On the evening of May 9th, the Loews Miami Beach Hotel was filled with a century’s worth of community pride as the Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce marked its 100th Anniversary with a Centennial Gala presented by City National Bank of Florida and Encore. Among the honorees recognized throughout the night, one was unique for the depth and duration of his commitment to the city that raised him: Dr. Martin Karp, recipient of the City National Bank Beach High Outstanding Achievement Award.
The gala drew recognition from across Florida’s leadership, with proclamations presented by Florida Lt. Governor Jay Collins, Miami-Dade County, and the City of Miami Beach. The evening also benefited the Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce Education Foundation, raising donations in support of students across Miami Beach’s public school feeder pattern. Other honorees included V&E Hospitality, Louise Aguirre, David Martin, and Member of the Decade award recipients and past living Chamber Chairs.
For Dr. Karp, the honor carried a particular weight. A Miami Beach native and Miami Beach Senior High School Class of 1983 graduate, he has spent more than 35 years working within Miami-Dade County Public Schools as a teacher, administrator, policymaker, and school board member, including 16 years on the Miami-Dade County School Board, where he served as Vice Chair. He holds a Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership from the University of Miami and a graduate degree from Syracuse University’s Newhouse School of Communications.
His investment in the relationship between Miami Beach’s schools and its business community has been a defining thread throughout his career.
“The Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce and its leaders are incredible partners with local schools, and the efforts made to connect businesses with students are paying big dividends here at home,” Dr. Karp said.
That partnership, in his view, is not incidental. It is a deliberate bridge between the classroom and the real world, one that gives students a stake in the community they are growing up in.
“For me, it is truly special to be a part of something very positive in my hometown community where I can talk about education,” he said. “By mentoring and guiding our students to work with the business community, we can engage our next generation in addressing real-life challenges for the purpose of benefiting Miami Beach, South Florida and our global society.”
Dr. Karp’s career has encompassed policy work to expand academic access, strengthen science and engineering programs, improve health access in schools, and address student safety. He has also spent decades running the H.O.P.E. program, Help Our Pets Everyday/Help Overcome Pet Euthanasia, which has engaged thousands of students in community problem-solving over the years. Even now, he remains active in the classroom, maintaining the kind of direct student contact that has defined his approach from the beginning.
What distinguished Dr. Karp’s recognition at the Centennial Gala was not simply the length of his service, but the consistency of his purpose. In a city that has seen no shortage of leaders come and go, he represents something rarer: someone who stayed, built, and kept showing up.
The Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce Education Foundation, which benefited directly from the evening’s fundraising, continues to expand opportunities for students in Miami Beach’s public schools. Dr. Karp’s work with the Chamber over the years has helped ensure that those students see themselves not just as recipients of education, but as participants in something larger.
The 100th Anniversary Gala was a night of reflection and celebration for an institution that has shaped Miami Beach’s civic life for a century. For Dr. Karp, it was a homecoming that doubled as a charge: to keep building the connections between the community’s students and its future.
