Coral Gables Magazine May 2020

CORAL GABLES

While we’ve been busy over these past few weeks working from home, we’ve also discovered many new opportunities to virtually market and share your properties across the globe. We’ll be expanding our virtual reach even further over the months ahead!

NAVIGATING

What the years have taught me

A life altering event like COVID-19 stimulates reflection on many things, including the concept of beauty.

Normally, we might limit its description to the visual and obvious, as promulgated by fashion magazines and visual media. But of course, beauty is much more. It starts within, with the type of person you are emotionally and spiritually, a result of many formative experiences, including your parents, friends and your environment.

It involves how you take care of yourself, those around you and those you don’t even know personally.

In times of crisis, you can see beauty in many places but especially in the hard and selfless work of nurses and doctors caring for the sick inflicted with this virus, as well in the untold numbers of individuals working incessantly to bring this crisis to an end so we can all return to our normal daily lives.

Beauty is also doing your part in solving the problem, be it by only ‘social distancing’ and practicing sensible hygiene. Beauty is being kind to those around you and lending help where and when needed. There are many ways to act and be beautiful.

What I’ve learned over the years is that beauty is everywhere if you look for it. I’ve learned that you can’t really define it because it’s different for everyone. In Plastic Surgery, beauty is the theme and goal every day. I have my own ‘definition’ of beauty, formed over many years and experiences. I share this with prospective patients as we are trying to optimize their outside, visual beauty.

I’ve learned, however, that what matters is what beauty means to the individual patient. If our ideas of beauty overlap, it’s a go. If not, better wait or not proceed. I’ve learned that patients with ‘inner beauty’ tend to have better overall results, maybe just because of the way they smile or carry themselves. The better someone feels about themselves, the better they will look to those around them, with or without Plastic Surgery.

In the end, beauty defies definition, but we all know it when we see it.

CORAL GABLES IN THE TIME OF THE COVID

How the City Beautiful has faced the pandemic of 2020: From the public to the private sectors, from the largest to the smallest of enterprises, the citizens of Coral Gables responded with discipline, ingenuity and compassion.

LAW IN THE TIME OF COVID-19

While the virus has shutdown numerous businesses, the workload for many Coral Gables attorneys is greater than ever – especially in key sectors such as estate planning, employment law, and corporate finance.

Learn how your generosity can make a difference in the lives of those who need it most.

BaptistHealth.net/GenerosityHeals or 786-467-5400.

GENEROSITY HONORS OUR HEALTHCARE HEROES.

While we stay home to stay safe, they go to work. They are our heroes — the dedicated, compassionate healthcare professionals on the front lines caring for our patients in these unprecedented times. Through our COVID-19 Emergency Relief Fund, the generosity of donors is more important than ever to help us respond to current and future needs, including patient care, medical supplies, equipment, technology, innovation and staff support.

Generosity Heals.

Jealous of Tomorrow

One thing about the coronavirus is how quick it moves – and how quickly our situation here in the Gables can change. At the time this issue was going to press, the county – and the city in tandem – had announced the initial opening of golf courses, large parks and public tennis courts. The city had also voted to establish a Coral Gables Business Recovery Task Force, which should be in place by May 12.

I am jealous of anyone reading this column, since you will already know how that original phase of the reopening our city went. You will also know whether the case load at our local hospitals has continued to go down, how well the first local testing went, and how close we are to the reopening of our small businesses. I can only hope it is all going well.

In producing this special issue about how Coral Gables survived the pandemic, I have been surprised again and again at how resilient the city and its citizens are. I have been moved by innumerable tales of how people have helped each other out, sharing their resources, checking in on elderly neighbors, and keeping up a spirit of good cheer in the face of a dark time.

The big question, of course, is how quickly we will all come back from this.

Opinions vary wildly, from pessimists who say that life will not return to pre-virus normality for several years, to optimists who believe that pent up demand for everything from real estate to a good restaurant meal will burst forth and jump start the economy. Most likely it will be somewhere in between. Our cover this month is a take on of the famous Beatle’s Hard Day’s Night album. On it we have people working in the public sector, the medical sector, the small business sector and the charitable sector. Not all of you will recall this cover – Millennials for sure will not recognize the imagery from before they were born. But many of our older readers will remember the iconic portrait of the Fab Four. We wanted this cover to express two things. One is the bright confidence of those early Beatles. The second is that this challenge has indeed been a hard day’s night, a time when all of us have been “working like a dog,” to quote the lyrics. The effort to survive and thrive in the face of this epidemic has meant a great deal of hard work, especially for the first responders and frontline health workers. But the rest of us have had plenty to endure as well. So, with a British stiff upper lip, let’s all carry on and see this thing through.

J.P.Faber Editor-in-Chief

PUBLISHER

Richard Roffman

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

J.P.Faber

EVP / PUBLISHER

Gail Scott

ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER

Amy Donner

DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS

Monica Del Carpio-Raucci

ART DIRECTOR

Jon Braeley

PRODUCTION MANAGER

Toni Kirkland

VP SALES

Sherry Adams

ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Lizzie Wilcox

EDITOR-AT-LARGE

Grace Carricarte

SENIOR WRITER

Mike Clary

WRITERS

Andrew Gayle

Mallory Evans Jacobson

Kylie Wang

PHOTOGRAPHERS

Michael Campina

Jonathan Dann

Emily Farkhoury

INTERNS

Emmalyse Brownstein

Rachelle Barrett

CIRCULATION & DISTRIBUTION

CircIntel

Coral Gables Magazine is published monthly by City Regional Media, 2051 SE Third St. Deerfield Beach, FL 33441. Telephone: (786) 206.8254. Copyright 2019 by City Regional Media. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part of any text, photograph or illustration without prior written permission from the publisher is strictly prohibited. Send address changes to City Regional Media, 2051 SE Third St. Deerfield Beach, FL 33441. General mailbox email and letters to editor@ thecoralgablesmagazine.com. BPA International Membership applied for March 2019.

On the Cover (clockwise from upper left) Dr. Richard Levine, Vice Mayor Vince Lago, shop owner Maria D’Ocon and community leader Nick Sharp. Photo of Dr. Levine by Jon Braeley, all other photos by Emily Farkhoury.

READERS LETTERS

Each month we print letters from our readers. We encourage any and all commentary, including criticism as well as compliments, and of course any commentary about our community. If you are interested in writing to us with your opinions, thoughts or suggestions, please send them to letters@thecoralgablesmagazine.com. We edit letters for brevity, grammar and clarity.

JUST BE THANKFUL

Life in Coral Gables during the pandemic has been interesting. We cannot complain with a straight face, as the City Beautiful remains as beautiful as ever. But all disruptions cause discomfort and this pandemic is no different. But even in dark times we must not despair. Take a look around at our beautiful city and be thankful for all we still have.

Richard L. Barbara, Esq. General Counsel, Barreto Group

WE ARE BLESSED

The worldwide pandemic has forced our Coral Gables residents, along with all of our fellow U.S. citizens, to individually and collectively reduce the pace of our lives. As is often true, in the darkest of hours there appears a positive, and unexpected, ray of hope and sunshine. Certainly that has been the case for me, as I have over the past “bad news filled weeks” become even more grate-

ful for my surroundings in the City of Coral Gables! We are truly blessed to be able to live and work in The City Beautiful.

Audrey Ross Compass Realty

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY

Congratulations for a successful two years at CG Magazine. The special anniversary issue was colorful and informative. Can’t recall all your previous issue articles; however, I want to suggest one on Coral Gables’ excellent Recreation Department. Praise to Fred and our wonderful Youth Center and new Adult Activity Center. While both are currently closed, they offer great online activities. Check it out.

J. Berlin

IN PIZZA VERITAS

I know the magazine will continue to succeed even in these trying times as you consistently put out a quality product.

Our company’s motto is “Bringing Quality Back to Pizza.” Maybe Coral Gables Magazine can adapt a variation “Bringing Quality Journalism to Coral Gables.” Keep up the Good Work!

Thomas Logan

Merrick’s Pizza

TOWING THE LINE

Has anyone driven to other neighborhoods around South Florida? In some places there is a real disregard for social distancing or face masks. It is a lot different here in the Gables. People are generally respecting distance and wearing masks. I have had people give me the “Hey back up” had gesture more than once. Even in food takeout situations where you have to go inside, people will wait outside until you exit with your to-go bag. There is a real sense of let’s all do our part to get this thing over with. I have to say, I am really proud of our city.

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Sheltering Stars

Live from City Hall!

THE CITY COMMISSION GOES ONLINE WITH ZOOM MEETINGS. NEXT STOP: MAKING IT PERMANENT FOR RESIDENTS TO CALL IN

BY J.P. FABER

Call it a sign of the times.

Like numerous other private and public gatherings across the city, meetings of the Coral Gables City Commission have gone virtual. Thanks to the COVID-driven suspension of state laws that require a quorum to be physically present, the commission launched its first online Zoom meeting March 31, followed by a second online Zoom meeting April 21.

For those readers who have not already been dragged into a Zoom meeting, it is a software platform that allows you to see all the other participants on your screen, each sitting in front of their computers. Participants appear in small boxes that fill the screen like a grid. When one person speaks, their image fills the screen. When the number of participants grows too large, the grid becomes a line of images, like a film strip you can scroll.

The first city commission Zoom meeting was a short one, dealing mostly with urgent issues – such as renewing city insurance policies – while testing the system. “It was the first time we had done a completely digital meeting, and for a first time it went better than expected, with no major glitches,” says Raimundo Rodulfo, head of the city’s IT department.

As with any in-person city commission meeting, City Clerk Billy Urquia moderated the public input – including registering citizens as they called in to make sure they could address the elected officials. The biggest problem was how the system responded to people who were talking, putting

them center screen. “It’s a little like Hollywood Squares, where you have all the squares [with people in them] but the one who is speaking becomes the presenter at the time,” says Urquia. That led to a little confusion, with people popping in and out of the main screen. “One of the things that we improved on [the second] time was to put everyone on mute, so they didn’t all speak at once.”

By controlling the mutes for participants, says Urquia, you can avoid what is called “Zoom Bombing,” where people can simply yell out, or take center screen and make obscene gestures. Indeed, by the second virtual meeting – which climbed from 57 the first time to the maximum 100 participants – the flow had smoothed out.

The fact that the city was so adept at adopting the new technology was due partly to chance, with a nod to Commissioner Jorge Fors. In December, Fors suggested that residents be allowed to address the commissioners via Zoom – since it is often difficult for people to appear at City Hall during their bi-monthly Tuesday meetings.

“One of my priorities has always been public access, giving residents more opportunities to connect and voice their opinions,” says Fors. “The technology was there… I proposed it, and everyone was onboard. And it was, serendipitously, right before this crisis developed – so the city had done its homework and we were ready to go.” Next stop: Upgrading the technology to handle up to 1,000 participants. ■

Commissioner Jorge Fors at the top was the first to suggest that residents be allowed to address the commissioners via Zoom. In this first City Commission meeting he was joined, among others, by Mayor Raúl Valdés-Fauli, City Attorney Miriam Ramos and City Manager Peter Inglesias (above, bottom).

Bacardi Lends a Hand (Sanitizer)

AFTER A CALL FROM GOV. DESANTIS, BACARDI SHIFTS GEAR

We all know by now that alcohol is the key ingredient in hand sanitizer. So, with supplies running low, why not turn to those who make lots of alcohol? That question crossed the mind of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who called on Coral Gables-based Bacardi USA to see what they could do.

“How do you produce hand sanitizer when the governor asks you to do so overnight?” recalls Pete Carr, Bacardi’s regional president for North America. You do it by converting your plant production overnight – as long as it’s approved. “We told him there might be a problem with the FDA,” says Carr. “He literally picked up the phone and called the head of the FDA and then

called me back the next day.”

Within 72 hours, Bacardi had FDA clearance to begin producing 400,000 gallons of hand sanitizer, using their plants in Puerto Rico, Jacksonville and Kentucky. They also started production in France, Scotland, Italy and England, where they own the brands, respectively, of Grey Goose, Dewer’s, Martini, and Bombay.

“We have 1,000 cases ending up in the Coral Gables office, to give to people who need it here,” says Carr, who adds that Bacardi is making no money on the deal. Corporately, Bacardi has also donated $4 million to the #raiseyourspirits program and the Tip Your Bartender series on Instagram. ■

Foul or Fowl Play?

BIRDS OF A FEATHER FLOCK TOGETHER – TO THE GABLES

For several years now residents in Coconut Grove have been up in arms over the exploding peacock population. What began as a love affair with their iridescent plumage when they first arrived in the 1970s has turned into community outrage against the birds. Hundreds, if not thousands, of the peafowls roam the Grove in flocks, impudently pecking at cars and carpeting streets with their droppings.

Now the national bird of India is spreading its wings – to Coral Gables. Increased sightings, from Sevilla Avenue to North Greenway Drive, were posted in the Nextdoor app in April. So far, the reaction is mixed, with more amusement

than trepidation. “I have a new feathered friend here in the Gables,” noted resident Laura Keepax. “He is abiding by social distance rules by staying over six feet away. I am thankful for his willingness to follow the rules.”

The downside will be if our fine feathered friends reproduce in vast numbers. If that happens, the Gables may have to go the way of the Grove, hiring trappers to remove them. By law, the birds cannot be killed, since they are protected by Miami-Dade County’s zoning as a bird sanctuary.

In the meantime, spring mating season is upon us, so if you hear screeching at 3 a.m., it means fowl play, not foul play. ■

—Grace Carricarte

The Coral Gables Brand

WE ARE NOW A JEOPARDY CLUE

During last month’s College Championship on the TV trivia show “Jeopardy,” it was the $1,200 clue under the heading of GARDEN SPOTS: “Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden in this 2-word Florida City, also home to the University of Miami.” When none of the con-

testants responded (what do you expect of students hailing from the Universities of Minnesota and Mississippi, and Hendrix College in Arkansas?), host Alex Trebek gently intoned, “And the two-word Florida City? Coral Gables.” ■

Easier to be Elite

AMERICAN BENDS THE RULES

American Airlines – our primary carrier at MIA, with its regional headquarters in the Gables – wants to make sure that its frequent flier customers don’t lose their earned privileges because of COVID-19. So, for all those Gableites who use MIA like a global turnstile, fear not: AAdvantage members will automatically keep their elite status until Jan. 31, 2022, and Admirals Club members get a six-month extension. American has also slashed the mileage (or cash) needed for frequent fliers to gain elite status. “Loyalty is a two-way street,” said the head of the AAdvantage program, VP Bridget Blaise-Shamai. Amen. ■

90 Minutes, No Intermission

CORAL GABLES THEATER LOSES A STAR

With his passing last month, Coral Gables loses the immense talent and drive of GableStage director Joe Adler. Recognized as the godfather of dramatic theater in South Florida, Adler delivered a litany of award-wining plays at GableStage, the intimate theater at the Biltmore Hotel where he presided as artistic director since 1998. He was known for searing productions of plays that were provocative, political, and sometimes shocking, designed, as he would say, “to make people think.” Outside the entrance to his beloved GableStage theater, there remains a sign from his final play, “Ordinary Americans.” It reads “90 Minutes, No Intermission.” It is an apt tribute to a man who pulled no punches. He died from a long battle with cancer at age 79. ■

Sheltering Celebrities

A FEW SMART STARS REALIZE THE GABLES IS THE PLACE TO QUARANTINE

The biggest national story last month about Coral Gables was the purchase of a $30 million home here by music pop star Pharrell, shown left. While local media reported on the sale of the home in Gables Estates – by former Univision executive Ray Rodriguez and wife Liana – the buyer was not initially disclosed. His identity was revealed a week later by the New York Post, in a story entitled “Pharrell drops $30 million on Miami mansion for quarantine.” Despite its title, the story did say the home was in Coral Gables and not Miami. It then explained that the 9-bed, 12-bath house – formerly listed for $45 million in 2018 – would be used to “spend lockdown under the stay-at-home order that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis implemented April 1.” The story was then picked up by a slew of media, including Architectural Digest.

The idea that Coral Gables is a good place for stars to hunker down during the pandemic was first pushed in the celebrity gossip site cheatsheet.com, with a March article on what Jennifer Lopez had “Been Doing Amid the Coronavirus Outbreak.” While noting that the main residence for Lopez and significant other Alex Rodriguez is in Bel Air, California, “they appear to be staying in their vacation house in Coral Gables, Florida.”

Vacation house? Rodriguez paid $2.6 million for the 1.5 acre of Gables land in 2013, and then constructed an 11,000+ square

foot home there, with a massive pool and an indoor basketball court. When the UK’s Sun ran a story on the sheltering couple and their combined four kids, the house was given a $5 million price tag – along with 17 photos of the family and their home.

