"Rooted in Our Community, Committed to Our Future!"

Meet Omar

Omar's background is diverse, Born in Cuba, to Cuban/Ukrainian parents, at a young age, Omar's family emigrated to Ireland. In his 20's Omar made Miami Beach his full time home, where he rejoined Bella Cuba, a long established family restaurant in South Beach.

In 2016, Omar purchased his first, dream home, a townhome in Park View Island, a small residential community on 73rd St. in North Beach.

In 2019, after becoming acquainted with the North Beach community, realizing his community had some underlying issues and the neighborhood was under represented at City Hall, Omar founded the Park View Island Sustainable Association.

Over the past 5 years, the Sustainable Neighborhood Association's mission has been to re-establish bridges of friendship and collaborative communication with City Hall, and advocate for improvement of Quality of Life, through much needed infrastructural upgrades and repairs.

Championing Environmental Sustainability, Economic Development, Capital Improvements in Miami Beach.

Why I'm Running

In 2020, A sewer mains rupture on 72nd St. released over 1.6 million gallons of raw sewerage into the Park View Island Canal and Biscayne Bay. The City of Miami Beach enacted a "No Contact with Water Advisory" with the waters around the Park View Island Canal.

This No Contact Advisory with the waters around our homes is still active today. That is a big reason for my decision to run for local office.

Now, as a seasoned activist in this community, I understand that in order to achieve real results, the only way is to do it yourself.

Over the past 15 years, I have operated successful hospitality businesses, worked closely with our local churches and houses of faith to build amazing community programs and serve together through our shared Faith. Worked closely with the community, residents and stakeholders throughout Miami Beach as a fierce advocate for improved Environmental Sustainability, leading on the water quality issue since day one, advocating for improved water quality in all our city's waterways, with thousands of pounds of trash retrieved from our community and coastlines, whilst educating and also providing thousands of hours of community service certificates to local students.

So I built a community, hosted many different walks and talks around North Beach, and countless hours of total cleanups hosted over the past 5 years citywide, to most recently being appointed to the City of Miami Beach - North Beach Redevelopment Agency Advisory Committee in 2024.

This has been my journey to date, do I think it's a normal path, absolutely not! At no point when I bought my first home, did I ever think my life over the past 5 years would become an advocacy campaign due to the underlying, past due needs of our community, a supposed world class City! At this moment, I don't believe Miami Beach can compete with some of the Top Tier World Class Destinations, but I sure want to be a part of getting us back on track.

I'm not a politician. Every step has been a learning path, definitely not the path of least resistance at any point of the way, that has led me to growth, and discovery, in preparation for this next massive step.

One of the Biggest and most meaningful decisions I've made in my entire life.

I have contributed to 4 past winning Miami Beach candidate campaigns since 2020 in one capacity or another. This has provided me with a lot of context for the journey I have chosen.

I respectfully declined the Commission Aide position for 2 sitting commissioners because I wanted to run for Commissioner, not be an aide!

This campaign, website, videos and interviews you will see along my campaign trail are my real life experiences, some of the videos go back 10 years ago when the Books and Books store was still located at the back of the Cafe Books and Books on Lincoln Road.

This is not a "jee whizz," spur of the moment decision, or a decision made for me by special interests, or a list of things I wish I could do, my portfolio in service to the community, extends back to 2010, when I moved back to Miami Beach and began operating our family restaurant full time.

I encourage you to review the "Ongoing Projects" section of the website, where I list some of the most recent and impactful projects I've proposed currently in the works, or worked on over the past 10 years, some that are completed, some still ongoing, an even bigger reason to elect me this December. I am one of the only candidates that already has ongoing projects at city hall.

I am not influenced or motivated in the slightest by ANY special interests, and have worked hard on my own behalf every step of the way.

I did not have to wait to get elected, I did not ask for permission to do the right thing, I already got started years ago. I had an idea and got a head start doing impactful work to date, that has led us to this point.

My portfolio, and work speak for itself, one project at a time, show a clear passion for making this City an even greater place to call home or visit.

Upon Election, I will work harder than ever for us, the everyday resident that's suffering with rising taxes, endless fees and bureaucracy that has alienated too many of us. I will work tirelessly for small business owners, our seniors and disadvantaged populations that keep Miami Beach going everyday. As a 2 time immigrant during my life, and son of small business owners, I know the struggles we all face first hand. My promise to you: I will not let you down! Electing me will be a major step towards the real change we've been dreaming of for years!

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My Priorities

In 2024, I was appointed by the City of Miami Beach Commission to the North Beach Community Redevelopment Agency Advisory Board, Considered one of the more important committees in the City, due to all the development taking place in North Beach over the next 5 years. Responsible and Equitable Economic Development is at the top of my priority list.

Park View Island is no longer the only neighborhood in Miami Beach regularly experiencing high levels of bacteria in recreational waters that exceed maximum limits and health standards by thousands of times, this is a major issue when our City's bread and butter comes from Tourism and Hospitality! Our city needs over $100m dollars to upgrade our crumbling infrastructure. And you know where they want to get it? By increasing our water and sewer bills every year, by increasing our property taxes and levying more fees on businesses and the residents who are already at their limits.

Once elected I will work relentlessly to restore water quality in our waterways, get these crucial and badly needed infrastructural upgrades done, and truly protect the environment that makes our city renowned the world over.

The Park View Island Sustainable Association has been at the forefront of resident first advocacy and community activism from day one, to restore water quality in the Park View Canal, hosting our first community cleanup in Spring of 2020. In fact to date we have single handedly helped secure over $10 million dollars in direct community benefits with real projects to improve our quality of life in North Beach.

