Mayor Dan Gelber

Today, like every day, I think about my dad, Seymour, and the wonderful and consequential life he lived. He was born the year before women received the right to vote. He served in a world war, was a prosecutor, professor, judge and mayor, a loving son and husband, and simply the best dad any kid could hope for. Miss you Dad and Happy Birthday. (at 4:00 he left his final and unmistakably Seymour farwell)

Tribute to Seymour Gelber Seymour Gelber, soldier, prosecutor, judge and Mayor of Miami Beach led a life defined by devotion to his family and friends, and service to his community, S...

Over the years I got to know and appreciate Stanley Tate. His commitment to making college affordable to hundreds of thousands will be a legacy that lasts literally forever. He gave generations of Floridians a great gift: opportunity!

A Miami builder and finance whiz helped you pay for college. Stanley Tate has died at 96 The leader founded Florida Prepaid College Plan.

Good move by the City Commission. Eric is smart, honest and conscientious. He will be a terrific leader of our City. Mature organizations are able to recruit leadership from within. Special thanks to the awesome Rickelle Williams for her stewardship as interim manager.

Miami Beach conducted national search for city manager. An internal candidate got the job Eric Carpenter beat out three other finalists for the city’s top administrative post.

When we normalize hate speech as reasonable, too many will normalize hateful conduct as appropriate. We saw this last weekend and on Jan. 6.

Read more at:

I learned to respect my political rivals. Americans too can escape this vortex of hatred | Opinion Former FL political leader: When we normalize hate speech, hateful conduct will follow | Opinion

The Universities that are deescalating student protests by agreeing to entertain votes on Israel divestment are normalizing the antisemitism they claim to oppose. Treating an idea that is born out of hate as if it is deserving of serious consideration only serves to mainstream it as within the heartland of legitimate ideas. Most pediatrcians recommend against pacifiers after 18 months.

Our table is set and our family Haggadah distributed. Passover is a celebration of our traditions and history, but also a chance to connect these lessons to the world today. Tonight, as we celebrate our Seder in a world filled with enormous conflict and peril, especially for Jews and Israelis, we will remind ourselves that the journeys that are most important are often the most difficult. My Passover message from our history to the present: we are not going anywhere.

I loved that he was an unapologetic wonk, but also empathetic, inquisitive and entirely original. How lucky were we to have Bob Graham dedicate an entire lifetime of remarkable service to our State. There will not be another like him. He was Mr. Florida and will be missed.

Great editorial. There is nothing extreme about the proposed amendment. It employs “viability” which is precisely the same standard articulated in Roe which was the law of the land for 50 years. If you were comfortable with the guiderails provided by Roe, this simply returns Florida to that standard. The opponents are fabricating arguments because they are understandably afraid to debate the acutal issue.

Creators of Florida’s extreme abortion bans now mislead the public on ballot amendment | Opinion The standard for nearly 50 years — which is popular with Floridians, according to polls — is not extreme. | Opinion

In every way, a best in class City Manager. Alina sweat the details to keep our City safe and clean, and fiscally sound. Honest and direct she led by example and with integrity and class. Thanks for your service to Miami Beach.

After successful spring break crackdown, Miami Beach city manager says she’s resigning Alina Hudak became the first woman ever to run the city.

Welcome home Lola. Last year when our beloved Buddy passed on (at age 19) we knew Roxie would need a new friend. So last week our tri-color bundle of chaos arrived. Don’t get me wrong, puppies are the best, but it’s easy to forget they are a bit of work (I’m so tired). And Lola seem intent on being the alpha of everyone!

Nancy was a combination of many exceptional qualities. No matter her take, you knew it was honest, insightful and eloquent. Her voice and perspective were so important and leave a real vacuum in our civic life.

