Watchdog Report Vol. 19 No. 22 July 14, 2019 -EST: 05.05.00 – I go when you cannot – Celebrating almost 20 Years of weekly publishing

Hudak

 

For more on Hudak go to:

https://www8.miamidade.gov/global/government/mayor/hudak.page

 

 

>>> Will new HUD program RAD help with affordable housing crisis, could create some 10,000 units in five to seven years in S. Florida?

 

A new U.S. HUD program called RAD was presented at a county commission committee meeting and it could over 4 to 5 years increase rental housing stock to up to 10,000 units said Michael Liu the county’s housing director and could be a boon in South Florida where housing and affordable housing is a crisis.

 

https://www.hud.gov/RAD/program-details

 

>>> With Miami-Dade #1 in HIV infections UM Idea program showing results needs second mobility van for dispensing HIV preventative drugs Prep doses “middle school students,” at “risk,” to says county commissioner Rebeca Sosa an educator.

 

At the disparity committee Monday, a sobering presentation was done on the rising HIV infections IDEA UM needle exchange pilot program needs dedicated mobile van may get surplus county van suggests, commissioner Jordan,

 

Miami-Dade is #1 in new HIV infections Idea syringe exchange pilot program going statewide, mobile van needed to deliver HIV medicine

 

The UM Miller Medical needle syringe exchange program was a major discussion at the community disparities committee chaired by county commissioner Eileen Higgins who has part of Miami Beach and is a “hot zone,” for new infections that cuts across all ethnic lines black or Hispanic and has one person getting AIDs daily and last week and the controversial exchange program has shown positive public health outcomes said Dr. Hansel Tookes, III, M.D., M.P.A. http://medicine.med.miami.edu/ideaexchange

Tookes who took the needle exchange program to the state legislature and high rates of HIV infections are found in Broward and Palm Beach Counties and a traveling Prep mobile unit donated by Sylvester Cancer is going into the community and giving testing and antiviral drugs. However, reaching some of the infected runs into stigmas that includes blacks and Hispanics who are sometimes reluctant to be tested and one hot spot is on 14^th street in Miami and Higgins is trying to get a dedicated van to increase the coverage and help for infected patients.

 

>> M-D County Youth Commission finds “rampant,” bullying and “code reds,” climate change, vaping new issues, body creating the leaders of the future, and note Miami is one of the first “cities to run out of water say,” studies show

 

A joint meeting with county commissioners and the Miami-Dade County Youth Commission created by the body in 2011 is always an eyeopener. These young members say what they mean with the bark on and in the past years school violence and bullying was a number one concern and after the tragedy at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas students expressed concerns when it comes to “code red,” drills that they need the teachers to explain more what the “procedures,” should be and that these drills “should end after some six minutes the students,” on the council said.

 

Further the issue of vaping and e cigarettes is a big concern since some 2.3 million students in the county are vaping and has a variety of Side effects that still need to be studied more but it has become increasing number the student representatives said.

http://www.miamidade.gov/youthcommission/prindex.asp?year=2017&web=youthcommission

 

These members also did community service like Books for Tots where they give out children’s books like Vegetable Soup and others to get preschoolers reading early.

 

They also traveled to Washington, D.C. PAMM and a school board meeting where they believe “zoning changes should be modified where vaping stores in strip malls should be outlawed in the county code close to schools. Further, each member talked about the programs impact on them from a roundtable meeting with Miami-Dade County Police Department and changed people’s perspective about officers that was different from what you see on social media.

 

>>> Summer Youth intern program funding running into trouble with school district “that has problems accepting the funding,” says Gimenez

 

Summer Youth Internship program is facing obstacles with the county school board said Gimenez and involves the Children’s Trust funding and the school district. It may be something “bureaucratic,” and will continue to fund it and maybe next year figure a way to resolve it said Gimenez. In the past years 5,000 to 7,000 kids have participated in this program for at risk youth during the summer break. Part of the problem is a new requirement for “audits,” said sponsor Barbara Jordan. The mayor said, “they [the school district] has problems accepting the funding in this cycle. He is continuing to negotiate with the district since this an important youth program.

 

>>>>What about the Homeless Trust and this year’s number of who had died on the street, a new high many opioid related, last year 138 passed this year 201 passed state’s medical examiner confirms.

