Voters in Miami Beach could change the character of the city’s most famous and celebrated street with a ban on outdoor alcohol sales after 2 a.m. if a referendum on the Nov. 7 ballot is passed.

But they have no information from the city about the impact of such a measure because a promised economic study has not materialized. A “preliminary report” is expected at Wednesday’s commission meeting with a final study due a week before the election is over — and after thousands of people have voted via absentee ballots and early voting.

Opponents, however, already have a counter study that says the ban would hurt the city financially, cost jobs and lower property values.

Championed to the point of obsession by Mayor Philip Levine — and one has to wonder why he is so hell bent on making this happen so fast (did someone shoot him down at The Clevelader once?) — the measure, which would change the last call only at outdoor bars from 5 a.m. to 2 a.m., is promoted as a tool for public safety in response to a shooting over a parking space on Memorial Day weekend.

But when commissioners voted unanimously in June to put this question on the ballot, they were basically promised an economic study on the impact by Sept. 1. And guess what? That didn’t happen.

There is no data to show the ban — which seems directly targeted at only three businesses in a 15-block strip — will curb violence. The city’s own statistics show that 911 calls for police and fire rescue in the Ocean Drive area peak between 11 p.m. and 2 a.m. Those calls drop by about a third between 2 and 5 a.m.

The Memorial Day weekend shooting that set this vote in motion happened at 10:35 p.m., by the way. Also, there have since been shootings on Lincoln Road, Collins Avenue and Española Way, where the mayor owns property.

So a 2 to 5 a.m. ban on just Ocean Drive seems selective and may have zero or at most a very minimal effect crime.

What’s worse is that, if passed, the measure could actually hurt the city financially, according to a study commissioned by the Florida Retail and Lodging Association, which represents businesses along Ocean Drive.

The 27-page report from Fishkind and Associates said that the three-hour change won’t help reduce crime but will have a “dramatic, negative impact on the economy of Miami Beach and significant consequences for the city’s budget.”  It also puts the economy of Ocean Drive, where other businesses thrive off the popularity of the people-watching outdoor bars, “at risk to serious economic harm” not just to the three bars that would be affected, but to nearby restaurants and hotels that were surveyed and said the nightlife and hours on Ocean Drive are critical to the choice their guests make to stay here.

The city presented some faulty figures of their own — apparently pulled from thin air and presented in haste before any real, professional study could be done — that only look at Ocean Drive alcohol sales between 2 and 5 a.m. and not what the ban would do to other businesses or the perimeter zones.

“This ordinance will severely alter a formula that has proven successful and allowed hotels and restaurants to flourish,” said Carol Dover, president and CEO of the FRLA. “If this destructive measure passes, jobs will be lost and taxpayers in the City of Miami Beach will be responsible for footing the bill for the millions of dollars in lost tax revenue.”

The numbers? More than $340 million a year in lost sales (bars + restaurants + hotels). Close to a $2 billion drop in property values. An estimated $20 million hit to the annual sales tax revenue. And 5,500 jobs lost.

City officials don’t have any real numbers to counter because it’s economic study just got started two weeks ago. Even though Levine told commissioners in June that he would get the study done by Sept. 1 so voters could be educated, the contract with Florida International University’s Office of Research and Economic Development wasn’t signed until almost a month after that on Sept. 29. And it gives the school 60 days to complete it.

It won’t take that long, said Amy Mehu, the city’s redevelopment specialist. “They are being expedient in data collection,” Mehu told Ladra Tuesday, adding that the city had trouble finding a firm to do the study. “Many firms stated conflicts of interests because they had done work for the hotel industry or businesses on Ocean Drive.”

Commissioners will get a preliminary report at Wednesday’s meeting and a final report will be available Oct. 31, Mehu said.

That means there’s a whole week for voters to get information before Election Day.

Well, again, except for the thousands of voters who will have already cast their ballots by mail — absentee ballots were mailed out Monday — and in early voting, which begins next week.

