City of Miami Beach, FL

Government

THE CUSTOMER

The City of Miami Beach is home to over 88,000 Florida residents and serves as an epicenter of commercial activity in South Florida. Miami Beach is the 26th largest city in Florida according to the 2019 U.S. Census estimates. Since its founding in 1915, the area has acted as a prominent U.S. resort destination, accounting for over half of all tourism in Miami-Dade County alone and hosting numerous hotel, historic, and international hub locations, including the landmark Fontainebleau Hotel and Miami Beach Convention Center.

THE CUSTOMER

The City of Miami Beach is home to an estimate of over 88,000 Florida residents, and serves as an epicenter of commercial activity in South Florida. Miami Beach is the 26th largest City in Florida according to 2019 US Census estimates. Since its founding in 1915, the area has acted as a prominent U.S. resort destination, accounting for over half of all tourism in Miami-Dade County alone and hosting numerous hotel, historic, and international hub locations, including the landmark Fontainebleau Hotel and Miami Beach Convention Center.

SQ Miles

Residents

Largest city in FL

HIGHLIGHTS

27 Active Data and Video Service Locations.
Services provided include Data and IPTV at certain locations.
100 Mbps to 1 Gbps DIA for Locations.
High Priority and Security Locations including the EOC, City Hall, Police HQ, and Fire Rescue.
36 Month Contract.
Construction Began in October 2019 and was Completed by February 2020.

THE CHALLENGE

The City of Miami Beach proposed a Wide Area Network and DIA connectivity RFP to provide citizens with a fiber optics-based infrastructure to meet the future needs of Smart City and Internet of Things (IoT) preparations. The approach needed to include hardware, service, and 24/7 customer support to all City-owned facilities. These included government buildings such as City Hall and the Police Department, maintained structures like parking garages, and public spaces and recreational facilities.

Over 8-12 months, construction needed to be completed without service interruption to any location as they included emergency services such as the Police Department and operating buildings such as City Hall. Proper permits had to be filed, which can be time-consuming before being released, and the process must adhere to any impositions deemed necessary by the city, including moratoriums during citywide events like the Art Deco Festival or Ultra Music Festival.

OUR SOLUTION

Hotwire Communications answered the request with a proposal to meet the city’s requirements while maintaining an exceptional level of quality and customer service. After being awarded the proposal, our company collaborated with the city daily to construct the desired network. During the process of construction, the city required 15 additional service locations, totaling 27 unique service locations. Construction began in October 2019 and was met with challenges that were overcome including delays to permitting and third-party interference. One site proved particularly challenging due to the physical limitations of the distance between our existing network and the new service site. This was resolved by deploying a unique wireless solution that tied back into the all-fiber network.

Partnering with the City proved to be a fruitful endeavor, as the network provides a robust Internet access point to all visitors and residents of the City of Miami Beach, and will continue as a framework for integration into future Smart City and IoT endeavors that smart and autonomous technology will bring.