Your end of summer weekend plans could be filled with adventure.

 

With just one summer weekend left, we're sure you'll want to make the most of it. If you're seeking a summer adventure, visit Congo Gorilla Forest at the Bronx Zoo. Experience the fascinating animals of central Africa such as mandrills, okapi, and of course the western lowland gorillas. They're often as curious to see you, as you are to see them. From the jungles of Asia, to the island of Madagascar, there are so many habitats to choose from at the Bronx Zoo, you'll be sure to find the adventure you've been craving all summer. Don't let another day slip by, plan your trip today! Are you curious to learn more about the amazing creatures that inhabit the waters around New York? At NY Aquarium's Ocean Wonders: Sharks! exhibit, you'll get an up-close view of many species of shark, rays, sea turtles, and more local marine life that live right off the Coney Island Boardwalk. The tunnel inside the exhibit will transport you momentarily to another world of coral reefs, underwater canyons, and enchanting wildlife. There are so many marine animals to discover during your visit, including harbor seals, river otters, and black footed penguins. Don't forget to check out our newest exhibit, Spineless, featuring the captivating giant Pacific octopus, moon jellies, and spider crabs to mention a few. Make the most of your weekend and pay us a visit! MORE TO ZOO WILD ENCOUNTERS Our keepers will choose three animal ambassadors for you to meet up-close, who will it be? Make this the most memorable zoo visit ever! TREETOP ADVENTURE Plan your next adventure at our aerial ropes course. Climb up in the trees or zipline over a river, it's a great addition to your Bronx Zoo visit.

City of Miami Beach Update on COVID-19

 

Monday, September 14, 2020

The City of Miami Beach has amended its Emergency Measures, effective today, September 14, 2020 at 6 p.m., to be in compliance with Miami-Dade County’s new Emergency Order (EO) 27-20 and 29-20. In addition to the minimum requirements set forth in County EO 27-20 and 29-20, the City’s Emergency Order will require the following: A daily general curfew from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m., which includes the prohibition on pedestrian and vehicular movement, standing and parking, except for designated essential services that are fire, police, and hospital personnel, including the transportation of patients thereto, utility emergency repairs, emergency calls by physicians, essential travel for medical services, treatment, or medication, and food delivery services (subject to the additional provisions set forth herein). The curfew shall not apply to persons traveling to or from any religious service nor any sporting event sponsored by the NCAA, Major League Baseball, or the National Football League, or any other national professional sports league or organization. All restaurants and food service establishments shall close for on-premises dining between the start of the curfew at 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. the next morning. These establishments may still continue to operate their kitchens after 11 p.m. strictly for the purpose of providing delivery and drive-through services only. Take-out, pick-up, or curb-side pick-up is prohibited between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. each day. Employees, janitorial personnel, contractors, and delivery personnel are still allowed access to these establishments. Package liquor stores shall be permitted to make DELIVERIES to residential properties until 11 p.m. daily. The Citi Bike program is now allowed to operate.   The city’s Parks and Recreation facilities, including volleyball and basketball courts, shall be reopened subject to the restrictions in Miami-Dade County Emergency Order 29-20, as amended, and any other applicable State, County, or City Emergency Order. Indoor parks facilities are not open, and playgrounds and outdoor exercise equipment remain closed. Although the order allows for organized sports team activities (e.g. practice), inter-team competitions and league play are only permitted in the case of tennis, racquetball, softball and baseball if masks are worn by all players. The hours of operation for any Parks and Recreation facilities permitted to remain open are as follows: Park hours vary by site, but shall be limited to no earlier than 7 a.m. and no later than 10 p.m. Golf courses are open from 7 a.m. through 8 p.m., with dining rooms remaining open beyond 8 p.m. based on demand only Tennis Center Hours: 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Boat Ramp Hours: 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.   Tour boats and non-fishing charter vessels shall be prohibited. Any violation of the emergency measures shall subject the individual, operator, business entity, or organization to arrest and criminal prosecution pursuant to Section 26-36 and Section 1-14 of the City Code. Furthermore, any violation of the provisions of this Order may subject an operator, business entity, or organization to the closure of the establishment for a period of at least 24 hours, or through the duration of the State of Emergency. Read the latest city information below, which includes COVID-19 updates in the beginning, followed by general city news. COVID-19 Updates

Feed Miami Beach Commissioner David Richardson, along with Caleb and Calder Sloan's Awesome Foundation, Farm Share the Miami Beach JCC will be handing groceries to feed 500 families tomorrow, September 15. Tuesday, September 15 9 AM - 11 AM 4600 Collins Avenue Miami Beach, FL The food distribution is on a first come, first serve basis while supplies last. If you do not have a car and would like to qualify for food assistance, please call or register online. Phone: 305.604.CITY (2489) or www.miamibeachfl.gov/food

North Beach Drive-Thru Food Distribution South Florida Seniors in Action and Commissioner David Richardson will host a drive-thru food distribution on Wednesday, September 16. Wednesday, September 16 9 AM - 11 AM 8700 Collins Avenue Miami Beach, FL The food distribution is on a first come, first serve basis while supplies last. Please remain in your car and open the trunk when it's your turn in line. If you do not have a car and would like to qualify for food assistance, please call or register online. Phone: 305.604.CITY (2489) or www.miamibeachfl.gov/food