Perhaps the juiciest story covering a celebrity hunkering down here was the one about teen heartthrob and music star Shawn Mendes (Mendes’ self-titled third album debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 album chart). Mendes was quarantining in the Gables with girlfriend (and American-Cuban singer) Camila Cabello and her family. Photos of him strolling through the leafy streets of the city were posted almost daily by the People magazine website and UK’s Page Six celebrity news site. Our favorite was one of Mendes building a basketball hoop with Cabello’s father Alejandro.

And for those of you who watched the global TV broadcast “One World: Together at Home,” which aired simultaneously on NBC, ABC, and CBS on April 18 to raise funds for the World Health Organization, you may have noticed Mendes. He performed a segment with Cabello; while he played piano, both sang “What a Wonderful World” – live from Coral Gables! Not bad, considering the other stars who performed included Elton John, The Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney, Lady Gaga, and Stevie Wonder. ■

AND NOW FOR THE NON-COVID NEWS

A CHALLENGE TO THE CODE

Keep your eyes on a case now before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, in which the court must decide if the architectural commission of Palm Beach violated a homeowner’s First Amendment rights. The homeowner, Donald Burns, first sued the town in 2017, when he was denied the right to demolish his traditional-style beachfront home and replace it with a modern building. Initially losing, Burns

went to the court of appeals. The result could impact Coral Gables’ requirements for architectural reviews of new homes.

OPEN FORUM

At the second virtual commission meeting on April 21, one of the ordinances passed was #20-1244, sponsored by Vice Mayor Vince Lago. The ordinance established an Open Public Comment section during each commission meeting. This will allow citizens, with or

without Zoom, to address the commission on any subject matter, even if it is not on the agenda. Previously, discussion of items not on the agenda was not permitted.

HOMETOWN MERGER

Gables-based Professional Holding Corp. (better known to you as Professional Bank) has finally completed its merger with Marquis Bancorp, also Gables-based. The merger had been announced last August but took this long to win approval from shareholders and regulators. The result is a banking institution with $1.7 billion in as-

sets, making it the fourth largest bank based in South Florida.

THE MOST

The most expensive new listing for a home in Coral Gables, announced last month, was for $59.5 million. The modern, waterfront mansion, is reportedly already under contract. The property, dubbed Villa Serena, was designed by Gables architect Cesar Molina, and inspired by the luxury hotel chain Aman Resorts. At 30,000 square feet, with nine bedrooms and 16 bathrooms, it does feel like a resort. ■

Here at Sandals ® and Beaches ® Resorts, we’ve always said that love is all you need, and now, more than ever, love is all that matters. As a family-owned business, heart has always been at the centre of everything we do. Our ideas and inspiration stem from love, so we’re using this time to think up new ways in which we can inspire you and your future desire to travel, explore and discover again. Vacations are a big part of our lives, and they’re a special time to reconnect with the ones we love. Since you can’t travel to our resorts right now, we still want you to remember what Sandals and Beaches is all about. Relaxation, fun and rediscovering what’s important in life…each other. The Caribbean is resilient. We have always come back better, stronger and more passionate than ever. We promise this time will be no exception. With nearly 40 years of experience, you can rest-assured that the brand you trust will still be here, ready and waiting to help you plan your next vacation. And when the time is right to travel, we will welcome you back with a warm Caribbean smile and so, so much LOVE!

Living An At-Home Drive-In

PLUS: WORK(OUT) FROM HOME GREAT ORCHID HUNT BACKYARD BIRDING BEST BETS

Coral Gables Art Cinema Executive Director, Brenda Moe talks about her strategy for dealing with COVID-19

An At-Home Drive-In

HOW THE CORAL GABLES ART CINEMA HAS RESPONDED TO THE CORONAVIRUS

BY LIZZIE WILCOX

On March 18, the Coral Gables Art Cinema shut its doors. Immediately, the wheels started turning for how they could still engage with movie lovers. The following week, they announced their first activation: The Gables Cinema Drive-In. The brain child of Executive Director Brenda Moe, the drivein features three new films every day on the cinema’s website, free of charge.

“It’s unique,” says Moe. “We’re programming films that are a lot of fun to watch.” The movies that are available range from classics like 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, to horror like House on Haunted Hill, to comedy like Steamboat Bill, Jr.

To give its audience more options (and to make some revenue possible), the theater also created a virtual screening room where you can rent films. After paying the virtual ticket fee of $12, you’ll receive a link and password to watch the movie, which will be available for streaming for three days. “The virtual screening room gives patrons the content they’d expect to see if they came here,” such as indie and foreign films like Bacarau and L’innocente, respectively, Moe says.

The movie distributors

that the cinema works with are sharing between 50 and 100 percent of the profits. “It gives us a little bit of revenue, which obviously is really needed right now,” she says.

The Coral Gables Art Cinema is also making revenue through donations and a gift card drive; for every $25 you buy, they’ll add an extra $10. Memberships are currently discounted 25 percent and, according to Moe, the cinema has more members than ever. “Our audience, our members and our patrons have just really been coming to our aid,” she says. “We’re so grateful for having such a loyal and dedicated community. They’ve been wonderful.”

Through donations, the virtual screening room, gift cards and memberships, the Gables Cinema brought in between $25,000 and $30,000 in the first three weeks of being closed. Having this income has given the board some breathing room to apply for various loans.

“What we’re hoping is that we’ll be able to keep paying all of our staff while we’re closed, so that they don’t have to struggle,” Moe says. “The organization has been hit, but we wouldn’t be here without the people that keep this place running.” ■

Coral Gables Art Cinema Executive Director, Brenda Moe says about the current lockdown, “We’re programming films that are a lot of fun to watch.” These include sci-fi classics such as 20,000LeaguesUnderthe Sea, which was personally produced by Walt Disney and starred Kirk Douglas and James Mason.

CORAL

GABLES ART CINEMA

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The Great Orchid Hunt

THE STREETS MAY BE EMPTY, BUT THE BLOOMS ARE OUT

If the City of Coral Gables had an official flower, it would be orchid. Not only is the American Orchid Society based here, but since 2016, the city’s public works department has been planting thousands of orchids around the city – part of something called the Million Orchid Project. The goal of the project, an alliance between the city and Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, is to reintroduce native orchids into the city’s lush canopy. Last year, more than 14,000 were “planted” in trees. Beyond those official efforts, there has been a community groundswell of enthusiastic orchid planters. And there is no better time than now to explore your neighborhoods for these vibrant plants, which are blooming for spring. “We usually have orchids inside the house as decorations, and as they start to die, I plant them outside,” says publicist Leslie Pantin, who lives on Sunset Drive in the south Gables. “Mine bloom twice a year, and I fertilize them twice a year if I remember.” Pantin says that many of his neighbors also plant orchids outside their homes – and that this year they are blooming in profusion. “I walk around this area, just to see the glorious orchids in people’s yards.”

Pantin is far from alone. Outside the offices of Coral Gables Dentistry on Ponce, purple and white orchids are blooming from the nooks in the trees where dental assistant Michelle Mooney planted them. “She’s the ‘green thumb’ in my office,” says Dr. Gordon Sokoloff. “As a consequence, I have the most gorgeous parking lot in Coral Gables.”

Brook Dannemiller, the assistant public works director who is in charge of the department’s landscape division, says that his team “installs” orchids in trees around the city during the rainy season, as well as planting some in the grounds of certain parks. So far, they have tied them in trees along Miracle Mile and Country Club Prado, and are working on the median of Alhambra Circle from Coral Way to Le Jeune Road.

Many of the orchids the city is planting are varieties more exotic than the native ones you can see in bloom now, says Dannemiller. “The native ones are an inch across, much smaller,” he says. “They are all blooming right now, because it’s dry and that stresses them to flower. Everything is flowering now because it’s the dry season.” He says the other, more exotic varieties will bloom this summer. ■

If you would like Coral Gables Magazine to publish photos of the orchids in your front yard or those on (or near) the street where you live, please send them to editor@thecoralgablesmagazine.com. We will post all of the images on our website. The person who sends the most beautiful photos will also receive an exotic orchid as a reward. Please also send a shot of the nearest street markers, so we know where they are blooming.

Photos by Leslie Pantin

Work(out) From Home

CAN’T GET TO YOUR FAVORITE LOCAL EXERCISE CLASS? HERE’S A ROUNDUP OF ONLINE SESSIONS OFFERED BY STUDIOS IN THE GABLES.

BY LIZZIE WILCOX

We’ve all heard of the Freshman 15 – the infamous 15 pounds that college freshmen are subject to gain. Well now there’s the COVID 19. Between self-quarantining and gyms and fitness studios across the city being ordered to close, it seems as if there’s nothing to do but binge exorbitant amounts of Netflix and eat whatever wasn’t out of stock at Publix. Fortunately for our waistlines, many studios are live streaming classes or offering them online. P.S. a bottle of wine is a great substitute if you don’t have any weights lying around.

BODY & BRAIN YOGA TAI CHI

Live streaming both group and private classes. An online oneon-one class is being offered for a limited time for $15. Call 305.443.7617 or email Miami@bodynbrain.com to make your class reservation. Bodynbrain.com

CLUB

PILATES

Live streaming classes daily from Instagram and Facebook. Every evening, they will post the following day’s schedule. Clubpilates.com

Instagram: @clubpilatescoga Facebook: @clubpilatescoralgables

CONSCIOUS MOVEMENT PILATES

Live streaming classes on Zoom. Visit their website to view the class schedule and sign up. They also have on-demand mat classes on their website. Purchase a monthly subscription for $30. Conscious-movement.com

ELEV8

Offering online classes. Visit their website for the class schedule. Sessions are 45 minutes and cost $18. Elev8-pilates.com

EQUINOX

Offering free “Variis by Equinox” workout classes on their Instagram page. Equinox.com

Instagram: @equinox

FRED ASTAIRE

Live streaming dance classes on Facebook. Also offering free prerecorded classes on their website under “online lessons.” Fredastaireonlinelessons.com

Facebook: @fredastairecoralgables

LIGHTRAIL YOGA

Live streaming classes on Zoom. Sign up online using a class package, a membership or pay per class. Lightrailyoga.com

ORANGETHEORY

Offering daily, 30-minute workouts on their website and Instagram. Orangetheoryfitness.com

Instagram: @orangetheorycoralgables

PEACE LOVE ART YOGA

Live streaming classes daily. Click on the “online classes” tab on their website to view schedule. Register at least one-hour in advance. You will receive a Zoom link 30 minutes before the class. Purchase an online unlimited package for the week for $35 or $13 per class. Playstudio.co

PILATES GAIA

Live streaming multiple classes daily. Visit their website for the class schedule and to sign up. $40 for one session, $175 for five sessions, $300 for 10 sessions. Pilatesgaia.com

PILATES STRONG STUDIO

Live classes every day at 10:30 a.m. on Instagram. Pilatesstrongstudio.com

Instagram: @pilatesstrongstudio

PRANA YOGA

Offering live classes of varying levels. Register at least 30 minutes prior to live classes. Once registered, you will receive the Zoom link and password to join. If you already have a class package, you can use that, or pay per class for a reduced rate of $10. Pranayogamiami.com

PURE BARRE

Live streaming classes for members only. Download the Pure Barre app to view the class schedule and sign up. Purebarre.com

TRUFUSION

Digital classes for members. Trufusion.com

YOGA LAB

Offering free pre-recorded classes on their website letsexperiment.com

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Virus Time Backyard Birding

BACKYARD BIRDING IS A THING – AND A TEMPORARY WAY TO LEAVE THE NEWS OF CORONAVIRUS BEHIND

BY MIKE CLARY

In many ways, the coronavirus has stopped life midflight. We are not coming and going. We are staying. And that may be one of the silver linings to all this. We now have time to look around, to notice things we ignored during our busy lives.

I myself have been watching a pair of red-bellied woodpeckers construct a home in a dead palm tree in the yard of my next-door neighbor. The tap-hammering goes on from dawn to dusk. From time to time one of the birds pops out of the growing cavity to spit out a beak-full of sawdust which rains down onto the grass. This couple will soon be settling in to raise a family.

These birds – along with cardinals, mockingbirds, blue jays, palm warblers and other familiar neighborhood species – offer reassurance that the world has not been forever knocked off its axis.

“In a way this shutdown has forced us to take a little quiet

time, stare out the window, sit out in the yard and watch nature right outside your doorstep,” says Gables resident Joe Barros, a dentist who is also president of the Tropical Audubon Society. “It takes you away from the constant barrage of the news. It’s a cleansing of the brain.”

It is springtime, after all, and the air is filled with avian activity and birdsong, Barros points out. You might spot a bright red cardinal calling from a treetop, or a screeching mob of blue jays chasing away a Cooper’s hawk, or, way up high, spy a circling pair of swallow-tailed kites, just arrived from Central America and looking for a nesting site. “It’s a beautiful time of year,” says Barros.

Expert birders like Barros keep life lists – every species they have seen, anywhere in the world – and yard lists. His lifelong yard list, much of it from the Gables, is 92 species long. ■

TOP RIGHT: Joe Barros, Gables resident and president of the Tropical Audubon Society.

CENTER LEFT: A mockingbird, known for mimicking the songs of other birds.

BOTTOM RIGHT: A red cardinal, which many birdwatchers see as a sign of good luck.

Best Bets

FOR MAY

While it looks like May is going to be another month of self-isolation and canceled events, museums, art galleries, theaters and other businesses are creating ways to entertain the community virtually. Here are a few of our favorite online events. Sign up for our weekly newsletter on our website for more events.

TAKE A VIRTUAL TOUR OF AN ART EXHIBITION (TOP)

Seize this once in a lifetime opportunity to view an art gallery collection while wearing sweatpants. Conde Contemporary’s most recent exhibit “Lucky 13,” featuring Cuban artists Jose Bedia and Ruben Torres Llorca, and performance artist Norberto Rodriguez at artsy.net/show/conde-contemporary-lucky-13-art-by-12-artistsand-1-artist-who-is-art.

STREAM CONCERTS FROM THE FROST SCHOOL OF MUSIC

While we’re all apart, music brings us together with Friday Nights at Frost. The University of Miami’s Frost School of Music had to cancel their concerts for the rest of the season, so they are broadcasting some of their favorite concerts from the past year every Friday at 7:30 p.m. on their YouTube channel, Frost School of Music UM. And every Monday and Wednesday at 6 p.m., Frost students, faculty and alumni perform live concerts on the City of Coral Gables’ Instagram page @cityofcoralgables.

#MYFAIRCHILD (BOTTOM)

Parents can keep their children entertained with #MyFairchild, Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden’s online resource with free online classes, educational videos and gardening tips. ■

COVID -19 UPDATE

and C O V I D -19 Testing Appointment Numbers

Contact

Senior residents who need assistance: 305 - 4 6 0 -54 01

Miami-Dade COVI D -19

Testing Appointments: 30 5- 49 9 - 8767 Call Center opens promptly at 9 a.m.

Miam i- Dade County General Information: 311

SPECIFIC COVI D -19

QUESTIONS

COVID -19 Hotline: 86 6 -779 - 6121 or email: covid -19@ flhealth.gov

WEAR A MASK OR A CLOTH FACE COVERING in public spaces and keep at least 6 feet of physical distance from others

• By phone: 84 4 -330 -2 02 0

• Online: my2020 census.gov

• By mail

Census takers will interview homes that haven't responded to the 2020 Census to help make sure everyone is counted.

Getting a complete and accurate count in 2020 requires everyone's help. Census results help our community secure critical resources for our schools, roads and other needed services. We’re halfway there!

Shop

Quarantine Couture

PLUS: NAVIGATING RETAIL RIGHT NOW WHAT’S HOT

The bridal shop Atelier D’Ocon has started making masks

Photo by Emily Farkhoury

Navigating Retail Right Now

LOCAL BOUTIQUES ARE SURVIVING THE SHUTDOWN BY SHIFTING TO ONLINE AND CONTACT-FREE DELIVERY

BY KIM RODRIGUEZ

Retail has always been challenging, especially for small businesses – and with the shutdown of nonessential businesses, even more so. What will it look like when the doors open again? It’s too soon to tell, but as a fashion industry insider, I can tell you that retail is not dead, even now – though small businesses need to be strong, creative, proactive and accessible.

So, what is our community doing now to hold steady and work through the pandemic? We spoke with four Coral Gables shop owners who are heeding all precautions and still managing to do business – by continuing the dialogue via social media, new merchandise offerings and creative ways to help service their clients. These four also have strong ecommerce business platforms which puts them a bit ahead of the curve.

