Today, in the year marking the 100th anniversary of Art Deco, I watched something I never thought I’d see in Miami Beach: our own City Hall turning against the very institution that helped save this city.
A Museum Built by the People, Now Targeted by Politics
The Miami Design Preservation League (MDPL) — the nonprofit that created the Art Deco movement, protected our architecture from demolition, and built the Art Deco Museum — has always been a partner to the City, not an adversary.
In 2018 and again in 2022, Miami Beach voters overwhelmingly approved GO bond funding for improvements to the Art Deco Welcome Center, recognizing its role as a cultural and educational cornerstone. The center is housed in a part of a city-owned building, and MDPL has a management agreement with the city requiring the funding and operation of the center year-round.
But today, at the City’s Finance and Economic Resiliency Committee meeting, that partnership was put under attack.
A Routine Renewal, Hijacked by Politics
What should have been a straightforward management agreement renewal — one routinely reviewed and recommended by City staff — was turned into a political spectacle.
Commissioner David Suarez, joined by Commissioner Joe Magazine, before taking any public comment from stakeholders in the audience, spent the meeting grilling staff with questions they were unprepared to answer, after Suarez had inserted himself into what should have been a neutral administrative process.
Suarez even suggested it could become a Restoration Hardware. Of course, nobody in the administration shared that a deed restriction by the Lummus Brothers prohibited commercial uses in the park.
Instead of focusing on facts, Suarez has been harassing MDPL with a series of burdensome public records requests meant to scare the venerable institution into acquiescence – some seeking private information that nonprofits are not required by law to disclose – but that could potentially help David or his benefactors. It’s intimidation, plain and simple.
All this, in the centennial year of the Art Deco movement — the very legacy that put Miami Beach on the global map.
A Shakedown in the Open
As the longest-serving Executive Director in MDPL’s history, I sat in the front row today — ready to provide historical and institutional context that City staff could not. But what unfolded wasn’t a fact-finding discussion. It was a political shakedown.
When I stepped to the podium to speak, Commissioner Joe Magazine sneered, with a look and demeanor that essentially said: “Who do you think you are? You are nothing.”
Moments later, as I began to speak after being berated by Magazine, Commissioner Suarez interrupted me — another attempt to silence those who dare defend preservation and this beloved institution.
That’s when I made my choice.
I looked at them, paused, and said:
“You know what? I’m not going to speak. I’ll see you in a few weeks — this time, on the other side of the dais.”
Then, I held up Commissioner Suarez’s own proposal — his plan to upzone historic Washington Avenue and Lincoln Road for more luxury towers — and said loudly:
“No to the Washington Avenue Upzoning.”
The room went silent.
Preservation Is Not the Enemy – Nor is Arts and Culture
This isn’t about one building or one agreement. It’s about whether Miami Beach still values its history and cultural institutions — or whether we’ve surrendered it to politics. MDPL may be in the line of fire now, but who will be next? The Bass, Miami New Drama, New World Symphony, or the Miami City Ballet? If a board member of one institution donates to a Commissioner’s political committee, will that institution get more support and avoid being in the line of fire?
We need protections from these sort of political attacks from Commissioners trying to be relevant.
The MDPL has spent nearly fifty years preserving our cultural identity, restoring historic buildings, hosting the world-famous Art Deco Weekend Festival, and educating millions of visitors about what makes this city special.
To threaten that legacy because a few commissioners hold political grudges is an insult not just to MDPL, but to every resident who voted to fund and protect the Art Deco Museum – and to taxpayers around the city.
Where We Go From Here
City Hall should stand with preservation, not tear it down from within.
Miami Beach deserves leaders who honor residents’ will, not use power to punish community institutions.
As absentee ballots arrive, I’m taking this message directly to voters. My goal is to return after the election with a real seat at the table — to restore respect, balance, and integrity to City Hall, and to protect our preservation legacy for generations to come.
Because preservation should never be a political issue. And because our history is worth fighting for.
A Final Thought
Fifty years ago, residents saved the Art Deco District from bulldozers.
Today, we may need to save it again — this time from political demolition.
As we celebrate the Art Deco Centennial, let’s ensure the legacy we honor isn’t the one City Hall destroys.
My pledge: if elected, I will be a tireless supporter of the Miami Design Preservation League — and I will fight back against any effort to stifle or silence this beloved Miami Beach institution.
