south miami news 3.5.2013

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305.238.1000Savings & Service Since 1950

BY MICHAEL MILLERExecutive Editor

The recently heldAnnual South MiamiRotary Art Festivalbrought thousands offolks to Sunset Driveto look in amazement,at the artwork thatwas brought to townfrom all over the country. (See photosinside).

As I watched from my favorite van-tage point, Starbucks, the beautifulpeople parade seemed to go on and onand saw lots of people carrying theirpurchases (Hurray) with big and happysmiles on their faces.

Saw South Miami’s own “The RedHead” who didn’t look like she wasshopping for artwork, but neverthelesswas there probably looking to findsome problem to complain about.

Oh my goodness, I didn’t mean that.Anyway, Sharon is up and at ‘em, as

well as lots of other people who are fed

Around TownArt Festival

brings smiles andmoney to the city

––––– See AROUND TOWN, page 7

MARCH 5 - 18, 2013

One of Miami’s Community Newspapers –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Connecting local businesses. –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

––––––––– See WIRTZ GALLERY, page 6

SSoouutthh MMiiaammii ccoommmmuunniittyy sstteeppss uupp ffoorr oonnee ooff iittss oowwnn

Florida photographer Tom Smith’sworks on display at Wirtz Gallery

BY LEE STEPHENS

T he walls of SouthMiami’s distin-guished WirtzGallery, which isinside the First

National Bank of South Miami, willcome alive in March with the award-winning images of South Florida pho-tographer Tom Smith, the founder ofWine News and a former University ofMiami and Miami Dolphins runningback. The winner of Grove HouseGallery’s 2010 “Miami Moments”exhibition developed his affinity forfine art photography while studying artand design at UM. “I picked up a cam-era in 1970, and basically never put itdown,” Smith says.

He has since been capturing the tex-tural, the unusual and the compellingthrough the camera lens. His broadbody of work is defined both by the

BY LEE STEPHENS

W hen the South Miami PoliceExplorers needed help for one oftheir own, they knew just where toturn – the community they had beenserving for more than 25 years.

Last December, Cristopher Zambrana, 18, made a self-less decision that could have cost him the law enforcementcareer he so desperately wanted: He gave the PoliceAcademy tuition he had saved for more than a year to hisfinancially struggling parents so his two younger brotherswouldn’t go without. Now that act of kindness has beenrepaid to him by community organizations and individuals

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– See ZAMBRANO, page 9

Tom Smith at Matheson Hammock, one of Tom's favored venues. Of all Tom's work, it is fair to say that he hasbecome best known for his evocative Matheson pieces. They especially strike a chord with the legions of nativeMiamians who grew up going there as kids. (Photo by Bernard Schrager)

Dayan Martinez (left), who is a former South Miami Police Explorer and a graduate ofthe Police Academy, helps Cristopher Zambrana set up tables at a recent event.

COMMUNITYNEWSPAPERS.COM March 5 - 18, 2013

March 5 - 18, 2013 COMMUNITYNEWSPAPERS.COM

Enjoying a day at the South Miami Art Festival

Rene Aldonza, VP, SM Branch Manager; Miguel Perez, AVP, SM Assistant Branch Manager; Maria

Garcia Casals, Personal Banking Officer; Mercy Prieto, AVP, Business Banking; Claudia Cancio, SVP,

Regional Branch Manager; Mercedes Cruz, Marketing Manager; Eddie Hernandez, Guard

Lester Montiel, VP, Coral Gables Branch Manager; Susan Ard, Operations Clerk; Gioconda

Torres, Operations Clerk; Veronica Birch Flores, EVP; Pam Wendt, Operations Manager;

Carol Forsythe, Accounts Payable; Yanitza Alicea, Operations Clerk

Kids can also have fun.

Miguel Perez, AVP, SM Assistant Branch Manager; Lt. John Barzda, Barry Givner, SVP, Senior Wealth Strategist;

Rene Aldonza, VP, SM Branch Manager; Maria Garcia Casals, Personal Banking Officer; Mercy Prieto, AVP,

Business Banking; Florence Brown, Operations Manager;

Claudia Cancio, SVP, Regional Branch Manager

Barry Givner, SVP, Senior Wealth Strategist; Jessica Medina, Teller; FlorenceBrown, Operations Manager; Jahdira Osborne (Mrs. Brown’s granddaughter);Leyla Lopez, Personal Banking Representative; Frank Arroyo, Kendall AssistantBranch Manager

Yanitza Alicea, Operations Clerk; Carol Forsythe, Accounts Payable; Lester Montiel, VP, Coral

Gables Branch Manager; Pam Wendt, Operations Manager; Jody Perlmutter, SVP, Commercial

Lender; Susan Ard, Operations Clerk

Michael Yap, Personal Banking Officer; Florence Birch, client

and Miami native

Helen Varela, Loan Portfolio Specialist; Jennifer Gonzalez; Teller

Manager; Gabriel Varela, Coral Gables Assistant Branch Manager

FNBSM staff members Lourdes DeCardenas and Ana Gomez have fun with the photo booth

as Diane Everett and Fred Rucker sneak a peek from behind.


The evening of Feb. 25, bowlers andHurricane fans alike gathered for the 2ndAnnual UM Sports Hall of FameCelebrity Bowling Tournament featuringformer Miami Hurricanes athletes atSplitsville in South Miami. In addi-tion to bowling, there was a a 50/50Billiards Tournament and dinner, alongwith live and silent auction and a chanceto win a University of Miami vsUniversity of Florida football gamepackage.

Rebuilding Together is celebrated its20th Anniversary on Feb 21, with a winetasting featuring St. Michelle WineEstates and Vintus Wines on the rooftopof the Zubi Building, 2990 Ponce deLeon Blvd. Proceeds will benefit

Rebuilding Together Miami Dade Inc.For more information call Donna Fales at305 665-1146 X 213.

Speaking of wines, The next CoralGables Rotary Club’s Wine and Dine forCharity event will be held April 9, atCRAVE in the Village of Merrick Park.Tickets are $125 all inclusive per personand include champagne reception, and a4 course gourmet dinner with wine pair-ings for each course. To reserve space,contact event chair, Rodney Langer at786 251 8459 or Gloria at 305 968-3090.

Profit Inc., one of the oldest businessnetworking organizations in Miami DadeCounty, gathered members and theirfamilies for their annual picnic atTropical Park on Feb 10th . PresidentKemp Mobley and Executive DirectorFrank Obregon welcomes guests whoenjoyed a feast of chicken, pork chops,burgers and more expertly prepared byProfit member Karl Zoisi, of Karl’sCatering. After lunch, competition onthe volleyball and softball fields broughtlots of laughter and certainly helped burnoff the calories. Among the many dozensenjoying the day were Elena and Bob

Kemper, Claudia Acanda, Robert

Beans, Jacky Sabatier, Dr. Joe Briggle,

Wilson and Barbi Alvarez, Louis de

Souza, Mike Sutta and family (whokilled at softball) , John Burns, Jose

Alonso and Dr. Gayle Carson. Forinformation on this great networkingorganization, contact Frank via email:[email protected].

In upcoming event news, save the datefor Chamber South’s 3rd AnnualBusiness Excellence Awards luncheonceremony to be held Tuesday, April 30,2013, at the Coral Gables Country Clubat 11:45 a.m. These awards recognizeexcellence in business leadership andhonors businesses in our community thatachieve outstanding success.Applicants must be members in goodstanding of Chamber South. Returningagain to emcee the event will be Phil

Ferro (Chief Meteorologist, WSVN).

For more information or to sponsor thisevent, contact Arelis Ferro at ChamberSouth (305)661-1621

Until next time, keep making each daycount.

If you would like to submit informationfor this column, please send your newsvia e-mail to [email protected].

Charity Bowling Event draws former UM athletesGloria BurnsGLORIA’S GAB

South Miaminews

Miller Publishing • Community Newspapers6796 SW 62 Avenue • South Miami, FL 33143

305-669-7355

www.communitynewspapers.com––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

PUBLISHERGrant Miller

[email protected]

EXECUTIVE EDITORMichael Miller

[email protected]

CONTRIBUTING EDITORSDavid Berkowitz, Richard Yager

WRITERSRon Beasley, Linda Bernfeld-Rodriguez, Kenneth Bluh,

Nancy Eagleton, Robert Hamilton, Gary Alan Ruse,

Donna Shelley, Lee Stephens

ADVERTISING ACCOUNT EXECUTIVESAlbie Barnes, Roberta Bergman, Beatriz Brandfon,

Celia Canabate, Diane Chasin, Henry Chau,

Amy Donner, Dianne Maddox, Denzel Miles, Miller Myers,

Ann Robbins-Udel, Fara Sax, Diane Sedona Schiller,

Lori Cohen, Karina Soave, Georgia Tait, Walter White

PROOF DEPARTMENTIsabel Vavrek

GRAPHIC ARTISTSIsabel Ortega, Denise Cebrero, Cristian Ortiz

PUBLISHER EMERITUSRon Miller

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We will not return solicited or unsolicited material including stories, columns and/or photo-graphs. If you send us anything, please make sure that you have duplicate copies of the material.

Every issue of the South Miami News is fully copyrighted, and all property rights, includingadvertisements, produced by Community Newspapers and Miller Publishing. Using artwork and /ortypography furnished or arranged for/by us is the property of Community Newspapers.

MILLER PUBLISHING AND COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERSare proud to publish the following newspapers:

Aventura News, Biscayne Bay Tribune, Coral Gables News, Cutler Bay News,Doral Tribune, Kendall Gazette, Miami Beach News,

Miami Gardens Tribune, Opa Locka News, Palmetto Bay News,Pinecrest Tribune, South Miami News, Sunny Isles Beach Sun, West Park

Claudia Acanda, Kemp Mobley,and John Burns wait in line for lunch from Karl Zoisi’s grill buffet at Profit Inc.

Picnic.

Celebs and winning bowlers at 2012 Inaugural UM Sports Hall of Fame Celebrity Bowling Tournament.––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––


striking interplay of light and shadow castat dawn or dusk, and by his unorthodox yetunmanipulated interpretation of the naturaland material worlds.

The art-quality niche magazine Smithlaunched in 1984 paired his graphic artsbackground with his wine collecting pas-sion. Wine News has been in hiatus since2010, yet the numerous cover photos andfeature spreads bearing his credit signifi-cantly enhanced the magazine’s internation-al reputation for stellar photojournalism;and his studio work continues to be commis-sioned by wine industry clients.

The solo exhibit at Wirtz will include across-section of Smith’s expansive portfoliowith an emphasis on the settings and subjectsfor which he is best known: protected placessuch as Matheson Hammock Park & Marina,Biscayne National Underwater Park andEverglades National Park.

Located within the elegant First NationalBank of South Miami (FNBSM) lobby,Wirtz is a public art gallery featuring month-long exhibits by local, national and interna-tional artists. It opened in 1983 in memoriamto Arthur M. Wirtz, a past FNBSM Chairmanof the Board and a patron of the Arts. Thegallery’s mission is to provide a professionalsetting for all levels of artists to exhibit and

sell their works with no fee to the gallery orbank. The general public and bank clients areinvited to meet the artists during openingnight receptions (the second Friday of eachmonth). The month-long installations canalso be enjoyed during bank hours (Monday-Thursday, 9-4; Fridays 9-6).