ZOEY REVA (TOP)

Zoey Reva (147 Alhambra Circle) finds herself in a unique situation, having started her business online and only later

expanding to in-store shopping by appointment. So, as much as the pandemic has battered all brick and mortar stores, she has seen less fallout. And by chance she started a loungewear collection a few months ago –without the intel of what that business could actually mean to her bottom line a few months later. The loungewear (think tie dye and camo comfies) is all made locally so the turn-around is quick; you can have a different outfit for every Zoom call during the week. The website is also filled with Zoey’s infamous dress and romper collections, for something fresh on Mother’s Day. You can shop via the website zoeyreva.com, through Instagram @zoey reva or by calling 305-389-7525 to find special offers and discounts that change weekly.

BACK AND FORTH (RIGHT)

Brian Seage from Back and Forth (226 Almeria Ave.) has always been about customer service and building community, so now more than ever he is at your

Villa Valencia brings together world-class services, cutting-edge technology, sophisticated design and a passion for nature in one limited collection of stately residences. Just steps away from Downtown Coral Gables, this is where the sophisticated reside in the City Beautiful.

made

service. He will deliver orders to your door, ship for free, or meet you at the store and have your package waiting for you curbside. Seage says he has seen an uptick in his skincare and candle sales, but also his sneakers. He has a unique, well-curated collection of sneakers that you will wear now and later, so buy now before they are gone. One of his collections, Richer Poorer, is a crossover brand, and he will now offer additional color options to attract more women to shop the store. Visit backandforthmiami. com or Instagram (@backandforthmia) for special discounts and offers.

OAK HOME AND APPAREL (TOP)

The women at Oak Home and Apparel (116 Valencia Ave.) have also seen an increase in home goods sales – candles, gourmet foods, pillows, etc.

Co-owner Kelly Nelson (left) says their crystals and sage sales have increased exponentially as people at home want to create a grounded sense of wellbeing. Their site is offering free shipping or door-to-door delivery locally with special discounts, a more relaxed return policy, and acceptance of Venmo to make transactions easier. Since Mother’s Day is this month, be sure to check out the gifts tag on the website. They custom make gift boxes in three sizes and will fill it with all sorts of products. You can design it yourself or let them do the work and surprise mom with a beautifully delivered gift. Shop their store at shopoakonline.com or Instagram @ oak_miami.

TREND BOUTIQUE (BOTTOM)

Trend Boutique has great news to share while they have been weathering this storm. They will be moving and expanding their space to create a bigger selection of women’s wear, which will sit

alongside their already formidable kid’s wear selection. When shop doors can open again, you will find them at 2606 Ponce de Leon Blvd. (formerly at 258 Andalusia Ave.). Owner Ana Mari (right) says the unknown is difficult to navigate, but with her loyal base she has found that parents especially want to create a sense of normalcy and happiness at this time – so she has seen increased sales in kids accessories and gift items. Shop her ecommerce site at trendmiami.com, or Instagram (@ trendboutiquemiami), to enjoy all of Trend’s special offerings, door-to-door deliveries and Mother’s Day specials! ■

Kim Rodriguez is a personal shopper whose clients include many Coral Gables residents. krpersonalstyle.com

What’s Hot

MAY 2020

BY MALLORY EVANS JACOBSON

Although taking mom to brunch or out for an afternoon at her favorite spa isn’t quite possible this year, you can still remind her how much she means to you. Here are six gifts that she’d be thrilled to receive this Mother’s Day.

SHINE BRIGHT

This sparkling Starburst pendant by Miami jewelry designer Jaimie Scheiner is the perfect gift for any mother. Made from sterling silver, it’s stunning when worn alone or layered among other favorites. Retail: $120. Jaimie Nicole, 4649 Ponce de Leon Blvd. #305, 305-3517704, jaimienicole.com.

BETTER TOGETHER

This duo of porcelain candles by Lladro features two delightful scents. And after burning, the sweet vessels can be enjoyed as decorative objects. Retail: $210. China Cabinet, 430 S. Dixie Hwy. #1, 305-667-8989, china-cabinet.com.

MODERN BLOOMS

Thankfully, florist Mario Fernandez is still delivering his gorgeous goods in our city. And while the options are extensive, I’m pretty obsessed with his floral array of white, which includes roses, lilies, and orchids. Retail: Starting at $90. Belle Fleur, 333 Alcazar Ave. 305.444.0883, bfleur.com

LOUNGE ACT

Founded by Magic City locals Ali Mejia and Mariela Rovito, Eberjey offers luxurious pajamas that elevate the everyday. I love this slouchy set in misty rose and mom would, too. Retail: $155. Eberjey, Shops at Merrick Park #1530, 305-763-8455, eberjey.com.

CHIC STACK

Crafted in Miami, each of Taudrey’s pieces of jewelry are one of a kind. Many of the designs, including this Mother Nature bracelet set, can be customized with an initial or a heart. Retail: $62. Taudrey, 147 Alhambra Cir. #240, 786-600-7009, taudrey.com.

Quarantine Couture

THE NEW ART OF MASK MAKING

BY LIZZIE WILCOX

Never did any of us who are non-healthcare workers think we’d be seen in public wearing a medical face mask. But the coronavirus has us doing all kinds of crazy things – like hoarding toilet paper and wearing the same sweatpants every day of the week. But now that face coverings have become a mandatory fashion statement, they’re in high demand. So, several local fashion retailers are making washable, reusable masks.

The bridal shop Atelier D’Ocon started making masks at the beginning of April. “I’m from Spain and I saw the situation in Spain and I definitely saw that it was going to happen here in Miami,” says founder and designer Maria D’Ocon (right). For $12 plus shipping through their web-

site

(www.atelierdocon.com), you can purchase a double layered, 100 percent cotton face mask that even has a pocket inside for a filter. They come in various fabric designs and sizes for both adults and children. Atelier

D’Ocon is also doing bulk orders for restaurants, condominiums, and UPS, sending an extra mask to healthcare workers who place an order. “We stopped sewing bridal for now,” says D’Ocon. At first it was just the designer and her mom doing all the work, but the demand has allowed the store to keep one of their seamstresses employed.

Atelier D’Ocon is not alone in their efforts. Other local retailers making and selling masks include Ella Bella Rozio, Cocobella and Pepi Bertini. ■

Bites p44

The Cult Continues…

PLUS: WHAT’S COOKING? THE HAPPIEST HOUR TO-GO BRUNCH IN THE TIME OF CORONA

Bugatti is now serving their white lasagna for takeout... but only on Wednesdays.

PHOTO BY JON BRAELEY

What’s Cooking?

TWO RECIPES FROM THE “TASTE OF CORAL GABLES” COOKBOOK

BY LIZZIE WILCOX

If there is any silver lining in being forced to stay at home during this time, it’s this: For those of us who know our way around the kitchen, it’s a good time for dusting off the cookbook and making new dishes and desserts. And while we can’t frequent our favorite eateries for the time being, we can at least cook some of their signature dishes thanks to the “Taste of Coral Gables” cookbook, published last year in conjunction with the city’s Economic Development Department.*

SHRIMP AND SCALLOP CEVICHE FROM COPPER 29

INGREDIENTS:

2 pounds raw shrimp, peeled and roughly chopped

1 pound raw sea scallops, quartered

1 quart fresh lime juice

10 Serrano peppers, seeds removed, then minced

1 bunch cilantro, roughly chopped

1 15 ounce can coconut milk

2 tablespoons kosher salt

2 whole red onions, julienned fine Plantain chips

DIRECTIONS:

Combine all the ingredients (except the chips) in a large bowl and allow to marinate for three hours in the refrigerator, then serve with plantain chips on the side.

We never knew it was so easy to make ceviche! The part that took the longest was chopping the shrimp and, of course, waiting in anticipation while it all soaked in the fridge. The result was even better than we expected: the lime juice balanced out the fishiness of the seafood and the coconut milk countered the acidity of the lime juice. Hats off to the chef (myself)!

MADRUGA BAKERY DARK CHOCOLATE BROWNIES

INGREDIENTS:

1 stick unsalted butter, cubed

6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped

1 ¼ cups cane sugar

3 large eggs

¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup whole rye flour (I couldn’t find rye flour, so I used regular flour)

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with aluminum foil. Grease the foil with butter or cooking spray (I didn’t line the pan, I just greased it with butter).

Place the butter and chocolate into a heat-proof bowl. Simmer water in a pan (or pot) that the bowl can sit on top of, but not sink into, in order to create a double boiler. The bottom of the bowl should not touch the water. Stir the chocolate and butter until the mixture is smooth. Remove from heat, and let cool slightly.

Whisk the sugar into the eggs until totally combined. Slowly pour the chocolate and butter mix into the eggs and sugar, mixing as you pour. Combine the cocoa, flour and salt, and whisk together. Mix the dry and wet ingredients together until you have a smooth batter. Pour the batter evenly into the pan. Bake until set, about 35 minutes. At first, looking at the directions I thought, “Really? Why can’t I just make boxed brownies and call it a day?” But then I rolled up my sleeves and actually made it and found the answer. The hardest part for me was figuring out the double boiler situation with melting the chocolate and butter over the pot of water. But once you figure it out you’re left with a creamy, chocolatey liquid, with the butter mellowing out the bitterness of the dark chocolate. The finished product is a rich, warm, decadent dessert. Pairs best with a glass of milk or red wine because, let’s face it, it’s always five o’clock during a global pandemic.

*“A Taste of Coral Gables: Cookbook and Culinary Tour of the City Beautiful” can be ordered from Books & Books or Amazon. List: $39.99. Available for: $26.21. ■

The Happiest Hour To-Go

TAKEOUT MENUS NOW INCLUDE COCKTAILS

BY LIZZIE WILCOX

It’s 5 p.m. and you log off for the night and make the commute from your kitchen table to the couch. But just because we’re not in the office anymore doesn’t mean we don’t need a post work-from-home drink. Fortunately, restaurants everywhere have included bottles of wine and beer in their takeout menus and some are even offering discounts. But our favorites are the ones still offering their signature cocktails.

On top of half-off all bottles of wine and $2 off bottled beer, Bulla Gastrobar (2500 Ponce) is selling pitchers of their red and white sangria for $25. Their red sangria kit contains a bottle of Argentinian Malbec and a to-go container of orange slices soaking in a mixture of brandy, triple sec and Sprite. Each kit makes five or six glasses of sangria – unless you’re giving yourself a very generous pour (and we can’t blame you). Combine everything in a pitcher and immediately be transported to that carefree time of grabbing drinks with friends.

Tap 42 (301 Giralda) is offering five cocktails to go, including their mule on tap, margarita, and drafted old fashioned. Get an 8 oz. for $10 or a 16 oz. for $20. We say go for the 16 oz. It’s not like you have to be up early to beat rush hour traffic. The cocktails come in a plastic bottle with

all the garnishes and fix-ins in separate cups. The peachy lychee, made with Grey Goose vodka, peach, fresh lychee juice and lemon, is a sweet and refreshing way to wind down. The gin ‘n’ chronic is made with Tanqueray Sevilla gin, handcrafted tonic syrup and CBD-infused butterfly pea tea, which could definitely lower our pandemic-induced anxiety. You have to purchase food in order to buy a cocktail, but we’ll gladly accept the excuse to indulge in Tap 42’s menu. Even high-end restaurants like Fiola (1500 San Ignacio) are on board with the cocktailsin-a-container concept. Not only are they selling individual drinks like mojitos, martinis and Bloody Marys for $10 to $12, but also Bartender in a Bottle cocktail kits for between $40 and $48. The mojito kit includes club soda, fresh mint and a 20 oz. bottle of pre-mixed mojito made with Bacardi rum. Unlike standard Moscow Mules that are made with vodka, the Cazadores Mule kit uses tequila. Fiola also offers their Bartender in a Bottle for negronis and old fashioneds. Of course, we would rather be able to drink in these restaurants, but for now these cocktails to-go are a nice addition to our Zoom happy hours. ■

The Cult Continues…

Bugatti (on Ponce) has been serving their White Lasagna special on the first two Wednesdays of each month for more than 20 years. So why stop during the pandemic? Rather than back off, they are doubling down, offering the $22 cult classic for takeout on all Wednesdays. Just order early. The beef and noodles and parmesan cheese masterpiece (with béchamel instead of tomato sauce) has been selling out.

And Counting…

Cheesecake Factory on the corner of Andalusia and Ponce is not offering any takeout discounts. But they are offering a stunning array of choices. Known for their vast menu of 270 items, their ‘reduced’ takeout menu still offers 220 choices. Among the losses is their Philly Cheesesteak sandwich. But the cheesecakes themselves remain untouched.

How Sweet It Is…

One bit of normalcy that we like to see is that the city’s sweet shops are operating like nothing is different – except that you can’t stand nect to anybody and you have to wear a mask. Other than that, you can just walk into Morelia (76 Miracle Mile), Haagen Dazs (286 Miracle Mile) or Ben & Jerry’s (80 Aragon Ave.) and order a frozen fruit bar or a couple of scoops to go, just like in the old days ■

AT

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Brunch in the Time of Corona

BY LIZZIE WILCOX

One of the things the pandemic has us missing most is sipping mimosas on an early weekend afternoon at our favorite restaurants. To fill that void, Eating House is offering an all-day brunch menu available for takeout and delivery on Saturdays and Sundays from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. It’s perfect if your sleep cycle is messed up from being constantly at home every day, or if you need a little excitement to break up the quarantine boredom with breakfast for dinner.

To give you the full bottomless brunch experience from the comfort of your dining room, Eating House has tang mimosa kits – 750 ML of prosecco and 32 oz. of tang – for $20. A welcome twist on the classic champagne and orange juice combo.

While the takeout menu is limited, a number of items still caught our eye. The braised pork calentado is Cuban comfort food: sunny side up eggs over braised pork and congri (rice and black beans). Drizzle the chimichurri sauce on top for a burst of flavor. This protein-packed dish will not only fill you up, but you’ll also have leftovers for the next time you’re hungry (or bored).

We also got a side of tater tots because there are few things in this world better than breakfast

potatoes in any form. The tots come with a side of Eating House’s homemade Coca-Cola ketchup, which is thicker, darker and tangier than a regular bottle of Heinz.

For those who stray toward the sweet side of breakfast options, the Cap’n Crunch pancakes are the obvious choice. A stack of three pancakes is topped with the candied cereal that will bring you back to the days of watching cartoons on Saturday morning. On the side is one small to-go container of condensed milk syrup and one of vanilla butter. The condensed milk syrup, which looks a lot like icing, seeps right into the fluffy short stack. Don’t worry, calories don’t count under quarantine. ■

ABOVE: Braised Pork Calentado (eggs over braised pork with rice and black beans) with Tater Tots and Cap’n Crunch pancakes.

Roll, Baby, Roll

Sushi Maki on Ponce has rolls on rolls on rolls, and we aren’t just talking about the kind you eat. Since toilet paper has become a hot commodity during the virus, Sushi Maki is offering a complimentary toilet paper roll with orders of $20 or more. Guests must place their order through Sushi Maki’s app or website – and the offer is valid only while supplies last.

A Pig for the Pandemic

Bellmónt Spanish Restaurant, while sadly unable to continue their new Saturday Night Dances until social distancing is over, is nonetheless stepping up to the plate with their new takeout offerings. On a short but intense menu (seven desserts outnumber the other categories) they are offering two stellar group dishes: Paella for four ($75) and whole suckling pig for four ($230) or six ($260). The only caveat is that they ask you to call in the day before for a next-day pickup between noon to 3 p.m.

Tomahawks All Gone

In an effort to attract people to visit their favorite restaurants for takeout, there are discounts and deals aplenty. At Yard House, all pickups get a 15 percent discount. At La Dorada, all regular menu items are 30 percent off. At Bulla Gastrobar, all the food is discounted 35 percent. And at Fleming’s, once you order over $100, you get $40 off. How well this has worked is evident on Tuesdays, when their Tomahawk Special for $125 – two-poundsplus of steak with two salads, two sides and two desserts –drops to $85 and sells out. So order early. ■

Coral Gables in the Time of the COVID

THE CITY BEAUTIFUL HAS FACED THE VIRUS

HOW

WORDS BY JP FABER

PHOTOS BY EMILY FARKHOURY AND JON BRAELEY

The day the music died was, literally, the day the music died. There had been intimations of the emptiness to come, the empty streets and no-place-to-go lives everyone soon learned to live with. Professional sports had already been shut down, and Coral Gables itself had declared an emergency a week earlier, ending all public events. But it was not until the night of March 17, St. Patrick’s Day, that the music truly died.

Earlier that day the county had issued a mandatory order shutting down all bars, restaurants and cafes by 11 p.m. Well before the hour struck, almost all had complied. Miracle Mile was all but shuttered; a few people lounged at Copper 29, and there were a few last patrons at Hillstone. Otherwise it was mute – except for the bright lights and roaring music at John Martin’s Irish Pub.

