On Aug. 28, Miami-Dade County will vote for new county commissioners, school board members, judges, as well as their political party’s candidates for state and national office. Phew.

Last week we shared out answers to all your voting questions, and today we’ve got the breakdowns on the Miami Beach and City of Miami referenda – you know, those super wonky proposals that usually have little to no context for what they’re actually about.

Miami Beach voters, you’ll be deciding on who should be a part of the zoning board of adjustment and how much your mayor and commissioners should be paid. Miami voters, you’ll be making the call on what should happen with the city property on which Jungle Island sits.

Stay tuned all week as we release the additional sections of our voter guide. We’ll have the whole thing ready for you as early voting opens on Aug. 13.

Thanks to readers John Harwell and Chris Adamo (also our parent company’s chief biz officer) for their questions on these referenda!

P.S. If you want to dig in on the school board race, the only school board forum is tomorrow night. We’ll be live streaming it starting at 6:30 p.m.

🏳️‍🌈 Calling all SoFlo queer and trans social entrepreneurs, change agents, and decision makers of color: Applications for the next Maven Leadership Collective cohort are open. You can hail from Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties, and the the deadline is Aug. 13.

💪 Applications are open for the fifth cohort of Radical Partner’s Social Entrepreneurship Bootcamp, a three-month social impact accelerator open to 10-12 local innovators. If you’re leading a social venture (for profit or nonprofit) that solves an important local issue and you’re ready to scale your impact, take a look and apply. If you know someone who should be a part of this, nominate them. The deadline is Aug. 19.

😫If you lead a team in the community change space and you’ve ever worried about burnout, then this Radical Partners workshop is for you. Learn how to prevent burnout on your team and keep them energized and focused. The workshop is Aug. 15 and space is limited, so be sure to register.

Got an opportunity, workshop, scholarship, grant, etc. you want other curious locals to know about? Hit us up at [email protected] to have it listed here.

Room for improvement. A Miami grand jury report showed that the Sunshine State could’ve done a few things better as Hurricane Irma approached last year, particularly on evacuation strategies. The jurors said the state should have reconsidered its  decision to not reverse southbound traffic on the Turnpike, a move that most suggested would’ve sped up traffic for SoFlo evacuees. The report also recommended better communication on who exactly should evacuate and whether they should head north or just inland when a big storm is approaching. (Miami Herald)

Little Haiti’s hub. If you’ve been sleeping on the Caribbean Marketplace in Little Haiti, it’s time to wake up. The place is bumping, with crafts, coffee, and flaky Haitian patties on sale pretty much every day, plus konpa and yoga classes and a mini golf course. Locals are hopeful that the center can be a hub for small business owners and longtime residents who are being pushed out by new development and increasing rents in the neighborhood. (WLRN)

Trouble on the tracks? Brightline has offered a sleek, quick ride between Miami and West Palm Beach for a few months now, but the ride could get rockier if the company  doesn’t get some crucial funding. All Aboard Florida needs to borrow about $1 billion in private bond money to help fund the train’s expansion to Orlando, but they’re currently being blocked by a lawsuit from some of the counties the train line is planned to run through. And an unaudited financial report says the company had losses of about $28 million in the first few months of 2018. (Florida Bulldog)

More money, more problems. Hurricane Irma’s impact caused financial nightmares for just about every city in Miami-Dade as officials struggled to clear debris from roads, paying millions to get it done quickly. Many did so with the expectation that they’d be reimbursed by FEMA, including the village of El Portal, which ended up borrowing $1.25 million to cover costs  they still owe for debris clearing. If FEMA doesn’t reimburse El Portal by next July, then taxpayers will have to foot the bill for the loan. (Miami Herald)

A little justice. Two of the cops accused of framing a black teenager for crimes in the small town of Biscayne Park pleaded guilty to making up false arrest narratives and violating the teen’s civil rights The 16-year-old was framed for these crimes just so the police chief could brag to commissioners about his 100 percent crime solving record. He left his post a couple months ago after being indicted for the same incident, as did a third police officer. (Miami Herald)

Your fancy foodie cheat sheet. Excited to take advantage of Miami Spice deals, but not sure where to start or what to get at those fancy restaurants? A couple food writers went to places like Mr. Chow, Katsuya Brickell and Los Fuegos, and they came back with plenty of suggestions. (Miami.com)

THAT’S ALL FOR TODAY.

We’ll see ya tomorrow morning in your inbox. ✌

– The New Tropic