A board election at St. Tropez on the Bay II, a condominium tower in Sunny Isles Beach, was disrupted by arguments and an incident involving torn ballots, leading to the cancellation of the election. The meeting took place at the 96-unit building located at 200 Sunny Isles Boulevard, part of a three-tower complex.
According to a police report, Jacob Gold, identified as the husband of a unit owner and acting as “the president’s assistant,” blocked access to the meeting room and later tore several ballots from the ballot box. Police responded shortly after noon following reports of disorder during the meeting.
A video posted on Facebook by an account named St. Tropez on the Bay II showed people yelling while a police officer escorted a man holding what appeared to be torn ballots out of the room.
Gary Mars, attorney for the association, stated that efforts by the association president to cancel the election prompted Gold’s actions: “which prompted Mr. Gold to obstruct entry,” according to Mars in the police report.
Gold claimed his intervention was necessary due to ongoing disputes between association president Boris Benjaminov and KW Property Management, which manages the property. He alleged that KW organized and controlled aspects of the election process without board approval or proper procedures: “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,” said Gold. “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.”
Gold also mentioned plans to seek court oversight for future elections: If he had not acted, he said residents could have ended up with “two boards, two presidents and a referee for the next year.” No criminal charges were filed against him.
Mars confirmed that another election will be scheduled but declined further comment.
The incident is part of broader issues seen at South Florida condo associations regarding board elections. Disputes over leadership have led to litigation and law enforcement involvement at other properties such as 1060 Brickell in Miami’s Brickell neighborhood—where legal action resulted in new leadership—and The Hammocks homeowners association, which faced allegations of large-scale fraud alongside controversial voting practices during its own elections.
The ownership status of Jacob Gold remains unclear; he is not listed as an owner in property records and declined comment on whether he owns or resides at St. Tropez II: “Whether or not I live there is irrelevant,” he said.
Similar controversies over governance continue across many South Florida residential associations as they navigate internal conflicts and calls for reform.
