Mayor Manny Díaz

State of the City Address, 2003

Good afternoon, my fellow citizens, Commissioners, Chief Administrator, Mayors, elected officials, Consuls, city employees, and other distinguished guests, I welcome you to the City of Miami.

Before I begin, I would like to pause and recognize the men and women of our armed forces who are engaged in the war in the Persian Gulf, especially the 22 city employees currently serving their country, and whose families we have invited to join us here today.  We owe them all a great debt of gratitude and our thoughts and prayers are with them for a prompt and safe return.

I also want to recognize a young man who joins us here today.  You may remember his story from last year......having arrived from Cuba only 4 years prior, accepted into Harvard, but without the funds to pay for his tuition.  Many of you heard our call for help, and this past year he has braved the cold northern climate of New England.  I am proud to report that he is carrying a three point six average and is writing his first book. Miguel personifies the American Dream and our entire city is proud of his accomplishments so far.  Ladies and Gentlemen please recognize Miguel Argüelles.

It is fitting that we gather just a few steps from the newly renovated City Hall – a building that represents the vision of those whose dreams and aspirations would take Miami into the future. 

As we peeled back the layers of history, our City Hall revealed not only a story of Miami’s past, but of our future, as this was the original gateway to the Americas.

While air travel today is fairly commonplace, at that time, it represented a new frontier, fraught with trepidation and insecurity – yet, it was the pioneering spirit that has always represented our city that took them forward.

Today, we stand here, on that foundation of hope built by those men and women who were not afraid to take on new challenges, and we look into the future with our own dreams and aspirations of what Miami should be – and the Miami we are shaping.

It was merely last year that we gathered here under different circumstances.

I had been mayor for 5 months and we faced enormous challenges – a city not fulfilling its potential, not providing for its citizens, mired in instability, with a lack of vision and leadership.

We laid out a vision toward progress, placed upon our shoulders the needs of our city, and emboldened by a spirit of ingenuity, we set out a new course to change business as usual, to quash mediocrity and to raise expectations. 

As with any attempt at progress and change, we have been faced with those who doubt that progress can be made – the guardians of the old ways who fear change and progress.

When faced with such people, I am reminded of a man who faced many challenges, more so than most people, our thirty-second president, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, whom at the height of World War 2, from this spot took off to Morocco to meet with Winston Churchill. 

FDR was not afraid of going forward, he was not afraid to try new things.  He in fact once said, “It is common sense to take a method and try it. If it fails, admit it frankly and try another. But above all, try something”

We are not afraid of trying - we are not afraid of changing business as usual and of creating a Miami that serves as an example for all others to follow.

We said last year that we would put our house in order, and make neighborhood investment a priority.  And we are doing it.  Today I can proudly tell you that the state of our city is one of rebirth and renewal.

Our blueprint for the future called for first putting our house in order, bringing integrity and respect to the way our city is run, and restoring our citizen’s faith in the government that is meant to serve them.  And while all of us owe a debt of gratitude to those employees who have served the City for many years, it was absolutely imperative that we changed the way we operated by discarding the old ideas of government structure, replacing them with a private sector model that trims bureaucratic bloat and increases the efficiency with which the city operates.

Our new team has been hard at work.  Miami was once a city that lay in financial ruin, governed by a board of overseers.  In re-assuming control over the fate of our finances, we set out to improve the financial condition of our taxpayers through meaningful tax relief.  Our current millage rate is the lowest it has been in the past 50 years. But we will not stop there.  Last year’s rate reduction combined with our proposed reductions over the next four years will save our taxpayers up to 21 million dollars.

For the first time in 8 years, our city re-joined the bond market, had its bond rating improved 4 separate times, saved over three million dollars in annual refinancing charges and issued $155 million in new bonds.  And in order to save for a rainy day, our reserves increased by $32 million during 2002, and now total $119 million.

As a result of our successes in promoting economic development, we had a 13% increase in our tax base last year.  This year, we may very well reach another double-digit increase. We have become more aggressive in identifying additional revenue sources.

However, those of us who serve the public must recognize that the money government spends is not without limit, it comes from the hard work of our taxpayers.

