Ocean Front Plaza, Miami Beach

News of our Neighborhood

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Miami Beach Commissioners Are Still Plotting to Tear Down the Fillmore

The Fillmore Miami Beach at the Jackie Gleason Theater might be demolished if city leaders get their way.

The city of Miami Beach is still trying to tear down the Fillmore, even after voters have already opposed this action ... TWICE!

Contact any commissioner you know and let them know how you feel about this today.

 - submitted by A. Gross, unit 1806

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Miami Beach to begin new $100 million flood prevention project in face of sea level rise

With Miami Beach set to break ground this year on the most ambitious piece yet of its aggressive anti-flooding project, some homeowners are worried that raising streets to keep them dry will cause flooding on their properties.

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Paradise Squandered: Why South Beach's Failure-Prone Government Censors Upset Residents

There’s a government fighting the press, censoring citizens, spreading misinformation with their allied group of cyber propagandists hoping to sway publi...

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Rail system would make Miami Beach traffic even worse

A $400 million rail system in the city will likely cripple us during and after installation and make a currently manageable situation irreversibly unmanageable.

A letter from Commissioner Michael Grieco about the city's plans for a light rail service. The plan will cost $400 million plus about $7 million thereafter in annual maintenance, and it will take Washington Avenue down from two lanes down to one lane.

 - submitted by A. Gross, unit 1806

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After Spending $8 Million to Deceive Solar Voters, FPL Shamefully Hikes Rates by $811 Million

Few parts of the lexicon of American politics are more brazenly undemocratic than "legalized monopoly." The phrase conjures images of failed nation states and robber-baron America in the 1890s. Government-backed corporations abuse vital resources with impunity, hike fees and scam customers with glee as the government pretends things are cool...

Looks like our electric bills are going up !

 - submitted by A. Gross, unit 1806

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Venetian Causeway reopening Wednesday at 5 p.m. (but just until mid-December)

Miami-Dade County, which is doing repair work on the east drawbridge, will reopen the causeway at 5 p.m. Tuesday and keep it open through Dec. 11 — two weeks longer than anticipated.

A little bit of traffic relief for Art Basel.

 - submitted by A. Gross, unit 1806

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The ribbon cutting and inaugural ride is set for tomorrow Tuesday, November 22 at 10 a.m. Join us! The Middle Beach Loop will run from 17 Street...

Miami Beach is expanding its public transportation system.

 - submitted by I. Mereos, unit 1708

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Repairs will close Venetian Causeway’s east drawbridge for rest of 2016

The repairs for the east drawbridge will be halted for five days during Art Basel so traffic can flow between Miami and Miami Beach.

Art Basel is about to become a traffic nightmare ...

 - submitted by A. Gross, unit 1806

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 - submitted by B. Ramos, building manager

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Oceanfront Plaza Newsletter

November, 2016

  We want to make you aware of all of the improvements that have been completed, or will be completed shortly.

1.    The walkway to the beach is now completed.

2.    The Board has approved the installation of electronic key fobs in lieu of the Medeco keys now being used. This improvement will eliminate the sticky locks that we now have, and will enhance security as we will now be able to delete a user who is no longer a resident or owner at OFP. In addition, we will be able to identify anyone who comes into the building. The final details are still being assessed by the board, and administration, and will be conveyed to you as soon as possible.

3.    The new alarm system is finally winding down, and the new alarms will soon be installed. You will be notified by the administration when installation on your floor is taking place. If possible, it would be helpful if you can have someone present when workmen are in your apartment.

As many of you are now aware, Bonnie Ramos is retiring after many years of dedicated, and superb service to all of us. We are fortunate to have found Belinda Behar, LCAM, who is an experienced, professional administrator, and I am sure you will be happy to meet her very soon.

Belinda will be working with Mrs. Ramos, starting Nov. 1, and will take over the responsibilities at Bonnie’s retirement at this end of this year.

 - submitted by B. Carter, unit 704

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WATER OUTAGE THIS MONDAY

NOTICE

Please be advised that Monday October 24th, 2016 due to plumbing repairs, the water will be shut off from 10AM- 12PM in the entire building.

Caution, make sure to leave all faucets in your unit closed, to prevent overflow of water when the lines reopen.