The watchdog Report contacted Book about the solemn but stirring meetings after the students spoke and he wrote back, “It was even more because we had the vigil for an hour and a half before in the lobby and it was extremely emotional and painful. Last year, 138 individuals died on our streets. The number jumped up this year to 201, which is the highest year yet and 77% are confirmed by the medical examiner to have died from opioid overdoses. That is simply unconscionable and unacceptable and disheartening.

 

Secondly, if that’s not bad enough, the national average from a life expectancy perspective on someone who lives on the streets is 79 years of age nationally. Our average this year amongst the 201 was 55 years old. Think about it, our average is 24 years younger than the national average and we don’t have minus 44-degree weather. It was very emotional and very hard and draining. Then we go to the Trust Meeting and it just becomes a high, but it was a high after one of the worst downers in the 25 years I’ve served this Board. Then right after the Board meeting, I had to judge with four of my team members, our annual essay and poster contest amongst elementary, middle school and high school kids. Just a hard day around on homelessness, wrote the long-time chair. For more on the Sadowski trust go to;https://www.bradenton.com/opinion/editorials/article48810155.html

 

What about shot spotter more cameras and extra police for school safety.?

 

Mayor Gimenez told commissioners recently shot spotter and their use by police that someday drones may be found “on police cars in the future,” after commissioner Javier Souto went into a discussion about the need for police “to have eyes in the sky,” he thought and would decrease gun violence.

 

Further the county has “three dome areas,” which is what the shot spotter areas are called and the Ring security camera on people’s homes i reducing crime and Gimenez at his home has one and he can keep track of his home.

 

Gimenez said the one-time funding to have county police guard schools cannot be sustained and will approach school district Superintendent Alberto Carvalho in January since the district had a bond passed to enhance teacher pay and more school security that the county cannot cover any longer. MDPD director Juan Perez that shell casings collected by ATF is an invaluable tool along with license plate reader technology. He noted two officers killed in south Dade end the shell casings showed the gun was “used five times before,” in a crime said Perez

GMCVB press release: During the first five months of 2019, the number of Miami-Dade County hotel rooms sold increased by +2.2% as compared to the same period a year ago.

Greater Miami Record Room Sold January-May 2019 January-May 2018 % Change 7,072,439 6,918,563 +2.2%

 

Will elections and sheriff be political patronage havens, or repositories for termed out elected officials to land?

 

Lack of competency in candidates in new elected offices, highlighted during the last election cycle has many concerned what the future of key elected officials will be. For example, Miami-Dade state attorney in office since 1992 has said she was not running again back in 2015 her last election and there is no current successor of an organization that handles some 250,0000 cases. This highlights the problem when offices are political like a supervisor of elections, sheriff and a host of others recently created by statewide voters and create political patronage rather than competency is one of the reasons Broward elections supervisor Brenda Snipes had problems in November’s elections.

 

What is the new elderly crisis coming seniors & children housing money their lack of permanent long-term homes?

 

Homeless seniors are becoming the biggest threat facing the county in the future and it is a “Crisis, said Ron Book,” the Miami-Dade County Homeless trust chair. At past trust meeting and the need for permanent housing for this emerging group is critical and he is on a crusade to find permanent housing the trust can buy but in Miami the inventory is small an expensive he has said in the past. And to review the task force recommendations and has some elderly having to live in shelters for up to “1,000,” s and that number qualifying will only increase in the future.

 

Ron Book has been making the political rounds speaking at a Miami commission meeting about a new encampment in the inner city that has been blocked off by the health department after open sexual acts and drug dealing has resulted in a spike of AIDs cases and the finding of drug paraphernalia around the local schools and the trust has gone into emergency mode to get these people into rehabilitation and other programs and those coming back are being addressed where one Women had “black lips,” gangrene and was “spotted having a rat eating the food in her mouth,” in her stupor condition said Book to city commissioners and she was taken into rehabilitation but this is the challenge the county’s homeless trust faces. For more go to https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/downtown-miami/article219921130.html

 

The trust has a new program where people with rental housing can register their rental units with the county and for more on the program go to: http://www.homelesstrust.rg/rentconnect.asp

 

PUBLIC HEALTH TRUST

 

>>> Joint PHT BCC meting goes smoothly love fest versus the past CEO Migoya says, “Doral west on budget and on time by Nov. 2020,” can be seen from landing MIA planes