“My wife’s family has banked here sincethe 1950s,” Smith notes, “and we reallyadmire the bank’s sense of community andthe way they still do business face-to-face.Their longtime commitment to elevating theArts in South Miami is an exception to theway many banks operate these days.”

Miami is home base for the Iowa native,whose vocation often takes him beyondBiscayne Bay and the Everglades for foraysalong the Eastern seaboard and westwardsojourns to Colorado and California.France, Italy and Spain, and more dramaticsettings such as the Baltic Sea, also popu-late his portfolio.

Additionally, Smith occasionally con-tributes photographs to the Wines fromSpain – Far from Ordinary Wine Guide. Aselection of his unconventional SouthFlorida bayscapes hang permanently at theLiving Alfresco Showroom in the BirdRoad Arts district; Coral Gables/SouthMiami Elks Club hosts a rotating exhibit of

flora and fauna; and select edgier works areon offer at Art Dealer Miami’s SouthMiami and Miami Beach gallery locations.

Smith, himself a devotee of the photo-graphic works of Edward Curtis, AnselAdams and Clyde Butcher, feels fortunateto count art collectors and decoratorsamong his patrons. He is represented inFlorida by Art Dealer Miami.

The exhibition of Smith’s images at theWirtz Gallery will anchor the final editionof the South Miami Art Walk 2012/2013season on March 8th from 6 until 9 p.m.Smith will extend a warm welcome – and aglass of wine – to visitors attending WirtzGallery opening night. (Art Walk is stagedin various venues and shops along SunsetDrive and side streets, and is free and opento the public.)

Wirtz Gallery is located in the lobby ofthe First National Bank of South Miami,

WIRTZ GALLERY, from page 1 ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––Award

winning

photo-

graphs by

Tom Smith

on display

at the

Wirtz

Gallery


up with city hall and are looking forward to the next election,which is in 11 months.

Maybe the voters will say, “We’ve had enough” and get ridof those at city hall who are responsible for the worst citycommission that we have had in many years.

For those who are wondering who is on the choppingblock in February, that would be: The seat presently occupiedby the mayor and two commission seats, presently occupiedby Valerie Newman and Wally Harris.

I’m just wondering if the voters are fed up enough to getoff their “buts” and find some high quality candidates thatwill bring back some honor to city hall? So, speak to yourneighbors and friends and get going as time is a passing andthe election will be here in a jiffy.

And can you imagine this: There is going to be a“Thinking about Running?” (for political office) Workshopon March 22 from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm. Yes, you can learn allabout it at this event, which is brought to you by “The GoodGovernment Initiative.”

Some of the guest speakers include City of MiamiCommissioner Francis Suarez, Former Miami Dade CommissionerKaty Sorenson, Key Biscayne Mayor Frank Kaplan,Congresswomen Frederica Wilson and several campaign consult-ants, as well as former State Senator Dan Gelber. If you are eventhinking about running, this one day event just might help you, oneway or the other, decide which way to go. According to some folksit’ll help you figure out why you want to run, help you plan yourfundraising strategy and connect with other political figures.

For more information email: [email protected] or

find them on Facebook.And speaking of election. I hear that there is probably

going to be a recall election aimed at Commissioner “BobbleHead” Welch. Wish them good luck with that.

Some folks have told me that Commissioner Newman just

might run for the mayor’s seat and if she won, she wouldfinally get rid of the thorn in her side. That would be a neatbattle to watch, wouldn’t it?

Speaking of the mayor who spends so much time goingafter the Police Chief Orlando Martinez de Castro, that itseems as though he has forgotten that he is supposed tolead, not go on a search and destroy mission.

The mayor ought to just move on and let the city managerdo his job and deal with whatever the baggage the policechief may or may not have.

There were plenty of rumors that city hall is filled withbugs and who knows, maybe it is, and we’re not talkingabout the kind that you can kill by stomping on them.

We’re talking about the kind that records your movementand voice. Most folks already know thatcity hall has lots of video cameras allover the place and that the cham-bers are filled with cameras andaudio that enables the city tostream meetings onto Channel 77for all to see.

The question at hand is thesecret “bug” at city hall recordingmore intimate conversations betweenstaffers and coworkers and or the public.Does anyone know for sure, cuz I sure don’t?

Tought of the Day:

A man who trusts nobody is apt to be the kind of man nobody trusts.

— Harold Macmillan

Got any tips? Contact me at 305-669-7355, ext. 249, orsend emails to <[email protected]>.

AROUND TOWN, from page 1

Rabbi Levi Freeman (left) from the Chabad at FIU spends a moment with ViceMayor Josh Liebman and his mother, Martha at the Shops of Sunset.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––


The YMCA of Greater Miami starteddowntown in 1916 with the dream of enhanc-ing Dade County communities. In 1918, itsfirst building was opened with just 300 mem-bers. Today, there are five YMCA locationsthroughout Miami-Dade County serving tensof thousands of members.

In just a few short weeks, the newestYMCA Family Center will open across fromThe Falls Shopping Center, replacing a facil-ity that has far outgrown its bulging walls.The gleaming glass structure will allow vastexpansion of an already thriving South DadeYMCA community.

By the numbers, this building is more thanimpressive. At 40,000-square-feet, it housesa 7,300-square-foot basketball gymnasium,two hardwood floor exercise studios, twolarge community rooms, a 900-square-footKids Zone (split into two age groups: toddlerto 4 and ages 5-12), and a huge second-floorwellness center at nearly 7,000-square feet.In short, there will be plenty of room forexisting members and for explosive growth.

“We have roughly 4000 people with usright now in the old facility and we’ll morethan triple that before the end of 2013,” saysexecutive director Andy Weighill. “The newspace really affords us the ability to vastlyexpand our programming for members.”

“The new facility is so much larger thanour existing Family Center that you couldeasily fit that building inside the new gymna-sium,” says Charlotte Donn, assistant vice

president of marketing and communications. The best part of the new Y is how open

everything feels. Windows let in tons of nat-ural light and areas aren’t walled off; insteadthey flow into one another. The carefulthought behind the facility is apparent atevery turn, with efficient design evidenteverywhere and lots of room to grow.

The locker rooms and equipment are stateof the art. No detail was left to chance.

With basketball moving indoors, theYMCA will add lacrosse, soccer and volley-ball to its outdoor offerings. Camps willexpand their options as well, even offering aPrincesses Camp to young girls.

Once the facility opens, the old buildingwill be torn down. Within 2-3 years, a poolwill be built where the old building stood.

The new YMCA Family Center is nowslated to open in late February. To help gar-ner exposure and to partner with area busi-nesses, the YMCA will be hosting the Tasteof Pinecrest event on April 7. They expect tohave about 10,000 people come out for theevent.

Whether an existing member or a potentialnew one, this is an exciting time for area res-idents who can now take advantage of a newworld-class wellness center nearby.

COOKIES APLENTY! Another Girl Scout Cookies season has

passed us by. I know this by the many ThinMints boxes piled up in our freezer and thethought of doing a few more sit-ups in my head.

Ligia Rodriguez, along with daughtersEmma, 7, Siani, 9, and Brianna, 11, campedoutside the Suniland Shopping CenterStarbucks on a recent Saturday morning.

They spent a few hours hoping to sell lotsof cookies to shoppers in addition to thedoor-to-door efforts they already made. “If I can sell 2,000 boxes of cookies, I earn alaptop and get to swim with the dolphins,”explained Emma.

Siani quickly jumped in to make sure Iunderstood that all three sisters would sharethe laptop.

The Girl Scouts have been selling cookieslike this since 1917. I, for one, am alreadythinking about my selections for next year.

HAL’S HOMEOWNER HELP This year of 2013 is shaping up to be the

speed-dating version of real estate! If you arebuying or selling, you won’t want to blink.Properties are once again getting offers ontheir first day. It would be my pleasure to listyour home for you and educate you on thelatest market trends.

Hal Feldman is a Realtor with RE/MAXAdvance Realty. Contact him with your storyideas or real estate questions at< w w w . M i a m i H a l . c o m > ,<[email protected]> or <www.face-book.com/MiamiHal>.

New South Dade family YMCA to open soon

HAL FELDMAN

South Dade YMCA nears completion

Pictured are (l-r) Ligia Rodriguez with daughtersEmma, 7, Brianna, 11, and Siani, 9.

Cramped classes will soon expand… …into oversized activity rooms (below)


BY PRESTON MICHELSON

For all intents and pur-poses, basketball is theonly sport that is active inSouth Florida.

The Miami Heat haslong been on this plat-form, but now joiningthem on the stage is theUniversity of Miami

Hurricanes men’s basketball team.The Hurricanes’ digital media department,

earlier this season, launched a mission enti-tled Operation Sellout, which tracks thenumber of tickets sold and makes it easy forfans to buy tickets. Operation Sellout culmi-nated on Jan. 23 when the BankUnitedCenter reached its capacity of 7,972. Andthen the Canes beat Duke.

As is typical Miami form, heaps of fansjumped on the Hurricanes’ bandwagon as theylogged sellout after sellout. The energy thatnow runs through the BankUnited Center issomething unseen – for any UM athletic event.

This is the way to build a struggling col-lege athletic team. Bring in hoards of fans,treat them to an enjoyable time and then beatthe number one team in the nation.

Not only are they winning, but they aredoing so in style. When the Canes beat num-ber one Duke, they “slapped the floor,” anaffront to the long-time Blue Devils tradi-tion. When they defeated the North CarolinaTar Heels, Shane Larkin and Kenny Kadjipaired up on a backboard alley-oop, wowingthe sold-out arena.

The Hurricanes’ resurgence is in no smallpart due to head coach Jim Larranaga.

He took a team without a winning recordin the ACC and transformed it into a top-tierbasketball team with very few weaknesses.He has also fostered a basketball culture atthe university by going dorm hopping.

“We brought Buffalo Wild Wings andpizza to the students trying to drum up inter-

est in our program,” Larranaga said recently. And drum up interest he has. Row after

row of raucous orange and green fans nowpopulate the section behind one of the back-boards. Adjacent to them is the UM pep band,now louder and more powerful than ever.

In all likelihood, the Canes will make itinto March Madness. The support they willreceive will be impressive because if there isanything that Miami does well, it is supporta winner.

However, unless the Canes continue towin, fan support will dwindle. This is thenature of the Miami sports fan. The unlimit-ed-capacity bandwagon is a nice entry pointfor new Hurricanes fans. It needs to be morethan a part-time commitment. Whether thisteam is ranked in the top five of Division Ibasketball teams, or whether it is unranked,it still needs your support.

As is the nature of college basketball,recruits want to play for a winning team anda team with die-hard fan support. Collegesports is one of the few places where fansupport really creates a pragmatic, notice-able difference.

The University of Miami men’s basketballteam has done everything that it can do tolure in fans. Now, it is time for you to do yourpart. Support this team through its ups and itsdowns. It will be rewarding in the end.

Preston Michelson is a senior at PalmerTrinity School where he is the public addressannouncer for all varsity sporting events.Contact him on Twitter at @PrestonMich orby email at <[email protected]>.

