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Miami-Dade Might Allow Alcohol Ads on Public Transit in Exchange for Free Wi-Fi

By Jessica Lipscomb

It’s no secret Miami likes to throw one back. South Beach is practically synonymous with $30 fishbowl cocktails. There are entire companies that will deliver liquor right to your doorstep. Last year, Match.com called Miami the seventh booziest city for singles. Now the county is taking advantage: To get free Wi-Fi on public transit, the commission might waive a rule that prohibits alcohol advertisements at bus stops and on trains.

South Florida Senator Wants to Ban Fracking Across Florida

By Jerry Iannelli

Mere months ago, environmentalists were concerned that the Florida Legislature was about to take the power to regulate fracking away from local communities and instead force the controversial oil-drilling process onto the state. But after months of protests, state Sen. Garrett Richter’s proposal to outlaw local fracking bans never came to fruition; instead, areas such as Broward and Miami-Dade Counties were inspired to ban fracking themselves in retaliation.

Massive 28-Story Apartment Complex Proposed in Little Haiti UPDATED

By Jerry Iannelli

Land developers are all but salivating to sink their teeth into the rich, fatty, unblemished flesh that is Little Haiti real estate. The Wynwood gentrification fight is over — the only people who can afford land there now are the sort who maintain Cayman Islands bank accounts, and scores of tall luxury apartments are headed to that neighborhood.

State Bill Would Make It Easier to Claim “Stand Your Ground”

By Jerry Iannelli

According to the Journal of the American Medical Association, Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” law has led to a massive, demonstrable increase in statewide homicides since 2005. JAMA’s November study framed the law as a clear threat to public health: Homicides were actually decreasing, on average, until the law — which lets Floridians kill in self-defense even if they themselves started the fight — took effect.

Miami Police Union Chief Javier Ortiz Reprimanded for Doxxing Private Citizen

By Jessica Lipscomb

This past January, Claudia Castillo pulled over a speeding Miami-Dade cop in a video that went viral. The Miami Police’s union chief, Lt. Javier Ortiz, responded by posting Castillo’s Facebook photos and phone number and urging his social media followers to call her. Castillo received hundreds of threatening phone calls and Facebook messages, and Facebook itself removed the posts for being abusive.

Miami Mayor’s Chief Strategist Proposes Insane, Unconstitutional “Civility Court”

By Jessica Lipscomb

Bad ideas have had free rein in 2016. From a Muslim registry to a taxpayer-funded Pitbull music video, there’s a lot for America to be embarrassed about in the past 12 months. But the year isn’t over yet, and neither are the awful ideas. This past Sunday, the Miami Herald published a skepticism-free story proposing something called a “civility court,” in which regular people could be forced to answer for their “bad,” but not criminal, behavior in front of a judge.

Uber Driver Shoots and Kills Armed Robber in Aventura

By Tim Elfrink

In Florida, the Gunshine State, it’s not a terrible idea to assume just about everyone is armed and ready to fire. In the past month, at least three residents around Miami have fatally shot would-be home intruders. Now an Uber driver has joined the Stand Your Ground…

Dear Rick Ross: Your Facebook Page Is Out of Control

By Jerry Iannelli

Miami’s Rick Ross is a rapper of varied, expensive interests. Rosé wine. Tilapia. Hustling. Doubler-decker yachts. Lavender shoes. Crab legs with heavy butter. Bad butt implant surgery. The sexual habits of conjoined twins. Sadomasochist porn featuring Disney princesses. Cases of booty-licking gone wrong.

The Five Craziest Miami Crime Stories of 2016

By Jerry Iannelli

If 12 months pass, and a food establishment in Miami isn’t busted training errant opossums to deal cocaine out of its rear entrance, did the Earth really orbit around the sun at all? Try as Miami might — and oh, how its cops have tried and tried — South Florida’s…

South Beach Lawyer Arrested for Blackmailing Porn Viewers

By Jerry Iannelli

You know that episode of Black Mirror where an unsuspecting teen is filmed watching porn through a hacked webcam, and then blackmailed into (spoiler) robbing a bank and murdering somebody, just so the hacker wouldn’t leak his information to his family? Turns out that sci-fi episode’s plotline is heavy on the…

Florida Taxpayers Paid Pitbull a Million Dollars to Say “Dale” a Lot

By Tim Elfrink

Throughout his rise to fame, sold-out arenas, and cheesy Bud Light ads, Pitbull has refused to throw his “dales” behind either political party. Even as many Latin celebs backed Hillary because of Donald Trump’s anti-immigrant xenophobia, Pitbull refused to wade in, suggesting instead that both parties are equally mierda. (And…

Blind Man Dumped on Street Sues Miami-Dade Police

By Jerry Iannelli

Miami’s various police departments clearly don’t know how to deal with disabled people. Last week, City of Miami cops were caught on tape handcuffing a legless woman and dropping her on the ground, and in July, a group of City of Miami Police officers was sued for allegedly beating up…

Group to Protest FPL’s Electricity Monopoly Today

By Jerry Iannelli

Florida Power & Light — the only company legally allowed to give Miamians electricity — has made a series of decisions this year that, at best, have seriously frustrated its customers. It has hiked its rates for no apparent reason, degraded the environment, and actively tried to trick voters into backing a bogus anti-solar amendment.

Dozens of Miami Cops Aren’t Uploading Their Body Cam Footage

By Jessica Lipscomb

In the wake of the Ferguson unrest — and after years of questionable police-involved shootings in South Florida — the Miami Police Department began equipping its officers with body cameras in late 2014. The cameras, officials promised, would lead to more transparency and better policing.

Study: Miami’s Causeways Highly Vulnerable to Sea-Level Rise

By Jerry Iannelli

Miami’s cross-bay bridges are a treasure. Some of the city’s purest joy comes when you’re careening over the Julia Tuttle or Rickenbacker Causeway with the windows down, watching Biscayne Bay sprawling out under you as you laugh maniacally at how cool your life is compared to your college friends’ lives up north. It’s a small joy Miamians get to experience year-round.