Town Council - Regular Meeting

Good evening. Welcome. I wanna welcome everyone to the official November 18th, 2025 regular town council meeting. Meeting's called for 6 p.m. Time is approximately 6.06. I wanna welcome all our council members, town staff, all our guests, and all our dignitaries. Appreciate everyone coming this evening. It's a very special evening. With that, I'm going to call the meeting officially to order. And Town Clerk, can you call a roll call, please?

Mayor Singer? Here. Vice Mayor Luskin? Here. Council Member Mendel?

Here.

Council Member Bernstein?

Here.

Council Member Einstein?

Here. Okay, before we do the Pledge of Allegiance, Town Manager?

Mayor, Council, the audience. I'd like to begin to take a moment of reflection and recognition of two law enforcement professionals who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our community and our region. First, we honor Deputy Delvin Jaramillo of the Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office, who was shot and killed in the line of duty while responding to a traffic crash on November 7th, 2025. He was 27 years old. His service, dedication, and sacrifice are profound. We extend our deepest sympathy and condolences to his family, his colleagues, and the entire law enforcement community in South Florida. Second, we recognize Sergeant David Cajuso of the Miami Beach Police Department, who died on October 28, 2035 from injury sustained during a motorcycle crash while on duty. He was a 33-year-old, a 10-year veteran. He left behind his wife and three young children. His commitment to public service and his bravery, his devotion to community, are example for us all. Tonight, we acknowledge the braveries of these individuals and many in the law enforcement professionals who serve with courage and dedication. They remind us of the risk and responsibility inherent to public safety and for our collective obligations to support those who protect and serve. I ask that we take a moment of silence to recognize their ultimate sacrifice. If you could please stand and take a moment of silence. Thank you. Deputy Jaramillo and Sergeant Cajuso are in our thoughts and also in our renewed support to the men and women in law enforcement who serve our communities here in Golden Beach, in Miami-Dade County, and throughout the realm. May we never forget their ultimate sacrifice. Thank you.

Thank you. If everyone could please rise. Chief Rudy Habelo, can you lead us in a pledge of allegiance?

The American flag and repeat after me.

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Mayor. Mr. Mayor and members of our town council, I don't need a script. So since becoming your city manager in 2007, I've had the honor of having three chief work under our direction. And in early, 2010 plus or minus, we were able to hire a dynamic chief, a dynamic commander at the time from the city of Miami, and that's our chief, Rudy Herbelo. Under the leadership of our chief, Chief Herbelo, and his command staff, we've been able to grow our agency into a very respected and renowned agency. And I just want to take a moment to just say to Rudy, Rudy, you've been my chief, but you've also been a good friend. You've tolerated all my pain in the ass issues, but you've been able to help us grow this agency. And in 2013, for those of you who don't know this, in 2013, we became the first agency in the Northeast Miami-Dade area to become an accredited agency by meeting over 186 standards. And since 2013, in 2016, in 2019, and in 2022, We were able to successfully retain our accreditation. leading the way for other agencies in the region to follow in our footsteps, many of which have come to us to learn and to train on how to become an accredited agency. So tonight, Mr. Mayor, I'd like for our chief to present you our 2025 fourth reaccreditation of our law enforcement department. Chief Rebello.

And share a few words.

You all know that I'm not a very good public speaker. Let's start by that. I'm speechless, but it's an honor. It was an honor back in 2011. It's still an honor for me to be here, to have served as a lieutenant, commander, assistant chief and chief. It is a privilege. I don't take it for granted. You have become a family to me. the council members, and all the residents. And my brothers and sisters back here. I love you all. Thank you for this recognition. And like I said, it's a privilege.

Thank you. Before you sit down, Chief Ribello, I'd like to give this proclamation to you by the town of Golden Beach. It's honoring Police Chief Rudy Ribello for his leadership in achieving and maintaining accreditation of the Golden Beach Police Department. Whereas the Golden Beach Police Department is committed to the highest standards of professionalism, integrity, and serve protecting and enhancing the quality of life within the town of Golden Beach. Now there before me claim that Mayor Glenn Singer and the town council and the town of Golden Beach water hereby reconciled, recognizes and honors Chief Rudy Habelo for his invaluable leadership and contributions in achieving and maintaining the department accreditation status for 12 consecutive years and extends its deepest appreciation and continued service, integrity and commitment to public service. proclaimed today the 18th day of November 2025. Thank you, sir. Chief Ribello, I can't thank you enough from the bottom of my heart, and it's my honor and pleasure to present you this proclamation from me and the council. If you could turn around and we'll have a picture. Guys, hop in. Chief before you sit down I just want to say you know since I've been mayor I've had the privilege of working with three police chiefs, and not saying this because you're here tonight, but you're the hardest worker, the most dedicated police chief in my 21 years as being mayor that I've worked with. And it's an honor and a pleasure to say not only you're a chief, but also my friend. Thank you. Mayor, I also... My plaque, I take that back.

Mayor... Mayor, I also want to commend Assistant Chief Giovanni Diaz for his stewardship in the accreditation process this past year. The benchmarks that he and Lieutenant Perez, who tonight is being promoted to Captain Perez, have set for our agency is second to none, as you saw today when we did the tour of our new police operation division area. So Leila's here. Gio's actually attending his son's confirmation, which is why he's not here tonight. So let's give both Lieutenant Perez, soon to be captain, and Assistant Chief Giovanni Diaz a round of applause. Mr. Mayor, I know you want to get on with the program, but I can't allow you to do so just yet. And family members and guests, just bear with me for a few more minutes. As you know, I am late in paying you. Each year, I pay you your salary of $1 for the commitment that you give to our town and to our community. We held off because of the federal government shutdown. But more importantly, because you will see that today is a theme of police. And so in recognition of the theme of police and in the fact that the federal government has discontinued making pennies, we'd like to present you with your dollar inside of a piggy bank so you never forget tonight's . Inside of your piggy bank, you'll have two rolls of pennies that are collectibles now because they're no longer being minted. And they read Mayor Glensinger in recognition, Mayor Glensinger, Vice Mayor Judy Luskin, Council Member Ken Bernstein, Council Member Jesse Mandel, and Council Member Bernard Einstein, in recognition, sorry, in recognition of your dedication, dedicated years of service to the town council, presented with $1 in pennies, a tribute to the retired American penny, and to the value of every contribution, large or small, fiscal year 2425. And so if I could just present you with your saddle.

Very creative town manager.

This is actually the town support idea, and Town Clerk Perez came up with this idea.

Can't believe no orchid.

Thank you. Can I proceed now? Mr. Mayor, my portion of the evening for now is complete.

Thank you, Town Manager.

As always, everything's first class. And once again, I want to welcome everyone to tonight's council meeting and all our distinguished guests, all the police officers who serve. My hearts and my thoughts go out to the officers that are no longer with us, but you guys are here tonight, shows unity and appreciation to your fellow officers. And I know the officers that we're promoting tonight and their families really appreciate you being here and the support. So once again, congratulations to all you guys. First officer of recognition is Sergeant Daniel Avila. If you could come up here, please. With 20 years of law enforcement, 17 of those with Golden Beach Police Department, Sergeant Daniel Avila consistently demonstrated leadership, dedication, and excellence. Currently serving as the afternoon shift supervisor, Sergeant is also the lead field training supervisor and a key trainer within our police training unit. His commitment, his mentoring, and developing officers has strengthened our department and enhanced our operational readiness. We are honored tonight to announce the promotion of Sergeant Daniel Avila to the rank of Staff Sergeant. We look forward to your continued excellence from Staff Sergeant Avila and his team. Please join us and congratulate him on this well-advanced commitment. Thank you.

for Mexico to be here tonight, if you could recognize them and they can come up and pin you. Yeah, come on.

