Try not to be startled by your own shadow today, Miami. 🌆 | Want to see your own picture in this space? Tag either #thenewtropic or @thenewtropic to be featured in our Instagram of the Day. (📸: @miamicolortheory)
📰 Today in controversial headlines from the Florida governor’s office: Gov. Ron DeSantis has submitted a proposed congressional map for the state’s redistricting process — a task usually managed by the state legislature — that would break up districts with Democratic representatives and large minority populations. Earlier this week the governor also floated the idea of establishing a state agency to monitor and regulate elections. The proposed Office of Election Crimes and Security would be the first of its kind in the country and has voting rights advocates speaking out over its potential to intimidate voters. Just another fun, not-at-all-scary day in the Sunshine State! ☀️ (Associated Press / The Guardian)
👀 If your neighborhood or city is being called "the Brooklyn of Miami," it’s a pretty sure-fire sign of gentrification. It’s happened to other 305 areas in recent years, and now it appears to be Hialeah’s turn. The dubious distinction comes from online promotional material for Shoma Village, a development being constructed in East Hialeah. As reported by Miami New Times, local groups such as the Community Justice Project and the Miami Workers Center are speaking out about gentrification in Hialeah, the effects of which are already being felt by one apartment complex that’s seen its rent raised from $1,000 to $1,650 a month. "What we’re seeing in Hialeah is happening all over Miami where rents are skyrocketing not because housing has dramatically improved," Miami Workers Center organizer Zaina Alsous told the alt-weekly. "But ultimately because there's unchecked greed in the housing market." (Miami New Times)
🏘️ The affordable housing crisis stretches far beyond Miami-Dade County. National media outlets are picking up on what Floridians have been feeling in their wallets for a while now: A recent story in The Washington Post notes that while home prices have risen faster in Florida than any other state over the last six months, wages have not kept pace with the national average. The disparity has caused a squeeze that’s left working-class residents with few choices in where they can call home. “Although Florida has long been associated with pockets of extreme wealth, local leaders say they are most unsettled by how quickly home prices are rising at the bottom of the market,” the story says. “Those trends now threaten to drive away scores of working-class residents, who remain the backbone of the state’s tourism-driven economy.” (The Washington Post)
😋 Looking to get the most out of Miami’s bagel offerings? Search no further: The Infatuation Miami has got you covered with its list of the tastiest bagel joints around town. Picks include local pastry luminaries like El Bagel and Zak the Baker along with delis such as Bagel Cove and Bagel Bar East. (The Infatuation Miami)
🚨 The drama between ex-police chief Art Acevedo and the City of Miami is far from finished. Yesterday Acevedo filed a claim in federal court against the city as well as City Manager Art Noriega and Commissioners Joe Carollo, Alex Díaz de la Portilla and Manolo Reyes. As summarized by NBC 6 South Florida, the lawsuit “claims commissioners used police resources to carry out ‘personal agendas’” and alleges Acevedo’s firing was retaliation for attempting to reform a culture of corruption in the Miami Police Department. (Miami Herald / NBC 6 South Florida)
