Sherry Roberts is an independent candidate with fresh ideas and a successful track record for creative solutions and accomplishments. She is committed to a safer, more secure, cleaner Miami Beach managed with fiscal responsibility.

Sherry Roberts is a successful consensus builder who believes that in these times of economic challenge it is critical that the diverse elements of Miami Beach must focus on common goals.

SHERRY'S COMMITMENT

As a Miami Beach Commissioner, Sherry Roberts, a respected consensus builder, will bring a new and fresh approach to city government. Known for her boundless energy, dedication and integrity, she is committed to bringing a spirit of teamwork and common purpose to our Commission. She will solicit citizen input by holding regular office hours and town hall meetings. She understands that her greatest asset to the Commission is your input.

Reduce Fees and Not Raise Taxes

Scrutinize expenses and apply budget cuts fairly.

Reduce fees and delays in building permits.

Encourage green initiatives.

Reduce Crime and Improve Safety

Support our first responders.

Prioritize crime prevention in our budget.

Emphasize programs that combat juvenile crime, violence against women and elder safety.

Increase police visibility in high risk neighborhoods.

Facilitate more citizen-police partnerships such as Neighborhood Watch.

Protect Our Beaches and Way of Life

Address our parking, traffic and drainage problems.

Secure funds for needed beach re-nourishment.

Beautify and preserve Miami Beach's special charm by fairly enforcing code.

Introduce new green initiatives with a focus on sustainability to save energy and taxpayer dollars.

Stop Government Waste and Fraud

Streamline the process of obtaining building permits.

Work to build the parks that our community has been promised.

Push for performance-based budgeting to weed out wasteful spending.

Oppose Overdevelopment

Make needed infrastructure improvements before agreeing to any new development.

Oppose any project that harms the special character of our community.

Preserve our open and green spaces and parks.

SHERRY'S VIEWS

Budgetary Issues

Our property tax base is facing a significant reduction and tourism dollars are at risk in this economy. Maintaining the services and amenities of the city will be a major challenge and my major priority. I have a background, which includes operation of a large health care practice and real estate sales, balancing large budgets, managing multi-million dollar community projects, dealing with personnel at a corporate level and real estate valuation and sales. As a commissioner I will carefully scrutinize every budget item and make decisions with a balanced perspective. From the time I was a young mother balancing a household budget to my recent work as president of one of the largest and most diverse condominiums in Miami Beach, I know that every decision to spend is a decision not to spend on something else. I know that line items in a budget are not just abstract numbers but that each line represents something very important to our community. There will be very difficult fiscal decisions in the next year or two and I will work diligently to eliminate waste and inefficiency rather than to eliminate programs or services.

Beach Preservation

Our beach is the greatest natural resource of this city and one of the greatest in the world. The ecology is fragile and easily harmed so this natural balance must be considered as we invite residents and tourists to bask with us in our corner of paradise. I believe that the best results are achieved by a government-citizen partnership and I fully support the several eco-friendly groups and initiatives on the beach. I am particularly proud of the grass roots efforts of our residents who organized ‘trash pick-up days" and those who arrange to spay and neuter the feral cats. I will work for more city government-citizen efforts to raise community awareness and encourage individual responsibility.

City Preservation

Miami Beach is not just sand and water. It is also a vibrant and diverse city that is home to over 80,000 of us as well as being host to millions of tourists. We have parks and green spaces, playgrounds and pools, schools and libraries, museums and cultural venues that are integral to our residential areas and vital to our quality of life. As your commissioner I will balance our commercial and tourism needs with our residential needs.No entity can survive without the other and no entity should dominate. We need consensus and we need a balanced perspective. i bring that perspective.

Our safety forces and city staff are the lifeblood of this city. I have a personnel background and know that our most valuable resource is our human resource. Compensation, satisfaction and retention are important issues that will be of priority to me in any votes I cast.

One set of issues upon which we all agree is that the infrastructure needs to be improved. There are not words that we can print to describe the parking and traffic frustrations. It would be great to have a rainstorm that did not also include an overload of the drainage system and sidewalk flooding. Bicycles need safe passageways.

And lastly we must focus on the green issues. I believe in the three Rs. The city needs to lead the way to recycle, renew, and reclaim and to find ways to make this our standard of operation rather than an add-on to the same old way of doing business. Let’s start with appropriate recycling receptacles on city property.

Historic Preservation

In 1979 Miami Beach's Art Deco Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places and the Art Deco District is the largest collection of Art Deco architecture in the world. I am strongly committed to the preservation of this history and consider myself privileged to follow in the footsteps of the visionaries who laid the groundwork. As a member of the Board of Adjustment I have been diligent so that decisions for variances were never at the expense of our historic structures or the ambiance of our protected areas.

Improving the Process of Permits and Compliance

This is a great city and in no small part the reason is that the city is diligent in enforcing building and safety codes. I am committed to a Miami Beach that is a safe, healthy, and well-maintained environment and there are codes to define and protect the city. I believe in these codes and in my work on the Board of Adjustment I lean toward a constructionist view.

However the current enforcement and oversight process is flawed. Obtaining permits and inspections is so cumbersome that projects are often delayed months and even years. There are developers and businesses that refuse to attempt to do business in Miami Beach because of the infamous permitting problems and we have some stiff competition from the Miami Design District, which has already attracted some of our businesses and restaurants.

Non-partisan political advertisement paid for by Sherry Roberts for Miami Beach Commission Group II and approved by Sherry Roberts.