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This week's Stories |
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Homewrecked |
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Fire-Fee Debacle
Exposed
As the
SunPost reported on January 12, as many as 80,000
property owners were illegally charged a fire-rescue fee by the
city of
Miami.
So why did City Hall approve a settlement with only a half-dozen
people and a mysterious group? A recently uncovered memo shows
that
Miami
officials should have known what they were getting into. Hey,
anything to save $75 million, right? |
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MIAMI BEACH
Tough Enough
While flattered that the county has followed suit, the Miami
Beach City Commission thinks its own sex offender law is
sufficient. |
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MIAMI
Who Needs History?
Coconut Grove
Playhouse’s board members promise not to build a high-rise on
top of the historic theater but they would not have a historic
designation. Meanwhile, City Manager Joe Arriola blames lawyers
for the fire-fee mess. |
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MIAMI
The Commish
Recently sworn in, Michelle Spence-Jones wants to make her
district a better place to live and she would rather not fight
with Mayor Manny Diaz to do it. |
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CORAL GABLES
Starving Galleries
Miami’s art scene is
blowing up, leaving galleries in the City Beautiful hungry for
attention. And so the municipality might combat the trend with
lures like free parking. |
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AVENTURA
War & Peace
What will be 35
floors high and nestled next to Williams Island? Lincoln Pointe,
thanks to a settlement between developers and city officials.
But an attempt to make legal peace has some residents screaming
for blood. |
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MIAMI
Huge Bill
A Grove property
owner thought clearing his land of Wilma debris meant cutting
down the trees. The cost of his mistake? Five figures and
growing. |
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CORAL GABLES
Power Struggles
They even exist in the City Beautiful, especially when it comes to
electricity. |
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MIAMI BEACH
Thirtysomething
Would you believe the Miami Beach Festival of the Arts is
turning 32? Do you feel old yet? |
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Power to the People
Task Force to Discuss
Electricity Issues in Coral Gables
“Most of them are engineers and they have been
put together to look at storm issues.” – Assistant City Manager
Maria Alberro-Jimenez
By Ana Trujillo
The Utility Service Reliability Task
Force of the city of Coral Gables is inviting residents to give their
input at its next meeting at 7 p.m. on Thursday, February 9, at the
Coral Gables City Hall Commission Chambers at 405 Biltmore Way.
The task force, created this past November by the City
Commission, serves as an advisory board for the commission and city
administration on issues related to the reliability of electrical
service, the response time from Florida Power and Light following
natural disasters like Hurricane Wilma, interruptions of service and
whether or not utility lines should be placed underground.
“Most of [the task force] is made up of professionals
experienced in the areas of electrical systems,” said Assistant City
Manager Maria Alberro Jimenez. “Most of them are engineers and they have
been put together to look at storm issues.”
“The task force is composed of people willing to devote
time and energy to come up with a solution so we’re not having the same
discussions as we were ten years ago,” said task force member George
Otero. “It was a great initiative of the City Commission to take the
time to create this.”
Florida Power and Light also works closely with the task
force, Otero said.
“We are trying to come up with recommendations for staff
to help with service reliability,” said Jimenez.
Coral Gables has experienced citywide electrical outages
both storm- and nonstorm-related. “Outages are caused anywhere from the
condition of the equipment … to overload of the system,” said Jimenez.
“The public is encouraged to talk to the task force about
their recommendations, thoughts, ideas and even complaints,” said Otero.
Residents unable to attend can visit www.coralgables.com
and click on “Utility Service Feedback” or call 305-460-5204 for more
information.
Comments? E-mail letters@miamisunpost.com. |
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Covering Miami Beach, North Bay
Village, Surfside, Bay Harbor, Aventura, Sunny Isles Beach, Coconut Grove,
Brickell Avenue,
Downtown, The Design District, Upper Eastside and North
Beach. (c) 2005 Miami SunPost |