Weeks after retirement, longtime Miami Herald Editorial Page Editor Nancy Ancrum dies at 67 Miami Herald Editorial Page Editor Nancy Ancrum, who kept a watchful eye on Florida governors and South Florida leaders, gave voice to those who had been silenced and guided her team to two Pulitzer Prizes, died Friday after a long illness. She was 67.

I believe it's safe to exhale for now as the casino bill is off the agenda perhaps for the rest of the legislative session. Thank goodness that so many in our community stood tall against this horrible bill. Grateful to those in the Legislature who heard us.

For decades, casino interests have been circling my city and nearby communities, like sharks in the water. Whle we have beat them back every year, they only have to win once for us to lose. This year, the governor used the gaming compact to obtain from tribal authorities their "nonobjection" to casinos on nonindian land. Which means if the legislature approves the recent bill, and the courts fail to do their jobs, we will have megacasinos in and around our city. This letter explains some of the background leading up to this day.

Mayor Gelber Compact Letter Mayor Gelber Compact Letter

There it is! The Fontainebleau Hotel jsust delivered a true holiday stinker! Today, a bill was filed that would allow for the relocation of gambling permits from existing parimutuels to virtually anywhere in South Florida, even over the objection of local governments and communities. If it passes, it would certainly result in mega-casinos in and around our city. Welcome to Atlantic City in South Florida. Hopefully, the Courts will enforce statewide constitutional prohibitions of casinos that over 70% of Florida’s voters endorsed.

www.flsenate.gov

They were balancing the hate speech directed at Jews against the freedoms of speech that properly exist in an academic environment. I understand that balancing. But what the three presidents lost sight of was the unseen other context they were applying, namely, that Jews apparently don’t generate the same outrage as other groups when it comes to hate and persecution. That hate against the Jews is somehow just not as weighty as the hate directed at other groups. That Jews, somehow, are just not as entitled to be victims.

University leaders didn’t realize no group should be targeted — not even Jews - Miami Herald Left to right, Harvard University President Dr. Claudine Gay, Liz Magill, then president of the University of Pennsylvania, and Dr. Pamela Nadell, professor of history and Jewish Studies at American University testify at a Dec. 5 hearing of the U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce.

So much of the current debate ignores history, turns a blind eye to Hamas atrocities and is shaped by the durable hate of antisemitism. If you are not afraid of the truth then listen to all of Judge Roy Altman’s informed perspective. Am Yisrael Chai.

Judge Roy Altman This is "Judge Roy Altman" by Carl Kafka on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them.

The most perfectly named dog in the world passed over the rainbow bridge today. Our dog Buddy, who lived 18 years and 9 months, left us resting peacefully in the lap of his best friend, Joan, after his entire family had a chance to hug and thank him for a lifetime of unconditional love and loyalty. Buddy was a dog of simple pleasures. He loved walks around the neighborhood and to be around his family, including his new friend, Roxie, who he let tug on his ears and tail as much as she wanted. We attributed Buddy’s unusually long life to his good nature, his diet of affection and the tender care of his vet Dr. Brooke Owens, who gave him a final little snack of chocolate as he peacefully passed on. We miss our Buddy.

Joe’s is the quintessential Miami Beach restaurant, and has been a part of our City for over 100 years. Today I presented the City’s first Centennial Key to our City to the owners Steve Sawitz and Jo Ann Bass for Joe’s century of impeccable service and amazing corporate citizenship. They set the standard!

Here we go …

Thanks for the honor of serving as Mayor of the only hometown I’ve ever known

Thanks for Tua and Tyreek

Thanks for my awesome and patient law partners at Gelber Schachter Greenberg, P.A.

