Vice Mayor Michael Góngora's Thanksgiving Newsletter

Dear Miami Beach Residents,

As we approach Thanksgiving, I reflect on everything I am grateful for. I am blessed with good health and energy as well as loving, supportive family and friends. I am privileged to have been chosen to represent the residents of Miami Beach for the third time. In lockstep with being elected Vice Mayor, the City of Miami Beach produced a short video for residents to get to know me better. Please click the link to view and I hope you enjoy it as much I enjoyed making it for you.

Meet your Vice Mayor Michael Góngora. Please click here.

The Miami Beach Commission met on November 14th. The two land use items most discussed and debated were the 500 – 700 Alton Road development and the North Beach Town Center. Both items passed first reading and are moving forward. Important to note, I voted to prohibit hostels and hotels in the 500 – 700 Alton Road project. Moreover, the Commission prohibited short-term rentals. The project will move forward with more height, will deliver a 3-acre park as a public amenity and there will not be an ‘out-of-scale’ hotel at the entrance to our City. The North Beach Town Center moved forward with additional staggered height but an improved design for a development intended to catalyze a renaissance in North Beach. Stay tuned!

The holidays are upon us and we have many wonderful events to look forward to in Miami Beach. This weekend, the Sports Illustrated swimsuit models and others will be in town for the Sports Celebrity Match. Thanksgiving weekend will feature White Party Week with varied events both in Miami and Miami Beach. Art Basel Week kicks-off on Tuesday, December 4th. I hope to see you at one or more of these upcoming events. I am especially thankful and happy that my mom Sandra Page Millard will be in town for Thanksgiving!

From my family to yours, we wish you a happy and healthy Thanksgiving and, as always, please feel free to reach out to me or Diana on any item in which we may be of assistance.

Until the next update your friend,

Haga clic aquí para leer en español

PHOTOS SHOT ON SITE

Waving and Celebrating Our Veterans at the 2018 Miami Beach Veterans Parade and Community Festival

A Special Tribute to the Veterans at the 2018 Miami Beach Veterans Parade and Community Festival

“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.” – John Fitzgerald Kennedy

Please click here to see the 12 additional photos shot on site.

Sharing a fun moment with Commissioner Exposito. I will always remember him smiling and happy as he was in this photo

CITY OF MIAMI BEACH LOSSES A KIND AND HONORABLE PUBLIC SERVANT

November 14th was also a sad day in the City of Miami Beach as we attended a memorial service for former Miami Beach Commissioner Jorge Exposito. Commissioner Exposito was a kind and honorable public servant who will be missed. Besides his service to our city, Commissioner Exposito also served as a board member of the Bayshore Homeowners Association for many years and was an integral voice in the Par 3 Park renovations moving forward. As such, I was also pleased to pass a referral to the Neighborhoods Committee to recognize my friend with a plaque or other honor in the Par 3 Park.

CONDO CORNER

Special Assessment Leftover Funds Must Be Returned or Credited To Account

By JOSEPH ADAMS, ESQ.

Q: Our condominium association board levied a special assessment for Hurricane Irma damage. Our insurance claim settled for more than we expected, resulting in an excess of funds due to the special assessment. What happens to this leftover money? (S.S., via e-mail)

A: Section 718.116(10) of the Florida Condominium Act provides that funds collected from a special assessment can only be used for the specific purposes for which the assessment was levied. Leftover funds are considered “common surplus” and may, at the discretion of the board, either be returned to the unit owners or applied as a credit toward future assessments.