News Flash

Moses Diaz, a proud native of Homestead, Florida, was honored by Mayor Steve Losner at the recent City Council Special Presentation for his remarkable masterpieces— His extraordinary ability to give bikes a superb makeover, elevating them beyond their original form, has captivated audiences both locally and internationally.

His artistic achievement was not without difficulties. Growing up in challenging circumstances, Diaz found solace and purpose in art, a passion that ultimately changed his life. After facing difficulties in his youth and being unable to return to school, Diaz earned his GED and turned to art as his saving grace.

Diaz's unique talent and dedication to his craft have garnered widespread recognition, culminating in a prestigious invitation to showcase his work at the renowned Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles. The thoroughly crafted bikes that he completely redesigned and fashioned from scratch. His craftsmanship, evident in every weld and curve, spoke volumes about his skill and passion for his work that has been put on display at this famously known museum.

In recognition of his outstanding contributions to the community and his dedication to his craft, Mayor Steven Losner presented Diaz with a proclamation declaring Wednesday, May 22^nd, 2024 as "Mo Diaz Day" in Homestead. This honor celebrates Diaz's unwavering commitment to excellence and is a testament to his impact on the local arts scene.

As Diaz continues to pursue his artistic endeavors and inspire others with his story of resilience, the City of Homestead stands behind him, championing his success and celebrating his remarkable achievements.

For more information about Moses Diaz and his work, visit his Instagram profile “@mos_image_customs”.

On the evening of November 13, 2023, Homestead welcomed Mayor Steven D. Losner, Vice Mayor Sean L. Fletcher, Councilman Clemente Canabal, Councilman Tom Davis, and Councilman Larry Roth for new terms on the dais.

Mayor Steven D. Losner was sworn in by his son, Max Losner.  Mayor Steven D. Losner was re-elected to a four-year term as Mayor after serving two two-year terms as Mayor in  2021 and 2019.  He previously served on the Homestead City Council during 2001-2007. He has been an active member of many community organizations including the Rotary Club of Homestead.

Vice Mayor Sean L. Fletcher took the Oath of Office administered by Marion Fletcher. Vice Mayor Sean L. Fletcher was elected to a two-year term as Vice Mayor and four-year term as Councilman representing Council Seat #2. He was previously elected to the same seat, which includes the City’s Keys Gate area, in November 2019. He also served on the Homestead City Council during 1999-2001.

Councilman Clemente Canabal was sworn in by his wife, State Senator Ana Maria Rodriguez, and Carlos Riveron. Councilman Clemente Canabal was elected to a four-year term in November 2023 to represent Council Seat #6, which includes the Isles of Oasis area.  

Councilman Tom Davis had his Oath of Office administered by his wife, Jesika Davis. Councilman Tom Davis was elected to a two-year term in November 2023 to represent Council Seat #1, which includes the Northwest Neighborhood of Homestead.

Councilman Larry Roth was sworn in by Alexandra Garcia and Anthony Garcia. Councilman Roth was first elected to the City Council in November 2015 to serve a four-year term as Councilman representing Council Seat #3, which includes The Villages of Homestead.  He was subsequently re-elected in November 2019. 

To find out more information on these and all of Homestead’s elected officials, please visit www.cityofhomestead.com/elected.

In Council Chambers Wednesday, January 25th, it was a beautiful day as Mayor Steven Losner, officially proclaimed that February 11, 2023, be designated The Church of God of Prophecy Day in recognition and celebration of the church’s 100 years of service to the community. Representing the church and accepting the Proclamation, was Miss Colleen Clark, Minister of Music for the church. In attendance for this momentous event were many of the parishioners and their families representing up to four generations of the faithful.

For that amount of time, the church, with its many ministries has served the poor, the sick, incarcerated, and the homeless of Homestead.

For 90 years, The Church of God of Prophecy, through its Christmas Programs has provided food and gifts to children in need and promoted activities that would build self-confidence in youth, to help develop their leadership and speaking skills.