The PHT board had its joint meeting Tuesday with the county commission and it was a love fest versus years in the past where people were talking about selling the public hospital after years of mounting debt serving the uninsured and residence confidence was plummeting after all the bad fiscal news and leadership changes that included the county commission periodically weighing in and had a past CEO Marvin O’Quinn telling me after he arrived. This “place is so political,” and I responded back no kidding. Or more see the better building bond webpage. Doral east “is own time and budget,” CEO Carlos Migoya tells commissioners. Or more go to https://jacksonhealth.org/jackson-bond-program/

 

>>>> The AOA agreement calls for health trust to pay $130 million to UM for a host of medical services and below is a complete breakdown of the services and payments.

http://www.seiu1991.org/files/2011/07/AOA-Payments-Rationale-and-Distribution-3.pdf

 

This is a breakdown of the payments and a graph is on the pdf above

 

Distribution of AOA Payments Direct Patient Care, $20,057,576 Residency and Fellowship Program Administration, $5,704,521 Residents and Fellows Clinical Instruction Support, $22,941,836 Residents and Fellows Direct Expense Stipend, $587,640 Residency and Fellowship Program Coord and Admin, $1,391,611 Hospital Administration Support, $10,143,812 Recruiting Support, $11,752.

 

The 50-year affiliation with the UM Miller school of medicine is a tremendous boon for the community and ends the tag line. “You go to Jackson to die,” was a frequent refrain, but that medical synergy has made the health trust one of the top medical health systems in Miami-Dade and is rebooting after a GOB bond was passed allowing for new updated facilities.

 

>>> New continuum of care center coming for homeless with mental issues, JHS involved one stop center, upcoming special PHT board meeting to ratify new committee chairs

 

The Miami-Dade County Homeless Trust along with Jackson Health System is opening a one stop public facility for homeless who qualify for a new diversion program with a mental illness and includes many veterans on the streets and is an old facility previously used by the state, but it will offer a continuum of care and was briefly discussed at the trust board meeting Friday. The whole community has been seeking ways to resolve the mental health issues of the homeless now drawing in people with opioid addiction and a drop of fentanyl can kill and many times is cut with cheap yellow Mexican heroin that appeared years past and is causing thousands of overdoses and the city of Miami spent $150,000 in procuring the miracle drug Narcan that can revive a overdosed person almost immediately and these people cut across all ethnic lines and the issue was discussed Sunday on “This Week in South Florida,” and to see the show go to https://www.local10.com/this-week-in-south-florida/this-week-in-south-florida-oct-29 Chapman, Jr. partnership go to: https://www.chapmanpartnership.org/about-us/leadership/ https://www.chapmanpartnership.org/wpq_events/nextgen-gala-party/

 

>>> Last girder to state-of-the-art Christine E. Lynn rehabilitation facility fitted Friday $175 million rehab, home to UM Project to Cure Paralysis

 

On Friday the last girder was added to the new state of the art rehabilitation facility and it is dearly needed after the previous one was inadequate and antiquated and was always a hot topic with county commissioners especially commissioner Sally Heyman who had a back issue and had to get rehab there. The $175 center will also be home for UM’s the Miami Project to cure Paralysis and the fundraising got a jolt when Christine E. Lynn donated the first $25 million and was augmented with proceeds from the $830 million GOB approved by county voters.

 

MIAMI-DADE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS

 

>>> School Board Budget Review Advisory committee meets Tuesday, is the taxpayers firewall, made up of CPAs & tax attorneys, not always the case until 2004, when chair Hank Mack finally steps down reluctantly, two schools named after the man on in Dade another in Broward

 

The school district’s Audit and Budget review committee is meeting Tuesday and this citizen based board is made up of CPAs and tax attorneys something that was not the case back in the late 1990s and 2000 and only changed around 2003 when the long time chair stepped down after the WDR broke the man Hank Mack had violated the Sunshine law and Mack has two schools named after him of which one is in Broward County as well as Dade. Here is the committee’s agenda great read:

http://mca.dadeschools.net/AuditCommittee/AC_July_16_2019/Agenda.pdf

 

>>> District saves $68 million in COP bond refinancing, IG busts electrical contractor and minority “front”

 

The school board is refinancing some Certificates of Participation (COP) bonds and the maneuver suggested by a treasury advisory board is saving the public district 468 million and the nation’s second largest district has an extensive bond portfolio and has been refinancing since interest have been so low especially a few years ago.

