Miami Lakes is a vibrant community with lots of news. Here are some of the big stories from 2023. Taxes       The town council set a historic property tax by choosing the rollback rate of $2.07 per $1,000 of a property’s taxable value.  The rate is among the lowest in Miami-Dade County and will generate the same tax revenue as in 2022-2023. Concerns that an austerity budget could mean no...

Miami Lakers who have been missing the Latin American Grill since a fire forced its closing more than a year ago can look forward to returning to their favorite spot early next year. Majority owner Reny Gonzalez showed off his more than $1.3 million restoration of the destination restaurant in the Park Centre Shops on Dec. 12. He hopes to open in a month or so. “We haven’t held back,” Gonzalez said about changes to...

Cypress Village Shopping Center BurgerFi 7431 Miami Lakes Drive.  786-322-6270. Dine in, take-out. www.burgerfi.com CRUZEIRO Brazilian Steakhouse 7419 Miami Lakes Dr. 305-363-5247 Indoor/outdoor dining, take-out, Uber Eats. Order from cruzeirosteakhouse.net. DiCED 7425 Miami Lakes Drive  305-961-1032 Dicedfood.com, indoor dining; take-out; Uber Eats; Postmates; DoorDash....

    When Fred Senra was a 14-year-old growing up in Cuba, he and his friends considered themselves to be counterrevolutionaries and had some guns.      “We had a fantasy to take out Castro,” said Celita Cabrera, who has known Senra since high school. “Our parents knew better and took us to the U.S.”       Senra, 77, was the first friend Cabrera saw when she arrived in...

As a hush fell over a darkened Main Street, Santa flicked a giant switch and dazzled the crowd with hundreds of brilliantly colored lights that adorned the trees and facades of stores and apartment buildings.       This year on Nov. 18, thousands of revelers enjoyed the Festival of Lights display along several blocks in downtown Miami Lakes during the event that has delighted families for 38 years.    ...