Mayor Manny Díaz
State of the City Address, 2004
Fellow Miamians, Mr. Chairman, Mr. Vice Chairman, members of the City Commission, City employees, elected officials, members of the Miami Consular Corps, and distinguished guests, it is my pleasure to join you today to reflect on our progress towards achieving the most ambitious agenda in City history.
But first...let us pause and recognize the men and women of our armed forces engaged in war overseas. Last week, we welcomed back those brave City employees and other members of the 124th Infantry Regiment of the Florida National Guard. We are proud of all of them.
A year ago, we gathered here to continue to lay out the vision for yet another year of renewal. We challenged ourselves to set a course of greatness for this City of unlimited potential. Miami is a City of dreams, a magical City where people from around the world come to stake their claim to the American dream. Our mission is to create the opportunity and the promise of hope that make this dream possible.
Ours is a vision that touches the core of every neighborhood and every single resident. We prosper by improving all of our neighborhoods - From the high rises of Downtown....To the tree lined streets of Shenandoah......From the small businesses of Allapatah.....to an invigorated Little Havana, and a Martin Luther King Boulevard which will do justice to his Dream. The state of our city is stronger than ever. We are all sharing in this rebirth, and for this we should all be proud.
When I became Mayor two years ago, we promised to put our own house in order. For how can a city prosper when those who have been entrusted to serve are mired in conflict. We have restored a sense of confidence and responsibility to City government. Leading this charge has been our one ace, Joe Arriola. Our Manager has assembled a team at all levels that has brought efficiency and an uncommon, tough minded business approach.
We have a strong and sustainable level of reserves and have implemented financial management systems and controls. To continue our growth and economic development, we have a long-range capital improvement program. We are developing a strategic plan that aligns our resources with our vision, and we are rewriting our business processes to manage costs, improve productivity and enhance the delivery of city services to our citizens.
Our millage rate is at its lowest point in fifty years, and we are committed to further annual reductions of the tax burden on our residents.
Our efforts have not gone un-noticed. Three years ago our bonds were rated junk. Today, I am proud to say that Standard & Poor’s has given our bonds an A+ rating, the highest rating ever recorded in City history.
Our Governor and state legislature have shown confidence in our City, especially through the leadership of Senate President Pro Tempore Alex Diaz de la Portilla and House Majority Leader Marco Rubio. Unlike years past, our parking surcharge law was unanimously adopted by both houses and signed into law by the Governor. As a result, we will continue to direct these revenues at further tax reductions and infrastructure improvements in Downtown.
Also, this past November, our residents voiced their confidence by approving three referendum issues, including the parking surcharge, and returning to office three of our Commissioners, two of them elected without opposition.
We have arrived at this point through the resolve and courage to make the necessary choices our predecessors refused. But our work to ensure the long-term fiscal solvency of our city is far from over.....difficult decisions lay just ahead. We must put an end to the days when government exists to perpetuate itself. This is our charge, and we must answer our call.
We have fast become one of America’s most desirable cities – Hispanic Magazine, American Economia, and the Urban Land Institute have rated Miami among the top cities in this Hemisphere.
Currently, 2.3 billion dollars in major projects are under construction. An additional 5 billion in major projects have been approved and 5.2 billion are at various stages of the planning process. Let me add this for you!!!! 12.5 billion dollars in new projects. Our tax base grew by over 15 percent during 2003, resulting in a 2.3 billion dollar increase in real estate values.
This spirit of renewal is not confined to one area. In keeping with our promise to leave no neighborhood behind, all of our communities are sharing in this prosperity. Of the permits filed last year for major projects, 81 percent were for projects outside the downtown area.
These projects will bring 50 million dollars worth of construction to Overtown; 5,000 residential units each to Allapattah and Wynwood/Edgewater; 125 million dollars worth of construction to Little Havana, and over 3,000 residential units to Flagami.
Working together with Chairman Teele, we will continue to invest the resources to move Model City forward. The revitalization of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and the 7th Avenue commercial district has begun. The City and the County have committed over 3 million dollars to improve the boulevard. We continue to work with the Friends of MLK on our 3 year campaign to Reclaim the Dream,,,.to convert this boulevard from one of broken dreams......to one of promises kept.
I would like to thank County Commission Chairwoman Barbara Carey Schuler and Commissioner Dorrin Rolle for their tireless assistance with this and so many other projects in the City.
These revitalization efforts will be further enhanced by three new landmark public-private initiatives.
In Wynwood, The Midtown Miami project will be a catalyst for the redevelopment of an area that lost 20,000 jobs during the 1990s. This billion-dollar project, scheduled to break ground within 90 days, will create over 1,500 jobs, a diverse, sustainable economy, and a spectrum of housing opportunities.
