Spotlight 46-241029 Grove Library

In today’s Spotlight,

Grove Librarian helps homeless
Florida House election candidates
Grove traffic study results

Compassion, conflict and congestion find themselves in the Spotlight. Letters from readers address ballot measures. Halloween calls families to notable neighborhoods.

Library with a Heart

For the homeless and other needy residents, the historic Coconut Grove branch library offers more than just books.

by Mike Clary

Head librarian Jennifer Hernandez outside the Coconut Grove branch library – one of the county’s oldest, dating to 1895 — on McFarlane Road. (Patrick Farrell for the Spotlight)

Of the 50 public libraries scattered throughout Miami-Dade County, the distinctive A-frame Coconut Grove branch is the only one with a grave site. Just feet from the front door lie the remains of Eva Amelia Munroe, who died in 1882 and is buried on land donated by her husband, Commodore Ralph Middleton Monroe.

The Grove library is also the only one in the county which features in the main reading room a colorfully-painted file cabinet usually crammed with clothing, snacks and hygiene kits available to patrons in need, many of them homeless.

“How can you not help someone who is in need of food or a change of clothes?” asks library branch manager Jennifer Hernandez.” The homeless are part of our demographic. They come into our buildings every day. It’s our job to care.”

Florida House District 114 Showdown

Republican incumbent Demi Bussata Cabrera, a key backer of a controversial new housing law, faces off with Grove resident Matthew Bornstein, a self-described moderate Democrat.

By David Villano

In Florida House District 114 GOP, incumbent Demi Bussata Cabrera (right) is challenged by Democrat Matthew Bornstein.

A Republican party insider and a Democratic political newcomer face off for the Florida House District 114 seat. The GOP-leaning district covers Coral Gables, South Miami, Cutler Bay, West Miami and the southern and western portions of Coconut Grove.

Republican incumbent Demi Bussata Cabrera hopes to retain the seat she first won in 2020. Two years ago, she soundly defeated challenger Adam Benna in a once-reliable Democratic district that has shifted rightward in recent elections.

Busatta Cabrera, a one-time campaign manager and legislative aide to former state senator Anitere Flores, works at a nonprofit for adults with developmental disabilities. She is married to Miami-Dade District 6 Commissioner Kevin Marino Cabrera, who also holds leadership positions within the Miami-Dade Republican Party and the state GOP. They live in Coral Gables.

Traffic Calming Study Should Prioritize Children, Residents say

Residents were briefed last week on the results of the City of Miami’s Little Bahamas and Center Grove Traffic Calming study. Many were disappointed.

By Ethan Mannello

Traffic engineers measured the speed and volume of traffic at 61 locations within a small slice of Coconut Grove for the Traffic Calming study.

Melanie Rinaldi was troubled last week when school children – and their safety – weren’t prioritized as part of the Little Bahamas & Center Grove Traffic Calming study presented to Coconut Grove residents at the Elizabeth Virrick Park gymnasium.

“There was nothing that considered children or children zones,” Rinalda told the Spotlight after the meeting. “They claim there is nothing they can do about it, but they obviously can. It’s just disappointing.”

Others at the meeting were disappointed as well in the results and recommendations presented Thursday night by two engineers who conducted the study on behalf of the City of Miami – Nelson Mora and Eugenio Lopez from Choice Engineering Consultants.

Regalado-Lerner Debate

FL House candidates meet in Grove, Tuesday 10.29, 6:30 p.m.

Miami-Dade Commissioner Raquel Regalado and challenger Cindy Lerner will debate one another in Coconut Grove on Tuesday night for what may be a final time before the November 5 general election. Former NBC 6 anchor Ed O’Dell will moderate the debate between the two District 7 candidates at the Elizabeth Virrick Park gymnasium, 3255 Plaza Street, beginning at 6:30 p.m. The two-hour debate is sponsored by the Village West Homeowners and Tenants Association (HOATA), the Coconut Grove Ministerial Alliance, and other organizations. This year’s race is a rematch of the 2020 contest between Regalado and Lerner, the former mayor of Pinecrest. Neither candidate cleared the 50% threshold during this year’s primary election in August, forcing the two into a November runoff.