“It may be that the prevailing view is that we want a free-for-all on Ocean Drive. I
don’t know what the public wants.” – Planning Board member Victor Diaz.
By Jason Jeffers
Staff Writer
On Tuesday, the Miami Beach Planning Board faced a packed commission chamber, a lengthy agenda, and a variety of issues concerning Ocean Drive.
The large turnout was partially due to a controversial discussion which took place at last month’s meeting regarding the current condition of the popular South Beach
street.
When the operators of Planet Hollywood – located in the Edison Hotel – appeared before the board to request a modification to their conditional use permit that would
allow a change of name, members of the board expressed a desire to see the hours of performance on the outdoor stage limited.
That resulted in a discussion about noise and ambiance on Ocean Drive, and the continuance of the Planet Hollywood item to this month’s meeting.
However, the assertion by board member Victor Diaz and chairman Mel Schlesser that Ocean Drive had deteriorated due to a noisy atmosphere and younger crowd was met
with disapproval from several business owners on the street, many of whom showed up at the Tuesday meeting.
Before addressing the Planet Hollywood issue directly, the board voted unanimously to hold a workshop at which the state of Ocean Drive could be discussed.
The workshop—which has yet to be scheduled—would provide an opportunity for opinions and suggestions to be made by the board, as well as residents, businesses and the
Ocean Drive Association, said Diaz.
"The more input I get as a member, the easier it is for me to make a
recommendation," said Carlos Capote. "We need to put this to rest and make Ocean Drive work the way it’s supposed to."
Chairman Mel Schlesser indicated that suitably addressing the issue might even
require the involvement of the Greater Miami Convention and Visitor’s Bureau, but he said that it was important to start small and stay focused.
“We have to first start to define the issues,” said Schlesser. “If we get everybody involved from the
beginning there’s going to be too much to deal with… it’s not going to happen in just one workshop."
A number of residents and business owners took the podium to praise the decision and to state their intent to participate. The Board also took comment from North Miami
Mayor Joe Celestin, who said that any changes to Ocean Drive would have an effect well beyond the city limits of Miami Beach.
"South Beach and Ocean Drive concern the entire state,” said Celestin, also a
member of the Finance and Taxation Committee of the Florida League of Cities. Celestin stated that he was contacted by the Ocean Drive Association about the matter and had since discussed
it with the committee. “Changing the scope of Ocean Drive could mean less revenue for the county, it’s an enormous source of income.”
Although no date was set for the workshop, it played a role in a number of the
items that came before the board during the course of the meeting.
In choosing to deal with issues such as hours of operation at the workshop, the
board approved the application from Planet Hollywood, now to be known as SoBe USA LLC.
“I think the workshop will take care of a number of the concerns you raised last
time,” said Harold Rosen, attorney for SoBe USA. “The issue has narrowed to change of operators.”
Not as successful was an application before the board seeking approval to allow
outdoor entertainment at another Ocean Drive establishment.
The applicant – Ocean Steps at 1500 Ocean Drive – was seeking permission to hold an
art market and acoustic music performances in the property’s outdoor plaza. However, that item was continued until October’s meeting after the planning staff requested additional time to
evaluate the application and residents in a neighboring building raised objections to the possibility of amplified music.
The board also heard a progress report from the Breakwater Cafe. The popular
nightspot was ordered to temporarily suspend its outdoor entertainment last March after a number of noise and performance violations, and according to Code Compliance Director Al
Childress, another infringement was recorded last month.
“We had received a series of complaints that music was too loud,” said Childress.
“So we began watching it more closely and as a result we issued a violation.”
“There was a violation, we’re not here to argue that,” said Carter McDowall, attorney for the Breakwater. “My point is that we’re trying.”
Although McDowall argued that the
Breakwater had since come into compliance, members of the board voted to schedule a revocation hearing for the Breakwater on October 22nd.
“I believe your client is really outrageously in disregard of what this board has tried to do for Ocean Drive,” said Schlesser. “This has to be dealt with on a larger
scale than just this board serving as policemen. I personally don’t want this to turn into a code enforcement board.”
