City Manager

By Christopher J. Russo, Former City Manager (Monday, June 4, 2018) – May was Building Safety Month. Interestingly, the City issues more than 5,000 building permits each year. Many of these permits relate to average home or condominium renovations to a kitchen, bathroom, or replacement of a door or window. The most common concern of residents living in single-family homes …

By Christopher J. Russo, Former City Manager (Sunday, April 29, 2018) – With the Florida Department of Transportation now in complete control of the work being done on Collins Avenue and extended, in some cases, about 100 feet into local roads, I thought it important to notify all residents directly with some information about lane closures on our roadways, what …

By Christopher J. Russo, Former City Manager (Friday, February 9, 2018) – The City of Sunny Isles Beach is prepared to meet the challenges of sea level rise. Although this issue has only become a real topic of conversation in the public realm in the last few years, the City has been diligently creating and implementing a plan to address flooding …

By: Christopher J. Russo, Former City Manager (Friday, January 26, 2018) – One of the least acknowledged, but quite important, departments in the City of Sunny Isles Beach is the Information Technology Department. Leading the IT Department is Chief Information Officer, Derrick Arias, who boasts more than 25 years of experience in this industry, starting with IBM and later founding his …

By Christopher J. Russo, Former City Manager (Thursday, November 30, 2017) – If you have not seen any of the City’s media releases or status reports on the various projects currently in progress, here is a run through of the major ones for your convenience. The beach sand renourishment project is underway with the placement of almost 2000,000 cubic yards …

By Christopher J. Russo, Former City Manager (Wednesday, November 22, 2017) – Last June, the City of Sunny Isles Beach celebrated its 20th anniversary. We commemorated the advancements and improvements to services from which our residents and visitors have benefitted including lower taxes, local access to critical governmental services, such as code compliance and proper building permitting, the creation of …

By Christopher J. Russo, Former City Manager (Tuesday, October 31, 2017) – Too often in some communities, people equate police officers with ‘enforcement,’ such as receiving a speeding ticket, arresting someone, or worse. Listening to Sunny Isles Beach Police Chief Fred Maas address the Aventura Marketing Council at the Law Enforcement Appreciation Day on Friday, Oct. 13, 2017, I was …

By Christopher J. Russo, Former City Manager (October 3, 2017) – In Accordance with Article IV Section 4.5 of the Charter of the City of Sunny Isles Beach, It is my honor and privilege to submit the Proposed Budget for fiscal year 2017-2018. The filing of the 2017-18 Fiscal Year Budget represents my eleventh year presenting the Budget as your …

By Christopher J. Russo, Former City Manager (September 1, 2017) – Sunny Isles Beach was recently awarded a $25,000 matching grant from Neat Streets Miami. This grant funds the planting of 126 trees as part of our Central Island Tree Planting Project. Progress is already visible by the number of trees planted along North Bay Road from 174th Street to …