Consistent with the City of Miami Beach’s (the “City”) successful planning efforts for past Memorial Day Weekends, the City has prepared for the 2021 Memorial Day Holiday Weekend to take place Thursday, May 27, 2021 through Tuesday, June 1, 2021.  The City anticipates that the number of visitors and tourists during the Memorial Day Weekend will significantly strain City resources.  The City’s management team, as well as various City departments, including Parking, Code Compliance, Public Works, Sanitation, Tourism, Culture and Economic Development, Fire/Rescue, and the Police Department will work through the weekend during various shifts, to provide executive level support and oversight.  During Memorial Day Weekend 2021, the City will host a number of events including the National Salute to America’s Heroes Air & Sea Show, which will utilize a large footprint in the vicinity of Ocean Drive.  Historically, the City has played host to more than 100,000 Memorial Day guests, visitors, and spectators on Miami Beach during the Memorial Day Weekend holiday.  As a result, enhanced and increased staffing is necessary across departments to ensure resident and visitor safety and to protect quality of life, and essential City employees will be expected to work in excess of 12 hours each day throughout the weekend.

Loews Hotels & Co. would like to donate thirteen (13) standard hotel rooms, at their Miami Beach location, to help reduce travel time and keep essential City managerial employees readily accessible during the weekend, which have a total value of $7,700 for the use of the hotel rooms.

The City Administration recommends that the City Commission approve and authorize the City’s acceptance of the donation of hotel rooms, and authorize the City Manager to assign such rooms to City management staff working during the Memorial Day Weekend high impact period.