Oh.

so we can all get a picture of it.

So for those of you who don't know, we brought Danny over, Sergeant Avila, Staff Sergeant Avila, over from the city of Miami Beach where he and I got to know each other when I worked in Miami Beach. And Sergeant Avila slowly grew through the ranks and has been our afternoon sergeant since his promotion years ago. Danny, couldn't be more proud of you. Congratulations and thank you.

And once again, 17 years of service just shows the commitment from our police officers in the town of Golden Beach that we run a first-class operation under our chief and our assistant chief and our command staff. And thank you for staying for 17 years. We really appreciate it. Hope you stay another 17 years.

Danny, do you want to share a few words?

This is like a pleasure for me to work in an agency like this. I'm really blessed. And I'm looking forward for the next maybe five years, not 17. Thank you so much, everyone.

Thank you. Next, if Sergeant Julio Soka could come up here. Over the past 10 years of employment with the Golden Beach Police Department, Sergeant Soka has exemplified dedication and leadership. For the last seven years, he has served with the distinction of rank of sergeant, playing a pivotal role in one of the department's primary instructors within the training division. Excuse me. Sergeant Soka commitment to professional development is evident to his academic and career achievement. He is a graduate of the prestigious Southern Police Institute Command School and holds a master's degree in organizational leadership. He will be attending the upcoming CFA Accessor School this December, where he is expected to become a certified accessor. Through his unwavering dedication to the growth of our personnel, Sergeant Soka made a lasting impact on the department. It is for these reasons and many more we are honored to announce his well-deserved promotion to the rank of Lieutenant. Congratulations. We need your dog.

So Mayor and Council, Julio was one of the recruits that we actually decided to experiment with and we actually sent him to the City of Miami Police Academy. So the City of Miami has its own training institute and soon thereafter he started with our agency. We often forget too quickly what happens to our men and women. So if you remember, Sergeant now Lieutenant Soka was responding to a 315 call in the city of Miami Shores when they were looking for a suspect who had just broken into a house. And that barricaded suspect, that suspect became barricaded in a secondary facility on a house. When Sergeant Soka approached, that individual decided to discharge their weapon and Julio was actually shot and injured in the line of duty, worked really hard to come back from that injury, came back to prove that not only was he not gonna give up his profession, he was gonna fight for his beautiful daughter, and now son, and his wife, who's in the audience, and came back giving us 110. And through the years, early on, and the chief can attest to this, and so can the lieutenant, soon to be captain, I said, you know, I see great potential in Julio. And tonight proves to them and to us that we are committed to seeing his growth, to seeing his leadership. We believe in you. We're turning over the keys of operations to you. It is yours to show us what you can do with it. You have a lot of people in the audience, so I'm going to let you say a few words to recognize your guests. I'm proud of you, Julio.

First and foremost, I want to thank the mayor and the council for your unwavering support. You guys have our backs, and thank you. Thank you for the continued support for law enforcement. Second, I wanna thank city manager and the chief, town manager and the chief for believing in me. You took a chance in me 10 years ago. You took another chance in me today. Thank you. I wanna thank my family, my wife, my kids, my mom, my dad, My brother, his wife, my little nephew, sister-in-law, close family here. Thank you. And last but not least, all those men and women in the back. You guys mean the world to me. You guys make me shine. You guys make me look good. We're going to continue. And God willing, you know, some more years here. But I love all you guys. My name Blue. Thank you. Thank you.

Julio, thank you again for your hard work and your 10 years of service. You're a perfect example of a great leader, and I know you'll do well at your new position. Congratulations. Okay, moving on. Lieutenant Lila Perez, you could come up here, please. Lieutenant Perez is a law enforcement professional with over 25 years of experience in police operation, supervision, community engagement. After 19 years of dedicated service with the Golden Beach Police Department, she is being promoted to captain today, making another historic milestone for her career. Lieutenant Perez has had the honor of being the first female detective, sergeant, and lieutenant in the department's history. She currently oversees daily operations, is the property and evidence custodian, and ensures performances of excellent and operational readiness. Her previous federal roles include assistant to the attaché for the IRS criminal investigation at the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City and a deputy sheriff with the Broward Sheriff's Office. She will soon become a certified CFA assessor, and she is committed to advancing law enforcement standards and public trust across Florida. Lieutenant Perez holds multiple advanced degrees, including master of psychology, a master in criminal justice, organizational leadership, and is currently a PhD candidate specializing in emergency management. Her career reflects legacy of leadership, integrity, and deep commitment to community-focused policing and strategic development. Congratulations to you.

Mayor, before the captain recognizes her family, I just want to speak to the individuals in the back of the room and to Layla's family. So Layla has been with this agency when we were literally using duct tape to keep our vehicles going, patrolling with flashlights that didn't have batteries, walking through floods, being a female in a male-dominated environment. She has paid her dues. She is our captain. I am so proud of this promotion. I know that I hold you to a higher account every day, but Leila, the first day that I was here, you greeted me at my office. You told me you had my back. and you have had my back ever since. I'm so proud that your father has been able to fly in from California to be here today, and that your husband Ernie, who's a retired Lieutenant from Amity County, is also in the audience. Captain Perez, I have no doubt that you will help take this agency to the next level that we need, and through your leadership, and your expertise, you can help build a stronger regional network. That's why tonight, the chief and I are also announcing that you're gonna be in charge of the administrative division of the agency. The fact that you're getting your doctorate degree is a perfect fitting for you to oversee our lower training and more importantly, you're gonna be who puts Golden Beach on the map because you're gonna be in charge of all the regional training. I'm so proud of where you've gotten to today and all of our men and women should be proud of the accomplishments that Captain Perez has achieved tonight. Congratulations.

Before we go any further, I also have a certificate of appreciation. This certifies that Captain Lila Perez in recognition for her dedication to excellent commitment to the higher standard of law enforcement and to the role that she has played in maintaining the town's successful police department reaccreditation for the last 12 years, November 8th, 2025. Congratulations.

Julio, Lieutenant Steele comes to the front, and Staff Sergeant comes to the front. Chief, I'm going to say this in front of probably the largest attendance that we've had in this building. Tonight, we're giving you the resources to help build an agency that should stand up to the name of what we permanently place in our new operational division annex. And we need to rename the annex. That kind of sounds like quirky, so we'll rename that. which is that we're an agency that is second to none, both in our equipment, in our training, in our staffing, and yes, even in our pay. We're starting to get to where we need to be. When I got hired, we were an agency of 11 strong. Tonight, we have 30 strong. larger than most communities of double our size. And so that is a commitment to our residents that we believe that your safety and protecting your welfare is at the utmost importance to us. I'd like to recognize Chief Ponce from the Medley Police Department who's in the audience, a fellow chief, who was one of my training advisors. Medley, which is a city three times our size, or even four times our size, has an agency similar to our size. So this is what I would just want to say, chief. We've given you the tools and the resources, and now you have a command staff that you should be very proud of. It is because of your legacy that we're going to continue to invest in public safety. I charge you each with holding our officers to the highest standards to make sure that they're always trained, that they have every resource that they need. The commitment from our mayor and I as your manager is that you will have that, make us proud, and keep us safe during this holiday season. Congratulations to you and your family. If I can...

Guys, before we go, I have another certificate of appreciation, and this goes to the assistant chief, Ivan Diaz. In his recognition and dedication to excellent commitment to the highest standards of law enforcement and the role that he has played in maintaining the town's successful police department reaccreditation for the last 12 years, November 18, 2025, signed by myself and the town manager. Congratulations. I know he's not here. Mayor.

