Saving Miami Beach

David Golomb’s excellent letter, Residents can win, points out that residents of Miami Beach can thwart, when needed, the pro-business approach to running the city that imposed by city commissioners, led by Mayor Philip Levine, with a like-minded majority that quickly stood in line to support their now-defeated candidate in the last election.

Fortunately, informed residents defeated that candidacy, as well as the plan to “renovate” North Beach that Golomb writes about.

The battle to save Miami Beach once again will be joined by the coming ballot initiative to approve a more than 800-room hotel adjacent to the new convention center, a hotel that would be significantly larger than virtually all others in Miami Beach.

How such a monstrosity will improve the lives of residents, even financially, can only be imagined; such hotels tend to keep their guests inside during conventions, thus reducing income substantially for locally owned businesses that hotel guests would otherwise patronize.

Residents should not miss this opportunity to send another, similar message to the City Commission: Represent those who put you in office; not the monied business interests who purport to make you feel so important once you get there.

This story was originally published December 31, 2015 at 6:37 PM with the headline "Saving Miami Beach."