

Local Government
The Miami City Commission adopted a record $3.7 billion budget after a last-minute amendment reversed proposed cuts to festival funding, but the new structure leaves Coconut Grove's Goombay Festival allocation largely in the hands of one commissioner.

Local Government
The Miami City Commission adopted a record $3.7 billion budget after a last-minute amendment reversed proposed cuts to festival funding, but the new structure leaves Coconut Grove's Goombay Festival allocation largely in the hands of one commissioner.

Local Government
The Miami City Commission adopted a record $3.7 billion budget after a last-minute amendment reversed proposed cuts to festival funding, but the new structure leaves Coconut Grove's Goombay Festival allocation largely in the hands of one commissioner.

Health
Florida Education Commissioner Henry Mack directed all school districts, including Miami-Dade County Public Schools, to proactively audit and remove sexually explicit books from libraries within 90 days or face the loss of state funds, grants and lottery money.

Education
Ransom Everglades School in Coconut Grove earned the No. 1 spot among Florida private high schools in Niche's 2027 rankings, compiled by Stacker, adding to a string of national and international accolades for the Grades 6-12 school.

Education
Miami-Dade County Public Schools magnet applications go fully online through the Parent Portal starting Thursday, Oct. 1, with a deadline of Jan. 15, 2027. The shift affects Key Biscayne and Coconut Grove families eyeing nearby magnet schools MAST and Carver Middle.

Education
A proposed Treasury and IRS rule would strip tax-exempt status from private schools with race-based or DEI policies by May 2027, putting Ransom Everglades and its $8.5 million financial aid program squarely at risk.
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Education
Silvia Tarafa, a 37-year public education veteran and former Key Biscayne K-8 Center principal, is running for one of three open Village Council seats in the Nov. 3 election, pledging to rethink flood control, push utility undergrounding forward and demand more transparent governance.

Education
Key Biscayne K-8 Center's middle school has just 52 students, with only 12 in sixth grade, as Education Advisory Board Chair Robert Duzoglou asks the Village Council to renegotiate the MAST Academy agreement and boost the school's budget ahead of a Sept. 8 hearing.

Education
MAST @ FIU, a magnet school popular with Key Biscayne families, ranked No. 31 nationally and No. 2 in Florida in U.S. News & World Report's latest best public high schools list, leading six Miami-Dade schools in the top 100.

Education
Key Biscayne's Education Advisory Board voted to ask the Village Council to revisit a 2012 agreement that gives qualified island students priority access to about 1,100 MAST Academy seats, citing just 50 middle-schoolers at KBK8 and a shift toward ninth-grade entry.

Education
Katrina Wilson finished first in the Aug. 18 Miami-Dade School Board District 1 primary and advances to a Nov. 3 runoff against Linda Cothiere, carrying a platform centered on an independent enrollment study, tackling absenteeism and charter-school accountability with direct implications for Key Biscayne K-8 and MAST Academy.

Public Safety
The National Weather Service issued a high rip current risk and coastal flood statement for Miami-Dade's Atlantic coast through Saturday evening, as king tides and building seas create hazardous conditions for Key Biscayne boaters and beachgoers.

Public Safety
The National Weather Service forecasts 2 to 6 inches of rain for South Florida through Monday, Sept. 28, with a 1-in-10 chance of up to 15 inches, raising flood concerns for Key Biscayne's low-lying streets.

Public Safety
Lightning near Miami has jumped 525% in early September compared to the 10-year average, with six deaths statewide and storms forecast through Sept. 22, prompting safety warnings for Key Biscayne boaters and beachgoers.

Public Safety
A snorkeler was airlifted from No Name Harbor at Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park on Sunday, Sept. 13, and remained in critical condition at Ryder Trauma Center as authorities investigate the possible drowning.

Public Safety
Nearly 24,000 acres burned across three wildfires in Everglades National Park as extreme drought raises long-term concerns about the peat soil that filters the Biscayne Aquifer and protects it from saltwater intrusion.

Public Safety
The National Hurricane Center began issuing advisories for Tropical Storm Dolly at 11 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026, with the storm located about 1,555 miles east of the Leeward Islands; forecasters expect it to weaken before reaching the islands this weekend, and no watches or warnings are in effect.

