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HomeMy WebLinkAboutSubmittal-Commissioner Joe Carollo-Miami Dade County Commissioner Eileen Higgins LetterEILEEN HIGGINS MIAMI-DADE COUNTY COMMISSIONER DISTRICT 5 November 7, 2019 City of Miami 3500 Pan American Drive Miami, FL 33133 Subject: Support for Play Streets as Part of 5tn Street Project To whom it may concern: Submitted into the public ` record fo ite on 'L 12 City Clerk I write to express my strong support for Play Streets in the City of Miami, as part of the 5th Street Project which is being implemented by Urban Impact Lab (UI Lab), and supported by the Health Foundation of South Florida, Live Healthy Little Havana (LHLH), the Office of Commissioner Joe Carollo, and my office. According to the Trust for Public Land (2017), Little Havana residents lack the recommended access to open space and parks, and are "park -starved" by 35%, a significant deficit of open space per resident. That's why in the recently released "Little Havana Me Importa" Revitalization Master Plan, a strategy to address this deficit includes the expansion of "Play Street Initiatives". Play Streets, which have been incorporated successfully in many U.S. and European cities for decades, are the temporary closure of streets, that for a specified time period (around 3-5 hours) create a safe, publicly accessible space for children, adolescents, and their families to engage in active play and healthy activity programs. Knowing that UI Lab had already successfully implemented PlayFamilias in Little Havana in partnership with ConnectFamilas and The Children's Trust, you can only imagine my excitement when asked to partner on a Play Street on 5th Street — which as you know, cuts Jose Marti Park in half. Since elected, 5th Street has remained a great concern to me, having very little use except for speeding cars only made worse by limited lighting. Altogether, it feels unsafe to park users, residents, families, and children. While even I hesitate walking on 5t' Street, I know it has great potential. While we wait for a Play Street designation, pilot activities on 5th Street have begun in order to measure community interest and build momentum. Through Special Event Permits, weekly community Zumba classes have already begun and attracted dozens of attendees. More can be done too; many groups are willing to organize and offer regular youth and adult active programs in the coming months and years. A Play Street designation will ensure that all types of healthy activities are available to Little Havana residents of all ages. 1 believe strongly in Play Streets and hope you will consider approving this quick and low-cost way to create a vibrant publicly -accessible space that supports the health and wellbeing of our community, strengthens our residents' connections to each other, and effectively improves our public assets. L 6`���- SQb,w‘\ `- CIAAN\--\ 0Aer ot.Qt-f KM:\ 151e 40\1 CNAIMSSIOAU E-Att,& Support for Play Streets Page 2 Looking forward to seeing some of my friends at the City at the next Zumba class. Sincerely, Eileen Higgins County Commissioner, District 5 Submitted into the pub is record for ite s) _ t - 1 on ` City Clerk STEPHEN P. CLARK CENTER • 111 N.W. FIRST STREET • SUITE 220 • MIAMI, FLORIDA 33128-1963 • (305) 375-5924 - FAX (305) 375-5904