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Hello Miramar,
With pride and accomplishment, I call on Miramarians to celebrate my twentieth anniversary as a commissioner in our fair city.
It was in early March 2003 that I was elected to serve as the occupant of seat three, and this has been a journey.
The pride I share is not merely for having won six elections but having done so against, sometimes, four contenders for the office and yet being victorious by large margins.
Yet I am proudest that these twenty years have been a journey of service. In the first few months in office, I urged our police department to undertake a never-before-offered service; that of providing a drug remnants test for residents who had recently purchased a previously owned motor vehicle, simply because one can never be sure about what use the car was put by the previous owner. As I explained, no one wants to be stopped by a patrol officer at two in the morning and have the canine officer respond to any illegal remnants in your car.
I am most pleased that our Marketing department has helped us remind the public that this service is offered.
Why is this special? This program came to fusion from a discussion with a resident of Miramar.
Fast forward to our incredibly successful 3rd Annual Kite Festival on March 25, 2023. Estimates suggest there could have been as many as 6-7 thousand attendees in the park for this event. We handed out 2-thousand free kites to children who had a wonderful day at our Regional Park, a first for most of them, considering their ages. This idea was initially a suggestion from a kite enthusiast associate.
This event’s success marks several accomplishments that I am convinced are of significance. The events that attract FAMILIES! After all, if we are not providing activities that our residents can attend as families, we might just be missing a significant component of our community.
I have been a part of the dramatic growth in a city that increased from approximately 98 thousand to the estimated current 140 thousand residents.
What is essential, however, is that the city has been able to supply the needs of our residents and business partners in grand fashion and to the satisfaction of most who reside and work in Miramar, more so than any municipality in South Florida. The simple reason for that is the incredibly dedicated staff at all levels of the City Miramar.
My fervent hope is that the growth across the city will slow. We cannot afford to lose any more open spaces, and it is time for the significant redevelopment of the historic section of Miramar, with no gentrification whatsoever.
I salute our city.
Commissioner Barnes.
