City Commission - Regular Meeting

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Hey, [music] [music] hey, hey. Heat. Heat. [music] [music] [music] [applause] Heat. [music] Heat. [music] Heat. [music] [music] Heat. [music] [music] Heat. Hey. Hey. Hey.

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I told you want it.

[music] Good morning. Good morning. Good morning everyone. Good morning every good morning. If we can start making our seats please. If we can clear the aisles and start taking a seat please. There's some seats upstairs.

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Do you feel anything? [music]

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Hello. Hello.

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Good morning. Good morning, folks. Good morning. [music] Good morning.

Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. Please take your seats. Please find a seat. Please take your seats. The meeting is about to begin. Again, please take your seats as this meeting is being recorded.

If you find one, there are seats upstairs. There are seats upstairs. We will we will begin in 2 minutes. Please find your seats. No, you sit there. No, you don't. You sit there.

We will begin in 2 minutes. Daniel. Very excited. Is that

Congratulations Christian? Thank you. Wonderful. Smoking.

Get the party started. No, I just want I just want to know that we make sure staff is not sitting. I know. I appreciate which I'm having fights with people right now. Tell me. Watch out.

Please take your seats. The meeting is about to begin. Remember to speak into the microphone as this meeting is being recorded for public record. Please stand by. We are going on air in 5 4 3 2 1. Good morning everyone. [applause] [applause] Good morning everyone.

This is a special day. This is a special day for Miami Beach. It's certainly a special day for all of us up here, our family and friends, but literally every resident of Miami Beach, every business, every visitor. This is democracy at work. We're finished with the campaign, thankfully, and we can get down to the people's work. But we're going to have a beautiful presentation today, inauguration. Thank you for all my colleagues, but I do want to give a special congratulations to all of us who were elected and reelected. Congratulations Monica Mateo Selenas for [applause] [cheering] [applause] it's a special feeling to get elected anytime, but it's certainly very special the first time. So, uh, we're really proud to have you here, Commissioner Laura Dominguez. Congratulations. [applause] and Commissioner Alex Fernandez. You're historic. [applause and cheering] [applause] [cheering] Did you pack the chambers here today? [laughter] Well,

I don't want to leave out Commissioner Joe Magazine and Commissioner Tanya Bot as well. This is about you guys. You

Commissioner Magazine, Commissioner Bot as well. [applause] You know what? Give yourselves a rounds of applause cuz [applause and cheering] So, we're going to start. I'm going to try not to get emotional today, but it is an emotional day. We're going to start with the honor guard. Please present the colors. Left down left face. I'm going to ask our city manager, our carpenter, our police chief, Wayne Jones, and our fire department chief, Dignabella, to lead us in the pledge of allegiance.

[clears throat] Okay, please place your hand over your heart.

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. We're very uh very fortunate to have uh an incredible staff, city management, and uh I often highlight our police department, our fire department, and obviously our city manager, but that is not in any way to uh deflect the amazing work done by all of our departments. Uh so, thank you all. Now, I'm going to ask Yehuda Miller to lead us with God Bless America. God bless America. Oh land that I love. Stand beside her and guide her through the night with the light from above. From the mountains [singing] to the prairies to the oceans white with fo. [screaming] God bless America. My home sweet home. [screaming] May God bless America. [singing] Our home sweet home. [screaming]

[applause]

[snorts]

Honor guard, please retire the colors. Honor guard. Right face forward. left right.

Thank you. Thank you, Yehuda, for that rendition of God Bless America. I could literally listen to you sing all day long. We're going to start off with uh two special invocations, inspirational messages that help guide us as we govern. I'm going to ask Rabbi Colman Bowman, a Miami Beach resident, principal of Yeshiva Tuscam, Tarsus MS Clerman Elementary School, and uh a mentor as well.

Good morning. Honorable mayor, commissioners, and fellow citizens of Miami Beach, it is a special privilege to partake in this auspicious occasion as our city looks forward to the upcoming terms of service for our newly elected and reelected representatives. The promises and optimistic forecasts have created a feeling of hope and confidence that the accomplishments of the past several years will continue and be strengthened in the months and years to come. Enduring change and improvement does not come through gimmicks and quick fixes by opportunists. True change comes about through the leadership of seasoned and mature individuals who possess the knowledge and resources to bring their wisdom to bear on the vexing challenges of the day. At the core of such individuals lies a bedrock of values that serve as the loadar for his or her life and efforts. Acting in accordance with one's principles is the greatest guarantor of effective leadership. Our mayor, the honorable Steven J. Miner, is such an individual. He is a man of conviction and fortitude and does not shrink from standing up for what he believes in. His ways are pleasant and his approach is gentle. But underlying the surface is a core of a values-driven individual who will not compromise his principles or dilute his beliefs merely to garner some popularity. Today is the first day of Kaneka, a holiday that celebrates the victory of a small group of people who lived and fought for their values against overwhelming odds. They could have compromised and negotiated away what was dear and precious to them for the expediency of avoiding conflict. They could have allowed the prevailing attitudes and mores of the decadent degenerate society around them to infiltrate their lives. They could have

been weak and then inevitably disappeared from the stage of history. It was their inner strength and moral conviction that carried the day. It was holding on to their deeply held values that propelled them to victory. This moral clarity and unflinching courage serves as a model for all people of goodwill and compassion. When you hold fast to what is near and dear, victory ultimately comes your way. In the wake of yesterday's unspeakable horrors in Australia, the need for moral clarity and unflinching leadership in combating the voices of hate becomes ever greater. Where hate is allowed to be expressed without objection or with weak and tepid responses, violence emerges that can destroy a community and degrade the moral underpinnings of society. As Mayor Miner and his fellow commissioners begin a new term of service, we bless them with wisdom and insight to understand our city's true needs, the courage and conviction to do what is right for its citizens, residents, and visitors, and the perseverance to find solutions to our most vexing challenges. We pray that the Almighty continue to bless the city of Miami Beach and its citizens with bounty, a healthy and pleasant environment, less traffic, sufficiently [laughter] sufficient resources to maintain and upgrade our way of life, and with leaders who will utilize their many talents, skills, and passion [clears throat] to usher us into a bright new era of peace, harmony, and goodwill. Thank you. [applause]

[applause] I also I hope I'm not missing anybody. I just want to acknowledge Rabbi Janowski who's here as well and Rabbi Bixon from uh sorry if I'm missing anybody. Now it's my honor to ask Father Alberto Cutie Episcopal Church to give us some items.

Good morning, Mr. Mayor and commissioners. I am here with Father Tim Oliri, the the latest uh the youngest priest on Miami Beach. [laughter] He is [applause] the director of All Souls on Miami Beach, right next to the Walgreens. I want to begin by saying uh not just to the rabbis but to to the entire Jewish community that as people of faith as children of God we denounce every form of anti-semitism in the world and we must unite [applause] we must [applause] unite in denouncing anti-semitism and particularly Mr. mayor, commissioners, and everyone here. I'm concerned about our young people that are being so uninformed through social media, about the past, about the Holocaust, about the horrors of the unspeakable crimes that the people of Israel and the Jewish people have had to suffer. So, I want you to know that you have our solidarity 100%. and [applause] and we're going to continue we're going to continue this fight together so that people know the truth about the darkest chapters in our humanity. I love Israel. I've been to Israel 10 times and um [applause] and I pray that I can go back soon about gosh 20 30 years ago and 30 pounds ago Alberto gets a visit from this young 15year-old man with his father who's here. He says he wants to come to St. Patrick's on Miami Beach in the morning to the morning mass and then he wants to take me to breakfast and who's going to who's going to pass up a free breakfast and sure enough we end up on David's Cafe where else

there we are and I have this young man telling me father I want to help this community and I want you to be the chair of my holiday charity at Camila's house and I'm like what 15year-old is hanging out with priests to get, you know, something done for the homeless. I said, "This is good." I couldn't say no. And [applause] ever since then, ever since then, this young man has been serving this community nonstop. And Commissioner Rebecca Sosa, who's sitting right there, knows it. He served as her chief of staff and in several other positions. He rose from the bottom up. And I see Alex really just shining bright here in one of my favorite cities. Maggie Beach. [applause] [applause] Now, Mr. Mayor, I've been a priest 30 years, 30 plus years. 15 of them as a Roman Catholic priest and then 15 of them as an Anglican priest. The famous pictures of my wife and I were taken in this city. And um and I want to say something else. 10 years of my priesthood were dedicated to the people in this city. So my heart is always very close to Miami Beach. And [applause] I thank God because God gave me ministry here. He gave me my wife here. And I have three beautiful children now. And I'm blessed to be able to stand here and say I love Miami Beach. [applause]

Let us pray. Oh God of love, God of [snorts] Jews, of Christians and Muslims, [snorts] God of love, our hearts were devastated by what happened on the first day of Hanukkah in Australia. May every form of anti-semitism in this world disappear. Lord, you are faithful to your people. You keep your promises. We know that the Hebrew scriptures are filled with the beauty of the prophets, [snorts] the psalms. The Hebrew scriptures have given us our heritage as people of faith, of every faith tradition, the God of Abraham, the God of Jacob and Isaac. Be with us on this day, Lord. be with the beautiful people of Miami Beach and with their elected officials who are here to vow their promise to keep serving. Bless this place. Bless this beautiful place, Miami Beach, with peace, with prosperity, with love, and with peace, and with harmony among all people. Amen.

