BankUnited has promoted Raul Llanes to head of institutional and specialty real estate.Llanes, 35, (shown above) lives in Weston.He led the bank’s expansion of its newly launched real estate investment trust lending platform and other institutional, commercial real estate business lines.Llanes was previously head of commercial real estate credit products and a south region managing senior credit officer.He will report to Benjamin Stacks,...

Staff at Barbara Goleman Senior High School fed children from the school and neighborhood on March 17, when kids were working online from home because of the coronavirus. Diana Perez, Sarahi Vasquez and Nercy Fernandez, left to right in photo above, greeted kids outside the school at 14100 NW 89th Ave. in Miami Lakes. Meals included a bagel with cream cheese; chicken patty, rice and plantains. The day before, the team said they had given out...

The Girl Scouts of Tropical Florida recently hosted the 6th annual “Cast Iron Chef” competition, when Girl Scouts create and prepare a recipe using outdoor cooking methods. A panel of celebrity chefs awarded the “Golden Spoon” to Junior Girl Scouts from Troop 739. Their secret ingredient, butternut squash, was in butternut donuts with glaze they cooked in a Dutch oven, according to the Girl Scouts of Tropical Florida. In photo above, front...

For her volunteer work for more than two years on behalf of the poor and homeless, Sofia Inguanzo has won two awards: The Prudential 2020 Spirit of Community Awards certificate of excellence, which describes her as one of the top student volunteers in Florida, and The President’s Volunteer Service Award, which came with a letter from President Donald Trump. Sophia, of Miami Lakes, attends Archbishop McCarthy High School in Southwest...

Sofia Resino’s business – handmade hairbands and bows, decorative accessories for the home and jewelry – are sold on her website and Instagram page called Spray on the Glitter. But as the coronavirus outbreak grew, Resino, 25, put aside her pixie dust for a more serious project: making face masks. “Being able to make something so important for those who need it during this difficult time makes me feel proud,” Resino said. She grew...