We apologize for the inconvenience and thank you for your cooperation.

 Thank you,

 The Administration

AVISO

Se les notifica que el Lunes 24 de Octubre del 2016 por reparaciones de plomería, el agua se va cerrar desde las 10AM a 12PM aproximadamente en el edificio completo.

Favor asegurarse de cerrar las llaves de agua, para prevenir un desbordamiento cuando las líneas sean re-abiertas.

 Disculpen la inconveniencia y apreciamos su cooperación.

 Gracias,

 LA ADMINISTRACION

 Bonnie Ramos - ASSOCIATION MANAGER Oceanfront Plaza Condominium Association, Inc.

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Another South Florida developer is putting a condo project on hold

As Miami’s real estate market slows down, Alan Faena is pressing pause on a planned Miami Beach condo

The eastern block of the Faena district, where the old Versailles Hotel stands, was slated for the hotel to be renovated into a condo tower (Faena Mar) and another condo tower was supposed to go up just south of it. Now it looks as if all that is on hold.

What will happen to the old hotel? Will it just stand there, blasted out, an eye sore?

Does this mean they will also postpone paving this horrible stretch of Collins Ave?

 - submitted by A. Gross, unit 1806

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King tides arriving in South Florida with extra swell from Hurricane Nicole

In Miami, Miami Beach and other coastal areas, water started to rise Wednesday evening due to a combination of high tides and offshore winds.

 - submitted by I. Mereos, unit 1708

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The deck and showers are now available once again!

 - submitted by B. Ramos, Building Manager

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URGENT NOTICE !!

Just in case you have not heard, the last ZIKA AERIAL spraying has been moved to this Saturday at 6am(not Sunday which is when is usually has been). Stay indoors and off your balconies for at least 2-4 hours.

 - submitted by I. Mereos, unit 1708

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Oceanfront Plaza Newsletter

September, 2016

  We want to make you aware of all of the improvements that have been done, or will be done shortly.

1.    WIFI is now installed throughout the lobby, pool area, and pool clubhouse. If you do not have the log in information, please ask at the administration office. Please do not give out this information to those who are not guests as we do not want the system to be bogged down by too many users.

2.    The walkway behind the pool area is now completed, and can be use as early as this Saturday.

3.    The A/C units for the 4th floor are being replaced. This money has already been set aside from reserves.

4.    We have accepted a proposal for the repair of the pool clubhouse roof, and that, too, is being allocated from reserves.

5.    There is now a state of the art 65-inch TV in the recreation room, which has HD service as well as the cable channels. If you wish to use it, please sign up and reserve the room, just as you would do for any other use of the room. A deposit will be taken, but returned if the room is left clean and tidy.

   - submitted by B. Carter, unit 704

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THE CASE AGAINST EXPERTS: WHY MIAMI BEACH SHOULD NOT BE SPRAYED WITH NALED

For the next two Sundays, residents of Miami Beach’s new “Zika zone” (From the Bay to the East Coast, and from 8th Street to 63rd Street) will be sprayed with Naled (a dangerous neurotoxin) just before sunrise.

Despite broad opposition to the spraying, Miami-Dade mayor Carlos Gimenez, Miami Beach mayor Philip Levine, and some Miami Beach commissioners have justified their support for Naled spraying with their deference to “experts.” Mayor Gimenez brought in a few of these experts to a meeting in Miami Beach Commission Chambers on Wednesday, September 7th, before the spraying began. Among these experts was someone who knew everything there is to know about mosquitoes. Another expert worked directly with infected women whose pregnancies were being monitored, and who has witnessed first-hand the fear and misery of women who are told their children would be born with birth defects. And another expert (representing the contractor that would conduct the spraying) who assured everyone that, with measurements of wind speed and altitude, it was possible to target aerial spraying accurately.

I sympathize with the position into which our mayors have been cornered. They must either spray a harmful chemical on people in the hopes of reducing the incident of a dangerous disease, or they must have the courage to do nothing when the benefits of a proposed solution do not outweigh the risks.

Ordinarily, a responsible representative should follow expert advice, rather than that of the average constitutent who just reads a couple of articles on the internet. In general, it’s easy to understand why Gimenez and Levine have chosen to move forward with the spraying. At the same time, one can also fault them for allowing their deference to the “experts” to override their common sense.

