8 Most Miami Headlines of 2025: Epstein’s Sweatshirt, ‘All Lives Splatter,’ and a Birkin

Joe Carollo Dumps Miami…For Now

Don’t get it twisted. Miami residents rejected Joe Carollo’s bid to become Miami’s next mayor. But the 70-year-old commissioner evidently wanted to go out on his own terms. A week before he was set to leave office, Carollo announced his resignation from his District 3 commission seat. Carollo, who had been a Miami commissioner since 2017 and previously served as the city’s mayor in the late 1990s, lost in November’s crowded mayoral race and did not advance to the December runoff election.

Carollo announced the breakup on Instagram, writing, “My wife Marjorie and I now embark on a new chapter in our lives,” alongside a photo. “Although I am leaving this office, my commitment to helping others does not end here.”

Firearms Head to the Grocery Store Aisles

In October, following the overturn of Florida’s ban on open carry, employees at Publix grocery stores across South Florida revealed that customers can have their firearms strapped to their waistbands as they browse the menacing aisles for Honey Nut Cheerios and Cuties. In late September, Florida officially allowed open carry after an appeals Court ruled the state’s 40-year ban unconstitutional. This paved the way for businesses and private property owners to determine whether they would permit open carry on their premises.

Better yet, employees at three stores in South Florida that have the “Publix Pours” bar area, which offers draft wine and beer to customers as they shop, confirmed that they also allow open carry. Cheers!

Jeffrey Epstein’s Sweatshirt Fetches Thousands

There’s always a Miami connection. Amid the calls on the Department of Justice to release the highly sought-after Epstein files, a Miami store sold a personalized sweatshirt that once belonged to disgraced financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein for a whopping $11,000. Epstein was photographed wearing the monogrammed navy quarter-zip sweatshirt at a magazine launch party in New York City in 2022.

Mar, the 30-year-old owner of the showroom who sold the sweatshirt, told New Times that the sweatshirt was in good condition and did not have any noticeable odors (barring what he described as an “old man” stench). Following his authentication process, he purchased the sweatshirt for $5,000 and announced the sale on his Instagram. Almost immediately, the direct messages and phone calls started pouring in. One person was so desperate that they offered $100,000.

Ultimately, the item was sold to a loyal customer whom Mars described as famous but declined to identify.

You know, what’s funny, like, as curious as I was, I normally don’t even ask people how they get things. Some things are just better not to know,” Mar told New Times. “It was unbelievable.”

Casey DeSantis Claims She Doesn’t Know Who Bad Bunny Is

Florida’s first lady Casey DeSantis either lives under a rock or is lying to herself for a joke that didn’t land. We are betting on the latter. As the MAGA world raged about Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny’s selection as the Super Bowl LX halftime performer, DeSantis posed a question to her followers on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.

“Not trying to start anything here, but honestly…who exactly is Bad Bunny?” she wrote with a bunny emoji.

Despite her warning of “not trying to start anything,” she started something.

“Bad Bunny is quite literally the most-streamed artist in Florida,” Steven Walker, an Orlando Sentinel reporter, responded.

Another added, “I guess Tallahassee is 8 hours from Miami.”

Meanwhile, her husband, who denied that the “hodge-podge mix” playlist leaked in the Panama Playlists was his, prefers that Metallica perform at this year’s halftime show.

All Lives Splatter

After Gov. Ron DeSantis gave drivers permission to run over protesters if they felt threatened during the nationwide “No Kings” protests in June, one Miami-Dade County business decided to post on Instagram a cartoon of a car running over protesters titled, “All Lives Splatter.”

“Nobody cares about your protest,” the Blue Lagoon Farm Miami’s meme read. “Keep your ass out of the road.”

After the farm, which hosts weddings and sells raw honey, removed the post, people flooded the business’s Google page with one-star reviews. The company defended its initial post in response to one comment.

