Longtime volunteer disputes council plan to restructure Parks Police for Kids foundation

Jody Steinbauer, a Doral homeowner of 32 years and volunteer director with Parks Police for Kids, used her three‑minute public comment at the Jan. 15 council meeting to oppose a proposed agenda item that would change the foundation’s mission and bylaws so the city council would run the 501(c)(3).

Steinbauer said the morning session included remarks that the foundation "did not raise funds," and she called that characterization "not true," listing corporate sponsors and partners including Jersey Mike’s, Papa John’s, Super Autos, Alpha Brokers and Doral Foods. She said one director secured a hospital donation for a back‑to‑school backpack giveaway and that the organization runs after‑school tutoring for at‑risk middle‑school students, a free summer camp run by the police department, bicycle‑safety events and a truck to store donated bikes. "It is all about the kids," she said, and she asked council to consider whether restructuring would reduce funds that currently go "directly to the kids."

Steinbauer also said the mayor had described fundraising from a gala and golf tournament as $300,000 but that, after expenses, the event "raised close to $100,000," and she said she feared losing the ability of volunteer directors to secure sponsor donations if governance shifted to the council.

The mayor’s item appears on the council agenda as a proposed restructuring; the transcript of this meeting records Steinbauer’s challenge but does not include the mayor’s earlier morning remarks that Steinbauer referenced. No city response to Steinbauer’s comment appears in this evening session’s record beyond a brief acknowledgement and a clerical closing of the public‑comment period.

What’s next: Steinbauer’s remarks were entered into the public record; the agenda item referenced in her comments was discussed at the morning session and is scheduled for further council consideration per the agenda notation.