City Manager

By Christopher J. Russo, Former City Manager (Friday, June 23, 2017) – I want to use this opportunity to recognize a seldom acknowledged City department, its manager and department members, who are, in my opinion, part of the many unsung heroes of our City government. I am talking about our Code Compliance Department. Most citizens don’t realize how important code compliance …

By Christopher J. Russo, Former City Manager (Thursday, June 1, 2017) – Janes A. Hines served Sunny Isles Beach faithfully for over 17 years. Hired in 2000 as an Agenda Coordinator, Jane quickly proved herself worthy of more responsibility and was promoted to Deputy City Clerk in February of 2002, then to City Clerk in February 2003, a position she …

By Christopher J. Russo, Former City Manager (Sunday, May 14, 2017) – During my career, I have attended hundreds of conferences, seminars, workshops and the like. Most recently, my friend and colleague, Ft. Lauderdale City Manager Lee Feldman, invited me to attend a conference named CityAge. It was one of the most interesting and meaningful sessions I’ve ever attended. It …

By Christopher J. Russo, City Manager (Tuesday, April 25, 2017) – Though not a very glamorous topic, the Collins Avenue Utility Undergrounding Project is of vital importance to our beautiful, and fast growing City. The goal is to install above-ground utilities into underground conduits. The reason for this is to harden our infrastructure against hurricanes and other disasters, while beautifying …

By Christopher J. Russo, Former City Manager (Friday, March 31, 2017) – The City Commission, since incorporation has always had senior programs listed as a priority. What started simply as group tours to shows in the beginning, 20 years later has flourished into a wealth of opportunities for our seniors to participate regularly in programs that provide education, arts and …

By Christopher J. Russo, Former City Manager (Friday, January 27, 2017) – Upon my return as City Manager in 2012, I realized how many dedicated employees had remained with the City from the early formative years. I also met many new faces of young energetic members of the staff. So impressed with their skills, experiences and dedication, I thought it …

By Christopher J. Russo, Former City Manager (Thursday, January 26, 2017) – This spring marks the 20th anniversary of the activities that led to the formation of the City of Sunny Isles Beach. When you explore this City, you should know, twenty years ago this area looked quite different and wasn’t even a city. It didn’t become what you see …

By Christopher J. Russo, Former City Manager (Monday, January 2, 2017) – Typically with the start of a new year I would give you an update on recent accomplishments and a status of ongoing projects. However, I feel that we have covered that pretty well over the past several months due to the volume of work taking place, and the …