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Miami, FL – The Miami Downtown Development Authority (Miami DDA) and the public/private agency’s Executive Director Dana Nottingham have come to mutually agreed upon separation terms: Nottingham will remain at the helm until March 14, 2008. Upon his separation, he will receive 12 months of salary and waive any claims against the Miami DDA, as part of the negotiation. In January, Nottingham announced that he would not renew his Professional Service Agreement, which prompted the formation of a Severance Committee led by Board members Jay H. Solowsky, Loretta Cockrum, and Alvin West.
Board Chairman Joe Sanchez also appointed a Search Committee consisting of Loretta Cockrum, Jose Goyanes, Neisen O. Kasdin, Oscar Rodriguez and Jay H. Solowsky; the committee will be recommending Alyce Robertson, Community Image Manager for Miami-Dade County, for the interim Executive Director position.
It will also recommend that Meredith Nation, Contracts Manager in the Department of Capital Improvement Projects for the City of Miami, be on loan as an executive to assist during the transition. The Board will vote on the decision on March 7th. The committee is also in the process of drafting an RFP for executive search firms to assist in the hiring of a permanent Executive Director.
Kasdin, chairman of the Miami DDA Economic Development Committee and member of the Search Committee, noted, “We thank Dana for his work at the Miami DDA and we will bring in the right people to move the revitalization of Downtown forward at a fast pace.”
Sanchez reported the formation of a Blue Ribbon Committee, in place to seek remedies based on the recent audit findings and solutions to improve the efficacy of the Miami DDA’s programs. Committee members include a who’s who of the business community including Miriam Lopez, CEO, Transatlantic Bank; Tony Villamil, Washington Economics Group; Lewis Freeman, CPA, Lewis B. Freeman & Partners; George Knox, principal, Knox Seaton; and Gary Ressler, ABC Management.
One measure that reinforces the Miami DDA’s advocacy of Downtown as a viable business hub is the option to relocate the agency’s offices to street level within the agency’s geographic bounds from its current location on the 29th floor of 200 S. Biscayne Blvd. Other initiatives underway include the Façade Improvement Grant Program, Ambassador Program, the DET Team and several capital improvement projects.
Sanchez noted, “We focus on what matters most: a clean, safe, appealing and beautified Downtown. The new executive director will advance that vision every day of the week.”
The non-profit business organization strives to develop Miami's Downtown area. Its mission is to “Make Downtown Miami the most livable urban center in the nation and strengthen its position as the international center for commerce, culture, and tourism.”
The Miami Downtown Development Authority, founded in 1965, is governed by a 15-member Board comprised of three (3) public appointees and twelve (12) downtown property owners, residents and / or workers. Through its own programs and services and partnership with the City of Miami and other governmental entities, Miami DDA is dedicated to making Downtown a more livable community and improving the quality of life for employers, employees, residents, property owners, and visitors. For more information, please visit www.miamidda.com.
The Miami DDA also publishes the DWNTWNR Newsletter, a quarterly update on what’s new and happening in Downtown. The colorful informational piece is distributed to 15,000 residents, businesses, corporate centers and the Welcome Center. For more information on Downtown Miami, please visit the online version of the DWNTWNR Newsletter at www.dwntwnr.com.
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