Spotlight 164-251212

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

Miami’s Mayoral Election
An Election Night Celebration
The City Manager’s Salary
A New Park for the West Grove

How Coconut Grove Voted on Tuesday

Three out of four Coconut Grove voters helped Mayor-Elect Eileen Higgins make history this week as the first woman to reach the City of Miami’s highest elected office.

By Don Finefrock

Miami Mayor-Elect Eileen Higgins ran up huge margins in Coconut Grove’s nine voting precincts this week, helping her win a landslide victory over former Miami City Manager Emilio Gonzalez in Tuesday’s runoff election.

With fellow Democrat Ken Russell out of the race, Higgins captured three out of every four votes cast in Coconut Grove, increasing her share of the local vote total from 37% in November, when 13 candidates were on the ballot, to 73% on Tuesday.

Making History: An Election Night Celebration

Mayor-Elect Eileen Higgins and supporters celebrated her election on Tuesday night after voters chose her as the first woman to serve as mayor in the City of Miami.

By Jenny Jacoby

Just a few minutes after the clock struck 7 p.m. on Tuesday night, a cheer burst out from the crowd of several dozen people gathered at The Miami Woman’s Club for an election night party with mayoral candidate Eileen Higgins.

“Yes!” one man shouted, as others collectively pressed refresh on their phones.

The first results of the night had been posted, showing Higgins ahead with a nearly 20-point lead over her Trump-backed opponent. With more than 23,000 ballots counted, victory seemed imminent.

As City Spending Soars, Top Administrator Rakes It In

Newly released payroll records show Miami City Manger’s Art Noriega’s salary has skyrocketed, far outpacing union raises and helping drive a surge in city spending that Miami Mayor-Elect Eileen Higgins has vowed to scrutinize.

By David Villano

On the campaign trail, Miami Mayor-Elect Eileen Higgins repeatedly called for a “deep-dive” to determine “what the heck is going on” with city spending that has nearly doubled in the last five years despite mostly flat population growth.

Higgins, who will be sworn in next Thursday after a landslide victory earlier this week, may want to start with the take-home pay of the very person who oversees the city’s $3.8 billion budget: Miami City Manager Art Noreiga.

Over the past two years, city records show, Noriega’s annual salary has jumped a whopping 38% to just over $525,000. Since taking office in 2020, his pay has increased 69% making him far and away the highest paid municipal employee in Miami-Dade.

City Acquires Land for West Grove Park

The city has approved a $1.1 million purchase of two Plaza Street lots to create a passive neighborhood park, adding green space to a rapidly changing corner of the West Grove.

By Jenny Jacoby

The Miami City Commission has approved the purchase of two residential lots in the West Grove to create the neighborhood’s newest park.

The adjacent lots — 3501 and 3503 Plaza Street — will be purchased from Stirrup Properties Inc. for $1.1 million using money from the city’s Public Benefits Trust Fund and the Parks and Open Space Trust Fund. The decision was finalized at the Nov. 20 City Commission meeting.

“Creating parks and green spaces is a priority for our office and the city,” Miami District 2 Commissioner Damian Pardo told the Spotlight. “The owner of these parcels was willing to sell them at below-market value to support the creation of more neighborhood green space.”

Where We’ll Be – A Grovite’s Calendar

Bright, Busy, and Beautifully Extra

Somehow the Grove didn’t ease into the holidays this year — it dove in headfirst, sequins flying. Stockings aren’t just getting stuffed this year; they’re getting curated, from Vizcaya’s not-that-kind-of-hammock tour to markets that make even the most last-minute shopper look intentional. Tropical Park is lighting up like it’s auditioning for a North Pole residency, Fairchild is rewriting December in twinkle lights, and even Actors’ Playhouse has Scrooge singing. If you can’t find your holiday spirit somewhere in this lineup, check under the sofa cushions — it’s probably hiding with the gift receipts.

And as the tinsel settles, the art world is doing its own version of festive quiet. Basel may have rolled out, but the Grove is still glowing with Naomi Fisher’s lush, untamed Rootwork at The Kampong and the Lowe’s time-travel trickery in Imagined Worlds. Music spills out of Sanctuary of the Arts, The Barnacle, and St. Stephen’s, while Scouts, Santas, and karaoke-loving Mango misfits take over the streets. It’s a Miami December: equal parts chaos and charm, all of it wrapped in warm air and good humor — just how you like it.