Miami Herald wins national real estate journalism awards for Grove, Gables coverage

Miami Herald coverage of unethical practices by a developer in Coconut Grove and plans to demolish a historic residence in Coral Gables captured two national awards from the National Association of Real Estate Editor this month.

Linda Robertson won the Kenneth R. Harney Award for Best Real Estate Consumer Education Reporting for her story, “They bought their dream homes from the ‘King of Coconut Grove.’ They still can’t move in.”

Published in March 2023, the coverage exposed the negligence of real estate developer Doug Cox, who strung along buyers who paid down payments for 4,000-square-foot townhouses in Coconut Grove in 2018. The homes ranged in price from $1.2 million to $1.8 million. Buyers never got the keys to their residences, and a judge finally stepped in after the Miami Herald’s reporting to decide the fate of the townhouses.

Herald photojournalists D.A. Varela and Al Diaz photographed the townhomes for the story, and Susan Merriam created the graphics.

The Harney award is named for a former Washington Post real estate columnist and NAREE president, and given for coverage showing “dogged, original enterprise reporting on current real estate policy and practices impacting the consumer.”

READ THE WINNING COVERAGE: They bought their dream homes from the ‘King of Coconut Grove.’ They still can’t move in.

The Herald also won bronze in the best architecture story category for “It’s a crime.’ Mogul aims to demolish famed architect’s Coral Gables masterpiece home.”

The Texas construction mogul Felix Sorkin of General Technologies purchased a waterfront Coral Gables designed by famed architect Alfred Browning Parker for $36 million. Built in 1963, the 11,000-square-foot house was long considered one of Parker’s most important designs for environmentally-oriented approaches to architecture. The article explored the history of the home, highlights what distinguished it architecturally, and the community’s response to the new owner’s demolition application and plans. The residence eventually met death by bulldozer, despite protests by preservationists.

The story was reported and written by urban affairs reporter Andres Viglucci, with photos by visual journalist Matias J. Ocner.

READ THE WINNING COVERAGE: ’It’s a crime.’ Mogul aims to demolish famed architect’s Coral Gables masterpiece home.

Veteran reporters Robertson and Viglucci cover a range of homeowner and community issues in South Florida, and have been Miami Herald staff writers since 1983.

The association announced the winners Thursday at its 74th annual journalism awards during a ceremony at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Austin. The competition, judged by a panel from Northwestern University, recognizes excellence in residential and commercial real estate reporting from across the country.