FYI Miami: January 19, 2023

Bellow are some of the FYIs in this week’s edition. The entire content of this week’s FYIs and Insider sections is available by subscription only. To subscribe click here.

AVMED ACQUIRED: Miami-based health plan AvMed Inc. has been acquired by a Virginia health system, the companies said last week. Non-profit AvMed provides health coverage to about 200,000 members. Sentara Healthcare, which is based in Norfolk, VA, serves Virginia and northeast North Carolina and is expanding to about 1.2 million members with the AvMed acquisition. The deal closed Dec. 31, but terms were not included in the announcement. “Our partnership with Sentara best positions AvMed to continue helping Floridians live healthier, the basis of our mission for the past 50 years,” Jim Repp, president and chief operating officer of AvMed, said in a prepared statement. “To create thriving communities, address health disparities and improve wellness, offering accessible, quality care is vital, and this new affiliation will deliver that for our members and local communities.”

REDUCED PARKING: The Miami City Commission has changed the method by which the parking ratio may be reduced within a transit-oriented development area or within a transit corridor. Under the previous zoning ordinance and Miami 21 Code, there was a waiver process to reduce parking ratios. The commission voted unanimously to amend the code and allow for reduced parking ratios through a process of an exception that requires city commission approval.

MILLION FOR OLYMPIA: The historic Olympia Theater has secured $1 million for much-needed repairs. Miami city commissioners unanimously voted to accept a $500,000 grant from the Florida Department of State Division of Historical Resources. The city was required to match the grant funds, doubling the state’s contribution. The money is allocated for the restoration of windows, interior finishes, signage, and electrical upgrades.

LOCAL IS BETTER: A plan to use sensors on Miami-Dade’s garbage trucks in a Massachusetts Institute of Technology program to gather health-related data was sent from a committee last week to the full county commission with a plea by one commissioner to shift to local institutions, an amendment she said she would offer at the full commission meeting. Commissioner Raquel Regalado noted that she is a graduate of Miami Dade College, Florida International University and St. Thomas University here and said that any county program should include local universities when possible. “I can’t wait to hear what MIT has to offer, but at the exclusion of our local universities I take a little bit of issue,” she said. “It’s always better to partner with our local folks.” The ongoing MIT program is global in scope.