Surfside voters are heading to the polls Tuesday to elect a new Mayor, four Town Commission members and weigh in on two ballot questions affecting zoning and the timing of future elections.
Three people very familiar to voters are vying for the municipality’s top elected post.
The Commission contest, meanwhile, is an at-large race with twice as many candidates as there are available seats.
Mayor
Mayor Charles Burkett is leaving office, but Surfside residents won’t have to worry about a relative stranger taking over; sitting Vice Mayor Tina Paul, former Town Manager and Commissioner Mark Blumstein, and ex-Mayor Shlomo Danzinger are running to succeed him.
Paul is now in her second stint on the Town Commission. She first served from 2016 to 2022, then again since 2024.
In her most recent term, she counts as accomplishments her sponsorship or support of measures waiving fees for condominium safety repairs, the creation of a Community Relations Board and Youth Council, upgrades to parks and drainage infrastructure, various community recognition and civic programs, and memorial efforts tied to the 2021 Champlain Towers South collapse.
She vows, if elected Mayor, to prioritize public safety, fiscal responsibility, transparent governance and inclusive leadership that rebuilds trust and collaboration in town government.
Her platform also emphasizes carefully managed development that preserves Surfside’s character, environmental resilience for the coastal community, support for small businesses and protecting residents’ quality of life.
Blumstein, a retired U.S. Navy JAG officer and longtime lawyer, has a public civil service background that extends beyond Surfside’s bounds, having previously served as a Circuit Court Judge from 2017 to 2023.
He served as Town Manager from December 2024 to October 2025, when the Commission voted 3-2 to fire him. Paul was among those supporting his ouster, which came amid accusations he’d acted unprofessionally and been resistant to Commission directives.
Before that, he served on the Town Commission from 2008 to 2012.
Blumstein promised, with a win Tuesday, to prioritize fiscal responsibility, adherence to the law and restoring trust in local government while protecting Surfside’s low-density zoning and community character.
He also pledged to address flooding and sewage issues, lower water and sewer costs, enhance public safety through regional cooperation, improve traffic management and pursue new town recreation facilities.
Danzinger — who in 2022 unseated Burkett, who, in turn, supplanted him two years later — is running to win back the job he lost amid complaints of Town Hall uncivility that saw him narrowly avoid a censure for racially insulting comments he made in 2023.
Just over a month after losing his elected job, Danzinger — a tech and business pro who also works as a political consultant, according to his LinkedIn page — launched an unsuccessful bid for Miami-Dade County Mayor. He took 2% of the vote.
Danzinger does not appear to have an active campaign website. His 2024 site, which is still up, focused on efforts to improve pedestrian safety, parks and recreation amenities, community programs and beautification efforts while advancing infrastructure projects like underground utilities, expanding recreational facilities and strengthening partnerships with local schools.
Danzinger reported raising $39,000 and spending $23,000 through his campaign account through Friday. Blumstein reported collecting about $17,000 and expending $3,000. Paul, meanwhile, raised $7,000 and spent all but $900 of it with four days before Election Day.
City Commission
Eight candidates are competing for four Town Commission seats in a race where voters can pick up to four candidates each, with the biggest vote-getters securing spots on the dais.
Just one candidate, Gerardo Vildostegui, is an incumbent.
A lawyer and legal professor, Vildostegui is seeking another term. He has emphasized transparent governance, public safety and continued progress on infrastructure and town projects.
Other candidates include former Commissioner Fred Landsman, Donna Benmergui, Yonathan Berdugo, William Blumenkranz, Jocelyn Kinzer, Andrea Travani and Dovid Weingot.
Referendums
The two ballot questions will decide:
— Whether to require a 4-1 supermajority vote by the Town Commission for approval of any zoning changes affecting the floor area ratio (FAR) of single-family homes in the H30A and H30B districts. The measure would also make the rule difficult to reverse, requiring both a four-Commissioner member vote and approval from at least 60% of voters in a referendum to amend or repeal it. The current threshold is a simple 3-2 majority.
— Whether to move Surfside’s municipal elections from March to November of even-numbered years beginning in 2028, aligning them with the General Election cycle. Any runoff election would be held on the second Tuesday of December, and officials elected in 2026 would serve extended terms until November 2028 to transition to the new schedule.
