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HomeMy WebLinkAboutNoticing for June 13, 2024 CC MtgTHURSDAY MAY 302024 I 3A Award -winning Miami Herald Haiti correspondent to speak at town hall tonight about nation's future EVOUN CEP OWE drem2K@miandheralamm The Haitian capital has been overrun by gangs Flights by major U.S. carri- ers have been suspended. The arrival of police offi- cers from Kenya to quell unrest has been delayed. The Miami Herald has been at the forefront of this award -winning coverage. Herald Haiti/Caribbean Correspondent Jacqueline Charles, who has spear- headed coverage for more than two decades, has returned from the country to address the community and answer questions. An Evening with Jacque- line Charles will be held on Thursday at the African Heritage Cultural Arts Center, 6161 NW 22nd Ave. in Miami. The free event celebrates Haitian Heritage Month. Charles, a Pulitzer Prize finalist and Emmy winner, recently obtained an exclu- sive look at preparations being made to welcome an interational security mis- sion led by Kenya Doors open at 6:30 p.m., and the discussion begins at 7 p.m. Those who wish to attend are asked to RSVP by emailing tiatham@Miami herald.com. Devoun Cetoute: 305-376-2026, @devoun cetoute Republicans attack administration over brutal deaths of Americans in Haiti BY JACQUEL1NE CHARLES Republican lawmakers are accusing the Bider administration of not doing enough to save a young married couple who were killed last week during a gang ambush on the north- m outskirts of Haiti's capital where they were serving as missionaries with an Oklahoma -based charity. The shocking killings have raised questions both in Haiti and in the United States about the circum- stances surrounding the brutal attack, and whether the group, snerounded by several armed gangs, might have been targeted. Davy and Natalie Lloyd, both in their early 20s, were killed along with Judes Montis, the Haitian director of their Missions in Haiti non-profit. The kill- ings happened Thursday when gunmen ambushed the three during attacks against the compound in the community of Luzon. A house where the three sought refuge was later set onfire. It remains unclear exactly how the three died. Natalie Lloyd's body had no burn marks. Ina letter to President Joe Biden, U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley, a Missouri Repub- lican, said his office had urgently requested help from the U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince on the night of the attack. "The Embassy informed us it was 'too dangerous' to send police to aid the Lloyds. Now they are dead," Hawley Said, re- questing help with getting the couple's remains home. Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, in a post on X, said, "There needs to be an investiga- tion as there are reports the State Department did not give the green light to res- cue them in time." The Biden adminis- tration, which has been trying to get GOP members in Congress to provide funding for the deployment of an international police force to help Haitian police battle armed gangs, has not responded directly to the accusations. Davy Lloyd, 23, grew up in Haiti, Where his parents ran an orphanage, school and bakery. Natalie, 21, moved to the country after the two were married to help her husband in his missionary work. On Tuesday, hundreds of mourners turned out for a funeral service in Port-au- Prince for Montis, 47, who left behind his wife, Eu- nide, daughter Esther and son Timothy. He also leaves behind several brothers and a sister. The funeral service fea- tured a photo of Montis and a young Davy Lloyd. In a note posted by Alicia and David Lloyd, the parents of Davy Lloyd, Montis was remembered as a "close friend and family member since 2004," whom their cihildren affectionately referred to as "Tonton Judes" —Uncle Judes. "Judes was trustworthy and faithful, a man of in- tegrity. He helped us build Missions in Haiti, Inc. He was so humble and never warned any recognition for his part My kids loved him," the Lloyds wrote. They noted that during the attack, part of their son's foot became stuck to Moths. `"that part of Davy will be buried with hides," they said. "h is an honor that part of my heart (Da- vy's foot) will be buried with Judes. Davy will al- ways