Planning on voting? You really should, and a good way to get acquainted with the candidates vying for seats in the upcoming elections is to attend a special Candidates Forum hosted by the Economic Development Council (EDC) and the League of Women Voters on Thursday, August 7. It will take place from 6:00 – 9:00 p.m. at the Palmetto Bay Village Center, located at 18001 Old Cutler Road. It’s in the Palm Room, on the 3rd Floor. In the Miami Dade Commission District 8 race both incumbent Lynda Bell and challenger Daniella Levine Cava have been invited to participate and are highly likely to be there. In the Palmetto Bay mayor’s race (listed here alphabetically), Peter England, Patrick Fiore, Eugene Flinn and Shelly Stancyzk have been invited. For Palmetto Bay Council Seat #1, Karyn Cunningham and David Zisman are expected to participate and for Council Seat #3, Henry T. Clifford, Larissa Siegel Lara and James Archie Shedd are invited. In the Cutler Bay Mayor’s Race, Peggy Bell and Arthur Nanni, Jr. are invited. It should be noted that both the EDC of South Miami-Dade and the League of Women Voters are non-partisan organizations and do not endorse or oppose candidates for public office. For more info visit www.edfsouthmiamidade.com.
Quick reminder! Just to let you know again in case you read this before the event, on Tuesday, August 5, the Concerned Citizens of Cutler Bay organization is also hosting a Candidate Forum. Candidates for Miami-Dade County Commission District 8 will answer questions and discuss issues. The meeting is from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at the Cutler Ridge United Methodist Church, 20740 Old Cutler Road, in Cutler Bay. “This promises to be an informative and interesting meeting. I hope to see you there,” says CCCB President Steve Zarzecki.
Speaking of Steve Zarzecki, we hear that he was one of a number of residents in Cutler Bay and Palmetto Bay who participated as volunteers assisting the Institute for Regional Conservation, the South Florida Water Management District and the National Park Service on a recent project planting native grasses along an endangered area set aside for conservation. Steve and others of like mind worked very hard even before that day, lobbying to get the site protected in the first place, so we know they enjoyed being there for the planting project.
And besides all the political candidates who are getting “in the swim” these days, sea turtles are, too. The Marjory Stoneman Douglas Biscayne Nature Center is hosting a special event anyone who is environmentally minded should enjoy, especially those who appreciate the beauty of sea turtles. A “Sea Turtle Release” will take place at the center on Saturday August 9th. The program begins at 7:30 p.m. and the turtle release takes place at 10:00 p.m. It’s billed as a chance to learn more about sea turtles, see them up close and watch them begin their life in the ocean. They do request a $10 donation to the Miami-Dade Sea Turtle Awareness Program, and you must RSVP by sending an email to reservations@biscaynenaturecenter.org or by calling 305-361-6767, Ext. 114. The Biscayne Nature Center is located at 6767 Crandon Boulevard at the North End of Crandon Park on Key Biscayne, directly across from the Crandon Golf Course on the Atlantic Ocean. Enter the park at the North Beach entrance.
Thought of the Day:
Stop wearing your wishbone where your backbone ought to be.
— Elizabeth Gilbert
Gary Alan Ruse contributed to this column.
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