miami-dade

Cheers erupted in a Miami-Dade County courtroom on Friday, as more than a dozen people with felony convictions had their right to vote restored by a judge.

The mass court hearing was part of a brand new process created by the 11th Judicial Circuit of Florida, along with Miami-Dade’s offices of the State Attorney, the Public Defender, and the Clerk of Courts.

Florida’s first-ever climate change czar visited Miami-Dade on Tuesday, and local leaders hope the newly created role signals a new era of help from Tallahassee in the difficult — and expensive — battle to adapt to rising seas.

“We’ve been kind of flying by ourselves here for a while,” said Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez. “All of our efforts are really borne by the people of Miami-Dade.”

COMMENTARY

Every few months now, Vice President Mike Pence drops into Miami-Dade County to remind voters the Trump Administration is putting the squeeze on Venezuela’s dictatorial dimwit president, Nicolás Maduro.

Dec. 21 marks the winter solstice. It is the longest night of the year. Because of that, the 21st is also recognized as Homeless Persons' Memorial Day across the country, honoring those homeless indivuals whose deaths have gone largely unrecognized. 

In Miami-Dade, the Homeless Trust held a service during its monthly board meeting.

Board members and formerly homeless individuals circled around a table filled with candles and surrounded by white pedals. After a brief prayer, there was a moment of silence. 

After a month of online voting for the United Way of Miami-Dade's first Inspire305 grant competition, two local nonprofits won a combined $35,000 Thursday night to jumpstart learning opportunities for communities of color and bring music to ailing or aging Miami residents. 

And, in a last-minute twist, at the ceremony for the announcement a donor decided to add $5,000 to each of the prizes.  

The annual Miami-Dade Martin Luther King Jr. Day parade will go on, despite calls from some in the community to cancel it after last year’s parade festivities ended in gunfire.

The parade’s organizers say it will be a day of family fun and the community should not be concerned.

“We are not going to let it fall apart because someone wants to destroy it,” said Gigi Tinsley, one of the event's organizers, referring to the shootings last year. 

In a sign of the challenges facing brick-and-mortar retail, Macy’s announced Thursday morning that its downtown Miami store will close.

The downtown Macy’s, at 22 East Flagler Street, is one of 11 stores around the nation that the department store giant said would be getting the ax. The others are in California, Indiana, Idaho, Michigan, Ohio and Vermont. In Florida, the Macy’s story in Oaks Mall in Gainesville will also be closed.

Miami’s yearlong sizzling temperatures were enough to beat a chilly end to 2017, tying the record for the hottest year on the books.

Democratic state Sen. Annette Taddeo was one of the first to call for the resignation of Sen. Jack Latvala. We spoke to her about the upcoming legislative session and the air of discomfort around the capital over numerous claims of sexual harassment. She also told us she was once the victim of sexual harassment when she was younger.