“Talk about putting the cart before the horse,” said Commissioner Kristen Rosen Gonzalez.

She, too, is concerned with a rise in violent crime and the environment on Ocean Drive on a typical Friday night. But she says that the way to deal with that is with more police presence and community policing.

“This is not logical. If this was about logic, we would have commissioned a study before the vote,” Rosen Gonzalez said, adding that she will be voting no and telling her friends and supporters to do the same.

Ladra dares Sen. Jose Javier Rodriguez to put his committee vote into action and resign his seat now

The open congressional seat thanks to the announced retirement of U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen has attracted almost a dozen hopefuls who want to represent us in Washington, D.C.: A whopping 11 candidates have either declared their intentions or opened “exploratory” committees.

This includes five who are already in elected office: Sen. Jose Javier Rodriguez, State Rep. David Richardson, Miami Beach Commissioner Kristen Rosen-Gonzalez, Miami-Dade Commissioner Bruno Barreiro and Miami Commissioner Ken Russell. So far, anyway.

One of the wannabes not in office already has a problem with them staying there.

Michael Hepburn, an academic advisor at the University of Miami who Ladra suspects is building name ID for another race, says the “Resign to Run” law that forces electeds to resign one office if they run for a state or local seat should be extended to federal offices, which are exempted from the state statute. These candidates not only cost taxpayers extra, through special elections that could have happened simultaneously with the federal race, they also get a leg up with a bully platform, he said.

Read related story: Bruno Barreiro makes Congress bid official; Dems celebrate

“This exception creates an unfair advantage for the elected official, it’s a conflict of interest, and Floridians should not have to cover the cost associated with creating special elections or continue to cover the salary for these officials — while they use their time on the job to run for another office,” Hepburn said. “This is a democracy and you have every right to run for any political office you deem appropriate. However, if you choose to not honor the term you were elected for – run for another office on your own time.”

“Our aspiring career politicians need to either keep their commitments to the voters that elected them or resign, so someone else can finish the job,” he said, adding that voters he has spoken to agree.

He is right. This exclusion does perpetuate the perception of political stepping stones being used to attain higher office. And you can’t deny the fact that every time Rodriguez or Barreiro or Rosen Gonzalez or the others get free press for doing their job, their congressional campaigns benefit. So they do campaign on our dime and, in fact, could be paying extra attention to issues or neighborhoods that overlap in the district — or even beyond their district or parameters.

These are the reasons why there is proposed legislation that would close the state law loophole — made in 2007 for then-Republican Gov. Charlie Crist, whose name was being floated as a potential VP running mate — and include federal offices in the Resign to Run law.

Read related story: Jose Javier Rodriguez runs for Congress, but it’s not in the bag

Senate Bill 186, introduced by Sen. Travis Hutson (R-Elkton), would require elected candidates who run for federal office where terms overlap to resign at least 10 days before qualifying begins.

And even though it would go against his self interest by requiring him to resign early, Rodriguez voted in favor of the bill in the Ethics and Elections Committee, where it passed unanimously Tuesday.

But here’s an idea — nay, a challenge — for J-Rod, if he really believes electeds like him should resign to run for a congressional seat: Senator, you don’t have to wait until the full legislature votes on the bill next year. There is nothing stopping you from setting the example and resigning now.

If you voted what you believe in, Ladra dares you to put your money (your job) where your mouth (your vote) is.

Ladra hopes everyone had a wonderful Mother’s Day weekend and got lots of love and nurturing comfort from our mamas… because it’s another doozy of a week in the 305 political world.

We’ve got soccer and activism 101 and a group of preservationists’ last stand and the mother of all fundraisers — this last one for Miami Commissioner Francis Suarez, who still doesn’t even have any real opposition yet in his bid to become the second in his family to be Miami mayor (more on that later). Oh, and the county still wants to give Vizcaya away to be run by a private, non-profit board. You know, because that went so well for the Frost Museum.

