In today’s Spotlight,
- Art venue opportunities and promise
- Tracking political influence
- Homicide investigation
- Traffic and pedestrian safety advocacy
Small opportunities for art inspire one Grovite, while others are inspired to expose political corruption. A West Grove fight results in homicide. A team of neighborhood safety advocates review a 25-year history of attempts to balance traffic and pedestrian safety.
Today is Election Day. Information on locations and identification requirements can be found here. To check your registration status and find your precinct number, look here. Your voting location (address and photo of the voting location )can then be found by scrolling to the bottom of your personalized Voter Information page and also by calling 3-1-1 or checking your voter information card. Don’t forget to bring your identification. A representative sample ballot can be found here.
Young artists look for ways to revive Coconut Grove’s art scene while the political stalemate continues over the fate of the Coconut Grove Playhouse.
by Carlos Frías
Empty storefronts in Coconut Grove might look like failure to a landlord. But to a playwright like William Hector, they look like a specific kind of opportunity: tiny theaters.
While the Coconut Grove Playhouse remains shuttered, its future uncertain, Hector, 31, has been working with local artists to find venues for live performances hiding in plain sight.
The Grove, once known as a hotbed for artistic endeavor, has lost some of its edge in recent years due to rising rents, the long decline of the playhouse, and a lack of small, dedicated spaces that could serve as an incubator for the arts.
Hector, for one, hopes to reverse that trend by turning alternative spaces into creative outlets for local talent. He has been in discussions with writers, directors and local actors about setting up limited-run shows in unused spaces like storefronts.
Meet the woman behind a new political website that explores the nexus between campaign cash and political influence in Miami-Dade County.
By Francisco Alvarado
There’s a new government watchdog on the scene in Miami-Dade County this election season that is getting noticed by local politicians and voters alike.
The Miami Corruption Tracker offers a grab bag of information about local politicians on its website – with a special emphasis on the cash they raise from special interest donors and the votes they cast on issues of public interest.
Miami Police say a deadly fistfight on Oak Avenue was self-defense, with case to be reviewed by State Attorney’s Office.
By Mike Clary
Miami Police are labeling a man’s death following a bloody fistfight in Coconut Grove early last month as a justifiable homicide.
The brawl took place at about 10:20 a.m. on October 3 outside a residence on Oak Avenue near Booker Street. No names have been released.
The survivor, whom police are identifying as the victim, is a 48-year-old male, according to police records.
Eyewitnesses told the Spotlight that the altercation ensued after one man threw a bottle at another. Both men were bloodied as they pummeled each other on the ground.
By Henrietta Schwarz and William Finan
An interesting facet of Coconut Grove’s history, probably one that most residents of the Grove are unaware of, is how, since 1998, there have been no fewer than five successive master plans prepared covering Coconut Grove.
Each seeks to guide the future development of Grove’s commercial and community life. As members of a recently formed civic organization’s safety committee, we sought to avoid reinventing the wheel by reviewing the plans’ recommendations for improving pedestrian (and biking) safety.
The first modern master plan covering the Grove was prepared in 1998 co-sponsored by the City of Miami and the Coconut Grove Village Council. The most recent plan was prepared in 2020 by a Grove civic group, GroveConnect, with significant community input. The GroveConnect report recommended improving pedestrian and biking safety by reducing the speed limit on all Grove roads from 30 mph to 25 mph.
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