Yes, and Mayor, I'd like to give Captain Perez an opportunity to share a few remarks to recognize her family and guests who are in the audience. Captain?

Thank you so much. First thing I want to say is thank the Lord that I'm here. Thank you for my husband. He's been a pillar of my life. Thank you, chief, town manager, and the entire council. I'm sorry, son. For everything that you've done, mayor, as well. Always been supportive of me. Always. And I thank you. And all the men and women that we have here, they are stellar. They're number one. Second to none, as we have it in our motto. Thank you, everyone. My mother's here. My stepmother's here. She came from California. My father's here, Raul. My son. My grandson. My other grandson couldn't make it. My sister, Leda. Eric. My daughter, Hudson. Niles. Did I forget anybody? Okay. Thank you all for being here, and I appreciate this very much. Yes? Mommy's not here right now. We miss her, too. Thank you very much. Thank you. Congratulations.

Yes. Town manager, before the officers leave, if everyone in uniform could come up and we could take a group picture with the town council, it would really be appreciative. Come on. Don't be shy. Everybody. Every department.

Yeah.

What's that?

Thanks, guys. We have a lot to be thankful for.

Come on, we can fit everyone in. Town manager, if you could come by us.

What? I can't hear. Captain's badge, I don't have any other badges.

Josh, can we turn around? If you're taller than the dais, can you step to the left or right? We short people can't be seen. The other way. Everyone say cheese. Eric, zoom out. Eric, zoom out.

Thank you guys, thank you for coming this evening.

I appreciate everybody.

Congratulations. Thank you guys.

Mayor and council, I see in the audience representatives from Broward County, Bay Harbor Islands. I have a commander from Bay Harbor Islands. sergeants from Miami Dade County, officers, Florida troopers. If you're from another agency, if you're from another agency, if you could just... If you're from another agency, please stay here. If you're from another agency, if you're from another agency, could you just stay in the well real quick? If you're from another agency, if you could just stay in the well real quick. Staff. And a hush fell over the crowd.

Can we have everyone's attention just for a moment?

Other agencies in the well, please. In the well. If you're from another agency, to the well, please. If you're from another agency, to the well, please. Turn around. Turn around, LT. If you're from another agency, to the well, please.

I love your mayor.

All right. Real quick. Mayor.

Thank you.

Mayor and council.

Thank you for coming.

Mayor and council, real quick. So as you know, as you know, I had the honor of going to the reaccreditation presentation. And I'll tell you, what struck me. So here we are, Golden Beach, a city of only one square miles, 380 homes. And one of the toughest sheriffs in the state, as we're walking off, says, hey, you can't walk off just yet. And he says, he goes, I just want to let everyone know that I know about Golden Beach because my guys actually drove to it. He's from the Panhandle area, I believe, or West Coast. He said, my guys actually drove to Golden Beach to actually train on how to clear houses. And I know that the DEA and other agencies do the same. It has been the chief's goal and my goal that we be part of a greater South Florida law enforcement community. And in 2007, when I first became your manager, a few months in, there was a shooting of a county sheriff officer in Homestead in Florida City. And I ordered our chief to send every unit on that day to Florida City to be there. And so I just want to say to the men and women from other agencies that are here tonight, know that Little Golden Beach is your partner in what you do. We thank you for honoring us for being here tonight to recognize those men and women that we have promoted tonight. I'm going to embarrass you because I just want you to say who you are and what agency you're from. So I'm going to pass the mic. We'll start with Virginia Gardens.

Sergeant Mark Klepser, Bay Harbor Islands. Commander Regal, Bay Harbor Islands.

Lieutenant Ruben Zamora, Sunny Isles Beach.

Officer Lerato from Sunny Isles Beach. I used to work here for three years.

I know you miss us.

Detective Rivera from the Broward Sheriff's Office.

Detective Rivera from the Broward Sheriff's Office. Sergeant Richard Perez, Miami-Dade Sheriff's.

Trooper David Guzman with the Florida Highway Patrol.

Sergeant Rob Oster from Sunny Isles Beach. Louis Bones from Medley Police Department. Sergeant Laurent is our side.

So let's just give them a round of applause for joining us tonight. With that, if you are a family or a guest or a staff member, the town council and I would like to welcome you to dinner. We'll be hosting you at North Italy in Aventura. Please feel free to join us. We'll join you afterwards. So at this time, it's appropriate for you to exit the room so we can start our meeting. All right. Thank you so much for being here tonight.

Great, thank you for coming. Sorry, I skipped that.

Great team thank you for coming really appreciate it.

Congratulations.

Have fun.

All right, are we done?

I think so. Here's the restroom.

Is that alcohol? Come on, slide.

Michael. Michael. Michael. I mean, it's 100% fine. I mean, when you gave her girls like three or four years ago.

Thank you.

Ken was an hour late to begin with. Alex. Councilman Einstein. Councilman Bernstein. Wait to councilman. Everybody ready? Councilman? Town clerk, we good? With this cat?

We're ready, yes.

Okay, moving right along.

Motion to set agenda additions deletions removal of items from the consent agenda or changes to the agenda I have none fellow council Staff yes mayor yesterday you were emailed a new item number five So the substitute item number five was the one that was emailed to you yesterday and before you on the dais It's item number six resolution 30 47 25. I I asked that you add those to the agenda Okay on favor say aye Anyone opposed?

Those items. What was the second item? Number six.

It's on the dais.

No.

Okay.

Gotcha. My bad. Okay, with that, Good and Welfare, town clerk, anyone present for Good and Welfare?

Yes, sir. We have Salomon Edery with the Golden Beach Youth Leadership Group.

Welcome. Can you speak a little louder? Correct.

Hello? Perfect. Good evening. My name is Solomon Edery, and I am proud to serve as co-president of the Golden Beach Youth Leadership Group alongside Dean Schiff and Shai Goldman. For those who may not be familiar with our initiative, the Golden Beach Youth Leadership Group is a program that works under the mentorship of Vice Mayor Luskin and Director of Resident Services Michael Glidden. Our mission is simple but meaningful, to empower the next generation of leaders by giving us the opportunity to engage with our community, to learn from leaders by giving us the opportunity to engage with our community. It's truly a great way for students to get involved, meet new people, and gain valuable leadership experience that goes far beyond the classroom. Recently, I'm proud to share that I participated in organizing a beach cleanup initiative that occurred on November 9th. I am very happy to say that it was an incredible success. We had an amazing turnout of volunteers who came together for the purpose of protecting the environment. That morning, we collected over 20 pounds of trash from our beautiful beach, and it was truly inspiring to see our community unite for such an important cause. Just last week, we also participated in the Veterans Day event, which was an unforgettable experience. It was heartwarming to see the city come together to honor the brave men and women who have served for our country. Members of the youth leadership group each gave speeches on meaningful moments in American history, reminding us all of the values of service, sacrifice, and unity that defines this community. Before I close, I want to take a moment to sincerely thank Vice Mayor Luskin and Michael Glidden their membership and their trust in us their support has given us a platform to lead to learn and to give back and for that we're truly grateful thank you to the city council and everyone here for allowing us to play a role in creating positive meaningful change in our community we look forward to continuing to work together to making a lasting impact in golden beach thank you so much thank you thank you hey do we have anyone else from good and welfare mr

Mr. Mayor, I just want to recognize that we have from Representative Basabe's office, Judah, the new staff assistant, who's in the back of the room. Whose office? Representative Fabian Basabe.

Okay.

