Spotlight 71-250124 Sailing economy Burglaries

Sailing regattas bring sailors to fuel the Grove economy. In other Spotlight stories:

  • Burglaries in North Grove homes remain unsolved.
  • Center Grove ‘Assaults’ mobilize citizens’ group.
  • Free tax preparation services at St. Stephen’s.
  • Pardo to open office in West Grove.
  • Major events fill Grove’s calendar.

The sailing world turns its gaze to Biscayne Bay during the winter racing season, providing an economic boost for Coconut Grove businesses.

By Walter Villa

The I-420 North American Championship Regatta hosted earlier this month by the Coconut Grove Sailing Club drew a fleet of competitors onto Biscayne Bay. (Photo courtesy of Susan Mohorcic)

Senet Bischoff grew up as a self-described “dock rat” at Coconut Grove Sailing Club.

“If anyone needed somebody to sail with,” Bischoff said, “I’d be out there.”

A couple of decades later, Bischoff – now a 50-year-old Wall Street lawyer who lives in the suburbs of New York City – still enjoys sailing.

In fact, he is one of the thousands of sailors and sailing enthusiasts who flock to Coconut Grove every winter from December to early April for Miami’s annual racing season, providing an economic boost for local merchants.

And while exact numbers are hard to come by, there’s plenty of visual evidence that winter sailors and their families help to lift the local economy by filling hotel rooms, camping out at local restaurants, and shopping area stores. 

“If you go to dinner in Coconut Grove during those months, it is hard not to walk into people who are all wearing regatta shirts and jackets,” Bischoff said.

“We’re down there in force. The Coconut Grove Courtyard (hotel) is like a family reunion because there are so many sailors there, and we all know each other.”


In just 13 days, burglars hit three homes in North Grove and one in nearby Silver Bluff. No arrests have been made.

By David Villano

Security camera footage of an unknown man at the front door of a North Grove home at 1:17 a.m. on Sunday December 29. (Photo courtesy of Nextdoor)

Miami Police are investigating a string of home burglaries in and around North Grove in recent weeks.

Daniel Kerr, the Miami Police commander in charge of Coconut Grove, declined to provide details, citing the active investigation.

Two of the break-ins occurred December 29, the same night that a man tried unsuccessfully to open a North Grove resident’s door on Nocatee Drive at 1:17 a.m. The resident posted security camera footage of the incident on the neighborhood networking app Nextdoor.

Other camera footage shows the same man attempting to enter two nearby properties the same night, including the home of North Grove resident Maggie Kirill. “You don’t want to have to get cameras, but nowadays you do,” Kirill told the Spotlight.

The next morning, residents reported home burglaries just blocks away, in the 1600 block of Tigertail Avenue and the 100 block of Shore Drive South in the Bay Heights neighborhood.


Alarmed by development pressures and other threats to quality of life, Center Grove residents are forming a new group to voice their concerns.

By Hank Sanchez-Resnik

Twenty years after mobilizing to oppose a massive new Home Depot that threatened the quiet and walkability of their close-knit community, residents of Center Grove are coming together again in the face of unbridled development.

The residents have formed a new organization called Center Grove Neighbors (CGN) to help them navigate the coming change. Although just a few months old, CGN has formed working groups, developed position papers, and drafted public statements about key issues. The group hopes to build membership to a significant percentage of the neighborhood’s estimated 5,000 residents.

Center Grove — bounded roughly by 32nd Avenue, 27th Avenue, U.S. 1, and Biscayne Bay — is one of Coconut Grove’s most architecturally cohesive neighborhoods. The area is more densely populated than the other Grove neighborhoods, perhaps with the exception of South Bayshore Drive and its wall of high-rise towers.


Are you dreading this year’s tax season? St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church on McFarlane Road makes it easy – and free – to file a return for households that earned $67,000 or less last year. The free tax preparation service begins on January 30 with appointments available on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday through April 12. Last year, the program’s volunteers – IRS trained and certified – filed 250 tax returns. “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 15th tax season and we save our taxpayers tax prep fees as well as other expensive services,” she added via email. Tax returns are filed electronically and refunds are usually received within three weeks. To sign up for the service, make an appointment here, or call (786) 258-8588. Once you do, you’ll need to review this list (courtesy of St. Stephen’s) and gather the documents that apply to you.


