Over the summer, Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber proposed a “redesign” of the city’s South Beach Entertainment District as an arts and culture district with a program that included “carrots and whips” – incentives and regulations to get out of hand curb advised behavior and bad business practices. He has pushed for bold action after previous efforts have not changed the dynamic. Since then, the Commissioners have held a full-day workshop and several committee hearings. While there is consensus that “something needs to be done” there remains a consensus on what and how difficult it is to achieve.
After the discussion of noise and sidewalk cafe regulations was postponed at the November Commission meeting, the area experienced a weekend of violence that included fatal stabs, retaliation and armed robbery from a legally blind man who prompted Gelber to hold a special session of the Convene commission for Friday to discuss further short-term and long-term solutions.
Gelber addressed the problems in a video message before Thanksgiving:
“I want to take a moment to talk about South Beach. What is known as our entertainment district needs a major overhaul, which is why a few months ago we started to actually redefine the entertainment district as an Art Deco cultural district. It is certainly time to do so, as we have seen the kind of excesses lately that have no place in our church. We have spawned dozens of ideas, major changes in policing and code enforcement, and initiatives and regulations that encourage a different experience in the field, including the Ocean Drive pedestrian mall. I am calling a meeting of the Special Commission on December 4th to discuss these ideas and make sure we are on the right track. You can view it online on our City website. If you would like updates, please email me. However, we have also asked our city police and law enforcement officers to redouble their efforts to ensure that the law is being followed and that companies are complying with our code of conduct. Expect a heavy police and police presence in this district in the next few weeks. And a lot will change in the months to come. It must. “
Special session of the city commission
Theme: entertainment district
Friday, December 4th, 9:00 a.m.
Zoom meeting
details
Photo: Shutterstock.com
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