City of Miami Beach
Office of Commissioner Michael Gongora
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 16, 2007
Contact Information: Diana Fontani
(305) 673-7105
dianafontani@miamibeachfl.gov
Commissioner Gonngora to Push for Traffic Synchronization
Miami Beach, FL--Miami Beach Commissioner Michael Gongora announced that he is calling on County and State officials to initiate a traffic synchronization pilot project on Miami Beach.
"Few things cause greater stress in our daily lives than dealing with bumper-to-bumper traffic," Gongora said. "Properly synchronized traffic signals can reduce congestion on arterial roads during peak travel times. It is a measure well within our reach and our current resources. Rather than reinventing the wheel, let’s begin in our own backyard to ensure that those things within our control are functioning optimally.
Synchronization refers to timing traffic lights to maximize the flow of traffic during peak volume periods.
Commissioner Gongora raised the concept of synchronization at a meeting of the Miami Beach Transportation and Parking Committee held earlier this week. The fourteen-member committee unanimously endorsed Gongora's initiative and urged him to seek County and State approvals as soon as possible. If approved, the pilot project would synchronize traffic signals along Collins Avenue from 41st street to 71st street and on Alton Road from 16th street to 5th street. On the same date that Commissioner Gongora appeared at the Miami Beach Transportation and Parking Committee, he was also the featured speaker at the monthly ART(Alliance for Reliable Transportation) meeting where he outlined his vision for better transportation to connect Miami and Miami Beach.
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MIAMIBEACH
Diana Fontani Martinez, Aide to Commissioner Michael Gongora
OFFICE OF THE MAYOR AND COMMISSION
1700 Convention Center Drive, Miami Beach, FL 33139
Tel: 305-673-7105 Fax: 305-673-7096 www.miamibeachfl.gov
We are committed to providing excellent public service and safety to all who live, work and play in our vibrant, tropical, historic community.
I am working hard for you everyday. Please vote for me.
"The experience we need....a leader we can trust."
Significant Issues Facing Miami Beach
Parking and Transportation Strategic Plan
Issue: Miami Beach is a city packed with approximately 163,000 people and 81,000 vehicles on any given day-all traveling one way or another within 7.2 square miles surrounded by water. The Miami Beach Parking Department is the single largest provider of parking in the city. Over the next few years, parking availability in Miami Beach will grow. In addition to creating more parking, the department has implemented many operational improvements to provide more efficient, safe and cost effective service. I am committed to making parking and transportation issue my number one priority.
Projects: As parking and transportation is my number one priority, I will focus on three categories and ensuring that improvements are made. The three categories I will focus on are:
1) Residential Parking- In an effort to provide residents with adequate parking for personal vehicles, residential parking zones were established in several areas of the city. There are 13 residential zones in effect and nine just in South Beach . To park in these zones during restricted hours, vehicles must display a residential parking permit decal. Year-long residential permits range from $21.40 to $274.20. Residential zones are tow-away zones for those vehicles with the proper decal. I want to investigate further the outline of these zones. If a resident with a residential parking permit cannot find parking with a reasonable distance of their home within their residential zone, and they see some cars without permits parked illegally, they should call the parking hotline. The 24/7 parking enforcement hotline is available to provide information as well as take requests for parking services, including enforcement actions ranging from warnings, to towing of illegally parked vehicles. I would like the community to be more informed of the hotline.
2) Major Events- Park and Ride- In anticipation of reoccurring major events that place additional stress to the already strained parking operations, the Miami Beach Commission passed a resolution declaring a parking emergency in the city during most major events. In doing so, areas that are not zoned for parking, such as Miami Beach High School , can be used to store vehicles. I want to investigate more possible temporary parking locations for major events-
3) Enforcement- The Enforcement Division handles all aspects of the enforcement of parking rules and regulations throughout the city. It also handles traffic flow issues when necessary. I would like to oversee the following two new initiatives:
C.L.E.A.R- Clearing of Lanes, Easements, Alleyways, and ROW (Right-of-way) - is an internal, systematic approach to improving traffic flow and congestion caused by illegal loading and/or double parking in major thoroughfares throughout the city. This task force is a joint collaboration with the Police Department to tackle the challenge of habitual violators, including commercial purveyors that perceive parking citations as a cost of doing business.
T.A.C.C.T- Towing and Customer Contact training is a customer service training program provided to the city’s two towing service providers. I would like to oversee this task force and training program and make sure all the appropriate measures are enacted in a timely manner.
Environmental Strategic Plan
Issue: Despite all of the damage we have caused the environment most of it is reversible. We can restore habitats and return species to them; clean rivers and beaches; renovate buildings; replenish the topsoil, replant trees. However, these activities do not relieve the worst symptoms of the damage. We still have to fix the source of these problems, us and our vision that we must progress.
Projects: I am committed to supporting the environment by implementing these three projects:
1) Environmental Town Hall Meeting- I would like to host a town hall meeting in which issues such as global warming, environmental destruction, environmental health risks, beach preservation and catastrophic weather would be discussed. I would like to invite a celebrity who is an environmental activist and Miami Beach resident to come as a guest speaker.
2) Keep America Beautiful Affiliate City- More than 540 cities, towns and counties in 40 states -- and internationally are implementing the Keep America Beautiful System as certified community affiliates of Keep America Beautiful. I would like the City of Miami Beach to take the necessary steps to become a Keep American Beautiful Affiliate City . The steps for obtaining this consist of completing an application for certification, payment of a one-time certification fee, obtaining community-wide support, hosting a pre-certification workshop, complete Keep American Beautiful Certification requirements, and lastly have a Certification workshop.
