AN ORDINANCE OF THE MAYOR AND CITY COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA, AMENDING CHAPTER 82 OF THE CODE OF THE CITY OF MIAMI BEACH, ENTITLED "PUBLIC PROPERTY," BY AMENDING ARTICLE VI, ENTITLED "NAMING OF PUBLIC FACILITIES AND ESTABLISHMENT OF MONUMENTS OR MEMORIALS," BY AMENDING SECTION 82-503 THEREOF, ENTITLED "NAMING OF PUBLIC FACILITIES; CO-NAMING AND RE-NAMING OF STREETS," BY AMENDING SUBSECTIONS (C)(1)(A) AND (C)(2)(A) THEREOF TO PROVIDE ADDITIONAL CRITERIA AND PROCEDURES FOR THE CO-NAMING OF STREETS, PROVIDING FOR REPEALER, SEVERABILITY, CODIFICATION, AND AN EFFECTIVE DATE.

Approve the Ordinance and a motion accepting the Neighborhood/Community Affairs reccomenendation. 

BACKGROUND

Pursuant to the request of Commissioner Michael Gongora, an item was referred to the Neighborhood/Community Affairs Committee (NCAC) at the April 11, 2018 City Commission meeting. The item concerns the potential co-naming of a street in North Beach for Rabbi Mayer Abramowitz. Rabbi Abramowitz was the spiritual leader of Temple Menorah for 45 years. The referral to NCAC included a discussion of an amendment to Section 82-503(c) of the City Code which would be required in order to allow for this potential co-naming of a City street. 

At the May 22, 2018 NCAC meeting, the Committee recommended that the City Code be amended to allow for this purpose. The proposed attached Ordinance would amend the City Code to allow City streets to be co-named for a deceased person who served as the spiritual leader of a prominent religious institution in the City of Miami Beach for 35 or more years.

In order to co-name a City street in honor of Rabbi Mayer Abramowitz, a spiritual leader in the Miami Beach community for 45 years, the adoption of the limited, additional co-naming criteria set forth in the proposed Code Amendment is required.

Should the City Commission adopt the proposed Ordinance amendment, a resolution of the City Commission recommending the co-naming of a street in North Beach for Rabbi Abramowitz would be required. If the co-naming is approved by 5/7ths vote of the City Commission, a copy of the resolution of the City Commission recommending the co-designation of a street in North Beach for Rabbi Abramowitz would need to be submitted to the County for approval by the Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners and authorized for new street signs to be manufactured and installed at the City's cost.  If the street to be co-named is a State Road under the jurisdiction of the Florida Department of Transportation, the co-designation will require approval from the State Legislature in addition to Miami-Dade County approval.

This proposed Ordinance Amendment is not anticipated to have a fiscal impact in and of itself.  Should the City Commission approve this Ordinance Amendment, a subsequent City Commission Resolution would be required for the co-naming of a street in North Beach for  Rabbi Abramowitz. That Resolution, once approved by the Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners, would have a fiscal impact consisting of the costs of fabricating and installing the new co-naming street name signs on the street to be selected by the City Commission.  The final cost will depend on whether the new street name signs will be internally illuminated street name signs (installed on traffic signal mast arms) or static signs installed on poles.