By Bari Auerbach
In keeping with goals to make Sunny Isles Beach even greater, initiatives promoting public good and welfare were on the agenda at the Nov. 18 City Commission meeting.
The productive evening featured a premiere showing of the city’s new historical film “From Sandbar to Sophistication” chronicling the remarkable metamorphosis of Sunny Isles Beach – now heralded as “Florida’s Riviera.” But considering the City Commission keeps passing proactive resolutions and ordinances, the film may have to be continually updated to keep pace with all the progress…
‘Greater Services’
At the Nov. 18 City Commission meeting, Miami-Dade Commissioner Sally Heyman had good news to report about the construction status of the Sunny Isles Beach fire station. “We’ve found a solution under state law for relocating existing mangroves,” she said.
Heyman also expressed appreciation to St. Mary Magdalen Church for facilitating interim trailers and Commissioner Gerry Goodman for his liaison services. “We’re looking forward to a larger facility to accommodate [the city’s growing] population…expanding the fire station is our mutual priority.”
Greater “high-tech” services are also becoming a reality in Sunny Isles Beach. Thanks to a resolution passed at the Nov. 18 City Commission, residents will now be able to conveniently access a plethora of city information via a public Internet mapping service.
Calvin Giordano Associates will be providing application development and web
hosting for the mapping services. Phase I includes deployment of the public mapping service via the city’s website www.sibfl.net.
Assistant City Manager Doug Haag reported, “The city previously had a custom built public Internet mapping application developed by Calvin Giordano Associates (CGA). The service was temporarily discontinued in 2006. A huge cost savings for the city can be achieved by contracting CGA to enhance and re-launch the existing site which is still housed on their server.
“This type of service is provided by most municipalities in South Florida and greatly benefits both residents and visitors in that it enables access to important and useful information.”
The service enables users to view and print information and maps about their community and/or individual property such as tax roll and parcel data, aerial photography, bus stop locations and schedules, beach access locations, parks locations and flood zone data - to name just a few. Maps and information about our new school will be provided and also information about municipal parking availability and restrictions.
Tax roll data will be updated monthly to reflect correct property ownership and the addition of new addresses from our multiple high rise development projects as they near completion.”
“Now that the city has created its own GIS Department, an additional sizeable cost savings of approximately $35,000 will be experienced due to the fact that all data creation and maintenance will be provided by in-house staff as opposed to outsourcing as had been done previously,” Haag reported..
“The community has much to gain from a quality internet based mapping service by empowering the public and providing alternatives to calling city offices to find many types of common and useful information. Keeping Sunny Isles Beach on the cutting edge of technological advancement will ensure we are among the top municipalities in efficiency and public service.”
‘Greater Development’
The west side of Collins Avenue at 168th Street will soon be enhanced by a newly constructed commercial retail building (replacing the existing Washington Mutual Bank) following City Commission approval of a site plan presented by RK Associates.
Assistant City Manager Jorge Vera reported, “The applicant is not requesting any
variance under the code and is providing sufficient parking on the site…The existing entrance and exit will be maintained and the applicant is providing new landscaping as well as an easement in the front of the property which will be used for the purpose of the future installation of streetscape items in conformance with the vision of the City of Sunny Isles Beach.”
At the Nov. 18 City Commission meeting, the issue of optimal development was also addressed. Currently, although the City of Sunny Isles Beach cannot totally prohibit adult entertainment uses due to Constitutional free speech, City Attorney Hans Ottinot explained the city’s Land Development Regulations {LDR’s}can specify where adult entertainment establishments are allowed to be located (or re-located in the case of Thee Doll House at the gateway to the city on Sunny Isles Boulevard).
On Nov. 18, an ordinance passed on first reading amending the city’s LDR’s to designate the west side of Collins Avenue within the city’s Town Center district as the preferable location for adult entertainment venues. If the ordinance is passed on second reading, Thee Doll House could have up to five years to relocate.
According to a report by Ottinot, “The purpose of this ordinance is to ensure that the city’s zoning code is consistent with the law and to provide a designated area for the location of adult uses.
“The Town Center district is intended to attract regional businesses…It is the more appropriate district for adult entertainment uses. However, since the Town Center district encompasses both existing residential as well as serving as the entranceway to the city, additional locational restrictions will be necessary to adequately protect the city from the negative secondary impacts of adult entertainment uses.
“This additional protection will take the form of distance limitations between adult entertainment uses and such incompatible uses as schools, child care centers and religious institutions. Additional protection will be achieved by limiting the location within the Town Center to parcels with direct frontage on Collins Avenue - limiting the uses to the more intense commercial areas of the city.”
In response to objections relating to case law made by attorneys representing Thee Doll House (suggesting proprietors would prefer upgrading the establishment’s exterior over moving) Mayor Norman S. Edelcup noted, “You’ll still have opportunity [before the second reading of this ordinance on Dec. 18] to get your points across.”
