3:18:39] Miami has staked its reputation

[3:18:41] on being a world-class cultural

[3:18:43] capital to attract new

[3:18:45] residents and businesses to

[3:18:45] relocate.

[3:18:47] They do so because there is a

[3:18:49] vibrant and diverse cultural

[3:18:51] community and offerings in

[3:18:52] miami-dade.

[3:18:53] We are an essential service and

[3:18:55] vital public benefit, we merit

[3:18:57] a robust budgetary investment

[3:18:59] in thank you for maintaining

[3:19:00] the department of cultural

[3:19:02] affairs, thank you a lot.

[3:19:04] >>vice chair mcghee: thank you.

[3:19:06] >> brenda betancourt, 4236

[3:19:07] southwest. 6th street.

[3:19:09] Today is a special day, all of

[3:19:12] you are here together listening

[3:19:13] to our concerns.

[3:19:19] And hopefully actually you are

[3:19:20] listening to us.

[3:19:25] Because sometimes you are

[3:19:27] wondering a lot around this

[3:19:28] dais and it feels like you guys

[3:19:30] aren't actually listening but

[3:19:32] remember elections always have

[3:19:34] consequences as I say.

[3:19:36] I want to make sure you guys

[3:19:41] understand we have the biggest

[3:19:46] port around the state of

[3:19:46] florida.

[3:19:48] How embarrassed is it to go to

[3:19:52] any crews and people who

[3:19:54] supposedly are directing the

[3:20:02] port are actually don't

[3:20:04] understand what it means like a

[3:20:06] resident like myself goes to a

[3:20:08] cruise and the nightmare to go

[3:20:09] in and out.

[3:20:11] I hope you have the answer,

[3:20:12] same way with the flamingos if

[3:20:14] the elevators are not working

[3:20:16] in the airport, thank you.

[3:20:18] >>vice chair mcghee: thank you.

[3:20:20] >> how are you doing, my name

[3:20:32] is eddie oh, 8255 northwest.

[3:20:34] 22nd avenue miami florida

[3:20:36] 33147, here on behalf of

[3:20:37] families carwash located in

[3:20:39] district 2. Me and my father

[3:20:40] have been going to deal with

[3:20:42] district 2 to get some help and

[3:20:44] also an official date when the

[3:21:03] rural construction will be

[3:21:04] finished so they can open up

[3:21:06] the main room which is the main

[3:21:08] entrance to my place of

[3:21:08] business.

[3:21:10] This rural construction project

[3:21:12] has been an ongoing problem.

[3:21:13] District to has been fixing

[3:21:15] this road on and off for the

[3:21:17] past three years without

[3:21:18] notifying us each time.

[3:21:20] When the road was open my

[3:21:21] business was doing well, the

[3:21:23] only thing I want district 2 to

[3:21:25] do is keep their promises and

[3:21:27] help us with the losses we've

[3:21:28] been dealing with on and off

[3:21:31] these past few years without

[3:21:31] notification.

[3:21:33] I don't want to put on a

[3:21:35] racecar because I'm more humble

[3:21:37] but we know what's going on

[3:21:38] with any type of neighborhoods,

[3:21:39] have a good day.

[3:21:41] >> my address is 8319

[3:21:43] northwest. 22nd avenue, I own a

[3:21:44] convenience store.

[3:21:46] Again, going to district 2, no

[3:21:46] help.

[3:21:48] I don't know who else to go to

[3:21:50] if I can't go to my own

[3:21:51] district but excuse me?

[3:21:53] I don't know who to go to.

[3:21:55] the traffic, my main source of

[3:21:56] income comes from the main

[3:22:01] street, 22nd avenue.

[3:22:03] It's been shut down for months

[3:22:03] and months.

[3:22:05] I tried to contact them, no

[3:22:07] answer, I go to the office two

[3:22:08] days ago and I can't get a

[3:22:10] phone call back, I don't know

[3:22:10] who to go to.

[3:22:12] >>vice chair mcghee: we have

[3:22:14] somebody in the back waiting to

[3:22:15] assist you.

[3:22:17] Just take a step back to your

[3:22:18] right and somebody will meet

[3:22:25] you back there, thank you so

[3:22:25] much.

[3:23:07] [Reading names] Please come to

[3:23:09] the well to the podium if you

[3:23:14] heard your name called.

[3:23:16] And if it's not the same can't

[3:23:18] name your parents gave you and

[3:23:19] I butchered it, I apologize.

[3:23:21] Let's go, I'm ready, good

[3:23:21] evening.

[3:23:31] Great, let's go.

[3:23:33] >> good afternoon sharon mehta

[3:23:35] mayor, I reside at west 7940

[3:23:36] northwest. Clerk miami gardens

[3:23:38] read 3055, I was born and

[3:23:39] raised here in miami-dade

[3:23:41] county and I love this place.

[3:23:43] One of the reasons why we are

[3:23:45] here, I'm sorry.

[3:23:47] I am employed by miami dade

[3:24:00] county as well for the last 23

[3:24:01] years.

[3:24:03] Can't forget that as a records

[3:24:04] specialist 2 and one of the

[3:24:06] reasons we are here is to let

[3:24:07] you guys know that what we do

[3:24:09] in the streets does matter.

[3:24:11] We are out in the streets

[3:24:11] getting it done.

[3:24:13] And basically, what we do

[3:24:15] matters and when we hear things

[3:24:17] like cutting our jobs as a

[3:24:18] quick fix for the budget you

[3:24:22] are creating a problem, I want

[3:24:24] to be explicit down the road.

[3:24:26] the services we provide are

[3:24:27] here to help people get by and

[3:24:39] help families.

[3:24:41] Survive in this world today and

[3:24:43] it's a very hard time for us.

[3:24:45] We are trying to ask for it so

[3:24:47] these services being caught the

[3:24:48] way they are we are creating a

[3:24:50] problem we MAY not be able to

[3:24:52] bounce back from korea.

[3:24:54] >>vice chair mcghee: you've got

[3:24:55] to open up the door to ask for

[3:24:57] one more thing and that's a

[3:25:00] bunch of things.

[3:25:02] >> my address is 260 ne. 169th

[3:25:03] street north miami beach 33162.

[3:25:05] Like the gentleman before me I

[3:25:07] was born and raised in

[3:25:08] miami-dade and I'm proud to

[3:25:09] call it home.

[3:25:11] Arts and culture is important

[3:25:20] to me, it's a personal passion

[3:25:22] as well as a professional one,

[3:25:23] I've been a staff member of the

[3:25:25] new world symphony for 18

[3:25:25] years.

[3:25:27] My colleagues join me in

[3:25:29] thanking mehta mayor for

[3:25:31] preserving arts funding at its

[3:25:33] previous level and we urge the

[3:25:36] commission through this funding

[3:25:38] read fact of the county support

[3:25:41] on the local arts ecosystem and

[3:25:43] impact of that ecosystem on our

[3:25:45] residents and visitors couldn't

[3:25:45] be overstated.

[3:25:47] To quote MADAME Mayor arts have

[3:25:49] an important economic and

[3:25:50] social impact on the lives of

[3:25:52] our residents reading more

[3:25:54] connected communities

[3:25:55] solidifying our status as a

[3:25:57] global center of culture, well

[3:25:57] said.

[3:25:59] I understand the counties

[3:26:01] department of cultural affairs

[3:26:02] will be working on the street

[3:26:04] you plan to assess the next

[3:26:05] five years and consider steps

[3:26:07] for securing long-term arts

[3:26:07] funding.

[3:26:09] I hope the department has the

[3:26:11] support of this community

[3:26:12] creating this plan and I look

[3:26:14] forward to hearing about it.

[3:26:16] >>vice chair mcghee: thank you.

[3:26:18] >> good evening commissioners,

[3:26:23] mayor, staff.

[3:26:23] Boy you have a tough job, thank

[3:26:23] you for your service.

[3:26:23] My name is augustine, a

[3:26:24] principal with a local

[3:26:26] headquarter engineering firm

[3:26:28] located at 1000 northwest. 57th

[3:26:29] court suite 100.

[3:26:30] I'm here to express our strong

[3:26:32] support for the proposed water

[3:26:34] wastewater rate adjustment

[3:26:37] coming up on the budget.

[3:26:39] Having had the privilege of

[3:26:40] working with w asd for 30 years

[3:26:43] we can say the proposed rate

[3:26:45] increase only addresses their

[3:26:48] immediate needs.

[3:26:50] And they will continue to play

[3:26:52] catch up on their aging

[3:26:53] infrastructure for years.

[3:26:58] No one welcomes a rate ncrease

[3:26:59] of water and wastewater

[3:27:01] infrastructure is not simply a

[3:27:03] consequence of growth, it's a

[3:27:05] prerequisite for growth and a

[3:27:11] critical service that most

[3:27:12] function in perpetuity.

[3:27:14] These investments are not

[3:27:15] optional, this is an investment

[3:27:17] in miami-dade counties future.

[3:27:19] I respectfully urge the board

[3:27:21] to approve the proposed

[3:27:23] adjustment for wasd rates.

[3:27:24] Thank you for your attention

[3:27:31] and consideration,.

[3:27:33] >> good evening, chanelle pugh,

[3:27:35] executive director of reading

[3:27:39] and math incorporated located

[3:27:41] at 7900 broke lane suite 400

[3:27:44] miami lakes florida 33036.

[3:27:46] On behalf of reading and math

[3:27:48] incorporated a community-based

[3:27:49] organization you for including

[3:27:51] our florida high-impact

[3:27:56] tutoring program in the fy 27

[3:27:58] budget and for your continued

[3:27:59] support of cbo's.

[3:28:15] I need remains urgent.

[3:28:17] In some classrooms we serve

[3:28:18] fewer than one in 10 children

[3:28:21] begin the year demonstrating

[3:28:23] kindergarten readiness skills.

[3:28:25] The counties investment allows

[3:28:27] our full-time tutors to provide

[3:28:28] evidence-based early

[3:28:30] intervention to 1600 of

[3:28:32] miami-dade's most vulnerable

[3:28:33] people vpk students helping

[3:28:35] them enter ready to learn and

[3:28:37] progress towards critical third

[3:28:38] grade reading milestones.

[3:28:40] Mehta mayor and commissioners

[3:28:43] to help community organizations

[3:28:44] sustain essential services and

[3:28:46] rising costs we ask you to

[3:28:48] provide a 3% funding increase

[3:28:50] for all cbo projects, thank you

[3:28:51] for investing in our

[3:28:53] organizations, children and

[3:28:55] miami-dade's future prosperity.

[3:28:57] >>vice chair mcghee: thank you.

[3:28:59] >> good evening commissioners,

[3:29:00] mayor, staff.

[3:29:01] My name is frank and I reside

[3:29:04] at 1501 pedro vista avenue, I'm

[3:29:05] PRESIDENT Of 300 engineering

[3:29:08] here today to respectfully urge

[3:29:09] you to approve the proposed 6%

[3:29:11] water and wastewater rate

[3:29:12] adjustment.

[3:29:14] Miami-dade needs reliable

[3:29:16] infrastructure to support new

[3:29:17] housing economic development,

[3:29:19] public health and our quality

[3:29:20] of life.

[3:29:22] As engineers we know the simple

[3:29:24] truth, that progress postponing

[3:29:29] becomes bigger, larger and more

[3:29:31] expensive in the future.

[3:29:38] Infrastructure is not just

[3:29:40] about a consequence of growth

[3:29:41] but it's a prerequisite of

[3:29:42] growth.

[3:29:44] infrastructure is the

[3:29:45] foundation of which

[3:29:46] miami-dade's future growth

[3:29:47] depends.

[3:29:48] This is not about spending

[3:29:50] more, it's about investing

[3:29:52] reasonably today so our

[3:29:53] residents don't pay

[3:29:56] considerably more tomorrow.

[3:29:58] The choice is not whether we

[3:30:00] pay for this infrastructure,

[3:30:02] the choice is whether we pay a

[3:30:04] little today or much more

[3:30:04] tomorrow.

[3:30:06] I respectfully urge you to

[3:30:07] approve the 6%.

[3:30:09] >>vice chair mcghee: thank you

[3:30:19] so much.

[3:30:21] >> my name is marcel, 1671

[3:30:23] southwest. 73rd street is my

[3:30:25] address, and everglades

[3:30:26] organizer with sierra club

[3:30:28] florida to speak against

[3:30:29] multiple proposed cuts in this

[3:30:31] year's budget including the $30

[3:30:33] million in cuts to the

[3:30:35] environmental endangered lands

[3:30:37] program which through the

[3:30:38] production of endangered

[3:30:40] habitats combats the severe

[3:30:41] heat and whether that impacts

[3:30:43] our community members,

[3:30:44] additionally the 21.1 million

[3:30:46] in cuts to our public library

[3:30:48] system which serves as free

[3:30:50] cooling centers during our

[3:30:52] intensifying and frequent heat

[3:30:53] advisories, we are seeing

[3:30:55] continued whittling away of our

[3:30:57] public transit system with 47

[3:30:58] routes oozing all service

[3:31:00] before 6:00 A.M. And seven

[3:31:01] oozing service after 10:00

[3:31:02] P.M..

[3:31:03] If we neglect our

[3:31:04] responsibility to our community

[3:31:06] and our environment what will

[3:31:07] we have left?

[3:31:09] We urge the county to allocate

[3:31:11] a minimum of 20 million to the

[3:31:12] e.E.L. Program, guarantee

[3:31:14] library staff will not be cut

[3:31:16] for community sake and restore

[3:31:17] the funding for nighttime

[3:31:19] transit service members of our

[3:31:21] working class depend on.

[3:31:23] >>vice chair mcghee: thank you

[3:31:23] marcel.

[3:31:25] >> my name is rick cruz, 9959

[3:31:27] water district drive and I'm

[3:31:29] PRESIDENT Of miami amd society

[3:31:31] which represents 80 firms or

[3:31:33] more and as you've heard and as

[3:31:35] we know if you delay any

[3:31:37] services such as for the

[3:31:40] infrastructure you will end up

[3:31:42] paying more later.

[3:31:46] I'm here to support the retail

[3:31:49] rate adjustment for miami-dade

[3:31:54] water and sewer department.

[3:31:56] >> good evening, how are you

[3:32:00] feeling tonight?

[3:32:01] Good.

[3:32:02] 6214 northwest. Broadway

[3:32:04] avenue, my name is broadway

[3:32:06] harewood and I'd like to thank

[3:32:09] my county commissioner kionne

[3:32:18] hardemon for the work he's been

[3:32:19] doing and I thank you for what

[3:32:21] you all are doing.

[3:32:22] Please continue to do the good

[3:32:24] work and MADAME Mayor we are

[3:32:25] going to have a good birthday

[3:32:27] this year.

[3:32:28] >>commissioner hardemon: give

[3:32:30] him another minute, I was

[3:32:35] thinking about another five.

[3:32:37] >> good evening mehta mayor and

[3:32:37] commissioners.

[3:32:40] My address is 1281 rupert

[3:32:49] avenue miami springs florida

[3:32:51] 33166 here today as a miami

[3:32:52] dade county resident and

[3:32:54] taxpayer but also as a

[3:32:55] professional working for hvc

[3:33:00] engineering who has worked in

[3:33:02] the water and wastewater field

[3:33:04] including working with wasd for

[3:33:04] about 20 years.

[3:33:05] Support the

[3:33:07] proposed 6% rate increase.

[3:33:09] I understand nobody wants to

[3:33:10] pay higher taxes but I know

[3:33:12] from experience postponing

[3:33:14] necessary investments in our

[3:33:16] water wastewater infrastructure

[3:33:25] does not save money.

[3:33:27] It only pushes the problem into

[3:33:28] the future.

[3:33:30] When repairs and improvements

[3:33:32] would cost significantly more.

[3:33:34] I have grandchildren growing up

[3:33:36] here in miami-dade county I do

[3:33:37] not want them to endure higher

[3:33:39] costs just because we were

[3:33:40] unwilling to make the necessary

[3:33:41] decisions today.

[3:33:43] They need is here now, the

[3:33:45] responsible thing to do is

[3:33:46] address it now.

[3:33:48] I respectfully ask you to

[3:33:52] support the 6% increase.

[3:33:53] >>vice chair mcghee: thank you

[3:33:55] broadway reminding us the

[3:33:56] mayor's birthday is on

[3:33:58] SEPTEMBER 14, her birthday is

[3:33:59] SEPTEMBER 14.

[3:34:01] We will be celebrating inside

[3:34:02] her backyard her birthday

[3:34:02] party.

[3:34:04] MADAME Mayor please put your

[3:34:05] address on the record, you have

[3:34:07] 2 minutes.

[3:34:09] You're going to bring the beer.

[3:34:17] Let's go.

[3:34:20] >> good evening mehta mayor,

[3:34:21] commissioners, I'm rick

[3:34:23] tavares, 8333 northwest. 53rd

[3:34:25] street, thank you for this

[3:34:27] opportunity to speak.

[3:34:29] Also thank you MADAME Mayor for

[3:34:30] the town halls you conducted

[3:34:32] prior to this first reading of

[3:34:33] the budget.

[3:34:35] It occurred to me we all can

[3:34:37] take a deep breath right now.

[3:34:45] We enjoy the sunshine of

[3:34:47] miami-dade county.

[3:34:48] Doesn't cost us anything but I

[3:34:49] realized ever since I came here

[3:34:51] in the early 90s from new york

[3:34:53] city which charges a lot more

[3:34:55] for water by the way, I never

[3:34:57] once questioned the quality of

[3:34:59] the water I used since the

[3:35:00] early 90s here and I want to

[3:35:02] thank the prior water sewer

[3:35:08] department leadership.

[3:35:10] I would imagine it took years

[3:35:12] of investment and planning to

[3:35:14] make sure the water I drink, my

[3:35:16] family drinks, like pets drink

[3:35:17] was healthy and secure so thank

[3:35:18] you.

[3:35:19] If you can move on the item.

[3:35:21] >>vice chair mcghee: appreciate

[3:35:24] you, thank you so much.

[3:35:32] >> I and eric h braswell, 1197

[3:35:33] southwest. 92nd lane since

[3:35:34] 203-3186 miami.

[3:35:36] Everyone's starting working on

[3:35:39] a budget in the private and

[3:35:41] public sector in dade county

[3:35:43] and the rest of the country.

[3:35:46] While we have a string of

[3:35:47] tariffs causing a severe

[3:35:49] economic and financial impact

[3:35:56] on dade county, the country and

[3:35:56] citizens.

[3:35:59] We the people should back your

[3:36:00] politicians, go to congress,

[3:36:01] tell them to pick up their

[3:36:02] balls and not the tariffs and

[3:36:04] reduce said tariffs to a saner

[3:36:06] equitable and affordable rate.

[3:36:08] Over the objection of an

[3:36:11] ignorant PRESIDENT, that's it.

[3:36:13] >>vice chair mcghee: thank you

[3:36:27] so much.

[3:36:28] >> you ready for me?

[3:36:30] >> I believe we are.

[3:36:31] >> my name is asher schaefer,

[3:36:32] thank you for that.

[3:36:43] 650 ne. Second avenue miami

[3:36:45] florida 33132, so tonight I

[3:36:46] come to you as a transit

[3:36:48] writer, photographer and

[3:36:50] hospitality worker and I worked

[3:36:51] professionally with other

[3:36:53] transit agencies including the

[3:36:55] metro in seattle on campaigns

[3:36:57] promoting transit ridership

[3:36:58] today I'm speaking from a

[3:37:00] personal experience as a

[3:37:02] warning to the proposed service

[3:37:03] cuts to morning and late night

[3:37:04] buses in miami.

[3:37:06] I recently had to leave my job

[3:37:08] the hotel because the transit

[3:37:09] schedule I depended on no

[3:37:11] longer made by community

[3:37:12] sustainable and the most

[3:37:14] frustrating part was I don't

[3:37:16] need a huge increase in

[3:37:18] service, I just need one extra

[3:37:19] morning trip, one extra

[3:37:21] late-night trip but that could

[3:37:23] not be provided so I could not

[3:37:24] continue working in that

[3:37:24] establishment.

[3:37:26] Hat's why am

[3:37:28] asking you to restore 12.4

[3:37:29] million and think carefully

[3:37:31] about the proposed service cuts

[3:37:32] to early and late metro

[3:37:32] service.

[3:37:34] Hose first and last

[3:37:36] trips MAY have lower ridership,

[3:37:37] thank you.

[3:37:39] >>vice chair mcghee: thank you

[3:37:39] so much.

[3:37:41] We are going to change up the

[3:37:42] program a tad bit.

[3:37:44] We have about 12 to 14 of you

[3:37:54] left we signed up to speak, I'm

[3:37:56] going to ask you you start

[3:37:57] making your way to my left and

[3:37:59] also your right and come to the

[3:38:01] well to begin speaking, we

[3:38:03] should be done depending how

[3:38:04] quickly you can speak and get

[3:38:06] this out of the way and put

[3:38:07] your positions on the record

[3:38:09] and in the meantime while

[3:38:11] you're positioning yourself I'd

[3:38:13] like to ask michael rowe to

[3:38:14] stand up, he's in the back.

[3:38:16] Mike, is that you back there?

[3:38:18] MADAME Mayor, I'm not quite

[3:38:20] sure but this man has already

[3:38:21] retired and you still have him

[3:38:23] on the clock?

[3:38:24] >>mayor cava: is an active

[3:38:33] citizen, your honor.

[3:38:35] >>vice chair mcghee: in that

[3:38:36] case we've got to get him to

[3:38:37] speak, line up.

[3:38:39] If everybody could recognize

[3:38:41] mike for the services is given

[3:38:43] to this county for over two

[3:38:45] decades, we greatly appreciate

[3:38:47] it.

[3:38:48] >>mayor cava: through the

[3:38:50] chair, he served 37 years in

[3:38:52] miami-dade county and he is the

[3:38:53] longest serving

[3:38:54] sergeant-at-arms in our

[3:39:01] history.

[3:39:02] [Applause]

[3:39:04] >>vice chair mcghee: I hear a

[3:39:05] plaque coming after this one,

[3:39:07] announce your name and address

[3:39:09] and we will be ready to go.

[3:39:11] >> my name is sierra burgos, I

[3:39:12] reside in little haiti and I

[3:39:17] have since 2013.

[3:39:19] Throughout these years I've

[3:39:21] seen the changes implemented to

[3:39:22] miami dade transit and how it

[3:39:24] affected the community.

[3:39:26] My local bus routes went from

[3:39:27] being five buses that ran

[3:39:29] frequently to now three, but

[3:39:37] one bus that runs twice every

[3:39:37] hour.

[3:39:39] This has greatly affected my

[3:39:40] ability to travel to certain

[3:39:42] jobs I've had, forcing me to

[3:39:49] pay 20 or $30 on rideshare and

[3:39:51] cutting even more routes or not

[3:39:53] beginning service until after

[3:39:54] 6:00 A.M. And stopping as early

[3:39:56] as 10:00 P.M. Will impact my

[3:40:00] community in a negative way.

[3:40:02] I know I'm not only speaking

[3:40:03] for myself when I say many of

[3:40:05] us need to be at work or school

[3:40:07] before 6:00 A.M. And many of us

[3:40:08] don't get off until after 10:00

[3:40:09] P.M..

[3:40:10] i have stood at many bus stops

[3:40:12] in different areas.

[3:40:12] Thank you.

[3:40:14] >>vice chair mcghee: thank you

[3:40:24] so much.

[3:40:24] >>.

[3:40:32] [Speaking spanish]

[3:40:37] >>translator: my name is philip

[3:40:37] morano.

[3:40:53] Good evening mayor and

[3:40:54] commissioners.

[3:40:54] >>.

[3:40:57] [Speaking spanish]

[3:40:59] >>translator: I have several

[3:41:06] concerns.

[3:41:06] >>.

[3:41:08] [Speaking spanish]

[3:41:11] >>translator: my address, phone

[3:41:18] number and email address.

[3:41:19] >>.

[3:41:22] [Speaking spanish]

[3:41:24] >>translator: I am disabled and

[3:41:32] am concerned.

[3:41:32] >>.

[3:41:45] [Speaking spanish]

[3:41:47] >>translator: I'm concerned

[3:41:48] because I sent out my resume

[3:41:51] and nothing has come out so I'm

[3:41:55] concerned.

[3:42:10] I am concerned about housing.

[3:42:12] There is a form where it can be

[3:42:41] viewed, my information.

[3:42:43] >>vice chair mcghee: thank you,

[3:42:45] can we put his address on the

[3:42:45] record?

[3:42:47] I have one for three southwest.

[3:42:49] Ninth street apartment 71130,

[3:42:50] is that what you have?

[3:42:59] I appreciate you.

[3:43:02] >> good evening commissioners

[3:43:03] and mayor, my name is mimi

[3:43:05] allen and I was born and raised

[3:43:15] in district 10 and quite

[3:43:17] possibly the greatest place on

[3:43:17] earth.

[3:43:19] My address is 4901 southwest.

[3:43:20] 37th avenue 33175.

[3:43:22] I'm here to advocate for the

[3:43:24] first bus continued funding for

[3:43:26] E.E.L. And our public library

[3:43:26] system.

[3:43:33] My love for the city and nature

[3:43:34] started at a library.

[3:43:36] Today I work at a local zoo

[3:43:38] part-time and collect tropical

[3:43:39] fruit trees on my spare time.

[3:43:41] Every morning I wake up at 4:30

[3:43:43] to experience my city by bike

[3:43:45] bus and metro at the beginning

[3:43:47] of route 40 and catching the

[3:43:48] sunrise over miami beach before

[3:43:50] work at 7:00 A.M.. I'm going to

[3:43:52] tell you this bus is not empty.

[3:43:54] I'm going to tell you a couple

[3:43:55] people who ride the bus every

[3:43:57] morning so we have to wilma,

[3:43:58] she drops off her child and

[3:44:00] goes to work at eight yet I

[3:44:02] have three public workers,

[3:44:04] janitors and people working on

[3:44:05] construction in downtown.

[3:44:07] Please advocate for florida,

[3:44:09] hurricane protection, lobster.

[3:44:11] >>vice chair mcghee: did you

[3:44:12] say lobsters?

[3:44:14] >> good evening commissioners,

[3:44:19] oscar and I'm a resident do 910

[3:44:21] southwest. 69th court miami

[3:44:25] florida 33196 speaking in

[3:44:26] opposition to the proposed cuts

[3:44:28] to early morning and late

[3:44:30] evening transit routes these

[3:44:40] hours are when restaurant

[3:44:42] employees and anyone without a

[3:44:43] car depend on to get to work

[3:44:44] safely.

[3:44:45] His proposal shifts

[3:44:47] the cost on to the people who

[3:44:48] can least afford it and comes

[3:44:51] as miami's cost of living keeps

[3:44:52] rising riven by an influx of

[3:44:54] newcomers reshaping our

[3:44:54] neighborhoods.

[3:44:56] The people who make this city

[3:44:58] run and make a place worth

[3:45:00] moving to are being priced out.

[3:45:02] Cutting transit pushes them out

[3:45:09] even further, right when we

[3:45:11] should be investing in

[3:45:13] infrastructure that's letting

[3:45:14] people stay.

[3:45:15] Transit exists to serve the

[3:45:17] public and the public to

[3:45:19] reserve the conversation about

[3:45:19] alternatives.

[3:45:21] I urge you to reject these cuts

[3:45:23] and send staff back to find

[3:45:23] another path.

[3:45:25] >> good evening MADAME Mayor

[3:45:27] and commissioners, my name is

[3:45:27] josc

[3:45:29] guzman, working for city

[3:45:31] smith at 4000 ponce de leon

[3:45:33] boulevard coral gables here to

[3:45:34] support motion each for the

[3:45:36] water sewer rate increase, we

[3:45:37] as an engineering firm are

[3:45:39] aware of the number of projects

[3:45:42] impacted if these rates were to

[3:45:43] be maintained.

[3:45:45] Dade county has always been a

[3:45:47] beacon for water quantity and

[3:45:48] quality, example in the state

[3:45:50] and nationwide and this

[3:45:51] requires us to sustain the

[3:45:53] level of investment so I urge

[3:45:56] you to increase that 6%.

[3:45:57] >>vice chair mcghee: thank you,

[3:46:03] good evening.

[3:46:05] >> I'm representing cv ac at

[3:46:06] dixie highway 33133.

[3:46:08] As a domestic violence

[3:46:09] survivor, tonight I urge you to

[3:46:14] expand the budget allocations

[3:46:16] for dade legal aid and miami

[3:46:23] bridge, I knew speaking as a

[3:46:24] mother forced into an

[3:46:26] unnecessarily drawn out family

[3:46:27] court battle.

[3:46:28] Initially I could afford a

[3:46:30] lawyer but had to use my

[3:46:32] newborn sons educational funds

[3:46:34] and they are completely

[3:46:34] depleted.

[3:46:36] Along my journey I've met so

[3:46:37] many parents struggling with

[3:46:40] the same battle we had to

[3:46:42] protect our children stay

[3:46:43] ability and futures we must

[3:46:45] fund dade legal aid while

[3:46:47] investing in pre-court

[3:46:50] stabilization like miami

[3:46:50] bridge.

[3:46:52] Everyone deserves an equal

[3:46:53] opportunity to justice

[3:46:55] regardless of the amount of

[3:46:56] money they have.

[3:46:57] My son and I are part of the

[3:46:59] world's most vulnerable

[3:47:00] population and we deserve a

[3:47:02] chance I believe I was brought

[3:47:03] into my circumstances to help

[3:47:05] others and if I was in your

[3:47:06] position I would help

[3:47:08] survivors, please help us

[3:47:09] re-it.

[3:47:10] >>vice chair mcghee: thank you

[3:47:11] so much.

[3:47:14] >> my name is amy, 110th lane

[3:47:16] miami florida and I'm here to

[3:47:20] advocate for the $20 million

[3:47:20] increase.

[3:47:22] >>vice chair mcghee: can we

[3:47:24] borrow your last name, I

[3:47:25] promise we will give it back.

[3:47:26] >> herrera.

[3:47:28] I'm here to advocate for the 20

[3:47:50] million increase in E.E.L.

[3:47:52] Funding because the environment

[3:47:55] is vital to our physical and

[3:47:56] medical help.

[3:47:57] There's research showing

[3:48:00] connection with nature produces

[3:48:02] significant reductions in

[3:48:03] anxiety, blood pressure

[3:48:05] cortisol and improved positive

[3:48:06] effect.

[3:48:07] Green spaces promote

[3:48:09] development in children and

[3:48:10] greenview was in your

[3:48:12] children's home promote

[3:48:14] self-control behaviors read the

[3:48:15] environment fuels creativity

[3:48:17] for the arts, provides shade

[3:48:18] for commuters and provides

[3:48:20] mental health walks rehab I

[3:48:21] want to point out the emblem in

[3:48:23] the back knowing what the

[3:48:25] miami-dade county emblem is

[3:48:27] showing a tree, some sort of

[3:48:28] transplant, the water, the sun

[3:48:30] but it is not showing kelly

[3:48:32] tractor development so let's

[3:48:34] support what we represent.

[3:48:36] >>vice chair mcghee: thank you.

[3:48:38] >> alberto gonzalez, 149th

[3:48:39] avenue here as a resident to

[3:48:41] urge you to prioritize the

[3:48:42] protection and preservation of

[3:48:45] our wetlands, glades, a and

[3:48:46] this place we call home.

[3:48:48] You can do that by approving

[3:48:50] the 6% water and sewer rate

[3:48:50] increase.

[3:48:52] By increasing funding for

[3:48:53] septic to sewer conversions, by

[3:48:55] increasing the budget for

[3:48:57] biscayne bay restoration, and

[3:48:58] especially most pertinent

[3:49:01] allocating 20 million for the

[3:49:03] E.E.L. Program especially after

[3:49:04] kelly tractor's decision and

[3:49:06] the decrease of the rookery.

[3:49:08] >>vice chair mcghee: good

[3:49:08] evening.

[3:49:10] >> good evening commissioners

[3:49:12] and mayor levine cava, I reside

[3:49:19] at 9731 southwest. Fifth street

[3:49:20] miami florida 33174.

[3:49:22] My commissioner is MR.

[3:49:22] Rodriguez.

[3:49:24] I'm here to express my sincere

[3:49:26] support for two equally

[3:49:27] important issues, the first is

[3:49:29] about the environmentally

[3:49:31] endangered lands program that

[3:49:32] protects sensitive lands that

[3:49:34] absorb floodwater, reduce

[3:49:36] extreme and provide habitat for

[3:49:38] wildlife, all of which protect

[3:49:39] our neighborhoods, the place we

[3:49:41] call home and wildlife.

[3:49:54] This year the county decreased

[3:49:56] a disappointing 54% of the

[3:49:58] programs funding compared to

[3:49:59] last fiscal year.

[3:50:01] Secondly the eviction diversion

[3:50:02] program is proposed at a

[3:50:04] million, a 50% reduction from

[3:50:06] previous years 2 million level.

[3:50:07] incredible.

[3:50:08] Reducing eviction mentioned

[3:50:12] during a housing crisis

[3:50:14] especially in miami can

[3:50:16] significantly worsen the crisis

[3:50:17] and it already has.

[3:50:17] Live by

[3:50:19] seawater and have witnessed the

[3:50:21] loss of a mobile home park.

[3:50:22] >>vice chair mcghee: thank

[3:50:35] you so much.

[3:50:38] >> good evening MADAME Mayor,

[3:50:40] commissioners, rob piper, 1401

[3:50:42] southwest. 17th terrace miami

[3:50:44] florida, I'm a candidate for

[3:50:45] commission district 5 but I am

[3:50:47] here as a resident and I need

[3:50:49] to ask my fellow residents, who

[3:50:50] here is not familiar with the

[3:50:52] process up to this point.

[3:50:54] >>vice chair mcghee: sir, good

[3:50:54] evening.

[3:50:56] With all due respect if you can

[3:50:57] address the body.

[3:50:59] >> if people are not familiar

[3:51:00] with the budget process up to

[3:51:02] this point I'll be happy to

[3:51:03] educate them but what I wanted

[3:51:05] to talk about was it was

[3:51:07] discussed that a budget is a

[3:51:08] reflection of what is valued.

[3:51:13] But also how we fund that

[3:51:13] budget.

[3:51:15] It's also a reflection of what

[3:51:17] we value, who we value, whose

[3:51:18] desire should be prioritized

[3:51:23] and in a county with 25

[3:51:25] billionaires and 180 sent to

[3:51:26] millionaires and a gdp of 260

[3:51:28] billion I have to ask why are

[3:51:30] we even entertaining putting

[3:51:32] garbage workers as well as

[3:51:36] cutting funding.

[3:51:37] >>vice chair mcghee: have a

[3:51:39] great evening, thank you.

[3:51:39] Yes, sir.

[3:51:51] >> good evening commissioners,

[3:51:53] I live at 711 southwest. 83rd

[3:51:54] place miami 33143.

[3:51:55] I'm speaking today in support

[3:51:57] of the proposed 6% water and

[3:51:58] sewer rate adjustment.

[3:52:01] As a professional engineer I've

[3:52:03] spent most of my career working

[3:52:04] on the water and sewer

[3:52:06] infrastructure projects in

[3:52:08] miami-dade county and I have

[3:52:17] seen firsthand the importance

[3:52:19] of maintaining and investing in

[3:52:21] at this critical water

[3:52:22] infrastructure before they

[3:52:24] become larger and more costly

[3:52:26] problems but more importantly

[3:52:27] today I'm speaking as a

[3:52:29] resident of miami dade county

[3:52:31] over the past 23 years and as a

[3:52:33] father with a family who calls

[3:52:34] his community home so the

[3:52:36] decision on the water rate

[3:52:38] adjustment will have a direct

[3:52:40] impact on the reliability and

[3:52:41] sustainability of the

[3:52:42] infrastructure future

[3:52:44] generations would inherit so

[3:52:45] investing in water

[3:52:46] infrastructure is not just

[3:52:49] about meeting today's needs but

[3:52:51] protecting the public health,

[3:52:53] preserving our environment and

[3:52:54] ensuring a small strong future.

[3:52:56] I respectfully urge you to

[3:52:57] consider.

[3:52:59] >>vice chair mcghee: I greatly

[3:53:00] appreciate you so much, good

[3:53:00] evening.

[3:53:02] >> I reside at 2401 anderson

[3:53:04] road coral gables 33134.

[3:53:09] Hasn't my colleague just said

[3:53:11] I'm here to support the rate

[3:53:13] adjustment for miami-dade water

[3:53:15] and sewer on the water and

[3:53:17] wastewater rates.

[3:53:21] This rate of 6% represents

[3:53:33] $3.77 per month for the, I'm

[3:53:36] sorry.

[3:53:51] So this is necessary for wasd

[3:53:53] for miami-dade water and sewer

[3:53:55] to fulfill the obligations on

[3:53:57] the consent decree to maintain

[3:53:58] compliance with regulatory

[3:54:00] agencies and protect the county

[3:54:02] infrastructure that is so

[3:54:03] important for all of us.

[3:54:05] I urge you to accept, approve

[3:54:09] this increase, thank you.

[3:54:11] >> good evening, jorge camacho,

[3:54:19] I live in apartment 402.

[3:54:20] I'm here to support the water

[3:54:22] and wastewater rate adjustment

[3:54:22] of 6%.

[3:54:23] Miami is my home.

[3:54:32] I don't want miami to go

[3:54:33] through the same situation my

[3:54:35] birth country of puerto rico is

[3:54:37] going through right now.

[3:54:39] Where poor planning and lack of

[3:54:40] investment is leaving thousands

[3:54:42] of residents without service of

[3:54:49] water for weeks and they are

[3:54:50] suffering, all my family there.

[3:54:52] We need to be prepared with the

[3:54:54] right infrastructure and for

[3:54:55] that we need that rate

[3:54:56] increase.

[3:54:57] O have ability for

[3:54:59] the future but that investment

[3:55:00] needs to start now.

[3:55:06] >> my name is kathy mack

[3:55:08] ireland, 2355 to casto grove,

[3:55:08] 33133.

[3:55:10] I'm speaking about the bus

[3:55:17] routes being cut.

[3:55:19] If you're on the bus at 5:00

[3:55:20] A.M. Heading to work your part

[3:55:22] of the hardest working

[3:55:23] residents of our county.

[3:55:25] These community members are the

[3:55:27] people that keep our society

[3:55:28] and cities running making a

[3:55:30] decision to cut funding for the

[3:55:31] early morning bus routes seems

[3:55:32] to be elitist.

[3:55:33] Thank you.

[3:55:35] >> first of all thank you for

[3:55:35] all you do.

[3:55:37] Your dedication, I'm john

[3:55:39] drake, this came boulevard, and

[3:55:49] first of all on SEPTEMBER 18

[3:55:50] reporting with the dda and

[3:55:52] we're putting together 200 of

[3:55:54] the world top cybersecurity

[3:55:56] professions to sit before civic

[3:55:57] cybersecurity in doing that at

[3:55:59] the newly renovated first

[3:56:01] church of miami so definitely a

[3:56:03] sincere invitation to everyone.

[3:56:08] Also we have a number of ways

[3:56:10] that our communities can bring

[3:56:11] in revenue.

[3:56:12] A lot of times just about

[3:56:14] wanting to, and not to cut but

[3:56:17] we have your back and we're

[3:56:18] here to explore all the options

[3:56:24] we have in technology but

[3:56:26] together as a community for the

[3:56:27] county.

[3:56:28] So once again SEPTEMBER 18 we

[3:56:29] are having our civics and

[3:56:31] security at first church miami,

[3:56:39] thank you guys.

[3:56:41] >> my name is james taurus,

[3:56:42] downtown neighbors alliance

[3:56:44] here to get some help on a

[3:56:45] couple things.

[3:56:46] Remember NOVEMBER 5, 1996 that

[3:56:48] is when the miami heat came to

[3:56:51] the city of miami yet we need

[3:56:52] your help, there is $2 million

[3:56:54] sitting in the budget to

[3:56:59] allocate for parcel be plaza.

[3:57:01] We like you guys to as your

[3:57:14] crunching numbers not to forget

[3:57:16] parcel b. The reason I say that

[3:57:18] is because far too long you're

[3:57:19] taking a bunch of timeouts,

[3:57:21] technical files and not

[3:57:22] bringing green space to life.

[3:57:24] And it is important we start

[3:57:25] addressing this.

[3:57:26] Commissioner hardemon has been

[3:57:28] a champion in trying to bring

[3:57:30] this forward but we are not at

[3:57:31] the finish line.

[3:57:33] So I'm finally asking the kind

[3:57:35] of maybe all come together as a

[3:57:36] team and move this forward.

[3:57:38] It is now going to be 31 years

[3:57:40] before that parcel is developed

[3:57:42] for everybody to enjoy not just

[3:57:42] downtown.

[3:57:44] i asked you to please look at

[3:57:45] that allocation, move forward

[3:57:47] and sit down with all the

[3:57:50] parties involved, thank you.

[3:57:52] >>vice chair mcghee: that's all

[3:57:54] our public speakers, is there

[3:57:56] anyone that did not get their

[3:57:57] name called?

[3:57:59] Anyone that did not get their

[3:58:08] name called.

[3:58:10] All right, we've gone through

[3:58:12] the whole list successfully.

[3:58:13] Congratulations to everybody.

[3:58:15] Public hearing has now

[3:58:16] concluded and is officially

[3:58:17] closed.

[3:58:18] MADAME Mayor, the moment you've

[3:58:19] been waiting for.

[3:58:23] The floor is all yours.

[3:58:25] >>chair: please quiet down in

[3:58:27] the chamber as the mayor makes

[3:58:31] her remarks.

[3:58:33] >>mayor cava: thank you to the

[3:58:35] CHAIRMAN, commissioners, all

[3:58:39] the residents that came tonight

[3:58:39] .

[3:58:41] Thank you to everyone who made

[3:58:42] your voices heard, we were

[3:58:44] listening and I want to begin

[3:58:46] with gratitude to everyone who

[3:58:47] brought us to this point which

[3:58:49] is our first professional

[3:58:50] budget hearing.

[3:58:53] The board, we've met with you

[3:58:54] multiple times, provided

[3:58:58] invaluable feedback as we

[3:59:00] prepare and submitted a

[3:59:01] proposed budget and I

[3:59:02] appreciate so much the

[3:59:04] priorities and input you shared

[3:59:05] on behalf of our community.

[3:59:11] To our constitutional offices,

[3:59:13] we've met multiple times with

[3:59:15] each of our constitutional

[3:59:17] offices, we've worked

[3:59:19] collaboratively towards this

[3:59:20] year's budget.

[3:59:21] We've had to navigate together

[3:59:23] because we all draw from the

[3:59:30] same pot of general fund and to

[3:59:33] our residents, throughout the

[3:59:34] summer we traveled around the

[3:59:35] county, we've had numerous in

[3:59:37] person and virtual town hall

[3:59:38] meetings.

[3:59:40] Active participation across the

[3:59:54] county and as always, we are

[3:59:55] shaping our budget based on

[3:59:57] your concerns and priorities

[3:59:59] and at since I started as mayor

[4:00:01] we've had 60 of these public

[4:00:02] forums to listen to our

[4:00:04] community and their priorities

[4:00:05] and that has shaped the budget

[4:00:07] and kept us focused on what

[4:00:08] matters most to the people we

[4:00:09] serve.

[4:00:11] Most importantly I'd like to

[4:00:13] recognize our county employees

[4:00:14] who do the work with hearts,

[4:00:17] they do it with dedication

[4:00:19] delivering excellence every day

[4:00:21] and to our office of management

[4:00:23] and budget was done the hard

[4:00:24] work crunching the numbers and

[4:00:26] the bringing in a balanced

[4:00:28] budget which we submitted in

[4:00:28] JULY.

[4:00:30] We know this year's budget

[4:00:31] comes at a time of real stress

[4:00:33] in the community, in

[4:00:34] everybody's lives.

[4:00:35] Our families are struggling,

[4:00:37] they have difficulty paying for

[4:00:39] basic needs for each of them

[4:00:41] and their households and as

[4:00:43] residents are watching every

[4:00:44] dollar so are we end so must

[4:00:45] we.

[4:00:46] This is a time when we must

[4:00:48] demonstrate our fiscal

[4:00:49] stewardship, our

[4:00:50] responsibility, our

[4:00:52] transparency and residents are

[4:00:53] watching and they want to know

[4:00:56] we are serving them as fiscally

[4:00:56] responsible.

[4:00:59] So these values have guided us

[4:01:00] throughout the budget process

[4:01:02] and over the past several years

[4:01:04] with your support we've reduced

[4:01:06] the millage rate two years in a

[4:01:07] row and we are at the lowest

[4:01:10] level since 1982 and this year

[4:01:12] we are not proposing to

[4:01:13] increase it, we are continuing

[4:01:16] to maintain that historically

[4:01:21] low property tax millage rate.

[4:01:23] At the same time we are facing

[4:01:24] difficult choices.

[4:01:25] This is not a year in which we

[4:01:27] have new revenues, this is a

[4:01:28] year in which revenue growth

[4:01:31] has slowed significantly and

[4:01:33] while costs continue to rise

[4:01:34] for everyone cost of inflation

[4:01:39] is higher than the cost of

[4:01:41] growth in our property values.

[4:01:42] That means along with

[4:01:44] reductions in state and federal

[4:01:45] funding that means we must

[4:01:47] reduce our costs and so reduce

[4:01:56] we did and we must continue.

[4:01:58] Balancing the budget meant we

[4:02:00] could not ask our taxpayers for

[4:02:02] more, we had to find it within

[4:02:04] our own means, we looked inward

[4:02:05] through our wise through l5

[4:02:07] initiatives and found $21

[4:02:07] million.

[4:02:09] And thank you to the staff, we

[4:02:11] went back to our departments

[4:02:13] three times to find that so we

[4:02:15] could include it in our budget

[4:02:15] this year.

