Government NEWS

Commission Returns With a Tax Hike, Two Major Upzonings, and a Post-Ban Scramble Over Surveillance Cameras

Eleven items are on the table when the Miami Beach Commission convenes Thursday for its first meeting since the July recess: a 4.1% tax rate increase, police accountability measures, competing license-plate-reader proposals, a verdict on the stalled 5th Street Pedestrian Bridge, rising utility rates, a Live Local Act challenge, and second-reading votes on two major upzonings — Alton City Center and Urban Core.

Journal Staff Sep 09, 2026

Government NEWS

Miami Beach City Meetings Scheduled for Week of September 14–18

A reference of the week's public city meetings

Journal Staff Sep 09, 2026

Development ANALYSIS

City Commission to Take First Reading on 99-Year Barclay Ground Lease

Commissioners are set to consider a 99-year ground lease that would transform the long-vacant Barclay at 1940 Park Avenue into 105 apartments with senior and income-restricted units. The lease names Donahue Peebles III as the project's controlling principal — and the city would collect a single $2 million payment on a site appraised at $9.1 million.

Journal Staff Sep 04, 2026

Tourism NEWS

Weekend Plans: Labor Day Weekend, September 4–7, 2026

8 things to do in Miami Beach over Labor Day weekend — from a faith-driven hip-hop headliner at the Bandshell to Inter Miami's adidas Takeover night, a last-chance art closing at the Wolfsonian, and French R&B star Tayc's first Miami show on Monday.

Journal Staff Sep 04, 2026

Condos & HOAs ANALYSIS

Board Fight at West Avenue Condo Escalates as Its Own Lawsuit Quietly Disappears

The directors have moved to throw out the recall suit, pointing to a consent form with a single signature. Days earlier, the association dropped its own case against a unit owner the day before a hearing it had been fighting for months. Both dockets, explained.

Journal Staff Sep 04, 2026

Housing Litigation

Tourism NEWS

Brazilian Film Festival Opens Its 30th Edition Tonight in South Beach

The Inffinito Brazilian Film Festival marks three decades with five nights in Miami Beach: documentary and Panorama screenings at O Cinema South Beach through Sept. 7 and a Saturday outdoor film-and-concert night at the Miami Beach Bandshell, where residents get in for $12.50. The competition moves downtown Sept. 8–12, and a free worldwide streaming run follows Sept. 13–30.

Journal Staff Sep 03, 2026

Government NEWS

Miami Beach City Meetings Scheduled for Week of September 7–11

A reference of the week's public city meetings

Journal Staff Sep 02, 2026

Tourism NEWS

Fireworks Contractor Sues Ocean Drive Group for $50K After July 4th Show Goes Unpaid

Kearns Construction Company claims it provided a barge and tugboat for Miami Beach's July 4th fireworks show but never received half of a promised $100,000 payment from the event's organizers.

Journal Staff Aug 28, 2026

Litigation

Tourism NEWS

Weekend Plans: August 28–30, 2026

Seven things to do in Miami Beach this weekend — a rare DEVO return after 37 years, a Sturgeon Moon drum circle, free Afrobeat on Ocean Drive, underground DJ nights in South Beach, and more.

Journal Staff Aug 28, 2026

Government NEWS

Subcontractor Sues Over Nearly $1M in Unpaid Fees on Miami-Dade's Smart Streetlight Overhaul

A Massachusetts energy firm says it managed and verified savings on Miami-Dade County's countywide smart LED streetlight project for nearly two years — and was never paid a dime.

Journal Staff Aug 28, 2026

Public Safety ANALYSIS

Continuum on South Beach Tenant Banned After Reporting Unit Owner's Indecent Exposure Arrest, Lawsuit Alleges Retaliation

A Massachusetts woman who leased units at the luxury Continuum on South Beach says the condo association permanently barred her from the property weeks after she reported a unit owner to Miami Beach police for masturbating in public in front of her children.

Journal Staff Aug 28, 2026

Public Safety NEWS

Cyclist Sues Miami-Dade Family After Being Struck by SUV on Miami Beach's A1A

A Miami-Dade man is suing three members of the Vaknin family after he was struck by a Jeep Grand Cherokee while cycling on Harding Avenue in Miami Beach in May 2025, seeking more than $50,000 in damages.

Journal Staff Aug 28, 2026