List of mayors and city managers of Miami Beach, Florida

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Miami Beach, Florida operates under a council-manager system (weak mayor), with both an office of mayor and city manager.

Office of Mayor

Quick facts Mayor of the City of Miami Beach, Term length ...
Mayor of the City of Miami Beach
Seal of the City of Miami Beach
Incumbent
Steven Meiner
since November 28, 2023
Term lengthTwo years
Inaugural holderJohn Newton Lummus, Sr.
Formation1915
Salary$10,000 (as of 2025)
WebsiteMayor's official website
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The mayor of Miami Beach is the nonpartisan chief executive of the municipal government of Miami Beach, Florida, and the presiding member of its seven-member City Commission. Modern-day mayors are elected to two-year terms and are term-limited to no more than 3 terms, which can be consecutive or non-consecutive. The mayor and other members of the City Commission appoint a city manager to administer the day-to-day affairs and operations of City Hall and its various departments. City Hall is located at 1700 Convention Center Drive; the mayor's office is located on the fourth floor.

Three father-son combinations have held the office: the John Lummuses (Jr. and Sr.), the Dermers (Jay and David), and the Gelbers (Seymour and Dan). One woman has served as mayor (Matti Bower). She is also, thus far, the only Hispanic person to serve.

Six mayors (D. Lee Powell, Alex Daoud, Seymour Gelber, David Dermer, Matti Bower, and Dan Gelber) served 3 terms while Louis Snedigar is the only one elected to 4.

Snedigar was the longest-serving mayor, with a non-consecutive total of eight years and 8 months in office. Acting mayor Stanley Arkin was the briefest, filling in for three months in 1991 following Daoud's removal from office.

As of November 2025, there are six living former mayors: Norman Ciment, Neisen Kasdin, David Dermer, Matti Bower, Philip Levine, and Dan Gelber.

The current mayor is Steven Meiner, who was elected on November 21, 2023, and assumed office on November 28, 2023.[1] He was reelected to a second term on November 4, 2025.[2]

As of 2025, the mayor is paid an annual salary of $10,000 and also receives taxable fringe benefits of $37,800.[3]

List of mayors (1915–present)

More information No., Portrait ...
No. Portrait Name Term in office Terms Approximate
length of service
Notes
1
John Newton Lummus Sr.
1871–1961
March 26, 1915

October 28, 1918
2 3 years,
7 months
Father of 5th mayor, J. N. Lummus, Jr.
2
Thomas Jessup Pancoast
1865–1941
October 28, 1918

October 25, 1920
1 2 years [4]
3 Thomas E. James
1872–1936
October 25, 1920

October 23, 1922
1 2 years
4 Louis Fielding "Red" Snedigar
1890–1951
October 23, 1922

December 21, 1926
1st and 2nd of 4 terms 4 years,
2 months
Longest-serving mayor (8 years, 8 months over 4 terms)
5 John Newton Lummus Jr.
1899–1983
December 21, 1926

December 18, 1928
1 2 years Son of 1st mayor, J. N. Lummus, Sr.
6 Louis Fielding "Red" Snedigar
1890–1951
December 18, 1928

December 16, 1930
3rd of 4 terms 2 years
7 Val C. Cleary
1882–1966
December 16, 1930

December 20, 1932
1st of 2 terms 2 years [5]
8 Arthur Frank Katzentine
1902–1960
December 20, 1932

December 18, 1934
1 2 years
9 Louis Fielding "Red" Snedigar
1890–1951
December 18, 1934

June 1, 1937
4th of 4 terms 2 years,
612 months
10 John Hale Levi
1875–1948
June 1, 1937

June 3, 1941
1st and 2nd of 3 terms 4 years [6][7][8][9][10]
11 Val C. Cleary
1882–1966
June 3, 1941

June 1, 1943
2nd of 2 terms 2 years [5]
12 Mitchell Wolfson
1900–1983
June 1, 1943

June 5, 1944
1 1 year
13 John Hale Levi
1875–1948
June 5, 1944

June 5, 1945
3rd of 3 terms 1 year [6][7][8][9][10]
14 Herbert A. Frink June 5, 1945

June 3, 1947
1 2 years
15 Marcie Liberman
1896–1966
June 3, 1947

June 7, 1949
1 2 years [11]
16 Harold Turk
1915?–1988
June 7, 1949

June 5, 1951
1 2 years [12]
17 D. Lee Powell
1908–1983
June 5, 1951

June 2, 1953
1st of 3 terms 2 years [13]
18 Harold Shapiro
1906?–1981
June 2, 1953

June 7, 1955[14]
1 2 years Born in Russia, emigrated to U.S. at age 4[15]
19 D. Lee Powell
1908–1983
June 7, 1955