[4:02:17] We eliminated more than 400

[4:02:18] general fund positions, we

[4:02:20] continue to streamline

[4:02:29] operations and find real cost

[4:02:30] reductions but at the same time

[4:02:32] we were able to protect almost

[4:02:34] all the basic services that

[4:02:36] matter so much to our community

[4:02:37] and public safety always comes

[4:02:39] first, no question about it,

[4:02:45] that's what our residents

[4:02:46] expect so even as departments

[4:02:48] were asked to keep their growth

[4:02:50] to minimum levels we've doubled

[4:02:52] the amount for our public

[4:02:54] safety department so general

[4:02:55] fund departments were asked to

[4:02:57] keep their budget within 3%

[4:02:58] even though costs were in the

[4:03:00] range of 8% growth and in our

[4:03:02] public safety departments we

[4:03:03] double that to 6% and that

[4:03:05] includes not just the sheriff

[4:03:07] but corrections county

[4:03:09] emergency management medical

[4:03:10] examiner, those are the basic

[4:03:12] public safety and fire, and our

[4:03:13] fire department.

[4:03:15] We were able with all this

[4:03:17] challenging budgeting to offer

[4:03:19] the sheriff's office in our

[4:03:20] proposed budget an additional

[4:03:22] $55 million and that brings

[4:03:24] with it approximately 200

[4:03:25] additional positions.

[4:03:27] And both funding and staffing

[4:03:29] to their highest levels in law

[4:03:31] enforcement in our counties

[4:03:38] history.

[4:03:39] And I want to be sure you

[4:03:41] understand the contrast is

[4:03:43] clear, 3% versus 6%, it's a

[4:03:45] significant difference and we

[4:03:46] did it because of the

[4:03:48] fundamental value of public

[4:03:48] safety.

[4:03:50] But we were also able to

[4:03:52] maintain our commitment to

[4:03:54] parks, we are not proposing

[4:03:56] reductions to parks, libraries,

[4:03:58] housing, arts and culture and

[4:04:00] community organizations in this

[4:04:00] year's budget.

[4:04:02] E in fact with

[4:04:03] transit which is mostly general

[4:04:05] fund supported only 12% of the

[4:04:08] budget for transit comes from

[4:04:10] passengers, the rest is general

[4:04:10] fund.

[4:04:12] It brings our contribution to

[4:04:15] 336 million, 66 million more

[4:04:16] than this past year.

[4:04:18] And so it's difficult choices

[4:04:19] that were made, unfortunately

[4:04:32] to reduce routes and hours as

[4:04:34] has been mentioned and we are

[4:04:35] regretting that financial

[4:04:37] reality has forced us to make

[4:04:38] those recommendations.

[4:04:40] I want to make sure you

[4:04:42] understand commissioners that

[4:04:44] every dollar in this budget is

[4:04:45] programmed and there are no

[4:04:46] other dollars.

[4:04:50] If additional programs are more

[4:04:52] for any particular program are

[4:04:53] in your proposal and we ask you

[4:04:58] to identify what we got.

[4:05:00] And this is not an argument

[4:05:02] against making changes, this is

[4:05:04] ultimately the budget you will

[4:05:09] pass, we recognize that you

[4:05:11] have opportunities to change

[4:05:13] the priorities that are made in

[4:05:15] my budget but it is required by

[4:05:17] charter that I present a

[4:05:18] balanced budget to you based on

[4:05:19] my best judgment of how we can

[4:05:27] spend our dollars balancing the

[4:05:29] many competing needs and

[4:05:30] priorities while also looking

[4:05:32] to the counties long-term

[4:05:34] financial stability so the

[4:05:35] responsibility now lies with

[4:05:37] you to review the proposal, to

[4:05:39] debate it and make the

[4:05:41] adjustments that you deem

[4:05:43] appropriate and I respect that

[4:05:44] response ability and we are

[4:05:45] ready to work with you.

[4:05:47] We are looking beyond a single

[4:05:48] budget year.

[4:05:53] We know that what we decide

[4:05:54] today prepares us for the

[4:05:55] long-term.

[4:05:57] We are facing possibility of a

[4:05:59] major decrease because of the

[4:06:00] property tax reform item on the

[4:06:02] ballot in NOVEMBER.

[4:06:04] Amended 3, we know should not

[4:06:05] pass we will be right back to

[4:06:07] the drawing board and we will

[4:06:09] have a lot of adjustments to

[4:06:09] make.

[4:06:12] We cannot wait till then to

[4:06:13] become even more disciplined so

[4:06:15] we are working every day to

[4:06:16] find savings.

[4:06:18] This is not a one time

[4:06:20] activity, we've been at it for

[4:06:21] several years and will continue

[4:06:23] all year long whether or not

[4:06:25] amendment three passes.

[4:06:27] Going to continue to find

[4:06:29] efficiencies, modernize

[4:06:30] government, are going to

[4:06:32] strengthen our reserves which

[4:06:33] is our priority for any funds

[4:06:35] that might become available

[4:06:38] where we MAY be underestimating

[4:06:39] some surplus that might come

[4:06:42] back from a constitutional

[4:06:44] office, our priority is

[4:06:46] reserves, our reserves are low

[4:06:47] and not sustainable.

[4:06:49] We strongly recommend to you

[4:06:51] utilizing additional dollars

[4:06:52] should they become available

[4:06:53] for reserves.

[4:06:55] So I'm proud of the budget we

[4:06:57] presented, we worked hard on it

[4:06:58] and it does protect taxpayers.

[4:07:00] It's a fiscally prudent

[4:07:01] responsible transparent budget.

[4:07:03] T prioritizes public safety

[4:07:05] and preserves essential

[4:07:06] services are residents depend

[4:07:18] on and begins to prepare our

[4:07:20] county for the financial

[4:07:21] challenges ahead.

[4:07:22] We MAY not agree with every

[4:07:24] choice and that's part of the

[4:07:25] process but we do share the

[4:07:27] same response ability to make

[4:07:29] these choices carefully

[4:07:31] responsibly and always with the

[4:07:32] best interests of the residents

[4:07:34] and businesses of miami-dade

[4:07:36] county so I look forward with

[4:07:38] working with all of you tonight

[4:07:40] and beyond to deliver the best

[4:07:41] budget possible for the

[4:07:43] residents of miami-dade county,

[4:07:44] thank you MR. Chair.

[4:07:46] >>chair: thank you for those

[4:07:47] remarks and I will now engage

[4:07:49] my colleagues in some debate

[4:07:50] and commentary.

[4:07:52] So I will go around the dais,

[4:07:54] I'm sure most if not all will

[4:07:55] have something to say.

[4:07:57] I'll go ahead and start with my

[4:07:59] friend and colleague

[4:08:00] commissioner bastien.

[4:08:02] I saw you raise your hand.

[4:08:07] You can kick it off for us

[4:08:08] commissioner.

[4:08:09] >>commissioner bastien:

[4:08:11] greetings MR. Chair, vice chair

[4:08:12] and colleagues.

[4:08:15] Excuse my voice.

[4:08:17] As most of you know I've been a

[4:08:23] bit under the weather so I want

[4:08:25] to thank you for all your good

[4:08:27] wishes, MADAME Mayor and staff.

[4:08:32] First and foremost, I'd like to

[4:08:33] thank mayor, and her

[4:08:34] administration.

[4:08:35] S well as our

[4:08:37] county staff.

[4:08:40] For the tremendous work that

[4:08:46] you've put in to preparing this

[4:08:46] budget.

[4:08:55] I can imagine this to be the

[4:08:57] most challenging not only for

[4:08:59] the mayor but for all of you, I

[4:09:00] can imagine that I know it for

[4:09:05] a fact because I know the mayor

[4:09:07] and we've met at least three

[4:09:08] times during the process.

[4:09:10] And as I note that she is met

[4:09:11] with most of you.

[4:09:15] So we recognize that this is a

[4:09:18] challenging budget.

[4:09:21] Especially now, last night I

[4:09:25] was thinking about tonight and

[4:09:26] I tried to put myself in the

[4:09:34] shoes of the residence of my

[4:09:34] district.

[4:09:36] And I realized how difficult it

[4:09:40] is, what the difficult time it

[4:09:51] is to work on this project.

[4:09:53] These choices are difficult

[4:09:55] choices and the conversations

[4:09:57] are also very difficult.

[4:09:59] i MAY not agree and as most of

[4:10:01] my colleagues with every

[4:10:06] decision that is before us with

[4:10:06] this budget.

[4:10:12] But met him mayor and staff, I

[4:10:14] assure you that I appreciate

[4:10:15] the hard work.

[4:10:16] I appreciate the long hours and

[4:10:21] the commitment that brought us

[4:10:22] here*.

[4:10:26] And it is a process but it is

[4:10:28] just the beginning.

[4:10:37] So I speak as a county

[4:10:39] commissioner for district 2.

[4:10:40] District 2 and for all the

[4:10:42] residents who are have waited

[4:10:45] for so long.

[4:10:47] They have paid into the system

[4:10:52] for too long.

[4:10:57] They've been asked too many

[4:10:58] times to accept less and I

[4:11:02] heard that most recently you

[4:11:03] won't believe how many times I

[4:11:04] heard it.

[4:11:09] During my recent campaign trip.

[4:11:14] The budget as we all know is

[4:11:16] more than numbers on a

[4:11:16] spreadsheet.

[4:11:21] It tells us what we value, who

[4:11:24] we prioritize and which

[4:11:28] communities we are willing and

[4:11:36] ready to invest in.

[4:11:36] Consistently.

[4:11:38] When I looked at the budget

[4:11:44] with staff, through the eyes of

[4:11:49] the district 2 residents, I see

[4:12:01] many unmet needs.

[4:12:03] Neglected words, families

[4:12:08] struggling with transportation

[4:12:08] issues.

[4:12:10] Small businesses fighting to

[4:12:10] survive.

[4:12:13] And at residence struggling to

[4:12:16] remain in affordable homes.

[4:12:18] I've heard it all, and I've

[4:12:22] seen it all firsthand.

[4:12:24] So I know tonight you're going

[4:12:29] to be looking at the cuts.

[4:12:36] That are in front of us but one

[4:12:38] thing we need to understand is

[4:12:44] every cut as a consequence.

[4:12:46] These are not abstract numbers.

[4:12:48] When we are thinking tonight

[4:12:51] about the cuts we need to

[4:12:54] understand these are all our

[4:12:56] seniors, these are our working

[4:12:57] families.

[4:13:04] Our children, people with

[4:13:05] disabilities.

[4:13:07] Small business owners and

[4:13:08] residents already struggling to

[4:13:09] make ends meet.

[4:13:19] I want to reiterate their cases

[4:13:21] of the seniors, especially

[4:13:22] those on fixed income.

[4:13:27] So tonight I want to focus on

[4:13:29] this infrastructure and roads.

[4:13:35] Illegal dumping, public safety,

[4:13:39] transportation, parks, economic

[4:13:42] development and affordable

[4:13:42] housing.

[4:13:45] Because as I know and my

[4:13:59] colleagues know, excuse me.

[4:14:01] Our responsibility tonight is

[4:14:03] not simply to balance the

[4:14:03] budget.

[4:14:06] It is to ensure the people of

[4:14:07] miami-dade county are not

[4:14:09] paying the highest price for

[4:14:10] the decisions that we make in

[4:14:14] this chamber.

[4:14:17] Since I became commissioner, I

[4:14:18] thought to ensure that district

[4:14:23] 2 residents have safe decent

[4:14:25] roads and infrastructure that

[4:14:28] they deserve and GOD knows

[4:14:31] they've been waiting a long

[4:14:31] time.

[4:14:34] District 2 as I say often has

[4:14:38] been under resourced and

[4:14:42] neglected for a long long time.

[4:14:46] Our residents should not have

[4:14:49] to keep asking for what other

[4:14:50] communities have had for years.

[4:14:54] Hey should not.

[4:14:58] They deserve the same quality

[4:15:00] roads, same level of

[4:15:02] investments and the same

[4:15:08] standard of infrastructure.

[4:15:12] District 2 is not asking for

[4:15:13] special treatment.

[4:15:21] We are asking for a fair share.

[4:15:30] I cannot accept identifying

[4:15:32] hundreds of millions of dollars

[4:15:34] for major government projects

[4:15:35] while residents are still

[4:15:37] asking for the roads and

[4:15:38] systems they depend on every

[4:15:38] day.

[4:15:48] Before we build monuments to

[4:15:49] government, we need to build

[4:15:51] trust with our residents and

[4:15:52] need to provide the services

[4:15:55] that our residents need.

[4:16:06] Got a little loyalty, excuse

[4:16:06] me.

[4:16:12] Let me get to illegal dumping

[4:16:15] and I know efforts are being

[4:16:36] made but I know it is a process

[4:16:38] and we need to get there, I

[4:16:39] know we need to get there.

[4:16:41] Illegal dumping remains a

[4:16:43] problem for district 2. Every

[4:16:45] resident deserves clean streets

[4:16:46] and neighborhoods.

[4:16:47] That is why cutting medical

[4:16:49] staff while my office continues

[4:16:51] receiving calls about illegal

[4:16:53] dumping is deeply concerning.

[4:16:55] Eliminating these positions

[4:16:57] does not eliminate the problem.

[4:16:58] I am prepared to explore every

[4:17:00] available budget option to

[4:17:08] restore the staffing we need.

[4:17:10] The commission auditor has

[4:17:12] identified a potential pathway

[4:17:13] to reallocate solid waste funds

[4:17:15] to make the illegal dumping and

[4:17:21] litter pickup units whole.

[4:17:23] I also call on the department

[4:17:25] of rer resources, through its

[4:17:27] consumer neighborhood

[4:17:29] protection divisions to also

[4:17:30] consider helping us fill the

[4:17:31] gaps where solid waste cannot.

[4:17:34] He illegal dumping problem is

[4:17:40] huge for us in district 2.

[4:17:47] Public safety, last year we

[4:17:48] approved a $1 billion budget

[4:17:51] for our sheriff's office.

[4:17:55] which I know is needed.

[4:17:59] I'm looking forward to having

[4:18:00] conversation with you next

[4:18:01] week.

[4:18:07] But I also want to bring this

[4:18:12] forth that with that level of

[4:18:13] investment comes

[4:18:14] accountability.

[4:18:16] And I'm looking forward to

[4:18:18] looking to some of our grave

[4:18:19] issues that district 2 is

[4:18:27] facing including when they call

[4:18:28] 9-1-1. Having to wait for 30

[4:18:36] minutes or more for a response.

[4:18:38] And as we know MADAME Chair and

[4:18:40] I know you know and you agree

[4:18:42] 30 minutes can be the

[4:18:43] difference between life and

[4:18:43] death.

[4:18:46] I do support the office and I'm

[4:18:48] looking forward to an in-depth

[4:18:49] conversation about some of the

[4:18:56] issues facing district 2

[4:18:58] because even our own staff have

[4:19:00] had to deal with that with this

[4:19:00] long wait.

[4:19:02] Among other issues I'm looking

[4:19:04] forward to discussing with you.

[4:19:06] Now, let's talk about the

[4:19:07] transportation issues.

[4:19:09] And I'd like to commend each

[4:19:11] and every one, each and every

[4:19:15] resident who came tonight.

[4:19:18] To share their ideas about the

[4:19:19] impact of what we are

[4:19:23] contemplating with this budget.

[4:19:27] Transportation is not a luxury.

[4:19:28] It is a necessity and a

[4:19:37] lifeline to so many in our

[4:19:38] community.

[4:19:39] It is a lifeline to many in my

[4:19:41] district, district 2. It is how

[4:19:43] most of them get to work, to

[4:19:45] the school, medical

[4:19:47] appointments, hospital, grocery

[4:19:48] stores and other essential

[4:19:49] services.

[4:19:50] Nd I think we've

[4:19:52] discussed that a bit during one

[4:19:53] of our meetings with madame

[4:20:00] mayor, many rely on public

[4:20:01] transportation to buy

[4:20:02] groceries.

[4:20:03] They rely on public

[4:20:05] transportation as a means of

[4:20:06] independence.

[4:20:10] For working families it can

[4:20:11] mean the difference between

[4:20:18] keeping a job and losing one.

[4:20:20] When we cut transportation

[4:20:22] routes we are not simply

[4:20:23] removing a line from a map, we

[4:20:28] are coming someone's connection

[4:20:29] to opportunity, we are cutting

[4:20:31] someone's connection to

[4:20:33] employment, healthcare and

[4:20:34] independence.

[4:20:44] So I respectfully urge us to

[4:20:45] restore bus routes 155, 203,

[4:20:46] 279 and 60.

[4:20:48] These routes are essential to

[4:20:50] residents who depend on public

[4:20:51] transportation every day.

[4:20:53] And it is about us too.

[4:21:03] Our economy is based on

[4:21:03] tourism.

[4:21:05] Who powers this job?

[4:21:07] The walkers and they need

[4:21:09] transportation, reliable

[4:21:10] transportation to get from

[4:21:16] point a to point b.

[4:21:18] So in addition the reduction in

[4:21:19] operation hours is creating

[4:21:21] even more hardships for people

[4:21:23] who have no other

[4:21:24] transportation options to gain,

[4:21:32] to make money to support their

[4:21:32] families.

[4:21:34] Many residents depend on these

[4:21:36] services to get to work like I

[4:21:37] said, to the hospital.

[4:21:44] Two essential destinations.

[4:21:46] When these operating hours are

[4:21:48] reduced these residents are the

[4:21:50] ones who pay the highest price.

[4:22:03] These workers are our best

[4:22:05] assets, they are miami-dade

[4:22:07] counties best assets.

[4:22:08] We cannot continue to ask

[4:22:10] people to rely on public

[4:22:12] transportation while at the

[4:22:14] same time reducing the services

[4:22:15] they depend on to get to work.

[4:22:17] To make a living.

[4:22:19] We cannot afford that so we

[4:22:20] need to find a way, and I'm

[4:22:22] looking forward to engage in

[4:22:24] this these conversations to

[4:22:26] find a way to keep these routes

[4:22:30] open, to get our workers

[4:22:30] moving.

[4:22:38] To get our economy moving.

[4:22:55] Now, our parks.

[4:22:57] District 2 parks, district 2

[4:22:58] residents have waited for years

[4:23:00] to see meaningful improvements

[4:23:02] to our parks and facilities and

[4:23:04] I wish they had something in

[4:23:06] common with our chair here.

[4:23:10] We are a big part of umpsa so

[4:23:13] we build a pool at little river

[4:23:14] park, improvements to the oak

[4:23:16] grove park bathrooms, something

[4:23:17] as simple as that.

[4:23:19] Martin luther king park

[4:23:20] beautification and the

[4:23:22] improvements at the alcoa lakes

[4:23:23] senior center.

[4:23:25] Our park and community centers

[4:23:30] are more than just facilities.

[4:23:31] They provide opportunities for

[4:23:38] a lot of our population, our

[4:23:40] residents, for education, for

[4:23:46] recreation, for health, for

[4:23:47] connection and it improves

[4:23:49] quality of life for residents

[4:23:50] of all ages, you should have

[4:23:52] seen their faces when we went

[4:23:55] to inaugurate a portion of the

[4:24:00] alcoa lakes senior center

[4:24:00] recently.

[4:24:02] Our parks and community centers

[4:24:04] are more than just a facility,

[4:24:07] they provide opportunities for

[4:24:08] all aspects of residence

[4:24:09] life's.

[4:24:13] They are places where children

[4:24:13] grow.

[4:24:23] Families come together.

[4:24:25] Seniors stay active, child care

[4:24:27] is expensive, a lot of families

[4:24:28] rely on these parks believe it

[4:24:30] or not and communities build

[4:24:32] strong connections there like I

[4:24:32] said.

[4:24:34] When we make commitments to our

[4:24:35] communities, we need to keep

[4:24:37] this commitment.

[4:24:40] The promise made should be a

[4:24:47] promise kept.

[4:24:49] A promise made is a promise

[4:24:49] kept.

[4:25:00] It should be a promise kept.

[4:25:01] District 2 residents deserve

[4:25:03] parks, safe and well maintained

[4:25:07] facilities, quality programs

[4:25:09] and confidence that the

[4:25:11] investments promised to our

[4:25:13] neighborhoods will absolutely

[4:25:15] be delivered.

[4:25:17] We should not have to wait year

[4:25:19] after year for improvements

[4:25:21] that have already been

[4:25:21] promised.

[4:25:22] We should not.

[4:25:25] Our residents deserve action,

[4:25:30] accountability and results.

[4:25:33] District 2 parks and community

[4:25:34] facilities should be a priority

[4:25:36] and ensure the promised

[4:25:45] improvements are fully funded,

[4:25:47] completed and delivered to the

[4:25:48] residents who've been waiting

[4:25:49] for them.

[4:25:50] They've been asking for them

[4:25:54] and they've been waiting and

[4:25:54] waiting.

[4:26:00] Economic development.

[4:26:02] We celebrate miami dade

[4:26:04] counties small business growth.

[4:26:07] But the businesses are here

[4:26:08] from every day in district 2

[4:26:11] are struggling.

[4:26:13] They do not need another speech

[4:26:15] about how important they are.

[4:26:23] Hey need real support.

[4:26:25] Especially the businesses along

[4:26:27] northwest 22nd avenue and

[4:26:29] throughout our underserved

[4:26:33] commercial corridors.

[4:26:35] our small businesses are

[4:26:37] working hard to survive rising

[4:26:38] costs.

[4:26:39] Construction impacts and

[4:26:41] limited access to capital.

[4:26:43] When county construction

[4:26:45] projects threaten the business

[4:26:46] ability to stay open we must

[4:26:50] make sure that those businesses

[4:26:51] are not left behind.

[4:26:53] We have to find ways to help

[4:26:53] them remain sustainable.

[4:27:00] The northwest 79th street cra

[4:27:01] has extending action, for

[4:27:03] example we recently gave

[4:27:07] $20,000 to a carwash and I was

[4:27:14] shocked to see their short

[4:27:15] memories a few minutes ago.

[4:27:17] They gave them $20,000 recently

[4:27:19] which was cashed and including

[4:27:21] the johnson and johnson

[4:27:22] learning center.

[4:27:26] So to those of you at home

[4:27:27] watching if your business is

[4:27:29] located within the 79th street

[4:27:31] cra boundary I encourage you to

[4:27:35] come forward and submit your

[4:27:36] application to them.

[4:27:38] We are here to support you.

[4:27:45] But we all also know many

[4:27:46] businesses outside the cra

[4:27:48] boundaries and that's why I'm

[4:27:49] raising this and it is

[4:27:51] important are struggling

[4:27:52] especially now.

[4:27:53] They do not have access to the

[4:27:54] same resources.

[4:28:00] That is why I'm asking for your

[4:28:02] support in the budget to

[4:28:04] provide meaningful assistance

[4:28:06] to small businesses throughout

[4:28:07] district 2 and I know we will

[4:28:09] need to look at this together

[4:28:11] and find them and I am all for

[4:28:11] it.

[4:28:11] It is a must.

[4:28:13] Small business loan

[4:28:17] applications tell the story.

[4:28:18] We had so many qualified

[4:28:20] businesses coming to apply in

[4:28:21] seeking assistance.

[4:28:29] More than we have funding

[4:28:29] available.

[4:28:31] These interpreters are ready to

[4:28:33] work, invest, create jobs in

[4:28:35] our county, in district 2 and

[4:28:35] grow.

[4:28:38] What they are missing is not

[4:28:39] determination, they have it.

[4:28:40] They have it.

[4:28:42] They just need our support and

[4:28:45] we ought to find a way.

[4:28:51] We will find a way.

[4:28:53] And as for affordable housing.

[4:28:57] We all know miami-dade is

[4:29:01] facing a crisis, and

[4:29:04] affordability crisis.

[4:29:06] We have to be honest about what

[4:29:10] affordable means.

[4:29:12] Affordable housing most be

[4:29:14] affordable for the people who

[4:29:15] actually live and work here,

[4:29:22] our seniors, our teachers.

[4:29:23] Our home health aides.

[4:29:26] Our public servants, our safety

[4:29:26] officers.

[4:29:34] Our surgeons, our working

[4:29:35] families.

[4:29:36] We cannot continue approving

[4:29:38] programs that look good on

[4:29:39] paper but failed to reach the

[4:29:41] people who need them the most.

[4:29:48] Residents do not need another

[4:29:50] brochure telling them where to

[4:29:52] apply, they need help staying

[4:29:53] in their homes.

[4:29:54] They need help now.

[4:29:56] They need help staying in their

[4:29:57] homes.

[4:29:59] When a families $500 short on

[4:30:01] rent, those $500 can determine

[4:30:07] whether they remain housed or

[4:30:09] end up in a shelter.

[4:30:10] When a senior must choose

[4:30:12] between rent and education that

[4:30:19] is not a budget mistake, that

[4:30:20] is someone's life.

[4:30:22] We need immediate assistance

[4:30:24] while continuing to build

[4:30:26] long-term affordable housing

[4:30:27] solutions and I'm proud that

[4:30:29] with your support we've been

[4:30:30] able to pass legislation to

[4:30:32] look at the way we assess the

[4:30:32] ami.

[4:30:36] In closing, how do we put

[4:30:38] people first?

[4:30:43] Our people, our residents, our

[4:30:45] best assets.

[4:30:49] Our county employees are our

[4:30:53] best assets.

[4:30:56] At the end of the day this

[4:31:00] budget comes down to

[4:31:01] priorities.

[4:31:03] I understand resources are

[4:31:03] limited.

[4:31:10] I know it.

[4:31:12] Discussed it, I know but

[4:31:13] limited resources do not mean

[4:31:17] limited responsibility.

[4:31:19] For me, the priority is clear.

[4:31:22] The people, the residence.

[4:31:24] The residence driving on a

[4:31:24] neglected road.

[4:31:28] The family whose streets flood

[4:31:36] and we saw that a year ago.

[4:31:37] The senior waiting for

[4:31:38] transportation, the small

[4:31:40] business owner fighting to stay

[4:31:42] open, the mother trying to keep

[4:31:47] a roof over her children's

[4:31:47] heads.

[4:31:49] These are the people behind the

[4:31:51] numbers and as we consider this

[4:31:52] budget, these are the people we

[4:31:54] need to think about when we

[4:31:56] welcome these numbers tonight.

[4:32:02] And in a couple of weeks.

[4:32:14] District 2 has waited long

[4:32:14] enough.

[4:32:16] Our residents have paid their

[4:32:18] taxes, raise their families,

[4:32:20] opened businesses and build our

[4:32:20] communities.

[4:32:22] Now it's time for this county

[4:32:23] to invest in them.

[4:32:25] We need accountability, we need

[4:32:26] investment and above all we

[4:32:28] need to put people first.

[4:32:33] That is a miami-dade county i

[4:32:35] am fighting for, that is the

[4:32:37] district 2 I am fighting for

[4:32:38] and that is the miami-dade

[4:32:40] county our residents reserve

[4:32:41] deserve.

[4:32:42] I'm looking forward to continue

[4:32:44] this conversation about how to

[4:32:50] our esidents, our people, our

[4:32:51] families first.

[4:32:56] MR. Chair, I thank you and

[4:32:59] MADAME Mayor and steph, thank

[4:33:00] you and I'm looking forward to

[4:33:04] our continued conversation.

[4:33:05] >>chair: thank you commissioner

[4:33:07] for that well-rounded

[4:33:08] commentary.

[4:33:10] Commissioner from district 1,

[4:33:24] you are recognized.

[4:33:26] >>commissioner gilbert: thank

[4:33:27] you MR. CHAIRMAN.

[4:33:29] Let me start by saying a couple

[4:33:29] of things.

[4:33:34] 've been homeless

[4:33:34] before.

[4:33:36] I've been homeless before, I've

[4:33:37] been hungry before.

[4:33:42] I've caught the 5:00 A.M. Bus

[4:33:42] before.

[4:33:44] I still remember walking down

[4:33:49] 175th street 17th avenue and

[4:33:51] catching the 27 age of the

[4:33:52] metrorail to get to law school.

[4:33:57] I still remember that.

[4:34:00] Look, I'm dependent on the

[4:34:05] kindness of strangers and a

[4:34:07] community before.

[4:34:09] I've been a prosecutor before.

[4:34:17] I've had to work to divide

[4:34:19] people because of the things

[4:34:21] they've did so I've been a part

[4:34:23] of keeping a community safe

[4:34:23] before.

[4:34:26] I'm a homeowner in this

[4:34:26] community.

[4:34:31] I'm a father and a husband, son

[4:34:34] and the brother and a friend.

[4:34:44] In this community.

[4:34:46] I say those things because I

[4:34:47] want you all to appreciate I

[4:34:49] understand and appreciate all

[4:34:51] the comments that were made by

[4:34:52] everybody who spoke up.

[4:34:54] I didn't hear anybody though

[4:34:55] say I want my taxes to be

[4:34:56] higher.

[4:34:58] You want a dedicated source for

[4:35:01] cultural affairs, I do too.

[4:35:05] I think that is actually is a

[4:35:07] benefit to the economy.

[4:35:13] I think it grows jobs and it

[4:35:15] makes us stronger, I believe

[4:35:16] that.

[4:35:21] You want more money for law

[4:35:23] enforcement, I believe that law

[4:35:26] enforcement is an indispensable

[4:35:41] part of any successful society,

[4:35:42] period, full stop.

[4:35:43] I believe first responders when

[4:35:45] we call you we need you to come

[4:35:47] quick because you're the

[4:35:48] difference between life and

[4:35:49] death.

[4:35:50] Cbo's taking care of the people

[4:35:52] who some of you step over in

[4:35:55] the street in the real world.

[4:35:57] Some of the people in this

[4:35:58] audience right now step over

[4:36:00] those people in the street.

[4:36:02] I get the severity of what we

[4:36:04] are doing.

[4:36:06] But I need everybody who spoke

[4:36:12] and I hope you're listening to

[4:36:13] understand the balance is real.

[4:36:24] We are not sitting up your same

[4:36:26] we wouldn't give you $2 million

[4:36:27] if you asked for it, that's not

[4:36:28] what we are saying.

[4:36:30] We are not saying we wouldn't

[4:36:37] fund every shelter, every cbo,

[4:36:39] every cultural arts program.

[4:36:41] Every economic development

[4:36:43] program, we are not saying any

[4:36:44] of those things.

[4:36:46] We are saying there's a finite

[4:36:47] amount of resources.

[4:36:49] And we are the 13 charged with

[4:36:53] architecting the balance.

[4:36:56] It's the balance that's tricky.

[4:37:04] As we go through this, I have

[4:37:05] questions for the

[4:37:07] administration and the

[4:37:08] constitution.

[4:37:11] About specific requests but I

[4:37:22] need you to grasp the concept

[4:37:23] of the balance.

[4:37:25] Because I understand wherever

[4:37:27] that harold is and channel 4,

[4:37:29] all those folks are there going

[4:37:31] to talk about what we didn't

[4:37:31] do.

[4:37:33] They won't talk about what we

[4:37:35] did do because every dollar we

[4:37:37] didn't give you was program for

[4:37:38] a kid or a senior.

[4:37:40] And it's complicated.

[4:37:42] And while we are all elected

[4:37:46] officials it's not easily

[4:37:54] discerned through public

[4:37:54] opinion.

[4:37:56] Because they are not really

[4:37:57] getting bad, they are just

[4:37:59] getting, they didn't get what

[4:38:01] they wanted, what they thought

[4:38:03] was important.

[4:38:05] Since I was a city COUNCILMAN

[4:38:06] In miami gardens as mayor of

[4:38:08] miami gardens, as a county

[4:38:10] commissioner and CHAIRMAN Here

[4:38:12] and hopefully GOD willing in

[4:38:13] congress, I will ignore that

[4:38:16] and always focus on the greater

[4:38:18] good for the greater number,

[4:38:20] the utilitarian.

[4:38:23] All to understand we are safer

[4:38:37] MADAME Chair on the sides that

[4:38:37] go down.

[4:38:40] I value law enforcement in ways

[4:38:41] you can never truly understand

[4:38:43] but I understand us being safer

[4:38:45] isn't just law enforcement,

[4:38:46] it's parks, it's also cbo's,

[4:38:48] the streets are going to eat

[4:38:50] and if people are hungry they

[4:38:51] commit crime.

[4:38:52] If people have no other

[4:38:54] recourse they do things that we

[4:38:57] think and we determine are

[4:38:57] unacceptable.

[4:39:02] It's so easy to make life and

[4:39:04] decisions linear.

[4:39:06] but they aren't.

[4:39:09] They aren't, and I won't

[4:39:12] pretend for any of you.

[4:39:18] My conversations in this last

[4:39:20] of my first budget hearings,

[4:39:34] I'm going to be real honest

[4:39:35] conversations.

[4:39:36] There are a bunch of needs that

[4:39:37] have to be met.

[4:39:39] There's some things I think are

[4:39:40] nonstarter's.

[4:39:41] Non-starters, we're going to

[4:39:43] have enough to make this

[4:39:44] community safe, we won't have

[4:39:46] enough to allow our employees

[4:39:48] to actually come to work and

[4:39:53] live in dignity in this county.

[4:39:54] We are going to do those

[4:39:56] things, we're going to have

[4:39:58] enough to ensure cbo's who are

[4:40:04] taking care of the least among

[4:40:04] us,

[4:40:06] christian value, that's my

[4:40:06] value.

[4:40:08] That which you do into the

[4:40:13] least of them you also do unto

[4:40:13] me.

[4:40:15] I don't spend a lot of time

[4:40:17] quoting bible verses but that's

[4:40:18] what I believe.

[4:40:24] We can't be people who say that

[4:40:28] we are good and we value and we

[4:40:31] care about everyone and then we

[4:40:41] dig deep on the programs who

[4:40:43] take care of the people who

[4:40:44] can't take care of themselves.

[4:40:46] That was my position when we

[4:40:47] voted.

[4:40:49] I appreciate all the requests,

[4:40:55] nobody said the pain word so

[4:40:57] you're telling us you want to

[4:40:58] strike a balance so be prepared

[4:41:01] to take a haircut.

[4:41:02] That's real.

[4:41:05] There are things that we don't

[4:41:13] say out loud because it's not

[4:41:15] popular among us to get elected

[4:41:16] when we're talking about it but

[4:41:18] in the real world we are not

[4:41:19] here and we haven't had a bus

[4:41:21] fare increase but gas kept

[4:41:21] going up.

[4:41:24] And labor kept going up.

[4:41:28] And insurance kept going up.

[4:41:31] We artificially suppressed that

[4:41:33] because we understand that

[4:41:36] people don't have a lot in

[4:41:37] their wages don't increase at

[4:41:41] the same rate that the cost of

[4:41:42] living does.

[4:41:45] So we suppress that and I'm not

[4:41:49] saying we shouldn't but I'm

[4:41:50] saying you should acknowledge

[4:41:52] that because when you talk

[4:41:54] about not cutting out that

[4:41:57] early bus route and I took,

[4:42:02] you're also saying it's okay

[4:42:04] that it's the exact same amount

[4:42:10] and gas is a full two dollars

[4:42:10] higher.

[4:42:16] We labor in the delusions of a

[4:42:16] lie.

[4:42:19] And because we all agree,

[4:42:23] because we all agree to it, it

[4:42:27] becomes a functional truth.

[4:42:35] But that doesn't make it

[4:42:35] physics.

[4:42:37] It just makes it an agreed upon

[4:42:37] lie.

[4:42:39] Unless we are willing to have

[4:42:41] conversations about the actual

[4:42:49] cost of things and what it

[4:42:50] actually costs to do things

[4:42:52] including pay our officers,

[4:42:53] including pay our firefighters,

[4:42:55] they are bus drivers because

[4:42:57] their salaries are built into

[4:42:58] those bus fares.

[4:43:00] We keep giving them

[4:43:02] cost-of-living increases but we

[4:43:04] don't increase the bus fare.

[4:43:07] The two basic ways you pay for

[4:43:07] things.

[4:43:08] And government.

[4:43:12] User fees, which means when you

[4:43:15] go to a park you pay the actual

[4:43:20] cost for something or taxes.

[4:43:23] Hich means we agree as a

[4:43:26] collective that this is so

[4:43:27] important that we will

[4:43:29] subsidize it.

[4:43:30] Those are the two basic ways

[4:43:35] you pay for things in

[4:43:35] government.

[4:43:38] We are literally saying we will

[4:43:41] do neither.

[4:43:46] That is not real.

[4:43:48] I will not lie to you, I will

[4:43:51] tell you the truth.

[4:44:03] User fee or tax.

[4:44:05] If you want us to come

[4:44:07] services, I want you all to

[4:44:08] understand what cutting

[4:44:09] services means.

[4:44:11] It means firing people.

[4:44:12] Cutting services is a nice way

[4:44:14] of saying MADAME Mayor that

[4:44:16] services attached to a person

[4:44:20] who has a house, a mortgage, a

[4:44:22] family, a car note, that

[4:44:23] services your neighbor.

[4:44:25] It's your cousin, it's your

[4:44:28] brother, that service is this

[4:44:28] community.

[4:44:33] If we could, if we could have

[4:44:35] an honest conversation about

[4:44:40] what we want relative to what

[4:44:44] we are willing to pay for, I

[4:44:48] would be cool with that.

[4:44:49] That's the conversation that

[4:44:50] best serves this community.

[4:44:55] That's the conversation that

[4:44:56] even when I am no longer a

[4:45:00] member of this body I value

[4:45:02] because you wall, I got my tax

[4:45:09] bill in the mail, where is the

[4:45:10] tax collector, I didn't like it

[4:45:11] at all.

[4:45:13] It was like $12,000 and my

[4:45:14] house is small.

[4:45:15] You know what I'm going to do?

[4:45:17] I'm going to pay it.

[4:45:26] I'm going to pay it because I

[4:45:27] understand what it pays for.

[4:45:29] My next-door neighbor had a

[4:45:31] fire, their house caught on

[4:45:32] fire two days ago literally.

[4:45:34] You came, you did a good job.

[4:45:36] There was a disturbance down

[4:45:37] the street.

[4:45:45] you all came, you did a good

[4:45:46] job.

[4:45:47] I caught the bus with you all,

[4:45:49] I understand what it provides

[4:45:50] and while not every person

[4:45:52] takes advantage of everything,

[4:45:53] I need us to get this.

[4:45:55] We are not, we are miami-dade,

[4:45:58] we are not monticello.

[4:46:00] We are not one of these small

[4:46:05] places where things, you can

[4:46:05] figure it out.

[4:46:08] We are sophisticated urbanized

[4:46:09] area that's trying to become

[4:46:13] the capital of a hemisphere.

[4:46:18] We need actual social services.

[4:46:20] If we don't have social

[4:46:26] services in two years, that

[4:46:28] will be not a billion but 2

[4:46:29] billion, we need a lot more

[4:46:30] police officers.

[4:46:33] That's the reality in which we

[4:46:34] live.

[4:46:37] We need to embrace that.

[4:46:43] Thank you MR. CHAIRMAN.

[4:46:45] >>chair: thank you, senator

[4:46:51] garcia.

[4:46:53] >>senator garcia: want to thank

[4:46:55] the commissioners, all the

[4:46:56] people who came to testify,

[4:46:58] it's hard to get to downtown

[4:47:00] and I appreciate you, looking

[4:47:02] out in the audience is amazing

[4:47:06] to see the shirts and everyone

[4:47:07] advocating for their positions

[4:47:09] and their organizations and the

[4:47:11] things they believe in, that's

[4:47:12] what democracy is about and

[4:47:14] it's awesome when democracy so

[4:47:16] many people around the world

[4:47:21] don't have this opportunity be

[4:47:23] mindful of how blessed we are

[4:47:25] to testify and have a voice and

[4:47:26] I want to thank you all very

[4:47:28] much but thank you our first

[4:47:30] responders, firefighters and

[4:47:32] all our first responders I

[4:47:34] think everyone in this county

[4:47:35] commission can say we are

[4:47:41] extremely proud of the caliber

[4:47:43] and personnel of folks that

[4:47:44] represent us on the street

[4:47:46] every day that do the work we

[4:47:48] don't want to do, that we

[4:47:50] sometimes complain when we get

[4:47:52] tickets, when we need you there

[4:47:54] you're always there, want to

[4:47:55] thank you on the response time

[4:47:57] that we have, we have an

[4:47:58] amazing incredible response

[4:48:00] time, wish we could do better

[4:48:03] but we call for an urban

[4:48:04] community and the size we are

[4:48:06] we are sure proud of our first

[4:48:08] responders thank you very much

[4:48:10] from the bottom of my heart,

[4:48:16] you guys always stand with us

[4:48:17] not only as elected officials

[4:48:19] bus stand with our community

[4:48:20] and with all our employees,

[4:48:22] thank you all of you who make

[4:48:23] us proud.

[4:48:34] Without you this community

[4:48:36] won't work and there's not one

[4:48:37] area that is less than the

[4:48:38] other.

[4:48:39] We are all equally important

[4:48:41] because we are part of that

[4:48:43] spokes and wheel system and we

[4:48:44] have to work together to get

[4:48:46] this community to move forward

[4:48:47] especially when we talk about

[4:48:48] solid waste.

[4:48:50] I appreciate the folks that

[4:48:52] came to talk about solid waste.

[4:48:54] For me it's a public health

[4:48:55] issue.

[4:48:56] Without you, this community

[4:48:57] will fall apart.

[4:48:59] And you don't have to go that

[4:48:59] far.

[4:49:01] Go to 90 miles away from us and

[4:49:02] you see what's happening in

[4:49:08] cuba, what's happening in

[4:49:09] havana when we are not

[4:49:10] collecting the garbage.

[4:49:12] It really is very sad what is

[4:49:14] happening over there because of

[4:49:15] the lack of solid waste

[4:49:15] personnel.

[4:49:17] i want to tell you I don't know

[4:49:19] how this community turned into

[4:49:21] that and I've been working with

[4:49:25] the administration to see what

[4:49:27] we need to do to ensure we

[4:49:29] don't get there but I do want

[4:49:31] to thank commissioner gilbert

[4:49:33] for sharing those remarks, it's

[4:49:35] great we get to learn about

[4:49:41] people every day more and more

[4:49:43] and I'm new that about

[4:49:44] commissioner gilbert being on

[4:49:46] the street and we talked about

[4:49:48] it, you were able to talk about

[4:49:56] it earlier and it really is

[4:49:57] impressive you can share such

[4:49:59] personal stories with us but

[4:50:00] not on mayor if I can I have a

[4:50:02] couple questions on the budget

[4:50:02] itself.

[4:50:04] I want to thank you for working

[4:50:05] with us.

[4:50:07] I want to thank you for the

[4:50:08] work you've done for this

[4:50:09] budget.

[4:50:11] It is a reflection of our

[4:50:13] priorities and I'm glad this

[4:50:15] budget has been implemented

[4:50:17] last year so I appreciate the

[4:50:19] work we've done but I have a

[4:50:21] couple questions not unfamiliar

[4:50:23] especially in transportation

[4:50:25] and I do want to talk about

[4:50:26] solid waste, I have a couple

[4:50:28] questions so MADAME Director,

[4:50:28] be ready.

[4:50:29] Hen we look at,

[4:50:30] when we talk about overtime,

[4:50:34] the operational procedures that

[4:50:36] you're planning on

[4:50:37] implementing, going to

[4:50:48] transportation first.

[4:50:50] Okay MADAME Mayor, let's do

[4:50:50] this.

[4:50:52] If there is a reduction in bus

[4:50:53] services explain why overtime

[4:50:55] has increased?

[4:50:57] >>vice chair mcghee: you are

[4:50:58] recognized MADAME Mayor.

[4:51:00] >>mayor cava: are deputy mayor

[4:51:01] will start.

[4:51:04] >>vice chair mcghee: you are

[4:51:15] recognized collects senator

[4:51:17] garcia what you'll notice in

[4:51:18] that budget is we've got

[4:51:20] escalating costs in both fuel

[4:51:22] expenses operation maintenance

[4:51:24] expenses, we have to overtime

[4:51:25] because we are continuously

[4:51:27] hiring bus drivers so those

[4:51:29] numbers are escalating but if

[4:51:30] we did not cut anything it

[4:51:35] would escalate much more.

[4:51:37] >>senator garcia: one of the

[4:51:39] things I noticed and it happens

[4:51:40] across different parts of the

[4:51:42] budget with the metrics, some

[4:51:44] of the metrics I see that were

[4:51:45] off or we are ignoring the

[4:51:47] metrics, can you explain why we

[4:51:48] are doing some of those metrics

[4:51:50] and a perfect example on page

[4:51:52] 64 you have a targeted 80% for

[4:51:53] facilities meeting state of

[4:51:55] good repair ranking number

[4:51:56] three.

[4:51:57] In previous years we've

[4:51:59] achieved 90% meeting that

[4:52:00] threshold, explain why we are

[4:52:02] reducing that threshold, can

[4:52:11] you explain, that's on page 64.

[4:52:15] On transportation.

[4:52:21] Volume 2.

[4:52:24] >>mayor cava: stacy miller our

[4:52:26] director.

[4:52:29] >> good evening MADAME Director

[4:52:30] .

[4:52:38] Can we raise her microphone

[4:52:38] please?

[4:52:44] Good evening.

[4:52:46] >> good evening, stacy miller,

[4:52:48] ceo department of

[4:52:52] transportation and public works

[4:52:52] .

[4:52:53] >>vice chair mcghee: the

[4:52:57] senator had a question.

[4:53:00] >> you mentioned metrics and in

[4:53:01] metrics you have a targeted 80%

[4:53:03] of cities expected fiscal year,

[4:53:11] during the fiscal year meeting

[4:53:13] state repair ranking greater

[4:53:15] than three, we've achieved 90%

[4:53:17] of facilities meeting that

[4:53:18] threshold, explain why we are

[4:53:22] reducing the metric.

