|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Most people wake up, go to work and come home day after day, not giving much thought to the town they live in. Not so for Jerry Greenberg. He’s lived in the Pinecrest area his whole life and has somehow always known in his bones that he was meant to serve his community.
“My Dad worked as the Miami-Dade County Attorney almost his whole career and he brought that home with him,” explains Greenberg. “It inspired me to want to work in government too.”
Now seems to be that time.
“It’s already wonderful in Pinecrest!” says Greenberg. “Besides the trees, weather, houses and the people, it is the well-functioning Council, administration and government that make this such a great place to live. To keep that going, we need people to step up and keep it going. When the opportunity came up, I decided it was my time to run. I feel it is my obligation to contribute to this great Village and make it even better.”
On November 5, Pinecrest will elect three new members to their Village Council. While the Mayor and At-Large Seat will remain, all the number seats (1, 2 and 3 – where you need to live in the zone) are up for grabs. Jerry is running for Seat 2, which is currently held by Katie Abbott, who will not seek re-election. Interestingly enough, Katie and Jerry have known each other ‘forever’ and Katie encouraged him to run.
Greenberg has a wife, Maya, and three children. Growing up, he went to Beth Am (where Maya now teaches), played in Howard Palmetto Baseball, went to Palmetto High School, and was very involved with student activities.
Professionally, Greenberg served as a law clerk to a federal appellate judge before becoming an Assistant United States Attorney in the Southern District of Florida. After leaving that post, he became a partner at one of South Florida’s most prestigious law firms, Stearns Weaver. In 2012, he joined two friends to open the law firm, Gelber Schachter & Greenberg, P.A. which focuses on civil litigation, white collar criminal defense, and mediation.
Today, Greenberg is involved with several charitable organizations and is particularly proud to have started an award-winning debate team at Palmetto Middle. Now he aspires to be on the Village Council.
“This is a way for me to do something meaningful on a hyperlocal and effective level,” Greenberg says. “Pinecrest’s Council makes an impact on people’s true day-to-day issues by being smart, thoughtful and collegial.”
Regarding what he wants to do on the Council, “Some of the challenges we have are continuations of where we’ve been. I’m not looking to radically change anything, but I know that fresh thoughts and people will move Pinecrest forward.”
Jerry cited traffic, US-1 development, climate and parks/trees/sidewalks as his focal points where he’d like to make his mark.
“We should constantly be analyzing our traffic, support public transportation efforts and I like traffic circles to keep cars moving along.”
Regarding US-1 development, Jerry was very involved with the referendum that might have hamstrung the Pinecrest government from making intelligent zoning and code choices. With his and others’ efforts, the referendum went the right way and Pinecrest can now focus on avoiding overdevelopment.
“But in the same breath, I recognize the other side of the referendum and they have valid points,” said Greenberg. “We always need to see the other side.”
He thinks incentives for beautification of the US-1 corridor are a good idea and in reach.
Specific to hardening the electrical grid in Pinecrest, Greenberg says that he was undergrounded by FPL and saw an immediate improvement.
“I was shocked how much better it was,” remarked Greenberg.
He would continue to partner with FPL to ensure as much of Pinecrest as possible had their power from underground.
Regarding water, Greenberg recognizes that many Pinecrest residents are still using well water. He is a large proponent of making sure everyone who wants to move to municipal water can, since it has health implications.
“We got lucky with a large Federal grant during COVID and Pinecrest used these funds well,” said Jerry. “I was incredibly impressed with how quickly they connected homes and we need to continue this project as swiftly as possible.”
Tangentially, he is also all in on getting everyone onto sewer and off failing septic tanks.
“Connecting to sewer is incredibly expensive and it will need County involvement, but with the years of persistence Pinecrest showed in getting water to our homes, I am sure we will succeed in our sewer efforts as well,” said Greenberg.
One of Jerry’s specialties at work is mediation. He believes a lot of the Council work will involve listening, respect and mediation to achieve the best results for Pinecrest.
Greenberg officially starts his campaign on February 29 with an evening kick-off event. He plans on knocking on doors and meeting as many people as possible to have an even richer understanding of Pinecrest residents and their needs. To learn more or to get involved, go to jerryforpinecrest.com or email him at jerry@jerryforpinecrest.com.
Shop ‘Til You Drop at Mangowood Garage Sale
The annual Mangowood Garage Sale is happening February 24 from 7 a.m. to 12 noon. This is an amazing event where around 100 homes band together to form a huge neighborhood garage sale.
If you want bargains and great stuff, don’t miss it. More importantly, come out to see how a community bonds. This event is more than just buying and selling things. It is about caring for each other and an opportunity to be together.
The best stuff may go right as the sale starts, but the fun will last until noon! Arrive at SW 152nd Street and 84th Court and follow the signs from the flagpole monument. For more, you can look back at a 2014 Mangowood Garage Sale video I did here: youtu.be/t5qPehcW4kE
Real Estate Update
As of 1/31/24, there were 106 properties for sale in Pinecrest, 23 homes pending sale and 10.1 months of inventory. If you’re ready to move, contact me to get the best local expertise, truthful guidance and realistic expectations. It’s easy to get started at miamihal.com/getstarted. I invite you to view past episodes of my The MiamiHal Real Estate Show at miamihal.com/the-miamihal-real-estate-show to hear from experts and get the latest real estate news.
Hal Feldman (MiamiHal) is a Realtor with RE/MAX Advance Realty. You can contact him with your story ideas or real estate questions at www.MiamiHal.com, Hal@MiamiHal.com or www.facebook.com/MiamiHal
ABOUT US:
For more Miami community news, look no further than Miami Community Newspapers. This Miami online group of newspapers covers a variety of topics about the local community and beyond. Miami’s Community Newspapers offers daily news, online resources, podcasts and other multimedia content to keep readers informed. With topics ranging from local news to community events, Miami’s Community Newspapers is the ideal source for staying up to date with the latest news and happenings in the area.
This family-owned media company publishes more than a dozen neighborhood publications, magazines, special sections on their websites, newsletters, as well as distributing them in print throughout Miami Dade County from Aventura, Sunny Isles Beach, Miami Beach, Coral Gables, Brickell, Coconut Grove, Pinecrest, South Miami, Kendall, Palmetto Bay, Cutler Bay and Homestead. Each online publication and print editions provide comprehensive coverage of local news, events, business updates, lifestyle features, and local initiatives within its respective community.
Additionally, the newspaper has exclusive Miami community podcasts, providing listeners with an in-depth look into Miami’s culture. Whether you’re looking for local Miami news, or podcasts, Miami’s Community Newspapers has you covered. For more information, be sure to check out: https://communitynewspapers.com.
If you have any questions, feel free to email Michael@communitynewspapers.com or Grant@communitynewspapers.com.