Amen. [applause]

Father, I want to thank you for your message, your inspirational words. You're an inspiration, but your message you're insp [applause] your message and support of the Jewish community for Israel. It's not just support for the Jewish community. Support for America. It's support for humanity and what's right. Because this is a fight. Some people realize it. Not everybody realizes it yet, but this is a global [snorts] human humanity fight that we will be victorious. And thank you for recognizing that. [applause] So, we're going to do now is do the uh oath of office, an office, an oath of civility. We're going to go in turn. Um we have four today and Little business first.

What's that? A little business first. Ralph always has to intercede and do a little business. It'll be quick. Uh we're doing R7A, which is adopt the certification of the results of the December 9th runoff election. Mr. Mayor, I'd like to make a motion adopting R7A, the adoption of the certification of the results of the December 9th, 2025 runoff election, and declaring Monica Matil Selenas as a newly elected Miami Beach city commissioner for group one. [cheering] [applause] [applause] May I have a second? I'll second the motion. [laughter]

Making Monica sweat here. I'll second the motion. There any debate on? All in favor, please say I. I. Thank you. It was adopted. Excellent. Anything else, Ralph? That's it, sir.

All right. So, uh, we'll do the oath of office, oath of civility. There'll be some brief remarks from each and we're going to go in turn. Uh, I will start and then we will go to, uh, Commissioner Dominguez, Commissioner Fernandez, and Commissioner Matteo Selenas. So, I'm going to ask my my mom Dorothy Weiss to do [applause] The oath of office and the oath of civility. Okay, raise your right hand. I, Steven Miner.

I, Steven Miner, citizen of the state of Florida. Citizen of the state of Florida and of the United States of America and of the United States of America. and being an officer and being an officer of the city of Miami Beach of the city of Miami Beach and a recipient of public funds and a recipient of public funds as such officer as such officer do hereby solemnly affirm do hereby solemnly affirm that I will support that I will support the Constitution of the United States the Constitution of the United States and of the State of Florida and of the State of Florida and that I will and that I will faithfully perform perform faithfully perform the duties of mayor the duties of mayor

of the city of Miami Beach of the city of Miami Beach for which I have been elected for which I have been elected. Okay. Oath of civility to my colleagues to my colleagues [clears throat] and to all those And to all those I present I represent and serve I represent and serve I pledge fairness I pledge fairness integrity integrity and civility and civility in all actions taken in all actions taken and all communications made and all communications made by me by me as a public servant as a public servant.

So help me God. So help me God. That's it. [applause] [applause]

Hi. Big shout out to everyone in the audience this morning. Thank you all for joining us in the special inauguration ceremony. My name is Dorothy Weiss and I am so proud to say I am Mayor Steven Miner's mom. [applause]

Stephen, I want to say I we are so proud of you. You are a terrific husband, father, and son. You have accomplished so much in your two-year journey as mayor. You have made Miami Beach the safest, most vibrant, thriving, and beautiful city in the USA. [applause] It is truly a place where people want to work, live, play, and visit. In lie of the horrific anti-semitic attack in Sydney, Australia on the eve of Hanukkah, we especially thank you, Mr. Mayor, and our police chief, Wayne Jones, for implementing increased police presence throughout Miami Beach for everyone's safety. [applause] Many thanks go to your wife, our terrific daughter-in-law, who

[applause]

who works diligently to respond to the needs of our residents. So many thanks also to our precious grandchildren, Matis and Miko, who are so supportive of their dad. [applause] Also, many thanks go to Steven's entire team who worked tirelessly with Stephen in so many ways to help him accomplish his goals and make them a reality. Well, if you think this is the end of my speech, I just I just want to say that I have a few more things that I want to share with you about our mayor. I was feeling very nostalgic this weekend before the inauguration and I pulled out Steven's high school yearbook. [clears throat]

Stephen is probably now saying, "Uhoh." Exactly. [laughter]

As I was reading the various statements written by his classmate, a common theme stood out. The theme surrounding these statements were that you, Stephen, are a great friend and always willing to lend a helping hand. I would like to quote one statement in particular which read quote you are one of the best guys I ever met. You are a real friend and there isn't a phony bone in your body and that's why people love you. That was 37 years ago. [applause] And today, people in our community feel the same way because you, Stephen, have the same integrity now as you had back then. As I continued to read his yearbook, I came across an article about his junior year trip to Russia. Steven's school, Yeshiva of Flatbush, was the first class to send a delegation to the Soviet Union to visit the refusnix. Steven was one of nine students chosen as a delegate. The delegation and several faculty members met with the refusnic in the Soviet Union to convey that there were Jews in America that cared about their plight and suffering behind the Iron Curtain and want to help them. Steven came back with a renewed sense of responsibility to impart his knowledge of the trip to the Soviet Union to others. He began speaking to audiences about his trip and the plight of the Russian Jews. Today, Steven is a law and order mayor who wants to keep us all safe and who fights against discrimination for everyone. He is loyal, sincere, and cares about others. He is also very proud to be a resident of Miami Beach. May God bless you,

Stephen. May God bless the entire community of Miami Beach. May God bless the state of Israel. May God bless the United States of America. I love you so much, Steve. [applause] [applause]

I should have gone first cuz now you got me all teeyed. So, my thought was to be brief and I'm going to try, but I I was actually talking to Commissioner Fernandez last night and I said, I'm going to be brief, but then I'm writing my remarks. I'm hoping to keep it brief, but there's certain things that I need to convey. And I I'm I had no idea what my mom was going to say. She did not run the speech by me. She said it would be about three and a half minutes. I'm like, really? Three and a half minutes? But it was beautiful. So, thank you. Um, but I think there's certain things that I want to convey because this is really kind of the only opportunity you have to say. And I think what's important is not because I'm going to say it. It sort of is a guiding principle of how I'm going to govern. Although I've been up here now six years and I was thinking about it and actually was shocking to me. I am the most senior elected official up here right now. It's it's actually it's kind of shocking. I I literally remember the moment when I was in your shoes and just starting and uh with with a level of excitement um that's fresh and new. But interestingly, it's six years later and I may be the most senior person here, but it's still exciting and fresh and new because every day is a new challenge. And that's what I wake up every day. I I literally in my mind have to earn your trust every single day. I do not take it for granted. But I do not take winning elections for granted. I do not take all of your support for granted. And there are certain things that kind of moments that stand out that drive you. Although it's the everyday interactions. I'll just give a couple of quick examples. [clears throat] Someone came over to me 6 months ago or so. He says, "Mayor, I want to thank you." He goes, "I moved to Miami Beach from Canada and I actually," he goes, "My wife and I actually credit you for the move." Never met this person. Didn't even know who he was. The name didn't mean anything to me. I said, "Tell me." He's like, "I owned a property here in Miami Beach and I was having some

