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https://www.miamitodaynews.com/2026/05/27/two-best-of-miami-sections-spotlight-communitys-bright-stars/
Two Best of Miami Sections spotlight community’s bright stars This keepsake edition marks the conclusion of Miami Today’s 43rd year of serving this community by examining some of the best of Miami individuals and institutions over a broad array of categories. All are chosen not by Miami Today but by a select team of knowledgeable and thoughtful observers for their contributions to the present and future of this region as among the best in specific categories.
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https://www.miamitodaynews.com/2026/05/27/more-rooms-in-miami-pipeline-as-nation-cuts-back-hotel-construction/
More rooms in Miami pipeline as nation cuts back hotel construction Miami-Dade County has 2,075 more hotel rooms in the construction pipeline this week than it had exactly a year ago, although total U.S. hotel construction has fallen for 15 consecutive months, according to data provided to Miami Today by the CoStar information and analytics firm.
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https://www.miamitodaynews.com/2026/05/20/county-to-return-32-acres-to-strengthen-homestead-air-reserve-base/
County to return 32 acres to strengthen Homestead Air Reserve Base To aid the Air Force in securing the runway at Homestead Air Reserve Base, Miami-Dade is moving ahead to return to the federal government 32 of the acres it was given next door to the base for use for county economic development.
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https://www.miamitodaynews.com/2026/05/20/mental-health-center-ok-sidetracked-for-a-jackson-health-review/
Mental health center OK sidetracked for a Jackson Health review The Miami Center for Mental Health and Recovery, which is completed and long has awaited an opening, took another twist Tuesday when county commission Chairman Anthony Rodriguez moved to direct the county’s Jackson Health System to study the project’s soundness.
His motion directed Mayor Daniella Levine Cava to provide Jackson with all proposals and supporting documents submitted for the project and directed Jackson’s leaders to evaluate whether the proposed scope of services, staffing, operational assumptions, and projected costs are sufficient to adequately serve the intended patients.
The aim is for Jackson to provide a written assessment of the mental health center project before a June 16 commission hearing on the center’s future.
Echoing concerns of some commissioner that the center’s financial burden could not be sustained for more than two years that are fully funded, Mr. Rodriguez asked that the independent review examine the long-term operational and financial sustainability of the facility at 2200 NW Second Ave. to help ensure continuity of care and avoid future operational or fiscal shortfalls that could negatively impact patients, staff, and taxpayers.
“I remain committed to not simply opening a mental health facility, but ensuring it is built with the structure, resources, operational support, and long-term planning needed to provide sustainable, high-quality care for our community for years to come,” Mr. Rodriguez said in a written statement. “This facility must be positioned to truly serve patients, protect taxpayers, and deliver measurable outcomes in treatment, recovery, and public safety.”
Mr. Rodriguez expressed support for key components, including the inclusion of a courtroom, the relocation of the New Direction Residential Treatment Program, and the inclusion of behavioral health and transitional housing beds associated with the Homeless Trust. However, he stressed that additional verification and oversight are necessary before final approval.
“The focus must remain on developing a system that functions effectively, not simply opening a facility,” he said.
The seven-story, 181,000-square-foot center has been fully built, renovated and certified for occupancy since 2023, but has sat empty due to concerns about operational costs.
Once open, it is designed to provide a comprehensive, one-stop system of care for residents with serious mental illnesses, offering crisis stabilization, substance use treatment, residential and outpatient care, primary medical services, vocational training, transitional housing, and an on-site courtroom to expedite diversion from jail into treatment.
Funding for the first two years of operation is secured through federal and opioid settlement dollars, and additional revenue streams would ensure long-term stability.
Medicaid reimbursement is to cover part of the center’s mental health and dental services, as well as a substantial portion of primary care, ophthalmology and podiatry. The Miami-Dade Homeless Trust is to fund housing components. Workforce Florida is to support the Culinary Supportive Employment Program.
Retired Miami-Dade County Judge Steve Leifman has championed the project for years, saying that Miami-Dade is spending millions annually to maintain the fully built facility while it sits idle.
Miami-Dade County jails have become the largest psychiatric facility in Florida, with thousands of persons with serious mental illnesses incarcerated on any given day. Most are charged with nonviolent offenses and lack access to appropriate treatment. The county currently spends roughly $1.1 million daily, or $414 million a year, incarcerating people with mental health needs.
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https://www.miamitodaynews.com/2026/05/13/miami-may-branch-out-to-add-to-tree-canopy/
Miami may branch out to add to tree canopy As Miami weighs changes to its tree protections, residents could soon play a more direct role in shaping how the city preserves and expands its urban canopy through a new citizen-led advisory board.
