A historic wooden pier will get new life thanks to a partnership between the city and a local hotel owner.

The decaying Newport Fishing Pier, an attraction for tourists and anglers in Sunny Isles Beach since 1936, will be completely rebuilt with help from the owners of an adjacent hotel. 

About $4 to $5 million will go into repairing the wooden pier, damaged during Hurricane Wilma.  The Newport Operating Group, which owns the Newport Beachside Hotel and Resort at 16701 Collins Avenue., will continue $2 million.  The city will take care of the rest.

“It’s really quite unusual to see people come up and put their cash where their mouth is on these deals,” said Mayor Norman Edelcup.  If not for the offer, “we would be sitting here for years trying to file grants and requests,” he said.

The pier stretches 928 feet into the Atlantic Ocean and has been mostly shut down - a portion remained open for a few months - since the 2005 hurricane.  It was designated a historic site by the county in 1982.  A recent structural analysis by Marlin Engineering, a Doral-based firm, found damaged planks and heavy corrosion in the hardware holding the pier together.

The pier “could collapse at any moment due to the extensive damage,” the firm’s president, Ramon Soria, wrote in his report.  “It is our opinion that the structure should be removed in its entirety.”  A solution had to be found as soon as possible, said City Manager John Szerlag. “We thought that the next major storm surge could bring the pier down,” he said. 

Early this year, Robert Cornfeld, president of the Newport Operating Group, volunteered to help with the restoration.  Cornfeld said the pier held value, both for his business and for the city.  “It was extremely popular when it was open,” said Cornfeld , who has lived in South Florida for the past 50 years.  “We’d have, on some days, hundreds of visitors.”

The city will control and operate the pier but has agreed to split revenues evenly with the Newport.  Use of the pier will be free for city residents and Newport Hotel guests.  The city will decide who gets to occupy a coveted restaurant spot on the pier and also who will be liable for any future repairs and insurance costs.

The repairs will mean the return of the activity for which the pier was named.  “The fishing was excellent from the end of the pier,” Cornfeld said.

Guests and visitors to the Newport Beachside Hotel & Resort can now have the convenience of Free Wireless Internet Access throughout the hotel.  This added enhancement is the result of listening to the feedback from the guests.

“Although a majority of our guests come to the Newport for pleasure, they increasingly have felt a need to communicate wwith their office or home and friends.  As a convenience we have installed free WiFi”, stated Dwight Goldstein, General Manager.  “Business travelers and group attendees have also benefited from this upgrade”.

Guests who are not traveling with their laptops can use the hotel’s recently opened Business Center on the lobby level.

- Sunny Isles Beach, Miami, Named #1 Travel Hotspot in the United States -

Needham, Mass. - October 25, 2007 - TripAdvisor, the world’s largest travel community, today announced the results of its annual travel trends survey of more than 2,500 travelers from around the world.  Top trends identified in the survey are concerns about germs, the growth of green tourism, and opposition to cell phone use on planes.  TripAdvisor also unveiled its TravelCast list of emerging hotspots for 2008 with Jerba, Tunisia topping the list internationally, and Sunny Isles Beach, Miami, being named the #1 destination in the United States. 

TripAdvisor TravelCast is a barometer of what’s hot in travel destinations.  TripAdvisor engineers have developed a proprietary algorithm that looks at several criteria including changes in search activity and postings throughout the world’s largest travel community, www.tripadvisor.com.  The TravelCast then predicts the rising stars in travel.  The top three emerging world hotspots for travel are Jerba, Tunisia, Makadi Bay, Egypt and Phangnga, Thailand.  The complete world and U.S. top ten lists are provided below.

TripAdvisor TravelCast Top Ten U.S. Destinations for 2008

1. Sunny Isles Beach, Florida

2. Kitty Hawk (Outer Banks), North Carolina

3.  Seward, Alaska

4.  Kailua, Hawaii

5.  Blue Ridge, Georgia

6.  Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania

7.  San Marcos, Texas

8.  Paso Robles, California

9.  Rockport, Texas

10.  Copper Mountain, Colorado

When Sharon Browne went into Office Depot in April to send a fax, she did not expect to walk away with the prospect of a new hairstylist. Then Browne met Jasmin Ameen, owner of Caribbean Braids by Jasmin, who was working on her newest catalog.

“I admired her hair,” Browne said. “I had always wanted to get my hair done (in braids), so I stopped her and asked her about her hair, and she happened to do her own hair.”

Three days later, Browne, 49, booked an appointment and walked away satisfied enough to return Saturday to have her hair done again in the same style - but with a new “twist.” Browne’s hairstyle, the Afro Kinky Twist, involves adding extensions to the natural hair and then twisting the entire strand of hair.

“When I first had (the hairstyle) in, it was even shorter, and now I am adding length to it and it looks even nicer,” Browne said.

Ameen, 42, began Caribbean Braids by Jasmin in 2004, catering to tourists in hotels in Sunny Isles Beach. It grew to include a home studio in the Miami Lakes area a year later. (more…)

From Michael Hill, Vice President and Assistant General Manager of the Florida Marlins:

“Everyone was very happy with Monday’s event. From start to finish, you and
your staff were outstanding. The combination of your excellent service and
delicious food made for a great night.
Thanks again for everything.”

To learn more about Newport Beachside Resort’s special event and catering services, please see NewportBeachsideResort.com or contact salesandcatering@newportbeachside.com.