##VIDEO ID:cg6-GzoLpo4## in a connected world what used to take hours days or weeks can now take seconds information moves around the globe instantly connection means so many things connection is electric it's informational it's something you feel it's building in aventur our city and Community are more connected than ever and it's only getting better welcome to the 2024 state of the city a connected City begins with the way avator communicates with residents in order to serve you we not only have to know you we have to be connected especially during critical times in June aventur was hit by a massive storm dropping about a foot of rain onto our city in less than 12 hours through our social media and text message updates we were able to provide residents with information as soon as we received it those of you who connected to us through those platforms were able to receive updates ask questions and get answers the video updates we shared during the recovery from the storm were viewed nearly 60,000 times on Instagram alone we have spent the last three years building out channels to connect you and your city if you haven't done so sign up for text message updates by texting Aventura to 3056774749 connections being made through our Communications have grown tremendously and we're going to keep investing in them because connecting to you is critical to serving you speaking of that storm in June it was the connections we've made recently that allowed Aventura to recover quickly and make our roads passable while many of our neighbors were still underwater when a foot of rain falls on any City in less than 12 hours there is not a storm waterer system that will entirely prevent flooding but because of the Investments Aventura has made in upgrade in our systems our main arteries biscan Boulevard and Country Club Drive were passable within an hour of the storm ending all of our streets were passable within 24 hours when I was a commissioner avator invested heavily in improving our Curbing and drainage around the city especially along Country Club Drive since I became your mayor our city has continued to invest in storm water infrastructure with the new fiscal year beginning on October 1st we've included nearly $600,000 to upgrade the system on 191st Street that's in addition to nearly $9.5 million the city's invested in storm water systems over the past seven years we know the storms are not going to stop and we're working to do everything we can to get in front of them in most cities getting permits to improve your home is a long and painful process in Aventura we are proud that our building department moves incredibly fast without sacrificing safety over the past year they've issued a record number of permits and they've done it all while maintaining the highest standards permits are typically issued in days not weeks or months our team is second to none aventor is a midsize City most of the employees your tax dollars pay for are in one Department the aventur police department 98 sworn officers who work to keep us all safe they are supported by 36 civilian employees we recently welcomed our new Deputy Chief of Police Chris Chastain he comes to Aventura from Davy with Decades of experience and helps enhance the leadership of our department soon we'll also add five more officers expanding our department as part of our commitment to Public Safety the men and women of the aventur police department run toward danger when everyone else runs from it thanks to their work aventur is one of the safest places in Florida to live work visit and raise a family through the aventur police department Community Ambassador panel residents businesses and our Police Department connect to share important information build meaningful relationships and keep Aventuras safe it is always important to connect our residents to the Arts our Arts and Cultural Center hosts comedy shows tribute bands and off Bradway performances over the past year we've broken our attendance records and that isn't even counting the wonderful shows put on by our students and campers they get to use the same stage and Equipment as the professionals these Productions Infuse Beauty and creativity into our community in Aventura education is one of our greatest assets our Charter Schools connect our next Generation to worldclass education preparing them to lead the future in aventur and beyond for every year of its existence Asus has been an a-rated School sof for high has followed suit giving Avent kids the opportunity to go k through 12 in a-rated City run Charter Schools our s for high graduates are heading off to college with as much as two years worth of credits all while earning Ace and Cambridge diplomas and bright future scholarships this past year 58 of our students earn Capstone diplomas after achieving high scores on their AP exams we couldn't be more proud of them but that is not enough every year aventur is forced to turn away kids from ases because there simply are not enough seats just after I was elected mayor in 2022 I connected with our friends at gstream in an effort to find land for another school I am thrilled to tell you that we are nearing an agreement to acquire several Acres just west of donof for Aventura high school as I promised a new school is coming to Aventura as we continue to build we will add seats allowing more of our families to send their children to aventur Charter Schools you may have noticed a theme to this year's state of the city address it's not by accident it's a tribute a few months ago we lost the ultimate connector my friend commissioner Michael Stern Michael loved aventur from his founding of aventur magazine to his early days on the commission to his return in 2022 he gave everything he had to our city in his first stint on the commission he introduced movie Nights something we've grown for many years it always brought him much joy to see our community connecting at these events and watching parents and their children smiling during his 8-year Hiatus from being a commissioner he continued his Public Service founding the aventur police department Community Ambassador panel better known as cap cap connects our police department and residents fostering relationships that make our community safer and keep residents informed Michael also spearheaded the creation of aventura's new Police Athletic League in partnership with Sunny Isles Beach as well as the return of live concerts in our parks while Michael is no longer with us his legacy will live on through the programs he created the people he brought together and the impact he had on so many of us Michael was truly aventura's connector in Chief we will miss him and we will honor him by continuing to build on the incredible work that he did speaking of connection our new Ike kiosks provide visitors and residents alike with access to all sorts of information games and photo ops what's more they're making money for the city we project these kiosks will generate several hundred th000 of Revenue per year and the cost to taxpayers zero the idea to bring Ike to Aventura came from my attendance at last year's us Conference of Mayors that's one of a few major events I attend each year to connect with city leaders from around the country and share ideas success stories and strategies for tackling the issues that face our communities aventur has always prioritized Public Safety and education the work done by our teachers and the members of our Police Department creates the safe and nurturing environment