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City Commission Adopts Tougher Penalties for Iconic Sidewalk Cafés

Sidewalk café operators who receive four or more sidewalk café violations over the preceding 12-month period will now be banned from “applying for and obtaining” a sidewalk café permit for two consecutive permit years following the permit year in which the most recent violation occurred. “I think this is an important ordinance. We’re strengthening. We’re …

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Miami Beach extends and expands Slow Streets initiative

“I am thrilled with this pilot initiative,” said Commissioner Mark Samuelian, who sponsored the program.”It’s the result of a community-driven process. We have collaborated closely with the neighborhood. We have done multiple events to engage the community to get feedback. It has been a successful pilot so far, and we look forward to continuing to …

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Miami Beach Exploring Way To Help Residents Cover Cost Of Floodproofing Their Properties

Other cities and states offer help for residents trying to adapt to climate change in the form of loans or federal cash, but Miami Beach’s proposal would stand alone in offering city money to homeowners as a grant. “I believe this is a major step forward for our overall resilience program,” said Miami Beach Commissioner …

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Miami Beach Continues to Wrestle with its South Beach Entertainment District

In a special meeting to discuss proposals to fix what Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber calls the “anything goes” atmosphere in the City’s South Beach Entertainment District, Commissioner Mark Samuelian summed up the discussion with the word “frustrating.” After praising the City’s Police Department for its work and efforts to increase enforcement, all of the …

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Miami Beach may create incentives for affordable housing developers

Miami Beach’s success in attracting luxury developments means there’s little to no room for affordable housing developers to build projects. But the city commission’s land use committee is hoping to solve that problem. Committee members Mark Samuelian, Michael Gongora and Ricky Arriola, who are also commissioners, on Tuesday directed Miami Beach planning director Thomas Mooney …

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Miami Beach’s Flamingo Park fastest to Slow Streets

Last week this Miami Beach neighborhood became the first in Miami-Dade to adopt “Slow Streets,” a program geared to make residential streets safer by discouraging non-local traffic and educating the community about slow driving speeds.  The pilot, city Commissioner Mark Samuelian said, has been approved by the county and will run for 30 days before …

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Demonstration for peace for Armenia

As an American of Armenian descent, Azerbaijan’s recent military operations in Artsakh are deeply concerning. I participated with the Armenian American Community and friends in a demonstration for peace for Armenia in Miami Beach on October 23, 2020. [av_video src=’https://marksamuelian.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/IMG_0835.mov’ format=’16-9′ width=’16’ height=’9′]  

Preliminary consensus on some concepts to fix Miami Beach’s Ocean Drive

This month’s workshop was the first time the ideas were presented. No public comment was taken at the meeting but Gelber, City Staff, and Commissioner Mark Samuelian who chairs the Land Use and Sustainability Committee which hosted the workshop all emphasized each proposal would be vetted in various committees, some before the Planning Board, as …

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