Yes sir, Larkin Hospital put in the winning bid of nearly $25 million and in exchange for the big bucks got the 50 bed Hollywood Pavilion Hospital and the 152 bed Hollywood Hills Nursing Home. Dr. Jack Michel, the President and Chairman of Larkin, and the team at Larkin know how to get it done and they are making an impact in the health industry. Not too long ago, Larkin purchased a 40,000+ plus foot building on North Dade that is now home of its school of Pharmacy.
Are the folks at Baptist still trying to get the corner piece of property at SW 62 Ave and Sunset Dr? Which seems to have been purchased by someone else. Baptist owns the pieces on both sides of the corner and it seems as though it might be pretty important to the medical complex that Baptist WANTED too, or wants to build. My bet is that it ain’t over till it’s over and even when it looks like it’s over, with all the money that it earns (it is well deserved), Baptist usually gets what it wants cuz it’s got the big bucks. So…. don’t count ’em out.
Well it looks like the Winn-Dixie on SW 73 St is just about done with its improvements. There’s a whole new look on the front of it. The inside is essentially brand new and it sparkles and it’s a pleasure to shop there. The inside lights are nice and bright, the food looks better, the veggies are more colorful and the bakery really has got it going on. Wonderful smells seeping through the isles made me push my cart at warp speed and buy some really low calorie goodies. My thanks go out to Winn-Dixie for helping make my shopping a pleasure.
Went on over to Miami Home Center on SW 57 Ave & 73 St, on Sunday morning and I gotta tell you, the service is outstanding. One of the guys came up to me, asked if he could help me, I told him what wanted, he took me over to the product and answered my questions and then asked me if I needed anything else. I tip my hat to the folks over at Miami Home Center. They did a great job of taking care of me and for sure I’ll be back.
Talking about great customer service, I am very happy for one of our local pharmacies, who continue to provide excellent service and have very knowledgeable staff. South Miami Pharmacy or as they will now be SMP Pharmacy Solutions is very soon expanding over to 72Ave and SW 48 St and will continue to provide competitive prices and award winning service. If you have not visited them yet, I encourage you to swing by and see their wonderful locations.
The piece below comes from R. Kenneth Bluh’s Commentary section.
South Miami-Dade County voters were promised an extension of Metrorail into South Dade if they supported a 0.5 percent sales tax to fund public transportation.
They overwhelmingly voted yes and got a fast lane for busses instead. It was wrong. They did not receive what was promised and they want it — Metrorail — now. This was the theme elected officials recently presented to the members of the Homestead City Commission and South Dade residents, a plan to bring Metrorail to South Dade.
Miami-Dade District 7 Commissioner Xavier Suarez opened the presentation stating that there are funds available to pay for the extension. The cost of extending the Metrorail to Florida City is estimated at $690 million. We already own the real estate, which in many expressway projects represents a very large portion of the total cost.
State Rep. Kionne McGhee, District 117 (Cutler Bay) pointed out that South Dade is the fastest growing section of the county but is being overlooked by the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO), which is partially responsible for public transportation planning.
U.S. Rep. Carlos Curbelo said that MiamiDade consumers are still paying the half-percent sales tax and to date have paid over $2.5 billion. Additionally, there are some federal funds available and that he and other MiamiDade elected officials in Washington, DC, are ready to seek financial support.
Palmetto Bay Mayor Eugene Flinn, Cutler Bay Mayor Peggy Bell, Florida City Mayor Otis Wallace and Pinecrest Councilmember James McDonald all took turns at the microphone telling of each community’s need to have the Metrorail extension run through their communities which would relieve traffic on US1 and speed their residents in connecting with downtown employment and the airport.
McGee noted that the average resident in Florida City who works 250 days a year spends $3,200 annually on transportation, yet their median income is $24,674. And it still takes 2-3 hours a day riding and transferring busses to and from the centers of employment.
South Miami Mayor Philip Stoddard added a touch of levity to the presentation telling the crowd that while his city is on the rail system he still is in need of the extension as his daughter has a boyfriend who lives in Cutler Bay and he, the mayor, must drive him home as the rail ends in East Kendall.
The presentation to the residents of the Homestead and Florida City area was the first of several that will be made to the residents of Cutler Bay, Palmetto Bay and Pinecrest. It is the hope that the residents will lend support to our elected officials and see that the extension of Metrorail actually takes place.
Mayor Flinn emphatically stated, “We either push together to get a ‘real,’ 21st Century infrastructure to move us along, or we’ll all just suffer together on US1.”
Note: I left my home in East Kendall (Dadeland area) at 5 p.m. on the evening of the presentation hoping to arrive at 6:30. Unfortunately, stuck in traffic, I arrived late at 6:50 p.m., just as Commissioner Suarez was closing the presentation with a “thank you” to the Homestead mayor, city commissioners and members of the community. I ultimately listened to the presentation on You Tube.
Got any tips? Contact me at 305-669- 7355, ext. 249, or send emails to Michael@communitynewspapers.com.
To read Around Town in Palmetto Bay, click here.
To read Around Town in Cutler Bay, click here.