Earlier this month, University of Miami President Donna Shalala, Commissioner Gonzalez and I announced the creation of the Miami Partnership initiative. The partnership will be an outspoken advocate for renewal and reinvestment in the Civic Center area.
The University of Miami has started construction on a 300,000 square foot Clinical Research Building which is one third larger than the proposed Scripps Institute in West Palm Beach. The University also plans two new wet lab facilities. These projects will bring with them new high paying jobs, a significant demand for new housing and will make this area the cradle of biotechnological research in the Southeast.
And perhaps, the most satisfying of all of these projects, to me, is the one proposed for Miami’s poorest neighborhood, Overtown. Study after study and millions of public dollars have been invested in this neighborhood with little to show. Today, $175 million of long-awaited private investment is poised to bring back this historic and once vibrant area decimated by the interstates and urban renewal.
Let this project serve as an engine for the creation of jobs and economic opportunity for current and future residents of Overtown. Let this project serve to re-energize the Lyric Theater and to once again return this neighborhood to its prior glory as a mecca for entertainment and culture. Let this project serve as an opportunity for the heirs of those who built Overtown to return and rebuild the neighborhood their parents and grandparents were once proud to call home.
I am prepared to work with Chairman Teele, neighborhood groups, community development corporations and our faith-based leaders to make this happen.
Life does not always give us a second chance to correct the mistakes of the past...whether made by us or by others before us. And so, as we go forward, let us remember the words of Booker T. Washington when he said, “There are two ways of exerting one’s strength; one is pushing down, the other is pulling up.” Join me as we pull this neighborhood up to its rightful place.
Our neighborhoods are also experiencing a cultural renaissance that is contributing to the economic prosperity of our city. I am a firm believer that Arts Means Business. We must recognize not only the social benefits of art and culture, but also the economic benefits.
Spurred by the development of the Performing Arts Center, The Children’s Museum, and the proposed Museum Park, Miami is benefitting from the impact of the arts - evidenced by our hosting of the Latin Grammys, the Source Awards and the world’s largest art fair, Art Basel. The Design District, Wynwood and Little Havana are becoming our versions of Manhattan’s Chelsea, Tribeca and Soho.
Viernes Culturales on Calle Ocho continues to draw thousands to this signature street event. Similar monthly cultural programs have now spread to Flagami, Model City and Coconut Grove.
Continued economic growth requires that we improve our quality of life. This past August, I asked Commissioner Gonzalez to chair our new Quality of Life Task Force. Thanks to his leadership, our neighborhoods are safer and cleaner and our city has become a better place to live.
This first of its kind coordinated effort between multiple city departments and the State Attorney’s Office under the leadership of Kathy Fernandez Rundle, has targeted the very heart of those offenses that affect the quality of our lives.
In this short time, over 1,500 tickets have been issued to individuals involved in illegal dumping and failing to follow schedules for curbside trash pick-up; over 3,000 abandoned vehicles have been removed from our neighborhoods; 147 cases of illegal units have been filed with the Code Enforcement Board, and 19 assisted living facilities have been cited for violations.
Numerous operations have been conducted in cafeterias, restaurants and bars, making hundreds of arrests for solicitation, drug dealing and possession. Former bureaucratic delays in prosecuting these offenders have been lessened through the creation of a Special Master that can act quickly to enforce compliance or closure.
And for those who may not fully understand how these illegal activities affect their daily lives, let me remind you that a frequent patron of these establishments was a man named Reynaldo Elias Rapalo, the Shenandoah serial rapist.
We have confiscated over 300 gaming machines as part of our effort to rid the city of illegal gambling. In fact, a number of these machines were used as evidence by the U.S. Attorney’s Office this past week to indict and arrest the godfather of the Cuban Mafia after a decade-long investigation.
Combined, these operations have collected over a half million dollars in fines and expired licenses for the City.
Our prostitution mapping program that began in the Upper Eastside has now been extended to Little Haiti, Flagami and Little Havana. So far, 500 prostitutes have been arrested and mapped. We owe Commissioner Regalado a debt of gratitude for his leadership in this area.
Homelessness continues to be an issue of critical importance to our city. During this past year, our outreach efforts have resulted in a decrease in the overall homeless population by 20 percent - with 50 percent decreases in Wynwood/Edgewater, 37 percent in Allapattah, 26 percent in Flagami, and 24 percent in Overtown.
We are also working closely with President Bush’s Federal Interagency Council on Homelessness as we continue to develop a workable 10 year plan to end chronic homelessness in our city. We look forward to our continued relationship with the Miami-Dade County Homeless Trust to meet this ambitious goal.
