Miami city officials adopted a resolution to accept an $8.5 million federal grant reimbursing the city and county for providing “extraordinary services” at the 2003 Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) Summit in November.

The resolution passed unanimously (4-0) during the February 26 city commission meeting.

Miami has been named by the U.S. Department of State (DOS) as the FTAA host city with the task of compiling all the FTAA-related law enforcement expenditures from participating city and county police agencies.

City Manager Joe Arriola said the FTAA cost the City of Miami about $3.6 million for police protection, a pittance in comparison to the county’s roughly $15 million.

“The county will see some of it, but obviously not all of it,” Arriola said.

Arriola told city officials that disbursement decisions would not come before the commission and couldn’t offer any specifics as to how the grant was to be distributed among the various agencies.

“There has been a lot of heavy debate about who is going to get these funds,” Arriola said.

Besides the Miami Police Department, 39 other law enforcement agencies contributed police officers during the FTAA summit including the Miami-Dade Police Department, the Miami Beach Police Department, the Hialeah Police Department and the Florida Highway Patrol.

Many demonstrators have claimed that the police actions—particularly on November 20—were indeed “extraordinary,” insisting that officers arrested anti-FTAA protesters without cause and recklessly used non-lethal weapons.

Special Agent Michael L. Johnson of the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Branch, clarified the word “extraordinary” as pertaining to the event’s magnitude and not necessarily a qualifier for services rendered.

“It was an above-average event that required a great deal of services. It wasn’t just a regular event,” said Johnson.

Johnson’s office will disperse funds ­ once all costs have been submitted by participating agencies. Despite the fact that most agencies have already submitted their spread sheets to their respective municipal administrations, nothing has come across his desk.

“I haven’t heard anything recently as to how the City of Miami plans on dividing the grant. I’m sure it will be fair and equitable and everybody obviously will get a percentage,” Johnson said.

Each agency needs to file two reports with the DOS prior to recouping any costs. The first is a Final Performance Report summarizing protective security activities accompanied by recommendations and concerns for future, similar operations. The other is a Financial Status Report outlining agency costs.

“All submitted costs must be FTAA-related in order to receive a reimbursement,” said Johnson.

Although the grant mandates a December 21 deadline for report filing, agencies have an artificial extension because the federal funds still have yet to be released.

“The money is still tied up on the hill. Hopefully it will come down soon,” said Diplomatic Security Spokeswoman Darlene Kirk.

According to Kirk, the $8.5 million was a security cost estimate arrived at through the collaborative efforts of the DOS and Miami Police Department prior to the FTAA summit.

“If the actual costs exceed the $8.5 million, the agencies need to work through their congressional delegation for an adjustment,” said Kirk.

The grant requires participating agencies to follow certain guidelines for reimbursement:

* An agency must submit proper documentation certifying their institution as a drug-free workplace.

* Agencies must certify that no federal appropriated funds have been used in efforts to lobby federal awards.

* Agencies have not been disbarred or suspended from receiving federal funds, or are currently engaged in litigation for such activities.

*Nondiscrimination ­ The Miami Police Department’s performance under this grant shall be in compliance with requirements of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.The Civil Rights Act of 1964 Sec. 601 reads: “No person in the United States shall, on the ground of race, color, or national origin, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.”

Kirk said she wasn’t sure if police actions brought before the court for review in the days since the November summit would have any bearing on whether or not agencies would be allocated funds. However, Kris Hermes of the Miami Activist Defense said people his organization spoke with claimed they were asked for their country of origin when stopped by police, but couldn’t say for sure if it was mentioned in any police report. The total sum expended by all 20 participating agencies came to roughly $24 million with Miami-Dade County spending almost $15 million, the City of Miami approximately $3.6 million, and Miami Beach a little over $750,000.

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