As such, our focus has been and will continue to be on operational savings.  Millions have already been achieved or identified through the elimination or consolidation of departments and positions.  We are also streamlining government by introducing efficient technology and E-government solutions, injecting a new culture into the services the city provides. 

Despite these efforts, we are at a financial crossroad.  We cannot, nor should we continue to expect double digit increases in our tax base.  And there will be a limit to what can be cut without affecting the delivery of services to our residents.

Fact is, no business...public or private, can guarantee its long-term financial health, when its personnel costs exceed 80% of its revenues.

Today all of us are paying the price for those who in the past mortgaged the future of our city.  I do not want to be a part of this legacy of runaway spending and mismanagement.  The time to act is now. 

Our challenge is to not merely balance the budget during our terms in office.  Rather, we must create the framework for balanced budgets for future generations of Miamians.

Solving this critical problem will require an extensive analysis of our current structure. As such, our City Administrator will immediately begin setting in motion a comprehensive analysis of our compensation, benefits and pension programs. In this effort  I look forward to the input and assistance of our new Labor Management Council, under the leadership of Commissioner Teele.

While working to put our house in order, we also focused our attention on an ambitious neighborhood agenda – recognizing that for too long, our neighborhoods were neglected. Our residents pay for and expect reliable and efficient services.  Our primary responsibility is to make all of our neighborhoods safer and better places to live.

After years of neglect, we are finally giving priority to our capital needs.  A first ever Capital Improvement Plan will be presented in the next few months by our newly created Capital Improvement Department. 

We now have an inventory of the condition of our city streets, sidewalks, curbs and gutter.  Funding sources are being identified allowing us to immediately match need to existing resources.  We will put shovels in the ground, and millions of dollars will be spent citywide in the repair and replacement of our infrastructure.

Commissioners Regalado and Gonzalez, I am also pleased to tell you that a flood mitigation plan will be finalized and in your districts alone, over 12 million dollars in flood mitigation projects will start within the next few months.

Our streets are also safer.  Our crime rate went down an additional 4 % last year.  As a result, Miami ranks sixth among large US cities in total crime reduction - fifty percent over the last 9 years.  Our burglary rate is the lowest since 1970 and the homicide rate is the lowest since 1967.  This good news, however, cannot cause us to lower our guard - crime rates nationally are trending upward.

To stem this tide, we have lured to Miami a man who is considered by many as America’s best cop. Chief John Timoney will be putting an additional 60 cops on the streets, and will be implementing the COMPSTAT program, a crime tracking system that he successfully helped implement in New York City.

Regaining the public’s trust in our police has been a top priority of this Commission and of my administration. 

The Chief is here not only because he is a proven crime-fighter, but also because of his reputation as a reformer.  During his short tenure, the Chief has conducted an exhaustive review of all police policies and procedures and numerous reforms are already under way.

In addition, my request for a Department of Justice review of our police department’s policies, practices and procedures has affirmed the need for reform and has provided further direction and recommendations which we welcome.

I am confident that the combination of a new police Chief, top to bottom reform, and the anticipated, positive input from our new Civilian Investigative Panel, shall serve to restore a sense of public trust and confidence in our police.

The results are in - our neighborhoods are cleaner as a result of our Clean Up Miami campaign.  During the past year, we deployed daytime street sweepers, and litter and graffiti buster teams to beautify our residential and commercial streets.  We also partnered with several groups to organize multiple clean ups.   As a result, in excess of 2,000 additional tons of trash have been collected during the first 10 months of the campaign. 

Last year we told illegal dumpers to watch out - in October of last year, we created a new Police Environmental Protection Unit.   With the strong support of our State Attorney, Kathy Fernandez Rundle, our enhanced enforcement efforts yielded 28 arrests for illegal dumping during the 4th quarter of last year.

The one armed bandit residential garbage pickup system has greatly contributed to our efforts to clean up Miami and I am pleased to announce that it will be fully implemented by May of this year.

