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HomeMy WebLinkAboutReso 2026-4082RESOLUTION NO. 2026 - A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF SUNNY ISLES BEACH, FLORIDA, DESIGNATING THE FIRST NIGHT AND THE FIRST SUNDAY OF CHANUKAH AS OFFICIAL CITY-WIDE COMMUNITY EVENTS OF THE CITY OF SUNNY ISLES BEACH FOR THE YEARS 2026 THROUGH 2O31, TO BE FACILITATED BY CHABAD LUBAVITCH OF SUNNY ISLES BEACH AND THE CHABAD RUSSIAN CENTER OF SOUTH FLORIDA, RESPECTIVELY; RECOGNIZING THE CULTURAL, HISTORICAL, AND COMMUNITY SIGNIFICANCE OF THE EVENTS AND DECLARING THE CITY'S PURPOSE TO BE SECULAR IN NATURE; AUTHORIZING THE CITY MANAGER TO PROVIDE CITY SUPPORT AND SERVICES FOR THE ANNUAL EVENTS; PROVIDING FOR IMPLEMENTATION; AND PROVIDING FOR AN EFFECTIVE DATE. WHEREAS, the City of Sunny Isles Beach (the "City") is home to a vibrant, diverse, and multicultural community, and the City Commission values and celebrates the many faiths, cultures, and traditions of its residents; and WHEREAS, Chanukah, known as the Festival of Lights, is an eight -day winter celebration observed by many residents of the City and marked by the nightly lighting of the menorah, festive gatherings, music, and traditional foods, and has become a familiar and welcome part of the holiday season throughout South Florida; and WHEREAS, the themes associated with the Festival of Lights, including hope, freedom, resilience, and light in the darkest days of winter, are universal in nature and resonate with people of all backgrounds, and a public celebration of these themes brings neighbors together in a spirit of friendship and shared community; and WHEREAS, Chanukah begins on the 25th day of the Hebrew month of Kislev, and the first night of Chanukah is anticipated to fall on Friday, December 4, 2026; Friday, December 24, 2027; Tuesday, December 12, 2028; Saturday, December 1, 2029; Friday, December 20, 2030; and Tuesday, December 9, 2031, with the exact time of the celebration varying from year to year; and WHEREAS, Chabad Lubavitch of Sunny Isles Beach ("Chabad of Sunny Isles") has for many years organized public Festival of Lights celebrations in the City that are free and open to all, bringing together residents, visitors, and families of all ages and backgrounds in a spirit of joy, unity, and community; and WHEREAS, the City has hosted this community celebration at City Hall every year since the opening of the City Hall and Government Center in 2005, and the annual event has become a cherished City tradition and an established practice of the City, such that there is clear precedent for its continued designation and support as an official City event; and WHEREAS, Chabad Russian Center of South Florida ("Chabad Russian Center"), founded in 2003 and led by Rabbi Alexander Kaller, serves the City's substantial Russian -speaking @BCL@5816DBC4 Page 1 of 5 375 community and has likewise organized, for many years, an annual public Festival of Lights celebration in the City that is free and open to all members of the public; and WHEREAS, the City has supported and participated in the annual Chanukah celebration organized by Chabad Russian Center and Rabbi Kaller each year since 2005, and that celebration has likewise become a cherished City tradition and an established practice of the City, such that there is clear precedent for its continued designation and support as an official City event; and WHEREAS, the two celebrations are held on different nights of Chanukah and serve distinct segments of the City's diverse population, and together they extend the spirit of the Festival of Lights across the community as a whole; and WHEREAS, the Festival of Lights has, over time, taken on broad cultural and seasonal significance in American public life, and the menorah and the themes of light, hope, freedom, and perseverance it represents are widely recognized as cultural symbols of the winter holiday season that are shared and enjoyed by persons of every faith and of no faith; and WHEREAS, the City Commission designates and supports the Events solely for secular purposes, namely the recognition of the cultural, historical, and seasonal traditions of a significant segment of the City's population, the promotion of community engagement, civic pride, tourism, and goodwill among neighbors, and the enrichment of the cultural life of the City, and not for the purpose of advancing, endorsing, sponsoring, or favoring any religion, religious belief, religious practice, or religious organization; and WHEREAS, the Events