Miami, FL

Miami Lakes mayor race highlights town’s key issues

Published

1 year ago

October 31, 2024

Press Room

Miami Lakes mayor race highlights town’s key issues

MIAMI LAKES, Fla. – With the current mayor of Miami Lakes term-limited, three candidates are vying for the seat.

All are business owners; two currently serve on the town council, and the third is a political newcomer.

Local 10 News met with all three to get their take on the top issues voters will consider when casting their ballots.

“One of the things I’m most proud of is creating a senior rebate,” Vice Mayor Tony Fernandez, one of the candidates said.

Attorney and council member Josh Dieguez, co-owner of his family’s law firm, said, “I supported a 2-percent reduction in the property tax rate.”

“I’m also a lifelong resident of the town,” Dieguez added.

They are joined by Yuniett Gonzalez, who owns a financial consulting firm.

“Sidewalks and lighting are very poor in our town here today,” Gonzalez noted.

A top issue here continues to be the blasting from nearby rock mining.

Fernandez addressed the issue, “It is an issue that we have been working on for several years. I went to Tallahassee twice this past session to lobby on behalf of our residents. I think one of the things that needs to be explored further is maybe the state working with the miners to come up with ways that are less destructive.”

This local issue is complicated by state control of rock mining operations.

Dieguez explained, “Any claims related to rock blasting have to go through a separate legal process known as the Department of Administrative Hearings, not regular court. So, I am proud to say that one of my proposals from 2018 that I continue to advocate for is to return jurisdiction for those claims back to the regular circuit court.”

“It is a pressing issue here in town,” Gonzalez said, explaining one of the reasons she decided to run for office. “I plan to develop better alliances with county, state, and federal levels that will lead us to finding a solution to the problem.”

A spokesperson from the Miami-Dade Limestone Products Association, Inc. had this to say:

“The Lake Belt Region is Florida’s largest source of aggregate—a critical component for virtually every construction project, from roads and bridges to homes and hospitals. Miami-Dade County’s limestone products industry supports over 10,000 jobs and supplies nearly 50 percent of Florida’s aggregate. Without this supply, housing costs would rise significantly, further exacerbating Florida’s housing affordability challenges.
Decades of independent studies at the local, state, and federal levels confirm that blasting within regulated limits does not harm nearby structures. In fact, a 2018 study commissioned by the Florida Legislature described current limits as “overly restrictive” and concluded: “The current blasting vibration limits in Florida continue to be protective of residential structures.”

Next up is traffic.

Gonzalez discussed specific policy ideas: “That includes synchronization of lights and a new caliber of traffic lights.”

Fernandez added, “Increasing the amount of options that we have to get on and off the highway. There’s an opportunity to I-75 to create on ramps and off ramps.”

Dieguez suggested, “Try to get more highway access at both the easternmost and westernmost ends.”

All three candidates participated in a recent forum. View the video to learn more about them.

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Miami, FL

Former Titans GM mock Miami right tackle to the Cleveland Browns at 6

Published

12 hours ago

April 18, 2026

Press Room

Former Titans GM mock Miami right tackle to the Cleveland Browns at 6

The Cleveland Browns traded for an extended right tackle, former Houston Texan Tytus Howard, at the start of free agency as they began their rebuild of the offensive line that was awful in 2025. But Howard has played every position on the offensive line except for center, so if it’s all about getting your best five on the field, which it should be, there’s a chance Howard doesn’t play at right tackle in 2026.

While doing a mock draft on Peter Schrager’s podcast, former Tennessee Titans general manager Ran Carthon had the Browns drafting Miami (FL) right tackle sixth overall. He talked about the issue with Howard, but said Mauigoa could either take over the tackle spot or be a really good guard.

Carthon said he knows that Mauigoa would be one of their best five, whether it is at guard or tackle. Some will say that a guy who may be best at guard isn’t worth the sixth overall pick, and I have to disagree. You should draft the best football players, and Francis Mauigoa is my highest-rated offensive lineman and seventh overall. It might be at guard, but I have a good feeling that Mauigoa will find a home in the NFL as a high-quality offensive lineman.

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Miami, FL

Inventory drops for first time since 2023 as sales rebound across coastal Miami, beaches

Published

2 days ago

April 17, 2026

Press Room

Inventory drops for first time since 2023 as sales rebound across coastal Miami, beaches

Inventory of homes and condos across the coastal Miami mainland and Miami Beach and the barrier island markets fell in the first quarter, marking the first big inventory drops since 2023.

The Corcoran Group’s first quarter reports don’t cover all of Miami-Dade County, but they offer insight into how the coastal markets, which have a higher share of luxury properties, are performing.

In Miami Beach, Sunny Isles Beach, Bal Harbour, Bay Harbor Islands, Surfside, Miami Beach, Fisher Island and Key Biscayne, single-family home inventory dropped 15 percent annually to 398 listings, and condo inventory was down 13 percent to 3,919 listings.

On Miami’s coastal mainland markets, which include Aventura, Miami Shores, Upper East Side, Edgewater, downtown Miami, Brickell, Coral Gables and Coconut Grove, inventory slipped 4 percent to 4,584 condo listings and 555 single-family listings, down 6 percent year-over-year.

Here’s a closer look at the market:

Miami Beach and the barrier islands

Single-family sales rose 13 percent year-over-year to 85 closings, the first time they have increased since the second quarter of 2024. Condo closings rose 15 percent to 693 closings, the first increase since the last quarter of 2024.

Pricing dropped, with the median price of single-family homes down 4 percent to $3.5 million and the median condo price down 9 percent to $640,000. The average price per square foot was nearly flat at $1,119.

Still, buyers set records with their purchases. Billionaire Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg paid $170 million for the waterfront mansion at 7 Indian Creek Island Road, and Starbucks billionaire Howard Schultz paid $44 million, or $7,949 per square foot, for a penthouse at the Four Seasons Residences at The Surf Club.

Coastal mainland

Sales of single-family homes on the coastal mainland rose 16 percent to 220 closings. While markets like Coral Gables experienced declines in condo and single-family home sales, Coconut Grove home sales surged — up over 100 percent for single-family homes to 47 closings and up 55 percent to 87 condo closings. Condo sales rose 13 percent to 759 closings.

The median price of single-family homes across the coastal mainland rose 11 percent to just over $2 million. The median price of condos increased slightly, up 1 percent, to $602,000.

The priciest deals in the first quarter were the $32 million trade of 12 Tahiti Beach Island Road in Coral Gables, and the $19.8 million sale of a penthouse at Vita at Grove Isle.

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