Miami Beach resident Lynette Long, a former university professor who has authored more than 30 books, recently took a drive through the city and noted all the ceremonially co-designated streets, which are named to honor someone for something. What she found was an astonishing gap.

There are at least 18 streets that are co-designated for men and only one street that is co-designated for a woman, Barbara Capitman. While Capitman deserves it for her work creating the Miami Design Preservation League and her efforts to preserve the Art Deco district, she is not alone.

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Are we a third through this year already? Does anybody else think it’s goingcalendar2 much faster than ever?

Maybe it’s because there is always so much going on.

This week’s Cortadito Calendar seems a little thin, though. I guess people are still pooped from last week, which was a little busier. Or are we saving our strength for next week? Or did Ladra miss something?

If you’re event is not here, you only have yourself (or some lackey) to blame. As always, please keep sending information about your government meetings, candidate forums and political powwows to edevalle@gmail.com and they’ll keep appearing in the Cortadito Calendar.

TUESDAY — March 28

8:30 a.m. — Just in time for the Miami Beach election season! The Tuesday Morning Breakfast Club is back.bowermug Or at least one version of it is (another version is announced for April 11). This version seems more legit if only because it is not tied in multiple ways to a big controversial developer. Tuesday’s breakfast is being moderated by none other than former Mayor Matti Bower. The speaker will be commission candidate Joshua Levy, who is running for one of the open seats. Ladra wants to thank Puerto Sagua Restaurant, 700 Collins Ave., for stepping up to the plate as the new venue for this and subsequent   meetings. I recommend la tortilla de platanos maduros.

9 a.m. — It’s gonna be a little awkward at the Coral Gables Commission meeting Tuesday, the first one since every one of Commissioner Jeannett Slesnick‘s colleagues endorsed former mayor Raul Valdes-Fauli in next month’s election. But they’re going to have to grin and bear it as the talk about major changes proposed, once again, for The Plaza project (aka Agave, aka Mediterranean Village, aka Old Spanish Village). They’re also going to talk about opening Giralda Plaza to vehicular traffic. They’ll also consider “piggy backing” off a contract in Aurora, Illinois, for $1.4 million in red light cameras and the corresponding programming. Why Coral Gables would piggyback off a city 1,418 miles away? They will also vote on moving $3.9 million from the “capital improvement fund balance” to the trolley depot/fire station project. And much, much more. See agenda here.

7 p.m. — Donald Trump’s power goes beyond the White House. Everyone is talking about “fake news.” Even the Miami Young Republicans. They are dubbing their meeting Tuesday night “News + Spin: A discussion with the media.” The speakers are Politico’s Marc Caputo, The Miami Herald’s Patricia Mazzei and CBS4’s Jim DeFede (Caputo and DeFede — well, Ladra, too — also once worked at Ma Herald, which shows what a magical place it once was). The “lively debate,” which Ladra suspects will be between the baby Goppers and the top three political journalists in South Florida and not between my esteemed colleagues themselves. It’ll be at CubaOcho Museum and Performing Arts Center, which is a fabulous Little Havana space to go anytime, 1465 SW 8th St. Meet Ladra at Ball & Chain after for a drink.

WEDNESDAY — March 29

6 p.m. — Former Miami Beach Commissioner Michael Gongora has a lot of collegial support. Former Mayor Matti Bower and at least four former commissioners and one current one (Kristen Rosen Gonzalez) are hosting a fundraiser for Gongora’s campaign to get back on the dais. He is running for an open commission seat. The host committee includes former commissioners Ed Tobin, Deede Weithorn, Jorge Exposito and Saul Gross as well as several known longtime activists and preservationists. The shindig is from 6 to 8 p.m. at Poseidon Greek Restaurant, 1131 Washington Ave. And tell him Happy Birthday if you make it.