are public, cultural, and civic in character rather than services of worship, are free and open to all members of the public without regard to faith or affiliation, and participation in the Events is entirely voluntary; and WHEREAS, the City Commission has in the past designated, and intends in the future to designate, comparable cultural and seasonal celebrations reflecting the many traditions represented in the City's diverse population, and the designations made herein are made on the same neutral terms applicable to all such celebrations; and WHEREAS, the City Commission desires to honor and continue these long-standing traditions without interruption for the benefit of current and future residents; and WHEREAS, Chabad of Sunny Isles has expressed its willingness to facilitate an annual city- wide community celebration on the first night of Chanukah, this year and each year for the next five years, at the covered portion of the City Hall parking garage, located at 18070 Collins Avenue, Sunny Isles Beach, Florida, in coordination with the City; and WHEREAS, Chabad Russian Center has expressed its willingness to facilitate an annual city-wide community celebration on the first Sunday of Chanukah, this year and each year for the next five years, at Gateway Center, located at 151 Sunny Isles Boulevard, Sunny Isles Beach, Florida, in coordination with the City; and @BCL@5816DBC4 Page 2 of 5 376 WHEREAS, the City regularly designates and supports cultural, seasonal, and holiday celebrations as official City events that are open to all members of the public, which promote community engagement, civic pride, and goodwill among residents, and the City Commission intends that these celebrations be city-wide community events welcoming residents of every background; and WHEREAS, the City Commission finds that designating the first night of Chanukah and the annual Chanukah celebration organized by Chabad Russian Center as annual city-wide community events for the years 2026 through 2031, facilitated by Chabad of Sunny Isles and Chabad Russian Center, respectively, will continue established City traditions, provide continuity and certainty in planning for both the City and the community, enrich the cultural life of the City, foster community spirit, and serve a valid public purpose; and WHEREAS, the City Commission wishes to recognize and express its appreciation to Chabad of Sunny Isles and its leadership, and to Chabad Russian Center and Rabbi Alexander Kaller, for their ongoing contributions to the residents of the City. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT DULY RESOLVED BY THE CITY COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF SUNNY ISLES BEACH, FLORIDA, AS FOLLOWS: Section 1. Recitals. The foregoing "WHEREAS" clauses are true and correct and are hereby ratified, confirmed, and incorporated herein by this reference as the legislative findings of the City Commission. Section 2. Designation of City Events. The following celebrations in each of the years 2026, 2027, 2028, 2029, 2030, and 2031 are hereby designated as official city-wide community events of the City of Sunny Isles Beach (each, an "Event," and collectively, the "Events"): a) The city-wide community Festival of Lights celebration held on the first night of Chanukah at the covered portion of the City Hall parking garage, located at 18070 Collins Avenue, Sunny Isles Beach, Florida; and b) The city-wide community Festival of Lights celebration held on the first Sunday of Chanukah at the Gateway Center, located at 151 Sunny Isles Boulevard, Sunny Isles Beach, Florida. Each Event shall be a secular, cultural, and civic community celebration, free and open to all members of the public, regardless of religion, background, or affiliation, and attendance and participation shall be entirely voluntary. The specific date and time of each Event in each year shall be determined in accordance with the Hebrew calendar and confirmed by the City Manager, or designee, in coordination with the applicable facilitating organization. Section 3. Secular Purpose; No Endorsement of Religion. The designation of the Events, and any City support provided therefor, is made for secular purposes only, namely the recognition and celebration of the cultural, historical, and seasonal traditions of the City's diverse population, the promotion of community engagement, civic pride, and goodwill among residents, and the enrichment of the cultural life of the City. Nothing in this Resolution shall be construed as an @BCL@5816DBC4 Page 3 of 5 377 endorsement, sponsorship, advancement, or disapproval by the City of any religion, religious belief, religious practice, or religious organization, or as conferring upon any organization any preferred or exclusive status with the City. The Events are cultural and civic celebrations open to the entire community and are not services of worship, and no person shall be required to participate in, or refrain from participating in, any portion of an Event. The City shall extend the same neutral consideration to requests for designation and support of comparable cultural and seasonal celebrations reflecting other traditions represented within the City. Section 4. Facilitation. Chabad of Sunny Isles is hereby designated as the facilitating organization for the Event described in Section 2(a), and Chabad Russian Center is hereby designated as the facilitating organization for the Event described in Section 2(b), in each year of the designation period. Each such organization is authorized to organize, coordinate, and conduct its respective Event in cooperation with the City, subject to all applicable City ordinances, permitting requirements, and policies. Section 5. City Support. The City Manager, or designee, is hereby authorized to provide reasonable City support and services for each Event in each year of the designation period, which may include, without limitation, use of City property; event set-up and break -down; provision, delivery, installation, and removal of a stage riser, chairs, drapes, a sound system, lighting, and related equipment; coordination with the Police Department for public safety and traffic control; staffing; sanitation services; and inclusion of the Events in the City's official calendar and public communications, all within the limits of the budget appropriated therefor in each fiscal year. City support shall be limited to neutral logistical, safety, and promotional assistance of the kind the City makes available to other community events, and no City funds shall be expended for the purchase of religious ritual objects or for the sponsorship of religious content or observance. Section 6. Implementation. The City Manager, or designee, is hereby authorized to take all actions necessary to implement this Resolution, including the execution of any agreements, permits, or other documents with Chabad of Sunny Isles and Chabad Russian Center that may be required for the Events, in a form acceptable to the City Attorney. Section 7. Term and Review. The designations established by this Resolution shall remain in effect through the conclusion of the Chanukah celebrations in 2031, unless earlier modified or rescinded by the City Commission. Nothing herein shall be construed to obligate the City to any expenditure not appropriated by the City Commission in the applicable fiscal year. Section 8. Effective Date. This Resolution shall become effective immediately upon its adoption. PASSED AND ADOPTED this 17th day of September, Larisa Svechin, M @ BCL@5816DBC4 Page 4 of 5 378 Mlauriqo-94tdr, cur, C4AC, City Clerk APPROVED AS TO FORM AND LEGAL SUFFICIENCY: Alain E. Boileau, City Attorney Nabors, Giblin & Nickerson, P.A. Moved by:�? 1�51VA66 . ., �5��> Seconded by:� Flo ur��Q912 ., lJ�'L-I� Vote: Mayor Svechiny (Yes) No) Vice Mayor Viscarra (Yes) ✓ (No) Commissioner Joseph (Yes) (No) Commissioner Lama (Yes) (No) Commissioner Stuyvesantc�� (Yes) (No) @BCL@5816DBC4 Page 5 of 5 379 City of Sunny Isles Beach 18070 Collins Avenue Sunny Isles Beach, Florida 33160 (305) 947-0606 City Hall (305)949-3113 Fax MEMORANDUM TO: Honorable Mayor and City Commissioners FROM: Larisa Svechin, Mayor DATE: September 17, 2026 RE: Designation of Annual Chanukah Celebrations as Official City -Wide Community Events RECOMMENDATION: Presented for Consideration. REASONS: The attached resolution designates the first -night Chanukah celebration and the annual Russian - community Chanukah celebration as official City-wide community events for 2026 through 2031, facilitated by Chabad Lubavitch of Sunny Isles Beach and the Chabad Russian Center of South Florida, respectively. The resolution recognizes the cultural, historical, and community significance of these longstanding celebrations, which are free and open to the public. It authorizes the City Manager to provide logistical, public safety, and promotional support within annually appropriated budgets and establishes that City participation serves secular community purposes. ATTACHMENTS: Resolution Item Number: 9.1.1 374