Spotlight 182-260213

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

Pardo’s Spending Choices
Thelma Gibson: A Tribute
Miami’s Bicycle Master Plan
Stronger Miami’s Petition Drive
Where We’ll Be: A Weekend Guide

An Open Call for Journalists to Apply

The Coconut Grove Spotlight has been chosen as a “host” newsroom this year for the Report for America program that places journalists in newsrooms across the country. If you are a journalist and would like to participate in the program to work at the Spotlight or another host newsroom, you can apply here. The deadline to apply is February 16.

Inside City Hall: How Pardo Spends His Allowance

City records show how District 2 Commissioner Damian Pardo spent — and didn’t spend — his $2.4 million in discretionary funding last year, including hundreds of transactions, staff salaries and over $1 million banked for future use.

By David Villano & Jenny Jacoby

Tucked away in the City of Miami’s $3.82 billion budget for the last fiscal year was a bit over $2.4 million for District 2 Commissioner Damian Pardo to spend pretty much as he pleased.

Under city rules, each of Miami’s five commissioners receives an annual allocation to pay for office staffing, fund operations and support community causes.

So how did Pardo spend his share?

Remembering Thelma Gibson

A strong advocate for community health care and housing, Gibson leaves a lasting legacy in Coconut Grove, where she was born in December 1926.

By Spotlight Staff

Coconut Grove lost one of its best this week.

Thelma Gibson, a Black woman who broke barriers, who lifted her community, and who led with determination, character and charm, passed away on Wednesday, 10 months shy of her 100^th birthday in December. Services are pending.

In her honor, the Spotlight is republishing this tribute from February 2021 by former Spotlight editor Hank Sanchez-Resnik, drawn in part from a talk Gibson delivered at Ransom Everglades School in 2012.

Opinion: Miami’s New Bike Plan Ignores its Biggest challenge: E-Bikes

Sixteen years after Miami adopted its first Bicycle Master Plan, safer streets for cyclists remain more promise than reality. As the city weighs a long-delayed update, a glaring omission — how to handle e-bikes — exposes the growing gap between policy and the dangerous realities on the ground.

By Hank Sanchez-Resnik

When my wife and I moved to Miami from Berkeley, Calif., in 2005, I thought it was for an experimental visit. One thing led to another and here we are, firmly ensconced in Coconut Grove, 21 years later.

For decades, beginning in New York City, I’ve been a strong advocate for safe urban bicycling. When we arrived in Miami, I considered giving up bicycling completely. Everywhere I went, people told me they were terrified of biking. The statistics justify their fears: South Florida is one of the most dangerous places in the country for bicyclists (and pedestrians).

Letters to the Editor

Readers React: The Stronger Miami petition drive is nearing the finish line. Organizers will be out this weekend at the Coconut Grove Arts Festival to collect the final signatures needed to bring change to Miami City Hall.

Where We’ll Be – A Grovite’s Calendar

High Art. Higher Romance.

Art has always been the Grove’s favorite love language. With Valentine’s Day and the art festivals aligning, even Cupid is besotted. You’ll find him emptying his quiver into galleries, onto stages, beneath banyan trees, toward a piano bench or a darkened theater. There’ll be no escape, so dress the part and be ready to fall hard.

Two churches – St. Stephen’s and St. Hugh – feature music that may find couples dreaming of nuptials past or future, while the moon over the Barnacle might be equally inspirational. Theaters are reaching their peak season, with new shows starting in several venues. Just like Cupid, you can’t miss…