By: Kelly Mallette
Just this week, the state of Florida announced $404 million
in flooding and resilience grants (http://publicfiles.dep.state.fl.us/CAMA/FRCP/Resilient%20Florida%207.14.21%20Resources/Resilient%20Florida%20Grant%20Program%20Awards%20Fiscal%20Year%202021-22.pdf). A
bipartisan vote on the 2021 state budget demonstrated a bipartisan commitment flood
prevention and resilience throughout our state and provided communities with
unprecedented access to funds to address such needs.
The list includes over $160 million for Miami-Dade County - funds for dozens of projects for the County as well as cities both large and small. Included in these awards were funds for our closest neighbors: Miami Shores and El Portal. Miami Shores received $1.0 million for its Bayfront Park Seawall Elevation project and the Village of El Portal received $926,962 for its El Jardin Storm Water Improvements. Guess which community is notably absent from this list? That’s right… the Village of Biscayne Park. I don’t know whether or not our community even put in an application for said grant, if they did not, it begs the question, why? Don’t we have a need to address flooding in our community?
Now, now, I can probably predict what the response to my inquiry will be…we don’t have the money for matching funds, we don’t have the staff to write such a grant.
Well, that response does not hold much water for me. Approximately 15 years ago, the Village of Biscayne Park voted to support a professional manager form of government. As voters, we were told professional management would improve our Village and that a professional manager would be able to apply for grants and we would see progress like we had not seen in decades. Early on, with Village Manager Ana Garcia, we did see some progress. Renovations to park facilities and later, a new administration building. The new admin building is nice, but did it do anything to increase your property values? When that was approved, we were told that the Log Cabin could be rented out for events and that would raise funds and we would be able to use those revenues for other city improvements. That never happened.
Of course, while Biscayne Park still cries poor, revenues have grown over time – without doing much. That is because our taxable values have grown. So, even if we don’t increase the millage, we are getting more money simply because homes are selling for more. That does not include additional revenues from permits and redevelopment of existing properties. Now, I know our expenses have grown too and that’s the case for everyone. Who is working to find efficiencies? On the occasions that I have asked, I am always given a list of all the things the administration needs to function better. What about the residents? Who is putting us first?
The resilience grant is not the only one we won’t be getting. For several years, the state Legislature has fully funded the Florida Recreation Development Assistance Program (FRDAP) small project grant list. The FRDAP grant is for recreation and the small development grant provides $50,000 for projects, no match required. Does anyone think we could use $50,000 for our park? What about some of our larger medians that are, in many ways, passive parks? Could any of those use $50,000 for irrigation, lighting, trees, benches?
Here’s some improvements that I think should be considered. Some are urgently needed.
- Flood control on many, many streets
- Road paving (anyone driven down 121st Street lately, between 6th and 7th.
- Tree trimming. I have seen occasions where trees in the median have overgrown into resident properties.
- Reimagining of our park – our ball field is nice, but it’s not used much. Lots of places have pickle ball courts – they are gaining in popularity. Has that been considered? How about new play equipment, or programming? These thoughts may not be what the residents want, but is anyone exploring what they do want?
I would imagine those reading this, my neighbors, probably
have some thoughts about improvements as well.
We need to demand more – more effort and more accountability. It’s been too long since we have seen progress.
Kelly,
ReplyDeletePlease send your post to the manager, Mario Diaz (villagemanager@biscayneparkfl.gov), and all five elected officials. Here's a link to those email addresses: https://www.biscayneparkfl.gov/index.asp?SEC=4516B002-1F29-4888-ADCE-C9AF6D27752C&Type=B_LIST. Posting this message on social media does not put your concerns on public record. I know of only one other commissioner who checks in on Fred’s blog, which has a limited reach altogether.
Some items are underway (grant writer and priorities, resiliency study, Rec Center improvements), but you wouldn't know because the village does a terrible job at communicating what's being worked on. Please attend Tuesday's commission meeting (in person or via Zoom, link at the bottom of this response) to support my agenda item about reporting (at meetings and to the public) so we (residents) can hold commissioners (me and four others) accountable for holding the manager accountable. We have many balls in the air but very little communication back about those items, which causes the frustration I hear in your words. Please attend and "demand" the accountability that you write about when all five elected officials and the manager are in the public meeting. Your concerns are fair and your demand is reasonable.
To your last sentence: There is great progress in many areas about which you may not be aware. I would love to see you at meetings regularly to engage with us publicly, where you can rightfully demand the list above and much more. If my request for better reporting succeeds on Tuesday (listen for the "micromanaging" concerns of other commissioners), you'll also be able to better engage with us outside of meetings.
What this village could use, as much as anything else, are residents that engage at a higher level than posting on social media, then disappearing from view. That wasn't meant to be a bitch slap by any means ... just as fair a commentary about residents as you're making about elected officials and staff. Apathy allows for the disfunction about which you’re complaining. BP will benefit from informed criticism.
