Miami Lakes workshop clarifies committee attendance, remote-participation and public-comment rules

Deputy Town Attorney Lorenzo Covillella and town staff held a workshop for Town of Miami Lakes committee chairs and members to review updated committee rules and Robert’s Rules of Order, emphasizing monthly meeting requirements, attendance limits and new remote-participation rules.

The session matters because the changes affect volunteers who serve on the town’s advisory committees, set automatic removal triggers for absenteeism, and formalize how public comments, minutes and budget requests must be handled.

Covillella told attendees the rules are grounded in both Robert’s Rules of Order and Florida law on open meetings and public records, and he repeatedly stressed the need for order so committees can complete their business. “An individual shall have 3 minutes to address the committee or such other period of time as the chairperson deems reasonable,” Covillella said, quoting the public-comment provision. He also said, “The committee member appearing remotely must keep their camera on, and their face must remain visible,” and added that remote participants should not be driving while attending.

Key clarifications covered at the workshop included quorum, attendance sanctions, remote participation limits and recordkeeping:

- Quorum: Covillella said quorum must be a physical majority present; remote attendees cannot be counted toward establishing quorum unless a majority of members are physically present. The chair determines whether quorum exists when the meeting is called to order.

- Attendance and removal: Committees must hold at least one public meeting per month. The resolution adopted by the town takes effect April 15, 2025. Removal is automatic if a member meets any of these thresholds within a 12-month rolling period: three unexcused absences from regular meetings; three consecutive absences regardless of excuse; or five absences total (excused or unexcused). The chair has sole discretion to classify an absence as excused; in case the chair is absent, the vice chair has that discretion.

- Remote participation: Members may appear remotely no more than two times in a calendar year and must notify the committee liaison at least 24 hours before the meeting. Remote participants must keep cameras on, be audible to people in the room, wear appropriate attire and avoid distracting backgrounds.

- Public comments and reopening: The rules preserve a public-comment period, normally placed after roll call at the start of the meeting, and allow in-person or remote participation. Several attendees asked whether committees may reopen public comment later in a meeting. Councilman Steven Herzberg urged restraint: “Wait till all the business has been done,” he said, recommending that committees complete agenda items first and, if time remains, reopen comments at the end.

- Minutes, attendance reporting and liaison duties: Secretaries must take minutes that record attendance and note whether members attended in person or remotely and whether absences were excused. Chairs’ semiannual reports to the town council must include attendance records. Staff said a standardized spreadsheet has been created for secretaries to log attendance and remote appearances.

- Appointments and resignations: Applicants must attend one committee meeting before applying. If a member is removed or resigns, they generally must wait 180 days before applying to rejoin the same committee. Planning and Zoning Board membership remains subject to separate restrictions and financial-disclosure rules.

- Budget and sponsorships: Committees that expect to request funds must submit written budget requests by April 30 for the fiscal year; budget changes above $700 must be presented to the town manager and then council.

Workshop participants raised operational and legal questions about HIPAA and ADA accommodations for excused absences, the practicality of the two-remote-appearance limit and how to handle meetings that are canceled for lack of quorum. Covillella repeatedly advised chairs and liaisons to contact the town attorney’s office for clarifications and offered to provide parliamentarian assistance when disputes arise.

No formal motions or votes were taken during the workshop; the session was an informational briefing and question-and-answer period. Town staff said copies of the new rules and supporting materials are available on request through the town clerk and will be provided to committees.

The town’s changes centralize attendance tracking and enforcement and are intended to reduce repeated quorum problems that have delayed committee work, staff said. Committee chairs were encouraged to adopt consistent practices — for example, declaring a meeting at the scheduled time, taking roll call, and then deciding whether to continue if quorum is not met — and to notify the liaison in advance when members will be absent.