Spotlight 205-260505

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

Kennedy Park’s Enduring Appeal
The Irony Behind the Latest Playhouse Battle
Top Salaries for the Mayor’s Top Aides
A Major Rezoning Proposed for West Grove

A Day in the Life of Kennedy Park

From dawn until well after dusk, Kennedy Park serves as a gathering spot for all sorts of village people and their pets. Toddlers and teenagers, athletes and influencers, fitness buffs and tree-huggers – all have found their place in Kennedy Park.

By Jenny Jacoby

The day begins in David T. Kennedy Park just before 7 a.m. as the sun transforms the sky over Biscayne Bay into a wash of orange and pink, and casts a glow over the 20-acre waterfront park – one of Coconut Grove’s great melting pots.

There to welcome the sunrise is Francisco Baños.

“Oh, God, beautiful. Every day is different, but beautiful,” he says.

Baños, 84, is usually the first person in the park.

Playhouse Neighbors Reject the County’s Plan for Inclusion

Miami-Dade County says its open-campus plan for a revived Coconut Grove Playhouse will heal the past sin of segregation, but neighbors say they would prefer a barrier to prevent commerce and traffic from overwhelming their quiet community.

By Don Finefrock

Of all the differences laid bare by the bitter dispute over the Coconut Grove Playhouse, there is one point of contention that drips with irony.

Should a new playhouse surrounded by shops, offices and a cafe be open and accessible to the historically Black community that borders it from behind?

County officials insist that it should – to redress the past sin of segregation.

Inside City Hall: Higgins Spends Big on Revamped Office Staff

After moving out nearly all of former Mayor Francis Suarez’s office staff, Miami’s new mayor has assembled a more top-heavy team of higher-paid senior advisers with total salaries (excluding her own) exceeding $2 million.

By David Villano & Jenny Jacoby

Miami Mayor Eileen Higgins’ campaign pledge to investigate runaway spending in a city whose budget has doubled in five years might well begin with her own office.

Since her December swearing-in as Miami’s chief elected official, Higgins has increased salaries within the Office of the Mayor, which she controls, to more than $2 million annually — a roughly 30% increase over her predecessor’s payroll.

Records obtained by the Spotlight through a public records request show that Higgins has replaced all but one member of the mayor’s 19-person staff from former Mayor Francis Suarez’s team — and has done so at a notable premium.

West Grove Rezoning Plan Would Expand Density, Commercial Uses

A city proposal set for review Wednesday would double allowable housing density and introduce mixed-use development across 61 properties south of Grand Avenue, with a final vote possible later this month.

By David Villano

A vision of a more walkable, densely populated and commercial West Grove will be on display Wednesday, as Miami’s Planning, Zoning and Appeals Board (PZAB) considers a city proposal to rezone 61 properties near Grand Avenue and Douglas Road to allow more housing and, in some areas, new mixed-use development.

Planning documents describe the effort as a way to support a “more compatible mix of uses” and to create a transition between the Grand Avenue corridor and surrounding residential neighborhoods.

The zoning changes would not come with affordable housing requirements.