Local

Silver Knight winner, new restaurants & more: Your Pembroke Pines week in review

By Edited by Mike Garbett and produced with AI assistance

Pembroke Pines saw a week marked by award winners, new restaurants preparing to open and the return of a once-popular retailer.

Missed the headlines? Here’s a roundup of the top stories from this week in your city:

  • Silver Knight winner: Pembroke Pines Charter High senior Isabella Abohasen won a Silver Knight Award in the Athletics category for her initiative collecting sports equipment for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Broward County and co-founding her school’s Student Athlete Association.
  • New restaurant coming: Colombian eatery El Machetico will open its first Broward location in May at 207 N. Hiatus Road, taking over the former site of soul food spot Brandon’s Bistro, which has relocated to Miramar Town Center.
  • Breakfast spot incoming: Keke’s Breakfast Cafe could soon open its first Pembroke Pines location at 10800 Pines Blvd., moving into the former Denny’s space that closed in January, according to a recently filed food service permit application.
  • Predator sting arrest: A 36-year-old Pembroke Pines man was arrested in Delray Beach after being lured by MMA fighter Dustin Lampros and his 561 Predator Catcher group to meet a decoy 14-year-old girl. He faces three felony charges and is being held on a $150,000 bond.
  • Career rankings: Pembroke Pines ranked 137th among 182 U.S. cities and eighth among 11 Florida cities for starting a career, according to a new WalletHub study that scored the city 43.54 overall, with stronger marks in professional opportunities than quality of life.
  • Projects move forward: Pembroke Pines is advancing dozens of park, recreation and roadway projects without raising taxes after voters rejected a $230 million bond proposal in 2025, with 21 projects approved for Year 1 funding.
  • Retailer returns: Bed, Bath & Beyond products will return to Pembroke Pines through a merger with The Container Store at 14530 SW Second St., three years after the home goods chain filed for bankruptcy and closed all 41 of its Florida stores.
  • School board OKs plan: The Broward school board approved a plan to eliminate 1,000 positions by the 2026-2027 school year as part of a broader restructuring effort tied to declining enrollment and reduced state funding.
Pembroke Pines city commissioners are advancing dozens of park, recreation and roadway projects.
Pembroke Pines city commissioners are advancing dozens of park, recreation and roadway projects. Matias J. Ocner mocner@miamiherald.com

This report was produced with the assistance of a proprietary tool powered by artificial intelligence and using our own originally reported, written and published content. It was reviewed and edited by our journalists.