3 OctOber 23-29, 2025 miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com NEW TIMES | CONTENTS | LETTERS | NEWS | NIGHT+DAY | CULTURE | CAFE | MUSIC | 3 MONTH XX–MONTH XX, 2008 miaminewtimes.com MIAMI NEW TIMES | CONTENTS | LETTERS | RIPTIDE | METRO | NIGHT+DAY | STAGE | ART | FILM | CAFE | MUSIC | ▼ OVERTOWN TALL ORDER 56-STORY TOWER PLANNED FOR OVERTOWN. BY ALEX DELUCA A developer is floating a plan to erect the tallest building in the history of Overtown, Miami’s historically Black neighborhood. The Miami Beach-based David Om, LLC, which is managed by Alan Omsky, the founder of the “Asian-inspired” Kyu (pronounced “cue”) restaurants, has pitched the idea to build a 56-story tower at the northwest corner of NW Second Avenue and NW 12th Street. The project — which would feature 498 resi- dential units, 200 of which would be “income- restricted” micro-apartments as small as 290 square feet — was submitted under the con- troversial Live Local Act, a state law that al- lows developers to exceed standard zoning limits if they dedicate at least 40 percent of units to affordable housing. (Typically, prop- erties in the area would be limited to eight sto- ries and 150 units per acre). “The Project brings needed residential units to an area that is very well-served by transit and transportation options,” the pro- posal reads. “The addition of these units helps place density in the most appropriate location possible — in close proximity to fixed mass transit in an area already legislatively decided by the City as one that is appropriate for increasing opportunities for housing.” David Om, LLC and Davchi Develop- ment, LLC both currently own the 22,500-square-foot property, which consists of three parcels. The building would be designed by well- known Miami-based architect Kobi Karp. Photo renderings show a strikingly tall, glass- and-steel tower rising from the heart of the historic neighborhood, looming over the sur- rounding low-rise buildings that define much of Overtown’s landscape. The base of the proposed tower would fea- ture a large-scale mural depicting a series of Black women in colorful headwraps and gar- ments created by Miami-based artist Yana Volf, according to the proposal. Social media posts show that Volf is married to Omsky, who pitched the project. “Her language of pixels bridges digital ab- straction with human touch, mirroring Over- town’s own tension between disruption and harmony, tradition and transformation,” the proposal reads. “Here, the podium becomes more than structure: it becomes testament— an invitation to see the familiar faces of Over- town not as background, but as the very foundation of its future.” Amenities for the building, which the pro- posal emphasizes would be conveniently sit- uated near the Historic Overtown/Lyric Theatre Metrorail station and the Wilkie D. Ferguson Jr. Metromover stations, would in- clude a large pool deck with cabanas and a barbecue area, a co-working space, an enter- tainment room, and a rooftop lounge and bar on the 56th floor. In addition to apartments, the massive complex would also feature 1,824 square feet of retail space on the ground floor. It remains unclear what the retail space would house or how much the apartment units would cost. Omsky co-founded Kyu, the Asian-in- spired restaurant that opened in Wynwood in 2016 and later expanded to New York, Las Ve- gas, and Mexico City. The Wynwood flagship is about six minutes from the proposed Over- town tower site. [email protected] | RIPTIDE | GET MORE NEWS & COMMENTARY AT MIAMINEWTIMES.COM/NEWS A rendering of the 56-story tower slated for Miami’s Overtown neighborhood. Screenshot via Urban Development Review Board agenda ▼ REPTILIANA FINAL IGUANA BOSS? FLORIDA MAN CLAIMS RECORD WITH MASSIVE CATCH. BY B. SCOTT MCLENDON M ost South Floridians know the green iguana can be aggressive and territo- rial, so it’s best to give it and its claws a wide berth, even if it’s smaller than our posh purse puppies. But what if you ran into one the size of a small man? If you’re Andrew Morales, also known as the Cuban Tarzan, you dive in and wrestle the behe- moth like prime Steve Irwin on a croc. Morales, who works to remove invasive animals from resi- dential areas in South Florida, recently caught what he’s calling a record-breaking iguana. And while there’s no official state record for the feat, he may have a claim solely based on the mon- strosity depicted in his arms on Instagram. “Found that in Hialeah being fed by grand- mas,” one commenter quipped. “Bro is the iguana rizzler,” another impressed user wrote. “Careful ... Godzilla is going to be upset that you are playing with his kids,” another user wrote. The tail alone appears longer than most iguanas you’d find