On Super Bowl Sunday, some special students from Palmetto High School will put on the 14th annual poker tournament to support people with disabilities, which has grown to well over 100 participants annually.
Hosted by Congregation Bet Shira (SW 120th Street and 77th Avenue), the 3-hour Texas Hold ‘Em Tournament includes food and drink, raffles and lots of good conversation. Entry costs $20 and all players and volunteers receive five hours of community service credit.
The Poker Tournament benefits The Advocacy Network on Disabilities, formerly known as CCDH <www.advocacynetwork.org>. Since 1975, the Advocacy Network has been Miami-Dade’s lead agency that coordinates and arranges services for individuals with developmental and other disabilities.
Annually, the tournament raises north of $5000. If you’d like to play, work or donate, please go to www.anodpokertournament.myevent.com, where you can find out how.
New Whole Foods Store Opens
On January 10th, Whole Foods had their Dadeland store grand opening, with specials that ran seven days. The store is located next to Target at 104th Street and US-1.
“We are so very pleased to offer a brand new large format store for our local community,” explained Store Team Leader Adrienne Hutchings. “We strive to satisfy and delight our customers and the response we have received so far has surpassed expectations.”
The new store serves as a relocation from the previous Pinecrest location and brings a more expansive shopping experience to the community.
ofo Bicycle Sharing
Want to commute and leave your car behind? Just want to take a Sunday spin through the neighborhood? Well, bicycle sharing just got a whole lot cooler! No matter why you want a bike, all you need to do is pull out your smartphone and use the ofo app to find a nearby bicycle (or just spot a bright, yellow ofo bike first and then claim it as your next ride). Scan the QR code on the bike’s license to unlock it and you’re ready to go. Once you complete your ride (to anywhere you like!), park the bicycle in a legal location, lock it, and tap “Trip complete” in the app. That’s it! You’ll get billed $1 per hour.
Recently, ofo dropped dozens of bikes throughout South Miami as they expand into the United States from their native China. I haven’t seen many people using them yet, but they seem to be in all the spots you’d want to use a bike.
The company was started by Peking University students in 2014 when they saw an opportunity to leverage smart technology to improve cycling as a sustainable mode of transportation. The bike sharing was so immediately popular there that five more campuses joined within just three months. Today the service is open to anyone in over 180 major cities with a smartphone. I suspect University of Miami students will be the first to really see the benefits, but hope that more catch on. By the way, your first ride is free. Hope to see you on one of these sweet rides soon!
Irma Debris Removal Continues
The two massive 40-foot high mountains of Irma debris mulch that shut down a parking area and lessened use of Coral Reef Park is now a memory. After dozens of outbound truckloads, the Palmetto Bay Village Manager reports, “With the removal of all the debris and other actions, the entire park will be back to pre-Irma conditions in a few days. We’re even giving a fresh coat of paint to our bathroom facilities and repairing the awning on our concession building.” Village staffers also state that the forthcoming FEMA funds, plus the built-in surplus on the budget, will pay for everything.
Real Estate Update
As of January 13, the Pinecrest market remains soft. Homes listed over $1M are at 27 months of inventory, indicating a strong Buyers’ market. A healthy market has 3-6 months of supply. No matter where you live, let me assist you with local expertise, realistic expectations and guidance to get you to wherever ‘next’ is. It’s easy to get started at miamihal.com/myvalue.
Hal Feldman (MiamiHal) is a Realtor with RE/MAX Advance Realty. You can contact him with your story ideas or real estate questions at www.MiamiHal.com, Hal@MiamiHal.com or www.facebook.com/MiamiHal.