An electrical contractor was busted by the county’s IG for being a front when applying and complying with the district’s minority contract policies to read the report click on

http://www.miamidadeig.org/2019MDCPS/OIGFinalReportofInspectionGOBIG0015.pdf

 

here is the link to the audit agenda: http://www.dadeschools.net/schoolboard/agenda/e35.pdf

 

>>> Community leaders in shock after M-DC public Schools former chair Dr. Solomon Stinson charged with felony after shooting at police in Broward

 

Community leaders are in shock after long time schoolboard chairman Dr. Solomon Stinson was charged with a felony and no bail after he shot at police and ended up crashing and his Cadillac on fire. The man an icon in the Afro American community and a mentor to hundreds over the decades was on the board. For ten years before retiring in 2010. He was given a mental evaluation and prominent attorney H.T. Smith is representing him in the case. Stinson was first introduced to me back in 2019 when I started to attend the unrecorded school board committee meetings and I started to tape them while some had consternation and Dr.Michael Krop said to me once “if we tape the meetings people and staff will not be able to speak freely,” he said back then and I still have all these committee meeting tapes and Stinson was a behind the scenes powerbroker. I responded back then “that was the problem,” I believed

 

Stinson on the two minutes to speak limitation kept public comments short and to the point and one-time county commissioner Katy Sorenson came to the podium gave her name and said she represented some 165,000 people in her district. The chair shot back “you have a minute and a half,” sternly and the former principle ran more than a tight ship

 

>>> School district will get property appraiser funding on time after value adjustment board met Monday and whittled down the time for appeals with more hearing masters, loss years ago was $171 million

 

Last Monday he county property appraiser’s office ’s office cleared faster the appeals process that historically delayed the school district getting the property tax funding and put a squeeze on the nation’s fourth largest public schools district.

 

Monday The Value adjustment board met, and commissioners Jose Pepe Diaz attended along with commission chair Audrey Edmonson a and school board member Lubby Navarro and this year there is no delay in money owed to the district that in the past was roughly $171 million. For more on that funding conflict with the county go to:

https://miami.cbslocal.com/2014/12/05/dade-teachers-union-files-lawsuit-against-mayor/

 

School District Impact Fees audit Check out the audit and what the county owes to the public district http://mca.dadeschools.net/AuditCommittee/AC_May_14_2019/Agenda.pdf

 

>>> Charter schools 134 of them are asking to receive some of the $1.2 billion GOB proceeds passed by county voters, teacher raises and facilities upgrades, is running into protests.

 

Charter schools are asking for a portion of a 1.2 billion property tax that was expected to raise teacher pay and upgrade some schools and the district has 134 charter schools that are managed by private firms and upgrade private property with public funds and these entities do not have to follow the same rules and do not have to accept all students versus the public district and the legal battle is occurring in Tallahassee during the session, and these local tax dollars should go to the public district the fourth largest in the nation with 350,000 students. for more go to: https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/education/article229066424.html

 

CITY OF MIAMI

 

>>>> Miami mayor Francis Suarez who was “jet lagged,” after his trip to Honolulu, police policy to have a sergeant -of arms travel with mayor, WDR has made some 80 trips to Honolulu in my corporate capacity on my way to Japan, Suarez named a trustee out of 500 city mayors

 

Suarez said he flew,” Coach.  Yes.  Essentially everywhere I go there is at least one.  That is established policy by the City of Miami Police department and is at or below comparable cities of our size across the country.,” emailed Suarez.

 

“This is my second answer to your request. As I stated last time, we flew economy and yes, a sgt at arms went. It was 3 hours from Miami to Dallas and then a little more than 7 from Dallas to Honolulu. Also keep in mind that the security around this event was tight since close to 300 mayors were present at this event. Also, as I stated in the last email, I sent you about this, we hit the ground running. The Mayor arrived in Honolulu at 3am and was up at 7am giving opening remarks for this conference. The Mayor was chosen to sit on the board of trustees. It’s an honor because the board only seats 13 mayors. This puts Miami at another level and the fact that they chose Mayor Suarez should be celebrated by the residents of Miami,” wrote the mayor’s press flack. Editor’s note: In my previous corporate life I commuted too Japan every two weeks- for almost 8 years and would leave Miami at 8:00 a.m. and after layover in Dallas would be in Honolulu at about 2;30 p.m. with the time change. And I was surprised it took him longer to arrive.

