Tallahassee update - What monies are currently listed in House Bill 5001 - General Appropriations Act – a review of what is currently earmarked for our local Miami-Dade municipal communities –including Palmetto Bay, Pinecrest, Cutler Bay & Palmetto HS

Remember, nothing in the budget is final until the Governor signs the budget (after any line item vetoes) and please note: This post is part of an ongoing series and updates a PRIOR RELATED POST of February 6, 2020, Palmetto Bay legislative appropriations requests - Appropriations Project Request -Fiscal Year 2020-21. 

I have researched the pending appropriations bills and I am reporting on the local monies currently listed. Here are the highlights (click on the HB Numbers at right of each item listed immediately below to view the detailed documents relating to the specific Appropriations Project Request):

    100,000  Miami Palmetto Senior High School Athletic Field (HB 4987)
    250,000  Deering Estate Foundation’s Field Study Research Center Phase 2 (HB 2627)
    100,000  Cutler Bay Wetland Restoration Project (HB 3757)
    150,000  Homestead Automatic Flushing System (HB 3165)
    100,000  Palmetto Bay Sub-Basin 61 Construction (HB 3461)
    100,000  Pinecrest Stormwater Improvements (HB 3807)

Listed below is a larger current list of local monies currently provided for in House Bill 5001 - General Appropriations Act (HB 5001). Current listings for Coral Gables, Cutler Bay, Doral, Homestead, Palmetto Bay and Pinecrest are posted in BOLDFACE type below. This is merely the current list, everything is fluid in Tallahassee – The House and Senate have to agree on the budget – a budget conference will be held and then the joint budget is submitted to the Governor where staff goes through it with a fine tooth comb – this is where many items in the budget are removed through a line item veto. Only then, does the Governor approve the budget.

HB 5001 - General Appropriations Act: Provides moneys for annual period beginning July 1, 2020, & ending June 30, 2021, & supplemental appropriations for period ending June 30, 2020, to pay salaries & other expenses, capital outlay—buildings & other improvements, & for other specified purposes of various agencies of state government.

Effective Date: July 1, 2020

CLICK HERE to view all projects – search for the local projects - currently listed in HB 5001 as of 8:00 AM, Thursday, February 20, 2020 (again, subject to change):

Non-water projects:

1,000,000  City of Hialeah Educational Academy (HB 4499)

    250,000  Deering Estate Foundation’s Field Study Research Center Phase 2 (HB 2627)

    100,000  Miami Palmetto Senior High School Athletic Field (HB 4987)

    350,000  Doral Intersection Signalization Pedestrian Safety (HB 4201)

$30,002,907 is currently provided for in the House appropriations bill for "Grants and Aids to Local Governments and non-state entities ...." - commonly referred to as "water project money":

Water projects:

Listed as “From the funds in Specific Appropriation 1635A, $30,002,907 in nonrecurring funds from the General Revenue Fund is provided for the following water projects:”

    100,000  Aventura Curbing of Swale Flooding on Country Club Drive (HB 2875

    100,000  Bal Harbour Village Stormwater System Improvements (HB  2877)

    100,000  Coral Gables Canal Dredging (HB 2633)

    100,000  Coral Gables Comprehensive Inflow and Infiltration Program (HB 3035)

    200,000  Coral Gables Waterway Conveyance & Water Quality Imps (HB 3965)

    100,000  Cutler Bay Wetland Restoration Project (HB 3757)

    100,000  Doral Stormwater Improvements NW 89 Pl (25-20 St.) (HB 3205)

    170,000  Doral Stormwater Master Plan Update (HB 3447)

    100,000  El Portal Little River Septic to Sewer NE 2nd Avenue  Commercial (HB 3441)

    100,000  El Portal Sherwood Forest (NE 3rd Avenue) Little River Stormwater (HB 3417)

    150,000  Homestead Automatic Flushing System (HB 3165)

    150,000  Miami Beach Water Main Aerial Crossing MacArthur Causeway (HB 2539)

      20,000  Miami Gardens NW 159 Street Drainage Improvement Project (HB 3405)

      30,000  Miami Gardens NW 195 Street/NW 12 Ave Stormwater Drainage  (HB 3407)

1,000,000  Miami Lakes Loch Lomond Drainage Improvements Project (HB 3553)

1,000,000  Miami Lakes Royal Oaks Drainage Improvements Project (HB  3389)

    100,000  Miami Shores Village Shores Estates Drain Water System  (HB 3443)

