🌱 Diplomat Hotel Worker Dispute + Miami Allapattah Fire Extinguished

Hello all! I'm here with your fresh copy of the Miami Daily, filled with all the things you need to know about what's happening locally. Let's take a quick look:

• 🏨 Hundreds of workers are threatening to go on strike at Diplomat Beach Resort unless their pay is increased amid a rising cost of living in South Florida.
• 🚓 Two North Lauderdale car dealership workers are accused of defrauding customers and a business of hundreds of thousands of dollars.
• 🛒 Time Out Miami is hosting a special happy hour benefit for Feeding South Florida this Friday.

Today is National Cream-Filled Donut Day. South Florida is definitely a popular donut town with plenty of options to grab one.

First, today's weather:

A thunderstorm in spots. High: 87 Low: 78.

👀 Attention local businesses & marketers: Attract more customers in Miami by sponsoring this daily newsletter, which gets read by the same people you're trying to reach. Click here to learn more.

Here are the top five stories in Miami today:

1. More than 400 workers from the Diplomat Beach Resort in Hollywood Beach are threatening to strike this week if the South Florida hotel does not increase pay and improve working conditions in its new union contract. The union wants starting wages for non-tipped employees to increase to $17 an hour and $20 by the end of the contract. (Miami New Times)

2. Two men were arrested by police on Monday at a Marathon boat ramp after they attempted to travel to Cuba and return to South Florida with migrants, authorities said. Victor Manuel Rios Castillo, 29, of West Palm Beach is charged with attempted human smuggling, while 53-year-old Jorge Luis Fernandez Rodriguez of Tampa is charged with transporting fuel illegally. (WPLG Local 10)

3. Two employees of a North Lauderdale car dealership, Z Motors, are facing charges after police said they defrauded the business and customers out of hundreds of thousands of dollars. Detectives say the operation began in November 2018 and that accused defrauded the business and customers out of more than $643,000. (NBC Miami)

4. Time Out Market Miami is extending its Friday happy hour an two extra hours on September 16 and will be donating a portion of the proceeds from the afternoon to Feeding South Florida. Fifty percent of bar proceeds will be donated to the non-profit, which fights hunger and food insecurity. (Time Out Miami)

5. Firefighters extinguished a fire that broke out Tuesday morning in Miami's Allapattah neighborhood. The incident happened around the area of Northwest 33rd Avenue and 36th Street around 6:15 a.m. with multiple palm trees on fire. The cause of the fire is not known at this time. (WPLG Local 10)

Today in Miami:

• Take And Make Craft at International Mall Branch Library. (9:30 a.m.)
• Mahjong Time! at Village Of Pinecrest Community Center. (10 a.m.)
• Wired Wednesday: The Happy Hour at Nobu Hotel Miami Beach. (5 p.m.)
• Food Trucks Wednesdays North Bay Village at Pelican Harbor Park And Marine. (5 p.m.)
• The #MiamiTech Happy Hour at FREEHOLD. (6 p.m.)

From my notebook:

• City of Miami District 4 Commissioner Manolo Reyes will join the Department of Housing and Community Development on Wednesday, September 14 at 3 p.m., at 12 SW 47 Avenue to break ground on the first of six affordable, single-family homes that will be built within the district. (City of Miami)
• Former Florida GOP congressional nominee, Jason Mariner, is being accused of using illegal drugs by his ex-wife, according to a new court pleading. Mariner won a two-person primary election in the heavily Democratic 20th Congressional District last year and then went on to lose against the Democratic nominee. (Florida Politics)
• The spiny lobster industry in the Florida Keys has been hit hard by the current affordable housing crisis and labor shortage. The high cost of living in the Keys is forcing fisherman to drive from Homestead to the Keys for work. (Florida Politics)
• Two U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Miami Special Response Team (SRT) operators saved a man's life on the side of a road on September 7. It happened on a highway near the ICE Krome Service Processing Center in Miami. (ICE)

More from our sponsors — thanks for supporting local news!

Events:

• Scene on the Green at River Market (September 15)
• Coconut Grove Artisanal Market (September 16)
• Pawsome Dog-Friendly Brunch! (September 18)
• Coconut Grove Artisan & Farmers Market (September 18)
• Add your event

You're all caught up for today. I'll see you soon!

— Carlos Hernandez

About me: Hello my name is Carlos Hernandez and I am a food writer with over 10 years of experience in the industry. I write the food blog Carlos Eats (http://www.carloseats.com) and also contribute to several newspapers and magazines with food-related blogs and articles.

Have a news tip or suggestion for an upcoming Miami Daily? Contact me at carlosreportsnews@gmail.com