Reso 2020-3127 - Laserfiche WebLink

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RESOLUTION NO. 2020 - 2) f 21 A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF SUNNY ISLES BEACH, FLORIDA, AUTHORIZING THE PAYMENT OF A CASH DONATION IN THE AMOUNT OF SEVEN THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED DOLLARS ($7,500.00) TO KIDSIDE, INC., A NOT FOR PROFIT ORGANIZATION THAT SUPPORTS FAMILY COURT SERVICES WHICH PROVIDES SERVICES TO CITY RESIDENTS; FINDING THAT SAID EXPENDITURE SERVES A VALID MUNICIPAL PURPOSE; AUTHORIZING THE CITY MANAGER TO DO ALL THINGS NECESSARY TO EFFECTUATE THIS RESOLUTION; PROVIDING FOR AN EFFECTIVE DATE. WHEREAS, Section 172-5 of the Code of Ordinances for the City of Sunny Isles Beach ("City") provides that the City Commission may make monetary donations to charitable organizations, which must be approved by the affirmative votes of at least four (4) members of the City Commission at a public meeting; and WHEREAS, in 2001, Family Court Services ("FCS") was created to provide services to low-income families involved with the Miami -Dade family court system including but not limited to family therapy, individual therapy (children and adults), reunification therapy, therapeutic visitation, and supervised visitation; and WHEREAS, in addition to resolving issues with which these families contend, the overarching goal of FCS is to provide families with the skills they need to enable them to resolve subsequent disputes constructively with a minimum need for legal intervention or impact on the community, including local police resources being utilized to intervene in family disputes; and WHEREAS, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, FCS has seen a dramatic increase in cases due to the adverse impact the global pandemic has had on families, especially those that are affected by substance abuse, domestic violence and mental health issues; and WHEREAS, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting increased demand, FCS is critically underfunded and cannot keep up with the demand for services. Therefore, if a Judge from the Family Division of the Eleventh Judicial Circuit in and for Miami -Dade County decides that a family can benefit from FCS, there will likely be a significant waiting period for the family, making a difficult and painful process even longer; and WHEREAS, FCS has often found itself in the difficult position of having families wait 4 to 6 weeks for their initial appointment for in-house services and 3 to 6 months to commence supervised visitation; and WHEREAS, by being denied timely access to the critical services provided by FCS, families in high conflict disputes are more likely to experience domestic violence and other volatile situations that necessitate the intervention of the local police; and WHEREAS, aside from funding from Miami -Dade County, FCS relies upon the financial support of the community via a non-profit organization called KidSide, Inc., which raises funding