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From City Hall

Kerdyk Biltmore Tennis Center Reopens After Renovations

A reopening celebration for the William H. Kerdyk Biltmore Tennis Center is planned for Friday, March 18, 2016, 10 a.m. at 1150 Anastasia Avenue. The event is free and open to the public. The tennis center has been closed for renovations since August. The extensive face-lifts included the resurfacing and repainting of the tennis courts, new sports lighting, the beautification of the entrance walkway and signs, upgrades to the fencing and windscreens, as well as improvements to the parking lot, landscaping and irrigation. Courts are currently available for social play and programming opportunities. Hours of operation are Monday through Friday, from 7 a.m. until 9 p.m. and on weekends from 7 a.m. until 1 p.m. Read more...

You're Invited to a Community Open House

You're invited to a Community Open House on Saturday, March 19, 2016, from 10 a.m. until 12 noon to tour the 2506 Ponce de Leon Building, which is now property of the City of Coral Gables. The City Commission approved in February the purchase of this two-floor, 4,567 sq. ft. building at a cost of $2.6 million. The building was designed in 1925 and was the original studio of H. George Fink, cousin of City founder George Merrick. Fink was also one of the city's earliest and most prolific architects. This building is a model that sets the standard for the City's Mediterranean style. All the original interior furniture, which has remained intact since the 1920s, also belongs to the City. Watch this video to learn why this building is so important to the history of Coral Gables.

Meetings To Discuss Zoning Code & Comprehensive Plan Amendments

The City of Coral Gables, in coordination with the Business Improvement District, is undertaking Zoning Code and Comprehensive Plan amendments for Downtown Coral Gables in order to implement the community vision for a more vibrant, mixed-use, and walkable Downtown. The following upcoming meetings are scheduled to discuss the draft Downtown Overlay:

Wednesday, March 9, 2016, 6 p.m.: Planning and Zoning Board Meeting: Downtown Overlay Discussion, City Hall Commission Chambers, 405 Biltmore Way
Monday, March 14, 2016, 6 p.m.: Downtown Property Owners and Merchants Meeting, Coral Gables Museum Community Room, 285 Aragon Avenue
Tuesday, March 15, 2016, 9 a.m.: City Commission Meeting: Downtown Overlay Discussion. City Hall Commission Chambers, 405 Biltmore Way

Please note that no action will be taken at these meetings. These meetings are planned for informational purposes only, and are intended to obtain feedback on the draft regulations. These meetings are only the beginning of a series of public meetings regarding these changes. At minimum, there will be three additional public hearings regarding this matter. For more information, please contact the Planning and Zoning Division at 305-460-5211 or email planning@coralgables.com.

Celebrate Pioneer Day on Saturday, March 12

The City of Coral Gables and the Pinewood Cemetery Advisory Board present Pioneer Day, a celebration of the history of early pioneer families, many buried at Pinewood Cemetery. Join us on Saturday, March 12, 2016, 10 a.m. at Pinewood Cemetery (Erwin Road just south of Sunset Drive) for a tour of the oldest burial ground in Miami-Dade County commonly used as such since 1897. Guest speaker is historian Arva Moore Parks. The event is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served. Comfortable, closed-toe shoes are recommended. Read more...

Lisbon Park

Neighborhood Meetings To Discuss Beautification of Green Spaces

Coral Gables residents are invited to attend three community meetings on Saturday, March 12, 2016, to discuss ideas for beautifying and improving community parks and open spaces. The meetings will be conducted on-site at the following locations and times:

Lisbon Park, 1015 Liston Street: 10-11 a.m.
Enrique "Henry" Cepero Memorial Park (Mendavia Avenue and San Amaro Drive): 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Durango Triangle (Calbira Avenue, Durango Street and Banos Court): 1-2 p.m.

For more information, contact Julia Abraham, Civil Engineer at 305-460-5059.

Around Town

"Capture Coral Gables" Photography Contest is On!

