Summer Talk of the Town

“Mean Girls” Goes Miami

Twenty years ago, the instant classic “Mean Girls” was released in theaters starring Lindsey Lohan, Amanda Seyfried, and Rachel McAdams as the iconic “mean girl” Regina George. This year, the film got the Hollywood treatment with a reboot starring Reneé Rapp, the singer-songwriter and actress who played the role of Regina in the Broadway musical adaptation.

What you probably don’t know is that, in the film, the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music got a short cameo in the form of one background “band geek” character repping the school on his sweatshirt. Thrilled students and alumni of Frost packed theaters to watch the film in the very same dark green sweatshirts, which were handed out for free.

“There are going to be millions of people who are going to see that image of us in a hit movie associated with a serious music student,” said Dean Shelton Berg. “That’s an opportunity to build our reputation outside of our higher ed bubble to catch up with the fact that we are one of the world’s greatest music schools.” — Kylie Wang

Another Tech Boost

We attend the theater to see live performances, not video. But a key part of any theater experience is the staging. While Actors’ Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre has a huge space where multiple sets can be rotated, GableStage is far more constricted by the intimacy of its small stage. Anyone who attended GableStage this last season had to be impressed, however, with their superb use of digital art. Thanks in large part to a grant last year from the Knight Foundation, audiences were wowed with projected images and sound effects in productions such as “The Lehman Trilogy.” 

This year, they got another such boost, named in June for a second time as a Knight Foundation “Art + Tech Fund” recipient. This year’s $70,000 grant will further enhance the theater company’s audio-visual capabilities. “The merger of technology with the arts allows GableStage to continue to transcend traditional stage boundaries and truly immerse audiences,” says Bari Newport, GableStage’s producing artistic director. — JP Faber

Ecuadorians for Rick Scott

Florida Senator Rick Scott announced the “Ecuadorians for Rick Scott” coalition last month at Coral Gables’ new Ecuadorian restaurant, La Pata Gorda, on Miracle Mile. Supported by Ecuadorian community leaders, Scott’s stop in the City Beautiful, geared toward reelection, emphasized his efforts to strengthen economic relations between the U.S. and Ecuador. During the event, Scott recounted stories of his visit to the South American country, where he met with President Daniel Noboa and other officials to discuss trade and safety. 

Other actions the senator has taken to support the community include promoting Ecuador’s fresh-cut roses in the U.S. GSP Program; advocating for sanctions against corrupt officials, including former Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa; and issuing a bipartisan statement in support of the Ecuadorian people and government as they deal with national violence from gangs and cartels. La Pata Gorda owner Josué Sánchez praised Scott’s business-friendly policies. “We believe food is a celebration of culture, tradition, and community, just like Florida. That’s why there’s no better place than the Sunshine State to open and grow a business,” Sánchez said. — Natalia Clement

RELATED New Restaurants: From Mexican to Ecuadorian and Beyond the Putting Green

UM President Moves On

After nine years as president of the University of Miami, Julio Frenk is stepping down to be become the next chancellor of UCLA. Frenk, the first Hispanic president of UM and the former Mexican minister of health, is credited with his adept stewardship of the university during the pandemic, when UM was one of less than a third of U.S. higher education institutes to carry on with both in-person and remote instruction.

Under Frenk, UM grew in prestige as a research university, attaining membership in the elite Association of American Universities. 

Only three percent of the four-year institutions in the U.S. belong to the AAU, whose members produce 51 percent of all research doctorates. Much of that research came through the Miller School of Medicine and UHealth, whose Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center received the prestigious National Cancer Institute (NCI) designation under Frenk. Some critics were not happy with Frenk, however, who let UM’s overall rank in the U.S. News and World Report’s Best Colleges slip from 48 in 2015 to 67 in 2024. — JP Faber

A Model Grandma

Coral Gables resident Gloria Mantell Pallot is redefining what it means to age gracefully. The 96-year-old recently dropped jaws and turned heads walking in her first ever runway show at Miami Swim Week in South Beach. Dressed in a blue one-piece bathing suit and on the arms of two muscular male models, Pallot strutted her stuff for sustainable fashion brand Love for Upcycling, earning cheers and, reportedly, at least one cat call. 