Thanks for my perfect children, Sophie, Hannah, and Max, who assured me that I am among their top two favorite parents

Thanks for our City Manager Alina Hudak (and all City Staff) who sweat the details, so we don’t have to

Thanks for pickleball because I needed a sport after basketball where profane trash-talking was totally acceptable

Thanks for all our amazing cultural institutions that other people travel to experience, but we can partake in every day

Thanks for a mother-in-law who I really hope is reading this

Thanks for Fire Chief Virgil Fernandez and Police Chief Wayne Jones and all their men and women willing to face peril to protect us

Thanks for all our restaurants that are plastic-free and the people like the Doeblers and Sophie Ringel who work so hard to keep our beaches clean

Thanks to local elected leaders – Like Mayors Daniella Levine Cava and Francis Suarez – who always helped our City

Thanks to the M.B. Chamber of Commerce, especially Rock n’ Robin Jacobs, for making sure our business community always has a seat at the table

Thanks for making Spring Break only a month

Thanks for our school support organizations and those parents who take responsibility for elevating our children’s education

Thanks for Jimmy Buckets and the Sandman

Thanks for all our hospitality professionals, from our hotel managers to the wait staff at our amazing restaurants

Thanks for our servicemen and women, and veterans, who secure all the wonderful blessings of liberty

Thanks for all those residents who give their valuable time as active participants in the affairs of our City

Thanks for my Chief of Staff, Michele Burger, and all our staff who make me look better than I deserve

Thanks for giving me such a great family, sisters that always have my back, terrific in-laws, and loving parents that were the best role models a kid could ever hope for

Thanks for making the New England Patriots terrible

Gracias por nuestros residentes de la tercer edad en centros de mayores que tienen historias increíbles y son muy agradecidos por las bendiciones de la Libertad

Thanks for helping make our City a real leader nationally in inclusiveness and LGBTQ+ pride

Thanks for term limits, mine and the governor’s

Thanks for supporting our two G.O. Bonds ($600 million, 80 projects) that will beautify, enhance, protect and reimagine our City

Thanks for all my fellow City Commissioners for their service to our community

Thanks for supporting Israel, especially now when she needs us most

Thanks that my dog Buddy is still going strong at age 18 and for Roxie, who is house-trained after only three years

Thanks for a Nation that will always cherish the rule of law

Thanks for our diverse and vibrant religious institutions that provide community and a sense of purpose

Thanks for your patience and forgiveness with me when I stumbled or failed to meet your expectations

Thanks for my wife, Joan, who every day makes me feel like the luckiest guy in the world!

Happy Thanksgiving!

This morning, we broke ground on our Real Time Crime Center for our Police Department. This was made possible through our General Obligation (G.O.) Bond which also provided for the 800 cameras that have been delivered throughout our City. This project, once complete, will make our City safer 24/7 and help our police do their job safer as well. Thanks to all!!!!!

Welcome home men! So proud to welcome home our eight hometown hero firefighters from their service to the State of Israel over the last few weeks. We raised an Israeli flag sent home with them from their new Israeli friends, and broke out into a rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner and Hatikvah. Laura Dominguez Miami Beach Commissioner Group 2 Commissioner Alex Fernandez

The inaugural South Beach Slam is here, and it’s all about pickleball in Miami Beach this weekend! Thank you to tennis legend, Andre Agassi, for kicking off this amazing event that has completely transformed one of our Lincoln Road parking lots into an incredible amateur doubles tournament. Miami Beach is on its way to becoming the pickleball capital of South Florida! Laura Dominguez Miami Beach Commissioner Group 2 Commissioner Alex Fernandez David Richardson for Tax Collector

Unveiled ‘R-Evolution’ by the talented Marco Cochrane today on Lincoln Road (sort of difficult to hide her). As Miami Beach gears up for Art Basel/Art Week, this sculpture kicks off an incredible showcase of art and culture in our city. When Miami Beach becomes the epicenter of the art world, we shine brighter. Thanks to Lyle Stern and the Lincoln Road BID for their continuing commitment to creating something special in our special city.

An incredible Veterans Day parade in Miami Beach yesterday, honoring the courage and sacrifice of our troops and veterans. Sharing the ride with our Girl Scouts made it an even more memorable occasion. Our community joined together to express our profound gratitude and unwavering support. Thank you for your service!