HistoryYou won’t find a certain mythical monster in the lake that is surrounded by homes in the Loch Ness community of Miami Lakes. But when the neighborhood was built in 1972, original homeowners spotted a creature in the water that turned out to be an alligator.The family that founded The Graham Companies is of Scottish heritage and many communities in town are named after places from that country, including this one.The Loch Ness community...

A week before the county-wide primary election, three Miami Lakes councilmembers joined mayoral candidate andMiami-Dade Commissioner Esteban Bovo, Jr. to announce their support.Bovo was joined Monday by Miami Lakes Mayor Manny Cid, Vice Mayor Nelson Rodriguez and Councilman Carlos Alvarez outside the Mary Collins Community Center, where early voting for the primary was underway.The three Miami Lake councilmembers said they had cast their...

Popular Bank has been a presence in Miami Lakes for more than 15 years. A new regional headquarters planned for the center of town will represent its on-going prosperity.     Popular Bank is a tenant of The Kislak Organization in its building at 7900 Northwest 154th St., and Kislak will build the bank’s new five-story home that will rise next door.     It may be occupied in 2022.     Thomas Bartelmo, president and chief executive officer of...

The millage rate for Miami Lakes homeowners is expected to remain flat in the next fiscal year that begins Oct. 1. The town council decided July 14 to tentatively cap the existing rate of $2.3127 per $1,000 of assessed residential property values. If kept, the rate would generate $8 million in revenues for the town’s proposed $17.65 million general fund budget. A property owner with a home valued at $450,000, less homestead...

Miami Lakes Councilwoman Marilyn Ruano has qualified to run for reelection in November.     Her opponent is political newcomer Raymond Garcia, who filed in May to run for Seat 3.     Garcia, 48, believed then that Ruano was going to run for mayor and decided to seek the council seat.     Instead, the two will face off for the unsalaried, four-year job.     Garcia is an insurance manager and volunteer with the Miami Lakes Neighborhood...