Our weekly bulk trash pickup continues to be of concern. One solution, that we will begin implementing by the end of this year, is a neighborhood trash center, a centralized location where city residents can take their bulk trash.  I want to thank Commissioner Gonzalez for his leadership in this area.

And, we are finalizing a review of our crane operation in order to phase out the use of expensive cranes that tear up our streets, swales, sidewalks, often leaving behind unsightly and dangerous holes - in favor of offering our citizens other options for bulk trash pick up.

We have made great progress in reaching our goal of making Miami one of the cleanest large cities in the country.  I am pleased to announce that our efforts have not gone unnoticed.  By this summer, Keep Miami Beautiful is slated to become accredited by the National Keep America Beautiful organization.  This coveted designation will bring additional financial and other resources to our clean-up efforts.

Better, safer, and cleaner neighborhoods also mean vibrant green spaces and parks for our residents to enjoy.  In the past year, we have reopened three new major parks - Hadley, Virrick and Margaret Pace - and I wish to thank Commissioners Teele and Winton for their strong leadership to this end.

Our goal of creating a nationally recognized parks system is well under way.  Thanks to our citizens, we now have the resources to improve our existing parks and build new ones.  At today’s Commission meeting, we are asking approval for the creation of a long awaited park’s master plan allowing us to best allocate these resources.

And, make no mistake about it, the plans are in place, after consultation with all parties involved, Little Haiti Park will be built.

Rebuilding existing parks and building new ones is only part of the equation.  Over the next few months we will set in motion a series of initiatives designed to help our parks become centers of academic, artistic and athletic excellence.

Soon, we will be announcing a partnership with the MicroSoft Foundation who will donate 100 new computers for our parks in an effort to bridge the digital divide. These computers will also be available for year-round, after-school programming and mentoring.

We will also be presenting an ordinance to the City Commission creating a parks trust to supervise an endowment to fund after-school programs - seeking to partner with successful and proven programs that provide our children with academic, artistic and athletic activities that help get them off the streets and channel their energies into healthy, productive efforts.  The endowment fund has a balance of nearly $1 million as a result of 2003 contributions and changes to the Financial Integrity Ordinance which permitted the roll-over of Park’s Department budget surpluses.

To offset threatened cutbacks in summer programming by our school system, this summer we will kick-off Heart of our Parks, a three-pronged approach that will enlist local artists to set up artistic and cultural programs in our parks, use parks as places for regular neighborhood concerts and movies, and establish academies where tutoring and mentoring will be available.

Continuing our enhancement of neighborhood services, we are currently studying the mission of our NET offices to make them more responsive to the needs of our citizens.

NETS need to become direct points of contact between citizens and government.  Anyone should be able to walk into a NET office and be greeted by professional and courteous city employees, obtain answers to their questions and help with city services. NETS need to engage the neighborhoods they represent in a pro-active way, serving also to disseminate knowledge about city programs designed to improve the quality of life for all of our neighborhoods.

Our code enforcement efforts will be intensified this year as we begin to go after illegal units, illegal cafeterias, and motels which harbor prostitution and drugs. These illegal activities destroy neighborhoods and will no longer be tolerated.  As such, under consideration is the possible reassignment of code enforcement into a centralized location with one set of uniform rules and one uniform strategy.

And by the end of the year, working through our Net offices, we will implement our CITISTAT and 311 - a service delivery and complaint tracking system allowing management and our citizens to access services and monitor every facet of our performance, from tree trimming, to garbage collection, to filling potholes – true accountability for city services.

Our ability to deliver better and more efficient services depends greatly on the continued success of the economic revitalization plan announced last year.  And what a year we’ve had.  We have fast become America’s most desirable City for economic development.

Our urban core is thriving. Over 1.6 billion dollars in new construction is currently under way.  An additional $4 billion dollars in projects are at various stages of the planning process.  These projects will create 17,000 new residential units, 1,200 hotel rooms, 1.8 million square feet of commercial space, and 1.5 million square feet of retail space.  Coupled with the cultural and entertainment renaissance of the area, spurred by the development of the Performing Arts Center, The Children’s Museum, Parrot Jungle, Island Gardens, and the proposed Museum Park, our urban core will achieve the long awaited dream of becoming a 24/7 center of activity.