THURSDAY — March 30

7:30 p.m. — The second of two Coral Gables candidate forums and likely the last official debates before the April 11 rauljeannett2election begins at 7:30 p.m. at Coral Gables Congregational Church, 3010 DeSoto Blvd. Ladra apologizes if anyone went last week. The first hour will go to the two candidates running for commission in Group 3, incumbent Pat Keon and former Commissioner Wayne Withers. The second hour will be for the mayoral debate between Commissioner Jeannett Slesnick and former Mayor Raul Valdes-Fauli (incumbent Mayor Jim Cason has decided not to run again, for real this time). This is where many Coral Gables voters make up their minds and the place fills up rather quickly. Doors open at 6:30 but get there earlier if you want a seat up front. Maybe someone can ask Valdes-Fauli about his disengenuous and negative campaigning.

FRIDAY — March 31

3 p.m. —  Miami-Dade Commissioner Daniella Levine Cava will meet with the mayors of the South Dade cities — Palmetto Bay, Cutler Bay, Homestead and Florida City — to discuss South Dade issues. Hopefully that includes any movement on the SMART plan’s south corridor of light rail, not high-speed buses. Since Commissioner Dennis Moss may drop by, the meeting has to be held in the sunshine and is open to the public at the Cutler Bay Town Center,  10720 Caribbean Blvd.


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Will the real Tuesday Morning Breakfast Club please stand up?

After a short hiatus, the morning powwows will resume just in time for the election season. But we miami-beach-sliderdon’t know if they start up again this week, with former Mayor Matti Bower hosting a breakfast at Puerto Sagua Restaurant and commission candidate Joshua Levy speaking — or they if they resume April 11th with developer Russell Galbut speaking at the Bakehouse Brasserie.

Which one is the real TMBC?

Started by “Save Miami Beach” leader Charles Schwabb in 1996, the “club” — which has no real formal structure, members or fees — began as an informal chat between activists who were concerned about overdevelopment. Mike Burke, a onetime candidate for mayor, was the first moderator. When he moved to Broward, David Kelsey, president of the South Beach Hotel and Restaurant Association, volunteered to moderate. Activist Frank Del Vecchio, who was involved from the second or third meeting, continued to send out email notices.

Read related story: Miami Beach Tuesday Morning Breakfast Club could be toast

Last January, the notice announced the club would have its last meeting because the venue, Manolo’s Restaurant, was closing. Kelsey got a little send-off.

But several regulars apparently didn’t want it to end and they started shopping for a new home and a new moderator. Del Vecchio, a longtime activist and original Tuesday morning breafaster, was one of them.

“Matti Bower responded positively and called me,” DelVecchio told Ladra on Sunday. “She found a location, the Puerto Sagua restaurant, and arranged for a speaker, city commission candidate Joshua Levy, for the Tuesday, March 28 meeting. I agreed to send out notices.”

And so he did, on March 22. Three days later, Ladra got a second notice about the resumption of the meetings — on April 11th at a different location with a different speaker.

Del Vecchio and others are suspicious of what they call the “shadow” Breakfast Club.

Russel Galbut

Russel Galbut

“Russell Galbut is using his Bakehouse Restaurant as a ploy in his suit against the city,” said Del Vecchio, referring to Bakehouse lawsuit against the city’s regulations on live entertainment south of Fifth Street. The Bakehouse Brasserie at 808 First Street, which is owned by a Galbut relative, was cited for having a sax player when all that is allowed in that area is non-amplified piano and strings.

“He is trying to negate the city’s zoning power to regulate where entertainment is allowed,” Del Vecchio said. “His latest gambit is enlisting David Kelsey to set up a breakfast club at the site that is the center of his suit against the city.”

Kelsey did serve as a board member of Galbut’s now defunct Miami Beach Taxpayers Association.

Ladra says the more the merrier. There is plenty going on in Miami Beach and South Florida to sustain both meetings. Except one may have to change its name — maybe the Wednesday Morning Breakfast Club?

After all, we can’t be in two places at once on Tuesday.


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