Sunny Isles Beach Votes Nov. 3: What Condo Owners Should Know

Sunny Isles Beach elects a mayor and two of its commissioners on Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Incumbent Mayor Larisa Svechin faces former mayor Dana Goldman and Robert J. Spence III, according to the Miami Herald's candidate roundup. In a city that is almost entirely condo towers, the issues on the ballot are condo-owner issues: the tax rate, how much more the city should grow, traffic, flooding, and how condo associations are governed.

What is on the ballot

The City of Sunny Isles Beach lists three offices: mayor, Commission Seat 2 and Commission Seat 4. Each is a four-year term, elected at large in a nonpartisan race. The Herald lists these candidates:

• Mayor: Larisa Svechin (incumbent), Dana Goldman and Robert J. Spence III.
• Seat 2: Alex Brisk, Steve Hirsch, David Vergel and Robert Balciunas.
• Seat 4: Carolina Cruz Gonzalez and Magaly "Maggie" Gordo.

Community Newspapers has endorsed Goldman, arguing that growth, traffic and infrastructure need a new approach. Svechin is running on her four-year record, including lower tax rates.

The issues that reach a condo owner's budget

The city tax rate. The proposed FY 2026/2027 budget sets the city's operating millage at the rollback rate of 1.6514 mills, Svechin wrote on the city's site, down from 1.7 mills the year before. On a unit with a $500,000 taxable value, the city portion is about $826 a year. County, school and other levies make up most of the total bill.

Older buildings and condo governance. In the commission races, Seat 4 candidate Maggie Gordo called for buildings with strong foundations and transparency from condo directors, and Seat 2 candidate Steve Hirsch cites 14 years of condominium governance. Those are the same concerns behind Florida's post-Surfside condo safety laws. Of the 85 Sunny Isles Beach buildings we track, 36 were built in 1996 or earlier, so they are already in the cycle of milestone inspections and reserve studies. Eight buildings in the city carry an approved elevated special-assessment signal on our building pages.

Growth, traffic and flooding. Commission candidates in both races named drainage, flood resilience, traffic and pedestrian safety. They also shape how the city weighs new towers along Collins Avenue.

The market the next mayor inherits

Sunny Isles Beach is a buyer's market right now. Our Market Index reads 20 for the city. There are 1,299 condos listed against 846 sales in the past 12 months, about 18 months of supply, and the median sale was $401 per square foot. The median HOA fee is $1,394 a month. That is why the tax rate and anything that could lead to a special assessment matter so much to owners here.

How to check your building

Before you vote, and before you buy, look up your building on our Sunny Isles Beach page. Each building page shows its recertification status, any recorded special assessments, and how readily lenders have financed recent purchases. Those are the local issues this election is about.