Mitch Vargo

Where do I begin... I rented at The Flamingo this summer for just over 2 months (Yes, AirBnb & Rentals are allowed in the South Tower if they are 30+ nights) and I could not wait to get out of this corrupt community. The south tower security & management are helpful, and actually do try to make things right for residents when something is wrong. (South Tower security & management is different from center & north towers). Also, personally I never had a problem with rats/bugs in my tower, apartment. The South Tower pool is also not bad & location is prime. Let's start with the whole "Pet Friendly" concept. NOTHING against dogs "I have 2 myself," but the residents here simply allow their dogs to go to the bathroom wherever they please around the property, most not picking up after them which leaves the outside premises, especially the courtyard, always smelling like dog feces. Cannot tell you how many times I would see people distracted on their phones while their dogs urinated in the middle of walkways and they simply don't do a thing about it. Next, we'll move onto security. The security here is absolutely horrible. My two dogs would keep this place more safe than they do. First, the Miami Beach/Dade County PD/FD are called on-site almost daily. I saw people get taken out of building ons stretchers weekly. One guy was screaming, fighting police & they had him strapped down onto the stretcher, and once I even saw a woman in my building lobby with her face covered in blood (hope everything ended up okay). I chose the option to pay for valet monthly, instead of self-parking. Twice during my stay, security told me valet was full and I had to find parking somewhere else, where each time I had to pay $20 to park in a alternative garage and then was refused to be reimbursed by the complex, even though I paid almost $300 a month to have unlimited valet privileges. And to put the cherry on-top, with about 2 weeks left in my stay, the new security team (first day I saw them on site) shut the front gate on the back of my car, causing almost $1300 in damage. When talking to them about this you could tell they didn't care, wanted nothing to do with it & told me they each "saw and heard nothing." Head of security was somewhat helpful the following day, but still did not resolve anything. Lastly, the management team. These people all look like they dislike their jobs, do not treat residents with respect & frankly do not do what they should be to help keep the complex functioning in a efficient manner. Speaking to management in-person is always a ordeal because there is a line/30-45 min wait because everyone has issues at this place. Anything wrong they always point you to someone else just to get it out of their hands, knowingly. When approaching them about my car damage, they told me to talk to the police, so I did. The police told me since it was a civil matter, and no crime was committed they did not need to be involved, and I quote the officer, "It's sad because The Flamingo grounds are in fact nice, it's just not run with professionalism or integrity." I am still in the process of getting my car damage settled, but it's difficult when you email management twice, as well as leaving 2 voicemails and nothing is returned. In the end, it "did the job" for my small amount of time, but I would NOT recommend to anyone. I always feel so bad when I see people moving in.