FYI Miami: September 8, 2022

Below are some of the FYIs in this week’s edition. The entire content of this week’s FYIs and Insider sections is available by subscription only. To subscribe click here.

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Mayor Daniella Levine Cava and the county commission are looking to increase availability of electric vehicle charging stations across Miami-Dade as part of the effort to transition and encourage use of green energy. A report approved by the mayor last week lists 11 action items, including an update to the County’s Sustainable Building Program requiring installation of EV chargers for at least 2% of parking spaces for new or major renovations for county infrastructure. Other aims: develop an electric vehicle supply equipment gap analysis to determine underserved areas with little to no existing charging infrastructure; look for partnerships with the private sector for no-cost charger installations or revenue-sharing installations; and prioritize grant applications to install charging stations in low to moderate income and multifamily areas where commercial investments aren’t anticipated. As of March, the county had 61 charging ports at 13 county facilities, the report details.

GIRL SCOUTS: Miami-Dade commissioners approved last week the purchase of 20.2 acres from the Girl Scouts where Camp Choee stands for around $2.7 million. The property includes 14 acres designated as a Natural Forest Community and about six acres with camp improvements and supporting facilities in poor to average condition. The land is home to the pine rockland habitat and will be managed by the Miami-Dade County Department of Environmental Resources Management for public park and conservation purposes. The Girl Scouts retain a leasehold with the county of 2,077 square feet within an on-site administrative building for 20 years and 5,107 square feet of shared-use common areas, documents show. “As a former Girl Scout and now mayor of Miami-Dade County, I am very excited to partner with the Girl Scouts of Tropical Florida on the purchase of the 20-acre Camp Choee property, a historic recreation area, and ensuring the preservation of 14 acres of globally imperiled pine rockland habitat,” Mayor Daniella Levine Cava told Miami Today in a written statement.

COUNTY REPORTS: County commissioners changed their procedures to establish that acceptance of a report by the mayor means the document communicates the information requested. If the commission takes no further action, its approval does not authorize the mayor to implement any of the recommendations in the report or establish and amend any policy already in place. The ordinance by Jose “Pepe” Diaz was approved on first reading last week and a public hearing and second hearing remain, where any discussion might happen.