Greetings to the Community
written by Sharie Blanton
I consider myself a resident of Miami first and an employee of the City of Miami second. What I expect for the Upper Eastside is the same expectation I have for my neighborhood, further south in Omni.
Since arriving in the Upper Eastside NET office on December 1, 2015, I have developed and put into operation a strategic plan focused on each of the eight neighborhoods in the area including the MiMo historic district. This has resulted in NET/HOA drive-alongs in each of the neighborhoods, dedicated work days bringing in other departments (Solid Waste, CITP, Public Works, Code, Parks and Police) through the Keep Miami Clean campaign, partnering with Parks, Solid Waste and Planning for a major Earth Day event at Legion Park on April 23rd, 2016, facilitating communications and problem solving between residents and businesses with various departments and conducting daily neighborhood and city right-of-way (ROW) clean-ups and graffiti removal. This is in addition to the daily task of responding to and addressing residents’ and businesses’ concerns with external agencies such as FDOT, FPL, MDCPS and Miami-Dade County.
I am excited to work closely with business owners in the MiMo historic district and look forward to building upon ongoing improvements in the area. Parking remains the single most challenging issue that I address daily with both business owners and residents. I am focused on bringing neighboring property owners together to arrive at arrangements that benefit all concerned parties. So far, cooperation between businesses has been outstanding. I have initiated inter-agency discussions on how the City of Miami can also facilitate growth in the area, maintaining the delicate balance between a growing commercial district and adjacent residential areas, all with historic significance.
In addition, I have dedicated a team of two Neighborhood Service Workers (NSWs), Luis and Gabriel, who patrol the area daily to keep it clean. A graffiti-buster makes his rounds through the Upper Eastside every Monday. At the NET office, Tonya and Marcela work with me to process and renew Certificates of Use (CUs) and Business Tax Receipts (BTRs).
Please reach out to our office, located at 6599 Biscayne Boulevard, introduce yourself and let us know your concerns (and celebrations).
I am looking forward to the journey ahead!