Commissioner Fernandez placed a referral to the Public Safety and Neighborhood Quality of Life Committee (PSNQLC) on the October 18, 2023 City Commission Meeting agenda to provide an update on the Barclay Plaza police watch and safety enhancements. 

 The Miami Beach Police Department (MBPD) has and will continue to work closely with multiple City departments to maintain and secure the Barclay Plaza building as well and as reasonably as possible. This is carried out all the while keeping in mind the principles of crime prevention through environmental design principles as it applies to lighting, foliage and various other environmental factors.

The Facilities Management Division regularly repairs the perimeter fence at the property as well as any compromised window openings. Additionally, the screen on the east side of the fence was recently replaced with a screen featuring a decorative graphic pattern. Facilities Management is currently working with the City’s Electrical Contractor to install additional solar-powered, wall-mounted light fixtures to enhance lighting levels on the parcel.

In addition, and over the course of calendar year 2023, the Department has deployed an increasing amount of police resources to conduct watch orders at this location to deter and prevent unauthorized entry. The frequency of these watch orders was tripled in late October 2023 to an hourly check by a police officer.

In total, in 2023 MBPD officers checked on the Barclay Plaza location 729 times. In late 2023, the Department amended the hourly checks to two to three times per shift. Since implementation, checks have yielded two arrests with four separate charges. One arrest was homeless related. The arrest charges were listed as: Trespass/Construction Site/Posted Sign (2), Resist w/o violence (1) and Trespass property/after warning (1).