David Dermer was a three-term mayor of Miami Beach from 2001-2007.
After September 11, 2001, Miami Beach experienced a sudden drop in
tourism revenue due to the attack on the World Trade Center. That's when
the Beach realized how much their income depended on air travel. But after
a few months, visitors starting coming again and the Beach went through a
very prosperous era. Revenues from taxes so far exceeded expenditures,
Dermer issued rebate checks to tax payers on the Beach. He was the first
to ever do this and none since have followed his lead. His major
accomplishment was passing an ordinance that would require a
referendum vote by the public for any zoning upgrades which would
increase population density. Prior to that, decisions were made the
commission, which encouraged payoffs for favorable votes. After a
successful law practice and three terms as mayor, Dermer decided to
teach. For the past eight years, he has been teaching government and
history at Miami Beach Senior High, his high school alma mater.
