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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 Directing the Drafting of Legislation to Establish an Independent
Office of the Inspector General
RECOMMENDATION:
This resolution is presented for your consideration.
REASONS:
Adoption of this Resolution directs the City Manager and the City Attorney to draft the necessary
municipal Ordinance and/or Charter Amendment required to establish an Independent Office of the
Inspector General (OIG); requiring the drafted legislation to be presented at the next regular
Commission meeting; and directing the City Manager to incorporate preliminary funding for a single -
employee OIG into the FY 2026-2027 budget projections.
The City of Sunny Isles Beach is responsible for the fiduciary oversight of a proposed annual municipal
budget of approximately $232.7 million, alongside a $62 million Capital Improvement Program (CIP)
and the administration of high -value developer agreements, including the sale of Transferable
Development Rights (TDRs).
Currently, the City operates without an independent municipal watchdog. Neighboring municipalities,
including the City of Doral and the City of Miami Beach, have recently established independent
Inspector General offices with overwhelming voter approval (77% and 81%, respectively) to ensure fair
market value in city contracts and to prevent administrative waste.
To ensure the highest, sta nda rd of financial transparency, this Resolution is brought forward as a formal
policy directive. It is important to note that this Resolution does not immediately create the Office or
bypass the standard legislative process. Instead, it serves as a formal directive to the City Administration
Item Number: 9.V
422
to perform the following actions:
1. Drafting Legislation: The City Attorney is directed to draft the formal establishing Ordinance
and/or Charter Amendment language.
2. Strict Timeline: The drafted legislation must be completed within thirty (30) days and placed on
the agenda for formal review and first reading at the next regularly scheduled City Commission
meeting.
3. Lean Staffing Model: The drafted legislation shall reflect a highly efficient model, requiring the
initial funding of only .one (1) dedicated, independent Inspector General professional, thereby
ensuring a negligible fiscal footprint compared to the assets being protected.
By adopting this Resolution, the City Commission is simply authorizing the preparation of the necessary
legal and financial documents so that a formal discussion and legislative vote may take place on the
actual Ordinance.
Finally, it must be noted on the public record that a vote against this Resolution is not a vote against a
specific policy, but rather a vote to block the drafting of transparency legislation altogether. Rejecting
this administrative directive would signal to the taxpayers that the Commission refuses to even review a
drafted proposal for an independent watchdog. Denying the hiring of a single auditor to oversee a $232
million budget inherently raises profound public concern regarding what an Inspector General might
uncover.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
This resolution has no immediate fiscal impact to the current budget. The Resolution directs the City
Manager to conduct a preliminary financial feasibility assessment and allocate estimated funding (for a
single -employee office) into the upcoming FY 2026-2027 preliminary budget planning documents.
ATTACHMENTS:
Resolution
Item Number: 9.V
423
RESOLUTION NO. 2026 -
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF SUNNY ISLES BEACH,
FLORIDA, DIRECTING THE CITY MANAGER AND CITY ATTORNEY TO DRAFT THE
NECESSARY LEGISLATION, ORDINANCES, AND/OR BALLOT REFERENDUM
LANGUAGE REQUIRED TO ESTABLISH AN INDEPENDENT, IN-HOUSE OFFICE OF
THE INSPECTOR GENERAL; CLARIFYING THAT SAID OFFICE CAN BE ESTABLISHED
WITH A SINGLE INDEPENDENT PROFESSIONAL TO ENSURE FISCAL EFFICIENCY;
DIRECTING THE CITY MANAGER TO INCORPORATE PRELIMINARY FUNDING INTO
THE FY 2026-2027 MUNICIPAL BUDGET; SETTING A STRICT 30-DAY DEADLINE
FOR LEGISLATIVE DRAFTING FOR PRESENTATION AT THE NEXT REGULAR
COMMISSION MEETING; AND PROVIDING FOR AN EFFECTIVE DATE.
WHEREAS, the City of Sunny Isles Beach (the "City") currently operates a massive
municipal enterprise, managing a proposed annual budget of approximately $232.7 million and
a Capital Improvement Program ("CIP") of $62 million; and
WHEREAS, safeguarding taxpayer funds, ensuring fair market value in the sale of
municipal assets (such as Transferable Development Rights), and preventing administrative
waste are the highest fiduciary duties of the City Commission; and
WHEREAS, unlike neighboring municipalities such as the City of Miami Beach and the City
of Doral—where voters overwhelmingly demanded the creation of independent Inspector
General offices with supermajorities of 81% and 77%, respectively —the City currently operates
without a dedicated, independent municipal watchdog; and
WHEREAS, the establishment of an independent Office of the Inspector General is a highly
cost-effective measure that requires the hiring of only one single, independent professional to
provide rigorous financial and contractual oversight, meaning the financial impact to the City is
negligible compared to the hundreds of millions of dollars it will protect; and
WHEREAS, the City Commission recognizes that the formal, legal establishment of this
office ultimately requires the adoption of a municipal Ordinance and/or an amendment to the
City Charter; and
WHEREAS, this Resolution does not unilaterally bypass the legislative process, but rather
serves as a formal, binding directive commanding the City Administration and the City Attorney's
Office to commence the immediate drafting of said Ordinance and financial planning, ensuring
that the Commission and the public have a drafted document to formally review and discuss
without unnecessary bureaucratic delay.
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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. Directive to Draft Establishing Legislation. The City Commission hereby directs
the City Attorney to draft the necessary municipal Ordinance and/or Charter Amendment
referendum language required to formally establish a fully independent Office of the Inspector
General for the City of Sunny Isles Beach.
Section 3. Lean Staffing Model. The drafted legislation shall reflect a highly efficient, lean
staffing model, requiring initial funding for a minimum of one (1) dedicated, independent
Inspector General professional to audit city contracts and operations.
Section 4. Strict Timeline for Presentation. The City Attorney is strictly directed to complete
the drafting of the Ordinance and/or Charter Amendment language within thirty (30) days from
the effective date of this Resolution. Said drafted legislation shall be placed on the official agenda
and presented to the City Commission for formal review, discussion, and first reading at the very
next regularly scheduled City Commission meeting following the 30-day period.
Section 5. Directive for Budgetary Allocation. The City Commission hereby directs the City
Manager to conduct a preliminary financial feasibility assessment and to incorporate an
estimated funding allocation to support this single -employee office into the preliminary budget
planning documents for the upcoming FY 2026-2027 municipal budget.
Section 6. 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: SSghWANCEnded by: /y L0 P4�b
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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