It was a surreal scene: dead quiet up and down the street, while a man dressed as a Leprechaun was laughing it up with patrons at tables outside the pub. Inside, they were pouring discounted shots of Jameson’s Irish Whiskey, and the sound system blared with Irish shanties, rockand-roll classics, country music ballads – the crowd didn’t care. They lapped it up, regardless. They were here for the last night of civilization before everything went dark.

Martin Lynch, co-owner of the pub, presided over the celebration with a wistful air. This was to be the last night for his 30-year-old pub. “It’s kind of bittersweet, you know,” he said, looking over the tables outside, decked with families and tall mugs of beer. “It should be the happiest day of the year, St. Patrick’s Day, but it’s also our last night.” At 11

p.m. the police cruisers turned on their lights and began to clear the street, but without much vigor, in a kind of respect for the last of something that would never return.

John Martin’s will not be the only restaurant or bar in Coral Gables that will not re-open. It will certainly not be the only thing that changes on the streets of the city. Whatever else happens to Coral Gables, it will never be the same, just as the world beyond will never be quite the same.

On the somber side of the pandemic, there is the wholesale destruction of the city’s vibrant hospitality and entertainment industries. With all the bars, restaurants, hotels and “non-essential” businesses closed by order of the county, thousands of workers suddenly lost their jobs. At the same time all schools were closed, along with houses of worship, gyms, marinas – the list goes on. The stores left open were mostly those that sold food, gasoline, and medicine.

The proverbial silver lining to all this was how Coral Gables responded. From the public to the private sectors, from the largest to the smallest of enterprises, the citizens of Coral Gables responded with discipline, ingenuity and compassion. Rather than fold, half of the restaurants reinvented themselves as takeout places. Social distancing and face masks were accepted as the norm. Parents homeschooled while teachers went virtual. Stores shifted to online sales. People worked from home. Zoom became the most important app in the city, allowing everyone to create virtual conferences, classes and communities overnight. And the city government, already versed in disaster management, rose to the occasion.

THE SHUTDOWN BEGINS

The city first declared a state of emergency on March 12. When the city’s Emergency Management Team met that day, they were closely tracking the county’s lead. At the meeting was City Manager Peter Iglesias, Police Chief Ed Hudak, Fire Chief Marcos De La Rosa, and City Attorney Miriam Ramos, along with the assistant city manager and the directors of HR, risk management and city parks.

Like other municipalities, the city was ready to act in coordination with Miami-Dade. “We knew that the county was going to declare a state of emergency, and I had spoken to the mayor and the city attorney,” said City Manager Iglesias. “We made the decision and I called a meeting of the emergency team… We weren’t waiting for the county to start. We wanted to be ready to go.”

Under the city charter, the mayor has the power to declare a state of emergency, and then delegate the authority to implement it – in this case to the city manager. “The only other times, in recent history, have been during hurricanes,” said City Attorney Ramos, who drafted the order and brought it to the mayor to sign.

With that order in place, the city began a systematic shut down that started with a suspension of all public events and the closing of city facilities where people congregate, from the Youth Center to the Granada Golf Course. Schools would close the next day, followed by all restaurants, bars, clubs, movie theaters, playhouses, gyms and fitness centers. One week from the day the emergency was declared, all non-essential services – just about everything except grocery stores, gas stations, buses and banks – were also ordered closed. Three days later the first cases of COVID-19 in Coral Gables were reported by the Florida Department of Health.

THE CITY CONTINUES

Throughout the virus crisis, the city of Coral Gables has continued to function. All essential services have been maintained, including police, fire, emergency medical services (EMS), transportation,

sanitation, and the city’s building department. City Hall became a kind of safe zone, with about 40 percent of employees working from home; those who worked in – or even entered – the building were masked and checked at the door for their temperature.

“We have been able to keep city hall open that way and provide full service,” said Iglesias. “What I don’t want is for one of our buildings to become contaminated.” Critical for the city, he said, is that the building department remain open so that construction – permitted under the shutdown – could continue. Sequenced for social distancing, builders, contractors and architects could still drop off plans, pick up permits, pay fees, and even interact with a masked city clerk.

Like the building department, sanitation continued with all its regular pickups. “People don’t realize that public works plays a crucial role. If they don’t pick up garage it becomes horrific,” says Iglesias. He is also keen on keeping up the city’s appearance with its landscaping division – “so the city looks good and not raggedy” – as

“IT’S KIND OF BITTERSWEET, YOU KNOW. IT SHOULD BE THE HAPPIEST DAY OF THE YEAR, ST. PATRICK’S DAY, BUT IT’S ALSO OUR LAST NIGHT.”

Martin Lynch, co-owner John Martin’s Irish Pub

long as workers are protected. As of publication, none of the city’s 100+ sanitation and landscape workers had gotten sick. “We’re following all the recommendations by the CDC [Centers for Disease Control], disinfecting the trucks daily, masks for the guys, practicing social distancing – and taking temperatures,” said Al Zamora, who heads the sanitation division of public works.

For those who worked at home, the city’s IT department was familiar with remote access; about 80 city employees already operated in the field. IT supplied city staff with more than 100 laptops and the remainder with desk tops, says IT director Rodulfo Raimundo. “We had already completed upgrades to our cloud technology last year, which turned out to be very timely,” he says.

Those who could not work at home included police, fire and EMS personnel. As the virus spread, calls for emergency medical services rose by 50 percent, according to the Fire Department. Following guidelines from the CDC, firefighters and EMS personnel wore masks, goggles, gloves and gowns when dealing with corona calls, with fire trucks decontaminated daily. “When you call in on 911, they have created a questionnaire to determine if it’s a COVID call, because then they have to go in with protective gear,” said Iglesias. “We have to make sure we protect them.”

Three firefighters had tested positive through late April, with twice that number for police officers. Despite use of masks and gloves whenever possible, and strict controls on who enters or leaves police headquarters, by late April at least six Coral Gables police officers and two civilian department employees had tested positive for the virus. Even with precautions, being a cop is a human-contact profession, now more than ever with a rise in domestic violence and the enforcement of bans on people congregating.

The police were brought in, for example, to get public Granada Golf Course under control. After the course was closed to players, it became an immediate “Central Park” for the city, with people picnicking, playing soccer and tossing baseballs. Unfortunately, many of the visitors were not from Coral Gables; most ignored social distancing and left a mess of litter. “This is unique to the police department – to have police officers enforcing health orders like social distancing,” said Police Chief Ed Hudak. “A majority [of residents] have been following directives, but there are always a few who think the virus doesn’t apply to them.”

According to City Attorney Ramos, police have the power to arrest violators of the city’s emergency order but so far have restrained themselves. “The intent is not to arrest anybody. Frankly it overburdens the jail and jams the courts,” she says. “It’s just police out educating people and making them aware of what the orders are. By and large people have been very compliant, and when they haven’t immediately, once they are approached by an officer, they comply.”

For educating the public, the city has also maintained robust communications with residents through its website – the top source of information for most residents. Its website continued to post the latest closings, along with videos on how to wash your hands to prevent COVID, guidelines for the elderly, appeals to help your neighbors, etc., with advice on where to pick food up, and what was available online at museums and the Coral Gables Art Cinema.

Especially heartfelt were messages from Mayor Valdés-Fauli, who posted letters and videos addressing the citizens, urging them to remain calm and follow the safety guidelines. “We need to rely on each other for support, kindness and strength,” he said in his March 27 video. “Please check on neighbors, especially our older population, to see if they have any needs.” In later messages the mayor sounded positively Kennedy-esque: “More important than what the city can do for residents,” he said, “is what we can all do for each other.”

THE COMMUNITY STEPS OUT

With urging from city hall, the people of Coral Gables hunkered down. The wholesale closing of events was heart breaking. The Garden Club had to cancel their annual tour of gardens and homes. The city canceled its annual Easter egg hunt. The Rotary Club postponed its annual Chili Cook Off and fundraiser. The list went on and on. And people could not go to gyms, or play tennis, or go to movies. What they did instead was take to the streets.

“I have been amazed at the number of people I see out and about,” said City Commissioner Pat Keon, who lives on Edgewater Drive near Ingraham Park. “I see so many people, after they have done their work and their kids have finished their homework, out walking as a family.” Keon says she is already getting emails about the need for more bicycle paths in the city. “They emailed that this [bicycling] was the only pleasure they had.”

Former City Commissioner Chip Withers, who lives on Hardee Street, says there are so many people strolling in the evenings that “it’s like the living dead” have come out – but in a good way.

“THIS IS UNIQUE TO THE POLICE DEPARTMENT – TO HAVE POLICE OFFICERS ENFORCING HEALTH ORDERS LIKE SOCIAL DISTANCING.”

Coral Gables Police Chief Ed Hudak

THE CORAL GABLES COVID TIMELINE

COVID-19 CASES IN CORAL GABLES

MARCH 4: The city issues its first bulletin on COVID-19, telling residents the virus is being monitored, but that no cases have been detected in Coral Gables. At this time, there is no threat to residents.

MARCH 7: Carnaval on the Mile goes forward as planned

MARCH 12: The Mayor declares a City State of Emergency, despite no known cases in Coral Gables. This order closes the Farmers Market, The Adult Activity Center, Merrick House, the passport facility, the Venetian Pool, tennis centers, the Youth Center, the Granada Golf Course and all sports tournaments. Also suspended are all events requiring a special permit, all city advisory board meetings and all quasi-judicial meetings. All other city services remain open.

MARCH 13: All public schools are closed. The era of virtual homeschooling begins.

MARCH 16: The county orders all restaurants, bars and clubs to close their doors 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. These,

plus movie theaters, must cut capacity by 50 percent to facilitate social distancing.

MARCH 17: The county orders all restaurants, bars, and clubs to close, starting at 11 p.m. (takeout and delivery can continue). Also ordered closed are movie theaters, playhouses, gyms and fitness studios. Mayor sends an open letter to the residents assuring them we will survive.

MARCH 18: The county bans use of all “shared” mopeds, scooters or bicycles (i.e. for rent), prohibits gatherings of more than 10 people in public parks. The city keeps the tennis centers and Granada Golf Course open. The city begins posting safe-behavior videos and CDC recommendations.

MARCH 19: The county orders all parks, beaches and recreational facilities closed, along with all non-essential establishments. The list of essential services includes food, healthcare, media, fuel, banks, hardware, office supplies, cleaners, transportation, construction, and waste management.

MARCH 20: The Biltmore Hotel announces that it will close. The Colonnade and Hyatt will follow.

MARCH 21: The county adds car dealerships, funeral homes, liquor stores and firearms sales to list of essential services. The city posts hours for senior-only shopping at Publix, Walmart, Target and Whole Foods, along with lists of restaurants for takeout, and where pick-up zones are located. The county orders all hotels and motels to stop taking reservations, except for essential service providers. All marinas ordered closed.

MARCH 22: First cases of COVID in Coral Gables are reported by the Florida Department of Health.

MARCH 23: UM student confirmed positive. UM announces it will shift to online classes, empty campus.

MARCH 24: The county bans all public gatherings of more than 10 people, except for government activities and public transport. Gables remaining hotels (Colonnade, Hyatt) ordered closed.

MARCH 25: The Mayor orders a “Safer at Home” emergency order, gatherings outside residences prohibited.

MARCH 27: The city orders a curfew 11 p.m.-5 a.m. The Mayor addresses the city by video, guaranteeing all essential services. The county orders all essential services to practice social distancing or close.

MARCH 28: The city holds its first virtual meeting, delays property tax collections.

APRIL 1: All special public events for April – from the Garden Club Tour and Easter egg hunts to Movies on the Mile and electronics recycling – are cancelled.

APRIL 3: COVID cases in Coral Gables cross 50

APRIL 5: The mayor issues a special video appeal for everyone to remain calm, urges citizens to “help in ways big and small to care for each other.”

APRIL 17: COVID-19 cases in Coral Gables cross 100

“You see neighbors you didn’t know you had,” he said. “You practice social distancing, but suddenly you’re greeting people who live down the street. You don’t know if it’s people trying to get healthy or if they’re just bored, but it’s good to see. I enjoy it.”

The burst of human activity on residential streets has created some unique optics. With strollers, bicycles, skateboards and scooters, as well as people walking or jogging, it looks like the cast of The Truman Show, everyone cued up to parade by. Even roller blades have come back, dusted off from the 1990s.

And then there are those images that only a pandemic can provide. The ghost town of the Shops at Merrick Park, so utterly devoid of humans that it feels like the set of a post-nuclear war movie. The semicircle of well-wishers outside the home of a little girl, celebrating her birthday by clapping and holding balloons, with nobody getting close. The random sight of a masked woman slowly peddling a bike through the deserted downtown in midafternoon, her unleashed dog trotting by her side. A frustrated golfer practicing chip shots in the open ground in front of a church. And everywhere masks.

Citizens also noticed what the world has witnessed: The return of nature – or what resident Daniel Berger described in this Nextdoor app post as “The small, but special aspects of less human activity….” With reductions in traffic and pollution, there has been a resurgence of migrating birds, like cardinals and blue jays. Eastern screech owls have been spotted on stop signs and cars. “I love hearing screech owls at night in my neighborhood,” posted resident Ann Zanettie.

THE CITY STEPS UP

For those hurt most by the shutdown, the community responded with compassion. Residents helped their elderly neighbors, checking on them and shopping for them, leaving bags of groceries by their doorsteps. The Coral Gables Community Foundation launched a Community Response Fund to help feed people who had lost their jobs. Opening at the end of March, the fund raised more than $20,000 in its first few weeks of operation, which allowed them to fund a hot-meal distribution program in the courtyard of Douglas Entrance, using the kitchen facilities at Someone’s Son.

“Everything is set up with social distance markers, with masks and gloves and no human contact,” said foundation executive director Mary Snow. “It’s really eye-opening to see who is out of work. A lot of people from local hotels, airlines support staff, legal support staff, artists, freelancers, writers, seniors.” The foundation also joined with the South Florida Digital Alliance to refurbish and distribute computers to less fortunate students – and adults who need them. “They are for kids at home, and for parents to apply for federal and state support,” said Snow. Between six and 12 computers were being given away daily, on a first come, first serve basis for those who need them.”

The Coral Gables Woman’s Club also stepped up, twice using their kitchens on East Ponce de Leon to produce a blast of 2,000 meals with celebrity chef Chris Valdes. In March they were delivered to people in assisted living facilities and local families in need; in April they went to UHealth workers and families in need throughout South Florida.

The Gables-based José Milton Foundation, along with United Property Management (owned by the Milton family), donated the use of 300 apartment units for healthcare professionals at Jackson. “We are offering staff apartments where they can live and keep their families safe,” said Cecil Milton, president of José Milton and Associates. The fully furnished apartments, with free utilities, were donated under a 30-day lease; overall the donation exceeded $2 million in value.

Individual acts of appreciation and generosity also flourished. The Mercedez-Benz dealership on Salzedo Street began to sanitize police cars and firetrucks for free, on a daily basis. Bachour restaurant sent pastries to the staff at Doctors Hospital. Naranjo Floral Sense sent bouquets of flowers to Coral Gables Hospital. Thirty-year residents Isabel Noy and husband Mike Pohudka began producing hundreds of bottles of medical-grade hand sanitizer for free distribution through the Nextdoor app.

Vice Mayor Vince Lago paid for pizzas from Power Pizza for the firefighters one day and then police and city hall workers a week later, and then a week after brought 110 burgers to the utilities department, freshly cooked at Clutch Burger. The mayor also made repeated visits to frontline workers to let them know how much they were appreciated. “We wanted to make sure that the city’s employees saw that their elected officials were there to support them,” said Lago, who had earlier quarantined himself for 11 days after being in contact with the mayor of Miami, who contracted the virus. Fortunately, Lago tested negative.

WAITING IN LINE WITH THE REGULATION SIX FEET APART BECAME THE NEW NORMAL

HIGHER EDUCATION AND THE ARTS

Few in the Coral Gables community better understood the threat posed by coronavirus better than University of Miami president Julio Frenk. A physician who specializes in public health, he served as Mexico’s minister of health and had dealt with three previous pandemics. “This is the one with the deepest effect,” said Frenk, named UM president in August 2015 – and in early April interim CEO of UHealth, the university healthcare system.

In response to the virus, UM extended spring break, then put classes online through the rest of the semester. Most of its 17,000 students went home. Only about 280 students – mostly from abroad – remained on the Coral Gables campus. One dining hall was kept open to serve them.

The financial toll of the virus on the university will be huge, Frenk says. He mentions lost revenues from refunded fees for unused portions of room and board; a likely reduction in international students, who typically pay full tuition; lost research funds; and the loss of lucrative elective surgeries at UHealth. To help make ends meet, the university announced a hiring freeze, the deferral of merit-based pay raises, delays in planned construction projects until 2022, and an expansion of the freshman class from about 2,200 to 2,350.

