Even in the wake of the 2021 Champlain Towers South collapse, the town of Surfside has been marred by divisiveness, with name-throwing and distrust among public officials. That legacy has only been exacerbated by the ongoing campaign season.
March 19 marks the next election for Surfsiders, through which a new – or not so new – mayor and commission will be voted into office for the next two years.
It’s mayor versus mayor this month as current Mayor Shlomo Danzinger and former Mayor Charles Burkett go head-to-head. Given the two men’s histories of attacking one another’s reputations both in and out of commission chambers, it’s no surprise that little about this campaign season has been at all pretty – even if Danzinger does insist on being the “better looking mayor.”
Just minutes into a Jan. 30, 2024, forum, both Danzinger and Burkett were warned by moderator Terry Murphy, a contract oversight specialist with the Miami-Dade County Office of the Inspector General, to tone it down and avoid making accusations about one another’s personal character. Neither candidate did sign the town’s fair campaign commitment, after all.
During his opening statement, Burkett immediately accused Danzinger and the current commission – which includes Vice Mayor Jeffrey Rose and Commissioner Fred Landsman, both running for reelection – of setting the town on a “giveaway development path.” Burkett also noted Danzinger’s alleged mistreatment of public speakers during regular commission meetings, where threats of being removed or silenced by the mayor’s order have become the norm.
Danzinger quickly threw shots back, calling Burkett a failed mayor who has been repeatedly voted out of office. The two already battled at the ballot in 2022, when Danzinger beat Burkett by 35 votes.
As for how he treats public commenters, Danzinger consistently defends his decisions to remove people from chambers when they are being disruptive in order to maintain decorum – a promise on which he ran his 2022 campaign, as the former commission made headlines for repeated internal hostilities.
Despite ongoing hate emails, smear campaigns, meeting disruptions and tension among disagreeing residents, Danzinger claims he has been successful in squashing the town’s divisions, at one point commending Rose and Landsman for their collaborative efforts. He did not, however, give any praise or mention to Commissioners Nelly Velasquez and Marianne Meischeid; the two women have spoken out against the mayor and his collaborative peers on several occasions and are often in the minority voting bloc against the three men.
One such instance happened as recently at the last commission meeting on Feb. 13, when Meischeid introduced an item requiring Danzinger to release records related to his October 2022 trip to Dubai, during which he met with Hussain Sajwani of DAMAC Properties, the firm poised to develop the former site of the June 24, 2021, Champlain Towers South collapse. The trip, undisclosed by the mayor until news of it broke in the Miami Herald, became a significant source of controversy and mistrust behind the development and its approval.
Danzinger, joined by Landsman and Rose, voted against the records requirement, calling it a political ploy to sway voters in the midst of an election. Velasquez is running again, though Meischeid is not.
Even though the mayors’ forum was reminiscent of the often tense commission meetings, with opposing sides calling out names and spiteful boos and applauses, the actual issues on residents’ minds were clear with each new question posed. Flooding and stormwater management, parking in the business district, traffic congestion, rising water and sewer bills, walkability, parks, civic engagement and trust were all among the principal concerns.
As far as actually turning over a new leaf – if that is the will of the people – they may have better luck with the commission pool, where 11 candidates have dropped their name into the bucket, providing for a bit more diversity and possibility in what’s to come.
Beside the current commissioners seeking reelection, there’s also Jerold Blumstein, a Miami-Dade County Public Schools teacher and 31-year resident of Surfside; Ruben Bravo, a business development director; Jared Brunnabend, a real estate investor and operator; Ruben Coto, an insurance broker and 35-year resident who previously served as commissioner; David Forbes, a real estate developer and member of the town’s planning and zoning board; Victor May, a retiree who has previously run for mayor; Tina Paul, a photographer and former vice mayor; and Gerardo Vildostegui, a law professor and regular public speaker at town commission meetings.
Both the full mayors’ and commission candidates’ forums are available on the town website. Polls are open March 19 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., while early voting begins March 4.