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HomeMy WebLinkAboutSubmittal-Public Comments Submitted Online for the April 11, 2024 City Commission MeetingFinal Public Comment Report for the April 11, 2024, Regular City Commission Meeting First Name Deryn Maji Anna michael Last Name Cowdy Ramos Arnaout Street Address 484 North East 50th terrace 555 NE 56 St Miami (Morningside) 540 Brickell key Drive 1815 Miami Florida 33131 900 Biscayne feuling Blvd apt apt 2606 Agenda Item DI. 5 #15513 Discussion - Non - Gas Powered Leaf Blowers DI. 5 #15513 Discussion - Non - Gas Powered Leaf Blowers BC. 10 #15420 Community Relations Board SR. 2 #15500 Amend Code - Section 2-779 - Moratorium Public Comment Dear Commissioners, Sadly, I cannot attend the meeting but want to firmly lodge my support behind the drive to transition to non -gas -powered leaf blowers. Quite apart from the negative environmental impact, the noise is so terrible that one cannot even open a window to enjoy the wonderful cool morning air, much less actually sit outside for a moment. We don't realize how much difference it will make! But all my beachside friends are thrilled! Gas leaf blowers are extremely toxic and dangerously loud. They kill critically endangered pollinators and damage plants. The toxic dust they produce includes feces, herbicides, pesticides and mold and they clog up our storm drains. We need to implement Leave No Trace to landscapers and gardeners too. We need an educational campaign for all leaf blowers and a ban on gas leaf blowers with a stiff penalty and easy way for neighbors to report. I am speaking on behalf of residents of Brickell Key who are now repeatedly being harassed and bothered by the music noise coming from Marine Stadium and Virginia Key beach. The city is permitting these events til 3am and the noise is shaking our windows if the high rise condos. It is against the noise ordinance to continue to allow this. This venue should not be used any longer for loud music events. The residents have no recourse after numerous complaints to mayor and city commission to resolve this without legal action. Ultra is only once per year til midnight and the city is now trying to hold loud music festivals monthly without curfew. This is an infringement of our rights- we are a residential neighborhood subjected to outdoor concerts. I support the moratorium of all outdoor advertising on city owed property. One only needs to look at the 2 commissioners who have been the biggest supporters of outdoor advertising ...., 1 former 15891 Submittal -Public Comments Submitted Online for the April 11, 2024 City Commission Meeting Belinda stohner 5965 NE 6th Ave, Miami, FL 33137 michael Sandy 900 Biscayne Feuling Blvd apt apt 2606 Moise 5910 NE 6th Court DI. 4 #15650 Discussion - Charter Review Process DI. 1 #15675 Discussion - Manager's Presentation / Furniture Vendors RE. 20 #15846 Rescind Resolution - R-24- 0018 (Alex de la Portiila under arrest for trying to sell a city park), and 1 current (Joe Carollo, who was found liable by a jury for violating constitutional rights), to know that all future activity needs to be put on hold until the city can put guidelines in place that end the corruption. I support the transition to non -gas powered leaf blowers and lawn equipment. Florida was recently ranked 3rd highest in the country for emissions from lawn care. This is incredibly nonsensical as we endure some of the worst effects from extreme weather and climate change. A switch to cleaner powered machinery would also help improve the air quality in our city. Thank you! I trust as chair of the Commission; Christine King will stand by her commitment from the March commission meeting that the City Manager will distribute the report to all media outlets and agreed that he would meet one on one with Billy Corbin and also media outlets (Miami Herald) As a side note how do we see a picture of Christine King's $7500 office chair? I urge you to support Agenda Item RE.20, and I commend Commissioner Pardo for his courageous leadership in sponsoring this important agenda item. Miami residents are tired of the rampant corruption, and Miami residents are tired of taxpayer funds being utilized to fund the corruption as well as the expensive attorney fees and lawsuits as a result. Taxpayer funds should be used to improve the city, provide resources for residents, and enhance the quality of life for residents and provide a safe, clean, quality experience for visitors. Residents should not have to foot the bill for corruption. Quality of life for residents in the City of Miami should not have to suffer as a direct result of the rampant corruption. I have had a first-hand experience