[4:53:24] >> we've always achieved higher

[4:53:26] than the standard required so

[4:53:28] while we are reducing it our

[4:53:29] expectation is that we will

[4:53:31] continue to achieve a higher

[4:53:33] rate of that standard.

[4:53:35] Unfortunately though given the

[4:53:36] situation we are in and the

[4:53:38] volume of work we have and

[4:53:39] number of staff we have we want

[4:53:41] to adjust that but we still

[4:53:43] intend to achieve higher than

[4:53:49] an 80% review.

[4:53:54] >>senator garcia: when we see

[4:53:56] that we are going to decrease

[4:53:59] the wait time by 15% of budget,

[4:54:05] how are we reaching that 15%

[4:54:06] reduction in wait time when we

[4:54:10] are cutting bus routes?

[4:54:12] >> I'm sorry, what section is

[4:54:18] that in?

[4:54:20] >>senator garcia: I don't know

[4:54:22] where the section is.

[4:54:23] Performance of the metrics

[4:54:25] metro bus to 78 on time.

[4:54:27] >> 78% is our on-time

[4:54:34] performance metric.

[4:54:35] Our goal is to ensure we are

[4:54:37] getting as close to that metric

[4:54:39] as possible with the wraps that

[4:54:40] we retain.

[4:54:41] As part of the services we

[4:54:53] continue to perform.

[4:54:54] >>senator garcia: I'm not

[4:54:56] trying to be adversarial, I'm

[4:54:58] trying to point out there is

[4:55:00] discrepancies in some of these

[4:55:01] numbers and maybe we can work

[4:55:03] on these numbers in the budget

[4:55:04] process.

[4:55:05] Ecause we are

[4:55:06] starting to reduce some of

[4:55:07] these bus routes.

[4:55:09] I don't understand how we can

[4:55:11] then come back and say we are

[4:55:12] trying to reduce the wait time

[4:55:14] so that to me doesn't quite

[4:55:16] make sense but we will continue

[4:55:18] to do that and continue to have

[4:55:20] conversations from here as we

[4:55:22] move forward but just increase.

[4:55:23] The last thing I talked about

[4:55:24] in transportation we are

[4:55:26] talking about increasing fares

[4:55:28] and I'll tell you this I think

[4:55:32] we should have a conversation,

[4:55:34] commissioner gilbert was right

[4:55:40] about the fact we have not had

[4:55:42] any of these fair increases

[4:55:43] throughout 13 or 14 years and

[4:55:45] yet costs have gone up and I

[4:55:47] can have talk about fair

[4:55:49] increases as long as we are

[4:55:51] having a conversation we can

[4:55:57] use these dollars wisely

[4:55:59] because we just can't go to the

[4:56:01] public and say we're going to

[4:56:03] increase here and show them

[4:56:04] what we are doing with the

[4:56:06] dollars and say it's safe on

[4:56:08] the other side so I think it's

[4:56:10] important especially when we

[4:56:13] look at metrorail we look at

[4:56:15] metro mover, those are honest

[4:56:16] conversations we need to have

[4:56:17] as a board.

[4:56:19] Why are we continuously having

[4:56:23] metro mover and I understand

[4:56:25] we're going to have metrorail

[4:56:27] free or metro mover free but

[4:56:28] it's gotten to the point this

[4:56:30] is now a system that a lot of

[4:56:32] folks with money are using on a

[4:56:34] day-to-day basis and yet people

[4:56:36] that live in my district have

[4:56:38] to take the metrorail and still

[4:56:40] have to pay for it yet we are

[4:56:45] subsidizing the system for the

[4:56:46] wealthy.

[4:56:47] I'll go ahead and say that

[4:56:49] maybe as we move forward

[4:56:54] members we should explore some

[4:56:55] ideas and thoughts on what is

[4:56:59] and I get it mayor, we've had

[4:57:00] conversations and it will take

[4:57:02] time to ramp up and is not

[4:57:04] necessarily going to help this

[4:57:06] budget it's something that

[4:57:07] folks have to do something

[4:57:09] about because folks to the

[4:57:10] south have to pay and the folks

[4:57:15] to the north will have to pay,

[4:57:17] why doesn't downtown have to

[4:57:20] pay and that's the simple

[4:57:20] reality.

[4:57:22] MADAME Mayor I don't know if we

[4:57:24] could come up with planning on

[4:57:25] that and director miller if we

[4:57:33] could have some elasticity

[4:57:34] models when we look at these

[4:57:36] rate increases because I don't

[4:57:38] think necessarily because we

[4:57:42] increase our freight doesn't

[4:57:43] mean we will have decreased

[4:57:44] users.

[4:57:45] It's important to build that

[4:57:47] into some of the modeling we

[4:57:49] have so I would appreciate

[4:57:49] that.

[4:57:50] And I think for now department

[4:57:54] of transportation not on mayor.

[4:57:56] >>mayor cava: we did put some

[4:57:58] examples in the change memo but

[4:58:06] we could certainly do more

[4:58:07] modeling and there MAY be other

[4:58:09] ideas that emerge from the

[4:58:11] discussion and we can review

[4:58:12] individually as well as come

[4:58:16] back to the board for more

[4:58:17] details.

[4:58:19] >>senator garcia: thank you for

[4:58:20] working with our office, can we

[4:58:22] go to solid waste now?

[4:58:28] >>mayor cava: yes.

[4:58:30] >>senator garcia: help me out

[4:58:31] on the carry over and reserves,

[4:58:33] we anticipate a $322,000

[4:58:37] reserves or $322,000 reserves

[4:58:39] but carryover shows 383, there

[4:58:43] is the roughly 30,000 coming

[4:58:43] from?

[4:58:47] >>mayor cava: alicia daniels

[4:58:55] will answer the question.

[4:58:57] >> good evening, through the

[4:58:59] chair, could you repeat the

[4:59:08] question please.

[4:59:10] >>senator garcia: there is a

[4:59:11] discrepancy between carryover

[4:59:13] and reserves, you anticipate

[4:59:15] 332 million reserves but

[4:59:16] carryover shows 333 million.

[4:59:18] There is a discrepancy of 30

[4:59:34] million, can you go to the top?

[4:59:36] >> that's not a discrepancy.

[4:59:37] With the budget basically with

[4:59:40] the reserves the reserves is

[4:59:42] basically your balance but then

[4:59:42] your budget.

[4:59:44] So you see on 2526, you see

[4:59:46] your carryover of 348 million.

[4:59:48] For a total budget of the

[4:59:49] hundred 35 so in order to

[4:59:51] balance the budget you have to

[4:59:52] 322 million grid for a total

[4:59:54] budget and you have your

[4:59:55] carryover that grows into the

[4:59:56] next year.

[4:59:58] That number is not going to be

[4:59:59] the same.

[5:00:00] >>senator garcia: would

[5:00:01] normally be the same?

[5:00:03] Class not your reserves and

[5:00:04] carryover.

[5:00:05] >>senator garcia: in other

[5:00:07] parts of the budget we see that

[5:00:13] they are matching, not in the

[5:00:15] enterprise, maybe from the

[5:00:18] enterprise so what is that

[5:00:19] difference, what is that

[5:00:37] difference coming from?

[5:00:38] Right, let me get back to you.

[5:00:40] I'm looking at the numbers but

[5:00:42] I want to make sure I get the

[5:00:43] information but I'm looking at

[5:01:00] the numbers here.

[5:01:01] >>senator garcia: give me a

[5:01:03] second here, we also have

[5:01:04] targets here, percentage of

[5:01:06] complaints, respondents, new 2

[5:01:08] business days when action has

[5:01:10] been 100% but we are proposing

[5:01:12] 25%, why are we changing

[5:01:12] targets?

[5:01:13] >> when we are putting the

[5:01:14] budget together we are

[5:01:16] forecasting what our goals

[5:01:18] should be for the year so for

[5:01:20] contingency purposes because we

[5:01:22] have attrition we are looking

[5:01:24] at 95% but nonetheless in the

[5:01:25] past two years we've received

[5:01:27] 100% so we put in a goal with

[5:01:29] the anticipation we could reach

[5:01:31] 100 but this is based on making

[5:01:33] sure we could reach two days of

[5:01:34] enforcement then I'm not going

[5:01:39] to reach that.

[5:01:41] >>senator garcia: on fuel

[5:01:42] trending downward, why is that

[5:01:44] because fuel is going up across

[5:01:46] the boardrd because in

[5:01:47] transportation there was an

[5:01:49] issue with that as s well.

[5:01:50] Why is that?

[5:01:52] >> in my current year budget we

[5:01:53] budgeted $7.5 million for all

[5:02:00] our equipment.

[5:02:02] We are trending over $2 million

[5:02:04] in our end of year forecast for

[5:02:05] fuel based on inflation and

[5:02:06] cost of fuel.

[5:02:08] When we looked at the numbers

[5:02:30] based on the energy website,

[5:02:31] the war or things were expected

[5:02:33] to end in two months so based

[5:02:35] on the website it showed that

[5:02:37] number was going to taper out

[5:02:38] so when we looked at our

[5:02:40] forecast for the year we

[5:02:41] forecasted the number would

[5:02:43] take up but then going back

[5:02:45] outward flattening out to where

[5:02:46] it was.

[5:02:48] You'll see my forecast for fuel

[5:02:49] is somewhat in line with my

[5:02:51] current budget based on the

[5:02:52] fact we thought the number was

[5:02:54] going to go back down but we

[5:02:56] anticipate now that number MAY

[5:02:57] go higher.

[5:02:58] >>senator garcia: I appreciate

[5:03:01] your response and you have been

[5:03:02] accessible to us and we had

[5:03:04] great conversations with all of

[5:03:06] us I'm sure and I thank you for

[5:03:06] that.

[5:03:08] I was one that voted against

[5:03:09] the cpi, it's something even

[5:03:11] this county commission voted in

[5:03:12] favor of the previous years.

[5:03:15] Think it's important we try to

[5:03:16] revisit that at some point

[5:03:18] because my concern MADAME Mayor

[5:03:20] of what you did with the budget

[5:03:21] seeing some of the reductions

[5:03:23] in our waste collection

[5:03:26] especially illegal dumping.

[5:03:28] Is there a way we have any

[5:03:29] plans on trying to recoup that

[5:03:31] or fix that or what does that

[5:03:33] mean if we've got some of these

[5:03:34] illegal dumping programs,

[5:03:36] doesn't mean we cut the program

[5:03:39] completely or time to respond?

[5:03:41] >> it's based on the response

[5:03:43] time, we had 8 million for the

[5:03:45] county and the reduction of 4

[5:03:47] crews will reduce the response

[5:03:49] time by half so instead of it

[5:03:50] taking 4 days it could take up

[5:03:56] to eight days.

[5:03:58] >>senator garcia: it doesn't

[5:03:59] mean they're cutting the

[5:04:01] program completely, it will

[5:04:02] just take more time to respond.

[5:04:04] We share district boundaries

[5:04:05] and municipalities in ohio

[5:04:12] young gardens.

[5:04:14] We have an area that's

[5:04:16] constantly problematic for all

[5:04:18] of us with dumping and we had

[5:04:19] to work together to make sure

[5:04:21] we take care of that so we need

[5:04:23] to focus on as we move forward

[5:04:24] in the budget but I do think

[5:04:26] it's important that we

[5:04:28] recognize that we need to start

[5:04:30] taking serious consideration on

[5:04:32] some of the issues that

[5:04:33] commissioner gilbert mentions.

[5:04:35] But I think it's important if

[5:04:38] we are going to raise any fees

[5:04:41] we have to make sure we give

[5:04:42] back and show how we are

[5:04:44] spending those tax dollars and

[5:04:55] I can tell you we talked about

[5:04:56] metrorail and metro mover,

[5:04:58] sport issues we need to start

[5:04:59] considering if we can look at

[5:05:01] those numbers and bring them

[5:05:02] back I am all in ensuring that

[5:05:04] we do it in a responsible way

[5:05:06] and looking at how we become

[5:05:08] more innovative and I hate to

[5:05:21] use the word ai but using some

[5:05:23] of the technology available to

[5:05:25] ensure we try to streamline

[5:05:26] some of the processes we have

[5:05:28] but overall I want to thank you

[5:05:30] MADAME Mayor and your staff and

[5:05:31] your team for taking care of

[5:05:33] parks, parks are important for

[5:05:35] me and thank you CHAIRMAN For

[5:05:37] watching the parks early on and

[5:05:38] our cbo's.

[5:05:39] I do want to let the cbo's and

[5:05:41] messaging go out there that

[5:05:43] times are getting tougher.

[5:05:44] We need to figure out a way to

[5:05:46] do more with less and this

[5:05:48] budget right now we are fine

[5:05:49] but we have to understand times

[5:05:51] might get more difficult and

[5:05:53] this is where I look to this

[5:05:54] county commission a couple

[5:05:56] years back since we've done

[5:05:57] since I was elected we knew we

[5:05:59] were going to be these outline

[5:06:00] years where it would be more

[5:06:03] difficult and more challenging

[5:06:05] and this is why we are finding

[5:06:07] ourselves in the situation.

[5:06:08] I want to mention one issue

[5:06:10] we've talked about in private

[5:06:12] is the tid funding, something

[5:06:13] we've got to figure out where

[5:06:15] we are using, I don't blame her

[5:06:17] because we have to figure out

[5:06:18] how we balance this budget but

[5:06:20] the reality is one of the

[5:06:24] biggest problems we have is

[5:06:29] give me money for the cbo.

[5:06:31] It was her phone by the way not

[5:06:34] mine, where is gilbert?

[5:06:35] >>commissioner gilbert: she

[5:06:39] need to give up 3%.

[5:06:41] >>senator garcia: on the tid, I

[5:06:42] understand the use of it, I'm

[5:06:51] not happy with it because

[5:06:52] transportation is a big problem

[5:06:54] in our community and it scares

[5:06:56] me to use these dollars and not

[5:06:58] have these dollars to draw down

[5:06:59] some federal dollars.

[5:07:08] I think that's an area where we

[5:07:09] do have some concern and I

[5:07:11] appreciate in your change memo

[5:07:13] we talked about, something I

[5:07:14] talked about a couple years

[5:07:16] back is making sure we use the

[5:07:18] surplus dollars to put that

[5:07:19] into a reserve for a rainy day

[5:07:20] fund.

[5:07:21] That's something important and

[5:07:23] I'll be willing to make that

[5:07:24] motion later on because we

[5:07:26] tried to get that done and I

[5:07:27] tried to do it a couple years

[5:07:29] back, couldn't get the votes

[5:07:31] but now it's a critical time

[5:07:32] and it wasn't all of us but I

[5:07:34] think we have to figure out,

[5:07:35] make sure we put these dollars

[5:07:37] in our reserves so we can have

[5:07:38] them and make sure we balance

[5:07:40] our budget so thank you but I

[5:07:47] appreciate you and

[5:07:49] commissioners thank you all and

[5:07:50] appreciate you and everyone

[5:07:51] that came out to speak.

[5:07:53] We have a long road but we've

[5:07:55] started on good footing and

[5:07:56] it's just a matter of letting,

[5:08:00] writing this ship in a couple

[5:08:00] weeks.

[5:08:02] >>chair: thank you senator,

[5:08:08] bermudez, are you ready?

[5:08:10] I'm kind of bouncing back and

[5:08:11] forth and I will come this way

[5:08:16] but floor is yours.

[5:08:17] >>commissioner bermudez: I've

[5:08:19] got mostly questions, since

[5:08:21] this is a process we want to

[5:08:30] finish tonight.

[5:08:32] >>chair: to answer senator

[5:08:33] garcia's comment in question

[5:08:35] when we take up each item

[5:08:36] motions will be appropriate at

[5:08:38] that time for any of my

[5:08:39] colleagues, it's questions

[5:08:41] right now and as we take each

[5:08:43] one you can make your emotions.

[5:08:44] >>commissioner bermudez: I've

[5:08:46] got questions mostly of the

[5:08:47] administration, just going to

[5:08:49] make them brief but I want to

[5:08:51] thank everybody, the public for

[5:08:53] being here, it's difficult to

[5:08:55] be here as an elected official,

[5:08:57] I can't imagine how difficult

[5:08:59] it is for you so thank you to

[5:09:01] the employees not only in the

[5:09:03] sheriff's office but other

[5:09:04] constitutional offices.

[5:09:06] All our employees, I shared MR.

[5:09:08] CHAIRMAN along the lines of the

[5:09:10] priorities you mentioned in the

[5:09:12] sentence of this budget,

[5:09:13] obviously our commission

[5:09:15] auditor gave us documents today

[5:09:18] that require review between now

[5:09:24] and the final budget meeting.

[5:09:25] I agree with senator garcia on

[5:09:26] the metro mover.

[5:09:28] Absolutely.

[5:09:30] But you know, the reality about

[5:09:34] a budget and commissioner

[5:09:36] gilbert talked about his

[5:09:38] experience personally and most

[5:09:45] of us coming from immigrant

[5:09:47] families understand even when

[5:09:49] things got better things were

[5:09:49] not always great so.

[5:09:51] >>chair: can you get a little

[5:09:52] closer to the microphone.

[5:09:53] >>commissioner bermudez: all of

[5:09:55] us understand like a family or

[5:09:57] a business we have to make

[5:10:01] tough decisions and sometimes

[5:10:05] you have enough money to buy

[5:10:07] dairy milk, other times it got

[5:10:09] to get one that is good.

[5:10:10] But I've got a couple questions

[5:10:16] I want to ask.

[5:10:18] ask the administration, I don't

[5:10:20] know if you have answers or not

[5:10:21] and if you don't I understand

[5:10:23] but the countywide general fund

[5:10:27] moved from 8.514 million

[5:10:27] surplus.

[5:10:29] What it would be now I assume

[5:10:34] last year to a deficit of 123

[5:10:35] million in one year, tell me

[5:10:41] why such a disparity or change.

[5:10:43] I mean, that's a big change.

[5:10:45] I understand change but that's

[5:10:49] a big one.

[5:10:51] >> your first number, could you

[5:10:55] say it again.

[5:10:56] >>commissioner bermudez: I

[5:10:58] don't have the book in front of

[5:11:05] me but surplus of 8.514 million

[5:11:05] .

[5:11:07] Basically year 2026, 2027 but

[5:11:08] now as I understand it there is

[5:11:10] a deficit of 123 million or

[5:11:11] more.

[5:11:12] Once the primary reason and we

[5:11:15] know costs have gone up by

[5:11:20] certain things but from your

[5:11:20] perspective.

[5:11:22] >> first of all, ray baker

[5:11:23] budget director.

[5:11:25] If you're looking at the

[5:11:34] five-year plan.

[5:11:35] Five-year plan on the

[5:11:37] countywide and umpsa for the

[5:11:39] last few years has shown we are

[5:11:45] essentially projecting a

[5:11:47] shortfall each year as we go

[5:11:49] into it and what's driving that

[5:11:50] is exactly the things we've

[5:11:52] proposed in the budget, rising

[5:11:54] costs, lower revenues.

[5:11:56] We saw our property tax values

[5:11:57] go down from 12% just a few

[5:12:02] years ago on the countywide

[5:12:04] increase all the way down to

[5:12:05] 5.4% this year and we see

[5:12:07] things like transit shortfall

[5:12:07] we have.

[5:12:09] Trying to plug the gap on those

[5:12:11] as a recurring shortfall and we

[5:12:13] are trying to plug each year

[5:12:14] now.

[5:12:16] >>commissioner bermudez: maybe

[5:12:19] that's not something we can get

[5:12:21] an answer to tonight but we

[5:12:23] have to close the gap and I

[5:12:24] don't believe it can happen

[5:12:26] dimly during the budget season.

[5:12:28] There has to be real thought

[5:12:29] given to this if we are going

[5:12:31] to go out which we should.

[5:12:33] And anticipate what can or

[5:12:34] cannot change.

[5:12:38] So I just want to, I'd like to

[5:12:45] hear eventually how are we

[5:12:46] going to close this gap and

[5:12:48] have those discussions

[5:12:49] constantly instead of at the

[5:12:51] last moment because that's just

[5:12:54] a tremendous difference, such a

[5:12:56] big difference that things will

[5:12:58] unless something drastic

[5:13:03] changes, it's just not going to

[5:13:04] be good for anybody.

[5:13:06] The other thing I've got

[5:13:07] questions about the reserves,

[5:13:12] which is how much if any of the

[5:13:14] reserves are available to close

[5:13:34] the future operating budget.

[5:13:37] >> currently we have about nine

[5:13:38] days operating capital and

[5:13:40] reserves which we think is a

[5:13:41] very low amount.

[5:13:42] That's basically when you

[5:13:44] consider fema has changed its

[5:13:46] reimbursement rules during the

[5:13:47] hurricane emergency from what

[5:13:49] we used to expect 90%

[5:13:51] reimbursement down to 75 so we

[5:13:52] think that nine days reserves

[5:13:53] is low.

[5:13:55] And we think we should add to

[5:13:56] those reserves anyway we can

[5:13:58] versus using reserves to fill

[5:13:59] in the other holes.

[5:14:00] >>.

[5:14:02] >>commissioner bermudez: I

[5:14:03] understand that.

[5:14:05] And phenol we don't control,

[5:14:06] but at any funds been added or

[5:14:08] withdrawn from the countywide

[5:14:09] or reserves during the last

[5:14:10] five fiscal years?

[5:14:18] Did you have those numbers?

[5:14:20] >> we did add 11 million to our

[5:14:21] reserves as part of the

[5:14:23] proposed budget but we will

[5:14:25] double check if there were any

[5:14:30] in the past.

[5:14:32] >>commissioner bermudez: that

[5:14:34] growth of the reserves is it

[5:14:36] going to deliberate annual

[5:14:37] contributions or primarily

[5:14:39] through departmental vacancies,

[5:14:42] there could be delayed projects

[5:14:44] on appropriations or in some

[5:14:51] cases which I doubt higher than

[5:14:51] revenues?

[5:14:53] But if they maybe in some cases

[5:14:54] do you know which one?

[5:14:56] Have you analyzed how that's

[5:14:56] coming from.

[5:14:59] >> I'm not following your

[5:15:01] question.

[5:15:02] >>commissioner bermudez: was

[5:15:16] $11 million, how are we get in?

[5:15:18] >> the best answer is in the

[5:15:20] lines 305 initiative we've been

[5:15:22] working on our departments have

[5:15:24] saved $100 million from their

[5:15:25] projected budget expenditures

[5:15:27] so we carry that over into this

[5:15:28] year.

[5:15:29] And those are based on

[5:15:30] assumptions, the amount going

[5:15:32] into reserves is based on the

[5:15:34] assumption we finish the year

[5:15:35] on the trajectory we think we

[5:15:37] are and the constitutional

[5:15:38] return what we projected they

[5:15:39] return and if all that comes

[5:15:41] out to what our assumptions are

[5:15:43] we can add that much to the

[5:15:45] reserves, obviously if any of

[5:15:46] our assumptions are off either

[5:15:48] way amount will adjust.

[5:15:49] >>commissioner bermudez: we

[5:15:52] need to monitor that with the

[5:15:53] constitutionalist.

[5:15:54] If for some reason those

[5:15:55] reserves were used to close

[5:15:57] this countywide gaps, you know

[5:16:03] how much would remain in

[5:16:03] reserves?

[5:16:05] >> if we reduce the 11 million

[5:16:07] that we are proposing to put in

[5:16:08] this year I think you'd be

[5:16:11] right around 85 million read

[5:16:13] our goal has been to get

[5:16:16] reserves up to the $100 million

[5:16:16] level.

[5:16:25] And for the county of our size,

[5:16:27] generally the recommended level

[5:16:29] of reserves would be around 500

[5:16:30] million so we are significantly

[5:16:43] below where we should be.

[5:16:44] >>commissioner bermudez: I

[5:16:46] guess that question is in a

[5:16:47] sense nonsensical because

[5:16:49] there's no way it will cover

[5:16:50] the amount or what one assumes

[5:16:52] would be reserves but the gaps

[5:16:53] would still be a problem.

[5:16:55] In this five-year forecast, at

[5:16:57] any point is there any

[5:16:58] assumption that the reserves

[5:17:00] will be used to balance

[5:17:06] projected gap difference.

[5:17:08] Okay, the ceos, I don't want to

[5:17:12] get too much into state and I

[5:17:14] feel for the cbo's because they

[5:17:16] do a great job, I still think

[5:17:26] they need to be monitored.

[5:17:28] In many different ways.

[5:17:30] I know you've done a great job

[5:17:32] and I want to thank nana mayor

[5:17:34] and the administration for

[5:17:35] doing that but we do have to

[5:17:37] review them constantly.

[5:17:39] If we know that some of these

[5:17:40] issues MAY occur after JANUARY

[5:17:42] 1 are we making sure that those

[5:17:44] funds number one that they

[5:17:44] comply.

[5:17:46] If we keep on giving them money

[5:17:47] afterwards with the law.

[5:17:50] And number two, if for some

[5:17:58] reason some of those funds are

[5:17:59] not able to be used because of

[5:18:01] a change in the law that will

[5:18:03] be effective the beginning of

[5:18:04] this year are there plans to

[5:18:06] reallocate some of those funds

[5:18:07] back to cover some of the gaps

[5:18:08] we have.

[5:18:12] >> MR. CHAIRMAN.

[5:18:14] Absolutely and sb 1134 you're

[5:18:23] referring to the di bill and

[5:18:25] we've been working closely with

[5:18:27] the county attorney's office to

[5:18:29] understand application of that

[5:18:30] as we move forward.

[5:18:30] Nd wait

[5:18:32] on JANUARY 1, 2027 when the

[5:18:34] bill becomes effective.

[5:18:35] Yes, we will be monitoring

[5:18:37] those, making sure any that

[5:18:40] could not comply with the law

[5:18:42] would not receive funding from

[5:18:43] the county and that in turn

[5:18:45] would potentially allow those

[5:18:47] funds to be reallocated.

[5:18:48] >>commissioner bermudez: I

[5:18:53] wanted to be clear we have to

[5:18:55] follow in my opinion after

[5:18:56] follow-up whatever the state

[5:18:58] says, is not going to be a good

[5:19:00] thing for us and I want to be

[5:19:01] clear on this one I agree with

[5:19:04] the county attorney's office

[5:19:06] interpretation but on overtime

[5:19:08] questions there's significant

[5:19:09] overtime in fire and

[5:19:10] corrections.

[5:19:12] There's also overtime in some

[5:19:13] constitutionalist those three

[5:19:15] and even in the collective, do

[5:19:17] we have a clear number of the

[5:19:20] amount overtime and overtime

[5:19:22] number.

[5:19:23] And to give you a simple

[5:19:29] follow-up do we expect these

[5:19:45] overtime numbers to continue to

[5:19:45] grow?

[5:19:48] >> commissioner, I don't expect

[5:19:49] continued growth but one thing

[5:19:51] to understand, some of this

[5:19:53] overtime is built into our

[5:19:55] collective bargaining

[5:19:55] agreements.

[5:19:57] It cannot get to zero.

[5:19:57] here

[5:19:59] are many provisions in the

[5:20:00] agreement where they have a

[5:20:02] minimum number of hours if they

[5:20:04] do certain things and that's

[5:20:05] normal course of business and

[5:20:07] when you add to that we have a

[5:20:09] very significant shortage

[5:20:11] countywide of professional

[5:20:12] drivers, we have a constant

[5:20:14] training program where we are

[5:20:15] hiring drivers, training them

[5:20:17] to drive our bosses, all our

[5:20:19] heavy equipment and we are

[5:20:21] paying overtime because we are

[5:20:22] always short a driver so

[5:20:24] there's always currently a

[5:20:25] demand on the drivers we have

[5:20:28] so that pushes overtime

[5:20:29] excessively.

[5:20:30] >>mayor cava: I'd like to add

[5:20:32] for example in corrections

[5:20:34] where we saw a major problem a

[5:20:36] few years back adjusted

[5:20:36] salaries.

[5:20:38] Did an aggressive hiring effort

[5:20:40] and significantly reduced

[5:20:41] overtime.

[5:20:42] And.

[5:20:44] >>commissioner bermudez: one of

[5:20:45] the ways overtime could be

[5:20:47] reduced is by sometimes because

[5:20:49] you got to compare how much

[5:20:51] does it cost to fill the open

[5:20:53] position when I'm paying extra

[5:20:55] because I'm not filling this

[5:20:55] position.

[5:20:57] That's kind of the clarity I

[5:20:59] think from my perspective, I

[5:21:00] can't speak for my colleagues I

[5:21:02] think is beneficial that when

[5:21:05] we look at a budget,

[5:21:07] >>mayor cava: would you like us

[5:21:09] to get history on the

[5:21:10] departments that have

[5:21:12] particular overtime as to what

[5:21:14] we've done to address the

[5:21:15] overtime concerns.

[5:21:17] >>commissioner bermudez: you're

[5:21:19] right on point, hiring somebody

[5:21:20] sometimes is better than

[5:21:22] continuing to pay more overtime

[5:21:23] and better for morale.

[5:21:30] And I think it's you know,

[5:21:32] overtime reduction plan being

[5:21:36] something that is cost savings

[5:21:38] I would agree would be a

[5:21:39] wonderful thing but the proof

[5:21:40] is in the pudding.

[5:21:42] Even though next to

[5:21:44] commissioner gilbert you've got

[5:21:46] me a little pudding which is

[5:21:47] good.

[5:21:48] But the proof is in the pudding

[5:21:50] and I think that's something

[5:21:51] from my perspective I went to

[5:21:59] look at.

[5:22:01] And I guess maybe in particular

[5:22:03] in corrections because I know

[5:22:04] there's legally mandated

[5:22:05] staffing requirements.

[5:22:07] I'm assuming we are maintaining

[5:22:09] all those numbers.

[5:22:16] Do you have an exact amount if

[5:22:18] there's any, is there a magic

[5:22:21] number overtime to maintain the

[5:22:22] legally mandated staffing post

[5:22:24] and inmate supervision in

[5:22:25] corrections?

[5:22:26] >>mayor cava: we can get you

[5:22:29] more details but it would be

[5:22:31] good for us to provide you more

[5:22:33] information but I want you to

[5:22:39] remember we were under federal

[5:22:40] supervision and to solve that

[5:22:42] problem which some of it was as

[5:22:44] a result of being understaffed

[5:22:45] we had to look at our salaries,

[5:22:50] are hiring bonuses.

[5:22:52] We did extensive recruitment

[5:22:54] and we were able to bring

[5:22:55] additional staff and now we are

[5:22:57] not having such a problem

[5:22:58] hiring.

[5:22:59] Over time however in the

[5:23:00] corrections system is now the

[5:23:02] result of the very large

[5:23:02] population.

[5:23:06] We are at 5200 inmates which is

[5:23:12] really way beyond what we would

[5:23:13] prefer to manage.

[5:23:15] We are managing it but we have

[5:23:24] to work with our entire law

[5:23:25] enforcement and courts and

[5:23:27] public defender and estate

[5:23:29] attorneys to resolve some of

[5:23:30] those issues and we are

[5:23:32] planning to convene to discuss

[5:23:33] to see how we can resolve some

[5:23:35] of the bottlenecks.

[5:23:36] >>commissioner bermudez: I

[5:23:38] think we are all happy we are

[5:23:40] out of the federal mandate and

[5:23:41] you guys did a good job trying

[5:23:43] to get us out of there and did

[5:23:49] it actually, your whole team

[5:23:51] but I think it's an issue we

[5:23:52] need to look at.

[5:23:52] N the

[5:23:54] illegal dumping, I share,

[5:23:55] senator garcia and I know the

[5:23:57] pain we have in an area we

[5:24:02] share and commissioner bastien

[5:24:04] has a problem in her district

[5:24:06] and there's a number of others

[5:24:08] with problems in their district

[5:24:08] also.

[5:24:10] The only thing I'd like to get

[5:24:12] is, and I think the answer to

[5:24:13] one of my questions has been

[5:24:14] answered.

[5:24:15] There were eight illegal

[5:24:17] dumping cruise and we will

[5:24:18] reduce that to 4.

[5:24:19] We are tracking the complaints

[5:24:25] all along?

[5:24:26] One of the problems we have in

[5:24:28] our district one at least

[5:24:29] between senator garcia and

[5:24:31] mine, one of the problems is

[5:24:33] once you cite them for illegal

[5:24:38] dumping MAY come back again.

[5:24:40] And I think it's not even a

[5:24:41] matter of the time if it's a

[5:24:49] three day cleanup or a dumping

[5:24:50] as in tons collected.

[5:24:52] Are we reducing illegal

[5:24:52] dumping?

[5:24:54] In the end that has to be our

[5:24:54] goal.

[5:25:01] and I want to say the solid

[5:25:03] waste department, she's done a

[5:25:04] fantastic job.

[5:25:06] She knows I can sometimes be a

[5:25:14] harsh critic with tough

[5:25:15] questions but I give her a line

[5:25:18] of credit because she's been

[5:25:20] balancing and as I saw today to

[5:25:21] a certain extent I agree with

[5:25:23] some of the employees that

[5:25:24] spoke today and I think she has

[5:25:26] done, daniel has done a

[5:25:27] fantastic job but I would like

[5:25:29] moving forward if we could get

[5:25:31] this illegal dumping issue

[5:25:33] reported by district, showing

[5:25:35] complaints received, sites

[5:25:37] clean, you might have this

[5:25:37] already.

[5:25:39] I can give you a list of

[5:25:40] things, not for tonight because

[5:25:42] if not we will be here until

[5:25:44] whenever it's something I would

[5:25:45] like to note before the second

[5:25:51] budget hearing.

[5:25:53] Those are most of my questions

[5:25:54] and the other ones I will

[5:25:56] reserved for hopefully the

[5:25:57] meetings we have between now

[5:25:59] and the second real I will tell

[5:26:05] you look, and I know it's tough

[5:26:07] but we went to the

[5:26:08] constitutional officers.

[5:26:10] It makes it much more difficult

[5:26:12] because everybody's got their

[5:26:13] point of view.

[5:26:15] But to me, I do share the

[5:26:21] CHAIRMAN's concern on I believe

[5:26:22] that the security of the

[5:26:23] community is number one.

[5:26:25] That's something I feel very

[5:26:26] strongly about.

[5:26:34] I do believe the infrastructure

[5:26:35] is important.

[5:26:37] And I want to say something

[5:26:39] because today we will talk

[5:26:40] about our own districts which

[5:26:42] is fine and I have a couple

[5:26:44] things I will mention when we

[5:26:46] have motions to talk about the

[5:26:48] district but we've got to stop

[5:26:52] assuming that the impact in one

[5:26:53] district is not representative

[5:26:55] of how the community perceives

[5:26:57] the community as a whole

[5:26:59] somewhere else and very I've

[5:27:01] explained that because it's the

[5:27:02] case, nobody makes this

[5:27:03] distinction.

[5:27:09] When there isn't a real road

[5:27:10] fix in district 2 for example,

[5:27:12] it's still impacts me, but

[5:27:13] there's not one in district 12

[5:27:15] it impacts them, that's not the

[5:27:17] way people perceive it so I

[5:27:19] want to make sure as we move

[5:27:21] forward because this is a

[5:27:22] budget as a whole, we have our

[5:27:24] own interests but we have to

[5:27:26] remember we are in this

[5:27:27] together whether it's a

[5:27:29] district that has no cities

[5:27:37] like your district MR. CHAIRMAN

[5:27:39] or commissioner gonzales

[5:27:41] district or a district that is

[5:27:42] all cities like some

[5:27:44] individuals have here, not me

[5:27:45] because I have an

[5:27:47] unincorporated area but we are

[5:27:48] all in this together with I

[5:27:50] thank you, it's a tough time

[5:27:51] and I think you know, now I'm

[5:27:53] sad he's going to congress

[5:27:54] because he's right.

[5:27:55] E've got

[5:27:57] to look at these things, look

[5:27:58] in the mirror and say these are

[5:28:00] tough decisions to make.

[5:28:01] But that would happen to a

[5:28:02] family.

[5:28:04] It would have into a business

[5:28:06] trip it would happen even to

[5:28:07] some sports teams.

[5:28:09] And you have to look at it and

[5:28:10] say what are we going to do?

[5:28:17] There is a price, there is a

[5:28:17] price.

[5:28:18] For good government.

[5:28:20] There is a price for quality of

[5:28:21] life.

[5:28:23] the question that the 13 of us

[5:28:28] and administration have been

[5:28:30] tasked with is what is the best

[5:28:31] way to do that to rid the

[5:28:32] people that come here rightly

[5:28:34] so are advocating for their

[5:28:34] interests.

[5:28:38] I love culture.

[5:28:52] I love the fact that there was

[5:28:54] lilo cruised at a play in the

[5:28:55] westchester theater but the

[5:28:57] reality is we've got to figure

[5:28:58] out are these things making

[5:29:00] money or not making money, are

[5:29:02] we subsidizing it a certain

[5:29:04] amount or not subsidizing it.

[5:29:05] O we have to figure out

[5:29:06] another way to do it.

[5:29:08] I think there's a lot of work

[5:29:10] to be done between now and the

[5:29:11] second round, that is a good

[5:29:12] start really having said that I

[5:29:14] will tell you moving forward

[5:29:16] this is not an mayor for you

[5:29:18] and the administration, I think

[5:29:20] this is a full year tasked

[5:29:21] always with the numbers we've

[5:29:23] been presented the next 3 to 4

[5:29:25] years and it always should be

[5:29:26] too be honest yet you have

[5:29:28] budget amendments anyway,

[5:29:29] that's natural so I think we

[5:29:31] are going to have to if

[5:29:32] depending what happens with

[5:29:34] that electorate in NOVEMBER we

[5:29:36] are just going to be right back

[5:29:39] here, we are going to have to

[5:29:41] do what commissioner gilbert

[5:29:42] said.

[5:29:43] We're going to have to face

[5:29:45] ourselves and say somebody's

[5:29:49] got to pay the pied piper, no

[5:29:50] pun intended.

[5:29:59] So we have to really and I know

[5:30:00] commissioner lopez has seen

[5:30:02] this at the state, I know he

[5:30:04] talks about tallahassee,

[5:30:06] everybody has to face these and

[5:30:08] it just at local government

[5:30:10] where the rubber meets the road

[5:30:11] where they can yell at you

[5:30:16] about the public's, it becomes

[5:30:18] a little bit more difficult.

[5:30:19] O thank you for the work you

[5:30:30] put in, I hope we can get

[5:30:30] answers.

[5:30:32] I believe this is even no

[5:30:33] matter what votes we take I'm

[5:30:36] sure some will be definitely

[5:30:37] indicative of the report where

[5:30:38] we're going.

[5:30:40] I just want to be clear that

[5:30:41] from my perspective yes,

[5:30:43] security infrastructure and yes

[5:30:45] parks and quality of life are

[5:30:45] important.

[5:30:48] They are again commissioner

[5:30:49] gilbert, I don't know why I

[5:30:51] keep quoting him but he's been

[5:30:51] right.

[5:30:53] A visit to a park for a kid is

[5:30:55] almost as important that the

[5:30:57] fact that a firefighter could

[5:31:00] be there or in my case that

[5:31:02] the, our great firefighters and

[5:31:04] emergency team are there when

[5:31:04] it counts.

[5:31:06] And you can save lives.

[5:31:09] So truthfully and sometimes we

[5:31:19] don't realize that and I don't

[5:31:20] know if the general public

[5:31:22] because nobody wants higher

[5:31:23] taxes, very few people want

[5:31:24] higher taxes.

[5:31:26] It's like the deathknell for

[5:31:27] forget about any politician,

[5:31:30] you can't even, we're having a

[5:31:31] dispute and I'm going to say

[5:31:33] this because the sheriff is

[5:31:33] here.

[5:31:35] I don't have a problem with

[5:31:35] flock cameras.

[5:31:37] I have a problem with somebody

[5:31:43] abusing it and that's a process

[5:31:45] for the sheriff and her

[5:31:46] leadership to say you can't do

[5:31:47] that.

[5:31:50] But you know how many bad guys

[5:31:50] caught?

[5:31:50] A lot.

[5:31:52] i can tell you even when we

[5:31:55] started in doral which is a

[5:32:02] place where there's a lot of

[5:32:04] commercial, a lot of commercial

[5:32:05] thievery going on.

[5:32:06] The scammers helped.

[5:32:09] Now, it's become a midterm

[5:32:10] issue, everybody wants to make

[5:32:12] it a midterm issue, that's

[5:32:14] great for the national

[5:32:16] elections but truthfully I care

[5:32:17] more about security.

[5:32:19] And by the way as my chief of

[5:32:21] staff is want to say we've got

[5:32:22] cameras everywhere.

[5:32:22] Get some

[5:32:24] facets me all the time with

[5:32:25] this new thing we created by

[5:32:27] the schools there's not even a

[5:32:29] school site you get a ticket.

[5:32:32] And as she says there's a

[5:32:33] reason why the tag is on the

[5:32:35] outside of the car not the

[5:32:35] inside.

[5:32:40] So truthfully let's, I'm giving

[5:32:40] marsha credit.

[5:32:42] She is the one that came out

[5:32:43] and says it truthfully.

[5:32:46] And there's a reason why

[5:32:48] there's a bunch of guys on

[5:33:01] amazon trying to block them but

[5:33:03] the problem is we are losing

[5:33:05] common sense because we are

[5:33:06] making decisions based on what

[5:33:08] is the political whim of the

[5:33:10] moment and in this body I'd

[5:33:11] expect us to make decisions in

[5:33:12] the long run.

[5:33:14] Medium and long run not just

[5:33:15] the easy ones and we're

[5:33:17] partially on this problem

[5:33:19] today, not a problem, we are in

[5:33:20] this situation because

[5:33:24] decisions were made that maybe

[5:33:26] assumed, made assumptions, you

[5:33:27] said it so well.

[5:33:28] You said the word assumption

[5:33:30] and you know what happens when

[5:33:31] we assume.

[5:33:32] The bottom line is thank you

[5:33:34] but I have a lot more questions

[5:33:36] but I'll reserve some for

[5:33:38] speaking in private and with my

[5:33:44] colleagues MR. CHAIRMAN I tend

[5:33:46] to have those same 4 issues.

[5:33:48] Those four things as the

[5:33:49] primary concerns across the

[5:33:51] county by the way and I want to

[5:33:53] stress to all of you please

[5:33:53] nobody.

[5:33:55] I know when we are in an

[5:33:56] election it's important but

[5:34:03] after that, nobody knows.

[5:34:05] They don't distinguish between

[5:34:06] you know, there might be a

[5:34:08] neighbor that says I'm going to

[5:34:15] go to the beach but they see us

[5:34:16] collectively.

[5:34:18] They don't see us individually.

[5:34:20] Sometimes as politicians we get

[5:34:21] so excited because it's like

[5:34:23] inside baseball but please when

[5:34:25] we make these decisions let's

[5:34:26] take that into account.

[5:34:28] It's about the whole county.

[5:34:36] Not just one district.

[5:34:38] >>chair: I'm going to jump to

[5:34:39] commissioner from district 5,

[5:34:46] you are recognized.

[5:34:47] >>commissioner lopez: district

[5:34:49] 5 is unique because the only

[5:34:54] area of my district,

[5:35:00] >> wait a minute, move that to

[5:35:01] district 12, it's in a lawsuit,

[5:35:06] don't worry about it.

[5:35:08] >>commissioner lopez: I thought

[5:35:09] you would find that interesting

[5:35:11] so the vast majority of my

[5:35:12] district is divided between the

[5:35:14] city of miami and miami beach

[5:35:15] and it's important that you

[5:35:17] recognize because we've split

[5:35:18] the mainland from the beaches

[5:35:21] and it represents a community

[5:35:37] of very differing economic

[5:35:37] conditions.

[5:35:39] I have some of the poorest

[5:35:41] neighborhoods and some of the

[5:35:43] wealthiest neighborhoods and

[5:35:44] everything in between so

[5:35:46] striking a balance for me is

[5:35:47] looking at ways in which I have

[5:35:49] any jurisdiction in that

[5:35:50] district.

[5:35:52] I'll start out clearly by miami

[5:35:52] beach.

[5:35:54] We together my colleagues have

[5:35:55] jurisdiction over the beaches.

[5:35:57] And if you look at miami beach,

[5:35:59] one of the biggest issues today

[5:36:06] is the issue of sargassum and

[5:36:08] we have a contract for a vendor

[5:36:10] to pick up the sargassum at 4

[5:36:12] critical points that have been

[5:36:13] identified by dep and the rest

[5:36:15] of it that comes to the beaches

[5:36:18] is minced by our beach

[5:36:18] operations.

[5:36:22] And unfortunately we've had the

[5:36:29] largest, we had 9000 tons of

[5:36:31] sargassum in JULY and in AUGUST

[5:36:34] we had almost 7500 tons.

[5:36:36] The current beach operations is

[5:36:38] not cutting it and it's not

[5:36:40] only impacting the residents

[5:36:45] that live amongst the beaches

[5:36:47] in my district because they

[5:36:49] can't open their doors because

[5:36:54] of the smell.

[5:36:56] They can't enjoy the beach

[5:36:57] because it's not only in the

[5:36:59] water, it's also on the beach

[5:37:01] and it's complicated by the

[5:37:02] fact we have sea turtles during

[5:37:04] this time we can't be raking

[5:37:06] and mincing while they are

[5:37:07] doing what they need to be

[5:37:08] doing to harvest.

[5:37:11] So I think we have to look,

[5:37:13] sometimes it's difficult

[5:37:14] because if you're not

[5:37:16] experiencing this in your

[5:37:17] district you don't know about

[5:37:25] it but it's impacting our

[5:37:25] tourism.

[5:37:27] So I need to see in this

[5:37:28] budget, I met with beach

[5:37:30] operations and I was grateful

[5:37:31] they were able to tell me that

[5:37:34] if they had more equipment they

[5:37:35] could minced more so that means

[5:37:37] we would be able to get more of

[5:37:39] the sargassum off the beaches

[5:37:41] quickly and dispose of it

[5:37:41] properly.

