[0:02] [music]
[0:04] Hello friends, Vanessa Joseph here, your
elected city clerk in the 100-year-old
[0:08] city of North Miami. As we celebrate
Black History Month, we not only take
[0:12] time to honor the legacy, the enduring
achievements and contributions of black
[0:17] leaders, families, and trailblazers who
continue to shape our community and our
[0:21] nation. But we also take time to engage
in the ongoing fight for justice for all
[0:28] and and for a future where we all can
thrive. And with that, here are a few of
[0:32] the highlights from our February 24,
2026 regular city council meeting in
[0:37] this edition of Long Meeting Short.
During the special presentations portion
[0:42] of the meeting, mayor and city council
proudly honored black excellence in
[0:46] celebration of Black History Month. A
posumous proclamation was presented to
[0:51] the family of Michael Herbert Anderson
recognizing his lasting impact and
[0:56] contributions to the community. Mr.
Anderson was the senior director of
[1:00] production services at WLRN and he was
an awardwinning filmmaker and longtime
[1:05] documentary producer, always making it
his mission to tell the inspiring
[1:10] stories of the black community. A
proclamation was also presented to
[1:13] Alfonso D. Brooks, CEO of the African
Foundation for his leadership and
[1:19] uplifting arts, culture, and the global
African diaspora. Through exhibitions,
[1:24] programs, and international cultural
initiatives, his work has positioned
[1:29] North Miami as a hub for artistic
excellence. And in addition to that,
[1:33] certificates of recognition were
presented to the dedicated members of
[1:36] the city's Black History Month committee
for their commitment to organizing
[1:41] amazing events that celebrate heritage,
unity, and progress right here in this
[1:47] city. Mayor and Council appointed Evo
Noel to the Commission for Women. And
[1:52] it's always so important to make your
voice heard. And one of the best ways to
[1:56] do that is by serving on a city board or
committee. By joining, you can help
[2:01] shape North Miami's future and be part
of the impact that is made in the
[2:07] community. Join many of our North Miami
neighbors who are already making a
[2:11] difference through public service. To
learn more, including a list of
[2:16] available boards and how to apply, visit
www.northmiami.gov/city
[2:22] clerk. An item regarding equity and
inclusion was added to the agenda. Mayor
[2:28] and council adopted a resolution
expressing strong opposition to Senate
[2:31] Bill 1134 and House Bill 1001, which
would prohibit cities and counties from
[2:37] funding or taking official action
related to diversity, equity, and
[2:41] inclusion initiatives. The city opposed
the bills because they would limit local
[2:46] government's ability to support
inclusive policies and programs that
[2:49] reflect the needs of our diverse
community. Mayor and city council
[2:53] approved the designation of Northeast
18th Avenue from Northeast 131st Street
[2:57] to Northeast 133rd Street as Joseph Joe
Flanigan Avenue. Joe Big Daddy Flanigan
[3:03] was a longtime South Florida restaurant
and community figure who built a family
[3:09] of neighborhood restaurants known for
generous portions, fair prices, and
[3:14] welcoming service. For more than 45
years, he created spaces where guests
[3:19] and employees felt like family, leaving
a truly lasting impact on the community.
[3:24] Extensions were approved for agreements
between the city of North Miami and
[3:29] Florida Atlantic University and the city
and Florida Division of Emergency
[3:34] Management for the development of the
city's watershed master plan. The new
[3:39] deadline for both of these agreements of
June 30th, 2026 provides additional time
[3:43] to complete the research and ensure that
the plan properly addresses flooding and
[3:48] drainage needs citywide. Morbility
Corporation has been authorized to
[3:53] partner with the city of North Miami to
provide bimonthly educational and
[3:57] support-based workshops at the North
Miami Public Library. The workshops will
[4:02] serve families and caregivers of
children and youth with physical,
[4:06] developmental, and intellectual
disabilities, expanding access to
[4:10] important resources, education, and
community support services. A memorandum
[4:15] of understanding or anou was approved to
allow the North Miami Police Department
[4:20] to share force metrics data with the
Miami Police Department. The agreement
[4:26] establishes secure data sharing
guidelines to support coordinated crime
[4:29] prevention and investigations while
ensuring that each agency maintains
[4:34] control of its own data and complies
with all state and federal security
[4:38] requirements.