issues. I needed to figure out. I was at my wit's end and I sent you an email like 11:00 at night." He says, "I woke up and at 6:00 in the morning you responded to my email putting me in touch with the right people in the city, probably Eric Carpenter." And he said, "We got your issue resolved." He says, "I never had that." He says, "And I just got me thinking about our life and where we wanted to be." And it just it was a moving moment to say, "Wow, there's there's leaders who care, who want to help, and that's a place that I want to live." So these are because we're legislators up here. We we create policy that our city then implements, but it's a day-to-day interaction that is constant and it's it's a beautiful thing. It's it's it's busy, but there are a lot of things that we help with that never make the headlines, never get even discussed anywhere, but it's in a way that you can help people that you can't even imagine. And that's the beauty of the job. You're literally helping people every day. [applause] I often I often have people say to me, "You must get so many complaints, mayor, from from residents." I said, "I've never gotten a single complaint." And they look at me perplexed. I'm like, "I get suggestions." It's [laughter] a it's but it but it's a big difference. It's a big difference because we're striving to make our city better. We have an amazing city. I personally believe it's the best city in America. But it doesn't mean we can't even get be we cannot get better. And that's the goal every single day. I said this in my first inauguration at the end. I'm going to say it sort of at the beginning. I often hear when people meet me like, "Oh, mayor, you're a very important person." I said, "I'm actually a regular guy. I hold a very important position." There's a distinction, and I recognize the important of this position. Make no mistake about it. And I understand what this position can do and how it can help uh on on many

different issues, including promoting Miami Beach, not only on a local level, but a national and international level. We are an international city. I'll give you one example. I was in uh Israel three weeks ago. American Jewish Congress hosted a mayor's conference in Israel. It was actually focused. We met with a lot of dignitaries. We visited a lot of the locations, kibbutim and cities that were impacted uh and were attacked on October 7th. Interestingly, the conference had 35 mayors. Only five mayors were Jewish. There were 30 mayors not Jewish from 13 different countries, including from South America, Africa, Europe. It was incredible conference. What was interesting when we met a lot of the dignitaries, they would go around the room and ask everyone where they were from, what city they rep where they were the mayor of. I can tell you every single time when I said Miami Beach, Steven Miner, I had a smile. I had, oh, I remember I was at this place. Oh, I went there. There was always a different reaction when I mentioned Miami Beach. And we all know it, but there's something unique about Miami Beach. And it's not just South Florida, Miami Dade. It's not just Florida. It's on a global level and it's something we should really really appreciate uh and recognize the stature that we have here in Miami Beach. We're a beautiful diverse city. We have everyone is welcome in our city. Everyone is welcome to live here and visit here and enjoy everything Miami Beach has to offer. We lead with compassion. We're also a law and order city. I used that term several years ago and it's caught on. I've heard our police department Chris Bess has actually said he's been to a lot of conferences nationally and people police chiefs and officers are actually now referring when they say to Miami Beach, "Oh, you're the law and order city." It means something. It means we enforce the law here. It means that we are compassionate and we are welcoming, but that we also don't tolerate people

breaking our laws. Even on homeless issues, we spend millions of dollars every year compassionately to offer people a lifeline. We offer services that no other city offers. But at the same time, we're going to enforce our law. Can't sleep in the public. And it makes a difference. You're seeing the difference on the street. There's more to do, but that's why our numbers are historic lows. That's why our crime is going down double digits. That's why we ended spring break and now have um calm instead of the violence and chaos that we used to see. There's more to do. We can focus on the past and they're important because they're guiding principles for what we believe for the future. But as I look at what I want to accomplish and what our commission wants to accomplish, we're talking about water taxis rolling out starting in February. We saw the success during Art Basel. I've been working on this since 2020. This could be a gamecher for Miami Beach and trying to mitigate traffic as we heard Rabbi Bowman say. Uh, and it's something that we do focus on and there's a lot of initiatives that we have to try and help and they're working at the margins, but there's more to do. But the water taxi is something not only to Miami, that's the start, but eventually to lead north and south throughout Miami Beach. It can be a major major help. FAR legislation was something that I had passed uh early on in my in in my first meeting as mayor making it a little bit harder 67th commission vote instead of 57 to increase the density and height in Miami Beach. We've heard our residents. We want smart development and our residents are willing to sign on to smart development but not overdevelopment for our barrier island. Good governance. There's so many things we've done. I think it gets lost how much our city has accomplished to be a leader in good governance. We have made public documents and I was uh a leader in many of the initiatives to make sure that our

contracts are public record, that our audits are public record, that I consistently vote against no bid contracts, to make sure that it's an open and fair process for everyone to be able to bid and provide services in Miami Beach. And we'll continue to do that. and lead with good governance. I'm focused on economic growth. We have a tremendous amount of capital that is coming into Miami Beach and is looking to invest in Miami Beach. Hedge funds, private equity, venture funds, businesses, public companies moving their headquarters here. We had several businesses open on Lincoln Road this week alone. And one of them came to me, one of them came to me. He said, "We've been open a couple of weeks. We have franchises all over the world. I've never been this busy as I have in Miami Beach. He says, "We cannot keep up with the demand. I've had to increase hours our operations, hire new workers, and it's only been two weeks. This is an exciting time. Public private partnerships, but we need to do more. We talked about the traffic. Law and order is always going to be my number one priority, keeping our city safe. We're working on improving our permitting process, and there's more we can do. I even have legislation on Wednesday's meeting. As good as our police visibility has gotten, I want to see more. I keep pushing. We can never be content. And we're very fortunate. We do have an incredible police department. We have an incred [applause] We have an incredible fire department as well [applause] and city staff. We really do have an incredible [applause] team led by our city manager, Eric Carpenter. That doesn't mean we're not going to keep it doesn't mean we're not going to keep pushing for more because rightfully so. Our residents have high expectations

and we have high expectations. So, we keep demanding more and um so thankful thank you for bearing with us as we keep uh putting putting that uh that pressure on. I also want to give a shout out. I know uh Hudola is represented here um in the back of volunteer ambulance service. We work [applause] We're also working on infrastructure projects. We have made headway on projects and got started projects that had been stalled for years and that we are now either completed or in the process of doing. I know it causes some some traffic issues. We have to close up streets and we try to mitigate that as much as possible. But these are integral for our city to maintain the level of services we have. It's also imperative for the environment [snorts] and for Biscane Bay that we have those controls in place. I'm going to speak truth. Uh some things probably some don't want to say, but I'll say it. We need to focus on our residents. This election got very This is a nonpartisan a nonpartisan commission and the political parties got heavily involved. Probably nothing I'm going to say up here is going to change that, but I'm going to just say it is not good for our city. I'm going to say that flat out. [applause] We're about We're about safe streets, clean streets, and dry streets. And the political parties are not going to help us get there. It's just it's a it's a word of caution. When you get the flyers in the mail, look who's sending them. This should be about the campaigns and the campaign sending stuff out. I will also say criticism is fair. It's always fair. It makes us better. But when you see certain groups or certain people constantly criticize, offer no suggestions or solutions and then just move from issue to issue or person to person and just keep leveling accusations, lies, misrepresentations. Try to focus

on that. Maybe that person is just really just making it up. And that's not to take away that criticism is fair. We can do things better. And I welcome that. I welcome the debate. But unfortunately, it all too often gets into in into um attacks on all of us, not even me directly, on all of us as a body in Miami Beach. And it does not make our city better. It actually brings us down. It makes us spend time uh trying to correct the record. But I'm a I'm a big believer the truth always wins out because the truth is the truth and we'll continue to do that. I will always defend Miami Beach. Doesn't mean that I won't accept suggestions. We can do things better. That's why I'm here. If I if I didn't think we could do things better, I wouldn't have run for re-election. That's the goal. But I will defend our city. And it's easy to take shots because we're a national international city. So if you want to make a headline, I can just tell you right now, just throw an accusation at Miami Beach. Guaranteed you'll make a headline. It's easy to do. It's not easy to fix. That's what all of us are up here to do. We're problem solvers. And I will give him a mention. I'm so proud of our commission, of everyone who's up here. We each offer very unique skills, expertise, opinions, backgrounds. That's what makes us so great. That's the brilliance of actually having this government of seven of us because we all offer something. We all represent you and I personally believe I represent each and every one of you and I will fight for every single one of you. But we all do and that's something we take seriously. something we take pride in and it's something we will not shy away from. I say often that I and I've been tested on this a few times, but I will defend any group, any person against hate.