Continue to support the Universityof Miami basketball team who want to help him succeed.

Police Explorer Advisor Det. JoeMendez led the effort to raise more than$6,000 for Cristopher’s tuition in just a fewshort weeks. Together with the Post mem-bers, Mendez was able to cover all of theAcademy costs for this dedicated Explorer,who started at the Academy Jan. 14.Members of the Post raised about $1,000through their regularly scheduled fundrais-ing efforts. They received donations for theremainder from the Rotary Club of SouthMiami, Non-Violence Project USA and theSouth Miami Drug-Free Coalition as wellas local SoMi Magazine publisher JohnEdward Smith and SMPD OfficerChristopher Johnson.

Det. Mendez said he didn’t know whenhe started whether it would be possible toraise the entire tuition amount, but thecommunity response has been tremendous.“I was amazed at how much support Crisreceived in such a short time,” Mendezsaid. “Good people and good organizationsstill exist, and they have helped shape thelife of a really great kid.”

Cristopher is eight weeks into the 27-week Police Academy program and islearning the ropes quickly. His days alter-nate between physical training and class-

room work to learn the law, and once theclassroom work is complete, he and his fel-low cadets will start training scenarios. Hestays attends the program from 7 a.m. to 5p.m. four days a week, and on weekends,he works a security job to help supporthimself, his parents and his brothers; thereis no pay for academy cadets.

So far Zambrana said the experience isphysically and mentally challenging, andjust a little bit unpredictable, but he’shappy to be doing what he loves. Theexperience has reinforced what he hadalready discovered at age 14 – that hewas meant to be a cop. Even a bout ofdehydration that landed him in the hospi-tal overnight won’t deter him. When hegraduates in July, Cristopher hopes toapply with the City of South Miami andother local jurisdictions so he can beclose to his family.

“I’m truly grateful for all the support thathelped me achieve my dream of going tothe academy,” Cristopher said. “I can’t waitto graduate and get to work so I can repaya little bit of what was given to me.”

To continue to support the South MiamiPolice Explorers, you can donate by checkpayable to the South Miami PoliceExplorer Post 256, 6130 SW 72 Street,South Miami, FL 33143 Attn: Detective J.Mendez. For more information, pleasecontact [email protected].

ZAMBRANO, from page 1 ––––––––


BY KENT CROOKPresident, Wiremasters Electric

The circuit breaker panelis one of the most importantparts of the electrical sys-tem in your home. As longas your electrical service isup and running, you proba-bly don’t even think aboutthis panel.

What you may not know is that if that unithas the brand name of Zinsko or FederalPacific, there’s a fire waiting to happen. Andif you open your circuit panel door, youprobably won’t be able to tell that you havea big problem.

Both Zinsko and Federal Pacific panelshave lost their UL ratings, which means theyshould be replaced wherever they areinstalled. Here’s some background:

Zinsco was first manufactured by a com-pany founded by Emile Martin Zinsmeyerand his son Martin Emile in the early ’30s.The company, renamed Zinsco in 1943, wassold in 1973 to GTE-Sylvania who contin-ued to manufacture breakers and panels tothe original Zinsco design. Production ofZinsco panels stopped in the mid-1970s.

Unfortunately most of the Zinsco panelsare obsolete. As homes have increased theirenergy demands, the Zinsco panels havesometimes overheated, leading to melting ofcertain parts. The melting means that the cir-cuit breaker no longer can trip in case of ashort circuit or overcurrent. When thisoccurs, the panel cannot be stopped or shutoff manually. Electricity will burn until itruns out of fuel or the wires melt. The panelcan overheat and catch fire.

The Zinsco problems cannot be seen withthe naked eye. You should not attempt toremove breakers from your own panel todetermine if they have melted. Only alicensed electrician should perform this taskbecause the Zinsco panels can be a risk forelectrical shock.

A second manufacturer of electrical pan-els, Federal Pacific Electric Company, wasone of the most common producers of circuitbreaker panels in North America from the1950s to the 1980s. Across the U.S., millionsof the FPE panels were installed in homes.Experts now say that FPE panels can seem towork well for years, but after one overcur-rent or short circuit, they overheat andbecome fire hazards.

A class action suit in a New Jersey StateCourt ruled that FPE violated the ConsumerFraud Act by distributing circuit breakers nottested to meet UL standards.

It is estimated that as many as 28 millionFPE Stab-Lok breakers are in use in theUnited States. In some conditions, as manyas one-million of them may fail to provideproper fire protection. This includes “newold stock” and “substitute” FPE Stab-Lokbreakers, none of which have shown anyimprovement in reliability.

As a homeowner who finds either aZinsco or an FPE circuit panel installed,your next step should be requesting aninspection by a licensed electrical contractor,followed by installation of a new panel.Wiremasters Electric will give a $200 dis-count to customers needing the replacementof their electrical panels.

Check out our website at <www.wiremas-terselectric.com> and call us at 305-378-4011 or email us at <[email protected]> with any questions and comments.

Check out our website at <www.wiremas-terselectric.com> and contact us at 305-378-4011 or email us at <[email protected]> with any questions andcomments.

Zinsko, Federal Pacific circuitbreakers panels are fire hazard

WIREMASTERS


BY SHEILA STIEGLITZ

The bar has been set high for Sunday, Mar.24, when the Deering Estate Foundationhosts it’s annual island-themed seafood cele-bration — the Deering Seafood Festival.

After being selected one of the Top 100Events in the Southeastern USA in 2011 and2012 and chosen one of Florida’s Top 10Food Festivals by BizBash Media, the staffand volunteers at the Deering EstateFoundation have been working overtime tokeep the festival unique.

What keeps people returning to the festi-val each year, and others eager to attend forthe first time, is the wholesome family expe-rience created at the historic Deering Estateat Cutler, in the biggest backyard onBiscayne Bay.

To fully experience the Deering SeafoodFestival many guests plan to spend the day.From 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., visitors of all agescan be entertained with music, art and natureactivities, while savoring Florida’s freshestfish and seafood prepared in an infinite num-ber of delectable dishes.

At the estate’s entrance, towering stiltwalkers and the sounds of steel drums greetvisitors. Once inside the property the magichappens. Free-spirited Bahamian Junkanoomusicians playfully dance throughout thecrowd, and the bands Code Red andCaribbean Crew performs reggae/calypsomusic on the main stage. This year theMosquito Heads reunite with friends to closeout the day.

Pontoon boat rides are available aboardthe Pelican Skipper for those who want tocruise on Biscayne Bay to Chicken Key.An Artists Village features paintings, pho-tography, crafts and jewelry by localartists, and naturalists conduct tours of thehistoric homes.

A one-day only food emporium is createdon Seafood Alley with shrimp, lobster, oys-ters, conch, crab and other treasures from thesea that are broiled, boiled, steamed, fried,seared or sautéed.

Some of the restaurants and caterers par-

ticipating are Golden Rule SeafoodMarket, Devon Seafood + Steak, WholeFoods Market Coral Gables, Rodbender’sRaw Bar and Grill, Imlee Indian Bistro,Black Point Ocean Grill, Shibui JapaneseRestaurant and Paella Party. For landlub-bers, Sports Grill is on hand with itsfamous wings and burgers.

Under the big top tent that is sponsored byWhole Foods Market Coral Gables, localexecutive chefs hold cooking demonstrationsand Jonny Rose is the emcee. The chefs’lineup includes Damian Gilchrist of theOcean Reef Club in Key Largo, SamirCanaan from Truluck’s Seafood Steak &Crab House and Kareem Anguin at TheOceanaire Seafood Room. Following thedemonstration, attendees receive a copy ofthe recipe, a sample of the food prepared andengage in a Q and A with each chef.

For the second year, the winner of Johnson& Wales University’s Student SeafoodCompetition recreates the winning recipe at

the festival. Throughout the day, fellow J &W culinary students assist all of the chefs infood preparation, serving and clean up.

Adding to the experience, a sommelierfrom Crown Wine & Spirits discusses wine

pairings and offers tastings following eachcooking demonstration.

Just inside the main gate children canpick up their passports to the DeeringDiscovery Cove, a hands-on adventure cre-ated by the estate’s Educational andInterpretive Staff, where they’ll visit the“Five Oceans of the World.” As scientists-in-training, kids explore specific migratoryspecies that inhabit each ocean, collectplankton and observe a plankton pool,paint with algae, fish and shells, and dis-sect a crawfish. There is a Mad Scientiststation where they will run experimentsand test the properties of water, and learnabout climate change and pollution. TheKids Zone also offers unlimited fun oninflatables, and serves kid-friendly food.

The Deering Estate at Cutler is a Miami-Dade County park, located at 16701 SW 72Ave. in Palmetto Bay. Admission is adults,$15 in advance online, and $25 the day of theevent; children 4-14 years, $5, andFoundation members free, includes parkentrance and all activities, excluding food,drink, pontoon rides and rock wall, from10a.m.-6 p.m. Proceeds from the event benefitthe Deering Estate Foundation.

For more information call 305-235-1668,ext. 263, or log on to <www.deeringseafood-festival.org>.

Deering Seafood Festival reels in the next big one

These ladies are enjoying shrimp and other delights at last year’s Deering Seafood Festival.–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––



BY SARAH GUMINA

Bring your preschoolers to take the ride oftheir lives!

Seen on the pages of favorite story-books, in playrooms, and on the televisionscreen, Thomas the Tank Engine is adoredby little engineers everywhere. Now,Thomas is pulling into the station for alarger-than-life experience at Day OutWith Thomas: The Go Go Thomas Tour2013 visiting the Gold Coast RailroadMuseum. Remaining weekends to visit areMar. 9-10, and 16-17.

The event, now in its 18th year, is present-ed by HIT Entertainment and sponsored byMEGA Brands, a leading toy company, andall-inclusive Hard Rock Hotels.

Thomas the Tank Engine is star of Thomas& Friends making tracks to great destina-tions on PBS KIDS and Sprout. Along withhis engine friends, Thomas captivates chil-dren in more than 145 countries and 30 lan-guages. The No. 1 blue engine and hisfriends invite children to enter a world ofimagination through the tracks of a train andthe words of a story.

To date, 200 million Thomas & Friendsbooks and e-books have been sold and theCGI-animated Thomas & Friends series ismore popular than ever, rating as one of thetop programs for children ages 2-5.

Day Out with Thomas: The Go GoThomas Tour 2013 is a fun-filled event thatprovides children of all ages the opportunity

to climb aboard and take a ride with Thomasas well as participate in Thomas & Friendsthemed activities. The tour, which begins inMarch, is expected to welcome nearly onemillion passengers through November.

Little engineers and their families areinvited to take a 25-minute ride at the GoldCoast Railroad Museum on their favoriteengine; meet Sir Topham Hatt, Controllerof the Railway, and enjoy a day of themedactivities including arts and crafts, story-telling and more. The Gold Coast RailroadMuseum also will offer miniature golf, ZooMiami animal encounters, storytelling andjuggling with Michael Rosman and livemusic with folk singer Matthew Sabatella,face-painting and two foot gauge trainrides running every 30 minutes during theevent.

