Gross to Run for
Miami Beach Mayor

“I think David’s been a very good mayor.”

Commissioner Saul Gross has declared his intent to run for mayor of Miami Beach, a seat that will be open in 2008, when longtime Mayor David Dermer is termed out.

“I’ve been thinking about it for quite some time,” said Gross by phone Friday, Jan. 19.

Gross, a former real estate attorney who founded Streamline Properties in 1985, has been involved in preservation issues in Miami Beach, along with his wife, Jane Gross, for decades.

Gross, 52, was first elected to the commission in 2001 and was re-elected in 2005. He also has chaired the Miami Beach Historic Preservation Board, Design Review Board and Business Resolution Task Force.

Gross said he is “ready to take on a new challenge” at this point because a youth center project he has been helping develop for his temple is coming to a close.

“I think David’s been a very good mayor,” said Gross, adding he wants his work to be an extension of what the mayor has been doing.

His campaign will be targeted at “all residents on the Beach interested in a better quality of life and maintaining the character of the city as we know it. My passion for preservation is the key,” Gross said.

"Preservation is more than just saving old buildings. It helps maintain our city's unique character and enhances the quality of life of our residents," Gross stated in his official release to the media. "Preservation means a 'greener' city, a pedestrian and bike-friendly city. Preservation is also what keeps our economy thriving.  As mayor I have the right experience and the right vision to lead Miami Beach.”

Although he has not begun fundraising yet because he has not filed officially, Gross says he has “a lot of people asking me to run.”

Gross notes among his hobbies competing in master bridge national tournaments, practicing yoga and, like a certain former U.S. president, Gross “dabbles” in the tenor sax. 

Gross had not officially filed as of 11:30 a.m. Friday. Two other current Miami Beach Commissioners, Matti Herrera Bower and Simon Cruz, filed in 2006 to run for mayor. Raphael Herman jumped into the race yesterday, Jan. 18, according to the City Clerk’s Office.

— Robin Shear

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