Unfortunately, lately, a lot of it we've seen, and there are other groups, I don't mean to single out the Jewish community, but obviously being Jewish, Orthodox Jewish, it hits home. But we've seen a level of violence and anti-semitism in this world that I think most Jewish people, almost every Jewish person would say, "Wow, I didn't think this was possible. Not in my lifetime. We've moved on. After the Holocaust, it's not possible." But I don't mean to speak for the Jewish community. I'll speak for myself, but I think I'm sharing a lot of what is in people's minds. The environment where a Holocaust happened, it's here. We're in that environment. It could happen. There's many reasons that I'm I'm optimist that it won't happen. Obviously, Israel and Israel has an army, the Israeli Defense Forces that defends its citizens, but also defends every Jewish person. And they've proven they will go into Antbi Uganda to save kidnapped, hijacked Jewish people. They will help absorb Russian Jews. The Israeli army went into Ethiopia and rescued African Jews. And by the way, this is not theory. walk around in Israel and you will see Ethiopian Jews everywhere and they were absorbed, welcomed with open arms into the country. That's who Israel is. And I say it because the the amount of lies that are being said, it's not just in the media. It's on you read it on social media. It's said so casually. That's the scary part. Words are used almost as passing as fact. when they're just the opposite of the truth. Words like genocide. Genocide.

Israel's committing a genocide. You go into Israel, there are Arabs everywhere. There are Asians, there are blacks, there are Muslims, there are Christians, there are Jews. And then we saw the attack yesterday in Sydney, Australia. I mention these things because they impact everyone. They impact us here in Miami Beach. We had numerous festivities yesterday celebrating Hanukkah. And I spent much of my day dealing with our police chief, with our county sheriff, with our state troopers and Florida Department of Law Enforcement to make sure we are getting all the appropriate police protection that we need. But as I said before, this isn't really just a Jewish issue. This is a humanity issue. This could be happening to any group, to other groups. And honestly, if we don't stop it here, it's going to move to other groups. It always does. It always will. And I and I know my colleagues share this. I will always defend anyone against any discrimination, against any hate. I've actually gone to court to testify against anti-Semitic attacks that have happened. The judge even said, "I've never seen a mayor show up to a hearing. I will continue to show up. I will I when a hate crime happens, I call the state attorney's office. And I'm like, if the facts warrant, which appears it does, you need to charge this as a hate crime. That's what leadership needs to do. We need to. And that's why people say they feel Miami Beach is the safest place in America for everyone, including the Jewish community. When we had demonstrations here in Miami Beach, you can demonstrate. You have your free

speech, but it denigrated into harassing people, surrounding elderly Jewish people, screaming in their face. If you've never seen the images, I will share them. They are horrifying to see a man in a walker being surrounded by a group who has nothing but hate in their heart, screaming at this elderly couple because they don't like a certain policy and honestly they just don't like Jews. I will never ever tolerate that in our city for Jewish people or any group. That's why I put on legislation that our commission fully supported making a distant separation with barricades enforcing our laws. And we see what it did. It controlled it. You can have your free speech. You have to have your free speech. I will protect the free speech. But you're not going to come in here and take away someone else's right and make them fearful to live the peaceful life that they just want to live here in Miami Beach. Wow. I went [applause] That's the tough part about campaigns. because you read it, you get things in the mail and you get things in text messages and you read them like they're talking about me like is this is this possible? Um, and that's the problem. They're so divisive. And I I even had some people who met me after was like, "Wow, you're not the same person I thought you might have been after." But and that's the and that's the problem when we get so deep deeply divided cuz campaigns I didn't and I'm actually very

proud of that. I stayed positive every step of the way. I in Tahill in Psalms King David wrote I'll say it in English. He said who's a person who desires life? It's a person who watches their tongue and watches their speech. They take that very seriously. Take that very seriously. And unfortunately, a lot of the negativity is divisive. It's actually meant to divide us. And it's weird. I walk around Miami Beach and I feel we're united. I feel everyone's living side by side in harmony, in peace, people enjoying each other's companies. You go into a restaurant or somewhere and we are a beautiful welcoming city. [applause] I guess that's another way of saying and my heart I believe I am not believe I am the mayor for all of Miami Beach. Neighborhood by neighborhood, block by block, I'm there for you. I am here for you. And um I just want to end off on some thank yous. I always save the thank yous for last, but they're so imperative because we don't get here, none of us get up here doing it [clears throat] alone. It takes an incredible amount of energy and sacrifice from so many people. So, first I'm going to start with the first lady of Miami Beach, Shannon. [applause] I can tell you Shannon did not sign up for this. [laughter] I don't I don't think Shannon knew what she was getting into when I first sat down with her a little over six years ago and say, "Hey, what do you think about me running for office?" Um, but

Shannon has embraced it. I I don't think people realize that literally Shannon's entire day is spent working for Miami Beach. Not on the payroll, but not on the payroll, but working for our residents.

People puts things on chats. Shannon responds immediately before I even get to see it. People reach out to Shannon directly and she responds and with grace, with dignity, and that's what we do. We're here to help people every single day. So, thank you and I love you. [applause] Now I get to embarrass my daughter Mikall and our son Matis. They're they're they're amazing kids. Our son Mati is in is in Israel in learning in yeshiva for the year. Mikall uh obviously uh home with us. But I think what's what's not recognized is the sacrifice. And I'm going to tell two quick stories. Sorry, Mik. [laughter] One is that when I had to decide whether to run for reelection, and I was pretty sure I was going to do it. Most people do it, but it's not a given. Some people do walk away for whatever reasons. Thank you. [laughter] And I came home and I said, "What do you think? Should I do this? Should I run?" And Mik looked at me perplexed. What do you mean? I'm like, well, if I don't run for office, I'll have more time. I'll be home. She goes, you're a great dad. You're home. You're with us. You need to do this for the city of Miami Beach. That's literally what Mikall said. [applause] But Shannon and my kids, they're also paying attention. They actually offer me advice. I will actually sometimes just say things and I don't ask for their advice, but they'll offer it and it's good advice. Sometimes I even ask for the advice, whether it be a social media post, whether it be something I want to say in a speech, certain uh a certain policy, and I and I ask because they care. They care about Miami Beach. They hear it all the time. I'm on the phone. I'm doing this. They come to my events. So, they're literally living and

breathing this with me. And obviously, I couldn't do it without their support. Um, [applause] my mom and stepdad, I mean, they're they're they're everything. Before Before I had a small team, they were the team helping me run campaigns from their dining room table. It was just literally me and them and maybe one other person that I'll get to in in a minute. And so, I wouldn't be here without your certainly your initial help, but raising me. I mean, you mentioned the Russia story. It's there's so much I obviously I'll take up the whole meeting. I'm taking up more time than I want to to begin with, but I love you and and uh the support, the love, the everything you do is is is unbelievable. Incredible. Love you. [applause] My my my dad and stepmom actually have a wedding, so unfortunately uh not not not here today, but uh hopefully I think they're they're watching as as well. I I [sighs and gasps] I want to thank my mother-in-law, Linda, as well. I don't know. [applause] And I'm going to try not to cry, but Shannon's dad, [snorts] we lost him too soon. [snorts] I want to thank my campaign team. Um, it was a very small team. People probably think running for mayor you have like a machine behind you. And maybe next time I will. I don't know. But, [laughter] but I had a very, very, very small team. I think it would shock people how small my team was. I'm like literally talking a couple of people. Um, they know who

they are. I'm very grateful. But I am going to thank my city hall team because they you Thank [laughter] you. Thank you. I am going to thank my city hall team. I'm going to start with my chief of staff, Veronica Coley, [applause] [applause] my senior policy adviser, Danny Summer, [applause] my deputy chief of staff, Blake Govan, [cheering] [applause]

communications director Daphne Saba. [applause] And when you see someone with an iPhone always taking pictures, we got Juan right over there, too. [applause] I'm going to just give a quick shout out even though I mentioned them. Danny Summer was with me literally when I was running for commissioner. I was nobody knew my name. I Nobody gave me a chance, but there were people believed in me. There was a community that believed in me. But I needed people who had smarts and dedication and volunteered. And Danny was with me literally six and a half years ago. and uh for 4 years didn't get a penny just helping me behind the scenes. And then when I when I when I was elected mayor, I said, "Well, this is a person that the city of Miami Beach needs to have working for them full-time." So, thank you, Danny. [applause] And then I met Veronica when I started here. And then as an employee of the city, but also helping out in so many so many ways with smarts and dedication and loyalty. It's uh and then we've built the team from there. And there's so many people to thank. I I just don't want to spend even more time. I'm going to give a shout out to certain people who just given me a lot of guidance. Alex Heckler and Mike Lorente who really pointed me in the right direction. [applause] Our fire department who uh [applause] our fire department union who was I mean it was just

