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đź’µBiscayne Boulevard says 'hi' to jai-alai.
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đź’µBiscayne Boulevard says 'hi' to jai-alai.

Carlos Betancourt was one of the artists that brought struggling Lincoln Road back to life, laying the groundwork for the bustling street it is today.
( 📸: Carlos Betancourt)

A BURROW INTO LINCOLN ROAD’S ARTISTIC ROOTS

Back in the 1980s Lincoln Road went from “cemetery road” to one of the top destinations in the city, thanks to a bunch of pioneering local artists who made it their home before anyone else wanted to.

“You would go up and down Lincoln Road and it was artist, artist, artist, drag queen, cutting-edge design store,” says local artist Carlos Betancourt, who started his career on Lincoln Road. “You were so excited to walk any day there because you didn’t know what you would see or what conversation you were going to participate in.”

The cultural energy was so intense at the time that Andy Warhol’s Interview Magazine did a story on the emerging art scene.

“Miami Beach had what New York was losing,” Betancourt says. “If you knew the importance of having a community, you could feel what was happening around you.”

How well do you know Lincoln Road’s artistic roots? Learn about the history and rediscover the cultural hub that remains today.

PRODUCED BY THE NEW TROPIC CREATIVE STUDIO WITH LINCOLN ROAD BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT

WHAT'S NEW IN THE 305

Traffic jam. Miami-Dade County says it’s ready to roll out some serious relief for South Dade’s apocalyptic traffic situation. One problem: South Dade residents don’t want its fix. The county has pitched a bus rapid transit network with many of the perks of rail – minus the actual rail and the huge price tag that comes with – but residents and elected officials repping the area say they aren’t agreeing to anything but the Metrorail line they were promised.  (Miami Herald)

Not it. Through interviews with local names you might know, like South Miami Mayor Philip Stoddard, Terra Group’s David Martin, and Wayne Pathman from the City of Miami’s sea level rise committee, this  video begins to tackle a pretty controversial question: Can you develop your way out of the sea level rise problem? (New Yorker)

Roll the dice. Edgewater is getting a casino on Biscayne Boulevard. The state department that issues gambling permits gave what’s called a “summer jai alai” permit to a facility between NE 29th and NE 31st Street that will allow gambling on jai alai games – but only between May 1 and November 30. No one knows much beyond that, but we’re gonna guess that nearby residents aren’t going to be too happy about it. (Florida Politics via WLRN)

Battling the tide. Development in Miami Beach is slowing, and that means growth in the city’s tax base is, too. The same thing is happening with property tax value, something that’s long been predicted as the sea level rise threat grows. That spells trouble for Miami Beach employees, because the city has to somehow trim $5.5 million from the budget, and personnel is their biggest expense. It also might mean cuts to certain city services. (Miami Herald)

Ready to fight.Workers are lobbying for better wages at two major Miami-Dade institutions: Miami-Dade College, and Miami International Airport. The college’s adjunct professors are unionizing to demand more money from Tallahassee for higher education, better job security, and higher wages – not just for them, but for anyone working on campus. Meanwhile, concession and flight catering workers at MIA protested for a living wage, something that county law requires for all airport employees, but not for employees of companies contracted by the county, like many of the concessions. The county commission will consider placing county tenants and contractors under that law later this month. (WLRN)

Bit by bit. The City of Miami commission agenda for July 12 is out, and that means we know a little bit more about the Beckham stadium deal, which commissioners will vote on that day… kinda. For the Beckham deal to move forward, the commissioners have to change a city law banning no-bid contracts on city land because technically that’s what the Beckham deal is – no one else is bidding to take over the Melreese golf course. And in making their case, the Beckham ownership group had to reveal a whole bunch of details about their plans. (Miami Herald)

Sit down and listen up. It’s common knowledge that our criminal justice system is pretty messed up. Now there’s a podcast out there digging in to just how messed up. Each episode of Felony Miami digs into a different facet of the criminal justice space in Miami – not the cases themselves, but the systemic issues that laid the groundwork for those cases. And according to Joe Stone, the founder, it’s working. Thousands are tuning in, many of them not even from South Florida. (Miami New Times)

THAT’S ALL FOR THE WEEK.

But if you’re an art aficionado, man, have we got a weekend recommendation for you: head to the PAMM to check out the new, very important Picasso painting that is now on display: the iconic “Woman with a Watch.” It will be hanging around (heh) through October and it’s a BFD.

– The New Tropic

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