routinely roaming around South Florida, and its muscular legs, punctuated by bony hind claws, are pure, Freddy Krueger- esque nightmare fuel. They’re not just for show either; iguanas have been known to attack hu- mans when threatened, according to iguanacon- trol.com. They also carry salmonella and pack up to 120 razor-sharp teeth in their mouths. Green iguanas are the scaly, prehistoric-look- ing reptiles that look like they just broke out of Jurassic Park. They’ve been mesmerizing and terrorizing South Flor- ida since the 1960s, when they arrived through the pet trade. Iguana populations have positively thrived in South Florida ever since arriving from warmer tropical climates; they’re seen regularly strutting through parks, basking on sun-soaked concrete, and perched nonchalantly on tree branches. They’re consid- ered invasive because they’ve disrupted indige- nous food chains and undermined infrastructure through burrowing, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC). Because of their destructive nature, Florida has declared open season on iguanas, allowing resi- dents and wildlife wranglers like Morales to kill them year-round without a hunting license. Morales, who hasn’t responded to New Times’ requests for an interview, posted his catch along- side the claim it broke a Florida record. And while he didn’t specify the length or weight of the catch, it appears to be larger than those caught by others who claim the title online. Raj “The Iguana Man” made the claim in No- vember 2022 after catching what was described as a nearly 16-pound iguana. He called it a state record on YouTube. Another YouTuber, who goes by the Poké- mon-inspired name Zak Catchem, also made the claim in November 2019 with an iguana that ap- pears to be substantially smaller than Morales’ catch. At the time, he dubbed it a world record. FWC doesn’t keep statistics on the largest iguanas captured and killed in the state, unlike it does for its invasive cousin, the Burmese python. However, it notes that males can grow longer than 5 feet and weigh up to 17 pounds. On the eye test, Morales’ catch appears to surpass both numbers. [email protected] “FOUND THAT IN HIALEAH BEING FED BY GRANDMAS.” ▼ PLANTATION WELCOME TO THE 21ST CENTURY PLANTATION COPS FINALLY GET BODY CAMERAS. BY NAOMI FEINSTEIN B etter late than never. The Plantation Police Department is finally equipping its officers with body-worn cameras. “These cameras will be utilized during citi- zen interactions, traffic stops, calls for service, and other enforcement activities,” Plantation Police posted on Facebook on October 9. “The purpose of this program is simple: to strengthen trust, accountability, and transpar- ency between our officers and the community. We want you, our community, to feel confident in knowing that your police department is committed to openness, professionalism, and continual improvement.” The department was one of the last law en- forcement agencies in South Florida to use body-worn cameras. While the Miami Beach Police Department was the first agency in South Florida to adopt body-cameras in 2016, following the national uproar over the police killings of Black men, other police departments dragged their feet. Over the last five years, po- lice departments in Coral Gables, Davie, and Hollywood have adopted the long-awaited technology. “Welcome to 2025 PPD,” one user com- mented on the Facebook post. A user added, “How is this just starting? I would assume this was all over the place ten years ago?” Another comment reads, “Cameras are great! I am surprised you didn’t had [sic] them before. Stay safe out there .” Florida Highway Patrol troopers, who now conduct immigration arrests, still do not have body cameras, opting for dash cameras in- stead. According to a 2024 Florida Depart- ment of Law Enforcement (FDLE) report, Brevard, Citrus, Clay, Dixie, Gadsden, Glades, Gulf, Hernando, Levy, Liberty, Polk, Sarasota, Union, and Washington Sheriff’s Offices also lack body cameras. But having body cameras doesn’t always mean the officers are using them. A 2023 re- view of the City of Miami’s Civilian Investigative Panel case investigations found that at least 18 Miami Police Department officers had been cited for breaching the department’s body- worn camera policy. Most of the violations stemmed from officers either muting their cameras while responding to incidents or fail- ing to activate them at all. Similarly, following the fatal shooting of 59-year-old Osvaldo Cueli on his Redland farm back in November 2023, one of the arriving of- ficers from the Miami-Dade Police Department turned off the mic just five minutes into his body camera footage. The remaining 46 min- utes did not have audio. [email protected]