City commissioners are to hear a proposal today (5/14) to create the Miami Tree Ordinance Advisory Committee, a 10-resident panel that would help guide policies surrounding tree preservation, canopy protection and urban forestry. The move comes as Miami continues a broader review of its tree regulations following months of public debate over how the city should balance development with protecting and expanding its urban canopy.
As one of the nation’s fastest-growing urban centers, Miami is increasingly confronting the environmental consequences of rapid development and shrinking shade coverage. Despite a countywide goal established more than a decade ago to reach 30% tree canopy coverage, Miami remains near 20%, according to a 2023 Miami-Dade County report, with one in five ZIP codes falling below 10% coverage – well under the national average of 27.1% for major US cities and far from the 40% benchmark recommended by conservation nonprofit American Forests for regions east of the Mississippi River.
The proposed advisory committee follows a broader city effort launched last May to comprehensively review Miami’s tree protections and environmental regulations to determine whether existing policies align with current best practices. The review examines not only the substance of the city’s regulations but also how they are enforced administratively, including permitting, inspections, fines and restoration requirements when trees are removed or damaged.
The assessment also compares Miami’s policies with those of municipalities recognized for strong environmental stewardship, with the goal of identifying weaknesses and recommending updates to the city code.
In July 2025, the city hired The Consensus Center at Florida State University to oversee public engagement surrounding possible revisions to the tree ordinance, a topic that has generated sustained concern among residents and environmental advocates. The Consensus Center, housed within FSU’s Conflict Resolution Consortium and established by the Florida Legislature in 1987, serves as a neutral public resource that facilitates mediation, collaborative planning and dispute resolution on complex public policy issues.
Officials said the outside facilitation was intended to rebuild confidence in the city’s process and ensure any future ordinance changes reflect broad community input. Proposed revisions to Miami’s tree regulations have drawn skepticism from residents who fear existing protections could be weakened amid continued development pressure.
“We ended up going to FSU because there seemed to be so many biases involved … we wanted to go to some place that had expertise and a best practice reputation for being able to run a consensus process,” Commissioner Damian Pardo said last July. “The lack of trust with our city was obvious in a lot of these interactions. What we’re trying to do is place it in an independent place that people will trust will follow a good process … so that in the end, we grow the canopy, preserve our trees and preserve private property rights.”
Under the city’s agreement with FSU, the outreach is divided into two phases. The first phase includes stakeholder outreach, five public workshops – one in each city commission district – and a final report summarizing public feedback and findings. A second, optional phase would allow the Consensus Center to continue assisting during ordinance drafting or facilitate additional workshops depending on the outcome of the initial process.
The newly proposed advisory committee would serve as the next step in that effort. Sponsored by Mr. Pardo, the resolution would formally establish a resident-led body to advise the commission on potential revisions to Miami’s tree ordinance and broader urban canopy policy.
Under the proposal, each of Miami’s five commissioners would appoint two residents from their respective districts, creating a 10-member committee intended to reflect a broad range of perspectives on tree preservation, resiliency, neighborhood character and quality of life.
The committee would review reports, presentations, technical data and policy materials related to urban forestry, canopy equity and tree preservation practices. Members would also assist in collecting and evaluating community feedback from residents, advocacy groups, businesses and neighborhood organizations participating in the outreach led by the Consensus Center and consulting firm Orthon Group.
The committee would ultimately develop recommendations for the city commission regarding potential amendments to Miami’s tree ordinance and related policies governing the protection, maintenance and...

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https://www.miamitodaynews.com/2026/05/13/county-to-reap-bigger-sales-share-from-miami-heat-store-at-airport/
County to reap bigger sales share from Miami Heat Store at airport The Miami Heat Store, which has been operating on a month-to-month lease since its 2011 contract at Miami International Airport expired, is about to get a new lease on life from Miami-Dade commissioners – with the county getting a larger percentage of sales revenues.
The store, owned by an affiliate of the Miami Heat basketball team, has been scoring high in revenue ratings for about 15 years, based on the popularity of the team. Revenues tend to rise with team standings.
Until now, the store has been paying as rent 8% of revenues garnered by selling a full assortment of Miami Heat-licensed merchandise including team-licensed gear, jerseys and novelty items. While other airport stores provide items symbolizing the Heat, none has the range of merchandise that the Miami Heat Store offers in its 1,381 square feet in Concourse D.
But a new lease and concession agreement facing an Airport and Seaport Committee vote this week ups the ante from the store to either 10% of gross revenues or the prevailing terminal rental rate for the lease of the location.
