Spotlight 117-250701

Good morning. What we’re covering in today’s Spotlight:

The 2025 Biscayne Bay Report Card
Main Highway: Road Work Ahead
Letters: Miami’s Zoning Overreach

Bay Waters Show Signs of Progress in Coconut Grove

Miami-Dade’s annual Biscayne Bay Report Card revealed a bay still in distress, with slight improvements in the bay waters off Coconut Grove.

By Jenny Jacoby

The results are in: This year’s Biscayne Bay Report Card shows Coconut Grove’s coastal water quality has taken a turn for the better.

With improvements in four of the seven indicators, it may be a small sign of hope for the Grove, despite poor results for many other areas in the bay.

“If the data is reflecting an improvement, then yeah, that’s definitely something to be happy about,” said Adriana González Fernández, science and research director at Miami Waterkeeper.

The 2025 report card, overseen by the Miami-Dade County’s Division of Environmental Resources Management (DERM), evaluates the bay on two main components – water quality and aquatic habitat.

For purposes of the report, the bay is divided into 12 distinct regions. Each receives an overall “stoplight” score – red for “poor,” yellow for “fair,” and green for “good” – as well as a water-quality rating and individual scores for bacteria, algae, nutrients, sea grass and sponges.

Road Work Coming to Busiest Stretch of Main Highway

Vehicle access to a stretch of Main Highway in Center Grove will be limited due to roadway resurfacing work from approximately July 9 to July 16, Miami-Dade transportation officials say.

Drivers between McFarlane Road, in the heart of the commercial district, south to Royal Road are advised to seek alternate routes if possible. Side streets and residential driveways may be blocked for as much as 30 minutes at a time, the official said.

Vehicle traffic along the milled, unpaved section will be open to vehicles over the weekend.

The project’s repaving phase is scheduled to begin Monday, July 14, with crews working at night in the commercial areas and during the day on the residential portions.

Pedestrian and bicycle access to the adjacent sidewalks will not be affected.
Project fact sheets will be distributed next week to affected businesses and property owners, county officials say.

Coconut Grove Business Improvement District Executive Director Mark Burns did not respond to a request for comment.

Letters to the Editor

As a long-time resident of Coconut Grove, I’ve watched our city change — and not always for the better. I’m writing to express deep concern over the proposed Transit Station Neighborhood Development (TSND) overlay that’s now before the City Commission.

This isn’t thoughtful planning. It’s overreach.

The proposal would allow 12-story towers — potentially more — within a one-mile radius of every Metrorail station in Miami, all under the banner of “transit-oriented development.” That’s nearly half the city subject to dramatic upzoning, with limited public input and minimal notice.

And make no mistake: this isn’t about encouraging development near transit stops. It’s about opening the floodgates to over-density in stable, walkable neighborhoods that never asked for this kind of transformation.