The Sunny Isles Beach Reporter

Sunny Isles Beach is home of the best pool hall in Miami.  So says the   Miami  New Times Best of Miami 2013 issue: http://www.miaminewtimes.com/bestof/2013/award/best-pool-hall-3699207/ .   Sunny Beach Billiards is off of Collins and 170th Street, on the second floor of the shopping plaza above Juliette’s and next to Milam’s.  We agree with the New Times  that what makes this local business a winner is the service and ambiance.   We congratulate Sunny Beach Billiards for all their hard work and well deserved recognition.  And we encourage the locals to support the BEST POOL HALL IN MIAMI by shooting a rack or two or sitting at the bar to watch a game and chat it up with the great staff.  They are a group of professionals who want you to enjoy yourself and will do all in their power to make you feel at home .   If you want to get a glimpse, check out their Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/SunnyBilliards .

On June 20, 2013, the City Commission voted to continue on to the next phase of undergrounding utility, phone, and cable lines.  With this infrastructure underground, it would be more protected from wind and storm damage, a hazard that a barrier island like Sunny Isles faces every hurricane season.  Other issues were discussed at this meeting.  The Miami Herald published a  good summary written by  Lidia Dinkova, and can be found at:  http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/06/28/3475103/sunny-isles-beach-moves-forward.html?story_link=email_msg.

Sunny Isles Beach voters opted to keep the Miami-Dade Fire Department contract in the City Charter, but overwhelmingly voted in favor of the other five proposed amendments.  The official results can be found at:  http://www.miamidade.gov/elections/results/ele060413/060413-c.pdf.  Easier to read results can also be seen on the SIB website at:  http://www.sibfl.net/results-of-the-june-4-2013-special-election-on-proposed-charter-amendments/.

SIBR Summary:

• Amendment #1 was supported by 98.7% of voters.  As a result, future candidates will have to give something more than their word to prove residency in their district.
• Amendment #2 was supported by 85.5% of voters.  As a result, the City Manager can no longer hire and fire the Chief of Police without the input of the City Commission.
• Amendment #3 was supported by 76.5% of voters.  As a result, the once-a-decade Charter Revision Commission can now select its own Chairperson.
• Amendment #4 was supported  by 76.6% of voters.  As a result,  the Charter Revision Commission now has 120 days to submit proposed amendments to the City Commission.
• Amendment #5 was opposed by 56.5% of voters.  As a result, it did not pass, and the Miami-Dade Fire Department will remain the mandatory provider of service for Sunny Isles Beach.
• Amendment #6 was supported by 94.5% of voters.  As a result, our Charter will undergo its first grammatical tune-up.

Amendment #2 received the highest number of votes (for and against), with a total of 462.  Amendment #6 received the lowest number of votes (for and against) with a total of 44o.  Given that this was a special election with very little coverage, high voter turnout was not expected.  Sunny Isles Beach voters should, however, make a better effort to make their voices heard. Otherwise, important decisions are left in very few hands, and the outcome may not reflect the opinions of our citizens as a whole.  We do not think that was the case in this particular election, given that the amendments that passed did so with very large margins, and Amendment #5 was the only truly contested issue.  We always knew it would be close, and it was.  Therefore, we are confident that this small sample of SIB voters does reflect the voice of the larger group.  However, since we have no way of knowing who will actually come out to vote, we cannot take comfort that others will vote for our desired results in the future.  There are no guarantees.  The only thing we can do to try to ensure a particular outcome is to exercise our right and privilege to vote.  Please keep that in mind for next time.

For a different/ additional take on SIB’s proposed amendments, go to  Examiner article at:  http://www.examiner.com/article/sunny-isles-beach-to-choose-on-charter-amendments

Please note that the SIB Reporter is misquoted.  It is not our position that there is nothing alarming in the current errors in our charter.  Jeniffer Viscarra reviewed the City’s Memo detailing the corrections, and found nothing alarming in the MEMO.  Therefore, she recommended the approval of the sixth proposed amendment.

See you at the polls!

