Dear Friends and Neighbors:

Happy February! This past weekend we had an amazing turnout for our Camping in the Park. Click here for photos.

Tonight we have our Regular Council Meeting. Click for the agenda. Recognitions start at 630 pm and our meeting begins at 7 pm. Your participation is important. Click here to see how you can join us. We will be recognizing our Village's Teachers of the Year, Village Sponsors, and several other amazing residents doing great things in our community.

The Council visited Tallahassee for Legislative Session last week. We met with Senator Ana Maria Rodriguez; Senator Alexis Calatayud; Senator Jason Brodeur; Representative Vicki Lopez; Representative Alina Garcia; Policy Director Kim Cramer from the Governor’s Office of Policy & Budget Environmental Unit; and Executive Director James “Hammer” Hartsell from the Florida Department of Veterans Affairs. Besides lobbying for funding, Palmetto Bay officials also discussed the proposed amendments to the Live Local Act and how the bill may be improved for the benefit of smaller communities, such as Palmetto Bay. The Manager and I also met with the incoming Speaker of the House Danny Perez to discuss areas of importance to the Village. Representative Perez is one of our very own and our conversations were productive. I also met with Representative Mike Redondo, who represents District 118, the area immediately west of Palmetto Bay, and Deputy Secretary Mara Gambineri from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. All in all it was a busy but productive three days. Click here for a full report of the visit.

The Miami-Dade County Water & Sewer Department has begun work on SW 152 Street that will require road closures and detours. The work will take place between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. each weekday. Phase 1 of the project will affect the section of SW 152 Street between SW 73 Court and Old Cutler Road, and Phase 2 will affect the section between Old Cutler Road and SW 72 Avenue. Completing both phases is estimated to take two to three weeks. See the attached maps for more details, and plan on delays during these times. Click here for information.

This weekend we will be visiting ROK for the first Esports competition. This is a new era where competitive gaming has become a catalyst for exploration and academic excellence. Experience the best scholastic ESPORTS competition at the EKUSO Florida Esports Invitational, where gamers from schools local and all over the US come to compete and have fun! Click here for more information. We will also be visiting our first ever Youth Pickleball event! Thank you to our Youth Advisory Board for pulling together this amazing initiative. Young and Young at Heart are welcome! Click for more info.

With so much going on in our great Village, what's not to love! I look forward to seeing you in and around the Village for the upcoming meetings and events! Many have already received the first of what is sure to be many negative mailers as we enter the political season! I encourage you to stay tuned into reliable information sources. You can subscribe to the Village Newsletter by clicking here and Download our Palmetto Bay Connect and Street by Street Apps. As always, I am here to answer questions or lend a helping hand. I can be reached at kcunningham@palmettobay-fl.gov or at 305-799-0695. 

Warm regards,