have one foot in Hai- ti, the country he loved so much," the Lloyds said. McClatchy Senior White House Correspondent Mi- chael Wilmer contributed to this report. Jacqueline Charles: 305-376-2616, @jacquiecharles FROM PAGE 1A HAITI the country. The naming of Conille, who is also trained as a gynecologist, came more than a month after the council's own April 25 swearing -in and amid criticism that members lacked a sense of urgency to appoint a new head of govemment and Cabinet to help deal with the deadly gang violence that has millions living in fear and a looming humanitar- iancatastrophe. The council has a lead- ership problem," said Pierre Esperance, a hu- man -rights advocate in Port-au-Prince. "Council members are battling for power, they are battling for visibility, but they are not interested in the coun- try's problems." Those problems include a surge in violence by armed gang members, who on Monday set an armored police vehicle on fire, injuring a police offi- cer. Since Feb. 29, gangs have targeted police sta- tions and vandalized and burned dozens of hospi- tals, schools and critical infrastructure to try to topple the government The U.N. says the vio- lence has forced at leas 90,000 Haitians to wek refuge in school yards and public plazas in the capital since the beginning of the year and led to the deaths and injuries of more than 2,500 people. Amid that dire reality, the new presidential coun- cil has gotten off to a rocky start and has been under pressure to act swiftly in putting a new transitional government in place. "It is having a hard time moving forward and send- ing the right signal to the population and the in- temational community," said Jerry Tardieu, the founder of the political party En Avant. "Skepti- cism and mistrust are set- Tardieu is among the leaders who were involved in behind -the -scenes nego- tiations for a new transi- tional government in Haiti before armed groups launched their united front while Ariel Henry, the prime minister at the time, was in Kenya f alizing an agreement for an interna- tional force to help Haiti. Tardieu said `it is worri- some to realize that the council is entangled and bogged down in its initial" tasks. During the weekend, the council had published an order extending the term of Michel Patridk Boisvert, Haiti's finance minister, as interim prime minister for a month. Late Monday, co uncil members shared what appeared to be the long-awaited rules under which the seven voting embers and two obser- vers will govem them- selves. However, several people who saw the docu- ment said no one has seen the actual text. Soon after, word leaked that they had chosen Co- nnie. He and the other finalists had been invited to interview with the council for an hour. Now, the next task will be to form a Cabi- net, a process that will be closely watched. Tardieu said the council has several problems: a communication strategy in which individual members often express divergent views about how to fight the gangs; a lack of trans- parency over its selection process to appoint a new prime minister, and its fragile legitimacy. Despite giving themselves a 30-day deadline, none of the members has produced the necessary documents showing that they each meet the legal require- ments to sit on the panel, noted Esperance, who heads the Human Rights Defense Network. BAD PERCEPTIONS The political deal that created the transitional council was agreed to on March 11 during a gather- ing of Caribbean leaders in Kingston, Jamaica. They were aided by U.S. Secre- tary of State Antony Blin- ken, who flew to the island nation to meet with Haitian leaders, who were forced to meet via video conference because the gang attacks had forced the suspension of all commercial flights in and out of Port-au-Prince. In agreeing to sit on the council, members agreed to appoint a prime minister to replace Henry, who was forced to resign by Washington as the gangs called for his ouster. To- gether, the council mem- bers would be tasked with forming a new govemment and preparing the country for the arrival of a Kenya - led Multinational Security Support mission to help the Haiti National Police take on the gangs. The council is also supposed to pave the way for long overdue gen- eral elections so a new president can take office by February 