that makes aventur the choice of so many people as their home but over the last few years like many communities in Florida we have had challenges attracting and retaining Talent even as we offer highly competitive salaries and benefits at the same time housing prices have risen rapidly making it even more challenging for those who work in these critical roles to live in our community that is about to change when I was running for mayor I came up with the concept of hero housing after fine tuning it with our commission and City staff it was approved and the first hero housing units are on the the way hero housing will encourage Educators police officers and 911 dispatchers to join and remain in our city by offering them a chance to live in a beautiful new luxury condominium at half price rent icon aventuro will begin selling condos in its new luxury building by the end of 2024 when the building opens 20 luxury condos will be reserved for hero housing which will provide 50% off market rate rent to those who keep us safe and educate our children what's more hero housing is here to stay the program is permanent and the developer pays the cost of subsidizing the rent the program cost taxpayers nothing in avator we are innovating to connect our Public Safety and educational staff to the housing they need so they can live and work in the city of Excellence one of Avatar's great tools for connection is freebie offering people the chance to ditch their cars for rides within aventur it's free it's electric and it's it's changing the way people move around within our city since I became your mayor we have worked to find funds to continue expanding freebie as developers negotiate agreements with us freebie funding is now a part of those discussions these private sector contributions will allow us to continue expanding this extraordinarily popular service and reducing weight times all while using private funds instead of your tax dollar my connection to this service is personal as I brought the concept of a electric on demand ride sharing to the city when I was a commissioner seeing it connect people as they move around our city always puts a smile on my face avator has some of the most beautiful parks in all of South Florida in a city where undeveloped land is scarce we have to make the most of what we do have we heard you loud and clear when you said you wanted more tennis courts and public pickle ball courts in aventur we now have the only shaded pickleball courts in South Florida where the temperature can be as much as 20° lower under our shade canopy but when you feel like getting out and kicking or throwing around a ball our new state-of-the-art field Turf playing services at Founders and Waterway Parks await you these new Playing Fields ensure a consistent surface and they allow us to keep the parks open 7 days a week instead of six they also allow the city to improve our green footprint by Transforming Our fields to eliminate the use of pesticides and herbicides the need for watering and the need for gas powered mowing soon we'll be adding a wonderful new basketball court at Founders Park with six Hoops creating an outdoor court for public use in aventur for the first time in many years come and connect with your loved ones and Neighbors at any of aventura's incredible Parks aventur is filled with beautiful places to eat and enjoy whether you're playing golf at Turnberry shopping at avtur mall or dining at one of our many incredible restaurants you never have to leave avator to find something to do as I mentioned connection is everything but connecting our taste buds to spectacular flavors is something truly special at espelin a Mafi Lama has become one of my personal favorites and I can't wait until the salty doughnut opens I'm going to have to work out extra hard to burn those calories I could not be more excited about Italy coming to the amateur Mall Italy is the largest Italian retail and dining experience in the world over 30,000 square feet transforming the way consumers experience food beverage and culture through markets counters cafes restaurants as well as educational offerings that explore the best food and beverage options Italy's 20 regions offer fresh meats cheeses olive oils and all sorts of Italian Specialties will make this a new destination in Aventura Italy has been a tremendous success in places like New York La Chicago Boston London Paris and now they're going to call aventur a home I can't wait until we cut the ribbon on this icon of Italian food culture whether you're grabbing tacos at Park Square a talion at the aventor mall or delving into a filet at bourbon Stak aventur has no shortage of places to make your taste buds sing aventura's connection to Israel is truly special on October 9th our community came together at the Waterway shops for the first rally in South Florida following the October seventh Massacre we've LED on issues around Israel and anti-Semitism adopting the IRA definition of anti-semitism into our code forging a sister city relationship with modin and donating a fully equipped ambulance to M David adome which will serve the people of Modine we've also enhanced education in our schools ensuring our students here from Holocaust Survivors and Israeli soldiers who visit our community in aventuro we have moral Clarity we stand with Israel today tomorrow forever you know some connections are just meant to be in November Brian pagis will become aventura's fourth city manager Brian started his career in aventur as one of our original police officers in 1997 he worked his way through the ranks becoming chief of police in 2017 in 2021 Brian was promoted to assistant city manager where he's helped our longtime manager Ron Watson lead aventur when Ron retires from aventur in November he'll do so after 6 years at the helm of our city Administration he came to us following a remarkable career with the NYPD before transitioning into City Administration in New York and then in Bay Harbor Islands his six years in Aventura have included opening Don s for aventur high school major renovations to our two largest parks and a continuation of aventura's fiscally resp responsible and efficient governance as a matter of fact our finance department won the prestigious Triple Crown award for the second year in a row for their Stellar work in financial reporting and budgeting during his time as our city manager we've added more than $20 million to our reserves even while experiencing a couple of years of reduced property values as we prepare for this transition we do so with endless confidence the commission unanimously selected Brian pagis as our new manager because we know him and trust him to lead our city into a new chapter of prosperity everything we do is connected our decisions impact tens of thousands of people as your mayor and commission we are connected to you our residents and neighbors that's why we prioritize your needs Above All Else and we do it while maintaining the same tax rate we've had for 30 years aventur residents pay the lowest tax rate of any city in South Florida because we want to keep you connected to as much of your money as possible while delivering high quality service with efficiency I am honored to report to you that the state of our city is stronger than ever because our community is connected and thriving it has been another incredible year of success in Aventura and our best days are ahead of us thank you for the privilege of serving as your mayor may God bless the City of Aventura