Sunny Isles Beach adopts ordinance to regulate official logo and seal after resident raises misuse concerns

The City Commission adopted a second-reading ordinance amending Chapter 5 of the municipal code to establish permissible and prohibited uses of the official city seal and to create a separate official city logo, including penalties for misuse.

During the public-comment period, resident and patent/trademark lawyer George Bartmister of 18911 Collins Avenue praised the initiative, cited instances of alleged misuse of the city's intellectual property for campaign purposes and said registering the logo is important. "Registering our logo is, important," Bartmister said, and he urged the city attorney to confront any identified individuals and suggested the commission adopt a censure resolution should an actor be identified.

Commissioners placed prior misuse incidents on the record, with one commissioner referencing emails dating to November 2022 and an Instagram post that used the seal. The commission voted to adopt the ordinance on second reading.

The ordinance is intended to protect municipal intellectual property and sets out enforcement and penalties; the city did not specify enforcement timelines or penalty amounts at the meeting.