News and Notes

April 2019

Built-in Health Care. A new Bellmont Village senior housing facility will be constructed adjacent to the Shops at Merrick Park in partnership with Baptist Health South Florida. The partnership is a “natural fit” says Baptist Health CEO Brian E. Keeley, since it will increase the wellness and quality of life for seniors. Construction will begin next year and finish in 2022.

Goodbye Jeb? Former (and beloved) Florida Gov. Jeb Bush may be pulling up stakes from his longtime home of Coral Gables. Jeb and wife Columba recently listed their stately townhouse on Almeria Ave. for $1.8 million. The Bushes bought the 3,485 square-foot home in 2011, after which they sold their historic 1928 house on Altara Ave. Their Almeria townhouse was built in 2007.

The Sky Will Rise Again. After a three-month run, the Sunlit Sky installation over Giralda Plaza has come down. While it did not attract as much foot traffic as Umbrella Sky, Sunlit Sky nonetheless drew thousands of visitors. Next up: Sun Stories, a montage of thousands of plexiglass letters that will cast words upon the plaza, by local artist Jesse Nite. Up by summertime.

Local Hero Write-Up. Kudos to Mitchell Kaplan, the founder of Books & Books and the Miami Book Fair. Kaplan, who appeared on the first cover of Coral Gables Magazine, was celebrated in the Sunday New York Times in March with a long article entitled “Putting Literary Miami on the Map.” Kaplan is lauded as “the man who turned Miami into a book town.” Miami? Well, the Gables anyway.