Latest line: Louisville is favored by 1 point

Dave Hyde, Sports Columnist: Louisville 24, Miami 17

Some ACC team was bound to break out of the pack with Florida State and 10th-ranked Louisville has done it. Until Miami fixes its offense, it’s hard to see it scoring enough to win against good teams. Miami’s defense, however, had an inspired effort in last week’s loss at FSU, holding the Seminoles to their second-fewest number of points and second-fewest offensive yards (322) in a game this year. UM also racked up three sacks and nine tackles for loss.

Adam Lichtenstein, Hurricanes Writer: Louisville 27, Miami 24

The Cardinals are 9-1 and the Hurricanes are 6-4. That should mean this will be a lopsided contest in favor of the visitors. But not much truly separates these teams. Louisville has excelled in its first year under Jeff Brohm, but the Cardinals dropped a game to a bad Pittsburgh team and played close games against other middle-of-the-road teams. If Miami can get average quarterback play from Tyler Van Dyke, they will be very much in this game. Unfortunately for the Hurricanes, that is not guaranteed.

Keven Lerner, Assistant Sports Editor: Louisville 27, Miami 23

Louisville is one win away from clinching a spot in the ACC title game, but it is coming off one of its worst defensive performances of the season against Virginia. The Cardinals, who will get an extra couple days to prepare for UM after playing a Thursday night game, rallied for 17 fourth-quarter points to beat Virginia 31-24 on Nov. 9. Miami’s embattled quarterback Tyler Van Dyke, who lost his starting job to freshman Emory Williams, will get a chance to redeem himself after throwing 11 interceptions in his last five games. The Hurricanes, who are just 2-4 against ACC opponents, play their final home game. UM, which controlled both lines of scrimmage for most of the game in last week’s loss at FSU, should keep the game close, but Louisville may prove to be too much.

Coach Billy Napier has put together the school’s first top-5 class since 2013. The key now is to hold onto it while some significant cracks in the foundation have formed.

Tackle Nasir Johnson changed his commitment Wednesday to Georgia, even though 6-4 ½, 300-pound native of Dublin, Ga., still has a photo on his Twitter account wearing a Florida uniform. Johnson is the third defensive player to bail on UF during the past several days, a span when the Gators’ class has fallen from No. 3 to No. 5 per 247Sports.

“Every team has their casualties on the trail. They have their flips,” Steve Wiltfong, director of recruiting 247Sports, told the Orlando Sentinel Wednesday. “This was a big recruiting win that they had over Georgia that now they got to play against them. So it stings a little.”

Mississippi edge rusher’s Jamonta Waller’s changed his commitment to Auburn during Florida’s 52-35 loss at LSU was a cruel blow to a defense that surrendered a school-record 701 yards to the Tigers. On Sunday, cornerback Wardell Mack flipped to Texas.

Defensive tackle Amaris Williams, a top-50 prospect from North Carolina, is being doggedly pursued by Ohio State.

Whether the Gators’ class crumbles by Dec. 20’s Early National Signing Day will be critical to Napier’s long-term success after a rocky start to his tenure at Florida. The 44-year-old coach is 11-12 at Florida (5-5, 3-4 SEC) entering Saturday’s visit to No. 9 Missouri (8-2, 4-2).

“We’ll see how this class turns out,” Wiltfong said. “It’s too early. There’s still a lot of really good players in this class. There’s still a lot of reason to be very excited about the future of Florida football with this class holding together for what it is.”

Headlining the class are Daytona Beach Mainland edge rusher LJ McCray, along with DJ Lagway and Xavier Filsaime, a pair of five-star prospects from Texas. The Gators have signed a trio of highly rated linebackers, a key position of need, led by Myles Graham — the son of former UF standout running back Ernest Graham.

“There’s a lot of guys who are really locked in,” Rivals.com recruiting analyst Adam Gorney told the Sentinel. “If they love Florida, not only the direction, but the opportunity to get on the field earlier. A lot of kids are swayed by that.”

True freshmen have handled around 30% of Florida’s defensive snaps.

