MIAMI BEACH, Fla. – Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber delivered his 2021 state of the city address Monday morning, during which he spoke about changing the culture of the city’s nightlife sector after incidents this past weekend led to almost 150 arrests.
“The entertainment district must go,” Gelber said, repeating his vision to replace the tourist party hub with an “Art Deco Cultural District.”“We don’t need what we have right now,” Gelber added.
“It could be all night drinking,” he said, noting “145 places have 5 a.m. permits and we don’t need any of it.
“They need more resources,” Miami Beach resident Julia Verardi said.
That’s why it was so hard for us,” he said, also pointing out that Miami Beach was the first city in Florida to adopt a mask mandate.