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Palmetto Bay Mayor Karyn Cunningham gave her State of the Village Address on Thursday, Nov. 18, at a new location, Westminster Christian School, 6855 SW 152 St.
The site, filled with a capacity crowd, was chosen because an indoor location was needed due to expected rain that would have made the patio outside Village Hall unsuitable.
Danielle F. Spiegelman, senior director of advancement at Temple Judea and a Palmetto Bay resident, emceed the event. The Presentation of Colors was executed by members of Miami-Dade Fire Rescue, after which the Children’s Voice Chorus of Palmetto Bay sang the National Anthem. The invocation was done by Rev. Wynemah K. Hinlicky, Pastor of St. Thomas Lutheran Church in Palmetto Bay.
Present were Mayor Cunningham; Vice Mayor Leanne Tellam, and Councilmembers Patrick Fiore, Steve Cody and Marsha Matson. Guests included State Rep. Vance Aloupis, Miami-Dade County District 8 Commissioner Danielle Cohen Higgins, Cutler Bay Mayor Tim Meerbott and Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava.
“We are all here because we salute Palmetto Bay,” said Mayor Levine-Cava, a village resident. “Palmetto Bay is really an extraordinary place to live, to raise a family, to enjoy the beautiful parks, to get to know the people. Any great place is about great people. And truly this is the friendliest place I’ve ever lived.”
Mayor Karyn Cunningham thanked Mayor Levine Cava, later presenting her with a Key to the City.
“So good evening to all,” Mayor Cunningham said. “Tonight is a time to not only celebrate our 20 years of Palmetto Bay talent, but to look ahead to the exciting ways our village is moving forward.
“And most importantly, to me, it’s an opportunity to publicly offer our sincere thanks to those who unselfishly gave of themselves to support the Village of Palmetto Bay. They are your friends and your neighbors, your family members and your loved ones. And many of these individuals are here with us tonight.”
Mayor Cunningham presented a number of awards to people and organizations in the community, recognizing them for their efforts.
The Pay It Forward award went to Eric Eichenberg, the CEO of the Everglades Foundation, accepted on his behalf by Jennifer Diaz. The second honoree was Taylor Moxie of the Taylor Moxie Foundation. Project Lendahand was next, the award accepted by the co-founder, A.J. Piraeus.
The next award was the Palmetto Bay’s Got Talent Award, which went to Palmer Trinity School and Westminster Christian School. Then came the Xavier Cortada Power of Art Award, which went to Dana Pezoldt of the Art Advisory Board. The Gasparo Champion for Children Award went to Representative Vance Aloupis.
The third annual Small Business Award, now named the Larry and Colleen Barfield award, went to both Chamber South and the Palmetto Bay Business Association.
“I am proud to say that, even during a worldwide pandemic, Palmetto Bay opened almost 100 new businesses,” Mayor Cunningham said.
She spoke about the pandemic and how so many people in the community pulled together to help. She described the village’s two new apps, “Connect” and “Street by Street,” designed to help residents and village government communicate with each other. She spoke about the Lunch and Learn for Small Business meeting and a community wide survey.
There was a video presentation dedicated to the night’s theme, “Palmetto Bay’s Got Talent.”
The event ran for approximately two hours, and was also live-streamed on Facebook and YouTube.
