After more than a decade of intermittent service as Surfside’s mayor, Charles W. Burkett appears to be exiting the stage in a manner eerily reminiscent of former President Joe Biden’s 2024 campaign. Biden’s visible cognitive struggles ultimately forced him from the race once they could no longer be ignored. Now, Surfside residents are confronting a similar spectacle in their own town hall. Over the past two years, Burkett’s public conduct has grown increasingly erratic, raising serious...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
Burkett’s Meltdown: While He Smears Danzinger, Tina Paul Climbs Into Bed With Miami’s Slimiest Political Operatives Charles Burkett is going out with a whimper — or rather, a desperate, unhinged bang. While he is clearly having a public mental breakdown, his desperate emails are now hitting our inboxes 2-3 times a day, growing more divisive, more vicious, and more detached from reality with every blast. In his latest rant, he branded former Mayor and current candidate Shlomo Danzinger as...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
Surfside is now facing a Live Local development that could permanently alter the character of our town, and the Town Commission has chosen silence over leadership. On November 26, Florida Postal Holdings, LLC submitted a letter of intent and site plans for a Live Local project at the former post office site on 95th Street, between Collins Avenue and Harding Avenue. The Live Local Act, SB 102, enacted by the State of Florida in March 2023, allows developers to override local zoning under the...
5 months ago • 2 min read
More and more Surfside residents are asking the question that grows louder by the day: why has this commission sold out Surfside to developers right under our noses? Driving six blocks through town can now take more than twenty minutes. Simultaneous construction on both sides of Collins Avenue has blocked lanes, sidewalks, and common sense. The previous commission required the Kushner project to stage construction from 94th Street. This Commission reversed that decision, allowing the shutdown...
6 months ago • 2 min read
Surfside has once again become an embarrassment as the dysfunction of our current Commission was on full display last month. In a reckless and stunning move, Commissioner Tina Paul moved to fire Town Manager Mark Blumstein without any plan or qualified replacement in place. What followed was a humiliating moment for our town: Commissioners looking out to staff in the audience and begging, “Will someone help us out?” At that point, one by one, employees declined to step into the leadership...
7 months ago • 1 min read
Surfside is in the middle of a full-blown leadership crisis. Our Town employees are leaving in waves, and the silence from our elected officials is deafening. Just last week, three key staff members abruptly resigned. Adrian Hernandez, who stepped in as Parks & Recreation's new Director after Tim Milian’s August departure, quit less than a month into the job. Deputy Public Works Director Frantza Duval resigned shortly after her Director, Randy Stokes, walked away earlier this year. In perhaps...
9 months ago • 2 min read
Reprinted from an open letter posted on NextDoor – August 11, 2025 - - - - - - - From: Shlomo DanzingerFormer Mayor, Town of Surfside, FLTo: Charles W. Burkett, MayorTina Paul, Vice MayorRuben A. Coto, CommissionerNelly Velasquez, CommissionerGerardo Vildostegui, Commissioner August 11, 2025RE: Formal Notice of Legal and Personal Liability Regarding Proposed Undergrounding ProjectDear Mayor and Commissioners,I am writing to place each of you on formal notice regarding the proposed Utilities...
10 months ago • 4 min read
Photo credit https://shlomoforsurfside.com/ Reprinted from an open letter posted on NextDoor – July, 27, 2025 - - - - - - - Dear Neighbors, Tomorrow night, Monday, July 28, there will be a special meeting at Town Hall where two critical issues will be voted on: the undergrounding project and the Abbott Avenue drainage project. These are not routine agenda items. The decisions made tomorrow could shape Surfside for decades, and it is critical that residents fully understand the stakes. The...
10 months ago • 2 min read
We’ve all heard the saying: Elections have consequences. Nowhere is that more painfully true than in Surfside — where voters, distracted by empty slogans and finger-pointing, handed power to activists posing as leaders. Now, we’re all paying the price. Case in point: the Commission’s reckless war with our neighbors in Indian Creek Village. In recent years, Miami-Dade County has mandated that cities abandon septic tanks for modern sewer systems — an environmental no-brainer which the State has...
11 months ago • 6 min read