Spotlight 210-260522

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

Dorothy Wallace and the Ace Theater
The Latest Report Card for Biscayne Bay
The Stronger Miami Petition Drive
Miami’s Midyear Budget Growth
A Playhouse Appeal by the County
Art Scholarships for Promising Students

At 97, Dorothy Wallace Takes a Tour of her Legacy Project

Wallace and her family are working to restore The Ace, the former “colored only” movie house and event space on Grand Avenue, with grant support from the City of Miami and the National Park Service. We caught up with her inside the Ace.

By Mike Clary

On a recent Tuesday afternoon, Dorothy Wallace walked confidently through a forest of roof supports and skirted mounds of concrete rubble inside the Ace Theater before pausing to recall one of the last times she attended an event in what was once the only movie house and most important event space in Coconut Grove’s Black community.

“It might have been the annual Christmas party,” said Wallace, remembering holiday festivities in the landmark building her family has owned for 47 years.

“Filled with excited kids, Big Ernest, who was the theater’s bouncer, dressed as Santa Claus – the first time many kids ever saw a Black Santa.”

Latest Report on Biscayne Bay Health Shows Little Progress

The waters surrounding Coconut Grove have improved since Miami-Dade County began monitoring the health of Biscayne Bay, but the overall picture remains grim.

By Jenny Jacoby

The 2026 Biscayne Bay Report Card is out, and the results are lackluster.

Another year into the county’s Biscayne Bay monitoring program, Coconut Grove continues to show only modest gains, with slight improvements in water clarity and chlorophyll-a, while the bay as a whole remains stuck in the middle ground.

The annual Biscayne Bay Report Card, overseen by Miami-Dade County’s Division of Environmental Resources Management (DERM), is the leading assessment of the bay’s health, focusing primarily on its water quality and aquatic habitat.

Stronger Miami Petition Drive Falls Short Ahead of Election

Organizers collected more than 20,500 signed petitions, more than enough to win a spot on the August ballot, but the Miami-Dade County Supervisor of Elections has rejected nearly half of those petitions.

By Don Finefrock

Stronger Miami, the political coalition seeking to reform Miami’s frequently dysfunctional government through a voter referendum, will miss the city’s next election in August despite the self-described success of its 10-month petition drive.

Organizers announced in February that they had collected more than 20,500 signed petitions from City of Miami voters, surpassing their own goal and exceeding the threshold needed to win a spot on Miami’s election ballot this year.

But 9,683 of those petitions have been rejected by the county’s supervisor of elections for a number of reasons, leaving the group short of its goal by the end of this week, when the deadline to make the August 18 ballot expires.

Miami Quietly Approves $1 Million Stadium Spending Amid $47 Million Budget Expansion

A last-minute substitution memo revealed previously undisclosed spending tied to LoanDepot Park, along with dozens of new city positions and expanded budget powers for City Manager James Reyes — all approved without discussion by the City Commission.

By David Villano

A $47 million midyear spending increase approved last week by the Miami City Commission will include $1 million for construction work at LoanDepot Park — home of Major League Baseball’s Miami Marlins — a stadium project that continues to carry substantial long-term public debt obligations for the city and county.

The previously undisclosed appropriation, part of a broader midyear budget amendment, appears in a May 1 “substitution memorandum” circulated prior to the commission vote.

The memo provides little explanation about the project, its purpose, or the location of the work, other than a description of it as “part of the Building Department’s Expansion.”

County Appeals PZAB’s Playhouse Decision

Miami-Dade County has appealed a City of Miami planning board decision that denied the county the permission it needs to rebuild and reopen the Coconut Grove Playhouse. A spokeswoman for the county’s Department of Cultural Affairs said the appeal had been received by the city, setting the stage for a playhouse showdown before the Miami City Commission.

Arts Festival Awards $75,000 in Scholarships

Fifteen local art students received scholarships of $5,000 apiece this week from the Coconut Grove Arts Festival. The winning students – all high school seniors – were announced on Sunday at an event and student art exhibit at the Courtyard by Marriott Coconut Grove. The students were selected based on a review of their portfolios, a personal statement, and teacher recommendations. “What strikes you every year is how fully formed these young artists already are – the depth of vision, the technical skill, the stories they’re driven to tell,” festival director Camille Marchese said in a statement. “We are proud to stand behind them.” Pictured above: Scholarship winner Johan Duran from the New World School of the Arts with Marchese. Follow this link for a complete list of winners and photos from the ceremony.

Where We’ll Be – A Grovite’s Calendar

Artists Open the Gates to the Grove’s Summer

Local artists get the first brushstroke this week, and rightly so. Kit Pancoast Nagamura returns to her childhood home – The Kampong (!) – with family roots, botanical eyes and an artistic trunk sturdy enough to hold several generations. In the Gibson Educational Center’s Pop-Up Gallery 162, you explore the difference between a snapshot and art that moves you. At the Deering Estate, artist-in-residence Andrea Clement layers wax, pigment, collage and South Florida ecology into a view of this place that is both beautiful and breakable.

Memorial Day weekend kicks open the side gate to summer, and the Grove calendar comes in hot and wet. Plays, student showcases, dance, jazz, ballet under the stars, bingo, a pastor’s anniversary celebration, dogs ruling the Barnacle and a picnic nudge from Friends of the Commodore Trail fill your week ahead. Plan early. Hydrate like you mean it. And as the rain clouds gather, respect the sky.