Email Author Francisco Alvarado

Awards

• 2011 - The Green Eyeshade Excellence in Journalism Awards/Atlanta SPJ, published July 8, 2010

  "Death Row"

• 2010 - Better Weekly Newspaper Awards/Florida Press Association, published September 3, 2009

  "On the Level"

• 2010 - Better Weekly Newspaper Awards/Florida Press Association, published October 15, 2009

  "Work It, Jerry!"

• 2010 - Better Weekly Newspaper Awards/Florida Press Association, published September 17, 2009

  "Baby Got Fatback!"

• 2010 - Sunshine State Awards/South Florida Society of Professional Journalists, published September 3, 2009

  "On the Level"

• 2009 - Education Reporting Awards/National Education Writers Association, published May 1, 2008

  "F-School Bomb"

• 2009 - AAN AltWeekly Awards, published October 30, 2008

  "Voter Fraud Ahead"

• 2009 - AAN AltWeekly Awards, published May 22, 2008

  "Burn, Baby, Burn"

• 2009 - AAN AltWeekly Awards, published May 8, 2008

  "Killers in the Can"

• 2009 - The Green Eyeshade Excellence in Journalism Awards/Atlanta SPJ, published January 10, 2008

  "Wet Foot, Dusty Foot"

• 2009 - The Green Eyeshade Excellence in Journalism Awards/Atlanta SPJ, published October 23, 2008

  "Dead Weight"

• 2009 - The Green Eyeshade Excellence in Journalism Awards/Atlanta SPJ, published May 1, 2008

  "The F-School Bomb"

• 2009 - Better Weekly Newspaper Awards/Florida Press Association, published May 1, 2008

  "The F-School Bomb"

• 2009 - Sunshine State Awards/South Florida Society of Professional Journalists, published September 11, 2008

  "Missing Peace"

• 2009 - Sunshine State Awards/South Florida Society of Professional Journalists, published December 11, 2008

  "No Fear"

• 2008 - Better Weekly Newspaper Awards/Florida Press Association, published August 2, 2007

  "Bad Apple"

• 2006 - The Green Eyeshade Excellence in Journalism Awards/Atlanta SPJ, published January 27, 2005

  "Crack Kills"

More

2013 Stories by Francisco Alvarado

• Homestead Mayor's Lock-Cutting Incident Sparks Dispute With Local Businessman

  published June 20, 2013

  An old-fashioned case of gatecrashing left Homestead's mayor facing a vandalism investigation last month, and even though charges were never... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Rick Scott Signs Pipe Ban That Doesn't Really Ban Pipes

  published Jun 17, 2013

  Bro!!!!!! Did you hear bror!r!r Gov. Rick Scott is such a buzz kill bro!!! He just signed a law that makes it illegal for smoke shops to sell just about every pipe bro!!! Glass, wooden, acrylic, stone... More >>

• Francis Suarez Campaign Caught in Absentee Ballot Fraud Probe

  published Jun 14, 2013

  Since winning a seat on the Miami City Commission in 2009, Francis Suarez worked hard to forge his own political identity and avoid the type of absentee ballot voter fraud scandal that derailed his fa... More >>

• Homestead Mayor Steven Bateman Accused of Vandalism

  published Jun 13, 2013

  A dispute over a locked gate prompted Miami attorney John Ruiz, operator of La Ley Sports Complex in Homestead, to call the police on Mayor Steven Bateman this past March 7. According to a recently re... More >>

• Norman Braman, Magic City Casino Among Top Donors in Miami Mayor's Race

  published Jun 12, 2013

  The Miami Mayor's race is still five months away, but a majority of the city's politically influential power brokers are lining up behind Commissioner Francis Suarez, who is looking to take out popula... More >>

• FPL's Feud With Former Executive Jeffrey Bartel Costs Him Seat At Mayor's Ball

  published Jun 07, 2013

  Did Jeffrey Bartel's vicious public beef with his former employer, Florida Power & Light, cost him a seat on the host committee for the 14th Annual Mayor's Ball this Saturdayr Sources tell Banana Repu... More >>

• Miami-Dade Union President Blames Bosses for Water and Sewer System Failures

  published Jun 06, 2013

  Earlier this week, the Miami-Dade County Commission approved an 8 percent rate increase to water and sewer bills, which means homeowners will begin paying about $4 more a month on their average water ... More >>

• The"Meyer Lanksy" of Miami-Dade Government Goes Down

  published Jun 05, 2013

  A Miami-Dade County bureaucrat who evoked Jewish mob king Meyer Lansky's name to orchestrate shady deals ripped off taxpayers to the tune of $3 million in a decade. During an afternoon press conferen... More >>

