|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
The first half of 2023 has been incredibly busy and isn’t slowing down anytime soon. I genuinely believe that to whom much is given, much is required, and as long as God continues to guide my steps, I will keep on stepping.
Community Initiatives
One of my latest initiatives, Trolley Talks, has allowed me to engage personally with my residents while familiarizing them with an underutilized service. Many residents were not taking advantage of the trolley service for various reasons, including timing and long routes. I wanted to encourage people to make the best use of this service provided by the City; therefore, I invited our residents for a ride throughout the community while we had candid conversations. I brought a bag filled with topics suggested by our residents, and we discussed them openly. This initiative has increased the trolley ridership and allowed residents to learn more about our community. I intend to hold ‘Trolley Talks’ every quarter.
By the time this newspaper is printed, we would have celebrated the Bahas Reunion during Black Music Month in June. It’s a family-oriented gathering, honoring a community within our City that was developed even before Miami Gardens existed. The Bahas Reunion has become one of my signature events and continues to grow annually.
Looking Ahead
On July 8th, I will collaborate with the South Beach Food and Wine Festival to host “Cooking with Love,” an event exclusively for Miami Gardens seniors. We will also have “Seniors Gone Fishing” on July 22nd and “Cooking with the Councilwoman” on August 5th. Residents are encouraged to register early to participate because these events usually fill up quickly. On September 16th, we will present the Entrepreneurship Experience, which continues to be a successful initiative aimed at engaging and empowering our young people. As the year progresses, I’ll host the annual car show on the 9th of December and a toy drive on the 19th. The car show will be at a new level this year. Residents interested in these programs may contact my office for additional information or sign up for the e-blast on the City’s website.
This year we marked the 20th birthday of the City of Miami Gardens. The 20th Anniversary Celebration was a wonderful occasion. I’ve seen amazing transformations from the early days of 2003 to today. Our current focus is on developing state-of-the-art facilities that will give our City a more modern, 21st-century look. I can already sense how incredible Miami Gardens will become over the next 20 years. I remember when we only had a flea market. Now we have plazas and promenades with more enjoyable amenities and stores for our residents. I’m genuinely excited about the future development and progress for this great City. It’s going to be something extraordinary.
