The launch of the new neighborhood association, SoBe West, on Monday, February 24th was a great success. With 125+ participants, the evening included a robust discussion of the Bikini Hostel’s recent sheltering of homeless at the business. We were joined by Mayor Steve Meiner, along with Commissioners’ Kristen Rosen Gonzalez, David Suarez, Joe Magazine, and Tonya Batt.

The Mayor and Commissioners explained the options the city had to in response to the placement of so many homeless. Tanya Batt pointed out that it not only is this location the wrong place for the community, but wrong for the homeless too, who receive services on the street in this very public of settings.

On a separate agenda item, there was discussion regarding a developer’s willingness to buy the hostel in return for waiver of some building restrictions. Several commissioners vowed never to allow developers to deviate from present building codes. There was a strong sense in the room that people generally supported that sentiment.

Finally, the City provided updates on Phase II and Phase III of the street improvement projects. Questions and timetables were discussed and while no specific dates were given, City officials indicated a matter of weeks to finish Phase II, with Phase III starting shortly afterwards.