With that comes growing pains. The Gators ride a three-game losing streak into the Missouri game and host No. 4 Florida State (10-0) on Nov. 25.

A five-game losing streak to end Year 2 is hard to sell.

But name, image and likeness, playing opportunity, relationships with coaches and a program’s culture are other factors recruits consider.

“It just depends on who the kid is,” Wiltfong said.

Whatever Napier and Co. are touting to prospects, the Gators could use some recruiting wins as the losses mount.

“Recruiting’s about who you get, not who you don’t get. So how do they respond?” Wiltfong said. “Who’s next? Who do they get? How do they develop you know, that’s kind of where it’s at right now.”

Edgar Thompson can be reached at egthompson@orlandosentinel.com

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  Finalists for the 26th Don Quijote Awards, presented by The Hispanic Chamber of Metro Orlando and Prospera, gather for a group photo after being announced at the Winter Park Library on Thursday, November 14, 2023. The Don Quijote Awards is a signature event in Central Florida that recognizes businesses and individuals committed to excellence and the development of Central Florida’s Hispanic community. (Rich Pope/Orlando Sentinel)

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  Dr. Marica Vazquez, Superintendent Orange County Schools; Melissa Marantes, Executive Director of Orlando Center for Justice and Dr. Isis Artze-Vega, Valencia College Provost, gather for a photo after being announced as Don Quijote Awards finalists in the Excellence category at the Winter Park Library on Thursday, November 14, 2023. The Don Quijote Awards is a signature event in Central Florida that recognizes businesses and individuals committed to excellence and the development of Central Florida’s Hispanic community (Rich Pope/Orlando Sentinel).

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  Dr. Cyndia Muniz, UCF Director of HSI Culture and Partnerships; Felipe Sousa-Lazaballet, Executive Director of Hope CommUnity Center and Diahann Smith, Director of Marketing at Florida Dairy Farmers, celebrate together after being named Don Quijote Awards finalists for the Professional of the Year at the Winter Park Library on Thursday, November 14, 2023. The Don Quijote Awards presented by The Hispanic Chamber of Metro Orlando and Prospera is the signature event in Central Florida that recognizes businesses and individuals committed to excellence and the development of Central Florida’s Hispanic community. (Rich Pope/Orlando Sentinel)

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  Finalists for the 26th Don Quijote Awards, presented by The Hispanic Chamber of Metro Orlando and Prospera, gather for a group photo after being announced at the Winter Park Library on Thursday, November 14, 2023. The Don Quijote Awards is a signature event in Central Florida that recognizes businesses and individuals committed to excellence and the development of Central Florida’s Hispanic community. (Rich Pope/Orlando Sentinel)

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  Dr. Marica Vazquez, Superintendent Orange County Schools, and Dr. Isis Artze-Vega, Valencia College Provost, congratulate each other after being announced as Don Quijote Awards finalists in the Excellence category at the Winter Park Library on Thursday, November 14, 2023. The Don Quijote Awards presented by The Hispanic Chamber of Metro Orlando and Prospera is the signature event in Central Florida that recognizes businesses and individuals committed to excellence and the development of Central Florida’s Hispanic community. (Rich Pope/Orlando Sentinel)

Pinnacle at the Wesleyan, includes 96 units on West Vine Street in Kissimmee that will be priced at or below 80% of the area’s median income for 50 years. The apartments— a mix of which will be mostly 2 bedrooms —will begin construction in December and are set to open in May of 2026.

The developer has 32 years to pay the no-interest loan back, which will be distributed over two years, according to meeting notes.

Commission Chair Viviana Janer said it is important that the county looks for innovative ways to create affordable housing.

“We do like the public-private partnerships in order to get them done,” Janer said on Monday.

Staff recommended the county manager fund a gap created by the rising costs of construction and labor, according to Board of County Commission meeting notes from March.

In a June letter to Pinnacle Housing, County Manager Don Fisher commitment to fund the project, saying the county is in need of more affordable housing.

The project is also being funded by a $500,000 loan from the city of Kissimmee, which approved it in June; low-income housing tax credits from the Florida Housing Finance Corp.; and $4.3 million from Live Local Act funds, according to Nov. 13 board of county commission meeting notes.