outstanding the work they did. Also the police department union support uh really appreciate it. [applause] I've gone on way longer than I wanted to, so bear bear with me. I'm literally done. I'm going to finish off by saying we've accomplished so much from spring break. Memorial Day is a big success. Our city is heading in the right direction. There's more to do, but I'm so proud of all of what we've done. I know our best days are ahead of us and it's not just me, it's my colleagues, it's all of you, our residents, who are telling us what's important, what you need. And what's amazing is when you have residents, I haven't even mentioned them. There was like a team of volunteers that I had. I see some of them in the back there. I'm only not going to mention your names because then I'm going to be leaving out a million other people, but literally volunteers who helped in every which way to make sure people voted to make sure people knew the accomplishments that I and our city had had. There's so much going on. There's so much noise and it really takes a dedicated team who believe in you. But it's not even believing in me. It's believing the values, the morals that we bring, that we stand for. My wife and I, Shannon, are always there for the community, for Miami Beach. I'm so proud people recognize that. You know, we we do little things sometimes, even just adding in God we trust up here. I don't even know how many people noticed it. We added it several months ago to show that we lead with moral clarity. We lead with guidance but also recognizing that there is a higher authority that we answer to every single day and that we're

we must recognize and always hold those values and sometimes it's makes taking the tough decision and I really am finishing off but I also want to give a special thank you because most of us up here not all of us but most of us have outside employment because we need to even though this is a full-time job, we have to work to make a living. And I could not be more proud to work with Michael Farcus as a as an executive of Farcus Group. I see you feel Baron in the back there representing and I mention that you know I don't often mention it but I think and today I'm sort of encompassing part of my life in here what we do for Miami Beach but also all those people that are important to me and who make it possible to be able to do and lead. So thank you. It's an honor of a priv. It's the honor and the privilege of a lifetime to represent you. And I will continue to do it with dignity, integrity, transparency, and maybe most important with love. Cuz I literally love every part of Miami Beach, every resident of Miami Beach, everything we stand for. And I could not be more proud to represent as mayor of Miami Beach. Thank you, and God bless you all. [applause]

[applause] [applause] [cheering] [applause]

I'm not going to ask afterwards how long I was. [laughter]

[clears throat] Commissioner Laura Dominguez. [cheering] [applause]

Laura, do you want me to announce who's doing it or you want to announce? My Jorge Dominguez, brother of Laurer Lauren Dominguez, will leave with the lo oath of office. [clears throat]

George, help mom. How you done? See First, good morning everyone and uh just to share this is a very proud uh family moment uh for us. We're proud of you Laura. Uh you've accomplished so much and uh we are thankful for everyone that supported Laura uh throughout her journey. So congratulations. say who's here.

Uh my wife Lonnie is here along with my children Javier and Karolina and my beautiful mom Alina Dominguez as well. And dad is watching from home. [applause]

Okay. I Laura Dominguez I Laura Dominguez a citizen of the state of Florida and of the United States. a citizen of the state of Florida and the United States of America of America and being an officer of the city of Miami Beach and being an officer of the city of Miami Beach and a recipient of public funds as such officer and the recipient of public funds as such officer do hereby solemnly swear or affirm do hereby solemnly swear or affirm that I will support the Constitution of the United States that I will support the Constitution of the United States and of the State of Florida

and of the State of Florida. And that I will faithfully perform the duties and that I will faithfully perform the duties of city commissioner of the city of Miami Beach of city commissioner of the city of Miami Beach for which I have been elected. for which I have been elected. Nice job. [applause] [applause] and Jill potach friend to leave with the oath of civility.

Laura, I'm so proud of you. Congratulations again and to all the family. Thank you, Joe. I'm reading the oath of civility. To my colleagues to my colleagues and to all of those I represent and serve and to all of those I represent and serve. I pledge fairness I pledge fairness and integrity and integrity and civility and civility in all actions taken in all actions taken and all communications made by me and all communications made by me as a public servant as a public servant. Congratulations.

Thank you, Joe. [applause and cheering] Thank you. Thank you. [applause] Thank you. Now, sit down. I'm going to sit myself.

Thank you. You want to take the other one? Hi, I'm Helena. There you go.

[applause]

No, that's yours. Oh, that's mine. Commissioner Laura Dominguez. Congratulations. [applause] Thank you, Mayor. All right. Well, good morning, family, friends, colleagues, and residents of Miami Beach. I'm deeply honored and humbled to be reelected as your commissioner for group two. Thank you for placing your trust in me. Once again, serving this city is the greatest privilege of my life. Many of you remember my late partner, Commissioner Mark Samuel. Mark believed in a simple but powerful idea, and that was residents first. His legacy of civility and compassion and leadership continues to guide me every single day. I will continue striving to be a unifier on the commission and a strong voice for good government. Congratulations to Mayor Steven Miner and to Commissioner Alex Fernandez. I'm excited to continue to be working with you. Mayor, you've been consistent and effective with law and order and I look forward to working with you to help keep our city safe. Commissioner Alex Fernandez, you may be the youngest Commissioner, but you're definitely the most seasoned. I'm so happy to have your professionalism and expertise on the deis. Congratulations to Commissioner Monica Mateo Selenas. You worked hard and I'm thrilled to have you as a

colleague. I'm [snorts] also proud to serve alongside uh my other commissioners that are here today, Commissioner Magazine and Commissioner Vot. Uh both of you are inspiring and uh we are very lucky to have such a great commission. I want to acknowledge the people who made this journey possible. My family, my parents George and Alina, thank you for all of your encouragement and support. To my brother George, you are top tier in brothers. Uh you go above and beyond. You are a force and I am so proud um that you're my brother. To my sister-in-law Lonnie, my nephew Javier, my niece Kolina. Thank you for your unwavering love and encouragement. You are all my foundation. And thank you to my dear friends who stood by me through every step of this campaign, especially Jill, Marissa, Melanie, Claire, Yosmad, Jessica, and Carla. I am forever grateful for your loyalty, kindness, and belief in me. To my campaign team, thank you. My team was disciplined, focused, worked hard, and winning this reelection with a decisive victory was a special moment, and I cherish it. Thank you all so very much. [applause] I want to thank the city administration for your professionalism and your commitment to public service. I will say at every meeting that or phone call that I had uh throughout this year during my campaign, I'm rooting for you was a

consistent theme and it meant so much to feel your support. I'm also grateful to the current and former elected officials and community leaders whose guidance, wisdom, and encouragement help shape my path. Estan [applause] to the Jewish community. Thank you for reaching out to me, for encouraging me throughout my campaign. Your love meant so much to me. I will always support you. I want to give a special shout out to Rabbi Man and his wife Zippy of the Habad of the Venetian. I celebrate with them throughout the many occasions throughout the year and it really touched my heart to um have their support throughout my campaign as long as well as many others. To my colleagues on the commission, we have a lot of work ahead of us and I'm committed to working collaboratively, respectfully, and with a shared mission that the new commission will deliver real solutions and real results for our residents. Thank you to the organizations, unions, first responders, and advocates who believed in me, endorsed my candidacy. Your trust is a responsibility that I take seriously. Thank you to every donor, to every volunteer that helped make my journey possible. Public safety remains one of my highest priorities. Our residents deserve to feel faith safe in their homes and on our streets and in every corner of our city. I'm grateful for the support of our police and fire unions and honored to work alongside the

brave men and women who protect our community. I will continue championing strong, effective initiatives that protect residents and visitors. Resiliency. We face challenges that require thoughtful planning and transparency and community involvement. I will continue advocating for flood mitigation projects that are done right, efficiently, and with respect for our neighborhoods and property owners. Quality of life matters. That means smart balanced development, strong code enforcement, clean and safe neighborhoods and city services that residents can rely on. Growth must be responsible and progress must always reflect the values of the community. Education matters. Our schools are the heart of our neighborhoods. I will continue supporting our PTAs, steam programs, and partnerships that keep our children safe and help them thrive. I dedicate this victory to Mark Samuel. His belief in Miami Beach in kindness and putting residents first lives through his work. I will continue to champion the items he held most dear. Thank you for your trust. Thank you for your faith. Thank you for allowing me to continue serving the city I love. I'm honored. I'm grateful. And I'm ready to get back to work. [applause] [applause]

[applause] [applause] No, I don't remember. Commissioner Fernandez, are you ready? I'm ready. Always ready. Always ready. [applause]

I'm going to ask the Honorable Rebecca Sosa, former Miami D Miami Dade County Commissioner to lead the oath of office and also Rabbi Donald Bixon from the Beth Israel Congregation to lead in the oath of civility. [snorts] [applause] [snorts]

There's a message to the madness. There's a few people that are joining us here. Your husband, your mother, your Yes. Yes. There's people that are over here. Then there's people that are over there. And Cara's in charge of it all. Cara knows. Karen knows where everyone goes. All right.

