Like most librarians in Miami-Dade County, Julio Granda Jr. was worried about the financial future of his institution. Under County Mayor Carlos Gimenez, the system had lost $30 million in funding over several years and, in the summer of 2013, was staring down an additional $20 million cut. But when…
While you wouldn’t know it from rush hour traffic on the Palmetto and Dolphin Expressways, Miami is apparently one of the least sprawled out metro areas in America. According to a new study by Smart Growth America and the Metropolitan Research Center, Miami-Miami Beach-Kendall is the eighth most compact metro…
Law school costs a lot. Duh. But did you know which law schools sack their grads with the highest average debt? You probably didn’t, and because U.S. News & World Report has made a franchise out of ranking every possible thing related to the sophisticated criminal enterprise known as American…
Raul Medina Jr. walks into a Starbucks in Hollywood’s Young Circle and asks for a cup of black coffee with light hazelnut syrup and exactly two ice cubes. Better-known as DJ Raw, Medina brought hip-hop to Miami from his native South Bronx and founded Hoodstock, a free, big-name festival in…
Mayra Baruh, a single mom from Nicaragua, has raised two daughters in the heart of Brickell, in a diminutive building in the shadow of ever-taller towers sprouting up around the financial district. Gretel Hebbert, her oldest daughter, now 27, remembers a childhood of low-rise residences occupied by fellow recent immigrants,…
The super developers behind 500 Alton, an ambitious development plan that focuses on what would become Miami Beach’s tallest building, knew their plan didn’t meet city codes. But, hey, it’s only local government and they’re super developers. There’s ways of getting around those things, but it’s quite possible things could…
In case you haven’t heard, Ultra starts Friday. As of Wednesday evening, tickets to the weekend megafestival were 98 percent sold out, according to the organization’s website. And oh, there’s this: The three-day general admission passes retail for $400, plus a $90 service charge. But thanks to Craigslist, wannabe Ultra-goers…
In December, we broke the news that the Miami Beach Community Church was strongly considering leasing its courtyard to commercial developers. Church leaders called the $100 million offer a “miracle from God.” Meanwhile, locals — and even some church members — said the church was selling its sanctuary for 30…
Cedric Gervais lounges by the pool of his Biscayne Point bungalow in nothing but a pair of small white swim shorts and sunglasses. He is buff and bronze, with cheekbones like cliff ledges. House music ebbs and swells around him. It is 75 degrees and sunny. Add a couple of…
Trina has basically become the Suze Orman of the rap game. “Da Baddest Bitch” broke onto the scene on a Trick Daddy track, detailing what she would do to “five or six best friends,” but the Miami rapper has since traded in her porno-grade lyrics for a new obsession: money…
Because apparently Miami is always in desperate need of another gigantic skyscraper meant to house the 1 percent, developers Related and Crescent Heights have teamed up to bring a code-breaking new vision to a piece of primo South Beach real estate at 500 Alton Rd. Today they unveiled plans for…
Wynwood is changing at warp speed. Some walls are going up. Others are coming down. Galleries go out. Ducati dealerships come in. The only constant seems to be the neighborhood’s ever-evolving coat of graffiti, shed periodically like a serpent’s skin. So it’s no surprise that yet another controversial condo project…
The Ponzi scheme epidemic of 2008 kicked off with part-time Palm Beach resident Bernie Madoff, and then hit Florida much harder than most states. That’s the consensus of a new Forbes analysis, which found that Florida was second in total number of dollars lost to Ponzis, trailing only New York,…
It shouldn’t come as much of a surprise in a city where people often live above their means, but a new study show that Miamians simply can’t afford all those flashy cars they’re driving around town. A new study by Interest.com found that Miamians living on the median income level…
Chris Bosh may not be the league’s most valuable player, but he does own the NBA’s most valuable real estate portfolio. Not only is Bosh’s North Bay Road home on Miami Beach the most expensive home owned by a current player, but he also owns a home in California that…
The third wealthiest man in the world is now a major stakeholder in Miami’s local media market. Mega-investor Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway holding company has agreed to buy Miami’s ABC affiliate, WPLG, in a stock-swap deal that’s valued at $1.1 billion…
Stephen Ross clearly wants to spin his decision to pay for renovations to Sun Life Stadium out of pocket as an act of something akin to charity. The Miami Dolphins owner has now issued his first public statement on the decision, and sidesteps the issue that the deal would see…
The Raleigh Hotel might be about to get a new owner and it’s someone very familiar to your mid-90s wardrobe. Yes, Tommy Hilfiger is in final talks to purchase the historic South Beach Hotel and plans to turn it into a private member’s only club and hotel…
It’s the constant dilemma of Miami Beach. On one hand its tourism economy relies on it being on the world’s undeniable party hot spots. On the other it’s also supposed to be a relaxing subtropical paradise where one should not be bothered by the tikitiki music coming from the Gatsby-wannabe…
In the ludicrous world of South Beach real estate, where affluence trumps reason and an ocean view means nothing without an infinity pool, few things raise much of a stir. Except, perhaps, this. Local millionaire Russel Galbut is building a 17,000-square-foot apartment atop a parking garage that sits along Alton…
It’s 2.7 million square feet and about to get larger.
We can now imagine a scene where Real Housewives of Miami cast member Lisa Hochstein stands in front of her Star Island mansion proclaiming, “Mr. Boob God, tear down this house,” while her husband, plastic surgeon, Leonard Hochstein, sits behind the controls of a wrecking ball. Yes, the Hochsteins no…
