OLD BUSINESS  6.

COMMITTEE MEMORANDUM

HISTORY:

On November 9, 2018, the City of Miami Beach unveiled its LGBTQ rainbow crosswalk at the intersection of 12 Street and Ocean Drive.

On December 12, 2018, City Commission referred a discussion to establish a monument/commemorative plaque at the rainbow crosswalk located at 12 Street and Ocean Drive to the Neighborhoods/Community Affairs Committee (“NCAC”).

At its January 28, 2019 NCAC, the Committee referred the plaque design, verbiage and placement to the LGBTQ Advisory Committee (the “Advisory Committee”). The item was deferred at the March 2019 NCAC meeting to grant the Advisory Committee additional time to determine design and placement.

ANALYSIS:

A rainbow crosswalk on Ocean Drive and 12 Street has been an iconic testament to the City of Miami Beach’s LGBTQ community and a proud symbol of the urban island’s commitment to inclusiveness and equality, since 2014. The temporary rainbow crosswalk was re-striped annually, until the City unveiled a permanent rainbow crosswalk installation in November 2018, which now features a dynamic display of colored boxes, reflective of Miami Beach’s Art Deco history.

Following the unveiling of the permanent installation, the City expressed a desire to capture the significance of the rainbow crosswalk with a commemorative plaque.

Based off the LGBTQ Advisory Committee’s recommended verbiage, Administration proposes the plaque read as follows:

“The Rainbow Crosswalk, dedicated on November 9, 2018, was designed using the pastel color palette that Leonard Horowitz (b. 1946 - d. 1989), the co-founder of the Miami Design Preservation League and an openly gay man, created for the Art Deco District. The rainbow flag design celebrates Miami Beach as a diverse and inclusive city and salutes the many LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer +) people who worked for decades to preserve and revitalize this unique historic community.”

As for the design and placement, the Advisory Committee recommended that a freestanding plaque be installed within the boundaries of Lummus park.

Exhibit A presents the 12”x12” cast bronze plaque on a precast concrete pedestal design. The estimated cost for the design, fabrication and installation of the 12”x12” plaque is $1,347.00. Additionally, the estimated cost for the fabrication and installation of a 4-foot tall precast concrete pedestal, which the plaque would be installed onto, is $3,500.00. Ongoing maintenance, including monthly pressure washes or repairs as needed, runs at an estimated annual cost of $216.00 including labor.

If approved, funding for the plaque and construction of the pedestal would need to be identified.

Pursuant to Section 82-504 of the City Code, a public hearing must be set to consider the placement of the commemorative plaque and direct the City Clerk to publish the appropriate public notice. At the close of the City Commission public hearing, the approval of the proposal requires a 5/7ths vote. Unless expressly provided otherwise in the City Commission Resolution approving the monument or memorial, the approval shall establish the presumption that the City shall assume the costs associated with the ongoing maintenance of the approved monument or memorial.

As required in Section 82-504 (2)(a) of the City Code, the person recognized on the plaque is in good standing in the community.

CONCLUSION:

Committee recommendation on the design, verbiage and placement of a commemorative plaque at 12^th Street and Ocean Drive.