Folks remember Miss Lillie Mae Clark cooking and selling her Bahamian dishes of pigeon peas and rice, conch salad, conch fritters, potato bread and her specialty, sherbet treats, all with a purpose to raise funds so that members could build a permanent Homestead branch of the Church of God of Prophecy.

With a history that spans one hundred years, it is inevitable that many members of the community, including the Philcol Williams Sr. family and the Alexander E. Rolle family are members, along with many members of the community including teachers, city employees, and elected officials.

With faith and vision, the Church of God of Prophecy will be graced with growth for another one hundred years.

At the Wednesday, October 5^th, 2022  Special Call meeting Mayor and Council approved for the City of Homestead to donate $10,000 towards Hurricane Ian relief efforts.

If residents would like to donate to those affected by Hurricane Ian, the City of Homestead encourages those in the community to donate to the Florida Disaster Fund. The Florida Disaster Fund is where individuals and organizations can make monetary donations for those affected by Hurricane Ian. This is the State of Florida’s official private fund established to assist Florida’s communities as they respond to and recover during times of emergency or disaster. In partnership with the public sector, private sector, and other non-governmental organizations, the Florida Disaster Fund supports response and recovery activities.

To donate visit https://www.volunteerflorida.org/donatefdf/ or text  “DISASTER” ($10) or “DISASTER25” ($25) to 20222

At the August Special Council Presentation Ceremony, Mayor Steven Losner recognized a local Homestead wrestling champion who got inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. Kevin Pedersen, who was a wrestling champion in 1976, was inducted into the Hall of Fame on August 27, and the City of Homestead has proclaimed August 27^th, 2022 in his honor. 

“Kevin is one of the good guys in our community, and with this very special honor coming his way, we wanted to take a moment and recognize him” remarked Mayor Losner “You deserve this, Kevin”.

Kevin Pedersen is a South Florida native, a graduate from West Point Military Academy (1980) and started his career as an officer in the army, 24^th Infantry division. He then went on to serve for 21 years as a Senior Special Agent for the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). He now owns an operates the Good Year Tire Service in Homestead, alongside his family, and he also is the wrestling coach at Westminster Christian School.  

Pedersen’s time in the DEA also earned him two administrator awards for valor and a documentary on ESPN called “Pin Kings”. In this television special, they chronicle his days in the DEA, where they followed the astonishing story of how he ended up chasing after a former wrestling teammate, Alex DeCubas, in the 1990’s war on drugs.  

“We go where God calls us, and he called me into law enforcement”, Pedersen said in his acceptance speech, “I am very thankful for that. He used the great sport of wrestling to instill principles and strength into young men and women that they can use later in their careers, wrestling did that for me.”

The Florida chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame was founded in 2000. They have over 139 inductees representing the state from Pensacola to Key West. Pedersen was inducted into the Hall of Fame and awarded the special designation of Outstanding American.

For his wrestling accomplishments, service to his country, and being an outstanding member of the community, the City of Homestead has proclaimed August 27, 2022, as Kevin Pedersen Day. 

Community leaders, elected officials from throughout South Florida, businesses owners, and residents gathered at the Homestead-Miami Speedway Champions Club for Mayor Steven D. Losner’s 2022 State of the City Address: Destination Homestead.  Mayor Losner’s State of the City consisted of both a short film and an impassioned speech celebrating Homestead’s past, present, and future. The film delved into Homestead’s journey through hardships and triumphs over the past years as told by the elected officials and community members who contribute to Homestead’s success on a daily basis.  His remarks looked at all Homestead has been through since he took office in late 2019 – from living through the deadliest pandemic in our lifetime, to ensuring Homestead is the destination for revitalization, quality of life, economic growth, arts and education, accessibility, and community. He also announced, to a very excited crowd, the coming of Chick-Fil-A and Flanigan’s to Homestead.

