The Sunny Isles Beach Local Planning Agency voted unanimously on Nov. 20 to recommend the City Commission consider a text amendment to the city’s comprehensive plan aimed at reconciling inconsistencies with the land development regulations.

Planning staff told the LPA the amendment primarily cleans up definitions, updates statutory and date references, and establishes upper development levels for five future land-use categories. Staff said the package largely mirrors changes the commission approved in August, but one numeric change drew comment from the Florida Department of Commerce.

"The only comment letter that we received was from the Florida Department of Commerce," planning staff said, describing a letter received Oct. 6 that identified a policy the department found not to comply with Senate Bill 180 and therefore "null and void ab initio." The contested item concerned the Low Medium Density Residential future land-use category in the Golden Shores neighborhood, east of Atlantic Boulevard. Staff said the August proposal had reduced the maximum dwelling units from 13 per acre to 10 per acre; Commerce considered that reduction "more burdensome," so the amendment before the LPA retains the 13 du/acre cap.

City Attorney explained the legal framework: SB 180 restricts local governments from amending comprehensive plans or land-use regulations in ways deemed more restrictive or more burdensome, and the department’s finding requires the city to address the conflict before proceeding on that particular change. Staff and the attorney noted the city has joined litigation challenging SB 180 and said legislators have introduced bills that might address the issue but no resolution is yet guaranteed.

In public comment, Tracy Slavens of LSN Partners, representing MB Real Estate Investments (owner of the Miami Beach Club), said the owner supports the amendment package and that staff and the owner had contacted the Department of Commerce to try to work through the identified issues.

After discussion, a motion to recommend the amendment to the City Commission was moved and seconded and the LPA voted 4–0 in favor (Commissioner Joseph, Commissioner Stuyvesant, Commissioner Viscara and Vice Mayor Grama voting yes). The motion did not specify a mover or seconder in the record.

The recommendation will move to the City Commission for first reading; staff said the city must address the Commerce comment on the SB 180 conflict before completing the amendment process for the density change.