Daniella Pierre knows firsthand the struggles of achieving the American Dream of homeownership in South Florida. Back in 2013, she lost her Miami Gardens home to foreclosure. Now, she considers herself an affordable housing advocate.

Daniella was able to find community and connect with others in a similar situation when she hosted her first My Miami Story conversation. She got involved after seeing The Miami Foundation event come across her Twitter feed. The single mother of two became inspired to host so she could help others by telling her story.

She signed up again this year to host a My Miami Story conversation and wants to tackle not only housing issues but also help other parents. Here’s why:

LOOKING TO THRIVE: “Since 2013, I’ve been searching – and I’m still searching – for safe, decent, affordable housing. I have not been able to find that. We need to have careers and wages that will allow people not only to live in South Florida, but to thrive. I decided to share my story about what I’ve gone through to let other people know they are not alone and try to put together some solutions toward improving our housing conditions.”

INSPIRING FAMILIES: “I want to go inside the home and talk about family matters and parenting in the 21st century. I am a single mother and I have two children that attend Miami-Dade County Public Schools and there’s a lot to  talk about when it comes to the quality of our education.”

BUILDING HER VILLAGE: “Sometimes parents don’t know how to step up and don’t know how to access resources that might be available for them. I want to hopefully develop a support team of parents. People are always saying, ‘it takes a village’ – well, where is the village? I hope this conversation can be something to make that village to come back and be stronger than it was before.”

The Oct. 23 conversations are just the beginning. The Miami Foundation is looking for hosts like Daniella who are interested in helping lead conversations across a variety of topics, ranging from arts and culture to the economy, from education to the environment. You can sign up today to be a host – you never who you might inspire to take action and change their community.

PRODUCED BY THE NEW TROPIC CREATIVE STUDIO WITH THE MIAMI FOUNDATION

So basically, just stay indoors this weekend. King tides, aka the highest high tides of the year, are always a huge headache. But this year they’re coupled with red tide, a toxic algae bloom, arriving in Miami-Dade and Broward counties. The king tide officially begins Saturday and lasts through Oct. 13, and scientists warn that it could push waters affected by red tide further onshore.

Local governments always warn folks to stay away from the king tide flooding because the water often carries higher concentrations of pollutants, but this year they’re telling us to be especially careful. So far, fortunately, the red tide is at “very-low to low” levels off Miami Beach and Key Biscayne and those beaches are still open. Beaches north of Haulover have been closed. Plus, here are five things to know about how red tide might affect you. (Miami Herald)

A little slice of paradise. If you’re looking for a little peace of mind given all the news out there, you only have to drive about 30 miles from Downtown to get to heaven, aka the Patch of Heaven Sanctuary in South Dade. The 20-acre historic preserve has plenty of beautiful trees, plus there’s a koi pond, a zen garden, and a chocolate bar where you can try all kinds of food paired with cacao from the trees on site. Yum. (Purewow)

Wa Wawa Thoughts. After bringing the popular chain to Broward last year, Wawa is now opening three stores in Miami-Dade, specifically Kendall, Cutler Bay, and near Tropical Park. The stores near Tropical Park and in Cutler Bay are already under construction, so hopefully soon you won’t have to head north to get a tasty hoagie and iced tea. (Miami New Times)

Noms with a nice view. Development is picking up on the Miami River, and the latest plan calls for a “restaurant row” on the north side, not too far from Marlins Park. The development is expected to have seven restaurants with a mix of upscale eats and fast casual spots. The project is part of a larger development that will also include retail and grocery stores, and will likely open in 2020. (The Next Miami)

Drastic measures. Transmission rates of hepatitis C and HIV have gotten so worrying in a section of Overtown that the City of Miami has ordered the closure of four streets to through traffic and set up surveillance cameras to try and capture drug deals as they go down. Local and state agencies have dubbed four blocks between NW 2nd Avenue and NW 1st Avenue an “opioid den” and are hammering away on a plan to get dozens of homeless individuals living there into treatment facilities to curb the spread. (Miami Herald)

Dude. City of Miami Commissioner Joe Carollo is still going after his Little Havana nemesis Bill Fuller, despite getting caught telling city employees to go after Fuller and after lying to ethics investigators. Apparently Carollo has been going around asking local business owners and residents if Ball & Chain, which Fuller owns, has been disruptive to their lives in the neighborhood. That’s a pretty normal thing for a good commissioner to do, but it’s less normal when it’s done late at night or only focused on someone who supported your political opponent in the last election. Time to find another problem to tackle, Crazy Joe. (Miami New Times)

Oops. Yesterday, some of you had trouble accessing the rundown of the best bagels in South Florida that we shared from Miami.com. You can find that list here.

THAT’S ALL FOR THIS WEEK.

Have a great weekend, friends – and stay dry. ✌️

– The New Tropic