2026, ending the council's reign. But in carrying out the first task, selecting a prime minister, the council found itself battling perceptions of corruption and back - room deal -making and accusations that it had not been transparent. On Friday, as the selec- tion process got under way, the U.S. Embassy in Port- au-Prince said it looked "forward to a transparent process that gives Haiti a Prime Minister and transi- tional government selected on the basis of technical merit and impartiality." Other nations also pushed for transparency. Initially, the cmmcil said the process would be limit- ed to only 15 applicants. But 68 applications were either dropped off or sent to an email address. A five -member committee then narrowed the choices to five, including Conille, who in his U.N. role over- saw 36 countries and terri- tories, representing UNI- CEF before governments, donors, the private sector and civil society in the region. He has also worked in Jamaica coordinating UNICEF services for that nation, The Bahamas, Turks and Caicos and Burundi. Conille began his career with the U.N. in Haiti with the agency's Population Fund in 1999. After the quake, Conille took on the job as chief of staff to the office of the U.N. SJyrial Envoy for Haiti, President Clinton. The other four candi- dates for prime minister •Fritz Belizaire, a former sports minister whose initial selection as prime minister by four council members led to the group's first crisis and backtracking. •Paul Antoine Bien- Aime, a former interior minister who led Haiti during the second adminis- tration of late President Rene Preval when the country was hit by four back-to-back storms and hurricanes, food riots and a deadly earthquake. •AliT Didier Fits -Ai- a former president of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry businessman ran unsuccessfully for the Haitian Senate in 2015. •Jean Rodolphe Joa- zile, a lawyer, former cap- tain in the Haitian army, minister of defense and president of the Haitian Senate. During the weekend, one of the council members announced that the five finalists would participate in a public debate. But after accusations that council embers were ignoring their responsibility, the candidates were invited to take part in the interviews. Haitians and foreign diplomats chided council members over the lack of transparency in the selec- tion process, worried about influence -peddling and reports that council mem- bers might have already divvied up key govemment ministries and positions among their parties, which are preparing for elections. Also worrying critics: Some candidates with previous government experie were dismissed, while others were not. "They are placing a lot of doubt on the choice at a time when the country needs a prime minister," said former Prime Minis- ter Jean Michel Lapin, who served in the admin- istration of late President Jovenel Mo1se. Lapin said while the intemational community favors "a Haitian solution, unfortunately what they have is a political solution" that, similar to ones in years past, did not solve the country's problems during periods of crises. "The behavior of the members of the council proves once more that you cannot have a political solution to address the problems in Haiti at this moment," he said. "You have a group of people who since President Morse was fighting for power, and they continued to fight for power under Prime IvLnis- ter Ariel Henry, and today, they have power and they don't even have the capac- ity to govem." "This will end up in a waste of time just like with Prime Minister Henry's government," Lapin add- ed. "At the end of the year you will hear them say they are unable to orga- nize elections." In an interview with Pon -au -Prince radio sta- tion Magik 9 on Monday, the head of the Haitian Tet Kale Party, Line Balth- cused council members of improvising and said the public has a right to know the criteria used to select the person tasked with helping Haiti retum to democratic elec- tions. The list went from 68 to 23 candidates, then 13 and five, Balthazar said, without explanation about how the cuts were made. Jacqueline Charles: 305-376-2616, @jacquiecharles PUBLIC NOTICE A REGULARLY SCHEDULED MEETING OF THE MIAMI CITY COMMISSION WILL BE HELD ON JUNE 13, 2024 AT 9:00 AM IN THE CITY