Greetings Miramarians

Happy New Year - 2020 was an unprecedented year met with many challenges in our community. The city and our residents were faced with a pandemic, executive orders that changed our normal way of life and in some instances cost the lives of our family, friends and neighbors. Despite all of these challenges, we count our blessings and give thanks to be able to see a new year.

The City of Miramar responded to these challenges and partnered with our residents and business community in providing resources to help feed families, assist with rent payments and provided valuable business support to help our community navigate this stressful time. We thank the heroes who live and work in our great city – Police and Fire in addition to the doctors, nurses, technicians and all who are part of the Memorial Healthcare System. It was a proud moment to have Memorial Hospital be one of the first facilities to receive and inoculate patients with the Coronavirus

Greetings Miramarians! By Mayor Wayne M. Messam

Vaccine in the state of Florida. Witnessing this historic moment was a fitting way to close out a very difficult year for us all.

As we embark on 2021, we are optimistic that our worst days are behind us. Miramar will continue to stand by our community as we rebuild, restore and renew. A specific challenge that some of our Miramar families are facing is the need for internet access for our Miramar students who are taking virtual classes in our public schools. Families struggling to pay for internet access is an extreme barrier for our students and their need for quality education during this pandemic. In response to this dire need, the Mayor’s office will provide free internet access for 100 families in Miramar in partnership with the Comcast Internet Essentials Program.

For $9.95 per month for six months, my office will provide internet to families with children who attend schools in Miramar with free internet services so they can continue their education without disruption. If your child attends a Title 1 School in Miramar, your family is eligible. Please contact your child’s school principal for additional information. I could not think of a better way to assist our future leaders and scholars in their quest to get a quality education and because this need extends beyond the city of Miramar, I am challenging my fellow Broward County Mayors to do the same in their cities. If you would like to make a donation and help sponsor families in Miramar, please contact my office at 954 602-3198 or email wmessam@miramarfl.gov 2021 will be a pivotal year for the City of Miramar. We have our upcoming municipal elections taking place on March 9, 2021. I encourage all residents to vote and participate in electing your City Commissioners. There are important issues in our city that will impact the direction of our amazing city and that direction will be determined by the commissioners voted in by residents. Your local municipal elections are just as important as electing your state and federal leaders. Local elections impact your property taxes, local traffic, issues relating to our first responders, affordable housing and economic development. Please do not sit out our local March 2021 elections.

I also invite you to tune in to my Conversations with Mayor Messam on the city’s facebook page - www.facebook.com/ cityofmiramar/live/. Our most recent topics covered Tropical Storm Eta flooding, the Broward Up initiative with Broward College and Miramar Sports Programs in our parks. Upcoming Conversations topics will include Public Safety and Miramar PD, e-sports in Miramar, virtual Aviation Expo and more, so tune in for information about your city. As we prepare to witness the inauguration of our 46th President, we look forward to working with the Biden/ Harris Administration and our congressional delegation to ensure the city of Miramar federal agenda is met for the benefit of our community.

Yours in Service,