Okay, so you don’t really think of country music when you think of Miami. We are more well known for the house and trans music played by DJs at our great clubs or at Ultra and the Winter Music Festival. However, if you are a country music fan or just want to try a different scene, head to the Round Up Country and Western Bar in Davie. They have a large dance floor and their stage gets the live performers literally in with the crowd.
If you did not wait in line for early voting or request an absentee ballot, make sure you take the time to vote today. My daughter was so excited to be able to vote for her first time, I hope all registered voters feel the same!
For fun, inexpensive ways to spend time outdoors with the kids, head to the Village of Pinecrest schools for their carnivals.
Pinecrest Elementary’s Wild West Fest is this Saturday. Howard Dr. Elementary is also having theirs this Saturday from 10:00-4:00.
Palmetto Elementary has their Jungle Jamz on Saturday, November 17 from 11-4.
Many voters in Miami-Dade County are voting by absentee ballot due to the long (9+ pages!) ballot and resulting long waits at the polls. If you want to track your absentee ballot, go to http://www.miamidade.gov/elections/regist-status.asp.
In case you think that the investment in Miami is starting to ebb, there is an article in today’s Business Monday about Fort Capital Management, a private equity firm, buying up prime South Florida real estate. Their most recent purchase it the Surf Club in Surfside.
Miami-Dade’s strong rebound in the tourism industry is driving up sales of hotels and fueling construction.
1. Movie screening of “Last of the Haussmans” at Coral Gables Art Cinema [youtube width=”425″ height=”344″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGM-1bh-HN0&feature=youtu.be[/youtube]
2. Early voting starts Saturday. The ballot is long, so know how you are going to vote on everything before you go so you don’t add to long lines. Pack your patience!
3. Deering Estate’s Wine On Harvest Moon is Saturday night.
4. South Florida’s Jazz Orchestra’s, Great American Songbook is at Pinecrest Gardens on Saturday night
5. Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show is going on Friday-Monday. Fireworks and flyover scheduled for Sunday.
6. Gables Bike Day is on Sunday from 10 a.m to 4 p.m
I attended a very informative windstorm insurance session at the Miami Realtors Association this afternoon. The presentation by Lee Gorodetsky, The Home Insurance Guru and President of L & S Insurance, was my third insurance update of the year because that is how much of a moving target Florida insurance has become.
So why is property insurance a more important issue than taxes in South Florida? It is not because hurricane Sandy is churning off the coast of our neighbors in the Bahamas. It is because we only have a sales tax and property tax, no state income tax and Citizens, what has been the major insurer in Florida, is so grossly overexposed that it is changing all of the rules to minimize it’s exposure if The Big One hits.
In Miami, property insurance prices for a primary or secondary home range from 1-3% of the replacement cost of the home, calculated by multiplying the living area square footage by $135 for an average standard home. Luxury homes would use a higher dollar amount. The 1% is for homes built after 2006 that receive all of the current wind mitigation credits. Most homes are closer to the 3% range. Property insurance runs at about 2% of the purchase price and as long as you have homestead exemptions, it cannot go up more than 3% or CPI per year, whichever is lower.
The rates on Citizens insurance are expected to increase dramatically next year to raise money to try to close the gap they have between their reserves and their risk exposure. They will also be dropping an estimated 300,000 policies, mostly in south Florida.
There are three amendments relating to property taxes on this November’s ballot and not one amendment addressing insurance.
Related Post: Hurricane Insurance: Will It Be The Next Shoe To Drop In The Recovering Real Estate Market
The Mournings sold their home in Coral Gables and downsized to the Village of Pinecrest. The Mournings join several distinguished residents who call Pinecrest home.
Last week I wrote a blog about how a short sale can affect your credit. Today I heard some interesting information from Chris Colston, with Second Chance Credit, that I would like to share.
If you would like help to get your credit back on track, contact Chris.