Thomas the Tank Engine rides departevery 45 minutes, rain or shine. Departuretimes begin at 10:30 a.m. through 3:45 p.m.each day of the event. Tickets for the DayOut With Thomas: The Go Go Thomas Tour2013 are $18 for ages 2 and older.

Tickets are on sale now by calling toll-free1-866-468-7630 or logging onto <www.tick-etweb.com/thomas.html>. For more infor-mation and directions, contact the GoldCoast Railroad Museum at 305-253-0063 orGCRM.org.

For general information or to find a DayOut With Thomas: The Go Go Thomas Tour2013 event near you, visit<www.thomasandfriends.com/dowt>.

All aboard for visit to Miami by Thomas the Tank engine

Eager fans wait to take a ride with Thomas the Tank Engine. ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––


550 S. Dixie Highway • Coral Gables, FL 33146

Christine Stiphany, CRS REALTOR®

ESSLINGERWOOTEN MAXWELL, INC.

Accredited Luxury Home Specialist

Chairman’s Club - Top 1% Nationally

1421 Ancona Avenue, Coral Gables 33146Nestled within walking distance to the University ofMiami, this French Colonial Charmer was totally gut-ted to the concrete block and rebuilt in 2006! Threebedrooms, a den and a large playroom, 3.5 bathsand a one car garage, this home will exceed yourhighest expectations. Dade Pine roof trusses werereinforced in with 2x6 wood members and double hurricane straps. New plywood was installedwith modified roof paper for commercial applications, and Monier roof tile. One of the few homesin Coral Gables with a Natural Gas line to the home. Natural Gas 35KW Kohler generator andautomatic transfer switch with capacity to power the entire house down to the landscape lighting.Natural gas stove, dryer and hot water heater along with the impact doors and windows, the inte-rior will enchant you as much as the exterior will protect you. No expense was spared and thefinest of materials were chosen, such as the Portuguese surround tiles on the fireplace, the hand-some cherry wood built in cabinets in the office, the Kohler Decorator Farmhouse sink along withthe Wolf cooktop/gas oven, Miele dishwasher, Kitchen Aid refrigerator, crown molding, wainscot-ing and gleaming hardwood floors. Two Trane a/c units, Plantation shutters, brick driveway,charming front porch, fenced back yard with electric gate allows room for a pool and offers theconvenience of having the septic tank located in the front. Beautiful landscaping and gorgeouscurb appeal, this house is a “10”! www.1421AnconaAve.com Offered at: $1,095,000

305.903.8845

9501 Kerwood Court, Coral Gables 33156Luxurious Mediterranean Estate nestled on an acreoverlooking a Nature Preserve in The City Beautiful.Built by HOLLUB in 2003 and designed by renownedarchitect David Johnson, this house is the epitome ofelegance. Six bedrooms plus a library, 7.5 baths and a three car garage. Exquisite finishesthroughout reveal warm inviting ambiance and impeccable taste. The first floor is graced by agrand master suite with lavish bath, handsome office with cherry wood built-ins, and a house-keeper’s bedroom/bath. The second floor is accented by two staircases – one leading to thechildren’s wing, which offers three bedrooms with in-suite bathrooms, and one leading to a spa-cious guest suite, including an over-sized bedroom, bath and living room. Resort style pooland summer kitchen provide the means to host lavish social affairs on a grand scale. Rovingsecurity patrol. Pinecrest Elementary, Palmetto Middle and Palmetto Senior High.www.9501KerwoodCourt.com Offered at: $3,150,000

Email: [email protected]

Luxury in Coral Gables


¿Tiene usted o alguien queusted conozca Acné Facial?

Do you or someone youknow have Facial Acne?

Hector Wiltz, MD., CPI.Board Certified DermatologistFXM Research Miami

¿Tiene usted o alguien que ustedconozca Keratosis Actínica?

Do you or someone you knowhave Actinic Keratosis?

FXM Research Miami11760 Bird Road, Suite 452

Miami, FL 33175

(305) 220-5222

FXM Research in Miami is looking for males and females 18 years or older that sufferfromActinic Keratosis “can be caused by prolonged exposure to the sun, result in discrete,rough, dry, scaly bumps on the face and/or the scalp”, to participate in a four [4] study-visit clinical research study. Medical Insurance is not required for study participation.

Qualified participants will receive:• Evaluation by a Board Certified Dermatologist.• Investigational Study Medication or placebo at no cost.• Reimbursement for time and travel up to USD $200.00.

FXMResearch enMiami está buscando hombres y mujeres de 18 años o más que sufrandeKeratosisActínica “pueden ser causadas por la exposición prolongada al sol, resultanen discretas lesiones abultadas, ásperas, secas, y escamosas en su cara y/o cuerocabelludo”, para participar en un estudio clínico de investigación que requiere cuatro [4]visitas. No se requiere seguro médico para su participación en el estudio.

Los participantes que califiquen recibirán:• Evaluaciones por un Dermatólogo Certificado.• Los medicamentos bajo investigación o placebo sin costo alguno.• Compensación por tiempo y transporte hasta $200.00.

FXM Research in Miami is looking for males and females 12 to 35 years of age thatsuffer from FacialAcne, to participate in an eight [8] study-visit clinical research study.Medical Insurance is not required for study participation.

Qualified participants will receive:• Evaluation by a Board Certified Dermatologist.• Investigational Study Medication at no cost.• Reimbursement for time and travel up to USD $800.00.

FXM Research en Miami está buscando hombres y mujeres de 12 a 35 años de edadque sufran de Acné Facial, para participar en un estudio clínico de investigación querequiere ocho [8] visitas. No se requiere seguro médico para su participación en el estudio.

Los participantes que califiquen recibirán:• Evaluaciones por un Dermatólogo Certificado.• Los medicamentos bajo investigación sin costo alguno.• Reembolso por tiempo y transporte hasta $800.00.

www.fxmresearch.com

Hector Wiltz, MD., CPI.Board Certified DermatologistFXM Research Miami

FXM Research Miami11760 Bird Road, Suite 452

Miami, FL 33175

(305) 220-5222

www.fxmresearch.com

For more information please call: Para más información por favor llame:

For more information please call: Para más información por favor llame:

BY MOLLE GRAD

Join Temple Beth Am,5950 N. Kendall Dr. inPinecrest, for the dedicationof a new chuppah and theopportunity to meet AnitaDiamant. The theme for thisspecial event on Mar. 22 is“Shabbat Under theCanopy.”

The evening (6-9 p.m.)will be a lively spirited cele-bration. In Jewish tradition, achuppah is a canopy underwhich a couple stands duringtheir wedding ceremony. Asa gift of the heart, a dedicat-ed group of women atTemple Beth Am have creat-ed a custom-designed hand-crafted chuppah. It symbol-izes a home that the couplewill build together, a placethat is welcoming andsecure.

Diamant is a prizewinningjournalist and author ofnumerous books about con-temporary Jewish practice,as well as four bestsellingnovels, including The RedTent. A woman for our times, Diamant willbe the temple’s special guest, courtesy ofthe Dr. Morton M. Axler Speaker Seriesand the temple’s Sisterhood. Following afestive dinner, Diamant will share herthoughts in a personal, free-form conver-sation hosted by the synagogue’s RabbiJudith Kempler.

The public is invited to attend; reserva-tions are required for dinner. The servicebegins at 6 p.m. with dinner at 7:30 p.m.Cost is $20 per person for dinner.Sponsorships are available for Wine andCheese reception with Diamant at 5 p.m.All information is available at<www.tbam.org/shabbatcanopy> or bycalling 305-667-6667, ext. 149.

THE STORY BEHIND THE CHUPPAHThe chuppah that the Sisterhood of

Temple Beth Am created for the congrega-tion truly has been a labor of love, cooper-ation, and community. Each of the womenbrought a unique talent and skill to thetask; each put in time and effort to bring adesign to life in the form of a ritual objecthandcrafted in fabric.

It all began when Temple catererSarah Davidoff (also a Sisterhood boardmember) reported that brides, while dis-

cussing wedding plans with her, oftenexpressed surprise that there was noTemple chuppah. The board agreed thatproviding one would make a wonderfulSisterhood project, whereupon Sarah(who was married under a hand-embroi-dered chuppah her mother made) “volun-teered” her mom, Judith Davidoff, tochair the committee. And once fiber-artist Nancy Billings was recruited asartistic co-chair, the “Chuppah Project”was born.

The committee held a temple-widedesign competition. Using strictly anony-mous judging, the Sisterhood board select-ed the top three entries, ranked them bypreference, and sent them to the clergy forthe final selection. Judging was no easytask as any of the top three would havebeen a fine choice.

In the end, artist Tracy Ellyn was namedwinner of Sisterhood Chuppah DesignCompetition.

The women who translated Ellyn’sdesign into fabric art were Nancy Billings,Margie Buchbinder, Judith Davidoff,Susan Golinsky, Elizabeth Janowitz,Natalie Kleinberg, Marlene Kohn, PhyllisMeyers, Marcia Reisman, Lily Servianskyand Jackie Zucker.

‘Shabbat Under the Canopy’at Temple Beth Am, Mar. 22

Handcrafted chuppah––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––


FPL selects 5 teachers forclassroom energy grantsBY JULIA WAKEFIELD

Florida Power & Light Company recentlyannounced that five teachers in Miami-DadeCounty were selected to receive $4,216 infunding through FPL’s 2013 Teacher Grantprogram.

The winning teachers will receive thefunding to support classroom projects thathelp teach students about energy and adhereto the Florida State Board of Education’sSunshine State Standards. In total, 43 teach-ers across FPL’s 35-county service territoryhave been selected to receive a total of$47,000.

“As new energy sources become moreprevalent in our everyday lives, it’s more andmore important that our children have ahands-on understanding of clean energy,”said Manny J. Rodriguez, FPL’s externalaffairs regional director for Miami-DadeCounty. “We’re thrilled to partner withFlorida’s teachers to bring exciting, innova-tive projects into the classroom to get theirstudents inspired to help us lead the way totomorrow’s clean energy world.”

The winning teachers, schools and proj-ects in Miami-Dade County are:

Susy Chu, grade 8, Carrollton School ofthe Sacred Heart — This project will helpstudents explore and discover alternateforms of energy by building models of vehi-cles powered by fuel cells.

Rosa Milagros Rengifo, grades 6-8,Rockway Middle School — In “SolarRobotics” students will build robots pow-ered by solar energy.

Suzanne Banas, grades 6-8, South MiamiMiddle Community School — Students willlearn about sun, earth, and atmosphericinteractions by combining NASA climatedata with innovative and inexpensive instru-ments for ground based measurements.

Dianne Rizo and Ana Ugarte, grades 2-

4, Whispering Pines Elementary —Students will be challenged to think likeengineers and find ways to make alterna-tive energy sources available to the public.To accomplish this task, children will learnthe basics of electricity using real circuits,solar panels, wind turbines, hand cranks,and batteries.

The awards range from $500 to $2,500 perproject, based on the proposed budget andnumber of students that will benefit, andcome from the NextEra Energy Foundation,which is funded by shareholders of FPL’sparent company, NextEra Energy Inc., thenation’s largest producer of renewable ener-gy from the wind and the sun.