[5:37:43] That's one of the biggest

[5:37:49] issues I'm facing on the beach

[5:37:51] and I know my colleague

[5:37:53] commissioner steinberg is

[5:37:54] facing the same situation so

[5:37:56] you MAY not be talking about

[5:37:57] that but that's all our

[5:37:58] residents on the beach are

[5:38:00] talking about particularly in

[5:38:01] mid beach where we have a

[5:38:03] critical crisis of this.

[5:38:05] I also have few single-family

[5:38:05] homes.

[5:38:07] I have 825 condo associations

[5:38:09] in my district and for them the

[5:38:17] recertification process usually

[5:38:19] brings very large special

[5:38:19] assessments.

[5:38:21] So I'm grateful the county has

[5:38:23] what is known as that condo

[5:38:24] special assessment program

[5:38:26] because it's permitted people

[5:38:28] who are facing very large

[5:38:29] assessments to be able to apply

[5:38:35] if they make up to 140% ami to

[5:38:37] be able to take out an interest

[5:38:38] free loan up to $50,000 which

[5:38:40] will help keep many of the

[5:38:41] people especially retirees in

[5:38:43] their unit while they complete

[5:38:44] the assessment process so

[5:38:46] that's been a huge issue for us

[5:38:48] and we hope we can increase

[5:38:50] that because that fund has been

[5:38:51] incredibly successful in

[5:38:53] keeping people in their homes.

[5:38:55] I also want to discuss, first

[5:38:57] of all I'd like to thank our

[5:38:59] police unions, the pba, fire

[5:39:00] unions more importantly in the

[5:39:02] last couple of days I've been

[5:39:11] working with the local 199 and

[5:39:12] 32 and they brought to my

[5:39:14] attention because it never

[5:39:15] ceases to amaze me how quickly

[5:39:24] we try to kind of fill a budget

[5:39:25] gap by getting rid of our

[5:39:27] workers, our essential workers

[5:39:29] and when I look at the role of

[5:39:30] government I think it's

[5:39:32] important we understand first

[5:39:34] priorities we have should be

[5:39:35] providing essential services,

[5:39:37] police, fire, water and sewer,

[5:39:39] solid waste, transportation so

[5:39:43] it doesn't make sense I want to

[5:39:45] add a time when so many of our

[5:39:47] residents are facing such an

[5:39:59] affordability crisis that the

[5:40:00] solution would be too put even

[5:40:02] more people out of work who

[5:40:03] have mortgages, who have

[5:40:05] families to support so I will

[5:40:07] urge the administration please

[5:40:09] to find ways in which we find

[5:40:10] savings somewhere else.

[5:40:12] Certainly the unions are

[5:40:14] concerned but management is

[5:40:15] making lots of money and they

[5:40:17] have expressed they need to see

[5:40:19] some parity so that their

[5:40:20] workers are not put out in the

[5:40:29] street but in fact I think can

[5:40:31] you well imagine what residents

[5:40:33] would do if there are solid

[5:40:34] waste is not picked up.

[5:40:36] Think of the anarchy in the

[5:40:37] streets so to me that's one of

[5:40:39] the most important things we

[5:40:48] can address and I know the

[5:40:50] mayor is committed to looking

[5:40:51] at ways in which to do so.

[5:40:53] The other thing that is

[5:40:54] important in my district, I

[5:40:56] have over 70 senior buildings

[5:40:57] and every time I go to visit

[5:40:59] the seniors their biggest

[5:41:00] complaint is the bus routes.

[5:41:01] It really is.

[5:41:03] If you think seniors have the

[5:41:04] ability to get around without a

[5:41:06] boss, you are sadly mistaken at

[5:41:08] least in district 5 unit they

[5:41:09] use it to go to the doctors,

[5:41:11] the store, they use it to visit

[5:41:13] their families and currently

[5:41:14] there are complaints who will

[5:41:16] imagine what will happen if in

[5:41:20] my district there are 33 bus

[5:41:21] routes, 2 are being eliminated,

[5:41:23] 25 are suffering reductions in

[5:41:25] five will remain the same and

[5:41:27] I'm so grateful to the mayor

[5:41:29] and her leadership team and

[5:41:34] director miller spent a great

[5:41:36] deal of time with me talking

[5:41:37] about this already.

[5:41:37] He's

[5:41:39] committed to going out into my

[5:41:40] district to talk to people who

[5:41:42] MAY not understand first of all

[5:41:43] the bus routes but also that

[5:42:02] they can share what they are

[5:42:04] experiencing currently with

[5:42:06] their bus routes and what would

[5:42:08] happen if they had any further

[5:42:09] reductions so we look forward

[5:42:11] to hosting town hall meetings

[5:42:13] in district 5 to discuss this

[5:42:15] issue that is important but

[5:42:17] it's not only important to

[5:42:17] seniors.

[5:42:19] I have people that work, people

[5:42:21] think district 5 is somehow

[5:42:21] immune.

[5:42:23] I want you to know how many

[5:42:25] people from your districts come

[5:42:27] to work in district 5. A

[5:42:28] financial district is located

[5:42:30] in district 5, parts of

[5:42:31] downtown are in district 5 and

[5:42:33] the entire hospitality district

[5:42:35] of miami beach is in district 5

[5:42:36] in south beach.

[5:42:38] They are using not only the bus

[5:42:40] routes to get to work, they're

[5:42:41] using the metrorail and metro

[5:42:42] mover.

[5:42:44] So it's not just being used by

[5:42:45] wealthy people, it's being used

[5:42:47] by everyday workers traveling

[5:42:49] from all of your districts to

[5:42:51] come into my district to work.

[5:42:54] So I think it's important as

[5:42:56] one of the largest complaints

[5:42:58] we get is the metro mover and

[5:43:00] metrorail and all its ancillary

[5:43:02] services like the elevators and

[5:43:04] escalators are often not

[5:43:05] functioning that is creating a

[5:43:07] problem for people who need to

[5:43:08] get to work on time, get to

[5:43:10] school on time and get to

[5:43:12] doctors appointments on time

[5:43:13] though I hope we will continue

[5:43:15] to invest in the metro mover

[5:43:16] because in my district is one

[5:43:19] of the most important forms of

[5:43:20] transportation that not only

[5:43:23] the residents of district 5 use

[5:43:24] but all your residents

[5:43:26] traveling and working in my

[5:43:27] district.

[5:43:36] I also have experienced for the

[5:43:38] first time I'm seeing elderly

[5:43:39] people on fixed incomes with

[5:43:40] food and securities.

[5:43:42] I am bringing food every time I

[5:43:44] go into a senior center, I'm

[5:43:51] doing more food distributions

[5:43:53] and I think the funding of ceos

[5:43:55] is such an important part of my

[5:43:55] district.

[5:43:57] I have one senior center in

[5:43:59] district 5 on miami beach and

[5:44:00] that is jewish community

[5:44:02] services who every day is

[5:44:04] feeding elderly people and

[5:44:06] providing entertainment they

[5:44:08] need and socialization so thank

[5:44:10] you for making sure they have

[5:44:12] what they need to continue to

[5:44:13] serve the elderly.

[5:44:14] I also want to talk a little

[5:44:16] bit about bde I bill, the

[5:44:17] famous senate bill 1134 and as

[5:44:19] you know I've somewhat taken a

[5:44:21] leadership on this commission

[5:44:22] to try to figure out ways in

[5:44:24] which we are going to address

[5:44:26] this we had it when I look at

[5:44:27] the cbo list I already can tell

[5:44:35] by glancing at it without going

[5:44:36] into much detail about each of

[5:44:38] the cbo programs and activities

[5:44:40] that some of them will run

[5:44:42] afoul to this particular bill.

[5:44:43] So I talked with the mayor

[5:44:45] about it, talked to the county

[5:44:47] attorney's office about it and

[5:44:50] it's incumbent upon us to be

[5:44:51] fair.

[5:44:52] When people see we are

[5:44:53] allocating funds to them they

[5:44:55] believe they are getting that

[5:44:57] funding for an entire fiscal

[5:44:58] year senate bill 1134 takes

[5:45:00] effect JANUARY 1 so I think the

[5:45:02] sooner we can identify those

[5:45:04] agencies that we know for sure

[5:45:07] will not be able to be funded,

[5:45:12] we should at least start

[5:45:14] telling them because what will

[5:45:15] happen is many organizations

[5:45:18] will hire people, they will

[5:45:19] have new programs and cometh

[5:45:25] JANUARY 1 you have to tell them

[5:45:27] you're not able to have this

[5:45:28] money thanks to senate bill

[5:45:30] 1134 so to be fair to those

[5:45:31] cbo's doing much of the work I

[5:45:33] think we have to get to work

[5:45:34] quickly because there will be

[5:45:38] those organizations that in

[5:45:39] fact are clear of this bill and

[5:45:41] then there will be those we

[5:45:42] know absolutely run afoul and

[5:45:50] those in the gray.

[5:45:52] We have to start making

[5:45:53] decisions because the cbo's

[5:45:55] have to make decisions as well

[5:45:57] as those who are serving our

[5:45:59] residents today if they will

[5:46:00] not be able to be funded then

[5:46:01] what?

[5:46:02] That's going to be something we

[5:46:04] will need to look at as we move

[5:46:05] forward.

[5:46:07] And lastly if there's one thing

[5:46:12] we are all facing it's an

[5:46:13] affordability crisis with

[5:46:15] housing and I'm so grateful to

[5:46:17] the leadership of commissioner

[5:46:26] bastien as our CHAIRMAN Of the

[5:46:27] housing community.

[5:46:29] she is leading this with her

[5:46:31] initiatives on ami but we know

[5:46:33] we have an affordable housing

[5:46:34] trust fund, I don't think we

[5:46:36] should be reading it to balance

[5:46:38] the budget, the affordable

[5:46:39] housing trust fund be

[5:46:40] increased.

[5:46:42] We need to find ways to provide

[5:46:44] safe sustainable and affordable

[5:46:45] housing for everyone that lives

[5:46:47] and works in this community and

[5:46:49] we have to look at solutions

[5:46:50] for that and lastly as

[5:46:52] commissioner bermudez said I

[5:46:54] have extraordinary experience

[5:46:56] in housing process which is 10

[5:46:58] times our budget, maybe 20 and

[5:46:59] the way this budget process

[5:47:02] works in my opinion probably

[5:47:03] should be improved.

[5:47:03] F in fact

[5:47:05] the constitutional amendment we

[5:47:12] are facing does in fact pass we

[5:47:14] will have to start budgeting

[5:47:16] much sooner rather than later

[5:47:18] and it's unfortunate because

[5:47:21] what commissioner gilbert said

[5:47:22] today is that we all enjoy a

[5:47:24] quality of life that is funded

[5:47:28] currently but what we collect

[5:47:29] in property taxes.

[5:47:31] If there's going to be such a

[5:47:33] severe reduction we will have

[5:47:35] to make some very hard choices

[5:47:37] here and I believe that will,

[5:47:42] that requires us to begin

[5:47:43] budgeting much sooner so that

[5:47:47] we know what we have to do and

[5:47:49] what services MAY or MAY not

[5:47:54] have to be eliminated but I

[5:47:55] believe it will be a good

[5:47:57] exercise for this commission to

[5:47:59] start setting priorities and I

[5:48:01] don't think we should wait

[5:48:03] until JULY to get the mayor's

[5:48:04] budget, we have to start sooner

[5:48:06] rather than later so thank you

[5:48:10] MR. CHAIRMAN.

[5:48:12] I'd like to thank the mayor or

[5:48:14] leadership team, constitutional

[5:48:16] officers and our public safety

[5:48:22] first responders, thank you so

[5:48:24] much and to the residents that

[5:48:25] came out tonight, if you know

[5:48:27] me you know every voice matters

[5:48:29] and for those of you that live

[5:48:30] in my district thank you so

[5:48:32] much, for those of you watching

[5:48:34] from home thank you.

[5:48:35] Our office is always available

[5:48:37] to hear what you think about

[5:48:39] this budget as we move forward

[5:48:41] into our final budget hearings.

[5:48:43] >>chair: commissioner from

[5:48:45] district 11 you are recognized.

[5:48:46] >>commissioner gonzalez: thank

[5:48:48] you MR. Chair. I'd like to

[5:48:49] start by saying I like the tone

[5:48:51] of this conversation because

[5:48:53] I've said in the past there are

[5:48:55] things that are necessary and

[5:48:56] then there's things that are

[5:48:57] nice to have.

[5:48:59] The primary function of

[5:49:00] government is essential

[5:49:06] services.

[5:49:06] And then some.

[5:49:08] So I submitted some questions

[5:49:10] to the administration so I

[5:49:20] won't ask them now for kionne's

[5:49:22] sake and all of her sake but

[5:49:24] the administration has already

[5:49:25] assured me they are working on

[5:49:27] the answers that I'll have them

[5:49:29] by the end of the week.

[5:49:30] >>mayor cava: through the

[5:49:32] chair, you will have those by

[5:49:35] the end of the evening, sir.

[5:49:37] >>commissioner gonzalez: I

[5:49:37] appreciate it.

[5:49:39] I was highly critical of last

[5:49:40] year's budget.

[5:49:41] Especially the process.

[5:49:48] This summer, when I met with

[5:49:50] the mayor for our first meeting

[5:49:52] and you said I could say this.

[5:49:59] You said I've become more of a

[5:50:01] fiscal conservative and I

[5:50:02] assure you that an mayor we are

[5:50:05] going to help you get there.

[5:50:11] Wise 305 is a good start.

[5:50:16] After last year's discussions

[5:50:17] the administration took

[5:50:20] vacancies and realized those

[5:50:20] savings.

[5:50:23] Ray, I see you.

[5:50:27] Carla denise, I know you're

[5:50:27] trying.

[5:50:30] I see the willingness.

[5:50:31] I see it.

[5:50:35] But we can together and we must

[5:50:38] do more.

[5:50:42] Very respectfully, as of now I

[5:50:44] have a philosophical

[5:50:51] disagreement with the direction

[5:50:53] of proposed budget is taking

[5:50:53] right now.

[5:50:55] Especially with the top three

[5:50:56] issues at I've heard today a

[5:50:57] lot of people care about and

[5:51:07] what I'm hearing on the

[5:51:07] streets.

[5:51:09] See, this is what folks are

[5:51:12] telling me when I go to publix

[5:51:15] or folks that call my office.

[5:51:17] They're saying the top three

[5:51:20] priorities now are public

[5:51:23] safety, endless traffic and the

[5:51:31] high cost of living.

[5:51:33] I'm worried about how this

[5:51:34] budget treats each and every

[5:51:36] one of these points so the

[5:51:38] first and highest duty of

[5:51:39] government as has been said by

[5:51:41] the chair and the mayor is

[5:51:51] public safety.

[5:51:53] Period, full stop.

[5:51:54] Everything else flows from

[5:51:55] there.

[5:51:56] When our children play in the

[5:51:58] streets and in our parks, when

[5:52:00] our spouses, parents, friends

[5:52:02] drive on our streets, and

[5:52:03] businesses are creating jobs,

[5:52:05] when our cbo's go out to help

[5:52:06] the community, when tourists

[5:52:08] visit our beaches and

[5:52:09] amenities, when we are proud to

[5:52:11] host major events, when

[5:52:12] investment flows into

[5:52:14] miami-dade county, it all

[5:52:19] happens because we are kept

[5:52:19] safe.

[5:52:21] The sheriff is asking for the

[5:52:23] resources that are needed to

[5:52:25] carry out this paramount

[5:52:29] mission that miami-dade county

[5:52:30] has for their residents.

[5:52:33] To recruit and retain deputies

[5:52:40] we are losing to better paying

[5:52:41] jurisdictions.

[5:52:42] Now, we've seen with

[5:52:44] corrections what happens when

[5:52:48] we don't have enough men and

[5:52:50] women that are willing to risk

[5:52:52] their lives to keep people

[5:52:52] safe.

[5:52:54] She's asking to improve

[5:52:57] facilities that many of us on

[5:53:01] this day us have seen are

[5:53:01] outdated.

[5:53:03] To bring resources closer to

[5:53:04] the communities that need them

[5:53:13] as commissioner regalado

[5:53:15] pointed out just this week.

[5:53:16] Ust now I learned one of our

[5:53:18] deputies was struck by

[5:53:19] lightning today.

[5:53:21] We are all praying for a speedy

[5:53:23] recovery and for his family but

[5:53:25] folks, when you were coming

[5:53:28] upstairs you saw black shirts.

[5:53:28] On stands.

[5:53:32] Hose black shirts

[5:53:33] downstairs, these aren't just

[5:53:36] empty reminders.

[5:53:38] Each one of those shirts

[5:53:39] represents a body, a soul that

[5:53:44] was lost defending all of us

[5:53:46] and keeping us safe.

[5:53:51] Just this past tuesday we named

[5:53:52] to streets after fallen

[5:53:52] officers.

[5:53:56] These men paid the ultimate

[5:53:57] price.

[5:54:02] And I'm willing to bet

[5:54:03] everything that the green

[5:54:05] shirted men and women you saw

[5:54:07] earlier and tanned shirted

[5:54:09] folks you see in the front and

[5:54:12] in the back, all of them would

[5:54:15] do the same thing.

[5:54:17] Because that's what being a

[5:54:30] sheriff's deputy is all about.

[5:54:32] We must do everything to make

[5:54:33] sure that these brave men and

[5:54:35] women who wear the badge have

[5:54:37] everything they need to face

[5:54:38] danger and keep us all safe.

[5:54:40] This is why I stress the

[5:54:41] sheriff must be fully funded.

[5:54:44] I know the administration is

[5:54:45] working with the sheriff, we

[5:54:47] are all going to roll up our

[5:54:49] sleeves and make sure we can

[5:54:50] get there and I expect the

[5:54:52] issue to be resolved by the

[5:54:58] next budget hearing.

[5:55:00] Let's talk about traffic.

[5:55:02] Raffic is especially bad in

[5:55:04] west kendall, in south dade

[5:55:05] county in the southwest but

[5:55:07] it's a countywide issue.

[5:55:09] In 2002 voters of this county

[5:55:11] taxed themselves to expand

[5:55:11] transit.

[5:55:15] These resources became part of

[5:55:17] the funding strategy for the

[5:55:18] smart plan.

[5:55:20] Yet we learned the smart plan

[5:55:27] is in jeopardy and I quote from

[5:55:28] a MAY memo from the

[5:55:29] administration, the remaining

[5:55:31] corridors of the smart program

[5:55:33] cannot be implemented under the

[5:55:36] current financial trajectory.

[5:55:37] That's a cold dose of reality,

[5:55:39] ladies and gentlemen.

[5:55:41] That is why I'm greatly worried

[5:55:43] this budget takes roughly 89

[5:55:52] million in tid funds, tid funds

[5:55:54] to plug the hole in the

[5:55:54] department.

[5:55:56] The herald called this the

[5:56:06] latest sign miami-dade leaders

[5:56:07] are moving away from efforts to

[5:56:09] build new transit projects as

[5:56:11] they scrambled to keep existing

[5:56:13] operations afloat, that's from

[5:56:14] the miami herald.

[5:56:17] I want to know how this effort

[5:56:19] is going to affect the north

[5:56:21] corridor, a longtime promise

[5:56:23] made to the residence of the

[5:56:25] northern part of the county or

[5:56:27] northeast corridor, the kendall

[5:56:29] corridor is the least advanced.

[5:56:31] Meanwhile there are efforts to

[5:56:33] intensify housing, density

[5:56:35] along kendall drive because

[5:56:37] it's supposed to be part of the

[5:56:40] smart corridor.

[5:56:42] We can't increase density

[5:56:44] without increasing mobility.

[5:56:46] It doesn't make sense, it's

[5:56:49] just not smart and we can't

[5:56:51] increase mobility when we have

[5:56:53] a department that's

[5:56:57] structurally unsound.

[5:56:59] As one of my colleagues so

[5:57:01] eloquently put it not too long

[5:57:11] ago there is a crash coming.

[5:57:12] Dtpw is broken.

[5:57:14] I cannot continue assuming that

[5:57:16] it's going to keep operating in

[5:57:22] the same way.

[5:57:24] Some tough decisions need to be

[5:57:26] made by this body.

[5:57:30] And it's not increasing the gas

[5:57:30] tax.

[5:57:32] This is going to require

[5:57:34] operational changes, folks and

[5:57:35] they are not going to be easy.

[5:57:46] Here's one example.

[5:57:48] Dtpw has a chief internal

[5:57:50] affairs officer supervising

[5:57:52] communications managers who

[5:57:53] supervise a graphic designer

[5:57:55] supervisor and a social media

[5:57:56] manager will also supervise

[5:57:57] others.

[5:57:59] Listen, marketing is important,

[5:58:07] communication is important and

[5:58:09] it's important to keep people

[5:58:11] into the process and keep them

[5:58:13] informed, I'm not saying

[5:58:14] eliminate it completely but

[5:58:16] what I'm saying is do we need

[5:58:18] so many managers and

[5:58:18] supervisors?

[5:58:20] It's just something we need to

[5:58:21] think about.

[5:58:23] We do have an independent

[5:58:25] communications department we

[5:58:31] should consider.

[5:58:33] Here's something else.

[5:58:35] We've seen what happens with

[5:58:36] electric buses and electric

[5:58:36] cars.

[5:58:38] The proposed budget includes

[5:58:40] the purchase of 70 vehicles at

[5:58:41] 8.29 million.

[5:58:43] That's a bit over 118,000 per

[5:58:45] vehicle on average and I

[5:58:46] understand these are not

[5:58:48] necessarily 70 ordinary

[5:58:49] passenger vehicles.

[5:58:49] Ut are

[5:58:51] there opportunities or savings?

[5:58:53] Just things we need to think

[5:58:56] about and work through.

[5:58:58] Additionally that same fleet

[5:58:59] replacement program was

[5:59:01] supposed to help reduce,

[5:59:06] supposed to help reduce

[5:59:07] overtime.

[5:59:08] The same language has been

[5:59:09] included in the past two

[5:59:10] budgets.

[5:59:13] But overtime costs continue to

[5:59:14] increase.

[5:59:16] 17.1 million according to the

[5:59:20] commission auditor, there's an

[5:59:22] overtime reduction plan.

[5:59:25] But the auditor states the plan

[5:59:29] has not been finalized and and

[5:59:31] the anticipated savings have

[5:59:42] not yet been determined.

[5:59:44] Finally, this department has a

[5:59:45] supervisor with 12 directory

[5:59:46] reports.

[5:59:47] It's got chief inflation at the

[5:59:48] top.

[5:59:49] Of the directors 12 direct

[5:59:51] reports, five are chief or

[6:00:00] advisory titles, each managing

[6:00:01] 1 to 3 people.

[6:00:03] Less than half the directors

[6:00:05] span is genuine operational

[6:00:06] management, the rest is staff

[6:00:08] and advisory.

[6:00:10] I'm not saying this is not

[6:00:11] necessary but what I am saying

[6:00:13] is we can look at it and maybe

[6:00:15] these roles can be

[6:00:15] consolidated.

[6:00:17] This brings me to housing.

[6:00:24] Last year I was very critical

[6:00:26] of the use of general funds to

[6:00:27] pay for various positions.

[6:00:29] This proposal will not have any

[6:00:31] funding from the general fund.

[6:00:32] I appreciate that.

[6:00:33] Hcd is doing better with

[6:00:35] section 8, especially with the

[6:00:36] new program manager.

[6:00:38] I don't know where nathan is

[6:00:40] but I appreciate you.

[6:00:42] Volume 2 page 81 in the budget

[6:00:51] book states existing county

[6:00:53] processes create delays that

[6:00:55] impede efficient day-to-day

[6:00:56] operations.

[6:00:58] Something we need to ponder, or

[6:01:00] other departments experiencing

[6:01:02] these delays from other

[6:01:02] processes?

[6:01:05] The narrative states there is

[6:01:09] insufficient and uncertain

[6:01:10] funding by hud to support

[6:01:13] existing programs and

[6:01:13] operations.

[6:01:15] But you are developing a public

[6:01:15] awareness strategy.

[6:01:19] When you have insufficient and

[6:01:23] uncertain funding, I'd like to

[6:01:27] better understand how a public

[6:01:32] awareness campaign leads to the

[6:01:33] construction of more housing

[6:01:38] units because at the end of the

[6:01:39] day I understand communication

[6:01:41] is necessary but like a lot of

[6:01:43] my colleagues on this day is

[6:01:45] have said in the past what we

[6:01:49] need is more housing.

[6:01:51] There is a proposal to spend 2

[6:01:52] million for the eviction

[6:01:54] diversion program, just like

[6:02:08] last year.

[6:02:10] there is no information about

[6:02:11] the organizations that receive

[6:02:13] funds from this program and how

[6:02:15] many clients are served.

[6:02:15] 'm

[6:02:17] not saying it's bad, I'm not

[6:02:18] saying it's good.

[6:02:19] What I'm saying is I want to

[6:02:21] make sure these funds go

[6:02:22] towards helping residents and

[6:02:24] not just outreach in the

[6:02:25] administration and my

[6:02:27] colleagues want to see the same

[6:02:29] thing and finally this

[6:02:31] department has a director and I

[6:02:32] appreciate you with a deputy

[6:02:34] director and five assistant

[6:02:34] directors.

[6:02:36] It could be top-heavy.

[6:02:36] His

[6:02:38] gets me to the larger

[6:02:39] structural issue.

[6:02:40] I've already said wise 305 is a

[6:02:41] good start.

[6:02:43] Last year we saw departmental

[6:02:43] mergers.

[6:02:44] It saved some money, maybe we

[6:02:46] can consolidate more.

[6:02:51] We should wherever that's

[6:02:52] possible.

[6:02:54] And I'm happy to help.

[6:02:55] Several departments have

[6:02:58] duplicated support functions.

[6:03:00] Can some of these be

[6:03:03] centralized, things we can ask.

[6:03:05] We switch healthcare providers

[6:03:07] and were promised 40+ million

[6:03:08] in savings.

[6:03:09] Here are these

[6:03:22] savings reflected?

[6:03:24] It's something we need to

[6:03:26] really really understand.

[6:03:28] Finally this government

[6:03:29] structure needs to change.

[6:03:31] P oid is 22% managerial with

[6:03:31] eight layers.

[6:03:33] Rer is 20% managerial with nine

[6:03:35] layers, wasd is 27% with 13

[6:03:35] layers.

[6:03:53] Structurally, there could be a

[6:03:54] tall hierarchy.

[6:03:55] It elevates costs through

[6:03:57] uneven managerial identity.

[6:03:59] This is why I will be working

[6:04:01] to have an independent firm

[6:04:03] conduct a comprehensive

[6:04:04] organizational efficiency

[6:04:05] review.

[6:04:06] And we're going to do it with

[6:04:07] the private sector.

[6:04:09] I will end with this.

[6:04:09] Here's

[6:04:12] not a single industry and

[6:04:13] commissioner garcia pointed

[6:04:15] this out earlier, not a single

[6:04:16] industry that has not been

[6:04:18] disrupted by innovation and ai.

[6:04:21] Lawyers, doctors, teachers,

[6:04:34] engineers, bankers, you name

[6:04:34] it.

[6:04:36] Everyone has had to embrace the

[6:04:37] change of ai.

[6:04:38] Government had remained in

[6:04:39] human.

[6:04:40] County government today looks

[6:04:42] pretty much the same as it did

[6:04:43] five, 10, 15 years ago.

[6:04:45] What other industry in the

[6:04:47] world can really say that?

[6:04:55] Aside from government.

[6:04:57] Regardless of what happens this

[6:04:59] NOVEMBER with amendment three

[6:05:00] because we have a lot of

[6:05:02] chatter about that, the status

[6:05:04] quo is not sustainable.

[6:05:05] Folks, tax relief for residents

[6:05:07] is going to come.

[6:05:12] It's coming.

[6:05:14] If it doesn't come in NOVEMBER

[6:05:15] it's going to come shortly

[6:05:16] after that.

[6:05:17] Shout out to congressman

[6:05:18] donald.

[6:05:20] But right now, it doesn't seem

[6:05:27] like we are ready for it.

[6:05:29] I do appreciate the strides

[6:05:31] we've made to try to get there

[6:05:32] and you have my commitment I

[6:05:34] will work with you so that we

[6:05:35] can make the tough decisions

[6:05:37] that need to be made so that we

[6:05:38] can be there.

[6:05:40] Thank you.

[6:05:43] >>vice chair mcghee: thank you,

[6:05:46] commissioner regalado, district

[6:05:51] 7, commissioner milian orbis.

[6:05:53] >>commissioner bermudez: she's

[6:05:55] still arriving, let me know

[6:06:02] start

[6:06:03] .

[6:06:04] >>commissioner milian orbis: I

[6:06:06] want to thank everyone who came

[6:06:07] out to speak.

[6:06:09] It was very moving to see the

[6:06:11] testimonies especially from the

[6:06:16] residents of district 6rict 6.

[6:06:18] I heard you at the microphone

[6:06:20] and in your neighborhoods, I

[6:06:21] knocked on doors through

[6:06:23] election season and through

[6:06:25] this process and the number one

[6:06:27] question we get is about taxes.

[6:06:28] Seniors who are afraid I can't

[6:06:30] stay in their homes and the

[6:06:31] homes they have worked a

[6:06:33] lifetime to keep and young

[6:06:34] families who want to stay where

[6:06:36] they were born and raised and

[6:06:38] raise their families here but

[6:06:40] cannot because the tax bill

[6:06:41] insurance has made it

[6:06:42] impossible and that is the lens

[6:06:45] I always bring to these budget

[6:06:46] questions, none mayor thank you

[6:06:48] and your team for working with

[6:06:50] my office, for holding the

[6:06:52] millage flat and that is the

[6:06:56] right starting point.

[6:06:58] Putting public safety first and

[6:07:00] putting real work into

[6:07:02] efficiencies matter, I

[6:07:04] appreciate that your job is to

[6:07:05] propose the budget and ours is

[6:07:10] to own it.

[6:07:12] Every month families across

[6:07:13] miami-dade county sits at the

[6:07:15] kitchen table and to make hard

[6:07:17] choices about what they can

[6:07:19] afford and can't afford and I

[6:07:20] believe county government

[6:07:22] should be held to the same

[6:07:22] standard.

[6:07:24] We owe taxpayers the hard work

[6:07:26] of finding savings, cutting

[6:07:29] waste and controlling spending.

[6:07:30] Protecting services their

[6:07:32] families depend on korean

[6:07:33] miami-dade families are not a

[6:07:35] checkbook and every dollar we

[6:07:36] collect belongs to them.

[6:07:38] So that's the test I apply to

[6:07:39] this $14.3 billion budget.

[6:07:41] This plan still leans on fee

[6:07:42] increases, one-time money and

[6:07:48] habits this board is

[6:07:49] continually warned cannot last

[6:07:51] and we are doing this two

[6:07:53] months before voters decide on

[6:07:53] amendment 3.

[6:07:55] If we want to protect our first

[6:07:56] responders still stand with

[6:07:58] people who pay the bills you

[6:07:59] have to run a tighter

[6:08:01] government now not after

[6:08:08] NOVEMBER, now is the time.

[6:08:10] We've heard everyone say this

[6:08:11] tonight, public safety is the

[6:08:13] first job of county government

[6:08:15] and I fully support our sheriff

[6:08:17] and the men and women out there

[6:08:26] protecting us every single day.

[6:08:28] And I fully believe we should

[6:08:29] fully fund our sheriff's

[6:08:30] office.

[6:08:32] If we can't keep our people

[6:08:33] safe then nothing else we do

[6:08:34] matters.

[6:08:35] I know it's going to take hard

[6:08:37] work to make that happen but

[6:08:39] I'm willing to do that work.

[6:08:40] Between now and SEPTEMBER 17 on

[6:08:43] how to work with this board and

[6:08:45] administration to identify the

[6:08:46] dollars to close the public

[6:08:48] safety gap that is still open.

[6:08:50] I also want the proposed cuts

[6:08:52] restored for the people who use

[6:08:57] those routes, our seniors,

[6:08:59] workers, students, our own

[6:09:01] county workers, airport

[6:09:01] workers.

[6:09:03] They should not lose service so

[6:09:08] we can pay for structural

[6:09:09] problems and I'm committed to

[6:09:11] making that happen.

[6:09:15] The way to do it is not a fair

[6:09:16] hike, it's not a gas tax, is

[6:09:18] not new parking fees, it's

[6:09:20] finding the offset inside our

[6:09:33] government first.

[6:09:35] Department by department so we

[6:09:36] can put those routes back

[6:09:38] without asking working families

[6:09:39] to pay more.

[6:09:41] I'm concerned about repeatedly

[6:09:43] dipping into the tid to cover

[6:09:44] transit operations.

[6:09:46] That fund exists we can cover

[6:09:48] future projects and the memo

[6:09:50] lists a gas tax increase and

[6:09:51] new parking fees as

[6:09:52] alternatives and I do not

[6:09:54] accept making driver's ed

[6:09:55] writers the first answer.

[6:09:57] We can support transit, restore

[6:09:59] service and still refused to

[6:10:00] read our future.

[6:10:01] What we need is a sustainable

[6:10:03] plan and as some of my

[6:10:04] colleagues have said to be

[6:10:06] honest about cuts, honest about

[6:10:08] ridership, honest how we pay

[6:10:15] for service without draining

[6:10:17] the tid or staffing costs on

[6:10:17] our families.

[6:10:19] We need to contain the parts

[6:10:21] that we have and finish what we

[6:10:23] started, for example in my

[6:10:24] district keep the improvements

[6:10:26] moving and finish the work we

[6:10:28] have promised our residents and

[6:10:30] that we are continually asked

[6:10:36] about in our community.

[6:10:38] Finally in the needs in water

[6:10:39] sewer and solid waste are real,

[6:10:41] our drainage collection and

[6:10:42] disposal are not optional.

[6:10:44] Our residents are struggling to

[6:10:46] make ends meet so before we

[6:10:48] raise costs we need to exhaust

[6:10:49] savings.

[6:10:51] The change memo states $121

[6:10:53] million in the-wise 305

[6:10:54] efficiencies.

[6:11:05] That's good.

[6:11:07] Now I would like for you to

[6:11:08] show us what is left on the

[6:11:10] table before another utility

[6:11:12] increase it's the same

[6:11:12] household.

[6:11:14] Let's review the contracts,

[6:11:16] rebid what can be refitted.

[6:11:19] Manage our projects better

[6:11:21] because our residents should

[6:11:23] never be the government's first

[6:11:25] answer when it needs more

[6:11:26] revenue and before this board

[6:11:28] approves another utility

[6:11:30] increase I want to know what

[6:11:31] savings were identified, what

[6:11:33] contracts we can rebid or

[6:11:35] renegotiate what would be the

[6:11:37] combined hit if water sewer

[6:11:38] solid waste all pull up in the

[6:11:39] same year.

[6:11:41] I've said this before every

[6:11:43] commission meeting is a budget

[6:11:44] meeting and this is how I treat

[6:11:45] this job.

[6:11:47] I have a few questions for our

[6:11:48] administration.

[6:11:58] The first the tax collector

[6:11:59] waived $13 million in school

[6:12:01] millage commissions and that is

[6:12:03] not in our budget today so I

[6:12:05] want to ask where is that money

[6:12:06] planned to be going because I

[6:12:08] believe at first and foremost

[6:12:10] it should be used to fund the

[6:12:11] sheriff's office or restore our

[6:12:12] bus services.

[6:12:14] >>vice chair mcghee: you are

[6:12:16] recognized director.

[6:12:18] >> in the second change memo we

[6:12:20] will come back with a full

[6:12:21] reconciliation of the tax

[6:12:27] collector a waiver.

[6:12:28] And our first recommendation

[6:12:30] will be too ensure it goes to

[6:12:32] reserves unless this board

[6:12:33] directs otherwise so that will

[6:12:41] be our plan.

[6:12:42] >>commissioner milian orbis:

[6:12:44] that goes to reserves?

[6:12:45] We should consider making sure

[6:12:47] our sheriff's office has what

[6:12:49] she needs to accomplish her

[6:12:49] goals.

[6:12:51] My second question is this

[6:12:52] budget cuts 303 bus operation

[6:12:57] positions and proposed route

[6:12:57] cuts.

[6:12:59] While the transit over time is

[6:13:00] budgeted at 75 million and up

[6:13:06] to 17 million.

[6:13:08] The department says it has been

[6:13:10] over time reduction plan in

[6:13:12] action but the auditor says

[6:13:14] that plan is not finalized and

[6:13:15] the savings are in the budget

[6:13:17] so why are we cutting the

[6:13:19] service before cutting overtime

[6:13:20] shows up in the budget?

[6:13:22] >>mayor cava: through the chair

[6:13:25] stacy miller will respond.

[6:13:30] >> stacy miller, department of

[6:13:31] public works, could you repeat

[6:13:35] your question.

[6:13:37] >>commissioner milian orbis:

[6:13:38] why are we cutting service

[6:13:41] before savings from overtime is

[6:13:42] accounted for?

[6:13:44] >> our primary proposal for

[6:13:48] cutting overtime is associated

[6:13:50] with our new scheduling system.

[6:13:54] That scheduling system is an in

[6:13:58] three different service ns,

[6:13:59] three lineups we do annually,

[6:14:04] the first is in vember, vember,

[6:14:06] that's already associated so

[6:14:08] all savings associated with

[6:14:09] that are included.

[6:14:11] The next is in is in spring,

[6:14:12] MARCH and the final is in

[6:14:12] summer.

[6:14:30] We don't believe our plan, or

[6:14:32] use of the scheduling tool will

[6:14:34] be fully available to us

[6:14:35] because we are still learning

[6:14:37] the process until next summer.

[6:14:39] unfortunately because we do

[6:14:41] these three lineups we haven't

[6:14:43] realized what those potential

[6:14:44] savings are for the MARCH

[6:14:46] lineup or summer lineup but

[6:14:48] what we can do is presuppose

[6:14:50] what those potential cost

[6:14:52] savings will be without

[6:14:53] scheduling software until we

[6:14:55] actually perform the lineup

[6:14:56] process.

[6:14:57] >>commissioner milian orbis:

[6:14:59] when did you say you would have

[6:15:00] that?

[6:15:01] >> by next summer we anticipate

[6:15:03] fully utilizing the service of

[6:15:04] our new software package.

[6:15:06] >commissioner milian orbis:

[6:15:07] thank you.

[6:15:09] Then I have a question about

[6:15:09] solid waste.

[6:15:11] I know solid waste released the

[6:15:13] scrap act and I wanted to ask

[6:15:14] how much is the marketing

[6:15:18] budget for the scrap act?

[6:15:20] >>mayor cava: excuse me,

[6:15:22] through the chair as I

[6:15:25] suspected, zero.

[6:15:27] We did some social media posts,

[6:15:28] we practiced it and pretty much

[6:15:31] that's how it went.

[6:15:33] >>commissioner milian orbis:

[6:15:34] it's zero?

[6:15:35] It says if you're working on a

[6:15:37] plan next year you launch an

[6:15:42] app, it says it here in the

[6:15:44] book, rolling out the scrap act

[6:15:45] through a targeted bilingual

[6:15:46] strategy.

[6:15:50] >>mayor cava: are lead on

[6:15:51] reducing waste overall is going

[6:15:56] to approach.

[6:16:00] >> I believe your name is at

[6:16:03] the podium at this time.

[6:16:05] >> would you mind repeating the

[6:16:10] question again commissioner?

[6:16:11] >>commissioner milian orbis:

[6:16:13] you launched the scrap act and

[6:16:19] in page 18 it says volume 3,

[6:16:20] that by MARCH 2027 the

[6:16:22] department through its

[6:16:27] marketing budget will

[6:16:29] facilitate the rollout of the

[6:16:30] scrap act through a targeted

[6:16:32] bilingual public education

[6:16:33] strategy etc. So there is

[6:16:35] mention of a marketing budget

[6:16:37] here so my question is what is

[6:16:40] the marketing budget?

[6:16:42] >> currently the marketing

[6:16:44] budget for the scrap act is

[6:16:46] zero dollars.

[6:16:47] Those, though scrap was

[6:16:48] something where piling through

[6:16:51] the innovation authority

[6:16:52] challenge, if we were to expand

[6:16:54] on that pilot we would use

[6:16:58] existing marketing dollars

[6:17:00] already in our existing budget,

[6:17:02] it would not cost additional

[6:17:04] dollars and its dependent on

[6:17:06] the impact and how effective

[6:17:11] the scrap act is so for example

[6:17:12] we currently have outreach

[6:17:14] dollars for other initiatives

[6:17:16] like metrorail ads, things like

[6:17:18] that to help us reduce our

[6:17:29] recycling contamination.

[6:17:31] If we are able to learn the app

[6:17:33] is more effective at reducing

[6:17:36] the recycling contamination we

[6:17:38] would propose moving the funds

[6:17:39] from the billboard ads and

[6:17:41] metrorail ads to help us reduce

[6:17:43] recycling more effectively

[6:17:44] through that type of outreach

[6:17:46] and engagement.

[6:17:47] >>commissioner milian orbis:

[6:17:49] how do you know if it's

[6:17:49] effective?

[6:17:51] >> we do an annual

[6:17:52] contamination study so what

[6:17:54] we're able to do is each route

[6:17:55] on an annual basis each MAY we

[6:17:57] have all the recycling trucks

[6:17:59] go to the vendor and then they

[6:18:00] take a sample and categorized

[6:18:02] the materials to determine

[6:18:04] what's in the trucks and most

[6:18:05] importantly if the residents

[6:18:07] are putting what should or

[6:18:08] shouldn't be in the car and

[6:18:10] that determines our

[6:18:12] contamination rate.

[6:18:14] With scrap because it's an act

[6:18:16] we are able to have essentially

[6:18:18] a gis to see where scrap has

[6:18:23] been deployed so we will be

[6:18:24] able to see okay, this is where

[6:18:32] scrap was most downloaded and

[6:18:35] to be able to crosscheck that

[6:18:36] with the routes contamination

[6:18:38] rate and that will help us

[6:18:40] determine whether it was

[6:18:42] effective in reducing recycling

[6:18:43] contamination.

[6:18:44] >>commissioner milian orbis:

[6:18:45] okay.

[6:18:46] Agree with the workers

[6:18:48] that came from solid waste,

[6:18:50] they matter tremendously.

[6:18:52] Lucky waste got matters

[6:18:53] tremendously and I definitely

[6:18:55] believe they are more important

[6:18:57] than an app so do you have

[6:19:03] staff dedicated to doing this

[6:19:05] or is it your existing social

[6:19:07] media staff, are you adding

[6:19:09] additional resources to make

[6:19:09] this happen?

[6:19:13] I don't know what that

[6:19:14] effectiveness, there MAY be

[6:19:16] other ways to educate folks and

[6:19:18] it says marketing budget so

[6:19:20] that's why I'm concerned about

[6:19:20] that.

[6:19:22] >>mayor cava: through the

[6:19:24] chair, commissioner, recycling

[6:19:25] as improved.

[6:19:27] Not contaminating has approved

[6:19:29] through enforcement and that's

[6:19:31] overall good because our

[6:19:34] landfill has limited space and

[6:19:46] recycling saves us space.

[6:19:48] Current recycling will be at

[6:19:49] capacity in a few years and

[6:19:51] anything we take out-of-town

[6:19:53] costs us more money so this is

[6:19:54] part of an overall approach to

[6:19:56] reducing waste, not only waste

[6:19:57] but our costs.

[6:19:58] >>commissioner milian orbis:

[6:20:00] thank you to the director as

[6:20:00] well.

[6:20:02] I look forward to continuing to

[6:20:04] work with my colleagues and

[6:20:05] administration to make sure

[6:20:07] this budget stands with the

[6:20:08] families of our community,

[6:20:10] thank you MR. Chair.

[6:20:12] >>vice chair mcghee:

[6:20:13] commissioner regalado you are

[6:20:15] up next.

[6:20:17] >>commissioner regalado: let's

[6:20:22] do it, so excited.

[6:20:24] So excited, okay.

[6:20:26] Just making sure I have all my

[6:20:27] motions ready to go here.

[6:20:45] I'm going to start with transit

[6:20:47] because that's just the easiest

[6:20:48] one I think.

[6:20:49] I'm so excited to hear

[6:20:50] commissioner garcia and

[6:20:52] commissioner bermudez with me

[6:20:54] on the mover so I will talk

[6:20:55] about the mover.

[6:20:57] You remember at last year in

[6:20:58] our budget meeting I talked

[6:21:00] about the mover and since then

[6:21:02] I've done research on a lot of

[6:21:03] the things we were told we

[6:21:05] first mentioned that the mover

[6:21:07] was, we will just say it's a

[6:21:07] bad idea.

[6:21:10] I wanted to start with the

[6:21:11] mover and an explanation of

[6:21:13] what we've been able to find

[6:21:15] and getting writing from our

[6:21:16] attorneys, metro mover was

[6:21:18] opened in 1986, currently its

[6:21:19] operation costs for the year

[6:21:24] 2025 was $38,873,953.

[6:21:26] The capital program for the

[6:21:30] mover is 52.682 million and it

[6:21:31] has an unfunded capital need of

[6:21:37] 4.45 million.

[6:21:39] It currently passengers

[6:21:41] boarding metro mover are

[6:21:42] estimated to be 7.3 million

[6:21:43] people.

[6:22:02] so there is a ptp, cit

[6:22:03] reimbursement.

[6:22:05] In year 20 it was 4081, then in

[6:22:07] 2022 we have 505, then 2023

[6:22:08] 605, 2024 605 and in this

[6:22:09] current budget we have a

[6:22:11] reimbursement of 3.2 million

[6:22:13] but there is a discrepancy see

[6:22:14] itt as to our formula.

[6:22:16] That money is not lost if we

[6:22:19] charge for the metro mover.

