MESSAGE FROM COMMISSIONER WINSTON BARNES

Hello Miramar,

With pride and accomplishment, I call on Miramarians to celebrate my twentieth anniversary as a commissioner in our fair city

It was in early March 2003 that I was elected to serve as the occupant of seat three, and this has been a journey

COMMISSION FALL 2003

The pride I share is not merely for having won six elections but having done so against, sometimes, four contenders for the office and yet being victorious by large margins

Yet I am proudest that these twenty years have been a journey of service In the first few months in office, I urged our police department to undertake a never-before-offered service; that of providing a drug remnants test for residents who had recently purchased a previously owned motor vehicle, simply because one can never be sure about what use the car was put by the previous owner As I explained, no one wants to be stopped by a patrol officer at two in the morning and have the canine officer respond to any illegal remnants in your car

I am most pleased that our Marketing department has helped us remind the public that this service is offered

Why is this special? This program came to fusion from a discussion with a resident of Miramar

Fast forward to our incredibly successful 3rd Annual Kite Festival on March 25, 2023 Estimates suggest there could have been as many as 6,000-7,000 attendees in the park for this event We handed out 2,000 free kites to children who had a wonderful day at our Regional Park, a first for most of them, considering their ages This idea was initially a suggestion from a kite enthusiast associate

This event’s success marks several accomplishments that I am convinced are of significance The events that attract FAMILIES! After all, if we are not providing activities that our residents can attend as families, we might just be missing a significant component of our community

I have been a part of the dramatic growth in a city that increased from approximately 9 8 , 0 0 0 t o t h e e s t i m a t e d c u r r e n t 1 4 0 , 0 0 0 residents

What is essential, however, is that the city has been able to supply the needs of our residents and business partners in grand fashion and to the satisfaction of most who reside and work in Miramar, more so than any municipality in South Florida The simple reason for that is the incredibly dedicated staff at all levels of the City Miramar

My fervent hope is that the growth across the city will slow We cannot afford to lose any more open spaces, and it is time for the significant redevelopment of the historic section of Miramar, with no gentrification whatsoever

I salute our city Commissioner Barnes