About Miami Beach Journal

Our Mission

Miami Beach Journal is an independent local news publication dedicated to covering the issues that matter most to Miami Beach residents. We report on city government, real estate development, the environment, tourism, culture, and local business with depth, accuracy, and a commitment to public accountability.

Our goal is to give residents the information they need to stay informed about the decisions being made in their community — from City Commission votes and zoning changes to infrastructure projects and public safety policy.

What We Cover

How We Report

Our reporting is sourced directly from official city records, public meeting agendas, meeting discussions, court filings, and on-the-ground observation. We attend City Commission and committee meetings, review public documents, and interview officials and residents to provide context beyond what appears in an agenda item.

We use technology tools to monitor city meeting agendas and flag newsworthy items, but every article is reviewed, fact-checked, and edited by our team before publication. We are committed to accuracy, fairness, and transparency in all of our reporting.

Who's Behind the Journal

Miami Beach Journal is published by Daniel Ciraldo, who grew up in Miami Beach and still lives here. He joined the Miami Design Preservation League as a volunteer in 2012 and worked his way up through the board, the Advocacy Committee and the preservation officer role to executive director in 2017. He led the League through 2025 and its Art Deco Centennial. In those years he took part in more than 1,000 Historic Preservation Board hearings and spent many more before the City Commission on zoning and development. In 2025 he ran unsuccessfully for the City Commission himself.

Knocking on doors during that campaign, he realized how rarely residents were kept in the loop on city decisions affecting their quality of life. Those decisions are made in long meetings and thick agenda packets that few people have time to follow. That is what inspired him to start Miami Beach Journal: to follow them closely and report them plainly, while there's still time for residents to have a say.

Editorial Independence

Miami Beach Journal is published by Daniel Ciraldo through his company, Young Folks Consulting. We are not owned by or affiliated with any political party, developer, or government entity. Sponsors are always labeled, and they have no say over what we cover or how. See our advertising policy. Our editorial decisions are driven by newsworthiness and public interest.

The publisher also organizes Save Miami Beach, a resident advocacy group. When it appears alongside our coverage, we label it as such. Young Folks Consulting also publishes Democracy.cc (miamibeachagenda.com), the city-agenda tool we draw on and often link to.

Reader-Supported

Independent local journalism doesn't happen without readers like you. Miami Beach Journal is funded primarily by subscribers — no billionaire backer, no political angle. When residents pay to support our reporting, we work for residents.

Many stories are free to read. After three, guests are asked to create a free account, and some stories, like agenda previews, need one from the start. Members Only stories, mainly our meeting recaps, investigations and in-depth court coverage, are for paying members, who can also share gift articles. On some stories, the images are members-only. Membership is $10 for the first month, then $24.99 a month, or $149 a year. Cancel anytime.

Get in Touch

We welcome news tips, feedback, and story ideas from the community. If you have information about an issue affecting Miami Beach, we want to hear from you.