Spotlight 90-250401

Good morning. In today’s Spotlight:

Poetry Night at the Barnacle
The Fight over Miami’s Tree Ordinance
Local Efforts to Save Little Bahamas
St. Stephen’s Free Tax Service

Well Versed: Poetry Month in Coconut Grove

With new voices and old ones, Coconut Grove will celebrate the written word with contests, readings, clothing swaps, and poems you can eat.

By Liz Tracy

As early as kindergarten, Coconut Grove resident Marc Stone was often homebound with severe asthma. His mother unlocked his love of poetry by reading to him.

Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Raven,” William Shakespeare’s Marc Antony speech in “Julius Caesar,” and Dr. Seuss books, among others, were common fare.
Despite some early success as a writer and actor in college, Stone’s career path took a less glamorous – if more practical – turn. He became a corporate lawyer.

But the muse never strayed too far, despite the long hours Stone spent building his law practice. In 2012, poems from Stone’s first anthology, Diminishment, were nominated for the prestigious Pushcart Prize. His published short fiction is also acclaimed.

Those talents – not his legal ones – are what Stone chose to tap after joining the board of the Barnacle Society. Last year, he launched “Poetry Night at the Barnacle,” an annual showcase of emerging poets from high schools across Miami-Dade County.

This year’s event will be Sunday April 6 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Barnacle Historic State Park in downtown Coconut Grove.

Opinion: Vigilance, Perseverance Are Key to Saving Miami’s Tree Canopy

Recent comments by the Miami City Commission chair are encouraging, but the fight to protect Miami’s tree protection ordinance is far from over.

By Sandy Moise

At her March 25 community meeting to discuss proposed changes to the City of Miami’s tree protection ordinance and its Tree Trust Fund, Miami City Commission Chair Christine King announced that she believes the legislation should be withdrawn entirely or deferred for at least six months.

She opened her remarks with a strong and courageous message, “I plant trees, I don’t cut them down.”

To those of us working vigorously to strengthen our tree laws not weaken them, it was an encouraging step in the right direction.

Commissioner Gabela introduced this agenda item in October 2024, characterizing it as original legislation stemming from constituent complaints and concerns.

But upon review of emails obtained through an expensive public records request, this is the same item the City of Miami’s Building Department and city administration have been working on and trying to get on the agenda since 2020.

Voices: Saving Little Bahamas

Two University of Miami students write about the ways in which West Grove residents are fighting to preserve and protect their embattled neighborhood.

By Gianna Satchell and Kaia Bonner

Imagine growing up in a predominately Bahamian neighborhood that – years later – you no longer recognize.

A neighborhood where colorful homes with sheltered porches and dollhouse shutters have been replaced by boxy structures with neutral colors and floor-to-ceiling windows.

A neighborhood where fewer neighbors look like you, or know your family. A neighborhood where property values are rising, and history is being erased.
Long-time residents of Little Bahamas in Coconut Grove, a neighborhood founded by Bahamian immigrants in the late 1800s, are living this reality – and pushing back.

In response to mounting development pressures and widespread displacement, area residents are seeking to protect their neighborhood by preserving local landmarks, hosting cultural events, and helping low-income neighbors repair their homes.

They are also challenging City of Miami zoning practices which, they say, have helped to fuel development and gentrification in their West Grove neighborhood.

Last Call: Free Tax Service at St. Stephen’s

St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church on McFarlane Road makes it easy to file a tax return for households that earned $67,000 or less last year – but time is running out to sign up for the free tax preparation service. The last day is Saturday April 12. “We take taxpayers from anywhere; no need to be a Grove resident,” says Julie Moxley, who helps to coordinate the program. “This will be our 15^th tax season and we save our taxpayers tax prep fees as well as other expensive services.” To sign up for the service, make an appointment here, or call (786) 258-8588.