After a chaotic and uncontrolled avalanche of party crowds during the spring break of 2020 that ended in arrests, ongoing curfews and the ultimate closure to vehicle traffic to the street, a southbound lane is opening again in South Beach’s Ocean Drive along with a temporary pedestrian plaza, following months of discussions and holiday delays, …
Ocean Drive to restore cars, add pedestrian plaza Read More »
After winning their respective elections this month, Miami Beach’s newly elected and reelected city leaders took their oaths of office Monday and called for civility after a divisive campaign season. Mayor Dan Gelber and Commissioner Mark Samuelian, who won reelection Nov. 2, were sworn into office along with two newly elected commissioners, Kristen Rosen Gonzalez …
Miami Beach mayor, commissioners sworn in after election wins. They call for civility Read More »
Both candidates are netting support more than nine months before the November election. A prominent LGBT rights organization is endorsing a pair of Miami Beach officials seeking reelection this fall. Equality Florida Action PAC is backing Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber and Miami Beach City Commissioner Mark Samuelian in their respective reelection bids. … Gelber is seeking a third and …
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 …
Miami Beach Continues to Wrestle with its South Beach Entertainment District Read More »
Commissioner Samuelian shared the most significant news coming out of yesterday’s session may be regarding the delayed Palm-Hibiscus project, and an explanation of the hold-up by Miami-Dade’s Department of Environmental Resources Management (DERM). “The Palm-Hibiscus project, which started in 2016 has been significantly delayed causing much angst and concern with residents” Samuelian shared. “[During that time] …
Miami Beach Holds Sustainability and Resiliency Committee Session on October 23rd Read More »
Miami Beach commissioners unanimously voted Wednesday to allow the city attorney to negotiate a contract with Centorino, encouraging him to focus on identifying wasteful spending. “It’s all about efficiency,” said Commissioner Mark Samuelian. “This is an exciting day for Miami Beach. It is a great day for good government.” … At Wednesday’s meeting, Miami Beach commissioners …
He ran Miami-Dade’s ethics commission. Now he’s the new watchdog for Miami Beach. Read More »
Commissioner Mark Samuelian said he wanted to see “more data, more fact-based analysis” of projects. “With the size of money flying around, I really think we need to elevate our game.” Referencing the “unique challenges” faced by the City in terms of sea level rise and flooding, he said he wanted to “raise the bar …
Renewal of City Manager’s Contract Agreed to in Principle Read More »
Commissioner Mark Samuelian, who has pushed for the inspector general’s office, said he thinks the initiative will end up saving the city money over the long run. “One of the main functions of the inspector general is to help the city government work more efficiently, so if you think about it, even if the inspector …
With overwhelming support from voters, Miami Beach creates a watchdog for City Hall Read More »
Mark Samuelian who is going through his first budget process on the Commission and as a member of the Finance Committee said, “We keep running into the CPI thing” referencing the lack of automatic increases to keep up with the Consumer Price Index. “Costs go up every year. We’ve waited years without acknowledging cost increases… …
Critics of the salary increase, including Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber, have questioned whether elected officials should recommend their own raises. Gelber said earlier in the month that he would support a review of commissioner salaries by a third-party group as long as any changes didn’t impact current officeholders. Commissioners Micky Steinberg and Mark Samuelian …
Miami Beach voters reject $40,000 raise for city officials by a slim margin Read More »
