Shlomo Danzinger Wins Election for Surfside Mayor, Unseating Charles Burkett
By Chava Gourarie March 16, 2022 11:25 am
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Business owner Shlomo Danzinger unseated Surfside Mayor Charles Burkett in the Florida town’s first election since the collapse of the Champlain Towers South last June.
The results were tallied late Tuesday night, and Danziger garnered enough of a lead that there was no need for a runoff, the Miami Herald reported.
Burkett, who gained national exposure in the days following the Champlain Towers tragedy, came in third place. In a town of 6,000 people, he lost by fewer than 40 votes.
Voters elected three new commissioners, and reelected Commissioner Nelly Vasquez. Home builder Jeffrey Rose, who received the most votes of the four commissioners, will be the vice mayor, replacing Tina Paul.
Danzinger, a father of five from Brooklyn, is the eldest of 12 children. He moved to Surfside in 2012, and lost a bid for commissioner in 2020. As the new mayor, Danzinger said he would promote walkability, address flooding and infrastructure in the town, and protect condo residents, according to his website.
Voters also approved $40 million in general obligation bonds to move the town’s utility lines underground, funded by a new tax on homeowners.
The mayor and the new commission will be sworn in on Wednesday.
Chava Gourarie can be reached at cgourarie@commercialobserver.com.