Our city is also a safer place to live and visit. Last year, Chief John Timoney assumed the leadership of a department mired in controversy. In one short year, America’s top cop has restored the public’s confidence in our police, making the department a model for others to follow.
While crime numbers have increased nationwide, Miami has experienced a reduction in crime rate for the tenth year in a row. During this period, we have lowered our crime rate by over 50%. We are proud to be among only a handful of large American cities that can make this claim.
Recognizing the direct connection between drugs and crime, our Police Department recently announced Operation Difference – a response to my call to make Miami a Drug Free City that takes a holistic approach to reduce drug violence in our neighborhoods. Already more than 200 arrests have been made during the first month of this operation.
Chief Timoney is not only a crime fighter, but a reformer as well. Under his leadership, the department has instituted sweeping changes. These include the re-engineering of the Internal Affairs department to be more pro-active while no longer located in central headquarters, instituting an early warning system, videotaping confessions of suspects, implementing a new system of discipline with clear rules, reintroducing random drug tests of officers, strengthening the property and inspection units, and changing the way shootings are investigated.
On the day Chief Timoney was sworn in, eleven Miami officers were standing trial for police shootings. Through a greater emphasis on training and after instituting perhaps the most progressive policy on the use of force in America, I am proud to say that during Chief Timoney’s fifteen-month tenure, not one officer has fired a weapon at a civilian. No other major police department in this country can make that claim.
This coming year, in cooperation with Miami Dade College and law enforcement agencies at the federal and state level, we will announce the construction of a new International Police Training Center to teach law enforcement personnel from around the world how to police major cities in a democratic society. The facility will also enhance our homeland defense preparedness by training first responders and will serve as a think tank in areas related to the development of modern law enforcement practices.
Through our Clean Up Miami Campaign, we have made great progress in reaching our goal of making Miami one of the cleanest large cities in America. A recent survey by Keep America Beautiful determined that 62% of our City’s neighborhoods were above average in cleanliness. During the past year, we continued our efforts by maintaining deployment of daytime street sweepers, and litter and graffiti buster teams to beautify our neighborhoods.
Our cleanup efforts must also include the Miami River and its tributaries. Throughout the years, storm drains and sewer systems have dumped pollutants into all our waterways.
We have developed a 5-year plan to improve our water quality, the cornerstone of which is Adopt a Waterway – a pioneering partnership between the City and corporate citizens like Comcast Cable, WCI Communities, Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruises, Publix, FPL, the Miami Herald, Waste Management, Panther Real Estate Partners, Montenay Power, Ferrous Processing Trade and APL Limited.
This program is the first of its kind in the nation – and the first time in City history that a concerted effort has been undertaken to clean decades worth of waste and previous neglect, at no cost to our taxpayers.
With a 1 million dollar grant from the South Florida Water Management District and an annual commitment of 750,000 private sector dollars from Adopt A Waterway, we will start the restoration and maintenance of Wagner Creek. We will install filters in all storm drains that empty into the creek, enhance cleanup of bordering streets and perform a structural analysis of sewer lines to ensure that any uncapped lines are sealed.
These partnerships will greatly complement the Miami River dredging, and will ensure that future generations of Miamians will enjoy a clean and vibrant eco-system. I want to thank Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and County Commissioner Bruno Barreiro for their leadership in this area.
The Cleaning of Miami must also be complemented with the Greening of Miami. Our City’s lack of tree canopy cover is an embarrassment. Last year, working with the County’s Adopt-A-Tree program, thousands of trees were distributed to Miami neighborhoods. Over the next few months, thousands more will be made available to residents of Little Havana and Model City.
This year, we also hope to secure funding from the USDA Forest Service and the Annie E. Casey Foundation to conduct an eco-system analysis of our City in order to build a green infrastructure data layer for use in community planning and development.
Finally, I am directing our Manager to develop and present a plan within the next 60 days to beautify all medians throughout the City.
Not only have we made our streets and neighborhoods safer and cleaner, but we are improving the quality of the streets themselves – having taken a systematic approach to funding the maintenance of our infrastructure.
Several months ago, I asked Vice-Chairman Sanchez to shepherd this effort. Thanks to his leadership, we have adopted our Capital Improvement Plan, the first in City history. This multi-year effort will launch 680 separate capital projects with a total estimated value of over $765 million.
This plan reconstructs, resurfaces, and repairs every deficient roadway, sidewalk, and curb within a twelve-year cycle and rehabilitates every park. It also encompasses gutters, storm sewers, flood mitigation, and public and city facilities. This year alone, our “Paving Miami’s Future” campaign will resurface 57 miles of roadways and 19 miles of sidewalks.
