During a meeting on Jan. 14, Mari Gallet, outgoing executive director of the Business Improvement District (BID) of Coral Gables, was given a proclamation by the City of Coral Gables recognizing her many achievements with the organization over the past nine years and her impact on improving downtown Coral Gables.
Mayor Jim Cason thanked her for her dedicated service and cited some of Gallet’s achievements including:
• Branding “Downtown Coral Gables & Miracle Mile” as an upscale, sophisticated dining and shopping destination, attracting the best restaurants and retailers.
• Pioneering a self-funded centralized valet parking system which has served as a model for other cities.
• Creating Coral Gables Restaurant Week, Taste of the Gables, Battle of the Chefs Giralda under the Stars, “Wine, Walk & Shop on the Mile,” and more branded events.
• Creating an award-winning website and social media presence with millions of annual views and interactions. In her time the BID added outdoor billboard advertising, TV commercials, radio, and Web advertising. If not for the BID, none of this advertising and promotion focused on Downtown Coral Gables would exist.
Under her leadership, the BID was “reelected” twice by the property owners. Its charter sunsets every five years requiring a vote of at least 50 percent of property owners.