    100,000  North Bay Village Treasure Island Pump Station (HB 2523)

    100,000  North Miami Beach Corona del Mar Phase II Sewer System (HB 2881)

    100,000  North Miami Beach NE 19th Ave Business District Sanitary Sewer System (HB 2883)

    100,000  North Miami Septic to Sewer Conversions (HB 3439)

    100,000  Palmetto Bay Sub-Basin 61 Construction (HB 3461)

    100,000  Pinecrest Stormwater Improvements (HB 3807)

    100,000  Sunny Isles Beach Golden Shores Pump Station (HB 2555)

    150,000  Virginia Gardens 37 Street Stormwater Improvements (HB 3751)

    150,000  Virginia Gardens 62 Ave & 40 Terr Stormwater/ADA  Improvements (HB 3401)

    200,000  West Miami Potable Water System Improvements Phase II (HB 3387)

Fair questions: Return on investment. How often are Palmetto Bay officials traveling to Tallahassee, how much 'quality time' are they spending in Tallahassee and what are the local taxpayers receiving in return? When I say "spending", I am looking to travel and related budget costs as well as time. 

We should consider whether the current Palmetto Bay Mayor and members of the Village Council are being realistic in their budget requests or are they merely star struck tourists spending the Village budget chasing sexy, but wholly unrealistic goals? Is work being done in Tallahassee or does the time spent amount to little more than the taking of self-promotional selfies, with no real substantive results? I’m not buying the scheme of this is all a set up for next year – that appears to be a self-repeating mantra for this current crew. Each and every budget year is unique – the State of Florida does not prepare rolling budgets.

Remember – the original 2020-2021 appropriation requests from Palmetto Bay officials totaled $ 3,245,900. This is a HUGE request, a number that appears worthy of significant travel and constant advocating in Tallahassee, but not the $100,000 total that is currently earmarked in the State budget. 

The extensive travel time and expense does not appear to be an effective use of Palmetto Bay taxpayer dollars, especially when so many deadlines, e.g., blowing the downtown development moratorium, are being missed here in Palmetto Bay.

Or, some have asked me whether any of our electeds are traveling to Tallahassee at Palmetto Bay cost in order to chase other goals?  Interesting.

Update - offending item finally removed. What is up with the eyesores? Is there a permit? This really sets a bad precedent for our parks.

2:30 PM Update.  The advertisement sunshade and hand scribbled advertisement have been removed. Thank you! 

It is my opinion that this demonstrates that the item never should have been allowed in the first place. Why was it allowed and why did it take this blog post and social media promotion to get it removed? This is an excellent illustration of the readership of this blog and social media. It is my opinion that a positive result was obtained for this village.  I ask FOSDU (friends of South Dade Updates) to continue to keep me up to date, such as the updated pictures and I will continue to advocate for government lite and a positive Palmetto Bay. Here are the 'after' photos taken sometime after 2:00 PM, Friday, 5/24/2019:

 

(Current park condition pictured above with the sunshade / tent removed). Who does not agree with me, that Coral Reef Park appears much nicer for this Holiday Weekend?

ORIGINAL POST:
The sunshade tent has been observed at the Southeast corner of Coral Reef Park for the last few days. Is this how our parks will be maintained? I am a proponent of uniform rules, that no one group gets treated any differently, so I wonder if this will be the new method of advertising activities in our parks - stand alone, unattended shades and hand scribbled signs. 

I have questions on this boot camp:

• Who is going to be providing this service? Are they insured/are we indemnified?
• Was it properly bid out? 
• Did our local boot camps have an opportunity to bid on this service? 
• Will this add revenue to our parks, taking the burden of non-users or is this more money collected from residents to flow out of our village boundaries?

We don't want to be Coral Gables, and these photos shows that Palmetto Bay will never be mistaken for "The City Beautiful", at least under this current administration. 

The 'new way' appears to have started at the beginning of 2019 with the unattended (and unpermitted) sheds left out front of Village Hall and now stored at Palmetto Bay Park for all to enjoy (CLICK HERE to view the 'Red Shed' related posts).

Street by street? Hardly. This is all a political game of distraction while no one is watching the big issues. 2019 has seen a mid budget year park user fee increase (increased fees/taxes), dodging code rewrites and increased employees and recurring expenses in the face of a reduction in revenue.

The term "bread and circuses" comes to mind - and the 'circus big top' appears to be standing in Coral Reef Park.

