I would like to refer the above-referenced item to Public Safety and Neighborhood Qualify of Life Committee (the “Committee”) to consider the co-naming of 9th street located between Ocean Drive and Bay Road in honor of former City of Miami Beach Commissioner Nancy Liebman, along with any amendment to Section 82-503 of the City Code that may be required to accomplish the naming.
Nancy Liebman has been a force of nature in her roles as City Commissioner, preservationist, and activist. While she may be best known in Miami Beach for the eight years she spent on the City Commission and for her tireless work with historic preservation, she also co-founded the only city-wide resident's advocacy group, Miami Beach United, in 2012, where she served as president for a number of years.
Nancy’s first brush with historic preservation came in 1978, when, as a Miami Beach Parent-Teacher Association president, Nancy became involved in a fight to protect the Leroy D. Feinberg Elementary School in South Beach from demolition. Saving that architecturally notable old school put her in contact with Barbara Capitman, founder of the Miami Design Preservation League (“MDPL”). Nancy joined MDPL and became fascinated by the pioneering movement to preserve South Beach’s unique Art Deco architecture. It was thanks to the efforts of MDPL that the South Beach Art Deco district was designated as a National Register District in 1979, and, in 1992, when Nancy was MDPL Executive Director, the League was able to convince the Miami Beach City Commission to designate the entire one-square mile area of South Beach as a local historic district, giving it additional protection under local preservation laws.
In 1986, Nancy also successfully advocated for, and got the Board and City to agree despite a previous 6-1 vote against, adding a Historic Planning seat on the City’s Planning Board.
Nancy was first elected to the Miami Beach City Commission in 1993, where she served until 2001 as she continued to support historic preservation.
When the Miami MiMo Biscayne Boulevard Historic District was designated in 2006, Nancy and a few other preservationists realized that Upper East Side residents could use their help. The MiMo Biscayne Association was formed in 2007, and Nancy served as president for years, (leading in a number of enhancements which continue to be implemented to this day) until she stepped down to serve on the Miami Beach Historic Preservation Board from 2016 through 2022.
I respectfully submit that Nancy Liebman is worthy of our consideration for a naming opportunity to mark her many contributions to civic life and historic preservation in Miami Beach, and I urge my colleagues to support this item.
Please note that pursuant to Rule 9.02. of Section 2-10.2 of the Code of Miami-Dade County, proposed naming, renaming or co-designation of Miami-Dade County roads for any elected municipal, county, state or federal official is permitted as long as the public official is not currently serving, or has served in any elected office, within the last five years, therefore there should be no obstacle to making this happen expeditiously.