To the Editor: I was surprised and encouraged during last Thursday’s commission meeting when Miami District 5 Commissioner Christine King spoke out about the damage the Live Local Act will do to our neighborhoods. This law, forced upon us from Tallahassee, allows developers “by right” to build huge, towering housing[Read More…]
Letters to the Editor
Spotlight readers weigh in on community topics.
A Grandmother Remembers Her Grandson
Editor’s Note: Robert Denardes Whittle Jr. was fatally shot on Aug. 6 at Ike’s Food Center on Douglas Road in Coconut Grove. Loretta Scippio-Whittle, the president of Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church, wrote this letter in memory of her 30-year-old grandson who grew up in Coconut Grove. To the Editor: My[Read More…]
What’s at Stake in this Election: Fair Maps for a Fair City
To the Editor: For too long, the shape of Miami’s political map has determined the shape of our democracy. Lines drawn in back rooms have divided neighborhoods, weakened communities, and silenced voices that deserved to be heard. As someone who has lived and worked in this city for decades, I’ve seen[Read More…]
Commissioner Pardo: Missing in Action
To the Editor: Commissioner Pardo’s outreach to Coconut Grove residents asking for support in opposing the settlement over the PAMM billboard is absolutely dumbfounding. The District 2 office has turned its face on the most salient issues affecting Coconut Grove residents. At best they have paid us false lip service.[Read More…]
A Flicker of Hope for the Coconut Grove Playhouse
To the Editor: This week’s Historic and Environmental Preservation Board meeting was an emotional six-hour endurance test. Dedicated advocates were met with an invisible wall from the very custodians entrusted to protect our historic site. The irony is that those who should have been our champions ended up sealing the[Read More…]
Food Delivery Robots are a Nuisance
To the Editor: The robot meals-on-wheels are a nuisance and don’t belong in Coconut Grove (on) downtown streets (for) several reasons, but most importantly, the sidewalks are narrow due to trees, restaurant tables and chairs, and you have to give them the right of way with the potential that the[Read More…]
Take A Seat: The New Playhouse Will Have 306 to Choose From…
To the Editor: As Chairman of the Miami-Dade Cultural Affairs Council, I’m writing to correct Richard Fendelman’s August 21st claim that the new Coconut Grove Playhouse theater will have fewer seats than the 300-seat theater detailed in the County’s proposed plans. The plans for the new theater include a total[Read More…]
Will the New Playhouse Have 300 Seats, As Promised?
To the Editor: Regarding your August 18 article concerning the Coconut Grove Playhouse. Your link to the County’s web page and subsequent link to their current (so-called) ‘renovation’ plans show their schematic for their advertised 300-seat theater to be only 201 seats. Their rehearsal space is not part of ‘the’[Read More…]
Can Miami’s Citizen Boards Restore Trust in Government?
To the Editor: Substitution ordinances – changing legislative language prior to a binding commission vote, as described in a recent Spotlight story – are a major problem because they undermine the public’s trust in a City administration that is already very short of that. The citizenry needs to believe their[Read More…]
Is Local Journalism an Endangered Species?
To the Editor: I’ve been reading the Coconut Grove Spotlight faithfully for about a year and wanted to let you know how much I love your publication. I just went on your website to make a recurring donation. High-quality local journalism is vital, yet sometimes it seems like an endangered[Read More…]















