July 17: Sniglets on 595, Coconut Grove Playhouse and a Personal Note

By Sylvia Gurinsky

There wasn't enough notable warning for the people who got stuck around Interstate 595 in Broward this weekend.

News stations went on and on about the I-595 construction and some closings, but weren't specific enough. Neither were Detour signs on site, leaving many motorists frustrated.

North Broward and South Broward basically got cut off from each other in a central meeting point, since University Drive and Pine Island Road were closed at I-595.

Do better, Florida D.O.T.

*********************************************************************

The saga of the Coconut Grove Playhouse is as dramatic as some of the plays the structure has presented - and apparently not close to being solved in a satisfactory way yet.

The latest twist comes from a creditor, Aries Development (with an appropriately named executive, Gino Falsetto), which says it wants to build a new theater behind the historic front of the 1926 building and add retail, residential buildings and an underground parking garage, according to The Miami Herald. Miami City Commissioner Marc Sarnoff is once again making his constituents wonder just whose side he's on by supporting the proposal.

Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez, who has been trying to settle a county takeover of the historic theater, has reached a bump with this move.

Now, Florida House Majority Leader Carlos Lopez Cantera of Miami is trying to persuade Attorney General Pam Bondi to exercise a clause so that the state can take over the theater.

Let's try this, everyone: Sit down at one table - maybe over a nice lunch - and resolve this in a way that will fully preserve, restore and reopen the building to the public. Sometime in our lifetimes would be nice.

**********************************************************************

Finally, a personal note: Sunshine Statements and the Twitter #SunStatements will  end after the November election.

I've been in a career evolution that's been taking me away from journalism. It is in the best interests of that evolution that I will end the continued blog and tweets, though I will likely pop in now and again to comment on something of extraordinary community interest.

More to come.