A lot has changed since our last update, when we relaunched covering the Miami Beach City Commission. The site has grown to three local governments, six more Miami Beach boards and committees, and the Commission's votes. Here's what's new.
Two more governments, and a home for Miami Beach
Miami Beach now has its own site at miamibeachagenda.com. Miami-Dade County's Board of County Commissioners and its committees are at miamidade.democracy.cc, and the City of Miami Commission is at miami.democracy.cc, each with meeting video that jumps to the item.
Miami Beach committees and land-use boards
Beyond the City Commission, we now cover the Land Use and Sustainability, Finance, and Public Safety committees, the Planning Board, the Historic Preservation Board and the Design Review Board. Items on the three land-use boards show images of the project from the applicant's plans, so you can see what is being proposed without opening the PDFs.
How the Commission voted
Miami Beach City Commission items now show the result of the vote: passed or failed, the tally, and how each commissioner voted, or that the item was deferred, withdrawn or not reached. Vote results are free for anyone with an account.
Tracked items now email you
Tracking an agenda item used to put a bookmark on your tracked items page, and that was all. Now it also emails you when the item moves. You don't have to check back.
What you'll hear about
- It's on the agenda tomorrow. A reminder the day before the meeting, with the time and a link to the item.
- A new or revised document is posted. Memos, plans and revised resolutions often arrive days after the agenda is published.
- It moves to its next step. Many items don't end where they start. A commission referral goes to a committee. A zoning change goes to the Planning Board and comes back to the Commission for a first and a second reading. An item gets continued to a later meeting. When the item you track shows up on its next agenda, we tell you and follow it there.
- The vote is in. Passed or failed, with the tally, or that it was deferred or withdrawn.
- The video is up. A link that jumps straight to the discussion of your item.
If an item has been withdrawn, deferred or continued, or is only listed for a future meeting, we don't send a reminder for it.
How often
When several things happen at once, they come together in one email, and you get at most one email every few hours. If nothing happens, you hear nothing.
How to track an item
Open any agenda and press Track on an item, either on the agenda page or on the item's own page. You need a free account with a confirmed email address. Free accounts can track up to 10 items at a time on each city's site. PRO members can track as many as they like.
Following an item from board to board
For Miami Beach we connect the steps of the same matter across the City Commission, its committees (Land Use and Sustainability, Finance, Public Safety), the Planning Board, the Historic Preservation Board and the Design Review Board. We do this from the city's own records: referral notes, the history sections of staff memos, and board case numbers. When we can't confirm that two items are the same matter, we leave them unconnected rather than guess. You don't need to track the later steps: following them is part of tracking the original item, and they don't count toward your limit. If an item you care about turns up somewhere we didn't catch, track it there too.
Each email links to where your item is now, and each item page shows every agenda the matter has been on, oldest first, so an item from last spring links forward to its latest step.
For the City of Miami and Miami-Dade County you get the day-before reminder and the video for the item you track. Documents for those cities stay on the city's own site, so we can't tell you when a new one is posted.
Turning it off
Every email has a one-click unsubscribe link. You can also turn tracked-item emails on or off under Email settings on your profile page. Untracking an item stops its emails.
An app for iPhone
Miami Beach Agenda is on the App Store: agendas, tracking and video on your phone.
Revised documents are flagged
The city often replaces a document after the agenda is published. On Miami Beach items, a red Revised flag now shows when that happens, and the item shows the new version.
Sign in with Google or Apple
You can now create an account or sign in with your Google or Apple account, no password needed.
PRO is now $5 a month
PRO was $19 a month at relaunch. It is now $5 a month for each city's site, with unlimited tracking and filters by commissioner and department.
Questions or ideas? Reach us through the contact form.