We’ve had enough egg nog and holiday cheer to last us til 
next December. Now it’s time to get back to work.
After a two week hiatus — because really there are not a lot of events or meetings during period from just before Christmas to El Dia de los Reyes Mago — the Political Cortadito calendar is back.
Pay attention. You want to start the year right.
And please keep the information coming on the meetings, campaign rallies, powwows and other events. Just send to edevalle@gmail.com.
MONDAY — Jan. 9
6:30 p.m. — The Village of Palmetto Bay has a lot on the agenda for the first meeting of the year Monday, including a couple of items about new restroom facilities and the cafe operation at Coral Reef Park, 
legal fees the Village may pay for Councilwoman Karyn Cunninghman and traffic studies of the “maximum vehicular traffic which would be produced by full residential build-out of the Village mixed use district” at 17777 and 17901 Old Cutler Road. Apparently, the district was upzoned last year. Also on table tonight: a $50,000 grant for improvements to the dog park, a contract for $26,000 to William Paving for traffic calming devices, ordinances that try to limit the influence of campaign donors and lobbyists (more on that later) and establishing that the runoff date for any election cannot be the Tuesday before Thanksgiving (turnout must have been abysmal Nov. 22). There is also an ordinance restricting the number of apartments and townhomes in the downtown urban district to 1,000, an ordinance on the process for site plan reviews and an ordinance requiring a minumum of two bidders for contracts worth $5,000 or more and three for contracts worth $15,000 or more. Add to that discussions on the fire station and medical marijuana. Oh, and another ordinance saying that meetings must end at 11 p.m. Which, judging by the look of this agenda, is more difficult than it sounds. Good luck with that. How much you want to bet the lights are on at Village Hall Chambers, 9705 E. Hibiscus St., past midnight?
TUESDAY — Jan. 10
8:30 a.m. — The year’s first Tuesday Morning Breakfast Club meeting features Miami Beach Assistant City Manager Kathy Brooks, who will be disussing the various projects under way by the city… “including what’s next for the recently canceled Light Rail project.” Yes, you read that right. Because even though the Mayor Philip Levine has pretended to put the brakes on for now, that train to nowhere idea is still mulling around. There is no charge for the meeting, but you’re buying if you want breakfast at Manolo’s Restaurant, 685 Washington Ave.
9 a.m. — Coral Gables Commissioners have their first meeting of the year. Among the items on the agenda are a $1 million contract for red light cameras and several zoning and development plan changes, including a mixed used site plan proposed for the 33 Alhambra development. Commission chambers are on the second floor at City Hall, 405 Biltmore Way.
WEDNESDAY — Jan. 11
8:30 a.m. — Miami Beach Commission meets for the first time in 2017 at City Hall, 1700 Convention Center Drive. Will they talk yet again about the light rail train project that has been “cancelled?” Look again on Political Cortadito later today for a story about an item on that agenda.
10 a.m. — The city of Doral has its first meeting of the new year, with a bunch of contract reviews and negotiations up for discussion. There are also several items that seem to indicate a lot of future improvement of the police department, which we know was a big issue during the last election (people like to say that former Mayor Luigi Boria told the cops to stop enforcing traffic laws). Council chambers are upstairs at City Hall, 8401 NW 53rd Ter.
THURSDAY — Jan. 12
1 p.m. — A master plan discussion for the future of Lincoln Road begins at 1 p.m. at the CIP conference room, 1701 Meridian Ave.
7 p.m. — A group of environmental activists and concerned neighbors have been trying for the past couple of years 
to save a tiny spit of native Pine rocklands near MetroZoo from becoming a strip mall, high-density housing and/or an amusement park. They want to step up efforts this year because there are whispers that Miami-Dade is getting closer to a deal with a developer to create that Miami Wilds animal-themed theme park in what basically amounts to the last 1.5% of an endangered habitat. The meeting will bring newbies up to speed and members of the group will share more information about an upcoming field tip to the South Dade Pine Rocklands, which are normally closed to the public. The meeting at the Tropical Audobon Society, 5530 Sunset Dr., should be over by 9 p.m.
FRIDAY — Jan. 13
7 a.m. — Every year, the Homestead and Florida City communities come together to honor the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. with a free community breakfast. This year’s keynote 
speaker is Miami-Dade School Superintendent Alberto Carvalho and this year’s theme is “Renewing the Dream and Recommitting to Peace,” which is a nod to the headlines of the past year that “highlighted the struggle for equality in the face of rising tensions.” But you won’t be able to count the electeds with both hands as the entire Homestead and Florida City commissions are expected to be there, as well as Congressman Carlos Curbelo and Miami-Dade Commissioners Daniella Levine Cava and Dennis Moss. Maybe even Mayor Carlos Gimenez will stop by, though without a re-election in sight he has no reason to. And Ladra dares Sen. Frank Artiles to show up. The event will honor some local heroes, too. It’s expected to last a couple of hours (but always goes over) at the Phichol Williams Community Center, 951 SW 4th St, Homestead.
The Cortadito Calendar — It’s a brand new year of dates added by Ladra on
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