‘So disrespected by you’: Miami Beach city manager put on defensive by new commissioner

During the first meeting of the Miami Beach City Commission under newly elected Mayor Steven Meiner and three new commissioners, a theme emerged: One new commissioner repeatedly sought to blame City Manager Alina Hudak for problems in the city.

Unsafe driving on city streets. The deteriorating condition of a South Beach fire station. An illegal dock near Dade Boulevard. The buck stops with Hudak, said Commissioner David Suarez, who was elected last month after running on a platform of cracking down on crime and disorder in the tourist city.

“There is apparently a lack of leadership in how we manage our city,” Suarez said during the meeting. “This is a message from the voters of Miami Beach that they are fed up with the status quo.”

After Suarez had criticized Hudak’s performance on several matters, Hudak, a former Miami-Dade deputy mayor who took over the Miami Beach city manager role in 2021, defended her performance and her city employees.

“I feel so disrespected by you,” she told Suarez. “Those of us in the arena don’t appreciate stones being thrown at us without ... the opportunity to brief you properly and to have a conversation.”

During a discussion of garbage pickup at commercial and multifamily buildings — the subject of years of debate and shifting recommendations about the best approach — Suarez called on the city’s inspector general, Joseph Centorino, to share his concerns about the process.

After Centorino said he had identified “some disturbing things” regarding a lack of transparency, Suarez asked the inspector general’s office to investigate how Hudak’s administration had gone from initially recommending a single waste hauler system to later recommending the use of multiple vendors.

The proposal for an investigation passed unanimously.

“I think it’s very important that we have transparency in our city, especially the way our administration handles themselves,” Suarez said.

Hudak said she had “serious concerns about the innuendo that’s being made,” and called it “very unprofessional” to question actions that city staff had taken at the direction of elected officials.

Mayor Meiner tries to keep peace

The tense exchanges posed a challenge for Meiner, a former commissioner who tried to maintain order while running his first City Commission meeting as mayor.

During the discussion of reckless driving, Meiner told Suarez he didn’t agree with his approach.

“I agree with the premise that we all want things to be better,” Meiner said. “[But] on every item you’ve brought today, you’ve attacked our city manager. I don’t think that’s constructive.”

Suarez said he wasn’t trying to go after Hudak personally, but that the manager, who oversees the city’s day-to-day operations, should be held accountable.

“Pardon me if I feel very frustrated on this,” he said. “It certainly seems that nothing is getting done.”

Other commissioners weigh in

Meiner suggested Suarez should call for a vote on whether to terminate the city manager’s contract, which expires in 2025.

Suarez had placed an item on Wednesday’s agenda to discuss Hudak’s employment, but Meiner said he didn’t believe others would support her firing.

It wasn’t clear during the meeting where other commissioners stood on the matter. On Thursday morning, the Miami Herald reached out to each of them.

Two incumbent commissioners, Laura Dominguez and Alex Fernandez, said they are supportive of Hudak.

“The city manager has worked tirelessly to advance the policy directives of the City Commission delivering public safety enhancements and achieving the highest reserves in the city’s history,” said Fernandez, adding that the city’s government isn’t plagued by the financial problems and corruption scandals of the past.

Dominguez added that, while she understands Suarez’s frustration and desire for change, she is “hopeful that, with time, [Suarez and Hudak] can come to a consensus and work for the greater good of Miami Beach.”

Joseph Magazine, one of the commissioners elected last month, said he is keeping an “open mind” as he pushes for improvements for residents.

“[Neither] myself, nor the voters who elected me are happy with simply maintaining the status quo,” he said.

Tanya Bhatt, who was also elected in November, said she ran on a platform of accountability and integrity but was troubled by Suarez’s approach.

“We are all passionate about bringing out the best our city has to offer, but repeatedly demeaning others who don’t agree with your particular viewpoint has never served us well as a community,” she said.

Suarez declined to comment. Meiner and Commissioner Kristen Rosen Gonzalez could not immediately be reached.

New initiatives and squabbles

Despite the tension on the dais Wednesday, the meeting featured discussion of many items tied to the new officials’ pledges to address public safety and limit the influence of developers.

Among the initiatives they supported was a proposal by Meiner to require six of seven commissioners, rather than five of seven, to approve building sizes beyond what local regulations allow.

Another idea put forth by the three new commissioners will require commissioners to disclose when a lobbyist has asked them to put an item on the agenda.

Suarez and Magazine, meanwhile, presented a proposal to consider a parking decal program for residents of North Beach that has already created buzz in the neighborhood.

Meiner did his best to maintain order among commissioners and run the meeting efficiently, a task that had proved difficult under his predecessor, Dan Gelber. Meiner proposed a time limit for each official to speak on agenda items — an idea that didn’t sit well with Rosen Gonzalez, who said there were “too many rules” being imposed.

“We used to be free,” she said. “I feel like you’re shackling all of us.”

Rosen Gonzalez had a heated exchange with Miami Beach Fire Department officials during a discussion about building a new fire station at the site of a South Beach community center, a project that has been slow to move forward amid some resistance.

At one point, fire union president Adonis Garcia said he refused “to have anyone talk about my profession in the way it’s been talked about,” particularly by “someone who the worst she can get is a paper cut in her job.”

Rosen Gonzalez, a professor at Miami Dade College, said the comments were an affront to teachers and kids.

“I can’t believe you would say that about children,” she said.