Miami Lakes committee finalizes event details, asks town for police funding to support golf-cart parade

The Miami Lakes Anniversary Committee approved several logistical items for the town’s 25th‑anniversary event and voted to ask the Town Council to provide police protection for an optional golf‑cart parade, committee members said Thursday.

Committee members approved entertainment and production details including an order to invite a local high‑school band and to proceed with a cake design using the town brand colors and the official logo, the committee said. Staff also confirmed vendor rules, including a $100 vendor fee for non‑sponsored sellers and the requirement that food vendors hold a food‑vendor license and a certificate of insurance.

The committee said the golf‑cart parade would require explicit funding for police protection before it could proceed. William (committee member) moved that the committee ask the town council to provide a budget to pay for police and safety resources to support a golf‑cart parade; the motion was seconded and put to a vote.

Why it matters: The parade would require road‑safety coordination and staffing by the police department; several volunteers and outside groups told the committee they would not participate without police protection. Requesting council funding makes police costs an explicit condition for the parade to move forward.

Committee decisions and logistics Committee members discussed performers, emcee and the national‑anthem singer; they identified Ria Monet and said they were pursuing other local performers and groups, and that a salsa club is confirmed. The committee agreed to ask a high‑school band to participate as a backup when other bands proved unavailable.

On food and souvenirs, staff reiterated that food vendors must have local food‑vendor licenses and certificates of insurance before being allowed to sell. Kimberly (committee member) and other organizers discussed a souvenir vendor (identified in the meeting as a Miami Lakes vendor) and whether to exempt that vendor from the standard fee; the committee ultimately confirmed the published fee structure (the general vendor fee listed in the sponsorship packet is $100) and said all vendors must sign up and pay unless the committee revises the sponsorship packet.

Cake, branding and timeline The committee approved a motion directing the cake vendor to use town brand colors and the official logo, with vanilla and chocolate options and an approximate two‑tier or faux‑tier design; members asked the vendor to provide a sketch for final approval. Committee members also reviewed a draft event timeline: 4:00 p.m. — welcome and national anthem; 4:15 p.m. — prayer; 4:20–5:15 p.m. — staged acts (roughly 10 minutes per act with DJ music as buffer); 5:15–6:15 p.m. — guest introductions and speeches by invited officials, including a state senator and state representative as listed on the draft timeline.

Vendors, sponsorships and volunteers A committee representative said she will email a sponsorship package and vendor sign‑up form to potential sellers. Volunteers will be managed through a volunteer page on the town website; Sharra (committee member) agreed to coordinate volunteer sign‑ups and will provide job times and requirements for the posting.

Public‑safety committee concerns Nancy Rodriguez, identified as a member of the Public Safety Committee, told the group she had not received the report referenced in the minutes and said her committee was not informed of the event plans that mentioned Public Safety support. "I don't recall any of this event being spoken at one of our committee meetings," Rodriguez said, and asked for the material to be sent to Public Safety so members can coordinate on staffing and safety roles.

What’s next The committee asked the chair to present a formal request to the Town Council for police funding to support the golf‑cart parade and set a follow‑up committee meeting for October (the group discussed meeting week of Oct. 13 or Oct. 14 at 6:30 p.m.). Several logistics remain to be finalized, including confirmations for performers, vendor insurance paperwork and the parade safety plan.

Votes at a glance - Approval of meeting minutes: motion passed (voice vote recorded as "Aye"). - Motion to invite the high‑school band (as a backup/performer): motion seconded and carried by voice vote. - Motion approving cake design using town brand colors/logo, vanilla and chocolate options (vendor to provide sketch for approval): motion seconded and carried by voice vote. - Motion directing the committee chair to request council funding for police protection to support a golf‑cart parade: William (committee member) moved; motion seconded and carried (committee recorded the motion and second and proceeded to a vote).