Ocean Drive magazine marks 30th birthday as Miami Beach grapples with PR woes from two slayings
MIAMI BEACH -- A host of local notables gathered Thursday night to attend a party to mark the birth of Ocean Drive magazine even as Miami Beach is grappling with negative publicity from two recent slayings.
The magazine highlights the glitz, glamour and fashion that South Beach has been known for years.
"There were models roller blading up and down Ocean Drive (and) celebrities," said Jacklyn Powers, whose father started the magazine. "You know Veruschka was coming, and it was a very exciting time."
She said the magazine's focus was on South Beach because that was the place to be.
.But South Beach has made news across the globes in the wake of two fatal shootings that occurred during a span of 36 hours.
Some have wondered if the positive image of South Beach is slipping away for good.
Paige Mastrandrea, the editor-in-chief who runs the magazine, said it has expanded to not just cover the beach but other growing areas of South Florida.
Rapper Wyclef Jean, who attended the party, said the idea of what Miami is has changed over the years.
"I call it global gumbo, that's what Miami is and the world gets to experience it," he said, dismissing suggestions that the city's reputation has been lost. "I don't think that negativity overweighs that beautiful energy. For every bad story on Ocean Drive there are 20 million great stories."