We must demand a fair resolution for this unfortunate situation lest it becomes the norm for the future

By Alan Sakowitz

The faithful readers of this newsletter have always made great efforts to support local businesses especially when they learn of businesses that can use a real influx of customers to stay afloat. I applaud you all for doing this and lifting each other up as a matter of course and particularly in this difficult environment with the cloud of COVID overhead. But sadly, I must report our city, the City of North Miami Beach, has inadvertently engaged in what can only be described as less than best practices. The damages for this unintentional, but harmful conduct may well cost a local business owned by Shragie Goldblatt and Kelly Gonzalez over $100,000. Unless this pattern of conduct is discontinued immediately, the less than best practice tools will likely haunt the City for years to come. Going forward it can ill afford to continue employing less than best practices regularly, for it will cost the City its reputation and its residents will see their taxes go to litigation costs and overpaying vendors since vendors will bake the cost of additional risk into bids.

After being told what took place, reviewing dozens of emails between the City and the vendor, listening to a video of the City council meeting of Tuesday, November 10, 2020, and receiving calls from three commissioners and the City Manager and having conversations with each at length,  it is my opinion the City does not have bad people or bad intentions but it does have bad practices which led to this fiasco.

If after you read my summary of what transpired and my suggestions, you agree with me, I beseech you to email the commission members and the City Manager at the addresses below asking that it participate in mediating a fair solution with the trolley vendors leaving no one thrown under the trolley and work toward making NMB, NMBF [Now More Business Friendly]:

Their cumulative email addresses are as follows with a copy to me:

[email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]

You can compose your email or click here to add your name and send a proposed email that you can modify or send as drafted.

Then forward this email to everyone you know within the City and its surrounding areas and to everyone else you feel would find the conduct unacceptable and be willing to send a short email expressing their feelings about this matter.

Together we will make a difference see the day that NMB becomes NMBF [Now More Business Friendly.]

Read The Facts And Suggested Solutions

Send The City A Message You Support A Fair Resolution