Here’s What You Need to Know About Florida’s Solar Amendments

There’s a fierce battle being waged in Florida over access to one of our state’s greatest resources: the sun. With the effects of climate change ever more obvious, solar is a scorching hot policy topic, and we’re seeing a lot of activity around two competing solar ballot initiatives in Florida…

The Odd Tale of Florida QB Will Grier’s Suspension

The Florida Gators turnaround from last year’s mediocrity to this year’s unbeaten streak of six games seemed almost too good to be true …and it might actually have been. Yesterday the school announced that its star freshman quarterback Will Grier had tested positive for performance enhancing drugs and could face…

American John Pate Murdered in Venezuela as Violence Spikes

On a mild evening in early August, John Pate and Sally Elizabeth Evans’ Volkswagen Passat climbs the hills outside the lush Valle Arriba golf club in Caracas. The 70-year-old Pate, a tall, fair-skinned lawyer with red hair, glasses, and a soft face, had just finished his usual Sunday dinner at…

USF Football Player Arrested for Shooting Gun at a Dorm

Guns rights groups in Florida are desperately trying to give students the right to have a gun on the state’s college campuses despite polling indicate that just about everyone else thinks thats just a horrible idea. One strange example of why that might not be such a hot idea played…

Florida Is Running Low on Orange Juice

Ask a random person to name a few things they identify Florida and you’ll probably get answers like beaches, old people and orange juice. Orange juice is after all our official state beverage and oranges decorate our default license plates, but it turns out that the state’s OJ industry is…

Two Taxi Passengers Wounded in Miami Beach Drive-By Shooting

A red BWM convertible with the top down rolled alongside a yellow taxi cab on Pine Tree Drive early this morning, past the million-dollar Miami Beach mansions and the gnarled old trees that give the road its name.  Suddenly, gunfire raked the side of the taxi as the convertible squealed…

Florida Might Remove Confederate Flag From State Senate Seal

Florida was probably the most useless state to the Confederacy. Our population was small, our land was hard to secure, and the biggest thing we really contributed to that controversial cause was salt. For a lot of reasons, its not exactly the most controversial thing in Florida to try and…

Local Entrepreneurs Create New, College-Only Social Network

Yes, there is already Facebook,Twitter Instagram, and Tumblr. But two local recent college grads have brought another social network into the world: SLFY, a free app that’s restricted to university students and meant to facilitate interaction across the quad, not across the world.  “Basically it creates a private social network…

ACLU at 50 Names Its Dozen Most Significant Cases for New Times

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida, so we asked the group, which is led by legendary executive director Howard Simon, to name its top 12 cases. Here are the results.  12. Free Speech on Gun Safety for DoctorsThe Florida Legislature enacted the…

Dolphins Fire Kevin Coyle, Promote Lou Anarumo

Perhaps the calls for the sacking of defensive coordinator Kevin Coyle were slightly louder than those for the job of head coach Joe Philbin. So when the Fins announced earlier this week that Philbin was shown the bin with now word on Coyle’s continued employment, some were left scratching their…

The Six Phases of a Gentrifying Neighborhood in Miami

Gentrification is an incredibly complicated social phenomenon. At its worse it means the local culture and identity created by lower class folks (in Miami, often immigrants) is replaced by what seems almost like focus group-tested trendiness and all sorts of bougie nonsense. At its best it means maybe an underutilized…

“Clean Energy Advocate” Carlos Curbelo Supports More Oil Drilling

Since he entered office in January, Florida Republican Congressman Carlos Curbelo has made headlines for his progressive stance on environmental issues. Representing Florida’s 26th Congressional District, which stretches from Miami to Key West, he touts clean energy, and has split from much of his party in advocating for steps to…

White House Petition Calls for Kiera Wilmot’s Invite to Astronomy Night

In August, the White House announced its second-ever Astronomy Night, where astronomers, engineers, and other leaders in science and space will talk to students and teachers about their experiences. Then, they’ll stargaze on the White House lawn. It’s slated for October 19 and it’s all part of the Obama Administration’s…