If we don’t list your event, sorry. It is probably your own fault. Get me the info on your government and club meetings, campaign fundraisers and political powwows and it will be included. Trust me. Nobody gets a no. The easy way is to send an email to edevalle@gmail.com.

And now, with no further ado, I bring you the Cortadito calendar for the current week.

TUESDAY — May 16

8:30 a.m. — The Miami Beach Tuesday Morning Breakfast Club could rename itself the Miami Beach Candidate Speaker’s Bureau since every single one of its speakers has been a candidate for commission (Group 2) or the mayoral seat. Bless their little collective activists soul. Someone had to do it! This week’s guest speaker is Adrian Gonzalez, the owner of David’s Cafe, who is running for commission in Group 3. Former Mayor Matti Bower, who is still so far not running for anything, serves as moderator at the morning meetings, which are at Puerto Sagua Restaurant, 700 Collins Ave. Questions can be submitted in advance via Facebook.

9:30 a.m. — The privatization of Vizcaya Museum and Gardens continues as Miami-Dade Commissioners meet again Tuesday to discuss transitioning the powers and responsibilities of the historic and county-owned facility from the Vizcaya Museum and Gardens Trust to the Vizcaya Museum and Gardens, Inc, which will allow them to grant contracts and manage the considerable budget of county tax dollars with less public oversight. The Carrie Meek Foundation’s lease agreement at Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport will also be discussed. Commissioners could also approve an $8 million budget for the North Miami Community Redevelopment Agency and $1.6 million for the South Miami Community Redevelopment Agency. They will also consider increasing an agreement with Nova Consulting from a total of $8 million in value to a total of $25 million in value for management of our water and sewer pump system. Oh, and Commissioner Rebeca Sosa, who lost her beloved husband last week, wants to increase the number of local people a company must have in its employ to qualify for local preference in procurement. They will also spend a lot of money, again. This includes $22.5 million for the lease or purchase of vehicles, $118.7 million for contract employees for different departments ($30 mil just for Elections) and $3.6 million for enterprise construction project management software. Does that mean the county won’t need individual construction project managers at $200 an hour like Mayor Carlos Gimenez‘s BFF Ralph Garcia Toledo? Or is this to make his job easier? If you want to speak on any item on the agenda, the meeting is in commission chambers on the second floor at County Hall, 111 NW First Street.

WEDNESDAY — May 17

6 p.m. — Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez wanted to put the sale of the last parcel needed by David Beckham for his soccer stadium to the commission Tuesday. But Commissioner Audrey Edmonson wanted to have a town hall with the residents who live adjacent to the properties first. That will take place Wednesday evening at the YWCA, 351 NW 5th St., where residents of Overtown and Spring Gardens are invited to have a conversation with representatives from Miami Beckham United about the potential sale of the property and the future of the site. Its the same place where residents voiced their concern at the first soccer stadium town hall meeting in 2015. MBU already has six acres of property in Overtown acquired. The county parcel is the last piece needed.

6:30-9 p.m. — SAVE, formerly SAVE Dade, wants more people engaged in local and national politics. To that end, they are hosting a townhall Wednesday evening titled Effective Activism for Social Change. And they should know. SAVE has been instrumental in passing several municipal ordinances that give same-sex partners the same benefits of any spouse and was also instrumental in the county’s passage of protection for transgender individuals (fighting ugly bathroom police laws at the state simultaneously). The group has had some notable successes, even if they sometimes support the wrong candidates. This townhall is moderated/hosted by WPLG Local 10’s political reporter, Michael Putney. It is at SAVE headquarters, 1951 NW 7th Avenue, sixth floor.

