Residents press Miami Gardens council on food insecurity, decorum enforcement and street repairs

A range of residents used the public-comment period at the Miami Gardens City Council meeting to raise concerns about food insecurity, council decorum and neighborhood infrastructure.

Leila Robinson, a senior at Miami Northwestern Senior High School who said she is the founder and CEO of Seriously Good, described the nonprofit’s volunteer work and fundraising. “I have donated over 1,000 pounds of cereal and nonperishable breakfast items and have also fed over 1,000 women, children, and men at or near local shelters,” Robinson said, and invited residents to support the group’s upcoming donations to school food pantries.

Karen Hunter Jackson criticized how the city’s decorum policy has been enforced and said her lawsuit arising from a March 26, 2025 council meeting produced changes to the policy. She told the council that at a prior meeting a councilmember “launched into what most people would refer to as an unhinged unchecked personal attack” and said she was later removed from the chambers; she argued enforcement had been unequal depending on who was speaking.

Several residents asked for staff help with individual problems: Blossom Berry said she could not afford the decorative fence the city suggested and requested guidance; Joan Reed asked for city help with sidewalk maintenance and fines; Terrell Wallace recounted repeated citations that had not been resolved to his satisfaction. Council members and staff repeatedly offered to meet with residents after the meeting and to have department staff (code enforcement or community development) provide on-site assistance or instructions.

Homeowners raised neighborhood infrastructure issues. Kevin Prophet, a homeowners-association vice president, said Coconut Cay — a 20-year-old development — has never been resurfaced, cited potholes and drainage issues that he called a safety concern and asked the council for a measurable timeline and priority. The council asked public-works staff to speak with him after the meeting.

Maya Passmore announced the launch of the Venetian Gardens Neighborhood Watch for the St. Thomas and Florida Memorial University neighborhoods, reporting roughly 30 sign-ups at a kickoff meeting and plans for a safe-at-home firearm-safety workshop and coordination with police officer Gentry and community partners.

Council members closed the public-comment period and noted staff follow-up to several individual requests; the council did not take policy action directly from the public comments during the meeting.