WHAT SHE’S DOING: Avra Jain of The Vagabond Group is a real estate developer best known for preserving and restoring the roadside motels along Biscayne Boulevard into urban-chic boutique hotels.

Most recently, she’s ventured into a series of affordable housing projects in Little Haiti and Overtown because she believes historic preservation and affordable housing go hand in hand. “We create roots in communities through neighborhoods, but it’s the buildings themselves that really house the stories, the memories and the history,” she says.

HER WORK: Avra and her team want to preserve a sense of belonging with all their projects by respecting the community’s history. So with their affordable housing projects, they will restore historic buildings without raising rent to avoid displacing residents.

FUN FACT: The Vagabond Group’s affordable housing projects include 24 units in two buildings in Little Haiti and 44 units in five buildings in Overtown. The Overtown development is in partnership with the Omni Community Redevelopment Agency.

QUOTABLE: “Think of the implications of a single mother who now has a house [that] she can take pride [in] and where the kids want to come home and do their homework and invite their friends over. It becomes a family place. Think of the impact of that. It’s monumental.”

WANT TO GET INVOLVED? You already may have! Miami residents voted to tax themselves $100,000,000 for affordable housing. “People ask us, ‘Well why do you do it?'” she says, “I’d like to know why other people don’t. I think that’s the better question.” Hear more from Avra in our video interview here.

Juggerknot Theatre Company is gearing up to celebrate the Wynwood neighborhood with a site-specific theater production. What does that mean exactly? Starting April 16, Wynwood Stories will bring to life the stories of people who have lived in the neighborhood from 1917 to today, including a graffiti artist, a Cuban seamstress and a developer dating from 1917 to today.

It’s a great way to learn about the neighborhood’s history at the soon-to-be-closing Wynwood Yard. Learn more about the show and what makes it such a special homage to one of Miami’s greatest neighborhoods.

PRODUCED BY THE NEW TROPIC CREATIVE STUDIO WITH JUGGERKNOT THEATRE COMPANY

A new Gillum campaign. Andrew Gillum, the former Tallahassee mayor and Democratic nominee for governor just launched a voter registration campaign to bolster Democrats chances in the 2020 election in Florida, the largest swing state in the nation. And his group has work to do. Democrats in Florida currently have 4.96 million registered voters compared to 4.7 Republicans and there are 3.6 million voters with no party affiliation. Those numbers could be key as Trump won Florida by a thin margin in 2016. (Politico)

An Ultra-sized traffic headache. Residents of Key Biscayne are bracing for the arrival of more than 60,000 partiers coming to dance their faces off next weekend at the Ultra Music Festival, which is debuting this year on Virginia Key. Seeing that the Rickenbacker is the only road that connects the mainland to the island, traffic has been a big concern. So organizers and local officials have crafted a master plan to avoid a cluster. Festival goers can take Uber and Lyft to the festival but rideshares won’t be picking them up to take them home. Instead there will be a fleet of buses and a ferry providing rides to hubs on the mainland. (Miami Herald)

Watch out for the fun police. People are coming to Miami Beach for spring break to have fun (a truly novel concept) and apparently there’s been a little too much fun for some residents.  They say they’re fed up with rampant drug and alcohol use, fighting, and nudity. So Miami Beach officials called an emergency meeting to see how they could rein in the party, and they’re taking it very seriously. A police squad will be patrolling the beach seizing drugs and alcohol. They’ll also use barricades and all-terrain vehicles to disperse crowds. And partiers who break the law may get to ride in one of the prisoner transport vans that will be parked on the beach. (Miami Herald)

Wanna avoid South Beach altogether? If rowdy parties and traffic aren’t your thing, you could always check out the Miami Open that’s going on through the end of the month. This event is hosting some of the best tennis players in the world and it’s miles away from the beach at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens. (Miami Herald)

THAT’S ALL FOR TODAY

See you here first thing tomorrow.

– The New Tropic