 

Suarez gets selected as a trustee at national mayor’s conference

 

“It was an extremely productive trip where I got an aggressive pro-environment national policy passed for the environment committee I chaired and was selected as a trustee.  They chose 4 trustees out of 26 advisory board members which are chosen from the entire group of 500 mayors.  Only trustees can be chosen to be the President of the organization so in essence in less than 2 years I have been elevated by my national colleagues as one of the top 13 mayors in the US.,” wrote Suarez

 

Miami’s City’s budget next year http://archive.miamigov.com/budget/docs/FY20/BudgetinBrief.pdf

 

The Virginia Key Marina vote was indefinitely deferred after hours long discussion between opposing attorneys Al Dotson Jr., and Miguel de Grandy a former republican state representative who lost a race by one vote years ago

 

>>>> Suarez administration runs into headwinds on MRC development project, Carollo calls it “sweetheart deal,” worse “than Marlin’s stadium deal,” the former mayor claims, only small # of city’s 4,400 employees work in building, will deal after back from Honolulu attending the mayor’s conference that had some 300 other mayors attending and he said he flew,” coach after I inquired and he did take a sergeant-of-arms since hat is police protocol he wrote in an email.

 

The lease for a new city of Miami administrative center and a deal with Adler development ran into an iceberg in the form on controversial commissioner Joe Carollo.

Carollo called the deal the “worse since the Miami Marlins stadium,” he proclaimed and did not buy the current administrative building built by FPL as needing to be replaced and would save the city having to issue a $150 million bond that Adler wants to use to fund the project. The issues went in front of the voters and passed but the question did not highlight that the city would need an over 30-year $150 million bond be sold and would ultimately cost city residents some $238 million over that time.

 

The Suarez administration negotiated the deal and Carollo has used this to egg on the new administration and noted the new special counsel to the mayor Eddy Leal, III whose salary is $110,000 would have to be approved by the commission and Suarez when he gets back from Honolulu will have to deal with these pressing issues. Further, the city has 4,400 employees and only 1,33 employees work at the headquarters and it remains to be seen if this development deal moves forward and includes two condominium towers and the former Miami mayor believes it is a “sweetheart deal,” and his wing man commissioner Manola Reyes agrees with much of Carollo’s concerns and the two men are both republicans and have an ongoing beef with commission chair Ken Russell a dye hard democrat and the political schism is very plain to see during commission meetings.

 

What about Glen Terry?

 

Terry a coconut grove community fixture has sold his home and is moving to Gainesville from his south grove home. He is the founder of the king mango strut along with friend Bill Dobson But he later got into a battle after he used money from the strut a new not-for- profit to trademark the parade’s name and used a public schools fax to send in the application and the not for profits money to pay for the trademark application. The conflict was reported in the Herald and one of his neighbor’s section columns was so one sided it got the Neighbor’s section editor fired for not spiking the piece.

 

What about Ultra?

 

On Thursday at the commission meeting an extended public hearing on Ultra returning to Bayfront Park Trust was held and from a tourism standpoint GMCVB CEO William Talbert, III, said for the “first time all the downtown hotels wanted the event back,” and hotels previously booked during the event had vacancies this past year.

Further another attraction coming to the park is a Ferris wheel to be constructed for the Super Bowl and will take some “4 to 5 months,” to assemble said an attorney representing the Ferris wheel that will be no higher than 70 feet.

Here is a list of candidates and the amount of money they have raised

https://www.voterfocus.com/CampaignFinance/candidate_pr.php?op=cv&e=2&c=muncitymiami&ca=24&rellevel=3&committee=N

 

What about the new bomb squad handheld x-ray device that was deferred but needed recently after a suspected baggage was found on Biscayne Blvd.?

>>> Commission Dist. 1 candidate trying to bounce back has $167,000 in war chest leads pack of candidates since Gort termed out, ex commissioner Hernandez plying the halls of city hall was disbarred attorney for mortgage fraud

 

Former state Sen. Alex Diaz de la Portilla leading in the fundraiser bracket at over $167,000 in his war chest and he is a controversial candidate and has lost a number of recent races and is drawing more attention by his having a relationship with convicted Miami Commissioner Humberto Hernandez since disbarred and Hernandez’s claim to fame was mortgage fraud. However, Alex had a controversial divorce is a chain smoker and got into it at a Boston hotel where he was smoking and interfaced with a police officer

 

What about Carollo verbally pounding Suarez like a punching bag?

 

At the last commission meeting Carollo verbally decimated the mayor and the mayor’s nonresponse has made the young man and scion of his father former Miami mayor Xavier Suarez an arch enemy of Carollo after a disputed mayoral election.

