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This past quarter, we have done some great things, and have made some great progress as a city. On May 11, 2021, we broke ground on Bunche Park, one of the parks we promised to renovate under the General Obligation Bond. The new Bunche Park is truly a remarkable sight, especially when we remember what it used to look like. It is going to be a great place for our kids to come and play as it features some wonderful amenities like an indoor track, a playground, a beautiful football field, and alternative sports. We also broke ground on Cloverleaf Park on June 21. The groundbreaking celebrates the first phase of the construction of a new recreational building, basketball court, and parking lot.
Over the past year, we have worked hard to provide meals to our residents, and this past quarter, we continued feeding those in need through our partnership with Feeding South Florida. Additionally, we acknowledged some of the students in our city during our June 9 council meeting, as they continually shine and rise to meet the call of excellence. Students from Miami Norland and Miami Carol City Senior High partook in the I Am Ministries Black Heritage Knowledge Bowl, and it was our honor to provide each participant with a small token of our appreciation. Additionally, eight students from Miami Norland Senior High participated in the Aspen Challenge and created Progressors Over Poverty, which focuses on empowering the community through love, connecting those in need with resources, and increasing financial literacy. The youth in our city continually amaze us, and we want to continue support the amazing ways they engage our community.
One of my personal favorite activities this past quarter was our Senior Fishing Trip. I love fishing, so this was the perfect way for me to have fun with Miami Gardens Seniors. We spent a Saturday morning in June having lunch outdoors and enjoying being out together, while staying safe. In light of this past year, it was important to me to do something for our seniors that would they could enjoy without worrying about the risk of COVID.
We know that some residents are apprehensive about Formula 1 (F1) racing coming to our community; however, the race was still going to be taking place in our city at the Hard Rock Stadium, under the authorized uses allowed by Miami-Dade County. Nevertheless, we wanted to ensure that we as a city garner some economic benefits for our residents, and that we addressed their concerns as best we could. This lead to us negotiating, and voting to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), with Hard Rock Stadium (HRS) and South Florida Motorsports, LLC, and producing a benefits package that will provide substantial economic and community benefits and opportunities that directly support City residents and businesses, and agreements to address resident concerns (you can see the details of this partnership and its benefits to the City on Page ______). We wanted to make sure the City’s needs were heard and accounted for, and I believe we did just that. I will say that I am somewhat disheartened that after all of our efforts to work out the best possible solution to the race coming to the City, some residents still could not see how this was not only the best solution, but this was an outcome that brings economic benefits and opportunities to Miami Gardens. I hope that they can reflect on that truth, and join in the festivities when the race comes next year. On a more positive note, I was glad to see how the Stadium has been working to engage the community, and help ease their fears through events like their F1 Community Watch Party that took place on May 23, 2021. This was a time for the community to come out and see an actual race, get an idea of what that will look like when it comes next year, and ultimately see it is not something we should fear. It was a joy to see many of our residents join that party and have a good time. I can only hope that the actual race next year will be even more exciting for the community.
Topics (Pictures for Each):
Cloverleaf Ribbon Cutting 6/21
Fishing Trip 6/12
Honoring Students at Council Meeting 6/9
Feeding South Florida
Bunche Park Ribbon Cutting 5/11
F1
