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 December 2021 Commission Meeting I brought forward two issues that I am hopeful will contribute to our teens’ quality of life. The first is the idea of a Youth Advisory Committee and the second the possibility of a teen recreational space.

On paper, the Youth Advisory Committee became reality in March with Commissioner Stuyvesant and myself as cosponsors. Our first youth members should be meeting in the near future. We will soon be on our way to a new chapter in civic engagement. Thank you teens and parents for getting involved!

The plans for establishing a teen recreational space are in their infancy. The site located behind Navarro’s—215 185 Street was recently rezoned to allow for a community facility and is a possibility. However, it is too early to tell as we are still pending the results of a space feasibility study and may want to wait for the development of our recently approved Parks and Recreation Master Plan and community input.

However it unfolds, our young residents’ needs will continue to be included in our future quality of life considerations, and I am confident the outcome will be something we can all be proud of.

Contact Vice Mayor Jeniffer Viscarra at seat4@sibfl.net or 305.792.1750.