• Ladyparts-gate: North Miami Mayoral Finalist Says She Was Secretly Recorded

  published June 6, 2013

  Ladyparts-gate: North Miami Mayoral Finalist Says She Was Secretly Recorded More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  North Miami Mayoral Finalist Says Opponent Secretly Recorded Her Bragging About Her Ladyparts

  published Jun 03, 2013

  If it wasn't already official, it is now: North Miami has the sleaziest politics in Dade. Consider the town's latest tangled web, which involves a finalist for mayor getting secretly recorded talking ... More >>

• Safe Wrap of Florida Already Messing Up Lucrative Airport Contract

  published May 29, 2013

  The company that won a hotly contested contract at Miami International Airport worth tens of millions of dollars a year is already in the doghouse with MIami-Dade County's Aviation Department. On Tues... More >>

• Miami Northwestern Track Coach Is an Inner-City Hero

  published May 30, 2013

  Miami Northwestern Track Coach Is an Inner-City Hero More >>

• Former CEO of Veteran's Assistance Agency Gets 85 Days In the Slammer

  published May 28, 2013

  The former head of a Liberty City non-profit agency that assisted veterans will spend 85 days in jail for stealing taxpayer money meant to help vets get back on their feet. Last week, 60-year-old Char... More >>

• Carmen Jackson Leads Miami Northwestern Senior High To 10 State Titles

  published May 27, 2013

  Bet ya didn't know the high-school coach with the most state titles in Miami-Dade County isn't involved with football, basketball, or baseball. Heck, the championship leader doesn't work with boys eit... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Coconut Grove Playhouse Going For That Crack Den Aesthetic

  published May 24, 2013

  Ever since Florida's Department of Environmental Protection retook control of the shuttered Coconut Grove Playhouse last year, the storied structure has been left to rot. And until the state closes a ... More >>

• Miami Therapist Gets Nine Years For His Role In $63 Million Medicare Scam

  published May 23, 2013

  In the capital of medicare fraud, Miami therapist Paul Thomas Layman and his cohorts pulled off a doozy of a heist, stealing $63 million from the federal government through bogus mental health service... More >>

• Zoraida Abreu Pleads Guilty in $2.4 Million Real Estate Scam

  published May 22, 2013

  Two years ago, Miami New Times was the first media outlet to report on a crew of scammers who swindled $2.4 million out of 15 real estate investors who believed they were getting sweetheart deals on f... More >>

• Homestead Mayor Steve Bateman Gets Put in His Place

  published May 21, 2013

  At last week's May 15 Homestead City Council meeting, Mayor Steve Bateman got testy with local business owner Michelle Pederson, prompting her husband Kevin to call hizzoner out. The back and forth oc... More >>

• Santiestebans Plead Guilty to Marijuana Trafficking

  published May 20, 2013

  The family that grew ganja together is now the family that pleaded guilty together. In the spring of last year, federal agents and Miami-Dade narcotics detectives dismantled a clan of marijuana grower... More >>

• WLRN Hires Veteran TIME Magazine Reporter Tim Padgett

  published May 16, 2013

  National magazine journalism may be coughing and gagging its last breaths, but public radio is giving print reporters hope. In an email to supporters late last night, WLRN-Miami Herald News Director D... More >>

• Judge Allows Environmental Group To Join Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Lawsuit

  published May 15, 2013

  As Miami-Dade County moves forward with its $12.6 billion plan to fix the aging water and sewer collection system, Federal Chief Judge Frederico Moreno yesterday awarded a significant victory to the B... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Burials at Sea: The Real Story Behind Miami's Craziest Van Advertisement

  published May 14, 2013

  A white '80s Dodge Ram work van idles near the public boat ramp at Dinner Key Marina in Coconut Grove. The ride has no windows, giving it a Silence of the Lambs vibe. Strapped to the roof is a crude h... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Sun Gym Gang Accomplice Speaks About "Pain & Gain" For First Time

  published May 14, 2013

  John Raimondo is a bit player in the 1999 epic three-part Miami New Times series "Pain & Gain," which blockbuster Hollywood director Michael Bay turned into a passion project that hit theaters over tw... More >>

• Miami Man Offers Burials at Sea for $500

  published May 16, 2013

  A white '80s Dodge Ram work van idles near the public boat ramp at Dinner Key Marina in Coconut Grove. The ride has no windows, giving it a... More >>

• Miami-Dade County Wants $4.2 Billion in Bonds For Aging Water and Sewer System

  published May 09, 2013

  Now that the debate about using public funds to fix up Sun-Life Stadium is over, there is an even much bigger public works project that should have Miami-Dade taxpayers especially concerned. For more ... More >>