After years of work, the newest community gathering space in Overtown is open to the public at 1000 NW 2nd Ave. The Urban opened its doors in the middle of Miami Art Week, and the space is designed to bridge the gap between the historic neighborhood’s history as the “Harlem of the South” and the new changes that are reshaping the area. And, the food market and venue comes from folks who grew up in area and are looking to give back.

“What we’re trying to do is provide that venue for people who live here while welcoming people who don’t live here into it so that they can actually explore the taste, the culture, the food, the vibe, and the music of Overtown,” said Philip Bacon, the president of Urban Philanthropies.

Check out the space in our Facebook video. And stay tuned for more as we explore more of Overtown in the coming weeks.

MADE POSSIBLE BY THE GREATER MIAMI CONVENTION & VISITORS BUREAU

💻Want to learn how to use JavaScript and jQuery to build your own app? Bring your laptop and head to this workshop at Qwest Workspaces tomorrow night. RSVP here.

🚍Learn about how Miami-Dade’s SMART plan for transit could connect Downtown and Midtown Miami to South Beach at this meeting. If you can’t make it in person tonight, tune in here.

🌉Get more information on a proposed I-395 renovation project, and a new bridge that would connect Overtown, Downtown Miami, and Edgewater, at this information session.

Got an opportunity, workshop, scholarship, grant, etc. you want other curious locals to know about? Hit us up at [email protected] (subject line: “Bulletin Board”) to have it listed here.

Underwater woes. Miami Beach is considered “ground zero” for climate change. Sea level could rise here by almost three feet by 2060, potentially wreaking havoc on hundreds of millions of dollars of real estate. So far, the city’s solution has been to raise roads. But some residents are concerned that floodwaters will spill onto property that’s not elevated, driving down the value of homes, and leaving them underwater literally and financially. They’re petitioning to stop the project until there’s further analysis of its impacts. There are definitely no easy answers to fighting back the ocean. (Miami Herald)

Police stand their ground too. In another win for the pro-gun lobby, Florida’s Supreme Court recently ruled that police officers can use the state’s “Stand Your Ground” law as a defense in shootings. The controversial 2005 law provides a lot of legal latitude for people to use deadly force if they feel their life is in danger. The law got George Zimmerman off the hook in the killing of unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin in 2012 and has been used in several other high-profile cases since. Critics worry that police officers will claim self-defense each time they are involved in a questionable shooting and that minorities will be disproportionately affected. (The New York Times)

Pay the meter? Starting January 1 parking rates for non-residents are increasing for spots on the street and city-owned garages in Miami to more than double what residents pay in some places. The Miami City Commission projects it will raise $10 million of annual revenue in the first year. If you want to avoid the hike, better hurry up and register your license plate with the city through the PayByPhone mobile payment system. (Miami Herald)

Bring back “Ballers.” Remember when the HBO show “Ballers” was shot here? Well, it moved production to California a few years ago to get better tax credits. Our state was a hotspot for film and television production until the state stopped film tax incentives back in 2016. Since then, we’ve lost out on $1 billion dollars of revenue and tens of thousands of jobs, according to a new report by Film Florida, and some are arguing to bring the tax breaks back. We sure miss The Rock.  (WLRN)

HO HO HO!

Here’s a little stocking stuffer you might like: We’ve got a $750 gift card for you to grab some modern and contemporary furniture at BoConcept, just in time for the holidays!

We’ll give them away to a reader who introduces at least one new subscriber to The New Tropic this week. 💪 How do you enter to win? Just share this, your unique link to our sign-up form, with your buddies and ask them to sign up: https://thenewtropic.com/invitation/*|UNIQID|*/?campaign=111556

We’ll draw the winner at random Wednesday at 6 p.m., and share who won in Thursday’s newsletter. HAVE A GREAT WEEK, Y’ALL!

– The New Tropic