Category Archives: Miami

Zika Ground Zero is About 7.5 Miles NE of Here

Posted on August 9, 2016 by Michael Froomkin

Wynwood to Coral Gables as the crow, er Aedes aegypti mosquito, flies.

(Corrected headline: NE not NW. Not that the mosquitoes care.)

Posted in Coral Gables, Zika | Comments Off

Got Me

Posted on May 2, 2016 by Michael Froomkin

Toll-a-palooza Dolphin Expressway to be Converted to 15 Consecutive Miles of Toll Booths

The Miami-Dade Expressway Authority (MDX) announced on Monday that it plans to greatly expand the number of toll plazas along State Road 836. The plan, which will take thirteen years and cost upwards of $1.4 billion dollars, will see 60 new toll installations along the 15-mile expressway. The design was unveiled to the County Commission and Metropolitan Planning Organization to resounding applause by an unnamed representative of the MDX, a Borg-like collective comprised of 13 assimilated, unautonomous board members.

This came up on my RSS feed, and I was really believing it, especially given the photo of the Sunpass scanners, until about the end.

Actually, like much great dark humor, it expresses a deeper truth.

Bonus dark: Mayor Gimenez to Open Manatee Hunting Season in Miami

Posted in Completely Different, Miami | Comments Off

Darkness at Noon

Posted on December 7, 2015 by Michael Froomkin

Light is one of Miami’s signature characteristics. And lately we haven’t gotten much.

In Summer we enjoy a Caribbean sun; it can feel like a slap on the head when you step out of the shade. Then there is the Monsoon season, where it rains every afternoon. But in Winter, we are in a temperate Paradise: sunny, warm, bright.

But not this December, at least not so far. We have had unseasonable rain. Heavy rain alternating with blindingly heavy rain, and puddles so big they amount to small ponds. Thunderstorms. Daily. For a week. And the forecast is for it to continue. And when it’s not raining it is cloudy and dark. On Saturday I overslept badly–really badly–because the light I count on to wake me up on weekends never appeared.

I do grasp that many people reading this will be living in places where the sun rises late and sets early this time of year, and experience has taught me that such people are not in the main terribly sympathetic with complaints about our winter weather. But consider that this season is supposed to be our reward for the brutality of an August that usually runs from mid-May to some time in November, and perhaps you will see why I think Nature is not playing fair this year.

Posted in Miami | 2 Comments

Coral Gables Cops Offer Their Lobby as Transactional “Safe Space”

Posted on November 16, 2015 by Michael Froomkin

Coral Gables Central reports that the Coral Gables Police are offering their main lobby as a “safe haven” for people to meet to consummate internet-negotiated transactions. Think Craigslist deals.

The goal is to reduce the likelihood of a criminal act being committed. The Coral Gables Police Department is located at 2801 Salzedo St., Coral Gables, 33134

The department will not be involved in setting the meetings, but the lobby can be used for this transaction any day of the week between the hours of 8 a.m. and 8 p.m.

This is a good thing, and the Police should be congratulated for doing it. But note that the cops say they only welcome legal transactions, so unsurprisingly this may not be the place for drug deals, escorting meets, and, they warn, nothing lasting more than 15 minutes. And I’m betting it’s not just watched by a bored desk Sargent, but all taped on camera.

Posted in Coral Gables, Internet | Comments Off