Expert opinions cannot be relied on blindly. Recent history has shown that just 40 years ago, there was a scientific consensus that the world was cooling. Even more recently, health experts recommended diets that favored simple sugars over fats. In the early 20th century, scientific consensus was opposed to the theory of continental drift. In each of these cases, the experts were wrong. In a theoretical vacuum, where there are no risks involved with embracing the “expert opinion,” then one must always go with the experts. But this is where common sense must be applied.

It is easy to be skeptical of the expert from the company that will conduct the spraying. That person has skin in the game; their company only gets paid if the county sprays. It is also very easy, despite their best assurances, to doubt that spraying from a high altitude can be conducted with any sort of accuracy. Just from walking outside, one knows that winds can go from 0 to 15 miles per hour from one second to the next. Wind speed and direction change with altitude. How is it possible to measure all these constantly changing variables and assure any controls over where the Naled will fall? Winds on the beach are generally from the east. How can the spray reach the “wind shadows” that lie to the west of all the tall building along Ocean and Collins? How can the spray reach the sheltered spaces below the boardwalk? What effect will it have on beneficial insects such as bees and spiders? All of these rather obvious questions cast doubt on the recommendations to spray.

The benefits of Naled can also be questioned statistically. The number of cases actually attributable to Miami Beach is difficult to determine due to the high volume of tourism, but according to the Miami Herald, we currently have about 300 total cases in Miami-Dade County. Let’s presume that 150 were contracted in Miami Beach, a city of 90,000 residents. The tourist population in Miami Beach, according to statistics, is about 22,000 on the average day. If visitors contract Zika at the same rate as residents before going back home, we can calculate that roughly 40 visitors have caught Zika in Miami Beach and taken it home with them. This makes a total of around 190 locally contracted cases in Miami Beach. Most of these, according to the charts, appear to have been contracted in the summer, and will taper off significantly in winter, due to the natural decline in mosquito numbers. Let’s assume about 30 people will get infected each month until the winter if nothing is done. These are the stakes. How much are we willing to risk to keep a few dozen people from getting infected?

If we are generous, let’s say that Naled, alone, can cut the number of cases by 75%. That means that, until the winter takes hold, we are keeping maybe 50 people from getting Zika. But in order to achieve this benefit, we are spraying tens of thousands of residents and thousands of tourists with a dangerous chemical. Even if just one in a thousand residents and tourists get seriously ill from Naled, its benefits are erased.

According to a letter from a doctor at Emory University, posted on Commissioner Arriola’s Facebook page, “Exposure to Naled … is not without risk,” “the effects [of Zika] are devastating,” but the “risk of contracting Zika from mosquitoes in Miami is … low.” The doctor concludes by opining that “the decision to use Naled to control Zika-carrying mosquitoes is a complicated one both scientifically and politically. My opinion is that the potential consequences of a Zika infection in a pregnant woman are so great that spraying is the better alternative.” And so, while the doctor, a recognized expert, leans toward the spraying of Naled, he notes that Naled is dangerous and the incidents of Zika are low. Absent any alternatives, the spraying of Naled seems to be the preferable choice.

However, we do have alternatives, one of which is BTI, which we are implementing. The doctor in Commissioner Arriola’s post did not address any alternative to Naled in his letter, because, clearly, he was not asked to consider them. And given that the doctor, despite his opinion in favor of it, recognizes the dangers posed by Naled, it is quite galling that Gimenez and Levine have completely ignored the vast opposition by residents.

If a doctor’s patient decides not to follow the suggestion of his doctor, is that treatment forced on them against their will? If not, then why are the residents of Miami Beach, all of whom are conscious of the risk of contracting Zika, being treated against their will? And to those who say that we must still spray to protect the minority who are afraid of catching Zika, I would ask, then, who is protecting the rights of those who do not want to be sprayed with a neurotoxin?

This is a complex decision. The risks are nearly balanced. And in such cases, even if the experts tend to favor an unpopular decision, politicians must recognize their duty to faithfully act in accordance with the will of their constituents.

 - submitted by A. Gross, unit 1806