On December 18, 2023, pursuant to a request by Commissioner Suarez, the Miami Beach Police Department (MBPD) deployed a portable camera trailer to the parklet located at the 1400 block of Lincoln Road in order to monitor the seawall in that area for mooring and illegal activity.
On December 26, 2023, Commissioner Suarez requested the Department explore the cost of installing a permanent camera and equipment at Lincoln and Bay Road. Additionally, Commissioner Suarez requested a cost estimate for cameras along the Collins Canal. Upon receiving this request, Chief Jones directed the Department’s Technical Services team to obtain cost estimates for the work and equipment.
Over the following few weeks, City staff scheduled walk-throughs, site surveys, and held meetings with City-approved contractors, vendors, and suppliers. Quotes and estimates were obtained for the work needed to accomplish this request. The cost estimates and a map of the proposed sites were provided at the February 21, 2024 Commission meeting.
In January 2024, the request to the Department for cameras was expanded to include all the seawalls from the Julia Tuttle Causeway to 5th Street. A separate request was also made to cover seawalls and parklets from Belle Isle to the McArthur Causeway. These estimates would require significantly more work and staff time to complete. The Technical Services team had at this point dedicated significant time to completing the first request, which comprised the Lincoln Road parklet and Collins Canal. Prior to exploring additional cost proposals, the Department furnished the Commission with the cost estimate that was completed for the initial request with two options:
Option 1 – Wireless Connectivity – The cost for completing this project with wireless connectivity is approximately $256,680. Network connectivity under this option would be via a combination of cellular air cards and/or microwave network connections based on the specific characteristics of each site. Each site would operate independently under this option and none of the sites would connect to each other via physical network cabling. Sites that operate on cellular air cards may experience varied performance based on carrier network traffic, weather conditions, and other circumstances beyond our control.
Option 2 – Fiberoptic Connectivity – The cost for completing this project with a fiberoptic backbone is an additional $225,000 for a total of $481,680. This is the preferred option as this would entail each of these cameras be connected to each other, creating a robust network segment which can then be tied to our existing fiberoptic network for the most reliable and consistent connection. Eventually, this segment can be tied in to the fiberoptic network at the West Avenue, Alton Road and Maurice Gibb Park fiberoptic network projects. We always try to capitalize on individual projects by expanding the citywide fiberoptic network wherever possible. This project would be no different. If this option is undertaken, this camera segment would initially be connected via microwave until such time as the other fiberoptic projects reach it, whereupon it would be patched into the new fiber segments described above without the need for additional funds to complete the work at that time.
These estimates included both options to provide financial context to the Commission on expanding the scope of this project(s) and associated financial impact(s).
At the February 21, 2024 City Commission meeting, Commissioner Suarez expressed his desire to have cameras monitor general activities for code violations and criminal behavior along all the seawalls and parklets. A discussion regarding cost estimates provided being excessive was held in conjunction to another camera-related item. The use of consumer-grade retail products such as Arlo or Ring as a potential alternative or lower-cost solution was discussed, something the Department and Administration would not recommend. The City of Miami Beach camera system uses high-quality, robust, commercial-grade cameras, switches, and networking equipment designed to integrate with the city’s enterprise-level video management system (VMS). The VMS server and storage architecture was built in conjunction with the I.T. Department to be secure, stable, and scalable to nearly unlimited video streams. The system exists as it does today because of the previous failures of consumer-grade CCTV systems operating independently throughout the city in years past.
Commissioner Suarez indicated cameras could be mounted on the rooftops of a few nearby buildings in order to provide an overview of city seawalls. The Department has indicated this is a viable potential solution which has been utilized in a few other locations throughout the city. However, installation on private property requires additional work, including rooftop lease agreements.
The operational costs of these agreements can vary depending on a multitude of variables; some existing rooftop public safety lease agreements range in the area of $15,000 to $35,000 per building per year. These installations may be complicated by specific building design and roof structure. Despite this, the Department welcomes the opportunity to look into potential sites with the understanding that private buildings, although generally receptive, are under no obligation to agree and the final costs will only be known when the agreements are negotiated.
An elevated vantage point is primarily used for general situational awareness and has limitations due to the distances and angles of the recorded video. Some of the challenges with this type of installation are visual obstructions such as foliage and weather. If directed, the Administration will explore the possibility of strategic rooftop lease agreements for subsequent consideration by the Commission.
Lastly, the Department’s team, through their professional experience, recommended maximizing the initial request in the interest of enhancing public safety by ensuring each camera location had multi-purpose use. The sites along the canal were specifically selected to provide the most flexibility and broadest operational use of the cameras at each site. Using multi-sensor cameras, the proposed sites would be able to simultaneously cover roadways, sidewalks, the waterway, and seawalls. This is the standard approach to city-wide camera projects to utilize public dollars most efficiently on each project.