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It would be nice if one day when someone mentions “March Madness” while walking on Miami Beach there was some confusion as to whether the reference was to the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s Men’s and Women’s Basketball tournament or the spectacular arts and culture programs hosted each weekend in March on the Beach. Certainly the City of Miami Beach is hoping that will be the case.
For now, the City’s first responders – police, fire, beach patrol, rescue and the rest – are bracing for a different type of “March Madness”, when most will be working 6 days a week to help control and manage the anticipated influx of visitors to our island. However, for those residents like myself who will be staying home this year, the City is offering a curated program of weekend events throughout March. The City has allocated significant funds this year for talent acquisition to curate weekend events and concerts to commence each Friday in March. Hopefully this experiment will be the first step in changing the programming and narrative for the month of Spring Break. For more information on programming visit www.miamibeachlive.com.
Going into March, things continue to look positive for the Beach. In late February, The Miami Beach Convention Center welcomed back portions of the Boat Show to inside the Center itself, and outside Pride Park was turned into a series of activations centered on boating lifestyle amenities in cuisine and entertainment. Last week, the Food Network & Cooking Channel South Beach Wine and Food Festival descended on the City. The nation’s largest wine and food event featured returning culinary legends like Rachel Ray and Jose Andres, as well as a host of stars and luminaries on hand to add glamor and glitz to a series of great food events. And even when the festival ended, there still remains wonderful places on Lincoln Road and South Beach to find a flavorful meal and memorable dining experience.
Looking forward, the Chamber plans to return to the Convention Center for our annual Gala, June 4th (which also happens to be my brother Jeff’s birthday). Presented by City National Bank, the event will celebrate the Chamber’s anti-prohibition stance in the 1920’s and will be a roaring good time. As the largest networking event on Miami Beach, the night will benefit our education foundation, which has raised funds to hire a Mental Health Counselor for Miami Beach Senior High School, provides teacher grants, supplies nurses in local schools, and helps fund IB Programs in Miami Beach Senior High School.
I want to thank our extraordinary Gala Chairs Alfredo Gonzalez, Seth Feuer and Richard Segal for their help in organizing this event and promoting it to the community. We have an amazing Board of Governors and group of Council Chairs that also help in putting together this fabulous night. It takes a village! The award recipients are:
- Michael Capponi (Global Empowerment Mission) for the Citizen of the Year Award
- DJ IRIE (Irie Foundation) for the Jan Pfeiffer Distinguished Service Award
- Wayne M. Pathman, Esq. (Pathman Lewis, LLP) for the City National Bank Beach High Outstanding Achievement Award
- Samantha Schnur (The Naughty Fork) for the Excellence in Tourism Award
- Barton S. Goldberg for the Leonard A. “Doc” Baker Lifetime Achievement Award
We are also currently looking for donations of Gala auction items valued that are valued at $100 or more for our silent auction. The funds that we raise this year will help support our Education Foundation. If you are interested in learning more about the Gala or donating an item, email danny@miamibeachchamber.com
Best,
Aaron Tandy
