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Inter Miami is going for its second trophy in two months as it plays in the U.S. Open Cup Final on Wednesday.

Driving the news: Inter will host Houston Dynamo FC at DRV PNK Stadium at 8:30pm.

What we're watching: Will Lionel Messi play?

The Argentine star left last Wednesday's match early with discomfort from scar tissue in his leg and didn't play in Sunday's 1–1 tie against Orlando.

It marked the third match, for club or country, that Messi had missed in the last two weeks.

Inter coach Gerardo "Tata" Martino said Messi was day-to-day and it's unclear if he will play.

Another midseason signing, defender Jordi Alba, is also expected to miss Wednesday's match with an injury.

What they're saying: "He doesn't need surgery or anything like that. It's just a matter of how much time the player needs to rest in order to play the next game," Martino told reporters Tuesday about Messi. "If it wasn't a final, we wouldn't take any risks. But because it's a final, there is a chance we take that risk."

If you go: Even with Messi's status up in the air, tickets are going for between $169 and $5,990 on Ticketmaster.

What's next: Beyond this midseason tournament, Inter is on the hunt for the final playoff spot in its conference.

The team is currently in 14th place and five points back.

With or without Messi, Inter looks for second title this season

The star's injury status is unknown ahead of the U.S. Open Cup Final.

Inter's Benjamin Cremaschi celebrates a goal against Toronto FC on Sept. 20. Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Inter Miami is going for its <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="second trophy in two months" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/miami/2023/08/23/lionel-messi-inter-miami-us-open-cup-cincinnati" data-vars-content-id="8267f666-2f5d-4dad-ac8b-ec35a4366b05" data-vars-headline="With or without Messi, Inter looks for second title this season" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/miami/2023/08/23/lionel-messi-inter-miami-us-open-cup-cincinnati" target="_self">second trophy in two months</a> as it plays in the U.S. Open Cup Final on Wednesday.Driving the news: Inter will host Houston Dynamo FC at DRV PNK Stadium at 8:30pm.

Sports

Data: Walk Score; Table: Tory Lysik and Alice Feng/Axios

The Dolphins are one of the hottest teams in the NFL right now, but their stadium has been getting some shade.

Driving the news: Hard Rock Stadium was ranked No. 28 out of 30 NFL stadiums in a very unscientific poll from 30 NFL reporters at The Athletic.

Each reporter gave their top five and bottom five stadiums, and Hard Rock was in the bottom five of half the reporters' lists.

Yes, but: Miami New Times' Ryan Yousefi clapped back pretty epically, pointing out that the NFL seems to love our stadium — the Super Bowl has been held at Hard Rock six times.

Meanwhile, WalkScore, a Redfin company that promotes walkable neighborhoods, ranked Hard Rock among the bottom in the league for its walkability, Axios' Maxwell Millington reports.

The Miami Gardens stadium came in at No. 22.

How it works: Walk Score measures hundreds of walking routes, awarding points based on the distance to amenities in each category.

It also analyzes population density and road metrics, such as block length and intersection density.

A good Walk Score — above 69 — reflects how easy it is to walk to the location and use public transportation.

The bottom line: If only our public transportation moved as quickly as Tyreek Hill does.

The Dolphins aren't playing at home this week, as they take on the Bills in Buffalo on Sunday at 1pm.

Your next chance to test out Hard Rock Stadium's walkability is Oct. 8 against the Giants.

Hard Rock Stadium gets unfavorable walkability rankings

Miami's NFL stadium isn't very walkable — and some reporters don't like that.

The Dolphins are one of the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="hottest teams in the NFL" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/miami/2023/09/26/takeaways-dolphins-historic-win-broncos-tua-mcdaniel" data-vars-content-id="8661e2be-75a3-410a-9aa5-2545ca8d6bfe" data-vars-headline="Hard Rock Stadium gets unfavorable walkability rankings" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/miami/2023/09/26/takeaways-dolphins-historic-win-broncos-tua-mcdaniel" target="_self">hottest teams in the NFL</a> right now, but their stadium has been getting some shade.Driving the news: Hard Rock Stadium was ranked <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="No. 28 out of 30 NFL stadiums" data-vars-click-url="https://theathletic.com/4783340/2023/08/21/nfl-stadium-rankings-all-30-nfl-venues-from-best-to-worst/" data-vars-content-id="8661e2be-75a3-410a-9aa5-2545ca8d6bfe" data-vars-headline="Hard Rock Stadium gets unfavorable walkability rankings" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://theathletic.com/4783340/2023/08/21/nfl-stadium-rankings-all-30-nfl-venues-from-best-to-worst/" target="_blank">No. 28 out of 30 NFL stadiums</a> in a very unscientific poll from 30 NFL reporters at The Athletic.