Hey, everyone. My name is Judah Spock, and I'm speaking on behalf of State Representative of District 106, your district, Fabian Basabe. The representative is currently in Tallahassee for the committee weeks. which come before the formal legislative session and has asked me to share a quick recap and a look ahead. Last session delivered real results for our district. We secured record funding access through state grants for the district as a whole, and one city-specific appropriations that support public safety, infrastructure, and community programs. We advanced parental choice with stronger accountability, so more dollars follow students into classrooms. We protected our coastline and Biscayne Bay with investments in stormwater upgrades, beach resilience, and environmental partnership. We expanded community health protections by supporting diabetes prevention and care initiatives, and by increasing access to overdose reversal medication for first responders in community settings. We also continued strengthening transparency and how public money is spent, so residents value in every dollar. Committee weeks now have begun. This is where bills are filed, discussed, and improved before session. There are no perfect ideas at the starting line. Committees exist to hear from the public, work through details, and make good ideas better. Expect major topics in education, insurance, housing, public safety, and environmental resilience as proposals move forward. Representative Basavi will be fully engaged every step of the way to keep our district's priorities front and center. I ask you, please stay involved. Download the Florida Channel app and watch committee debates in real time. Go straight to the source, follow Representative Basavi on social media for updates from Tallahassee. Over the next few months, I will be back with more reports as committee weeks and the legislative session progresses. Always remember, your state representative is directly accessible and always fighting for you. And before I close, I want to speak directly to the residents of Golden Beach. Representative Basavi has told me many times how much she appreciates this community, its engagement, its high expectations, and the way residents stay informed and involved. Golden Beach has always been attentive to state issues that affect local life and the representative values thoughtful questions he has here. questions he receives and the consistent willingness of residents to reach out. He is grateful for the partnership he has with this town and remains committed to Golden Beach with seriousness and the respect it deserves. And personally, as an 18 year old, a first time voter, I'm deeply inspired by the work of our state representative. A lot of people know him, and a lot of people don't. I encourage you to get to know him, not for the political perceptions of him, but for the person he is. Follow his social media, read his content, and you'll see how much time he puts into people to understand who he is and how he thinks. He is strong-willed, balanced, persistent, and he does not back down. He truly appreciates your partnership and your support. Thank you.

Thank you. Mr. Mayor, real quick, Representative Basavi is actually texting me in real time. He just wanted me to share with you, as you know, the town is sponsoring 500 turkeys to give those in need in the South Florida community. And Representative Basavi just wants to say thank you for the town's commitment in supporting those who are in need during this holiday season. And he just wanted to express his gratitude to you and to the community for sponsoring those turkeys.

Please tell him that we appreciate his hard work and dedication. Okay, any other? No, sir.

I've got about another half hour of presentations. Is that okay?

Remember, we haven't signed your contract yet. Moving right along, mayor's report. First of all, I can't say how proud I am. The chief is not here of the chief and the police department and what we've accomplished as a council and as a team to developing our police department. I think we have one of the finest, if not the finest police department in the state of Florida. I mean, I really feel that the officers enjoy working in Golden Beach. And it's evidenced by they're always smiling and they're always willing to help. any of our residents or anybody. And it's so proud to be part of the Golden Beach and the police department. I am so proud of these guys. And you could tell by the longevity of these officers that they really do enjoy working in Golden Beach. A lot of police departments and town manager, you know better than anybody, that they'll work three to four years and then they go on to another department. They work two to three years, they go on to another department. Our officers stay, and I think they enjoy it. And they're such a tremendous asset to the town. And I think it's evident of what we do as a council for them. We've always supported them. Whatever they've asked, every training, every part of equipment that they've ever asked for, we've provided. And by us doing that, I think we've really developed a top-notch police department. The only thing I think we're missing, and I've been saying it for years, is a horse. We need a horse. But, no, congratulations, town manager, and the police chief, because they've done a phenomenal job. And it was great to promote the officers this evening. And to see the dedication from the other police departments to come to Golden Beach to support the officers says a lot about what we're doing. So hats off. And another hats off is to my vice mayor, Judy Luskin, who did a phenomenal Veterans Day event. It was probably the most attended event that we veterans event that we've done. There had to be 150, 100 people plus. And presentation was great. The youth leadership guys, you guys did a great job. And Michael and you and your team, phenomenal job. The food was good. The presentation, Judy, I can't thank you enough for all you do with the leadership. I mean, if it wasn't for you, we wouldn't have the group. One more hats off is to Michael Glidden and his department for the Halloween party. I think by far, I'm sure everyone will agree, that was the best Halloween party that the town of Golden Beach has ever had. And I think by keeping it open late and having the bar and the band, the DJ was phenomenal and the screens made it so, so special. I mean, I've heard it and I know my fellow council members have heard it from every resident. that they really enjoyed the Halloween party. And it was top notch. And Michael, I don't know how you're going to outdo yourself next year, but it was hats off to you and congratulations to you and your team. It was a great job and well presented. I know we're doing a Dogs on the Beach event. Michael, do you have the date on that? It's December 11th. We're going to do it from four to six. Four to six at the Beach Pavilion. I encourage you to bring your dog if they're dog-friendly. If you know your dog's not dog-friendly, please do not bring them to the event. But it's a good time to A, to meet the neighbors, and B, for the dogs to get together and make new friends.

What day is that? December 11th.

Yeah. So it's going to be a great time. And if you don't have a dog, I'm sure you can come and you could adopt a dog, someone else's dog. But looking forward to it. And thank you for your commitment on that. I know we've been asking for it for a while. The entrance signs, town manager, I can't tell you how much and how impressive they are. Even the sign on the new police auxiliary looks phenomenal. The entrance signs look great. How it lights up by the fountain. I know we're not done with the fountain yet, but I think it's a great addition Again, adding to our top notch of Golden Beach. And I'm very excited to start looking at plans for the guardhouse because I think that's going to really, really improve the aesthetics of the town. So it's great. Starting December 1st, we're increasing security in the town of Golden Beach. On the beach, we're going to have beach patrol. constantly on the beach using the four-wheel vehicles. We're increasing our marine patrol, and we're trying to be proactive versus reactive. So I want to ensure all the residents that we're really looking into keeping the town safe. Knock wood, we've had a phenomenal safe year. We want to keep it that way. You know, Town Manager and I were talking the other day. We have over 300 lenses the town meaning cameras lenses watching what's going on in town so that with the new drone system and the increased patrol I think will even enhance our safety for our residents even more so very excited about that and I want to thank the chief and his staff for you know taking the initiative on that The holiday season is here. I can't urge everyone to be safe. And I want to wish everyone a happy holiday and a new year. The Wellness Center is coming along and making tremendous progress. Council and I were very fortunate to visit the police auxiliary new addition today. And we saw just how the progress for the Wellness Center is is moving along. Our plan is to have that Wellness Center. open by next year at this time and it looks great i don't want to jinx it but they're really making progress and the building is going to be beautiful it's going to be another feather in our cap to golden beach and uh very excited about that and town manager i have to just thank you one more time for the police auxiliary what you did back there for the amount of money that we spent as little as we spent is top notch and I know our police officers are really going to appreciate it and it's just a beautiful facility what we've done for the residents that haven't seen it we're old maintenance where our public works is we've improved and beautified and uh made it extremely workable for not only our public works, but we have a police auxiliary office there with five different officers, five different offices and a whole command room there. And it's a great addition. to the town of Golden Beach, and I can't tell you how good it looks. It even exceeded my expectations, and I've been going there every week with you looking at it, and I haven't seen it in about two weeks, and how it turned out is phenomenal. So hats off to you, and congratulations. It's, again, another feather in our cap for Golden Beach. So with that, I'm going to move it over to council comments. First, I'm going to start with my vice mayor, Judy Leskin.

