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JAN _1 ?ti 3r SU
December 23, 2004
Mr, Joe Arriola, City Manager
City of Miami
3500 Pan American Drive
Miami, FL 33133
Office of County Manager
111 NW 1st Street • Suite 2910
Miami, Florida 3:112'8-1994
T 305-37'5-5311
RE: Adopt -a -Tree Event at the Coconut Grove Expo Center
Dear Mr. Arriola:
miamidade.gov
Miami-Dade's Adopt -a -Tree program was developed as an urban tree canopy
enhancement opportunity for residents of Miami -Dade County. A 1996 study
conducted by American Forests with Miami -Dade County, showed that the
County only had a ten percent tree cover, while the average American city has
an average of thirty percent. Since that time, the Florida Departrnennt of
Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) removed over 545,000 citrus
trees during the citrus canker eradication program. The Adopt -a -Tree program
was developed and is funded by a grant from the State Department of
Agriculture and is administered by the Miami -Dade Department of
Environmental Resources Management (DERM). The Adopt -a -Tree program
provides homeowners in Miami -Dade an opportunity to "adopt" two free trees
from a selection of fruit and shade trees and to plant them in their yards.
We would like to locate an upcoming event in Coconut Grove to be scheduled
on May 21, 2005, at the Coconut Grove Expo Center from 9-12 pm. Though
any homeowner from Miami -Dade County can attend any event, we will be
inviting many of City of Miami residents to participate in this event and are
eagerly seeking your support and allow us to stage this important event at the
Expo Center. It is my understanding that this venue requires a resolution by
the City Commission to waive the associated rental fees. On behalf of Miami -
Dade County, I would like to request your assistance with said resolution.
DERM will direct mail invitations (in English/Spanish/Creole including info
for disabled and elderly) to households affected by the State's citrus canker
removal program. The invitations will be mailed by DERM at least two weeks
before the event. Additional advertising will be placed in newspapers and
participation from various news media outlets will be sought. Also, the event
will be posted on the County web portal as follows:
. 4
Mr. Joe Arriola, Manager 2
City of Miami
http://www.miamidade.gov/derm/adoptatree — with information about the program and the
upcoming event provided on the Adopt -a -Tree web site
(www.miamidade.goviderm/adoptatree). The trilingual event phone number is set up at (305)
468-5900 and the e-mail address is adoptatree(2 miamidade.gov. The anticipated attendance for
this event should reach between 1,000 — 2,000 participants.
How the events work:
Upon arriving at the event, participants will fill out an "adoption" certificate, which
they will carry with them throughout the process. . There is a short registration
procedure requiring personal identification. After registering, each potential "adopter"
will attend a brief educational demonstration on how to locate, plant, and care for their
new trees. Finally, the newly educated participant will head over to the tree distribution
area and select up to two trees from our pre -determined selection of fruit and
ornamental shade trees. The process only takes approximately 20 minutes from stars: to
finish. Event setup and breakdown usually occurs for approximately two hours before
and two hours after the posted event times.
If you have any comments or questions, please contact me, or Joy Klein of DERM staff at (305) :372-
6585, or you can also email her at kleinj@miamidade.gov or adoptatree@miamidade,gov.
Sincerely,
10%,‘rwsw
eorge M. Burgess
County Manager