C7AM - Study Flamingo Park Traffic Calming

Resolutions - C7 AM

COMMISSION MEMORANDUM

RECOMMENDATION

The City Administration (“Administration”) recommends the Mayor and City Commission (“City Commission”) adopt the Resolution.

Furthermore, the Administration recommends that while the City Commission evaluates the need for a Flamingo Park neighborhood traffic calming study, it also considers several critical factors that will significantly impact the Transportation Fund and General Fund budgets, beginning in Fiscal Year (“FY”) 2026:

1. The operating costs of a new citywide transit circulator service and water taxi service, both which are currently in procurement; 2. The City’s increasing unfunded capital improvement program; 3. Long-term General Fund financial projections indicating a potential shortfall in upcoming fiscal years; and 4. The passage of Amendment 5 in November 2024, which increases the homestead exemption and further constrains the growth of taxable property values.

These considerations are essential to ensure that decisions regarding the Flamingo Park neighborhood traffic calming study align with the City’s broader long-term financial stability and strategic priorities. If the City Commission recommends funding for the Flamingo Park neighborhood traffic calming study, the Administration recommends it be considered as part of the FY 2026 budget process.

BACKGROUND/HISTORY

At the April 23, 2025 City Commission meeting, at the request of Commissioner Alex Fernandez and Commissioner David Suarez, the City Commission referred an agenda item (C4 O) to the Public Safety and Neighborhood Quality of Life Committee (“PSNQLC” or “Committee”) to discuss the potential installation of traffic calming devices in the Flamingo Park neighborhood.

The Flamingo Park neighborhood in the City of Miami Beach (“City”) is bounded on the north by Lincoln Road, on the south by 5 Street, on the east by Washington Avenue and on the west by Alton Road. Streets within the Flamingo Park neighborhood are owned, operated, and maintained by the City; notwithstanding, pursuant to the Miami-Dade County (“County”) Home Rule Charter,

the County has jurisdictional authority and purview over traffic engineering functions, traffic flow, and traffic control devices on local roadways, including within municipalities.

The current posted speed limits within the Flamingo Park neighborhood are 25 miles per hour and 30 miles per hour, depending on the street. The Transportation and Mobility Department has finalized the design and permitting phases of the Flamingo Park Neighborhood Slow Streets 2.0 project and construction is anticipated to begin in summer 2025. The project includes the installation of traffic calming (speed cushions) on 13 Street between Drexel Avenue and Meridian Avenue, painted curb extensions along both Jefferson Avenue and 13 Street corridors, a two-way parking-protected bicycle lane on Jefferson Avenue between 6 Street and 11 Street, and green bicycle sharrow markings along 13 Street between Meridian Avenue and Washington Avenue and along Jefferson Avenue between 5 Street and 6 Street. The project is anticipated to reduce vehicular speeds, improve pedestrian and bicycle safety and convenience, and enhance the quality-of-life for residents of the Flamingo Park neighborhood.

In addition, the Transportation and Mobility Department is currently negotiating with one of the City’s rotational transportation planning and traffic engineering consultants to develop the design plans for a neighborhood greenway along 10 Street between Ocean Drive and West Avenue, partially within the Flamingo Park neighborhood. The goal of the 10 Street Neighborhood Greenway project is to transform 10 Street into a low-stress, low volume, low-speed street where bicyclists and pedestrians are given priority. The design development phase of the 10 Street Neighborhood Greenway project is anticipated to take approximately eight (8) months to complete following issuance of a notice-to-proceed to the consultant. The 10 Street Neighborhood Greenway project is currently funded for construction; however, a construction schedule has not yet been determined.

At the March 17, 2025 Flamingo Park Neighborhood Association (“FPNA”) meeting, residents raised concerns regarding speeding vehicles on local residential streets in the neighborhood. The Flamingo Park neighborhood, known for its walkability and recreational spaces, attracts significant pedestrian and bicyclist activity. Speeding vehicles pose a safety hazard in this environment. To formally express the community’s concerns, FPNA submitted a letter on behalf of its residents requesting that the City take action to address speeding and enhance safety through the implementation of traffic calming measures in the Flamingo Park neighborhood.

ANALYSIS

The City’s Traffic Calming Manual, approved by the County and adopted by the City Commission in 2011, outlines the process that must be followed for traffic calming projects in the City. The process requires conducting a traffic calming study to identify the street segments that experience vehicular speeding, high crash rates, and cut-through traffic. If the evaluated street(s) meets the minimum criteria outlined in the Traffic Calming Manual, City staff subsequently conducts a community meeting with residents to present the findings and recommendations of the traffic calming study and obtain community feedback on the recommended locations and traffic calming devices.

Once the study is complete and a neighborhood meeting has been conducted, a ballot survey is mailed/e-mailed to each affected property owner in the neighborhood. Pursuant to the Traffic Calming Manual, approval from at least two-thirds of the affected property owners who complete and submit a ballot survey is required to proceed with a traffic calming project. In addition, the County requires 100% concurrence from property owners directly adjacent to the recommended traffic calming device(s) in order to proceed with design and installation. Once the neighborhood- wide traffic calming study is reviewed and approved by the County, and the survey process is concluded, the design development phase is initiated. County review and approval of the design plans for the traffic calming project is also required prior to initiating construction.

At the June 11, 2025 PSNQLC meeting, the Committee discussed this item and endorsed the Administration’s recommendation to conduct a traffic calming study for the Flamingo Park

neighborhood to ascertain the need for traffic calming and identify the street segments that warrant the installation of traffic calming devices. Furthermore, the Committee requested that the Administration prioritize this initiative as part of the FY 2026 budget development process and work with the FPNA to identify the critical areas within the neighborhood to expedite and reduce the duration of the traffic calming study.

FISCAL IMPACT STATEMENT

The estimated cost of a traffic calming study for the Flamingo Park neighborhood is between $200,000 and $250,000. At this time, funding for a traffic calming study for the Flamingo Park neighborhood has not been identified, allocated, or budgeted in the Transportation and Mobility Department’s FY 2025 operating budget. Should the City Commission accept the recommendation of the PSNQLC directing the Administration to move forward with conducting a traffic calming study for the Flamingo Park neighborhood, the Administration will include a request for this initiative within the FY 2026 budget development process.

Does this Ordinance require a Business Impact Estimate? (FOR ORDINANCES ONLY)

If applicable, the Business Impact Estimate (BIE) was published on: See BIE at: https://www.miamibeachfl.gov/city-hall/city-clerk/meeting-notices/

FINANCIAL INFORMATION

N/A

CONCLUSION

The Administration recommends conducting a traffic calming study for the Flamingo Park neighborhood to ascertain the need for traffic calming and identify the street segments that warrant the installation of traffic calming devices, subject to funding appropriation during the FY 2026 budget development process.

Applicable Area

South Beach

Was this Agenda Item initially requested by a lobbyist which, as defined in Code Sec. 2-481, includes a principal engaged in lobbying? No

If so, specify the name of lobbyist(s) and principal(s): N/A

Department

Transportation and Mobility

Sponsor(s)

Commissioner Alex Fernandez

Co-sponsor(s)

Commissioner David Suarez

Condensed Title

Accept Rec/Conduct Traffic Calming Study in Flamingo Park Neighborhood. (Fernandez/Suarez) TR

Previous Action (For City Clerk Use Only)