Back in the ’40s, the now-grandmother of four was a beauty queen at the University of Miami. Today, she’s the oldest person to ever walk during Swim Week. She told local media her secret to longevity is “a positive attitude” and a commitment to health and exercise. — Kylie Wang

Hero Firefighters Save Sea Turtle

On Monday, June 3, a juvenile green sea turtle washed ashore at Matheson Hammock Park, severely entangled in fishing line and fighting for its life. A nearby Good Samaritan quickly notified two lieutenants from the Coral Gables Fire Department, who rushed to the scene alongside the Miami-Dade Sea Turtle Conservation to provide aid. The turtle was then transported to the Marathon Turtle Hospital, where it received treatment. 

“Thank you to the citizen and these important wildlife organizations!” wrote the Gables Fire Department in an Instagram post, which also urged its followers to call the Miami Dade Sea Turtle Conservation should they discover a distressed turtle. According to the program’s website, those who stumble upon a turtle in poor condition should follow instructions given by the conservation’s staff, who will report to the scene as soon as possible. — Luke Chaney

Pretty in Pink

If you want to win the hearts and minds of Coral Gables, there probably isn’t a better way than to donate a tree to the city, especially one as lovely as the pink-blooming Cassia. With 38,000 trees in its database, the city is fairly obsessed with its canopy; originally envisioned as a Garden City, the Gables is today recognized as a Tree City USA, easily meeting the standards set by the National Arbor Day Foundation. Now comes Cassia, a new boutique condominium by Alta Developers on the edge of the Merrick Park District. 

To commemorate the launch of their eponymous project, Alta gifted the city a $3,000 cassia tree, which will be planted later this summer next to the Alhambra Water Tower. Such trees are scattered across the city, where they bloom each summer with stunning pink blossoms. “We are honored to support Coral Gables’ Tree Trust Fund and do our part to further awareness of the many environmental, economic, social, and communal benefits of planting trees,” said Raimundo Onetto, principal and CEO of Alta Developers. Spoken like a true Gablelite. — JP Faber

Cannabis Row

Florida has not legalized non-medical marijuana use, and it’s difficult to get a license to grow it here, even for medical use. But it’s good to know that one of the experts in growing marijuana, should the need arise, is headquartered here in Coral Gables. 

DAG, a leader in the construction of pot growing and processing facilities, has just been awarded a $14 million contract to add 27,314-square-feet to the indoor cannabis cultivation compound of Ascension Biomedical in Oberlin, Ohio. Recreational use of marijuana is permitted in Ohio, BTW. — JP Faber

Grants for the Community

Each year since 2014, the Coral Gables Community Foundation has bestowed grants to nonprofits that contribute to quality of life in the city. In all, the Foundation has issued more than 466 grants worth over $1 million.

This year, it awarded a record $230,000 to 51 groups, as well as 11 local artists. Among the recipients were Actors’ Playhouse for a production of “A Christmas Carol” ($2,500), the Coral Gables Art Cinema for the Children’s Film Festival ($5,000), and the Coral Gables Woman’s Club for improvement to their free dental clinic for underprivileged kids ($2,000). 

“We believe these 51 grants and 11 artist awards are investments that have the potential to make South Florida a better place to live, work, learn, and play,” said realtor Ashley Cusack, who co-chaired the giving program with F. David Olazabal.

New this year were the grants to artists, thanks to $55,000 donated to the Corral & Cathers Professional Artist Fund by Mosaicist CEO Ray Corral. “We give these grants to individuals rather than organizations, to real artists who are involved with the city,” says Corral. “Everything revolves around the city.” — JP Faber