Miami Beach will vote for new commissioners. What you should know about the candidates
On Nov. 7, Miami Beach voters will pick a new mayor and three new commissioners in an election that will turn over more than half of the city’s elected officials.
There are two candidates running for each of the three open commission seats. None are incumbents, and only one, South Beach hotel owner Mitch Novick, has run for office before. Each commission seat is at-large, representing the entire city.
All of them have emphasized a similar slate of priorities, pledging to address crime, traffic, flooding and unwanted development. They differ on some of the details, and have sought to highlight personal backgrounds and political leanings to seek an edge as voters get ready to cast ballots with early voting starting on Oct. 23.
Here is a look at the candidates.
Group 4: Andres Asion vs. Tanya Katzoff Bhatt
Real estate broker Asion faces marketing professional Katzoff Bhatt for a seat being vacated by Commissioner Steven Meiner, who is running for mayor.
Background:
Asion, 48, is a lifelong Miami Beach resident and the founder and broker at Miami Real Estate Group, which specializes in high-rise development sales. In the mid-1990s, he was an administrative assistant to Miami Mayor Xavier Suarez and Miami-Dade County Mayor Stephen P. Clark. Asion runs a nonprofit organization, the Andres Asion Foundation, which assists children in need through groups such as St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and the Overtown Youth Center. He was praised by county and city officials in 2021 for his work to provide food and supplies to local families during the COVID pandemic and serves on the city’s Board of Adjustment.
Katzoff Bhatt, 56, is a 20-year resident of the city and runs her own marketing firm, LaunchBrand. She previously worked in marketing and branding for several companies, including a six-year stint as the director of global marketing for Converse. Katzoff Bhatt has held several roles, including president, for resident advocacy group Miami Beach United. She serves on the city’s planning board and as a board member for the Miami Design Preservation League, which advocates for historic preservation.
On the issues:
Asion has campaigned on public safety, “responsible development,” and tackling sea-level rise. He said his parents’ home on Palm Island saw flooding after the city raised roads in the neighborhood, and that the city must do a better job helping homeowners adapt to the projects. On development issues, Asion told the Miami Herald the city should “encourage mixed-income developments in suitable locations” and “incentivize property owners to keep rents down for our residents.” He said he opposes a 2 a.m. last call for alcohol outside of residential neighborhoods, calling it a “one-size-fits-all solution” that would punish those who aren’t creating problems.
Katzoff Bhatt has called for a strong law enforcement response to spring break and other public safety concerns in the city. She says police should use license plate readers year-round to catch “dangerous individuals,” and wants to “bring order to chaos by stamping out illegal behavior and insisting upon accountability for those engaging in it.” Katzoff Bhatt has also focused on improving traffic, preserving historic structures, and prioritizing sewer and stormwater projects over development interests. She says she supports a 2 a.m. last call for new businesses, but doesn’t support stripping 5 a.m. liquor licenses from establishments that already have them.
Campaign finances:
Asion reported more than $152,000 in campaign contributions across 254 donations between March and June. Updated reports are due Oct. 13. He has said he is accepting donations from developers, but that it “does not interfere with my ability to make the right decisions.” Asion has also filed paperwork to solicit contributions from a political committee and an electioneering communications organization controlled by Christian Ulvert, Asion’s political consultant. Ulvert is also working with mayoral candidate Mike Grieco and with Group 6 commission candidate Joe Magazine.
Katzoff Bhatt reported almost $90,000 from 142 contributions between March and June, including $35,000 in loans she made to her campaign. She says she isn’t taking donations from “big developers.” She is working with political consultant Brendan Olsen. Katzoff Bhatt has disclosed that she is soliciting contributions to an electioneering communications organization, Miami Beach for All of Us, that had received over $22,000 in contributions through June. Most of the money came from an entity tied to The Genuine Hospitality Group, the restaurant group of chef Michael Schwartz and CEO Sunil Bhatt, who is Katzoff Bhatt’s ex-husband.