with a concerning an unethical situation that occurred at the City of Miami Commission meeting on November 16, 2023. I was advocating for protection for the recently confirmed nesting rookery on Mangrove Island. The Agenda Item was RE.15, and was intended to create a buffer zone around the nesting rookery to protect the nesting birds from the speeding and reckless vessels that are speeding around the island, entering the island, and anchoring and fishing next to the island. It was brought to our attention that Spencer Crowley, chair of Florida Inland Navigation District, stated he would withhold the previously awarded FIND grant in the amount of $4.3 million for the Morningside Park Shoreline upgrade if the commissioners passed a resolution that included any boating restriction whatsoever. There was discussion during the meeting, and City Attorney Victoria Mendez announced that the item was amended. I have included a word document of a transcription from the meeting, note at 44:47 minutes into the meeting, Victoria Mendez, City Attorney, stated "Madam Chair, to this point a substitution was sent out with regard to RE.15 and the rookery to make sure that we work with the Florida Inland Navigation District to limit the impact the of potentially harmful human activity so that's the amendment to this item." This is the only change she read regarding the amendment to the item, which then passed unanimously. We all celebrated. Later that evening I googled the FIND meeting agenda for their board meeting the following day. To my SHOCK and SURPRISE, I discovered the amended item in the FIND meeting agenda packet, and discovered that Agenda Item RE.15 had a more significant change than what Victoria Mendez read during the meeting. The original text of the resolution stated, "To establish a boating restricted area around the nesting rookery on City of Miami owned Mangrove Island." The amended resolution that was posted on the FIND website, a resolution that was amended earlier that same day, omitted the language regarding the boating restriction and replace it with, "To limit the impact of potentially harmful human activity around the nesting rookery on City of Miami owned Mangrove Island." The amendment also added the statement "including the Florida Inland Navigation District (FIND)" as one of the agencies to work with. City Attorney Victoria Mendez NEVER read the amendment to the item that removed the boating restriction language, which was the strength of the resolution. As a seasoned attorney who has presided over hundreds of commission meetings, she knew that all of the changes to the item were required to be read to the public. This behavior was unethical, and when I addressed it at the next commission meeting, City Attorney Victoria Mendez appeared quite shocked that I discovered the "bait and switch" to the agenda item. One has to wonder if this has happened to other agenda items. The sad part about all of this is that FIND has no authority or jurisdiction over a municipality's conservation efforts. According to their website, The Florida Inland Navigation District (FIND) is a special State Ramos 555 NE 56 St Morningside SR. 3 #15416 Amend Code - Chapter 2 - Outdoor Advertising taxing district for the continued management and maintenance of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway (ICW), commonly referred to as M-95 marine highway. FIND was created by the Florida Legislature in 1927 to be State local sponsor for the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway. FIND plays two key roles in Florida's marine industry: to perform the functions of the "local sponsor" of the Federally -authorized Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) project and a portion of the Okeechobee Waterway project in Florida, both of which are State/Federal navigation project, and provide assistance to other governments to develop waterway access and improvement projects." The proposed boating restriction to protect nesting birds on the rookery on Mangrove Island, the ONLY known nesting rookery in the City of Miami and only one of two in Northern Biscayne Bay, would not have in any way restricted access to Biscayne Bay from the ramp at Morningside Park. Instead, City officials engaged in a bait and switch with the language in the Resolution, the City Attorney failed to read all of the changes to the amended Resolution, as required, and FIND funded the $4.3 million grant to the City of Miami. This is not ethical, and this is not how the City of Miami should be conducting business. The City Attorney should be trusted to be transparent and forthright with any and all changes or amendments to resolutions, ordinances, or any