[6:22:21] It can be reallocated to

[6:22:22] capital for the metro mover and

[6:22:24] we have a $4.4 million unfunded

[6:23:06] mover plan.

[6:23:08] So what should we do with the

[6:23:08] mover?

[6:23:10] Many years ago when a prior

[6:23:12] commission tried to change the

[6:23:13] way we operate the mover,

[6:23:15] barbara jordan was told you

[6:23:16] couldn't operate, couldn't

[6:23:18] charge for the mover because

[6:23:19] the mover had to be free, that

[6:23:21] that was part of the

[6:23:22] half-penny. That is not true.

[6:23:24] The metro mover was added to

[6:23:26] the ordinance, the

[6:23:28] implementation ordinance

[6:23:30] miami-dade county did for the

[6:23:31] half-penny and that ordinance

[6:23:33] can be changed by this board

[6:23:35] and we have it in writing from

[6:23:36] our attorneys.

[6:23:37] If we change that ordinance we

[6:23:39] set the fair and can charge for

[6:23:41] the mover so if we charge let's

[6:23:43] say $1.50 so while we are

[6:23:45] talking about raising fares and

[6:23:46] commissioner gilbert is

[6:23:48] correct, something has to give,

[6:23:50] I've always said we need to

[6:23:51] start with the people not

[6:23:53] paying at all and receiving a

[6:23:55] service at the cost of everyone

[6:23:58] else because the people's

[6:23:59] transportation fund that should

[6:24:01] be funding the smart plan has

[6:24:03] been subsidizing the metro

[6:24:05] mover since 1986 and now that

[6:24:06] it is older and we are

[6:24:07] refurbishing it we are

[6:24:09] subsidizing it all over again

[6:24:11] and as for the comments made

[6:24:12] about our stations and our need

[6:24:14] to fix our stations, I

[6:24:15] personally have fixed my

[6:24:17] stations at grand park with

[6:24:18] developer money, I fixed grove

[6:24:20] central with developer money,

[6:24:22] not ptp, I fixed the link with

[6:24:23] developer money, not ptp.

[6:24:25] I'm fixing south miami with the

[6:24:27] vehicle we created for that

[6:24:28] development so I think this

[6:24:30] idea that we are not fixing our

[6:24:32] stations because we don't have

[6:24:33] more ptp is an issue, we need

[6:24:35] to deal with the zoning piece

[6:24:38] of that when we negotiate our

[6:24:38] tod's.

[6:24:40] That said, let's say we lose a

[6:24:42] million riders because we are

[6:24:43] charging $1.50, that's $9

[6:24:45] million a year we could be

[6:24:47] making from metro mover and you

[6:24:48] could allocate the money you're

[6:24:49] getting from cit currently

[6:24:51] which is 3.2 to fix some of

[6:24:53] those capital projects we have

[6:24:54] at the mover and as we continue

[6:24:56] to redevelop around the mover

[6:24:58] just be mindful we can also

[6:24:59] make it a priority to include

[6:25:01] that in a community benefits

[6:25:03] when we approve those

[6:25:04] developments which I've done in

[6:25:06] my district and we should all

[6:25:08] be doing every time we are

[6:25:10] developing around these

[6:25:10] stations.

[6:25:11] I will have a motion on that, I

[6:25:13] have been talking to a lot of

[6:25:15] folks in downtown and in

[6:25:16] brickell and a lot of people

[6:25:18] want us to charge for the mover

[6:25:20] because they're asking us to

[6:25:22] get our act together and fix

[6:25:23] the escalators and elevators.

[6:25:25] I think we should definitely

[6:25:27] fix the mover and then we can

[6:25:29] have a real conversation about

[6:25:31] the smart plan because the myth

[6:25:32] we cannot charge for the mover

[6:25:34] is just that, a myth and now we

[6:25:35] have it in writing.

[6:25:40] Moving onto different issues in

[6:25:41] transit we are talking about

[6:25:43] the buses, I agree we should

[6:25:45] not cancel the early buses or

[6:25:46] fire our employees but desire

[6:25:48] is a wish unless you have a

[6:25:49] plan so here's my plan.

[6:25:51] Currently if you remember we

[6:26:18] spent $32 million on metro

[6:26:19] connect for 4 years.

[6:26:21] Last year during the budget

[6:26:22] process we agreed we would no

[6:26:24] longer be completely

[6:26:25] subsidizing what was supposed

[6:26:27] to be a rideshare and ends up

[6:26:29] being an independent chauffeur

[6:26:31] for a small group of people.

[6:26:33] Here are the numbers on what's

[6:26:35] happened to metro connect since

[6:26:37] we made the decision last year

[6:26:38] to charge $3.75.

[6:26:39] Currently metro connect up to

[6:26:41] JUNE 2026 at 212,435 rides.

[6:26:43] That was only 8209 unique

[6:26:43] writers.

[6:26:45] At the cost of $3,965,124 and

[6:26:46] eight cents.

[6:26:48] That means the average metro

[6:26:49] connect) Miami-dade county is

[6:26:51] being subsidized at $483 a

[6:26:51] year.

[6:26:53] The bus routes we are currently

[6:26:55] talking about cutting is a

[6:26:57] subsidy of $103-$113 a rider so

[6:26:59] put that in perspective as to

[6:27:01] how much more we are paying for

[6:27:03] unique writers with the metro

[6:27:06] connect system.

[6:27:08] The current budget has metro

[6:27:20] connect at 5.5 million with an

[6:27:21] expected a million to be paid

[6:27:23] by the $3.75 being paid for the

[6:27:25] writers at a total cost to our

[6:27:27] transportation system coming

[6:27:28] straight out of the general

[6:27:30] fund in the amount of 4.5

[6:27:31] million.

[6:27:32] So what is the proposal?

[6:27:34] If I say we're going to cancel

[6:27:36] metro connect you're going to

[6:27:37] lose your minds and even though

[6:27:39] this is popular in my district

[6:27:41] so here's what I'm proposing.

[6:27:42] F we flip it, if we flip the

[6:27:43] dynamic and instead of the

[6:27:49] writer paying $3.75 and the

[6:27:50] county picking up the

[6:27:52] difference for the rest of the

[6:27:53] ride which in some cases is

[6:27:55] very long, do the opposite.

[6:28:02] The county provides a $3.75

[6:28:03] credit and then the writer pays

[6:28:05] the difference, they did this

[6:28:07] at tri-rail for two years,

[6:28:08] works very well.

[6:28:10] You just have to change the

[6:28:11] contract and get them to flip

[6:28:13] the switch and we had people

[6:28:16] using it and the people using

[6:28:18] it for the first and last mile

[6:28:19] that incentivizes them to use

[6:28:21] the technology to get to

[6:28:21] transit.

[6:28:23] We should not be paying for

[6:28:25] $20, $30 rides, that's not

[6:28:27] equitable and for people who

[6:28:28] need to get to a transit

[6:28:40] station at $3.75 is a workable

[6:28:40] incentive.

[6:28:42] That brings us down in terms of

[6:28:44] metro connect to $1 million.

[6:28:46] What does that do to the rest

[6:28:46] of the budget?

[6:28:48] It frees up 3.5 million we can

[6:28:56] then use for the 5 o'clock bus

[6:28:56] routes.

[6:28:58] And I think that's equitable

[6:29:00] because at that point when we

[6:29:02] flip it, what we are doing is

[6:29:03] subsidizing metro connect users

[6:29:05] at $121 per user and that means

[6:29:09] the bus drivers, the bus riders

[6:29:11] that we are cutting that we are

[6:29:13] now removing because we are

[6:29:14] saying paying 113 per writer is

[6:29:16] too much so there subsidy will

[6:29:23] still be less but that bus will

[6:29:24] be available and those folks

[6:29:26] couldn't even get a rideshare

[6:29:28] at five in the morning if they

[6:29:29] wanted to because it's not

[6:29:31] available and it's going to be

[6:29:33] too expensive so I'll have a

[6:29:34] motion for that but I ask you

[6:29:36] all to consider flipping the

[6:29:38] dynamic on metro connect so

[6:29:40] that we can help our bus riders

[6:29:41] and save our county employees

[6:29:45] and invest in our buses and

[6:29:47] speaking of investing in our

[6:29:47] buses.

[6:29:49] In the current plan we still

[6:29:57] have bay lake and we've reduced

[6:29:59] it and thank you stacy but bay

[6:30:00] link is showing up in the

[6:30:02] budget for $233,000 from the

[6:30:04] ptp capital expansion and

[6:30:12] reserve und.

[6:30:14] This is not a viable corridor.

[6:30:15] You were talking earlier about

[6:30:17] the smart corridor and how we

[6:30:19] need to have that conversation

[6:30:20] and I said this last year and

[6:30:22] the year before and I said it

[6:30:24] the year before that, we need

[6:30:26] to stop spending money on a

[6:30:27] corridor or nobody wants, miami

[6:30:29] beach doesn't want it, fdo t

[6:30:30] will not fund it yet we

[6:30:32] continue to plan a corridor or

[6:30:33] we are not going to build.

[6:30:35] I have a motion hopefully, we

[6:30:44] can do the right thing here and

[6:30:45] direct the mayor to take

[6:30:47] whatever is left when we cancel

[6:30:49] the contracts out of baylink of

[6:30:50] the 233,000 and use it for,

[6:30:52] here is an idea, a viable smart

[6:30:53] corridor.

[6:30:55] I think that would be smart for

[6:30:56] a not so smart plan.

[6:30:59] Next up.

[6:31:02] Solid waste.

[6:31:08] So solid waste we have to have

[6:31:10] a serious conversation about

[6:31:17] what we are spending our money

[6:31:18] on.

[6:31:19] I understand the easiest thing

[6:31:21] to do MADAME Mayor and I

[6:31:23] appreciate your candor in doing

[6:31:24] so is to cut the one thing most

[6:31:26] politicians care about and

[6:31:27] that's illegal dumping.

[6:31:29] That being said I think it's an

[6:31:31] opportunity for us to have a

[6:31:33] conversation about what exactly

[6:31:35] is coming out of the ratepayers

[6:31:35] pocket.

[6:31:47] The people who pay for a solid

[6:31:48] waste in the most part or

[6:31:50] people who have a green

[6:31:51] miami-dade county trashcan and

[6:31:53] the problem is we are using

[6:31:55] that money to do a lot of

[6:31:57] different things, not all tied

[6:31:58] to that trashcan.

[6:31:59] When I draw the item so we

[6:32:01] would leave it flat one of the

[6:32:03] things I told you all is

[6:32:04] miami-dade county solid waste

[6:32:06] had picked up the garbage at

[6:32:08] the city of miami, fi assay

[6:32:11] event at the doing of $350,000

[6:32:12] because the city of miami said

[6:32:13] they could not pay it.

[6:32:24] That is not okay.

[6:32:26] One of my motions is asking the

[6:32:28] mayor to send the city of miami

[6:32:28] the bill.

[6:32:30] I don't care if they paid

[6:32:32] through the bayfront trust or

[6:32:33] the dda, I don't care if they

[6:32:35] pay it from the general fund.

[6:32:37] Residents of miami-dade county

[6:32:38] that pay for their trash cans

[6:32:40] should not be paying for the

[6:32:42] city of miami, that is not fair

[6:32:44] because people from everywhere

[6:32:45] went to that and the city of

[6:32:47] miami was supposed to cover

[6:32:52] that and they called us because

[6:32:54] they couldn't do it and we

[6:32:55] picked it up and ate the bill

[6:32:57] and that is not fair so the

[6:32:58] city of miami has to pay

[6:33:00] $350,000 and that can go guess

[6:33:01] where, back to picking up

[6:33:02] illegal garbage.

[6:33:04] Which is where it should have

[6:33:05] been from the beginning.

[6:33:06] O

[6:33:07] continuing with solid waste,

[6:33:14] you all know I love zero waste,

[6:33:15] I am a huge proponent of

[6:33:20] recycling, a huge proponent of

[6:33:20] composting.

[6:33:22] I love some recycled stuff but

[6:33:26] if you go to page 17, of volume

[6:33:28] 3 you're going to find a

[6:33:36] problem and that is currently

[6:33:38] funding the zero waste master

[6:33:40] plan at the tune of $990,500

[6:33:42] out of operating revenue.

[6:33:43] Why is that wrong?

[6:33:48] First of all this operating

[6:33:50] revenue means we are paying it

[6:33:56] out of the trashcan again so

[6:33:58] even though the miami-dade

[6:34:00] county zero waste master plan

[6:34:02] will benefit every single

[6:34:06] resident of miami-dade county,

[6:34:08] not just the people who have a

[6:34:09] green trashcan, again the

[6:34:11] people who have the dream green

[6:34:13] trash cans are the ones paying

[6:34:14] for something that is a

[6:34:15] countywide benefit.

[6:34:17] Also, there was a bill passed

[6:34:24] by senator avila and it said we

[6:34:29] had to be careful spending

[6:34:30] money that had to do with net

[6:34:31] zero.

[6:34:36] So what do I think we should

[6:34:36] do?

[6:34:37] I think that we should fund

[6:34:39] part of this zero waste master

[6:34:41] plan but we should not fund it

[6:34:42] out of these revenues.

[6:34:47] I have an item that moves that

[6:34:49] and that we can take that

[6:34:55] $990,500 and apply it to

[6:34:57] picking up illegal trash.

[6:34:58] Because that makes more sense.

[6:35:09] That makes so much more sense.

[6:35:11] i have been talking to folks

[6:35:12] because obviously how do you

[6:35:14] pay for the zero waste master

[6:35:16] plan, you can apply for grants,

[6:35:18] that's going to take time but I

[6:35:19] did reach out to the goodwill

[6:35:21] so goodwill is having an issue

[6:35:23] finding sites because there's

[6:35:25] so much development and they

[6:35:27] pay $1000 per location month.

[6:35:28] That would be $12,000 so they

[6:35:34] are willing to partner with us

[6:35:36] because they want zero waste

[6:35:36] two.

[6:35:45] They want people to recycle

[6:35:46] clothing and to give things

[6:35:48] away instead of put it in a

[6:35:49] landfill so my proposal is we

[6:35:51] take five solid waste sites,

[6:35:53] partner with goodwill, they're

[6:35:54] willing to pay us $12,000 a

[6:35:56] site for five sites so that

[6:35:56] $60,000 right there.

[6:35:58] That we could put towards the

[6:36:05] zero waste master plan and we

[6:36:07] have someone at the solid waste

[6:36:09] sites where people can donate

[6:36:11] the stuff instead of putting it

[6:36:13] in the trash so guess what, get

[6:36:13] zero waste.

[6:36:15] And you made money instead of

[6:36:16] spending money.

[6:36:26] So keep going.

[6:36:28] I did want to mention something

[6:36:30] before we leave solid waste and

[6:36:36] that is what happened with the

[6:36:36] notice.

[6:36:38] At some point I don't know how

[6:36:39] many of you got the call, I got

[6:36:41] the call after this board

[6:36:43] unanimously approved leaving

[6:36:48] the rate flat.

[6:36:50] The administration decided to

[6:36:52] send out a notice, the cost is

[6:36:55] somewhere between 350,000 up to

[6:36:57] half a million, there's

[6:36:58] differing numbers but the fact

[6:37:00] this board took a position and

[6:37:02] that then the mayor sent a

[6:37:04] letter to everyone saying we

[6:37:05] were going to raise the solid

[6:37:09] waste fee and that cost us

[6:37:11] $350,000 on the low end, half a

[6:37:11] million on the high end that's

[6:37:13] money that could have gone to

[6:37:15] pick up the illegal waste.

[6:37:22] If every time we're going to

[6:37:23] have, we need to figure out

[6:37:25] when we send out these notices

[6:37:27] because we are wasting money,

[6:37:29] not raising the rate so we sent

[6:37:30] everyone that letter, sending

[6:37:41] the notice costs money and we

[6:37:43] sent it before so let's say we

[6:37:45] send 350 so we've spent

[6:37:46] $700,000 sending out letters

[6:37:48] about how much we will charge

[6:37:50] for solid waste when we could

[6:37:51] have, I don't know used that

[6:37:53] money for picking up illegal

[6:37:53] dumping.

[6:37:55] At some point the board needs

[6:37:58] to deal with when that gets

[6:37:58] triggered.

[6:38:00] That's not just because someone

[6:38:02] is thinking about it, it's

[6:38:03] because the board has something

[6:38:05] on the agenda or better yet

[6:38:07] there is consensus on what that

[6:38:09] would look like.

[6:38:11] A few of you talked about

[6:38:22] overtime in solid waste so I'm

[6:38:24] not going to belabor that.

[6:38:26] I will say in solid waste

[6:38:27] there's a travel and

[6:38:28] registration fee, that line

[6:38:29] item is $145,000.

[6:38:31] I get it, last year we got

[6:38:33] advertising, some of the other

[6:38:34] tithing is noticed but in this

[6:38:36] case I think if we are going to

[6:38:38] be talking about firing

[6:38:40] employees and not picking up

[6:38:42] trash you should probably cut

[6:38:45] our travel and registrations.

[6:38:50] In the terms of police, I want

[6:38:52] to thank the sheriff and her

[6:38:55] officers for being here.

[6:38:57] Listen, I am more than happy to

[6:38:58] leave it to the mayor to find

[6:39:01] the money I think one of the

[6:39:02] problems we have here is

[6:39:09] there's a lot of

[6:39:10] miscommunication.

[6:39:11] >chair: I think somebody has

[6:39:13] their mike on, might be

[6:39:14] breathing into it.

[6:39:15] We found the culprit, those are

[6:39:21] little signs.

[6:39:23] >>commissioner gilbert: I'm

[6:39:25] going to MISS You too, let me

[6:39:26] MISS You, be quiet.

[6:39:32] >>commissioner regalado: if we

[6:39:34] would have had a workshop, if

[6:39:43] we would have had a committee

[6:39:44] meeting, that's why we're here

[6:39:46] now, you don't have a workshop,

[6:39:48] don't have a committee, I

[6:39:50] brought my breakfast, this is

[6:39:50] what you get.

[6:39:52] We could have solved these

[6:39:52] problems before.

[6:39:54] I was more than happy to solve

[6:39:55] them before, you decided to do

[6:39:57] it at the last minute, here we

[6:39:57] are.

[6:39:59] This is what we get.

[6:40:00] >>commissioner gilbert: I want

[6:40:02] to hear all your suggestions

[6:40:04] without the editorializing.

[6:40:06] I didn't want to hear theirs

[6:40:08] either but just give me the

[6:40:09] suggestions please.

[6:40:10] >>commissioner regalado: I am

[6:40:22] here solving the problems.

[6:40:24] >>vice chair mcghee: point of

[6:40:25] order, she deserves to finish

[6:40:27] her questions, she's last or

[6:40:29] latest in the discussion, she

[6:40:31] is doing a good job, you didn't

[6:40:32] come up with the idea so let

[6:40:33] her do what she's doing.

[6:40:35] >commissioner regalado: I am

[6:40:38] the one with the solutions.

[6:40:40] Everyone else is making, I'm

[6:40:40] actually suggesting solutions.

[6:40:42] The time we spend here having

[6:40:44] this conversation as the last

[6:40:45] time we will spend at the

[6:40:48] second meeting so I think that

[6:40:50] it's worth the investment and I

[6:40:51] want to thank cleon for being

[6:40:52] such a gentleman.

[6:40:57] He's the best.

[6:40:57] Heart.

[6:41:12] It's a little heart.

[6:41:13] There's love there.

[6:41:15] So back to the sheriff.

[6:41:17] All right, so last year we

[6:41:18] decided to fund the sheriff

[6:41:20] with the rent speed money and

[6:41:29] took a portion of it for the

[6:41:31] bcc aptitude of 4.5 million.

[6:41:33] That's money is there, it's

[6:41:35] still hasn't been allocated to

[6:41:35] our offices.

[6:41:37] There is an interesting cost

[6:41:38] associated with red sea.

[6:41:40] That is about 700,000.

[6:41:45] Rated speed is administered by

[6:41:46] dtpw so what we should consider

[6:41:48] is giving rent speed completely

[6:41:57] to the sheriff.

[6:41:59] Giving the whole kit and

[6:42:00] caboodle, she can administrate

[6:42:02] it and you've got these people

[6:42:04] running around because they

[6:42:05] can't do flock, they can do

[6:42:07] rent speed and that gives us 9

[6:42:07] million.

[6:42:09] Ust $9 million we

[6:42:17] could give to the sheriff.

[6:42:19] So if that's what we want to do

[6:42:21] is support the sheriff absent 9

[6:42:22] million right there.

[6:42:24] That gets her a long way to

[6:42:25] solving some of these problems.

[6:42:27] I think instead of starting to

[6:42:29] pull strings if we really want

[6:42:31] to support the ground now

[6:42:35] instead of the green then I

[6:42:37] think we need to put some of

[6:42:38] our money in.

[6:42:39] All departments cut their

[6:42:41] budgets, we have not cut our

[6:42:43] budget, we have not cut the

[6:42:44] money coming to the board of

[6:42:46] county commissioners so giving

[6:42:48] the sheriff the red speed is

[6:42:50] the right thing to do.

[6:42:52] so happy to present an item

[6:42:59] doing that also.

[6:42:59] Okay.

[6:43:00] Okay, wasd.

[6:43:07] So much with wasd.

[6:43:09] We will get to wasd the rate

[6:43:10] increase but I want to mention

[6:43:12] one thing I've mentioned last

[6:43:14] year that I think needs to come

[6:43:15] up again.

[6:43:17] That is the what we paid to the

[6:43:17] ro.

[6:43:27] Right now we are looking at 3.2

[6:43:27] million.

[6:43:29] We've been talking about

[6:43:29] different options.

[6:43:34] And I think we need to be

[6:43:35] mindful.

[6:43:37] I know there's been

[6:43:40] conversations about having a

[6:43:43] joint meeting with hialeah and

[6:43:44] potentially either resolving it

[6:43:46] with them through dispute

[6:43:48] resolution or bringing a

[6:43:48] lawsuit.

[6:43:51] I think we need to change the

[6:44:09] line item and see about holding

[6:44:11] it, see if we can hold it in

[6:44:13] the courts registry, see what

[6:44:13] we can do.

[6:44:15] I don't think we continue with

[6:44:16] this contract in its current

[6:44:18] form so I have an item to deal

[6:44:20] with our own, we talked about

[6:44:22] it the year before and as we

[6:44:23] look at raising the water rates

[6:44:25] and a million here and a

[6:44:26] million there 3.2 million is a

[6:44:28] lot of money when you look at

[6:44:29] water so we need to look at

[6:44:31] every single contract, that's

[6:44:33] one of the contracts we need to

[6:44:34] look at.

[6:44:35] You move over here, you move

[6:44:36] over there.

[6:44:41] It doesn't bother me a bit.

[6:44:46] I don't, I think it's cute.

[6:44:48] >>commissioner gilbert: I've

[6:44:50] been called cute before.

[6:44:58] >>commissioner regalado: in

[6:45:00] terms of the water I will say a

[6:45:02] water rate I will say this, you

[6:45:04] know I love wasd, I support

[6:45:04] wasd.

[6:45:05] I think six is too high.

[6:45:07] We need to discuss our options

[6:45:16] before we go all the way to six

[6:45:18] and I'm the person that brought

[6:45:20] the item that would take us to

[6:45:21] six but our economic situation

[6:45:24] is different and we could still

[6:45:25] comply with a lot of it without

[6:45:27] going all the way to six.

[6:45:28] For the folks that came to

[6:45:30] speak on del, it's such an

[6:45:32] important program and one of

[6:45:33] the things I wanted to mention

[6:45:35] on E.E.L. Is after this budget

[6:45:37] we go to zero on E.E.L..

[6:45:51] That's why kelly was

[6:45:52] supportive, that's why we need

[6:45:54] to change the conversation in

[6:45:56] terms of how we protect

[6:45:57] endangered lands.

[6:45:59] We can't talk about wetlands,

[6:46:01] we need to have people donate

[6:46:03] the wetlands, pay for the

[6:46:04] restoration and have been paid

[6:46:06] in perpetuity through E.E.L..

[6:46:08] Kelly did that and that's a new

[6:46:09] model we need to start applying

[6:46:11] countywide because we do not

[6:46:13] have the funds to sustain this

[6:46:14] portfolio, I'm working with

[6:46:15] staff to find a recurring

[6:46:17] revenue stream but florida

[6:46:18] makes it difficult for us to

[6:46:20] have different permits, the

[6:46:26] impact fee thing is

[6:46:26] complicated.

[6:46:28] We have several funds that

[6:46:30] cover this and we've been using

[6:46:31] some of the tree trust money to

[6:46:33] do E.E.L. But we need a

[6:46:35] long-term solution for E.E.L.

[6:46:36] And I will continue working on

[6:46:36] it.

[6:46:38] We need to be mindful that when

[6:46:40] different projects come before

[6:46:42] us we also have to try to make

[6:46:43] the community benefit for

[6:46:45] E.E.L. So it's not as easy as

[6:46:47] slopping something on something

[6:46:48] else because the state has

[6:46:50] preempted us when it comes to

[6:46:51] this area and being able to

[6:46:53] raise funds.

[6:47:00] So parks, and direct.

[6:47:02] I want to thank the director

[6:47:07] and administration.

[6:47:09] All things considered you did a

[6:47:09] good job.

[6:47:18] I want to moving the special

[6:47:20] taxing districts out of parks

[6:47:22] and into rer is a smart move so

[6:47:23] I appreciate that.

[6:47:25] The folks doing that have

[6:47:26] always done a good job and one

[6:47:28] of the things that whenever we

[6:47:33] deal with special taxing

[6:47:35] districts they are very well

[6:47:37] administered by the county and

[6:47:39] very fair but I am concerned

[6:47:40] about the special taxing

[6:47:42] district that have cameras.

[6:47:43] There are some special taxing

[6:47:45] districts that have flock

[6:47:46] cameras and that have cameras

[6:47:48] in the reasons they have them

[6:47:50] is because they want the police

[6:48:03] to be able to access them.

[6:48:05] I think between now and the

[6:48:06] next budget we need to figure

[6:48:08] out how that will work because

[6:48:10] I have some in my district and

[6:48:11] there's concern as to what

[6:48:13] happens now with those cameras.

[6:48:15] F there's not going to be a

[6:48:17] monitoring, if we don't know

[6:48:19] where we are or we are putting

[6:48:20] a pin in it we need to notify

[6:48:21] those folks that have those

[6:48:23] special taxing districts, and

[6:48:25] either wind them down or figure

[6:48:26] it out because they shouldn't

[6:48:28] be paying for a service that

[6:48:30] they are not receiving and

[6:48:31] that's been a concern in

[6:48:35] several parts of my district.

[6:48:37] And let me see, I think that's

[6:48:38] mostly it.

[6:48:42] I could keep going but I've got

[6:48:47] more ideas but I know oliver

[6:48:55] wants to go home.

[6:48:57] >>commissioner gilbert: we can

[6:48:59] stay, I just want you to stop

[6:48:59] talking.

[6:49:01] I'm joking MR. CHAIRMAN.

[6:49:02] I'm joking.

[6:49:10] She can keep talking, I was

[6:49:10] joking.

[6:49:12] You made a good point about the

[6:49:14] flock cameras though, I don't

[6:49:15] know what we are doing with

[6:49:17] those, that was a very good

[6:49:19] point and we keep calling them

[6:49:20] flock cameras, it's a brand

[6:49:21] like tissues.

[6:49:23] What are we going to do with

[6:49:23] those?

[6:49:25] That was a very interesting

[6:49:26] thing and long term what

[6:49:28] happens because there is a

[6:49:32] personnel cost that can be

[6:49:33] assigned to the investigative

[6:49:43] stuff that goes with the

[6:49:44] technology.

[6:49:46] >>chair: thank you commissioner

[6:49:48] gilbert, commissioner from

[6:49:49] district 4, we want you to be

[6:49:51] quiet now, commissioner from

[6:49:53] district 4 you are recognized.

[6:49:55] >>commissioner steinberg: I

[6:49:56] apologize ahead of time.

[6:49:58] A couple of interesting things

[6:49:59] were said tonight so there are

[6:50:01] a few things I want to hone in

[6:50:01] on.

[6:50:03] The first is I guess

[6:50:05] commissioner regalado spoke and

[6:50:07] a lot of my thoughts are

[6:50:08] swimming around what you just

[6:50:09] said.

[6:50:16] N terms of transit it's

[6:50:16] interesting.

[6:50:18] There are many early bus routes

[6:50:20] being cut that will be

[6:50:21] detrimental for our workforce

[6:50:23] so obviously I don't think any

[6:50:26] of us support that

[6:50:26] conceptually.

[6:50:28] I want to know have we

[6:50:29] explored, we are talking about

[6:50:47] the fees for using these user

[6:50:48] fees, customers pay fees for

[6:50:50] whatever service they get and

[6:50:51] have you looked at how many of

[6:50:53] the people using some of our

[6:50:55] transit are not necessarily

[6:50:56] residents, maybe tourists,

[6:50:58] people coming to visit, do we

[6:51:00] have a different price point we

[6:51:01] could charge, have we explored

[6:51:03] how we could take advantage so

[6:51:05] we don't have to keep raising

[6:51:07] it on the residence but maybe

[6:51:08] other users who use these

[6:51:10] transit options we could look

[6:51:10] at.

[6:51:12] In terms of the, I don't know,

[6:51:14] is there an answer?

[6:51:16] >>commissioner regalado: can we

[6:51:17] jump in now?

[6:51:19] >>chair: I know you're the

[6:51:21] smartest person sitting on this

[6:51:22] dance, smarter than the mayor

[6:51:24] and her administration but

[6:51:25] we're not going to jump in and

[6:51:27] answer all that.

[6:51:28] >>mayor cava: if I can jump in

[6:51:30] nobody in dtpw is losing jobs

[6:51:35] as a result of this so I want

[6:51:37] to clarify that because several

[6:51:39] of you have mentioned it but

[6:51:41] the director will the issue you

[6:51:43] raised specifically.

[6:51:49] >>chair: you are recognized.

[6:51:50] >>commissioner steinberg: I

[6:51:52] know we are talking about some

[6:51:54] of the routes that might be

[6:51:56] eliminated in the morning hours

[6:51:57] and in my district alone we

[6:51:59] have impact of about $5 million

[6:52:01] cut from the transportation and

[6:52:03] I also know there are about a

[6:52:04] dozen routes that touch my

[6:52:06] district in some capacity in

[6:52:08] those early morning hours and

[6:52:14] some of them are truly

[6:52:15] important because they have

[6:52:17] tourism as a main hub and the

[6:52:19] route to get to met downtown is

[6:52:21] going to be cut in the morning

[6:52:22] so I was wondering if one of

[6:52:25] the costs maybe solutions to

[6:52:27] this issue is also trying to

[6:52:28] understand that end-user.

[6:52:30] How many are workforce that

[6:52:32] rely on this transportation to

[6:52:34] get to work and how much is not

[6:52:42] a workforce end-user, maybe a

[6:52:43] tourist and we can look at the

[6:52:45] pricing and make sure

[6:52:47] miami-dade residents get one

[6:52:48] price point and maybe visitors

[6:52:50] or tourists or other people

[6:52:52] necessarily be not full-time

[6:52:54] residents will pay a different

[6:52:54] price.

[6:52:56] >> thank you for that question.

[6:52:58] Because of the nature of how we

[6:53:00] charge we don't know the

[6:53:08] location of the individual so

[6:53:10] we don't know if they are a

[6:53:12] miami dade county resident, a

[6:53:13] tourist coming here to go to

[6:53:14] work.

[6:53:15] That's not incorporated in the

[6:53:17] purchase of a fair ticket.

[6:53:18] We only know that for

[6:53:20] individuals who receive either

[6:53:22] reduced fair or free fair but

[6:53:24] you tap and go so I don't know

[6:53:26] where you come from if you are

[6:53:30] tapping a credit ard, I don't

[6:53:32] know, I have no means of

[6:53:34] determining your address so

[6:53:36] unfortunately we would have to

[6:53:37] change our process to determine

[6:53:39] where you lived in conjunction

[6:53:41] with how much you paid, that's

[6:53:48] not part of our process today.

[6:53:50] >>commissioner steinberg: it's

[6:53:52] worth exploring to see if the

[6:53:54] technology could be updated to

[6:53:56] determine that because if

[6:53:58] you're using a credit card that

[6:54:00] could potentially be traced

[6:54:01] back to an address of sorts,

[6:54:03] it's something to explore claps

[6:54:05] our current software is not

[6:54:07] capable of doing that, it's

[6:54:08] something we could evaluate as

[6:54:10] we moved to a new fare

[6:54:11] collection system but I do need

[6:54:13] to be mindful of what kind of

[6:54:17] information we do collect

[6:54:19] regarding the use of that

[6:54:19] credit card.

[6:54:22] We have cash transactions as

[6:54:26] well but we could evaluate it.

[6:54:28] >>commissioner steinberg: it's

[6:54:29] frustrating because a few years

[6:54:31] ago everybody was told the

[6:54:33] better bus network would be

[6:54:34] more efficient and reduce

[6:54:36] costs, that's what I was told

[6:54:37] anyway, that's what a lot of

[6:54:39] our residents were told and

[6:54:40] that doesn't seem to be the

[6:54:42] case and I bring that up

[6:54:46] because I'm trying to find a

[6:54:46] solution.

[6:54:48] The reason we have metro

[6:54:50] connect or those other options

[6:54:51] were because we eliminated

[6:54:53] those bus routes to begin with

[6:54:54] realized there was a gap we

[6:54:56] needed to fill so then we

[6:55:06] started getting creative with

[6:55:07] 3d and other modes of

[6:55:09] transportation to make up for

[6:55:11] the routes we eliminated during

[6:55:13] that better bus network of

[6:55:14] transition because we found

[6:55:16] there were shortcomings and we

[6:55:18] found the residents were not

[6:55:19] necessarily better served in

[6:55:21] some capacity, maybe in some

[6:55:23] areas but overall we are in

[6:55:24] this position today so it's

[6:55:26] funny to me that it's almost

[6:55:28] costing us more now and we're

[6:55:29] trying to find a way to

[6:55:30] reconcile that so I wanted to

[6:55:32] say I think we need to do a

[6:55:34] little bit more fine tuning as

[6:55:35] it relates to that because I

[6:55:41] don't know that that's the

[6:55:41] solution.

[6:55:43] i also know as public safety,

[6:55:45] there are a lot of things we

[6:55:46] need to fund but we need to

[6:55:48] make the hard decisions if we

[6:55:49] are going to fund these, how

[6:55:51] are we going to do it, what are

[6:55:52] we willing to do?

[6:55:54] I'm ready, I love the idea

[6:55:56] maybe of the program

[6:55:58] commissioner regalado brought

[6:55:59] up, we could use those dollars

[6:56:01] as one avenue to make up for it

[6:56:03] and I agree, we are all in this

[6:56:04] together.

[6:56:06] In terms of the metro, not the

[6:56:07] metro connect, the metro mover

[6:56:10] you mentioned, what I was told

[6:56:11] when I brought that up was not

[6:56:13] so much that they couldn't

[6:56:15] charge or the infrastructure to

[6:56:17] put in the mechanism in order

[6:56:21] to charge maybe two cost

[6:56:22] prohibitive.

[6:56:23] I'm saying that's what I was

[6:56:25] told, obviously they are going

[6:56:35] to look at that.

[6:56:37] I don't necessarily agree

[6:56:38] moving dollars from any smart

[6:56:40] plan at this time because it

[6:56:42] doesn't necessarily tie you to

[6:56:43] a specific mode of

[6:56:44] transportation, it just talks

[6:56:46] about the fact those are main

[6:56:49] arteries that MAY need transit

[6:56:51] solutions to alleviate the

[6:56:53] traffic and anything we can do

[6:56:55] to alleviate traffic because

[6:56:56] that's a major concern should

[6:56:58] be a number one priority along

[6:57:00] with public safety and parks

[6:57:07] and infrastructure.

[6:57:09] I do have questions for our

[6:57:11] water and sewer department as

[6:57:13] relates to the ocean outfalls.

[6:57:14] That was brought up before,

[6:57:16] ocean outfalls, where are we

[6:57:18] with that, what's happening

[6:57:19] because that's not just part of

[6:57:21] our consent decree but part of

[6:57:23] state mandates and can you

[6:57:25] explain what that is and how we

[6:57:26] are going to be able to fund

[6:57:28] that because I know you brought

[6:57:30] forward a proposal in order to

[6:57:32] fund that but can you explain.

[6:57:34] >> the ocean outfalls

[6:57:35] legislation is a state

[6:57:37] legislation that brent and

[6:57:39] apart from our consent order.

[6:57:41] Florida set in statute in 2008

[6:57:43] directing miami-dade county

[6:57:45] through its ocean outfalls

[6:57:47] legislation to greatly reduce

[6:57:48] its usage of ocean outfall or

[6:57:50] treated wastewater effluent

[6:57:51] also directed us to reduce

[6:57:53] nutrients that go into our bay

[6:57:55] as well as directing us to

[6:57:56] reuse our drinking water.

[6:57:58] When mayor levine cava came in

[6:58:01] office the program was 13%

[6:58:01] complete.

[6:58:03] State law said it had to be

[6:58:04] finished by 2025.

[6:58:05] It is about 50% complete today.

[6:58:09] E meet with dep on a monthly

[6:58:11] basis and update them on the

[6:58:16] status of the work.

[6:58:18] They recognize we've done a

[6:58:20] tremendous amount of work in a

[6:58:21] few years after going a number

[6:58:25] of years without doing much

[6:58:26] work they've not proposed at

[6:58:28] least at this point penalizing

[6:58:30] us but if we signaled in any

[6:58:31] way we were not going to finish

[6:58:33] the work there would be

[6:58:41] consequences to that.

[6:58:43] I've gone to tallahassee myself

[6:58:44] and had senator say to me why

[6:58:46] would be fund anything in

[6:58:47] miami-dade if you're not going

[6:58:49] to comply with ocean outfall

[6:58:51] legislation so we are committed

[6:58:52] to finishing it but the

[6:58:53] challenge to pay for it when

[6:59:02] the previous board that

[6:59:04] submitted the workplan to the

[6:59:05] state for ocean outfall agreed

[6:59:07] to do the projects said they

[6:59:09] would raise the money along the

[6:59:11] way which means every year when

[6:59:12] you need money you have to

[6:59:14] raise it and that's what we are

[6:59:16] doing so we are complying with

[6:59:18] the work plan approved in 2013

[6:59:19] and that is to come to you

[6:59:21] every year and raise the money

[6:59:22] we need to pay and if you don't

[6:59:24] give us the money we will not

[6:59:26] do the work.

[6:59:28] >>commissioner steinberg: then

[6:59:28] what happens?

[6:59:30] >> the state has to decide how

[6:59:32] they penalize us so it's not in

[6:59:34] the legislation how we would be

[6:59:36] penalized, they would have to

[6:59:38] come back not complying, the

[6:59:40] greater consequence is it gives

[6:59:41] lawmakers an excuse not to do

[6:59:43] anything if we're going to

[6:59:44] refuse to follow the law.

[6:59:46] >>mayor cava: if I MAY add the

[6:59:48] funding we received to improve

[6:59:49] the bay, those dollars would be

[6:59:51] at risk if we are violating

[6:59:53] their directive to clean up.

[6:59:55] >> these are things we have to

[6:59:57] make hard decisions and the

[6:59:58] opportune time we need to have

[7:00:00] that conversation so we are not

[7:00:02] putting ourselves at further

[7:00:02] risk.

[7:00:04] It's interesting commissioner

[7:00:11] lopez you brought up sargassum,

[7:00:13] we need to be mindful looking

[7:00:15] at that which is why I passed

[7:00:17] this resolution but the loan

[7:00:19] assessment program that's not

[7:00:21] general tax dollars, that's

[7:00:25] surtax and I want you to know

[7:00:26] it actually is not open right

[7:00:26] now.

[7:00:28] T was only they paused

[7:00:28] that.

[7:00:30] It was open and they had to

[7:00:32] stop the program because they

[7:00:33] needed to make it more

[7:00:35] efficient and they did try to

[7:00:36] prioritize seniors.

[7:00:36] old on,

[7:00:40] it reopened.

[7:00:41] >>commissioner gilbert: could

[7:00:43] you on the back stop talking so

[7:00:45] much because the little bit or

[7:00:46] you could leave.

[7:01:00] But I actually want to hear the

[7:01:01] conversation.

[7:01:03] >>commissioner steinberg: it

[7:01:04] reopened JUNE 1, it was open

[7:01:06] for 30 days over the summer so

[7:01:16] that they could make sure there

[7:01:18] was a backlog, there were lots

[7:01:20] of, this is a great program and

[7:01:21] we know there's a real need

[7:01:23] adjusting the 30 days 518 total

[7:01:24] applications were submitted,

[7:01:26] 261 senior applications were

[7:01:28] submitted and so there's still

[7:01:30] 424 total applications in

[7:01:31] progress and of that 220 our

[7:01:33] senior applications in

[7:01:33] progress.

[7:01:35] So the truth is this is such an

[7:01:40] important lifeline for many

[7:01:41] people that I would like to see

[7:01:43] if there's any other

[7:01:44] opportunity mayor to perhaps

[7:01:49] continue funding that and it's

[7:01:50] surtax dollars, it's part of

[7:01:52] the housing program but to try

[7:01:54] to help fill that necessary gap

[7:02:02] so something to think about.

[7:02:04] And I'll save some of my final

[7:02:06] thoughts but we know our main

[7:02:07] priority are to keep our

[7:02:17] streets clean, to keep them

[7:02:19] safe, to make sure that we are

[7:02:21] doing what we can so through

[7:02:23] that local lens we work through

[7:02:25] so public safety or parks or

[7:02:26] infrastructure needs or roads

[7:02:29] or sidewalks for stormwater

[7:02:36] management, flood mitigation.

[7:02:38] Back to the basics, we need to

[7:02:40] make sure we are looking at the

[7:02:42] basics and making sure we are

[7:02:43] truly looking at the needs to

[7:02:45] have more so then nice to have

[7:02:47] so I'm open to hearing what

[7:02:49] everybody has to say, looking

[7:02:51] forward to hopefully not too

[7:02:52] long of a night but a lot of

[7:02:54] important things were said and

[7:02:56] the sentiment, we are all in

[7:02:57] agreement, it's a matter of how

[7:02:59] we get there and what that

[7:03:00] looks like.

[7:03:02] >>vice chair mcghee: thank you

[7:03:04] commissioner, next up we have

[7:03:05] commissioner kionne hardemon,

[7:03:07] would you like a few words at

[7:03:12] this moment?

[7:03:14] >> thank you to all the members

[7:03:16] of the public who came and

[7:03:17] spoke to us, there was one

[7:03:19] individual we stood out to me

[7:03:20] representing the organization

[7:03:22] but I thought he did a

[7:03:23] beautiful job so I applaud him

[7:03:26] for his bravery and to

[7:03:27] everybody who came down and

[7:03:29] spoke, to our mayor thank you

[7:03:30] for the work you've put into

[7:03:37] this budget.

[7:03:39] You have scaled back, listened

[7:03:41] to this board when we've said

[7:03:43] find ways to find deficiencies

[7:03:45] and that's reflected in this

[7:03:46] budget so thank you for your

[7:03:48] work and our new budget

[7:03:49] director has done an

[7:03:50] extraordinary job so thank you

[7:03:52] to you director baker, you've

[7:03:54] done great work and been a

[7:03:55] pleasure to work with.

[7:03:57] To all the directors that

[7:03:59] scaled their budgets back and

[7:04:00] did a modest 3% increase I

[7:04:02] think everybody in the

[7:04:04] administration, I thank you for

[7:04:10] recognizing the times we are in

[7:04:12] and I say the times we are in

[7:04:13] because it's an important

[7:04:14] caveat.

[7:04:15] Only in government does the

[7:04:22] budget grow by 450 not million

[7:04:23] dollars and I'll repeat that,

[7:04:25] only in government does a

[7:04:27] budget grow by $450 million and

[7:04:28] people are having a

[7:04:29] conversation about difficult

[7:04:30] times.

[7:04:32] This is not reflective of

[7:04:33] difficult times we had

[7:04:34] difficult times was 2008,

[7:04:36] difficult times is when you

[7:04:38] cannot fund the department

[7:04:39] because you don't have

[7:04:40] sufficient funds.

[7:04:42] Difficult times is not being

[7:04:44] experienced in miami-dade

[7:04:45] county government, our budget

[7:04:57] has grown substantially year

[7:04:59] over year, difficult times are

[7:05:00] being fought by our residents,

[7:05:02] by the taxpayers of miami dade

[7:05:04] county and I know that

[7:05:05] intimately because of the

[7:05:07] thousands of doors I finished

[7:05:08] knocking on and I heard

[7:05:10] colleagues mentioned the number

[7:05:12] one issue I heard of the doors

[7:05:13] in my district is I need some

[7:05:14] sort of relief.

[7:05:16] Gas is extremely expensive,

[7:05:18] milk is through the roof.

[7:05:20] This is the feedback I got

[7:05:22] repeatedly, how will you help

[7:05:23] us make ends meet.

[7:05:24] I think a lot of what my

[7:05:26] colleagues said regarding the

[7:05:28] reality of property tax relief

[7:05:28] is real.

[7:05:29] T whether it passes

[7:05:51] in NOVEMBER or not I think is

[7:05:53] completely inconsequential

[7:05:55] because if it doesn't pass come

[7:05:56] NOVEMBER 3 it is highly likely

[7:05:58] to be back on the legislative

[7:06:00] floor in the next legislative

[7:06:02] session in some form or another

[7:06:03] so we need to be prepared.

[7:06:05] We talk about being future

[7:06:07] ready, there's a lot of

[7:06:09] programs and initiatives that

[7:06:10] focus on future ready and as

[7:06:12] much as I appreciate the budget

[7:06:14] it concerns me we are not

[7:06:15] fiscally future ready.

