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By Jeniffer Viscarra, Vice Mayor (Wednesday, November 2, 2022) – At the Sunny Isles Beach February Commission Meeting, right after a particularly toxic campaign period, Rabbi Kaller delivered a moving invocation. Referencing The Diary of Anne Frank, it was a call to heal, to turn the page, and to believe in the good in each other. It was a message …
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Budget Talk
By Jeniffer Viscarra, Vice Mayor (Monday, October 10, 2022) – One of the primary responsibilities for elected officials in any municipality is to adopt a responsible budget. Sunny Isles Beach is no exception. We must be good stewards of the taxpayers’ dollars, as those funds are intended to serve you. Over the past 10 years, the budget has increased an …
Read More »Teens at the Forefront
By Jeniffer Viscarra, Vice Mayor (Thursday, July 14, 2022) – Sunny Isles Beach celebrated its 25th anniversary last month. Since incorporating in 1997, we have become a more diverse and family-oriented place to live, work, and play. As our city changed, so did our residents’ needs. Among those needs is the social well-being and safety of our teens. At the …
Read More »Banning Smoking on our Beaches: An Example of Restoring Home Rule
By Jeniffer Viscarra, Vice Mayor (Friday, March 4, 2022) – In early February, Deputy City Manager Susan Simpson and I joined the Florida League of Cities and other municipal officials in Tallahassee to advocate for self-government / Home Rule. Home Rule is the right to local self-government and involves the authority of a local government to prevent state government intervention …
Read More »A Road to Community Empowerment
By Jeniffer Viscarra, Vice Mayor (Friday, January 7, 2022) – And just like that, 2021 is behind us. For many of us it was a year of transitioning “ back to normal.” Our children went back to school. Our commission meetings went from Zoom, to hybrid, to fully back in person. Our events calendar got a little fuller, and residents …
Read More »A Look Back at 2021
By Jeniffer Viscarra, Vice Mayor (Friday, December 3, 2021) – As 2021 comes to an end, I want to wish all our residents a very happy and safe holiday season. For Sunny Isles Beach, 2021 was a year marked with surprises and tragedy. As for surprises, the biggest was former Mayor Bud Scholl’s resignation, which left us with a four-person …
Read More »Special Elections and Your Role in the Future of our Commission
By Jeniffer Viscarra, Commissioner (Wednesday, September 1, 2021) – By now you’ve heard that Mayor George “Bud” Scholl resigned effective September 1, 2021. Given the demands on him as President and CEO of One Blood, he felt he could no longer give the city the attention it deserves. To his credit, Bud stepped aside to allow a leader with greater …
Read More »Becoming a More Inclusive City
By Jeniffer Viscarra, Commissioner (Monday, May 3, 2021) – My first “real job” after graduating college was as a special education teacher at a school that catered to students with special needs. It was in that role that I became more familiar with autism and grew to appreciate all the dedication that families pour into every victory, however big or …
Read More »Ironing Out the Wrinkles in the Town Center District
By Jeniffer Viscarra, Commissioner (Friday, February 26, 2021) – As you may recall, in early 2019 the City discovered an inconsistency between its Comprehensive Plan and its Zoning Code, which caused great public outcry. To ensure that residents’ voices were properly taken into account, the Commission supported a significant and unprecedented effort in community outreach. During the last City Commission …
Read More »An Informed Community is a Strong Community
By Jeniffer Viscarra, Commissioner (November 30, 2020) – I remember the first time I voted. The only truly informed opinion I had was on the presidential race. There was no Google, cell phones or social media at the time. To be informed, you really had to do your homework. I did the best I could with the rest of the …
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