‘Greater Amenities’
While residents of all ages are already “exercising” their right to have fun at the city’s new Pelican Community Park, exercising for fitness will soon be yet another park perk. At the Nov. 18 Commission meeting, a resolution agreement with Gym Source was approved for the purchase of a variety of both cardio and strength workout equipment including a product new to the market – an elliptical recumbent bike offering a full body workout while seated. Other machines include two treadmills, one recumbent bike, one elliptical strider, free weights and workout stations.
Community Center members will be able to start using the equipment within six weeks (from Nov. 18) when installation is expected to be completed.
When it comes to “gourmet amenities,” shoppers at the new Epicure market on 170th Street and Collins Avenue will be able to personally savor or give a gift of spirits since the City Commission granted Epicure permission to sell beer, wine and liquor.
City staff reported, “The applicant’s business is not detrimental to [nor does it] endanger
the public health safety or general welfare of the city…The applicant is operating an upscale, café market that provides certain amenities to its customers. The proposed use is consistent with the community character.
“With respect to the distance requirements for alcoholic beverage establishments, the City Code provides an exemption to grocery stores for the sales of beer and wine. The exemption does not include the sales of hard liquor…The applicant is requesting permission to sell hard liquor within the exemption.
“Staff has reviewed the applicant’s request and does not object to the request because [it is not] detrimental to the community. Moreover, the applicant’s place of business is not adjacent to or near a public school.”
‘Greater Improvements’
On Nov. 18, the City Commission approved contracts with Florida Power & Light for undergrounding utility lines for the third phase of the undergrounding project for the entire city. Phase 3 of the undergrounding of the utility lines is the Atlantic Isles community. According to Assistant City Manager Jorge Vera, “The undergrounding of this section will take place together with the sewer and drainage improvement project. Upon FPL energizing the last generator in this section, all residences must convert to the underground system within six months.
“Until everyone that is affected under this project changes service to underground. the overhead poles will remain. If residences do not change their services to underground, the city will lose the credit it is receiving for undergrounding.”
The City Commission also passed a resolution approving an agreement with Luke’s Sawgrass Landscaping, Inc. for landscaping services on Atlantic Boulevard – from the south side of 182nd Street to 183rd Street, the seawall corner at the north side of the Sunny Isles Beach Community School and at Pelican Community Park. Landscaping modifications will also be made along 172nd Street with a mix of Medjools and Royal Palms plus increased ground plantings including a landscape screen element at parking lots so cars traversing 172nd Street will be hidden from view.
‘Greater Transportation’
If you’ve ever wondered if you missed the city’s shuttle bus - or it just didn’t come yet, now the City of Sunny Isles Beach will be able to let you know. At the Nov. 18 City Commission meeting, a presentation was made outlining the capabilities of a new GPS system that will be used to keep track of the city’s five shuttle buses.
Susan Simpson, director of the city’s Cultural and Human Services Department was happy to report, “Last fiscal year, our buses traveled over 100,000 miles and transported 95,813 passengers with zero accidents…we’ve had a steady increase [of passengers] since we started the program…We’re able to provide a better, more customized service than Miami-Dade transit because we can go into the ‘back roads’ where the condos are.”
Commissioner Roslyn Brezin pointed out that increased ridership on the city shuttle buses may also be attributed to the fact that some condos have eliminated their own bus transportation services.
The GPS system will enable the city to monitor shuttle bus locations and speed. The information can be stored for up to 90 days and is regarded as “a wonderful tool that will be a great asset to Sunny Isles Beach for bus drivers as well as city residents and visitors.”
‘Greater Safety’
At the Nov. 18 City Commission meeting, Police Chief Fred Maas endorsed the City Commission’s approval of a resolution facilitating an agreement with the Miami-Dade County School Board for police mutual aid.
The Florida Mutual Aid Act grants the City of Sunny Isles Beach and other participating agencies the authority to enter into mutual aid agreements in order to ensure that
law enforcement agencies will be prepared to adequately address any and all conditions to protect public peace and safety; and to preserve the lives and property of the public of the City of Sunny Isles Beach as well as participating Miami-Dade County municipalities.
The City Commission also approved the expenditure of budgeted funds in the amount of $53, 838.60 to Sungard Public Sector, Inc. for an annual service agreement to include technical support and software upgrades for the Police Department’s computer system.
The state-of-the-art computer system provides the Police Department with a Computer Aided Dispatch CAD System Records Management System, RMS Mobile Computing Terminals and a Mobile Field Reporting system - software solutions proven to be the leader in public safety software in Miami-Dade County as well as many other cities and states throughout the country.
The annual service agreement with Sungard will provide annual software upgrades as well as technical support throughout the year.
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