Award recipients are selected by theNational Education Energy Developmentproject (NEED), a non-profit organizationworking with energy companies and agen-cies to bring balanced energy curriculum andtraining to the nation’s classrooms.

“FPL and NEED share a common missionto educate the next generation about clean,sustainable energy sources,” said NEEDexecutive director Mary Spruill. “Today, theneed for this education is greater than ever,and that’s why we partner with FPL on theseteacher grants to help ensure that Florida’skids develop practical knowledge aboutclean energy sources.”

Projects were judged according to statedgoals, energy content, creativity and plansfor budget and evaluation. Completed proj-ects may be featured on FPL’s Solar Stationwebsite at <www.FPL.com/solarstations>.

This is the fourth year for FPL’s TeacherGrant program and is part of a larger com-mitment to the state. So far, the company hasgranted more than $175,000 to 175 teachers,installed Next Generation Solar EnergyStation arrays at 14 educational facilitiesacross Florida, and built three large-scalesolar power plants to power its customers.

For more information, visit

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BY IVETTE M. YEE

More than 100 college students recentlypulled an all-nighter — with a philanthrop-ic twist.

During the fourth annual “PhilADthropy”event on Friday, Feb. 8, and Saturday, Feb.9, University of Miami School ofCommunication students provided freeadvertising and public relations services to16 South Florida nonprofit organizations injust 25 hours, creating materials such asvibrant advertising, buzz-worthy viralvideos, cool websites and more.

PhilADthropy began at 11 a.m. on Fridayand lasted until noon on Saturday whenfinal projects were unveiled to the nonprof-its during a reception. This year, a record207 organizations applied for help, up fromjust 11 when the event was established in2009. Selected nonprofits included EasterSeals South Florida; the Parks Foundation

of Miami-Dade, and the Mystic ForceFoundation, an organization working tofind a cure for childhood cancer.

PhilADthropy is organized annually bythe school’s advertising program and host-ed by AD Group, an advertising club forstudents.

“We are beyond thrilled. We feel like wewent to a New York ad agency with anunlimited budget,” said Susie Hansen, ofAbandoned Pet Rescue, one of SouthFlorida’s largest no-kill animal shelter thatthrough PhilADthropy received a glossynew brochure, website makeover advice,and several vibrant posters spotlighting thecute puppies and kittens the organizationsaves each day.

The event drew 133 student volunteerswho, led by UM faculty and industry pro-fessionals, put into practice the skills theyhave learned in the classroom.

“I was expecting maybe a flyer or two,

but I’m walking out with so much more tomake people aware of our organization.The students surpassed anything that Icould have ever imagined,” said BiancaCaviglia, president and COO of GuitarsOver Guns, an after-school mentoring pro-gram that pairs at-risk youths with profes-sional musicians who serve as mentorsusing popular music to connect with theadolescents and help them overcome thenegative influences in their lives.

UM students created an entire brandingcampaign for Guitars Over Guns — com-plete with a new logo, advertisements,social media, business cards, and other pro-motional materials.

“I’m still recovering from working 25hours straight,” said Katelyn Murray, 21,an advertising student who has taken partin the event each year. “But when you handover the work that you’ve spent all nightcreating and see just how grateful the non-

profits are, it’s worth it, and it’s why Icome back every year.”

“The event was a huge success,” addedMeryl Blau, a UM advertising professorand founder of the event. “The students puttheir heart and souls into it and you couldtell from the work they produced. They dida fantastic job, everyone had a lot of fun,and the nonprofits were so happy with theresults.”

PhilADthropy was sponsored by CrispinPorter + Bogusky, Pasha’s, Conill, Sergio’sFamily Restaurants, Titan Reprographics,URAWk Energy Bars, ZICO CoconutWater, popchips, LIME Fresh MexicanGrill at Dadeland, SapientNitro, RoninAdvertising Group, Distraction Magazine,TCBY, and Lionsden Creative Inc.

For more information, visit<www.philADthropy.com>, followPhilADthropy on Twitter, or like thePhilADthropy page on Facebook.

UM students design free ad campaigns for non-profits

UM School of Communication students show off their advertising campaign created during the fourth annualPhilADthropy event for Abandoned Pet Rescue, with representatives from the organization in the front row.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

UM advertising major Monique Beaupre, 18, presents a slogan and visuals she and a team of students createdduring PhilADthropy to bring awareness to the not-profit organization, Guitars Over Guns.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––


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BY LEE STEPHENS

Ocaquatics is celebrating its19th anniversary of teachingswimming lessons and watersafety to the South Florida com-munity.

Founded in February of 1994in Miami, Ocaquatics has sincegrown from doing private les-sons in its clients’ homes to ayear-round, state-of-the-artindoor facility at 13408 SW 131St. in West Kendall. A secondindoor facility is under construc-tion near Tropical Park. Duringits 19 years of operation,Ocaquatics has helped thousandsof swimmers gain the skills, con-fidence, and enthusiasm to par-ticipate in aquatic sports andactivities.

A great deal of the success canbe attributed directly to the devel-opment of the school’s uniquemethod of teaching. They striveto teach swimming and water safety in afun and friendly manner. Instructors haveearned an unsurpassed reputation for their

expertise, dedication, and positive, caringapproach. After completing the program,children and parents find their fear of water

has been replaced by a knowledge of swim-ming and a newfound respect and love forthe water.

“Looking back, I sometimes find it hardto believe just how many years havepassed, and how much we’ve grown,” saidMiren Oca, owner of Ocaquatics. “It isimportant to acknowledge all those whohave helped make Ocaquatics such an out-standing company — our students and fam-ilies, our teachers, and our administrativestaff. They are the very best, and I am bothproud and humbled by their efforts andaccomplishments.”

The primary mission of OcaquaticsSwim School always has been to teachfamilies to love swimming and to becomesafer, more comfortable, and more respon-sible around the water.

Water safety is of particular concern in SouthFlorida, where drowning remains the No. 1

killer of children ages 4 and under.“After working with families for

so many years, I believe parents havemany misconceptions about drown-ing and about what it takes to keep itfrom happening. They think it onlyhappens to children with ‘bad’ par-ents, but that’s just not the case. Adrowning can happen quickly andquietly and it can happen to anyone,”Oca said.

Most parents would be surprisedto find out that most drownings ofyoung children occur in backyardpools and that it often happens dur-ing a time when a child is in the careof one or both parents. Most youngchildren who have drowned had beenmissing for less than five minuteswhen the tragedy occurred.

In addition to pool safety measuresanother of the best drowning preven-tion strategies includes teaching chil-dren to swim as early as possible.Even toddlers can learn basic swim-ming skills that they can use if theyever end up in the water.

“It is very important to us that the chil-dren in our program enjoy their experience,and we strive to build self-esteem and con-fidence through positive reinforcement andpatience,” Oca said. “Then we teach thembasic swimming skills, such as how to rollover on their back and float to the side ofthe pool.” These are critical skills, and par-ents should make sure the swimming pro-gram they chose will teach them.

“However, even children with excellentswimming skills need the watchful eye ofan adult to help keep them safer around thewater. Constant supervision around thewater is key and no child should ever beleft unattended around pools or openwater,” she added.

For more information about Ocaquatics,visit <www.ocaquatics.com> or call 305-969-7946.

Ocaquatics Swim School celebrates 19 years of teaching water safety

These youngsters learn how to have safe fun in the water.(Photo credit: Swim Snaps)

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Volunteer Tutors Needed!Give Back To The CommunityThe Center for Independent Living of South Florida, Inc.

(CILSF) is seeking volunteer tutors for our very successful tutoringprogram held at three Miami-Dade Adult Education Centers. Theprogram provides support to young adults with disabilities whoare enrolled in GED and vocational programs in Miami-DadePublic Schools. The volunteer must have a college degree and beable to pass a level 2 background checks will be reimbursed byCILSF. The Center will also reimburse mileage expenses to andfrom the schools. The three tutoring locations are Lindsey Hop-kins, Miami Lakes, and Robert Morgan Educational Centers.

The survival of our tutoring program is critical to ensure thatthese young adults with learning and other disabilities obtain theacademic support needed for them to transition into the work-place. Interested individuals should forward their resume to theattention of Shelley Gottsagen at [email protected], 305-751-8025 or Fax: 305-751-8944.

Center for Independent Living of South Florida, Inc.6660 Biscayne Blvd., Miami, FL 33138Phone: 305-751-8025 Fax: 305-751-8944


Pilot program providing studentsexperience in biomedical sciencesBY DONNA VAN DER DIJS

Gulliver Academy Middle School hasbeen selected for a national biomedical sci-ences pilot program in South Florida. Thenew program, developed by Project LeadThe Way (PLTW), is a middle school cur-riculum that will be launched in the springof 2013.

PLTW, the nation’s leading non-profitprovider of science, technology, engineer-ing and math (STEM) curriculum and pro-fessional development to middle schoolsand high schools, made the announcementearlier this year. It joins more than 5,200PLTW programs in more than 4,200schools nationwide.

The new unit, known as MedicalDetectives, will be part of the middleschool’s Gateway to Technology program.In this program, students will explore thebiomedical sciences through hands-onprojects and labs that require them to solvea variety of medical mysteries.

“We are thrilled to be included in thisnew pilot program and are very proud thatMs. Yolanda Baquet has been selectedfrom thousands of educators to implementthe program,” said John Krutulis,Gulliver’s director and head of schools.

Approximately 30 teachers around thenation will pilot the unit. They will be thelead instructors for professional develop-ment training for other educators whowish to implement the MedicalDetectives unit when it officially rolls

out for the 2013-14 school year.Gulliver Academy Middle School in

Coral Gables offers a project-based engi-neering program. The curriculum includesAutomation and Robotics, Design andModeling, Science of Technology, Magicof Electrons, Energy and the Environment,Green Architecture and more.

For more information about GulliverSchools visit <www.gulliverschools.org>.

Yolanda Baquet––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

www.communitynewspapers.com

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Florida Friendly Landscaping andRain Barrel Workshop scheduledBY GUILLERMO SALAZAR

The Miami-Dade County CooperativeExtension Florida Yards andNeighborhoods program is hosting a freeFlorida Friendly Landscape and RainBarrel workshop on Saturday, Mar. 9, andSaturday, Mar. 23, from 10 to 11:30 a.m.,at Deering Estate at Cutler, 16701 SW 72Ave. in Palmetto Bay.

During the workshop participants willlearn the nine principals of creating andmaintaining Florida Friendly Landscape intheir backyard. In addition, they will learnhow to use a rain barrel to collect rainwa-ter for use during dry months.

Why Use Rain Barrels?• Rain barrels conserve water and help

lower costs. (A rain barrel can save

approximately 1,300 gallons of water dur-ing peak summer months.)

• Rain barrels reduce water pollution byreducing storm water runoff, which cancontain pollutants like sediment, oil,grease, bacteria and nutrients.

The rain barrels will be available forpurchase at a cost of $40. If you’re inter-ested in getting your own rain barrelmake check or money order payable to:Miami-Dade Extension ProgramAccount. Credit card or cash paymentscannot be accepted.

The workshop will be taught by Miami-Dade County Florida Yards andNeighborhoods Extension AgentGuillermo Salazar in collaboration withMiami Dade County Master GardenerVolunteers.