7 p.m. — The Palmetto Bay Council Committee as a Whole will meet Wednesday to discuss a number of issues important to the village community — from an analysis of traffic in the urban downtown district to regulations for special events to evaluation forms for the manager and assistant manager to the noise coming from Thelatta Estate to speed limits around village parks to the upcoming budget process. Mayor Eugene Flinn wants to talk about the FPL property and parking lot regulations. And as if that wasn’t enough, they are also going to discuss the procurement process, light rail “issues,” the launch of the village website and new mobility fees for developers. This looks like a catch all meeting to Ladra. So many important things going on in Palmetto Bay, we may just have to start paying attention. The meeting should last a few hours, at Village Hall, 9705 E. Hibiscus St.

THURSDAY — May 18

2 p.m. — The Transportation Planning Organization (the old MPO) will meet to discuss four proposed amendments to the Long Range Transportation Plan that affect the 112 Expressway, the Gratigny Expressway and the new two-lane road along NW 7th Street under State Roade 826 and the widening of 97th Avenue. Commissioner Dennis Moss wants the Miami-Dade Expressway Authority to put accent lighting on the State Roade 874 ramp connector bridge to SW 128th Street. Commissioner Javier Souto wants to ask the Florida Turnpike to “refrain from proceeding” with the widening project at Coral Way, which would affect the brdige spanning from Southwest 115th to 118th avenues until there is a public meeting with area residents and a traffic study. The meeting is in Miami-Dade Commission Chambers at County Hall, 111 NW First St.

6-8 p.m. — That big todo in oh-so-hipster Wynwood for Miami City Commissioner Francis Suarez is going to be the social gathering of the month for young politicos. Perhaps the season. It’s got the largest host committee in formation I have ever seen, and Ladra has seen a lot of host committees in formation. Even if you were not invited, we are quite certain that you can get in. Just bring a check. The festivities begin at Goldman Global Arts Gallery, 260 NW 26th St., inside Wynwood Walls. Enter through the gallery entrance between Second and Third avenues.

7-9 p.m. — Billed as the “last chance meeting,” the activists who make up the Miami Pine Rocklands Coalition will meet to discuss final efforts to save a swath of protected land that is the only known home to an endangered and indiginous beetle. This last piece of pine rockland — less than 2% of which exists today — is slated to become a Walmart parking lot. Believe it. Or help stop it. The tree huggers meet at 7 p.m. at the Tropical Audobon Society, 5530 Sunset Drive.

FRIDAY — May 19

6:30-8:30 p.m. — Brad Bonessi and J. R. Bult will host a fundraiser for Miami Beach Commissioner Kristen Rosen Gonzalez, who is runnning for the congressional seat vacated by a retiring Ileana Ros Lehtinen, at the St. Tropez Condominium Friday evening, 7330 Ocean Drive. This is that same block in North Beach that was going to have some huge enormouse highrise until Rosen Gonzalez and other preservationists opposed the developer-financed voter referendum to increase zoning density and height. Ladra expects the campaign to strike it rich.

SATURDAY — May 20

6:30 -8 a.m. — Rise early if you want to run in the Village of El Portal’s 9th annual Armed Forces Day 5K Walk/Run Saturday. Same day registration is from 6:30 to 7:15 a.m. and the program starts at 8. The race/walk starts in front of Village Hall, 500 NE 87th St., and winds through the small municipality.

As many may have expected, newly-minted Jose Javier Rodriguez announced Tuesday that he would run for the congressional seat in District 27 being vacated next year by a retiring U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and immediately became the front runner for the Democrat primary — at least on paper.

But on the streets, Miami Beach Commissioner Kristen Rosen Gonzalez might still give him a good run for his — or the party’s — money. And in Obama circles, the name Francisco Cerezo — a Puerto Rican Miami lawyer and onetime Obama surrogate who is son of the first Latin American female federal judge — is being floated around by his friend, political operative Freddy Balsera (who would work on his campaign, of course).

Political observers say Cerezo (read: Balsera) is just using the race to get some name recognition — beause right now it is zero — so he can run for another seat that opens up in the future, maybe one of the domino effect avalanche seats that will open up in the state legislature from this race or the Senate 40 contest. Pedro Diaz, a political consultant who runs Rosen Gonzalez’s campaigns, is convinced this primary race has already been defined, 15 months out, as a two-way contest between his client and Rodriguez, who was a state rep for four years before jumping to the Senate last year and who was being groomed for this position, eventually, before IRL surprised everyone with early retirement and reset the clock.

