Miami Lakes Public Safety Committee elects new leadership, defers two PSA videos and approves report to council

The Town of Miami Lakes Public Safety Committee elected new leadership and took several administrative actions at its Feb. 12 meeting.

Elections and leadership: The committee accepted a change in leadership when the existing chair announced he would step down. Members nominated and approved a new chair (transcript name: Argo) and elected Nancy Rogers as vice chair; George Pena accepted the nomination for secretary. Votes were taken from the committee floor and the motions carried (recorded as carried in the minutes; individual roll-call tallies were not recorded in the transcript).

Crime statistics: A sheriff's office representative (Officer Amino) presented a year‑to‑date crime summary that showed declines in several categories compared with the prior year: robberies and larceny/ theft counts were lower, auto-theft counts were down versus the same period last year, and there were no homicides reported. Committee members praised the sheriff's office presence and noted that continuity with county resources can be operationally advantageous.

PSA and video edits: The committee reviewed two public-safety videos. Members asked staff and the producer to rework the “305” PSA to correct branding and credits (so it identifies the Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office municipal district correctly) and to shorten or re-edit a separate “don’t text and walk” video, which several members said is currently too graphic and could be reframed as an awareness piece. By motion the committee deferred approval of the “don’t text and walk” video to the next meeting to allow re-editing; that motion carried.

Coffee with a Cop and related outreach: Committee members discussed scheduling and format changes for Coffee with a Cop events. The sheriff's office indicated it will manage the program going forward with the committee providing supporting promotion and attendance. Members suggested targeting weekend or community-friendly times to increase resident turnout and recommended close cooperation with merchants and mobile coffee vendors to keep costs low.

Magnets and outreach materials: A vendor quote for a public-safety magnet was reviewed. Committee members asked town marketing staff to design alternative mockups that more clearly display the non-emergency call instruction and fit town branding. The committee deferred final approval of the magnet design until staff presents several options.

Report to council and new initiatives: The committee approved a report to council that (1) asks permission to pursue a community car-show/“field day” style event in the fall (conceptual approval only, requested so staff may investigate logistics and estimated costs); (2) requests specific line-item budget treatment so sponsorships and expense accounts can be handled consistently; and (3) asks council to permit the committee to continue partnership work on Coffee with a Cop, the firefighter outreach concept and National Night Out. The committee approved the report to council as presented; the motion carried.

Administrative notes: The committee briefly discussed a small reimbursement to cover chamber luncheon registration for two outside presenters; members agreed to document the reimbursable expense in the committee report rather than process an immediate standalone reimbursement motion during the meeting.

Ending: The committee set a tentative subcommittee meeting to finalize edits and sponsorship outreach and scheduled the next Public Safety Committee meeting for Feb. 25.