At the October 13, 2021 City Commission Meeting, at the request of Commissioner Mark Samuelian, the Mayor and City Commission approved a referral (C4 E) to the Public Safety and Neighborhood Quality of Life Committee (“PSNQLC” - then known as the Neighborhood and Quality of Life Committee) to discuss the ability of the City’s residents to obtain up-to-date information regarding all pending criminal cases being prosecuted by the State Attorney’s Office. The intent was to have an opportunity to have a constructive conversation and secure recommendations that would permit such information to be provided to residents.

A Commission Memorandum was prepared by the City Attorney’s Office, dated October 31, 2021 highlighting the significant undertaking to accomplish the initiative. A discussion was held at the March 7, 2022 Neighborhood and Quality of Life Committee meeting. The item was slated to return in June 2022 after discussion among Communications, the Police Department and Commissioner Samuelian on highlighting important cases. The item lost its sponsor and was picked up by Mayor Meiner (then Commissioner Meiner).

The item was heard at the April 17, 2024 PSNQLC and moved to the full commission for further discussion with the item’s sponsor regarding the intent and vision of the item.

In response to parallel conversations since 2021, the Miami Beach Police Department (MBPD) added a section to the Department website with links to the Miami-Dade Clerk of Court, which is the repository of all information on statuses, dispositions, and dockets for all cases, defendants, and courtrooms. Additional statistical reporting and transparency information initiatives are being undertaken as part of open commission items.

The direct links on the Department website can be accessed by visiting https://www.miamibeachfl.gov/yourmbpd/services/ under the services tab. The expanded menu is depicted below:

Due to the substantial effort to build and maintain a secondary database, the Administration does not recommend building a platform to provide the same information provided by the Clerk of Courts. Since the City of Miami Beach is not the repository for the original data and, without a mechanism for automation, the Police Department would only be able to provide delayed information obtained and directly copied from the Clerk of Courts.