Read related story: Kristen Rosen Gonzalez to challenge Ileana Ros-Lehtinen

“No other big name is going to jump in now that he’s announced,” Diaz said, adding that maybe that was the senator’s point, to scare everybody off.

But Rosen Gonzalez — who has fought Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine and his political consultant, David “Disgustin’” Custin — is not scared easily. Heck, she’s the only one who was brave enough to announce her intentions before Ileana decided to retire. J-Rod could be called an opportunist.

“He’s a formidable opponent,” Rosen Gonzalez told Ladra Wednesday, “but I’m going to stand my ground.”

“My supporters are my supporters and I don’t think an Ivy league lawyer is what they really want,” the college professor said, referring to J-Rod’s Harvard law degree.

She may be smart to define herself, in contrast, as a single mom and educator. Because there are very few other differences between them.

The two have similar blue positions on immigration reform, minimum wage, climate change and neither has been shy to voice their concerns, so they’re not going to mark much of a difference that way. Both of them are good, but not great, at media. Neither one has to resign to run, so they have nothing to lose and each can use their bully pulpit to promote themselves.

J-Rod may have more legislative experience, but it’s just a tiny bit more. He could also be seen as an ambitious hopper who just became a state senator five minutes ago and is already itching to move up the political ladder. But Rosen Gonzalez, a freshman city commissioner, might also be seen as too ambitious for her own good.

And yes, Rodriguez scored two powerhouse victories when first elected to the House in 2012 (against former Sen. Alex Diaz de la Portilla) and then the Senate last year (against big brother Miguel Diaz de la Portilla), but those big wins have been in presidential years. His win against nobody lobbyist Daniel Diaz Leyva in 2014 was by a much smaller (642-vote) margin. And Ladra dares say both DLPs could have worked a little harder, or nicer.

Read related story: Jose Javier Rodriguez hangs on despite Danny Boy’s dough

Rosen Gonzalez, like J-Rod, is a tireless campaigner. So let’s say they split the Hispanic vote. Rosen Gonzalez will likely get the Jewish vote and the preservationists vote and also the female vote. Because it looks like she will be the only Democrat woman in a primary against four or five men. DUI driver Scott Fuhrman, who ran but lost against Ros-Lehtinen last year, and UM academic advisor Michael Hepburn have both filed for ,the seat. Add to that Rodriguez, Ceruzo and, maybe, Matt Haggman, Miami program director for the Knight Foundation.

Since there are only 105 female members of Congress — or about one to every five men — Rosen Gonzalez hopes voters might hate to lose one of those, and the first seat won by a Hispanic woman, to a man. At least that’s what she’s counting on.

“There’s going to be five men in the race and me,” she said. “I can live with those odds.”

One of the Democrats already getting ready for 2018 is Miami Beach Commissioner Kristen Rosen Gonzalez, who has been thinking for the last few weeks about challenging Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen.

She said Friday that many people had approached her and “an exploratory committee is testing the waters.” But those close to Rosen Gonzalez told Ladra she may file for the seat in District 27 as early as next week.

“The district deserves a Democrat. It has been redrawn for a Democrat and it needs a new fresh voice,” Rosen Gonzalez told Ladra Friday, sounding pretty much decided.

Yeah, but voters rejected a Democrat just this past November when IRL beat Scott Fuhrman after some nasty campaigning that reminded voters of his drunken driving past. But Fuhrman still got 45% of the vote, despite the DUI ads. Perhaps Rosen thinks a woman will fare better? Maybe she thinks anti-Trump fervor will help usher her in?