All of these projects are being accomplished by using existing funds – not one additional tax dollar will be needed.
We also have 12 million dollars and hope to secure an additional 20 million dollars to mitigate flooding in the Flagami area. I would like to thank Commissioner Regalado and County Commissioner Rebecca Sosa for their tireless efforts in this area.
Also, for the first time, we have a comprehensive transportation plan for the downtown area and shortly for the entire City. Commissioner Winton has been a strong advocate of the City taking a more proactive role in controlling our transportation destiny.
Studies are underway to look at different transit alternatives. Miami is experiencing a rebirth, and we must act soon. This is why I propose that we leverage a portion of our share of the People’s Transportation Plan dollars to connect Little Haiti, the Upper East Side, Wynwood/Edgewater and Overtown to Downtown Miami with streetcars.
The goal is feasible and the project is necessary if Miami is to continue to entice new residents to our City. And when proven successful, we will move forward with plans to connect all of our neighborhoods via streetcars, much like many other urban cities throughout the World.
All of our efforts to make our city a better place to live must also consider those among us who have not enjoyed the benefit of economic success. Our citywide Poverty Initiative continues to produce positive results.
Last year, during the first year of this campaign, an additional 16.5 million dollars of previously unclaimed Earned Income and Child Care tax credits were returned to nearly 10,000 of our residents – including 5 million dollars to Model City and Little Haiti, 4.5 million to Allapattah, and 2 million dollars each to Little Havana and Flagami.
This year, in order to encourage more residents to file for these credits, for the first time ever, we staffed 5 NET offices and 2 other city facilities and have provided free tax preparation for 1,000's of City residents. We owe a debt of gratitude to the Americorps volunteers who gave of their time for this effort, some of whom are here today.
Yet no matter how successful our efforts have been, other programs like food stamps, Medicaid, Kid-Care, and Lifeline, are not being fully utilized by city residents.
Today I announce that we will begin the Real Benefits program in our NET Offices, further empowering our citizens by making it possible for them to check if they are eligible for any of these programs by simply filling out one electronic application. Miami remains committed to providing our most disadvantaged residents with information about the services available to help raise them and their families above the poverty line.
Unlike other cities that have a strong base of large corporations, Miami’s economy relies heavily on our small businesses. Indeed, Miami is blessed with a wealth of entrepreneurs who create jobs and provide valuable goods and services. This group is the economic backbone of our City.
Yet, other issues limit their growth. Given this reality, the City of Miami has made a commitment to advance the goal of self-sufficiency so that local businesses prosper, and, in turn, create jobs in their neighborhoods. A thriving small business community is essential to reducing poverty and ensuring prosperity.
To achieve this goal, we have embarked on a campaign that supports entrepreneurs, provides access to quality capital and technical assistance, and expands procurement opportunities with the City.
Last year, we launched a partnership with ACCION USA. This public-private effort will make available $4 million in micro-loans for our small business community. We are continuing our partnership with the U.S Small Business Administration - sponsoring 84 small business workshops, the results of which speak for themselves.
In the past two years, over 271 SBA-backed loans with a value in excess of 62 million dollars have been issued to small business – including 11 million in Allapattah, 11 million in Model City and Little Haiti, 10 million in Flagami, and 4.5 million in Little Havana.
Finally, I am proud to report that the City itself has increased the amount of certified minority firms that do business with the City by over 100 percent.
The goal of all of our housing initiatives has been to give more of our residents a stake in the future of our City.
This requires individuals to develop the necessary skills and resources to become homeowners. Attracting new residents and helping our existing residents become homeowners requires a targeted approach. Engaging residents in a structured savings and financial literacy program, and leveraging the power of the Earned-Income Tax Credit are all steps on the road to helping individuals realize their dream of home ownership.
Last year alone, we completed a total of 667 affordable housing units and funded an additional 377 units to be completed this year. We estimate that in the next two years, a total of 1,500 new affordable housing units will be funded and completed. Finally, this April we will begin to provide down payment and closing assistance to first time home buyers, while also assuring that 100 low-income families are served by our new infill-housing program.
This year, with the leadership of Vice-Chairman Sanchez, we have moved forward on our Home Ownership Project in Little Havana. This Project has a simple plan, to spend virtually no money on administration while making sure millions of dollars flow into clean, safe housing. Within a few months of its existence, the project has already created 22 new homeowners, the first wave of many more people who will be holding keys to their homes in a revitalized Little Havana.
While we are making it easier for our residents to obtain the dream of home ownership, it is also essential that we tackle one of the root causes of poverty, the lack of a quality education.