“We support the Governor of the Great Free State of Florida. He said that if rioters surround your car and you fear for your safety, feel free to drive away and the fault falls on the person blocking your car,” the business added. “You will only disagree with this until it’s you in the car (with family) surrounded by lunatics wishing you harm. Grow a pair why don’t you. Anyway, it’s true: All Lives do Splatter.”

Hard to argue with that logic.

Doral Mayor and Her 25K Birkin Bag Photoshoot

Doral Mayor Christi Fraga made sure she had her luxurious Hermès Birkin bag on hand when she toured the $180 million Doral Central Park project and community center. In March, the mayor, whose annual salary is $77,587, posted a series of images from her tour sporting the bag, which costs between $25,000 and $30,000, in various states (from behind a diving platform; in tow during a casual pool water temperature check; displayed prominently during a riveting tour of the fitness club).

After Fraga posted the photos — which, we admit, lacked the inspiration of Vanity Fair’s recent White House shoot — New Times, ever the fashion aficionados, noticed her opulent sidekick. The publication consulted James Firestein, founder of luxury resale and authentication provider Open Luxury, to learn more about Fraga’s Birkin.

He told New Times that Fraga appeared to be carrying the Etoupe 25-centimeter Bikini with palladium, AKA Silverstone hardware, made out of Togo leather, which is crafted from calfskin. He said that the bag appeared to be the real deal.

“I don’t see anything [wrong], even down to the protective plastic that is still attached to the hardware,” he said.

Matt Gaetz’s Text Messages with His Mother Go Viral

You are never too old to be scolded by your mother. And that includes 43-year-old Matt Gaetz. In June, a TikTok video went viral showing the Florida Man sitting on an airplane scrolling through his text messages with his mom. The video captured Gaetz wearing a light blue quarter-zip from one of President Donald Trump’s golf clubs, exchanging heated text messages with a contact named on his phone “Mom.”

The TikTok stated, “POV: You’re sitting behind Matt Gaetz, and he’s texting his mommy.”

Thanks to a large font display and the absence of a tinted screen protector, the texts are clearly visible in the video. They revealed that Gaetz’s mother was evidently not happy with her son’s criticism of the president. The two also discussed Mama Gaetz’s birthday dinner at Ocean Club, brokerage accounts, baseball, and Gaetz’s wife’s pregnancy (because who needs an official announcement when a politician live-texts his personal life to the cabin).

“Don’t be criticizing the President on his actions,” one text reads. “He’s trying to keep us safe. That’s his job. MAGA will turn on you. You will lose viewership. Your days in [C]ongress are over. Practice of law? Let’s not mess up the media gig. The president has been a very good friend to you/He hates betrayal. Be smart, not stubborn.”

On that same flight, Gaetz also disclosed his lucrative contract with Florida’s leading cannabis operator Trulieve.

Children Equipped with Baby Teeth Rally Against Fluoride

You never know what you might see when watching a city government meeting in South Florida. Before Florida banned fluoride in public drinking water, the Miami-Dade County Commission weighed ending the practice in the county. Although the commissioners ultimately decided to halt the widely accepted public health practice, they sought the public’s input on the matter first.

During the public comment portion of the Safety and Health Committee meeting on March 11, eight young children, all of whom appeared to be younger than 10 years old and still probably had some baby teeth, lined up to speak against fluoride. With their prepared speeches, each child shared why they believed the county should end community fluoridation. Some had a parent helping them read through their formal remarks. They referenced data from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, a Harvard University study, and the New Jersey Department of Health, all while stumbling over words like medicine and Florida.

With her mother sitting on a knee by her side, one child shared, “Today, I want to talk to you about fluoride in our water. I believe that adding fluoride in our water is unnecessary.” She continued after a pause and deep breath, “I looked it up, and according to the New Jersey Department of Health, fluoride can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and even death.

“The National Institute of Health stated individual fluoride status is not assessed, meaning we don’t know how much fluoride each person is exposed to. A 2012 Harvard study even showed that slight amounts of fluoride exposure can be toxic to the brain.”