And although I am incredibly optimistic and encouraged by all of the changes taking place in our urban core, I can tell you today that it matters not unless we can extend these opportunities to every single neighborhood of our city.  While our urban core may be vibrant, our neighborhoods cannot be left behind.

We are undertaking a concerted effort to revitalize our entire city by extending the promise of hope throughout every neighborhood.  Neighborhoods that lay dormant in the past are now experiencing new activity and new life.  In fact, 5,000 new residential units are planned or being built in our neighborhoods.

For example, much has been written lamenting that streets throughout the country named after Martin Luther King Jr. have fallen into disrepair - becoming boulevards indicative of broken dreams.  In honor of Dr. King and his dream, we have undertaken a 3 year campaign to reclaim the Dream.  Working with neighbors and community groups, we have targeted specific revitalization projects, and we are painting buildings, planting trees, and keeping the street-scape clean on a weekly basis.  Together with Miami-Dade County and the City of Hialeah, we have identified capital improvement dollars to transform Martin Luther King Jr.Boulevard from I-95 to Okeechobee Road into a vibrant, beautiful thoroughfare.  I wish to thank County Chair Barbara Carey-Schuler, Commissioner Dorrin Rolle and Mayor Raul Martinez for their strong commitment to this effort.  And, we are working with the Martin Luther King Development Corporation to partner local residents with franchises and small businesses to develop real jobs and economic stimulus in that area. 

This spirit of renewal is not confined to one area of the city, but has spread throughout.  In Wynwood, we have Buena Vista Yards, a first for this city, bringing 1 million square feet of retail space, 3000 residential units and thousands of jobs.   This neighborhood is also fast becoming an enclave for artists.  The design district continues to grow by attracting the best designers and manufacturers from around the world.  In Allapattah, nearly 2,000 new residential units are planned or being built, including Wagner Square, 198 affordable residential units with 97,000 square feet of commercial space in what used to be a Brownfield.

In the Civic Center area, we are forming the Miami Partnership, a partnership between the City of Miami, the University of Miami, the County, the State and local stakeholders to promote renewal and reinvestment of that long ignored area.  In Little Havana, Eighth Street and Coral Way are booming with new residential and mixed use developments.  Viernes Culturales on Calle Ocho continue to draw thousands of monthly visitors to this signature street.  I congratulate Commissioner Sanchez for his leadership in this regard.  Similar monthly cultural programs have also been started in Flagami and Coconut Grove.  Neighborhoods in the Roads, Shenandoah and Flagami have become fertile ground for young families moving back East.

The Upper East Side, Morningside, Belle Meade, Shorecrest, and Little Haiti - some of Miami’s original neighborhoods, are being rediscovered by natives and new arrivals alike.  In Coconut Grove, beautification of MacFarlane Road has been completed and Grand Avenue is under way, with a new brand new National pharmacy to serve local residents.

This list is by no means exhaustive, but just a slice of the great progress being made all over our city.

Our economic development plan has also focused on the important role played by our 52,000 small businesses in our local economy.  Last year we announced a first of its kind partnership with the US Small Business Administration.  An aggressive outreach campaign, including quarterly workshops throughout our city has produced astonishing results. 72% of the SBA backed loans made last year in Miami-Dade County were made to businesses located in the City of Miami.

In addition to our continuing efforts with the SBA, today I am announcing a new procurement policy that will look to Miami first.  The city spends millions of dollars annually on everything from paper clips to major capital projects.  And yet, we do not make a big enough effort to identify and spend our money on local and minority businesses.   I hope to enlist the help of various business organizations to help us identify and compile a list of minority vendors located in the city of Miami in order for us to direct our procurement efforts to these sources.

We have also not ignored the plight of those most in need. Our dreams and aspirations mean nothing if we cannot share them with every single resident of our city. 