Mac Kennedy, one of your five commissioners who would appreciate the benefit of your brain.
Mac,
DeleteKelly sent me this post to publish for her, but I suggested she should accept an invitation to be a guest author, so she could publish it herself, which she did. My main comment to her was that she might have considered a more attention-getting title. And she still might. I told her how to edit posts.
I didn't really intend to comment, but your comment moves me to do it.
You might be very right that "the Village does a terrible job communicating what's being worked on," and you do say repeatedly that a number of things are being worked on. But I would draw your attention to your comment about Kelly's last sentence. Kelly didn't ask if anyone was working on anything. She wants results. Ones anyone can see: "It's been too long since we have seen progress." So do I.
Ana Garcia did a great job of imposing much better economy in the Village. Kelly's concern about the Administration building (and presumably the log cabin renovation) was that she's not sure it increased anyone's property value. She might be right about that. But they improved Village functioning. So I, for one, appreciate Heidi Siegel's work on those very substantial projects.
After a few years of no meaningful management, in a few cases with managers who did not even have minimum qualifications, we settled on Mario Diaz. I don't know, as you remind, what Mario is doing. I don't know what he might have up his sleeve. But I know what he hasn't done. We can all see what he hasn't done. It's very rare that I have found myself disagreeing about anything with Roxy and Chuck Ross. They thought Mario's resume looked extremely promising. I didn't. Thus far, I think I was right.
The Village has enough money, with rising revenues, as Kelly points out, to accomplish something. We're not doing it. Progress is not being seen.
Fred
Fred, attend Tuesday and support my item about reporting and accountability. As long as we don't know what's actually going on around here, we can't really complain about what is/isn't happening. Perhaps you'd prefer other things be happening, but things are most certainly happening.
ReplyDeleteYes, I'd prefer other things be happening. I'm tired of taking no for an answer. It wouldn't make me feel better to have someone claim they're working on it.
DeleteKelly asked a simple question in her post: did anyone apply for the available state grants that would have allowed us to improve ourselves? The answer is either yes or no. No one cares how busy everyone was. As Kelly pointed out, our revenues have been rising. If Mario claims he's too busy, he can hire a helper, as Heidi did.
The issue, as Kelly clearly stated it, and you highlighted, is that "it's been too long since we have seen progress." No song and dance substitutes for the absence of progress.
I should attend or tune into a meeting to hear Mario's excuses why not, or what he will claim is in the pipeline? No, I have better uses for my time.
Fred
Thanks for reading and responding Commissioner. I appreciate your commitment to the Village, but I don't think the solution to this is reporting and accountability. We are either applying for these things or not. The reason I posted this here, rather than send an email to the manager and commission is because I wanted my neighbors to be the first to know my thoughts. I don't think my attendance at a Village meeting will improve any of these things. Lots of people don't attend Miami Shores or El Portal meetings, and somehow they make progress and improvements. Why can't BP do the same?
ReplyDeleteMac,
ReplyDeleteLet me put this a slightly different way. Mario doesn't have to report and be accountable to me. He has to report and be accountable to you. I didn't hire Mario. You did. If "I'm working on various things," or "the check is in the mail," is good enough for you, but nothing happens, and available grants are not applied for, either you will have to take this up with Mario, or you'll hear about it in 2024.
Just to reiterate one example, when I was most recently a Foundation member, and I insisted Mario install the brick pavers for which money had been raised, and which had been approved by a prior Commission, Mario first alleged reasons not to move forward, then stopped bothering even to communicate with me about it. (At that moment, he had a responsibility to communicate with me. He didn't do it.) I realize you acknowledged that communication is a weak link, but it's also true that no action was taken.
You're Mario's boss. I'm not. This is between you and him. He has a responsibility to you, and the Commission has a responsibility to the residents of the Village.
Likewise, it's great that you're honing the driveways and swales Ordinance. But since 2006, it's been the job of the managers to enforce whatever Ordinance we already have. They haven't done it. What good does it do to have an even more comprehensive Ordinance if we're not going to enforce it anyway? I will remind you that in 2016, we hired a new manager, and she had relatively extensive experience with Codes. That's why we hired her. It's true that Tracy Truppman aborted this hiring, but the intention was to enforce the Codes, apart from the other things a manager has to do. If we're not going to enforce them, then why do we need them? And in a comment beneath a recent post, Drew Dillworth pointed out the Village doesn't even enforce Codes on Village property.
All of these things are the basics that a manager has to do. I don't care if the manager can play the clarinet, or ride broncos, or if he has lots of things in mind. I have always said that managing BP is a comparatively easy gig. Someone who knows a little bit about municipal management just has to have enough intention to do it. And if they do, it will make a lot of difference to those of us who live here.
Fred