Village Council - Regular Meeting

Okay. Good evening, everyone. If you can please find your seats. Silence your phones. My name is Seth Salver and I'm honored to serve as your mayor. Mr. Clerk with the role please.

Here. We have quorum. Thank you, Mr. Clerk. If we can all please rise for the Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

So I'd like to call the Bell Harbor Village special meeting to order tonight. It's very nice to see all of you here because this is probably the single most important issue that this community has ever faced since its founding. So I'm comforted in seeing a big crowd tonight. And frankly, the reason why we were pushing for this meeting is that since this all started, we've been in active litigation. And given that all of our deliberations have been subject to attorney-client privilege and wouldn't really be able to be discussed in a public meeting. So this is that opportunity. We've been cleare

Yes. So the Bell Harbor shops was not available to be here tonight. But they did send a video message. uh well but before we okay oh sorry yeah but but before we do play that i i just i see a lot of people standing if you have an empty seat next to you can you just raise your hand so people folks know that they can Okay, I guess there aren't that many empty seats. Okay. Okay, so maybe we can work on that. I also want to take the opportunity to welcome some local elected officials and former elected officials. So I want to recognize Bay Harbor Islands Mayor Isaac Salver. If the name sounds fami

Okay. We're now going to recognize the attorney that's representing Bal Harbor Village in the multiple litigations, Mr. Eitan Mark. But Eitan, before you begin your formal presentation, one of the things that stuck out to me from this video was how much the Bal Harbor Shops was discussing the importance of affordable housing. Can you just highlight how many affordable housing units are in the settlement proposal?

That's fine. Yeah, just grab the mic or turn it around.

Thank you, a time. Before we go into public comment, are there any questions or comments from the Council. I'll say, Mr. Mayor.

Go ahead, Vice Mayor. Thank you. Good evening, everyone. Vice Mayor David Wolf. So good to see everybody here. We hope you guys come to all of our meetings. It would be much more exciting. So anyway, welcome. Good to have everybody here. Again, just for the record, I would say, and I won't make it long because I look forward to hearing from anybody, but... From my perspective, I am ready to make a motion and to vote on a motion, but I will hold that off and wait to hear everybody's comments. I think for me, it's clear what direction we should take. And so that's all I have to say. I look forwa

I think both yourself and Eitan put it very, very clearly. When you watched Matthew's video, he was all about affordability, affordability, we're giving back to the community. How you go from 208 units of affordable housing to 18 units is kind of ridiculous. It really is crazy. At the end of the day, the hotel increased 5x from what the original plan was. So he's pretty much letting us know he wants to have a hotel. And that's what he's showing us. He doesn't care about affordable housing. We have to really keep that in mind. So Mr. Mayor, thank you very much for your time.

City Council Chambers, Thank you so i'm going to just read the item that we are that i'm going to then call up the public to speak on, so. City Council Chambers, This is to receive consider and possibly take action regarding the mediated settlement proposal regarding the bell harbor shops live local act development application and related matters. So with that, I'm going to call up our first speaker, and I'm going to call up the following speaker so that folks are ready to go and we're not waiting for other people to approach the mic. So our first speaker is former Mayor Martin Packer, and our

Jose Bitton and David Cuiat, our next two speakers. Whatever you want.

That way, you can face that way. Face that way. I'm not supposed to say my address. Joseviton 168 Park Drive?

Okay. Mr. Kliat, and if the remaining speakers can address their comments to the council, I think it would be more appropriate. I know, like, stand on... Yeah, yeah, just... Yeah, let's just address the council. I realize that there's a lot of emotion here. People are excited and passionate, but this is still our... We're the ones making the decision, so address comments here, and... Yes, and Eitan Mark is our attorney. He's a good guy. Yes. Okay, Mr. Kouyat, go ahead.

Okay. Next three speakers, Nancy Shammi, Bhavik Rahab, John Diamond.

Thank you. Thank you. And I know you brought up several questions. Our village manager is writing down all the questions, and they will be addressed at the conclusion of public comment. Babik Raheb, John Diamond, and A.J. Schachtel. Those are our next three speakers.

Thank you. John Diamond, AJ Shechtel, and Nina Rudolph.

Thank you. AJ Schachtel, Nina Rudolph, Doug Rudolph.

Nina Rudolph, Doug Rudolph, Diane Randolph.

Doug, you're going to follow your wife? Okay. Doug Rudolph, Diane Randolph, and Anne-Marie Kelly-Stopa.

Thank you. Anna Marie Kelly Stopa, Monique Benun, and John Bakshi.

Okay. Monique Benoon, John Bakshi, Amanda Hand.

Thank you. John Bakshi, Amanda Hand, Ellie Freund.

Questions are being taken and answered at the public comment. Thank you. Okay. Amanda Hand, Daniel Goldfarb, and Cindy Pereira.

Thank you. Daniel Goldfarb, Cindy Pereira, and Sandy Goldfarb.

Thank you. Sandy Pereira, Sandy Goldfarb, and Leon Wolf.

Sandy Goldfarb, Leon Wolf, and Nika Logan.

Thank you. Leon Wolf, Nika Logan, Brian Saltz.

