HomeMy WebLinkAboutR-19-0440City of Miami
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Resolution: R-19-0440
File Number: 6804
City Hall
3500 Pan American Drive
Miami, FL 33133
www.miamigov.com
Final Action Date: 11/21/2019
A RESOLUTION OF THE MIAMI CITY COMMISSION, CO -DESIGNATING
NORTHWEST 4TH STREET FROM NORTHWEST 47TH AVENUE TO
NORTHWEST 52ND AVENUE, MIAMI, FLORIDA AS "JULIO BALSERA WAY,"
PURSUANT TO SECTION 54-137 OF THE CODE OF THE CITY OF MIAMI,
FLORIDA, AS AMENDED ("CITY CODE"); FURTHER AUTHORIZING THE
PLACEMENT OF TWO (2) MARKER DESIGNATIONS TO HONOR JULIO
BALSERA PURSUANT TO SECTION 54-136(1) OF THE CITY CODE,
SUBJECT TO ALL APPLICABLE PERMITTING REQUIREMENTS; FURTHER
DIRECTING THE CITY CLERK TO TRANSMIT A COPY OF THIS
RESOLUTION TO THE HEREIN DESIGNATED OFFICIALS.
SPONSOR(S): Mayor Francis X. Suarez, Commissioner Joe Carollo, Commissioner
Manolo Reyes
WHEREAS, Julio Balsera ("Balsera"), a well-known activist and entrepreneur, known as
the father of Miami's school transportation system, was born on April 12, 1939, in Havana, Cuba
and passed away on October 8, 2019 in the City of Miami ("City"); and
WHEREAS, Balsera fled his native Cuba in 1960, when he was discovered conspiring
against the Castro regime, was under threat of arrest, escaped by hiding in the kitchen cabinets
of a cargo ship bound for Caracas, Venezuela, and was able to make his way to the City in
1963; and
WHEREAS, at the time of Balsera's arrival in the City, an increasing number of recently
arrived Cubans did not qualify for the free public school transportation that was available to the
families of long established City residents; and
WHEREAS, in 1967, Balsera launched what is generally thought to be the first private
school bus company, the J. Balsera School Bus Service, Inc. ("Bus"), to fill this need, with a
station wagon that was adapted with wooden benches and which served as the start of a fleet
that would serve thousands of school children across South Florida for the next forty (40) years;
and
WHEREAS, Balsera's early business coincided with a time when the City's Cuban
American community was becoming an influential force in local politics; and
WHEREAS, Balsera, through the trust he acquired from this school transportation
clients, was able to introduce and recommend for public office, promising political candidates to
the families of the children who used the Bus service; and
WHEREAS, as part of his civic, community, and political engagement, Balsera would
eventually use his school transportation fleet for numerous political campaigns and for the
mobilization of voters by civic organizations; and
City of Miami Page 1 of 4 File ID: 6804 (Revision: A) Printed On: 12/10/2019
File ID: 6804
Enactment Number: R-19-0440
WHEREAS, by 1977, the school transportation industry had grown and developed and
Balsera established and founded the Association of Independent Bus Owners ("Asociacion de
Transportistas Independientes`) to consolidate resources and defend independent
transportation companies against an evolving regulatory scheme that threatened their
operations; and
WHEREAS, in the 1980s, Balsera played an active role in the campaigns of
Congressmen Claude Pepper and Dante Fascell, Mayors Maurice Ferre and Steve Clark, and
Commissioner Manolo Reboso; and
WHEREAS, in addition to his appreciation and admiration for the United States of
America, Balsera maintained a deep commitment to restoring democracy in Cuba and donated
personal and professional resources to advance the cause of Cuban freedom and the overthrow
of the Castro dictatorship, including making his fleet available for many Cuban pro-democracy
events and the founding of the Cuban American National Foundation; and
WHEREAS, Balsera's commitment to the Cuban people was equally as passionate and
he used his bus transportation fleet to drive Cuban Refugees who arrived in the Keys during the
Mariel Boatlift from Key West to the City on an overnight basis for several months; and
WHEREAS, Balsera and his wife Esther were responsible for the transportation services
and logistics for many of the City's most important events from the 1970s through the 1990s,
which include the Papal visit of Pope John Paul II, the Miss Universe Pageant, and various
major parades, such as the King Orange Bowl, Martin Luther King Day, and Three Kings Day;
and
WHEREAS, Balsera was highly committed to public education and was president of the
Parent Teacher Association ("PTA") for Henry M. Flagler Elementary, the school that his three
(3) children attended and from where he launched his business; and
WHEREAS, in 1979, Balsera conducted the first PTA meeting in Miami -Dade County
("County") with an English/Spanish translator and later served as countywide Vice -President of