Other notes:
Asion was fined $1,000 by the city of Miami Beach late last year for operation of a short-term rental at a property he owns on Palm Island. Asion told code officials he was renting out the property for a one-year period and didn’t know his tenant had listed it on Airbnb. The city placed a lien on the property because Asion hadn’t paid the fine, but Asion attested in an application for city boards earlier this year that he didn’t owe the city any money. In a statement, Asion said he had spoken to code officials before the fine was assessed and believed “the matter was resolved” because he had terminated the tenant’s lease. Another hearing is now scheduled for Oct. 16.
Katzoff Bhatt has sought to cast herself as an independent candidate who wouldn’t fit into a political faction on the commission. Asked at a recent candidate forum which current city commissioner she aligns with most closely, she said Meiner, calling the mayoral candidate “incredibly responsive” to constituents and saying he “does his homework” on issues, even if she doesn’t always agree with him.
Group 5: Mitch Novick vs. David Suarez
Hotel owner Novick squares off against skin care marketing director Suarez for a seat held by term-limited Commissioner Ricky Arriola.
Background:
Novick, 59, owns the Sherbrooke Hotel at 9th Street and Collins Avenue. He is a longtime historic preservation advocate, including serving as chair of both the Miami Beach Historic Preservation Board and the Miami-Dade County Historic Preservation Board. He has served on various city committees, such as a sustainability committee and a panel on the structural integrity of historic buildings. Novick has been a frequent critic of City Hall at public meetings and often captures video surveillance footage from his hotel to underscore his claims of dysfunction and debauchery in South Beach.
Suarez, 39, is the marketing director for skin care company LifeCell. He has served on the board of the Miami Beach Visitor and Convention Authority since 2021. In recent years, he has spearheaded efforts to prevent short-term rentals in the South of Fifth neighborhood. His campaign, Save SoFi, led to a ban on apartment hotels in the area and a city investigation into permitting issues. Suarez drew the ire of some developers along the way. One of them, Louis Puig, sued Suarez for defamation in January 2022. Suarez filed a counterclaim. The case remains pending in Miami-Dade Circuit Court.
On the issues:
Novick says he would prioritize “cleaning up” the party atmosphere of South Beach, preserving historic structures, creating “inclusive development” to encourage housing affordability, and reining in utility bill costs. He has criticized city officials for “throwing money” at police on Ocean Drive, saying the focus should instead be on changing the atmosphere in the area to make it more family friendly. Novick says he supports a 2 a.m. last call for alcohol citywide, including on Ocean Drive, and has called for a moratorium on hotel development. “The message should be, ‘The party’s over,’ to attract a more sophisticated clientele,” Novick told the Miami Herald Editorial Board.
Suarez has stressed public safety, calling for more police on high-impact roads, designated police units in each neighborhood, and an expanded detective unit to investigate theft and vandalism. He says he would “insist upon a reduction of the homeless population” by cracking down on sleeping in public, an initiative the city commission is currently pursuing. Suarez is also calling for improved cleaning and landscaping of the city’s “filthy” streets, the acceleration of sewer and stormwater infrastructure projects, and improved accountability for city employees. He remains focused on preventing short-term rentals, saying at a recent candidate forum that he is “the most anti-short term rental, [anti]-Airbnb candidate you’ll find.”
Campaign finances:
Novick has said he is self-funding his campaign. “I don’t like taking money or anything from anybody,” he told the Herald Editorial Board. He took some small donations during an unsuccessful run for city commission in a special election last year. Novick has not yet been required to file campaign finance reports since filing to run in August. The next report is due Oct. 13.
Suarez is largely funding his own campaign. In March, he reported making a $300,000 loan to the effort. Through June, he had raised an additional $21,000 from donors. Suarez says he hasn’t taken any money from developers. “I certainly do not believe that developers should have any sort of impact in our elections,” he told the Editorial Board. He is working with political consultant David Custin, who is also representing mayoral candidate Michael Gongora.
