Miami Gardens Mayor Oliver Gilbert has sought to put his city on the national stage. He was recently named the President of the African American Mayors Association and took part in the U.S. Conference of Mayors earlier this summer. He advocated for the relocation of the Miami Dolphins training facility to Miami Gardens and is working to implement 5G wireless technology in his city. He joined Sundial to discuss his hopes for the city and the controversy surrounding the Miami Dolphins' facility.
Local author Pablo Cartaya's new novel, “Marcus Vega Doesn’t Speak Spanish,” is a coming-of-age story about a young man uncovering his roots in an unfamiliar place. In the book, Marcus Vega’s family takes a trip from Miami to Puerto Rico where Vega tries to reconnect with his father. The book follows the themes of identity and Puerto Rican heritage. Cartaya joined Sundial to discuss the book and his upcoming event at Books and Books, Tuesday at 6:30 p.m.
The orchid is considered one of the most prized flowers of South Florida, but has suffered many threats due to urbanization in the region. The Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden has a program dedicated to saving the flower. The Million Orchid Project is reintroducing native orchids in South Florida's urban environments. A new app, called “Tracking One Million Orchids,” will allow residents to track the flowers in their neighborhood by scanning QR codes, using GPS technology and collecting information for botanists. It was funded by the Coral Gables Foundation and created by Florida International University student engineers. Fairchild's orchid biologist and lead of the program, Dr. Jason Downing, joined Sundial.