Miami Herald

Join us as an expert panel of real estate experts and politicians discuss the rising financial challenges of owning a condo in South Florida.

There’s a condo crisis in South Florida, with owners coming face to face with rising association fees, special assessments and dwindling reserves. The perfect storm is all but crippling Miami’s once vibrant condo market, with some owners struggling to pay the new costs or even to escape them by selling. Join the Miami Herald and el Nuevo Herald for "Priced Out of Paradise," a panel on the condo crisis. Real estate analysts, academics and politicians will join the panel to talk about the challenges and offer possible solutions. Click here for more info on the event: https://lnkd.in/dzqEcz-A

The Wharf Fort Lauderdale is closing — but not for long. The open-air entertainment venue from Breakwater Hospitality Group, located on the New River, is being renovated and will shut down for a few months while the work is being done. The Wharf, originally intended as a temporary pop-up when it opened in 2019, will become more of a permanent destination, according to Breakwater co-founders Emi Guerra and Alex Mantecon. Breakwater also operates Regatta Grove in Coconut Grove, JohnMartin’s in Coral Gables and Carousel Club at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale. Read more: https://lnkd.in/gt3mq92b

Ten years ago, as she was preparing to open her restaurant Finka Table & Tap, now a beloved institution in west Kendall, Chef Eileen Andrade knew she was taking a risk. Sure, she’s the third-generation of a Cuban-American family with culinary roots in Miami. Her grandparents Raul and Amelia Garcia opened Islas Canarias in 1977, still one of the best known Cuban restaurants in all of Miami. But when Andrade decided to strike out on her own, she wanted to try something different. “People would walk in and ask, ‘What are you doing?’ and I’d tell them, ‘We’re doing Korean-Cuban-Peruvian fusion,’" Andrade says now, laughing. “They’d shake their heads and say, ‘That’s not going to work.'” Finka Table & Tap is celebrating its 10th anniversary this month, not merely surviving in Miami’s turbulent restaurant landscape but thriving. Read more: https://lnkd.in/g4_4TSRn

It’s a partnership that could only be made in Miami: Chef Giorgio Rapicavoli is taking over the Mayfair Grill restaurant at the iconic Mayfair House Hotel & Garden. Born and raised in Miami, Rapicavoli is the force behind the popular restaurants Eating House and Luca Osteria in Coral Gables. The first Miami contestant to win the Food Network’s “Chopped,” he has grown up in the Miami culinary scene, partnering with Grove Bay Hospitality Group in 2015 to open Glass & Vine in the Grove. And now he’s taking over a legend — and still sounds a little surprised by the turn of events. Read more: https://lnkd.in/gEe4ANci

Condo sellers in Miami-Dade County may feel like they’re riding down Walt Disney’s Tower of Terror these days with prices steadily dropping, a result of dwindling buyers and rising inventory. The median sales price dropped to $420,000 in June, down 6% from this year’s high of $445,000 in March and about the same as a year ago, according to the latest home sales report by the Miami Association of Realtors released on Tuesday. It’s the third month in a row of declining condo prices, signaling a larger problem for people who want to sell their condos and those who want to buy them. Read more: https://lnkd.in/gV_-wruc

Miami’s major airport is getting an upgrade with a new building expected to help meet the airport’s growing international commerce demands. The Miami-Dade County Commission approved a lease agreement with Miami Gateway Partners, LLC, to build a four-story cargo facility that would increase Miami International Airport’s storage capacity by 2 million tons, bringing its total capacity to about 4.5 million tons. Under the deal, Miami Gateway, as tenant and developer, will put in a minimum of $400 million for the 11.9- acre parcel of land. The lease is for 40 years and over that time, the firm will pay at least $512 million in rent and other revenue to the county’s aviation department. Read more: https://lnkd.in/eq25DS-x

Blue Collar, the beloved comfort-food destination in Miami’s MiMo neighborhood, is just about ready to make its big move — and its sleek new look is light years from the original’s simple design. The restaurant, which opened in 2012 at 6730 Biscayne Blvd., has moved into the former space of Balan’s across the street and is on track to open later this month. The original restaurant will close shortly before the new one opens. Read more: https://lnkd.in/ejZSbifW

Florida’s coastal counties spend millions trucking in sand to preserve the eroding beachfront. But what if a cheaper possible solution could be found in the garbage and recycling bins of Miami bars or even in that six-pack of Miller Lite you brought home the other night? Glass is made from sand so what about doing the reverse? Paola Barranco thinks such a new source of soft, precious stuff could be an attractive, environmentally friendly option in a state with a shortage of quality beach sand. Read more: https://lnkd.in/eAkJKcBJ

Dan Finora, 90, credits his time in the military for giving him the discipline to wake up every morning at 5:30 am for the past sixty-five years to get ready for work at Coral Gables High School. After a decades-long career, Finora, beloved school counselor and former business manager of Coral Gables High School will pack up his well-loved office. Finora has counseled students behind the red door of his office for years – providing them with resources, encouragement, and more often than not, tough love. Read more: https://lnkd.in/eqHWZt6V