Veterans committee hears plan for April 5 "Fishing with America’s Finest"; organizer seeks $500 town donation

An organizer of a veterans fishing event told the Town of Miami Lakes Veterans Committee on March 1 that the celebration, “Fishing with America’s Finest,” is planned for April 5 and he will ask the Town Council for a $500 donation to help cover costs.

The organizer, identified in the meeting as Mister Green (public commenter), said the event will begin at 10 a.m., open with the national anthem, include fishing on Grand Lake, entertainment, a bounce house and snow cones, lunch after roughly one to two hours of fishing, and two raffles—one limited to Vietnam veterans and one open to veterans of all eras. He said the event will also include pinning and certificate presentations for Vietnam veterans who have not yet received Department of Defense pins.

“...the kickoff is going to be at 10AM. We normally start off with the national anthem and salute to the flag. We’re going to have fishing in the Grand Lake…we’ll have lunch…we’re doing a sort of a special thing for the Vietnam Vets to acknowledge them and thank them for their service,” Mister Green told the committee.

Green said the American Legion Post 144 expects to provide $500 and that he planned to request the town’s $500 at the council meeting scheduled for March 6. He also said he is working with Isabella, the committee’s town liaison, on permits and on arrangements for post-event trash pickup. At the meeting, committee members confirmed the town’s finance office expects transparency on any donation line items and asked that Green bring the formal request to council.

The committee did not take a formal vote on the donation during the March 1 meeting; members discussed logistical support and how last month the town arranged to collect the event’s trash. Committee members also encouraged Green to confirm whether any permits would be needed; Green said the prior event did not require permits and that he expected it to be covered by the veterans committee umbrella. The meeting record shows no final decision by the Veterans Committee on a town contribution—the organizer said he would appear at council to request the money.

The committee asked staff to confirm whether the town would provide post-event trash collection and whether any permit requirements have changed since the previous year. The town liaison, Isabella, was thanked by committee members for her assistance on planning.

No formal vote on municipal funding is recorded in the Veterans Committee minutes provided; the funding request is scheduled to be presented to the Town Council on March 6.