Okay. Excellent report Sallow. Thank you for really spearheading that event and it was a great event and your family was there and your brother found Found some interesting items on the beach. I will tell you that I'll also mention that when I got there early about 830 I took a look at our beach and nobody was there and Councilmember Bernstein, you came to mind because you really spearheaded and championed the beach from years ago. It was so pristine and so beautiful. It matched down to the garbage cans. I was shocked. And then they brought out the pillows. I don't go there often enough, but it really is the jewel of Golden Beach. And we owe a lot of it to you and to the town for keeping it that way and maintaining it. But it really was so surreal.

It was just beautiful.

Um, I also want to give a shout out, Michael, thank you for everything you do for me. I think most people probably don't know. I text you all hours of the night, 11 o'clock at night weekends. I get an idea about veterans day or something on the beach and you're a trooper and a shout out to Eric. Eric, raise your hand. He's been helping out lately too. So thank you. You make a big difference and you make my job a lot easier. The town really, in general, looks exquisite. Those four points by Golden Beach Drive and the Strand is absolutely magnificent. As we're getting ready for the holidays, in the 20 years I've been doing this, I don't think I've seen the town ever look more beautiful. And that's up to you and your staff, and it really shows. So thank you very much. As the mayor said, the entrance seals and the new signs It makes such an incredible difference to this town. It just kicks it up a notch and it's just beautiful. I don't know that there's anything we can do about this But it's been bothering me for a long time, and I think we just have to live with it and maybe put a little ad in the newsletter about it. When you're leaving town and you're making a right turn to go towards the Lehman Causeway, and then someone is making a left to go towards Hallandale, and they're pulled up a little too far, I always find that a little difficult because it's very poor visibility. I don't know what we can do about it because of the design of the gatehouse, but I don't know if anyone knows what I'm talking about.

I do. Yes.

I think we're stuck that way. Maybe just reminders back and forth. I'm the world's worst driver. I hate driving, so it's like double trouble for me.

Good to know.

Yeah, really. And I think that's about it for me.

Thank you. Councilman Mandel.

I just wanted to thank the town manager and the entire town staff for just an incredible few months that I've been here. You have put on amazing Halloween, amazing Veterans Day.

Judy, congratulations. Thank you.

It's just been incredible. I thank you. You have our city top notch, A1, and I wanted to wish everyone a very happy holiday.

Thank you. Before I turn it over to Councilman Bernstein, I have to wish him a happy birthday. It was his birthday two weeks ago. So I think we should sing happy birthday to Councilman Bernstein for his birthday. Happy birthday to you.

Happy birthday to you.

Happy birthday, dear Ken. We give you this pig. Happy birthday to you. Councilman Bernstein.

A lot of things to say. First off, the police department, the chief, the the whole city and what they've done over the last 18 years that I've been here is just incredible. And to see these recognition and see how the department's grown and how professional and the awards is just incredible. And I just want to say congratulations. And all the promotions were really well deserved We've had a lot of these guys here for so many years and everyone's gone. I feel like the whole council kind of has seen these guys grow up and Mature and not grow up but mature and the officers and it's just really been a wonderful process The Halloween area I we go through this and I always look at all the things and I feel like I never say thank you to so many people who we've been working with. And I just want to say, with all this stuff, Steve, thank you, just in terms of all the stuff we've been going through recently. Linda, all these people I've been talking to all the time. Lissette, thank you so much. Eric, you guys have been helping me, Michael, just with so many things recently. i think it's just comes to the attention that this council works by the support of so many people and all the success that everyone has is a real team effort and especially alex um who even though we seem to battle over things it's always to make things better and i feel like it's it's only benefit the city The Halloween was fantastic, amazing. And I do have a little twist to say, though. As much as I love this, I love the idea that we finally started doing for adults, which we've been bringing up for years. And I don't know if it just worked out because it was a weekend. But it was really lovely to have. I felt like it was just a really nice social gathering for all the adults afterwards. And I think, Alex, you stayed the whole time and saw it. And it was just it was really beautiful. But I felt like last year's was also amazing and having it here. And the only difference that I think when we think about going forward is that that park really gets torn up afterwards. And I don't know if you guys walked it, but I saw it afterwards and. It's hard to get the trucks out right away. There were trucks there probably five, six days afterwards. And just when we start looking at next year, I don't know if I'm bringing it back, but we should have this discussion as a group and evaluate which one was better. But it was amazing. And I go back to all the time when My children were here, and they wanted to go. I listened to all the debates. We should keep this just Golden Beach. But kids want to be with their friends. And what makes a successful Halloween event is other people want to come here and be, like, that's where they want to be. And I just think this was really beautiful. I didn't hear the usual rhetoric about, oh, we shouldn't have outside people. But I know one thing. My kids never really want to be here on Halloween. And now I think every kid in the neighborhood does. That's very true. Judy, I'm so sorry. I missed Vets Day. I had an appointment downtown. I came down, but what was really great is I got here right when it was starting, and it was so crowded. It was so crowded in the parking lot. It was so crowded in the back of parking lot. It was so crowded on the street. I had to go all the way down to my house, basically, to park, and I'm so sorry I missed it because I've been there every year, but I heard it was incredible, and the job you do with... Veterans Day and youth leadership is just really amazing. And seeing the youth leadership, especially the last meeting when they came up, I just thought it was like, what an amazing job. The entrance signs, I agree. It's it's a real plus. I, I think we should still have like take a look at everything when it's all done. But I'm really impressed with them. The Police Auxiliary Building and the Public Works Building, wow. What a team effort on that. And I'm gonna say that I'm finally eating my words. When we designed this building, I always thought, I always thought, and it's still probably in the budget somewhere, that we needed to put some sort of facade to cover the downstairs because I always was concerned that this was going to look like double-A or triple-B office building. With the carport, I was always concerned about that. And when Alex and I first walked it, and I'm seeing the plumbing, the plumbing was visible underneath and the fire. I was just like, Alex, we need to do it. And Alex was like, we'll do it when we get money. We'll do it when we get money. And as the hedges have grown, and I was worried. We discussed the hedges, but I was just worried between Whitefly that, The hedges are never going to maintain themselves. The first hurricane, they're going to go. But I got to say, it looks really nice right now. You don't need to hold the money for that right now.

We never did anyway.

But it looks really nice. And not that a facade won't, but it really looks great in the meantime. And finally, I think the beach. I went down the other day. I've been riding. As many of you know, Glenn and I ride the beach all the time. And so I'm on the beach often. And it's so beautiful when we go. It's either, it's usually the night. And I went and sat on the beds and talked with a lot of people. And the beach, that beach has become really one of the whole, the nicest beaches in all of Miami.

David Plylar, Oh, by far.

David Plylar, I go down the, I've gone down to the Addition. to Soho, to the Fountain Blue. And I really, I think, I feel like our beach with the ambiance and how we police it and how we limit it from overcrowding, it's really become what I think we aspire to when we first said we can make this beach like a country club And I think it's really become that. And I'm just so thankful for everyone putting it together. Thank you very much.

Before I move on, I forgot it was Councilman Luskin's birthday a week ago.

Happy birthday.

And I know Councilman Einstein's birthday is coming up in about a week or so. Happy birthday. We'll sing to you next time. So, Councilman Einstein. Yeah, I guess. Good point.

