Coconute Grove

Frustrated by the governor’s failure to call a special election to fill an empty seat in House District 113, one candidate has turned his backyard tiki hut into a “constituent” office to meet with district voters, including those in the North Grove.

A local filmmaker chose to shoot his most recent feature in Coconut Grove, bucking an industry trend that has seen producers forsake Florida for friendlier climes.

For generations, West Coconut Grove was home to a network of neighborhood mom-and-pop stores that doubled as community hubs. Today, it is down to a single grocery: Ike’s Food Center, whose story traces the rise, resilience and gradual erosion of a community shaped by deep neighborhood ties.

A state legislator is seeking to evict Miami-Dade County from the Coconut Grove Playhouse property and hand control of the project instead to a tiny town of 6,000 residents in the middle of Biscayne Bay.

In a historic Coconut Grove cemetery where Bahamian settlers and community leaders rest beneath live oaks, a local researcher is piecing together the names — and stories — of those long lost to time.

Founded by Bahamian settlers in 1895, the historic congregation continues to uplift Miami’s Black community through education, worship, and resilience.

Federal housing officials say the parties that filed the complaint in July 2023 lack “standing.” The complaint contends that the City of Miami unfairly discriminated against Coconut Grove’s Black residents, in violation of federal law.

Miami-Dade believes it has cleared the legal hurdles needed to start construction on a revamped version of the Coconut Grove Playhouse. The proposed budget puts money towards construction in the coming year. The total project cost is estimated at $57.2 million.

UPDATE: After a stalemate on Saturday, and much debate on Sunday, two City of Miami commissioners flipped just before the 5 p.m. deadline, setting up a special election — which could cost up to $330,000 — to find a replacement for former Commissioner Ken Russell. Updated at 5:30 p.m. on Jan. 8.

Miami’s Bahamian community is arguably the city’s oldest immigrant cohort. After the destruction Hurricane Dorian left in the Bahamas this week, expats…