Read related story: Ileana Ros-Lehtinen hits hard with Fuhrman DUI ads

“As I meet people and tell them what I want to do, I realize I have support out there,” she said. “It’s really outrageous that we don’t have a Democrat representing us at the national level. None of the people we have in Congress are representative of this area. They’re out of touch.

“There is so much angst and despair about what is going on,” she said, referring to the national issues like healthcare, the environment and the coming nominations to the Supreme Court that would tilt it to the right. 

While she is a freshman city commissioner, Rosen Gonzalez has been expanding her profile and dipping her feet more and more into national politics for months. She came out strong for immigrants on the sanctuary city fiasco and joined the protests against Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez for kowtowing to Trump’s ridiculous demands. She has championed increased mininum wage and she spoke on climate change at the Women’s March.

She would have to leave her commission seat a year early, but says that the time is now and Ileana — who is seen as invincible by most in the political 305 — will never be more ripe for the taking. “There’s a lot of positive energy right now in the community and I feel like this is the time,” Rosen Gonzalez said, adding that she wants to work on national flood insurance reform.

Rosen Gonzalez has already met with members of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, which has probably talked to a couple of different people (though the blue bench is not too deep). Other names that have come up for this seat are Jose Javier Rodriguez — but he just moved to the Florida Senate from the House so another jump so soon would not look too good — and State Rep. Daisy Baez, but she was just elected so she’s even more of a freshman.

Ladra feels that Rosen Gonzalez, a single mother and college professor, is the natural choice — and the front runner already.

“I’m proud of what I’ve done in the city but we need a Democrat to win a good race and give people hope,” said Rosen Gonzalez, who was elected in 2015 despite her opponent’s help from millionaire mayor Philip Levine.

Read related story: Kristen Rosen Gonzalez wins in Miami Beach race

“The best part of my election in Miami Beach is that it disrupted nature and allowed everybody else to speak out. And now we have a lot of good candidates running,” she said, referring to the election this November and a slew of candidates that have filed to run, including former Commissioner Michael Gongora, who she had a fundraiser for.

But while it may be good timing, it still won’t be easy. Ros-Lehtinen is seen as invincible because she has been there for almost 30 years and espouses many moderate views. Even Democrats love her. She has defended immigrants and introduced legislation on climate change. Her son, Rodrigo, is transgender and she is beloved by the LGBTQ community.

And she’s going to have more money.

Rosen Gonzalez said that her campaign will be a grass roots effort and she believes the anxiety that registered Democrats are having with everything out of the White House will transfer to the ballot next year.

“Too many Democcrats vote for or support ‘moderate’ Republicans and this is why we have a Republican majority.”

Last week was interesting. We had a bunch of protests of not just Donald Trump but also Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez, who was the first and only big city mayor to acquiese to Trump’s demands on sanctuary cities.

This week, we get to have fun watching Gimenez and Miami-Dade Commission Chairman Esteban “Stevie” Bovo do everything possible to avoid talking about the mayor’s 180-degree turnaround on the county policy, in violation of a county resolution. It’s not on the agenda for Tuesday’s meeting because the chairman scheduled a special meeting just for that. Guess they expect it to take a long time, huh?

Ladra has a feeling however, that even though it’s not on the agenda, it will be discussed. If only in public comments. Activists are encouraging people to go and tell Gimenez off while his supporters have also encouraged people (more on that later) to go and show their support for “law and order.”

Let’s hope it doesn’t end in chaos.

As always, please keep sending news about meetings, campaign rallies, political club powwows and other events to edevalle@gmail.com. This is your Cortadito Calendar, after all.

MONDAY — Feb. 6

3 p.m. — The City of Miami’s Historic & Environmental Preservation Board will meet to receive a presentation, open to the public, of a “historical assessment report” on the Coconut Grove Playhouse. While this is a discussion item only, Playhouse boosters are expected to show up en masse to support continued efforts to restore and reopen the landmark (hopefully more than just the outside facade, or is that battle lost already?). Chairman Keon Hardemon could allow public speakers to make comments — if he’s so inclined. The meeting is in commission chambers at City Hall, 3500 Pan American Drive.