 

County Mayor Carlos Jimenez’s son C.J. Jimenez, an attorney and registered lobbyist continues to ply the halls of Miami and has his sister Tanya Jimenez ( not a registered lobbyist with the city was spotted on Thursday and the sister and daughter team are trying to maximize the time their father is in office who refers to his kids lobbying that they have the right to make a living he many times has said and is not a conflict.

 

>>> HERE Is the City of Miami’s noise ordinance but only 9 code enforcement officers

Chapter 36 – Noise

 

Sec. 36-4. – Operation of radios, phonographs or other sound-making devices; bands, orchestras and musicians—Generally; exemption.

(a)  It shall be unlawful for any person owning, occupying or having charge of any building or premises or any part thereof, in the city, at any time to cause or suffer or allow any loud, unnecessary, excessive or unusual noises in the operation of any radio, phonograph or other mechanical sound-making device or instrument, or reproducing device or instrument, or in the playing of any band, orchestra, musician or group of musicians, or in the use of any device to amplify the music of any band, orchestra, musician or group of musicians, where the noise or music is plainly audible at a distance of 100 feet from the building, structure, vehicle or premises in which or from which it is produced. The fact that the noise or music is plainly audible at a distance of 100 feet from the vehicle or premises from which it originates constitutes prima facie evidence of a violation of this chapter. (b)  The city commission may declare an exemption from the prohibitions contained in paragraph (a) above and declare them inapplicable on special occasions by resolution. (Code 1967, § 36-4; Ord. No. 10797, § 1, 10-18-90; Code 1980, § 36-4)

 

Sec. 36-5. – Same—Hours of operation of jukeboxes, radios, etc.; exemption for events on city-owned property; relaxation. (a)  It shall be unlawful for any person owning, occupying or having charge of any business establishment, or any part thereof, in the city, to cause or suffer to cause the playing or operating of music boxes, jukeboxes, radios, musical instruments or any other musical devices on or about the premises between the hours of 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. the following day, unless such music boxes, jukeboxes, radios, musical instruments and other devices are played or operated in a closed building and the sound is not audible from outside the building so as to disturb the quiet, comfort or repose of persons in any dwelling, hotel or other type of residence. Upon a second conviction of violation of this section the county judge may at his/her discretion revoke and terminate any license issued under chapter 31 to the licensee. (b)  All of the above and foregoing shall not apply to activities and events held in or upon any city-owned facility or other city-owned property.(c)  The city commission may relax the time restrictions contained in paragraph (a) above or declare them inapplicable on special occasions by resolution.

(Code 1967, § 36-5; Ord. No. 8660, § 1, 6-9-77; Ord. No. 10797, § 1, 10-18-90; Code 1980, § 36-5; Ord. No. 13676, § 2, 4-27-17)

 

Sec. 36-6. – Construction equipment. (a)  Prohibition; definitions. Operating or permitting the operation of any tools or equipment used in construction, drilling, or demolition work such as pile drivers, steam shovels, pneumatic hammers, pumps, or other like equipment is prohibited: (1)  Between the hours of 6:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m. the following day on weekdays, or at any time on Sundays or holidays, such that the sound therefrom creates a noise disturbance across and at a residential district boundary or within a noise sensitive zone, except for emergency work of public service utilities or by special permission issued pursuant to subsection (c).(2)  At any other time, such that the sound level at or across a real property boundary exceeds a reading of 0.79 weighted average dBA for the daily period of operation. Such sound levels shall be measured with a sound level meter manufactured according to standards prescribed by the American National Standards Institute.

(b)  Definitions. Holidays, as used herein, shall mean those days designated by the United State Congress as legal public holidays, except that whenever any such day shall fall upon a Sunday, the Monday next following shall be deemed a public holiday for purposes of this section. Noise disturbance as used herein, shall mean any sound which (a) endangers or injures the safety or health of humans or animals, or (b) annoys or disturbs a reasonable person of normal sensitivities, or (c) endangers or injures personal or real property. Noise sensitive zone, as used herein, shall mean existing quiet zones, if any, and those areas containing noise sensitive activities including, but not limited to, operations of schools, libraries open to the public, houses of worship, hospitals, and nursing homes. Residential districts, as used herein, shall mean any residential district as set forth in the city’s zoning ordinance, as amended, or as may be hereafter amended. Weighted average dBA, as used herein, means the 24-hour energy average of the sound pressure level in decibels (dB), as measured on a sound level meter using the A-weighted network; any readings taken during the period 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. the following day are increased by ten dBA before averaging the other readings. The A-weighted network (dBA) is recommended by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as a means of describing environmental noise because it most closely mimics the human ear by weighting the frequency spectrum to give greater weight to the frequencies between 1,000 and 6,000 hertz (cycles per second).

