News & Notes

July/August 2019

Bummer from the Governor

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed his budget in June, a spending plan for just under $91 billion. Before signing, however, he vetoed $131 million in projects he didn’t think it was the state’s business to fund. Among them: $1 million for Coral Gables’ public safety and emergency operations center.

Deal of the Month

The 550 Biltmore building, the pyramid-shaped office midrise with fountain and twin lions on Biltmore Way, has been purchased by the CGI Merchant Group for $54.4 million. That’s a bump up from the $50.2 million price it sold for in 2014; it was originally built in 1986.

The Herald’s Faint Praise

The new installation over Giralda Plaza is now up. Sun Stories is a series of plastic letters strung between wires, designed to shine colorfully on the sidewalk. The Miami Herald noted that “Sun Stories isn’t as easy to photograph as the famous Umbrella Sky… but it’s hard to beat a bunch of colorful umbrellas when you want to Instagram.”

The Latest Consular Office

Coral Gables’ consular corps now tops 20 with the recent appointment of Carolina Rendeiro (above) as honorary consular officer for Portugal. A native of the Iberian nation, the Gables business consultant plans to bring Portuguese trade fairs to the Gables. “They have excellent wine,” she notes, along with top olive oil and leather goods.