North Miami Beach Commissioners will quite literally pay for their decision to boycott meetings earlier this year.
The city commission voted 4-1 on Thursday, April 27, to garnish the wages of the three commissioners who missed meetings in January and February, resulting in a lack of a quorum to conduct city business. This means those commissioners will have $2,000 garnished from their checks.
(Twitter)
North Miami Beach Commissioner Daniela Jean
Ironically, Commissioners Daniela Jean and Michael Joseph, who missed those January and February meetings, did not attend Thursday’s meeting when the vote was taken regarding the garnishing of their wages. Joseph also missed the December 2022 meeting.
The vote came after a resident requested a refund of the $6,000 fee paid to the city a year ago because of the delayed action caused by the meetings that lacked a quorum. The resident is none other than the wife of interim city manager Mark Antonio, who filed the application nearly a year ago, before Antonio was considered for his current position. Antonio did not attend the hearing due to conflict of interest.
Meanwhile, a commission vote is expected on May 15 along with a hearing to determine if commissioners Joseph and McKenzie Fleurimond missed enough days from work to have their seats vacated in accordance with the city charter. Commissioner Jean is not being considered for the same fate, although she and Fleurimond missed an equal number of meetings. Jean has declined to speak to the media throughout the whole ordeal.
(City of NMB)
North Miami Beach Commissioner Michael Joseph
Preceding the North Miami Beach City Commission meeting, an evidentiary hearing is scheduled for May 9 in efforts by Fleurimond and Joseph to have a court decide if they’ve violated the charter and vacated their seats, rather than it being decided by the commission. The court battle was precipitated by a lawsuit filed by Commissioner Jay Chernoff to have his colleagues ousted for missing meetings.
In addition to the vote related to commissioners’ garnished wages, the commission unanimously approved the BH Group development of nearly two acres at 2261 NE 164th Street to make way for a 32-story tower with 400 apartments, restaurants, and shopping. According to the developer's a presentation, the project is estimated to create more than 2,100 jobs. The city is ex
pected to net $2.8 million in building, recreation, and police impact fees, with $2.4 million going to the county.
The Miami-based BH Group also is in business with Jorge Pérez and the Related Group to develop a 4-acre property across the street from the Aventura Mall.
The private investment and real estate company works in partnership with Globe Invest, a leading real estate investment manager in UK & Europe owned by acclaimed entrepreneur Teddy Sagi, who reportedly owns 35% of BH Group. The company has declined to reveal the remainder of its owners, according to the Real Deal.
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(HACCOF.com)
North Miami Beach Commissioner McKenzie Fleurimond
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(Bercow Radell Fernandez Larkin + Tapanes)
BH Group was approved to build a 32-story mixed-use development in North Miami Beach.