A board election at St. Tropez on the Bay II, a condominium tower in Sunny Isles Beach, was disrupted by heated arguments and the destruction of ballots, prompting officials to cancel and reschedule the vote, according to police.
The incident took place during a meeting at the 96-unit building, which is part of the three-tower St. Tropez complex on Northeast 163rd Street/Sunny Isles Boulevard. Tensions escalated when Jacob Gold, identified as the husband of a unit owner, blocked access to the meeting room and tore several ballots from the ballot box while disputes continued among attendees. Police responded shortly after noon.
A video posted on Facebook by an account named St. Tropez on the Bay II showed people yelling and a police officer escorting a man holding torn pieces of paper believed to be ballots out of the room.
Gary Mars, attorney for the association, told officers that efforts by the association president to cancel the election led Gold to prevent others from entering. Gold said he attended as “the president’s assistant” and intervened due to ongoing disputes between association president Boris Benjaminov and KW Property Management, which manages the property.
Gold claimed that KW Property Management organized the election without proper board approval and described issues with online voting reported by some owners. He stated: “That basic prerequisite of having a board or the proper officer acting on behalf of the board calling for an annual meeting for the election never happened. I may not be the most popular guy for stepping in but at least in helping the president, we are going to have a proper election.”
He added that they plan to seek a court order for an independent monitor to oversee a future election: “If I hadn’t acted, then St. Tropez residents would today have ‘two boards, two presidents and a referee for the next year.’”
No criminal charges were filed against Gold following police review.
Mars confirmed that another election will be scheduled but declined further comment.
Questions were raised about whether Gold owns a unit at St. Tropez; he is not listed in property records as an owner and declined to clarify his ownership status: “Whether or not I live there is irrelevant,” he said.
Board elections have been contentious at other South Florida condo associations as well. At 1060 Brickell in Miami’s Brickell neighborhood, prolonged litigation resulted in a judge ordering new directors after siding with unit owners seeking leadership change. The Hammocks homeowners association faced allegations of fraud involving former leaders accused of misappropriating millions from HOA funds; its 2022 election also saw controversy when polls closed early amid unsubstantiated claims of a bomb threat.
Some individuals involved in The Hammocks case await trial after pleading not guilty; others have pleaded guilty and are cooperating with investigators.
