The Coconut Grove Playhouse has become a topic of political interest in South Florida. City of Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, along with many advocates fighting for its conservation, want to restore the entire playhouse that has been unused since 2006. Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez wants to restore only the front of the theater and demolish the rest, building a modern new theater in its place. Gimenez's plan was approved in a vote, but Suarez has vetoed the plan. Mayor Suarez joined Sundial to talk about what should happen to the historic Coconut Grove site.
South Florida startups are getting national attention. Recently, Xendoo, a Fort Lauderdale tax preparation company won $100,000 in the Rise of the Rest competition. The competition gives awards to emerging startup ecosystems. Lilian Roberts, CEO of Xendoo, and Marc Lissade, Executive Director of Startup Broward, a networking organization that hosts events for budding entrepreneurs, joined Sundial to talk what it takes to foster a prosperous startup community.
Florida has more than 500 invasive species that can be harmful to the state’s native wildlife. A new studyby the University of Florida and The Nature Conservancy took a look at the amount money the state and federal government spends a year on Florida to combat invasive plants. Currently it is $45 million dollars. Drew Hiatt, the lead author of the study and research biological scientist at University of Florida, joined Sundial to explain the study’s findings.