Drama Erupts at Sunny Isles St. Tropez Condo Election: VIDEO

A board election at a Sunny Isles Beach condominium tower descended into disorder, with heated arguments breaking out and one individual grabbing and tearing ballots. As a result, officials canceled the election and announced plans to reschedule, according to police.

The incident occurred Wednesday during a meeting related to the election at St. Tropez on the Bay II, a 96-unit building that is part of the three-tower St. Tropez complex on Northeast 163rd Street/Sunny Isles Boulevard.

This episode is the latest in a series of contentious South Florida condo association meetings, where conflicts between unit owners and board members have become increasingly common—sometimes involving the attorneys and managers brought in to help associations navigate disputes.

Police arrived at St. Tropez II, located at 200 Sunny Isles Boulevard, shortly after noon. According to a Sunny Isles police report, Jacob Gold—the husband of a unit owner—was “blocking the doorway and refusing access” to individuals trying to enter the meeting room. As the arguing persisted, Gold “reached into the [ballot] box and tore several ballots.”

A video posted on Facebook captured part of the scene, showing people shouting and a police officer removing a man carrying a bookbag from the room. The man, who appears to be holding torn ballots, was escorted away from the commotion. The video was shared by a user named St. Tropez on the Bay II on the Sunny Isles Beach Insider Facebook page.

Association attorney Gary Mars told police that the association president had attempted to cancel the election, which led to Gold trying to block entry, according to the police report.

Gold, who described himself as “the president’s assistant” at the meeting, acknowledged his involvement and said he acted for a reason.

He claims the meeting was the result of weeks of internal conflict between association president Boris Benjaminov and the property management company, KW Property Management. Gold contends that KW “hijacked” the election process and attempted to conduct the election as an “outsider,” even though the board or its president should have the final say on election procedures. Gold also said KW acted without board approval and that some unit owners had experienced problems with the online voting system.

Benjaminov was unavailable for comment. KW Property Management did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

“The basic requirement of having the board or an authorized officer officially call for the annual meeting and election was never met,” Gold said. “I might not be the most popular for intervening, but in supporting the president, we intend to ensure the election is conducted properly.”

Gold added that the association now plans to seek a court order to appoint an independent monitor to oversee the rescheduled election. He said that without his intervention, St. Tropez residents could have ended up with “two boards, two presidents, and a referee for the next year.”

No criminal charges were filed against Gold, police reported.

Mars stated that the election will be held at a later date but declined to provide further details.

The Facebook user “St. Tropez on the Bay II” alleged that Gold is not a unit owner, but rather a guest of his wife. Gold declined to clarify whether he owns a unit at St. Tropez, stating he would not discuss “personal issues.”

Property records do not list Gold as a unit owner.

“Whether or not I live there is irrelevant,” he added.

Board elections frequently spark controversy at South Florida condo associations. At the 1060 Brickell condo in Miami’s Brickell neighborhood, months of litigation ended with a judge siding with unit owners seeking to remove former president Jacob Kessler. In September, the judge ordered a new board to take over, and required the former directors to hand over all records and association control.

South Florida’s largest homeowners association, The Hammocks, was the focus of a major board fraud investigation, where former leaders allegedly siphoned millions from the HOA’s funds. The Hammocks also faced election problems: in 2022, before four former board members and the husband of an ex-board member were arrested, polls were closed early, angering homeowners. The former board cited a bomb threat as the reason, but investigators said the HOA failed to provide evidence of such a threat.

The former Hammocks president, another ex-board member, and a third individual arrested have pleaded not guilty and are awaiting trial. Two other former board members pleaded guilty and are cooperating with authorities.