Remarks by David Suarez
153 remarks on the record, newest first · Page 1 of 7
- Play at 1:10:56
“Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Debbie, if you can take it on.”
City Commission · Jul 22, 2026
- Play at 1:28:22
“NEW SPEAKER WE'RE GIVING THE COUNTY THE EXACTLY WHAT DOES THIS ITEM DO.”
City Commission · Jul 22, 2026
- Play at 1:29:18
“And they want to do the transfer because the county can...”
City Commission · Jul 22, 2026
- Play at 1:56:56
“Commissioner Suarez. Thank you. So just to get this for a landing, this particular property was developed for workforce housing.”
City Commission · Jul 22, 2026
- Play at 1:57:26
“Whose idea was that? When you say the idea was to combine?”
City Commission · Jul 22, 2026
- Play at 1:58:10
“OK. And so the people getting the 20 out of 32 units, are getting housed through the homeless trust.”
City Commission · Jul 22, 2026
- Play at 1:58:36
“So the homeless trust is giving a percentage toward the 20 units. Is that correct?”
City Commission · Jul 22, 2026
- Play at 1:59:22
“So in 2014, the city of Miami Beach agreed to house homeless people there?”
City Commission · Jul 22, 2026
- Play at 1:59:30
“The housing authority. So it wasn't anything that Miami Beach had any sort of input.”
City Commission · Jul 22, 2026
- Play at 2:00:05
“OKAY. SO DO WE UP HERE HAVE ANY SORT OF POWER TO SAY WE WANT TO FOCUS ON THE DISPLACED MIAMI BEACH RESIDENTS? SO FOR EXAMPLE, I KNOW DOZENS OF ELDERLY PEOPLE THAT ARE FACING housing or getting kicked out of their homes. They live in Miami Beach now. They'd like to stay in Miami Beach. I share Commissioner Magazine's concern that we don't want to see some non-resident who's homeless that's from anywhere in the world get put in Miami Beach when we have Miami Beach residents facing POTENTIAL HOMELESSNESS. AND I CERTAINLY DON'T FEEL COMFORTABLE WITH THE HOMELESS TRUST, WHOSE DIRECTOR, WE'VE HAD…”
City Commission · Jul 22, 2026
- Play at 2:02:09
“So Commissioner Lopez, would that Would that be something that the county, that the board might consider as sort of a reform to the homeless trust where they get to decide which referrals get sent where? Because like I said, we have plenty of Miami Beach residents, all of whom are pretty much elderly, that need, that can't afford to keep up with their affordability and are getting evicted. I certainly don't like the fact that you have a quasi-governmental entity with the homeless trust that decides who gets what. So if we don't agree to this, what happens now, City Attorney?”
City Commission · Jul 22, 2026
- Play at 2:03:29
“Well, I'd like to know what exactly would happen if we did we decline this this transfer because what does that mean that and and The nonprofit would then possibly come to the city for a renegotiation?”
City Commission · Jul 22, 2026
- Play at 2:04:04
“So then why do we need this meeting today?”
City Commission · Jul 22, 2026
- Play at 2:05:09
“But we're going to be out of leverage if we do that, correct? We should probably do that now. we should probably negotiate that now and then, and then decide on this item.”
City Commission · Jul 22, 2026
- Play at 2:12:32
“Miami Beach doesn't own the land, but we have a mortgage on it.”
City Commission · Jul 22, 2026
- Play at 2:12:51
“But we're the principal loan owner, correct?”
City Commission · Jul 22, 2026
- Play at 2:12:54
“So we don't actually own anything then. We just have a loan on the property.”
City Commission · Jul 22, 2026
- Play at 2:13:05
“If we're the loan... Maybe this is a question for the city attorney. If we're the loan holders, what rights do we have to the property? If, for example, we require this MBCC to... pay off the loan.”
City Commission · Jul 22, 2026
- Play at 2:22:21
“Commissioner Suarez. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Second reading for this. And again, you know, there's a lot of, I guess, misconception online. I think that we're going to be extending an off-leash dog park beyond the actual dog park in South 5th. The South 5th dog park is unique in the sense that there's no fence. So if one of our dogs runs out for a second to chase a ball, which my dog happens to do all the time, unfortunately, there shouldn't be a penalty from any enforcement agency of the city. And I think strikes a perfect balance of enforcement and leniency for pet owners considering this dog…”
City Commission · Jul 22, 2026
- Play at 2:30:38
“Thank you. Commissioner Suarez. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. I don't see the big issue here with this particular dog park it's the only dog park in Miami Beach that's by design doesn't have a fence and I for one don't want to leave it to the discretion of an officer or park ranger to either give a citation or not. I think that's why we're up here to put some checks and balances on the enforcement side. one of the previous scholars, maybe five minutes is too much. I'm okay with two minutes because I think that's plenty of time to, if your dog accidentally goes outside the boundary, you should have…”
City Commission · Jul 22, 2026
- Play at 2:32:42
“And for the record, most dog breeds, I've had pit bulls, and they're the most loving dogs. So I don't know why we're vilifying pit bulls because they really were meant and bred to be family dogs. I think all dogs are domesticated. It's just who raises them is what really becomes the problem. So I just want to put that out there. But we have a motion and a second as amended.”
City Commission · Jul 22, 2026
- Play at 2:43:51
“Commissioner Suarez. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. So John and I have been talking in the last couple of days and I want to land this in the best way that's for the most equitable for Miami Beach and the residents. When you use the calculation for single family homes, it's not it's because you are able to have the water usage per household, correct? And the way you have defined it is 5,000 gallons a month, correct? When it comes to condos, it's much harder to do an analysis. And so part of this analysis is you, the city, had to do a sample, correct, of multiple condos. And there are, unfortunately,…”
City Commission · Jul 22, 2026
- Play at 2:45:36
“and that's assuming 5,000 gallons a month, the cost is slightly higher, correct? And why is that important to note? It's important to note because if you are a resident in Miami Beach, you have a family, you're probably using 5,000 gallons a month. If you are a full-time resident here, you are using 5,000 gallons a month or more. If you are in a building that has, let's say, snowbirds in it, that average is gonna skew down because if you're only here for three months out of the year, some of the units, and the cost share or the usage share would average down below 5,000. So, John, if you own…”
City Commission · Jul 22, 2026
- Play at 2:47:16
“No, no, over the course of the 10 years.”
City Commission · Jul 22, 2026
- Play at 2:47:40
“I said so Just so my colleagues are aware if you have a median household income and you are if your portfolio is within the median and below, this would affect you disproportionately as if you were above the median household income, or not income, the value. So we have to wrestle with the idea that if we go with a hybrid option, the most struggling residents in Miami Beach are potentially paying more under the hybrid option. I do, however, understand the need to keep this enterprise fund afloat. And I think not our doing, decades of commissioners have really declined to put this in good…”
City Commission · Jul 22, 2026