As of last October 1, texting while driving in Florida is illegal. But almost one year after the ban went into effect, it’s clear police across the state — and in Miami-Dade County — are rarely enforcing the law. Only 352 texting while driving citations have been issued in the…
Being a hotel worker is hard — low pay, long hours, ungrateful clientele. But for hundreds of workers at the Fontainebleau and theEden Roc in Miami Beach, life just got that much harder: Because of a change in city parking policy, employees are no longer able to use a nearby…
The more things change, the more they stay the same. LeBron is gone. No longer will we have wet dreams about attending Critical Mass and spotting King James next to us in the peloton. But Miami’s monthly bike celebration continues without him. Tonight’s ride will take cyclists 11.5 miles along…
At a breakfast networking event in Wynwood this morning, Miami Parking Authority chief Art Noriega, addressing the ongoing parking changes that have rankled the neighborhood’s businesses, called Wynwood a kind of “Wild Wild West” of parking and said his agency is working to refine its system. “We knew that the…
It’s the tenth anniversary of Allstate Insurance’s “Americas Best Drivers” list, and as usual, South Florida cities find themselves near the bottom. Of the 200 cities ranked, Miami has the 186th “best” drivers, or 15th worst. Meanwhile, Hialeah came in at 189th, or 12th worst. Both cities have fallen further…
Wednesday evening, a cop in Key Largo saw two motorcycles whiz by on Overseas Highway at more than 100 mph. The cop, Dep. Brian Cross, decided it was too dangerous to pursue the two bikes, so he radioed an alert instead. Half an hour later, one of the motorcyclists attracted…
Two bills to prohibit red-light traffic cameras failed to pass Florida’s legislature this spring. And now Miami-Dade officials have taken the initiative to place an additional 150 cameras at intersections throughout the county. See also: Rick Scott Signs Bill To Make Red-Light Cameras Slightly Less Bogus…
Merely owning a car in Florida could cost you $500 extra a year than it would in other states. In fact, according to a new analysis from BankRate.com, Florida is the third most expensive state in the nation to own a car…
Two people were injured this morning after a car somehow ended up plowing through the front door of Lincoln Road souvenir shop Alvin’s Island. Details are short at the moment, but the two victims were walking by the store when the vehicle apparently lost control. The driver of the red…
Walking down the western sidewalk of Ocean Drive isn’t so much a leisurely stroll as it is a maneuver through the middle of a never-ending string of crowded restaurants. That’s why Miami Beach commissioners are considering a way to eliminate the cramped atmosphere while preserving the strip’s cafe culture. According…
Let’s be honest: July was a crappy month for Miami. Bizarrely, the bad news seemed to arrive every Friday in this, the sweltering summer suck-hole of the year. On Friday, July 4, a happy holiday became a horror show when four boaters died on Biscayne Bay. A week later, LeBron…
In the months since Uber and Lyft have set up shop in Miami and sparked a war of fines and impounded cars with the county commission, the battle lines have seemed fairly obvious. Commissioners — backed by a powerful union of cab owners and medallion-holders — oppose changing regulations to…
Miami is a late-night city. Bars are open until 5 a.m. and even later in the Entertainment District. But the public transit system, which gets its deserved criticism in the daytime, shuts down almost completely after midnight. Only the bus is an option. That leaves Miamians traveling to and from…
The nation’s roadway infrastructure is crumbling, but there’s one sunny exception: the state of Florida. The Washington Post reports that Florida’s roads and bridges are in some of the best shape in the nation. That’s in part thanks to favorable weather, but also to a relatively high gasoline tax and…
For nearly two months, UberX and Lyft have been operating their app-based ride-share services around Miami in direct violation of the county’s limo laws. In turn, the county has hit the services with dozens of citations and has even impounded drivers’ cars. All of that carnage could end if county…
The idea of closing Ocean Drive off to traffic and turning it into a pedestrian mall similar to Lincoln Road may have hit a snag once commissioners realized that the parking meters along the street bring in over $1 million in revenue a year. Instead, Miami Beach’s Land Use and…
On April 1,a young man and woman were walking along Miracle Mile near Barnes & Noble when they decided to cross the street. They glanced left. No cars coming. Then they glanced right. Nada. So they slowly crossed the four lanes without a problem. As they began walking along the…
For a road that leads to a sparsely developed island sitting just north of a national park, the Rickenbacker Causeway has all the charm of an anonymous highway. A string of accidents, often deadly, have called attention to the fact drivers often zip through the road like it was I-95…
The Venetian Causeway is Miami’s oldest bay-spanning bridge and the best bet for cyclists and pedestrians looking to get from South Beach to downtown. It’s also been an unbelievable mess lately. Ever since a bus punched a hole in a deteriorating bridge earlier this year, the County has been plotting…
After an ominous news conference from Miami Police Chief Manuel Orosa and plenty of online speculation about whether cyclists would begin facing fines and police crackdowns at Critical Mass, Friday’s ride went surprisingly smoothly. During the 13-mile route through the city, bikers rode through red lights in large groups as…
Just two days after Miami Police Chief Manuel Orosa called Critical Mass a “critical mess,” the suspected organizer of the monthly bicycle rides is asking that cyclists please be responsible and ride safely. “Riders should act accordingly and try to correct all the criticisms mentioned by the police earlier this…
A day after Miami Police Chief Manuel Orosa called the monthly Critical Mass bike ride a “critical mess,” the route for this Friday’s ride has been released. Though it occasionally detours into other neighboring cities where police have had a friendlier approach, such as Miami Beach and Coral Gables, this…