(c)  Exception. The city manager is hereby authorized to permit the operation and use of any of the above construction machinery during the aforesaid prohibited periods of time in the event that such operation or use is required to eliminate or reduce any dangerous or hazardous condition which endangers life or property.

(d)  Violation; penalty. Any person who shall violate any provision of this section shall, upon conviction thereof, be punished as provided in section 1-13. Each 24-hour day is to be considered a separate violation. (Code 1967, § 36-13; Ord. No. 9063, § 1, 1-24-80; Ord. No. 10754, § 1, 6-28-90; Code 1980, § 36-13)

 

Sec. 36-7. – Emission of steam and other gases. It shall be unlawful to permit or cause the emission of steam or other gases if such emission cannot be done without the production of disturbing noises. (Code 1967, § 36-14; Ord. No. 10754, § 1, 6-28-90; Code 1980, § 36-14) Sec. 36-8. – Mechanical and fire equipment. It shall be unlawful to operate mechanical and fire equipment, including air conditioning compressors, pumps, blowers, exhaust fans, filters and other similar noise-producing equipment, in all residential, institutional, commercial and industrial zoned property, when such equipment emits noise which exceeds the following noise levels, measured at the receiving property line nearest to the source; such sound levels shall be measured with a sound level meter manufactured according to standards prescribed by the American National Standards Institute:

	Maximum Permitted Sound Level in Decibels dBA
Receiving Land Use	At Property Line or Beyond Between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m.	At Property Line or Beyond Between 7:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m.
Single-family	5 dBA above ambient or maximum of 55 dBA	10 dBA above ambient or maximum of 60 dBA
Multifamily, institutional, parks and noise-sensitive zones	5 dBA above ambient or maximum of 60 dBA	10 dBA above ambient or maximum of 65 dBA
Retail commercial (offices, retail, restaurants and movies)	5 dBA above ambient or maximum of 65 dBA	10 dBA above ambient or maximum of 65 dBA
Wholesale commercial and industrial	5 dBA above ambient or maximum of 70 dBA	10 dBA above ambient or maximum of 75 dBA

 

(Code 1967, § 36-15; Ord. No. 10754, § 1, 6-28-90; Code 1980, § 36-15)

Sec. 36-9. – Off-street freight and commercial delivery hours.

(a)  In order to alleviate the continued freight and commercial delivery noise that occurs between the hours of 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. on weekdays and between the hours of 8:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m. on weekends in commercial areas abutting residential T3 transect zones, the following shall apply city wide. All delivery vehicles are required to comply with F.S. § 316.1975, during the delivery process. Due to their uniqueness, the following areas shall be exempted from this section: District 5, Coconut Grove Business Improvement District as defined in section 2-1250 of the City Code, the Downtown Development District as defined by section 14-27 of the City Code, and the Allapattah Produce Market as defined by section 35-374 of the City Code, all as delineated in Exhibit “A,” attached and incorporated, and as amended from time to time.

(b)  It shall be unlawful for any freight or commercial deliveries to be received or staged on a property that is within 100 feet of a T-3 transect zone between the hours of 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. on weekdays and between the hours of 8:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m. on weekends. Any violation of this subsection is punishable by a fine of $250.00 for a first offense, and $500.00 for each offense thereafter and shall be enforced against the property owner under the provisions of chapter 2, article X of this Code, and any other remedies as provided by law including, but not limited to, an action for injunctive relief in the circuit court. The use of one remedy shall not preclude the use of another.

(c)  In the case of a declared state of emergency affecting the city and for its duration, this section shall not be in force and effect.

(Ord. No. 13616, § 2, 7-14-16; Ord. No. 13671, § 2, 3-23-17; Ord. No. 13677, § 2, 4-27-17; Ord. No. 13775, § 2, 7-26-18)

Note— Exhibit A is not set out at length herein but may be found on file in the office of the city clerk.

Community Events
 

 

EDITORIAL

 

>>> S. Florida’s political vendettas holds back what could be Miami’s greatness, Failure to move on costs all S. Florida residents, in quality of life,

 

If Miami wants to reach its true heights its political leaders need to end political vendettas work together and remember why they originally ran for office and not to get absorbed with the trappings of political office that makes many politicians lack empathy and just focus on getting even or worse themselves. Regardless how constituents might be impacted.

