Wedding venue in Blue Ridge, GA for couples in Doral, FL

Popular West Coast fast-food chain Carl's Jr. has opened a restaurant in Doral, Florida. The Doral restaurant marks the brand's entry into the East Coast fast-food market.

The chain opened on Tuesday, March 12, at the Doral Place 87 retail plaza with balloons, its signature bright and modern interior decor with palm trees painted along the walls, and plenty of fanfare from guests who are fans of the chain.

For those unfamiliar with the chain, Carl's Jr. is known for its over-the-top charbroiled burgers, chicken tenders, hand-scooped shakes, and breakfast burgers.

“Carl’s Jr. and our guests are all about innovative, audacious flavors and live-out-loud, authentic moments, and we can’t wait to be part of the energy and community in South Florida,” says vice president of brand marketing for Carl’s Jr. Anthony Nguyen.

New Times first shared the announcement of its opening in August of 2023.

Carl's Jr. is owned by parent company CKE Restaurants Inc. and partner RSMG Holding LLC (RSMG). Ron Santolaya, CEO and partner of RSMG, has more than 40 years of experience in the industry and states this expansion to Florida is only the beginning for the chain.

"We look forward to utilizing our values and creating a long-lasting relationship with the Doral and South Florida community that can continue to grow and hopefully expand both domestically and internationally over the upcoming years," says Santolaya.

RSMG will employ more than 40 restaurant team members plus management at the Doral restaurant.

Established in 1941, Carl's Jr. has been a West Coast fast-food staple for more than 80 years. Today, the chain has more than 1,000 locations across the U.S., as well as 25 countries.

Between Carl's Jr. and Hardee's — another fast-food restaurant acquired by the fast-food juggernaut in 1997 — the two brands have a combined 3,800 locations in 44 states and 40 countries.

Carl's Jr. 5755 NW 87 Ave., Doral; carlsjr.com.

DORAL, FL – On Tuesday, Feb. 20, during an emergency special council meeting, the City of Doral Council selected Interim City Manager Kathie Brooks and Interim City Attorney Joseph Geller of the law firm Greenspoon Marder LLP.

With a majority vote, councilmembers Digna Cabral and Maureen Porras as well as Doral’s Vice Mayor, Oscar Puig-Corve, voted in favor of selecting them in replacement of former Interim City Manager Francisco Rios and City Manager Barbara Hernandez, recently removed from her position, and of Valerie Vicente, former City Attorney.

After the vote, several Doral residents expressed their concerns with the tense environment and rivalry among council members that lately has been seen during the city’s council meetings. Some said the disrespect while working as a team is evident, while others stated the dynamic between them is creating chaos, which ultimately is affecting the community.

But the discontent from the residents lies also in the fact they feel their opinions around the decisions taken aren’t heard in the council meetings during the public comments section. In addition, they feel there isn’t enough clarity, respect towards the law and transparency in the city, which, in their opinion, threatens democracy.

The new Interim City Manager has over 40 years of local government experience in the South Florida area, including her roles as Assistance City Manager, Interim City Manager and Budget and Performance Improvement Director for the City of Miami Beach, as well as other job positions within Miami-Dade County, more specifically in the Office of Performance Improvement, the Department of Solid Waste Management and the Miami-Dade Transit Agency.

Joseph S. Geller, on the other hand, has practiced law over 40 years, which include over 25 providing service as a municipal attorney to Florida municipalities and been hired as the principal attorney for six of them. Additionally, he served for four terms in the Florida House of Representatives, representing district 100, and as Mayor of the City of North Bay Village.

Greenspoon Marder LLP has more than 240 attorneys practicing across 10 offices in Florida and 24 throughout the U.S. Also, it ranked among the American Lawyer’s Am Law 200; rated “AV Preeminent” by the Martindale Hubbell Law Directory; and “Best Law Firms” by U.S. News & World Report.