[7:06:17] there is very little in our

[7:06:18] reserves we talked about

[7:06:19] earlier today if a storm hits

[7:06:21] our county we are going to find

[7:06:23] ourselves in a difficult

[7:06:24] financial position so knowing

[7:06:26] that we are likely to get hit

[7:06:28] with hundreds of millions of

[7:06:29] dollars in forced cutbacks in a

[7:06:31] very short amount of time, I

[7:06:33] think it would have been

[7:06:34] prudent for us to have that

[7:06:36] reflected in this current

[7:06:37] budget showing a messaging that

[7:06:39] we are not in difficult times

[7:06:41] now but we are preparing for

[7:06:43] what we know is likely to come

[7:06:45] and if it doesn't come we have

[7:06:46] a lot of money either in

[7:06:48] reserves or we can do different

[7:06:50] things with but if any

[7:06:51] household knows that hard

[7:06:53] financial times are coming they

[7:06:55] immediately come back in a very

[7:06:56] substantial way and I'm just

[7:06:58] not entirely sure this budget

[7:06:59] reflects that.

[7:07:01] So in addition to reserves and

[7:07:03] my concern whether or not this

[7:07:05] budget is future ready for the

[7:07:07] fiscal perspective I'm also

[7:07:09] very concerned regarding our

[7:07:11] roadways and the transportation

[7:07:12] budget and frankly the future

[7:07:15] it is heading in everybody

[7:07:17] recognizes our budget is not

[7:07:18] sustainable.

[7:07:19] It is at the cliff and we are

[7:07:21] standing over the edge of our

[7:07:23] transportation budget and

[7:07:24] whether it's reorganizing the

[7:07:26] entire organizational structure

[7:07:28] of that department, whether it

[7:07:29] is charging fees on services

[7:07:31] we've never charged before,

[7:07:33] whether it's a modest raise of

[7:07:35] fees to the users of that

[7:07:36] service I do firmly believe we

[7:07:38] have to look at ways to make

[7:07:40] sure our working-class people

[7:07:42] in miami-dade county which are

[7:07:44] the people catching the bus at

[7:07:46] four or 5 o'clock in the

[7:07:48] morning are not losing service.

[7:07:50] Because I talk about this all

[7:07:51] the time, yes we are a

[7:07:53] world-class community in

[7:07:54] miami-dade mayor always on the

[7:07:56] world stage but we have to be

[7:07:58] world-class not just for the

[7:07:59] wealthy for the working class

[7:08:01] and I want to pass a budget

[7:08:09] that reflects that so I look

[7:08:10] forward to working with our

[7:08:11] mayor.

[7:08:12] I don't have a punch list of

[7:08:13] ideas.

[7:08:15] I appreciate my colleagues do,

[7:08:16] that's the work we need to be

[7:08:18] doing and I look forward to

[7:08:19] working with our mayor and we

[7:08:21] will continue to have meetings

[7:08:27] moving into the future.

[7:08:29] Any and all of these ideas need

[7:08:31] at least seven votes I think in

[7:08:33] order to pass so I'm not sure

[7:08:34] what the procedure you plan to

[7:08:36] engage in is going to be.

[7:08:37] If we are throwing out motions

[7:08:39] without memos and the

[7:08:40] consequences being attached

[7:08:42] without being fully briefed

[7:08:43] memo placed in front of us

[7:08:45] showing us what the

[7:08:47] consequences of those decisions

[7:08:48] will be, I'm not sure how I

[7:08:50] will vote but I do know there

[7:08:52] is I think a lot of work that

[7:08:53] needs to be done between now

[7:08:55] and the final hearing regarding

[7:08:57] the priorities we have finding

[7:08:59] a landing place safe and square

[7:09:01] between now and the final

[7:09:03] budget and regarding public

[7:09:04] safety I've said it before and

[7:09:06] I'll say it again, I don't

[7:09:08] think there is a dollar our

[7:09:09] residents pay more thoughtfully

[7:09:11] in their taxes than to public

[7:09:12] safety.

[7:09:13] i've said it before, I'll say

[7:09:14] it again.

[7:09:16] That is the reflective and the

[7:09:18] values of this budget and thank

[7:09:19] you to the mayor for allowing a

[7:09:21] 6% increase versus 3% increase.

[7:09:24] I do think there needs to be a

[7:09:26] compromised position between

[7:09:27] our mayor and sheriff whether

[7:09:38] it that's funding at folder

[7:09:40] 10%, I hope a compromise can be

[7:09:41] reached between now and the

[7:09:43] final budget and I think that's

[7:09:45] a substantial difference

[7:09:47] between this year and last

[7:09:48] year, last year a compromise

[7:09:50] was reached, I'm not sure if it

[7:09:52] will be reached this year, I'm

[7:09:53] hopeful that is accomplished

[7:09:55] but for my district and for my

[7:09:57] priorities, I've said to the

[7:09:58] mayor and I'll say it for us,

[7:10:00] it's the roads in district 8,

[7:10:01] it's the roads in deep south

[7:10:03] dade where taxpayers find it

[7:10:05] difficult to understand how the

[7:10:07] $14.3 billion budget they are

[7:10:08] driving through roads where

[7:10:13] their meals are cracking

[7:10:15] because of how deep the

[7:10:16] potholes are in some of those

[7:10:18] areas so I've had those

[7:10:23] conversations with our mayor, I

[7:10:24] hope we can find creative ways

[7:10:26] to fund what I consider, we

[7:10:28] talk about essential services,

[7:10:30] to be one of the core functions

[7:10:32] of government in addition to

[7:10:34] public safety is providing safe

[7:10:36] roadways for our residents to

[7:10:36] traverse.

[7:10:40] So I think I thank everybody

[7:10:41] again for the work put into

[7:10:43] this budget, it reflects the

[7:10:45] values this board has echoed

[7:10:46] and I thank our mayor moving in

[7:10:48] the right direction.

[7:10:50] I personally would like to see

[7:10:52] greater funding for our roadway

[7:10:55] system in the south dade and i

[7:10:57] absolutely would like to see a

[7:10:59] compromised position reached

[7:11:04] without sheriff's office, thank

[7:11:04] you.

[7:11:06] >>chair: MR. Vice chair.

[7:11:08] >>vice chair mcghee: I will be

[7:11:10] brief, from the podium from the

[7:11:11] well we've heard so many

[7:11:19] different voices and I've

[7:11:20] stated voices do matter.

[7:11:22] Especially for those who come

[7:11:23] here and wait hour after hour,

[7:11:25] gave out opportunities to be

[7:11:27] with their families, spend

[7:11:28] hours on the road, gave up time

[7:11:30] to help with their quality of

[7:11:32] life so I want everyone we

[7:11:33] spoke this evening and earlier

[7:11:39] today to know your voices do

[7:11:41] matter and we actually heard

[7:11:41] them.

[7:11:43] Secondly I'll say to the mayor

[7:11:45] and administration thank you so

[7:11:46] much.

[7:11:47] You've done a great job, great

[7:11:58] starting point.

[7:12:00] Based on the conversations and

[7:12:01] meetings we've had with you in

[7:12:03] my office I want to personally

[7:12:05] and publicly commend you on a

[7:12:06] job well done.

[7:12:08] As relates to the department

[7:12:09] thank you so much.

[7:12:10] I know your work is not done at

[7:12:12] this particular stage, it's

[7:12:14] 12:13 and you're probably going

[7:12:16] to be up by 7:00 A.M. Working

[7:12:17] on these concerns and reality

[7:12:19] checks you've heard so thank

[7:12:21] you so much and I want to thank

[7:12:22] my colleagues were there hard

[7:12:23] work.

[7:12:24] Reading every page of this

[7:12:26] proposed budget ensuring it

[7:12:28] meets the requirements and

[7:12:29] expectation of the people of

[7:12:33] this great county.

[7:12:35] When I told you my remarks

[7:12:36] would be brief is because I

[7:12:38] realized my remarks will be

[7:12:39] found within two words and

[7:12:41] those two words are public

[7:12:41] safety.

[7:12:43] Often times we think public

[7:12:45] safety is just law enforcement

[7:12:47] and I want to make sure we

[7:12:51] correct the record.

[7:12:53] Public safety includes parks,

[7:12:55] public safety also includes

[7:12:56] potholes.

[7:12:58] Public safety includes those

[7:12:59] individuals who are taking care

[7:13:01] of our kids at daycare's.

[7:13:02] Those things and those places

[7:13:04] also should be considered

[7:13:05] public safety.

[7:13:16] I don't want us to lose sight,

[7:13:18] we love our law enforcement, we

[7:13:19] do and I don't want us to lose

[7:13:21] sight of the great men and

[7:13:23] women of our law enforcement

[7:13:24] department because they risk

[7:13:26] their lives each and every day

[7:13:28] for us and I don't think but I

[7:13:30] know we should do everything in

[7:13:32] our power to ensure our sheriff

[7:13:33] as all the resources she needs

[7:13:35] for her men and women to ensure

[7:13:37] we have a safe community.

[7:13:39] But I can't forget the reality

[7:13:42] of the parks.

[7:13:43] Parks in this staff they save a

[7:13:45] lot of lives and these are

[7:13:47] lives you're not going to see

[7:13:48] on a spreadsheet, you're not

[7:13:50] going to be able to count them

[7:13:51] as part of your status report

[7:14:02] but you can measure them and

[7:14:04] the impact they're having on

[7:14:05] future generations, I'm talking

[7:14:07] about kids who leave the school

[7:14:09] bus and find themselves at an

[7:14:10] afterschool event, am talking

[7:14:12] about where kids can go and use

[7:14:14] public wi-fi, on talking about

[7:14:16] where they learn how to swim

[7:14:17] and where they go to feel safe

[7:14:19] and their parents are at work

[7:14:21] so I never want anybody to feel

[7:14:23] when we are speaking about

[7:14:24] public safety that we are

[7:14:27] relegated simply to law

[7:14:28] enforcement.

[7:14:29] None mayor thank you so much

[7:14:31] because I understand your

[7:14:32] commitment to ensuring our

[7:14:34] parks will be recognized and

[7:14:35] are recognized within this

[7:14:37] budget based on the parameters

[7:14:38] we've seen.

[7:14:40] But also I have to tap into the

[7:14:41] reality that essential

[7:14:43] services, essential workers

[7:14:47] without a doubt are the

[7:14:48] backbone of this entire system

[7:14:50] and without them none of this

[7:14:51] stuff would work if we are

[7:14:55] honest with ourselves they need

[7:14:56] raises and not pay cuts.

[7:15:00] Essential workers need raises.

[7:15:01] And not pay cuts.

[7:15:06] The service providers, we think

[7:15:07] service providers are those who

[7:15:19] hold a telephone often and give

[7:15:21] us advice over a phone or

[7:15:22] through a computer.

[7:15:24] That's how we have to find

[7:15:25] service providers.

[7:15:26] But if you want to talk about

[7:15:28] service providers, look at the

[7:15:29] young men and young women who

[7:15:31] get up every morning, aboard a

[7:15:33] truck to come and ensure our

[7:15:35] trash is picked up.

[7:15:36] That's real service.

[7:15:38] Or the bus drivers who have to

[7:15:40] leave their homes at 3:00 A.M.

[7:15:41] In the morning to ensure a 5:00

[7:15:43] A.M. Bus route is active and

[7:15:45] where the bus drivers will

[7:15:50] greet these individuals,

[7:15:51] sometimes the first ones to say

[7:15:53] good morning to them which will

[7:15:58] set their day off in a great

[7:15:58] mood.

[7:16:00] But now I want to talk about

[7:16:01] the essential part of the

[7:16:02] system.

[7:16:03] Essential parts of the system

[7:16:18] are found with those

[7:16:20] community-based organizations.

[7:16:21] Those are the ones I always

[7:16:23] have said and I will stand by

[7:16:24] it, those are the ones always

[7:16:25] doing GOD's work.

[7:16:27] They don't complain, they don't

[7:16:29] make a lot of thoughts, a put

[7:16:31] their heads down and deliver

[7:16:32] results and I want us to

[7:16:34] understand when we are talking

[7:16:36] about essential parts we are

[7:16:38] talking about people who have

[7:16:39] gone to the private sector,

[7:16:41] provided the same services,

[7:16:42] made more money and received

[7:16:44] more accolades but they didn't.

[7:16:46] They chose to simply say GOD

[7:16:47] work needs to be done, we're

[7:16:49] going to substitute what the

[7:16:56] county cannot provide an given

[7:16:57] opportunity to kids who've

[7:16:59] either bed molested, those who

[7:17:00] have run into the criminal

[7:17:02] justice system, as part of a

[7:17:04] head start program, considered

[7:17:06] to be elderly at this moment,

[7:17:07] veterans we need a second

[7:17:09] chance and those young boys and

[7:17:11] young girls who feel left out

[7:17:11] of the system.

[7:17:13] Those are the essential parts

[7:17:15] we have to tap in each and

[7:17:17] every day and finally MR.

[7:17:19] CHAIRMAN, commissioner regalado

[7:17:21] has made some great

[7:17:22] recommendations as relates to

[7:17:24] the emotions I believe she's

[7:17:25] going to bring forth.

[7:17:27] And quite a few of them

[7:17:29] actually I found to be very

[7:17:30] fascinating.

[7:17:32] Fascinating in the sense that a

[7:17:38] few of them have given us real

[7:17:39] solutions to some real

[7:17:40] problems.

[7:17:40] Nd I look forward

[7:17:42] to hearing her motion because I

[7:17:44] do believe I will rush to the

[7:17:45] forefront to second quite a few

[7:17:47] of them because I understand

[7:17:49] that what she has proposed can

[7:17:51] actually work at this moment.

[7:17:53] And I do believe, I do believe

[7:17:55] transportation should not and

[7:18:04] cannot be on the table for cuts

[7:18:06] and the reason being is this.

[7:18:07] I represent the deep south.

[7:18:09] I represent all of florida

[7:18:09] city.

[7:18:11] Exit 1 all the way up and when

[7:18:13] I look at the list of bus

[7:18:14] service cuts I saw 4 bus

[7:18:16] numbers, each one of them

[7:18:28] provides real service to people

[7:18:29] who've been left out of the

[7:18:31] equation not just one time, not

[7:18:33] just 2 times but last time I

[7:18:34] checked it seems like every

[7:18:36] time we had it's difficult for

[7:18:38] me to sit here and agree with

[7:18:39] proposed cuts to bus 35.

[7:18:41] Bus 35 is the bus that takes

[7:18:43] workers out of florida city and

[7:18:46] takes them to the target on 216

[7:18:48] where they can get on the bart,

[7:18:53] transfer to the metrorail,

[7:18:54] transfer to the net over and

[7:18:56] take another bus to the beach

[7:18:59] to provide services to those

[7:19:01] who utilize our hotels.

[7:19:03] These people are not leaving

[7:19:04] their homes at 6:00 A.M.. These

[7:19:06] people are leaving at 4:00 A.M.

[7:19:08] Because if you live in the

[7:19:09] south to leave your home

[7:19:14] anytime after 6:00 A.M. You're

[7:19:16] dead on arrival, it's

[7:19:17] impossible for you to get

[7:19:19] through traffic past 6:00 A.M..

[7:19:22] Then I saw 287, 287 is a bus

[7:19:26] that runs east and west.

[7:19:27] It runs east and west because

[7:19:32] it runs up and down.

[7:19:34] And 152 for those of you who

[7:19:36] know connects country walked to

[7:19:41] the bart and why is that

[7:19:42] important?

[7:19:45] Because 287 takes richmond

[7:19:53] heights workers, bus drivers to

[7:19:54] give them opportunities to tap

[7:19:56] into the vein of our

[7:19:58] transportation system with the

[7:19:59] bart.

[7:20:00] And there was another one, bus

[7:20:01] 52.

[7:20:05] How is it bus 52 can be on this

[7:20:10] list when bus 52 runs down the

[7:20:12] vein of not just goose but it

[7:20:14] touches perrine, not only

[7:20:16] perrine but south miami heights

[7:20:20] not only south miami heights at

[7:20:22] the outer shores of cutler bay.

[7:20:23] Let's be clear, to cut the

[7:20:25] services on bus 52 is to say to

[7:20:36] a working community we don't

[7:20:38] see you and we don't recognize

[7:20:39] you.

[7:20:40] Some of which I would actually

[7:20:42] disagree with you and the

[7:20:44] cutting of the services for bus

[7:20:45] 52 but here's the thing I

[7:20:47] believe really sets everything

[7:20:55] in motion.

[7:20:56] Bus 152, bus 152 also touches

[7:20:58] zoo miami on the weekends.

[7:21:00] That's a bus that also runs

[7:21:02] east and west, it also touches

[7:21:02] country walk.

[7:21:04] When you put all those bus cuts

[7:21:08] together, you just alienated

[7:21:10] approximately 95% of the people

[7:21:14] in district 9 who take the bus

[7:21:16] to provide a quality of life

[7:21:17] for their families.

[7:21:19] That's what it means in terms

[7:21:22] of reality.

[7:21:23] Taken apart, this simply looks

[7:21:25] like you're cutting back two or

[7:21:30] three hours per bus per round

[7:21:32] but collectively when you put

[7:21:34] them altogether it seems like a

[7:21:36] direct attack on the great

[7:21:37] people of south dade, something

[7:21:50] I will not stand for the reason

[7:21:52] I won't stand for it is because

[7:21:53] these are the same people who I

[7:21:55] interact with on a daily basis,

[7:21:57] people I've represented since I

[7:21:59] was in the legislature, people

[7:22:01] I've represented since I was a

[7:22:03] minority leader and some of the

[7:22:04] people who were victims of

[7:22:11] crime when I serve as a

[7:22:12] prosecutor.

[7:22:14] So MR. CHAIRMAN I look forward

[7:22:16] to the discussion and debate,

[7:22:18] the presentations of motions,

[7:22:20] the appreciation of what the

[7:22:21] mayor's office has done and

[7:22:23] what our great men and women in

[7:22:25] uniform do and the great people

[7:22:27] who provide essential hearts to

[7:22:28] the great people in our

[7:22:30] community who need help but I

[7:22:32] don't want us to leave this

[7:22:33] meeting, we're not leaving in

[7:22:35] the evening, this morning, I

[7:22:37] don't want people to leave this

[7:22:39] morning and not appreciate that

[7:22:40] at the end of the day public

[7:22:42] safety has many many tentacles.

[7:22:44] They all include police, parks,

[7:22:46] people and the public servants

[7:22:48] so thank you MR. CHAIRMAN,

[7:22:49] thank you to my colleagues and

[7:22:51] let's get going with those

[7:22:52] motions because I am very

[7:22:54] interested in making sure at

[7:22:56] least we have an opportunity to

[7:22:58] discuss those because your

[7:23:00] emotions will do what I believe

[7:23:02] to be true and that is to give

[7:23:03] strength and power to the

[7:23:05] voices we heard earlier today

[7:23:06] from the well.

[7:23:06] Thank you.

[7:23:09] >>chair: thank you colleagues

[7:23:11] for your effusive and thorough

[7:23:12] remarks, to each and every one

[7:23:13] of you.

[7:23:15] I do think in this is something

[7:23:16] I did last year.

[7:23:18] We did last year and it worked

[7:23:21] out well and be not just asked

[7:23:25] and I remember saying this last

[7:23:27] year and I know commissioner

[7:23:33] regalado said it as well, she

[7:23:35] did it this year is we can't

[7:23:36] just asked for money from the

[7:23:38] administration but we have to

[7:23:38] find it.

[7:23:39] Nd I'm a believer in

[7:23:41] that so I recognize

[7:23:47] commissioner regalado has done.

[7:23:49] I will probably support a lot

[7:23:51] of those motions if I have the

[7:23:53] information of what those

[7:23:56] repercussions would be.

[7:23:58] I will be supporting those

[7:24:00] motions tonight because I need

[7:24:02] the information on unintended

[7:24:03] consequences, some of the

[7:24:05] numbers aren't accurate, for

[7:24:07] example the red speed money, is

[7:24:08] not the numbers that were

[7:24:10] projected, we are at a fraction

[7:24:11] of that.

[7:24:12] Projection for this year will

[7:24:14] be maybe 4 million, four and a

[7:24:16] half-million that comes to the

[7:24:17] county.

[7:24:18] Whereas it was projected much

[7:24:21] much more in a 52, $53 million

[7:24:22] deficit with the sheriff,

[7:24:24] that's a drop in the bucket so

[7:24:30] the numbers are not what was

[7:24:31] predicted to raise from that

[7:24:33] program is and what is coming

[7:24:34] in, real numbers.

[7:24:39] And then so on and so forth, if

[7:24:41] we talk about the metro mover

[7:24:43] and we're going to charge for

[7:24:44] that you said you have a motion

[7:24:46] for the natural mover.

[7:24:48] >>commissioner regalado: I'm

[7:24:51] passing them all out.

[7:24:53] >>chair: there's things we need

[7:24:55] to study before we vote on

[7:24:56] these things but I could get

[7:24:58] behind them a little, we just

[7:25:00] need all information but I'm

[7:25:01] not there without working with

[7:25:03] the administration but with

[7:25:05] that MADAM Attorney could you

[7:25:13] read the first item.

[7:25:15] >> yes MR. Chair, we are on

[7:25:17] item a, ordinance adopting and

[7:25:18] ratifying millage for the

[7:25:20] countywide general fund

[7:25:22] operating budget for the fiscal

[7:25:23] year commencing OCTOBER 1, 2026

[7:25:25] and then SEPTEMBER 30, 2027 and

[7:25:28] budget director as a statement.

[7:25:33] >>chair: you are recognized.

[7:25:40] >> good morning.

[7:25:42] The proposed countywide

[7:25:47] operating millage is 4.754

[7:25:48] mills, 5.63% above the rollback

[7:25:50] rate of 4.3301, proposed

[7:25:56] millage rate generates revenue

[7:25:58] to support services and

[7:26:00] programs provided by miami-dade

[7:26:02] county and constitutional

[7:26:03] offices included in the

[7:26:04] proposed budget.

[7:26:06] >>chair: I will entertain a

[7:26:07] motion on item a, moved by

[7:26:09] commissioner cohen higgins,

[7:26:10] seconded by vice chair.

[7:26:16] Clerk please call the roll.

[7:26:17] >>commissioner gilbert: what

[7:26:19] comes out of this budget?

[7:26:21] I just wanted to make sure.

[7:26:23] >>chair: please call the roll.

[7:26:27] >>commissioner bastien:

[7:26:29] >>commissioner bermudez:

[7:26:31] >>commissioner cohen higgins:

[7:26:31] for.

[7:26:33] >>senator garcia:

[7:26:42] >>commissioner gilbert: no.

[7:26:45] >>commissioner gonzalez: no.

[7:26:47] >>commissioner hardemon:

[7:26:49] >>commissioner lopez: yes.

[7:26:52] >>commissioner milian orbis:

[7:26:56] >>commissioner regalado: yes.

[7:26:58] >>commissioner steinberg:

[7:27:00] >>vice chair mcghee: no.

[7:27:04] >>chair: I vote yes.

[7:27:15] >> motion passes 9 to 4.

[7:27:17] >>chair: read the next item.

[7:27:19] >> item b approves and ratifies

[7:27:21] millage for countywide bounded

[7:27:23] debt service for fiscal year

[7:27:24] commencing OCTOBER 1, 2026

[7:27:26] ending SEPTEMBER 30 27 and

[7:27:27] budget director has a

[7:27:28] statement.

[7:27:29] >> proposed countywide debt

[7:27:31] service millage is 3.937 mills,

[7:27:37] .3042 mills for countywide

[7:27:38] service including building

[7:27:40] better communities bond program

[7:27:42] and safe neighborhoods parks

[7:27:43] program and.0859 mills for the

[7:27:45] public health trust building

[7:27:46] bond program.

[7:27:48] >>chair: we have a motion to

[7:27:50] entertain at this time, second

[7:27:52] by commissioner bastien, any

[7:27:54] amendments or discussion,

[7:27:55] seeing none clerk called a

[7:27:56] role.

[7:27:58] >>commissioner bermudez:

[7:28:00] >>commissioner cohen higgins:

[7:28:00] for.

[7:28:02] >>senator garcia:

[7:28:05] >>commissioner gilbert: yes.

[7:28:07] >>commissioner gonzalez: no.

[7:28:09] >>commissioner hardemon:

[7:28:11] >>commissioner lopez: yes.

[7:28:13] >>commissioner milian orbis:

[7:28:15] >>commissioner regalado:

[7:28:17] >>commissioner steinberg:

[7:28:19] >>commissioner bastien:

[7:28:21] >>vice chair mcghee: yes.

[7:28:24] >>chair: I vote yes.

[7:28:31] >> motion passes 12 one.

[7:28:32] >>chair: read the next item,

[7:28:34] some of my colleagues MAY have

[7:28:42] to bifurcate this item, item c.

[7:28:44] >> ordinance adopting the

[7:28:45] countywide general fund budget

[7:28:47] for fiscal year commencing

[7:28:49] OCTOBER 1, 2026 ending

[7:28:50] SEPTEMBER 30, 2027, this item

[7:28:52] will need to be approved as

[7:28:54] amended to incorporate the

[7:28:55] mayor's memorandum dating

[7:29:02] SEPTEMBER 2, 2026 titled

[7:29:04] information for first budget

[7:29:05] hearing fiscal year 2026 27

[7:29:07] proposed budget, I understand

[7:29:09] you will take up various

[7:29:10] motions later but for now we

[7:29:12] need to bifurcate for some

[7:29:13] potential conflicts.

[7:29:15] Both senator garcia and

[7:29:16] commissioner mcghee will need

[7:29:18] to bifurcate, I believe it's

[7:29:20] the non-legacy portion of the

[7:29:23] attachment to the first changes

[7:29:25] memo, the non-legacy cbo

[7:29:28] portion so senator garcia and

[7:29:30] commissioner mcghee each have a

[7:29:38] statement to be.

[7:29:40] >>senator garcia: I MAY have a

[7:29:42] conflict of interest regarding

[7:29:44] allegations of finding for the

[7:29:50] nonprofit legacy cbo and it

[7:29:52] should include attachment c of

[7:29:54] the mayor's memorandum dated

[7:29:55] SEPTEMBER 30, I sit on the

[7:29:57] board of directors of the

[7:29:59] behavioral health network a

[7:30:00] not-for-profit organization

[7:30:02] that is a beneficiary of

[7:30:04] funding and an abundance of

[7:30:05] caution I will abstain and

[7:30:07] remove myself from chambers

[7:30:10] while the matter is considered.

[7:30:12] >>vice chair mcghee: I MAY have

[7:30:14] a potential conflict of

[7:30:16] interest in the initiatives

[7:30:18] including the investment

[7:30:20] memorandum and a nonprofit

[7:30:22] organization and intended

[7:30:23] beneficiary of funding and I

[7:30:25] will be abstaining from voting

[7:30:28] on this matter and will remove

[7:30:30] myself from chambers, same item

[7:30:34] applies to h.

[7:30:36] >>chair: do I need to take a

[7:30:38] voice vote on by forgetting the

[7:30:39] cbo's?

[7:30:40] >> not for this conflict, all

[7:30:44] we need is for commissioner

[7:30:46] mcghee and garcia to step out

[7:30:47] and you can entertain a motion

[7:30:52] to approve.

[7:30:54] >>chair: I will entertain a

[7:30:55] motion to remove the cbo's,

[7:30:57] moved by commissioner regalado,

[7:30:59] second by commissioner lopez,

[7:31:02] voice vote for this?

[7:31:08] Clerk please call the roll.

[7:31:09] >>commissioner cohen higgins:

[7:31:09] for.

[7:31:12] >>commissioner gilbert:

[7:31:15] >>commissioner gonzalez: no.

[7:31:17] >>commissioner hardemon:

[7:31:19] >>commissioner lopez: yes.

[7:31:21] >>commissioner milian orbis:

[7:31:24] >>commissioner regalado: yes.

[7:31:27] >>commissioner steinberg:

[7:31:29] >>commissioner bastien:

[7:31:32] >>commissioner bermudez:

[7:31:36] >>chair: I vote yes.

[7:31:40] >> motion passes 8 to 3.

[7:31:42] >>chair: can I have my

[7:31:44] colleagues come back in?

[7:31:45] All right, any other

[7:31:48] bifurcations for item c?

[7:31:53] We have another bifurcation?

[7:31:56] On item c, any other

[7:31:57] bifurcations?

[7:31:59] >>commissioner regalado: I am

[7:32:04] bifurcating h.

[7:32:06] >>chair: motion for the

[7:32:11] remainder of item c collects a

[7:32:13] number of the motions your

[7:32:14] colleagues wish to make would

[7:32:18] be applicable to this item.

[7:32:24] So for example, the ones that

[7:32:33] were mentioned in the dais by

[7:32:35] commissioner regalado that

[7:32:36] relate to transit would

[7:32:38] potentially impact item c. It

[7:32:39] would be in light of the

[7:32:41] breadth and scope it would be

[7:32:42] beneficial to have all the

[7:32:44] motions done for each of the

[7:32:45] budget items.

[7:32:46] This would be an appropriate

[7:32:48] time to start going through.

[7:32:49] >>commissioner regalado: they

[7:32:51] are passing it out.

[7:32:52] >>chair: is the attorney going

[7:32:54] to read them?

[7:32:56] >>commissioner regalado: we did

[7:32:57] them all in writing so everyone

[7:33:00] could read them.

[7:33:02] >>chair: they can stay because

[7:33:08] we've already voted on the cbo.

[7:33:10] >>commissioner regalado:

[7:33:12] they've printed them out for

[7:33:13] everyone.

[7:33:15] >> does the attorney have been

[7:33:20] so they can start reading them.

[7:33:22] >> would you like for us to do

[7:33:30] that?

[7:33:32] >>commissioner regalado: start

[7:33:34] with the transit ones and start

[7:33:39] bringing them out.

[7:33:41] >> first transit related item

[7:33:43] would be cnh, commissioner

[7:33:44] regalado moves to amend the

[7:33:46] 2026 budget to reduce funding

[7:33:48] allocated for metro connect

[7:33:53] from 4.5 million to a million,

[7:33:55] direct county mayor or designee

[7:33:58] to negotiate and execute a

[7:33:59] modification of the metro

[7:34:01] connect contract to provide a

[7:34:04] $3.75 credit for passengers up

[7:34:05] to $1 million total for the

[7:34:07] fiscal year and allocate the

[7:34:08] 3.5 million resulting from

[7:34:10] reduced allocation to metro

[7:34:12] connect to the restoration of

[7:34:14] the early morning bus services

[7:34:21] prior to 559.

[7:34:22] >>commissioner regalado: they

[7:34:24] are bringing it, I will give

[7:34:24] them a second.

[7:34:25] F we can have

[7:34:27] the director come up I did talk

[7:34:29] to her about this so we could

[7:34:30] talk about it.

[7:34:32] The contract has a 30 day

[7:34:33] termination but we can also

[7:34:35] negotiate this portion of it.

[7:34:36] He director was on the board

[7:34:39] when we did this at tri-rail so

[7:34:40] she is well versed on how we

[7:34:42] flip this switch.

[7:34:48] So it's a credit.

[7:34:50] We put in $1 million and

[7:34:51] everyone gets $3.75 credit and

[7:34:54] then they pay the rest on the

[7:34:56] right so if you can explain

[7:35:03] what the idea would be.

[7:35:05] >> if I can through the chair.

[7:35:06] While I was on the board while

[7:35:08] we made those decisions, I do

[7:35:28] not recall and I apologize for

[7:35:30] this, it was several years ago

[7:35:32] I do not recall the contract

[7:35:33] that we had in place when we

[7:35:35] were I think working with tmc

[7:35:36] at the time.

[7:35:37] and that's a very different

[7:35:39] scenario working with atn see

[7:35:40] in the contract we have

[7:35:41] currently today.

[7:35:43] The contract we have today is

[7:35:45] we pay on an hourly basis, not

[7:35:47] on a per ride basis so we would

[7:35:55] need to have a negotiation

[7:35:56] opportunity and to discuss with

[7:35:58] our existing contractor to

[7:36:00] determine viability of moving

[7:36:01] in that direction and we also

[7:36:03] want to make sure we understand

[7:36:05] the current contract expires in

[7:36:07] JANUARY 2028 so we have a

[7:36:08] little over a year associated

[7:36:10] with that contract but we would

[7:36:12] need to sit down with our

[7:36:14] contractor and determine the

[7:36:15] viability of moving from the

[7:36:17] current scenario to a subsidy

[7:36:18] scenario.

[7:36:19] While I was at sf rta that was

[7:36:21] with tmc's and those were paid

[7:36:23] on a per trip basis, not an

[7:36:24] hourly basis so a slightly

[7:36:25] different scenario.

[7:36:27] >> that's why the item says to

[7:36:29] negotiate the modification

[7:36:30] which we can't, we could modify

[7:36:32] the agreement for the flip.

[7:36:34] >> we just have to sit down

[7:36:35] with them.

[7:36:37] >>chair: senator garcia.

[7:36:39] >>senator garcia: first of all

[7:36:40] commissioner trends 12 I can

[7:36:42] support most of these but I'm

[7:36:43] just getting these right now

[7:36:47] and honestly it's 12:30.

[7:36:49] Is there anything that

[7:36:50] precludes us voting on these

[7:36:52] amendments for the next budget

[7:36:53] hearing and see if we can

[7:36:55] analyze this and the cost

[7:36:57] associated with these?

[7:36:59] I get it, I understand the work

[7:37:06] you put into these but I wish

[7:37:08] we would have gotten these a

[7:37:09] little earlier so we could at

[7:37:11] least have gone back with my

[7:37:12] staff and gone through some of

[7:37:14] the issues with them.

[7:37:15] I honestly don't feel

[7:37:17] comfortable voting on these

[7:37:19] right now.

[7:37:21] >>commissioner regalado: MR.

[7:37:23] Chair, commissioner, the issue

[7:37:25] is we didn't meet on the budget

[7:37:26] until now.

[7:37:28] I drafted them.

[7:37:30] >>chair: didn't come up with

[7:37:31] this on a win, your staff could

[7:37:34] have printed these hours ago.

[7:37:50] >>commissioner regalado: I've

[7:37:52] met with staff and we've been

[7:37:54] working through it but that

[7:37:55] being said if we leave it all

[7:37:57] till the last meeting this

[7:37:59] doesn't solve all the problems

[7:38:00] but it does start allocating

[7:38:01] some of the money.

[7:38:03] If not the amount of money we

[7:38:05] are asking the neighbor to find

[7:38:06] between the police and

[7:38:07] everything else is going to be

[7:38:09] a 10 hour by the time we come

[7:38:09] back.

[7:38:11] I am proposing these two start

[7:38:13] moving the needle and so you

[7:38:14] know MR. Chair the feedback I

[7:38:16] got from staff is there would

[7:38:18] be zero interest in changing

[7:38:20] anything about metro connect

[7:38:21] and I don't think that's true.

[7:38:23] We need to demonstrate to the

[7:38:25] mayor there is an interest in

[7:38:26] making this change and if not

[7:38:28] she will go back to what she's

[7:38:30] proposing before which was the

[7:38:31] 5 million.

[7:38:32] >>senator garcia: MR. CHAIRMAN

[7:38:34] I will leave it at this.

[7:38:36] There's good proposals here, I

[7:38:38] will not take that away from

[7:38:38] you.

[7:38:40] I like some of the things that

[7:38:40] are here.

[7:38:42] It's worth having a

[7:38:43] conversation with the folks

[7:38:45] from metro connect.

[7:38:46] it's worth having a

[7:38:47] conversation with the

[7:38:48] department of transportation.

[7:38:50] I MAY have some amendments I

[7:38:52] want to have conversations

[7:38:54] about but I think it's a little

[7:38:56] onerous to ask me and my staff

[7:38:57] to go through all this without

[7:38:59] having being able to vent it

[7:39:04] properly so if you would

[7:39:05] indulge me at least, give us

[7:39:07] the opportunity to go through

[7:39:09] all this I think you will find

[7:39:11] you have more support than you

[7:39:12] think you have.

[7:39:14] >>chair: commissioner cohen

[7:39:15] higgins.

[7:39:17] >>commissioner cohen higgins:

[7:39:19] thank you MR. Chair. Metro

[7:39:21] connect is very important in my

[7:39:22] district and one of my

[7:39:23] municipalities if I'm not

[7:39:25] mistaken reimburses the expense

[7:39:27] at 100%.

[7:39:29] So that's simply one example of

[7:39:30] why I would want to take a

[7:39:32] closer look at this and have a

[7:39:34] conversation with my

[7:39:35] municipality that would be

[7:39:39] heavily impacted, in addition

[7:39:40] to metro connect and whether or

[7:39:42] not they would be able to

[7:39:44] implement the idea before us,

[7:39:44] I.E.

[7:39:46] Affect credit applied that

[7:39:48] looks like and sounds like it

[7:39:49] requires technology.

[7:39:51] I don't know if they have it,

[7:39:53] I'm not knocking the idea but I

[7:39:54] appreciate the ideas.

[7:40:06] I need time to run this by my

[7:40:08] district, my affected

[7:40:10] municipality and metro connect

[7:40:11] to see if they can even

[7:40:13] implement it, have you spoken

[7:40:15] to them to see whether the idea

[7:40:17] of having a credit implemented

[7:40:19] on the front end by each writer

[7:40:20] whether they have the

[7:40:22] technology, have you spoken to

[7:40:23] metro connect, this is to the

[7:40:25] maker of the motion if that's

[7:40:26] okay.

[7:40:28] >>commissioner regalado: I've

[7:40:30] not spoken to metro connect but

[7:40:31] I know the modality they use,

[7:40:33] we've done it with uber, we've

[7:40:34] done it with other people.

[7:40:36] It is not outside the scope of

[7:40:38] the agreement, the agreement

[7:40:40] can be canceled in 30 days but

[7:40:42] that's what it says negotiate

[7:40:42] and modify.

[7:40:44] I have the number of users, I

[7:40:48] went through the numbers with

[7:40:49] everyone.

[7:40:51] It's popular in my district

[7:40:52] also, it's just $5.5 million is

[7:40:53] a lot of money.

[7:40:55] The issue is the subsidy of

[7:41:20] $500 a person.

[7:41:22] >>commissioner cohen higgins:

[7:41:24] considering how popular metro

[7:41:25] connect is making a motion like

[7:41:27] this that has a fiscal impact

[7:41:29] to our community I would want

[7:41:31] to consult with metro connect,

[7:41:33] I want to be assured by them

[7:41:34] they would be able to implement

[7:41:36] the idea being proposed so I am

[7:41:38] not a no forever but I can't

[7:41:39] support it if it's going to be

[7:41:41] made at this time for a final

[7:41:43] vote, it should be adopted in

[7:41:44] the changes memo so we can have

[7:41:46] time to review it between now

[7:41:48] and the final hearing.

[7:41:49] >>mayor cava: through the

[7:41:51] chair, I'd appreciate being

[7:41:53] asked directly as to my opinion

[7:41:55] rather than it being

[7:41:55] represented.

[7:41:57] We are supportive of some of

[7:41:59] these ideas and are grateful to

[7:42:00] the commissioner for her

[7:42:02] creativity putting them

[7:42:02] together.

[7:42:04] There is some misinformation

[7:42:05] for example 0 waste and the

[7:42:07] one-time study there is nothing

[7:42:10] to reallocate or refund through

[7:42:10] billing.

[7:42:12] The city of miami cost was

[7:42:13] 115,000, not 350, one time we

[7:42:15] thought it might be that high

[7:42:17] but it turned out not to be, we

[7:42:18] would be willing to submit a

[7:42:20] bill to see if they would pay,

[7:42:21] that would be fine and

[7:42:23] obviously we are at zero hour

[7:42:24] there was going to be garbage

[7:42:26] before we pick up garbage for

[7:42:27] the fan fest.

[7:42:28] We are certainly concerned

[7:42:30] about the plant in hialeah and

[7:42:32] are eager to move forward and

[7:42:33] that's consistent with what we

[7:42:35] were planning to develop in any

[7:42:36] event.

[7:42:37] So those are just a few of the

[7:42:39] things that I do want to say

[7:42:41] folks, we need to increase the

[7:42:42] transit fare.

[7:42:43] That is the bottom line.

[7:42:43] Hese

[7:42:45] other things will help, there

[7:42:49] are other things we can do to

[7:42:50] help but this is a systemic

[7:42:52] problem, it's not going to be

[7:42:55] solved by these items so I want

[7:42:59] to say that as far as transit.

[7:43:01] >>chair: thank you MADAM Mayor.

[7:43:05] What do you want to do?

[7:43:07] >>commissioner regalado: first

[7:43:14] to respond to the mayor on the

[7:43:15] fifa trash I didn't respond so

[7:43:17] if item has trash collection

[7:43:19] insult voices whatever miami

[7:43:20] owes us for fan fest is what we

[7:43:23] want to be paid.

[7:43:25] In terms of metro connect MR.

[7:43:28] Chair if we could have a

[7:43:30] stronghold of hands as to who

[7:43:39] would be interested in flipping

[7:43:40] it because I don't want it to

[7:43:42] go back to the administration

[7:43:44] and we end up with 5.5 because

[7:43:46] one of the things they're

[7:43:47] saying is we are not interested

[7:43:49] in changing metro connect

[7:43:49] period.

[7:44:02] Is that a possibility?

[7:44:03] >>chair: I'm not calling a

[7:44:05] strong vote because there's

[7:44:07] more to it than the possibility

[7:44:08] of an interest.

[7:44:10] What is the replacement of it,

[7:44:12] what are we going to when we

[7:44:13] are taking this away from the

[7:44:15] users because we're making it

[7:44:17] cost prohibitive so when we do

[7:44:19] that you're charging them more.

[7:44:21] >>commissioner regalado: we are

[7:44:22] giving them a credit, what we

[7:44:24] are not paying is for a 20 or

[7:44:26] $30 ride because the whole

[7:44:28] point was to get them to short

[7:44:29] distances.

[7:44:30] >>chair: the writer will pay

[7:44:32] more for the ride so are we

[7:44:33] giving them another bus route,

[7:44:35] a trolley, what are we giving

[7:44:37] them to supplement or subsidize

[7:44:39] that no-cost because what I

[7:44:41] heard is when I wasn't sitting

[7:44:43] here I was listening when I was

[7:44:45] being briefed when I heard more

[7:44:47] than half were talking about

[7:44:48] transit and how high the

[7:44:50] transit cost was already so to

[7:44:53] charge more, yes I agree MADAM

[7:44:55] Mayor you said the transit fee

[7:44:57] MAY need to be increased but

[7:44:58] there needs to be a plan, not

[7:45:00] almost one in the morning plan

[7:45:04] that was given out in the last

[7:45:05] minute to see a straw vote of

[7:45:07] who would agree, of course we

[7:45:09] want to save money and have

[7:45:10] these ideas but we need to do

[7:45:12] it with the right means, it

[7:45:13] could be in the second change

[7:45:15] memo of the mayor when it's

[7:45:20] done the right way.

[7:45:22] >>commissioner regalado: can we

[7:45:24] at least agree we have the same

[7:45:26] level of subsidy because that's

[7:45:27] why I gave the numbers, the

[7:45:29] subsidy per user metro connect

[7:45:31] is $500 a year we had a lot of

[7:45:33] love subsidy for the bus riders

[7:45:34] at 5:00 A.M. Is $113 per year.

[7:45:36] I'm asking for continuity, for

[7:45:36] inequality.

[7:45:47] I don't think the service is

[7:45:48] transit.

[7:45:49] >>chair: we cannot agree to

[7:45:51] that because inequality has to

[7:45:54] be across-the-board not just on

[7:45:55] finances, it has to be what's

[7:46:01] available to them as well so I

[7:46:03] agree on equality

[7:46:04] across-the-board, not just on

[7:46:07] what the fair number is but the

[7:46:08] availability of a bus route of

[7:46:10] the transportation method so we

[7:46:12] could agree on that but not

[7:46:14] just as it pertains to the

[7:46:15] fiscal number, it has to

[7:46:17] pertain to how the folks will

[7:46:18] get one a public transit system

[7:46:20] to get to where they need to

[7:46:22] get rid that we can all agree

[7:46:24] on but not just on the

[7:46:26] financial fiscal portion.

[7:46:27] >>commissioner regalado: but

[7:46:29] this is 8000 people.

[7:46:30] >>chair: 8000 people is a lot

[7:46:32] of lives.

[7:46:33] >>commissioner regalado: they

[7:46:35] will still get.

[7:46:37] >>chair: do you want to do the

[7:46:38] motion and see if it passes or

[7:46:38] fails?

[7:46:40] Ou could read the

[7:46:42] room, you see what everyone's

[7:46:43] said, do you want to work with

[7:46:45] the administration?

[7:46:45] I'm going to get to oliver and

[7:46:48] before you I have commissioner

[7:46:52] steinberg but.

[7:46:53] >>commissioner regalado: I want

[7:47:04] to hear what they have to say.

[7:47:06] >>commissioner steinberg: I

[7:47:08] appreciate the thought process

[7:47:09] and I understand the logic

[7:47:11] although I need to know what

[7:47:13] that dollar amount would be per

[7:47:15] passenger because we don't have

[7:47:16] an actual concrete, yes,

[7:47:17] figure.

[7:47:19] That being said, I think one of

[7:47:26] the concerns I'm trying to

[7:47:27] reconcile wrapping my arms

[7:47:29] around is the fact that in some

[7:47:31] of our districts, in mine I can

[7:47:33] speak for mine, the metro

[7:47:35] connect happens to be in life

[7:47:37] unincorporated because during

[7:47:38] the better bus network and

[7:47:40] removed routes so now this is

[7:47:42] what we ended up with because

[7:47:43] we realized there was still a

[7:47:45] need for transit in that area.

