Traffic has been pretty rough over the past few days after a bad accident on the Palmetto yesterday, the permanent closure of a busy downtown street, and as teachers and students are starting to hit the roads again around SoFla.

And as folks drive along toll roads around the 305, it’s still not clear who is really responsible for managing those highways.

For now, it’s the Miami-Dade Expressway Authority. The agency got a win last Friday when a Leon County judge ruled that a new state law to get rid of MDX went against the state’s constitution. But not long before that, the newly created Greater Miami Expressway Authority was set to run things.

And the lawmakers behind the law to eliminate MDX are expected to fight last week’s ruling, so stay tuned.

In other news…

The climate crisis is having a big impact on gender politics… well, at least that’s the case when it comes to sea turtles. The reptile’s genders are decided based on the sand where they incubate and as temperatures increase, the hotter sand is causing more all-female nests across the state. (Miami Herald)

Long live libraries! Our neighbors to the south in Monroe County are constructing the first all-new library the county has seen in decades. The library is set to open in Marathon by fall 2020, and it’s being built to withstand the force of a Category 5 hurricane. (WLRN)

A new wheel in the sky is going to be turning downtown, as Miami commissioners have cleared the way for an observation wheel to be built by the water at Bayside. The developers of the new attraction are hoping to have it ready by February, when the Super Bowl comes to Miami Gardens. We’re sure the new vantage point will also be a great way to see rush hour traffic on the MacArthur Causeway. (Miami Herald)

A while back, we offered up some ways to make new friends in the 305. So, how can you maintain those relationships? We turned to our Facebook pals for some friendly advice.

Didn’t have time to scroll through their answers? We narrowed it down for you with the tips above.

Here are some others that we really appreciated:

“Letting your friend crash at your place when their AC is busted.” — Roberto Toledo Jr. 

“A good friend is okay with taking selfies together, snapping pictures when we’re out, and posting them, too.” — Daniella Pierre

“Be a time realist, not a time optimist….No, you’re not 15 minutes away….in fact, you’re not even dressed yet. Know yourself; know you don’t need to lie to your friends.” — Virginia Lora

Real talk: the world can be a tough place. Let’s reach out to the people we love, welcome the people we haven’t met yet, and spread kindness wherever we can. Thanks for being our friend — we appreciate you. ❤️

Chocolate, fruit, wine and more! Join us at Exquisito Chocolates with special guest snack star, Epic Cheese Boards for our Taste of Summer event. Your ticket gets you access to our chocolate and fruit pairing class where our friends at Exquisito Chocolates will explain how their bean-to-bar chocolate can be matched with the local in-season fruits of Little Havana.

Grab your ticket for a sweet adventure THIS Thursday, Aug. 15!

We wanted to give a quick shoutout to a project from artist and activist Octavia Yearwood that’s centered on highlighting trans womxn of color in SoFla.

She’s looking for folks to highlight for her project, The Trans Form, and is asking people to comment and tag trans womxn of color that deserve some shine for their work on this Instagram post.

We’ll catch you tomorrow, Miami.

– The New Tropic