Over the past few weeks, we’ve had a chance to explore Little Havana, one of Miami’s oldest neighborhoods. And we have learned a bunch from new and old business owners and locals about the neighborhood’s history, and how residents are looking to preserve that past as the area moves into the future.

We highlighted a chocolate factory that would make Willy Wonka blush, learned the story of one of the neighborhood’s oldest businesses, the Los Pinareños Fruteria fruit stand, made a stop by the family-owned Old Station Cafe coffee shop, and more.

Head to our website to check out these stories, and to learn more about Pequeña Habana.

MADE POSSIBLE BY GREATER MIAMI CONVENTION & VISITORS BUREAU

Their drumming and vocals will transport you to a small village in Venezuela.

Miami New Drama presents the world premiere of “Viva La Parranda!“, a musical filled with the Afro-Caribbean music of Betsayda Machado and members of La Parranda El Clavo.

The show is part documentary, part musical. It tells the triumphs and struggles of eight acclaimed Venezuelan musicians who have been friends for 30 years.

“Every time I listen to this band, I get this feeling that I’ve been lifted a couple of inches from the ground,” director Juan Carlos Souki said.

Learn more about the musicians, whose work has been named by The New York Times as one of the best albums in 2017 — and pick up a pair of tickets today. The musical is on stage at the Colony Theatre through May 19.

PRODUCED BY THE NEW TROPIC CREATIVE STUDIO WITH MIAMI NEW DRAMA

As the state Legislature heads toward the end of session, numerous bills are making waves here in Miami.

That list includes legislation that would ban “sanctuary cities” and require local law enforcement to comply with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, efforts to complicate Amendment 4’s restoration of voter rights, and a bill that would keep local governments from testing out potential affordable housing solutions like rent control and inclusionary zoning.

Protesters responded to the various bills by protesting in Tallahassee at the Government Center in Downtown Miami, and in Hialeah, in conjunction with May Day.

But there is some hope for local governments and school districts. A controversial plan to allow teachers to be armed in schools was approved yesterday, but it would still require school district approval — and Miami-Dade school district leaders don’t support the idea.

Meanwhile, a potential five-year ban on allowing cities to ban plastic straws may not have the support of Gov. Ron DeSantis.

In other news…

A new music festival is coming to South Beach. Miami Beach Pop is set for November and will happen on the beach between Fifth and Tenth streets. The lineup and full details are TBD for now. (Miami New Times)

The spread of toxic blue green algae blooms significantly damaged marine life and the state’s economy for most of last summer, but as the legislative session winds down, environmentalists are lamenting the lack of action to punish or restrict the actions of polluters. (Sarasota Herald-Tribune)

This year’s eMerge Americas came and went pretty quickly. The event featured some innovative new tech solutions, including a napkin that can detect if harmful drugs have been placed in a drink, a robotic solution to mass producing floral arrangements, and oh yeah — Pitbull was there. 😎 (Miami Herald)

Technically we shouldn’t have to start thinking about buying bottled water in bulk until next month, but there’s a tropical “disturbance” out there that could become stronger over the weekend.

Either way, we can expect a decent amount of rain starting tonight. ☂️

Stay dry, Miami. We’ll see you tomorrow.

– The New Tropic