“As we traveled together to “Destination Homestead,” we took a look back at the past events which brought us to this moment,” remarked Mayor Losner. “As we look confidentially to the journey ahead, a journey that is already underway, toward bringing our Homestead back to the future as the destination of deep South Miami-Dade County.”

The premiere took place on August 24^th, which was also the 30^th Anniversary of Hurricane Andrew’s landfall in Homestead. The date was specially selected as a commemoration of the storm that impacted the Homestead community and a symbol of how far Homestead has come from that total devastation.  To pay tribute to the occasion , there was a special video message presented by Bryan Norcross, Hurricane Specialist, who has been described as “The Voice of Andrew.” The video was followed by heartfelt words from former City of Homestead Mayor Tad DeMilly, who was in office when Hurricane Andrew struck South Florida. Former Mayor DeMilly recounted the days leading up to and after the storm, the hardships faced, and his experiences during those trying times.

Following the premiere of Destination Homestead and Mayor Losner’s remarks, those in attendance enjoyed a reception that included desserts donated by The Palace Gardens.

If you missed the event, the livestream can be seen at the City of Homestead website (www.cityofhomestead.com/SOTC). Destination Homestead can now also be seen on the City of Homestead’s local access channel (Comcast 77, ATT in the Menu under Government TV) or Facebook (www.facebook.com/CityofHomestead).

At the June Special Council Presentation Mayor Steven Losner presented a proclamation to declare June 21^st, 2022 as Lois Naomi Bryant Day in celebration of her reaching the milestone birthday of 100 years. Mrs. Bryant has been living in the City of Homestead since 1945 and has built her life here. She has a large family that spans many generations including 11 children, 58 grandchildren and 104 great-grandchildren, 75 great-great-grandchildren, and 1 great great-great-grandchild. Mrs. Bryant was surrounded by family members who were excited to celebrate her milestone and all donned matching t-shirts in her honor. 

“It is not every day that one of Homestead’s residents turns 100 years old,” remarked Mayor Losner. “She has not only lived in this community for 77 years but she has built a community of her own with her lovely expansive family that spans 6 generations.”

She has always instilled the philosophy in her children and many family members that education and using their gifts to help and serve others is of the utmost importance. Mrs. Bryant worked most of her life as a cook and a domestic worker until she retired in her 70s. Mayor Losner prompted the whole room to sing Happy Birthday to Mrs. Lois Naomi Bryant and also thanked her for being part of the Homestead community for the last 77 years. 

Be Prepared. For Life. That is the motto of the Boys Scouts of America and Troop 418 was prepared and fully dressed in their uniforms to receive recognition at the March Special Council Presentation Ceremony. Mayor Steven D. Losner presented a proclamation to declare April 18^th, 2022 as BSA Troop 418 Day in celebration of the 4-year anniversary of its inception. The Scouts of Boy Scout Troop 418 train in responsible citizenship, character development, and self-reliance through outdoor activities, educational programs, and community partnerships that not only enhance their lives and the lives of others but help the City of Homestead to thrive. 

“We know there are so many activities for youth to engage in today but this program offers children the opportunity to not only learn about the outdoors but how to thrive in the wilderness,” remarked Mayor Losner “They have accomplished so much in the last four years and continue to provide an outlet for the children of Homestead to learn new skills. Today I want to recognize the anniversary of BSA Troop 418.”

BSA Troop 418 was founded in 2018 to offer Homestead children an opportunity to engage with the outdoors. Its mission is to help the youth grow in mind, body, and spirit through several activities that promote teamwork, life skills, and merit badge advancement. The program was so successful that it expanded to include a Cub Scout Pack 418 for boys and girls in grades K-5 and a BSA Girl Troop 418 for girls ages 10 to 18.  Troop 418 is the only Scout Unit chartered and operating within the city limits of Homestead. They participate in various outdoor activities like camping, hiking, and swimming as well as compete in regional Scouting Camporees and Boy Scout STEM Competitions. They also host a pancake breakfast, popcorn fundraisers, and an upcoming Lobster Tail Dinner.