HISTORY:
in 2018, the Mayor's Blue Ribbon Task Force on Memorial Day Weekend spent several months in discussing initiatives to enhance both the safety and cultural vibrancy of activities on Miami Beach during Memorial Day Weekend. The Task Force recommended providing cultural programming to include a potential gospel concert, spoken word event, welcome center, and other low impact activity throughout the City.
At the February 23, 2018 meeting of the Finance and Citywide Projects Committee, the Committee recommended funding this cultural programming in the amount of $100,000, which was subsequently approved as part of the FY 2018/19 operating budget.
Prior to the Memorial Day Weekend, the City invited key stakeholders and residents to engage in an open dialogue, titled Unity in the Community, to share how to make Memorial Day Week welcoming to all residents and guests, address and ease perceived cultural differences in the community, and explore how to have a safe, fun and pedestrian friendly weekend that compliments the Air & Sea show.
During the 2018 Memorial Day Weekend, despite the rainy weekend and the cancelation of the Mayor's Basketball Game and Junkanoo, the following events were produced successfully and well received: Welcome Center at MDPL, Sunday gospel choir performance, poetry reading, jazz performance, movie screening and youth poetry slam.
During the September 2018 City Commission meeting, Commissioner Arriola proposed continuing the cultural programming and $100,000 funding for Memorial Day Weekend 2019 with execution of the cultural programming by Ruban Roberts. Mr. Roberts had previously been co-chair of the Mayor's Blue Ribbon Task Force on Memorial Day Weekend in 2018.. The City Commission approved and referred the item to the Finance and Citywide Projects Committee.