Miami Beach Mayor Matti Herrera Bower Unites Miami Beach Commission with Miami Dade County School Board and Spearheads Expansion of Flamingo Park Historic District

Mayor Matti Herrera Bower unites Miami Beach Commission with Miami Dade County School Board to ensure approval of new Education Compactand and spearheads expansion of Flamingo Park Historic District at the City of Miami Beach Commission's first meeting on January 16, 2008.

(Issues Wire / PRWEB) January 29, 2008 -- At the City of Miami Beach Commission's first meeting on January 16, 2008, Mayor Matti Herrera Bower won unanimous approval from her seven-member commission to move forward an Education Compact between the City and the Miami Dade County School District. That same afternoon, the Mayor appeared before the Miami Dade County School Board and again won unanimous approval from that nine-member board to approve the Education Compact between the two governmental entities.

Following the vote on the Education Compact, which included a prestigious International Baccalaureate Program, which will be offered to students in three Miami Beach schools this month, the members of the School Board congratulated the new Mayor on her recent landslide election victory.

"Children, family, education and schools have always been at the forefront of my public service," Mayor Bower told an appreciative audience after the meeting. "But just as important as the two unanimous votes today," said a very proud Mayor Bower, "was how we were able to bring two governments together to improve education in Miami Beach."    

Similarly, Mayor Bower's passionate pro-preservation speech to her fellow Commissioners, turned a hotly debated issue into a major victory, as the the Mayor carried the day with a 7-0 vote to expand the Flamingo Park Historic District. The expansion added the east side of Alton Road from 8th to 14th Streets.

Mayor Bower's strong words, along with staunch supporters Commissioners Saul Gross and Jonah Wolfson, brought several ovations from the preservation groups that filled the commission chamber. The trio's advocacy quickly brought the other Commissioners on board for the eventual unanimous vote. The Commission also agreed to revisit the two blocks south of 8th Street to further expand the District in the near future.

"It was a very good day for Preservation," said Mayor Bower as she prepared to lead the Art Deco Weekend Parade down Ocean Drive. "Sometimes you have to show a little passion," the Mayor laughed. "You know, preserving our historic neighborhoods and buildings are always a battle."

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