In total, the development is estimated to cost over $33.8 million, according to meeting notes.

The Pinnacle at the Wesleyan will be one of the first projects in the county that is using funds from the newly established Live Local Act through the Florida Housing Finance Corp. to build affordable housing in the county.

The Live Local Act or Senate Bill 102 was signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis in March and established a $711-million fund  for affordable housing but also diminished the authority of local municipalities to set their own zoning and height regulations on new affordable developments.

“I think the state really needs to trickle that money down to communities that are really truly dedicating their time and resources to affordable housing like Osceola County,” Commissioner Peggy Choudhry said of the act. “Regardless, we are dedicating a lot of time and effort and we’re doing all we possibly can to bring more affordable housing.”

Pinnacle Housing and the Florida Housing Finance Corp. did not respond to requests for comment.

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  Former US Rep. John Mica speaks during an event at the Winter Park Library on Tuesday, November 14, 2023. Mica is presenting his congressional papers, along with those of former Sen. Paula Hawkins, to the library. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)

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  Former US Rep. John Mica, left, speaks as Genean McKinnon, right, listens during an event at the Winter Park Library on Tuesday, November 14, 2023. Mica is presenting his congressional papers, along with those of former Sen. Paula Hawkins, to the library. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)

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  A display is pictured at right as dignitaries gather during an event at the Winter Park Library on Tuesday, November 14, 2023. Former U.S. Rep. John Mica is presenting his congressional papers, along with those of former Sen. Paula Hawkins, to the library. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)

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  Former US Rep. John Mica, right, mingles during an event at the Winter Park Library on Tuesday, November 14, 2023. Mica is presenting his congressional papers, along with those of former Sen. Paula Hawkins, to the library. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)

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  Former US Rep. John Mica and Genean McKinnon (top) speak during an event at the Winter Park Library on Tuesday, November 14, 2023. Mica is presenting his congressional papers, along with those of former Sen. Paula Hawkins, to the library. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)

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  Former US Rep. John Mica speaks during an event at the Winter Park Library on Tuesday, November 14, 2023. Mica is presenting his congressional papers, along with those of former Sen. Paula Hawkins, to the library. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)

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  Former US Rep. John Mica speaks during an event at the Winter Park Library on Tuesday, November 14, 2023. Mica is presenting his congressional papers, along with those of former Sen. Paula Hawkins, to the library. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)

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  Former US Rep. John Mica speaks during an event at the Winter Park Library on Tuesday, November 14, 2023. Mica is presenting his congressional papers, along with those of former Sen. Paula Hawkins, to the library. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)

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  Former US Rep. John Mica, right, mingles during an event at the Winter Park Library on Tuesday, November 14, 2023. Mica is presenting his congressional papers, along with those of former Sen. Paula Hawkins, to the library. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)

“R-Evolution,” a kinetic sculpture depicting a nude standing woman known for appearing at the Burning Man festival, was unveiled on the 400 block of Lincoln Road on Tuesday morning ahead of Miami Art Week next month.

The artwork, designed by artist Marco Cochrane, was brought to Miami Beach by the Lincoln Road Business Improvement District in partnership with the City of Miami Beach. It is on view until April 2024.

In recent years, Lincoln Road publicly exhibited works by Colombian artist Fernando Botero and French artist Richard Orlinski on its promenade.

“We wanted something that was monumental, that was large and could be a conversation piece that wouldn’t get lost in the breadth of Lincoln Road,” said Lyle Stern, the Lincoln Road BID president. “We also wanted something that signaled a major statement for conversation, and I think we can all agree that this did it.”

Cochrane, an American sculptor, debuted “R-Evolution” at Burning Man in 2015. The sculpture, which was modeled after singer and dancer Deja Solis, was the third sculpture in Cochrane’s series.

Unlike most California girls, “R-Evolution” traveled from the west coast to Miami on two semi trucks. The work features 16 motors inside the chest to make it look like she’s breathing. It was designed to shine brightly during the day and glow with LED lights at night.

Outgoing Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber thanked Stern, the BID and Miami Beach residents for supporting the arts. (Last year, residents voted to approve $159 million in bonds to fund local cultural institutions.)