Councilman Einstein. Look, you know, the evening's getting late. And of course, I'm going to echo all of the sentiments that the. Mayor, you made great comments, Vice Mayor and the Councilman. But what can you say about the police? Veterans Day, Judy, superb once again. Halloween party, tremendous. You know, one thing that I recognize, my own personal observation, the food delivery this year. sometimes there were problems in the past people waiting on lines I did not see that you know they dealt with one thing and they said you know you can get one plate and you can come back up and that kept everything moving whoever employed that it worked it was superfluous it worked great All these events were magnificent. The entrance signs, the police, you know, the word I'm gonna use now is we are the envy of South Florida, if not all of Florida. We have become that. And there's three words that come to mind, community, family, and loyalty. And, you know, starting with the heartbeat of the town, I would say it's our town manager who pushes us a lot of times to have that stuff. The leadership of the mayor, the council gets out there, but it's been the staff that makes us look good and continues to drive us and to continue to make us look good. And when you look at the police and these are not just workers, when you look at them and I've seen them here for 15, 20 years, the loyalty, The feeling that they are part of our family and when they when you have a problem at your house and they're there and you see their face makes a big difference living in this town. When you have that it's something I think a lot of people that don't know about it are jealous of. And if people take the time to get to know the employees of this town. You know we have an incredible family. that has been built up through these years. I think Alex, the mayor, I think we respect them. I think we award them. I think we praise them. And I think that's what makes them go the extra mile continuously. And thanks for showing us how to do that.

Thank you. Thank you for everyone's comments. Appreciate it. Moving on to town manager's report. Under 30 seconds, excuse me. Go on.

Mayor, members of the council, I just want to say thank you to the members of our executive team for their hard work and dedication over the last couple of months, starting with our assistant town manager, Linda Epperson, followed by our town clerk and human resources director, Lissette Perez. Of course, our wonderful finance director, our CFO, Maria Camacho. And of course, under the leadership of our police chief, Chief Rudy Ribello. When we instituted the executive team and diversified our staff, we've been able to run a little bit leaner. We reduced the number of staff members that we had. but you also saw that the quality of the programming that we've done has gone up bit by bit. And I agree with you, Councilman Einstein, we are the envy of South Florida, and it's because of the hard work and dedication of all of our staff members, whether it's our sanitation workers, our janitorial staff, our beach staff, their second tenants. Tonight, I just wanna say thank you to all of the staff members who are at home and those who are in the audience. I am forever grateful for the things that you do to make us look good. Mr. Mayor, members of the council, important items that I want to share with you tonight. As you know, we have been working over the last couple of months, the town attorney and I, to work out some issues on Ocean Boulevard. Just know that we continue to work out those issues with our residents, and we're looking to bringing some things to you, hopefully at your January meeting, as it relates to Zone 1. As it relates to our projects, I just want to talk about a couple of changes that we're going to have. So this year's New Year's Eve event is going to be, of course, the 31st. It is a beach event on the sand. We're going to be changing things up a little bit. It's going to be a real themed event. So we welcome our residents to come in flip flops and sandals and enjoy the night. of dancing in the sand under the stars to celebrate New Year's. As you know, our Golden Beef Youth Leadership Group, thank you for being here tonight, have done a phenomenal job in working with Eric and Michael over the last couple of months to continue to grow. And I just want to thank them and encourage them to recruit other new members to be a part of our community. And for the residents who are in the audience, thank you for bearing with us through this long meeting tonight and those watching at home. I just want to echo what the council has said. We do this on behalf of our residents because we like to build a community that you enjoy coming home to every night. We do make some mistakes since there are some issues that I want to bring to the council's attention. As you know, our pickleball court currently has an issue. There's a big crack. I'd like to remind the council that we build the pickleball court on top of what used to be two wells. So one of the wells have given in And because that wall has given in, the earth underneath it has become compromised. So we are looking to figure out a way to re-grout that well and fix the pickleball. This is not a defect of the contractor. It's a defect of site location. And so we're working to work on fixing the pickleball area. Our wall at Turtle Park will not be going in. The ground saturation is so great in that area that we've had to pivot. So if you haven't visited the new wall in the West lot, it looks great. It's up and done. I'm now negotiating a way out of the contract for the wall at Twiddle. We will put in a retaining wall. We will put in fencing, but we cannot support the weight of a precast wall in that area. The ground saturation is just too great and there's no way to overcome that challenge in that area. I do want to warn our residents. It doesn't matter how many police officers we have on staff and how often they're patrolling. Our neighboring cities are getting hit hard with car thefts. Just this week alone, 29 GPSs were stolen out of vessels in Aventura. So if you have a boat, keep a light on. We are going to be expanding our Marine Patrol activities. We'll have a Marine Patrol officer on the water seven days a week. And as the mayor mentioned tonight, we will have a beach patrol on the ocean starting December 1st through the holidays around the clock sporadically. So we will be expanding our security efforts for those activities. I'd like to just also recognize Kirk McCoy and the public work staff. They have done a phenomenal job in getting our community to look excellent for the holiday season. And we're looking forward to going live with our holiday lights this weekend. In addition to that, thank Michael Glidden and all of our Golden Beach team for a phenomenal Halloween event. I will tell you, it was quite enjoyable this year to see the magnitude of the rides. We had Miami-Dade County Youth Fair rides in North Park. I mean, just wow. And the labubu and the stage. I felt like I was at Ultra, minus a couple of the adult drinks, but I felt like I was at Ultra. It was just a phenomenal event. And Mayor, next year's on a Saturday. I don't know how we're going to top that, but we'll work on that. Council Member Luskin, Vice Mayor Luskin, I wasn't able to attend the Veterans Day event. I tend to travel during the holidays. The pictures that I saw were just phenomenal. So thank you for that. Mayor and members of the council, I'd like to just remind you that on December 11th, we have the dogs on the beach. On December 13th, we have our annual holiday party at Sophia's in the Design District starting at 6 o'clock, 6.30, 6.30. That's Sophia's in the Design District starting at 6.30. Also, members of the council, after tonight's recess, you will be in recess until January 20th. All right. So the town council will be in recess through January 20th. And just for the public and the council to be aware, starting this Friday, I will be out of town for the Thanksgiving holiday, be turning to the office on December 2nd. And of course, my annual end of the year trip, I'll be gone from December 20th to January 6th. I wish you and your families and your loved ones a very safe and prosperous holiday season and a great New Year's. Thank you for allowing me these last 18 years to serve as your town administrator and to all of our staff. Again, thank you. May you and your family enjoy it. And if you're available this Thursday at noon, join us in Twitter Park for our annual turkey luncheon.

Thank you, town manager. Town attorney report? Nothing. Thank you. Ordinance first reading, an ordinance of the town council of the town of Golden Beach, amending the town's code on an ordinance, Chapter 24, Article 2, retirement, amending the definition of the town pension plan.

An ordinance of the Council of the Town of Golden Beach, Florida, amending Chapter 24, Personnel Article 2, Retirement, Division 1, General Employees, by amending the Town of Golden Beach Employees Pension Plan at Section 24-31, Definitions, Section 24-41, Deferred Retirement Option Plan, providing for conflicts, providing for severability, providing for codification, and providing an effective date.

Perfect. I need a motion to approve. Second. Second. Town manager?

Mayor, members of the council, with this item, this is something that most cities do. What it does is it allows an employee to take benefit of their current year salary without having to work the full year so they can enter the drop program. And as you know, the drop allows our staff to stay on for three years and our police to stay on for five years. And what that does is starts to clock to reset our salaries. And so as we've grown as a city as we're night now 90 strong I'm looking at the future and how we're going to continue to balance our budget so what this does it allows our employees to elect to enter the drop and Receive the benefit of having earned their highest salary, which is this year without having to work to 12 months That's what this item does.