Miami-Dade School Board Member Danny Espino no longer has presence at city hall

DORAL, Fla. – In a 3-2 vote, the Doral City Council decided on Wednesday to kick out Miami-Dade School Board Member Danny Espino, who had an office at city hall.

Espino happened to be married to former City Manager Barbie Hernandez, who, two weeks prior to Wednesday’s vote, was also kicked out of Doral City Hall; the council voted to fire her.

The effort was spearheaded by Councilwoman Digna Cabral.

“I think this will minimize having any issues later on when it comes to conflict,” she said.

Cabral’s allegations revolved around unethical behavior and preferential treatment, something both Espino and his wife deny.

In November 2022, Espino was appointed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to sit on the Miami-Dade School Board.

Espino acknowledged that Doral’s current mayor and former school board member Christi Fraga had hand-picked him as her successor so she could become mayor.

Less than a month later, Fraga, now acting as mayor, hired Espino’s wife to be Doral’s city for a whopping annual salary of almost $240,000.

“This building belongs to the public,” said Fraga.

The mayor said this is all politics, adding that when she was a member of the school board, she herself had an office at city hall, as did her predecessor.

“He basically has to come and pick up his stuff and can’t come back into city hall, which is so sad for this government, for the city that should be opening the doors and inviting more relationships with our local governments to provide services to our residents,” said Fraga.

But on the other side, Cabral said this is about fairness to all elected officials.

“The facilities are here for the council members, but if anybody needs to use any of our rooms, any of our conference rooms, they’re welcome to do so,” she said.

Espino is not the only school board member who has a presence in municipalities.

School Board Chair Mari Tere Rojas, according to a district spokesperson, “holds occasional office hours in a conference room at Coral Gables City Hall, Key Biscayne City Hall, and South Miami City Hall. She does not have a dedicated office space at either location.”

In Rojas’ case, they tell Local 10 News there is no formal agreement with the aforementioned cities.

Local 10 News reached out to Espino, who provided the following statement:

“It’s a sad day in Doral when a few politicians put politics over our families. I will not allow 3 politicians to force all the families of District 5 to drive to Downtown Miami to access school assistance and resources through my office. I am in the process of arranging alternate office space and additional outreach efforts to ensure our families are not hurt by these actions. Political vendettas will not interfere with the responsibilities of my office to serve the parents and children of our community.”

Copyright 2024 by WPLG Local10.com - All rights reserved.

The Doral City Council approved a settlement agreement to reduce the height on three proposed residential towers in a new development that includes affordable housing.

The council voted 4-1 in favor of the settlement agreement with Miami-based developer The Apollo Companies which seeks to build Oasis at Doral, a 17-acre residential and commercial project that calls for three new eight-story towers with 623 new apartments and 185,000 square feet of retail space on the corner of Doral Boulevard and Northwest 97th Avenue.

The agreement calls for the height of the towers to be eight stories, which is down from the ten- and 12-story heights initially proposed that had raised concerns from residents and city officials. The height is also substantially less than the 14 stories allowed under the state’s Live Local Act aimed at bringing affordable housing to communities. The Doral vote on Wednesday came a month after the city imposed a moratorium on building in the wake of the new law.

“Look, none of us are happy about this. I think we’ve all made that very clear,” Doral Mayor Christi Fraga said during Wednesday’s meeting. “We put a moratorium in place to be able to do what we could to safeguard our community within the confines of the law. Unfortunately, Senate Bill 102, the Live Local Act, has been something that has affected our community and has affected communities around the state.”

RELATED: A new law is supposed to boost affordable housing. South Florida cities are furious

The new law requires municipalities to authorize multi-use development regardless of zoning in that area, if at least 40% of the development is for multifamily rentals. The legislation, which went into effect July 1, also preempts cities from deciding the height, density and use of the project.

The new Doral development would set aside 40% for workforce or affordable housing as defined by the state. That is the threshold under the new law to override local zoning. The law applies in all commercial, industrial and mixed-use districts, but exempts areas zoned only for residential construction.