Other notes:
Novick was arrested in 2017 for burglary and petty theft after allegedly stealing dirty towels from a bin that belonged to Mango’s Tropical Cafe, owned by Novick foe and 2 a.m. last call opponent David Wallack. Novick claimed he borrowed the towels and had permission from Wallack to do so. The charges were dropped the following month.
Suarez was arrested in 2003 for burglary with tools and trespassing without authority as part of what he says was a “high school prank.” Prosecutors chose not to pursue the charges. During a divorce and custody proceeding in Broward County in 2020, a judge ordered Suarez to temporarily turn over a dozen guns and his concealed carry permit to police amid concerns they weren’t being stored safely around his young child. Suarez said the guns all had added locks and that he later purchased safes to keep them more secure.
Group 6: Joe Magazine vs. Marcella Novela
Finance professional Magazine takes on art curator Novela in the race to replace Commissioner David Richardson, who is running for Miami-Dade County tax collector.
Background:
Magazine, 40, is a vice president at Loop Capital, a global investment services firm. He previously worked for Deutsche Bank, Barclays and Merrill Lynch. Magazine is also a member of the Miami Beach planning board. Since moving to the city about a decade ago, he has been a regular at city meetings.
Novela, 45, has lived in Miami Beach for 22 years and owns Art Curator, which provides advising and curation services for artists. She chairs the city’s Art in Public Places committee and serves on the board of trustees for the Perez Art Museum in Miami. Novela has also served on a committee on reimagining the area around 41st Street in Miami Beach.
On the issues:
Magazine says he has fresh ideas to change the city’s hard-partying image. He wants to “prevent performers with a history of violence from holding shows near us, equip first responders with the resources they need in order to respond quickly and effectively, and engage in smart PR efforts across the country to discourage out-of-town partiers from visiting our community,” according to his campaign website. He opposes a 2 a.m. last call on Ocean Drive, saying the city should instead be “more proactive in cracking down on bad operators.”
Novela has emphasized support for the city’s investment in arts and culture, in line with a $159 million general obligation bond promoted by Mayor Dan Gelber that voters approved last year. Her other priorities include public safety, traffic light synchronization to ease gridlock, cleaner city streets, upgraded infrastructure and funding for transit options like Freebee, a free ride service. She has called for an incentive program for homeowners to convert short-term rentals into less transient uses, and says she opposes 2 a.m. last call as a “blanket solution.”
Campaign finances:
Magazine reported over $67,000 in contributions from 91 donors in May and June. He has disclosed an affiliation with a political committee, Residents for Safe Neighborhoods, which has not yet filed financial reports. He is represented by Ulvert, the consultant also working with Grieco and Asion.
Novela had raised about $48,000 through June, including $20,000 she loaned to the effort. She chairs a political committee, Elevate Miami Beach, which received a $100,000 loan from Novela’s husband, Ricardo Dunin, the founder and CEO of real estate firm Oak Capital. An electioneering communications organization affiliated with her campaign, Let’s Elevate Our City, has not yet filed financial reports. Novela is working with political consultant Eric Johnson.
Other notes:
Magazine has faced criticism for 2016 social media posts indicating his support for Donald Trump’s first run for president. Magazine has said he views himself as a moderate and no longer supports Trump. He has also taken heat for posting on Facebook in 2016 that he was “sick of hearing a bunch of f---ing morons talk about whose lives matter,” one day after five police officers in Dallas were killed during a Black Lives Matter protest. He says the post was “worded poorly.”
Novela has faced blowback for donating $1,000 last June to the campaign of Republican State Rep. Fabian Basabe and $1,000 last August to a political committee that backs Gov. Ron DeSantis. Novela was a social friend of Basabe and has been photographed with him at various events, but now says Basabe and DeSantis both “turned out to be horrible liars and traitors.” She has since donated $1,000 to the campaign of Joe Saunders, a Democrat running against Basabe next year.