[7:47:47] So until I understand better

[7:47:48] the ridership numbers in that

[7:47:50] area, the cost is costing the

[7:47:52] county versus what it would

[7:47:53] cost the patron, I'm not going

[7:48:00] to be able to just on a

[7:48:02] blanket, conceptually I

[7:48:03] understand where you're coming

[7:48:05] from and I understand the

[7:48:07] thought process, the reality I

[7:48:09] need to understand better so

[7:48:11] for those reasons I'm hesitant

[7:48:13] today to support that.

[7:48:16] >>chair: commissioner gilbert.

[7:48:17] >>commissioner gilbert: thank

[7:48:19] you MR. Chair. The idea is

[7:48:21] innovative, I don't dislike it.

[7:48:22] I don't think the

[7:48:24] administration is opposed, what

[7:48:25] they are saying is a need to

[7:48:27] evaluate it, hold on.

[7:48:34] That's not one of those things.

[7:48:36] That's what the CHAIRMAN Is

[7:48:37] saying also, we need to

[7:48:39] evaluate it.

[7:48:46] So that being said, that's on

[7:48:46] metro connect.

[7:48:49] The mayor's administration said

[7:48:51] something that was interesting,

[7:48:53] telling untruthful.

[7:48:55] Whatever you all do, whatever

[7:48:57] decision you make on transit,

[7:49:01] if you do not fix the fair it

[7:49:12] is a problem that is going to

[7:49:13] reoccur every year no matter

[7:49:14] what.

[7:49:16] there's no way around this.

[7:49:17] Unless we suddenly invent an

[7:49:23] economy that's not fossil fuel

[7:49:28] based, our fare will become

[7:49:29] more and more out of balance

[7:49:31] with what it takes to operate

[7:49:32] the system every year.

[7:49:40] So right now we are trying to

[7:49:45] curate essentially what is a

[7:49:46] lie.

[7:49:47] The system is going to be

[7:49:49] balanced or fair, is not, it

[7:49:50] can't be because we never right

[7:49:52] sized it and we haven't

[7:49:54] addressed the actual fair.

[7:50:00] So people don't want to hear

[7:50:02] this but the fare is literally

[7:50:04] the same fare I took when I

[7:50:05] went to law school.

[7:50:07] That's crazy, gas was like

[7:50:07] $1.19.

[7:50:16] That's crazy.

[7:50:18] I want you all to process that

[7:50:19] for a second.

[7:50:21] Sometimes we overcomplicate

[7:50:23] government because the numbers

[7:50:25] are so much bigger but I don't

[7:50:26] think about it like that, I

[7:50:28] simplify things in my head.

[7:50:32] I think about our bonds as car

[7:50:32] payments.

[7:50:34] I think about our ability to

[7:50:48] operate things just how I do in

[7:50:50] my house so if it takes me $85

[7:50:51] to fill up my car last year and

[7:50:53] it takes me $100 to fill my car

[7:50:55] this year that means all our

[7:50:57] officers it takes them the same

[7:50:57] amount more.

[7:50:59] And our buses, it takes them

[7:51:00] the same amount more.

[7:51:02] We never address it with the

[7:51:02] fare.

[7:51:04] So I get it, people struggle

[7:51:05] commissioner trends bastien, I

[7:51:14] hear but there's a side of

[7:51:16] fiscal responsibility we never

[7:51:17] address.

[7:51:18] The be assumed fiscal

[7:51:19] responsibility is not charging,

[7:51:21] it's being responsible how much

[7:51:23] money you have and what you

[7:51:24] have to pay for something.

[7:51:26] So right now we are debt

[7:51:27] financing the system, that's

[7:51:30] what we are doing.

[7:51:32] We are subsidizing the system

[7:51:34] with the general fund,

[7:51:35] commissioner regalado.

[7:51:38] And on the ballot is an issue

[7:51:40] that would severely restrict

[7:51:45] the general fund.

[7:51:49] So what you're literally doing

[7:51:51] is playing with fire.

[7:51:53] When the mayor said fare needs

[7:52:06] to be addressed, we can never

[7:52:08] charge folks what it costs to

[7:52:09] actually ride the bus.

[7:52:11] That's not done anywhere in the

[7:52:13] country save one place, one

[7:52:14] little strip in las vegas.

[7:52:16] And actually fare box they get

[7:52:20] full recovery, it's like a mile

[7:52:22] really everyplace else it

[7:52:23] doesn't happen.

[7:52:24] I'm not suggesting that, what

[7:52:26] I'm suggesting is if we don't

[7:52:28] take an honest look and

[7:52:29] determine what our level of

[7:52:31] subsidy will be for transit,

[7:52:41] and keep it at that point then

[7:52:43] this question will reoccur

[7:52:45] every year no matter what, it

[7:52:46] doesn't matter which 13 people

[7:52:48] are sitting here, it's going to

[7:52:50] be the same problem unless we

[7:52:52] actually address a system that

[7:52:53] compensates for it and we are

[7:52:55] not doing that right now.

[7:52:57] So commissioner regalado is

[7:52:59] being very creative and that's

[7:53:01] why I look at the literature

[7:53:02] because you're trying to solve

[7:53:04] the problem but it's like a

[7:53:06] band aid for a bullet wound.

[7:53:12] It's really cosmetic.

[7:53:13] Lipgloss.

[7:53:14] >>commissioner regalado: this

[7:53:17] is my suggested amendment.

[7:53:18] >>chair: you want to hear

[7:53:22] everybody speak.

[7:53:23] >>commissioner regalado:

[7:53:25] unhappy to amend it if that's

[7:53:32] what everybody say.

[7:53:34] It would be directing the mayor

[7:53:36] to evaluate the possibility to

[7:53:37] change the metro connect

[7:53:39] contract to provide a credit

[7:53:40] for metro connect passengers

[7:53:42] for 1,000,001.5 million and 2

[7:53:44] million and provide that

[7:53:45] information before the next

[7:53:50] meeting so we can evaluate the

[7:53:51] numbers.

[7:53:53] >>chair: you've got to do that

[7:53:55] across the board, are you going

[7:53:56] to do it for metro mover as

[7:54:00] well?

[7:54:01] So that halfpenny is shared

[7:54:03] with umpsa so we can have

[7:54:04] trolleys?

[7:54:06] Like every other city that gets

[7:54:08] a piece of the half-penny but

[7:54:09] umpsa doesn't?

[7:54:11] You're talking about equality

[7:54:15] your father is not on this

[7:54:16] board.

[7:54:17] >>commissioner regalado: but

[7:54:20] they don't have a municipality.

[7:54:22] >>chair: you brought up the

[7:54:27] word equality, you've got to do

[7:54:29] is equal across the board,

[7:54:30] you've got to be equal across

[7:54:32] the board but commissioner

[7:54:34] gilbert is right, you're trying

[7:54:36] to cover a bullet wound with a

[7:54:37] band-aid.

[7:54:42] You got to do the work fully.

[7:54:43] >>commissioner regalado: I have

[7:54:45] a lot of things but I am not

[7:54:47] half-baked but I appreciate

[7:54:48] your commitment to the subsidy

[7:54:50] for 8000 people.

[7:54:51] >>chair: your leaving 8000

[7:54:54] people without rides.

[7:54:55] >>commissioner regalado: why

[7:54:57] can't we evaluate it, what is

[7:54:59] the problem asking the mayor to

[7:55:01] bring us the numbers.

[7:55:02] >>chair: why don't you do it,

[7:55:04] we've worked with her in her

[7:55:05] change memo, do not meet with

[7:55:07] the mayor and discuss this

[7:55:09] information with her like the

[7:55:10] majority of us do?

[7:55:11] So then do it, put in the work

[7:55:21] and do it.

[7:55:22] >>commissioner regalado: the

[7:55:24] mayor said is that we are doing

[7:55:26] this to see if there's an

[7:55:27] appetite to change metro

[7:55:28] connect.

[7:55:29] >>mayor cava: I don't do not

[7:55:31] recall saying that.

[7:55:32] >>commissioner regalado: you

[7:55:34] said the board of county

[7:55:35] commissioners had no appetite

[7:55:36] to change.

[7:55:38] >>mayor cava: I do not recall

[7:55:40] that, there are several members

[7:55:42] that are committed to the metro

[7:55:43] connect model, we did not in

[7:55:45] our meetings with the

[7:55:47] commissioners have them tell us

[7:55:48] affirmatively yes we are open

[7:55:50] to changing metro connect,

[7:55:51] that's different.

[7:55:53] There's no appetite, I am open

[7:55:54] to addressing metro connect.

[7:55:57] If I could add one other point,

[7:55:59] MR. Chair, so we don't have to

[7:56:01] make all these decisions even

[7:56:09] in the budget because the

[7:56:11] changes would not take place

[7:56:12] until MARCH.

[7:56:13] I checked with the director,

[7:56:15] for example if the board chose

[7:56:17] to increase fares it's a six

[7:56:18] week turnaround, there's

[7:56:20] notices, a lot of things that

[7:56:21] have to be done before it could

[7:56:23] be implemented but we could

[7:56:25] make changes that could affect

[7:56:26] the lineup, I will just put

[7:56:27] that out there.

[7:56:30] >>chair: commissioner bermudez.

[7:56:32] >>commissioner bermudez: I

[7:56:36] think because much like senator

[7:56:38] garcia I don't necessarily

[7:56:39] disagree with some of the

[7:56:42] things that appear to be on

[7:56:44] this street but I also received

[7:56:45] it right now.

[7:56:47] I'd like to evaluate it.

[7:56:56] I think we probably have and

[7:56:58] are not here to tell you how to

[7:57:00] do things because there is a

[7:57:01] tactic to dropping this at the

[7:57:02] last minute.

[7:57:04] Also, but I think if because I

[7:57:05] withdraw on the motions I was

[7:57:07] going to proffer because they

[7:57:08] made a good point.

[7:57:14] If I'm going to ask it here we

[7:57:15] should do the same memo.

[7:57:20] Because it's logical, I don't

[7:57:21] want commissioner regalado to

[7:57:23] be treated different than I.

[7:57:25] I believe, and this is my point

[7:57:28] of view but I think

[7:57:30] commissioner regalado you have

[7:57:32] the opportunity between now and

[7:57:36] I do believe absolutely you're

[7:57:38] going to be able to talk to the

[7:57:44] mayor and it would give me,

[7:57:45] there is let's see how many are

[7:57:46] there, 11.

[7:57:53] We are talking about the first

[7:57:53] one.

[7:57:55] Some of them by the way would

[7:57:57] impact our relations with the

[7:57:58] city that three of the

[7:57:59] commissioners here,

[7:58:01] commissioner orbis, senator

[7:58:03] garcia and I represent and it

[7:58:05] doesn't mean I don't disagree.

[7:58:06] I just like this gets dropped

[7:58:08] on me at 1 o'clock in the

[7:58:15] morning whatever, SEPTEMBER 4.

[7:58:17] I know the hurricanes are

[7:58:18] playing at nine so I want to

[7:58:23] get some sleep but I think

[7:58:25] commissioner regalado and it's

[7:58:26] not for me to tell you how to

[7:58:28] do, you are right.

[7:58:30] You have a right to do whatever

[7:58:31] you want.

[7:58:32] I just think you have an

[7:58:34] opportunity to have some

[7:58:36] colleagues agree with you if we

[7:58:44] discuss some of these things in

[7:58:46] the second budget hearing,

[7:58:48] that's what I understand from

[7:58:50] some of you because I like to

[7:58:51] see how it impacts, I like

[7:58:52] commissioner steinberg.

[7:58:57] Metro connect filled the area

[7:58:59] and part of your district MR.

[7:59:00] Chair that went to the area

[7:59:02] that's unincorporated and my

[7:59:03] district which is the area some

[7:59:05] of these bus routes were

[7:59:07] removed and some people said we

[7:59:08] don't have that, what's going

[7:59:10] on, so I would like to look at

[7:59:12] it a little bit but I'm telling

[7:59:13] you we're talking about the

[7:59:17] first one.

[7:59:18] So there's 10 more on this page

[7:59:20] so you've got to make a

[7:59:21] decision now because if that's

[7:59:29] the case we are going to be

[7:59:30] here and I do think you have a

[7:59:32] chance of getting these, some

[7:59:33] of these from what I hear from

[7:59:36] my colleagues and what I feel,

[7:59:38] you probably have a good chance

[7:59:39] of getting some of these past

[7:59:41] if you give us an opportunity

[7:59:43] to review it if I have to do it

[7:59:45] tonight my vote will be no.

[7:59:47] >>chair: commissioner regalado

[7:59:49] what do you wish to do, I can

[7:59:50] call a vote.

[7:59:52] >>commissioner regalado: the

[7:59:53] motion I'm invading is

[7:59:58] directing the mayor to direct

[8:00:00] the possibility of changing

[8:00:02] metro connect to a credit and

[8:00:04] modifying the contract and

[8:00:05] providing the board with

[8:00:07] information on how that would

[8:00:07] occur.

[8:00:09] >>chair: there is a motion,

[8:00:10] there is a second, motion fails

[8:00:15] by lack of second.

[8:00:17] >>commissioner regalado: he

[8:00:18] just raised his hand.

[8:00:19] A motion is directing the mayor

[8:00:22] to evaluate possibility of

[8:00:24] changing metro connect to a

[8:00:25] credit for passengers and

[8:00:27] providing that information to

[8:00:28] the board of county

[8:00:34] commissioners before the second

[8:00:35] hearing.

[8:00:36] >>chair: second by the vice

[8:00:38] chair so all in favor signify

[8:00:40] by saying aye.

[8:00:43] Opposed, nay. Next motion.

[8:00:47] Commissioner regalado.

[8:00:49] >>commissioner regalado: the

[8:01:00] next motion is eliminate the

[8:01:02] proposed allocation of 233,000

[8:01:03] of funds from ptp capital

[8:01:05] expansion and reserve fund

[8:01:07] designated for capital program

[8:01:09] 663597 titled branch transit

[8:01:11] corridor beach they link

[8:01:12] contained in page 104 on the

[8:01:14] credit and allocate said funds

[8:01:16] to the capital improvement for

[8:01:18] the smart plan.

[8:01:20] >>chair: motion by commissioner

[8:01:22] regalado, second by the vice

[8:01:23] chair, all in favor say aye,

[8:01:43] opposed, nay., next motion.

[8:01:45] >>commissioner regalado: direct

[8:01:46] the county mayor or designee to

[8:01:48] provide a report to the board

[8:01:50] prior to the budget hearing

[8:01:51] regarding metro mover at

[8:01:53] details needed maintenance and

[8:01:55] future operation cost and

[8:01:56] analysis of digital fare

[8:01:58] collections based on various

[8:01:59] potential rates and use of

[8:02:01] surtax funding for capital

[8:02:02] improvements and operation cost

[8:02:04] for the metro mover, such

[8:02:06] report should be attached as an

[8:02:08] exhibit to the mayor's second

[8:02:09] change memorandum.

[8:02:11] >>commissioner gilbert: I would

[8:02:12] second this.

[8:02:14] >>chair: second by commissioner

[8:02:15] gilbert.

[8:02:17] >>commissioner gilbert: just on

[8:02:18] this motion and I'm all for

[8:02:20] voting down raquel's motions.

[8:02:22] but notwithstanding, why

[8:02:24] wouldn't we?

[8:02:26] So they ride this thing for

[8:02:27] free, we were told for years

[8:02:30] that was the only option.

[8:02:32] It's not actually the only

[8:02:34] option, why wouldn't we figure

[8:02:35] out, try to figure out what it

[8:02:38] would take for us to make them

[8:02:40] pay for their free ride, no one

[8:02:43] else gets if iran.

[8:02:45] No one in my district gets a

[8:02:45] free ride.

[8:02:48] The people in this district, we

[8:02:50] need the sheriff to give him a

[8:02:50] free ride.

[8:03:06] I second this, it's a good

[8:03:06] idea.

[8:03:08] >> my only concern is the

[8:03:09] timeframe, the last sentence

[8:03:11] said the report has to be

[8:03:12] attached to the second changes

[8:03:14] memo in less than two weeks we

[8:03:16] had is that enough time to

[8:03:18] complete the analysis included

[8:03:19] in this motion and if it's not

[8:03:21] enough time has this never been

[8:03:23] studied before, has no one ever

[8:03:25] looked at monetizing the metro

[8:03:26] connect?

[8:03:38] Have we never studied this and

[8:03:39] considered a financial

[8:03:40] analysis?

[8:03:41] This is the first time this is

[8:03:43] being proposed in the history

[8:03:45] of miami-dade county two weeks

[8:03:46] before we passed a final

[8:03:48] amendment, what are we doing

[8:03:48] right now?

[8:03:50] >>chair: you are recognized and

[8:03:53] can we be quiet in the back.

[8:03:55] >> we've done a lassiter city

[8:03:57] on incorporating a fair and

[8:03:58] what that would result in

[8:03:59] ridership.

[8:04:01] And operational costs because

[8:04:02] obviously currently ptp pays

[8:04:18] for a portion of the costs and

[8:04:20] we would move that to something

[8:04:22] else but we've done some

[8:04:23] analysis on that.

[8:04:24] We have not fully analyzed what

[8:04:26] the cost would be too

[8:04:27] transition the existing

[8:04:29] stations from a non-fair

[8:04:30] scenario to a fare scenario.

[8:04:35] That would incorporate fare

[8:04:37] gates, ticket vending machines,

[8:04:39] etc. There are other costs

[8:04:41] associated, we've not done an

[8:04:42] in-depth analysis of how we

[8:04:44] would shift those stations to a

[8:04:46] fare scenario.

[8:04:47] >>commissioner cohen higgins:

[8:04:49] when is the second changes memo

[8:04:50] do?

[8:04:51] >>mayor cava: through the

[8:04:53] chair, we unfortunately are

[8:04:54] often weaving the timeline to

[8:04:56] get it to you so for example

[8:04:58] when we submitted this change

[8:05:00] memo to us yesterday it was

[8:05:00] late.

[8:05:11] We did the best we can.

[8:05:13] >>commissioner steinberg: I

[8:05:15] think this is a great idea just

[8:05:17] in order to capture the money

[8:05:18] intended to be realized is

[8:05:20] would have to be brought months

[8:05:22] ago, not two weeks prior so I

[8:05:23] love the idea, I am concerned

[8:05:25] about the timeframe and whether

[8:05:27] anything will be accomplished

[8:05:28] this budget cycle so to the

[8:05:30] administration can you

[8:05:31] accomplish what this motion is

[8:05:33] asking within the timeline that

[8:05:37] you have that is factual?

[8:05:39] >> I don't think you would get

[8:05:41] the full analysis because we

[8:05:42] would have to get it done in

[8:05:44] about a week.

[8:05:45] >>commissioner regalado: point

[8:05:47] of order quick, since you and I

[8:05:49] talked about this, when did you

[8:05:54] first receive in writing on

[8:05:55] legal that we could actually

[8:05:57] charge for this because we've

[8:05:58] been talking about this a long

[8:06:02] time, when did I get it in

[8:06:03] writing, today.

[8:06:04] I've been working on this long

[8:06:06] time, legal four years the

[8:06:08] opinion had been this could not

[8:06:11] be done.

[8:06:13] >>chair: you could get a yes,

[8:06:15] do you want to amend the last

[8:06:16] sentence not a one week

[8:06:18] timeline essentially because

[8:06:19] it's not going to make it for

[8:06:21] the budget, is not even that we

[8:06:23] don't want to do it, they are

[8:06:24] not going to have it in a week.

[8:06:28] , commissioner gilbert.

[8:06:30] >>commissioner gilbert: my

[8:06:32] friendly amendment as we amend

[8:06:34] the motion to three months.

[8:06:35] >>chair: is that more

[8:06:37] reasonable MADAM Mayor?

[8:06:38] >>mayor cava: yes, but to

[8:06:43] clarify this would require a

[8:06:45] buildout so it would affect a

[8:06:46] future budget three months

[8:06:49] should be accurate.

[8:06:51] >>chair: is that a friendly

[8:06:57] amendment?

[8:06:58] >>commissioner regalado: as

[8:07:00] long as it includes digital

[8:07:02] fare use, you don't need fare

[8:07:04] gates for everything.

[8:07:06] >>commissioner gilbert: I would

[8:07:07] agree with that.

[8:07:12] >>chair: commissioner steinberg

[8:07:13] .

[8:07:14] >>commissioner steinberg: I

[8:07:16] asked that this would have to

[8:07:18] be something we discussed at

[8:07:20] the midyear budget because I

[8:07:22] want a guarantee we have one

[8:07:23] this year.

[8:07:24] >>chair: it's a friendly

[8:07:25] amendment, accepted by the

[8:07:27] maker of the motion, seconded

[8:07:29] by commissioner gilbert.

[8:07:31] All in favor signify by saying

[8:07:32] aye, opposed, nay. And the

[8:07:34] aye's have it, did you want to

[8:07:35] be recognized?

[8:07:40] The aye's have it, next motion.

[8:07:41] >>commissioner regalado: the

[8:07:43] mayor said the solid waste

[8:07:45] master plan had been paid, it's

[8:07:47] in the budget, it's a line

[8:07:47] item.

[8:07:57] This speaks to, this is 4, this

[8:08:06] is five, yes, five.

[8:08:08] So I'm happy to allocate this

[8:08:09] money to illegal dumping.

[8:08:11] If she is saying zero waste is

[8:08:12] already paid but it's in the

[8:08:14] budget and it has a number.

[8:08:16] If they are on the record

[8:08:17] saying that's not the case

[8:08:19] because there is a lot of

[8:08:20] questions about that.

[8:08:22] >>chair: commissioner bermudez

[8:08:24] you are recognized.

[8:08:26] >>commissioner bermudez: I'm

[8:08:28] getting tired of I allocate, we

[8:08:29] allocate with all due respect.

[8:08:31] If not I allocate, we

[8:08:32] collective body, 13 people

[8:08:33] allocate.

[8:08:41] Second of all, again this is

[8:08:42] something that MAY make sense

[8:08:44] to me but since I got it at

[8:08:45] this late time I would like to

[8:08:47] know what could be allocated?

[8:08:50] How can it be allocated etc.?

[8:08:52] >>commissioner regalado: I'm

[8:08:54] happy to leave the allocation

[8:08:55] empty as long as it goes to

[8:08:57] solid waste, I'm looking for

[8:08:58] money for solid waste.

[8:09:00] I'm trying to do zero waste and

[8:09:07] put less stuff in the landfill.

[8:09:08] >>chair: this is a super simple

[8:09:11] one to bring to the next change

[8:09:12] memo.

[8:09:14] >>commissioner regalado: is

[8:09:15] $60,000 that could go to solid

[8:09:16] waste.

[8:09:17] >>chair: why don't you work

[8:09:20] with the mayor.

[8:09:21] >>mayor cava: we have no

[8:09:23] problem with number five to see

[8:09:27] if that could be feasible.

[8:09:28] >>chair: she's going to work

[8:09:30] with you on this, I think it's

[8:09:34] fair, number six.

[8:09:37] , that was five.

[8:09:43] Now we are on 6. No we didn't.

[8:09:45] Submit one or more invoices to

[8:09:54] the city of miami.

[8:09:56] >>commissioner regalado: submit

[8:09:58] one or more invoices to the

[8:10:00] city of miami management trust

[8:10:02] of the downtown development

[8:10:04] authority for estimated amount

[8:10:06] in kind trash for fifa fan fest

[8:10:08] in whatever amount we are due,

[8:10:09] whatever amount we are due.

[8:10:11] >>chair: but no number.

[8:10:13] >>commissioner regalado:

[8:10:15] whatever number they owe us let

[8:10:16] them pay us back.

[8:10:18] >>chair: all in favor signify

[8:10:19] by saying aye, the aye's have

[8:10:20] it, number seven.

[8:10:22] Please lower it in the back,

[8:10:26] commissioner regalado.

[8:10:28] >>commissioner regalado: we

[8:10:29] don't need seven because we

[8:10:35] just took out the number,

[8:10:37] direct the mayor or designee to

[8:10:39] proceed with florida statute

[8:10:40] chapter 164 dispute resolution

[8:10:48] process for the city of hialeah

[8:10:50] inserting reverse osmosis water

[8:10:52] trent treatment plan and if the

[8:10:54] board decides to pursue

[8:10:56] litigation relating to the plat

[8:10:57] directly county attorney's

[8:10:59] office to seek to petition the

[8:11:01] court to have 3.2 million

[8:11:03] allocated the water and sewer

[8:11:05] department for payment for the

[8:11:06] plant be placed in a quartz

[8:11:08] registry into the resolution of

[8:11:10] the dispute, we've been in

[8:11:11] dispute with the city, we take

[8:11:13] 3.2 million every year get it

[8:11:15] to them in the leo us money

[8:11:16] read I want to put it in a

[8:11:18] quartz registry, this doesn't

[8:11:20] have to end, we do this every

[8:11:21] year.

[8:11:23] >>chair: commissioner bermudez

[8:11:25] you are recognized.

[8:11:26] >>commissioner bermudez: i

[8:11:29] don't necessarily disagree with

[8:11:31] commissioner fare regalado but

[8:11:32] receiving these documents,

[8:11:34] three of us represent the city

[8:11:34] of ah.

[8:11:36] And probably once I can

[8:11:38] understand what's happened

[8:11:40] subsequent to the time that

[8:11:41] former mayor bobo appeared on

[8:11:43] our screen and lest we forget

[8:11:45] we had a sunshine meeting here

[8:11:47] on this issue with the mayor

[8:11:48] and some of the members of the

[8:11:56] commission and he's out of

[8:11:57] town.

[8:11:58] So I'm going to repeat the same

[8:11:59] thing.

[8:11:59] It's the concept.

[8:12:01] Why at the last second?

[8:12:05] And I would agree with you

[8:12:07] probably in 2 weeks once I can

[8:12:23] get answers from roy and

[8:12:24] everybody else but what's

[8:12:26] happened in between those

[8:12:27] meetings because you haven't

[8:12:29] been in all the meetings and I

[8:12:30] don't know if senator garcia

[8:12:32] has been in those meetings,

[8:12:34] some of the loss MAY have been

[8:12:36] spoken to buy the new mayor of

[8:12:38] hialeah, maybe not so that's my

[8:12:39] problem.

[8:12:41] >>senator garcia: commissioner

[8:12:42] regalado a regalado I support

[8:12:49] this, there is a with the city

[8:12:51] of hialeah as relates to the

[8:12:53] water and we are constantly

[8:12:55] paying the city for our old

[8:12:56] plants but I can see where

[8:12:57] commissioner cohen higgins is

[8:12:59] and commissioner orbis is in

[8:13:01] the same place, we can get them

[8:13:03] to a yes but we could do this

[8:13:17] at the second round.

[8:13:19] >>commissioner regalado:

[8:13:20] unhappy if you want to take it

[8:13:22] off but here's the point I want

[8:13:23] to make, this was a legal

[8:13:24] point.

[8:13:25] There was a determination that

[8:13:27] while we had a sunshine meeting

[8:13:29] all our old was not the subject

[8:13:30] of the sunshine meeting so we

[8:13:32] have to call another meeting

[8:13:34] with the city of hialeah to be

[8:13:35] able to make a decision as to

[8:13:37] litigation because the two

[8:13:39] things were not combined.

[8:13:40] In this budget we are once

[8:13:42] again another year I mentioned

[8:13:43] this, we're going to be paying

[8:13:44] them 3.2 million.

[8:13:47] They all us money on a separate

[8:13:48] issue being litigated but all

[8:13:50] I'm asking to do here is start

[8:13:52] that process so that we can at

[8:13:54] least put it in the registry.

[8:13:56] >>commissioner bermudez:

[8:13:58] commissioner regalado with all

[8:14:00] due respect litigation between

[8:14:01] a municipality and county is

[8:14:05] something I don't think, and I

[8:14:07] don't necessarily disagree, I

[8:14:09] will probably end up on your

[8:14:11] side but the problem is it's

[8:14:12] still a serious decision, I

[8:14:14] asked the county attorneys

[8:14:16] before if have we admitted

[8:14:17] because right here if I read

[8:14:19] this correctly, maybe I'm wrong

[8:14:21] but if the board decides to

[8:14:23] pursue litigation against the

[8:14:25] city of hialeah, the one we are

[8:14:26] talking now is direct the

[8:14:27] layers designee.

[8:14:33] We are directing, we're

[8:14:35] starting this new resolution

[8:14:37] process, are we in the middle

[8:14:38] of dispute resolution right

[8:14:39] now?

[8:14:40] That's my question to the

[8:14:42] county attorneys and what are

[8:14:45] we actually disputing in that

[8:14:46] dispute resolution process if

[8:14:48] we are in the middle of the

[8:14:53] dispute resolution process?

[8:14:55] That's the question because the

[8:14:57] attorneys I didn't think we

[8:14:59] were in dispute resolution but

[8:15:04] maybe we are.

[8:15:06] >> we were in dispute

[8:15:07] resolution on both issues.

[8:15:09] We came to this board with a

[8:15:10] joint meeting on the payment of

[8:15:12] the water disputes but they did

[8:15:14] not want to address the auto

[8:15:15] plant as part of the joint

[8:15:16] meeting.

[8:15:18] >>commissioner bermudez: they

[8:15:19] being hialeah.

[8:15:21] >> there was agreement to

[8:15:22] bifurcate the two issues so we

[8:15:24] have to go back to mediation to

[8:15:26] do the our old portion.

[8:15:30] If we pass that mediation we

[8:15:41] would be back on the our old

[8:15:42] portion.

[8:15:44] >>commissioner bermudez: that

[8:15:46] meeting took place when former

[8:15:47] commissioner bobo was mayor

[8:15:47] bobo.

[8:15:49] At this point that concerns me

[8:15:50] because we've got litigation

[8:15:53] that apparently is in limbo.

[8:15:58] This is the problem because I

[8:16:00] haven't gotten an explanation

[8:16:07] from you guys or from the

[8:16:07] administration.

[8:16:09] I don't necessarily disagree

[8:16:11] because at some point it got to

[8:16:12] fish or cut bait on this issue

[8:16:18] and it's going to lead to, is

[8:16:20] going to lead to litigation

[8:16:21] because hialeah will not agree

[8:16:23] with us because they're going

[8:16:25] to claim they were forced to

[8:16:28] build this plant by the county

[8:16:29] etc. And there are three

[8:16:30] commissioners here that

[8:16:31] represent hialeah.

[8:16:33] Before that decision is made

[8:16:34] all I'm saying is I want to

[8:16:36] have a clear understanding.

[8:16:39] I respect commissioner

[8:16:40] regalado, that's wonderful but

[8:16:42] you are the county attorneys,

[8:16:43] she is not.

[8:16:46] Last time I looked.

[8:16:48] >>chair: it is your city and I

[8:16:49] want to follow the lead of

[8:16:51] those that represented by

[8:16:53] commissioner gilbert has been

[8:16:54] waiting.

[8:16:56] Commissioner gilbert and then

[8:16:57] go ahead.

[8:17:00] >>commissioner gilbert: the

[8:17:02] first thing is, I agree with

[8:17:04] your hesitance about this.

[8:17:05] I thought to myself why

[8:17:10] wouldn't you just 4 day rule it

[8:17:12] and I asked the county

[8:17:20] attorneys and they said you

[8:17:21] can't 4 day rule it because

[8:17:23] it's a motion dealing with the

[8:17:24] budget and is it dealing with

[8:17:26] the budget?

[8:17:28] Technically everything is

[8:17:30] dealing with the budget so that

[8:17:32] means in these meetings we can

[8:17:33] make a motion about anything.

[8:17:35] And it's not able to be 4 day

[8:17:37] rule because I'm concocting

[8:17:52] motions in my head.

[8:17:54] I think that's an amazing

[8:17:56] interpretation MR. Chair that

[8:17:57] can't be sustainable.

[8:17:59] That interpretation can't be

[8:18:01] sustainable but if it is that's

[8:18:01] okay.

[8:18:03] I assure you I will take

[8:18:03] advantage of it.

[8:18:05] The other thing is this.

[8:18:06] Raquel is right.

[8:18:08] I mean, and I appreciate the

[8:18:10] folks who represent hialeah

[8:18:11] voting against it.

[8:18:13] I think we ought to force the

[8:18:13] issue.

[8:18:15] I think we ought to force the

[8:18:16] issue, I think we ought to

[8:18:18] force the issue, we will vote

[8:18:18] for this.

[8:18:20] >>chair: commissioner cohen

[8:18:25] higgins then senator garcia.

[8:18:27] >>commissioner cohen higgins: I

[8:18:28] get the part of the motion

[8:18:30] asking us to institute the

[8:18:31] dispute resolution procedures,

[8:18:33] I'm trying to understand

[8:18:35] whether the spirit of the

[8:18:37] motion is to clawback 3.2

[8:18:38] million do not have it's paid

[8:18:45] to the city of hialeah, I get

[8:18:47] that so I'm with you so far but

[8:18:49] the balance of the motion

[8:18:51] speaks to asking the county

[8:18:53] attorneys to petition the court

[8:18:54] to have the money deposited

[8:18:56] into the water and sewer

[8:18:57] department instead of at the

[8:18:59] courts registry.

[8:19:00] >>commissioner regalado:

[8:19:02] instead of giving it to hialeah

[8:19:04] is to give it to the court so

[8:19:05] if we put it in the registry we

[8:19:06] don't want the money.

[8:19:08] If it's due to hialeah we put

[8:19:10] it in the courts registry but

[8:19:11] now because of the way it's in

[8:19:16] the budget we pay it to

[8:19:17] hialeah.

[8:19:19] >>commissioner cohen higgins:

[8:19:20] I'm reading it but the

[8:19:22] explanation is helping me

[8:19:23] understand.

[8:19:25] >> contract does not have a

[8:19:28] right of setoff so commissioner

[8:19:29] regalado is asking us to

[8:19:31] petition the court to see if

[8:19:32] there's an alternative the

[8:19:34] court would agree we would pay

[8:19:35] the dollars into the registry

[8:19:37] of the court and not be in

[8:19:43] violation of our contract with

[8:19:44] hialeah until we could resolve

[8:19:45] this dispute.

[8:19:47] Absent that payments are due

[8:19:58] pursuant to the terms of the

[8:19:59] contract.

[8:20:00] >>commissioner cohen higgins:

[8:20:03] but all that takes time, filing

[8:20:05] conditioning and that is full

[8:20:07] litigation so I'm assuming the

[8:20:08] payment is due at some point in

[8:20:10] time on a calendar and while

[8:20:12] you are petitioning the court

[8:20:14] waiting for an order for the

[8:20:16] judge to say I order you to

[8:20:17] deposit the dollars into the

[8:20:19] courts registry are we going to

[8:20:20] be in violation?

[8:20:22] Because of the necessary time

[8:20:23] this takes to accomplish.

[8:20:25] >> my understanding from the

[8:20:27] motion is to institute the

[8:20:28] mediation process, to

[8:20:30] reinstitute it because this was

[8:20:32] part of the original dispute

[8:20:33] resolution process.

[8:20:33] Hen this

[8:20:35] came to this board as part of

[8:20:37] the joint meeting we were

[8:20:38] instructed to not include the

[8:20:40] plant as part of the resolution

[8:20:42] to proceed with litigation.

[8:20:44] We are in answer to

[8:20:46] commissioner bermudez question

[8:20:47] in litigation on the water and

[8:20:49] sewer payment portions.

[8:20:50] So if this motion is to be

[8:20:52] approved we will immediately

[8:20:53] seek to go back to mediation on

[8:20:55] the our old plant, see if we

[8:21:02] can reach resolution and if we

[8:21:04] cannot, we would have to have a

[8:21:05] joint meeting again between the

[8:21:07] council and this commission

[8:21:09] before we can institute

[8:21:11] litigation proceedings, once

[8:21:12] that plays out we will proceed

[8:21:14] with petitioning the court on

[8:21:16] the payments of whatever

[8:21:18] amounts are due at that point

[8:21:27] in time.

[8:21:29] >>commissioner cohen higgins:

[8:21:31] there are no payments to this

[8:21:33] process legally, we won't MISS

[8:21:34] Any necessary deadlines on this

[8:21:37] $3.2 million payment during

[8:21:38] that list of things you just

[8:21:40] described that is necessary in

[8:21:41] the legal process?

[8:21:43] >> they are based on invoicing

[8:21:44] so I'm not sure about the

[8:21:46] timing, I'm not sure if ray has

[8:21:48] an answer, are we going to MISS

[8:21:49] Monthly payments.

[8:21:51] > we will make the payments

[8:21:53] until we get a court order.

[8:21:55] >>commissioner cohen higgins: i

[8:21:57] don't want to create additional

[8:21:59] exposure, thank you.

[8:22:01] >>commissioner bermudez: I know

[8:22:02] we've got the attorneys

[8:22:04] involved, the city of hialeah

[8:22:05] is disputing a deal worth $18

[8:22:07] million, we are paying $3

[8:22:09] million which is part of the

[8:22:10] mediation for the dispute of

[8:22:12] the week thing they lost.

[8:22:13] We are trying to work that part

[8:22:15] out, what the county is asking

[8:22:17] to do is hold off these

[8:22:18] payments, the maintenance fee

[8:22:20] for the plant which half if

[8:22:22] that is ours and that will be

[8:22:24] in dispute whether that plant

[8:22:26] should be billed or not, that's

[8:22:28] a whole other conversation but

[8:22:37] I don't disagree.

[8:22:39] To try to protect what we have

[8:22:40] appear and protect my part of

[8:22:42] the county is my responsibility

[8:22:44] to protect taxpayers as it is

[8:22:46] to protect the city of hialeah.

[8:22:47] I will defer to the

[8:22:48] commissioner.

[8:22:50] >>chair: we have a motion,

[8:22:52] second by commissioner gilbert,

[8:22:53] commissioner.

[8:22:55] >>commissioner bermudez: I am

[8:22:56] not against again and I

[8:22:58] reiterate we should have

[8:22:59] included the are oh.

[8:23:00] I don't know why it was

[8:23:02] bifurcated, it's ridiculous we

[8:23:04] did it and that time we should

[8:23:05] have done it, not now but

[8:23:07] that's okay.

[8:23:09] My question is is it the best

[8:23:18] litigation strategy.

[8:23:20] >>chair: your microphone.

[8:23:21] >>commissioner bermudez: is it

[8:23:23] the best litigation strategy,

[8:23:25] I'd like to ask the attorney is

[8:23:27] the best strategy to make the

[8:23:29] $3.2 million request to put in

[8:23:30] the court registry or is the

[8:23:32] best litigation strategy to

[8:23:33] keep our end of the deal and

[8:23:35] say they don't keep their end

[8:23:37] of the deal because that's the

[8:23:39] way I would look at it.

[8:23:40] As a lawyer and a judge.

[8:23:42] So I would like to know what

[8:23:47] you think.

[8:23:49] >> as your lawyer I'd like to

[8:23:51] have that conversation in

[8:23:51] private.

[8:24:01] >> commissioner regalado, I see

[8:24:03] where you're going and I think

[8:24:05] it's a brilliant idea but it

[8:24:07] does in a sense of your it runs

[8:24:09] afoul of course strategy and

[8:24:09] tactics.

[8:24:13] But I also understand where the

[8:24:15] commissioners from the city of

[8:24:16] hialeah are coming from when

[8:24:20] they're saying that in fact

[8:24:21] they are there with us.

[8:24:22] They are there but I'm

[8:24:24] wondering if it would be a

[8:24:25] safer approach to allow for

[8:24:27] strategic conversations to

[8:24:29] happen amongst the attorneys

[8:24:32] and commissioners individually,

[8:24:37] not on the record because I

[8:24:38] don't believe at this moment

[8:24:40] even if we were to proceed down

[8:24:43] this route the $3.2 million

[8:24:45] would make an impact on the

[8:24:46] budget one way or the other but

[8:24:48] then again that is my

[8:24:49] interpretation of reading both

[8:24:52] eight and nine and

[8:24:53] incorporating the conversations

[8:25:00] from the commissioners that

[8:25:01] represent part of the city of

[8:25:03] hialeah and putting them into a

[8:25:05] position where it MAY create

[8:25:06] another problem.

[8:25:09] So I'm just there and putting

[8:25:11] that out there to let you know

[8:25:12] to see if there is a world

[8:25:14] where we can honor what they

[8:25:18] are asking for and to get to

[8:25:20] the same destination at some

[8:25:22] point and not at 1:26 in the

[8:25:23] morning.

[8:25:25] >>chair: commissioner orbis

[8:25:34] unless your withdrawing.

[8:25:36] >>commissioner milian orbis: we

[8:25:38] need to withdraw this in a way

[8:25:39] that's favorable for the county

[8:25:41] but also the city, would it

[8:25:43] make a difference if we

[8:25:44] considered this at the next

[8:25:50] budget hearing, would it make

[8:25:52] such a big difference because

[8:25:53] receiving this at 1:15 in the

[8:25:55] morning and I don't think it's

[8:25:56] the right time and it's not

[8:25:58] good practice to do this

[8:25:59] without notifying the city of

[8:26:01] hialeah as to the intention

[8:26:02] either, I don't think that's

[8:26:03] good practice.

[8:26:05] The administration with this

[8:26:07] make a big difference between

[8:26:09] now and 2 weeks as commissioner

[8:26:11] bermudez said, does it make a

[8:26:12] difference if we take this on

[8:26:14] now because we do need to

[8:26:15] resolve this but do we need to

[8:26:16] do it right now?

[8:26:18] >> from a legal perspective the

[8:26:20] two weeks would not make a

[8:26:22] difference, I defer as to the

[8:26:23] economic impact.

[8:26:25] >>chair: it doesn't make a big

[8:26:27] difference other than another

[8:26:27] payments perhaps.

[8:26:29] >commissioner regalado: renc

[8:26:31] supports it, I understand two

[8:26:32] of you.

[8:26:34] We can vote on it now or vote

[8:26:38] on it again.

[8:26:40] >>commissioner steinberg: is

[8:26:42] not that we don't support it,

[8:26:44] we just got this now and we are

[8:26:45] expected to make a decision at

[8:26:47] 1:30 in the morning about a

[8:26:48] city impacts three

[8:26:50] commissioners on this board.

[8:26:52] >>commissioner gilbert: and by

[8:26:54] the only person that's going to

[8:26:55] wait to be recognized, help me

[8:26:56] understand.

[8:26:58] >>commissioner gilbert: I held

[8:26:59] my hand up.

[8:27:01] >>chair: do you have a second

[8:27:02] on the motion?

[8:27:03] There is a motion and the

[8:27:05] second, all in favor signify by

[8:27:11] saying aye.

[8:27:13] >>commissioner gilbert: the

[8:27:14] attorney won't save us from

[8:27:16] litigation anytime you owe

[8:27:17] somebody money it makes them

[8:27:19] more incentivized to negotiate,

[8:27:21] I don't think this is a close

[8:27:22] call.

[8:27:24] >>commissioner bermudez: MAY I

[8:27:34] respond to my friend who's an

[8:27:36] attorney to my fellow attorney,

[8:27:37] he's wrong because it's a

[8:27:39] municipality with a county

[8:27:41] government we decided not to go

[8:27:43] after and it's a two week

[8:27:44] difference.

[8:27:45] By the way she has my vote but

[8:27:47] she's going to lose my vote

[8:27:49] because in two weeks she's

[8:27:50] speaking for me, I don't like

[8:27:52] anyone speaking for me, not her

[8:27:54] or the congressman.

[8:27:56] >>chair: do you want me to call

[8:27:58] a vote on this commissioner

[8:27:59] regalado?

[8:28:00] All in favor signify by saying

[8:28:04] aye, opposed, nay., the motion

[8:28:05] fails.

[8:28:09] She's going to bring it.

[8:28:11] One of the hialeah

[8:28:13] commissioners should bring it,

[8:28:16] number 10, nine is the same

[8:28:17] thing.

[8:28:24] Eight and nine go together.

[8:28:25] >>commissioner regalado: the

[8:28:27] last one that's left is work

[8:28:29] with the office of the sheriff

[8:28:32] to negotiate assumption of

[8:28:33] administrative duties related

[8:28:35] to the school zone speed

[8:28:37] detection program and moved to

[8:28:42] amend resolution or 1099 24 to

[8:28:44] transfer the schools speed and

[8:28:45] enforcement penalty funds

[8:28:47] retained by the county that

[8:28:49] remain after deducting expenses

[8:28:50] for installing the school zone

[8:28:52] speed detection system to the

[8:28:54] office of the sheriff, the

[8:28:55] numbers I got I got from ray,

[8:29:00] ray could the numbers and what

[8:29:00] they are.

[8:29:02] But I didn't mention the

[8:29:04] numbers here, I'm talking about

[8:29:05] transferring the administration

[8:29:07] and funding to the sheriff's we

[8:29:09] can do our part to help the

[8:29:11] sheriff get to her end number.

[8:29:18] >>chair: this is for me a note

[8:29:20] because we're doing a 14 and a

[8:29:21] half million dollar part.

[8:29:28] We are doing it again this year

[8:29:30] and we don't know what's coming

[8:29:30] before this.

[8:29:33] So this is not a little, we are

[8:29:35] doing our little part from this

[8:29:37] program, the sheriff and I met,

[8:29:38] we've discussed it within the

[8:29:39] last year as well.

[8:29:41] We need to know a lot more

[8:29:43] before we transfer that money

[8:29:44] to the sheriff when the sheriff

[8:29:54] is getting a piece of that

[8:29:56] already for her employment

[8:29:57] which she's using and we spoke

[8:29:59] about that and we are giving

[8:30:00] her an additional from the

[8:30:02] counties portion 15 and a half

[8:30:04] million dollars which that is

[8:30:06] restricted funds to begin with

[8:30:08] florida statute on what it can

[8:30:08] be used for.

[8:30:10] So I'm not okay with this, I'm

[8:30:12] going to call the vote.

[8:30:14] >>commissioner regalado: can

[8:30:16] raise the numbers?

[8:30:17] Projections?