As for future schooling, “There will be a massive migration to online education, the biggest transition of education ever,” he says. As for now, “Being on campus is truly a sobering experience,” he says. “It is filled with emptiness. I miss the liveliness, the activity of young people. I can’t wait until we are all back there.”

On the cultural front, the city has been equally vacated. Across the city live theaters, museums, music venues, and art galleries were closed, along with the hosted author events that took place nearly every day at Books & Books. By the end of March, those events had gone virtual, as had the rest of the cultural community.

Next door, the closed Coral Gables Museum also launched a couple of online programs. Typically held on the first Friday of every month, the Portfolio Review Series is now on their website, coralgablesmuseum.org. “When we did it live, we’d have 10 or 12 different artists,” said Executive Director John Allen. “This time we’re doing it one at a time, talking about what they do, why they’re interested in what they do, and demonstrating pieces of their work.”

For the parents who need to keep their children entertained, there is the Education Activate program – Art Activate, Science Active and Film Activate – launched in conjunction with the Coral Gables Art Cinema across the street. Each Activate contains interactive lessons, like how to draw symmetrical butterflies, learning about alligators and completing movie-related activities. (The cinema, meanwhile, has launched its own program of online vintage films – see story pg. 22)

While the rest of the staff is working remotely, Allen is not only working at the museum, he is also living there – sleeping on an air mattress next to his desk. “We were in the middle of an installation and there was a great deal of artwork here,” he said. “I did this before with Irma, but that was a three-day event. This has been a little bit longer.” Allen is hoping to re-open later this month, depending on the circumstances.

The Lowe Art Museum on the UM campus also looked for ways to merge artwork with the internet. “Lowe on the Go” is a weekly initiative that features one piece of a collection every week on the museum’s Instagram and Facebook accounts, as well as via the inboxes of its subscribers. “There’s been a very strong and positive response,” said Digital Experience Manager Mark Osterman. “It seems that during these times … the arts have been playing a

POP UP GROCERIES: FARM TO TABLE RELIEF

How to take excess produce and offer it cheaply

Having come from a background in commodities, Nick Sharp understands food supply. And he knew that with the pandemic closing restaurants, hotels and cruise lines, a lot of local food would suddenly become available. He also understood there was no mechanism to make it available locally, since the system is built for bulk.

All of a sudden demand disappeared, so there was a huge amount of product available at low prices,” said the owner of ThreeFold cafes and Someone’s Son. Local farmers had nowhere to sell perishable products like lettuce, tomatoes, yogurt and butter. So he started to buy in bulk, and created pop-up groceries where he could sell “restaurant

quality food at affordable prices.”

Sharp started with a purchase of 20,000 eggs and sold them all; within three weeks he had sold 50,000. By mid-April, he was selling 100 to 120 “Express Grocery Baskets” a day for pickup or free delivery, at prices ranging from $25 to $150 – baskets jammed with local veggies, fruit, dairy, and meat products.

“What we can’t retail we turn into family meals,” said Sharp, who has fired no employees across six locations, using staff to make deliveries. “One local farmer was making honey butter but had nowhere to sell it. We bought all of his honey and all of his butter and now we are selling it.” Go to threefoldcafe.com for details.

EVERY HAND ON DECK AT DOCTORS

One nurse stopped only when she had to give birth screened any new patients coming to the ER, in a special tent, so that anyone COVID-19 positive could be moved to a special isolation ward. Riddick even learned to sit six feet from colleagues in the cafeteria. None of which meant she was impervious.

When the COVID-19 hit, all medical personnel were needed at Doctors Hospital – especially infection control nurses like Nicole Riddick. The only problem was that Riddick was nine months pregnant, and due in mid-April. Regardless, she continued on the frontline of the pandemic for the weeks leading up to her due date.

Like other nurses working at Doctors, Riddick had been drilled in protective measures, practicing the “donning and doffing” of putting on and removing PPE (personal protective equipment), procedures she already familiar with as a nurse who had infectious disease training. The hospital also

rich role in not just distracting people but entertaining them and relaxing their anxieties.”

Another iconic cultural institution shuttered by the virus is the Actors’ Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre. Theatergoers who purchased tickets to see Camelot – initially set to open on March 18 – were given a voucher or credit. The theater announced that the cast was sent home, but that the show would go on… eventually. “We have a set on stage – it was built and ready to go. We have a cast who had rehearsed that is prepped to be brought back,” said Executive Producing Director Barbara Stein. “We would like to find a way to present the show sometime this summer.”

In the meantime, the theater is continuing to entertain audiences. “At Home with Actors’ Playhouse” is a performance series on their Facebook and Twitter pages where actors send in videos of themselves singing a song from a show that they were in at the Miracle Theatre. Their “Young Talent Big Dreams” competition has also gone virtual and is accepting video submissions of children between the ages of 8 and 17. They are also offering Master Classes in vocal performance, hip-hop dance, jazz dance, theatre dance and monologues through Zoom. Despite all of their online programs, Stein projects their loss of income will be enormous. “I can’t say that we’re without problems and concerns,” she said. “We just think we’re going to overcome them.”

Back on UM’s campus the Frost School of Music teamed up with the city to create “Live at Home in the City Beautiful.” Every Monday and Wednesday at 6 p.m., the city streams live on Instagram a Frost student, faculty member or alum performing from their home for 15 – 30 minutes. “We’re giving students and alumni and faculty a stage – a virtual stage – to perform on until the curtain rises again,” said Executive Director of Marketing and Communications Patricia San Pedro. Frost is also airing some of their favorite concerts from the past year every Friday at 7:30 p.m.

Art galleries in the Gables are also connecting online. Cernuda Arte has announced its first ever virtual show. “We have never had an official virtual exhibition,” said Ramon Cernuda, director of the gallery. The exhibit will remain true to the gallery’s focus on Colonial and contemporary Cuban art. “We are intentionally focusing on works that are priced under $25,000, so we keep it accessible,” Cernuda said. “Our masterpieces are not going to be included yet. We will have to see how the market responds to the shows.”

THE MEDICAL RESPONSE

Central to the containment of the COVID-19 outbreak in Coral Gables has been the medical response. The good news is that, thanks in large part to the early shutdown of the city, there has been nothing close to the overwhelming number of cases faced in places like New York or Boston. By and large, the medical system here – consisting of Doctors Hospital, UHealth, and Coral Gables Hospital – was well prepared for what it faced. As of late April, the number of cases were still shy of 120 in a city of 51,000 inhabitants.

“I was concerned for my baby, of course,” says Riddick. “But this is what I trained for, infectious diseases, and I was being very careful. My patients needed me, so I had to be there.” In mid-April, Riddick and her husband Todd welcomed a daughter, Paige Mackenzie Riddick. Mother and baby were reported to be happy and healthy.

“It’s been a baptism under fire, but we are doing extremely well,” said Javier Hernández-Lichtl, the CEO of Doctors Hospital, which is part of Baptist Health System. Hernández-Lichtl says the hospital’s earlier experiences with emergency preparedness, especially for hurricanes, proved essential. “That has helped us be nimble, learn on the fly and adjust,” he says. The corona has added new learning curves, of course. “It has forced us to embrace new ways to utilize technology more than ever before,” says Hernández-Lichtl. “On a given day I now have six to eight Zoom meetings, with everyone from the Florida Department of Health to my CEO colleagues. In between those we are adjusting to the emergencies.”

One adjustment that Baptist made was to use telemedicine in a free program called ‘Care on Demand,’ where potential patients could talk to health care providers to determine if they might have COVID and needed to go to an urgent care facility. “We’ve been shifting from face to face care to telemedicine care,” says Hernández-Lichtl. “It’s prevented a tsunami of people showing up in the ER to be tested.”

Dr. Richard Levine, an infectious disease specialist at Doctor’s Hospital, was part of the task force Baptist set up to coordinate its battle with the virus. “From radiology to surgery to the kitchen, this has affected every part of the system,” says Levine. “It’s all encompassing.” Levine says the hospital has tried any number of therapies for the virus; Doctor’s, for example, was the first hospital in South Florida to give plasma transfusions from immune people. “This is one of the most successful treatments,” he says. “Amazing results.”

Levine says Doctors has lost only two patients to the virus – a 90-year-old man and a 72-year-old woman – both from strokes caused by hypertension. “So now we are anti-coagulating people

early,” he says. He credits the residents for keeping the number of cases down. “It seems the cases are definitely going down,” he said in late April. “I think the social distancing and the staying home has made a critical difference. I am proud of what the city has done in this way.” He is also humbly appreciative of his staff. “The nurses, the respiratory therapists, have done a remarkable job. This is a life-threatening infection, and they have gone in there to take care of patients. They are real heroes.”

FINDING A SOLUTION

Meanwhile, over at the University of Miami, researchers are leading the charge for both testing and vaccinations. Doctor Erin Kobetz, the director of Sylvester’s Firefighter Cancer Initiative, has been working with the county to conduct a “community surveillance” – a random testing of 800 residents to see who has previously been infected, and their geographic distribution. With assistance from Florida Power and Light, her team spent most of April testing people across the county, including at the Coral Gables Branch Library. Residents are randomly called and asked if they would like to participate.

“We are intentionally going with a random design,” said Kobetz. “If we were to open this up to volunteers… it would give us a skewed understanding of what is happening.” Once the fieldwork is complete, the results will be analyzed by the Sylvester team. “We’re looking to identify where there may be any sort of hot spots across the county,” Kobetz explained – information that can help dampen further transmission.

In a related research effort, Dr. Sylvia Daunert, chair of UM’s Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, is working to develop a throat swab test for the virus that can deliver results in 30 minutes. Currently the best results time for swabs is five to six hours. The test, now being fast tracked by the FDA, is based not on testing for anti-bodies but for the presence of the virus itself. “This should allow for much earlier detection – within a couple days of exposure – providing critical and time-sensitive information to help curb the spread of the disease,” said Dr. Daunert.

On the vaccination side of things, a research team headed by Dr. Natasa Strbo at UM’s Department of Microbiology and Immunology hopes to create a vaccine for the original and most widespread strain of COVID-19, using a technology that Strbo’s lab has developed over the last decade to vaccinate for infectious diseases like HIV, malaria, and the Zika virus. The technique uses a naturally occurring protein in our cells that can be engineered to stimulate immunity. While funding is still scarce, Strbo’s research team does have the benefit of working with an international community of doctors, virologists, and other scientists who share their findings with each other. “The whole world is one lab right now,” says Strbo.

SMALL BUSINESS

Assuming that Coral Gables has survived the worst of the virus itself, the damage to the local economy will be huge. While most larger corporations based in the Gables have been able to continue employing their workforces by connecting to them at home, smaller businesses that rely on human interaction are not so fortunate. Some can continue via online sales – clothing boutiques, for example (see pg. 32) – but those that require clients in person are at a dead halt.

Hair salon Phula, for example, cannot work on patron’s trusses long distance. “It is what it is, but my clients are freaking out,” says owner Milanka Placerias. When all non-essential services were ordered closed, manager Jose Casas had the unpleasant duty of

AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI, DR. NATASA STRBO (RIGHT) IS HELPING LEAD THE CHARGE TO CREATE A VACCINATION.

VIRTUAL CHURCH

For those of faith, churches in the Gables have offered services online

In response to stay-at-home orders, churches like the First United Methodist Church of Coral Gables, the Church of the Little Flower, Saint Augustine Church and the Coral Gables United Church of Christ all began live streaming services, either through YouTube or Facebook.

On Easter Sunday, Pastor Aaron Lauer of the United Church gave thanks for the connectivity. “We know it hasn’t been easy being apart like this,” he told his virtual flock. “Let us give thanks to God [that] we are blessed with this technology that allows us to be together as the body of Christ even though we are physically

separated.” St. Augustine Catholic church took things a step further and offered drive-through confessions. “People have loved it,” said Father Richard Vigoa. Parishioners drive through the church parking lot where Vigoa and another priest sit on folding chairs in the shade, listening to them on the phone; call-in numbers are posted on a nearby sign. “That creates privacy. I have my speaker close to my mouth. I see them in their cars and have a very good discussion with them. I give them their penance, absolution, and they are on their way… God will walk us through this, but we have to do our part as well.”

calling about 200 customers and canceling each appointment. “We are prepared to withstand about two months or so of this closure, but after that I just don’t know,” said Placerias.

Blocks away, at the Gables Coin & Stamp Shop on Miracle Mile, owner Pat Olive says business is way off except for “preppers” who want precious metals as a hedge against the uncertain future. “There are a lot of people who want gold and silver coins,” says Olive. “But we have a lot fewer people coming in for collectables. It doesn’t make up for it.”

“Our very existence is put into jeopardy by this,” said the owner of Books & Books, Mitchell Kaplan. All locations of the store have had to shift to relying on online sales. “We’ve had a really nice response from the community that is supporting us online,” he said. “Our online sales are probably 20 or 30 times more than they normally are.”

But while online sales bring in some revenue, it’s not enough. “I’m just trying to figure out exactly how Books & Books will emerge from this,” Kaplan said. For additional revenue, patrons can buy gift cards on their website, bookandbooks.com, or make a donation. Some of Kaplan’s marketing team is still working to put on their signature live author events, but like many businesses, Books & Books had to furlough a majority of the staff. “[My employees] are people that I really worry about,” Kaplan said. “These are people that really rely on us.”

Not all small retail businesses have been hurt. At Belle Fleur on Alcazar Avenue, the bouquet business is doing just fine, says owner Mario Fernandez. “We are keeping busy,” he says. “People are still celebrating birthdays and sending flowers. And flowers do make you happy, something we need right now.” Fernandez says the best part of the shutdown is that there is no traffic, so deliveries are a breeze.

GHOST TOWN: MIRACLE MILE, THE RETAIL HEART OF CORAL GABLES, HAS BEEN HIT HARD

Other retailers have creatively pivoted to meet changing demand. Two Miracle Mile bridal shops, Ella Bella Rozio and Atelier D’ocon, begun manufacturing and selling masks (see story pg. 38). Another local retailer, Cocobella, shifted her product assortment to rely heavily on hand sanitizer, soap and other “self-care” products. They also partnered with Whip ’n Dip on Sunset Drive, selling hand sanitizer alongside to-go orders.

One thriving retailer is No Boundaries on Aragon Avenue, which sells athletic gear and specializes in bicycles. With the pandemic erasing other means of recreation, bike riding in the Gables has seen a resurgence. “It’s been crazy,” says Manager Israel Rodriguez. “Everyone is interested in getting healthy right now.” Rodriguez says the store, open seven days a week, has more sales and especially more repair work. “We are fixing a lot of old bikes,” he says. Patrons with masks wait outside for their bikes to be wheeled out – or are allowed in sparingly to look at new models.

Retail success stories are the exception rather than the rule, however. Of the approximately 220 retail businesses that the downtown BID (Business Improvement District) tracks, the top category (94 counted last year) is restaurants. All were closed down, except for delivery and takeout. As a result, an estimated 2,000 employees lost their jobs, on top of more than 1,000 jobs lost when the city’s hotels – the Biltmore, the Colonnade and the Hyatt – were shut down.

RESTAURANT TACTICS

Many restaurants simply closed their doors for the duration, while others shifted to a takeout model. Those who stayed open responded with different strategies. Some that were open only for dinner, like Fleming’s, began offering takeout for lunch as well. Others open

When the shutdown took place, Jeffery Wolfe initially kept his Miracle Mile wine shop open, letting customers come inside on a limited basis. “But then I got nervous, following them around and spraying Clorox everywhere they touched,” he says.

Instead, Wolfe went “contact free,” taking orders via “email, phone calls, or from someone at the front door yelling out what they wanted.” He also walked customers virtually through his racks of wine, using FaceTime to peruse the bottles. And then he

delivered. “I’ve got this whole thing where I have become the adult milkman,” he says. “I can do it curbside, or over the Internet and then deliver.”

Wolfe says that when the pandemic first forced people home, business went up. “In the beginning there was a hit because everyone wanted a drink. Then people came back to a sense of normality,” he says. “Now sales are down, and I am trying to get [an SBA loan] and spread out whatever I can for my obligations.”

THE ADULT MILKMAN

Wolfe’s Wine Shifts to a Delivery Model

for lunch and dinner, like Caffe Abbracci, offered takeout only for dinner. Most have created special takeout menus, like Ortanique’s Pandemic Pickup Menu: about half the normal number of choices, with a 15 percent discount.