TUESDAY — Feb. 7

9:30 a.m — The Miami-Dade Commission meets and tries not to talk about that immigration detention thing. Even though there’s a special meeting called just for that on Feb. 17, it’s going to be hard to get through the whole meeting without taling about it just a little bit. Maybe that’s why the agenda is packed with a lot of items to keep commissioners busy. Topping that list is a whole lot of water and sewer contracts related to the consent decree forcing the county to upgrade it’s system. At least six different contracts for a total of more than $50 million (more on that later). There’s also a $38-million contract with Garney Companies on the table for the design, build and installation of a 48-inch diameter water main pipe. Yes, you read that right: A $38-million water main pipe. Also on the agenda: An ordinance creating a special stadium taxing district for the county and Miami Gardens to share, a $1 million grant for the construction of two “replacement libraries” in Doral and Hialeah Gardens, a $6 million contract for roof repairs at Miami International Airport and a $14.5 million “legacy” contract for security communications maintenance at MIA. Yes, you read that right: A $14.5 million contract for security communications maintenance.

9 p.m. — And you thought the debates were over when the president was elected. Wrong.  This Tuesday, Democrat Sen. Bernie Sanders and Republican Sen. Ted Cruz — both of whom lost the nomination to run for president — will face off live on CNN in a heated debate about the future of Obamacare. Florida International University students in a group called Turning Point USA Panthers are hosting a “fun watch party” at the Graham Center Pit. But it looks like it may only be fun for Republicans, since they bill it as a debate between “Socialist Senator Sanders and Constitutionalist, Free Market Advocate Senator Ted Cruz” and included the hashtags #BigGovSucks and #FreeMarketsFreePeople. Don’t wear your “I’m with her” button.

WEDNESDAY — Feb. 8

9 a.m. — It’s a busy day for the Miami Beach commissioners, who meet to discuss a bunch of things, including an amendment to the city code on maximum building heights and allowable exceptions in commercial zones and the design and development of a skate park at 72nd Street. They will also consider new zoning regulations for West Avenue and the 600 block of Washington Avenue and the purchase of two new “skywatch towers” for the police department and $2 million worth of new equipment for the fire rescue department as well as regulations for sidewalk cafes and a $30 million contract for improvements to West Avenue. Also on the agenda: the second reading for Commissioner Ricky Arriola‘s moratorium on medical marijuana sales (more on that later) and demolition moratoriums on North Beach and on Tatum Waterway properties. Commissioner Kristen Rosen Gonzalez, who joined protesters of the Gimenez immigration betrayal last week, also plans to ask her colleagues to declare Miami Beach a sanctuary city. Told ya it was a busy day for them. The meeting is in commission chambers at City Hall, 1700 Convention Center Drive.

THURSDAY — Feb. 9

9:30 a.m. — Miami-Dade Commission Chairman Esteban Bovo’s Policy Council meets. This board aims to identify critical capital needs and innovative transportation funding solutions, develop a courthouse capital improvement plan and a cohesive and proactive sea level rise response plan as well as work on gun safety.

6 p.m. — It’s the first fundraiser for Coral Gables candidate Mike Mena, and attorney has Congressman Carlos Curbelo and State Rep. Jose Felix Diaz among the hosts. The event is at El Novillo Restaurant on 67th Avenue and Bird Road. Wait a minute. Aren’t there any restaurants inside Coral Gables that are good enough?

SATURDAY — Feb. 11

Noon — The Miami Young Republicans are still celebrating Donald Trump’s victory with a Make America Great Again BBQ at Crandon Park in Key Biscayne to kick off the year. “We will be unveiling our game plan to drive the discussion on South Florida’s most important issues and elect the next class of Young Republicans to local office. If you have been thinking about stepping up your involvement, or want to serve in a club leadership position, this event will provide a great opportunity to speak with board members to join the team,” says the Facebook invitation.