Hurricane Irma came and left South Florida in a matter of a day, a very long one at that. However, in the spirit of upcoming October baseball, the wind up and follow-through of Irma lasted much longer than a day. Everyone in South Florida felt the anticipation of the hit, the hit itself, and the aftermath of the hit. From gridlock lines at gas stations and supermarkets, to a desolate South Florida landscape just hours after Irma, the mark had clearly been made. Thankfully, within a matter of hours for some, and days for others, South Florida slowly began to rebuild and continues to do so.
Everyone has their own hurricane story, and for those who stayed in South Florida, a comradery was built. If you were one of those folks who didn’t consider yourself a Floridian before the hurricane but stayed for Irma, welcome. You are now a bonafide Floridian.
The hurricane season isn’t over just yet, and if there’s one thing to be learned from Irma, it is that there’s no such thing as being too prepared. Peace of mind is priceless (Contributed by Aaron Guerrero, digital consultant for Miami’s Community Newspapers).
Trash and dead bodies! Last week South Miami’s finest discovered the body of a man in his 40’s near the corner of Church Street (59th place) and 64th street. Cause of death has not been determined and no word yet of his identity. A South Miami resident informed us he was a resident of South Miami Gardens town homes….our thoughts and prayers go out to his family.
Patience and temperatures are rising in the city of “Pleasant Living” as an extreme time has elapsed before trash pick-up was initiated by the city’s administration. Golly folks, due to all the lawsuits…is it a lack of money issue or simply a lack of finding qualified contractors to help out the city’s beleaguered Public Works Department? As finger pointing continues within the administration, we contacted former Mayor Horace Feliu who by the way, has his new running shoes on and as always, is not shy about pointing out fault with this administration. The former mayor stated:
“The excessive 30 year FPL Franchise Agreement approved by this commission with the wise exception of Commissioner Edmond, did not include regularly scheduled tree trimming, solar powered LED street lights which could have prevented shorted out down wiring nor did it include burying of lines especially down our portion of US-1. Much of our outages could have been prevented. Now, everyone is in Crisis Management Mode….. Common sense leadership is about prevention and knowing how to negotiate a contract.”
We have a feeling we won’t be hearing the last of the former Mayor’s position as the February 13 election draws nearer.
After taking a short hot break over the summer – and a surprise visit by Hurricane Irma – our neighbors up the way at The Barnacle Historic State Park have started jammin’ again. The Moonlight Concert Series kicked off its 2017-18 season of great entertainment beside the Bay on Sept. 23. And as usual, this venue – often considered the best kept secret in the heart of Coconut Grove – outdid itself.
The grounds were all spruced up in time for guests to enjoy the amazing sounds of “Pitbull of Blues Band.” They’re a Florida-based, award-winning band that’s cranked out an energetic mix of traditional and original blues. Families and friends spread out their picnic blankets while others relaxed in their favorite lawn chairs on the scenic grounds of the Barnacle house
If you missed this show, never fear, the Moonlight Concert Series serves up a different act the second Saturday of each month through May 2018. Cost is just $10 for adults, $8 for members, $3 for kids ages 6 to 9, and free for little ones under 6. The park’s main is a. at 3485 Main Highway. For information, call 305-442-6866 or visit www.TheBarnacle.org.