👋 Martin here! I enjoyed the best meal I've ever had in Miami the other night at Beauty & the Butcher.

State of plate: Chef Jeremy Ford's Michelin-recommended Coral Gables restaurant would typically be out of my price range, but you can eat here at a discount during Miami Spice.

The two-month program comes to an end Saturday, so book a table at that fancy restaurant you've always wanted to try on Friday night.

What I ordered: The $60 prix fixe dinner, which comes with an appetizer, entree and dessert.

The croquettes — served with basque cheese and smoked paprika emulsion — were skinnier than normal for a crispier finish.

The truffle organic chicken came with silky mashed potatoes — and for a $25 surcharge, you can get the equally buttery beef tenderloin instead.

I got the cream puff for dessert, which tasted like apple pie on an autumn evening.

If you go: Beauty & the Butcher, 6915 Red Road, is open Monday through Thursday and Sunday from 6pm–10pm and Friday and Saturday from 6pm–11pm.

Review: Beauty & the Butcher is great — especially for Miami Spice

The cream puff tastes like apple pie on an autumn evening.

The truffle organic chicken at Beauty & the Butcher

The truffle organic chicken at Beauty & the Butcher. Photo: Martin Vassolo/Axios

👋 Martin here! I enjoyed the best meal I&#x27;ve ever had in Miami the other night at <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Beauty &amp; the Butcher" data-vars-click-url="https://beautyandthebutchermiami.com/" data-vars-content-id="b5095a1c-63a1-492b-98bf-65da7b273df3" data-vars-headline="Review: Beauty &amp; the Butcher is great — especially for Miami Spice" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://beautyandthebutchermiami.com/" target="_blank">Beauty &amp; the Butcher</a>.State of plate: Chef Jeremy Ford&#x27;s <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Michelin-recommended" data-vars-click-url="https://guide.michelin.com/us/en/florida/miami/restaurant/beauty-the-butcher" data-vars-content-id="b5095a1c-63a1-492b-98bf-65da7b273df3" data-vars-headline="Review: Beauty &amp; the Butcher is great — especially for Miami Spice" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://guide.michelin.com/us/en/florida/miami/restaurant/beauty-the-butcher" target="_blank">Michelin-recommended</a> Coral Gables restaurant would typically be out of my price range, but you can eat here at a discount during <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Miami Spice" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/miami/2023/07/20/miami-spice-restaurants-august-sept-2023" data-vars-content-id="b5095a1c-63a1-492b-98bf-65da7b273df3" data-vars-headline="Review: Beauty &amp; the Butcher is great — especially for Miami Spice" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/miami/2023/07/20/miami-spice-restaurants-august-sept-2023" target="_self">Miami Spice</a>.

Food and Drink

The fate of the world-famous Nikki Beach day club will be decided Wednesday.

Driving the news: Miami Beach commissioners are voting on which vendor will take over the Ocean Drive institution once the current operator's lease with the city ends in 2026.

Why it matters: The longtime owners of Nikki Beach — the Penrod family, which has opened up outposts of the club across the world — will lose control over the city-owned property that they've had since 1985.

The city rejected their bid earlier this month after saying the family failed to submit required documents by a set deadline.

The latest: The city administration has recommended that the commission award a 10-year contract to Boucher Brothers, the beach concessionaire whose blue-and-white umbrellas dot the South Florida coastline.

Details: Boucher Brothers proposes to spend over $26 million in renovations and would partner with Major Food Group, which owns Carbone and other eateries, to operate two restaurants and a cafe onsite.

The planned project, dubbed Pier Park, would also include child care and wellness centers.

Boucher Brothers, which would pay the city a minimum of $41 million in rent over the 10-year agreement, plans to fund a police substation and offer resident discounts.