COMMISSION CHAMBERS LOCATED AT MIAMI CITY HALL, 3500 PAN AMERICAN DRIVE, MIAMI, FLORIDA 33133. THE MEETING WILL BE BROADCAST LIVE FOR MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC TO VIEW ON THE CITY'S WEBSITE (WWW.MIAMIGOV.GOM/TV) FACEBOOK, X, VOUTUBE AND CHANNEL 77 (COMCAST ONLY FOR RESIDENTS LIVING IN THE CITY OF MIAMI). PUBLIC COMMENT ON AGENDA ITEMS TO BE HEARD AT THIS MEETING GAN BE SUBMITTED VIA AN ONLINE COMMENT FORM AND WILL BE DISTRIBUTED TO THE ELECTED OFFICIALS AND THE CITY ADMINISTRATION AND MADE PART OF THE RECORD. THE DEADLINE TO SUBMIT PUBLIC COMMENT VIA THE ONLINE COMMENT FORM WILL OCCUR WHEN THE CHAIRPERSON CLOSES PUBLIC COMMENT FOR THE MEETING. "PLEASE VISIT HTTP://W W W.MIAMIGOV.GOM/MEETINGINSTRUGTIONS FOR DETAILED INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO PROVIDE PUBLIC COMMENT USING THE ONLINE PUBLIC COMMENT FORM." PUBLIC COMMENT ON AGENDA ITEMS TO BE HEARD AT THIS MEETING MAY ALSO BE PROVIDED IN- PERSON ON THE DAY OF THE MEETING AT CITY HALL, 3500 PAN AMERICAN DRIVE, MIAMI, FLORIDA, SUBJECT TO ANY AND ALL RULES AND PROCEDURES AS THE CITY MAY IMPLEMENT OR AMEND. PUBLIC COMMENT WILL BEGIN AT APPROXIMATELY 9:00 AM. A COPY OF THE AGENDA FOR THE CITY COMMISSION MEETING WILL BE AVAILABLE AT: HTTP://MIAMIFL.IQM2.COM/CITIZENS/DEFAULT.ASPX AT ITS MEETING ON JUNE 13, 2024 AT 9:00 AM, THE MIAMI CITY COMMISSION WILL CONSIDER THE FOLLOWING PLANNING AND ZONING ITEMS: FILE ID 15993 — AN ORDINANCE OF THE MIAMI CITY COMMISSION AMENDING ORDINANCE NO. 13114, THE ZONING ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF MIAMI, FLORIDA, AS AMENDED )'MIAMI 21 CODE"), SPECIFICALLY BY AMENDING ARTICLE 5 OF THE MIAMI 21 CODE, TITLED "SUPPLEMENTAL REGULATIONS,' TO EXTEND THE SUNSET PROVISION FOR ONE (1) ADDITIONAL YEAR TO ALLOW EDUCATIONAL USES BV RIGHT IN T6 TRANSECT ZONE IN CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES PURSUANT TO ORDINANCE NO. 14188; DIRECTING THE CITY MANAGER TO PLAGE A DISCUSSION ITEM ON A CITY COMMISSION AGENDA TO REVIEW THE ORDINANCE NINE (9) MONTHS AFTER ADOPTION, MAKING FINDINGS; CONTAINING A SEVERABILITV CLAUSE; AND PROVIDING FOR AN EFFECTIVE DATE. Any person who receives compensation. remuneration or expenses for conducting lobbying activities is required to register as a lobbyist with the City Clerk prior to engaging in lobbying activities before city staff, boards, committees or the City Commission. Should any person desire to appeal any decision of the City Cammission with respect to any matter to be considered at this meeting, that person shall ensure that a verbatim cord of the proceedings is made including all testimony and evidence upon which any appeal may be based )F/S 286.0105). Pursuant to Miami City Code Section 2-33)0), whenever a scheduled City Commission meeting is cancelled or is not held due to a lack of a quorum or other emergency, a special CIA Oemmission meeting will be automatically scheduled far the Tuesday immediately following the cancelled meeting. In the event of one of the aforementioned circumstances, the special meeting would be held on June 18, 2024, at 9:00 a.m. in the City Commission chambers located at Miami City Hall, 3500 Pan American Drive, Miami, FL 33133. All of the scheduled agenda Items from that cancelled meeting shall automatically be scheduled as an agenda Item at the special City Commission meeting. The City Clerk shall notify the public of the special meeting that is to take place by placing notice of the special City Cammission meeting at the entrance of City Hall and the Citi s main administrative building, placing a notice on the City's website, and, if feasible, placing n ad in a newspaper of general circulation before the special meeting on the immediately following Tuesday. There shall be no additional notice by publication required for any such scheduled agenda item that Is moved to the special City Commission meeting. In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, all persons who require special accommodations In order to participate in this meeting should contact the Office of the City Clerk at 1305) 250-5361 )Voice) no later than two 12) business days prier to the proceeding- TTY users may call via 711 lFlorida Relay Service) no later than two 121 business days prior to the proceeding. Hearing Boards Ad No. HB-24-0062