Okay any council comments No, any public comments? No closing accounts closer to public roll call, please. I

Mayor Singer?

Yes.

Vice Mayor Luskin? Yes. Council Member Mendell? Yes. Council Member Bernstein?

Yes.

Council Member Einstein?

Yes.

Motion passes.

Motion passes. Ordinance to second reading. There are none. Item number M, quasi-induced resolution. A resolution of the Town Council to approve a variance request for the property located at 360 Ocean Boulevard to permit the construction of an addition and to increase the finished grade elevation of the lot.

A resolution of the Town of Golden Beach, Florida authorizing and approving variance requests for the property located at 360 Ocean Boulevard, Golden Beach, Florida 33160. Number one, to permit in addition to the existing home to be constructed at the existing first floor finished elevation of 12.85 NABD instead of the 9.0 NABD elevation required by the town code. And number two, to permit the property grade elevation 11.43 NGVD instead of the 11 NGVD maximum required by the code.

Okay, any motion to approve?

Motion to approve.

Any second? Second. Okay, anyone that's going to speak on this matter, if you could stand up. I don't think anyone's going to have to, but town clerk, can you swear anyone in? Yes, sir.

Please raise your right hand. Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?

I do.

Thank you.

Okay. Town manager, you want to just go over this real quick?

Yeah, Mr. Mayor, members of council, this item, what it does is allows an existing home, 360 Ocean Boulevard, to keep its existing height and its site elevation. As you know, the town council adopted a new elevation of 9 NGDD for the entire community. On Ocean Boulevard, the old code was based on Crown and Road and FEMA maps. These homes are existing. They're not asking to do anything but keep their elevations. And so we ask that you favorably approve this item.

Okay, only comment. The Building Regulatory Board approved this. I have no comments. Anyone have a comment? Close it?

I do, I have a quick question. Sure. And I support this, I understand, but to the extent we have another person who's in the area who comes in Asking hey, can I raise my elevation to this?

This is distinguished because this has been existing and that's why we're granting this so correct because of our ordinance change we created a non-conforming Status, so we wouldn't afford to somebody else, right?

Okay any public comments? Roll call, please.

Mayor Singer. Yes. Vice Mayor Luskin. Yes. Council Member Middell. Yes. Council Member Bernstein.

Yes.

Council Member Einstein. Yes.

Motion passes. Motion passes. Congratulations. Next item and major project update and presentations. Town Manager.

I'll be quick. Mr. Mayor, tomorrow we'll be taking delivery of 28 concrete trucks to pour the second slab of our new wellness center. Our goal is to go vertical from there, hopefully have the roof slab poured before the end of the year and start installing glazing on the site. I will like to just amend previous comments that I've made about the RFP process for the Wellness Center. Because of all the activities that we have and because some change in the civil plans, we will be releasing the RFPs for equipment and the RFP for playground sometime in the first quarter of the year instead of before we adjourn for the year we don't want to rush those two rfps and we want to make sure that we one recognize what our budgets are and recognize what our true design intent are so i am amending that notice that we will be going out to bid sometime in the first quarter for both the equipment on the second floor and the playground site itself. Mr. Mayor, also tonight we had the honor or the pleasure of walking around the annex in our public works facility. As you know, that project has it's beautiful. I mean, I just don't know what else to say. This is absolutely stunning. The fact that we've been able to repurpose a space without having to build a new building in any other city, the city manager said, knock it down and let's just spend five, $6 million. We were able to really provide a home for both our Polite Works staff and our police officers by spending very little money. And it looks like a million bucks, I got to tell you. So I'm very proud of that. Earlier today, I text you via your WhatsApp messages pictures of the fountains on A18. So you can see how the letters look. Our goal is to have all the fountains and all the monument markers on A18 lit and illuminated by by Thanksgiving. We're working really hard around the clock. FDLT has really been a pain in our side as it relates to getting these projects delivered, but we're working aggressively. Over this past quarter, the mayor and the council has allowed me, through my spending authority, changed the landscaping on A1A. If you notice, we got rid of all the grass on A1A because it was always dead. And we've been able to spend a lot of money. It was the mayor's idea to really freshen up A1A. And so we're really excited about the way it looks. And after the first quarter of the year, we're going to bring you some more ideas as it relates to A1A. Other projects, we will be providing lighting at both the putting greens and the ball shoe ball courts. We have bocce equipment and look forward to your holiday gifts to see what we can do for that. Mayor, also, if you've noticed throughout town, we have started to do some resurfacing of roads where we have had some potholes. I know that we don't like looking at patches and know that I'm working with our lobbyist, David Caserta, to see if we can get A1A completely rebuild and resurface and Lissette Rivera is working with Miami-Dade Water and Sewer to get their project underway so we can finally finish the milling and resurfacing of Golden Beach Drive. Mr. Mayor, that is my project support.

Alex, quick question. On the sign out front, the water feature, is it working?

No, not yet. We have to diamond bright it. We have to do the diamond bright and get the water. Right, but the water feature is going to work. Not working.

But it's going to work. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. I wanted to make sure that...

I had one quick comment, which is something you brought up while we were talking, which I do think it's time to come up with a new name for the annex and just to bring it out. I agree. So the next time we're looking at this, I'm sure it's going to sound some illustrious names. Absolutely.

Okay, moving that along, consent agenda, item number three, one item, official minutes of the October 21st, 2026, excuse me, 2025, regular town council meeting. All in favor of the consent agenda, say aye. Aye. Anyone opposed? Consent agenda passes. Item number P, town resolution. P4, resolution of town council approving the installation of a new generator for the civic center complex.

A resolution of the Town Council of the Town of Golden Beach, Florida, authorizing and approving the installation of a new generator for the Civic Center complex, providing for waiver of competitive bidding, providing for implementation, and providing for an effective date.

Need a motion to approve? Motion. Second.

Mr. Mayor, as you know, at your June council meeting, we all... Can we get a second?

Second. Okay.

Mr. Mayor, as you know, at your June council meeting, you authorized the purchase of a generator for this facility. And we're going to repurpose the generator that currently services the bunker for the annex and public works yard. I will tell you that although we waive competitive bidding, we did get four proposals. And so we're recommending that you go with Flex Electric, which is the company that actually did the electrical for this building, and award them the contract to install and retrofit the building so that we can have a full generator for both Bunker and the actual building itself.

Okay any council comments? Nope, any public comments closer to council closer to public roll call, please.

Mayor singer. Yes vice mayor Luskin Yes, councilmember Mandel. Yes councilmember Bernstein. Yes councilmember Einstein.

Yes motion passes motion passes item p6 a resolution of town council approving the fist of fifth addendum to the town managers employment agreement

A resolution of the Town of Golden Beach, Florida approving a Fifth Amendment to the Town Manager's Employment Agreement attached as Exhibit A to this resolution and providing for an effective date.

I need a motion to approve.

Motion to approve.

I need a second.

Second.

I have to just make a few comments. I think the town manager is a well-deserving contract. About six months ago, before the summer, I asked the town manager. His contract was expiring. I said, you know, what did he expect from us? And he was more than fair, and he really said nothing. And this The only thing that we did add to the contract is the additional bonus, which is a longevity bonus, which employees get anyways. But I think it's a well-deserved additional bonus to the town manager. The town manager and I have been working along with the council for now going on 18 years. And I have to say, you know, it's been a pleasure. You've done a great job. Everything you get is well deserved. I wish we could give you more. But unfortunately, we can't. We're a poor city. But I want to, again, welcome you to this contract and very excited about the extension of the contract. So any other council comments?