[8:30:18] >>mayor cava: those are

[8:30:20] accurate, he says.

[8:30:21] >>commissioner regalado: the

[8:30:24] ones I gave.

[8:30:26] >>chair: there's no numbers

[8:30:31] here.

[8:30:33] >>commissioner gilbert:

[8:30:35] :question.

[8:30:37] >> in the current year there is

[8:30:51] $36 million budgeted, it was

[8:30:52] estimated the first 14.5

[8:30:54] million would go to the sheriff

[8:30:55] and any remaining above that

[8:30:57] would be retained by the board

[8:30:59] for public safety purposes to

[8:31:00] be divided across all 13

[8:31:02] districts based on the

[8:31:03] cumulative population.

[8:31:05] So far the projection to the

[8:31:06] end of the year is a total of

[8:31:08] 19 million for fy 25, 26 on the

[8:31:10] portion retained by the county

[8:31:12] and the sheriff so that means

[8:31:22] the sheriff now going to the

[8:31:24] sheriff is already fulfilled

[8:31:25] out 14.5 million and there's

[8:31:27] should be a remaining carryover

[8:31:29] of 4.5 million to be divided

[8:31:33] across the board.

[8:31:35] Then for fy 26, 27 set up

[8:31:36] approximately the same way,

[8:31:38] 14.5 million to the sheriff

[8:31:40] carryover from the board to go

[8:31:42] to the board for next year.

[8:31:43] >>chair: the 4 and a half

[8:31:45] million dollars.

[8:31:46] >>commissioner regalado: but

[8:31:48] it's not when you put it

[8:31:49] altogether because it's across

[8:31:54] two years.

[8:31:56] >>chair: now you're suggesting

[8:31:58] to do both years so I'll call

[8:31:59] the question.

[8:32:01] >>commissioner regalado: I'm

[8:32:02] talking about transferring it

[8:32:04] to her.

[8:32:06] >>chair: some of those

[8:32:07] commissioners have allocated

[8:32:13] those funds so you got to talk

[8:32:14] about next year's budget not

[8:32:16] one we already approved because

[8:32:18] some of the commissioners have

[8:32:19] already committed those funds

[8:32:23] so did you need to?

[8:32:25] >>vice chair mcghee: as far as

[8:32:27] previous allocations that's 1

[8:32:28] and 2 I don't know if we

[8:32:30] haven't written the checks for

[8:32:34] those who have previously

[8:32:36] allocated or if it's going to

[8:32:37] take last year plus next year's

[8:32:40] money to meet the request we

[8:32:42] made as a board so those things

[8:32:44] haven't been ironed out.

[8:32:46] I haven't heard from anybody

[8:32:47] who knows those matters so for

[8:32:51] this one I'm a little weary on

[8:32:53] it because part of the sale to

[8:33:03] us for this was that it was

[8:33:04] going to be able to help those

[8:33:06] of us especially who were

[8:33:07] adversely impacted within those

[8:33:09] areas so now it's going to the

[8:33:11] sheriff, that's another bill

[8:33:12] and some sort of way those

[8:33:14] people who live in those areas

[8:33:19] are active, they won't have to

[8:33:19] pay.

[8:33:21] >>chair: I'm happy to call the

[8:33:23] question, all in favor say aye,

[8:33:25] all opposed, nay., no have it.

[8:33:27] >>commissioner regalado: if the

[8:33:41] mayor can even though it's in

[8:33:42] the budget she says the zero

[8:33:42] waste master plan is paid for

[8:33:43] because obviously there was a

[8:33:45] question about that in state

[8:33:46] statute and finding money for

[8:33:48] that because the budget.

[8:33:48] As

[8:33:49] funded out of operating

[8:33:50] revenues.

[8:33:51] >>mayor cava: in the current

[8:33:56] year's budget.

[8:33:58] >>chair: any other motions on

[8:34:07] item c, commissioner gonzales.

[8:34:08] >>commissioner gonzalez: so

[8:34:10] county attorneys have a motion

[8:34:10] I have.

[8:34:12] I moved to direct the

[8:34:14] administration to identify all

[8:34:15] legally available funds to fund

[8:34:17] the sheriff's budget request

[8:34:19] and report back to the board of

[8:34:21] county commissioners buyer to

[8:34:23] the second budget hearing

[8:34:24] SEPTEMBER 17, 2026 so we can

[8:34:26] evaluate the opportunities

[8:34:27] scenarios and numbers for

[8:34:29] proper consideration.

[8:34:32] >>chair: motion by commissioner

[8:34:33] orbis.

[8:34:34] >>commissioner bermudez: I'm

[8:34:36] going to vote for it because I

[8:34:38] agree, give me the motion.

[8:34:38] F

[8:34:39] you have it and your staff had

[8:34:40] it unwilling to support it

[8:34:42] because I agree but they should

[8:34:56] just do it.

[8:34:58] >>commissioner milian orbis: I

[8:34:59] need clarification because it

[8:35:01] says legally available funding

[8:35:06] and they said there is no more

[8:35:07] money so are you going to just

[8:35:09] come back to us and say there

[8:35:10] is no legally available

[8:35:11] funding?

[8:35:13] Because if that's the case, I'm

[8:35:15] just trying to get

[8:35:16] clarification what the

[8:35:17] administration plans to do and

[8:35:20] how they plan to respond.

[8:35:22] >> the motion is to find the

[8:35:24] money, we evaluate the numbers

[8:35:26] and we will decide what's going

[8:35:27] to be cut.

[8:35:29] But the money would need to be

[8:35:31] found by the administration.

[8:35:36] >>chair: the commissioner still

[8:35:38] has the floor, did you need an

[8:35:40] answer from the administration?

[8:35:41] Commissioner gilbert.

[8:35:44] >>commissioner gilbert:

[8:35:45] commissioner and to the

[8:35:47] administration is the general

[8:35:47] fund.

[8:35:50] So the motion essentially asks

[8:35:58] the administration to give them

[8:35:59] their money out of the general

[8:36:06] fund and find other things to

[8:36:07] cut and give us those

[8:36:08] scenarios.

[8:36:10] Respectfully, that's just our

[8:36:11] job.

[8:36:13] It's the general fund the

[8:36:15] legally available funds to the

[8:36:20] sheriff or the general fund.

[8:36:21] That's it.

[8:36:22] so I appreciate the motion, the

[8:36:24] motion is literally why we have

[8:36:25] to budget hearings.

[8:36:27] It's literally the reason we

[8:36:29] are balancing equities here.

[8:36:31] Somebody's going to get less

[8:36:33] and they asked for.

[8:36:35] Everybody's going to get less

[8:36:44] and they asked for actually but

[8:36:45] we could pass the motion but

[8:36:47] that is literally a fools

[8:36:49] errand were sending them on,

[8:36:51] that's an inexhaustible task

[8:36:53] because you're asking for

[8:36:54] scenarios that say no to

[8:36:56] cultural affairs, like you're

[8:36:58] asking for scenarios that will

[8:36:59] always be changing based on

[8:37:01] whatever our values are so I'm

[8:37:03] okay with it but commissioner,

[8:37:04] what's going to happen is they

[8:37:06] will come back and say it's the

[8:37:08] general fund because it's the

[8:37:09] general fund.

[8:37:14] >chair: I respect your

[8:37:15] perspective but at the same

[8:37:17] time it's up to the

[8:37:18] administration to figure out

[8:37:20] what this cuts could be.

[8:37:20] Hat

[8:37:22] is literally what the mayor

[8:37:23] could do.

[8:37:24] If she gives us the scenarios

[8:37:26] we can then decide what can be

[8:37:35] cut and what won't be cut.

[8:37:37] What I'm saying is find you

[8:37:38] legally available funds, show

[8:37:40] us those scenarios and we can

[8:37:42] determine as a board whether we

[8:37:43] agree, don't agree, whether

[8:37:45] there's other scenarios or not.

[8:37:47] We're going to look at our own

[8:37:48] scenarios but I'd like to see

[8:37:50] what scenarios the

[8:37:51] administration can come up

[8:37:53] with, what scenarios they can

[8:37:55] come up with knowing that we

[8:37:56] need to fully fund the sheriff

[8:38:05] and we can make that decision.

[8:38:06] >>chair: I agree with what

[8:38:08] you're saying commissioner

[8:38:09] gonzales and I would support

[8:38:11] your motion but I agree and I

[8:38:13] see them shaking their heads

[8:38:14] and I agree with gilbert and

[8:38:16] the mayor I think it needs to,

[8:38:18] you need to rephrase it.

[8:38:20] What you might be looking for I

[8:38:21] think, don't want to put words

[8:38:23] in the commissioners mouth is

[8:38:25] what you did with solid waste.

[8:38:26] You said if you don't approve

[8:38:28] an increase this is what we are

[8:38:29] going to cut.

[8:38:31] We have to cut for bulky waste

[8:38:33] or what not, whatever it is

[8:38:34] illegal dumping, that's what

[8:38:36] you're asking for is what would

[8:38:36] be cut.

[8:38:43] What would the mayor recommend.

[8:38:44] >>commissioner gonzalez: give

[8:38:46] me what we can cut to fully

[8:39:04] fund the sheriff claps thank

[8:39:06] you MR. CHAIRMAN, the mayor has

[8:39:08] presented her budget as

[8:39:10] required by the charter that is

[8:39:11] her best judgment to balance

[8:39:13] the needs and it's her

[8:39:14] determination if this

[8:39:16] commission chooses to use

[8:39:18] different priorities that's

[8:39:19] fine but it's up to the

[8:39:21] commission to tell us what to

[8:39:21] do.

[8:39:22] E've presented the budget

[8:39:23] that we stand by.

[8:39:25] >> in other words she's

[8:39:27] presented her budget and we can

[8:39:28] cut it up and chop it up and we

[8:39:30] decide what we cut.

[8:39:32] >>commissioner gilbert: because

[8:39:34] you're using the word

[8:39:35] recommendations and she's never

[8:39:37] going to recommend something

[8:39:39] other than her recommended

[8:39:41] budget, her proposed budget so

[8:39:43] you're using the word

[8:39:44] recommendations.

[8:39:46] Just now you said identify

[8:39:47] recommendations.

[8:39:49] you want her to recommend

[8:39:50] something.

[8:39:52] >>chair: identify all legally

[8:39:53] available funds.

[8:39:55] >>commissioner gilbert: keep

[8:39:57] going, read the rest of it.

[8:39:58] >>chair: to fully fund the

[8:40:00] sheriff's budget.

[8:40:02] >>commissioner gilbert: they're

[8:40:03] not giving her what she asked

[8:40:05] for but they think they're

[8:40:06] fully funding her budget now if

[8:40:08] you want to get what you asked

[8:40:10] for it's going to involve her

[8:40:12] recommending something she's

[8:40:13] never going to recommend but

[8:40:15] I'm okay if you want them to

[8:40:17] have alternatives, is that what

[8:40:19] you're looking for?

[8:40:20] >>chair: I want to make a

[8:40:22] motion now to fully fund the

[8:40:23] sheriff, period.

[8:40:25] >>commissioner gilbert: we

[8:40:26] appreciate that.

[8:40:27] >>chair: the reason I say that

[8:40:29] is because I know right now at

[8:40:31] this hour there's no way we

[8:40:32] will get to that number,

[8:40:34] there's too many things to

[8:40:35] consider so what I'm asking for

[8:40:37] is scenarios where, scenarios

[8:40:40] where they can give us what

[8:40:41] they legally have found that

[8:40:43] can become, make hard

[8:40:44] decisions, we can then decide

[8:40:46] what we can keep and don't keep

[8:40:47] to fully fund the sheriff.

[8:40:50] To commissioner cohen higgins's

[8:40:51] point, if they're saying

[8:40:53] there's nothing we can cut, we

[8:40:59] can still direct them to.

[8:41:01] >>chair: we could direct them

[8:41:04] for sure, vice chair then I

[8:41:04] will go to you.

[8:41:07] >>vice chair mcghee: thank you

[8:41:09] MR. Chair. Inherently found

[8:41:14] within commissioner gonzales

[8:41:16] motion, is his way of saying

[8:41:17] that he can correct me if I'm

[8:41:19] wrong on the record that is

[8:41:21] motion essentially is saying we

[8:41:23] don't have enough time with our

[8:41:25] staff to go through all the

[8:41:27] scenarios found within the

[8:41:32] proposed budget, we are asking

[8:41:34] for the administration to give

[8:41:35] scenarios therefore at least

[8:41:42] you will have a starting point

[8:41:45] in understanding whether or not

[8:41:46] there are legally available

[8:41:49] funds, correct me if I'm wrong.

[8:41:51] >>chair: what I'm looking for

[8:41:53] is we will look at things to

[8:41:53] cut.

[8:41:54] I want them to also look at

[8:42:04] things that can be cut and give

[8:42:05] us those scenarios.

[8:42:07] I understand this is the first

[8:42:09] budget, we will have a second

[8:42:11] budget hearing and I want them

[8:42:13] to identify other things that

[8:42:13] can be cut.

[8:42:15] Then we will figure out whether

[8:42:17] we can get there or not but I

[8:42:19] agree with commissioner

[8:42:20] bermudez that to fully start

[8:42:22] saying hey, throw money this

[8:42:25] way is not the right thing to

[8:42:25] do.

[8:42:27] >>mayor cava: respectfully,

[8:42:28] through the chair.

[8:42:29] As I understand it the general

[8:42:31] fund is a discretionary matter.

[8:42:33] It is for me to make my

[8:42:34] recommendation and you to

[8:42:35] decide.

[8:42:41] There's nothing in that 3.4

[8:42:42] billion dollars of the budget

[8:42:44] that could not be cut so I am

[8:42:46] not going to tell you what I

[8:42:53] would rather cut because I've

[8:42:55] put together a budget I think

[8:42:57] is reasonable and balanced and

[8:42:59] protects basic services so that

[8:43:00] is why we've sent to you many

[8:43:02] times and in the memo this is

[8:43:04] my best recommendation, if you

[8:43:06] want to do something different

[8:43:07] then please tell us what you

[8:43:10] would prioritize.

[8:43:12] >>chair: what she is saying is

[8:43:13] it's umpsa so it's parks,

[8:43:15] roads, things of that nature we

[8:43:17] would have to cut but you still

[8:43:24] have the floor vice CHAIRMAN.

[8:43:26] >>vice chair mcghee:

[8:43:27] commissioner gonzales if you

[8:43:29] are okay with this my

[8:43:31] recommendation would be because

[8:43:32] again it's 1:44 and it sounds

[8:43:34] like the mayor is extending an

[8:43:35] olive branch to say to you,

[8:43:40] meet with me and we can go from

[8:43:41] that route and have a

[8:43:43] conversation and if it doesn't

[8:43:45] come out the way we envision

[8:43:46] what can possibly happen then

[8:43:48] at the second budget hearing is

[8:43:49] when you put forth your, not

[8:43:52] her recommendations but your

[8:43:53] recommendations as relates to

[8:43:55] finding the funds to fully fund

[8:43:57] what the sheriff's department

[8:43:59] is asking for.

[8:44:01] That's what I'm hearing and

[8:44:03] that's my recommendation to you

[8:44:04] if that's something you would

[8:44:04] accept.

[8:44:06] >>chair: commissioner, you are

[8:44:09] the maker of the motion.

[8:44:11] >>commissioner gonzalez: I

[8:44:14] stand by my motion, if she's

[8:44:16] not going to do it.

[8:44:20] >>chair: commissioner regalado.

[8:44:22] >>commissioner regalado: to

[8:44:23] clarify something here, when we

[8:44:26] are dealing with an enterprise

[8:44:32] fund we are going to deal with

[8:44:34] it when we do the rates, it's a

[8:44:36] small universe so it's easy for

[8:44:38] us to pull the strings and

[8:44:39] figure out what we are doing

[8:44:41] which is why earlier I was

[8:44:42] trying to share some money

[8:44:44] because when you say legally

[8:44:46] available funds, that's the

[8:44:51] entire general fund so that

[8:44:53] means you can pull the strings

[8:44:55] from transit, all the strings

[8:44:57] from cultural, you can pull so

[8:44:59] many strings she'd have to give

[8:45:00] you 20 or 30 different

[8:45:02] scenarios and that's what's in

[8:45:03] untenable about that.

[8:45:05] That's why she's pushing it

[8:45:06] back to us saying the

[8:45:08] priorities you make with the

[8:45:11] general fund just find the

[8:45:12] money, decide what you take

[8:45:13] out.

[8:45:15] You're not giving any guidance,

[8:45:16] you're just saying anything in

[8:45:18] the general fund so she can say

[8:45:20] here's general fund, take out

[8:45:22] as many line items as you want.

[8:45:23] >>commissioner gonzalez:

[8:45:25] because in two weeks we will do

[8:45:27] the same thing and compare

[8:45:27] notes.

[8:45:29] We can vote it up or down and

[8:45:34] if the board decides to vote it

[8:45:35] down we vote it down, I will

[8:45:37] come with my cuts, everybody

[8:45:39] will come with their accounts

[8:45:40] and go from there.

[8:45:41] >>commissioner bermudez: I have

[8:45:43] a question for the

[8:45:44] administration.

[8:45:45] >>chair: senator garcia has

[8:45:50] joined the chat.

[8:45:52] >>senator garcia: this is what

[8:45:54] happens when we have these

[8:45:55] budget discussions at 1:46 in

[8:45:59] the morning.

[8:46:00] I will not speak on behalf of

[8:46:02] commissioner gonzalez but one

[8:46:04] presumes that like he said,

[8:46:05] some of you said and I said

[8:46:09] that public safety is one of

[8:46:10] the most important things if

[8:46:11] not the most important thing so

[8:46:15] I have a question of the

[8:46:16] administration.

[8:46:17] I don't want to talk about

[8:46:19] general fund and all the other

[8:46:21] funds, will you meet with the

[8:46:22] sheriff's office between now

[8:46:25] and the second reading of this

[8:46:34] budget or is it your statement

[8:46:35] today that you will not meet

[8:46:37] with the sheriff's office on

[8:46:39] whatever that delta is between

[8:46:52] their request and what you've

[8:46:53] budgeted.

[8:46:55] >>mayor cava: through the chair

[8:46:57] we've met frequently and we

[8:46:59] will again and it's an ongoing

[8:47:00] conversation and we are open to

[8:47:02] see where there might be

[8:47:03] compromised.

[8:47:04] We've worked hard to identify

[8:47:06] ways they can meet all the

[8:47:07] needs they have expressed.

[8:47:09] We are not holding back on

[8:47:10] anything that has been

[8:47:12] identified as a priority, we

[8:47:13] simply disagree as to how much

[8:47:15] money must be transferred at

[8:47:17] this time to accomplish it.

[8:47:19] >>commissioner bermudez: the

[8:47:20] answer to my question is

[8:47:22] between now and the second

[8:47:24] reading whether that delta is

[8:47:25] whether a change or doesn't

[8:47:27] change you are not, you're

[8:47:28] saying yes you will still be

[8:47:30] met willing to meet with the

[8:47:31] sheriff's office.

[8:47:42] >>mayor cava: always.

[8:47:44] >>commissioner bermudez: having

[8:47:46] said that I would presume

[8:47:47] commissioner galt gonzales or

[8:47:49] myself which MAY meet with

[8:47:51] representatives between now and

[8:47:52] then would also know if there

[8:47:53] was a change.

[8:47:55] Let's just say some movement

[8:47:56] between the meeting that would

[8:47:58] take you to the top

[8:48:00] administrative officer and the

[8:48:00] sheriff.

[8:48:02] To me I think this is more

[8:48:04] about sending philosophy across

[8:48:05] the board before the second

[8:48:05] reading.

[8:48:07] Think that's what

[8:48:09] commissioner gonzalez wants to

[8:48:11] accomplish and to me it's

[8:48:12] really not much different than

[8:48:14] one of those motions we

[8:48:15] approved with the 11 motions

[8:48:17] before which is hey, if the

[8:48:18] answer is no or not.

[8:48:20] I think it's about philosophy

[8:48:22] and that's his intent and it

[8:48:25] MAY be wrong and I do think

[8:48:27] that was my question because

[8:48:37] commissioner gilbert said

[8:48:38] nothing.

[8:48:39] Maybe he does change.

[8:48:41] Nobody knows, we don't know if

[8:48:42] the sheriff changes or the

[8:48:44] mayor changes and maybe they

[8:48:45] bring something different.

[8:48:48] That's all I wanted to say.

[8:48:50] >>chair: I can call a question

[8:48:51] but we have a solution so

[8:49:02] commissioner gilbert as a

[8:49:03] solution.

[8:49:05] >>commissioner gilbert: to the

[8:49:06] mayor commissioner gonzalez and

[8:49:08] chair we want to make sure

[8:49:09] public safety is funded in a

[8:49:11] way that provides safety,

[8:49:13] that's our unified goal so if

[8:49:15] that's our goal what we also

[8:49:16] realize is that we have limited

[8:49:16] funds.

[8:49:18] Hat I've said to the

[8:49:19] sheriff and the administration

[8:49:21] is this, we might not be able

[8:49:23] to do everything right now but

[8:49:25] there are things we have to do

[8:49:27] that she needs more police

[8:49:28] officers and also needs to

[8:49:29] increase pay.

[8:49:30] She needs to increase pay to

[8:49:32] get more police officers.

[8:49:36] More deputies, that's just the

[8:49:37] truth.

[8:49:38] We just need a plan so we can

[8:49:40] do it incrementally, we can't

[8:49:47] do it in one year and pretty

[8:49:48] tax if that passes NOVEMBER 3

[8:49:50] we have other challenges but

[8:49:52] based on what we know right now

[8:49:53] we need a plan so I would ask

[8:50:00] your motion, have them sit down

[8:50:02] and come up with a plan.

[8:50:04] Come up with a plan how we get

[8:50:04] there.

[8:50:06] Come up with a plan, give this

[8:50:07] commission a timeline, have

[8:50:09] this board commit to it and

[8:50:11] that allows us to fiscally

[8:50:13] understand whether we have to

[8:50:14] attribute some, we understand

[8:50:15] what we have to do.

[8:50:17] It doesn't have to be, is not

[8:50:19] instant coffee, it's not drive

[8:50:23] through so that's a friendly

[8:50:24] amendment.

[8:50:26] >>commissioner gonzalez: I will

[8:50:28] accept that amendment, find

[8:50:29] legally available funds make a

[8:50:39] plan how we get this done.

[8:50:41] >>chair: motion with a friendly

[8:50:42] amendment, second with

[8:50:44] commissioner gilbert, all in

[8:50:46] favor signify by saying aye,

[8:50:47] show the motion passing, any

[8:50:49] other motions on item c.

[8:50:50] Vice CHAIRMAN.

[8:50:51] >>vice chair mcghee: thank you

[8:50:53] MR. Chair. I don't want to put

[8:50:55] this in the form of a motion

[8:50:56] but I will say this to the

[8:50:58] administration, I don't mind

[8:51:00] meeting with corrections, your

[8:51:02] meal vendor contract.

[8:51:04] There was I believe resolution

[8:51:07] 1028 25 where we approved a

[8:51:11] $19.7 million under that

[8:51:15] resolution but I'm looking at

[8:51:16] what the auditor presented to

[8:51:20] us and it shows that 2627

[8:51:29] budget for the same contract

[8:51:31] takes it up about 25% of cost

[8:51:32] which is 27.4 million as a

[8:51:34] final cost so if you can look

[8:51:36] at that and I can meet with you

[8:51:38] soon to make sure whatever that

[8:51:39] difference is is accurate and

[8:51:41] we can see what happened

[8:51:43] between that resolution that

[8:51:49] was had in 25 and now say it's

[8:51:55] worth 27.4 billion.

[8:51:57] >>mayor cava: are director

[8:51:59] sharia green is coming again.

[8:52:01] >>vice chair mcghee: I wanted

[8:52:03] to have a meeting with you,

[8:52:04] thank you.

[8:52:12] >>chair: senator garcia.

[8:52:14] >>senator garcia: met on mayor

[8:52:16] and to the budget staff one of

[8:52:17] the things we've noticed is

[8:52:19] there's been an increase in

[8:52:20] rental expenses.

[8:52:22] Maybe one of the things we can

[8:52:23] look at, I'm not going to make

[8:52:25] a motion but if we could look

[8:52:27] at collaborating more with the

[8:52:29] school system, the school

[8:52:30] system right now as a lot of

[8:52:32] vacant schools and properties

[8:52:34] and we MAY be able to cross use

[8:52:36] I guess where they have under

[8:52:38] enrollments maybe we can use

[8:52:40] those properties and come to a

[8:52:41] collaboration to lower our

[8:52:47] rental expenses.

[8:52:49] >>mayor cava: through the chair

[8:52:50] we've met with our

[8:52:52] superintendent about that

[8:52:53] opportunity.

[8:52:55] >>chair: any other motions on

[8:52:56] item c.

[8:52:58] >>commissioner regalado: I have

[8:52:59] one comment, since palmer is

[8:53:01] there on corrections, I know we

[8:53:05] went 10 rounds on the meals and

[8:53:07] I know there was a kitchen and

[8:53:09] there wasn't a kitchen and we

[8:53:17] don't know the costs of the

[8:53:17] kitchen.

[8:53:18] It's very confusing.

[8:53:20] If you could please provide us

[8:53:22] with clarity because it appears

[8:53:24] we are leasing a kitchen but

[8:53:26] then what's the evaluation of

[8:53:27] the kitchen that wasn't ready

[8:53:30] and how did that change it.

[8:53:32] >> definitely let's get that.

[8:53:34] Do I have a motion on the rest

[8:53:36] of the items as amended, moved

[8:53:38] by commissioner cohen higgins,

[8:53:43] clerk please call the roll.

[8:53:45] >>senator garcia:

[8:53:51] >>commissioner gilbert:

[8:53:53] >>commissioner gonzalez: no for

[8:53:54] now.

[8:53:58] >>commissioner hardemon:

[8:54:00] >>commissioner lopez:

[8:54:06] >>commissioner milian orbis:

[8:54:09] >>commissioner regalado: yes.

[8:54:12] >>commissioner steinberg:

[8:54:14] >>commissioner bastien:

[8:54:17] >>commissioner bermudez: yes.

[8:54:19] >>commissioner cohen higgins:

[8:54:20] for.

[8:54:22] >>vice chair mcghee:

[8:54:22] >>chair: yes.

[8:54:26] >> motion passes 10 to 3.

[8:54:29] >>chair: MADAM Attorney read

[8:54:37] the next item.

[8:54:40] >> item d ratifying millage for

[8:54:42] the unincorporated municipal

[8:54:44] service area operating purposes

[8:54:46] for the fiscal year commencing

[8:54:48] OCTOBER 1 2026 ending SEPTEMBER

[8:54:49] 30, 2027 and budget director

[8:54:57] has a statement.

[8:55:00] >> proposed unincorporated

[8:55:02] service area operating millage

[8:55:04] is 1.909 mills which is 6.16%

[8:55:06] above the state divide rollback

[8:55:07] rate of 1.7983.

[8:55:08] >>chair: I will entertain a

[8:55:10] motion, seconded by cohen

[8:55:12] higgins, any suggestions or

[8:55:13] amendments, please call the

[8:55:15] roll on item d.

[8:55:22] >>commissioner gilbert:

[8:55:23] >>chair: you guys have to

[8:55:25] follow along, it's 2 o'clock in

[8:55:26] the morning.

[8:55:31] >>commissioner gonzalez: no.

[8:55:34] >>commissioner hardemon:

[8:55:37] >>commissioner lopez: yes.

[8:55:40] >>commissioner milian orbis:

[8:55:42] >>commissioner regalado:

[8:55:44] >>commissioner steinberg:

[8:55:47] >>commissioner bastien:

[8:55:49] >>commissioner bermudez:

[8:55:53] >>commissioner cohen higgins:

[8:55:56] >>senator garcia:

[8:55:58] >>vice chair mcghee: yes.

[8:56:00] >>chair: I vote yes.

[8:56:02] >> motion passes 10 to 3.

[8:56:24] >>chair: read the next motion.

[8:56:26] >> next item is ordinance

[8:56:27] adopting the unincorporated

[8:56:29] municipal service area for

[8:56:30] miami-dade county for the

[8:56:32] fiscal year commencing OCTOBER

[8:56:34] 1, 2026 and ending SEPTEMBER

[8:56:36] 30, 2027, this item would have

[8:56:37] to be approved as amended to

[8:56:39] incorporate the first changes

[8:56:41] memo as well as the three prior

[8:56:43] emotions that I believe did get

[8:56:45] approval which was the motion

[8:56:47] by commissioner regalado

[8:56:49] directing the mayor to provide

[8:56:51] a report regarding the natural

[8:56:53] mover and details on

[8:56:55] maintenance and capital cost as

[8:56:56] well as her motion to amend,

[8:56:58] I'm sorry, to direct the mayor

[8:57:00] to submit one or more invoices

[8:57:02] to the city of miami bayfront

[8:57:04] park family trust or dda for

[8:57:05] the fifa fan festival at

[8:57:07] bayfront park as well as

[8:57:09] commissioner gonzalez motion to

[8:57:11] direct the administration to

[8:57:13] identify legally available

[8:57:14] funds and come up with a plan

[8:57:16] regarding the sheriff's budget,

[8:57:18] we do need to bifurcate the

[8:57:20] portion of the first changes

[8:57:22] memo which relates to the

[8:57:24] non-legacy cbo's included in

[8:57:24] attachment c.

[8:57:26] For purposes of the conflict so

[8:57:31] if senator garcia and

[8:57:32] commissioner mcghee could step

[8:57:34] out you could take a vote on

[8:57:35] that bifurcated piece.

[8:57:40] >>chair: step out, I will

[8:57:42] entertain a motion on the cbo

[8:57:45] portion of item e, moved by

[8:57:46] commissioner cohen higgins,

[8:57:53] clerk please call the roll.

[8:57:55] >>commissioner gonzalez: no.

[8:58:00] >>commissioner hardemon:

[8:58:03] >>commissioner lopez: yes.

[8:58:07] >>commissioner milian orbis:

[8:58:10] >>commissioner regalado: for.

[8:58:12] >>commissioner steinberg:

[8:58:14] >>commissioner bastien:

[8:58:16] >>commissioner bermudez:

[8:58:18] >>commissioner cohen higgins:

[8:58:27] >>commissioner gilbert:

[8:58:28] >>chair: I vote yes.

[8:58:31] >> motion passes 8 and 3.

[8:58:33] >> the statements senator

[8:58:39] garcia and commissioner mcghee,

[8:58:40] correct.

[8:58:44] >>chair: do I have any other

[8:58:47] bifurcations on item e?

[8:58:50] Seeing none motion to move by

[8:58:53] commissioner cohen higgins, a

[8:58:55] second by commissioner lopez.

[8:58:59] Any additional motions, seeing

[8:59:01] none clerk please call the

[8:59:02] roll.

[8:59:09] >>commissioner hardemon:

[8:59:10] >>commissioner lopez:

[8:59:12] >>commissioner milian orbis:

[8:59:14] >>commissioner regalado:

[8:59:18] >>commissioner steinberg:

[8:59:20] >>commissioner bastien:

[8:59:22] >>commissioner bermudez:

[8:59:24] >>commissioner cohen higgins:

[8:59:26] >>senator garcia:

[8:59:28] >>commissioner gilbert:

[8:59:32] >>commissioner gonzalez: no.

[8:59:34] >>vice chair mcghee: yes.

[8:59:39] >>chair: no for now.

[8:59:41] >> motion passes 9 to 4.

[8:59:47] >>chair: read the next item.

[8:59:48] >> item f is an ordinance

[8:59:50] adopting and ratifying millage

[8:59:52] for miami-dade fire and rescue

[8:59:54] service operating purposes for

[8:59:55] the fiscal year ending OCTOBER

[8:59:57] 1, 2026 ending SEPTEMBER 30,

[9:00:05] 2027 and budget director has a

[9:00:06] statement.

[9:00:08] >>chair: please read your

[9:00:08] statement.

[9:00:10] >> the fire rescue service

[9:00:12] district operating millage is

[9:00:14] 2.369 mills which is 5.83%

[9:00:15] above the rollback rate of 2.26

[9:00:17] four mills, the proposed rate

[9:00:19] generates revenue for services

[9:00:21] provided by miami-dade fire

[9:00:23] rescue in the proposed budget.

[9:00:25] >>chair: motion by commissioner

[9:00:26] gonzalez, second by

[9:00:27] commissioner lopez.

[9:00:28] Eeing no

[9:00:29] amendments clerk please call

[9:00:31] the roll.

[9:00:33] >>commissioner lopez: yes.

[9:00:35] >>commissioner regalado:

[9:00:37] >>commissioner steinberg:

[9:00:39] >>commissioner bastien:

[9:00:41] >>commissioner bermudez: yes.

[9:00:43] >>commissioner cohen higgins:

[9:00:44] >>senator garcia:

[9:00:46] >>commissioner gilbert: no, I'm

[9:00:51] joking, yes.

[9:00:53] >>commissioner gonzalez: yes.

[9:00:55] >>vice chair mcghee: yes.

[9:01:07] >>chair: I vote yes.

[9:01:09] >> motion passes unanimously.

[9:01:11] >>chair: read the next item.

[9:01:12] >> item g ratifies the millage

[9:01:14] for the miami-dade library

[9:01:15] system for fiscal year

[9:01:17] commencing OCTOBER 1 SEPTEMBER

[9:01:18] 26, budget director has a

[9:01:19] statement.

[9:01:21] >>chair: please read your

[9:01:21] statement.

[9:01:30] >> the proposed millage is

[9:01:31] 2.812 mills which is 5.71%

[9:01:33] above the state rollback rate

[9:01:34] of.266 mills, the proposed

[9:01:36] rate generates revenue to

[9:01:38] support the services and

[9:01:40] programs provided by miami-dade

[9:01:42] public library system in the

[9:01:43] proposed budget.

[9:01:44] >>chair: motion by the vice

[9:01:47] chair, second by commissioner

[9:01:48] gonzalez, seeing no amendments

[9:01:51] or please call the roll.

[9:01:53] >>commissioner milian orbis:

[9:01:55] >>commissioner regalado:

[9:01:57] >>commissioner steinberg:

[9:01:59] >>commissioner bastien:

[9:02:01] >>commissioner bermudez: yes.

[9:02:03] >>commissioner cohen higgins:

[9:02:04] >>senator garcia:

[9:02:06] >>commissioner gilbert: yes.

[9:02:08] >>commissioner gonzalez: for.

[9:02:10] >>commissioner hardemon:

[9:02:12] >>commissioner lopez: yes.

[9:02:14] >>vice chair mcghee: yes.

[9:02:15] >>chair: I vote yes.

[9:02:17] >> motion passes unanimously.

[9:02:20] >>chair: read the next item.

[9:02:21] >> next item is ordinance

[9:02:23] adopting a ratifying

[9:02:24] proprietary budget special

[9:02:26] assessment budget and other

[9:02:28] budgets of miami-dade county or

[9:02:30] fiscal year commencing OCTOBER

[9:02:32] 1 2026 ending SEPTEMBER 30,

[9:02:41] 2027, this is item h which will

[9:02:43] need to be approved as amended

[9:02:45] to incorporate the mayor's

[9:02:47] memorandum dated SEPTEMBER 2,

[9:02:49] 2026 titled information for

[9:02:50] first budget hearing fiscal

[9:02:52] year 2627 budget and in

[9:02:53] addition it we need to correct

[9:02:56] a scriveners error to add pages

[9:02:58] inadvertently omitted from the

[9:02:59] fiscal year 26-27 plan,

[9:03:01] attached with corrected copies

[9:03:02] filed with the clerk.

[9:03:04] We also have to bifurcate this

[9:03:05] item for the same conflicts

[9:03:07] that were previously read by

[9:03:09] senator garcia using those

[9:03:09] statements.

[9:03:11] On the non-legacy portion of

[9:03:13] attachment c of the changes

[9:03:14] memo.

[9:03:15] >>commissioner regalado: I want

[9:03:17] to bifurcate section 22.

[9:03:19] >>chair: do you want to move

[9:03:25] the cbo portion?

[9:03:26] Second by commissioner lopez,

[9:03:28] clerk please call the roll of

[9:03:29] the cbo portion of item h.

[9:03:31] >>commissioner regalado:

[9:03:33] >>commissioner steinberg:

[9:03:35] >>commissioner bastien:

[9:03:37] >>commissioner bermudez: yes

[9:03:38] for now.

[9:03:41] >>commissioner cohen higgins:

[9:03:43] >>commissioner gilbert:

[9:03:46] >>commissioner gonzalez: no.

[9:03:48] >>commissioner hardemon:

[9:03:50] >>commissioner lopez: yes.

[9:03:53] >>commissioner milian orbis:

[9:03:59] >>chair: I vote yes.

[9:04:01] >> motion passes 9 to 2.

[9:04:03] >>chair: they can come back in

[9:04:04] the chamber.

[9:04:06] >> I also failed to mention

[9:04:08] this item needed to include the

[9:04:10] amendments that have previously

[9:04:12] been approved, the other three,

[9:04:20] thank you.

[9:04:22] >>chair: on section 22 which is

[9:04:24] the water and sewer, there is a

[9:04:26] motion by commissioner

[9:04:27] regalado, second by

[9:04:28] commissioner gilbert.

[9:04:36] Clerk please call the roll.

[9:04:38] You want her to bifurcate it

[9:04:41] just to vote no or to amended?

[9:04:44] Regalado bifurcated it, you

[9:04:48] just want to devote but you

[9:04:52] have an amendment on section

[9:04:53] 22.

[9:04:55] >>commissioner gilbert: I would

[9:04:57] like to adjust the rate.

[9:04:59] Listen, we've heard people come

[9:05:03] and talk about what needs to

[9:05:05] happen and what the rate has to

[9:05:05] cover.

[9:05:07] We know we are not doing that

[9:05:09] so we had this conversation

[9:05:10] about solid waste years back

[9:05:18] when we right sized it.

[9:05:20] I don't know why we wouldn't

[9:05:21] adjust the rate to allow for

[9:05:23] the 6% increase, allow us to do

[9:05:25] the projects that keep us in

[9:05:26] compliance with law.

[9:05:28] This is a proprietary fund.

[9:05:30] We are giving service and folks

[9:05:31] are paying for it.

[9:05:32] We've been told previously

[9:05:34] where we were doing bad, doing

[9:05:34] poorly.

[9:05:42] This is the rate that needs to

[9:05:43] be implemented for us to keep

[9:05:45] pace with what we are doing.

[9:05:47] So if we are not going to do

[9:05:48] that that's fine but we need to

[9:05:50] be very careful because these

[9:05:52] are the decisions we make at

[9:05:54] 2:07 in the morning that later

[9:05:55] the federal government and

[9:06:00] state government come in and

[9:06:04] say hey, you are crazy.

[9:06:06] I believe the rates should be

[9:06:12] increased by 6%.

[9:06:20] >>chair: deputy mayor.

[9:06:22] >> it is proposed at 6%

[9:06:22] increase.

[9:06:24] The way it's proposed is the

[9:06:31] way the commissioner wants it.

[9:06:32] >>commissioner gilbert: so we

[9:06:34] are going 6%.

[9:06:39] >> that is the item we have.

[9:06:40] >>chair: she just bifurcated

[9:06:43] it, she didn't move anything.

[9:06:45] We voted on water and sewer as

[9:06:47] a flat rate, 6%.

[9:06:49] So there's no need for a

[9:06:49] motion.

[9:06:52] Would you move the item?

[9:06:57] Moved by commissioner gilbert.

[9:06:58] Do we need to take a motion on

[9:07:12] the bifurcation of section 22?

[9:07:14] >> according to your new rules

[9:07:15] you need to have a vote to

[9:07:16] bifurcate.

[9:07:17] The motion would be too

[9:07:19] bifurcate section 22 and

[9:07:20] attachment j.

[9:07:22] >>chair: there is a second to

[9:07:24] bifurcate, why do we need to

[9:07:26] bifurcate?

[9:07:33] >> she wants to take a separate

[9:07:35] vote on that portion and your

[9:07:36] rules were changed to require a

[9:07:38] motion to bifurcate and a

[9:07:39] motion on the item.

[9:07:41] >>commissioner gilbert: it's

[9:07:42] taking place before?

[9:07:44] >>chair: all in favor, show

[9:07:49] section 22 bifurcated.

[9:07:50] Now we are on section 22, moved

[9:07:53] by commissioner gilbert, second

[9:07:55] by commissioner cohen higgins,

[9:07:59] call the roll, commissioner

[9:08:00] bermudez.

[9:08:06] >>commissioner bermudez: we

[9:08:08] heard some of the individuals

[9:08:09] today that we've heard in the

[9:08:13] past state that those projects

[9:08:14] need to be done to comply with

[9:08:16] a consent decree, is that

[9:08:16] correct.

[9:08:19] >> and the ocean outfall

[9:08:26] legislation.

[9:08:27] >>commissioner bermudez: in

[9:08:29] your opinion we need those

[9:08:31] dollars to have those projects

[9:08:33] done timely to comply with both

[9:08:34] those requirements.

[9:08:36] >> it's my opinion as well as

[9:08:37] our bond consultant that

[9:08:39] without this rate increase the

[9:08:41] projects can't move forward.

[9:08:42] >>commissioner bermudez: it's

[9:08:44] been said but now you said it,

[9:08:45] thank you.

[9:08:46] >>chair: I've got the vice

[9:08:51] chair then commissioner cohen

[9:08:51] higgins.

[9:08:53] >>vice chair mcghee: what we

[9:08:54] are asking is to set the

[9:08:56] ceiling tonight for this and we

[9:08:58] can come back at the next

[9:09:04] meeting if need be and make a

[9:09:06] motion to bring it back down at

[9:09:07] a number we can agree upon, is

[9:09:09] that what I'm hearing?

[9:09:11] >> they can always do that at

[9:09:15] the second meeting.

[9:09:17] >>chair: commissioner cohen

[9:09:22] higgins.

[9:09:23] >>commissioner cohen higgins:

[9:09:26] I'm trying to understand the

[9:09:27] justification for bifurcating

[9:09:29] the item that's not been

[9:09:29] amended.

[9:09:38] Why are we bifurcating?

[9:09:39] >>chair: to vote no,

[9:09:41] commissioner hardemon.

[9:09:43] >>commissioner hardemon: the

[9:09:45] reason we bifurcated was

[9:09:47] someone wants to bifurcate it,

[9:09:48] that's not put the rule in

[9:09:50] because previously one wants to

[9:09:52] bifurcate and others didn't

[9:09:53] want to necessarily.

[9:09:55] It gave everyone an opportunity

[9:09:57] to pull out what they wanted to

[9:09:59] vote for or against to make

[9:09:59] points.

[9:10:01] Now we have a rule to move to

[9:10:03] bifurcate so people can't do

[9:10:03] that.

[9:10:05] So if for instance if you

[9:10:06] disagree with a bifurcation you

[9:10:08] can say we are not going to

[9:10:10] bifurcate and move forward up

[9:10:11] or down but when you bifurcate

[9:10:14] it gives someone an opportunity

[9:10:17] to vote, you don't have to make

[9:10:18] changes, just say I want

[9:10:20] everyone to know I am against

[9:10:26] these rates, that's it.

[9:10:28] All right, clerk please call

[9:10:30] the roll.

[9:10:32] >>commissioner steinberg:

[9:10:34] >>commissioner bastien:

[9:10:36] >>commissioner bermudez: yes.

[9:10:37] >>commissioner cohen higgins:

[9:10:37] for.

[9:10:40] >>senator garcia:

[9:10:42] >>commissioner gilbert: yes.

[9:10:45] >>commissioner gonzalez: no.

[9:10:48] >>commissioner hardemon:

[9:10:50] >>commissioner lopez: no.

[9:10:55] >>commissioner milian orbis:

[9:10:57] >>commissioner regalado: no.

[9:10:59] >>commissioner bastien:

[9:11:02] >>vice chair mcghee: yes.

[9:11:05] >>chair: I vote no.

[9:11:16] >>motion passes 7 to 6.

[9:11:18] >>chair: do I have a motion on

[9:11:19] the remainder of item h, moved

[9:11:21] by commissioner regalado,

[9:11:23] second by commissioner lopez.

[9:11:26] Any proposed amendments, clerk

[9:11:28] please call the roll on the

[9:11:30] remainder of item h.

[9:11:32] >>commissioner bastien:

[9:11:35] >>commissioner bermudez:

[9:11:38] >>commissioner cohen higgins:

[9:11:40] >>senator garcia:

[9:11:44] >>commissioner gilbert:

[9:11:47] >>commissioner gonzalez: no.

[9:11:52] >>commissioner hardemon:

[9:11:55] >>commissioner lopez: yes.

[9:11:57] >>commissioner milian orbis:

[9:11:58] >>commissioner regalado:

[9:12:05] >>commissioner steinberg:

[9:12:07] >>vice chair mcghee: yes.

[9:12:10] >>chair: I vote no.

[9:12:13] >> motion passes 9 to 4.

[9:12:21] >>chair: senator.

[9:12:23] >>senator garcia: I want to say

[9:12:25] today is leonardo's last day.

[9:12:27] She's going to kill me right

[9:12:28] now.

[9:12:30] >>commissioner regalado: she is

[9:12:37] going back to the school board

[9:12:39] thank you, all these years of

[9:12:40] helping and we wish you nothing

[9:12:42] but good at the school board,

[9:12:44] she's going to kill me right

[9:12:44] now.

[9:12:46] >>chair: on that note while

[9:12:47] it's no longer the date, guys,

[9:12:49] can you exit quietly.

[9:12:51] Can you exit quietly, while

[9:12:58] it's no longer the date let's

[9:13:00] wish our former colleague a

[9:13:02] belated happy birthday,

[9:13:04] ambassador cabrera's birthday

[9:13:05] was yesterday so happy birthday

[9:13:06] as well.

FIRST BUDGET HEARING

Agenda

Transcript