“The best kind of art is free art, and the very best kind of free art is public art,” Gelber said. “Because you can walk down the street and just see something that gives you a sense of place and a sense of marvel, and that’s what we’re aiming for in our city.”

In between interviews with press, Cochrane stopped to take selfies with some residents who saw the sculpture for the first time. Luz Cevallos, a longtime Miami Beach resident, shook his hand and congratulated him.

“How beautiful,” Cevallos said in Spanish as she took photos on her phone. She enjoys coming to Lincoln Road to walk and said the artwork is a great addition.

“Precious, divine,” she added, describing the sculpture. “There are no words.”

Cochrane said it’s thrilling to have his work seen by residents and visitors, especially during Art Week.

“I really didn’t know it was going to be like this,” he said. “There’s a lot of people here. It’s by far the most people she’s ever been around. I feel like it really fits in here.”

Cochrane said “R-Evolution” was inspired by female empowerment and humanity.

“It’s just about how powerful it is to be — just to be,” he said. “The world is really busy and crazy right now, crazier than ever. I want to remind people that being, just being, is enough.”

Want to check out the “R-Evolution” sculpture? It’s located outside on the 400 block of Lincoln Road, next to the 407 Lincoln Road building and until April.

The town hall, moderated by Tampa Police Chief Lee Bercaw, comes less than two weeks after dozens of residents and business owners spoke at a Tampa City Council meeting to push back against a proposal to close Ybor bars at 1 a.m. for the next six months.

Tuesday night, some community members decried Ybor’s clustered bar scene, but other longtime residents said the neighborhood was still a safe place despite what happened last month.

Many of the two dozen who offered input to Bercaw, police officials and City Council members in attendance asked for more youth outreach efforts and fewer guns on the streets.

Dionne Neal, 53, moved to Tampa in 2019 so that her son Dyante could live with her and enroll in Hillsborough Community College to finish his associate’s degree.

In 2019, the 25-year-old student was punched and killed outside a bar on East Seventh Avenue in Ybor. Neal said she hoped to see a curfew for minors that would keep them off the streets late at night.

Visit Orlando defends work, $100M budget but Orange County plans ‘haircut’

“I don’t want to see another Tay Tay,” she said.

Bercaw said dispatch calls and even the number of guns confiscated in Ybor doubles in the early morning hours compared to those before midnight. He said 34 guns were seized Monday night — 10 of them before midnight and 24 afterward.

“After midnight is the witching hour,” Bercaw said.

On Oct. 29, an argument broke out in the early morning between two groups and shots rang out near the 1600 block of East Seventh Avenue, police say. Two were killed and 16 injured — 15 by gunfire.

While police have not released the victims’ names, citing Marsy’s Law, family members have identified both 14-year-old Elijah Wilson and 20-year-old Harrison Boonstoppel as the two people killed in the incident.

Police arrested Tyrell Phillips, 22, hours after the shooting. Phillips has since pleaded not guilty after prosecutors charged him with one count of second-degree murder with a firearm. Investigators are still looking for at least two additional shooters.

Eric Schiller, the owner of Gaspar’s Grotto, asked Bercaw to stop closing the streets when Ybor businesses close for the night.

“I feel like a broken record because I’ve said this same damn speech about every five years to as many people as I possibly can,” he said.

Bercaw defended the decision to close the streets along Ybor’s bars when those businesses close. He said it allows the large wave of bargoers to exit safely without risk of being hit by a vehicle.

“That’s the million-dollar question is whether to leave the streets open or whether or not to,” Bercaw said. “There’s a sweet spot where we feel like we have to close them when the public is coming out of the nightclubs. The sidewalks can’t handle the volume.”

‘Can you get my son back to me?’ Tampa parents grieve after Ybor shooting

Niki Carraway, 44, of Brandon, said she regularly attends the Police Department’s Town Hall Tuesday events and the turnout Tuesday night was the largest she’d ever seen.

“What’s happening in our community is not a police problem and it’s not a club scene problem,” she said. “This is a community problem. And as a community, we have got to start to come together.”

