Spotlight 186-260227

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

Historic Preservation Gone Wrong
A Sunday Night Shooting in the Grove
The Push for Political Reform in Miami
A Weekend Jazz Fest at The Hangar

The Long Sad History of the Mariah Brown House

The historic house on Charles Avenue in Coconut Grove has fallen into disrepair once again, after an earlier effort to restore the structure stalled.

By John Dorschner

Of all the cases of preservation efforts gone wrong in Miami – and there are plenty — the Mariah Brown House in the West Grove might be the worst example.

The house at 3298 Charles Avenue – a half-block from the Coconut Grove Playhouse – is one of the oldest in Miami-Dade, built in 1890 for a Bahamian woman who worked at the Peacock Inn.

Today it’s a dilapidated wreck of rotting wood. So are quite a few historic houses. What makes this house unique is that the wreck is itself a complete restoration of the original house.

Police Investigate Grove Shooting that Left One Man Injured

The Sunday night shooting on the corner of Douglas Road and Florida Avenue was the first violent crime in Coconut Grove since August, police said.

By Don Finefrock & Jenny Jacoby

A man was shot and injured early Sunday evening in a burst of gunfire on Douglas Road in Coconut Grove, ending a six-month stretch of relative peace in the neighborhood and sparking an ongoing police investigation.

Police were tipped to the shooting by a ShotSpotter alert at 3357 Douglas Road. By the time they arrived, however, the victim was gone. Police caught up with him in stable condition at Mercy Hospital, where he was treated for a gunshot wound.

Police described the shooting as “an isolated incident” between two men on the northeast corner of Douglas Road and Florida Avenue, across the street from Ike’s Food Center, where neighborhood residents often gather during the day and at night.

The Stronger Miami Petition Drive Meets its Goal

The local organizers behind the petition drive announced this week that they had collected more than enough signatures to place a series of proposed political reforms before voters on the ballot this year.

By Jenny Jacoby

Stronger Miami, a political group with strong ties to Coconut Grove, is gaining ground in its push to bring sweeping changes to the City of Miami’s government.

The group announced this week that it had collected more than 20,500 petition signatures, surpassing the number needed to place its proposed reforms on the ballot this year for voters to decide.

“We’ve had over 20,000 residents step up and say that they want a stronger Miami,” Faisal Gaitan with Engage Miami, a voter engagement organization, said Thursday at a Stronger Miami news conference in front of Miami City Hall.

Third Time’s a charm for Jon Batiste’s Montreux Miami, Expansion to Miami Beach and Elena Rose performance

Bigger stages, deeper roots: Montreux Jazz Festival Miami returns for a third year at The Hangar at Regatta Grove, expanding its lineup and celebrating jazz’s past, present and future through artists shaped by the city itself.

By Michelle S. Solomon

Jon Batiste remembers when the late Quincy Jones invited him to perform at the legendary Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland. Grammy Award winner Batiste, who became known to mainstream audiences as the bandleader of “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” for seven years from 2015 to 2022, is Montreux Jazz Festival Miami’s artistic director and co-owner, alongside Miami music icon Emilio Estefan.

Now in its third year, Batiste’s Montreux Jazz Festival Miami has expanded venues and lineups with two additional nights at the Miami Beach Bandshell along with its premiere venue at The Hangar in Coconut Grove. Two shows are at the Miami Beach Bandshell, Wednesday, Feb. 25 and Thursday, Feb. 26, with The Hangar shows from Friday, Feb. 27 through Sunday, March 1.

Batiste headlines a New Orleans celebration, his hometown, with Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue on Friday, Feb. 27.

Where We’ll Be – A Grovite’s Calendar

No Velvet Rope on Gifford Lane

New to town? You should know that the annual art stroll down Gifford Lane is definitely a participatory event. No snobbery here. Baby buggies bump billionaires. Flip-flops flirt with Ferragamos. James has his barbecue smoking near the tennis courts. Dance (or at least sway) to Mike’s group halfway up the street, where paintings hang next to garden hoses. Wear a big smile and a new friend will wave you through a gate and hand you a drink like you always belonged there–because you always have. The latest story in Coconut Grove Spotlight captures the art, the generosity, and that particular Grove habit of turning neighbors into hosts. Read it — then go see how it’s done.

Link elbows with the Greeks, clap for Carver legends and peek behind Grove gates. Or decide whether you’re in the mood for Shakespeare at the Ring, Mozart on a boat, Don Juan for dinner, jazz by the water or Carnival in the Garden. The Grove does not schedule politely. Pick one thing — and watch three more try to pull you in.