The Conference Board's Consumer Confidence Index rose 7.5 points to 91.7 in October, returning to roughly its June level as gasoline prices fell. Consumers still expect 5.8% inflation over the next year and plan less spending on services and durable goods, though their six-month economic outlook grew less pessimistic.
More than 332,000 Miami-Dade ballots had been cast by Oct. 27 — about 25% of registered voters — as early voting enters its last days before the Nov. 3 general election. South Dade voters face federal, state and local races, with municipal elections in Cutler Bay and Palmetto Bay. Early voting runs through Sunday, Nov. 1, at 28 sites.
Homestead teen Isabella Triguero, diagnosed at age 6 with a rare brain tumor, has founded We Are the Fight, a new nonprofit supporting children with pediatric cancer and brain tumors through care packages, special outings and hospital parties. The South Dade Senior High student will take part in Give Miami Day on Nov. 19.
A $75,000 Amazon investment in Miami Dade College's Eig-Watson School of Aviation will fund scholarships for aviation students at the Homestead Campus. Campus President Dr. Beverly Moore-Garcia discussed drone training, a new dual-enrollment cohort with local high schools and the push to prepare South Dade students for aviation and aerospace careers.
Homestead is weighing a rezoning and land-use change for a 2.69-acre parcel north of Southeast 8th Street requested by Elite Construction and Development, along with zoning code changes to parking area and wall height standards. The items appear on the Oct. 28 Planning Commission agenda and have not received final approval.
The Homestead Council is discussing support for expanding the Homestead 50 Community Development District to include the 54-home Portobello Estates project, a new Redland Assemblage CDD of about 62 acres requested by Lennar Homes, and an architectural controls change for a warehouse site in the Homestead Park of Commerce.
Success Academy Charter Schools will open Success Academy Homestead Elementary School for 2027–2028 on the Homestead Senior High campus, starting with kindergarten and first grade. The tuition-free charter plans to provide supplies, iPads and after-school programs at no cost. Applications are open, with a lottery set for Jan. 12, 2027.
MUJER, Inc. founder Susan J. Rubio Rivera received the City National Bank UM Hometown Hero Award at halftime of Miami's Oct. 17 game against Florida State. A third-generation migrant farmworker, she founded MUJER in 1994 to serve survivors of domestic and sexual violence and has earned national recognition for her advocacy.
Eliminating town-supported recreation programs, reducing landscape maintenance and trimming administrative expenses were among the possibilities discussed during Cutler Bay’s Oct. 8 budget workshop.
Homestead could soon have a new Catholic church building. Plans are moving forward for a new Sacred Heart Catholic Church facility along South Homestead Boulevard.
As South Dade continues to grow, conversations about education are becoming increasingly important to the community's future.
Five decades of dedication to fellow veterans and the community were celebrated recently as Arrant-Smith Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 4127 recognized Fidiberto Soto for reaching an extraordinary milestone: 50 years of VFW membership.
Palmetto Bay has a new pedestrian bridge. Miami-Dade County leaders recently celebrated the opening of the Snowden Pedestrian Bridge.
Ice skating is coming to Homestead. As part of Winter Wonderland, there will be a full outdoor rink in Homestead from November 21 to January 10 at Losner Park.
President Donald Trump said at a campaign rally in Kansas Monday evening the U.S. Department of Agriculture will soon begin a “harvest fuel relief program" that will provide farmers with $8 billion to offset record-high diesel costs.
On October 14, NASCAR and Homestead-Miami Speedway announced a partnership with world-renowned artist and founder of the Happy Art Movement, Romero Britto.
Ocean Aviation has broken ground on a $67 million private aviation campus on 40 acres at Miami Executive Airport, with up to 400,000 square feet of hangar space, a premium terminal and a fuel farm.
The Homestead City Council directed the city manager to negotiate a full contract with VSGS Facilities for about $8.9 million in privately funded improvements to Harris Field Park.
Zoo Miami welcomed a female Addra gazelle calf on Aug. 26, the 87th of the critically endangered species born in the zoo’s history.
Zoo Miami announced the birth of an Aruba Island rattlesnake on Aug. 1, the first successful birth of the critically endangered species in the zoo’s history.
Arts Access Miami is bringing its Youth Music Festival back to Harris Field Park on March 13, and applications for performers, vendors and partners are open through December 10, 2026.
The College of the Florida Keys will host its first Affordability Week October 19–23 with free workshops, FAFSA help and financial aid appointments for Monroe County residents.
A UF/IFAS study found unexpectedly high numbers of Aedes aegypti, a primary dengue-carrying mosquito, in residential yards in Indian River County.
