MOSQUITO FEVER
At first glance, Evaristo Miqueli has one of the least attractive jobs in Broward. Among his other duties as Natural Resources Officer is to monitor mosquito levels in a given locale by sticking his arm out to see how many of the pests land and try to bite him in a 60-second period. If more
The Last Oasis
Independent plant nurseries were once a common sight in South Florida, back when land was less expensive. Some were just an open lot stacked with bags of mulch and rows of potted plants, others more complex, enclosed compounds with exotic palms and flowering shrubs. Every weekend gardener had his or her favorite. Today, local gardeners have basically
Culture Hub
When the Village of Pinecrest purchased Parrott Jungle in 2002, the idea was to make it the central park of Pinecrest. After all, Pinecrest didn’t (and still doesn’t) have a downtown, or even a cozy village square where citizens can gather in a public space. At first the Jungle, renamed Pinecrest Gardens, was used for
A Hard Copy, Please
Just when you thought there was no room for another good idea comes Polaroid Fotobar, a new company poised to go national with its concept; already its stores in Delray, Orlando and Miami are going gangbusters. The idea, developed by founding CEO Warren Struhl, seems obvious now that it’s out of the bag: Though we
From Jungle to Gardens
It has been more than a decade now since the Village of Pinecrest purchased what was then Parrot Jungle for the price tag of $25 million. The 14-acre compound had been “let go” by its previous owners and was, according to its new owners, “a real mess.” Renamed Pinecrest Gardens, today the grounds are
The 10 Most Romantic Restaurants (In and Around Pinecrest)
What does it take to be a romantic restaurant? Is it the view or the service? Is it the ambience or the food? Should it be exotic or cozy? Like these questions suggest, it rarely comes down to one thing. Instead, that ineffable feeling of romance comes from a combination of things, from sights, sounds
Book Blues
To slash or not to slash, that is the question – whether it is better to let the library services of Miami-Dade County (including Pinecrest’s) dwindle and fade away, or to challenge the county commission and thereby find the funds to maintain the system. As it stands, funding for the county library system will drop
Telemundo Garden
The Pinecrest Garden Club got their 15 minutes of fame recently as the focus of an “Alerte Verde” (“Green Alert”) segment on Telemundo 51. The segment focused on the work the club does at Pinecrest Gardens. “The whole reason for the story was to find volunteers for the garden, to help keep the gardens beautiful,
Tomorrow’s High School
When the general bond obligation for new school construction in Miami-Dade County passed last year, Palmetto High was not on the list. What followed was intense lobbying by Pinecrest parents and officials, including Mayor Cindy Lerner and county school board member and Vice Chair Lawrence Feldman, whose district includes the village. The result was a
Garden Volunteers & Virtual Tours
Pinecrest Gardens is looking for a few good men. Or women. Or boys and girls, for that matter. In an effort to contain costs as well as involve the community, the Gardens needs volunteers to help maintain the greenery, assist with educational field trips and to act as ushers and helpers with Banyan Bowl events.
Restaurants with a View
When it’s time to eat out in Pinecrest, very few of the options include Al Fresco dining – largely because most restaurants in the Village are on busy Dixie Highway, not the best place for an outdoor café. Now that situation is rectified with the advent of the new Dadeland Terrace Dining Wing. Officially opened
