| | | | | | | | | TO: | Neighborhood and Quality of Life Committee Members |
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| FROM:
| Alina T. Hudak, City Manager
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| | DATE: | September 20, 2021
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| | SUBJECT: | DISCUSSION REGARDING A STATUS UPDATE ON CRIMINAL ACTIVITY OCCURRING NEAR THE JEFFERSON AVENUE PROPERTIES ABUTTING MERIDIAN COURT, AND THE CITY’S APPROACH TO ADDRESSING THESE ISSUES. |
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| | | | | | | | HISTORY:
| Commissioner Steven Meiner placed a referral to the Neighborhood and Quality of Life Committee (NQLC) on the July 28, 2021 City Commission Meeting agenda to request an update from the City Administration regarding the properties located at 745, 755 and 761 Jefferson Avenue (collectively, “Meridian Court”), and the City’s efforts to ameliorate the criminal conduct and nuisance behavior at these locations.
The intent of the item is to provide an opportunity discuss and recommend remedial measures and assist the City in developing a template or model for the City to follow in similar issues in the future. |
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| | | | | | | | ANALYSIS
| The City and the Miami Beach Police Department (MBPD) have received numerous complaints concerning criminal activity at the Meridian Court addresses related to the sale of narcotics, human trafficking, firearms violations and additional Code violations. The Department with the assistance of the City Attorney’s Office have been working proactively with the Code Compliance and Building Departments to remediate the ongoing issues.
As a result of the City’s efforts, the property owner has implemented certain corrective actions to decrease the illicit behavior and nuisance activity, including instituting an eviction proceeding, providing notice to all tenants that illegal conduct and nuisance behavior will not be tolerated, enhancing lighting, minimizing the surrounding landscaping/vegetation, and granting MBPD the authority (as authorized representatives of the properties) to communicate an order to depart the property.
Beginning on February 1, 2021, Area Captain Matias implemented dedicated crime mitigation and prevention initiatives to curtail the criminal activity that was occurring in Flamingo Park Area to specifically include Meridian Ave, Meridian Court and Jefferson Ave between 5th and 8th Streets. Undercover operations in the area conducted by narcotics detectives are ongoing with directed patrols conducted by all three shifts on a daily basis.
Additionally, MBPD has established a working partnership with several Flamingo Park area residents who have unofficially assumed the role of a crime watch-like group. The residents have been actively observing neighborhood activity and immediately report any illegal criminal activity they witness. The residents’ assistance has been of great benefit to the enforcement operations at the Meridian Court addresses and have provided numerous leads that have led to arrests related to subjects that live and frequent the location for the purpose of illicit narcotics purchase and use.
As depicted in the included statistics, 76 arrests have been carried out throughout the Flamingo Park neighborhood since enforcement began with 28 arrests, 2 rescued human trafficking victims, 5 recovered firearms and 3 search warrants having been served by MBPD narcotics detectives and the SWAT Team specifically at the Meridian Court addresses. |
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| | | | | | | | CONCLUSION:
From February 1, 2021 when measures began to be implemented to mitigate criminal activity to present, the City has seen improvement in the form of reduction of narcotics activity from the Meridian Court addresses. The MBPD with the support of the City’s various departments will continue to maintain constant patrols in the Flamingo Park Area and to work with neighborhood residents to ensure that changes are permanent and a model to reproduce at any other location in the City that may find itself in a similar situation.
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| | | | | | | | | Is this a "Residents Right to Know" item, pursuant to City Code Section 2-14? | | Does this item utilize G.O. Bond Funds? | | | No | | No | |
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| | | | | | | | Strategic Connection
| | Neighborhoods - Prevent and solve crime for residents and visitors. |
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