There was no competition for the lease. “Market Research did not identify any other vendors who would be authorized to operate a Miami Heat-licensed retail store,” a memo to the committee from Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said. The lease is with Airball Sports II, which owns the Miami Heat Store and is part of the Heat business structure – Airball’s principal is Eric Woolworth, president of business operations of the Heat Group.
Although other sports teams including the Miami Marlins have since had a presence in the airport’s retail scene, the Miami Heat Store came first.
Local business and civic leaders had been seeking a sports presence at the airport to serve visitors to Miami. The Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce’s Sports Committee had taken the lead in that for a few years, followed by the Miami-Dade Sports Commission, which in 2009 took up the banner, working with the airport to create a single store serving all area professional teams.
In the end, though, it was the Miami Heat alone that opened a store. In its first 12 months the store’s revenues were reportedly $1.1 million, a number destined to rise.
The new contract when approved will give the Miami Heat Store an eight-year lease with two more years at the airport’s option. The estimated revenues to the county alone for 10 years is $17 million, which, at 10% of sales, would put the store’s 10-year total sales at $170 million.
Because the contract is a non-competitive agreement, it will require two-thirds positive votes both in committee and then from the county commission to move the store from its month-to-month lease to a long-term agreement.
The Heat has been among sports leaders in marketing its gear. It won the National Basketball Association’s Team Retailer of the Year award in 2003, 2006 and 2011, when it signed its lease at the airport. The airport became the Heat’s fourth retail site, following stores at what then was AmericanAirlines Arena, the Dolphin Mall and an online store.
“Given the international appeal of our team, Miami International Airport is the perfect destination for the newest Miami Heat Store,” Mr. Woolworth said at the time. “We are confident the store will be a tremendous success.”
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https://www.miamitodaynews.com/2026/05/06/real-remax-with-180000-agents-plans-miami-headquarters/
Real REMAX, with 180,000 agents, plans Miami headquarters Miami is to become headquarters of a new technology-enabled global real estate platform named Real REMAX Group that formed last week in the uniting of RE/MAX and the Real Brokerage. The combined company has nearly 8,500 franchisees and more than 180,000 agents.
In unveiling the acquisition of RE/MAX by Real Brokerage, the announcement said “Real REMAX group will be headquartered in Miami with significant operations remaining in the Denver area,” which had been the home of RE/MAX before the acquisition. The exact headquarters location was not announced.
The transaction is expected to close in the second half of this year, the announcement said.
Both organizations had franchisees in Miami-Dade before the acquisition. REMAX listed more than 145,000 agents and the Real Brokerage had 35,000.
The acquisition is another corporate unification in the industry. Last year Compass Real Estate acquired Anywhere Real Estate in a deal reported to be worth $1.6 billion.
The announcement emphasizes that the two organizations bring to the new company complementary business models, “uniting Real’s AI-powered, high-growth brokerage platform, proprietary software and vibrant agent community with REMAX’s iconic real estate brand and expansive global franchise network with a presence in more than 120 countries and territories and more than 145,000 agents.”
“This acquisition is an important step on our journey to build a technology platform that empowers real estate professionals and improves the consumer experience,” said Tamir Poleg, Real’s chairman and chief executive officer, in a written statement.
REMAX was founded in 1973 by Dave and Gail Liniger. “I know now is the right time and Real is absolutely the right partner to move REMAX into the future,” Mr. Liniger said. Mr. Poleg will be chairman and CEO of the new Real REMAX Group.
The transaction has been called an $880 million deal, although a Wall Street Journal report put the actual value at $550 million.
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https://www.miamitodaynews.com/2026/05/06/royal-caribbean-orders-two-mammoth-ships-expanding-private-resorts/
Royal Caribbean orders two mammoth ships, expanding private resorts Royal Caribbean Group, which is headquartered on PortMiami, last week ordered two more Finnish-built ships to be delivered in 2029 and 2030 as the cruise company expands its portfolio of ships and private resorts.
“We expect another year of double-digit revenue and earnings growth,” Chairman and CEO Jason Liberty reported last week. “We are expanding our portfolio through the recent launch of Royal Beach Club Santorini, the upcoming delivery of Legend of the Seas, and the recent orders for Icon VI and VII.”
Legend of the Seas, to debut in July, is a 250,800-ton megaship that has a 5,600-passenger capacity and 20 decks. It’s to launch in Barcelona with Western Mediterranean cruises before moving to Port Everglades in Brevard County in November.
The corporation reported that its overall capacity is expected to grow by 6.7% this year from last, with increases of 4%, 6% and 7% respectively in 2027, 2028 and 2029.
In March, a game-changing project for Royal Caribbean Cruises on PortMiami increased again from the original cost. The design and construction of Terminal G and Berth 10 improvements for the global cruise industry giant had risen from $325 million to $425 million in 2023, the year after an earlier agreement was signed. An agreement change in March raised the total to $463 million.
