In an incident that has disrupted the political fabric of Sunny Isles Beach, commission candidate George Bardmesser was charged with child abuse following an altercation with two teenagers at a local Cuban restaurant. According to 7News, the 59-year-old attorney and author, who is currently campaigning for a role in city governance, allegedly grabbed one teen by the neck and punched another during an event at El Tropico Cuban Cuisine.
As Local 10 News reported, the scene unfolded at Bardmesser's scheduled campaign gathering, which was meant to be a discussion of ideas and vision for the future this turned ugly, leaving onlookers aghast at the violence displayed by the candidate who originally invited residents in a spirit of community on speaks of a fracture, of a fleeting moment wherein the promise of civil discourse gave way to the chaos of physicality.
Caught in the middle of this outburst were the teenagers, aged 15 and 16, who were under the charge of incumbent Sunny Isles Beach Commissioner Fabiola Stuyvesant at the time; Stuyvesant had brought them along to attend the political coffee meet-up. “You just can’t take out your aggression on kids,” Pedro Vera, the owner of El Tropico and an eyewitness to the event told 7News.
Bardmesser's arrest was swift, as police apprehended him at the scene of the altercation and he was later charged with two counts of child abuse without great bodily harm, this incident brings to light the fragility of the line that separates the personal from the political and the impact that such conduct can have on public trust, with Bardmesser being transported away from the scene as captured in cellphone video which visibly marked the end of the day's tumult. As consequence Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Mindy Glazer ordered a $5,000 bond and issued a stay-away directive for Bardmesser, ensuring minimal contact between him and the alleged victims, according to Local 10 News.
