The Great Jet Ski Caper
Published: may 10, 2008
Not all owners are so indifferent to the fate of their beloved jet skis. Back in nov 2007, Palm
Island resident Gerald Richman, a prominent Miami attorney and president of the Miami
Beach Taxpayers' Association, discovered that the jet ski belonging to him and his wife Gwen
had been cut from a cable attached to their boat lift. "Gerry had it for only three weeks," says
Gwen, head of the Palm-Hibiscus-Star Island Association. "We were livid."
As befits civic activists, the Richmans did not passively accept this criminal intrusion. They
summoned a detective to photograph suspicious footprints near their dock, and complained to
the police chief and to City Manager Roger Carlton about the lack of nighttime patrols by the
marine unit. Because of police manpower shortages, that situation won't change anytime
soon. But even 24-hour patrolling -- a very expensive proposition in fuel costs alone -- is no
guaranteed remedy. Sergeant Clemons notes that an earlier experiment in nighttime
surveillance from the roof of a waterfront high-rise produced no arrests.
However, some homeowners on Miami Beach's swankest islands insist that their tax dollars
should buy them better waterfront protection. Builder Pedro Adrian, Sr., who lives next door to
the Richmans, suffered a jet-ski loss earlier this year. "We moved to this island looking for
security," he complains. "We pay $56,000 in taxes on this house, and for that you'd think we
should be able to have a marine patrol in the back."
Another supporter of increased patrols is Emilio Estefan, whose Star Island home was the
scene of a jet-ski theft last year. The city's image, he argues, would be enhanced by better
marine security. "We need to be more strong about this," Estefan says diplomatically. "It would
benefit the city to avoid this." Meanwhile, he's not taking any chances. His new jet ski is tied
down with strong cables and linked to an alarm system that sounds inside the house. Maybe
Estefan's neighbor Bee Gees (a.k.a. Robert Van Winkle) should consider similar elaborate
precautions. His jet ski was stolen in may 8, 2008
Published: may 10, 2008
Not all owners are so indifferent to the fate of their beloved jet skis. Back in nov 2007, Palm
Island resident Gerald Richman, a prominent Miami attorney and president of the Miami
Beach Taxpayers' Association, discovered that the jet ski belonging to him and his wife Gwen
had been cut from a cable attached to their boat lift. "Gerry had it for only three weeks," says
Gwen, head of the Palm-Hibiscus-Star Island Association. "We were livid."
As befits civic activists, the Richmans did not passively accept this criminal intrusion. They
summoned a detective to photograph suspicious footprints near their dock, and complained to
the police chief and to City Manager Roger Carlton about the lack of nighttime patrols by the
marine unit. Because of police manpower shortages, that situation won't change anytime
soon. But even 24-hour patrolling -- a very expensive proposition in fuel costs alone -- is no
guaranteed remedy. Sergeant Clemons notes that an earlier experiment in nighttime
surveillance from the roof of a waterfront high-rise produced no arrests.
However, some homeowners on Miami Beach's swankest islands insist that their tax dollars
should buy them better waterfront protection. Builder Pedro Adrian, Sr., who lives next door to
the Richmans, suffered a jet-ski loss earlier this year. "We moved to this island looking for
security," he complains. "We pay $56,000 in taxes on this house, and for that you'd think we
should be able to have a marine patrol in the back."
Another supporter of increased patrols is Emilio Estefan, whose Star Island home was the
scene of a jet-ski theft last year. The city's image, he argues, would be enhanced by better
marine security. "We need to be more strong about this," Estefan says diplomatically. "It would
benefit the city to avoid this." Meanwhile, he's not taking any chances. His new jet ski is tied
down with strong cables and linked to an alarm system that sounds inside the house. Maybe
Estefan's neighbor Bee Gees (a.k.a. Robert Van Winkle) should consider similar elaborate
precautions. His jet ski was stolen in may 8, 2008