I am committed to helping improve the reading and math skills of our lowest performing children. In 2003, with funding from our Public School System, we began a summer reading program, hiring 41 teachers for over 2000 children at 26 of our parks.
But our work to help these children will not be confined to the summer months. In a continued effort to extend the benefits of technology to all of our neighborhoods, we are installing computer labs and establishing educational programs at all our major parks.
Later today, I will be meeting with Sylvan Learning Centers, a leading national provider of supplemental educational materials, to enter into a partnership to provide year round reading and math instruction in our parks.
Through our Mentoring Initiative, we adopted Holmes Elementary, and committed personnel resources, community connections, and financial support. As part of this commitment, the City partnered with various community groups to address academics, parental involvement, and the school’s physical environment.
Working together with Adopt-a-Classroom, we provided $20,000.00 for teachers at Holmes to purchase classroom materials and supplies. This coming year, with the support of the private sector, I hope to raise the necessary funds to adopt every single classroom in every single school in the City - providing over 2000 classrooms with five hundred additional dollars to spend on sorely lacking educational materials and supplies.
We are also working with corporate and community partners to establish charter/magnet schools within the City with targeted programs in the fields of medicine, hospitality management, banking and finance, and travel & tourism. The first of these schools will bring together the Miami consular corps to establish a school for international studies that solidifies our status as a global community.
Our efforts at creating new schools will lead us to continue pursuing changes in state law so that we may have a greater say in the construction and quality of schools in our city. We are prepared to provide land for new schools only if the impact fees generated in our city, stay in our city.
In order to assist us with all of these efforts, I am announcing the creation of a working group on education that will bring together members of our community to develop a City education agenda and deliver periodic reports to the Commission and to my office.
Miami is quickly becoming a model for communities throughout the world, as our diverse population represents the future face of America and of our entire hemisphere.
That is why last year we were given the honor of hosting the Eighth Hemispheric Trade Ministerial and Americas Business Forum on behalf of the United States and Brazil. This meeting was hailed in diplomatic circles as a resounding success. The progress made by the Ministers on creating the world’s largest trading bloc prompted the U.S. Trade Representative to credit the magic of Miami for this success.
I want to thank all of our city departments and the Community Relations Board for their work during the Ministerial, especially the police department for leading a multi- jurisdictional task force of over 40 law enforcement agencies.
These recent efforts have solidified our standing as the Gateway to the Americas and added further legitimacy to our long-held claim that Miami is the logical choice for the permanent Secretariat of the FTAA. I want to thank County Commissioner Jose “Pepe” Diaz, for his steadfast ambassadorship on behalf of our community.
Our City is going through a dramatic transformation. We are blessed with a never before seen urban renaissance. We can and will become one of the greatest cities in the World. Greatness, however, is not a distinction achieved without sensible planning. While our challenge to accommodate growth is immediate, we must not act in haste.
We must guard against dampening the excitement about Miami as a market for investment by sending the wrong message. That is why I am today instructing our Manager to immediately initiate a city-wide master plan, and I have asked Commissioner Winton to help guide this effort.
During the past two years, I have requested and the Commission has approved the funding necessary for this master plan. In addition, other moneys have been separately allocated to specific plans and areas. I propose that we consolidate all existing plans and studies into this master plan that will focus on the areas of economic development, historic preservation, arts and culture, transportation, parks, planning and zoning.
Our planning and zoning ordinances are outdated. Our processes are slow and burdensome, creating conflict and frustration for our residents and developers.
Let us design a code that will not focus on what is forbidden, but rather on what is desired. Let us design a code that will encourage expeditious yet controlled development. Let us design a code that clearly defines the expectations of design and reduces the need for administrative review of individual projects.
Let us engage and empower all in the creation of this new Miami Code. I urge all who are listening to become a part of creating the Miami of tomorrow.....today.
This is the state of our City. We have made great progress during this past year. Much of what has been accomplished has been done for the first time in our city’s history. Much, however, remains to be achieved.
Let us build the legacy of a New Miami.
One of clean streets and waterways.
One of safe and vibrant parks.
One of street cars that connect communities - not of railroads that divide them.
One of flourishing neighborhoods in all our corners, from commercial corridors in Allapattah, Model City and Wynwood that will fuel our economy, to a Little Havana and Little Haiti that will nurture our families.
One of a resurgent Overtown and Shenandoah in which the heirs of decades past will work to absolve the harms of isolation and fulfill the promise of tomorrow.
This New Miami will be built on equal investment and treatment of all our neighborhoods. I ask you to join me and share this legacy - One City with One Future.
THANK YOU AND GOD BLESS