She urged adults to check in with troubled young people.

Prosecutors file murder charge against Ybor City shooting suspect

“Our youth is our future,” she said. “And if we don’t do something about it, we’re going to lose them.”

Calvin Johnson, the department’s deputy chief of community outreach, said this work starts at home.

“A lot of these shootings is within — like the chief said — about 10 or 15 seconds because somebody has not told their child to take a deep breath when you get upset. They haven’t had that conversation,” he said.

“I think that we’re doing everything that we can possibly do to help reduce gun violence. But what I don’t want you to leave here tonight with was thinking that your involvement doesn’t mean anything. We need you as ambassadors out there.”

I was unknowingly battling its symptoms of depression and anxiety before being diagnosed. I had no idea what was happening to me. I had no mental health struggles my whole life (I’m 45) until this medical condition changed my behavior considerably.

My wife of almost 20 years left me before I was diagnosed.

After diagnosis, doctors were able to stop the blood loss. The anemia and its symptoms went away, and I returned to my normal self.

I was sure my wife would reconcile with our family after my diagnosis, but instead she said I was using the illness as an excuse for my behavior. She does not understand it was the cause.

She doesn’t understand these symptoms went away once the illness was successfully treated and believes I am permanently mentally ill.

She believes the illness brought out my true personality, when that is not true at all. What happened was a complete accident.

My wife and family are my whole life. We have a 4-year-old daughter who I am a great father to. I never would have gotten this medical condition on purpose.

My wife is throwing away our family and is trying to take me away from our daughter because I had a curable illness, which I no longer have.

How can I save my family from this tragedy?

– Heartbroken Husband

Dear Heartbroken: I understand that depression and anxiety are possible side effects of anemia, but you don’t note precisely what considerable changes in your behavior emerged during your illness. If this change in your behavior had a significant and direct impact on your wife and child, then it is important for you to acknowledge and own any specific episodes that might have been alarming or harmful to them.

This falls under the “sickness and health” portion of the marriage contract, and your wife obviously does not have the fortitude to stick it out.

You should find a couples therapist as soon as possible, in order to discuss this in a calm and controlled environment, with someone who could help you two to communicate your concerns.

Sadly, people leave marriages for all sorts of reasons – and sometimes for seemingly no reason at all, despite the life-altering disruption to the lives of children.

Once a spouse has decided to leave, there is not always a clear path toward saving a marriage, and if your marriage is ending, therapy (and the advice of a good attorney) could further help you to accept this, and to clarify your own choices moving forward.

Dear Amy: My husband and I have a friend in her early 70s whose husband is in his early 80s.

He has dementia and will need a care facility soon. He knows that.

She wants to stay in their home after he moves, but we believe this would be a mistake.

Should we share with her other options?

How should we proceed?

– Concerned

Dear Concerned: You don’t note why you think it would be a mistake for your friend to stay in her home after her husband moves. If she is healthy, a person in her early 70s likely can enjoy many years of independent living before making her own move.

In my opinion, staying in her home could be the very best thing for her to do – for now. If her husband moves, being in her home during the period of his decline could provide the sense of stability she needs.

If she asks for assistance or advice to review her housing options, you could be very helpful by researching local places and offering to tour them with her. Even if she decides not to move right away, being aware of her options will help her to make the decision later.

When I was hosting one Thanksgiving feast, my mother decided to have everyone around the table take a letter from T-H-A-N-K-S-G-I-V-I-N-G and say what they were thankful for.

My elderly father got the S and he could think of no word other than sex, so he said it. Mother was horrified and never made that suggestion again!

– Still Thankful

Dear Thankful: I may be feasting on your anecdote this year. Thank you!

You can email Amy Dickinson at askamy@amydickinson.com or send a letter to Ask Amy, P.O. Box 194, Freeville, NY 13068. You can also follow her on Twitter @askingamy or Facebook.

Florida legislators said they were doing good for the public when they made it harder for policyholders to sue their insurance company over denied claims. They asserted that it would relieve market turmoil, attract new companies and reduce the nation’s highest homeowner rates. That’s highly debatable, because the law (last session’s HB 837) doesn’t require companies to pass along their savings. But that’s their story and they’re sticking to it.

