Item Coversheet

NEW BUSINESS  30.

COMMITTEE MEMORANDUM

TO: Public Safety and Neighborhood Quality of Life Committee Members


FROM:
Alina T. Hudak, City Manager


DATE: March 20, 2024


SUBJECT:

DISCUSSION REGARDING THE COLLECTION AND MAINTENANCE OF COMMERCIAL PROPERTY OWNER CONTACT INFORMATION.


HISTORY:

This item was referred to the Public Safety and Neighborhoods Quality of Life Committee (PSNQLC) at the June 28, 2023 City Commission meeting and is sponsored by Mayor Steven Meiner.

 

The purpose of the referral is to discuss whether the City currently maintains, either through the BTR process, the vacant storefront registry and/or another mechanism, a comprehensive list of commercial property owners in the City and their respective contact information.

ANALYSIS

The City of Miami Beach currently maintains several databases with comprehensive owner and/or business contact information. The lists currently maintained by the City are summarized below:

 

1.  Utility Billing System:

 

The City currently manages its utility services utilizing the EDEN ERP comprehensive utility billing and account management software. This software maintains a database of 10,100 utility accounts, of which approximately 2,100 are commercial customers.

 

The database maintains parcel/folio and owner name for each utility account, consisting of owner name, physical and mailing addresses, telephone number, and email address.  Utility accounts, by City Code, are opened in the parcel owner’s name, and could be utilized as a source of landlord information.

 

2.  Business Tax Receipt (BTR), Certificate of Use (CU) and Annual Fire Fee (FIRE) Database:

 

The City maintains a database listing the nearly 7,000 businesses physically located within its City boundaries. The EnerGov software maintains a database of business names, contact information, physical and mailing addresses, telephone numbers, and email addresses.

 

Landlords of strip malls and office buildings are required to renew their annual BTR, CU, and FIRE for their businesses, commonly referred as to a “Shell BTR.”  Owner information, particularly Shell BTR data, can be readily provided to the Economic Development Department.

 

The City currently publishes business names and addresses via an online Business Directory. The information that is published is the business name, address, and business type.

CONCLUSION:
In addition to the databases mentioned above, the Miami-Dade County Property Appraiser maintains an online property search engine, which maintains the owner’s name and mailing address for each property located in the County, and more specifically for each address within our City limits. Additionally, individuals and businesses desiring to lease commercial/retail properties also have the use of online search engines for vacant storefronts as well as realtor websites.

The Property Appraiser’s website, along with our own City databases, are readily available resources for researching commercial property in the City, with respective owner contact information.

Access to the City databases can be given to our Economic Development team which is dedicated to fostering a robust economy that stimulates growth by connecting businesses, community, people, and jobs through business assistance and resources. Any prospective lessees may reach out to the City, and Administration will provide available landlord owner information expeditiously.

Applicable Area

Citywide
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 
ATTACHMENTS:
DescriptionType
Commission Referral - 6/28/23 - C4YMemo