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As the 2021 calendar year comes to an end, it is a time for reflections and New Year’s resolutions. It is no different for the Chamber or for myself, as the Chairperson of the Board.
Fifty years ago, the Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce celebrated its 50th year in existence with a birthday celebration at the Starlight Roof atop the then Doral Beach Hotel. (Coincidentally, that is where my wife Heidi and I were married just over twenty-five years ago.) At the Chamber event, people could read then Governor Reubin Askew’s congratulatory proclamation noting the longevity and impact of the Chamber on the State of Florida.
During the celebration, C.W. “Pete” Chase, one of the Chamber’s founding members, explained how the Chamber almost did not come to be because of the intense rivalry between the “gang from North Beach who lived north of 5th Street and the gang from South Beach”. [Miami News, July 21, 1971, page 3.] It was only through persuasion and developing a shared vision that would benefit the entire Beach that the Chamber was able to have its inaugural meeting at Hardie’s Casino in 1921. Today, the more friendly rivalry between North, Middle and South Beach may still exist but we see how the Chamber still works for the betterment of the entire Beach community.
The group that gathered in 1971 at the Starlight Roof could congratulate themselves on having completed a significant transformation of the Beach even amid the significant challenges and changes in demographics, including the influx of soldiers home from World War II who had trained on its beaches, entrepreneurs lured down to start families in newly renovated bungalow homes that would require the establishment of several schools, and the renovation of Miami Beach Senior High School (the second oldest high school in Miami-Dade County] and the move from its original location to its current campus, the influx of Hollywood stars come to stay in its luxury accommodations and spend time on the sand, and the conversion of the Beach to a more significant permanent residential community.
In reflecting on the 50 years since that jubilee celebration in 1971, and as we prepare for the centenary celebration at our June Gala in 2022, it is important to recognize the significant changes that occurred and are still occurring in our community to this day. The development in South Beach with new hotels like the Gabriel Miami South Beach on 640 Ocean Drive where we were hosted for our recent (albeit delayed) annual meeting. The exciting plans for development in North Beach, with signature projects coming on line. Canopy Park located on Alton Road between 6th and 7th which is set to open in the coming months providing a new and vibrant green space for both the West End neighborhood and the city as a whole. The continual influx of luxury brands to the Faena District and the redevelopment of beach front condominiums like La Costa. All of this will have their own unique impact on the Beach and our community. And at each step, the Chamber was present to lend a voice, advocate for improvements and push for inclusion. The legacy past from that group in 1971, still resides in the role the Chamber takes in our community.
And while the Chamber remains a strong voice for the Miami Beach business community, it also remains a strong voice for residential projects and concerns, because just like the founding chamber members who lived on the Beach, a large group of the Board continues to reside in Miami Beach.
So my resolutions for the Miami Beach Chamber for 2022 is that the Chamber will continue to be inspired by its past successes, but not rest on its laurels; that the Chamber will continue to advocate for needed changes in our community, without being constrained by its past; that the Chamber will continue to be a force for positive, proactive leadership in our community; and that the Chamber will continue to be a place where relationships are fostered and friendships created.
