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TO:
FROM:
DATE:
RE:
City of Sunny Isles Beach
18070 Collins Avenue
Sunny Isles Beach, Florida 33160
(305) 947-0606 City Hall
(305) 949-3113 Fax
MEMORANDUM
Honorable Mayor and City Commissioners
Fabiola Stuyvesant, Commissioner
March 19, 2026
Resolution Censuring the Mayor for an Ultra Vires Act, Misappropriation of a
Public Forum, and Breach of Decorum atthe Municipal Anniversary Event
RECOMMENDATION:
This resolution is presented for your consideration.
REASONS:
Adoption of this Resolution formally censures the Mayor for exceeding executive authority (ultra vires -
act), misappropriating a taxpayer -funded public forum, and breaching professional intergovernmental
decorum by unilaterally prohibiting historically significant former elected officials from participating in a
public proclamation presentation.
The City of Sunny Isles Beach recently hosted an Anniversary Beach Party, funded by approximately
$300,000 in taxpayer dollars. As a publicly funded municipal event, the celebration and its
corresponding stage and programming belong exclusively to the residents of the City, not to any single
elected official.
During the event, Miami -Dade County Commissioner Micky Steinberg attended in an official capacity to
present a formal proclamation honoring the City's history. Present at this civic celebration were the
City's founding father, former Mayor Norman Edelcup, and former Mayor Dana Goldman. When
County Commissioner Steinberg and City Commissioner Fabiola Stuyvesant respectfully requested that
these historically significant officials be invited to the stage to be recognized during the reading of the
proclamation, the Mayor unilaterally and hostilely denied the request, explicitly stating that they
"cannot come to the stage."
This unilateral exclusion necessitates a formal censure by the City Commission for the following legal
and ethical reasons:
Item Number: 9.X
431
1. Ultra Vires Act: The City of Sunny Isles Beach operates under a City Manager form of
government. The City Charter grants the Mayor no enumerated power to act as the unilateral
gatekeeper of a taxpayer -funded public stage. Banning the City's founding father and a former
Mayor from participating in a public civic recognition is an ultra vires act —an action taken entirely
outside the legal scope of the Mayor's authority.
2. Misappropriation of a Public Forum: A $300,000 taxpayer -funded event is not a private function
or a political platform. By weaponizing a public stage to exclude specific individuals, the Mayor
misappropriated a public asset, transforming a community celebration into a private vanity
project and violating the public trust.
3. Breach of Intergovernmental Decorum: Publicly denying a sitting Miami -Dade County
Commissioner's request to honor the City's founding father is a severe breach of
intergovernmental decorum. This conduct violates the spirit of the Miami -Dade County Citizens'
Bill of Rights, which mandates professionalism, courtesy, and respect from all public officials, and
it brings unnecessary embarrassment to the City's reputation.
In direct protest of this blatant abuse of power, and out of profound respect for the former
Mayors and the Office of the County Commissioner, Commissioner Stuyvesant rightfully declined
to participate in the stage presentation, refusing to legitimize or empower exclusionary conduct.
A formal censure is the standard and necessary legislative mechanism used by municipal bodies to
publicly reprimand an official who acts outside the bounds of their legal authority. By adopting this
Resolution, the City Commission formally condemns the breach of decorum, demands a written apology
to the affected parties, and reaffirms that all city events belong to the taxpayers.
ATTACHMENTS:
Resolution
Item Number: 9.X
432
RESOLUTION NO. 2026 -
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF SUNNY ISLES BEACH,
FLORIDA, FORMALLY CENSURING THE MAYOR FOR AN ULTRA VIRES ACT, ABUSE
OF POWER, AND THE UNILATERAL EXCLUSION OF FORMER ELECTED OFFICIALS
FROM A TAXPAYER -FUNDED PUBLIC ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION;
REAFFIRMING THAT CITY EVENTS BELONG TO THE RESIDENTS; AND PROVIDING
FOR AN EFFECTIVE DATE.
WHEREAS, the City of Sunny Isles Beach (the "City") recently hosted a municipal
Anniversary Beach Party, funded by approximately $300,000 in taxpayer dollars, for the express
purpose of celebrating the history, incorporation, and community of the City; and
WHEREAS, a municipal anniversary is a public celebration that belongs entirely to the
residents of Sunny Isles Beach and is not the private domain, property, or political platform of
any single elected official; and
WHEREAS, Miami -Dade County Commissioner Micky Steinberg attended the anniversary
event in an official capacity to present a formal proclamation honoring the City; and
WHEREAS, the founding father and former Mayor of Sunny Isles Beach, Norman Edelcup,
alongside former Mayor Dana Goldman, were present at this civic celebration; and
WHEREAS, when County Commissioner Steinberg and City Commissioner Fabiola
Stuyvesant respectfully requested that these historically significant former officials be invited to
the stage to be recognized during the reading of the proclamation, the Mayor unilaterally and
hostilely denied the request, explicitly stating that they "cannot come to the stage"; and
WHEREAS, the Mayor possesses no statutory or legal authority under the City Charter to
arbitrarily ban the City's founding father or former elected officials from a public stage at a
taxpayer -funded event, making this unilateral exclusion an ultra vires act; and
WHEREAS, in direct protest of this blatant abuse of power, and out of profound respect
for former Mayor Edelcup and former Mayor Goldman, Commissioner Fabiola Stuyvesant
rightfully declined to participate in the stage presentation, refusing to legitimize or empower the
Mayor's exclusionary conduct; and
WHEREAS, this ultra vires act constitutes a misappropriation of a public forum for
personal political animus, a severe breach of the decorum expected of the Office of the Mayor,
and caused unnecessary embarrassment to the City's intergovernmental relationship with
Miami -Dade County.
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NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF SUNNY
ISLES BEACH, FLORIDA, AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1. Incorporation of Recitals. The foregoing "WHEREAS" clauses are hereby ratified
and confirmed as being true and correct and are hereby made a specific part of this Ordinance
upon adoption hereof.
Section 2. Formal Censure. The City Commission hereby formally censures the Mayor for
her actions at the Anniversary Beach Party, specifically condemning the ultra vires act of
unilaterally denying access to a public stage, the abuse of power, and the unacceptable
disrespect shown to County Commissioner Micky Steinberg and former Mayors Norman
Edelcup and Dana Goldman.
Section 3. Reaffirmation of Public Ownership. The City Commission hereby publicly reaffirms
that all taxpayer -funded municipal events, stages, and celebrations belong to the residents of
Sunny Isles Beach, and no single elected official possesses the authority to unilaterally exclude
historically significant figures from public recognition.
Section 4. Apology Demanded. The City Commission formally requests that the Mayor issue
a public, written apology to Miami -Dade County Commissioner Micky Steinberg, former Mayor
Norman Edelcup, and former Mayor Dana Goldman for the lack of courtesy and respect
demonstrated at the event.
Section 5. Effective Date. This Resolution shall become effective upon adoption.
PASSED AND ADOPTED on this 19th day of March, 2026.
ATTEST:
Mauricio Betancur, CMC, City Clerk
Larisa Svechin, Mayor
APPROVED AS TO FORM
AND LEGAL SUFFICIENCY:
Alain E. Boileau, for Nabors, Giblin
& Nickerson, P.A., City Attorney
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Moved by: sS ciir g=$1 U�sA''leconded by: KG _��t-�A
VOTE:
Mayor Svechin (yes) (no)
Vice Mayor Viscarra (yes) (no)
Commissioner Lama (yes) (no)
Commissioner Joseph (yes) (no)
Commissioner Stuyvesant (yes) (no)
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