Mayor Regalado Gives Final State of Miami Address

MIAMI, FL — In his final state of the city address on Friday, Mayor Tomas Regalado said that the city has had to overcome considerable obstacles during this 22 years as an elected official and urged city officials to stay the course after he leaves office.

Titled, "Two Decades of Service and Dedication," the mayor's address served in part as a recap of the city's accomplishments over the past year but also as an official farewell address to a city that carries his imprimatur, first as a journalist and then in city government as a member of the city commission before ascending to become the Magic City's 33rd mayor.

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"I am proud to say that for 22 years I have done what is best for the residents of the city of Miami, whether it was popular or not with total disregard for what's best politically," he said. "That is why my legacy is and will remain my years of service as some people call, 'the people's mayor.'"

Mayor Regalado acknowledged that the city was the first to fall during the U.S. home mortgage crisis, but he said that the city was also the first to rebound.

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The mayor also announced that phase one renovations of the abandoned Miami Marine Stadium will be completed before July. "It hasn't been easy but we made it a priority," he said, calling the facility "one of Miami's crown jewels."

He pointed to a reduction in crime statistics and said that Miami Fire Rescue responded to 102,000 calls last year and more than 40,000 building inspections.

He said that the city clerk's office processed 1,977 passport applications last year. "That's a service that probably people don't know but it's a great service," he said.

The mayor summed up last year as "growth" for the city and said that Miami experienced a 22 percent increase in construction activity with 7,274 building permits issued and 99,000 construction plans reviewed.

He said that 950 houses were inspected in the city's Zika zones last year during the Zika health crisis. All of the zones have since been lifted by state health officials. He also said that the city's solid waste department was instrumental in getting through the Zika crisis.

With respect to taxes, the mayor said that the city will present a budget this year that will call for a property tax reduction.

He also said that the city's bond rating is "better than ever."

Regalado said that the city now owns 44 trolleys and surpassed the five-million rider mark last year, proving that Miamians will use public transportation if it is reliable.

He pointed to rising sea levels as the greatest threat that the city faces and said that Miami has taken steps to insure that all future construction projects will address this problem while being sensitive to the concerns of residents and business owners.

While city schools are managed by Miami-Dade County Public Schools, he said that the city employees recently began mentoring students in Miami's five high schools. The mayor said that he too serves as a mentor and helped his charge find summer employment when grades began to suffer as a result of family financial pressures.

Born in Cuba, Regalado said that he has lived in the city his entire adult life and closed his state of Miami address by saying that he plans to remain in Miami after he leaves office.

"Please take care of our city," he said. "We live in the best city in the world. Let's keep it that way."

Photo by Paul Scicchitano