Nika Logan, Brian Saltz, and Susan Arum.

Thank you. Brian Salts, Susan Arum, Francis Newhut.

Francis Newhart, Sheila Elias Taplin, and Paul Chaplin. Oh, sorry. Sorry, Susan. Sorry, Susan. Yes, Susan's next. Sorry. Yeah. Susan, Francis, and then Sheila.

Thank you. Sheila Elias Taplin, Francis Newhut, Paul Chaplin.

Thank you. And I'm reaching the end of the speakers list. So Francis new hot our last three speakers unless someone wants to go pick up, you know, fill out a card. Also, I want to give the opportunity anyone who doesn't want to speak but wants to raise their hand, showing that they are against us proceeding with this proposal, you may do so now. Against Yes, against. Okay. Okay. And anyone wants to raise their hand in favor? Okay. Okay. Go ahead, Ms. Newhut.

Our last two speakers, Paul Chaplin and Mike Manzi. Or Manzo. I'm not sure if that's an I or an L.

Our final speaker for the evening, Mike Manzi. Am I pronouncing that right?

Okay. Well, we had a very robust dialogue. It was great to hear. Did you fill out a speaker's card?

Okay. Okay. So go ahead. Is there I just want to because I want to close public comments. I want to know, are there any other speakers in the audience tonight that wish to speak? Please be recognized now. Okay, I see. So just these two speakers. Okay, go ahead. Name and address for the record.

Final speaker of the evening, name and address for the record, please.

And before staff begins, before staff begins addressing the comments that have been brought up, I do want to recognize Surfside Commissioner Andrea Trevani. Thank you. Would you like to address the community or no? Oh, OK.

Public comment is closed. I appreciate you all making your voices heard.

I guess before we get into deliberations, are there any comments from counsel or questions for the attorneys or for George?

Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Is it appropriate to make a motion at this point and then continue conversations? Or just conversations?

Thank you. Thank you. Sorry? I don't know if my mic working? Yeah, there you go. The one thing that I really appreciate is the support of the community. And the continued support of the community is going to be one of the most important things. I think outreach is unbelievable for you guys to get involved with, whether it's calling our local representatives. I don't want to assume, but the Attorney General, it's an election year and donations go a very, very long way in this political arena. So whether it's letter writing, phone calling, donations to the right people to help move the needle, t

Thank you. Okay, so we're going to start with Councilman Levy. No, it's fine. Yeah, we're going to start with Councilman Levy. If you want to share your comments, say how you feel, then we'll proceed with the voting.

Thank you, Mayor. I think that one of the things that comes to my mind right now is something that we read in Pirkei Avot, which is a Jewish reading that we do in these few days of the Omer, which is 49 days that we come from Pesach until we get the Torah and Shavuot. And it says, Who is the wise person? The one who learned from everybody. And I think that what we have heard from the community is that the one has to stand behind them. So we are standing behind them. And so I want to say thank you for everybody for coming here today.

Councilman Sparrow, would you like to share?

No, Mr. Mayor, I think I said my piece. Thank you.

Okay. Vice Mayor Wolff. Yeah, thank you, Mr. Mayor. Just a few points. Again, I don't want to be repetitive. I'll just, some that I had noted earlier. Again, we saw the beautiful video of Matthew talking about his family's commitment to our neighborhood and living in our neighborhood. I don't know if most of you know, he doesn't live in our neighborhood anymore. He's moved to North Carolina. But he has this nice place in the St. Regis he comes to every once in a while to do business and I guess check on his investment. So he doesn't have to really deal with the traffic like we are and what he'

So let's understand as well that the reason, the primary reason that they're willing to fight as long and hard as they are is that one would estimate that 2 million additional square feet of rights would equate to about $2 billion of value. And one million additional square feet would equate to approximately a billion dollars of incremental value. So that does give the other side a lot of powder. We have to approach this with eyes wide open, though. We have to understand the risks that are involved. I was the one that was at the mediation sessions, all three of them, at Bills and Sundberg, and

So I think everybody has made their voices heard, including the council. Now it's my turn. I just want to say that I am so honored that all of you came out tonight because this what we did tonight, this town hall meeting is really the cornerstone of American democracy. And this is how. Decisions should be made in the public with comments, hearing from experts. And unfortunately, the legislators in Tallahassee sought to cut out this part of the process when they came up with the Live Local Act. And I believe that there are flaws in the Live Local Act that we might be able to exploit, but that's

Do you want to read them? No, I'd rather not.

Yes, okay. So their comments will be incorporated into the record. I do also want to recognize Surfside Vice Mayor Diana Van Merge, who's here tonight. And without further ado, I guess, Vice Mayor, would you like to make a motion?

Sure, it's my pleasure. I'd like to make a motion to direct the administration and the village attorney to communicate to the shops and the mediator that the settlement on the terms discussed this evening is not acceptable and to continue defending the pending lawsuits. Thank you.

Is there a second? Second. It's been moved and seconded. This is a voice vote. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Opposed? None. Passes unanimously. Okay. Motion to adjourn. Motion. We're adjourned. Thank you all.

Here. You want to shred these? Because I have notes and stuff on them.