Pickup methods differed as well. Some restaurants, like Yard House and Doc B.’s, have outdoor pickup, with sidewalk-facing open tables. Others, like Bugatti and Cheesecake Factory, require you to come inside – though patrons are very conspicuous about not crowding. At The Globe, owner Danny Guiteras, wearing rubber gloves and mask, brings the bag to your car window, and deftly hands it to you or places it on the passenger seat.

Of those offering takeout, some have been doing a decent amount of business. Restaurants already based on a takeout model, like pizza places, continued doing steady business. At Canton II, takeout has brought the Chinese restaurant to life, as customers seek family comfort food. The owner of Malakor Thai Isaan on Miracle Mile says he is doing about half his normal volume – only enough to stay in business, but not enough to retain his full staff.

Down the street, Morelia Gourmet Paletas is open for business, though they let only one customer come inside at a time for their frozen fruit bars. “Not that many people walk in, but we get a lot of delivery orders,” the counter clerk told us. “Big orders, like they’re stalking us.” Similarly, you can walk into the Haagen Daz store on Miracle Mile (“Grab and Go” reads the sign) or Ben and Jerry’s on Aragon and select an ice cream flavor for your cone. Just like the old days, except everyone wears a mask and no one stands close.

Generally speaking, restaurants with an established, loyal clientele have seen at least a steady, if diminished, stream of business. “We have a loyal following and that is what is getting us though now,” says ThreeFold’s Nick Sharp. “But we have been around for six years. I feel sorry for the places that are just getting started.”

The city is doing what it can to help retailers. The BID has been pushing online shopping and takeout food via their website shopcoralgables.com, as well as posting videos online from local retailers, says Executive Director Taciana Amador. For retailers on city property, such as Fritz & Franz, Patios & Things, Graziano’s Marketplace, and the Open Stage Club, the city manager approved a 60-day rent deferment for those who request it, on a case-by-case basis. After that, according to city Asset Manager Zeida Sardinas, “the City will work with those tenants to establish payment plans, or to extend the deferments, depending on the state of affairs.”

BIGGER BUSINESS

Whether private landlords will follow suit is another question. Stephen Bittel is the founder and chairman of Terranova Corp., which owns 11 properties on Miracle Mile. He is currently negotiating two new leases on the Mile, including one for the space being vacated by John Martins. Bittel says the company is working with its tenants to come up with “a thoughtful response” to the problems of each. “Our goal is to position everyone to come back. We’re expecting that probably by mid- to late-May, and by fall more robustly.”

Still, adds Bittel, “There are casualties in business every day, every year.” Indeed. According to Downtown Works, a retail consultant for the city’s economic development department, some 25 to 30 percent of retailers (including restaurants) will not be able to reopen post crisis.

Wayne Eldred, the former owner of Tarpon Bend and now a restaurant industry consultant, has an even dimmer view of future prospects, particularly in the restaurant category. “We will probably lose 50 percent of the restaurants in the nation by year end,” he says. “If a restaurant is shut down for two months or more, it will take 15

to 25 thousand dollars for a 200-seat restaurant to get back up and running. People literally won’t be able to afford to reopen.” Eldred predicts it will take as long as three years for the hospitality industry as a whole to fully rebound.

“This has been devastating to the retail economy. It’s pretty obvious we’re all living day to day,” agrees Donna Abood, partner and managing director of commercial real estate company Avison Young. “One strategy is deferment, where landlords will defer portions [of rent] for a couple of months. It gives them breathing room.”

THE REAL ESTATE FALLOUT

For those in the business of selling real estate, COVID-19 has already taken a toll. Sales were reported down in March and were expected to fall again in April. Uncertainty about the future has caused both buyers and sellers to pause – though transactions are proceeding using virtual tools and social distancing.

“We’ve had closings where the buyers walked alone [through the property], with sellers and realtors standing outside,” said Tere Shelton Bernace, broker and co-owner of Shelton and Stewart

YARD HOUSE RESTAURANT HAS CONVERTED TO OUTDOOR PICKUP

Realtors. “We’ve had showings where I go in first, turn on the lights, and then buyers walk around on their own. We’ve had FaceTime showings where a client might ask, ‘Can you open that door?’ so they can see something.”

At Compass, principal broker Mercedes Saewitz said the company hit its projected sales numbers in March, but adds, “April is a different story… Overall, the market is pretty stagnant. In the Coral Gables luxury market, there are not a lot of new listings or new contracts. What we’re seeing in Miami-Dade County is quite a bit of activity under $1 million, people searching online. But the luxury market, $2 million and up, is particularly trying. It is a time of uncertainty.”

Lani Kahn Drody, president of Lowell International Realty in Coral Gables, said her boutique firm is bolstering its online presence and expects more interest from residents of densely populated sections of the Northeast, attracted by Florida’s favorable tax structure, sunny weather and the prospect of more living space. “People who are looking now are really serious,” said Drody. “They have time to think about their situation.”

Rishi Kapoor, whose company Location Ventures is developing the Villa Valencia midrise, is moving forward with construction at a pace that is “100 percent on schedule.” In order to facilitate sales at what will be arguably the most luxurious condominium project in the city, Kapoor’s firm is offering to finance a 50 percent down payment on new units, interest free. “Most of our buyers own their current residences, so we are securing the loans this way,” he says. “Many of our buyers are planning a lifestyle change and I don’t see that changing…. They want to move onto their next phase of life.”

GOING VIRTUAL

Other professions, such as lawyering and accounting, have meanwhile seen little slowdown, with everyone simply going viral. In the world of law, areas such as estate planning, labor law, healthcare, business law, and insurance claims have all seen strong demand for services, and judges are continuing to hear cases, with the obvious exception of jury trials. (See story pg. 66)

“The courts are going forward full blown, judges with their robes on in their living rooms,” says attorney and City Commissioner Jorge Fors. “Zoom has virtual backgrounds, so they look like they are in court, with their bench as the background.”

Accounting firms have likewise gone virtual. “At first we were going to use a rotation schedule,” said Ray Zomerfield, partner in the accounting firm Zomma Group. “After March 18 I looked and said, ‘There is nothing we can’t do from home.” Like other professional firms, Zomma had no lack of work. “We are CPAs, so we have been swamped with SBA related loans, updating accounting records and documents for the banks... We have not laid off anyone.”

Bankers have also been busy, processing SBA loans for small businesses, and continuing to provide services via the Internet. “The banks are all working, all my banker friends, all the analysts, everybody,” said Roberto Munoz, regional president for First Horizon Bank. “Those that can work remotely are doing so and we have reduced hours at the branches. Not a lot of walking through the lobby is necessary – a lot of it is being done by drive-thru.”

Munoz says he finds working from home to be more efficient, without the waste of commuting time. “I just get up and go to work... I’ve had lunch with my wife every day this week, well over an hour away from the office.” On the other hand, if we all remain at home, the economy will never recover. “Our economy has been built on consumerism – it’s the individual buying a meal at a restaurant and tipping the waiter. When that goes away it eliminates the abili-

MG DEVELOPER CEO ALIRIO TORREALBA IS SELLING THE PONCE VIRTUALLY ALONG WITH HIS OTHER GABLES PROJECTS. THE CLASSICALLY STYLED PONCE IS A FITTING BACKGROUND FOR THIS 1971 CLASSIC MERCEDES BENZ. WHAT’S OLD IS NEW AGAIN.

VIRTUAL REAL ESTATE SALES

Online tools are now in vogue

The technology was here before the pandemic, but it was never used to capacity, says Alirio Torrealba, CEO of MG Developer. “But this situation has forced the real estate industry to be more creative,” he says. After physical gatherings were canceled, MG used the ‘virtual room’ from ONE Sotheby’s International Division to make weekly presentations to realtors on their Althea Row, Biltmore Row, Beatrice Row and Biltmore Parc townhouse projects, all on the edge of downtown Coral Gables.

MG also uses the Matterport Tour system that lets potential buyers take virtual tours inside their projects. Users can move

through the home on a screen, like they are in a video game.

Most realtors are now using this or similar technology, says Drew Kern of BHHS/EWM. Kern says it may actually have advantages over real life tours. “It allows the first showing to be virtual and that lets you weed out people who aren’t really interested,” says Kern, who also likes using a facetime app to walk potential buyers through a home. “We start at the curb and then go up the walkway. It’s literally like they are following me on the tour.” Says Torrealba: “All of this allows us to bring our properties to the clients instead of the clients to the properties.”

ty to work in the support industry. I would like to go back to where we were, but maybe not all the way.”

Gonzalo Acevedo, who heads up personal, digital and commercial banking at BAC Florida Bank, says his firm has experienced no layoffs, and because their staff was so familiar with remote, international transactions, they had no problem transitioning to a work-at-home model. Only about one in five go to the office in the Colonnade Building on Miracle Mile.

“Seventy five percent of our business is international business, which is why our clients are so used to using our digital technology platforms,” says Acevedo. At their branch downtown, they don’t even want customers to enter the lobby. For those clients who absolutely cannot conclude their business through their ATM or drop box, BAC uses a courier between the front door and teller. Most other banks, with reduced hours, have been allowing clients in socially distanced lines to see tellers through plastic shields. All other business is virtual.

JOB RETENTION

Generally speaking, those companies that can operate virtually are also those with few layoffs. The Allen Morris company, which is developing four real estate projects in Florida and Georgia, has had to layoff less than a half dozen people company-wide – and has gone virtual with everyone else except the construction workers.

Morris himself has been working from his Gables home, where he is self-isolating with his wife, two daughters, and a new grandchild. Morris’ at-home workday is jammed with online meetings with development, management, marketing and executive teams, “with eight to 12 to 15 people on each call,” he says. “I am parking in front of my computer screen at home for about 10 hours a day… When you work in quarantine with back-to-back meetings on Zoom, there is no break to go out to a restaurant or chat along the way. It’s all intense and exhausting.”

Financial services is another sector that has initially been immune from job loss, thanks to the power of online technology. “We are lucky that we are in one of those professions that can continue to operate remotely,” says David Evensky, CEO of wealth management firm Evensky &Katz/Foldes. “Our clients are happy about that because many of them are elderly. I think they are appreciative that we can reach them in their living rooms.”

Evensky’s firm, with $2 billion under management, has had to work closely with clients who have seen their assets take a hit from the gyrating stock market. “A lot of this is holding the hands of our clients, because the global economy will recover,” he says. “I have been through this in the Great Recession and the internet bubble. History shows that the stock market has a 100 percent recovery rate.”

In order to ride out the market swings, he says, “The key is having a balancing plan in place” – and to be able to take advantage of “sectors of opportunity” such as undervalued stocks and tax law breaks. Among other things, Evensky’s firm carved out a year’s worth of cash flow for clients who are retirees, so that income would not be disturbed during the pandemic.

Multinational companies in the Gables have likewise gone virtual and generally not slashed staffs, especially those in the categories of supply chain, food and beverages. At Bacardi’s headquarters on Le Jeune Road, none of the 600 employees (300 in the office, 300 in the field) have been let go, says North American CEO Pete Carr, though almost all have gone remote. “We shut down the office shortly after March 13th,” says Carr, an easy transition because the firm was already adept at using mobile workforce platforms. “We allow people to work from home anyway on an as-needed basis,”

says Carr. “Sometimes you get a lot more done at home.”

Likewise, Coral Gables-based Logistics International has had no layoffs, and no cases of the virus, says CEO Chip Withers. His management team is all working remotely, with only two people in their main warehouse. Among other things, his teams – with offices in Tampa, Las Vegas, Nashville and Hong Kong – have been busier than ever helping shut down hospitality facilities, which will all have to be opened up again.

The most interesting question, says Withers, is what technological or social changes will emerge from what he sees as a war time situation – in the way that radar and atomic energy came from WWII. “There has to be some kind of advancement coming out of this – virtual learning, networking online,” he says. “The innovation that will come from this is going to move us forward. And if nothing else, we will be a healthier nation.”

“We are starting to see our retailers and the business community adapt, but we will always need formal office space. Humans have a need for interaction, a physical presence,” says Barbara Tria, principal and broker, Coral Pine Real Estate, and vice president of the BID. “Still, people working from home now shows that you can be effective outside the office. Businesses have invested in technology to allow their workforce to work from home, and they are not going to abandon that technology.”

AND NOW TO START THINGS UP AGAIN

Regardless of how our business communication habits change, what has become clear in the rubble of the corona virus is that the small business community has been hurt the most. And that is what will ripple through everything else.

“The biggest cross section of our membership [1,600 firms and individuals] is small and medium businesses with under 50 employees,” said Mark Trowbridge, president and CEO of the Coral Gables Chamber of Commerce. “Yes, we have members like the University of Miami, Baptist, Del Monte and American Airlines,” he says. “But I think the backbone is small business.”

The importance of that is reflected in a COVID-19 Business Assessment Survey conducted by the city’s Economic Development Department in April. Of the 158 companies responding to the survey, more than three quarters had less than 10 employees. Trowbridge is worried that up to one in four small businesses in the Gables could be lost to the present shutdown – with grave consequences for the city’s tax base. “I am concerned that many of those businesses will not be able to meet their obligations financially, and all those stores will be shuttered,” he says.

Coming up with the right plan to restart businesses in the city is going to be crucial – and it will need strong input from the business sector, even though the dance will be led by the government timetable as to what can reopen – and when. The City of Coral

THE CORAL GABLES BUSINESS RECOVERY TASK FORCE

A Legacy of Caring...

A Family Business

In this unprecedented time, when our humanity is being tested, one can’t help but reflect on what is truly important. The virus has taken a toll on everyone – including our dedicated employees and the families of our beloved residents. It was a terrible day when we had to follow State health care guidelines to “lockdown” the Riviera Health Resort from visitors, and tell families to exit the building.

Looking back at our history, it is clear that it is our humanity that has gotten us where we are today and it is our humanity that will pull us through now.

In the 1950’s Riviera was a single story 52 -bed skilled nursing facility, known for providing loving care. Some may recall that scenes from the movie “Cocoon” (1985) were filmed there.

Richard Stacey, who had been operating a skilled nursing facility in Miami since 1982, dreamed of upgrading the property into something that Coral Gables needed and would make the city proud. He did just that. In 2012, Riviera Health Resort unveiled a 223-bed state-of-the-art skilled nursing and rehabilitation facility, built on the same ground as the original facility.

Since that time, Richard has put his heart and soul into making Riviera a five-star facility, and has been recognized by US News and World report as among “America’s Best Rehabilitation Centers.” In 2018, Riviera Health Resort received Joint Commission Accreditation, one of a select few of skilled nursing facilities to earn that National distinction. The same year, the Dade County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce recognized Richard as the “Healthcare champion of the year.” Most recently, Riviera Health Resort received the prestigious 2019 Bronze Quality Award from the American Health Care Association.

Riviera Health Resort is also a family affair. Richard Stacey’s daughter Elizabeth is the Director of Rehabilitation, an awardwinning department.

Through this incredible challenge, what has remained constant has been our heart, compassion and caring that has been a part of Riviera, since we laid the first brick.

Richard Stacey & Elizabeth Stacey

Our dedication to following continually updated protocols is working, and we have been successful in keeping Covid 19 out of Riviera Health Resort.

We could not be more proud of our employees, who remain committed and undaunted and continue to provide a safe, caring environment for your loved ones. If you have any questions about what we can do to help your family. Feel free to call me.

Sincerely,

Matt Gawne, Co-founder and COO

Gables has to accept the mandates of the county and the state, but it will also have latitude on how the opening is implemented. It can also make its regulations stricter – though never less – than those of the county and state.

The outlines of an initial plan were presented to the public at a special session of the City Commission called by Vice Mayor Vince Lago at the end of April. Lago was concerned that the commission meeting set for May 8 would be too late to set up a recovery guidance team. “The most important thing out of this task force is to make sure the business community can be heard,” he told fellow commissioners and the public.

During the meeting, the city’s Economic Development Department director Julian Perez presented an initial proposal for a Business Recovery Task Force, along with an outline of what a phased-in economic opening would look like.

The task force, which was approved by the Commission, is to be formed by May 12. It will consist of eight members, two each nominated by the Chamber and the University of Miami. One each will come from the BID, the Coral Gables Community Foundation, the city manager’s office and the city commission, and each will bring a business expertise, such as in retail or real estate (see box pg. 62).

Perez presented a “best practices” model for opening the local economy which follows three phases. In the first, most retail business and restaurants open, along with personal services like hair salons, but with a lot of restrictions – such as number of people in the establishment, distancing in restaurant seating, etc. In the second phase, hotels would reopen and some of the stricter requirements for retailers, restaurants and personal services would be lifted. In phase three, the larger entertainment venues such as theaters would be open, along with bars and clubs where social distancing would have been impossible in phases one and two.