Let's hope that this unattended 10'x 10' advertisement comes down by Tuesday. I cannot find where this structure is permitted in our Village code, especially as it relates to Park Regulations.

Local authors - poetry book reading/signing - 4:00 PM on Sunday, April 7th at Books and Books in Coral Gables

A great family friendly event.

Come out and support two Miami-based authors and FIU MFA alums as they launch their newly released chapbooks: Book of Never (Jonathan Duckworth) and Little Cauliflower (Chloe Firetto-Toomey)

This event starts at 4:00 PM on Sunday, April 7th at Books and Books in Coral Gables! CLICK HERE to view the Facebook event site.

Book of Never by Jonathan Duckworth

Little Cauliflower | Chloe Firetto-Toomey

Books & Books, Coral Gables, is located at: 265 Aragon Ave, Coral Gables, Florida 33134

CLICK for DIRECTIONS

Just for fun - SafeWise released their fifth annual Safest Cities report. See where Palmetto Bay and Pinecrest are ranked.

There are always ranked lists distributed. SafeWise is one such group.  Follow this link for more information about SafeWise, as stated by SafeWise: https://www.safewise.com/about/

Taken verbatim from the social media post: 

SafeWise is happy to release our fifth annual Safest Cities report. Here are the 50 Safest Cities in Florida for 2019. See if your city made the list.

This year we expanded our Florida list from 20 safe cities to 50, and every city that made our list last year is included again. But four did fall out of the top 20—Edgewater, Cape Coral, North Palm Beach, and Coconut Creek. Even so, all 50 cities limited violent crime to fewer than 2.5 incidents per 1,000 people, which is nearly half the national violent crime rate of 4.49. And these cities can be extra proud because Florida overall is a bit over the national rate, coming in at 4.81 incidents per 1,000 people.

CLICK HERE to view the actual link. Enjoy. - 

Oh, and SPOILER ALERT - Pinecrest is ranked #10, Palmetto Bay is #49.

Miami-Dade County fared well on the list of top 50. The Miami-Dade County municipalities are excerpted, posted below in order of ranking (click on the photo to view enlarged):

15 story Power Lines for US1, our main street? Its time to reengage.

The threat of humongous power lines are back!  Get ready. Get engaged. This is not the time to merely say it's bad, now is the time to be decisive and formulate a united plan with our South Miami-Dade neighbors.

11:30 AM update - You ask, I respond. I am posting 2 photos demonstrating what I am told is the actual route. It appears that Cutler Bay will be spared, until Cutler Bay's commuters reach North Palmetto Bay.

It appears that the proposed power lines come into/adjacent to Palmetto Bay at US1 at the canal just South of the Colonial Palms Shopping Center, south of 136th Street, and then turn North up along US1.

Will the current Palmetto Bay Village Council be one of advocacy, to protect our quality of life or submission in order to avoid controversy in order to protect their own political positions? 

See Miami Miami Herald, Jan. 18, 2019, 15-story FPL power lines would be a jolt to the Underline, neighborhoods, businesses, by Linda Robertson:

Florida Power & Light is not giving up on its determination to string about 27 miles of line atop towers standing 9 to 15 stories tall despite a 2016 Florida appeals court decision that rejected the proposal, ruling that Gov. Rick Scott and his Cabinet erred in approving construction and ignored local zoning rules. FPL went back to the Cabinet — acting as the state Power Plant Siting Board — on Nov. 30 and has again received the go-ahead to erect a 230-kilovolt line along U.S. 1 from Cutler Bay to Coconut Grove. FPL said it needs to increase the capacity of its existing network to provide reliable future service. The city of South Miami, which straddles U.S. 1, will fight FPL, as it and other cities have for a decade, and hopes to win again, Mayor Philip Stoddard said. “The siting board rubber-stamped FPL’s wish list like it did previously, so that’s no surprise,” said Stoddard, vowing to appeal. “Making our cities look like an industrial zone hurts property values. People don’t like giant electrical poles. It’s not just a question of aesthetics. It’s a question of money.”

Photo credit - Miami Herald

While Mayor of Palmetto Bay (in 2010), I sponsored resolution 2010-32, waaaaaay back on April 12, 2010 which, in part voiced opposition to the siting transmission power lines down U.S. Highway 1; opposing the proposed routes along U.S.Highway One and was part of the actual opposition to the power line plan.  

Palmetto Bay joined in league with Coral Gables, South Miami and Pinecrest (to name some of of the co-plaintiffs). Palmetto Bay was once part of the legal coalition until the subsequent administration cut and run, leaving the court action to Pinecrest and South Miami to win – and win they did - and South Dade residents were protected - for a while.  