In September of last year, we announced our citywide Poverty Initiative.  For the first time ever, the City committed funding targeted specifically for poverty reduction.  The first phase of our campaign, the Earned Income and Child Tax Credit outreach has been a huge success.  Our call center has handled approximately 30,000 calls from our neediest residents who were otherwise not aware of the tens of millions of dollars available to them.    Commissioners.........since kicking-off this campaign, I have been approached by numerous residents thanking us for putting thousands of dollars in their pockets.

And over the next few months, we will implement the balance of our Initiative, the financial literacy campaign, the individual development accounts to incentive asset building and the Kid Care and Jackson Health System programs designed to provide health coverage for the thousands of uninsured children and adults in our City.

As part of our anti-poverty initiative, we will soon  implement our micro- lending program, a program designed to provide much needed capital to new and existing small businesses.

In these and many other efforts, we have actively engaged members of our faith-based communities in recognition that government cannot work alone without help from all sectors of leadership.  Our quarterly pastoral roundtables have helped bring together members of the clergy from throughout the city.  As such, I want to particularly recognize the efforts and the invaluable support which we have received from our clergy in working to make this a better city.

An integral part of our economic development strategy has been the promotion of arts, culture, film, entertainment and special events.  Through Commissioner Regalado’s leadership last year we created the Office of Film, Arts, Culture and Entertainment.  Last year alone, Miami was the setting for at least 8 major motion pictures and several television programs.  In fact, Variety magazine calls Miami one of the top 5 film and television hubs in the entire world.  We estimate that film and television production generated over 200 million dollars for our local economy last year alone.

And, we have also hosted several world class events, including Art Basel - the largest art fair in the world.  After a long hiatus, grand prix auto racing returned to downtown Miami, as did the Miami Film Festival, and top-ranked boxing.  The downtown holiday village provided enjoyment for tens of thousands of Miami families, and the first ever Miami Marathon was run through the streets of our City.

Achieving the goal of becoming a world-class city requires that we continue to promote and encourage the arts.  In furtherance of our plans to develop Museum Park, I am pleased to announce today the formation of an alliance that will be led by some of our most prominent citizens, Ambassador Paul Cejas, Mickey Arison, Aaron Podhurst, Dr. Phil Frost and Jorge Perez.  The alliance will also include the University of Miami, F.I.U., and Miami-Dade Community College all of whom will bring their resources to this effort.

And thanks to the leadership of Commissioner Winton, I am also pleased to announce today that a selection committee will soon be established by the City Administrator to select a museum planner to design a site plan for Museum Park, and that a project consultant will be retained to work full time on the development of this project.

Last year we announced the goal of securing the location of the permanent seat of the Free Trade Area of the Americas in Downtown, Miami.  The FTAA process,  initiated during the 1994 Summit of the Americas in Miami, will integrate the economies of the Western Hemisphere into a single free trade arrangement by the year 2005.  I can think of no other project in our City’s history that will create the greatest long-term economic impact.  Published studies indicate that the FTAA may represent up to 500 million dollars in economic impact and over 16,000 high paying jobs.

Quite simply, there is no other city in this hemisphere better suited to serve as the permanent seat for the FTAA.  This November, we will have our best and possibly last chance to prove it. Thanks to the leadership of Governor Jeb Bush, Mayor Alex Penelas, and many others too numerous to mention, Miami was selected to host  on behalf of the US and Brazil,  the Eighth Trade Ministerial Meeting and the Americas Business Forum.   All 34 Hemispheric Trade Ministers will attend the Ministerial, and The Business Forum will bring together the top Chief Executive Officers of this Hemisphere.

This is a mammoth undertaking that will require the cooperation and support of all of us.  I am confident that Miami, as always, will shine this November, and that in doing so, we will stake our claim loud and clear that the FTAA belongs in Miami...permanently.  

One final area of economic development deserves special note.  In spite of all of our efforts to promote our city, the one area that most directly impacts our ability to attract and retain businesses is one over which we have no control....the state of our schools.  When major businesses look to Miami, the question always arises as to the state of education in the city.  I join a growing list of Big city Mayors throughout America that are frustrated by their inability to effectuate change in their city’s schools.

