May 24, 2021

Happy Monday, Palmetto Bay! Apologies in advance for the long email, but there is lots to get you caught up on! I have included lots of links for you to look at at your leisure.

First, I realize that you are all being bombarded with many developer funded PAC emails and other disinformation that is promoted by the deep pockets of developers. I know you understand that they are designed to confuse and create chaos. That aside, I love the opportunity it has provided me to speak to you! I appreciate the number of folks that have reached out to me to discuss the source of the information and those that are promoting it. If you have questions, I encourage you to reach out to me, your Village Council or our Village Manager, Nick Marano.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month. Mental Health Month raises awareness of trauma and the impact it can have on the physical, emotional, and mental well-being of children, families, and communities. The pandemic has shined a light on the need for more resources in our schools and community. On May 20th we hosted the 6^th Annual Kids Town Hall with a focus on discussing handling of stress and anxiety for high school students. A special thank you to Lara Gastelumendi and Caro Merchan Mendes, two amazing students that planned and moderated the virtual event. You can view the program by clicking here.

The Council discussed the County's RTZ (Rapid Transit Zone) initiative at our most recent Committee of the Whole Meeting. You can watch the presentation/meeting here. This initiative would preempt Zoning, including in municipalities, along all areas of the SMART Plan. I hosted a meeting of the South Dade Coalition of Mayors. All five Mayors, Managers and Attorneys from Pinecrest to Homestead were in attendance and are all expressed their opposition to preempting municipal home rule over zoning. The South Dade Coalition is moving forward with a meeting to discuss our concerns with the Commissioners. The Village has worked hard on our zoning along the commercial corridor and we are already aligned with transit-oriented development. I will keep you in the loop on when that meeting will occur as soon as it is scheduled.

With the latest CDC guidelines and Executive Orders issued by Florida Governor DeSantis, Palmetto Bay is updating its COVID-19 procedures in accordance with the most current recommendations and mandates. The Manager and I explain some of the changes that Palmetto Bay is implementing effective immediately in this short video. Click here.

This week the Village Manager and Council will be hosting the first of three workshops focused on the 2021-2022 Fiscal Year Budget. All budget workshops shall begin at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesdays, May 25^th, June 29^th , and July 27^th. I encourage you all to tune in, join us or complete the upcoming community survey to share your ideas and vision for our Village. The June 29th workshop will be an Open House. You will be able to meet the Manager and Directors and ask questions about the department budgets. This is a unique approach to help the community better understand how the Village is spending your money. Click here for more information.

Hurricane Season begins on June 1st and we want to make sure that you are prepared and informed. We will once again have a Hurricane Preparedness Presentation on June 1 at 730 pm. In February, I passed a resolution to begin a long overdue update of our Emergency Preparedness Plan, create a CERT (Community Emergency Response Team), Neighborhood information centers (NICE) and to roll out an emergency information app that you will be able to sign up to get day to day and hurricane emergency information. I thank the Manager for his support. You don't get a second chance to be prepared for an emergency right! Stay tuned for our June 1st virtual workshop. Click here for our Hurricane Preparedness webpage.

As always, I am here to answer questions or lend a helping hand. I can also be reached at [email protected] or at 305-799-0695.  Together we are making Palmetto Bay a better place to live, work, learn, and play. 

Village of Palmetto Bay,