“All of this has to be done in a coordinated fashion,” said Perez, and in sync with the county. You cannot open one park unless all the parks open, he noted, so that one location is not overwhelmed. “We have to make sure it’s a balanced approach,” he said.

THE DOG DAYS OF COVID-19 How the Chamber has stayed connected

“Zoom has been around for a long time, but it was never part of our business model,” says Mark Trowbridge, Coral Gables Chamber of Commerce president and CEO.

“Now

we are living on Zoom.”

Since the shutdown began, the Chamber has “Zoomed” dozens of webinars and committee meetings, from special programs on the coronavirus to their usual gatherings, like Good Morning Coral Gables and Trow Knows CEOs. The chamber’s annual Business and Government Affairs Committee trip to Washington, D.C. in April became a virtual meeting with members of Congress, the U.S. Chamber and the SBA.

The Chamber has also added new online meetings, such as a

webinar series called Industry Chats and a new Business Book Club, “a lunch & learn program.” Their monthly trustee reception in April became a Yappy Hour, inviting guests to bring their dogs.

“The content was very much ‘Introduce your dog and tell us what you are drinking,’” said Trowbridge. “It was great. We had about 35 or 40 people.”

Other Chamber Zoom events have been even more popular. When renowned realtor Ron Shuffield did a talk on real estate, the system maxed out at 100 people (139 tried to join). And their webinars for small businesses are attracting 25 percent more attendance than when they were live seminars.

As for any particulars beyond those broad strokes, it will be up to the task force and input from local business leaders, including the Chamber. “At the end of the day we need a cogent, cohesive plan that people have weighed in on,” said Trowbridge, who also addressed the commission.

“We have to look at what is good for Coral Gables and what is safe for us, keeping in mind what is good for merchants and retailers,” said Mayor Valdés-Fauli. “And we have to do a thorough study, quickly, to open Coral Gables as soon as possible.”

The commission also voted to set up a testing site only for Gables residents, in a city parking lot on Le Jeune Road just south of the Shops at Merrick Park. It will initially begin testing 100 people twice a week on a priority basis – first elderly with underlying conditions, then anyone with underlying conditions, then anyone. Most pundits consider community testing essential for any opening to occur; Commissioner Michael Mena suggested the city look into offering more testing, including through private physicians. “If we are going to really open in earnest it will take a lot more testing,” he said.

The final presentation at the commission meeting outlined what was scheduled to open that week, well before any business: The city’s parks, golf courses, and tennis courts. You could almost hear a sigh of relief, even as the restrictions were enumerated: Only one person to a golf cart; only singles games in the tennis courts; only the larger parks open at first, so social distancing could be practiced. For a city suffering collective cabin fever, however, it was a welcome breath of fresh air. ■

Writers Mike Clary, Lizzie Wilcox, Kylie Wang and Grace Carricarte contributed to this report.

LAW IN THE TIME OF COVID-19

THE WORKLOAD FOR MANY CORAL GABLES ATTORNEYS IS GREATER THAN EVER, ESPECIALLY IN KEY SECTORS

BY RICHARD WESTLUND

“NO MATTER HOW BIG OR HOW SMALL A FIRM, THE COVID-19 OUTBREAK IS HAVING AN IMPACT ON EVERYONE”

Paul Scanziani, principal of Scanziani Law

While some sectors of the economy are being devastated by the COVID-19 shutdown, the legal profession is not among them – at least not yet. Faced with multiple health and economic challenges, a wide range of businesses and individual clients are turning to Coral Gables law firms for legal guidance. While shifting operations from their offices to today’s work from home (WFH) settings, many attorneys are busier than ever, especially in the areas of employment, estate planning and most painfully, financing.

“No matter how big or how small a firm, the COVID-19 outbreak is having an impact on everyone,” says Paul Scanziani, principal, Scanziani Law, and president of the Coral Gables Bar Association. “Revenue has dried up for all levels of businesses, and clients are having a hard time paying their bills.”

In his foreclosure defense practice, Scanziani has been helping clients apply for loan modifications, including forbearance of payments under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. “There is a lot of financial stress on lenders these days, especially when everyone is asking for mortgage relief at the same time,” he says.

PROTECTING PAYCHECKS

Lillian Ser, founder of Ser & Associates, has been assisting small businesses apply for federal loans, such as the Small Business Administration’s new Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). “I’ve also been providing clients with pro bono advice on how to hold on during this difficult time by renegotiating contracts and leases,” she says.

“Everyone is in the same position, so businesses should try to be flexible, find a creative financial solution and preserve your relationship,” she says. “In the meantime, it’s important to support

“I’VE ALSO BEEN PROVIDING CLIENTS WITH PRO BONO ADVICE ON HOW TO HOLD ON....”

Lawyer Lillian Ser

the restaurants, stores and other small businesses in our community during this difficult time.”

Aliette D. Rodz, partner in the Business Litigation Group of Shutts & Bowen, has worked closely with businesses and banks to smooth the application process for PPP loans. “Our response team had everything lined up for our clients, and as a result we were able to assist them in getting funds they needed to operate.”

She has also advised businesses on their insurance coverage, as well as labor and employment issues. “It’s been very busy for us,” she says. “Many of our clients are in survival mode, and we’ve been helping them every step of the way… We keep our clients informed of what’s happening with regular updates on the COVID-19 situation.”

Responding to the changing legal environment, Luis Salazar, founding principal of Salazar Law, joined forces with other firms and professionals in related fields to launch the Florida Business Continuity Task Force. It functions as a kind of pop-up service to advise local businesses with mini seminars and to pool expertise from different firms. “The challenges presented by this pandemic are unprecedented,” he says. “To overcome this crisis, our community must pull together.”

Salazar also emphasizes the importance of finding workable solutions. “We get a lot of questions about contracts and leases,” he says. “They are all written differently, but most do not address a pandemic situation. So, take a practical approach to the issue. If you are a commercial landlord, for instance, it may be better to help get

your tenant back up and running than trying to find someone to take their place.”

OTHER HOT TOPICS

Diane P. Perez, who focuses her practice on labor and employment law, says employers are concerned about paying for workers’ leaves under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act – as well assrequests from employees whose pre-existing health conditions put them at high risk for COVID-19. “Those who are still operating essential businesses want to keep their workplaces safe and employee morale high,” she says. “My employee clients are mostly concerned about remaining healthy while bringing some income in the door.”

Perez says she is doing more advising than litigating these days. “We are in unchartered territory right now,” she says. “Once employers gradually begin opening their doors, they will face difficult decisions on who will return to work first. They should consider making those decisions based on objective criteria, such as seniority,

LEFT: Lawyer Aliette DelPozo Rodz, partner in the Business Litigation Group of Shutts & Bowen.

RIGHT: Lawyer Luis Salazar has joined forces with other firms and professionals in related fields to launch the Florida Business Continuity Task Force.

Small Business Struggles

WE ARE HERE TO HELP YOU

According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, small businesses (typically less than 500 employees) make up 99.9% of all U.S. business and, collectively, employ half of the U.S. working population. That is wild! That is power! Sadly, we are witnessing that it also turns out to be our economy’s Achilles Heal.

I am a small business owner of a boutique law firm that primarily serves small business owners. I love what I do! Why? Because small business owners are passionate about what they do. They are risk takers. They know no fear. They are the “Davids” to the “Goliaths”. They are inspiring. And to me, a small business owner, my clients’ successes fuel my passion and drive. They continuously remind me that we must be innovative. That we must always be looking to change the way we do things. The way we deliver services to our clients.

All that said, I must admit that these last seven to eight weeks have been challenging. I have seen what this crisis has done to my clients and to my own practice. I have seen and felt the desperation of my clients in having to lay off and/or furlough employees. Business owners that must decide between paying their rent or their mortgage. I have felt inadequate and useless at times when I’ve had to respond, the contract/lease does not allow for termination. Or the customer has a right to that deposit. How can this be? I am supposed to be the problem solver!

From a legal perspective, my advice to my clients and to any business owner reading this article, first let’s check your contract/lease and see what your options are. Second, let’s find a solution that both parties can live by. Be flexible. Remember, your supplier, vendor, landlord etc. is also hurting. From a business perspective, reconnect with the entrepreneur within you and be innovative. For example, what can you do differently to move your business on to a virtual platform? Work on the long term projects you’ve been putting off like trademarking your brand, creating a social media campaign, etc.

This is the toughest period of time we have all had to endure since the Great Depression. But, we have survived other catastrophes such as major hurricanes, the Great Recession, 911, wars, etc. And, we will survive this! Remember, be flexible, be nimble and, most of all, be innovative.

Stay safe, stay strong.

Lillian A. Ser, Esq. Owner & Managing Attorney

Ser & Associates provides a business approach to legal services. Their mission is to work with small businesses by providing a one-stop shop approach that includes business and contract law, residential & commercial real estate (buy/sell, leasing), Land Use & Zoning, government contracting, minority certification, litigation, estate planning, intellectual property (trademarks/copyrights) and wealth protection. They also offer the MyGC/My General Counsel® Program to those business owners requiring on-going legal services at an affordable monthly rate.

But, we have survived other catastrophes such as major hurricanes, the Great Recession, 911, wars, etc. And, we will survive this!

Lillian A. Ser, Esq.

or risk having to defend against employee discrimination claims.”

Estate planning is another legal service in high demand these days, according to Charles Morgan and Laura Horton, partners at Morgan & Horton Law. “The shutdown has given people time to think about their mortality,” says Morgan. “We have had many calls from clients about changing their wills, creating trusts or preparing health directives.”

Horton says it’s important to plan for the future, such as authorizing someone to pay your bills if you become disabled, or setting money aside for yourself or your dependants. “We talk with clients about their goals and educate them about how these legal documents work,” she says. “Once you have a plan in place, you can live your life without those clouds hanging over you.”

LITIGATION

While legal advice is in high demand, COVID-19 has pushed the pause button on many types of litigation. Jury trials are on hold due to social distancing requirements, but attorneys are using videoconferencing technology to present motions, conduct depositions and keep their cases moving forward.

Shutts’ Rodz says that the normal volume of business litigation slowed in March and early April, as South Florida judges moved to implement videoconferencing technology. Now, however, “The courts are getting up and running with protocols for virtual hearings,” she says.

Michael T. Moore, principal of Moore & Co., said the three attorneys in his firm worked through the weekend recently to address a conflict of legal matters before a three-judge panel in Seoul, Korea. “We continue to work on our cases and little has changed, except that trial schedules have been pushed into the future,” he says.

Moore, whose practice specializes in maritime cases, says COVID-19 poses a severe challenge to the cruise industry. “There will be lots of lawsuits and finger-pointing from the coronavirus pandemic,” he says.

Personal injury and medical malpractice case filings may, however, be slowing down, according to Scanziani. “Plaintiff’s firms that handle matters on a contingency basis have to weigh the costs and length of time until a potential recovery,” he says. “Right now, those timelines are delayed, making it difficult to invest in a case.”

FUTURE RECOVERY WORK

Robert Torricella, whose practice focuses on civil and commercial litigation as well as on business guidance, expects his firm’s caseload to increase in the months ahead. “Litigation work likely will experience a hiccup as courts and firms adjust to videoconferencing,” he says. “In time, we anticipate assisting clients in areas like bankruptcy and employment law, as well as in commercial litigation and dispute resolution. In fact, we have already received calls from clients with needs in those areas.”

Michael D. Katz, founding partner of Katz Barron Squitero Faust, says the COVID-19 slowdown is very different than the 2008-09 recession. “Our real estate activity remains very strong,” he says. The firm’s workload includes commercial mortgage matters, insurance issues, landlord-tenant agreements, residential sales, and construction litigation.

In addition, Katz is starting to see interest from clients looking to acquire properties in the downturn. “It’s a little early in the cycle to find distressed pricing now, but they are looking around,” he says. “In general, we are very positive about what we see in terms of deal flow. The real questions are the duration of the recession and the timing of the recovery.” ■

WFH – LEGAL STYLE

When Robert Torricella opened Torricella Law in 2014, he empowered employees to work at the office and remotely, as circumstances required. That’s made the recent transition to work from home relatively seamless, he says.

“Personally, there have been challenges to fully remote working,” he says. “I have two college-aged sons, one with high-functioning autism, and my wife is completing an advanced education program.”

Managing things at home while also working remotely on a full-time basis has been a balancing act, Torricella says. “Everyone is at home all of the time now and all of them are completing online coursework at different times. Finding a new type of work-life balance certainly has been a challenge. I’m hoping that learning to work through these issues personally will help the firm in fashioning updated remote-working practices.”

EPICUREAN TAKEOUT

FINE DINING IS STILL AVAILABLE IN THE GABLES. YOU JUST HAVE TO EAT IT AT HOME

BY ANDREW GAYLE

In these times of the virus, one of the great pleasures of Coral Gables – dining at a fine restaurant – has been taken away. Not that we haven’t gladly made the sacrifice. What is a good risotto, aged rib eye or chocolate soufflé compared to the safety of loved ones?

Having said that, there is only so much home cooking or fast food – even fast casual – that a person can take before crying out for something gourmet. “You can only have pizza so many nights,” says Caffe Abbracci owner Nino Pernetti. “Then you need something more.”

In that light we sampled the takeout from three of our top restaurants: Caffe Abbracci, Fleming’s Steakhouse and Pascal’s on Ponce. All three also offer delivery, but we opted for pickup. With so little to do in these days of quarantine, even going for a pickup drive is something of a pleasant outing.

CAFFE ABBRACCI

“WE HAVE REGULAR CUSTOMERS WHO DO NOT WANT TO EAT CANNED TUNA AT HOME. THEY WANT A NICE WARM MEAL.”

NINO PERNETTI, OWNER, CAFFE ABBRACCI

One thing that Nino Pernetti has mastered after 30 years of running one of Coral Gables’ most iconic restaurants is attention to detail. It is the smallest of details – remembering the name of a customer or placing flowers in the ladies’ room – that have won him a loyal clientele.

One of those details is using aluminum containers for takeout. What that means in these days of fear of contagion is that you can pop the food directly into the oven. A sustained temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit or more will kill any germs. Also, Italian food –pasta especially – is not ruined by reheating.

We ordered on a Saturday night, and the pickup was seamless. Manager Eduardo Gutierrez, wearing gloves and a mask, brought our bag to us from a line of similar bags on tables inside. Once home we heated everything in the oven, and the food was excellent. We ordered a salmon carpaccio, Caesar salad, lasagna Bolognese, angel hair pasta, branzino primavera, and the torta della nonna.

We ordered mostly pasta because we thought it would travel better, but it turns out the branzino was the star, a perfectly flaky white fish in a succulent white wine sauce. The angel hair pasta was also exceptional, with a robust tomato flavor. And the torta was a tasty delight, with just the right balance between tart lemon filling and sugar-powdered crust. And, in a nod to these hard times,

Abbracci is knocking 25 percent off their regular wine list – not a special list, but their best vino.

CAFFE ABBRACCI

318 ARAGON AVE.

305.441.0700

TAKEOUT ONLY: DAILY: 5 PM – 9 PM.

FLEMING’S PRIME STEAKHOUSE

“AT FIRST I DIDN’T THINK THERE WOULD BE MANY ORDERS, BECAUSE PEOPLE ARE USED TO BEING PAMPERED IN THE RESTAURANT. BUT IT’S KEEPING US BUSY.” ZORY MATA, MANAGER, FLEMING’S STEAKHOUSE

The secret to ordering from Fleming’s is to order your steaks rare. Then when you get them home, heat them in the oven at 425 degrees Fahrenheit and you’ll have the perfect pink inside. The rest of the dishes you’ll order – sides like chipotle cheddar mac & cheese or crispy Brussels sprouts with bacon – are equally amenable to reheating.

FLEMING’S PRIME STEAKHOUSE

CAFFE ABBRACCI

FINE DINING

What makes ordering from Fleming’s extra special during the pandemic are some of their deals – the best of which is $40 off any order of more than $100. If you combine that with their threecourse menu of steak plus lobster tail, you’re all set. For $60 you can get a 14 oz. angus ribeye, a lobster tail, a salad and a dessert. Order two and the price of $120 drops to $80.

While the menu is limited for takeout, they still offer seven cuts of steak, five sides, three salads and two desserts. We ordered their Tuesday tomahawk, rare, along with the mac & cheese, Brussels sprouts, wedge salad, Fleming’s salad, cheesecake and chocolate gooey butter cake. The winner – besides the awesome seared hawk? The cheesecake. Incredibly light and creamy and tasty.

Even though Fleming’s is part of a national chain, each Fleming’s is made “local” via an operating partner. In this case it is the conscientious Zory Mata, who is always on hand for customers. She’ll make sure the food is taken to your car – or safely handed off if you want to step inside for a moment, just to recall what it was like to be in a restaurant.

