The idea was simple genius. Heartbroken Clevelanders could send their unwanted LeBron James jerseys — those that weren’t in flames — to Miami to be distributed to the local homeless. But this being the summer of LeBron, things had to take a turn for the bizarre. The jersey drive –…
First Cubans broke Miami, then they fixed it up better than it was before, says globalization expert Saskia Sassen. Now, she says, Miami is a model for cities around the globe.”Before the 1990s, Miami was sort of a dreadful little spot, frankly,” Sassen tells Foreign Policy magazine. “There was lots…
Hed Kandi Lounge was supposed to be South Beach’s elite dance club, a classy refuge from Mansion across the street. You could go there and eat expensive foam — um, molecular gastronomy — and then dance to psychedelic Muzak — um, house beats — while sipping a $14 cocktail. Ecstasy…
LeBron James may be headed back to Ohio soon. The Heat star tweeted today he may make an appearance at next Saturday’s game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and Miami Hurricanes, but he’ll be rooting for OSU.We wish LeBron would stop trying to re-ingratiate himself with Ohio sports fans. He’s…
Between 2008 and 2009 Florida’s population shrunk for the first time since World War II. The net loss of 58,000 residents was attributed to the recession and real estate woes. Now, the University of Florida says Florida’s population is back on the rise, and says that may be a good sign…
Hey Richard Florida of the Daily Beast, what depressing ranking of cities do you have for us today? Oh, “The 20 Worst Places to Sell Your Home.” Delightful. Unsurprisingly, Miami came in high on the list…
Slapping Kat Stacks has become America’s new national pastime. Now Denver Nuggets basketball star Carmelo Anthony apparently wants in on the action. Aventura resident Kat Stacks has made a bizarre career out of allegedly bedding Z-list rappers with Muppet names (think Gudda Gudda) and then taking to videos, her blog,…
Liberty City native Chad Ochocinco was fined $25,000 this weekend for using Twitter during the Bengal’s pre-season game against the Eagles. Apparently, using social media or electronic devices during games or practices is banned by the NFL. Now Dolphins running back Ricky Williams is in hot water after updates appeared…
Gilt Groupe has become one of the biggest successes in online retail in years. The company got its start by working with luxury clothing brands to sell merchandise at heavily discounted prices. The catch is that each sale is available for a limited time. The service has since moved on…
Sort of. According to the Tri-Cities Blotter, a group of grifters recently tried to use our favorite erstwhile Palm Island Lothario’s name to steal a $330 Dyson fan…
Multiple reports claim LeBron James is about to officially become a resident of Miami-Dade by purchasing a $49.5 megamansion in Coral Gables that once belonged to his new boss, Pat Riley. Nestled in the waterfront Gables Estates section of Coral Gables, it’s probably one of the grandest properties on the…
The overall unemployment rate in Florida declined in June, but the Miami-Dade county saw the steepest ride in the entire state. The unemployment rate jumped half a percent from 12.3 in May to 12.8 in June. …
Never believe a photo if someone’s trying to sell you something. Fashion models are airbrushed. Fast food restaurants actually have “food stylists.” And unsurprisingly, the photos you see in a hotels’ brochures or websites aren’t always true-to-life. See this guy with a surf board in the pool of South Beach’s…
There are lots of condo association spats and scams in the tiny, scandal-ridden hamlet of North Bay Village. Most of them are pretty boring. That’s because most of them don’t involve a wrathful warlock. A group of condo owners at South Treasure Drive’s North Bay Villas want their property manager,…
Michael J. Muzio, one of four co-conspirators in a Ponzi scheme that targeted South Florida Haitian-Americans, has been sentenced to 163 months in federal prison. In April, New Times told you about the $14.3 million scheme, which offered to double investors’ cash in 90 days. Two of Muzio’s cronies have…
Somewhat encouraging news on the employment front: Florida’s unemployment numbers fell for the second month in a row. That’s only the second two months run of dents in the massive unemployment rate since February 2006. For May, Florida’s unemployment rate was 11.7 percent, that’s three tenths of a percent less than April. Things…
They are a hard-working immigrant group with virtually no financial wriggle room. Whatever money can be scrimped together is often sent to relatives still living in their impoverished and disaster-devastated homecountry. As a demographic, they can least afford to lose their savings– and yet South Florida’s Haitian-Americans community is increasingly…
Cleanliness is next to Godliness, and according to a recent list by Trip Advisor two Miami Beach hotels are devilishly dirty. The website’s list of the ten dirtiest hotels in America includes two right here on Miami Beach.The Parisian Hotel & Suites on 1510 Collins Ave has the dubious distinction…
Are there any iconic Miami hotels that aren’t having some sort of financial trouble at the moment? How about the historic Biltmore in Coral Gables? That’s probably doing good, right? Oh, wait, the management companys owes the city of Coral Gables $2.4 million in back rent according to The Miami…
In 2005, Dallas resident Richard Silverman returned from vacation in Costa Rica convinced the Central American paradise was a perfect spot for a second home. So after searching online, Silverman discovered something called Paragon Properties of Costa Rica. Its website was chock full of Sims-quality computer renderings of elegant villas,…
Nobody pimps it harder than Ponzi schemers. Yachts, Bentleys, Bugattis, Waverunners, Ferraris, Corvettes, Cadillacs, Maseratis, Mercedes-Benzes, and Lambos … That’s just a small sampling of the super-expensive stuff that con man Scott W. Rothstein purchased with his 1.2 billion ill-gotten American dollars. Now, you could never equal Rothstein’s extravagance, right?…
Since joining Twitter earlier this month, Venezuela’s controversial president Hugo Chavez has since become the most popular user of the service in the country. With 282,042 followers now, he’s since assigned a team of 200 government aids to reply to the “@” messages he receives.Yes, 200 people to run a Twitter…