Written by Jeniffer Viscarra

Sunny Isles Beach is having a special election on Tuesday June 4, 2013 in order to vote for proposed charter amendments.   According to our City Charter, which essentially is our City’s constitution, the City Commission has to appoint a Charter Revision Committee every ten years.   This committee, which is comprised of City residents, reads through our
Charter and then proposes changes to the Commission.  The Committee’s suggestions are reviewed and the approved amendments are then put up for a vote.    This year’s proposed charter amendments and my recommendations  are:

1.  A proposal that candidates running for the office of mayor or Commissioner submit specific proof of residency at the time of qualifying with a valid voter’s registration  and other documents.

• VOTE YES. Stricter standards are necessary.  For background on this amendment, go to SIBR article: Two Thumbs Up for Proposed Charter Amendment no. 1: https://sibreporter.net/2013/05/two-thumbs-up-for-proposed-charter-amendment-no-1/

2.  A proposal that the consent of the City Commission shall be required for the City manager to hire or fire the Police Chief.

• VOTE  A RESOUNDING YES! This would put the Chief of Police on par with other non-elected positions, like the City Manager, and also prevents one person from making significant decisions without the input of our elected officials.

3.   A proposal that the Charter be amended to permit the Charter Revision Commission to select its own Chairperson.

• VOTE YES…. OR NO.  This is the least significant of the amendments, and its outcome is not likely to have much of an impact either way.  Currently the Charter states that the Mayor has the authority to select the Chairperson of the Charter Revision Committee. Since all members of the Committee are chosen by the Mayor and Commissioners, and are presumed qualified, there should not be an issue with allowing future Committees to choose their Chairperson.  Furthermore, doing so may even eliminate any perceived influence the Mayor or City Commission may have on the Charter Review proposals.  That said, because the City Commission  chooses the Committee members, I think the perceived (not actual) influence will remain.

4.   A proposal that the Charter Revision Commission have 120 days, instead of 90, after being appointed to submit any proposed amendments to the City Commission.

• VOTE YES.  This is a process that happens once every ten years.   An extra 30 days every ten years is not a lot to ask if it helps get the work done.

5.  The City Charter currently requires that the City shall utilize services of the Miami- Dade Fire Rescue Department to provide fire and rescue services to the City.  It is proposed that this mandatory requirement be eliminated, even though the City will continue to use the Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Department.

• VOTE YES. This amendment would strengthen the City’s negotiating position and introduce flexibility and options should the current arrangement with Miami-Dade ever become unsuitable.
• OPPOSING VIEW: The SIB Reporter and I take different positions on this amendment.  The position of the SIB Reporter is that if this amendment passes, the flexibility I favor would open the door to privatization and the City could potentially lose the excellent Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Department services the City currently enjoys, including Technical Rescue (for trapped victims); Air Rescue (airlifting trauma victims); Marine Operations (boating fires & water rescue); and Rapid Care for heart attack and stroke victims.   Not wanting to risk losing a good arrangement, the SIB Reporter’s position is to  VOTE NO on this proposed amendment.

6.  Correcting scrivener’s errors.  The City Charter currently contains certain
sections with minor scrivener’s errors.  There are also sections that need clarification for legal sufficiency.

• VOTE YES.  A well written Charter is a good thing.  The “legal sufficiency” language concerned me when I first read it, so I contacted the City Clerks’ office, and they kindly provided a Memo outlining the specific changes. I saw nothing alarming in the memo and am comfortable voting in favor of this amendment.

Charter revisions happen once a decade.  This special election is an opportunity for us to improve our city’s constitution, so I hope to see you at the polls next week!

Only registered voters in Sunny Isles Beach will be qualified to vote on June 4, 2013.  The polling places in SIB will be open for voting from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

The sentencing in the “bar girls” scandal that involved several residents of Aventura and Sunny Isles Beach, including former candidate for commissioner of SIB, Isaac Feldman, has been decided.  The Miami Herald article on the subject reads in part:

Albert Takhalov was convicted in December along with two other businessmen of fleecing hundreds of thousands of dollars from dozens of male patrons by racking up bogus bills for champagne, vodka and caviar on their credit cards at seven private Miami Beach clubs.

