The State of Florida has a service that alerts elders and their families or caregivers about scams, fraud trends and financial exploitation risks.      Called Operation Senior Shield, the program launched late last year also provides tools to become informed and secure, the state said.      “When a senior is targeted or exploited, it doesn’t just affect their bank account - it...

    Councilman Ray Garcia has filed to run for reelection on Nov. 3.      He is seeking a second term on the council after he first won office in 2022.       Garcia, 53, works for Chen Medical Centers in the membership growth department.      He volunteered with the town’s Blasting Advisory Board before he sought public office.       “I...

    When a car ended up in the C-8 Extension Canal along Loch Ness Drive, Miami Lakes resident Steven Monroy dove in to help the driver who was alive when she was pulled from her SUV to shore.       That was two years ago.          On Feb. 19, Monroy was at the same embankment with the Miami Lakes Neighborhood Improvement Committee, Mayor Josh Dieguez and council members Steven...

     More than 100 cyclists gathered at Miami Lakes Town Hall on a clear Saturday night for the 5th Miami Lakes Culinary Bike Tour.       Sergio’s Cuban American Kitchen treated them to empanadas (savory turnovers) and croquetas (meat-filled fried appetizers).       As Top 40 tunes played and friends snapped photos and cheered, bicyclists took off through blasts of...

 The South Florida Regional Planning Council elected Miami-Dade County Commissioner Sen. René García as chair during its meeting on Jan. 26.      “As chair, I appreciate the leadership and steady guidance provided by immediate past Chair Michelle Lincoln,” García said in a news release. “I look forward to building on that foundation as we work to ensure South Florida remains a thriving, sustainable...