items on the agenda at the commission meetings. I strongly encourage you to support Agenda Item RE.20. It is time to restore trust in our city. LED Billboards are very dangerous for migratory birds which are protected. The intense brightness of LED billboards, especially at night, can contribute to light pollution, which can disrupt ecosystems, affect wildlife behavior, and interfere with stargazing. LED billboards can lower property values in the surrounding area due to factors like visual intrusion and perceived nuisance.LED billboards can contribute to visual clutter and detract from the aesthetics of an area, especially in scenic or historical locations. Their bright and dynamic displays can distract drivers, pedestrians, and residents nearby, potentially causing accidents or impairing the focus of individuals in the vicinity. We should not be adding any distractions to an already precarious driving situation. Our roads are extremely dangerous. We should stop prioritizing monied interests and support our residents and neighbors. Jacqueline Kellogg Sandy Moise 6767 Crandon Blvd 5910 NE 6th Court DI. 5 #15513 Discussion - Non - Gas Powered Leaf Blowers DI. 5 #15513 Discussion - Non - Gas Powered Leaf Blowers Outdated, futile use of time and money. Noise is extremely disturbing to wild life and people. SWEEP. Please ban gas powered leaf blowers in the City of Miami. They are harmful to humans and the environment. Estimates from the California Air Resources Board show that using a commercial leaf blower for one hour produces as much smog - forming pollution as driving 1,100 miles in a car. More than 30% of a leaf blower's fuel/oil mixture gets emitted unburned as an aerosol that contains a host of toxins that can cause eye, skin and respiratory tract irritation, neurological effects, and has been linked to lymphoma, leukemia and other types of cancer. According to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, exhaust from gas -powered leaf blowers contains hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides — components of smog — plus carbon monoxide and particulate matter, all of which are known to harm people's health. Nitrous oxide is an extraordinarily potent heat -trapping gas, so leaf -blower exhaust also contributes to climate change, which has its own health consequences. Leaf blowers 200-mile-an- hour winds also spin up clouds of dust. That dust can contain pollen, mold, animal feces, heavy metals, and chemicals from herbicides and pesticides, according to the Department of Environmental Conservation. Leaf blowers can turn rocks, sticks, mulch, grass particles, pieces of glass, and other debris into projectiles that can cause cuts, lacerations, and eye injuries. The blown debris can cause eye injury not only to the operator of the leaf blower, but to anyone who is passing by, either on foot or bicycle. From a one - foot distance, the power from a leaf blower reaches 180 to 200 miles per hour. That's more than strong enough to maim and kill insects, including pollinators that are critical to our ecosystem. And then there is the noise. The loud, low -frequency rumble generated by gas -powered leaf blowers poses risks to hearing. It is not only a nuisance to individuals enjoying the outdoors, it easily penetrates windows and glass doors of homes, exposing individuals in their own homes to harmful levels of noise. There is a much safer alternative to our environment and our health through the use of a simple rake, or if a leaf blower is necessary, an electric powered leaf blower. Please ban gas powered leaf blowers in the City of Miami. Cindy Publius Snyder 3980 Hardie Ave 3500 Pan Hansen American Dr, Miami, FL 33133 DI. 5 #15513 Discussion - Non - Gas Powered Leaf Blowers CA. 2 #15744 Settlement - Ranjel Rodriguez vs City of Miami Re: Proposed CRC —Resolution Leaf Blowers- V 1.5pdf This proposal calls for a transition period of 11 years to transition from current gas powered leaf blower equipment to alternately powered landscaping tools to reduce the carbon footprint emissions within the City of Miami. This modest proposal is not all which would be desirable for the benefit of our health or sanity, but it would at least be a step in the right direction, it would serve to start us on at least a meaningful path in a more healthful direction by starting the transition away from massive fossil fuels being expended daily & continually in our midst. Alternate equipment is available, much of which was normally employed routinely, its use can become the norm again. We can change our ways & the health of our community, its citizens and guests will only benefit by doing so. We hope that this proposal will be adopted today.