Now FPL is back, and only Mayor Philip Stoddard of South Miami remains in office to join this issue once again.  Current leadership of Pinecrest, Palmetto Bay and Cutler Bay should follow his lead and join into a united front to protect our communities. 

see prior posts, including May 13, 2014, Decision day in Tallahassee. Herald reports: In face of local opposition, FPL seeks Cabinet OK for transmission lines

TALLAHASSEE: In face of local opposition, FPL seeks Cabinet OK for transmission lines - Political Currents - MiamiHerald.com

The leadership of Pinecrest and South Miami have taken the lead on this issue of neighborhood protection. The Miami Herald reports that these power lines are projected to run from Cutler Bay through Pinecrest, South Miami and Coral Gables to a substation in Coconut Grove. The towers would be built alongside Metrorail and down U.S. 1, past Cadillac show rooms, Porsche dealers, retail malls and through miles of concentrated development.

Also see: October 21, 2013, A fine example of teamwork and leadership. Coral Gables mayor, attorney talk with state pols about FPL lines - Coral Gables - MiamiHerald.com

This is time for definitive action, not talk.

Another background post, July 8, 2013, FPL Transmission Line Administrative Hearing begin today (After 4 years of preparation) - and without Palmetto Bay

Update - on the 2018 June 1st Estimates of Taxable Values released by Property Appraiser, Pedro J. Garcia

Property Appraiser, Pedro J. Garcia, has released the 2018 June 1st Estimates of Taxable Values to the Taxing Authorities showing a continued growth in the real estate market. The countywide estimated taxable value for 2018 is $288,859,000,000, a 6.0% increase from 2017.

I have listed below the taxing districts that I (Mayor Eugene Flinn) usually follow as relevant to Palmetto Bay:

 Gain    Taxing authority                                           New construction $ expressed in Millions

  3.90   Coral Gables                                                   $161 m

  5.50   Cutler Bay                                                       $   9 m

  3.80   Doral                                                               $595 m

  5.50   Homestead                                                     $  85 m

  4.00   Palmetto Bay                                                  $    5 m

  3.40   Pinecrest                                                         $  35 m

  4.70   South Miami                                                    $  24 m

  3.90   Unincorporated Miami-Dade (UMSA)             $903 m

Countywide and School Board will affect your countywide portions of your tax bill

  3.90   Countywide                                                    $5,679,000,000.00

  3.30   School Board                                                 $5,683,000,000.00

Note that the differences in estimated taxable value between the Countywide and School Board is due to various additional homestead exemptions applicable to Miami-Dade County that do NOT apply to the School Board.  This is equally applicable to the municipalities and UMSA listed above.

Initial estimate released June 1:

The Miami-Dade Property Appraiser issued the June 1, 2018 Estimates of Taxable Value to Miami-Dade County's Taxing Authorities.  This allows the County, School Board, and local governments such as Coral Gables, Cuter Bay, Homestead, Doral, South Miami, Palmetto Bay, Pinecrest, South Miami and UMSA to proceed with the preparation of their 2018-2019 budgets.

Final Property Roll to be released July 1.

July 1st the Property Appraiser’s Office will publish the 2018 Assessment Roll, which provides the taxing authorities with their official numbers to set their millage (tax) rates.

It is early, but to get a preview of my philosophy, see my post from August 4, 2017, Budgeting for our 2017-18 fiscal year. I remain committed to "government 'lite'" in Palmetto Bay. And yes, I firmly remain committed to Government Lite and keep the property tax rate the same, and that includes any actions taken on Parks, including the proposed Community Center.

Your Mayor,

Eugene Flinn

Junior League of Miami - 2018 Annual Legislative Breakfast

It was my honor to represent Palmetto Bay at the 2018 Legislative Breakfast held on Wednesday, March 14, 2018. The event was held at their headquarters in Coral Gables.
 
I am familiar with this organization as my wife Alexandra spent some years as a member and volunteer with this organization. Discussions of the long-term programs brought back memories, such as assisting as Santa Claus at an Inn Transition Christmas event.  Good times serving for great causes. I look forward to the Junior League April event at Deering Estate: April 14 – when The Junior League of Miami plans to transform the historic Deering Estate for the 2018 Miami Showhouse; open to the public from April 14 – 29, 2018. (CLICK HERE) to view the official Junior League of Miami website release regarding this event.

