Norman Edelcup, mayor of Sunny Isle Beach, has been with the city since its infancy.

A resident since 1969, Mr. Edelcup petitioned for the city’s incorporation in 1997, served as a commissioner in 2001, and took over as mayor following the 2003 passing of the area’s first mayor, David Samson.

Mr. Edelcup has worked to transform the City of Sunny Isles Beach from a “two-story motel and retirement community” to a “luxury high-rise community.”  The growth, Mr. Edelcup said, allowed the city’s tax base to grow from $1.5 billion to $6 billion.

“It does present some problems as it relates to traffic and planning the infrastructure,” he said, “but because we’ve had the increase in tax base we’ve been able to fund the entire growth of our city with the current cash flow.”

After moving to South Florida in 1968 Mr. Edelcup joined Keller Industries, where he served as vice chairman and senior vice president of finance and administration. In 1976 Mr. Edelcup became chief financial officer of GAC, now known as Avatar Holdings, helping the company reorganize amid bankruptcy.

In 1983, after working as vice chairman for the National Banking Corporation, Mr. Edelcup became chair of Confidata Corporation and owner of Item Processing of America, which he sold to the Intercept Group in 1998.

Mr. Edelcup is founding director of North Miami Beach’s Marquis Bank and a board member for Valhi, Inc. of Dallas, COMPX International of Dallas, and Baron Mutual Funds of New York.

While Sunny Isles Beach term limits permit Mr. Edelcup to serve as mayor for just three more years, he said that he hopes to complete a number of projects he pushed during his time in office. He plans to build a bridge to alleviate Collins Avenue grid lock, complete renovations on the historic Sunny Isles Beach Newport Pier, and finish construction on two parks, bringing the city’s total to 10.

“We have a bridge, a pier and two parks to complete over the next couple of years,” he said. “I hope that they are all completed during the remainder of my term.”

Mr. Edelcup discussed his race to complete the projects he started as mayor and the legacy he hopes to leave behind with Miami Today staff writer Ashley Hopkins at his Sunny Isles Beach office.