1616-51 Various Miami Beach mh04 DERMER LAUDS CITY'S RESURGENCE 03/28/2004
THE MIAMI HERALD
Copyright (c) 2004, The Miami Herald
DATE: Sunday, March 28, 2004 EDITION: Final
SECTION: Neighbors BC PAGE: 3MB LENGTH: 52 lines
SOURCE/CREDIT LINE: BY NICOLE WHITE, nwhite@herald.com
DERMER LAUDS CITY'S RESURGENCE
In his third state of the city address Friday, Mayor David Dermer raved
about the city's strong economic resurgence after the Sept. 11, 2001,
terrorist attacks, and credited the city's continued success to residents,
businesses - and even the man who fashioned the South Beach Diet.
As proof of the city's financial resurgence, Dermer noted that $24 million
was collected in resort taxes during the past fiscal year. That represents a 4
percent increase over the previous best year, which came before the 2001
terrorist attacks, he noted.
"We're doing something right, and everyone on this dais, city employees,
police and fire departments . . . have all contributed to that success, "
Dermer said.
Dermer listed several factors that have contributed to the city's success.
Among them were a slew of new developments, including the addition of l ,D00
new hotel rooms; cultural attractions such as Art Basel and plans to build a
Frank Gehry-designed Sound Space for the New World Symphony; community
facilities such as the renovated Bay Shore Golf Course and a recently
completed ice rink at the Scott Rakow Youth Center.
He also lauded Dr. Arthur Agatston, creator of the famed South Beach Diet.
"Little did we know last year that a local cardiologist working out of
Mount Sinai Hospital would become known worldwide as the diet doctor
extraordinaire, " Dermer said.
"Thank you for giving people a new effective, easy way to live and for
acting as a great goodwill ambassador for our city. "
In an hourlong speech delivered before a commission chamber packed with
officials, including state Sen. Gwen Margolis and state Rep. Dan Gelber,
Dermer also thanked commissioners for taking leadership on key issues.
The list included the recent settlement of the Alaska Parcel deal, and
several amendments to the city's charter that place more development control
in voters' hands.
Dermer also acknowledged some shortcomings.
Most notably, he said, the city's continued boom has wreaked some havoc on
some neighborhoods, especially those in the South Pointe neighborhood south of
Fifth Street.
Dermer's comments came days after hundreds of residents packed a community
meeting to complain about the lack of city services and the city's failure to
enforce the noise ordinance.
"We've been tooting our own horn on the financial security we've built,
but maybe, just maybe, we haven't considered all of the impacts of this
success upon all of our residential neighborhoods, " Dermer said.
"We have to do better to find a more-comprehensive way to preserve
resident quality of life, " he said. ' 'It's about time our residents' concerns
[are) our first priority. "
KEYWORDS:
TAG: 0403310254
+I
1 of 7, 5 Terms
mh04 NO HULLABALOO AT CLASSY NEW STEAKHOUSE 02/13/2004
THE MIAMI HERALD
Copyright (c) 2004, The Miami Herald
DATE: Friday, February 13, 2004 EDITION: Final
SECTION: Tropical Life PAGE: 24G LENGTH: 84 lines
ILLUSTRATION: photo: J. Lo at the Tuscan Steak House (a) , Bruce Orosz, Noelle
Stevenson and Jeff Peel at the Raleigh (a) , Shareef Malnik and Pauly Shore at
the Forge (a) , Thalia at Bongos Cuban Cafe (a)
SOURCE/CREDIT LINE: BY LESLEY ARBAVANEL, Special to the Herald
NO HULLABALOO AT CLASSY NEW STEAKHOUSE
It's Friday the 13th, and barring any Freddy, Jason or unsolicited pierced
nipple sightings, there's nothing to fear other than, perhaps, the notion of
Pauly Shore celebrating his birthday at the Forge as he did earlier this
month.
Now that that's in the past, we can fearlessly move on to business as
unusual, or, in the case of Prime 112, the sizzling new steakhouse and newborn
addition to Myles Chefetz's (Nemo, Big Pink, Shoji Sushi) ever-expanding
restaurant empire, housed in the Key West-on-the-outside,
Manhattan-on-the-inside 112 Ocean Dr. , business as unusually usual. By Lysual,
we don't mean boring, but rather a refreshingly lively scene of people just
cocktailing, eating and conversing like they do in cities such as New York and
Chicago. No doormen, no DJ, just a classy yet modern big-city steakhouse.
Although the place opened quietly on a random Wednesday night it was
packed with the. Who's Who of the city, including Florida Marlins owner Jeffrey
Loria, man-about-town Michael Dreiling and even, according to Chefetz, the
owners of Smith and Wollensky, who were at a table not so inconspicuously
taking notes on the place. If a standby such as S&W is already in there
worrying about competition, you know the place rocks.
Rocking nearby at Pearl last Saturday night was the Kip Swimwear fashion
show, where women competed to become finalists for a part on the upcoming
prime-time network show American Woman. Casting director Matt Vener and Kip
Swimwear CEO Brian Kip judged the contest, which was followed by an afterparty
at Nikki Beach Club sponsored by, lasciviously enough, WET by Beefeater. And
speaking of, Nikki Beach Club, although it has some stiff Sunday competition by
the names of Ritz and Raleigh, up in Hollywood there is no competition - which
explains last week's unveiling of Nikki Marina, 3555 S. Ocean Dr., across
from the Westin Diplomat. It features waterfront boozing, schmoozing and
cruising amid "South Beach-style DJs, models, entertainers and performers, "
according to the invite. There's also sushi, seafood, Sunday brunch and dock
space for over 50 yachts. Why go to Hollywood if you are in the mood for South
Beach-style DJs, et al. ? Come on, Nikki Marina, dare to be different.
In his own daring move, consummate South Beach charmer-promoter and Miami
Beach commish candidate Tony Guerra has boldly taken over the space formerly
known as Shadow Lounge, among other things we can't seem to remember, at 1532
Washington Ave. , a space which many insiders claim is cursed due to its status
as a former synagogue. Soon to be known as Amika, the minimalist lounge will
emulate a New York loft with a restaurant in the back, an upstairs
glass-enclosed area and two new rooms in which to hide. Slated to open in late
April, Amika is not afraid of the alleged curse, and neither is its creator.
"Instead of running away from the building, " Guerra says, ' 'embrace it,
market it, and promote it as another historic landmark the city has to offer.
I believe in good energies and I believe in bad energies. I do not believe the