FYI Miami: May 21, 2026

FACELIFT FOR WORLD CUP: Miami International Airport aims to put its best look forward in preparation for a flood of visitors from around the globe for seven World Cup soccer matches here in June and July. The airport is planning to be “as beautified as possible,” Aviation Director Ralph Cutié told the county’s Airport and Seaport Committee last week, work that includes pressure cleaning for the guests. The airport is working with the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau “to install murals in the North Terminal, baggage claims and other areas,” he said. “Anything we can do to beautify those areas – we’re going to have that influx of about 1.2 million more passengers during the World Cup.”

PRESERVING VIZCAYA: Two grants are coming to preserve parts of the Vizcaya Museum and Gardens at 3251 S Miami Ave., with Miami-Dade matching those grants to the county-owned property dollar for dollar. One grant of $750,000 from the federal Save America’s Treasures is to help conserve for 20 years the main house’s swimming pool grotto and its ceiling mural by Winthrop Chanle, including stabilizing the living room floor above the grotto. The other grant of $500,000 from the same program is to support preservation of the superintendent’s house on the Vizcaya grounds for 15 years. The county’s Recreation, Tourism and Resilience Committee last week approved restrictive covenants on the property that the grants require. Final action is up to the county commission. Vizcaya was conveyed in the 1950s by the heirs of original owner James Deering to the county. The site is now operated and managed by the nonprofit Vizcaya Museum and Gardens Trust.

BUILDING PERMITS FLOOR: Legislation waiving building permits on single-family residential projects valued under $7,500 was signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis. “A local government that issues building permits shall exempt an owner of a single-family dwelling or the owner’s contractor from the requirement to obtain a building permit to perform any work valued at less than $7,500 on the owner’s property,” the bill states. The measure limits local government officials from inspecting the work, allows certain out-of-state licensed building officials to work for one year after a declared state of emergency, and provides an exemption from building permits for certain temporary residential hurricane or flood protection walls. But local governments can still require a permit for any electrical, plumbing, mechanical, gas, or structural work regardless of the appraised value.

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