Takhalov, 31, cried as he apologized to U.S. District Judge Robert Scola, saying he made a “great mistake” but “had no intention of breaking the law.” Other tearful family members asked for leniency, to no avail.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Thakur said Takhalov deserved to go to prison for at least 11 years, pointing out that he played a key role at five of the illicit clubs (VIP, Stars, Tangia, Nowhere Bar and Moreno) in South Beach throughout the duration of the racket from 2010-11.

Also sentenced Thursday: Isaac Feldman, 52, a high-profile Sunny Isles Beach real estate broker who invested in the Stars and VIP lounges. His attorney, Myles Malman, sought to portray his client as one of Simchuk’s investors who had no role in any club operations.

But the judge gave Feldman more than eight years in prison, citing his perjury on the witness stand at trial. His punishment exceeded the federal sentencing guidelines for his fraud offense.

Local business professionals are cordially invited to the Visitors Day networking event of the BNI Revival Chapter.

Where: Newport Beachside Hotel & Resort, 16701 Collins Avenue, Sunny Isles, FL 33160

When: April 18th from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. (No, that is not a typo.  It’s in the morning, so that guests and members can be productive before they head to work!)

Fee: $25.00  (cash or check ONLY)

Contact: Chapter President Davita Syfert at [email protected] with any questions.

BNI Miami Dade is South  Florida’s fastest growing business referral network which has a primary purpose of exchanging qualified business referrals.  The organization presently has over 5,800 chapters throughout every populated continent in the world.  BNI Miami Dade is ranked the #2 BNI region “in the world” and members passed 42,163 referrals totaling $35,304,152 in closed business last year.  BNI members worldwide generated almost $3.3 billion (U.S.) worth of business for each other.

BNI Revival is an award-winning chapter that meets weekly in Sunny Isles and it is hosting the annual Visitors Day so members and guests can refer business to one another.  Seating may be limited, so please register in advance by going to :http://www.bnimiami.com/eventdetails.php?eventId=30934 and clicking on registration for non-members.

The fee of $25.00 includes breakfast. Remember to bring plenty of business cards to pass around as you will meet lots of local business professionals.

From the Canadian Jewish News 03/22/2013

SUNNY ISLES BEACH, Fla. — Sitting outside a Starbucks coffee shop in this small city north of Miami Beach, Paul Hariton recalls the dramatic night in 2002 when he and his wife decided to leave their native Venezuela.Leftist leader Hugo Chavez had just returned to power following a failed coup and the Haritons feared the political fallout. “We thought he was gone already,” said Hariton, 56. “We came back from a big opposition demonstration in the city centre where several people were shot, including one member of the community. A girl was shot in the head. She survived.” The next day the Haritons were in Florida. Eleven years later they’re still here.

Read more at:  http://cjnews.com/campaign?q=node/104331

Summer Camp information for the City of Sunny Isles Beach is now available. There are l day camps, specialty camps, and sports camps.  Registration will be open at Pelican Community Park (18115 North Bay Road) for Sunny Isles Beach residents starting April 13th and for everyone starting April 27th.

For more information go to:

http: www.prweb.com/releases/2013/3/prweb10578729.htm

A visit to  www.votersopinion.com will give readers a very entertaining update of political scandals (of which there are plenty) in North Miami and North Miami Beach.  Yet our very own Isaac Aelion caught someone’s eye this month earning him the title “convict of the month” — quite impressive considering he is out of that blog’s usual jurisdiction.

VotersOpinion’s article reads, in part:

Why should North Miami and North Miami Beach grab the spotlight on municipal scandal?  Why should Myron Rosner and the Two Pierres in a Pod (a/k/a Andre and Frantz) have all the glory for being known as the most corrupt politicians in our Northeast Corner of the County?

Well, move over NMB and North Miami!  Make room for the only sitting elected official (so far) in this tri-city area who is a real live convicted criminal.  Sunny Isles Beach Vice Mayor Isaac Aelion can add three first-degree misdemeanors to his growing resume.  As the Sunny Isles Beach Reporter joked, he’s “doing hard time” on the dais of the Commission.

Read the rest of this very witty piece at: www.votersopinion.com