Coral Gables Environment, Politics and Government
October 13, 2010 Leave a comment
This should be an extraordinary place to enjoy. It is next door to the new Coral Gables Museum.
The Coral Gables Art Cinema Opens with Freakonomics
The Coral Gables Art Cinema will at long-last open to the public on Friday, October 15 for year-round operations with the Florida theatrical premiere of Freakonomics, the funny and insightful feature film based on the bestselling book that explores “the hidden side of everything.”
October 13, 2010 Leave a comment
(With sincere apologies to the 33 miners in Chile)
There are at least 33 Coral Gables and Miami-Dade taxpayers urgently needing rescue from steadily rising property taxes. Taxes are exhausting people’s savings, as gradually diminishing budgets are not furnishing them real financial relief.
The 33 taxpayers are praying for some comfort, but government managers, unions and employees are fighting to retain the inflated benefits dispensed by city commissions during ten years or more of unrealistic, mushrooming property values.
Since that wholly artificial prosperity will not be repeated in our lifetime, the 33 taxpayers urge the government to come back to earth, and make real, permanent and significant budget cuts while the economy returns to normal in five or six years.
That is the first great step in the rescue of the 33 taxpayers.
October 12, 2010 Leave a comment
Rhee made a serious attempt at reforming education in Washington, DC; and Hernandez is leaving a highly debatable legacy in Coral Gables.
Rhee’s goals – higher student achievement, better teachers and greater accountability for their classroom performance – were generally shared by Rhee’s predecessors. But with new powers putting the struggling school system under mayoral control, Rhee pursued the goals with an unprecedented zeal.
She closed more than two dozen schools, fired teachers by the hundreds and spent more than two years negotiating a labor contract that gives principals new control over teacher hiring while establishing a new performance-pay system that ties compensation to growth on student test scores.
via D.C. Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee to announce resignation Wednesday.
Source re resignation of city attorney: see George Volsky (article received via email), CITY ATTORNEY RESIGNS, Oct. 12
October 12, 2010 Leave a comment
See my post on the University of Miami agreement. As a neighbor of the area, the recent approval process for the UM long-term master plan always had the feeling of being rushed through, although the city government followed all of its regulations and there were no secrets of approval. The agreement included a 200,000 square foot health center ( hospital) and it was discussed in public. It was included in the master plan and Commissioner Kerdyk briefly questioned the calculations for parking.
It is my understanding that the city has a number of built in controls and oversight of the development and traffic monitoring of the commercial-like area of UM along Ponce de Leon. The BankUnited Center capacity will be expanded and almost certainly a hotel will be constructed in the area.
Some neighbors are convinced, and I heard this from several neighbors citizens, that this development district extension in UM was approved fearing that the proposed Constitutional Amendment 4, if approved by voters, would require the citizens of Coral Gables to approve each and every master plan modification.
Presumably, Baptist Health bought Doctors Hospital assuming that they would have a local, let’s call it, advantage, because of its location in the center of Coral Gables. Also, the new health center would compete directly with South Miami Hospital.
Let’s hope that a little competition will be good for Baptist Health, neighbors and students and staff at the university.