I support School Board Member Frank Bolanos for his leadership in highlighting reforms aimed at dividing school districts into smaller, more manageable and accountable districts or in the creation of city-wide charter school districts.  Our Downtown Charter School has proven successful and I am prepared to accept responsibility for the performance of schools in our City.

Sadly, we have 4 F-rated elementary schools in the City- Comstock in Allapattah, Douglas and Dunbar in Overtown, and Edison Park in Little Haiti. These 2500 children deserve a mentor as a role model.   That is why today I am announcing the creation of a citywide mentoring program that will call on every sector of the public and private citizenry to help us help these children.  And, we will start by allowing all city employees one hour of paid leave per week to mentor a child in these 4 schools.

It should be quite evident that all of these opportunities for growth which I have described today are unprecedented in our City’s history.  For this...we are all blessed.

But with these great opportunities come great responsibilities.  And there can be no greater responsibility required of us than to smartly plan for this growth that lies just ahead.

First, it is important that we recognize and preserve our many  historic treasures.  Not only are we celebrating the restoration of City Hall, but the Gusman Theater was also recently restored.  And the original Miami High School building will be preserved for future generations to enjoy.  Last week, we announced our stepped-up efforts to designate and preserve other historic sites. 

Our Historic and Environmental Preservation Board has recently identified and proposed 4 sites for historic designation, joining another approximately 80 sites previously designated.  An additional 20 sites are currently under consideration.

Additional development and growth without a plan to address transit issues will only serve to adversely affect the quality of life for those who work, live or play in our City. Our planning has already commenced. 

The newly created Office of Transportation Administration has completely a Downtown Transportation Master Plan.   This Plan provides a roadmap to guide the development of transportation systems supporting the future growth envisioned in the urban core.  The Plan proposes among other things, the implementation of the BayLink.  We are hopeful that our friends across the Bay finally support this very necessary transportation mode.  Failing that, we are prepared to move forward and request that these funds be used within the City.

Our Transportation Office is also preparing a comprehensive Citywide Transit Plan.  This plan also combines commuter, light rail and Tri-Rail, circulator buses, roadway improvements, pedestrian access and pedestrian friendly streets.

Recognizing that our commitment to transportation planning does not end at the County Line, Commissioner Winton and I have reached out to various elected officials in Broward and Palm Beach Counties.  As a result, we will be hosting a Tri-County transit planning meeting in Miami on April 25th.  We expect the Mayors, various Commissioners and staff of all cities along the FEC Corridor to be present.  We also expect the participation of their counterparts for the 3 County governments. 

Last year, I announced an effort to connect the Omni, Park West and Overtown neighborhoods; to connect the Performing Arts Center with Museum Park; to bring back the majesty of our city’s signature street, Biscayne Boulevard.  Since that time, the MPO created a subcommittee on this issue, and a study has almost been completed that may conclude that a significant portion of the project may be funded through the land which today cannot be developed because of this unsightly interstate.  Today, I am pleased to announce that Mr. Woody Weiser has agreed to head a broad-based committee of citizens who share this dream.

Finally, it is about time that Miami had a comprehensive City Wide Master Plan.  So today I am announcing the creation of a plan called Miami 21, a plan for the 21st century that will place Miami at the lead not only in America, but globally.  This Plan will establish guidance in setting the priorities that will act as a roadmap for City officials and departments to follow.  The Plan will involve extensive community participation and citizen input.  This community participation will bring together the best ideas of our community in building a broad consensus to guide the initiatives, policies and programs that will help define the way our city will look 20-30 years from today.

Commissioners, ladies and gentlemen, history has laid before us an unprecedented opportunity. This past year has been a great one. We have accepted our responsibilities and worked together as one to build our city on the hill.

It would be easy to defer our responsibility, to point fingers, and return to the divisive ways that have for so long been politics as usual in our city.  But ours is not the easy way out, on the contrary.  I was elected on a platform of change, of doing what is right, and of looking to the future.  Miami is a city rich in spirit and resolve- and we are finally headed in the right direction.

Let us commit to never allow our disagreements to divide us. Let us continue to raise the public discourse for the common good. Let us charge and lead.  Let us all work together toward our shared goal of one Miami, with one promising future for all.