Organization seeking hosts forinternational exchange studentsBY LEE STEPHENS

Global Student Housing is looking forhosts for international exchange students.

The students are from all over theworld, high school age, and will be attend-ing one of the following high schools:Coral Gables, Dr. Michael M. Krop, FelixVarela, G. Holmes Braddock, John A.Ferguson, Miami Killian, MiamiPalmetto, Miami Sunset. Ronald Reaganand Southwest Miami.

Organizers are looking for hosts wholive within the school zone of any of theschools. Hosts must provide students

with a furnished room and meals. Hostsalso must be bilingual (English/Spanish).Host are compensated $750 a month forhosting the student. Students are arrivingin August and stay for either one semes-ter or a full school year. Global StudentHousing is seeking hosts immediatelythough to give the students time to final-ize visas.

Anyone interested can contact GlobalStudent Housing at 786- 999-2151 or sendemail to <[email protected]>to request an application. They should sim-ply mention they are interested in the HighSchool Program.

BY ALEJANDRA CASTRO-NUÑEZ

In an effort to provide local manufacturerswith additional opportunities to promote theirproducts and services and to increase their sales,the Miami-Dade County Department ofRegulatory and Economic Resources (RER)will assemble a database of local manufacturers.

The collection of companies will includecontact information for each, as well as a list-ing of each company’s specialty areas.

It is the intent of the county to utilize this

online registry to project future utilization ofthese materials and to provide local manufac-turers with informational resources to assist inincreasing their business activities.

To enroll as a “Resident Manufacturer” youmust create an account and complete the auto-mated Local Manufacturer Application Form.Visit <www.miamidade.gov/rer/localmanufac-turers/> to begin creating your account. Bysigning up on the registry, businesses will beable to market themselves in future local busi-ness and manufacturer expositions.

County to establish a registry of locally based manufacturers


BY JEREMY KATZMAN

More than 450 ladies slipped into their

stilettos and joined together at the sold out sec-

ond annual Wine, Women and Shoes Presented

by Elizabeth Spill for a day of shopping and

fun with the common purpose of supporting

world-class pediatric healthcare.

Guests from throughout South Florida gath-

ered at Coral Gables Country Club on Feb. 7

not only to raise their glasses, but raise nearly

$450,000 to benefit the children and families

at Miami Children’s Hospital, which nearly

doubled the amount raised at the inaugural

event.

“We are proud to announce that after 150

Wine Women & Shoes events produced

throughout the country over the past eight

years, Miami Children’s Hospital

Foundation’s event in only its second year

has raised more than any single Wine Women

and Shoes event in history,” said Elaine

Honig, Wine, Women and Shoes founder and

president.

Guests were treated to a sophisticated day of

wine tasting, a silent auction featuring lavish

trips and experiences as well as a fashion mar-

ketplace and a fashion show presented by

Neiman Marcus Coral Gables.

Event co-chair and CBS4 anchor Shannon

Hori once again served as emcee. Joined by

her fellow co-chairs, Criselda Breene and

Carola Pimentel, Hori called upon the women

in the audience to donate to Miami Children’s

Hospital Foundation.

“Miami Children’s Hospital is here for my

family because of people like you,” Hori said.

“This event sold out two months ago because you

care about our children and I encourage everyone

in the community not to take this precious gem

for granted and donate to help fund world-class

children’s healthcare in our backyard.”

In observance of February’s Heart Month,

guests had the opportunity to hear from

Vanessa Martinez, whose 19-month-old

daughter Luna’s life was saved by the

Miami Children’s Hospital cardiac team.

Luna also made a special appearance on

stage.

“I feel so lucky to have a hospital like

Miami Children’s in our community,

because if it was not for their incredible

doctors and staff, Luna would not be here

today,” Martinez said.

“Luna is a real miracle. Through events

like this one and donations of supporters,

this incredible hospital can continue to

make miracles for families like ours.”

Three fashionistas were awarded with

Neiman Marcus gift certificates for win-

ning a shoe contest. Andrea Noboa won

“Best Stiletto,” Priya Panjabi won “Best

Classic” and Barbara Becker came home

with the prize for “Best Overall” shoes.

Shoe judges included CBS4 entertainment

reporter Lisa Petrillo, 2012 Best Overall

winner Alison Kunkel and Miami

Children’s Hospital Foundation president

and CEO Lucy Morillo-Agnetti.

“I’m very excited that we are able to

bring together women of all generations

for philanthropy, friendship and fun,”

Morillo-Agnetti said. “When it comes to

our children, we only want the best. Miami

Children’s Hospital is about providing the

best healthcare of the children of our com-

munity and across the world.”

The luncheon also was highlighted by

the “Shoe Guys” who showed off the latest

ladies fashions on a silver platter, literally.

Miami Children’s Hospital Foundation is a

not-for profit 501(c)(3) established to create a

world-class pediatric hospital in South

Florida. To learn more about the Foundation

and offer support, visit mchf.org, become a

fan on Facebook at

facebook.com/MCHFoundation, or call 305-

666-2889 (toll free: 1-800-987-8701).

Wine, Women and Shoes raises nearly $450K to benefit MCH

It’s time to raise the anchors as (l-r) ABC10’s Laurie Jennings; FOX7’s Belkys Nerey; CBS4’s Shannon Hori, sec-ond annual Wine, Women and Shoes co-chair, and NBC6’s Jackie Nespral appear at the Miami Children’sHospital fundraiser.

(Photo credit: Orlando Garcia)

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––


BY EDITH TORRES

In the Company of Women, presented byMacy’s and Enterprise Holdings, will cele-brate its Silver Jubilee during an annualawards ceremony and reception recognizing14 women who have helped shape the SouthFlorida community through their artistic tal-ents, business acumen, pioneering spirit,ingenuity and courage.

Timed to coincide with Women’s HistoryMonth, the 25th Annual In the Company ofWomen Awards Presentation will take placeon Thursday, Mar. 7, 7 p.m., at the newlyrenovated Rusty Pelican, 3201 RickenbackerCauseway. Local 10 News anchor NekiMohan will serve as emcee.

The event is hosted by the Miami-DadeCounty Commission for Women and Miami-Dade Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces, inpartnership with the non-profit ParksFoundation of Miami-Dade, and made possi-ble by the support of generous sponsorsincluding Macy’s, Enterprise Holdings,Florida Power and Light, AT&T and others.Proceeds support parks and parks program-ming, including recreational scholarships forunderserved children.

This year’s honorees include:Mayor’s Pioneer Award — Marie

Osborne, Esq., chief assistant public defend-er, Juvenile Division, 11th Judicial Circuit ofFlorida;

Arts and Entertainment — RosieGordon-Wallace, executive director/curator,Diaspora Vibe Cultural Arts Incubator Inc.;

Business and Economics — GabrieleMarewski, Founder and Owner of ParadiseFarms Organic;

Communications and Literature —Anne Cruz, PhD, MA, AB, acting director,Center for the Humanities, University ofMiami, Department of Modern Languagesand Literature, College of Arts and Sciences;

Education and Research — Jacqueline

Foster-Moody, opera singer and music edu-cator at Coral Reef Elementary School;

Government and Law (elected) — Hon.Anitere Flores, Florida State Senator,District 38;

Government and Law (elected) — Hon.Lisa Walsh, Circuit Court Judge, CivilDivision;

Government and Law (non-elected) —Katherine W. Ezell, Esq., Partner, PodhurstOrseck, PA;

Health and Human Services — Dr.Sonjia Kenya, assistant professor, FamilyMedicine and Community Health,University of Miami Miller School ofMedicine;

Science and Technology — SusanMarkley, PhD, chief, EECO Division of theMiami-Dade County Regulatory andEconomic Resources Department;

Sports and Athletics — Amy Deem, headcoach of the U.S. Women’s Olympic Trackand Field; head coach, University of MiamiTrack and Field;

Community Spirit Award — ConstanceCollins, Esq., president, The SundariFoundation Inc., d/b/a Lotus HouseWomen’s Shelter;

Community Spirit Award — PriscillaDames-Blake, founder and president ofWingspan Seminars LLC, and

Posthumous Honors — Diana Cordova-Peña, Miami-Dade Police Officer from 2006to 2012.

Tickets to the reception and awards cere-mony are $50 ($60 at the door).Contributions of $250 and above also affordyoung women from Miami-Dade Park’sGirls Empowerment and Mentoring (GEM)Program and the Girl Scouts’ Get Real!Mentoring Program, an opportunity to attendthe event. Advance tickets can be purchasedat <www.mdparks.org>. For more informa-tion, call Victoria Mallette at 305-755-7804or Vivian Greer-Digon at 305-271-0812.

In the Company of Women to recognize 14 leaders

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BY RAFAEL BRAZON-DI FATTA

The original and biggest St. Patrick’sDay celebration just got better.JohnMartin’s Irish Pub & Restaurant istaking the Irish festivities one step fartherby extending the celebration all weekendlong.

This year’s roundup of events includes:Friday, Mar. 15: JohnMartin’s famous

St. Patrick’s Day Street Party will featurefood, drinks and live musical performanc-es by Deck 52 and U2 by UV tribute band.U2 by UV will delight the crowd with theU2 live concert experience, playing thehits and classics that have made U2 one ofthe biggest bands in the world andIreland’s No. 1 musical export.

The party-goers will enjoy deliciousitems such as fish and chips, chicken ten-ders, corn beef sandwiches, hotdogs, andIrish beverages. The Street Party is freeand open to the public, and starts at 5 p.m.along Salzedo Street and Aragon Avenue inCoral Gables.

Saturday, Mar. 16: The festivities con-tinue with a prix fixe St. Patrick’s EveDinner with live Irish entertainment byPaddy Kelleghan starting at 6 p.m. TheIrish-themed menu includes potato soup orsalad, for starters; corned beef and cab-bage, Gaelic steak, or salmon fillet forentrées, and for dessert, Baileys ice creamor Bushmills bread pudding. The price is$30 per person.

Sunday, Mar. 17: On St. Patrick’s Day,and to culminate the weekend of celebra-tions, JohnMartin’s will host a breakfastbuffet featuring a live bagpiper perform-ance and live entertainment all day. Thebuffet will open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.with St. Patrick’s Day specials continuingthroughout the day. The price is $24.50 perperson.

Those interested in attending Saturday’sdinner or Sunday’s buffet must make reser-vations by calling 305-445-3777.

“We are excited to extend our St.Patrick’s Day celebration to the wholeweekend,” said Martin Lynch, proprietorof JohnMartin’s. “The celebration started22 years ago and it has become the placefor those who are Irish and for those whoare just Irish for the day.”

JohnMartin’s has been recognized con-tinually for its cuisine by publications thatvoted the restaurant “Best Pub Food” forseveral years. In honor of its 20th anniver-sary, JohnMartin’s has launched a newmenu that includes some typical Irish dish-es as well as new American andContinental cuisine. The restaurant fea-tures live entertainment every Friday andSaturday nights, and Trivia Night,Thursdays from 9 to 11 p.m. JohnMartin’sis located at 253 Miracle Mile in CoralGables.

For more information, call 305-445-3777, or visit online at <www.john-martins.com>.

Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day all weekendat JohnMartin’s Irish Pub & Restaurant

BY CINDY CASTELBLANCO

Zoo Miami and the Zoological Societyof Florida have announced the launch of<www.funzoomiami.org>, a state-of-the-art website created for students, parentsand educators to encourage learning, pro-mote wildlife conservation, and inspire astronger interest in science.

<www.Funzoomiami.org> is a colorful,vibrant, eye-catching experience whichcovers the world’s geographic regions,animals, habitats, adaptation, and conser-vation efforts. Easy to navigate, websitevisitors will be engaged in the many inter-active games, crafts, fun facts, etc. It alsocontains teacher and parent sections. Asimple link transports the reader to<www.zoomiami.org>, Zoo Miami’smain website.

“We invite you to get closer to the ani-mals at <www.funzoomiami.org>,” saidBenjamin H. Pingree, Zoological Societyof Florida president and CEO. “Asidefrom games, activities, and photos, thiswill be a valuable resource for many stu-dents completing projects and homeworkrelated to wildlife.”

The goals and objectives of this inno-vative site, which was supported in partby a grant from the Institute of Museumand Library Services (IMLS), are to cre-ate a fun and interactive website thatencourages learning for children, fami-

lies, and educators; develop a platformfor advancing institutional programs andpartnerships by increasing outreachefforts to underserved populations;engage students in an educational envi-ronment which employs a scientificmethod to encourage learning; provideopportunities for students to develop nec-essary skills for critical thinking, prob-lem-solving, and much more. Experts inthe education field, conservation, and ani-mal science were involved intimately inthe site’s development.

One feature of the website is a pop-upsurvey that appears at login and logoffthat affords the user the option to providefeedback. The survey results will help thezoo determine who is using the site andwhy; whether it is a fun and interactivelearning experience; allow for inputregarding satisfaction and recommenda-tions for improvements. Once the surveysare collected and evaluated by a profes-sional consultant, the results will be usedto make necessary improvements to thewebsite.

Zoo Miami is located at 12400 SW 152St. General zoo admission is $15.95 peradult and $11.95 per child (3-12), plus tax.Children under 3, zoo members and parkingare free. Zoo Miami’s hours are 9:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m.; ticket booths close at 4 p.m.

For more information visit <www.zoo-miami.org>.

Zoo Miami’s fun new website gearedtoward children, parents, educators


BY NICOLLE UGARRIZA

A Chorus Line, the Pulitzer Prize and TonyAward-winning musical for everyone who’sever had a dream and put it all on the line isback on tour with an all new production.

A Chorus Line comes to South Miami-Dade Cultural Arts Center (10950 SW 211St. in Cutler Bay) on Sunday, Mar. 17, at 3p.m. Tickets are $65-$45 and can be pur-chased at <www.smdcac.org> or by callingthe box office at 786-573-5300. Free parkingis available.

The original production of A Chorus Lineopened at the Public Theater’s NewmanTheatre on May 21, 1975 and transferred toBroadway’s Shubert Theatre on July 25,opening there on Oct. 19 of that year. It wonthe Pulitzer Prize for Drama; nine TonyAwards, including Best Musical, Score andBook, and the New York Drama CriticsCircle Award. It ran for nearly 15 years, clos-ing on Apr. 28, 1990 after 6,137 performanc-es. On Sept. 29, 1983, A Chorus Line becamethe longest-running American musical inBroadway history and held this title for 28years from 1983 to 2011 (when it was sur-passed by Chicago).

In 2006, A Chorus Line reclaimed its placein the heart of Broadway at the GeraldSchoenfeld Theatre where it opened to rave

reviews on Oct. 5, 2006.A “show for all ages” this all-new production

will be directed and restaged by Baayork Lee.Lee has performed in a dozen Broadway showsand created the role of Connie in A Chorus Line.As Michael Bennett’s assistant choreographer onA Chorus Line, she has directed many nationaland international companies. Her directing cred-its include The King and I and Bombay Dreams(National tours), Rodgers and Hammerstein’sCinderella (NYC Opera), Barnum (Australia),Carmen Jones (Kennedy Center), Porgy andBess and Jesus Christ Superstar (Europeantours), Gypsy and A New Brain.

She has choreographed shows includingMack and Mabel (Shaw Festival);Cocoanuts, Camelot, Damn Yankees, HelenHayes nomination for Animal Crackers andSouth Pacific (all at Arena Stage); and Goya,Sly and The Merry Widow (Kennedy Center).She received the 2003 Asian Woman WarriorAward for Lifetime Achievement fromColumbia College, as well as theAsian/Pacific American HeritageAssociation Achievement in Arts Award.Through her new company, National AsianArtists Project (NAAP), naaproject.org, shedirected productions of Oklahoma! andCarousel using all Asian artists. NAAP’smission is to promote Asian performers intheater across the country.

SMDCAC to present touring production of A Chorus Line

A Chorus Line, the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning musical, is back on tour with an all new production.–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

BY CASSANDRA R. NEWBY

Edgy and positive, GodSpeed3 is adynamic band that uplifts you with anexciting stage presence and a modern rockedge. Making music over the past fiveyears, the band has played across theSoutheast and the Midwest, garnering ravereviews along the way.

The band will present a concert on Mar.21, 7 p.m., at First United MethodistChurch of South Miami. Admission is a$5 donation at the door.

The sonic footprint of the band is uniquein a world of sound-alike copycats. Thevocals are smooth and unparalleled in pas-

sion and conviction. The guitar-drivenmelodies will have you grooving to themusic before you even hear the first words.

GodSpeed3 was honored to be includedon the official Grammy Nomination list in2009, 2010 and 2011.

The church is located at 6565 Red Rd. inCoral Gables (on the corner of Red Roadand Ponce de Leon Boulevard). Theacoustically perfect sanctuary seats 600, sobring all your friends and family.

For more information, call 305-667-7508 or visit the Concerts/Cultural link at<www.firstumcsouthmiami.org> or checkout the Godspeed link at <www.god-speed3.com>.

GodSpeed3 concert set Mar. 21at First United Methodist Church

BY JO BAXTER

The annual fundraiser for The MelissaInstitute for Violence Prevention andTreatment will be 6 p.m. on Thursday, Mar.14, at beautiful Fairchild Tropical BotanicGarden in Coral Gables. “Peace, Harmonyand Moonlight” will be as delightful as thename implies, with live music, tram ridesthrough the moonlit garden, and the com-pany of good friends.

In addition to enjoying a delicious din-ner, attendees can bid on more than 100items at a silent auction.

Grace Carricarte, auction chair, calledthe auction items “a wonderful collectionof exciting things such as trips, jewelry,wine baskets, spa services, Heat tickets,and much more. It’s amazing that everyyear our committee comes up with such abroad array of goodies.”

Honorary co-chairs of the event are Ken

O’Keefe, Jason Stephens and KarynCunningham. Last year, some 300 peopleattended Peace, Harmony and Moonlightand a record crowd is expected this year.Tickets are $175 and can be purchased bycontacting the Institute at 786-662-5210 orthey can be purchased directly at melis-sainstitute.org.

The Melissa Institute for ViolencePrevention and Treatment is a nonprof-it organization with a mission to pre-vent violence and promote safer com-munities through education and appli-cation of research-based knowledge.The Institute was established to honorthe memory of Melissa Aptman, whowas murdered on May 5, 1995. LynnAptman, Melissa’s mother, currently ispresident, and Susan Keeley, PhD, ispresident-emeritus. They, along withMichael Aptman, MD, Melissa’s father,founded the Institute.

‘Peace, Harmony and Moonlight’set at Fairchild Garden, Mar. 14



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BY CATHY GUERRA

In partnership with the Archaeological

Society of Southern Florida, the Deering

Estate at Cutler presents a free lecture on

the second Thursday of each month at 7

p.m. Lectures are held in the Visitor Center

Auditorium at the Deering Estate at Cutler,

16701 SW 72 Ave.

The Thursday, Mar. 14, program’s topic

is “Maritime History of Southern Florida”

presented by Ray Stewart, maritime histo-

rian and enthusiast.

The Deering Estate at Cutler also will

host its 2013 “Archaeology Day” on

Saturday, Mar. 16. Activities and programs

for the entire family will take place from 10

a.m. to 4 p.m., including educational activ-

ities, expert lectures and walking tours of

the historic Tekesta Trail.

With 2,276 statute miles of coastline,

Florida cannot be studied without focusing

on its maritime history, and this includes

those scavengers of the sea, Pirates.

Florida’s development always has depend-

ed on its waterways and the men and

women who sail its coastline.

Stewart strongly believes Floridians sur-

vive, profit, and die because of the sea. His

extensive maritime experience began with

his boating family’s home on the New

England shore. He served in U.S. Coast

Guard lifeboat stations, ships at sea, and

while assigned to the Key West Coast

Guard Station temporarily as the Key West

Lighthouse Keeper.

Stewart’s upbringing and his Coast

Guard experience instilled in him a love of

all things nautical and especially of our

nation’s maritime service. One of his career

highlights was rescuing crews off

freighters in the north Atlantic while

aboard a weather ship.

For more information on the Deering

Estate’s educational and cultural programs,

visit <www.deeringestate.org>.

Lecture at Deering Estateto discuss maritime history

BY KATHRYN SHEPARD

New Neighbors Club of South Dade willpresent Becky Roper Matkov, CEO of DadeHeritage Trust, as the featured speaker onMar. 13.

Dade Heritage Trust (DHT) is a nonprof-it membership organization committed toadvocating on behalf of Dade’s historicproperties and for sustainable communityrevitalization solutions on a local, state andnational level. Matkov will talk to the groupabout the Dade Heritage Days, an eight-week-long celebration of Miami’s culturaland environmental heritage with more thanl00 different events that the trust has spon-sored for the last 27 years.

Matkov is the founding editor ofPreservation Today magazine, the co-author of Florida’s Historic Restaurants

and the editor of the book Miami’sHistoric Neighborhoods. For 10 years shewas a consultant for the ElizabethOrdway Dunn Foundation, working onnational and statewide environmentalissues. She currently is a member of theInternational Women’s Forum and serveson the boards of the Stiltsville Trust, thePrologue Society and the Art in PublicPlaces Trust.

The monthly luncheon takes place at theCoral Gables Country Club, 997 N.Greenway Dr. in Coral Gables. Social timebegins at 11 a.m., followed by the luncheonand program. Cost of this event is $25 andreservations are required. Deadline forreservations is 6 p.m. Thursday, Mar. 7.Contact Rita Casagrande at 305-595-0213or by email at <[email protected]> toplace your reservation.

Dade Heritage Trust CEO tospeak at New Neighbors Club



BY DONNA SHELLEY

Pego Lamps has been provid-ing top-quality lighting to homesand businesses in South Floridasince 1980.

A family owned and operatedbusiness, Pego Lamps featuresquality lighting for sale in twolocations. They also offer light-ing, lighting accessories andhome decorating items on theirPego Lamps website at<www.pegolamps.com>. Theflagship store continues to oper-ate from its original home at5407 SW Eighth St. The secondlocation, an elegant showroom issomething of a landmark at 9855S. Dixie Hwy.

