I would like to have a discussion with my colleagues regarding the expansion of sanitation efforts throughout the City, including enhanced enforcement of ordinances that require property owners to maintain their properties clean.
The City of Miami Beach is committed to ensuring the health and well-being of its residents and visitors, and the maintenance of clean and sanitary residential areas and commercial zones is crucial for the overall health and safety of our community. Proactively addressing and preventing potential health hazards is of paramount concern. For many, cleanliness is also a matter of civic pride.
In addition to health and safety concerns, the presence of litter on private and public property (including rights of way) is inconsistent with the high standard of living Miami Beach residents should enjoy and the level of cleanliness our visitors should expect. Expanding and enhancing sanitation efforts throughout the City would improve the overall quality of life for our residents and the overall experience for our visitors.
As insignificant as they might seem, gum stains on sidewalks and other high-traffic zones, public gathering areas and spaces with historical or cultural significant are of particular concern because they give the improper impression that Miami Beach lacks civic pride. I propose that the City implement a pilot, semi-annual gum stain removal program.
Section 98-166 of the City Code requires property owners and/or occupants to maintain their properties in a clean and litter-free manner. This includes adjoining sidewalks, grass strips, alleys up to and including the median point of the alley, curbs, swale areas or rights-of-way up to the edge of the pavement of any public street. I would like to know more about how this Section of the Code is enforced. Property owners need to play a prominent role in our clean-up effort.
The Director of Public Works has prepared some preliminary estimates of costs to implement certain enhancements that he will share with the Commission. In addition, the appropriate representative(s) from the Code Enforcement Department should be prepared to preliminarily address the budgetary implications of implementing enhanced enforcement efforts relating to Section 98-166 and similar City Code provisions.