There's a reason.

Three musketeers. The three musk The three musketeers. I love that.

All right. Are we ready? And where's Karen and Sydney? Oh, there you all right, there you go. Cara, Sydney, you guys, you guys are coming up. Yeah, you guys are the team. There you go. Commissioner, mayor, commissioners, it's a pleasure to be here with you today. Congratulation to those who already took the the the promise to the people of Miami Beach, which is so important. But my heart before I do what I have to do with you, my heart goes back to many years. You were only what? What was your age? I

think 15.

15. and he started in my office and since the beginning when I saw him I said this guy has a lot to offer inside his heart and he's going to be one that is not going to take advantage of any position he takes. he's going to work hard for the people. [clears throat] And he started with me and then when I became commissioner, he passed from the first one to the second one. And he was incredible. Number one, they call him, he answers. They call him, he goes and see what is wrong. He put his heart in his arm and that makes a difference. Your sympathy for the people that you represent, your dedication to them and to the city of Miami Beach is something that everyone admires. Why do you think you got the percentage that you got in this election?

[cheering] [applause] and see that your Madrina came [laughter] with her hip broken

fore. Thank you. You have a lot in the future to do for the residents of Miami Beach and the residents of Miami Day County. We need to teach the new generations what is important in life because there are things that are not important in life. So keep doing what you're doing, fighting for your people, for the ones that trusted you. Now you have more. Now you have to continue saving the the the the the beach and everything and everybody. My admiration will always be with you because you have been excellent friend. And after you left here, you remember the day that you came and you say they wanted me to run for for for [laughter] commissioner of Miami Beach. And I said no. And I look at you and I said, "And why you said no?" because commissioner, I'm not going to leave you. [laughter] And I said, listen, you are going to run and I am going to walk Miami Beach and go to the senior centers and to the buildings with you because you are running

mariachi march. [laughter] So those are things and with those parents that you have that are so wonderful with that husband Robert that I love you love you more. [laughter] So you know it's something that is special for this city for this county and for this state. And now you have your mother with the Bible next to you. Yes. So if you Perfect. So I, Alex Fernandez,

I, Alex Fernandez, a citizen of the state of Florida, a citizen of the state of Florida and of the United States of America. and of the United States of America. and being an officer of the city of Miami Beach. and being an officer of the city of Miami Beach and a recipient of public funds as as such officer and a recipient of public funds as such officer. do hereby solemnly swear do hereby solemnly swear or affirm or affirm that I will support the Constitution that I will support the Constitution of the United States of the United States and of the state of Florida and of the state of Florida and that I will faithfully perform the duties of commissioner and that I will faithfully perform the duties of commissioner

of the city of Miami Beach of the city of Miami Beach so I have been elected so I have been elected so help me God. So help me God. And in God hands and in God's hands. And all religions together. And all religions together. Yes. Okay. Thank you, Commissioner. [applause] [applause] I love you. I am so proud of you. Keep fighting. Keep fighting.

Okay. like [snorts] Mr. Mayor, commissioners, thank you for allowing me to be here today. I feel like I'm standing in front of the dream team of leadership and I thank you all for really leading this community, our community with such dignity, with such pride, with such commitment. We all feel a debt of gratitude to each and every one of you for what you're about to do, for what you have done. And uh you should know it doesn't go without a appreciation of the people you lead. It's a difficult job each and every one of you and we are so indebted to each and every one of you for all that you do for us personally in our community. Thank you so very much. Commissioner is one of my favorite congregants. I will tell you that uh Alex's parents know not to call him Saturday morning because uh he is in the uh in the synagogue and uh oftentimes is probably the only one listening to me. So therefore [clears throat] I probably all the time. Uh so I appreciate that very much. But mostly we appreciate that you are an example of just being a good person. It really doesn't make a difference who you are, what religion you are, what nationality you are. You are a person who just cares about people. In fact, the commissioner once confided in me that he was thinking of going into the clergy as someone didn't. It's probably good thing he didn't. I mean, just, you know, my own personal experience. You're better where you are. But the uh but going to the clergy and the reason why he did not become a priest is because or what the reason that he chose to be a commercial I should say is because being a priest means helping people. Being a rabbi means helping people and that is the best part of the job. Uh and uh you

were able to do that. So you represent God and you represent state and you represent our community in the most dignified way of just caring about people and for any good leader no matter who they are that is the most important part. So, it's an honor for me to introduce to uh to do the oath of civility. Right. Commissioner, to my colleagues to my colleagues and to all those I represent and serve and to all those I represent and serve I pledge fairness I pledge fairness integrity integrity and civility and civility in all actions taken in all actions taken and in all communications and in all communications made by me as a public servant made by me as a public servant.

So help me God. So help me God.

Masleto, congratulations. [applause] [applause] This is a big family here. Thank you.

There we are. Nice picture. Yes.

All right. [applause] I was I was probably Congratulations to you. [applause]

Congratulations, Commissioner Fernandez. Uh, Commissioner Laura Dominguez, I left out a little part in my um speech to my aids, uh, Julian and Alberto. Your dedication to our office is invaluable. You gentlemen are brave, you're strong, you go the extra mile every single day, and I am so grateful to both of you. I love you guys. [applause]

Okay, last but not least. Oh, we have commissioner elect, soon to be commissioner. What? I have my remarks. I was hoping to skip over that. [laughter] You see, Commissioner Fernandez and I had this debate. He I think he's actually going to be longer than me. [laughter] Oh, I I Thank you, Commissioner Fernandez.

Thank you, Mr. Mayor. And I'll try to be as brief as possible. [laughter] This really is such an exciting and meaningful day. A day to celebrate our new city commission, a renewed commitment to service from all of us and the future of our beautiful city of Miami Beach. It truly is an honor to be a part of this new commission, united by a shared love for our city and a shared obligation to serve it well. Mr. Mayor, I want to congratulate you on your welldeserved reelection. Residents have reaffirmed their support for your leadership and for your vision and especially your unprecedented focus on public safety. And that focus matters because Miami Beach cannot be a successful city if we are not a safe city. Safety is the foundation upon which the quality of life of our residents and upon which the economic vitality of our businesses, upon which the public trust is built. And Mr. Mayor, you have set us you have set us on a strong and responsible path forward. And I look forward to continuing our collegial work. [applause] I also want to congratulate my dear colleague, Commissioner Laura Dominguez, on a very impressive landslide victory. [applause] Commissioner, residents spoke clearly. They reaffirmed their trust in you as a resident first commissioner. You work hard, you listen, you show up, and the people of Miami Beach have seen that dedication and rewarded it. Thank you for keeping Mark Samuelian's beautiful

legacy alive on the Miami Beach Dis. [applause] And to our newest commissioner, Commissioner Monica Mate Selenas. [applause] She used to be my boss and now she's my colleague because she was literally she would tell me what to do every single day. Words truly cannot express how proud I am of you. Residents saw that you followed your heart. Whether while serving as an aid here at city hall or advocating as a private citizen for neighborhood safety and affordability, you followed your heart and that's what mattered and your residents trusted you because you upheld those values and that is what's going to make you an incredible commissioner for the city of Miami Beach [applause]

