News Briefs Along Biscayne Corridor

$76M Loan Secured for Soleste NoMi Beach

The Estate Companies will begin developing 23-story, 367-unit waterfront villa Soleste NoMi Beach after securing $76 million in construction financing from Arkansas-based Bank OZK.

The 1.8-acre property will include a pool with sundeck, waterfront promenade, fitness center, spa, rooftop garden and co-working stations. It will be located on Biscayne Boulevard at 163rd Street, neighboring Harbor condominiums and near Greynolds Park. Apartments will range from 700 to 1,300 square feet, with one-, two- and three-bedroom units available. Residences will include modern kitchens with custom cabinets and quartz countertops, dual master suites, walk-in closets and private balconies overlooking the skyline.

Estate Companies is currently nearing completion on Miami’s first large-scale “opportunity zone” development, Soleste Grand Central, in downtown Miami.

Ultra Music Festival Returns

Ultra Music Festival and the Downtown Neighbors Alliance have reached an agreement that will permit Ultra to return to downtown Miami and ease tensions with residents. Concert organizers will have to implement a community standards program addressing issues including construction schedules, park closures, noise monitoring/impact and traffic management.

Drug use, security issues, and out-of-control music decibels have plagued the festival in previous years, resulting in demands by area residents that Ultra be banned from ever coming back following it's relocation from Bayfront to Virginia Key in 2019. The event was unsuccessful at the new location.

James Torres, President of the Miami Downtown Neighbors Alliance said, “We are pleased to have reached an agreement that addresses many of the issues that have impacted Downtown Miami residents during previous Ultra events. We believe that this agreement will allow Ultra and its neighbors to coexist.

“This development finally opens the door to establishing an ongoing working relationship between the parties, which was long overdue,” said Ultra company spokesperson, Ray Martinez.

The next edition of Ultra Music Festival is scheduled to take place from March 25 - 27, 2022 at Bayfront Park.

Boozing Hours Slashed in South Beach

Montreal-based Jesta Group, which owns the Clevelander South Beach hotel and bar at 1020 Ocean Dr., has filed suit against Miami Beach, claiming the city has unfairly declared war on the nightlife industry.

The suit comes after city commissioners passed legislation to roll back alcohol service on Ocean Drive and Collins Avenue south of 16th Street three hours, from 5 a.m. to 2 a.m., at least until Dec. 8. The narrow 4-3 vote took place during a May 12 meeting, in response to complaints from residents and in pursuit of Mayor Dan Gelber’s desire to replace the entertainment district with an Art Deco Cultural District. (See “The Great South Beach Rebrand” at BiscayneTimes.com)

In exchange for her support for the measure, Commissioner Micky Steinberg insisted that the rollback be temporary, unless a majority of the city’s electorate demands a permanent rollback in a referendum to be held on Nov. 2.

Edgewater Sports Betting Uncertain

It’s still unknown whether or not the compact between the state of Florida and the Seminole Tribe will mean that sports betting will come to Miami’s Edgewater neighborhood.

Izzy Havenick, senior vice president of Magic City Casino, said his company has yet to reach out to the Seminole Tribe regarding sports betting. Under the compact, the Seminoles can determine which parimutuels they can partner with to offer sports betting. In return for giving the Seminoles a monopoly on sports betting, and to allow craps and roulette at their casinos, the tribe will give the state $2.5 billion over the next 30 years.

Although approved by the state Legislature, the compact between the Seminoles and Florida still has to be approved by the Department of the Interior. It is also expected to face legal challenges from groups opposed to the expansion of gambling. At a minimum, the compact won’t come into effect until Oct. 15 of this year.

“We are waiting to see what happens,” Havenick said. (See “Betting on Edgewater,” at BiscayneTimes.com)

Study of Plastic Pollution in Biscayne Bay

As part of the Ocean Conservancy’s Shores Forward initiative with the City of Miami, a circulatory assessment protocol (CAP) was conducted to measure plastic discharge in Biscayne Bay – the first time a study of its kind has been conducted in the United States.

Since 2019, a CAP has been executed in 26 cities around the world, but Miami is the first American city to participate. The test was conducted along the Miami River after a news conference on May 12 attended by city officials, the Ocean Conservancy and the Jambeck Research Group.

Over six weeks, researchers will analyze collected data and report results to the city. Last month, Miami announced its partnership with the Ocean Conservancy, and students from the University of Georgia and Florida International University, to find ways to prevent plastic pollution in waterways, which is destroying Biscayne Bay’s marine life and ecosystem.

Acclaimed Miami artist and environmentalist Xavier Cortada has been honored by The Environmental Law Institute with the 2021 National Wetlands Award. The tribute is in recognition for Cortada's 15 years of work creatively engaging local residents in learning about, conserving and restoring mangrove forests. The National Wetlands Awards are presented annually to individuals who have excelled in wetlands protection, restoration, and education.

Local Environmentalist Honored

ELI’s National Wetlands Award program is supported by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Forest Service, and Natural Resource Conservation Service. Honorees are selected by a widely representative committee composed of 10-15 wetlands experts from around the country, including representatives from each federal supporting agency, members of the conservation and business communities, and representatives from state and local governments.

Mobile Units Providing Homeless with COVID-19 Vaccines

The Miami-Dade County Homeless Trust, alongside the Florida Division of Emergency Management and Florida Department of Health, launched a mobile vaccination tour across the county to provide vaccines to those experiencing homelessness.

The mobile health units, a combination of buses and vans, are visiting homeless hotspots and shelters across the county. Health professionals will provide single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccinations.

Outreach began on May 13 at Miami’s historic Greater Bethel A.M.E. Church on NW 8th Street, where dozens of people lined up.

Matthew Alan Sheriff was beaming after getting his shot at the church, saying, “I’m relieved.”

Continue Celebrating Haitian Heritage at MOCA

The Museum of Contemporary Art, North Miami, is continuing “After the Rain Comes Light: Portraits of Resilience,” a collaborative installation by local Haitian American artists Morel Doucet and Stephen Arboite. The exhibition is part of MOCA’s “Art on the Plaza” program – a yearlong series of newly commissioned temporary public artworks by Miami-based artists.

Unveiled during Haitian Heritage Month last month, the artworks will remain in place through June 27 and are on view inside and outside the museum building. Doucet and Arboite’s collective work explores Miami’s historically Black neighborhoods, highlighting their flora and fauna as well as issues of gentrification and the uniqueness and beauty of the African diaspora.