Mayor of Miami Beach, Florida


The mayor of Miami Beach is the nonpartisan chief executive of the municipal government of Miami Beach, Florida, and the presiding member of its seven-member City Commission. Modern-day mayors are elected to two-year terms and are term-limited to no more than 3 terms, which can be consecutive or non-consecutive. The mayor and other members of the City Commission appoint a city manager to administer the day-to-day affairs and operations of City Hall and its various departments. City Hall is located at 1700 Convention Center Drive; the mayor's office is located on the fourth floor.
The current mayor is Dan Gelber, who was elected on November 7, 2017, and assumed office on November 13, 2017. He was reelected, without opposition, on September 6, 2019. He is the son of the 33rd mayor, Seymour Gelber. The younger Gelber is the third son to follow in his father's footsteps and hold the office. Other father-son combinations who served as mayors include the John Lummuses and the Dermers.

Mayors (1915–present)

No.PortraitNameTerm in officeTermsApproximate
length of service		Notes
1John Newton Lummus, Sr.
1871-1961		March 26, 1915
October 28, 1918		23 years,
7 months		Father of 5th mayor, J. N. Lummus, Jr.
2Thomas Jessup Pancoast
1865-1941		October 28, 1918
October 25, 1920		12 years
3Thomas E. JamesOctober 25, 1920
October 23, 1922		12 years
4Louis Fielding "Red" Snedigar
1890-1951		October 23, 1922
December 21, 1926		1st and 2nd of 4 terms4 years,
2 months		Longest-serving mayor
5John Newton Lummus, Jr.
1899-1983		December 21, 1926
December 18, 1928		12 yearsSon of 1st mayor, J. N. Lummus, Sr.
6Louis Fielding Snedigar
1890-1951		December 18, 1928
December 16, 1930		3rd of 4 terms2 years
7Val C. Cleary
1882-1966		December 16, 1930
December 20, 1932		1st of 2 terms2 years
8Arthur Frank Katzentine
1902-1960		December 20, 1932
December 18, 1934		12 years
9Louis Fielding Snedigar
1890-1951		December 18, 1934
June 1, 1937		4th of 4 terms2 years,
6 1⁄2 months
10John Hale Levi
1875?-1948		June 1, 1937
June 3, 1941		24 years
11Val C. Cleary
1882-1966		June 3, 1941
June 1, 1943		2nd of 2 terms2 years
12Mitchell Wolfson
1900-1983		June 1, 1943
June 5, 1944		11 year
13John Hale Levi
1875?-1948		June 5, 1944
June 5, 1945		11 year
14Herbert A. FrinkJune 5, 1945
June 3, 1947		12 years
15Marcie Lieberman
1896-1966		June 3, 1947
June 7, 1949		12 years
16Harold Turk
1915?-1988		June 7, 1949
June 5, 1951		12 years
17D. Lee Powell
1908-1983		June 5, 1951
June 2, 1953		1st of 3 terms2 years
18Harold Shapiro
1906?-1981		June 2, 1953
June 7, 1955		12 yearsBorn in Russia, emigrated to U.S. at age 4
19D. Lee Powell
1908-1983		June 7, 1955
June 4, 1957		2nd of 3 terms2 years
20Kenneth Oka
1916-1987		June 4, 1957
June 2, 1959		1st of 2 terms2 years
21D. Lee PowellJune 2, 1959
June 6, 1961		3rd of 3 terms2 years
22Kenneth Oka
1916-1987		June 6, 1961
June 4, 1963		2nd of 2 terms2 years
23Melvin J. Richard
1911?-2001		June 4, 1963
June 1, 1965		12 years
24Elliott Roosevelt
1910-1990		June 1, 1965
June 6, 1967		12 yearsSon of Franklin D. Roosevelt
25Jay Dermer
1929?-1988		June 6, 1967
November 2, 1971		24 years,
5 months		Father of 35th mayor, David Dermer
26Chuck Hall
1918?-1974		November 2, 1971
August 10, 1974
'		22 years,
9 months		Previously served as the first mayor of Miami-Dade County, 1964-1970
ActingHarold Rosen
1925-2018		August 10, 1974
November 4, 1975		1 year,
3 months 		Appointed to fill office upon Chuck Hall's death; later elected in his own right
27Harold Rosen
1925-2018		November 4, 1975
November 1, 1977		1 2 yearsAppointed to fill office upon Chuck Hall's death; later elected in his own right
28Leonard Haber
1933-2015		November 1, 1977
November 6, 1979		12 years
29Murray Selbert Meyerson
1931?-		November 6, 1979
November 3, 1981		12 years
30Norman Ciment
1936-		November 3, 1981
November 1, 1983		12 years
31Malcolm Hubert Fromberg
1935-2016		November 1, 1983
November 5, 1985		12 years
32Alex Daoud
1943-		November 5, 1985
October 31, 1991
'		36 yearsSuspended by Gov. Lawton Chiles following federal indictment
ActingStanley Arkin
1932-2015		October 31, 1991
November 20, 1991		3 weeksVice mayor at time of Alex Daoud's suspension
33Seymour Gelber
1919-2019		November 20, 1991
November 4, 1997		36 yearsFather of 38th mayor, Dan Gelber
34Neisen Kasdin
1954-		November 4, 1997
November 13, 2001		24 years
35David Dermer
1963-		November 13, 2001
November 21, 2007		36 yearsSon of 25th mayor, Jay Dermer
36Matti Herrera Bower
1939-		November 21, 2007
November 25, 2013		36 yearsFirst woman and Hispanic to serve as mayor
37Philip Levine
1962-		November 25, 2013
November 13, 2017		24 years
38Dan Gelber
1960-		November 13, 2017
Incumbent		1Son of 33rd mayor, Seymour Gelber