This past Monday night, we held our WakeUp NMB November General Meeting, and our guests were the residents of North Miami Beach for an open mic discussion about all things City of North Miami Beach.
We were happy to welcome new attendees from the Skylake neighborhood, who shared concerns about the lack of police visibility. One resident spoke about random shootings and burglaries, including one that occurred while the homeowners were asleep. These neighbors asked how they might go about organizing roving security patrols on their streets if other residents were interested, but they do not feel that is something they should need to do. They are deeply concerned that they rarely see police patrols in their area.
Another resident shared her frustration after calling City Hall to ask about a garage sale permit, only to be passed from department to department with no one knowing who handles such inquiries.
Over in Eastern Shores, one homeowner raised concerns about the growing number of short-term rentals, including one at the former home of a previous Mayor. Overflowing trash bins on non-pickup days and a boat parked in the driveway have become familiar sights. Unfortunately, the City does not appear to be following through on enforcement, leaving neighbors increasingly frustrated.
Commissioner Smith noted that she would speak with the City Attorney about strengthening our ordinances on short-term rentals and examining why properties in violation of city codes often receive excessive leniency on fines once they are in the process of being sold. What is the point of not collecting when it is the responsibility of the owner to maintain their property while they own it?
Another member brought up the need for the city to bring its legal department back in-house. It has been said that the City Attorney is often unavailable and rarely at City Hall. When Commissioner Su provided documentation supporting this concern by reviewing the card scan records for entry and exit during a recent commission meeting, other commissioners defended the attorney by suggesting that when he walks in with another employee, that person might be the one scanning their card instead. Clearly, that does not happen often enough to meet the contract requirement or the expectation that the City Attorney be present at City Hall at least four days a week. Our city requires an attorney’s full focus every day.
A new guest from the Windward neighborhood expressed concern about speeding cars in her area, where many children play outside. She also noted three vacant homes that have become eyesores and potential hideouts for criminal activity. During a recent 13-hour blackout affecting six houses, there was no police presence. Beyond the safety risks, these neglected properties are hurting the neighborhood’s appearance and sense of security.
WakeUp NMB also provided counterpoints to Mayor Joseph’s recent video recap on the City’s Facebook page about the budget. For those who missed our response video addressing his misleading claims, we shared the accurate information about how our government is truly using taxpayer dollars.
As always, the open mic meeting provided residents with an opportunity to share their concerns and find direction on how to address them. We will send a summary of the discussion to the Mayor, Commissioners, and City Manager, but the question remains: will we ever get answers? Too many concerns continue to go unaddressed by those elected to represent us.
We are very appreciative of Commissioners Smith and Su for attending, listening, and engaging with residents. We hope the follow-through will come soon, because our community deserves it.
