Say hi to Sofi! She’s an 18-month-old toy Poodle who lives with Lucy Acosta on the west side of Miami Lakes.      Sofi loves her twice-daily long walks to Jakey Duque Park or to Barbara Goleman Senior High School, Acosta said.       Sofi was a Mother’s Day gift from Acosta’s son, Raymond Acosta, during quarantine in 2020.      “I was having some...

      Nancy Aguirre-Fernandez, sales manager for Fairway Independent Mortage Corporation’s office in Miami Lakes, is in good company: She was voted among the Top 1 percent of mortgage originators in the country for 2020 by Mortgage Executive Magazine.      The local office for the national firm that is based in Wisconsin is at 8100 Oak Lane, in the Andrew Jackson building on the Governors Square...

 The South Florida Autism Charter School celebrated the grand opening of its five-acre campus and facility with a ribbon cutting ceremony on Sept. 17.      The school, at 3751 W 108th St. in Hialeah, says it is the first charter school in Miami-Dade and Broward Counties dedicated to children who are on the Autism spectrum.  The campus has 200 students enrolled in kindergarten - 12th...

     BankUnited, N.A. announced on Sept. 13 that it hired Brian Morris to lead its health care banking team.       As a senior vice president, Morris will be based at BankUnited’s corporate headquarters, at 14817 Oak Lane in Miami Lakes.       Morris has 30 years’ experience in banking and will lead BankUnited’s financing deals with private equity and corporate...

     Brian Rodriguez, 23, chairs the Town of Miami Lakes Youth Activities Task Force.      A pharmacy technician at a Walgreens drug store, Rodriguez said he earned a bachelor’s degree in public relations from Florida International University.      He is a son of former Miami Lakes Vice Mayor Nelson Rodriguez. Q: Where are you from and what is your background? A: I was born Miami...