Three other companies — Tao Group Hospitality, RH and The Group US Management — submitted bid proposals for 10- and 20-year agreements.

The intrigue: The Penrod family sued the city and Boucher Bros. in May, accusing Miami Beach officials of making a "backroom deal" to pursue a no-bid contract with the concessionaire to take over the property. A judge dismissed the lawsuit in August.

Commissioners previously voted in April to pursue a non-binding term sheet with Boucher Bros., but walked back the vote after facing public backlash, instead directing city administration to put the property out to bid.

Miami Beach commission to vote on future of Nikki Beach

The world-famous club is likely coming under new management.

Miami Beach, Ocean Drive, Nikki Beach Club at Dusk. 

Nikki Beach club at dusk. Photo: Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

The fate of the world-famous Nikki Beach day club will be decided Wednesday.Driving the news: Miami Beach commissioners are voting on which vendor will take over the Ocean Drive institution once the current operator&#x27;s lease with the city ends in 2026.

News

Business

Data: Census Bureau; Chart: Alice Feng/Axios

Latinos boost the U.S. economy so much that their combined gross domestic product rivals entire countries.

But the percentage of U.S. Hispanics living in poverty is still well above the national average despite that figure dropping significantly over the last decade, Axios' Russell Contreras and Alice Feng report.

Why it matters: Hispanic people comprise 19% of the population and are set to be a plurality of the country's population by midcentury.

South American buyers help fuel Florida's real estate market. Three of the top five countries for foreign home purchases in the state are Spanish speaking, according to a 2020 report.

By the numbers: Nationally, 16.8% of Hispanics — 10 million people — were living in poverty in 2022.

That's well above the nation's overall poverty rate last year of 11.5%, but also below the 2012 Hispanic poverty rate of over 25%.

Catch up quick: The percentage of Hispanics in poverty was around 22% for much of the 1970s, but shot up to 29% in the 1980s as the population kept growing.

It hit its highest mark in modern times in 1994 — 30.7% — following the recession of the early 1990s and a spike in new migration from Mexico after the peso devaluation crisis.

Zoom in: Fifteen percent of Florida's Hispanic residents were living in poverty as of 2022, compared to almost 13% of all state residents in Florida.

Florida's poverty rate for Hispanics is down from 17.5% in 2005.

What they're saying: Addressing poverty is one of the most pressing issues facing Hispanics in the U.S., says José Jurado Vadillo, a research economist at the Seidman Institute at Arizona State University.

Better access to credit and quality education would help reduce Hispanic poverty, Vadillo adds.

Florida's Hispanic poverty rate falls but remains above U.S. average

The percentage of Florida Hispanics living in poverty is still well above the national average.

Latinos boost the U.S. economy so much that their combined gross domestic product <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="rivals entire countries" data-vars-click-url="https://www.tallahassee.com/story/news/local/state/2022/09/26/us-latinos-economic-power-grows-florida-nationally/8092579001/" data-vars-content-id="d5b84624-d67c-43b5-952d-151b6c9e23ca" data-vars-headline="Florida&#x27;s Hispanic poverty rate falls but remains above U.S. average" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.tallahassee.com/story/news/local/state/2022/09/26/us-latinos-economic-power-grows-florida-nationally/8092579001/" target="_blank">rivals entire countries</a>.<ul><li>But the percentage of U.S. Hispanics living in poverty is still well above the national average despite that figure dropping significantly over the last decade, <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Axios&#x27; Russell Contreras and Alice Feng report" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/admin/eden/editor/story/a59b4439-37c1-423c-8379-a7a146d12e33" data-vars-content-id="d5b84624-d67c-43b5-952d-151b6c9e23ca" data-vars-headline="Florida&#x27;s Hispanic poverty rate falls but remains above U.S. average" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/admin/eden/editor/story/a59b4439-37c1-423c-8379-a7a146d12e33" target="_self">Axios&#x27; Russell Contreras and Alice Feng report</a>.</li></ul>

Martin Vassolo

Featured stories

Florida's Hispanic poverty rate falls but remains above U.S. average

Hard Rock Stadium gets unfavorable walkability rankings

Review: Beauty & the Butcher is great — especially for Miami Spice

Miami Beach commission to vote on future of Nikki Beach

With or without Messi, Inter looks for second title this season