“We keep our inventory up todate. And it is not limited to ourshowroom. We can order whatthe customer likes from a large number ofsuppliers,” said Alexis Perez, manager ofthe Pinecrest location.

At Pego Lamps, the Perez familyunderstands that lighting is a necessitythat has been transformed into an art form.From the early oil lamps fancifully fash-

ioned in clay and bronze, to the palatialsplendor of crystal chandeliers, to today’sinfinite variety of styles and materials,adding light to our lives continues to relyheavily on aestheticism.

Lighting can enhance your décor, makemundane tasks more interesting and often

can function as a work of art. The Perezfamily identifies the best suppliers forhigh-quality lighting, featuring the veryfinest attributes from Europe: blown andcolored glass from Italy, Bohemian crystalfrom the Czech Republic and cast bronzefrom Spain.

With customers from all over theworld, interior designers and con-tractors among those who patron-ize Pego Lamps, the Perez familyhas earned a reputation for excel-lent service and superior products,honed over 30 years.

Keeping up with the latest trendsin lighting while maintaining ahealthy inventory of more classicalfixtures is another reason PegoLamps continues to succeed. Alsothey and their extremely knowl-edgeable staff are on hand to assistwith remodeling advice and inspotting what the future of lightingwill be.

“LED lighting is definitelygoing to continue to gain in popu-larity for its energy-effectivenessalone. But I don’t think incandes-cent lighting is going out of ourlives, either — there will continue

to be applications for it,” Alexis said.Pego Lamps is a family success story

that started in Puerto Rico when Alexis’father began selling lighting supplies door-to-door in 1973. Originally from Cuba, thefamily fled the Castro regime and startedlife a new in the United States.

Pego Lamps: Providing top-quality lighting to homes and businesses

Pego Lamps’ elegant showroom on S. Dixie Highway–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––


The Volkswagen Beetle Convertible isback after a two-year hiatus; it’s sportier andmore practical than ever, and there’s even aturbocharged power option available.

The Type 15 VW Convertible rolled ontoAmerican highways in 1949 and it has beenone of the most popular ragtops ever built.More than 330,000 copies of the firstBeetle Convertible were made over a 32-year span, while another 234,619 of thenewer version were produced in an eight-year period.

The so-called New Beetle Convertiblewas not a straight copy of the original, but areinterpretation of it, and that’s the case withthis third-generation. Designers have rein-terpreted the Beetle Convertible’s timelessstyling with a sportier, more dynamic silhou-ette, just as they did with the Beetle Coupe.

The new version is substantially wider,has a longer hood, and has a more upright

windshield that sits further back than on thelast version. The standard rear spoiler addsto the little car’s sporty look.

The Convertible also keeps the boldstance of the Coupe, thanks to wider tracksand a longer wheelbase than the previousConvertible. The latest Beetle Convertibleis 3.3 inches wider at 71.2 inches; 1.1 inch-es lower at 58.0 inches tall, and 6.0 incheslonger at 168.4 inches overall. The top goesup or down in about 10 seconds and can beoperated at speeds up to 31 mph.

Top up, the Beetle Convertible has aneven lower roofline than the Coupe.Volkswagen decided to stick with a tradi-tional softtop because it allows for a rooflinethat’s more like the original 1949 versionand it takes up less space than a foldinghardtop, thus giving more trunk space.

The 2013 Beetle Convertible offers sever-al powertrain combinations, including a 2.0-liter TDI turbocharged four-cylinder gaso-line engine with either a six-speed manualgearbox or a six-speed DSG dual-clutchautomatic transmission. Also available is a2.0-liter TDI turbocharged Clean Dieselwith the same manual or DSG options and a2.5-liter five-cylinder engine mated to a six-speed automatic transmission.

The turbocharged dual-overhead-cam,

16-valve, 2.0-liter, direct-injection, four-cylinder engine makes 200 hp and 207pounds-feet of torque, delivered from just1700 rpm. With the DSG transmission, theTurbo gets 21/29 mpg and 21/30 mpg withthe manual box.

The TDI 2.0-liter turbocharged, direct-injection Clean Diesel engine in the Turbomodel makes 140 hp and 236 pounds-feetof torque and gets 28/41 mpg with the man-ual transmission. The 2.5-liter inline five-cylinder has dual chain-driven overheadcamshafts with variable timing on the

intake side, four valves per cylinder, and analuminum-alloy cylinder head. The enginemakes 170 hp and 177 pounds-feet oftorque and gets 21/27 mpg.

Pricing on the 2013 Volkswagen BeetleConvertible ranges from $24,995 to$31,195.

Ron Beasley is the automotive editor forMiami’s Community Newspapers. He maybe contacted by calling 305-662-2277, ext.261, or by addressing email correspon-dence to <[email protected]>.

Updated Volkswagen Beetle Convertible returns as 2013 model

LET’S TALK CARS

Ron BeasleyAUTOMOTIVE EDITOR

New Volkswagen Beetle Convertible is longer, wider and sportier with a longer hood, a more upright windshieldand a standard rear spoiler.

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Administrative AnalystOrganizational studies &

evaluations, design systems and procedures, work simplification. Analyze operations and reports.

ONLY RESUMEASM Beauty World Academy

6423 Stirling RoadDavie, FL 33314

BUSINESSADMINISTRATOR

Develop Internal control policies,

guidelines. procedures, cash,

credit, management,accounting, finances

and taxes. Bach Degree in BusinesAdm. 5 yrs exp.

ONLY RESUME. Le Fragole, Inc. 6994 SW 47 St,

Miami, FL 33155

WANTEDLooking for

Personal Trainer.Specializing in

Apple Equipment.

PhotoshopFinal CutPro-Tools

$25-30/hourCall Jon

305-606-3402

- CLASSES FOR KIDS & ADULTS -

MATH INTERNET COMPUTERS PUBLIC SPEAKING EBUSINESS

Algebra, Geometry, Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Email, FaceBook, Twitter, eBay, PayPal, Skype, Photoshop, Web Pages, iPhone, iPad, Kindle, Apps, Video Editing, Business Presentations.

Call us Today at 305-298-8907 IN ENGLISH EN ESPAÑOL EM PORTUGUES

Repair DoctorElectrical • Plumbing

Sprinkler & Pool PumpsLocks & Dead Bolts

Garage Door OpenersTV & Sound Systems Installs

Assembly ServicesHandyman Services

FREE ESTIMATES!!

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[email protected]

CBC 1253232

DO YOU OR A LOVED ONE NEED HELP WITHALCOHOL OR SUBSTANCE RELATED ISSUES?

Paul Merker has helpedhundreds of individualsand families

PAUL MERKER, MS, CAPAddiction TherapistConfidential Counseling

[email protected]

7600 SW 57th Ave, Suite 215South Miami, FL 33143


HOME INSURANCE RATES UP?Get Certi�ed Re-Inspection

Guaranteed to Reduce PremiumsCitizens Insurance Certi�ed Inspector

Tropical Property Inspections305-972-9535

CGC 057001


BUSINESSBUSINESS BUSINESSBUSINESSBUSINESS BUSINESSBUSINESSBUSINESS

• MARBLE & TILE INSTALLATION• ALL TYPES OF TILE REPAIRS

• COMPLETE BATHROOM REMODELING• BATHROOM/SHOWER CONVERSION

Gonzalez Tile & Marble, Inc.

LICENSED & INSUREDOVER 20 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE • FREE ESTIMATES!

TEL: 305-803-6901

Dr. Patricia BrumleyRealtor - Associate

Certified New Home SpecialistCRS - Certified Residential Specialist

SRES - Seniors Real Estate Specialist -sensitive to age 50+ issues and priorities

12498 SW 127th Ave. • Miami, FL 33186E-Mail: [email protected]

LET ME SELL YOUR HOME!With my market savvy and knowledge of yourneighborhood, I can sell your home fast and for

top dollar. “Your Real Estate Consultant For Life!”Call Pat at 305-613-8421, I can make it happen!

Cell: 305-613-8421 • Fax: 305-251-4094 • Office: 305-251-4044

Independently Owned

and Operated

TUTORINGMath, Chemistry, Physics, Statistics

BASIC MATH, ALGEBRA, GEOMETRY, TRIGONOMETRY,PRECALCULUS, CALCULUS, PHYSICS, STATISTICS,

CHEMISTRY AND STANDARDIZED TEST PREP

SECOND GRADE THROUGH COLLEGE

George: 786-512-3030Michael: 954-558-3934

Email: [email protected]

• All levels• Individual and group sessions• Online and independent courses25%

OFF


Garay Kitchens & Baths, Inc. Best prices in town!

• Traditional and Modern Designs• Solid Paints and Stains Available• Computerized Drawings• Contractor Friendly• Complete Remodeling• Free Estimates

We Build Custom CabinetsOver 20 years of experience!

Let us help you withyour cabinet needs. We offer quality

experience and serviceyou can count on!

Alex Garay 786.252.8474Email: [email protected]


Looking for Personal Trainer.Specializing in Apple Equipment.

Photoshop • Final Cut • Pro-Tools

$25-30/hourCall Jon at 305-606-3402

WANTED


Garay Kitchens & Baths, Inc. Best prices in town!

• Traditional and Modern Designs• Solid Paints and Stains Available• Computerized Drawings• Contractor Friendly• Complete Remodeling• Free Estimates

We Build Custom CabinetsOver 20 years of experience!

Let us help you withyour cabinet needs. We offer quality

experience and serviceyou can count on!

Alex Garay 786.252.8474Email: [email protected]

FREE ESTIMATES • 305-233-0699

Licensed & Insured

• Tree Trimming• Consultation• Stump Grinding• Landscaping• Lawn Services• Fertilization• Sprinkler Repair• Debris Removal• Backhoe Service• Driveway Pavers• Fencework - All Types• Chickee Huts• Outdoor Kitchens• And More

Impact resistant Windows and DoorsHigh Performance Accordion Shutters

Hurricane Panels

CLOSED OPEN

��

Call 305-803-7602for a free estimateLicensed and Insured

Florida State License SCC 131150340

Miami Dade, Broward and Monroe Counties Approved

PROTECT YOUR BIGGEST INVESTMENT NOW!!!We Manufacture and Install


CORPORATE APPROVED


• NCSF Certified• Reiki Master • Post Rehab Training• Functional Training for Older Adults

Sibyl Adams

All ages and fitness levels welcomeFeatured fitness blogger for seniority matters.com

A Personal Touch FitnessSensitive Personal Training

[email protected] Phone: 786.395.1588

What’s The Difference? Don’t be confused

305.267.1426

• 25 years in Tree and Landscape Care,disease control, nutritional programs, interiorand exterior pest management and treetrimming services.• Fully licensed, insured, State CertifiedPest Control Operators and ISA CertifiedArborist.• On-going,in-house, twice a weektechnician’s training.• Quality control personnel conductingon-site property evaluations• All vehicles have GPS for routingefficiency and tracking.• One Two Tree is a drug free work placeand all employees undergo backgroundchecks.• Family owned company you can trust.

We’re the innovators..not the imitators!

Tree & Landscaping Care

7250 S.W. 42 Tr. Miami, FL 33155www.onetwotree.com

Certified tree andpalm trimming

Licensed Interior & Exteriorpest control

Education Training Accountability


south miami news 3.5.2013

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