Yeah, I'd love to reiterate the mayor's thoughts, but I'd also love to say that if anyone's looking at anything with your compensation, I don't think they realize how much you've done with this city and your staff. because when I look at our revenues have basically tripled in that time, when I look at forgetting about even the revenues, the money that you were able to help achieve, I just don't think most managers are thinking that way. And I really don't think there's a finer manager in the town, in the South Florida. So I just want to applaud. And I realize this council, it's been, I'm looking at the officers who've been here so long, but we've now been here together. We really want to make change, but without you, I don't think we would have got halfway as effective. And whatever this council's supporting of you, I will always support because I'm just very appreciative of you and the whole staff.

I'd like to echo that. And it's incredible that every time you go away, you say, I'm not going to take calls. I'm going to take my time off. I deserve my time off.

I'm not going to tax the town.

And every single day that you're away, we get photos of what's going on here while you're away off in another country. You come back at the drop of a hat if anything happens. It's very comforting and we've all become family and it's a pleasure.

Photos? I get photos of them in a bathing suit. Any other council comments? Go on, Ben. Ladies first.

I just echo Judy's comments.

What can we say, Alex? I remember when we met in my law office a number of years ago, I said, you're coming into a town of prima donnas. Can you handle that? You're full of spunk and vinegar, and you continue to have that. You continue to challenge us and put things before us to make us a better town. You know people people have confronted me at times I think other council members and they'll they'll say oh, you know our town managers getting this much money and we're the small town and and I have to bring to their attention what you brought to the town as Ken has stated before me So many funds that you've gotten from the state in any place that you for federally and you're always thinking outside of the box. You know, how can I take that? How can I do this? How can we maybe change that and never settling? And I think that's going to be, you know, when we're all move on to the next place, you know, that's going to be your legacy. You know, I think we left something behind here and we really did something good. And I'm proud of it. You should be extremely proud of it.

Let's see how good your memory is. Perfect. What did I say you needed to do to look a little bit older all those years ago?

Lose his hair.

I will tell you, it has been the best advice I've ever had. Grow a beard so they can stop calling me a kid. And that weekend when I started to get a little bit scruffy, I went out to a bar and I got five phone numbers. So thank you for that.

Perfect. Any close to council comments? Any public comments? Town manager this contracts for how many years is a three-year contract three-year contract.

That's what I thought Okay, who was the original search committee Bob Smalley? Yeah, Bob Smalley and Beth Cadell Beth Cadell, right Jane Caswell Casper that cat Caswell and French Bernard you could tell the story real quick of When I met with everybody

So, so I narrowed it down to three finalists on town managers. And, uh, the only time I could do it was lunchtime. And, uh, so I said, I'm just going to have them come to Houston's and I'll sit and talk to him for 30 minutes and have the next candidate and then the next candidate, whatever.

And so we sit down, we asked you a couple of questions and here I thought I was gonna get a free meal. And he said, all right, thank you. Have a good day. And it sent me on my way here. And I was like, That's it? No meal. You got many free lunches since. Since then. I will tell you, Mayor, and to the council, I know you haven't voted yet, and presumption is on my part, but I just want to say, look, you guys took a risk on a 27-year-old kid who didn't have city manager experience but was eager to transform. I told the search committee when they interviewed me, they asked me, why do you want to work? And I said, why would I want to work for the shithole? That came out of my mouth. Because when I parked my car, the fence at Toyota Park was down. It was dangerous. The streets were flooded that day. And I was like, these are millionaires. And it's been the honor of my life to serve as your manager. And I got to tell you, I'm only successful because of the team that's behind me. The entire Golden Beach family has really rallied behind me. They put up with a lot of money. Bunk and vinegar and are truly the reason why I'm successful. They are here. They watch my back. And and tonight, I just want to thank them for being one, my family and number two, for making me shine. And I look forward to the next three years as your manager.

Thank you. Well-deserved roll call, please.

Mayor Singer.

Okay, yes.

Vice Mayor Luskin? Yes. Council Member Mendel? Yes. Council Member Bernstein? Yes. Council Member Einstein?

Let's make it unanimous.

Congratulations, town manager.

Mayor, if I may real quick. Item six. Mayor, if I may real quick. I will tell you, early on, we probably didn't see eye to eye. And I wouldn't have thought 18 years later that I could tell you that there's someone in the room who has become a true mentor, who's kept me level-headed, who's made sure that I haven't been too big for my bridges. And recently, we've become FaceTime buddies. And that's our town attorney, Steve Hoffman, who has really guided me through these last 18 years. And I don't think I would have survived if it's not for his counsel. And lately, it's been almost every night. And so Steve, I just want to say thank you for everything that you've taught me and everything that you've instilled in me. Hopefully, you'll be a part of this team for as long as I'm here. And Steve, again, thank you so much for everything that you've done. grown to be the longest-serving, continuously-serving city manager in the state right now, 25 years as an ICMA member, and a lot of that is because you've kept me level-headed and the advice that you give me, so thank you. Thank you, brother.

Steve, you were my second hire. You've been with us for 17, 18, 19 years. Longer.

Longer. Longer.

I've been mayor 20 years, so 21 years, so 20 years.

Yeah, 20 years. Yeah. 20 years. Anyway, thank you, my friend. Thank you.

Great. We make a great team, everybody.

Yes.

Next item is a resolution number 3047, authorizing expenditures up to $60,000 for individual promotion and premium purchases.

A resolution of the Town Council of the Town of Golden Beach, Florida, authorizing the expenditure of up to $60,000 for individual promotional and premium purchases, providing for authorization and an effective date.

Motion to approve?

Motion to approve.

And a second? Second. This is just items.

Mayor, this item, we never tell you what it is because this is what you receive at your home for the holiday season. So it's our approval to provide you with those wonderful gifts.

Any council comments? Any public comments? Roll call, please.

Mayor Singer?

Yes.

Vice Mayor Leskin? Yes. Council Member Mandel? Yes. Council Member Bernstein? Yes. Council Member Einstein? Yes. Motion passes.

Mr. Mayor, before you take a motion to adjourn, I'd just like to make a couple of reminders to the audience and to the members at home and to our staff. Couple important dates for everyone to remember. So beginning with this coming week, it's our Thanksgiving holiday luncheon at 12 o'clock. We have the employee luncheon in Turtle Park. We're inviting John Bell Construction and Main Guy to join us as we celebrate Thanksgiving. The town offices will be closed on Thursday, November 20. Give me a second. 27th and 28th. So we'll be close to the general public on those two days. Mr. Mayor and members of the council, our next important date will be December 11th, which is our dog day at the beach. And so that is... from 4 to 6 at the town's beach pavilion. And following that, on December 13th, we have the town's annual holiday party for our staff at Sophia's and the design district starting at 6 o'clock. The town manager will take leave on the 19th and return on the 5th of January. During that time, the town offices will be closed on December 24th. and 25th, and on January 30th and 31st. And we invite all of our residents and their invited guests to join us New Year's night, Wednesday, December 31st, for our annual New Year's Eve event, which will be Rio-inspired. We ask you to wear flip-flops and join us on the sand, and the town club is within you.

What inspires? What inspires?

Sorry, we're closed December 31st and January 1st. And by the way, so we always announce the week that we're closed to the public. So the town offices will be closed to the public from December 22nd to December 29th. We will take calls, but the building is closed to the public the 22nd through the 29th.

With that, make a motion to adjourn.

All in favor say aye. Aye. Everyone, happy holidays. Happy holidays.