William Jose Velez doesn’t necessarily hate the City of Miami’s flag. In fact, his problem is that he doesn’t think Miamians love the orange and green emblem enough. “There are cities that have flags they’re really proud of, like Washington D.C. or Chicago, or states like Maryland, and the…
In his first national TV interview since committing the mother of all flip-flops to jump back into a race for Senate, Marco Rubio went on Face the Nation yesterday to take a strong, bold stand against Donald Trump’s signature policies — and to set the record straight that there was zero…
There’s been a war brewing on Ocean Drive for months now. On one side, residents and boutique hotel owners who argue that the iconic strip has devolved into a drunken, tacky mess. On the other, late-night restaurants and bars who say the strip is just catering to what tourists want…
Roberto Verdaguer doesn’t think Donald Trump needs his money. That’s one of the main things he likes about the real estate magnate. But that didn’t stop him from sending $250 to Trump’s campaign. “I like the fact that he wants to finance this campaign with his own money,” says Verdaguer,…
Today, a committee in Tallahassee will meet to decide the winner among three finalists for a new statue to represent Florida in the U.S. Capitol Building. Those finalists — who are all perfectly respectable choices — were picked by ordinary Floridians in a monthlong online survey. But we know…
Migdalia “Milly” Cowan and her husband, Alex Paez, were regulars on the national bodybuilding circuit, traveling cross country to flex while glistening in Speedos. But while they competed, prosecutors say, they left their horses — which they used as props in muscled photoshoots — to starve back on their South…
Donald Trump’s growing Florida problem isn’t complicated. The Sunshine State is the most diverse of the big swing states up for grabs in November’s election. More than a quarter of residents here are of Hispanic descent, and another 15 percent or so are black. Over the last month, Trump practically…
Marco Rubio is spending this weekend pondering his future, possibly cruising around Miami’s waterways in his “luxury yacht” as he decides whether to make another run for Senate. All signs are that he will. The GOP leadership is begging him to do it. And now his good buddy Lt. Gov…
Yesterday, three Florida International University students set out in a small center-console, Mako-style boat to collect water samples in Whitewater Bay, a huge expanse of water on the southwestern edge of Everglades National Park. They never made it back. Last evening, the U.S. Coast Guard got a call that the…
Even as he’s promised to deport millions, vowed to build a massive new border wall and slammed a federal judge repeatedly over his Mexican heritage, Donald Trump has insisted that Hispanic voters “love him.” An odd echo of that message found national resonance in Miami last week, when a “Latinas…
For months, Marco Rubio has resisted increasingly desperate calls from his colleagues to throw his name back into the ring for the bruising race for his seat in the U.S. Senate. But Rubio hinted yesterday that he might just be softening that stance because the massacre in Orlando had pushed…
Traffic in Miami, on an average day, falls somewhere on the pain scale between a forced viewing of Michael Bay’s latest Transformers movie and a Floyd Mayweather punch to kidneys. Even worse, public transit is so lacking that most Miamians have no option but to bake in their cars along the…
Outside of Orlando itself, few places have been as closely impacted by the massacre at Pulse Nightclub as Miami — and in particular the Magic City’s LGBT community. South Florida’s gay scene is closely linked to that in central Florida, and at least one of the victims who died Sunday…
In the horrible hours after 49 club-goers were massacred in Orlando early Sunday morning, everyone in Florida grasped for how to respond to the brutal tragedy. Family members texted and checked in safe on Facebook. Hundreds lined up to donate blood. And one Florida sheriff decided the moment…
At least fifty people are dead, authorities have now confirmed, in an overnight mass shooting inside a packed gay nightclub in Orlando. At least 53 others were wounded and are in local hospitals. Gov. Rick Scott has declared a state of emergency and leaders asked for blood donors to step…
A rough guide to getting the national press’ attention during a heated presidential election: Paradoxically back a candidate who has repeatedly denigrated your ethnic heritage. Print bright T-shirts. Invite the TV crews. That was the game plan this week for a small Miami group calling themselves Latinas for Trump and…
Even by Miami’s usual standards for knock-down, drag-out development fights, the political brawl over a proposed luxury condo tower in booming Sunset Harbour has been especially bare knuckled. First, Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine recused himself from the deal in March because he owns property nearby. Then, when Beach Towing began…
Two years ago, Miami Beach banned all styrofoam from its city. Banning the notoriously polluting material wasn’t particularly controversial, with most local businesses telling reporters they didn’t mind making the change to more compostable materials. Well, Florida being Florida, the state legislature found this simple eco-friendly move abhorrent. Earlier this…
Is it possible to run too far to the right in a Florida GOP primary? Nah, probably not. That’s what a new poll out this morning suggests, at least. Because Carlos Beruff, the Miami-born businessman whose earned the nickname of the “Cuban-American Trump,” is currently leading a crowded Republican field…
Muhammad Ali, who died last night at 74 years old, left behind so many towering legacies that writing a proper obit for the man is a task worthy of Dostoevsky. Ali was the greatest boxing champ of all time, but also a huge figure in the civil rights fight and…
In a few short hours, your torturous work will will be at an end. All that will stand between you and a glorious cocktail are a few painful moments slogging home through Friday afternoon traffic. But today, assuming you’re traveling anywhere near Miami Beach, those few moments are likely to…
Just two months ago, hundreds of grinning cyclists gathered at the western end of the Venetian Causeway. They had reason to celebrate: The scenic, historic link between downtown and South Beach had been closed for eight months of repairs, leaving bikes with a Sophie’s Choice of the high-speed MacArthur and…
