‘Poised for more progress’
By Bari Auerbach

In just ten years since becoming a city, Sunny Isles Beach has experienced a major transformation from “old motel row” to a modern, ultra-luxurious destination heralded as “Florida’s Riviera.” Today, the city is poised for even more positive progress spurred on by a visionary City Commission dedicated to making the best even better...

‘Tax exempt’
When other local cities are worrying how tax reform will affect ’07-’08 fiscal year budgets, Sunny Isles Beach leaders anticipate the city will be “exempt” from major project/service cuts thanks to new construction adding nearly $1 billion to tax rolls and impact fees paid by developers. According to a recent Herald article, “Only Miami, which is more than 20 times the size of Sunny Isles Beach, had more new buildings to pad its tax rolls in South Florida.”

More good news is property value assessments have increased by 12 percent in Sunny Isles Beach (up from $251,450 to $324,735); and next fiscal year’s budget features a proposed lower tax rate – dropping 19 percent from $2.95 per $1,000 of assessed property value to $2.398.

Despite the proposed lower tax rate, the city is still planning to increase the budget’s allocation for capital improvements by 94 percent (over $30 million up from $15.6 million), funded mostly by impact fees paid by developers. Projects slated include drainage enhancements, undergrounding of utilities and upgrades to Sunny Isles Beach Boulevard as well as Town Center Park. Special budget meetings will be held at Government Center in September (dates to be finalized in August).

‘High-tech connections’
Beyond undergrounding of utilities and plans to create a “wireless Internet island,” the Sunny Isles Beach Police Department is also getting in on the city’s high-tech action. In addition to acquiring new laptop computers, communication radios and motorcycles serving to increase the number of vehicle checks by more than 200 percent – the Police Department now has a new automation system enhancing public safety.

At the July 19 City Commission meeting, Capt. Mike Grandinetti explained, “From 1998 to 2006, the Police Department has utilized a manual method of call taking, dispatching, report writing, data entry and filing. Methods of search and compiling of statistical data was also manual...The manual system worked fine for several years - but as the city started to grow so did the amount of generated paper work.

“As the paper work increased and the city grew older, several problems were identified...We started to notice delays in the dispatching of calls for service. Many times this was directly related to the dispatchers having to verify which of the police units were available and which were already on calls because they were doing it on a manual system. Another problem was inaccuracies in the reporting times and tracking of case numbers.

“After identifying several of these problems relating to the manual system, we established a committee of members from the city’s IT Department and Police Department to research and select a vendor for our automation project. After several months of visiting vendors and other agencies in the area, we selected the most adequate vendor that could provide us with the system that could work for us with a project cost estimated at $738,000 and an implementation time line of twelve to fifteen months.

“We went before the Commission and approval was granted for the funding of this project - allocated through the Police Department’s federal forfeiture funds. [Thanks to] the diligence and hard work of our project manager and everyone else involved we were able to complete this project somewhere between four and seven months early and approximately $30,000 under budget.

“This automation project consisted of four major modules: Our computer dispatch system; our mobile computer terminals for laptops in police cars; our mobile field reports giving officers the ability to write reports directly from the police cars; and our record management system.”

Police Chief Fred Maas emphasized the public safety benefits of the automation system. “[We recently] had a situation where prior to stopping a vehicle, a police officer ran the tag on the computer. Within five seconds, the information came back it was a stolen vehicle that had been taken in a car jacking occurring in Miami Beach.

“The information was given to the officer via the computer so he knew before he stopped the vehicle what he was facing and notified other offices... When he went to stop the vehicle, the driver [attempted to run] into the Arlen House...He was apprehended without incident.

“This is a tremendous system [helping to ensure] the safety of officers...It can give them a ‘heads up’ as to what they’re facing...We thank the Commission and I’m sure residents will be happy because there was no cost - not one penny for taxpayers.”

‘Mecca for development’
Developers flocking to Sunny Isles Beach continue to create win-win situations along the east and west sides of Collins Avenue as revitalization continues to flourish along with the tax base – exceeding $6 billion this year alone.

Just some of the luxurious properties on the rise include Trump Tower phases, Turnberry Ocean Colony, Jade Ocean, Jade Beach, Sayan, Regalia and San Tropez – one of the developments contributing to the renaissance of Sunny Isles Beach Boulevard.

At the July 19 City Commission meeting, it was announced the beach access point at 180th and Collins Avenue will be dedicated in honor of Trump towers development partner Michael Dezer and family. The honor was bestowed in appreciation of the Dezers’ “dedication to the city, outstanding vision, leadership and contributions as hoteliers, developers and philanthropists supporting humanitarian causes in Sunny Isles Beach, the U.S. and Israel.”

Mayor Edelcup noted, “[The Dezers were] instrumental in making this city as beautiful as it is and had the earliest foresight into seeing what could be done on the east side of Collins Avenue. We certainly appreciate all the fine buildings you have put up and will continue to put up in the future.”

‘Seeing more green’
Almost faster than it takes flowers to bloom, Sunny Isles Beach has acquired land for numerous parks including Samson Park, Sen. Gwen Margolis Park, Golden Shores Park and Town Center Park (soon to have restrooms and improved lighting).

Always seeking to glean more green space, the City Commission recently began negotiations to purchase yet another parcel of land to be used for open space and park purposes on the northwest corner of Collins Avenue and 164th Street.

At the July 19 City Commission meeting, City Manager John Szerlag was pleased to announce a grant award of $200,000 from the Florida Recreation Assistance program has been extended for the development of Pelican Community Park on North Bay Road - scheduled to open in September adjacent to the new public school now under construction.

Pelican Community Park will feature a little league baseball field, a 12,000 square foot community center with an arts and crafts room, large multi-purpose room and an 8,000 square foot gymnasium with an indoor basketball/volleyball court. Through a joint use agreement with Miami-Dade County Public Schools, the park will facilitate evening use of an auditorium that can double as a performing arts center and small theater.

Progress towards the goal to see more green can also be measured by two new parks coming to 9200 Collins Avenue (Heritage Park); and a one acre site at the southwest corner of Sunny Isles Beach Boulevard (Bella Vista Bay Park) a potential water taxi site.

‘Growing younger’
One of the most progressive initiatives garnering notoriety for Sunny Isles Beach is construction of the city’s first public school set to open next fall. The school and adjacent Pelican Community Park are shining a spotlight on the city’s younger demographics and the most desirable amenities families with children are looking for.

The city’s unique choice of homes also highlights developers’ progressive approach when it comes to satisfying diverse seasonal and year-round needs.

“Mixed-use” is a new mantra for properties on the rise combining residential, retail and office space elements. And on the horizon, ushering in a landmark change, the building replacing the Rascal House restaurant will feature condos, “tower townhomes” and a gourmet market.

‘Stay tuned’
With so much happening so fast in Sunny Isles Beach, keeping up with all the progress can be challenging – so the city established the website www.sibfl.net and Cable TV Channel 77 enabling residents and visitors to always be aware of important municipal news and information, especially during hurricane season.

An upcoming local newsworthy event will be the general election on Tuesday, Nov. 6 for qualified candidates running for Commission seat 1 representing the northern residential area currently held by Vice Mayor Lewis Thaler; and Commission seat 3 representing the southern residential area now held by Comm. Danny Iglesias.

To catch “continued progress” live in action, attend the next regular City Commission meeting at Government Center scheduled for Thursday, August 16 at 7:30 p.m. For more information, phone: 305-947-0606.

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