June 4, 1957
2nd of 3 terms 2 years [13]
20 Kenneth Oka
1916–1987
June 4, 1957

June 2, 1959[14]
1st of 2 terms 2 years [16][17]
21 D. Lee Powell
1908–1983
June 2, 1959

June 6, 1961[14]
3rd of 3 terms 2 years [13]
22 Kenneth Oka
1916–1987
June 6, 1961

June 4, 1963[14]
2nd of 2 terms 2 years [16][17]
23 Melvin J. Richard
1911?–2001
June 4, 1963

June 1, 1965[14]
1 2 years [18][19][20]
24 Elliott Roosevelt
1910–1990
June 1, 1965

June 6, 1967[14]
1 2 years Son of Franklin D. Roosevelt[21][22][23][24][25]
25 Jay Dermer
1929–1984
June 6, 1967

November 2, 1971[14]
2 4 years,
5 months
Father of 35th mayor, David Dermer[26][25]
26 Chuck Hall
1918?–1974
November 2, 1971

August 10, 1974
(died in office)
2 2 years,
9 months
Previously served as the first mayor of Miami-Dade County, 1964–1970[27][28][29]
Acting Harold Rosen
1925–2018
August 10, 1974

November 4, 1975[14]
1 year,
3 months
Appointed to fill office upon Chuck Hall's death; later elected in his own right[30][31][32][33][34]
27 November 4, 1975

November 1, 1977[14]
1 2 years
28 Leonard Haber
1933–2015
November 1, 1977

November 6, 1979[14]
1 2 years [35]
29 Murray Selbert Meyerson
1931?–2017
November 6, 1979

November 3, 1981[14]
1 2 years [36][37][38]
30 Norman Ciment
1936–
November 3, 1981

November 1, 1983[14]
1 2 years [39][40]
31 Malcolm Hubert Fromberg
1935–2016
November 1, 1983

November 5, 1985[14]
1 2 years [41][42][43]
32 Alex Daoud
1943–2025
November 5, 1985

October 31, 1991
(suspended from office)
3 6 years First mayor to serve 3 consecutive terms

Suspended by Gov. Lawton Chiles following federal indictment
[44][45][46]
Acting Stanley Arkin
1932–2015
October 31, 1991

November 20, 1991
3 weeks Vice mayor at time of Alex Daoud's suspension[47][48]
33 Seymour Gelber
1919–2019
November 20, 1991

November 4, 1997[14]
3 6 years Father of 38th mayor, Dan Gelber[49][50][51][52][53]
34 Neisen Kasdin
1954–
November 4, 1997

November 13, 2001
2 4 years [54]
35 David Dermer
1963–
November 13, 2001

November 21, 2007
3 6 years Son of 25th mayor, Jay Dermer[25][55][56]
36 Matti Herrera Bower
1939–
November 21, 2007

November 25, 2013
3 6 years First woman and Hispanic person to serve as mayor[57][58]
37 Philip Levine
1962–
November 25, 2013

November 13, 2017
2 4 years [59][60]
38 Dan Gelber
1960–
November 13, 2017

November 28, 2023
3 6 years Son of 33rd mayor, Seymour Gelber[51][53]
39 Steven Meiner
1971–
November 28, 2023

Incumbent
2
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Office of City Manager

In Miami Beach, city manager is responsible for administering governmental operations. An appointed city manager is responsible for administration of the city.[61]

As of 2025, the city manager is paid an annual salary of $375,000.[3]

List of city managers

More information #, Manager ...
City managers of Miami Beach[62]
#ManagerYears servedNotes
1stClaude A. Renshaw1924–1958
2ndMorris N. Lipp1958–1962
3rdO.M. Pushkin1962–1966
4thJ.C. Duffield1966
5thRobert M. Oldland1966–1967
6thJ.C. Duffield1967–1969
7thClifford W. O'Key1969–1972
Frank R. Spence (acting manager)1972–1976
8thD.A. Southern1976–1979
9thGavin W. O'Brien1978–1979
10thHarold T. Totall1979–1982
11thRob W. Parkins1982–1991initially acting manager in 1982, before being permanently that same year
Carla B. Talarico (acting manager)1991–1992
12thRoger M. Carlton1992–1995
13thJose Garcia-Pedrosa1995–1998
14thSergio Rodriguez1998–1999
Lawrence Levy (acting manager)1999–2000
15thJorge M. Gonzalez2000–2012
Kathie G. Brooks (interim manager)2012–2013
16thJimmy L. Morales2013–2020
Raul J. Aguila (interim manager)2020–2021
17thAlina T. Hudak2021–2024
Rickelle Williams (interim manager)2024
18thEric T. Carpenter2024–present
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See also

References

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