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📅 Homestead Area Events🏛️🤖💵💪🎭

🏛️ Homestead’s final FY2027 budget hearing arrives Wednesday

🤖 New Florida rules give families more control over classroom AI

💵 Florida’s minimum wage reaches $15 on September 30

💪 Miss Debbie’s Sweet Delights brings Caribbean fruit to key lime pie

🎭 Navy Wells protects a rare pine-rockland landscape near Homestead

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September 20

GOT AN EVENT YOU WANT US TO PROMOTE?

Homestead residents get one last chance Wednesday to see how the city plans to spend roughly $363 million in FY2027. The proposal includes a $94.6 million general fund and nearly $43.8 million for police, giving taxpayers a clear look at where major local priorities sit. This is the final scheduled hearing before adoption, so questions about services, public safety, or spending are best raised now. Read the proposed numbers before the meeting and note the areas that affect your household or neighborhood most. If you cannot attend, follow the council action afterward so you know what was approved and what it may mean for the year ahead.

📅 Date: Wednesday, September 23, 2026
⏰ Time: 5:01-5:15 p.m.
📍 Location: City Hall Council Chambers, 100 Civic Court, Homestead

South Dade families now have a clearer say over how approved AI tools are used in public-school classrooms. Schools must notify families when students are assigned those tools and provide a way to opt out. Students who opt out must receive comparable work that does not require AI. The rules also prohibit unapproved AI use on graded assignments and call for extra supervision for younger students. Watch for district and school notices so you understand the choices available and can ask how the policy will work in your child's classes.

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Workers covered by Florida's minimum-wage law will see the hourly rate rise from $14 to $15. Tipped employees' direct cash wage will increase from $10.98 to $11.98 before tips. That extra dollar amounts to $40 before taxes in a 40-hour week, so it is worth checking the first paycheck that includes the change. Employees should confirm their rate and speak up quickly if the update is missing. Local employers should adjust payroll and post the required workplace notice before the new rate takes effect.

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Palmetto Bay residents can help recognize an education leader whose work deserves a wider spotlight. The village is accepting nominations for the Greg Zawyer Principal of the Year Award and the Rosemary Fuller Award. A strong nomination should explain what the principal or education advocate did and how it helped local students, families, or schools. This is an easy way to draw attention to meaningful work that often happens quietly. Submit a specific example before the deadline so a deserving local leader has a chance to be honored.

📅 Deadline: Wednesday, September 23, 2026
📍 Location: Palmetto Bay

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Hidden Gem

Navy Wells Pineland Perserve protects one of the largest contiguous pieces of globally imperiled pine rockland outside Everglades National Park. Conservation sources report hundreds of plant species and habitat for rare butterflies, birds and other wildlife. It is free, but the “hidden” part is literal: Fairchild notes that the preserve lacks facilities, staff, ADA trails and dedicated parking. Treat it as a daylight natural-area visit for prepared walkers, carry water and an offline map, stay on durable routes, and postpone during storms or when access is unclear.

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For an all-day family meal, Mario’s is a useful Homestead standby with Cuban breakfast, sandwiches, oxtail stew, whole fried snapper and familiar sides such as black beans, rice, yuca and plantains. The restaurant moved into a refreshed space on North Homestead Boulevard and now takes online orders and reservations. Best for a mixed group that wants anything from café con leche and toast to a full dinner; check the live menu because prices and availability can change.

Mario’s Cuban Restuarant
📍 Location: 1020 N Homestead Blvd, Homestead, FL 33033
⏰ Hours: Mon-Thur. 6am-11pm & F-Sat open til 12am
Website: https://marioshomestead.com/

BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT

Miss Debbie’s is a distinctly South Dade stop: a neighborhood bakery built around key lime pie flavors such as mango, guava, tamarind, coconut and passion fruit. Founder Debbie Allen brought her Caribbean background and decades of nursing experience into a small business that now gives locals a ready-made host gift, celebration dessert or “I finally stopped instead of driving past” treat. The bakery lists its current home at 1485 NE First Ave.; confirm live hours or ordering details before making a special trip.

Miss Debbie’s Sweet Delights
📍 Location: 1485 NE 1st Ave, Florida City, FL 33034
⏰ Hours: Mon-Sat 10-6pm ET
📧 Email: [email protected]
🅾 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/msdebbiesweetdelights/

Homestead Local Scoop is looking for local businesses with a story worth sharing.

Tell us what you offer, what makes your business different, and why local residents should know about you. The guided online interview takes about five minutes, can be completed from your phone, and does not require a scheduled call.

Selected businesses may be featured in an upcoming issue.