In the Spotlight:
- Police stings and security technology help counter opportunistic and professional criminals. The Spotlight examines both.
- The pinnacle of youth sailing regattas draws sailors world-wide to the Grove waterfront with the Orange Bowl Regatta.
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Coordinated sting operation with bar owners spotlights a growing problem in the Grove’s nightlife scene.
By Ethan Mannello

It’s about 10:30 p.m. on a Thursday in Coconut Grove. College students returning home for the holidays and other revelers flock to the pedestrian-only Fuller Street as Miami Police Department Commander Daniel Kerr and his team of undercover officers set their trap: Six plainclothes cops, dressed to blend in, enter a packed Barracuda Taphouse & Grill carrying a decoy cell phone.
Two officers approach the bar. They order a drink, place down the phone between them, and soon become lost in conversation.
Four others officers look on, carefully eyeing the unguarded phone. Outside, amidst the packed crowd, two more officers, in uniform, watch the door.
While the crime rate is down 3.2 percent, car break-ins, package thefts, and the occasional violent crime spark ongoing concerns.
By Mary Ann Esquivel-Gibbs

Crime continues to decline in Coconut Grove, with the overall rate dropping 3.2 percent so far this year, but residents remain wary of ongoing reports of car break-ins, credit card theft, stolen packages, and a smattering of other violent and non-violent crime.
“Coconut Grove: love the neighborhood, hate the crime. This has been going on for as long as I can remember,” wrote one Center Grove resident last week on the Nextdoor neighborhood forum, commenting on a recent car theft nearby.
In that incident, at about 8:30 p.m. on December 19, a resident heard the sound of her car being started in the driveway of her home near the corner of McDonald Avenue and Day Avenue. She screamed, scaring away the would-be thief.
For four days each December, young sailors from around the globe descend on Coconut Grove for racing, friendship and chance to make their mark in the world of competitive sailing.
By Lara Dallman-Weiss

For many people, “Orange Bowl” means football — the annual post-season bowl game, dating to 1935, pitting two of the top college teams in the nation. But for others the Orange Bowl represents something entirely different — a renowned international sailing regatta held in Biscayne Bay each December that brings together young athletes from around the world.
Hosted by Coconut Grove’s Coral Reef Yacht Club, the Orange Bowl Youth Regatta (OBYR), which dates to 1946, has emerged as one the world’s most prestigious youth sailing events. This year more than 700 athletes age eight to 18, from more than 20 countries, are expected to participate.
The four-day event kicks off December 27. Biscayne Bay Yacht Club, the US Sailing Center Miami, and Shake-A-Leg Miami – all in Coconut Grove – are cohosting this year’s event.
Recent News
After a Spotlight report chronicled the removal of public benches at a popular South Grove pocket park, city officials ordered their return.
Joshua Abril’s key lime pie business has a new location on Grand Avenue, just in time for the holiday season.
Miami Mayor Francis Suarez is a senior partner at the real estate investment firm that is seeking to purchase 100% of the condo units at Mutiny on the Bay
West Grove community groups say the City of Miami’s planning and zoning policies unfairly discriminated against Black residents, in violation of federal law.
A lifelong resident of Coconut Grove who worked to preserve the history of the Little Bahamas neighborhood, Cooper Baker was 87 years old.
Among a list of suggestions to strengthen Miami’s tree protection ordinance at a community forum Monday, the District 2 commissioner says citizens should have their say.
Marching on City Hall, a group suing the City of Miami says a new study highlights urgent health and cleanup concerns for residents near the Old Smokey facility.
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