The town of Surfside has a new mayor, and for Shlomo Danzinger, his new role is all about balancing the old with the new.
Never having imagined a life in public office, Danzinger brings with him an agenda that is far from robust, but he does have one priority for this oceanfront community: pedestrian safety.
Ever since the tragic collapse last summer of the Champlain Towers South condominium building, road closures and diversions of traffic have led to an influx of cars through residential neighborhoods. Those crowded streets are only compounded by the fact that swells of people continue to move to the ever-growing region of South Florida.
(Luiza Garcia, Courtesy of Town of Surfside)
Surfside commission members Marianne Meischeid, Jeffrey Rose, Shlomo Danzinger, Nelly Velasquez and Fred Landsman (L-R) at their swearing-in ceremony.
Danzinger believes that what’s missing is sufficient parking along Harding Avenue, leaving beachgoers wandering around the eight-block town in search of somewhere to leave their cars. But, he notes, residents are worried about what may be in store for the future of this small community if the creation of additional parking encourages a stream of new arrivals.
“It’s a fine balance because we don’t want [Surfside] to turn into Miami Beach,” Danzinger said. “We don’t want it to turn into South Beach.”
But Danzinger is willing to do what’s necessary to improve quality of life in Surfside. Another change he’s ready to support, in virtue of it being a vital step in combating sea-level rise, is the admission to guidelines under which new houses are being built in the area. The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s National Flood Insurance Program requires that new homes – or those undergoing substantial improvements – be raised by stilts. In return, homeowners receive benefits on their insurance.
Some residents have rejected these newly elevated homes because they fail to reflect the image that older houses have established, the look and feel that they have always known and loved.
“You know, we still like the small residential feel, so how do we kind of grow with that and still maintain that? We’ll try to find that balance there,” Danzinger said.
One problem he had with the previous commission is that it was far too hesitant to make these kinds of necessary changes, instead prioritizing the preservation of what’s already existing.
But the outgoing commission had more problems than just a refusal to adapt. Previous meetings were often characterized by controversy and confrontation, particularly between former Mayor Charles Burkett and former Commissioner Eliana Salzhauer, who had twice flashed her middle finger to Burkett during virtual meetings in which she was muted by the former mayor following disagreement.
Although Danzinger insists he has nothing negative to say about the previous commission, he assures that the current one will have no problem working together.
“It’s about listening and respecting each other’s opinions – not just listening and letting them talk, but actually kind of thinking about them before you come up with a decision or a vote,” he said.
Joining Danzinger in the new commission is newly elected Vice Mayor Jeffrey Rose, as well as Commissioners Fred Landsman and Marianne Meischeid, who were already members of the town committee. Voters also reelected Commissioner Nelly Velasquez.
One item that the commission is prepared to collaborate on is the planning of a memorial by the beach on 88th Street that would publicly honor the lives of those lost during the condo collapse. A meeting on the subject was scheduled for the first week in April. He's said it's the town's responsibility to remember the lives lost.
Danzinger would’ve preferred to invest in something nice, he says, for the site of the collapse itself, located at 8777 Collins Ave. However, it’s already been approved that the land be sold to private United Arab Emirates-based developer East Oceanside Development, which Danzinger hopes to collaborate with in a way that brings justice to the families and residents affected.
“What’s most important to me is that the ideas shouldn’t be coming from the commission,” Danzinger said. “It shouldn’t be coming from anybody but the family members of the victims.”
During the swearing-in ceremony March 16, Danzinger paid homage to his community, whose resilience was captured by headlines across the nation and world after disaster struck that early morning on June 24, 2021, killing a total of 98 people.
“We came together and inspired the nation and the entire world,” he said. “I’m asking the residents of Surfside to remember the unity and the bond that we shared during that time. We need to hold onto that feeling of camaraderie because we all share one unifying factor, and that’s the love of our town and the people that live here.”