Volume 2 | Issue 2 - February 1, 2021
Official newsletter from the
City of South Miami
Exclusive news on South Miami from South Miami
TOP STORY
SoMi launches brand new Facebook page
New one-stop shop for all city news


LIKE US! FOLLOW US!
The City of South Miami has launched a new Facebook page where you will now be able to check one place for all city news.

The newly branded page is @SoMiamiGov. With the exception of the police department, all previous individual SoMi Facebook pages have been shut down. Now, everything you need to know will be in once place. The name also brings new consistency to the city's overall Facebook presence by ensuring the city's social media accounts have similar branding, including @SoMiamiPolice.

City leaders are committed to transparency and providing SoMi residents with more frequent information on programs, improvements, and issues affecting their lives. This newsletter, the SoMi INSIDER is also a part of that promise.

If you want to be the first to read breaking SoMi news and updates:
Follow: @SoMiamiGov
SoMi boat ordinance debate continues
During the City’s January 19th Commission Meeting, there was debate as to updated rules for storing boats. During the first reading of the new ordinance, the Mayor and Commission voted in favor of adopting new rules governing boats on residential properties.
During the meeting, officials voted to change language that limited the number of boats allowed on a property. Instead of limiting a homeowner to a total of one trailered boat, they voted to restrict the number of boats in front of a home to one, allowing additional boats to be stored elsewhere on the property. The ordinance will need to be approved once again during a second reading at the following Commission Meeting.

HOW MANY ICONIC PLACEMAKING SIGNS CAN YOU THINK OF? HERE ARE SOME THAT WE THOUGHT OF:
So...why are we asking about signs, you're wondering? Read on!
Because...the City of South Miami is putting up its own iconic downtown sign. Similar to the Venice sign above, the city is hoping to beautify the downtown business district. It will also be a signal that downtown is "open for business," a message considered imperative at this time due to COVID-related financial hardships. The sign will be on Sunset Drive east of U.S. 1.
SILVER SNEAKERS
FLEX CLASSES
Tuesday & Thursday at 11:15 AM
This program is FREE for Silver Sneakers members.
Visit www.silversneakers.com to check your eligibility & get your Silver Sneakers ID number.

GIBSON-BETHEL COMMUNITY CENTER
5800 SW 66TH STREET
SOUTH MIAMI, FL 33143
305-668-3876
www.SouthMiami.gov
parks@southmiami.gov
Policing with Compassion
Unique SMPD program helping our most vulnerable
Once a week, in a quiet corner of the library, a small group of people are changing lives. Led by South Miami Police Officer Rodney Napier, they are helping those who may need it most.
 
In the program, called Operation Lazarus, Officer Napier, together with case workers from Camillus House meets with members of South Miami's homeless population on a weekly basis. The program aims to give homeless people a path to recovery and productivity.
 
For approximately 10 weeks, the team guides attendees through the challenges of getting back on their feet. From helping get basic documents like social security cards and birth certificates, to finding employment and housing. Lazarus helps people rise again and reclaim their lives.
 
Officer Napier says the goal is not to simply move the homeless across some city line to make them someone else's issue, it is to provide them with the helping hand needed to overcome obstacles.
 
The program has been in place for just over a year. In that time, more than a dozen people have been helped go from homeless to hopeful.
Visit us online...
www.southmiamifl.gov