Back-to-School with Parks & Rec Virtual After School Program The Parks & Recreation Department is offering homework assistance for children in grades Kindergarten through 5th grade. Additional activities will include fitness classes, yoga, cooking, science and more. Monday through Friday (September 8 - October 2) 2:30 PM - 5 PM (K-1st Grade) 3:30 PM - 6 PM (2nd - 5th Grade) Weekly Fee: $75 Virtual Teen Club The virtual Teen Club program includes tutoring/homework assistance, STEM, dance, social emotional learning, entrepreneurship, sports fitness, hobby projects and more. Virtual tutoring occurs through the Zoom platform and space is limited. Monday through Friday (September 8 - October 2) 4 PM - 5:30 PM (6th - 12th Grade) FREE for all teens enrolled in a Miami Beach school Programs may be canceled due to low enrollment. Registration has begun, register today by visiting register.miamibeachparks.com

Mask Up Miami Beach We urge everyone to wear a mask, continue practicing social distancing and meticulously wash hands regularly. Reminder, Miami Beach Police and Code Compliance Officers are giving out $50 civil citations for anyone not wearing a facial covering while in a public place or space. Free masks are being provided at all Miami-Dade Public Libraries.

General City Updates

Town Hall with Commissioner Meiner Join Commissioner Steven Meiner tomorrow, September 15 at 5:30 p.m. for a virtual Town Hall meeting. Discussions will include reimagining Ocean Drive, a Deauville update, a preview of the Wednesday, September 16 Commission Meeting and a Q&A with the Commissioner. Tuesday, September 15 5:30 PM Join via webinar here: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89465265349 or call-in at 929.2056099 or 877.853.5257 (toll free), Webinar ID: 894 6526 5349.

Commission Virtual Meeting A Commission meeting is being held Wednesday, September 16 at 8:30 a.m. and will be televised on MBTV and streamed live on Facebook. The Commission Chambers will be closed to the public, but you can watch the meeting via Zoom at https://miamibeachfl-gov.zoom.us/j/86717802327 How to provide spoken public comment during the City Commission Meeting: The public may provide spoken comment by dialing telephone 301.715.8592 or 877.475.4499 (Toll Free). The Webinar ID is 867 1780 2327#. Press *9 to raise a hand to be placed in queue to speak.

Land Use & Sustainability Meeting A Special Land Use and Sustainability meeting is being held Thursday, September 17 at 1 p.m. and will be televised on MBTV and streamed live on Facebook. The Commission Chambers will be closed to the public, but you can watch the meeting via Zoom at https://miamibeachfl-gov.zoom.us/j/87557553162 Or call in via telephone 301.715.8592 or 877.475.4499 (Toll Free). The Webinar ID is 875 5755 3162#. Press *9 to raise a hand to be placed in queue to speak.

Countdown to Fill Out the Census The U.S. Census Bureau will be sending an additional paper questionnaire to over 16.2 million households in low-responding census tracts. All mail packages are expected to arrive by September 15. This mailing is the last in a series of reminders the Census Bureau has mailed to non-responding households since mid-March urging them to respond.   Census takers are still visiting households that have not responded to the census to collect responses in person. Census takers may also visit households that have already responded as part of 2020 Census quality checks. Now, more than ever, it's important to get counted! Are you a renter? View our 2020 Census Renters guide here. The Census Bureau will END all counting on September 30. Call up your friends and neighbors and ask them to visit my2020census.gov and make sure our community gets counted!

Miami Beach Hall of Fame - EXTENDED To recognize remarkable individuals that have made a lasting and significant impact on Miami Beach, the city is asking the public to nominate deserving individuals for the Miami Beach Hall of Fame. The nomination period has been extended and nominations will be accepted now through November 30, 2020. Selected Miami Beach Hall of Fame recipients are celebrated in the permanent honor hall, located on the south concourse wall of the Miami Beach Convention Center. Inductees will be honored with a plaque listing their accomplishments and a special ceremony to celebrate their achievements. Eligible individuals must have been either born in Miami Beach, made Miami Beach his/her place of residence or business and/or had a positive and lasting impact on the community. Please click here to access the online application system. Completed applications must be submitted in the online portal by November 30, 2020 at 11:59 PM.

COVID-19 & Antibody Testing Miami Beach Convention Center Testing Site The MBCC testing site is now offering drive-up and walk-up COVID-19 antigen tests (“rapid tests”). This test is a nasal swab test with results reported to the patient within 4 hours or less. It will be offered from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily or until the site reaches the maximum 350 daily allotted tests. More detailed information on the purpose and efficacy of the antigen test can be found on the CDC website. Both the COVID-19 active virus and antibody tests continue to be available at the Miami Beach Convention Center testing facility located on 17 Street and Convention Center Drive. The COVID-19 drive-thru and walk-up testing site is available daily, including weekends, from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. and is available for ages 5 and up. Visit our 'Testing' tab to view detailed information on all testing locations, including testing at the Hard Rock Stadium and homebound testing and further details.

Plasma Donation As the number of COVID-19 infections rise in Florida, hospitals are facing critical shortages of convalescent plasma for treatment. The University of Miami Health System is working with OneBlood to collect convalescent plasma to use for a potential treatment option for patients with COVID-19. Who can participate in this study? A donor must be over 18 years old, have confirmed COVID-19 documents by a laboratory test, or history suggestive of resolved COVID-19 like illness. Participants must also have complete resolution of symptoms at least 28 days before donation and not participated in any COVID vaccine trials for at least the past 12 months. For more information on the donation process, contact Tom Tanner at 305.243.5621 or via email at ttanner@med.miami.edu Transfusing the plasma that contains the antibodies into a person still fighting the virus can provide a boost to the patient’s immune system and potentially help them recover. Click here to learn more on how you can donate today.