Six new restaurants and a rebuilt Miracle Mile

The fight over an off-leash dog park at 520 University Drive, across from the Coral Gables Library, moved forward this month without ending. A Miami-Dade circuit judge denied neighbors' request for an emergency injunction after a hearing that ran roughly six hours, and hours later the City Commission voted 3-2 to approve the zoning change letting the parcel be used as a public park in addition to overflow parking. Mayor Vince Lago, Vice Mayor Rhonda Anderson and Commissioner Richard Lara voted yes; Melissa Castro and Ariel Fernandez voted no. The lawsuit brought by the University Green Neighbors Association is still live — City Attorney Cristina Suarez told commissioners there has been no final determination. Separately, a resident's proposal to relocate the park to the Youth Center's west parking lot along Segovia Street is now with city staff for review at Anderson's request. An attorney for opponents told the commission the city acknowledged in court that no funding or donors are in place. (Coral Gables Gazette)

If you use the city's 25 percent resident parking discount, the end date moved up. Commissioners voted 5-0 this month to tie the pilot's expiration to the month before the city breaks ground on the downtown Mobility Hub, rather than extending it to January 2027 as originally proposed. Based on the timeline described at the meeting, the discount should hold through at least September. Anderson pushed the change so the closure of Garage 1 would not distort the numbers the city is using to decide whether to make the discount permanent. Garage 1 holds 284 spaces; the city plans a 130-space lot on a green area near the Davidson property just north of Seasons 52, which leaves roughly 150 spaces unresolved at peak times. About 2,130 residents are registered in the program, against roughly $25,000 in waived parking revenue over about 14 months. (Coral Gables Gazette)

Coral Gables voters will decide four charter amendments on Nov. 3, all sent to the ballot on unanimous votes this month. One would let the mayor serve four-year terms beginning with the 2028 election, matching commissioners' terms and leaving the separate eight-year consecutive-service limit intact. Another would require 60 percent voter approval before the city could sell parks, golf courses or the War Memorial Youth Center — a threshold raised from a simple majority by an amendment made on the dais during the meeting. A third would lift the dollar threshold for formal competitive bidding on public-works projects from $25,000 to $300,000. The fourth would require candidates for mayor and commission to have lived in the city continuously for at least a year before qualifying closes. Several commissioners said they voted to put the questions to voters while opposing the underlying changes. (Coral Gables Gazette)

The proposed city budget for fiscal 2027 totals $318.44 million and holds the operating property tax rate at 5.559 mills for a twelfth consecutive year. It adds a single full-time position, bringing the city workforce to 956, and carries roughly $51.7 million in capital improvements plus about $10.6 million in debt service. The variable hanging over it is the statewide homestead-exemption amendment on the same November ballot. The deputy finance director put the first-year revenue loss at about $5.7 million and the following year at roughly $11.4 million, though figures cited during the workshop did not line up cleanly among staff and the mayor. Lago proposed a blue-ribbon committee to identify spending reductions before any revenue decline arrives. Two public hearings in September finalize the plan. (Coral Gables Gazette)

South Florida Symphony Orchestra closes its Summer with the Symphony chamber series in Coral Gables tonight, Thursday, July 23, at 7:30 p.m. at Sanctuary of the Arts, 410 Andalusia Ave. The program pairs Dohnanyi's Serenade for String Trio with Dvorak's Piano Quartet No. 2, performed by Huifang Chen on violin, Brando Wu on viola, Claudio Jaffe on cello and Catherine Lan on piano, followed by a reception with the musicians. General admission is $40 and student tickets are $20. The city lists a 50 percent resident discount with the code GABLES, which does not apply to the three-concert package. Tickets are available by phone at 954-522-8445. (South Florida Symphony Orchestra)

Coral Gables Art Cinema, 260 Aragon Ave., screens Letters from Baghdad on Friday, July 31 at 6 p.m. for the documentary's tenth anniversary. The Sunday, Aug. 2 showing at 2:15 p.m. adds a post-film Q&A with directors Sabine Krayenbuhl and Zeva Oelbaum. The film follows Gertrude Bell, the British archaeologist and political operator who helped draw the modern Middle East after World War I, using archival footage of the region shot a century ago. Further out, the cinema's Musicals for Members series shows Rhapsody in Blue on Tuesday, Sept. 15 at 7:30 p.m. — a single showtime, free for members. (Coral Gables Art Cinema)

Bondi Sushi is headed to the Shops at Merrick Park at 358 San Lorenzo Ave., moving into the space that was Brasserie Central, across from Yard House. The New York-founded chain, which already operates several South Florida locations, lists the Coral Gables restaurant as coming soon on its own site and has not announced an opening date. When it does open, it is expected to serve lunch, dinner and takeout. (What Now Miami)

James T. Barker Park at 1047 Venetia Ave. and McBride Plaza are both closed through Aug. 28 while the city replaces sod. If either is part of a regular walking route or a spot you take kids to, plan around them into late August. (City of Coral Gables)