On November 9, 2016, the City Commission passed and adopted Ordinance No. 2016-29650 which provides that streets, or portions thereof, may be co-named in honor of deceased persons who achieved international acclaim as a world champion in a sport and whose sports career associations with City facilities or other structures are of historical value or significance to the City. The new co-naming criterion has a six (6) month sunset provision.
Pursuant to the request of Mayor Philip Levine, Convention Center Drive is requested to be co-named as “Muhammad Ali Way” pursuant to subsections 82-503(c)(1)(a)(vi) and (c)(2) of the City Code. This request was referred to the Neighborhood/Community Affairs Committee (NCAC) at the November 9, 2016 City Commission meeting under agenda item C4L and was submitted to the NCAC for its consideration and recommendation at the November 18, 2016 NCAC meeting.
Pursuant to the City Code, a co-naming request under the new criteria shall first be considered and reviewed by the NCAC (“Committee”) according to the following procedures:
· Any person, organization, association, corporation or other entity, including a member of the city, may propose that a street be co-named, by submitting the request in writing to the Committee. At a minimum, such request shall include the following:
o the street, or portion thereof, to be co-named
o the proposed co-name of the street, or portion thereof
o the reason for the request
o if the proposed co-naming is requested pursuant to subsection 82-503(c)(1)(a)(vi), a factual summary confirming the world champion status and sports career of the person and the associations of the person’s sports career with City facilities or other structures that are of historical value or significance to the City
Additionally, the City Code provides that within a reasonable time after receipt of the request, the NCAC shall meet to consider and review same. After reviewing the request, the NCAC shall transmit its recommendation to the City Commission regarding the request.
Within a reasonable time after receiving the recommendation from the NCAC, the City Commission shall hold a public hearing regarding the co-naming. Notice of the public hearing was duly published pursuant to Resolution No. 2016-29650. At the close of the public hearing, the City Commission may approve the request. The co-naming of a street, or portion thereof, must be approved by a 5/7th vote of the City Commission.
Additionally, pursuant to Miami-Dade County Code, following City Commission approval of the street co-naming, the City Commission Resolution must be formally transmitted to the Board of County Commissioners for approval of the street co-naming and for fabrication and installation of the new co-naming street name signs (at the City’s cost).
Muhammad Ali (born Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr.) passed away on June 3, 2016; and, during his lifetime, he achieved international acclaim as a world champion in boxing. Muhammad Ali’s boxing associations with the Miami Beach Convention Center and the Fifth Street Gym are of historical value and significance to the City. Muhammad Ali was an American professional boxer and activist, and he was widely regarded as one of the most significant and celebrated sports figures of the 20th Century. From early in his career, Ali was known as an inspiring figure both inside and outside the ring. Ali was born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky, and began training as an amateur boxer when he was 12 years old. At age 18, Ali won a gold medal in the light heavyweight division at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, after which he turned professional later that year.
Ali trained at Miami Beach’s 5th Street Gym on Washington Avenue for his 1960’s fights. At age 22 in 1964, Ali won the World Boxing Association (WBA) and World Boxing Council (WBC) heavyweight titles from Sonny Liston in an upset at the Miami Beach Convention Center in one of the landmark moments in sports history. Muhammad Ali returned to the Miami Beach’s 5th Street Gym for workouts occasionally during the 1970s.
Muhammad Ali remains the only three-time lineal heavyweight champion, having won the title in 1964, 1974, and 1978. Between February 25, 1964 and September 19, 1964, Ali reigned as the undisputed heavyweight champion. He is the only boxer to be named in The Ring magazine “Fighter of the Year” six times. He was ranked as the greatest athlete of the 20th century by Sports Illustrated and the Sports Personality of the Century by the BBC. ESPN SportsCentury ranked him the third greatest athlete of the 20th century. Nicknamed "The Greatest", he was involved in several historic boxing matches. Notable among these were the first Liston fight; the "Fight of the Century"; "Super Fight II"; "Thrilla in Manila" versus his rival Joe Frazier; and "The Rumble in the Jungle" versus George Foreman.