Thanks to everyone who came out to our August 2021 General Body meeting! It was another lively event, with lots of info and interaction and lots Miami Beach Commission candidates showing up, 2 of them as special guest speakers: Raquel Pacheco and Greg Branch. We also had Maddy from Debris Free Oceans and new Miami-Dade DEC Chair Robert Dempster. Read the minutes here. Watch the replay here.

Here's what went down. First, we had our Executive Board and Committee reports.

President Matthew Land announced that the DEC VBM website is up which allows us to resume phone and text banking actions. He also said that we are planning a socially-distant canvassing event soon, and stated that we are working on setting up an annual recurring option for membership signups. Vice President Amanda Knapp said that our planned fundraiser for October is on hold for now due to Covid precautions. Secretary Janet Silverman reported that we have 102 members, and reminded us that membership dues are only $25 per year. Treasurer Patrick Breshike reported that we have $7312 in the bank, with funds coming in from membership renewals and Pride Parade sponsorships. Campaign Chair David Geller announced that our candidate forum in support of the Miami Beach municipal elections will be on Monday, September 27 from 6-9 PM. Neighborhood and Building Organizing Chair Aaron Bos-Lun announced that we held our first organizing meeting and it was a success. This will be a recurring monthly meeting. Program Chair Bill Warren provided an update on our Pride Parade participation. We've sold lots of sponsorships, folks! He also mentioned that we are working on a project to create short videos to raise club awareness and voter engagement. Voter Registration Chair Teneramie Jimenez asked for volunteers to serve on her committee (email her at [email protected] if interested), and Florida Democratic Party Voter Registration field organizer Bonnie Waxman spoke about her own VR efforts, which uses paid canvassers.

Then it was on to our special guests.

Miami Beach Commission Group 1 candidate Raquel Pacheco introduced herself to the club, spoke about why she's running, what issues she intends to champion (e.g., public safety, sea level rise, building safety) and listed the endorsements she has attained. She then fielded all of our questions. Miami Beach Commission Group 3 candidate Greg Branch talked about his candidacy, his 8-point plan for Ocean Drive, issues with our senior centers and more. Another Q&A followed and he fielded all our questions.

NOTE: You can read up on what Raquel and Greg discussed in the meeting minutes or even watch the replay on YouTube .. and don't forget to attend our candidate forum on 9/27!

Next up was Maddy from Debris Free Oceans. She talked about the impact of marine plastics and their work which includes advocacy, education and beach cleanups (with beer often involved to make it fun). We then had Robert Dempster who was running for DEC Chair (note: he won!). He introduced himself and talked about the DEC and what we need to do to be ready for 2022 and 2024.

You can get all the nitty-gritty details by reading the meeting minutes or watching the replay on YouTube. You can also read up on all of our meetings - past, present and future - on our Meetings page.

Finally, don't forget that our next meeting will be held on Monday, September 20 beginning at 7 PM! Click here to register for the Zoom.

Let's build power together in Miami Beach!