MIRAMAR GUIDE TO DOING BUSINESS IN & WITH MIRAMAR www.MiramarFL.gov MIRAMAR CONTENTS Welcome to the City of Miramar ..................................................3 Simple Steps to Jump Start Your Business in Miramar ........4 City Departments & Divisions Business Tax Receipt Office ............................................................6 — Home Occupations Community Development Department .....................................7 Building, Permits & Inspections .....................................7 — Online Documentation/Information — Building Code Compliance Planning & Redevelopment .............................................................9 — Signage Economic & Business Development Department ..................10 — Incentives — Chamber of Commerce — Small Business Programs — Enterprise Florida — Broward County OESBD — Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance WELCOME TO THE Emergency Management ...............................................................16 CITY OF MIRAMAR! Engineering Services .......................................................................16 The City of Miramar welcomes all companies Code Compliance Division ...........................................................16 interested in investing in our community. We Fire Prevention Bureau ..................................................................17 want to thank you for selecting our city to growyour business! Please know that we are Procurement Department ........................................................... 17 here to assist you in opening your business Business Inclusion and Diversity ................................................18 quickly and smoothly. Miscellaneous and Key Information ..........................................19 For more information about our City .......................................19 Opening a business in any city could be challenging. This guide will provide simple steps to jump start your business in the City of Miramar, and provide brief information of each department’s functions and it’s relationship to making your business as successful as possible. 2 3 MIRAMAR SIMPLE STEPS TO JUMP START STEP 3 YOUR BUSINESS IN MIRAMAR COMPLETE THE BUSINESS TAX RECEIPT APPLICATION STEP 1 A. Any person wishing to engage in or manage any CONSULT WITH THE CITY’S business, profession or occupation with the City PLANNING & REDEVELOPMENT DIVISION of Miramar, including a home-based business, is Before signing a lease, please contact a City of Miramar required by ordinance to acquire a City Business planner to make sure that the location is zoned for the Tax Receipt. business you wish to operate. (See pg.8) B. Please contact the Business Tax Receipt office at (954) 602-3061 to determine which application STEP 2 is applicable for your business. Further information COMPLETE THE APPLICATION FOR and to download an application visit: http://www. miramarfl.gov/201/Business-Tax-Occupational- ZONING CERTIFICATE OF USE. Licenses GUIDE TO A. This application is required for the following: C. Submit completed application to the Business Tax DOING • New businesses; Receipt Office, located at 2300 Civic Center Place BUSINESS • An existing business at a new location; (Cashier’s Office). While you are here: You can open • Adding/changing the type of use of a legally a Utilities account at the water billing cashier window. established business; or • Transfer of business ownership B. The “Zoning Certificate of Use” application may be picked up at the Planning & Redevelopment Division, Building Division or downloaded from the City of Miramar’s website at: https://www.miramarfl.gov/ DocumentCenter/View/4843/Zoning-Certificate- of-Use-PDF?bidId= C. Submit the completed application to the Building Division, located at 2200 Civic Center Place, 1st Floor. While you are here: You may want to visit the Planning & Redevelopment Division to ask questions about zoning, signage and business incentives. Special note: If you are planning for any interior work orchanging the use of a space (for example, from retail to restaurant), it is best to check with the Engineering Services Department to see if water and wastewater impact fees apply in your case. This should be done before submitting a building permit for any interior work. 4 5 MIRAMAR This section provides general information on the COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT departments that may pertain to your business needs. DEPARTMENT Please note that the information contained within may be 2200 CIVIC CENTER PLACE, 1ST FLOOR amended or revised throughout the year. Please be sure to PHONE: (954) 602-3200 check for latest information by contacting the appropriate WWW.MIRAMARFL.GOV/149/COMMUNITY- City Department. ECONOMICDEVELOPMENT Most of the City’s Departments/Divisions are open from