Three years ago Ralph Mata was a highly respected lieutenant in the Miami-Dade Polcie Department. His resume included helping to dismantle two gangs in Miami Gardens, using drug sniffing dogs to find contraband at Miami International Airport and investigating police corruption as part of the Internal Affairs department. But while…
Florida certainly is a melting pot, and apparently that even holds true for invasive species. Scientists recently discovered that two types of invasive termites have started to interbreed in Florida, an extremely rare occurrence. How could this happen? Well, global warming might be to blame. Formosan subterranean termites and Asian…
There’s a surprisingly large number of Florida Republicans considering a run for the White House right now: Former Governor Jeb Bush, Senator Marco Rubio, Arkansas Governor turned Florida resident Mike Huckabee, and Florida-based neurosurgeon turned conservative figure Ben Carson. The funny thing is that most polls so far have shown…
Early on Sunday morning, a blue BMW sped through a well-lit street corner near King of Diamonds, smashing into a young Canadian tourist in town for Ultra Music Fest and then speeding away as he fell critically injured to the pavement. Police now say that the driver behind the wheel…
Early in the morning of August 4, 2013, Steven Sotloff walked across the border from southern Turkey into Syria. He passed through three security checkpoints, then a no man’s land between the two countries, on a road surrounded by olive groves, yellow flowers, and leftover mines. Sotloff, a stocky, bearded…
Ultra Music Festival promised to up security and safety this year after a number of troubling incidents increased calls to boot the EDM-fest from Downtown last year. They brought in former Miami Beach police chief Ray Martinez as head of security, and changed policy to no longer admit minors to…
Kratom, a plant in the coffee family from Southeast Asia, is the latest craze for those looking to get a little high legally. It’s been used for thousands of years for both medicinal and recreational purposes, but its exact effects are not well studied nor understood. Thanks to the internet…
Rememember James O’Keefe, he’s the young right-wing troublemaker who briefly caused a national scandal that brought down ACORN back in 2009? He posed as a pimp, trying to elicit help from volunteers at the community organization in undercover videos. Yeah, that guy. He’s still around, and his latest subject is…
Like all the other GOP presidential candidates except for Ted Cruz, Sen. Marco Rubio hasn’t officially announced that he’s making a bid for the White House — even as he banks millions in fundraising and sets up sophisticated ground games from New Hampshire to Iowa. But that could change next…
By all accounts, Ultra Music Festival was a calmer, more peaceful affair in downtown Miami this year. Arrests were down sharply from 2014 with Miami police handling festival security, while new procedures and bans on everything from glowsticks to masks helped control the crowds. But police this morning are untangling…
On the same night as Wrestlemania 31, a familiar Miami tag team helped the Heat to a much needed 109-102 win. The The Heat already need every win they can get at this point in the season, but with the Spurs and Cavs appearing on their schedule next, Sunday’s game against…
Just like actual Hurricane season, the Miami Hurricanes football season has been pretty uneventful for the past few years. The team hasn’t been in the National Championship discussion for more than a decade, and hasn’t even won a conference championship since they were part of the Big East. Three coaches…
Last spring, New Times published the results of a five-month investigation into Miami-Dade’s guardianship system — the program set up by the courts to protect the assets of vulnerable people. Except in South Florida, it had become a politically-connected, un-regulated cesspool of abuse. One year later, as Tallahassee works to…
This is a very special week in “WTF Florida” history. This is the week that the state has become self aware. Not only did an actual real life political polling firm decided to test the approval rating of “Florida Man” amongst Florida voters, a man who got arrested while naked…
Good morning, Miami — hope you’re not planning on driving anywhere today! Let’s review just a few of the interesting things that are happening in your city today: The Miami Open, one of the world’s most popular tennis tournaments, continues with early round play in Key Biscayne. Critical Mass, the…
Gay marriage has been perfectly legal through out the Sunshines state for two and a half months now, and you might notice that society hasn’t collapsed, the end of days has not descended upon us, and most straight people continue on about their life virtually unaffected. In fact, a new…
You’d think with all the condo towers popping up Miami was undergoing some sort of population boom. Of course, we all know that’s not really the case, but that doesn’t mean that Miami isn’t still growing as a county. According to numbers released by the US Census Bureau today, Miami-Dade…
Edgar Ruiz says he just wants his art back. A studio representative says they’re considering legal action for harassment. Three works of art, valued by Ruiz at a total of around $1800, are nowhere to be found. “I just don’t understand what the hell happened,” the artist tells New Times…
Don’t the Jacksonville Jaguars have it rough enough? They’re Florida’s least popular and least successful NFL team. They’re plagued by attendance and performance issues, and just about everyone expects them to one day maybe by shipped over to London on a permanent basis. To make matters worse, the team’s official…
Exactly 100 years ago on March 26th, 1915, the 33 registered voters of Miami Beach officially incorporated the new city. To celebrate, the city is throwing itself a grand, 100-hour celebration, and other local media are putting out nostalgic look backs at the Beach’s finest moments. You’re sure to hear…
The state of the 2016 Florida senate race is in a precarious place. Senator Marco Rubio currently holds the seat and there’s no indication he wouldn’t cruise to an easy re-election, but Rubio is hinting that he may indeed run for President instead that year. Most Florida political power players…
The allegations tying Marlins pitcher Jarred Cosart’s to sports gambling all began last night with a Twitter post by @GhostFadeKillah, a guy in New Jersey with 1,110 followers. A screencap he posted appears to show Cosart asking someone for advice about bets. But where did that screencap come from? New…