Public Safety
Miami-Dade County removed a record 9,000 tons of sargassum from beaches including Key Biscayne's Crandon Park in July 2026, spending $3 million annually on cleanup, as county commissioners voted to seek faster state permits for mechanical removal at new hot spots.

Public Safety
Miami's commission approved zoning changes July 23 to replace its oldest fire station with a modern 24,300-square-foot facility, while a $450 million public safety bond heads to the Nov. 3 ballot affecting Coconut Grove voters.

Community
Road closures on Douglas Road and Grand Avenue in Coconut Grove will block traffic from 6:30 to 10 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 4, as about 2,000 runners compete in the Great Miami 10K.

Community
King tides and weeks of rain drove the Virginia Key tide gauge to its fourth-highest reading on record Sunday, flooding South Florida streets with about 2 feet of water above normal, and more high tides are expected Monday morning and evening before conditions ease later in the week.

Community
A birthday celebration for journalist Bill Baggs at Cape Florida State Park on Sept. 30 features lighthouse tours and the unveiling of a new fearless journalism award, while Commissioner Pardo hosts a zoning and flooding meeting the same evening and the Coconut Grove Sailing Club's fall regattas hit Biscayne Bay Oct. 17–18.

Community
Florida-certified K-12 teachers at Key Biscayne K-8 Center, MAST Academy and other local schools can claim free unlimited SeaWorld Orlando admission through Sept. 2, 2027, by registering online, with a deadline for discounted guest tickets on Oct. 2.

Business
Key Biscayne's two gas stations are charging $6.99 a gallon for premium, one cent from $7, while regular holds at $5.99 — $2.10 more than the cheapest Miami station.

Business
Father-daughter team Thomas and Kassidy Angelo opened La Sponda, a 120-seat regional Italian restaurant, on Friday, Sept. 18, at Vita at Grove Isle in Coconut Grove.

Business
This 'N That, a 69-year-old thrift shop run by Plymouth Congregational Church on Commodore Plaza, distributes nearly $300,000 a year to local charities while selling $3 shirts — surviving Coconut Grove's luxury makeover because the church owns the building outright.

Business
The Coconut Grove Business Improvement District will host "Brunching in the Grove" on Sunday, Sept. 20, combining restaurant brunch deals, retail promotions and live music on McFarlane Road in an expansion of last year's inaugural National Brunch Day event.

Sports
Ransom Everglades freshman Juju Hart won the girls 5K at the Bobcat Invitational in 19:27.73, the program's first individual girls cross country title at a major invitational in at least a decade, while the Raiders placed four runners in the top 11 and finished second as a team.

Sports
Sophomore Esha Nagalla shot a nine-hole 32 to lead Ransom Everglades past Downtown Doral by a single stroke in a dual match at Trump National Golf Club, with Nina Fischer and Ella Wester each carding 35.

Sports
Key Biscayne Field Hockey Club center midfielder Elena Somigliana, a sophomore at Coral Gables Senior High, was named to the 2026 USA Field Hockey National Club Championship All-Star List after competing in the national tournament in Virginia Beach.

Sports
Sophomore quarterback Alfonso Llanes threw for 246 yards and two touchdowns as Ransom Everglades beat Somerset Pembroke Pines 39-14 on Sept. 17, pushing the Raiders to 4-0 heading into a district showdown with unbeaten Immaculata-La Salle on Friday.
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Editor
Megan published her first poem in the Sun Sentinel at the age of 11 and has been locked in ever since. She attended UF and FIU and has a degree in Communication Arts. Her professional background includes photography, editing, writing, translation, and graphic design. Megan enjoys learning language, art and vegan foods.
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Editor
Megan published her first poem in the Sun Sentinel at the age of 11 and has been locked in ever since. She attended UF and FIU and has a degree in Communication Arts. Her professional background includes photography, editing, writing, translation, and graphic design. Megan enjoys learning language, art and vegan foods.
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Editor
Megan published her first poem in the Sun Sentinel at the age of 11 and has been locked in ever since. She attended UF and FIU and has a degree in Communication Arts. Her professional background includes photography, editing, writing, translation, and graphic design. Megan enjoys learning language, art and vegan foods.
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©2026 Biscayne Bay Beacon
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©2026 Biscayne Bay Beacon
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