BUILDING PERMITS & INSPECTIONS Monday through Thursday 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Offices 2200 CIVIC CENTER PLACE, 1ST FLOOR are closed on Fridays. However, please contact each PHONE: (954) 602-3200 Department/ Division to confirm their office hours. WWW.MIRAMARFL.GOV/150/BUILDING- PERMITSINSPECTIONS BUSINESS TAX RECEIPT OFFICE The Building Division staff reviews all permits to ensure 2300 CIVIC CENTER PLACE that they meet the codes, and to identify and correct any PHONE: (954) 602-3040 or (954) 602-3061 concerns/issues before any non-compliant work occurs. GUIDE TO EMAIL: [email protected] THE BUILDING DIVISION PROVIDES THE DOING WWW.MIRAMARFL.GOV/201/BUSINESS- TAXOCCUPATIONAL- LICENSES FOLLOWING SERVICES: BUSINESS Reviews all building permit applications for compliance Any person wishing to engage in or manage any business, with all National, State, County, and Municipal Codes to profession or occupation with the City of Miramar, preserve the health, safety, welfare of the public. including a home-based business, is required by ordinance to acquire a City Business Tax Receipt. A Business Tax These services include the following: Receipt is a requirement of the State of Florida per Florida • Certificate of Use for Business (As per City Ordinance 10-3/ Sec. 1203) Statues Chapter 205 for operating a business. You must • Business tax receipt and inspections apply for a Business Tax Receipt when you operate a • Issues permits (Structural, Electrical, business or office in the City of Miramar. Applications can Plumbing & Mechanical) be downloaded online or picked up at the Business Tax • Issues garage sales permits Receipt office. Please see the address listed above. • Reviews plans in compliance with building code Home occupations conducted within the City of Miramar • Building code compliance shall be clearly incidental and secondary to the use of the • Performs all necessary building inspections residence for residential purposes and shall not change • Completes permit history research the residential character. • Maintains files of building plans and blueprints A proposed home occupation must meet all of the criteria as stated in the Business Tax Receipt Home Application. Commercial Businesses must obtain a City of Miramar Certificate of Use. We cannot issue a license to a post office box (PO Box) address. The Certificate of Use must be approved by the City of Miramar’s Community Development Department before the business tax application can be accepted and processed. While you are here, copies of building plans and blueprints may be purchased by completing a Public Records Request Form, which is available at the Building Division or by downloading the form: https://miramarfl.justfoia. com/forms/Launch/d705cbd6-1396-49b7-939e- 8d86c5a87deb 6 7 MIRAMAR ONLINE DOCUMENTATION PROCESS PLANNING & REDEVELOPMENT This approach ensures that services are comprehensive 2200 CIVIC CENTER PLACE, 1ST FLOOR and seamless from the customer’s perspective, providing PHONE: (954) 602-3264 all necessary information through our website. Staff will WWW.MIRAMARFL.GOV/167/ then work in partnership with the customer to facilitate and PLANNINGREDEVLOPMENT coordinate the process until the completion of the project. Various building permit applications can be downloaded Before signing a lease, please contact a city planner to from: http://www.miramarfl.gov/151/Applications-Forms make sure that the location is zoned for the business you wish to operate. In addition, business owners are required MIRAMAR BUILDING CODE COMPLIANCE to complete a Zoning Certificate of Use application, which The Miramar Building Code Compliance Section is is available at the Planning & Redevelopment office or by responsible for investigating all violations of the Florida downloading the form. Building Code. Violations range from unlicensed http://www.miramarfl.gov/151/Applications-Forms contractors and unpermitted construction work to all unresolved violations of the applicable building codes. Planning & Redevelopment also provides the following Violations are investigated for validity by the Building services: GUIDE TO Code Compliance Inspectors. • Confirming Zoning districts and business uses DOING • Reviewing and answering questions relating to signs BUILDING CODE COMPLIANCE VIOLATION • Providing city maps on zoning, Land Use and BUSINESS PROCESS Residential Care Facility Locations. Code Violations can be reported by the public and other • Issuing permits on Portable Storage Containers (PODs), County/State agencies through complaint letters or phone tree removal, painting, repainting of buildings, alcohol calls. The Florida Building Code mandates the Building or beverage certification and temporary permits on Official to issue Notices of Violations and Citations for special events