Now, at least one legislator who voted for that bill aims to do well by cashing in. Republican Sen. Joe Gruters approached colleagues about investing in a start-up company, Village Protection Insurance. A solicitation he forwarded described a “unique and lucrative opportunity for investors.”

Gruters, 46, of Sarasota, is a CPA and former chairman of the Republican Party of Florida who was state co-chairman of Donald Trump’s first Florida campaign in 2016. The senator reported a net worth of $2.8 million last year.

Deepening the distrust

Other companies are also luring legislators to invest, according to the Miami Herald and the Tampa Bay Times.

You might be asking, “Is this legal?” The answer is yes. But it’s wrong on two important levels: Public opinion and public policy.

Public opinion of politicians and distrust of institutions is dangerously low throughout the nation. Among the reasons, Pew Research reported, is that 63% of those polled believe that all or most elected officials run for office to make a lot of money.

What Gruters proposes deepens the distrust.

Sen. Jason Pizzo, D-Hollywood, alluded to it when he said why he wouldn’t invest in Gruters’ company or in any other.

“I just don’t want to be directly involved with profiting off of what is less restrictive, or more favorable, conditions for insurers,” Pizzo told the Times and Herald. The appearances “probably aren’t great,” but he said policyholders wouldn’t care if their rates come down.

Insurance is highly regulated by a division of the Florida Department of Financial Services, which executes the laws that legislators pass and depends upon them for its appropriations. For legislators to also be investors creates the possibility of improper influence on regulators and self-dealing through lawmaking.

There’s nothing new about state legislators angling to enrich themselves from their positions.

In the 1960s, a Miami company, State Fire & Casualty was known to be in financial difficulty, but state Insurance Commissioner Broward Williams held off on declaring it insolvent and putting it into receivership. The reason, as it appeared, was that the chairman of the House Insurance Committee, Rep. Carey Matthews, a Miami Democrat, was the insurer’s general counsel.

Acceptable ‘by current standards’

The scandal led to a U.S. Senate investigation, Williams’ electoral defeat in 1970 and Matthews’ indictment in 1971 on 19 counts of securities, mail and wire fraud. He resigned from the Legislature, pleaded guilty to one count and got five years’ probation.

Over the years, many legislators have been licensed insurance brokers. Rep. J. Hyatt Brown, a Daytona Beach Democrat and House speaker in 1977-78, headed a brokerage that became the sixth-largest in the country.

Although the state insurance division can revoke licenses, that aspect of regulation is not nearly as extensive as its authority and responsibility to assure the financial soundness of the companies they represent.

Even there, experts say, investments by Gruters and other legislators would not cross a legal or ethics barrier.

But public opinion is much different.

“At its worst interpretation, Gruters’ behavior is probably deemed acceptable by current standards,” said Bonnie Williams, a former executive director of the Florida Commission of Ethics, in an email to the Sun Sentinel Editorial Board.

She added that if the legislation was controversial — as the insurance bills were — “a legislator would be hard-pressed to argue that his subsequent interest was a coincidence.”

The optics look bad

The bar to reach a conflict of interest in the Florida Legislature is intentionally very high because they can hold outside jobs, according to Ben Wilcox, research director of Integrity Florida, a watchdog group. He noted that legislators often sponsor bills and serve on committees that could benefit their own personal income. Senate rules require senators to vote unless a bill would provide them a “special private gain or loss.”

What Gruters is doing would not be a conflict of interest under Senate rules. But the optics look bad to Floridians struggling with sky-high insurance premiums.

“I’m sure he will spin it by saying he’s trying to make insurance more affordable, but to the public, it will look like he is seeking to profit from homeowners desperate to find affordable insurance coverage,” Wilcox said.

The Legislature is scheduled to convene for 60 days a year, but legislative service is increasingly time-consuming, with frequent special sessions, committee meetings in the months preceding the session and frequent public appearances and gatherings with constituents. Legislators are paid $29,697 a year.

