At its December 1 regular meeting, the Miami Lakes Town Council selected seven residents and one sitting lawmaker to serve on the town’s Charter Revision Committee, which is tasked with scrutinizing the document to determine if any changes are needed.
Serving on the committee are Roberto Alonso Jr., picked by Councilmember Frank Mingo; Ramiro Inguanzo, selected by Councilmember Nelson Rodriguez; Claudia Luces, picked by Councilmember Ceasar Mestre; Mirtha Mendez, selected by Councilmember Manny Cid; Joshua Dieguez, picked by Councilmember Tony Lama; Dr. David Bennett, chosen by Vice Mayor Tim Daubert; and George Lopez, selected by Mayor Michael Pizzi.
As mayor, Pizzi tapped Mestre to serve on the committee as a non-voting member.
The group will get down to business 45 days on or before Friday, January 15, 2016.
The group will comprehensively review the town’s charter, and submit any changes to the Town Council no later than October 1, 2016.
In other town news:
• Lawmakers gave their initial approval for an ordinance to provide improved and more clear regulation of nonconforming uses, structures and site improvements.
• Council members, on first reading, approved an ordinance to replace the town’s traffic concurrency regulations with a mobility fee system that will fund multi-modal transportation improvement and encourage development that better mitigates impacts on the transportation system.
If approved on second reading next month, the measure would replace traditional traffic concurrency with a mobility fee system that would be more fair, effective and efficient than the existing system, and would take account alternative modes of travel, consistent with the council’s direction in the recently-adopted Strategic Plan.
• Lawmakers, on first reading, approved an ordinance to extend the town’s lien amnesty program’s application deadline in cases where a building permit to correct violations has been issued, but the permit has not yet been closed.
The town’s lien amnesty program has been very successful, with 177 applications and more than 100 applications finales so far.
The deadline set for full compliance with the program is December 18, 2015. At this time, there are several cases in which amnesty applications were timely filed and in which building permits have been issued for work needed to reach compliance, but, for reasons beyond control of the property owners, the permits cannot be finales by December 18.
• Council members tabled a zoning site plan for a conditional use for a small private educational facility at 15050 N.W. 79 Court. The Graham Companies is leasing space to Agmus Ventures for a private college called Ana G. Mendez University.
• Council members approved Mayor Michael Pizzi’s motion to postpone the vote because representatives of the company were not present to answer lawmakers’ questions about the proposal, including parking issues.
• Lawmakers approved a resolution to authorize the town manager to write-off noncollectable false alarm fee/fines, as part of the town’s Miami Lakes Alarm Reduction Program.
The write-off applies to fines less than $50, accounts associated with former town residents or businesses, fines associated with a governmental agency, and Barbara Goleman High School, fines older than three years and fines reported noncollectable by Penn Credit Corporation. The total write off for the current fiscal will be not be more than $5,000.
• Lawmakers approved a resolution to accept a $300,000 award from the Legislative Appropriations Budget consisting of a green agreement between Miami Lakes and the state of Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) for Lake Sarah Drainage Improvements, consisting of an exfiltration trench drainage retrofit within the neighborhood.
• Lawmakers approved Councilmember Tony Lama’s Canopy Creation and Protection Act, which would give Miami Lakes a more uniform standard for trees throughout the town.
Lama’s proposed legislation instructs town staff to look into creating a tree standard ordinance for Miami Lakes for the future, including trees in the public right-a-ways and swale areas.
• Lawmakers approved Councilmember Ceasar Mestre’s Public Safety Campaign and Neighborhood Outreach Program dubbed “Hide It, Lock It or Lose It.” Mestre said although Miami Lakes has a “very” low crime rate, vehicle burglaries are prevalent.
He said with help from the town’s Public Safety Committee and the town’s police, the outreach program can help residents reduce their chances of being a victim by locking their car doors and not leaving valuable items in the vehicles visible, such as laptops, iPads, purses and wallets.
• Lawmakers approved Lama’s recommendation to make Miami Lakes a golf cart friendly community to help alleviate the severs traffic condition in the town.