Spotlight 131-250819

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

The Crocs of Dinner Key Marina
A Bike Fatality on the Rickenbacker
New Demo Work at the Playhouse

Grove Crocodiles: Finding Dinner at Dinner Key Marina

American crocodiles are a common sight at Dinner Key Marina these days. People can chill, experts say. Pets, not so much.

By Christopher Pearson

As a boy growing up in the King’s Bay community nine miles south of Coconut Grove, Robert Shelley saw American crocodiles from time to time.

These days, from his sport fisherman berthed at Dinner Key Marina, he occasionally sees a crocodile swimming along the seawall and assumes it’s the five-footer known to sunbathe in the vicinity of the nearby public boat ramp.

“The croc hangs out in the sunshine on a flat rock at low tide,” says Shelley. “He minds his own business. I haven’t heard of any issues and don’t see anyone feeding him.

“When I lived in Deering Bay Country Club,” he adds, “they had to fence off a little beach because residents were walking their dogs there and crocodiles would come out of the water and grab the dogs.”

Wildlife ambassador Ron Magill of Zoo Miami says people have little to fear from American crocodiles, but respect is key and dog owners who allow their pets to swim from the Dinner Key boat ramp each morning should take note of Shelley’s words.

Bicyclist Killed on Rickenbacker Raises E-Bike Safety Concerns

A man was killed after a collision with a 14-year-old riding an e-bike on Rickenbacker Causeway, one of Miami’s heaviest—and most dangerous – cycling routes.

By Jenny Jacoby

A 54-year-old man died from his injuries Friday evening after a bicycle accident on the Rickenbacker Causeway — the latest in a series of cyclist fatalities on the busy and popular roadway linking Coconut Grove and Key Biscayne.

It is the ninth fatal bike crash on the causeway in the past 19 years and the second major e-bike incident in the Coconut Grove area in the past month.

According to police, Fabian Moses was riding in the eastbound bike lane at approximately 8:20 p.m. when he was struck from behind by a 14-year-old boy riding an e-bike. The boy was riding with a juvenile female on the back of the bike.

Demolition Crews Chew Away at Grove Playhouse

Local preservationists, who have been unable to stop the demolition through litigation, are mounting a letter-writing campaign to induce state officials to intervene.

By Spotlight Staff

Miami-Dade County is moving forward with its plan to demolish the rear auditorium of the Coconut Grove Playhouse, restore the historic front of the structure, and resurrect the cultural landmark as a modern 300-seat theater, despite the determined opposition of local preservationists.

Construction crews knocked down a substantial portion of the iconic building in recent days (see photos below, from August 17), while opponents have been organizing a letter-writing campaign to induce state officials to intervene in the long-running battle over the fate of the playhouse.