Developer Edward Abbo committed to reducing the building heights to eight stories during Wednesday’s meeting. “Our commitment is to submit that site plan hopefully in the next two-and-a-half weeks and it will reflect exactly what we do,” Abbo said, adding it is costing the company “hundreds of thousands of dollars” to change the site plans. “We’re going back to redoing all the plans based on what we’re agreeing to. So you have to understand our commitment.”

Rooftop amenities shall be permitted above the eighth floor, according to the agreement, which also requires the property to have affordable housing units in the same building as market rate units.

Attorneys for The Apollo Companies had claimed the city’s building moratorium was a violation of the Live Local Act. The developer had submitted its application before the moratorium was passed.

“The legislature has explicitly preempted local governments from failing to authorize qualifying affordable developments,” attorney Joseph Goldstein, representing The Apollo Companies, wrote in an eight-page memo to the city. “The moratorium operates as an unauthorized regulation in this area. The intended and actual effect of the moratorium is to indirectly do what municipalities are prohibited from doing, i.e., deny the processing of applications and issuance of development orders for qualifying affordable housing developments.”

Fraga said the moratorium allowed the city to instruct staff to institute changes that would “safeguard and protect our community.” While the moratorium is in place, the city will rework its zoning and planning procedures to be in compliance with its comprehensive plan and the Live Local Act. Those changes will cover buffer requirements, the environmental review process, parking, traffic, landscaping, and floodplain management.

Concerns about the law have permeated other areas of the state including in Hollywood, where there are plans to replace a group of motels with an 18-story condo and apartment tower complex, a three-story beach club and restaurant facing the pedestrian promenade.

Fraga also raised concerns about how the new law affects the city’s property and real estate taxes. Fraga said she and a few mayors from across the state are planning to visit Florida legislators in Tallahassee next month and advocate for changes to the law.

“That is all we’re asking for as local elected officials: to be able to have a say on the growth that exists and will impact our communities,” she said.

What/Who:

Hello CityPlace Doral! Sanrio’s Hello Kitty Cafe Truck is coming to CityPlace Doral’s Fountain Plaza on Saturday, Jan. 20, 11 a.m.-8 p.m. The community is invited shop Hello Kitty-themed sweet treats and merchandise while supplies last.

Hello Kitty Cafe first began its journey with the Hello Kitty Truck in 2014. This success led to the first-of-its-kind Hello Kitty Cafe Pop-Up Container in 2016 and the Hello Kitty Mini Cafe set within malls or lifestyle centers across the nation.

Hello Kitty fans will have the opportunity to purchase sweet treats including macarons, cookies and madeleines and a Hello Kitty Café giant chef cookie. Merchandise is also available for purchase including mugs, t-shirts, hoodies, plush toys, lunchboxes, stainless steel thermal bottles, enamel pin sets, canvas totes and charm key chains.

For more details, please visit https://cityplacedoral.com/events/cityplace-doral-hello-kitty-cafe-truck-tour.

When:

Saturday, Jan. 20, 11 a.m.-8 p.m.

Where:

CityPlace Doral

8300 NW 36th Street

Doral, FL 33166

Cost:

The event is free. The Hello Kitty Cafe Truck accepts payments via credit/debit card only.

About CityPlace Doral:

CityPlace Doral is an attractive leisure destination offering a collection of memorable dining, shopping, wellness and entertainment experiences. Featuring 250,000 square feet of retail space, CityPlace Doral is a master-planned, mixed-use development nestled in the dynamic employment center of Doral in the heart of Miami-Dade County. CityPlace Doral combines the vision of world-renowned architects, designers and artists creating the next crown jewel of prosperous dining, entertainment and upscale shopping in one of South Florida’s growing cities. CityPlace Doral includes more than 40 dining, shopping and entertainment destinations for all palettes and walks of life, and the property’s entertainment retail component is anchored by a roster of first-class tenants from all over the country. For more information, visit www.cityplacedoral.com or call 786.693.1849. Join the conversation and follow CityPlace Doral on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter at @CityPlaceDoral.