Swelter

From there, a semi-natural segue to clubville. The Bar'ock team -- Daniel Ward, Cynthia Fenner, Eric Omeres, Heather Smith -- working on a deal to take over Kaos in South Miami. Ward, a former disc jockey at The Garage in Honolulu, planning to operate five nights a week, with mixed music every night: "Sets of progressive, house, techno, hip hop, alternative music like The Smiths and The Cure, maybe some campy TV themes. Lots of video and art. We're attacking the student crowd."

Stars, a new 7000-square-foot dining/dancing establishment for the 25-and-up crowd, opening up at Sixth and Collins, in a re-converted Jewish temple owned by Miami Beach Commissioner Abe Resnick, who also owns the Van Dome building, another former temple. A temple/club empire in the making, deep in the shadow of the Holocaust Memorial. Stars, according to a spokesperson, will debut November 12 with a benefit for the Children's Cancer Caring Center. Empyrean, the new incarnation of the Butter Club opening this past weekend, a club called Polyester going in next door shortly. Low-purpose stuff compared to the hurricane relief beat, but then, it's an easy-reading kind of town.