3) Recycling Campaign- This campaign would consist of implementation of an educational campaign to increase Miami Beach recycling rates. The campaign would be done in conjunction with local waste haulers and county agencies. It will also consist of distribution of educational brochures, flyers and printed announcements. The program would also consist of implementation of recycling centers and collection bins.
City of
Miami Beach
Office of Vice Mayor Gongora
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Diana Fontani
305.673.7105
Vice Mayor Michael Gongora represents the City of Miami Beach at the Florida Public Officials Design Institute
(Miami Beach, FL)- June 28, 2207- Vice Mayor Michael Gongora was awarded a Certificate of Award in 'Solving Problems Through Design' by the Florida Public Officials Design Institute of Albacoa at Florida Atlantic University. The Institute is dedicated to improving South Florida communities by offering training in smart growth and design.
Vice Mayor Gongora and Dennis Russ of the Miami Beach Community Development Corporation (MBCDC) represented the City of Miami Beach at the conference on June 21 and June 22, 2007. They presented the City of Miami Beach's latest affordable housing project involving The Allen, The Barclay and London House properties located along Washington Avenue across from the Miami Beach Convention Center. Vice Mayor Gongora and the MBCDC sought input and advice from the design experts with regard to: providing innovative affordable housing to address the needs of Miami Beach residents, preserve the integrity of the historic structures, advancing green building design and initiatives, creating a project with the CANDO district to have a positive catalytic impact on the neighborhood and search for additional financial resources. The report from the Florida Public Officials Design Institute is scheduled to be released in late July 2007 and to be presented to the Miami Beach Commission at the commission meeting in September 2007.
“All public officials working to create affordable housing in their communities should consider attending the Design Institute,” said Gongora. “It was very educational to work with a team of experts in many different fields including urban planners, designers, real estate experts, builders and developers and to receive input on how to make this project even better. I was proud to represent Miami Beach and to showcase another great project in our City.”
Vice Mayor Gongora was recently selected as Chairman of the City of Miami Beach's first ever 'green committee' focusing on issues involving the environment. For more information, please do not hesitate to contact Diana Fontani, Aide to Vice Mayor Gongora, at (305) 673-7105 or dianafontani@miamibeachfl.gov
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All public officials working to create affordable housing in their communities should consider attending the Design Institute,” said Gongora. “It was very educational to work with a team of experts in many different fields including urban planners, designers, real estate experts, builders and developers and to receive input on how to make this project even better. I was proud to represent Miami Beach and to showcase another great project in our City.
My overall top priority is to deliver timely, courteous and excellent services to our residents in order to improve the quality of life here on Miami Beach. In the time that I have been in office, I believe that the two pressing issues that need to be addressed are the greening of Miami Beach and reforming the Building Department Process. First, I brought before the City Commission the initiative to start the Green Committee for the City of Miami Beach. The Green committee consists of local experts and community representatives that will help mold the City’s environmental policy. I will be the Chairman of the Committee and the liaison to the City Commission.
Secondly, I have been closely monitoring the Building Department Process Focus Groups that are being conducted by the City of Miami Beach and also working closely with the Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce and their Building and Permits Committee. I am evaluating all this input and will reform the Building Department Process.
Last, parking and transportation continue to be a big concern of mine and one that I am also monitoring and working on diligently. Ultimately the solution to both of these problems is better public transportation that will cause a decreased need for parking and allow for transportation to flow through our streets.
| Feature |
| Life on the Outside |
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For Convicted Sexual Offenders and Predators, Prison Is Only the Beginning of a Very Long Sentence
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By Bonnie Schindler
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“In reference to [this] particular case, most likely the courts would not make an exception or be lenient due to the age of the child,” said Miami Beach Vice Mayor Michael Gongora. “He is a child molester, and sexual offenders are extremely likely to use physical violence and to repeat their offenses.”
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The law created a 2,500-foot buffer zone around places where children congregate. Due to the excluded zone’s size, the law effectively bans registered sexual offenders from living anywhere in the city. Recent reports have cited a handful of ex-offenders now living under the Julia Tuttle Causeway, Gongora said, as there appears to be nowhere else to legally put them.
Gongora said there is a housing problem for sexual offenders, and while he supports a residential mandate, he said it needs to be a “more realistic approach.”
Each time there is “another horrible sex crime [the public] will scream for even stricter guidelines, or [ask] to have all sexual offenders sent to an island in Alaska,” said Gongora — a suggestion that Elke says is “not a joke, as it was proposed by someone from Homeland Security.”
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63rd Street Flyover & Bridge Projects
March 21, 2007
Roadway Night Work
Please note that bad weather or other unforeseen circumstances could impact this schedule.
Put Safety First!
Your safety is our highest priority.
Please remember to drive carefully through any construction zone. - Seek alternate routes whenever possible. - Obey all traffic signs and watch for Electronic Message Boards that provide you with important project information. - Pedestrians and bicyclists should stay away from any construction area.
For more information, please contact Ural Morris, Public Information Specialist 786-489-0389.
Starting on April 1, 2007 the contractor will begin applying the final asphalt friction course for Indian Creek Drive, (State Road A1A). The night work will take place from 9:00PM to 6:00AM for approximately seven to eight consecutive days.
NBDC