The official Miami-Dade County News Release describes the April Miami Showhouse event as an event hosted by the Junior League of Miami to increase awareness and financial capability for the 91-year-old nonprofit organization to continue its work helping at-risk families in Miami.

The release notes further that: “The highly anticipated design event will inspire dozens of the most sought-after interior designers to temporarily transform interior and exterior spaces in the former home of industrial magnate Charles Deering. From April 14 to 29, the public will have the unique opportunity to explore the residence reinterpreted with modern touches in an estate dating back to 1916.”  Please (CLICK HERE) to view the full Miami-Dade News Release regarding this event.
I am a supporter of the outstanding work of the Junior League of Miami.

I also discussed a few of the issues important to Palmetto Bay that I am fortunate to sponsor/facilitate including School Safety, transportation, our efforts in recent legislative agenda, Parks and Parks programing, including our Community Center, as well as our progress on becoming an Age-Friendly City.  

 

 

 

This event also provided me with time to meet (post event) with Coral Gables Mayor Raul Valdes-Fauli – we are in contact on numerous issues relating to school safety, traffic, FPL, development, and even coyotes.  More on that in another post. Discussions were also held with County Commissioner Sally Heyman on traffic, transit and animal issues.

Thank you to the leaders, members and supporters of the Junior League of Miami that allows the Junior League of Miami to do some any great things for our community. 

Coyote update - meeting held with officials from FWC - here is authoritative information regarding co-existing with Coyotes in Florida.

Photo of a coyote in Palmetto Bay

Palmetto Bay is a paradise that we humans share with many native and non-native animals. CLICK HERE to view some of my past posts regarding the many species of animals we can find here in Palmetto Bay; crocodiles, alligators, eagles, marsh rabbits, owls. There is a long list of animals that call Palmetto Bay home. We do note that there are some animals that we do want to keep close eye on - including those designated as "invasive species".  

Reports continue in regard to coyotes in our Palmetto Bay community as well as in nearby Kings Bay, actually located in Coral Gables. A conference call was held with FWC officials, myself and with members of our community (I was joined on the call by residents/animal activists Cindy Hewitt and Lloyd Brown) on the topic of coyotes. Palmetto Bay went to the source to find out the issues, as well as status, potential issues and management strategies (if any).  We look forward to working with Greg from the Wildlife Assistance Program Coordinator for the FWC, on a future “Living with Wildlife” workshop or presentation.

Information regarding Coyotes in Florida  posted on the official FWC website: 

Coyotes are found throughout Florida and have been documented in all 67 counties. This medium-sized canid is extremely adaptable and can be found in rural, suburban and even urban landscapes. They are typically shy and elusive but encounters between people and coyotes in Florida are occurring more often. Coyotes help maintain balanced ecosystems by controlling the populations of rodents and small predators, such as foxes, opossums and raccoons. They are native to North America, have been in Florida for many years, and will continue to make their homes around the state.

The mission of the FWC program is to mitigate human-wildlife conflict through education, outreach and technical assistance. The members of FWC work with individual citizens, neighborhood groups, local government agencies and other stakeholders on nuisance wildlife issues and human-wildlife conflict resolution strategies. 

We look forward to developing a strong relationship between Palmetto Bay and FWC to monitor and manage these issues.

Please view the FWC website for information on Coyotes – and everyone I have spoken to is quite surprised to hear that Coyotes have been found in ALL 67 counties in Florida. 
See FWC's "Living with Coyotes". http://myfwc.com/conservation/you-conserve/wildlife/coyotes/ There is also a link on this site for the Urban Coyote Brochure .

Important: If you are experiencing coyote problems, please contact the FWC’s Wildlife Alert at 888-404-FWCC (3922) or your nearest FWC regional office: West Palm: 561-625-5122

Prior blog posts on this topic:
August 18, 2017, Update on Coyotes in our area – updated/better photos – have you seen any?
June 4, 2017, Guest Post - Coyotes in Palmetto Bay? What have you seen?
CLICK HERE to view prior posts relating to FWC.

Addressed on the official FWC website:

What should I do if I see a coyote?

Coyotes are not large animals and rarely pose a threat to people, especially adults. They can be curious but are also timid and generally run away if challenged. If a coyote approaches too closely, there are methods you can use to deter it and frighten it away. Hazing the animal by making loud noises and acting aggressively will typically cause a coyote to leave an area, but you may need to increase and continue hazing efforts until the coyote is effectively deterred and leaves the area for good. There are several methods of hazing that are effective with coyotes.  (please go to the website for complete information on this topic)

How can I protect my pets from coyotes?