An addendum also allows other law
[4:42] enforcement agencies to join the
partnership under the same standards.
[4:45] Approval was granted to establish a
pre-qualified pool of general
[4:50] contractors for the North Miami
residential rehabilitation construction
[4:53] program. The selected contractors will
complete home rehabilitation projects
[4:58] valued at up to $60,000 per project,
helping to improve housing conditions
[5:04] citywide. The agreement will run for an
initial three-year term with two
[5:09] additional one-year renewal options. For
more information on this program or to
[5:13] see if you qualify or information about
any other program, please contact the
[5:18] city's housing and social services
department. City Council accepted the
[5:22] evaluation committee's recommendation to
create a pre-qualified list of specialty
[5:26] trade contractors for the Housing and
Social Services Department. These
[5:31] contractors will provide HVAC,
electrical, plumbing, painting, and
[5:34] other repair services for projects up to
$10,000 each. The agreements will run
[5:39] for an initial three-year term and two
one-year renewal options, ensuring
[5:43] timely and efficient housing repairs
citywide. Ordinances were approved to
[5:48] abolish both the downtown action plan
advisory committee or DPAC and the
[5:54] community relations board by removing
the applicable sections within our city
[5:59] code. The [snorts] decision was made to
improve efficiency and simplify
[6:03] operations as these boards frequently
struggled to meet quorum requirements
[6:09] and were unable to consistently conduct
business. Our city's land development
[6:14] regulations were amended to update
provisions related to final plats to
[6:19] make it easier to implement development
projects that were awarded through a
[6:23] cityissued request for proposals or an
RFP.
[6:28] The change makes it possible for the
project to secure multiple building
[6:33] permits and temporary certificates of
occupancy before the final flat
[6:37] approval, helping projects move forward
more efficiently while still meeting
[6:42] city requirements. A new section was
added to the city code to establish
[6:47] official policies and procedures for
issuing keys to the city, proclamations,
[6:51] and certificates. The ordinance creates
clear guidelines for how city awards and
[6:56] recognitions are requested, reviewed,
and presented, ensuring consistency and
[7:01] transparency moving forward. A campus
development agreement between the city
[7:04] of North Miami and Florida International
University or FIU for its Biscane Bay
[7:10] campus was approved. As you probably
know, the Biscane Bay campus is located
[7:15] within the city of North Miami. The
agreement ensures that FIU's updated
[7:20] campus master plan aligns with the
city's comprehensive plan and it
[7:25] addresses impacts on roads, water,
sewer, drainage, parks, and transit. It
[7:31] provides a framework to manage campus
growth while meeting state and local
[7:35] requirements. And finally, a conditional
use permit was approved to convert 15
[7:41] dorm units into residential apartment
units at 1640 Northeast 127th Street and
[7:47] 1605,625
and 1645 Northeast 126th Street. The
[7:52] project includes three existing
buildings, one 7UNstory
[7:56] building and two 4unit two-story
buildings with 57 parking spaces. The
[8:02] conversion allows the property to
operate as rental apartments in
[8:06] compliance with our land development
regulations. If you ever need to know
[8:10] more about what took place during any
city meeting or what discussions took
[8:14] place, feel free to stop by a council
meeting or visit our website to watch
[8:20] the entire meeting for yourself. If
there's anything that me or the office
[8:23] of the city clerk can do to better serve
you, just let me know. We can be reached
[8:28] at 3058959817
or by email at cityclerk@northmiami.gov.
[8:35] And if you're on social media, go ahead,
stop by our pages on Instagram and
[8:40] Facebook at northmiami clerk. See you at
the next meeting. North Miami Council
[8:44] meetings take [music] place at 700 p.m.
on the 2nd and fourth Tuesday of every
[8:49] month in the North [music] Miami City
Council Chambers located on the second
[8:53] floor of City Hall. If you're [music]
unable to attend a meeting in person,
[8:57] you can watch it live on channel 77, the
city of North Miami's YouTube channel,
[9:02] Facebook page, and Vimeo liveream. If
you're interested in obtaining a copy of
[9:07] the agenda, [music]
please contact the office of the city
[9:10] clerk at 3058959817
[9:15] or city clerk@northmiami.gov. [music]
[9:19] The agenda can also be found on the
city's [music] website at www.
[9:24] northmiami.gov