In the long run, the amended agreement will increase Royal Caribbean’s capital recovery surcharge contribution to the county for the project, resulting in a $35 million positive fiscal impact to the port, county commissioners were told.
The new order for two more Icon Class ships from Meyer Turku in Finland is part of a three-decade relationship between the two entities, Royal Caribbean said, “during which the shipyard has built 25 ships for the company…. Each Icon ship represents the largest industrial projects in Finland.”
Royal Caribbean says it has secured shipbuilding capacity from Meyer Turku through 2036.
The company today operates 69 ships sailing to more than 1,000 destinations in all seven continents through three wholly owned brands – Royal Caribbean, Celebrity Cruises and Silversea – and a 50% interest in TUI Cruises, which operates the Mein Schiff and Hapag-Lloyd brands.
The corporation says it is expanding its portfolio of private destinations from three to eight by 2028 and plans to enter river cruising in 2027 with Celebrity River Cruises.
Bookings slipped in March and early April for Mediterranean itineraries after the United States attacked Iran but those bookings have recovered and are currently ahead of last year’s pace, the corporation said. Fuel costs also rose with the attacks.
The company said revenue is expected to grow by about 10% this year.
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https://www.miamitodaynews.com/2026/04/29/city-oks-suit-to-get-fire-station-at-mercedes-benz-condos/
City OKs suit to get fire station at Mercedes-Benz condos The City of Miami is moving toward legal action against the developer of Mercedes-Benz Places at One Southside Park after it failed to deliver a new Fire Station No. 4 required under a 2023 public benefits agreement tied to the high-profile Brickell project.
The Miami City Commission voted unanimously April 23 to authorize the city attorney to take all legal action needed to enforce the agreement with developer 191 SW 12 Owner LLC, an affiliate of JDS Development Group led by Michael Stern. The move comes after the city’s three-year deadline for completion expired March 15 without a finished station, followed by a notice of default issued April 3 and no permanent facility in place.
In February 2020, JDS Development Group bought downtown city-owned property along Southwest Second Avenue for $23 million to develop One Southside Park, a 67-story mixed-use tower planned to include condominiums, a boutique hotel, office space and public amenities as part of a broader redevelopment of Southside Park, including a modernized two-acre public green space. In early 2024, JDS Development announced a partnership with Mercedes-Benz to brand 791 condominium units within the tower.
The property included the site of City of Miami Fire Station No. 4 at 1111 SW Second Ave., which became part of a broader public benefits agreement between the city and the developer tied to the project’s approval.
Under that agreement, the developer was required to finance and construct a replacement Fire Station No. 4 at an estimated cost of $8 million, along with $2.2 million for fire trucks and other public benefits, in exchange for development rights at the site. The agreement called for the new station to occupy about 32,000 square feet within the ground level of the development and be transferred to the city upon completion, while the city would convey the existing fire station parcel for redevelopment.
A 2023 amendment to the agreement later allowed the developer to demolish the existing station and proceed with construction of its replacement, based on assurances it would be completed expeditiously. Fire-rescue personnel were relocated to a temporary station at Southside Park during construction.
Construction on the replacement station began around March 15, 2023, triggering a 36-month completion deadline that expired last month. In the interim, the developer also secured additional development rights through a covenant and easement agreement allowing work on portions of the site.
City officials now say the developer failed to complete the station and has also fallen behind on other required public benefit payments. The resolution says the temporary fire station currently housing fire-rescue personnel is deteriorating as hurricane season approaches, raising public safety concerns.
“The developer’s failure to construct and deliver the new fire station … and the ongoing conditions of the construction occurring on Southside Park and the temporary fire station poses an immediate threat to the health, safety, and welfare of the public,” the item states.
The action comes amid broader financial pressure on the project. Court filings from April 1 show CWRE SSF Flamingo Capital, an affiliate of the Cottonwood Group that acquired the debt, filed a foreclosure lawsuit against 191 SW 12 Owner LLC over an $86 million bridge loan originally provided by Maxim Capital Group. The lender alleges the borrower defaulted on the loan, which has grown to roughly $100 million including interest.
With the commission’s authorization, the city attorney can now pursue legal avenues to enforce the agreement and protect city-owned land and public safety facilities tied to the project.
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https://www.miamitodaynews.com/2026/04/29/elevator-and-escalator-breakdowns-perplex-transit-passengers/
Elevator and escalator breakdowns perplex transit passengers Broken elevators and escalators at county transit stations continue to bedevil passengers, both because of frequent breakdowns and because passengers can’t easily find other ways into and out of stations.
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