Coyotes can and do prey on domestic cats and small dogs. Most coyote attacks on pets occur either at night or in the early evening or morning hours (dusk and dawn). To protect your pets, do not allow them to roam freely.  (Again, please go to the FWC website for complete information on this topic)

Why can’t coyotes be relocated or completely eliminated from my neighborhood?

• Removing coyotes is an inefficient and ineffective method to control populations. New coyotes move into areas where others have been removed. When there is pressure (such as trapping) placed on coyote populations, the species can actually produce more pups per litter in response and populations can quickly return to original size.  
• Coyotes are found throughout the entire state of Florida as part of natural range expansion from western states and now live in every state but Hawaii. 
• Coyotes fill an important role in the ecosystem by keeping rodent and small predator (fox, raccoon, opossum, etc.) populations under control
  

Today is Tuesday, 9/19/2017, the date FPL has committed to 'essentially' restore electric service in Palmetto Bay, Pinecrest and Cutler Bay. FPL's 7 AM restoration report.

Today, Tuesday, September 19 - the revised date that FPL has promised to restore power to all homes in Palmetto Bay (by 11:45 PM) - the only qualify being those homes that can safely accept power, that are not damaged in a way that FPL cannot reconnect.  A passionate Emergency Council meeting was held last night and many spoke of their issues before a packed house.

Many also spoke of having been notified of power restoration, and then returning home only to find they had a false restoration notice.

For those who don't have power, I ask that you confirm that your FPL 'ticket' still indicates that you are waiting for restoration. If you still do not have power, I need your full name and address so we can track your reconnect. Please e-mail me at eflinn@palmettobay-fl.gov with your account name, ticket number (closed or open) with phone number to reach you (if not by e-mail)

Thank you and please share!

Time/Date of update: 7:00 AM Tuesday 9/19/2017

Municipality       Percentage         Restored                    Out        Total accounts

Palmetto Bay       95.4%                    9,060                       440     9,500

Pinecrest             89.2%                    6,690                       810     7,500

Coral Gables       96.6%                    22,460                     800     23,260

Cutler Bay           96.9%                    15,600                     500     16,100                  

Note: all numbers provided by FPL

I thank everyone for their participation at the Emergency Council Meeting last night.  Special council meetings such as the 9/18 meeting allow us to discuss and work to resolve issues and pending matters much more quickly.

Your Mayor,

Eugene Flinn, Village of Palmetto Bay

Emergency Meeting scheduled for 6:30 this evening. I will hold a town hall meeting as soon as appropriate. 7:00 AM FPL restoration numbers

As Mayor, I have called for an EMERGENCY COUNCIL MEETING - in response, The Village of Palmetto Bay shall be conducting an Emergency Special Council Meeting on Monday, September 18, 2017 at 6:30 p.m. at Village Hall, 9705 E. Hibiscus Street.

The purpose of this Emergency Special Council Meeting is to discuss the following items:

(I) any and all matters relating to impacts and restoration related to Hurricane Irma, including physical damage and loss of electrical power;

(II) any and all matters relating to flood control in the Village of Palmetto Bay.

Please join us and be part of the discussion.

CLICK HERE to view the official notice.

FUTURE TOWN HALL MEETING  - I will host a town hall meeting (and ask my fellow council members to co-host/participate with me and/or hold additional meetings to broaden the reach). This meeting is not practical until after all areas are fully restored and residents and businesses have time to catch up from this unplanned interruption.

This town hall meeting will include discussion many of the ideas and concerns brought forward by residents, our legislative officials, our hurricane heroes and partners as well as FPL/SFWMD.  I am building a long list of discussion points, so get your ideas and concerns ready - keep track so these ideas/concerns are not lost.

I continue to thank everyone for their individual hard work, patience and teamwork.

Yours Mayor,

Eugene Flinn

Finally, I have posted the 7:00 AM FPL restoration numbers below:

Time/Date of update: 7:00 AM Monday 9/18/2017

Municipality       Percentage         Restored                    Out        Total accounts

Palmetto Bay       88.9%                    8,450                     1,050     9,500

Pinecrest             64.9%                    4,870                     2,630     7,500

Coral Gables       91.6%                    21,310                   1,950     23,260

Cutler Bay           93.6%                    15,070                   1,030     16,100                  

Note: all numbers provided by FPL