As a result, Florida’s low-salaried “citizen legislature” is highly unrepresentative of how most Floridians live. A 2018 study by the Tampa Bay Times found that nearly half the legislators serving were lawyers or chief executives. Only nine reported lawmaking as their primary income source, but few could survive on that paltry salary.

This imbalance will continue as long as Florida perpetuates the myth that governing the third-largest state is not important enough to be full-time work — and so will the temptation for legislators to do well for themselves.

The Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board includes Editor-in-Chief Julie Anderson, Opinion Editor Krys Fluker and Viewpoints Editor Jay Reddick. The Sun Sentinel Editorial Board consists of Editorial Page Editor Steve Bousquet, Deputy Editorial Page Editor Dan Sweeney, editorial writer Martin Dyckman and Anderson. Send letters to insight@orlandosentinel.com.

And though McAvoy, now an advanced sommelier and owner of Orlando’s Swirlery Wine Bar in SoDo, has a far more sophisticated palate these days, the Beaujolais Day tradition — this year on Nov. 16 — has stuck. This will be Swirlery’s eighth annual Beaujolais soiree, a deep dive into styles of this popular, easy-drinking wine.

“I think it’s a perfect wine for Florida because it’s lower alcohol, a really nice, crisp red, and should be served chilled,” she notes. “And it pairs beautifully with some of the lighter food choices we often make because of the climate we live in. It’s an ideal wine to showcase.”

The Nouveau, she notes, is best known. Its colorful labels show up this time of year, bright and often flowery. “It’s associated with the end of harvest in Burgundy,” she explains, “but also happens to time well in America with the Thanksgiving holiday.”

The Nouveau employs a process called carbonic maceration, which “for me makes it sort of a guilty pleasure,” McAvoy jokes. “It’s made to be enjoyed really immediately. Using this technique, it’s fermented very fast at super cool temperatures, and so, just a fresh fun wine to enjoy quickly.”

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There are other Beaujolais varieties, however, that are deep-dive worthy. These are McAvoy’s favorites: the Crus. With these comes something of a geography lesson.

Beaujolais is a region in France that sits south of Burgundy. Within, there are 10 “crus” from north to south. These include St-Amour, Juliénas, Chénas, Moulin-à-Vent, Fleurie, Chiroubles, Morgon, Régnié, Brouilly and Côte de Brouilly.

“It’s often like stepping back in time,” McAvoy says of the regions’ small, old-vine family operations. “These wineries have been passed down through generations. And when you meet these winemakers, you can’t help but fall in love with the wine. You want to share it every year and celebrate, but then enjoy it all year long.”

Orlando’s natural wine scene is growing — organically

There is a variance in flavors from cru to cru, she notes, “lots of depth and minerality due in part to the soils,” and on Beaujolais Day at Swirlery, her annual selection will roam the region. Guests can sip and savor a few light bites or get as geeky as they like: Beaujolais and its gamay grapes are rife with drama.

“Hundreds of years ago, the Duke of Burgundy — they called him Phillip the Bold — wanted to make pinot noir famous in Burgundy, and so he banned the planting of gamay grapes in the northern part of the region.”

It was a long road to redemption for this now-beloved Beaujolais from the south, “and why it is such a special, unique part of Burgundy and its history.”

Swirlery’s tasting party ($30 at the door) starts at 6 p.m. and will take guests through all 10 crus, with bottles available for sale. There will be Nouveau, too, of course, “And maybe a little gamay from Oregon or elsewhere in the States, too.”

Parties here are casual, come as you are and wholly unpretentious, with lots of wine lovers eager to share what they know, exchange thoughts on the pours and just have fun. Dinner-party and gifting season is upon us, too, and so really, going to a wine shop is about the most unselfish thing you can do this time of year, really.

I’m reaching, I know.

But if you needed another excuse to get to know Beau, now you’ve got one. And you can share what you’ve learned with your hosts this season when you bring them a bottle.

Want to reach out? Find me on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram @amydroo or on the OSFoodie Instagram account @orlando.foodie. Email: amthompson@orlandosentinel.com. For more fun, join the Let’s Eat, Orlando Facebook group or follow @fun.things.orlando on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.