and to the residents of the city of Miami Beach. Thank you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Being reelected with historic record-breaking support, it is humbling. [laughter] It doesn't get old. [applause] It is humbling, but it motivates me to work [clears throat] even harder to deliver for the future of our city. And I have to say, running for office is never easy. And I and it takes a lot of courage. It takes a lot of commitment. And in the audience is Luigi Mary, my opponent. My challenger. But we weren't really opponents. We were challengers in in the race. And I want to congratulate Luigi for having had the courage to step up to the plate to fight for our city, to run for the city commission, and for being such a gentleman that you always are when we're together. Thank you for being here today, Luigi. [applause] During my first term, we accomplished so much important work together. As chair of the land use and sustainability committee, I helped restart long delayed infrastructure and flood prevention projects through the stop the pause policy I sponsored and we unanimously adopted as a city commission. We launched Operation Clean Water to focus on the health of our canals and waterways. We created the tax before tow program reducing needless resident toes by more than 90%. I guess someone got a text message. We modernized our historic preservation code for the first time in four decades, created a historic preservation property tax incentive, and worked across two legislative sessions to protect our art

deco historic district and our local architectural standards from dangerous state preeemptions. We passed the our smoking ban on our beaches. We advanced strong public camping ordinances that has significantly reduced homelessness, as a mayor would say, to historic lows. We helped restore order to spring break. We expanded the popup permit program to help small businesses open more quickly in our commercial corridors. We strengthened tenant protections by passing firstofits-kind policies in the state of Florida. We addressed party house abuses in residential neighborhoods. We rolled back late night alcohol hours in residential areas. Passed a landmark public private partnership to revitalize Lincoln Road. Closed the funding gap to finally deliver Beayshore Park after decades of promises. reduced the millage rate for the first time since 2018 and continued advancing LGBTQ inclusion, maintaining our perfect score on the municipal equality index. [applause] These accomplishments matter, but the true privilege of public service is found in the people who we have the honor of serving. When a young doctor from Nigeria who came legally to the United States on a valid work visa, he built his life here over many years. He met his wife here. He made this country his home. And then suddenly suddenly he received a letter from the government instructing him to leave. The fear of losing his family, the fear

of abandoning his dreams, the fear of giving up on the promise of the country you've come to love becomes very real. That doctor reached out to my office and with the support of colleagues at the county commission, my chief aid, Cara Petrella, worked to connect him with resources. But just as importantly, she gave him hope. She reminded him that he wasn't alone in this journey, that there were people here who cared for him, people who would stand with him. One month ago, the doctor called me with incredible news. his residency had been approved and he received his green card. Dr. Kicia EB is an honorable and kind man who saves lives every single day. And Dr. EB, I'm so honored that you're here with us today. Please stand so that we may recognize you. [applause]

[applause]

Every American in this room should be proud that Dr. EB is a resident of the United States. [applause] Last year, Amanda Lada and her husband Alejandro reached out to me to say thank you. Thank you to the city of Miami Beach for our support of La Liga Contraid, an organization that stood by Amanda during her own illness. And yet, while facing her own health challenges, Amanda found it in her heart to help others. at a senior soccer activity that she helps organize and participate in. Amanda shared information about one of our mobile mammogram events, an event organized by my legislative aid, Sydney Alonso. And because of Sydney's coordination of this mammogram event, and because of Amanda's generosity and outgoing spirit, another woman was able to detect breast cancer early and begin her own lifesaving journey. Amanda Alejandro.

[applause]

And I would be remiss not to say that supporting the cause of the league against cancer and working on those m me mamogram trucks is continuing the legacy of commissioner Rebecca Sosa from who initiated that work and whose work I'm proud to continue. [applause] I also want to recognize two very special members of our community, our youth commissioners, Penelopey Heler and Magio Selenas. [applause] During the last legislative session, they joined me in Tallahassee where we met with Senator Chevron Jones to discuss education, to discuss historic preservation, to discuss the live local act. But the meeting itself wasn't the highlight of the moment. It was what they experienced. The importance of civic engagement, the power of factbased debate, the very real impact that their voices can have on public policy. Penelopey and Maglo remind us that shaping the city of tomorrow is not just done through projects and policy. It happens when we help our youngest neighbors discover their passion, to find their voices, and to follow their dreams. Penelopey's mother, Amy, and her grandmother, our very beloved Beverly, are here today. If you stand, where where are you, Beverly? Ah, there they are. [applause] I I was deeply humbled when I learned that after the trip to Tallahassee, Penelopey decided to study public policy. That right there is how democracy renews itself. Let's give Penelopey and Magio and their families a welldeserved round of applause. [applause]

and Magio. Clearly, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. And a gentleman I'll simply call Derek. Derek recently stopped me outside of city hall to thank me. While sleeping outside of Macy's, Derek was approached by one of our police officers who was enforcing our public camping ordinance. And that moment with those officers became a turning point for Derek. It was then when Derek finally accepted services, found employment, and while the path was not always straight or perfect, today Derek is off the streets of Miami Beach, and he has since been reunited with his family. These are the true blessings of public service. [applause] Public service is about improving lives, keeping hope alive, and helping people reach their fullest potential every day. And that is what fuels my service every day when I come to city hall. And none of this work happens alone. I am so incredibly grateful to my team, to Cara and Sydney, who I mentioned earlier. Their caring attention to detail, their professional public service, their heart make the work that my office delivers possible every single day. Thank you, Karen Sydney. [applause] I also want to recognize our city manager, Eric Carpenter, our city attorney, Rick Dopico, and the extraordinary workforce, the men and women who work for the city of Miami Beach across every department and at every level. You are the quiet professionals who are the true backbone

of our city and who make us as commissioners successful. Thank you for your professional public service. [applause]

And I am so honored to have had my mentor, Commissioner Rebecca Sosa, minister my oath of office today. Since I was 15 years old, Commissioner Sosa has shaped my path in public service, often reminding me the titles come and go, right? You often remind me of that. But the work that we do and how we make people feel is what we leave behind. Commissioner SSA Commissioner SSA is the [applause] Let's give her Yes. Commissioner SSA is the reason why civility and respect for the public are at the core of my work. And that com and that is why my commitment today remains to be the same Alex the same Alex I was in my first term with an open door leading with humility and accessibility and governing with care. And I'm so grateful to father Alberto for coming all the way back to Miami Beach for plantation. [applause] That invocation that you delivered, that Father Albert delivered, that you all heard today, that's what's guided me at my service with compassion and faith since I was 14 years old when I first met Father Albert here at St. Patrick's, and we worked together for the homeless in our community. Father Albert, Miami Beach will forever be your home. And to Rabbi Donald Bixon, thank you for administering my oath of civility. I love texting my parents when I go to Shu in in in the morning on Saturdays telling them I'm on my way to Shu. I'm going to be unavailable till about noon or so. But at Beth Israel, I have found a community that feels like home. And I must admit, Rabbi, this

moment kind of feels like I'm delivering a bar mitzvah speech. [laughter] And to my closest supporters, Carla Probus, Robin Jacobs, Robin Malik, Mayor Maddie Bower, Valerie, the Herskowitz family, Yale, Mark, and Barbara. Thank you for your friendship. Thank you for your love. You are our extended family. And you guys remind me what community truly feels like. [applause] And to my family, my parents, my brother George, thank you for nurturing my love of public service and instilling in me my faith in God. My brother would pick me up from school from Guliver and he would take me to all of my extracurricular activities. And at times my dad had worked in the west coast of Florida and he would drive back all the way from the west coast or my mom would drive in rush hour traffic from downtown to make sure I could get to a radio station in time or I could get to a meeting on time because what high school kid doesn't have to go to a radio station or have a board meeting? But those are the sacrifices my parents made and that got me to be here today. And without them I wouldn't be your commissioner here in the city of Miami Beach. [applause] And finally to my partner Robert there. [laughter] [applause] [applause] There is no Alex without Robert. Robert always stands by me and no one knows how to strike up a conversation on the campaign trail with just about

anyone the way Robert can. I may be the public servant, but Robert, he is the true politician. As we move forward to advance the work of the people, scripture reminds us to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God. Because public service should never be about power. It should always be about the people who we serve. People who lift one another up. people who stand together in hardship and in celebration like today. And especially at a time when so much feels divided in our country, our local government, this local government must be where people find decency, stability, and hope. And so whether you are Republican, Democrat or independent, gay or straight, Jewish, Christian, Muslim or atheist, a citizen or a newcomer to our country, we are one Miami Beach. And when we are united, our potential is truly limitless. [applause]