We have built a strong community of caring residents, that are not afraid to jump into action, who offer and volunteer their time to making Miami Beach a truly special place to call home. Together over the past 5 years, through the Park View Island Sustainable Association, we have removed over 10,000 lbs. of trash from our community, canals, and coastlines. I spoke at the 2024 Biscayne Bay Marine Health Summit, with a presentation titled, "Grassroots Advocacy: How a Neighborhood Association is spearheading a more Sustainable future for it's Community", and later in 2024 received The Ocean Conservancy - International Coastal Cleanup "Engagement Award", after our 3rd year hosting the North Beach International Cleanup Day last September.

To date, our movement has provided local students with education and over 2500 hours of certified community service hours, we have worked with property owners inside the island to bring millions of dollars worth of improvements to our community. We have taken on issues, and made proposals to City Hall, that no other neighborhood association in Miami Beach can achieve with such little resources.

With your vote electing me as your next Miami Beach Commissioner, I vow with much gratitude and pride, to work even harder for you and with you, everyday of my term in public office.

My legacy as Miami Beach Commissioner in Group 1, will be our shared legacy, when I win, we, the people of Miami Beach will win together! This campaign is for our families and a bright future for the community we love and call home. Together we can do this!

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TRAFFIC PTSD?

As our City continues to grow, bigger developments and more events are underway. If you ever experienced regular rush hour traffic or high season daily traffic including Art Week traffic during December in Miami Beach, you already know it's pure chaos on the roads, our City clearly lacks transport and road infrastructure to accommodate residents and visitors comfortably.

As a resident who travels from South Beach to North Beach regularly, I know what we're doing is not good enough. I vow to tackle our traffic woes with creative and reliable, self sustaining solutions to create alternatives in Miami Beach, that will address traffic and inadequate road infrastructure.

Sink or Swim?

Having experienced first hand the negative effects felt in our community and diminished quality of life conditions due to the 5 year No Contact with Water Advisory around our homes, I vow to make sure your homes and quality of life are protected. We are already seeing sites across Miami Beach with high bacteria readings. Yet, we have still not fixed the problems from 5 years ago and new developments keep rising. It seems our current leaders are afraid or incapable of successfully completing large infrastructure projects to upgrade our Sewer and separate Stormwater Conveyance System citywide. I will place Infrastructure Upgrades and much needed repairs at the top of my agenda and priority list to get these issues fixed.

Your Biscayne Bay Candidate

Tourism and Hospitality are the Bread and Butter of our City! We're a barrier island surround by water, nature and wildlife.

A thriving Resort City like Miami Beach, ongoing success relies heavily on our pristine, clean, clear recreational waters and diverse ecological environment.

I vow to be Biscayne Bay's number one advocate. My plan will create jobs and provide higher economic value for everyone, not just for special interests and non profit friends, I will protect and restore residents and stakeholders right to enjoy and recreate safely, while working with the environment and sustainable planning, to act as an economic development engine for our City. The direction we're heading in right now is simply just not good enough for a world class renowned City that attracts headlines, and visitors from all over the world. We want those people to come here, and leave with such a great impression, they want to come back, not just to visit, but to live and invest long term in our community. Just like my family did 20 years ago.

STRONG ECONOMY?

I come from a two time immigrant family. We have been small business owners for 25+ years. I know firsthand the struggles and difficulties that go into making business work daily, especially the challenges facing small business owners in Miami Beach, the hurdles, DERM and City Hall delays, large fees and high taxes involved in trying to establish or successfully operate a business in our City is not inviting for small business. I will change that.

Tourism and Hospitality is in my blood. I vow to work hand in hand with all businesses in our City to ensure your success!

We will regain our competitive edge to attract talented Small local business owners in Tourism and Hospitality once again to establish their businesses in our City without having to jump through endless hurdles or wait several years for permits and red tape, while going bankrupt waiting. This is a disgusting way to treat stakeholders who have committed their lives and finances to making our City a better place.

I look forward to being your Hospitality and Tourism Commissioner.

As other nearby cities such as Wynwood, Brickell, Design District and Downtown have risen in the last 10 years, Miami Beach is no longer the only player, we're more like the less attractive cousin at this point.

We have lost our competitive edge that attracts full time residents, local entrepreneurs and visitors to our City. The choices in our county for Dining and Hospitality are endless.

Upon election, I look forward to sharing my Extensive Tourism and Hospitality Plan (ETHP) that will address niches, sectors and economic development in Tourism and Hospitality that can truly elevate Quality of Life for residents, and provide direct socio economic benefits to those who choose to live, work and own businesses in Miami Beach.

One of my priorities as Commissioner will be to bring new and innovative, alternative funding sources to our City, to replace our addiction of raising taxes and levying more fees on residents and small business owners.

Support Omar. Vote for Real Change

Join me in making a real difference in Miami Beach! For years, I've put in countless hours, and self funded my whole journey to date. I plan on self funding a large part of my campaign.

Now, for this last battle, I really need your help to make it to the finish line!

Your contribution will help me stay independent on our mission to support the local community in ways no other candidate will.

Together, we can create a positive impact and build a better future for all residents without Big Developers or Special Interests.

Every contribution counts and brings us closer to our goals. Thank you for your generosity!

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Proudly Serving Miami Beach since 2005

Disclaimer: The individuals or entities shown in these photos do not imply endorsement or support of any type or kind for the Omar Jimenez Campaign; they were simply part of public events and meetings I attended or organized, the personal journey that led me to this point. All images are owned and used with full rights by Omar Jimenez Campaign.