Coconut Grove Spotlight

07/09/2026

Douglas Road, a major county thoroughfare, divides neighborhoods in the South Grove from the rest of Coconut Grove. Residents say crossing or turning onto the road can be dangerous because of fast-moving traffic, limited sidewalks and crosswalks, and dense foliage that can block visibility.

Now, after years of concerns from residents, Miami-Dade County is studying whether to add a pedestrian crossing at Kumquat Avenue and Douglas Road. County officials expect to make a recommendation in late October.

Read the full story:
https://coconutgrovespotlight.com/2026/09/03/south-grove-residents-push-for-safer-douglas-road-crossing/

04/09/2026

The family of a cyclist critically injured in a collision with a car on the Rickenbacker Causeway is asking witnesses to come forward as Miami police continue to investigate the Aug. 29 crash.

The cyclist has been publicly identified by his family as Dr. Gilbert Beauperthuy-Rojas, 63, a longtime Miami orthopedic surgeon.

His brother-in-law, Carlos Mendia, said in a social media post that Beauperthuy-Rojas remained in critical condition at Jackson Memorial Hospital.

The 63-year-old Miami orthopedic surgeon suffered severe injuries in the Aug. 29 crash. His family is asking anyone who witnessed the collision or has video from the area to come forward.

04/09/2026

Kenneth Treister, a longtime Coconut Grove resident whose distinctive designs helped shape the neighborhood during a period of dramatic change, died Aug. 28 at age 96. He had spent the past 20 years living in Winter Haven.

For decades, Treister’s work was inextricably linked with Coconut Grove, spanning — and some would say helping to propel — its transition from a village catering to artists and hippies into an upscale neighborhood with luxury-brand shops. His best-known Grove project was the mixed-use Mayfair House Hotel & Garden, which has been both acclaimed and decried.

His other Coconut Grove projects included the Yacht Harbour Condominium and the distinctive mushroom-shaped picnic pavilions at Elizabeth Virrick Park.

Read the full story: https://coconutgrovespotlight.com/2026/09/03/kenneth-treister-architect-who-helped-reshape-coconut-grove-dies-at-96/

03/09/2026

Growing up in the Bahamas, Ollie Taylor learned to cook from her mother, who passed on her favorite recipes as well as her greatest fear: running short of food. And in a family of 12 children — Ollie is the third oldest — that meant the stove stayed hot.

“Always have extra,” said Taylor, an expression that serves as her motto. “The worst thing that could happen is not having enough.”

That bit of kitchen wisdom has served Taylor well in her current mission: one day each week, cooking enough for 200 meals to feed a growing number of Coconut Grove residents, some unhoused, some out of work, some low-income, all in need.

Read the full story: https://coconutgrovespotlight.com/2026/08/31/in-ollie-taylors-kitchen-theres-always-enough/

02/09/2026

A sweeping City of Miami proposal to allow denser development across hundreds of properties west of downtown could create capacity for nearly 20,000 additional residents and generate more than 124,000 additional vehicle trips a day at maximum development, according to city planning documents.

The proposed land-use and zoning changes, scheduled to go before Miami’s Planning, Zoning and Appeals Board (PZAB) on Wednesday, would affect properties across Little Havana, including areas along the Miami River, allowing greater residential density, taller buildings and more intensive development.

Read the full story: https://coconutgrovespotlight.com/2026/08/31/miami-eyes-another-major-upzoning-this-time-west-of-downtown/

02/09/2026

West Grove residents are asking a court to overturn the Miami City Commission’s unanimous July 9 approval of Miami-Dade County’s $59 million plan to rebuild the historic Coconut Grove Playhouse.

The petitioners argue that the City Commission used the wrong legal framework in reaching its decision and failed to adequately establish that the county’s plan complied with the city’s zoning code.

Read the full story: https://coconutgrovespotlight.com/2026/08/31/west-grove-neighbors-contest-playhouse-decision/

01/09/2026

A proposed new home on one of Coconut Grove’s most historic streets goes before Miami’s preservation board Tuesday, the latest development dispute confronting Charles Avenue residents.

Miami’s Historic and Environmental Preservation Board (HEPB) will consider plans for a new two-story home at 3448 Charles Ave., where city preservation officials say the proposed design does not sufficiently reflect the Bahamian and Caribbean architectural traditions that special zoning rules for the street are intended to preserve.

Read the full story:
https://coconutgrovespotlight.com/2026/08/31/another-charles-avenue-fight-does-this-house-fit-the-neighborhood/

01/09/2026

As commissioners prepare to consider another record budget — and voters face a $450 million public-safety bond in November — an analysis of city financial records finds Miami’s property-tax collections have soared over the past decade.

Miami’s real estate boom has dramatically increased the amount of money flowing into City Hall, far beyond what can be explained by inflation or population growth. Part 1 of a new Spotlight series asks the question: Where did the additional money go?

Read the full story: https://coconutgrovespotlight.com/2026/08/31/miamis-billion-dollar-boom-part-1-where-did-all-the-money-go/

31/08/2026

Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Lisa Walsh has squashed an effort to block a referendum to allow developer Virginia Key LLC (VK LLC) to lease about 28 acres at the Rickenbacker and Marine Stadium marinas and redevelop the areas with restaurants, retail and boat storage.

The ballot item owes its origins to a 2017 bid on the City of Miami-owned lease by VK LLC, a subsidiary of developer RCI Group. City officials at the time shot down the bid even though it was rated highly by the city administration, and VK LLC sued. A judge ordered the city to put that 2017 bid on the ballot as-is, and the current Miami commission was required to comply, despite its reservations about residents voting on nearly decade-old terms.

Read the full story:
https://coconutgrovespotlight.com/2026/08/27/miami-collects-millions-to-replenish-its-tree-canopy-why-is-the-money-piling-up/

31/08/2026

Over the past decade, the city has collected nearly $17 million from developers and property owners to help replace trees lost to development and new construction.

But millions of those dollars — collected to mitigate canopy loss when development sites cannot accommodate enough replacement trees — have remained unspent from year to year.

Newly released records show Miami’s Tree Trust Fund held $2.26 million as of Aug. 4, despite a city law requiring at least 80% of the fund to be spent each fiscal year on tree replacement and restoration or enhancement of the city’s tree canopy.

The city has not released annual financial reports required by the same ordinance that could provide a fuller accounting of how the fund has been managed. Nor has it provided records showing whether the city manager or a designee made the determinations required under city law to carry money into subsequent fiscal years.

Read the full story: https://coconutgrovespotlight.com/2026/08/27/miami-collects-millions-to-replenish-its-tree-canopy-why-is-the-money-piling-up/