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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda Item Cover PageGORY of AGENDA ITEM COVER PAGE File ID: #12439 Losi9 Resolution Sponsored by: Commissioner Alex Diaz de la Portilla, Commissioner Joe Carollo, Commissioner Manolo Reyes A RESOLUTION OF THE MIAMI CITY COMMISSION CODESIGNATING NORTHWEST 16 STREET ROAD BETWEEN 27th AVENUE AND 24TH AVENUE, MIAMI, FLORIDA, AS "MANUEL BALADO AVENUE"; FURTHER DIRECTING THE CITY CLERK TO TRANSMIT A COPY OF THIS RESOLUTION TO THE HEREIN DESIGNATED OFFICES. City of Miami Legislation Resolution Enactment Number: R-22-0343 File Number: 12439 City Hall 3500 Pan American Drive Miami, FL 33133 www.miamigov.com Final Action Date:9/13/2022 A RESOLUTION OF THE MIAMI CITY COMMISSION CODESIGNATING NORTHWEST 16 STREET ROAD BETWEEN 27th AVENUE AND 24TH AVENUE, MIAMI, FLORIDA, AS "MANUEL BALADO AVENUE"; FURTHER DIRECTING THE CITY CLERK TO TRANSMIT A COPY OF THIS RESOLUTION TO THE HEREIN DESIGNATED OFFICES. WHEREAS, Manuel Balado ("Balado") founded Balado National Tires in Miami in 1962 at 1633 Northwest 27th Ave, six months after fleeing Cuba and thirteen years after founding the Gomera Nacional Balado in Havana, Cuba; andtoday, there are three locations; and WHEREAS, when Balado left Cuba in March 1962 with his wife, the late Mercedes Balado, five months after sending his teenaged daughters to Miami, he left behind a chain of gas stations and a tire and auto service business, Gomera Nacional Balado ("Gomera"); and WHEREAS, Balado founded Gomera in 1949 in Havana and saw it grow into one of the main distributors of United States based Firestone tires and was frequently honored as one of its top salesmen; and WHEREAS, for decades, Balado kept a yellowed 1953 photograph that appeared in the Firestone company newspaer, on his desk that depicted him with two Firestone executives as they toured the company's Akron, Ohio, plant; and WHEREAS, six months after Balado's arrival in the United States, in September 1962, he restarted Gomera, rebranded in English as Balado National Tire on Northwest 7th Avenue, north of the Miami River; and WHEREAS, In 1989, Balado told the Herald thathe "didn't know how far I was going to get, but I did know I wasn't going to fail", and just a half dozen years after moving to Miami, Balado was firmly ensconced in Miami's business community, helping to form the Latin American Chamber of Commerce of the U.S.A., serving as its President for four years, through 1972, and, in 1989, being honored by the organization as its Entrepreneur of the Year, and being named its lifetime Honorary President; and WHEREAS, Three years later, in 1992, the family -run company had sales of $5 million, making it one of the Top 500 Hispanic -owned businesses in the United States, according to a Miami Herald article; and WHEREAS, the family still maintains three locations in Miami today, including the main outlet at 1633 Northwest 27th Avenue that he opened in 1974 and, according to grandson Orlando Hidalgo Jr still receive "customers at the tire store who say they come to us because of the way el Senor Balado helped their parents and grandparents get used tires on credit when they first arrived from Cuba"; and WHEREAS, Balado's attitude of humbly helping others first while carving out a very comfortable life for our family in a very competitive market is his greatest influence on his grandson and granddaughter, Alicia Hidalgo, who said "I will forever be grateful for all of the experiences and opportunities we were provided thanks to his wisdom, intelligence and business sense."; and WHEREAS, Balado's legacy is his contribution to the Miami Community, his wit and compassion and impact on a generation of Cubans and others who came to him in need and never walked away without a resolution to their problems; and WHEREAS, Balado served the community through his civic involvement and his private assistance to all who came to him, which is whyhis business founded in 1962 still thrives to this day serving the residents of Miami and the City of Miami ("City"); and WHEREAS, Balado did not expect the same success he achieved in Cuba when he started over in Miami in 1962, telling the Miami Herald in 1989 that "There was no business here. People didn't have that much money and there was a lot of unemployment" but his entrepreneurial spirit as well as his desire to help others triumphed over the circumstances; and WHEREAS, Balado, born January 1, 1918, passed away at the age of 98 at his Miami home on Nov. 19, 2022; and WHEREAS, the City Commission wishes to honor Mr. Balado's numerous contributions to the City by co -designating Northwest 16 Street Road between 27th Avenue and 24th Avenue, Miami, Florida, as "Manuel Balado Avenue"; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF MIAMI, FLORIDA: Section 1. The recitals and finding contained in the Preamble to this Resolution are adopted by reference and incorporated as if fully set forth in this Section. Section 2. The City Commission hereby co -designates that portion of Northwest 16 Street Road between 27th Avenue and 24th Avenue, Miami, Florida as "Manuel Balado Avenue". Section 3. The City Clerk is directed to transmit a certified copy of this Resolution to the Departments of Police, Fire -Rescue, Solid Waste, the Miami -Dade County Department of Transportation and Public Works, the United States Postal Service, and, if a State of Florida road, to the Florida Department of Transportation, District Six Secretary for sign installation within the newly designated roadways. Section 4. This Resolution shall become effective immediately upon its adoption. APPROVED AS TO FORM AND CORRECTNESS: &ina 4Attor 8/2912022. NOTE #1: Pursuant to the resolution, this item became effective immediately upon adoption by the Commission. NOTE #2: Per Directive, City Clerk's Office transmitted on 10/12/2022.