the PTA and raised the funds to furnish air conditioning to Henry M. Flagler Elementary and to
establish the first computer lab at that school; and
WHEREAS, Balsera was a very active member of ASPIRA of Florida, an organization
that began by offering programs for at risk youth that were susceptible to dropping out of school
and joining gangs, donating his bus fleet to send the ASPIRA kids on field trips; and
WHEREAS, in 1983, the Miami Herald recognized Balsera's activism and contributions
to the community by publishing a story with a headline noting that "If Flagami were a City, Julio
Balsera would be its Mayor"; and
WHEREAS, Balsera was a resident of Flagami from 1975 until October 8, 2019, the sad
day that he passed away; and
WHEREAS, after providing forty (40) years of school and related transportation services,
Balsera sold his company and dedicated his retirement to civic involvement, specifically holding
politicians accountable for broken promises; and
City of Miami Page 2 of 4 File ID: 6804 (Revision: A) Printed on: 12/10/2019
File ID: 6804
Enactment Number: R-19-0440
WHEREAS, as an example of Balsera's civic involvement, Balsera traveled to
Tallahassee to confront then Governor Charlie Crist on his campaign pledge that taxes would
"drop like a rock"; and
WHEREAS, in 2011, Balsera led the Hispanic effort to recall County Mayor Carlos
Alvarez for having increased both taxes and staff salaries in the midst of an economic crisis;
and
WHEREAS, as part of the County Mayor recall, Balsera and his wife worked with
volunteers in Little Havana to collect more than 100,000 signatures that resulted in the recall
vote of Mayor Carlos Alvarez; and
WHEREAS, to honor the memory of Balsera, a Cuban American who established the
first of its kind private school bus transportation company in the City in 1967, was known as the
father of the City's school transportation system, and made many notable contributions to the
community, the City Commission wishes to co -designate Northwest 4th Street from Northwest
47th Avenue to Northwest 52nd Avenue, Miami, Florida as "Julio Balsera Way" and to provide a
marker in recognition of the memory of Balsera in the public right-of-way located in the median
at the intersection of Northwest 4th Street and Northwest 47th Avenue, Miami, Florida; and
WHEREAS, the District 4 Commission Office will cover the costs associated with this co -
designation and the installation of the marker;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF
MIAMI, FLORIDA:
Section 1. The recitals and findings contained in the Preamble to this Resolution are
adopted by reference and incorporated as if fully set forth in this Section.
Section 2. Northwest 4th Street from Northwest 47th Avenue to Northwest 52nd
Avenue, Miami, Florida is hereby co -designated as "Julio Balsera Way" pursuant to Section 54-
137 of the Code of the City of Miami, Florida, as amended ("City Code"), with costs associated
with the installation of related signage to be paid for by the District 4 Commission Office.
Section 3. The City Manager is authorized' to cause the placement of two (2) markers in
recognition of the memory of Balsera, one in the Northwest corner of Northwest 4th Street and
Northwest 47th Avenue, and the second at the Northeast corner of Northwest 4th Street and
Northwest 52nd Avenue, Miami, Florida, pursuant to Section 54-136(1) of the City Code, subject
to all applicable permitting requirements, with the costs associated with the installation of same
to be paid by the District 4 Commission Office.
Section 4. The City Clerk is directed to transmit a copy of this Resolution to Rebecca
Sosa, Vice Chairwoman of the Miami -Dade County Board of County Commissioners; the
Departments of Police, Fire -Rescue, and Solid Waste; the United States Postal Service; and, if
a State of Florida road, to the Florida Department of Transportation, District Six, for sign
installation within the newly designated roadways.
' The herein authorization is further subject to compliance with all requirements that may be imposed by
the City Attorney, including but not limited to, those prescribed by applicable City Charter and City Code
provisions.
City of Miami Page 3 of 4 File ID: 6804 (Revision: A) Printed on: 12/10/2019
File ID: 6804
Enactment Number: R-19-0440
Section 5. This Resolution shall become effective immediately upon its adoption and
signature by the Mayor.2
APPROVED AS TO FORM AND CORRECTNESS:
1
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2 If the Mayor does not sign this Resolution, it shall become effective at the end of ten (10) calendar days
from the date it was passed and adopted. If the Mayor vetoes this Resolution, it shall become effective
immediately upon override of the veto by the City Commission.
City of Miami Page 4 of 4 File ID: 6804 (Revision: A) Printed on: 12/10/2019