FLEMING’S PRIME STEAKHOUSE

2525 PONCE DE LEON BLVD.

305.569.7995

TAKEOUT ONLY: DAILY: NOON – 8 PM.

PASCAL’S ON PONCE

Like Pernetti’s Abbracci, Pascal Oudin’s French restaurant on Ponce has been holding court for more than two decades. In many ways, it is the epitome of the chef-driven restaurant. It is a refined, intimate space for diners keen on savoring the work of Oudin, a master French chef who obsesses over his culinary creations.

Our big question was whether Pascal’s delicate cuisine could survive the indignity of becoming takeout fare. The good news: It held up very well. Even the presentation survived, with each dish artfully laid out in a clear plastic container, as though it were a work of art in a jeweler’s case.

We ordered the heirloom tomato tatin and the young mesclun salad for starters, and the crispy duck confit and beef tenderloin with red wine for entrees. For dessert, just the key lime tart (though “just” is unfair, as it comes with raspberry sauce, baked meringue and fromage blanc mousse). All were amazing. We reheated nothing. French food does not demand to be eaten piping hot, and we didn’t want to bruise our entrees; the starters and dessert were meant to be served cold.

Like any good French cuisine, Pascal’s is a balance of exquisite flavors, and these came across admirably, either arrayed on the container (like the cubes of beet, pear and fourme d’Ambert cheese with the salad) or in tiny containers (like the reduced wine sauce with the beef). We lifted each dish from its containers with a spatula, so as to reprise the presentation on a plate, which we then savored at our leisure.

PASCAL’S ON PONCE

2611 PONCE DE LEON BLVD.

305.444.2024

TAKEOUT ONLY: MON-FRI: 11:30 AM – 2:30 PM.

MON-SAT: 6 PM – 10 PM.

PASCAL’S ON PONCE

“WE ONLY GET A FEW ORDERS ON A WEEKDAY, MORE ON THE WEEKENDS. BUT THAT’S OKAY. I AM HERE BY MYSELF, DOING ALL THE COOKING.” PASCAL OUDIN, OWNER-CHEF, PASCAL’S ON PONCE

May 2020

THE TOP RESTAURANTS IN CORAL GABLES

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, restaurants are closing their dining rooms to prevent spreading the illness. However, many are keeping their kitchens open and offering takeout, curbside pickup and delivery. Some even have special offers or free delivery through apps like Postmates, Uber Eats, GrubHub and DoorDash. The city is converting all centralized valet locations in the downtown to takeout and pickup zones, except for the valet stand on the 200 block of Miracle Mile. Parking lot 25 adjacent to Giralda Plaza, the 200 block of Andalusia Avenue near Chocolate Fashion and the 2400 block of Ponce de Leon Boulevard near Cheesecake Factory will also be designated pickup zones, where parking is free for 10 minutes. Here is a comprehensive list of restaurants that you can still enjoy – on your couch, of course.

$ ............ Under $25 $$ .......... $25-$40 $$$ ........ $35-$75

...... $70-$100+

AMERICAN Bachour

Takeout and delivery. 8 a.m. – 9 p.m. Mon. – Sat., 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Sun.

$ - $$

2020 Salzedo St. 305.203.0552

Cheesecake Factory

Takeout and delivery $$

2418 Ponce de Leon Blvd.

305.529.0703

Clutch Burger

Takeout and delivery $$

146 Giralda Ave. 305.400.8242

Doc B’s Restaurant + Bar

Takeout and delivery. 11 a.m. – 9 p.m.

$$

301 Miracle Mile 786.864.1220

Eating House

All-day menu available for takeout or delivery through Postmates. Noon – 9 p.m. on weekdays, 11:30 a.m. – 9 p.m. on weekends

804 Ponce de Leon Blvd.

305.448.6524

The Globe

Takeout and delivery $ - $$

377 Alhambra Circle 305.445.3555

Hillstone

Takeout. 11 a.m. – 9 p.m. Sun. – Thu., 11:30 a.m. – 9:30 p.m. Fri. and Sat. 201 Miracle Mile 305.529.0141 $$$

Seasons 52 Takeout $$

321 Miracle Mile 305.442.8552

Tap 42

Takeout or delivery through Postmates and Uber Eats from 11:30 a.m. – 10 p.m. $$ - $$$

301 Giralda Ave. 786.391.1566

Yard House Takeout. Delivery available through GrubHub. 11:30 a.m. – 9 p.m. $$

320 San Lorenzo Ave. 305.447.5687

ASIAN

Benihana

Takeout or delivery through Uber Eats, Grubhub and DoorDash. 10:30 a.m. – 9:30 p.m. $ - $$

242 Miracle Mile 305.567.2000

Canton Too

Takeout or delivery through Postmates, DoorDash, Chow Now and Seamless.

11 a.m. – 9 p.m. on weekdays, noon – 9 p.m. on weekends. $

2614 Ponce de Leon Blvd. 305.448.3736

Ichimi

Delivery $ - $$

2330 Salzedo St. 305.960.7016

Kao Sushi & Grill

Takeout and delivery. 11 a.m. – 9:30 p.m. Mon. & Tues., 11 a.m. – 10 p.m. Weds. – Sun. $$ 127 Miracle Mile 786.864.1212

Kae Sushi

Takeout or delivery. Free delivery within a certain distance. Delivery also available on Postmates, Uber Eats and Grubhub. 10:30 a.m. – 11 p.m. $ - $$ 143 Giralda Ave. 305.814.5872

Lotus Garden

Takeout or delivery through Postmates. Available for lunch from noon – 3 p.m. and dinner from 5 – 9 p.m. on weekdays. Dinner only on weekends available from 5 – 11 p.m. on Sat. and 5 – 9 p.m. on Sun. $ - $$ 318 Miracle Mile 305.446.2360

Malakor Thai Isaan

Takeout and delivery. 11:30 a.m. – 9 p.m. on weekdays, noon – 9 p.m. Sat., 4 – 9 p.m. Sun. $$ 90 Miracle Mile 786.558.4862

Moon Thai

Takeout or delivery through Uber Eats or Postmates $ - $$ 1118 S. Dixie Hwy. 305.668.9890

Ohho Noodles Market

Takeout and delivery $ 1100 S. Dixie Hwy. 305.663.5881

Sushi Maki

Takeout and delivery. 11 a.m. – 9 p.m. 2334 Ponce de Leon Blvd. 305.443.1884 $ - $$

FRENCH

Brasserie Central

Takeout or delivery through Uber Eats. 15 percent off all orders. Noon –9 p.m. Tues. – Sun. Closed Mondays $$ - $$$ 320 San Lorenzo Ave. #1205 786.536.9388

Chocolate Fashion

Takeout or delivery through Postmates, Uber Eats and GrubHub $ 248 Andalusia Ave. 305.461.320

Pascal’s on Ponce

Takeout and delivery. Open for lunch 11:30 a.m. – 2 p.m. Mon. – Fri. and dinner Mon. – Sat. 6 – 10 p.m. $$$ 2611 Ponce de Leon Blvd. 305.444.2024

ITALIAN

Amore Restaurant and Bar

Takeout and delivery $$ 94 Miracle Mile 305.200.3216

Bugatti

Takeout. Now offering their signature white lasagna every Wednesday. $$ 2504 Ponce de Leon Blvd. 305.441.2545

Caffe Abbracci

Takeout for dinner only (5 – 9 p.m.)

Through May 15, mention “Meals Up” when you place an order and they will donate 100 meals to Feeding America. 318 Aragon Ave. 305.441.0700 $$$

Fiola

Takeout and delivery. Delivery only available to the following zip codes: 33133, 33146, 33143, 33134, 33156, 33155 and 33173. 4:30 – 8 p.m. Tues. – Sun. 11:30 a.m. – 3 p.m. Sat. & Sun. Closed Monday. $$$$

1500 San Ignacio Ave. 305.912.2639

Fratellino

Takeout on Mon. – Fri. from 3 to 9 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 5 to 9 p.m. $$$

264 Miracle Mile 786.452.0068

Salumeria 104

Takeout or delivery through Uber Eats. Order online for 50 percent off all wine options. Pickup hours: Noon – 8:30 p.m. on Sun. – Thu., noon – 9 p.m. Fri & Sat. Delivery hours: 12:30 –7 p.m. Mon. – Fri. $ - $$

117 Miracle Mile 305.640.5547

Terre del Sapore

Takeout, delivery through Postmates and Uber Eats. 5 – 9:30 p.m. $

246 Giralda Ave. 786.870.5955

Zucca

Takeout and delivery. Free delivery and no extra fees. Pickup orders will be brought to your car curbside. Noon – 6 p.m. Mon. – Fri. $$$ - $$$$

162 Alcazar Ave. 786.580.3731

LATIN & SOUTH AMERICAN

Aromas del Peru

Takeout and delivery. $25 minimum on delivery orders. Free delivery. 10 percent off when your order off their website. 11 a.m. – 8 p.m. Sun. – Thu., 11 a.m. – 9 p.m. Fri. & Sat. $$

1930 Ponce de Leon Blvd. 305.476.5886

Caffe Vialetto

Takeout and delivery Fri. and Sat. for dinner. 5 – 9 p.m. $$$

4019 Le Jeune Rd. 305.446.5659

Caja Caliente

Takeout or delivery through Postmates and Uber Eats. Noon – 7 p.m. Tues. –Sun. Closed Monday. $ 808 Ponce de Leon Blvd. 786.431.1947

El Porteño

Takeout and delivery $$

271 Miracle Mile 786.534.8888

La Casita

Takeout and delivery. Takeout from noon – 6 p.m. Delivery from noon – 3 p.m. $ 3805 SW 8th St. 305.448.8224

Divino Ceviche

Takeout and delivery. 15 percent off all orders. $ - $$ 160 Giralda Ave. 786.360.3775

Graziano’s Group

Both the restaurant and the market are open. Delivery from 8 a.m. – 8 p.m. through Postmates, Grubhub, DoorDash and Uber Eats $ Restaurant: 394 Giralda Ave. 305.774.3599 Market: 2300 Galiano St. 305.460.0001

Havana Harry’s

Takeout and delivery. 10 a.m. – 9 p.m. $$ 4612 Le Jeune Rd. 305.661.2622

Patagonia Gastrobar

Takeout and delivery 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. Order delivery through Uber Eats or Postmates $ 244 Miracle Mile 305.640.8376

SEAFOOD

La Dorada

Takeout and delivery. 30 percent off all orders. $$$$ 177 Giralda Ave. 305.446.2002

Sea Grill

Takeout 12 – 8 p.m. 4250 Salzedo St. (Shops at Merrick Park) 305.447.3990

SPANISH

Bulla Gastrobar

Takeout 11 a.m. – 9 p.m. Tues.-Sun. Delivery for lunch 12 – 3 p.m. and dinner 4:30 – 9:30 p.m. $$ 2500 Ponce de Leon Blvd. 305.441.0107

La Taberna Giralda

Takeout and delivery. 10 percent off takeout orders. Open Thurs. – Sat. from noon – 7 p.m. $$ 254 Giralda Ave. 786.362.5677

Tapeo Eatery & Bar

Takeout and delivery $ 112 Giralda Ave. 786.452.9902

STEAK

Amigo Grill & Co.

Takeout and free delivery. Noon – 9 p.m. Mon. – Thu., noon – 10 p.m. Fri., 12:30 – 10 p.m. Sat., 12:30 – 9 p.m. Sun. $ - $$ 98 Miracle Mile 305.456.8125

Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse

Takeout and delivery. Noon – 8 p.m. $$$ - $$$ 2525 Ponce de Leon Blvd. 305.569.7995

Morton’s the Steakhouse

Takeout from noon – 8 p.m. $$$

2333 Ponce de Leon Blvd. 305.442.1662

Perry’s Steakhouse & Grille

Takeout. Mon. – Sat. 11 a.m. – 10 p.m. and Sun. 11 a.m. – 9 p.m. $$$$

4251 Salzedo St. (Shops at Merrick Park) 786.703.9094

Ruth’s Chris Steak House

Takeout and delivery for dinner only. 4 – 8:30 p.m. $$$$ 2320 Salzedo St. 205.461.8360

Shula’s 347 Grill

Takeout or delivery through Uber Eats and Postmates. Noon – 9 p.m. $$$

6915 Red Rd. 305.665.9661

PUBS, CAFES & MISC.

Crema

Takeout. Delivery available through Uber Eats and GrubHub. 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. 169 Miracle Mile 786.360.4026

Fritz & Franz Bierhaus

Takeout. Delivery available through DoorDash. $$ 60 Merrick Way 305.774.1883

DINING GUIDE

Madruga Bakery

Takeout. 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. Weds. – Sun.

$$ 1430 S. Dixie Hwy. 305.262.6130

Maroosh Mediterranean Restaurant

Takeout. Delivery available through Postmates, Uber Eats, GrubHub and DoorDash. $ - $$

223 Valencia Ave. 305.476.9800

Ortanique on the Mile

Takeout and delivery Tues. – Sat. $$

278 Miracle Mile 305.446.7710

Pinch Me Gastrobar & Market

Takeout or delivery through Uber Eats $ - $$

216 Palermo Ave. 786.801.1074

PINCHO

Order takeout online or on their app. Order delivery through Uber Eats. 50 percent off for hospital workers and first responders. $ 30 Giralda Ave. 305.446.5666

Someone’s Son

Takeout and delivery $ - $$ 800 Douglas Rd. Suite 145 786.334.6374

Sports Grill

Takeout and delivery. Order online, on their app or through Postmates, Uber

Eats and DoorDash. Noon – 8:30 p.m. $ 1559 Sunset Dr. 305.668.0396

Threefold Café

Takeout and delivery. Shop the “Threefold Market” for groceries and local produce. $$ 141 Giralda Ave. 305.704.8007

CASUAL & TAKEOUT DINING

Bagel Emporium

Open daily from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. for takeout and delivery. Call ahead to place orders. $

1238 S. Dixie Hwy. 305.666.9519

Banana Berry

Takeout and delivery Monday to Friday from 7 a.m. – 3 p.m. and Saturday from 8 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. Lunch special of a wrap and a smoothie for $9.99 from 11:30 a.m. – 3 p.m. $ 305 Alcazar Ave. 305.403.6660

Carrot Express

Takeout and free delivery. 11 a.m. – 9 p.m. $

259 Miracle Mile 786.471.4985

Chicken Kitchen

Takeout or delivery through Postmates, Uber Eats and DoorDash. 11 a.m. – 10 p.m. on Mon. – Sat., 11 a.m. – 9:30 p.m. Sun. $

111 Miracle Mile 305.442.7555

Denny’s

Takeout and delivery $

1 Miracle Mile 305.445.2300

Five Guys

Takeout and delivery. Delivery fees waived when order places on Five Guys app or website. $15 minimum. 11 a.m. – 10 p.m. $ 1540 S. Dixie Hwy. 305.740.5972

Giardino Gourmet Salads

Takeout and delivery through their app or website. 11 a.m. – 6 p.m. $ 2346 Ponce de Leon Blvd. 305.460.6010

Green Gables Café

Takeout and delivery Monday – Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.$ 327 Alhambra Circle 305.445.7015

P.Pole Pizza

Download the P.Pole Pizza app to order takeout and delivery. Get a free bottle of Prosecco with the purchase of five pizzas every Friday. 11 a.m. – 11 p.m. $ 279 Miracle Mile 786.618.5287

Pummarola

Takeout and delivery. Get 20 percent off online orders with code 20OFF. 11 a.m. – 10:30 p.m. $ 141 Aragon Ave. 786.409.6866

Rice Mediterranean Kitchen

Order ahead online or through their

app for pickup for delivery. 11 a.m. – 9 p.m. $

164 Giralda Ave. 305.200.5282

Rodilla

Takeout or delivery through GrubHub, Postmates and Uber Eats. $ 135 Miracle Mile 786.656.7673

Shake Shack

Takeout and delivery. 11 a.m. – 10 p.m. $

1450 S. Dixie Hwy. 786.470.3701

DESSERT

Morelia Gourmet Paletas

Free delivery. Get a free Belgian chocolate paleta with any order above $15 through Uber Eats. Noon – 11 p.m. Sun – Thu., Noon – midnight Fri. & Sat. $

76 Miracle Mile 305.456.1306

Whip ’N’ Dip

Takeout and delivery. Noon – 10 p.m. Sun. – Thu., Noon – 11 p.m. Fri. & Sat. $

1407 Sunset Dr. 305.665.2565

Gables Street Style

Prepped for a Pandemic: Pictured is Coral Gables Mayor Raúl Valdés-Fauli, who we captured in front of City Hall, wisely sporting the style of the day – a face mask to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Photography by Emily Fakhoury.

Caring for you is our priority.