Clevelander blasts Miami Beach mayor’s remarks. He responded with quips about Canada
A war of words between Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber and the owners of the Clevelander Hotel and Bar reached new heights this week, as Montreal-based Jesta Group accused Gelber of making “xenophobic” remarks and Gelber hit back with a scathing response that featured tongue-in-cheek jokes about Canadian culture.
The feud stems from the Clevelander owners’ proposal to turn the Ocean Drive party spot into a high-end restaurant and an 18-story development with 40% of units designated as workforce housing under Florida’s Live Local Act, a plan Gelber was quick to label the “worst idea ever” when a version was first floated in September.
In a letter to Gelber on Monday, an attorney for Jesta Group pointed to comments Gelber has made to the media about the project in which he called the investors “foreign owners” who “could really care less about our city.”
If such remarks continue, the letter said, Jesta is prepared to sue Gelber and the city.
“These comments are unprofessional, inaccurate, and illegal,” wrote attorney Matthew Chait. “If you have concerns about the merits of Jesta’s proposed project, then state them. But the personal, xenophobic, and defamatory remarks must stop.”
The letter critiqued Gelber’s “apparent reversal” on his desire to change the party atmosphere on Ocean Drive. The mayor has pushed unsuccessfully for a move from 5 a.m. to 2 a.m. last call for alcohol there, which the Clevelander has fought in court.
“For years, you have expressed your desire to change the business model on Ocean Drive from nightlife to a more residential focus,” Chait wrote. “If you do not support any residential building on Ocean Drive higher than the existing cap of five stories, then we suggest that you stop advocating for more residential product on the street.”
Gelber responds
On Tuesday, Gelber wrote back to Jesta Group with a note that began: “Thank you so much for your recent letter. Nothing screams ‘we want to be part of the solution’ more than a specious threat to sue.”
Gelber said the idea that the Clevelander has been “victimized” by the city is “adorable,” arguing that the business has “fomented and only worsened” its hard-partying reputation.
He highlighted, as he has in the past, a sign outside the Clevelander during spring break in 2021 that read, “Misbehavior Encouraged.” That sign, Gelber said, “seemed more suitable for a rush chairman of a fraternity on probation than a self-proclaimed responsible real estate investment company.”
“There is no question that 10th Street and Ocean Drive is a center of some of the worst activity in our community,” Gelber wrote. “It is a magnet for drug dealing and a clientele that at times is too drunk or too rowdy to follow rules of decency and decorum.”
Gelber, who will complete his six-year run as mayor in November due to term limits, also made light of Jesta Group’s allegations of xenophobia.
“I am deeply offended that you have accused me of xenophobia toward Canada. That is just patently unfair,” he wrote. “I love [Tim Horton’s] hash browns, went through a Drake stage, am still in a Michael Bublé stage, and will always be grateful that Canada provide refuge for so many refugees from the Republic of Gilead in ‘The Handmaid’s Tale.’ ”
He added that “the good news for the Canadian Jesta Group is that I am only mayor for a few more weeks.”
“But I hope my successor and our next commission build upon my antipathy for your very horrible idea,” Gelber wrote. “Seriously, not since Canadian bacon was introduced into breakfast tables has Canada been responsible for something so thoughtless.”
Jesta Group Senior Managing Director Anthony O’Brien responded in a statement Tuesday.
“This type of crude, unapologetic, and divisive response is emblematic of why we have been unable to have constructive dialogue with the mayor’s office for the last six years,” the statement said. “We look forward to having collaborative urban planning discussions with the city of Miami Beach about the future of Ocean Drive in the near future.”
The statement concluded: “In the meantime, happy retirement, Dan.”
READ: Jesta Group letter to Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber
READ: Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber’s letter to Jesta Group
City flags concerns with proposal
The Clevelander owners submitted plans to the city of Miami Beach last week for an 18-story development, shorter than the 30 stories first contemplated but substantially taller than other buildings on historic Ocean Drive.
The proposal calls for a 200-foot tower above a ground-floor restaurant where the Clevelander currently stands and another building at the site of the adjacent Essex House, also owned by Jesta. It would have 137 residential units with 55 workforce housing units affordable for people making up to 120% of the area median income, a requirement to comply with the Live Local Act that lets developers circumvent local zoning restrictions.
City officials have been exploring ways to fight back against the Clevelander plan and potential future proposals under the Live Local Act, including the possibility of restricting building heights allowed in South Beach.
The city responded last week to Jesta’s site plan application by saying the plan has “major deficiencies” that must be addressed before the city can grant a building permit.
Miami Beach officials say the city maintains control of floor-area ratio, a method of regulating building size, under the Live Local Act. The Clevelander owners contend the law lets them go beyond what local regulations allow.
“These deficiencies will require the developer to make major revisions to its proposal if the developer intends to proceed under the Live Local Act,” City Manager Alina Hudak wrote in an Oct. 25 email to elected officials.