Infrastructure, expanded recreation and an emerging aerospace industry were central themes of Mayor Steven Losner’s 2026 State of the City address Sept. 29 at Homestead City Hall.
Residents, officers and community groups gathered at Losner Park Oct. 1 for the Homestead Police Department’s National Night Out, which also marked the final public demonstration of retiring K9 Ace.
The Homestead City Council approved holiday decoration funding, a faster abandoned-vehicle enforcement timeline and a law enforcement information-sharing agreement at its Oct. 6 meeting.
Homestead Senior High School students are building construction skills, exploring cosmetology careers and preparing for theater performances through hands-on programs.
Lasaly Changkachith, a candidate for Palmetto Bay Council Seat 3 in the Nov. 3, 2026 election, answers the South Dade News Leader’s candidate questionnaire.
Rita M. Baez, a candidate for 11th Judicial Circuit, Group 69 in the Nov. 3, 2026 runoff, answers the South Dade News Leader’s candidate questionnaire.
Tana Llinas, a candidate for Palmetto Bay Council Seat 1 in the Nov. 3, 2026 election, answers the South Dade News Leader’s candidate questionnaire.
Miami-Dade County will raise the standard Metrobus and Metrorail fare from $2.25 to $2.75 in January 2027, preserving service on 13 routes that had been cut in the budget process.
Students planning to attend the College of the Florida Keys this spring have until Nov. 1 to apply for scholarships through the CFK Foundation.
As Miami Southridge Senior High celebrates its 50th anniversary, former assistant principal Walter Hall returns as principal, succeeding Humberto J. Miret and pledging to build on the foundation he leaves behind.
The South Florida Youth Symphony will open its 62nd season with a free Veterans Day/America 250 Salute concert Nov. 11 at 5 p.m. at the Seminole Theatre in Downtown Homestead.
U.S. Rep. Carlos Gimenez presented Mayor Steven Losner with a Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition at Homestead’s State of the City address Sept. 29; full coverage follows next week.
Nearly a month after the Florida City Commission voted 3-2 to terminate City Manager Dr. James Poag, public records and discussion have added context while several matters remain under review.
The Homestead City Council approved a Seminole Theatre management agreement with Pinnacle Venue Services, a $140,982 Harris Field roof replacement and a $728,000 Children’s Trust grant for family support services.
Mary Ann Mixon, a candidate for Cutler Bay Council Seat 1 in the Nov. 3, 2026 election, answers the South Dade News Leader’s candidate questionnaire.
David Singer, a candidate for Palmetto Bay Mayor in the Nov. 3, 2026 election, answers the South Dade News Leader’s candidate questionnaire.
Carl Crawford, a candidate for Palmetto Bay Council Seat 3 in the Nov. 3, 2026 election, answers the South Dade News Leader’s candidate questionnaire.
Zoo Miami announced the birth of a southern hairy-nosed wombat, the first successful birth of the species in the zoo’s history.
A Caribbean flamingo chick named “Florida” hatched at Zoo Miami on June 6 and is being cared for by the zoo’s Animal Science staff.
Founded Sept. 26, 1914, the Woman’s Club of Homestead enters its 112th year, with a history that runs from Royal Palm State Park to the city’s first library.
Miami-Dade commissioners adopted the 2026-27 budget, holding the operating property tax rate flat while restoring early-morning bus service and adding funds for public safety.
The Kiwanis Club of Homestead-South Dade will host a free Community Social with a board installation and silent auction at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 7, at Portofino Coal Fired Pizza.
Homestead Senior High graduate Alexandre Contreras is developing VetTrackEDU to connect veterinary assisting students with local clinics, starting with a pilot at his alma mater.
Founded by Tiffany Yearty, South Miami-Dade nonprofit Birthday Boxes for Good provides birthday kits, gifts and celebration supplies for children whose families are facing financial hardship.
The U.S. and partner governments across the hemisphere have signed a memorandum forming the “Shield of the Americas” coalition to target 24 cartels and transnational criminal organizations.
PortMiami welcomed its 10 millionth cruise passenger on Sept. 14, surpassing its previous fiscal-year record of 8,564,225 with the fiscal year not yet over.
Naranja Grand, a $115 million, 320-unit affordable housing community along SW 147th Avenue, formally opened Sept. 14 where an abandoned trailer park once stood. About 120 apartments serve seniors 55 and older and roughly 200 serve families.
Homestead’s VFW Post 4127 and its Auxiliary held their 20th annual Freedom Walk on Sept. 12, with a memorial ceremony, remarks from state and local officials, and the posting of flags honoring local service members killed on active duty since Sept. 11, 2001. A Post official estimated nearly 750 people took part.