Miami Approves D2 Office in West Grove

The Miami City Commission approved a resolution on Thursday that will allow District 2 Commissioner Damian Pardo to open an administrative office on Grand Avenue near Douglas Road in the West Grove. The resolution, approved without discussion, authorizes the City Manager to enter into a three-year lease agreement for space at 3646 Grand Avenue at annual cost of $51,000. The property is owned by Island District Development QOZB, a limited liability company managed by Coconut Grove developer Peter Gardner. “We couldn’t be happier,” Pardo said in a video posted on social media this week announcing the agenda item.

The commission’s approval of the new district office follows neighborhood complaints about District 2’s absence from community meetings. Pardo and his staff have stopped attending community meetings organized by West Grove organizations like the Coconut Grove Ministerial Alliance on the advice of the City Attorney’s office, much to the dismay of neighborhood leaders. After the Spotlight wrote about the change, Pardo responded with a statement saying in part, “this does not preclude our office from addressing community concerns. We remain committed to engaging with residents and organizations to resolve issues and advocate for the needs of District 2.”


When friends from the Frozen North call and ask you about the weather, don’t you feel just a little bit guilty that the days here are so beautiful? OK, maybe not, but now is the time to start planning for their visits, as so many cornerstone events in our neighborhood will arrive soon. Better still… don’t invite them. You can have these weekends all to yourself.

The Life Time Miami Marathon runs down the Commodore Trail, past Greenstreet Café and heads back downtown just when the runners are ‘hitting the wall’ and need your support the most. You can cheer them from anywhere along the route, but you can join the Friends of the Commodore Trail and the Coconut Grove Run Club at a prime spot in Regatta Park and see the athletes both coming and going on Sunday 2/2. First runners reach Regatta Park at about 7:40 a.m. Free.

At a slower pace along the same route, the Coconut Grove Arts Festival and St. Stephen’s Art Festival dominate Presidents’ Day weekend in the Center Grove, Saturday-Monday 2/15-17 from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Downtown Coconut Grove. CGAF has tickets. SSAF is free.

The Miami International Boat Show – the world’s biggest – can’t help but be an eye-popping attraction.  No need to actually buy a boat – the fantasy alone is worth the price of admission. Wednesday-Sunday 2/12-2/26. Tickets.

The name says ‘Miami’ but it’s really Coconut Grove’s new music festival. Now in its second year, the Montreaux Jazz Festival Miami leads off with Jon Batiste. “Where?” you ask. In the historic hangars of the Dinner Key Marina. Friday-Sunday, 2/28-3/2.  Tickets.

The Secret Garden Tour of Coconut Grove can give you an inside peak at the inspiring gardens of your neighbors. The tour is arranged so you can stroll between the chosen gardens, which this year are all in the North Grove. For the first time, the SGT will extend over two days through the generosity of the gardens’ owners. The Tour is the signature fundraising event of the Friends of the Commodore Trail and subscribers to their newsletter get first crack at always-quickly-sold-out tickets. Saturday-Sunday, 4/5-6. Gardens open at 2:00 p.m.

125 years of success are celebrated at George Washington Carver Elementary School’s Taste of Carver and Cultural Costume Contest.  In addition to the foods, for the first time the public can see the recently unveiled History Wall honoring the many accomplishments of GW Carver’s graduates. Your questions about the event can be answered at [email protected] or WhatsApp text to 561-400-0539. The event happens at 238 Grand Ave. on Friday at 5:30 p.m. Voluntary-donation tickets can be found here.

The Many Faces of Dr. King! — the 31st Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Holiday Production of the Coconut Grove Ecumenical Network — brings culturally relevant talent together at the Sanctuary of the Arts. The moving result celebrates the heroes of the Civil Rights Movement. 136 Frow Avenue. Sunday 1/26 at 2:00 p.m. Free.

The Miami Lebanese Festival is a must-see for its great cultural vibe (see,  not everything in Miami is Latin). Go for the food, but stay for the dancing.  Just around the corner at 2055 Coral Way. Starts Friday 1/24 and lasts through Sunday 1/26.

Save Me a Seat

The romance continues with the St. Hugh Steinway Concert Prelude to Valentine’s Friday, 1/31. Tenor Arturo Chacon Cruz headlines the show. Information and tickets are available here.


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