In response to issues raised by the Mid-Beach Neighborhood Association, I would like to place on the March 27, 2023, agenda a referral to the Finance and Economic Resiliency Committee (Finance Committee) to discuss ownership, repairing broken sidewalks, and address flooding in the area of Miami Beach Drive between 24th and 29th Street and in particular that portion of Miami Beach Drive east of Club Atlantis Condominium between 25th  and 26th Street.

Secondly, I would like to discuss in general landscaping and maintenance issues in the area. Currently, the City does not perform landscape maintenance along Miami Beach Drive.  In accordance with Section 126-16 (d) of the City Code, the maintenance of the vegetation in the swale/right-of-way is the responsibility of the adjacent property owner up to the edge of pavement for the travel lanes or the centerline of the right-of-way if no travel lanes are present. Since many of the adjacent properties own both the land immediately east and west of Miami Beach Drive, they often have similarly designed landscaping features that tie their residential property in the west to their amenity property in the east, so their landscapers would treat both sides of Miami Beach Drive as one property to be serviced. Since this area has historically been maintained by the adjacent property owner, this area is not on the City’s landscape maintenance contract, however, thousands of residents from all areas of Miami Beach use this pedestrian promenade and therefore the City should assume maintenance responsibility.