Miami Police Chief Knew for Years About Rotting Murder Case Evidence Locker

Murder evidence is pretty important, so you’d think the Miami Police Department would have a good place to store all of those key items in unsolved cases. But it turns out that for years MPD has kept vital evidence in a metal storage container under an I-95 overpass. As blogger Al Crespo revealed last month, the container rusted, letting in water and pests that destroyed evidence in more than 500 cases.

America’s Best Hope: Donald Trump Becomes Rick Scott

The following sentence represents the lowest threshold for political “success” in U.S. history: Americans should be actively hoping that Donald Trump turns out just like Florida Gov. Rick Scott. For many Floridians, that idea goes down as easily as a milkshake made from cigarettes and cat litter.

King-Tide Floodwater in Miami Beach Might Be Full of Human Waste

As a historic supermoon glows over Miami Beach this week, record-breaking king tides boosted by sea-level rise are swamping the barrier island. In what has become an October tradition, residents have to wade through pools of deep standing water on sidewalks and in parking lots to go about their daily lives.

Ana Navarro Took on Donald Trump

Ana Navarro won the hearts of thousands of Americans by saying “pussy” on television. In her most famous clip, the CNN commentator launched an exasperated verbal attack on Scottie Nell Hughes, a supporter of then-presidential candidate Donald Trump, who tut-tutted Navarro for quoting Trump’s now-infamous “grab ’em by the pussy”…

Yo-Yo King and Commissioner Ken Russell Cleans Up Miami

When he ran for Miami City Commission last year, Ken Russell’s opponents mockingly called him the “Boy Wonder.” As a newcomer to politics, the 42-year-old was seen by critics as little more than a hipster activist with a penchant for Hacky Sack. “That nickname came about during the campaign I…

Miami Was Begging for Satire, and Justin Wales Delivered

Chances are, a Plantain article has probably come across your Facebook feed by now. The 6-month-old Miami satire website has gone viral by offering cutting takes on everything from local politics (“Summer Camp Run by Jeb Bush Sued After Leaving Child Behind”) to transit (“Miami-Dade to Create Freeway ‘Texting Lane’…

Michael Capponi Went From SoBe Party Promoter to Haiti’s Guardian Angel

The day after Hurricane Matthew hit western Haiti, the country’s main airport stopped accepting flights. But across the border, the storm hadn’t touched the Dominican Republic. So Michael Capponi, a Miami Beach nightclub promoter-turned-humanitarian, chartered a flight from South Florida to the DR and then hopped a small private plane…

Alejandro Gonzalez’s Liquid Nitrogen Brings Down the House

The business card lists his job title as “atmospheric manipulator.” That’s how Alejandro Gonzalez describes what he does as the owner and founder of Kryogenifex, which creates special effects using liquid nitrogen. Unless you’ve been to one of the many Miami-area clubs that cools partiers using puffy white clouds of…

FIU Students Plan a Trump Walkout Wednesday

Over the weekend, a Columbia University professor from Turkey, N. Turkuler Isiksel, shared his best advice for fighting Donald Trump if his administration turns toward autocracy. “Protest early and often,” wrote Isikel, who lived through the rise of the democratically elected strongman Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Democrats Are Trying to Draft Medical Pot Architect John Morgan for Governor

The Florida Democratic Party hasn’t won a governor’s race in Florida since 1994 but in recent years has been totally unwilling to invent a new strategy to change that streak. For the past four elections, like clockwork, the party has nominated a milquetoast Tampa-area centrist. And for the past four cycles, they’ve all lost.

Five Miami Issues That Trump Definitely Won’t Fix

Miami often acts as a bellwether for the nation’s issues. After all, the Magic City is a majority-minority community with serious affordability, transportation, and climate problems. If Miami finds a way to beat those challenges, that’s a great sign for the rest of the country.

The Florida Democratic Party Is a Damn Disgrace

There are a hell of a lot of Democrats in Florida. In fact, more of them are registered here than Republicans. Obama won the state twice. And the blue party has demographics on its side thanks to a growing, left-leaning Hispanic population.