Jesse Kennon: Mayor of Coopertown

Reports of the death of Coopertown Airboats have been greatly exaggerated. As the U.S. government has acquired large swaths of the Everglades, more than once it’s looked like “Captain Jesse” Kennon’s iconic swamp-tour business would have to close up shop. “Kennon and his wife Sally… are on the verge of…

Carmel Ophir: The Music Man

The party never stops for Carmel Ophir. Not for the guy who has single-handedly helped define indie club culture in a town that lives for 5 a.m. backbeats. “There is an air of freedom in Miami that is very hard to describe. It’s probably one of the reasons I moved…

Tatu Baby: Ink Goddess

Whatever Rush Limbaugh would have America believe, glass ceilings still exist — especially in male-dominated fields. Take tattooing. Though famous inked-up chicks like Kat Von D have helped make strides for female artists, there’s still a hefty overabundance of dudes doing tattoos. Luckily, Miami has Katherine Flores, AKA Tatu Baby,…

Giorgio Rapicavoli: Unpoppable Chef

This past February, Giorgio Rapicavoli opened Eating House, a pop-up restaurant in an unassuming place in Coral Gables. Since then, the 48-seater has been serving more than 200 dinners per evening. Crowds eager to try Rapicavoli’s fun-filled fare consistently fill the small restaurant. “The food has been called everything from…

Annie Tworoger: Mother Surfer

South of Fifth Street in Miami Beach, there’s a tight-knit little community that revolves around surfing. On the sand, the children run and play. The adults laugh, bang on drums, and eat. And everybody surfs. This makeshift family exists in large part thanks to one person: Annie Tworoger. A Miamian…

Lourdes Lopez: Homecoming Dancer

Lourdes Lopez received a call this past Labor Day weekend asking her to come into work early. Eight months early, to be precise. As the newly appointed artistic director of Miami City Ballet, she expected to start work in May 2013. That would have given her lots of time to…

Paige McPherson: She’s McFierce

There’s a 22-year-old South Dakota native on the loose in South Beach, and she likes to pick fights. She goes by “McFierce.” Paige McPherson isn’t some crazed bar brawler, though; in the tae kwon do arena, she’s one of the world’s best, wreaking havoc on opponents at the 2012 Summer…

Flo Rida: Hit Maker

It ain’t easy being Flo Rida, but it’s gotta be a “Good Feeling.” For the past five years, this self-described “international hustler” has kept his grind cranked to “Club Can’t Handle Me” levels, endlessly zigzagging between the studio, the gym, and arena-size stages. Since releasing his debut album, Mail on…

TM Sisters: Profoundly Unpredictable

It’s hard to find a medium the TM sisters haven’t touched. The Miami-born duo of Monica Lopez De Victoria, who is 31, and her sister, 29-year-old Tasha Lopez De Victoria, has at times dabbled in painting, video art, performance, electrical engineering, videogame programming, costume making, roller skating, and synchronized swimming…

Tarell Alvin McCraney: Miami-Dade Made

Tarell Alvin McCraney is leaving Miami. His clothes are spread around a room in a friend’s house in Hialeah, and the tall, elegant 32-year-old with a mile-wide smile is packing his bags for Chicago. But don’t worry. This city’s most important playwright isn’t abandoning us. For the past five years,…

Have You Seen Florida’s Most Absurdly Blinged Out Camaro?

Somewhere in the Sunshine State, there is a truly bitchin’ Camaro on the road. Every square inch has been covered in gold. The wheels hug 30-inch plates, also blinged out in solid gold. The interior is forest green — or at least the few spots that aren’t covered in subwoofers…

15-Year-Old Charged In Fatal, Accidental Homestead School Bus Shooting

When 13-year-old Lourdes Guzman-DeJesus was shot and killed on a school bus in Homestead yesterday by a classmate, the central question for police was whether another student had deliberately killed her or whether a kid sneaking a gun into school shot her accidentally.This morning, police say it’s the latter. Jordyn…

Could Rick Scott Face a Republican Primary Challenger?

Some Democrats are already smiling like they’ve got Florida’s 2014 gubernatorial race in the bag, and with Rick Scott’s consistently abysmal poll numbers, it’s easy to see why. Though, that also might explain while there’s a brewing interest among some GOP circles to see someone run against Scott in a…