When Tallahassee was set to slash funding for New World School of the Arts last year, a veritable who's who of homegrown talent rose up to speak out against the cuts. The downtown Miami magnet high school and college counts Moonlight playwright Tarell Alvin McCraney, Cocaine Cowboys director Billy Corben, and Hamilton music director Alex Lacamoire among its alumni. In the end, lawmakers made a last-minute decision to abandon their plans. That's good news for locals: The 30-year-old institution provides a topnotch arts education and is ranked the 17th best school in Florida by U.S. News & World Report. Best of all, it's a public school, so any kid in the county has the chance to attend and become Miami's next big thing.