{"id":47038,"date":"2025-11-14T22:27:09","date_gmt":"2025-11-14T22:27:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/47038\/"},"modified":"2025-11-14T22:27:09","modified_gmt":"2025-11-14T22:27:09","slug":"miami-beach-mayor-runs-tacky-nyc-ads-welcoming-mamdani-refugees","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/47038\/","title":{"rendered":"Miami Beach Mayor Runs Tacky NYC Ads Welcoming Mamdani Refugees"},"content":{"rendered":"

Miami Beach Mayor Steven Meiner<\/a> took a page out of Francis Suarez\u2019s book<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Fresh off Zohran Mamdani\u2019s stunning victory in the New York City mayoral election, Meiner ran an advertisement campaign in Times Square to invite New Yorkers to relocate to South Florida. He joins a long list of Florida officials trying to score political points following the 34-year-old Democratic socialist\u2019s<\/a> win.<\/p>\n

\u201cNew Yorkers: look up,\u201d he posted on social media, along with photos of Times Square. \u201cMiami Beach is open for business. A world-class destination to live, work, and invest capital!\u201d<\/p>\n

The digital ad features a purple lifeguard tower on a sunny afternoon. It reads, \u201cMiami Beach is open for business. Everyone welcomed! Mayor Steven Meiner.\u201d<\/p>\n

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New Yorkers: look up \u2026 Miami Beach is open for business. A world-class destination to live, work, and invest capital! <\/p>\n

Text or email me.
(786) 810-8728
Steven@miamibeachfl.gov pic.twitter.com\/9aztm91LtX<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Miami Beach Mayor Steven Meiner (@StevenMeiner) November 13, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n

Although it may appear to be AI-generated imagery of Times Square,\u00a0New Times\u00a0has confirmed that this is, in fact, a genuine ad campaign that ran in New York City.<\/p>\n

Miami Beach spokesperson Melissa Berthier writes in a text message, \u201cYes, those are real ads coordinated directly by the mayor. No city resources or funds were used in their production or placement.\u201d<\/p>\n

Follow-up questions emailed to the mayor\u2019s office regarding who paid for the ads, when they ran in Times Square and for how long, and how much the campaign cost, were not answered by the time of publication.<\/p>\n

And the Reviews Poured In<\/p>\n

Not many Miami Beach residents were thrilled by Meiner\u2019s campaign. <\/p>\n

\u201cGod forbid to take care of the standstill and clogged sewage pipes that these streets endure daily,\u201d one Facebook user wrote<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Another responded, \u201cRead the room! We are full and have enough problems before adding more people and cars. You are apparently out of touch with what our community wants. Life is not all about solving crimes.\u201d<\/p>\n

One added, \u201cLooks like it was made by a 3rd grader on PowerPoint. And \u2018Everyone welcomed\u2019?? This is embarrassing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, there\u2019s too much traffic already,\u201d a comment reads. \u201cFix that problem first.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chimed in another: \u201cOnly a special kind of man needs his name 3ft tall in Times Square.\u201d<\/p>\n

Meiner was cagey in his response to an Instagram user who asked, \u201cDid you use our taxes to fund this? Or did one your billionaire friends pay for it?\u201d <\/p>\n

His terse response: \u201cNo taxpayer funds were used on this billboard.\u201d<\/p>\n

D\u00e9j\u00e0 Vu to the Suarez Connection<\/p>\n

One December afternoon in 2020, Delian Asparouhov<\/a>, a partner in the venture-capital giant Founders Fund, took to the platform then known as Twitter to lowercasedly muse, \u201cok guys hear me out, what if we move silicon valley to miami\u201d?<\/p>\n

ok guys hear me out, what if we move silicon valley to miami<\/p>\n

\u2014 delian (@zebulgar) December 4, 2020<\/a><\/p>\n

Three hours later, Mayor Suarez replied, \u201cHow can I help?\u201d <\/p>\n

The internet went bonkers, with the tweet purportedly amassing 2.3 million impressions<\/a>. Then two tech investors\u00a0ponied up for billboards in San Francisco that\u00a0included an ersatz Suarez tweet that read, \u201cThinking about moving to Miami? DM me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Like Miami Beach, the city of Miami did not pay for the billboards. But the internet has a long memory. \u201cLame imitation of Mayor Francis Suarez,\u201d a Facebook user wrote under Meiner\u2019s post.<\/p>\n

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