Miami Beach committee backs pilots for lighting, trolley and park planning; asks MDPL to return for governance review

The Finance & Economic Resliency Committee in Miami Beach on Tuesday advanced a slate of pilot projects and budget referrals and asked the Miami Design Preservation League (MDPL) to return to the committee with governance changes and clearer donation disclosures.

Committee members voted to: approve a six‑month, no‑cost pilot to install temporary lights at Polo Park basketball courts; direct staff to develop a framework for potential sale of alcoholic beverages and sponsorships on the beachfront; pursue sponsorships and community partners to expand Muscle Beach at Lummus Park; add a proposed children’s playground south of Euclid Circle to the city’s five‑year capital improvement program (CIP) for further study; and authorize a pilot trolley extension to North Bay Village during monthly CultureCrawl events to collect ridership and cost data. The committee also returned a set of tree‑canopy items for further study and asked MDPL to come back with new leadership in place.

Votes at a glance

- Lease with Powell (agenda item): committee returned a favorable recommendation to the full commission; motion passed 3–0. - Polo Park temporary lighting pilot (NB18): committee returned a favorable recommendation to install temporary tower lighting for six months; motion passed 3–0. Staff said the pilot will use existing tower lights and a park ranger on patrol; costs are expected to be negligible because staff will repurpose city assets for the pilot and reevaluate after six months. - Model volleyball event permit‑fee waiver (MB15): committee approved a retroactive waiver of special‑event permit fees under City Code §12‑7 for the March event; motion passed 3–0. - Creation of a foundation/ committee for public art donations…