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Doral council approves restructured Parks & Police for Kids foundation and appoints members amid limited dissent
Summary
Council approved new bylaws and appointments to restructure the Parks & Police for Kids foundation as a fundraising arm for the city; Councilwoman Porz voiced concerns about removing broader council representation and two members voted no. Josh Rios was appointed as community member.
The Doral City Council on March 11 approved bylaws and board appointments to reconstitute the Parks & Police for Kids foundation as a philanthropic arm intended to raise private funds to support youth programming and reduce reliance on general‑fund dollars.
Mayor Christie Fraga and the city attorney outlined the foundation’s history and recent fundraising: the foundation was created to receive PGA Tour contributions, lost most PGA revenue after 2016, and has since received renewed support — a recent golf tournament and gala raised more than $350,000. "The goal is to raise money to be able to redirect some of the funding that's coming from our general fund," the mayor said, describing plans for grants and programming funded by private donations rather than taxes.
Under the approved bylaws the board will include the mayor (as chair), one council member (Councilwoman Reynoso was appointed), the police chief, the parks director and one community member (Josh Rios). The mayor said the restructure is designed to make the organization easier to fundraise for and to expand programming that would otherwise be subsidized by taxpayers.
Councilwoman Porz objected to reducing direct council representation, saying she could not support "not having either a member or each of us that are part of the city council as a member." The city attorney replied that, while the foundation is an independent corporation, its charitable transactions benefiting the city and the presence of multiple council‑appointed members make it subject to sunshine and public‑records laws.
A motion to approve the bylaws and appointments carried; the roll call recorded a mix of yes and no votes with at least two no votes on the record. The mayor said the foundation has also applied for a state grant (about $150,000) and anticipated additional PGA funding.
