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Stop Obstruction of Miami Beach Public Waterways

03 • 28 • 2018

Stop Obstruction of Miami Beach Public Waterways

The Miami Chapter is working to stop the obstruction of public access to Florida’s Miami Marine Stadium Park, where private security guards have stopped members of the public from participating in non-consumptive recreational activities like paddleboarding or kayaking- despite posted public access explicitly allowing for recreational use of the area.

The Miami Chapter learned of multiple incedents where private security guards from Kent Security and the City of Miami Police Department attempted to prevent access to the public to the Miami Marine Stadium Park by turning people around at the park entrance and some instances, telling individuals that they could be arrested for trespassing if they did not leave the area. In fact, the Miami Chapter's Vice Chair, Spencer Ash, experienced this exact scenarior personally. After communicating concerns with the Miami Police Department, it was discovered that there were no official records of these incedences.

Victory: On December 21st, the Miami Chapter met with several local elected officials, the Director of Parks & Recreation, and the Director of the Department of Real Estate and Asset Management to express their concerns. The City acknowledged that the private security contractors had overstepped their authority and City Commissioner Ken Russell proposed releasing a memorandum to all of the key government groups related to the Marine Stadium Park clarifying that the area is open to all. These memorandums will be aimed at improving communication and coordination across the various departments to prevent issues such as the previous access incidents from occurring.