By Bill Durham and Catherine Malinin Dunn / Special to Islander News
Aug 10, 2024 Updated Aug 12, 2024
Frank Caplan strives to maintain balance in his life. He runs, swims and bikes for exercise, and he has cultivated a lifelong habit of reading daily for enrichment and pleasure.
Balance is important for someone like Frank, who has dedicated much of his life to civic service while also maintaining a busy law practice in commercial real estate and business transactions.
Frank hails from Baltimore but has lived on Key Biscayne since the 1980s. He can point to the exact date and place where he met his wife, Gina Coleman. It was on January 16, 1991, in a meeting room at Ocean Lane Plaza, where plans were being discussed to incorporate the Village. Betty Sime Conroy introduced the pair. Incorporation happened in June of that year, and Frank and Gina’s wedding followed soon after.
He credits the late Helen White with spurring his involvement in civic affairs. He met Helen at a meeting to discuss the redevelopment of the former Pantry Pride grocery store site—now home to CVS—and she encouraged him to stay involved. “One thing led to another, and I just kept going,” he says.
Frank chaired the pre-incorporation Master Planning Committee and served on the 2020 Vision Board, the Art in Public Places Board, the Land Acquisition Committee, and the Zoning Ordinance Review Committee. Through his committee work, he honed his skills as a facilitator and leader.
“I’m interested in the dynamics of human interaction,” he explains. “Over time, I have focused more and more on relationship-building, how we can work together to come up with the best real-world solutions to problems. I’m interested in bridging gaps to moderate our differences, with the goal of achieving consensus.”
In 2010 he was elected mayor. After serving two terms, he was elected to the Village Council, where he served until 2018. Due to term limits, he took a break until 2020, when he was again elected to Council.
Looking back on his years of service, Frank is particularly proud of a few things. First, he is proud of the emphasis he has placed on building relationships, citing the collegiality and trust that has emerged among Councilmembers and the networks he has forged with outside organizations, including the County, the League of Cities, and the Regional Planning Council.
Two projects during his time as mayor stand out for him: the expansion of the MAST Academy on Virginia Key and the successful negotiations surrounding the redevelopment of the Sonesta Hotel property as Oceana.
“There were some controversies involving the transition from the Sonesta to Oceana,” he explains. “There was deep dissatisfaction with the project as originally conceived and differences of opinion about what to do. So, we simply re-started negotiations afresh with the developer, to better express the community’s needs and interests, and seek common ground. In the end, I believe we came out with a better result.”
Frank can sometimes be difficult to contact, but when he focuses on a problem, he tackles it with full energy and attention.
“I find the work on the Council endlessly interesting,” he says. “It is a privilege to be entrusted with the job. I enjoy studying a problem to understand all its facets, working with other people, listening to their points of view, and coming up with solutions.”
Overall, he is pleased with the shape the Village is in these days. “If you compare the way our streets look now to the way they looked in the 1980s, the difference is striking. We have a beautiful tree canopy today, aesthetically appealing street lighting, improved sidewalks, and robust programs for seniors and youth.”
Members of our community serve the Village as Mayor, on Council, and on Advisory Boards as volunteers. We are grateful to everyone who serves.
The Islander News Original Article
Reprinted with permission of Islander Media Group, Inc.