Love to take photos of The City Beautiful? Here's your chance to submit your best images to the Coral Gables Museum's "Capture Coral Gables" Photography Contest. More than 400 photography entries were submitted in 2015, resulting in 14 winners exhibiting 60 photographs in different categories. Entries are accepted until Sunday, May 1, 2016. Enter for a chance to exhibit your photographs at the museum and win prizes, including the grand prize special edition Leica D-Lux (Typ 109) Solid Gray camera. The Capture Coral Gables Photography Contest is a free, juried photography contest open to teens and adults from amateur to professional. Participants can enter their work in any of the five categories: portraiture, street photography, nature/landscape, night photography and digital photo manipulation. Read more...

Residents Can Get Free UM Baseball Tickets

Free tickets for the University of Miami Men's Baseball games are being made available to Coral Gables residents, courtesy of the Development Agreement between the City and UM. Residents of Coral Gables can receive up to four free tickets per household for the following Men's Baseball games:

April 3, 1 p.m. vs. UNC. Tickets available 3/13
April 23, 7 p.m. vs. Virginia. Tickets available 4/3
May 1, 1 p.m. vs. FAMU. Tickets available 4/17
May 15, 1 p.m. vs. Pittsburgh. Tickets available 5/1

Tickets will be distributed in person at the War Memorial Youth Center, 405 University Drive, no earlier than the designated distribution date. Residents must show proof of residential address. For additional information, contact Parks and Recreation Department at 305-460-5600.

Support The Villagers, Sister Cities at Farmers Market

Show your support to The Villagers and the City's Sister Cities program at upcoming Farmers Market weekends.

If you're visiting the Farmers Market on Saturdays, March 12, 19 or 26, stop by The Villagers table to support this great organization dedicated to the restoration and preservation of historic sites. This small group of citizens have banded together over the years to help preserve facilities like the Douglas Entrance, an original George Merrick project in Coral Gables. They have added many other projects throughout Miami-Dade County to their list of successes. Come support The Villagers' new book "The Gardens of Miami," which showcases about 30 gardens throughout the county, many of them located in Coral Gables. Read more...

The City of Coral Gables Sister Cities program will also have a booth at the Farmers Market on Saturday, March 19. Sister City of La Antigua, Guatemala will provide free food items and all of the city's Sister Cities flags will be displayed. Stop by to learn about the international ties the City of Coral Gables has forged with cities from around the world. Read more...

Learn How the Brain Works

The Miami Brain Fair is a free educational event to teach kids how the brain works. The fair will be held on Saturday, March 12, 2016, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the BankUnited Center Fieldhouse, 1245 Dauer Drive. Kids can touch and dissect a real brain, build a neuron from clay, play with visual illusions, and find out if they are a super taster. High school students can compete in the Brain Bee and Brain Jeopardy! to find out who knows the most brain facts. Additional fun activities include face painting and puppet shows. Read more...

Journey through a World of Orchids

Journey through a world of orchids at the 14th Annual International Orchid Festival at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, where more than 10,000 orchid plants will grace the gardens. The three-day festival takes place on Friday, March 11 through Sunday, March 13, 2016, from9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. As part of the Million Orchid Project, Fairchild will unveil its new STEMLab, a mobile tissue culture lab in partnership with Miami-Dade County Public Schools, on Friday, March 11, 2016, at 10 a.m. Read more...

Vintage Coral Gables

Alex Smith, the first golf pro of the Miami-Biltmore Country Club, lines up a putt as work continues on the clubhouse behind him designed by architects Leonard Schultze and S. Fullerton Weaver. Prospective members were asked to pony up $1,500 in initiative fees and $300 in annual dues.

(Excerpts from "Coral Gables the City Beautiful Story" by author Les Standiford.)


UM Jazz Quintet Live Performance Wednesday, March 16, 2016, 6 p.m. Gifford Arboretum, UM Campus Free for Coral Gables residents Click here.	Bike & BBQ Sunday, March 20, 2016, 10 a.m. Coral Gables Museum 285 Aragon Avenue Click here.