[applause] [cheering] [applause]

But wait, there's more. [laughter] But the most important part, and this really is the most important part, and and I and I would be remiss not to express tremendous gratitude to our police and fire unions for their support, for their trust in me, the CWA, the GSA, Save Equality, all the incredible organizations that I'm going to be I'm going to miss some, but who were there throughout this path And the most important way that I wanted to close, I wanted to close by asking for God's blessing to inspire me with his peace, with his joy, with his strength, and they God may always use me as an instrument of his peace as I go about my public service. May God bless all of you. May God bless our beautiful city of Miami Beach. And thank you for allowing me for allowing us the opportunity to serve you. [applause]

[applause] [laughter]

Okay. I was going to play a joke on Commissioner Elect Monica Matias Selenus and say meeting adjourned, [laughter] but no, we won't do that. We won't do that. A little a little uh friendly hazing to our new commissioner, uh, Commissioner Monica Mate Selenus, the oath of office by Heidi, her mom and Magio, and Thiago Selenus, her sons. [applause] Come stand up with me. What are you doing? Come see me. What's up? I want to begin by saying how proud I am of Monica. She has worked so hard to accomplish this and thank you to the residents of Miami Beach for putting their trust in her. She will fight for them. Um, needless to say, it was a no-brainer for me to come from a foot of snow and minus 3° to be here for this event. I'm hoping I can stay a week or two. Uh, [laughter] I am here with her sons, Maggalio and Thiago, and I do represent her family that are here in spirit from Michigan and cold, Minnesota. Okay, you ready? Okay. I, Monica Mateo Selenus

I, Monica Mateo Selenus, a citizen of the state of Florida a citizen of the state of Florida and of the United States of America and of the United States of America and being an officer of the city of Miami Beach and being an officer of the city of Miami Beach and a recipient of public funds and a recipient of public funds. as such officer as such officer do hereby solemnly swear or affirm do hereby solemnly swear or affirm that I will support the Constitution of the United States that I will support the Constitution of the United States and of the state of Florida and of the state of Florida

and that I will faithfully perform and I will faithfully perform the duties of commissioner of the city of Miami Beach the duties of commissioner of the city of Miami Beach for which I have been elected. For which I have been elected.

Thank you. [applause] [applause] Yes. Yes. We have the oath of civility by Commissioner Alex J. Fernandez. [cheering] [applause]

Congratulations, Monica. Thank you. What an honor. If you would raise your right hand. To my colleagues and all those I represent and serve. To my colleagues and all those that I represent and serve. I promise I promise fairness fairness integrity integrity and civility and civility in all actions made in all actions made and all communications taken and all communications taken by me by me as a public servant as a public servant. Congratulations, Commissioner. Thank you. [cheering and applause]

[applause] [applause]

without playing. That is good. Yeah.

Yeah. What's happen? Now I can properly say it. Commissioner Monica Matea Selena [cheering] [applause] [cheering] [applause] Um, so [clears throat] I have a lot of people to thank, so please bear with me. Um, I'm I'm so grateful and thankful to so many folks. First, I want to start with congratulations to Mayor Miner on his re-election and commissioners Laura Dominguez and Alex Fernandez on your re-election. Well earned and welldeserved. Thank you. [applause] Before I get into my thank yous though, I want to tell you a little story about an underdog. When I started this campaign, I had nothing but a hope and a dream. I had no money, no resources, no campaign manager, and what seemed like no chance, but I believed in myself. And there are two components to winning an election. The first is hard work. I showed up everywhere in every corner of Miami Beach at every event possible. I knocked on over 2,000 doors. I went into senior buildings. I went to parks and playgrounds from sun up to sun down for eight months.

But hard work is only half of the equation. In Miami Beach, campaigns are not necessarily won by having the most money or a fancy campaign team with all the bells and whistles. In Miami Beach, campaigns are won by connecting with neighbors and earning their trust and therefore their vote. Every time I would knock on a door, I would think to myself, how can I connect with this person? not just over complaints about our traffic and we did speak about traffic but how can we connect as neighbors ultimately we might have our differences and we might have uh our arguments and and we're different nationality race religion age identity or a different political party but we are all neighbors and every conversation that I would have with someone I would think to myself what do we have in common what are our common grounds and what can we agree on? And the answer was always, we love Miami Beach. The second component to winning an election is about connection. It's about friendly and positive interactions. [snorts] It was about me showing my absolute passion for serving our city and my optimism that we can make a positive impact together. And that's entirely what I plan on doing as your commissioner. A true leader represents everyone with dignity and respect. I might make some votes you don't agree with. I'm not perfect and I don't want to be on a pedestal for the next four years. But deep down, please know I do believe in the good of Miami Beach and I believe in the future that we're going to create together. I'm truly honored and humbled humbled that I earned your trust. And for those that didn't vote for me, I'm determined to earn your trust in the future. After [snorts] all, we're neighbors and we all love Miami Beach. So now, please let me get into my thank

yous. To my friends and neighbors from South Beach to Mid Beach to North Beach, thank you for your support. You know who you are. [applause] To my friends who knocked on doors for me, texted and emailed their neighbors, thank you for your efforts. I have to thank all of the neighborhood organizations who rooted for me, cheered me on, and told me that they had my back. And they did. Thank [applause] you. Thank you to my South Point Elementary parents that I've known forever, as well as my Nautilus Middle School and Beach High PTA parents, many of whom appeared on my mailers. Thank you. Gracias. [applause] Thank you to my team at Fleet. You guys are incredible. Thank you so much for your support. [applause] Thank you to all of the groups who endorsed me. the C.WA, so be safe, the Miami Herald, Commissioners Bot, Commissioner Fernandez, and Commissioner Dominguez, former mayor Dan Gelber, Mayor Daniela Lavine Cava. Thank you to the FOP and to the fire union department. Thank you to Save Equality Florida, Roose List, ASME, the AFL CIO, and thank you to the community activists who supported and and endorsed me as well. There are so many to name and we would be here for hours, but I appreciate every single one of you. [applause] Thank you to the Miami Beach Democratic Party for canvasing, calling, texting, and coordinating get out the vote efforts. But you know what? Thank you to the independents and the Republicans who supported me, too, because we're all neighbors. [applause]

And I have to thank my campaign manager, Randy Hillyard, aka the prince of darkness. [laughter] But to me, he was my night and shining armor. Once we were in the runoff, my team grew and I thank everyone who helped. You are appreciated. And lastly, I have to thank my family and [snorts] my children, Maglo and Thiago. My kids lived off pizza and cereal for the past eight months, but they really are my backbone. For the past eight months, they've cheered me on. They knocked on doors with me. They went to events with me. And they even worked the polls on election day. There were days I would come home completely exhausted and I would walk in the door ready to fall apart and they would look at me and say, "Don't worry, Mom. You're going to win." And no Thank you. [applause] Thank you. And no matter how tired I was, no matter how discouraged I felt, I would look at them and think, I can't let them down. And I can't let Miami Beach down because we're neighbors. I love you all. Thank you to all my neighbors. It's a privilege and an honor to be elected as your next Miami Beach Commissioner, and I'm looking forward to making a positive impact here together. Thank you. [cheering] [applause] [applause] Amazing.

[applause] Thank you. Thank you everyone. So happy to serve the city's great city. Oh yeah, we'll turn it over to Ralph Granado again. Thank you everyone. One last item. R sevencor elect Commissioner Commissioner Mateos Selenas as vice mayor for a term beginning on today and ending on March 31st, 2026. Mr. Mayor, I'd like to make a motion approving R7C electing Commissioner Monica Mattel Selenas as the new vice mayor for the city of Miami Beach. A second.

A second. [applause] As we finish off, I just want to give a shout out again to our city manager, Eric Carpenter, our city attorney, Rick Depico, our city clerk, Raphael Granado, also our chartered officer, Joseph Centtorino, Inspector General. We are so blessed up here. I'll tell you, I think our residents, I know our residents did well by electing this body, a very residentfriendly commission. I think we're going to make you proud. We have the greatest and best city in America, and we're going to make it even better. We are so proud to represent Miami Beach and every single one of you. God bless you all. [applause]

And then, you know what I would love? That's good. [music] Hey, hey, hey. [music] [music]