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Community Focus
As your Vice Mayor, one of my key concerns is improving the aesthetics of the City. Leslie Estates is a community where we have made tremendous progress in home improvement. Their homeowners’ association was no longer functioning, and we helped them to reorganize. Based on that reorganization, discussions include transferring the roads to the City to have drainage systems installed, potholes fixed, and other beautification activities in that area.
I am also proud to be leading the effort to regroup the Women’s Commission established by our first Mayor, Shirley Gibson. About 300 women between the ages of 18 and 80 convened to discuss our various priorities. The conversation was incredible, and a presentation will be made to the City Council with recommendations from the advisory group.
I have been working with Councilman Robert Stephens on the Higher Education Initiative, bringing educational elements and vocational training into the City of Miami Gardens. Betty T. Ferguson Recreational Complex, located in my district, has been identified as the venue where vocational courses from our college and university partners will be offered.
The City continues to make progress on the renovation projects under the General Obligation Bond (GOB) program. Improvements are underway at Brentwood Park, and Lester Brown Park is almost completed, for which the grand openings should take place in the summer.
The City’s annual Juneteenth celebration occurred on June 17th at the Hard Rock Stadium. There cannot be any missed opportunities for us to record and relive our historical accomplishments and to establish the importance of freedom, liberty, access, and inclusion for the next generation. These are values we cannot take for granted.
Looking Ahead
Our second annual Pre-Jamaican Independence Day celebration in late July will be an opportunity to showcase the rich soccer culture within our community and build connections for the upcoming FIFA World Cup, coming to Miami Gardens in 2026.
The Street Fair and Marketplace was on a brief hiatus but will return soon with a new and improved focus.
One of the events close to my heart is the Orange Blossom Classic, returning to Miami Gardens for the third year in September. This event, featuring Florida A&M University and Jackson State University, both historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), brings together a parade, a battle of the bands, kickoff parties, and a vibrant atmosphere for the people who come from all over the state to participate. As the largest Black City in Florida, we must preserve and embrace our unique character.
Miami Gardens is one of the most politically and educationally savvy communities in South Florida. If we continue to have the same successes we’ve had in the past 20 years, in the next 20, we will continue to shine brightly on the hill.