 

This comes to mind after the contentious Miami commission meetings where commissioner Joe Carollo verbally slaps around city staff and its manager Emilio Gonzalez a retired colonel in the army who seems ill prepared for this disrespect by the elected commissioner and former mayor that when in office in 2000 would go on Spanish radio and gin up the community and the city story on the young rafter boy who lost his mother on the journey and resulted in an ethnic divide that allowed someone like saloon owner Jay Love to get some 19 percent of the vote over incumbent county mayor Alex Penelas and challenger Miguel Diaz de la Portilla in a countywide race Pinellas won., and it took the county years to heal from this ethnic divide that had blacks in Homestead with red necks and confederate flags protesting “f…ck the Cubans,” and the Miami Herald had a great photo of the demonstration that showed a black man looking at the flag thinking this is so weird and was a black eye for S. Florida.

 

>>> Elected leaders’ foreign trips could determine if they are Marco Polo, to county and city voters!

 

Since Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez is termed out next year he is a lame duck and he is using this time to become the community’s Marco Polo as he travels the globe with his wife in tow and while he pays for her trip it comes across to the public as someone with entitlements and is his reward for being the strong mayor since 2011 and while luckily the region is booming people are wondering what is being accomplished on what used to be called junkets in the congress. However, Miami is not some unknown place throughout the world, and I used to joke. I could be with headhunters in Borneo and say Miami and they would come back with a response. The man a former Miami Fire and Rescue Chief should consider what his legacy will be in the twilight of his political career and these types of trips are little dings, especially since he never admits he might be wrong and bristles when challenged with is lobbyist son C.J. Gimenez his biggest liability as he ply’s the halls of the municipal governments.

 

And to support the WDR go to my Pay Pal account http://paypal.me/WatchdogReport Further, if you would rather send a check send it made out to Daniel Ricker and mail it to 3109 Grand Ave., #125 Miami, Fla. 33133. Thank you, Dan

 

 

Informed and saving taxpayer monies in the process. And I thank my supporters over the last 17 years. And to read a national story and profile of the WDR publisher in the early years and background back in 2003 go to: http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2003-01-20/news/0301190341_1_ricker-school-board-president-miami-s-first-cuban-american        

Daniel A. Ricker

Publisher & Editor

Watchdog Report

Est. 05.05.00

Copyright © of original material, 2018, Daniel A. Ricker

 

>>> The Miami Herald and Orlando Sentinel & Sun-Sentinel articles on the Watchdog Report publisher over the years.

 

Published on September 9, 1999, Page 1EA, Miami Herald, the (FL)

CITIZEN ADVOCATE’ KEEPS TABS ON POLITICIANS

 

Published on January 3, 2000, Page 1B, Miami Herald, the (FL)

MIAMI-DADE WATCHDOG WILL BE MISSED

 

Published on January 20, 2003, Page 1E, Orlando Sentinel, PAPERWORK TIGER, Miami’s citizen watchdog piles up government files in his quest to keep the “little people” informed. http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2003-01-20/news/0301190045_1_ricker-miami-watchdog

 

>>>Watchdog Report publisher named ‘Best Citizen’ 2003 by the Miami New Times

 

The publisher would like to thank the weekly alternative paper Miami New Times for bestowing their 2003 Best of Miami, ‘Best Citizen’ award to me and I am honored.  Thank you. To read the full story go to http://www.miaminewtimes.com/best-of/2003/people-and-places/best-citizen-6399517

 

Daniel A. Ricker

Publisher & Editor

Watchdog Report

Est. 05.05.00

Copyright © of original material, 2018, Daniel A. Ricker

 

The trust has a new program where people with rental housing can register their rental units with the county and for more on the program go to: http://www.homelesstrust.org/rentconnect.asp

 

>>> And to support the WDR go to my Pay Pal account http://paypal.me/WatchdogReport Further, if you would rather send a check send it made out to Daniel Ricker and mail it to 3109 Grand Ave., #125 Miami, Fla. 33133. Thank you, Dan go to: http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2003-01-20/news/0301190341_1_ricker-school-board-president-miami-s-first-cuban-american        

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Daniel A. Ricker

Publisher & Editor

Watchdog Report

Est. 05.05.00

Copyright © of original material, 2018, Daniel A. Ricker

 

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