The South Florida Roundup

On this week's episode of The South Florida Roundup, we discussed the HIV infection crisis in South Florida – and the serious cuts in federal funding for detection and prevention that could make it worse (1:09). We also took a look at the quarter-million-dollar per day cost of protecting President Trump that Palm Beach County bears each time he visits Mar-a-Lago – and whether it will get paid back again (18:48). And we asked whether the Circle of Brotherhood's important anti-crime and violence community work will continue here (35:12).

On The South Florida Roundup, we looked at the new pope, Robert Francis Prevost, now Leo XIV – and talk with a nun who knew and worked with him in Peru. How will his American and Latin American, ties influence his papacy (01:08)? We also discussed a community court in Fort Lauderdale, and why Florida's new homelessness law makes it an important innovation (22:13). And we examined that rescue of Venezuelan opposition leaders who are now here (35:09).

On the South Florida Roundup, Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava discussed her fight against Florida's controversial move to remove fluoride from local drinking water (01:15). We also talked about Cuban exile healthcare billionaire Mike Fernandez's claims that Miami's Cuban political leaders are betraying their community (19:02). And a weather expert weighed in on the drought and if we should be as concerned as the alligators are (35:14).

On this week's South Florida Roundup, we examine the Palm Beach County School Board's scramble to revise its diversity, equity and inclusion programs in order to salvage $300 million federal funding (1:12). We also examine Operation Tidal Wave, and how the feds, with state help, are specifically targeting undocumented migrants in Florida. (18:57) And we remember Francis, the first Latin American pope, and how he and his home region influenced one another (35:33).

On The South Florida Roundup, we looked into local universities that have partnered with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the 18 Florida International University students who had their visas revoked (01:08). We also looked at what the city of Fort Lauderdale has been doing to avoid flood damage, like the kind caused by dramatic rainfall two years ago (16:06). And, we explored the unique ways in which bilingual people in South Florida go about being fluent in two languages (32:30).

On the South Florida Roundup, we look at how President Trump's tariffs go after small countries like Guyana (1:23). We also examine how elderly residents are getting evicted in Fort Lauderdale (13:50). Plus, a check-in with a Miami Beach commissioner to find out how spring breakers behaved (26:22).

On this episode of The South Florida Roundup, we had a panel of immigration experts helping sift through the questions that are haunting South Florida's immigrant-rich community — particularly Venezuelan, Cuban, Haitian and Nicaraguan migrants who are suddenly unlawful and subject to deportation (01:19). We looked at how these migrants can go about looking for ways to adjust their status to something longer-lasting (16:27). And we analyzed the sort of conditions awaiting migrants in their home countries in the event they getting deported (27:28).

On the South Florida Roundup, we examined new controversies — including two new deaths — at the federal Krome Detention Center for migrants in Miami-Dade. Why do these problems keep recurring (01:10)? We also discussed WPLG-Local 10's decision to split with the ABC network. Will it usher in bold new local television programming and journalism – or is it a huge business risk (20:35)? And we looked at WLRN's new series, History We Call Home: 100 Years of South Florida, starting with Jupiter (25:48).

On the South Florida Roundup we looked at the dispute between Miami Beach and O Cinema over the screening of a controversial, Oscar-winning documentary about Israel and Palestinians (1:03). We also talked to the Miami attorney of one of the Venezuelan migrants who was deported — perhaps illegally — to El Salvador last weekend (19:15). And we examined the dismantling of Radio and TV Martí and their actual effect on the Cuban regime (35:08).

On the South Florida Roundup, we sorted fact from fiction — but acknowledged the fear — when it comes to the immigration policing agreements several South Florida cities just struck with the Trump Administration (01:11). We also looked at the results from important local elections in Broward and Palm Beach Counties: Can Deerfield Beach still be great again (19:06)? And we examined how last month's ghastly homicides in Tamarac could affect a new push to revoke Florida's red-flag gun law (35:40).

On this week's South Florida Roundup, we looked at the Trump Administration's layoffs and cutbacks at key science agencies here – not least of which involve the researchers who revolutionized hurricane forecasting (01:10). We also talked to Tony Doris, the editorial page editor of the Palm Beach Post. who was fired after he ran an editorial cartoon that some Jewish advocates called antisemitic (18:42). And we asked why America of all countries is shutting down so much support for democratic struggles in Latin America (34:50).

On the South Florida Roundup, we dedicated the entire show to the issue that's got this community tied in knots at the moment: immigration. Or maybe: anti-immigration. We had a candid conversation about our wrecked immigration system: Do we rely too much on stop-gap measures like TPS and parole (01:11)? Did the Trump Administration brand non-criminal migrants as “criminals” and send them to Guantánamo this month (21:23)? And were law-abiding migrants arrested in Palm Beach County this week (36:12)?

The South Florida Roundup's Tim Padgett co-hosts the 90-minute call-in special “Haiti on the Line,” a collaboration between WLRN, WNYC (New York City) and GBH News (Boston) which aired live on Feb. 24, 2025. Last year more than 5,000 people in Haiti were killed in gang-related violence. The country has been in a political crisis for years. And for Haitians in America with feet in two worlds, reality in both countries is unstable. To better understand the story, public radio stations in the three cities with the largest Haitian populations in America teamed up to open the phones and hear from Haitian listeners in these communities. The hosts were joined by special guests and experts on Haiti.

On the latest episode of South Florida Roundup, we talked about how the city of Coral Gables became an end-point for smuggled migrants between the Bahamas and South Florida in recent weeks (01:06). We also looked into red light camera tickets and how cities like Aventura are making major profits from them (16:30). And we examined the city of Miami commission's recent vote to shift millions meant for new city parks BACK to Miami Freedom Park—the future home of the Inter Miami Soccer team (33:42).

This week on the South Florida Roundup, we talked with Miami's Roman Catholic Archbishop Thomas Wenski, who's had a lot to say about the Trump administration's controversial pursuit of undocumented migrants — and its swipes at the Church (01:11). We also looked at another controversial trend: top Republican politicos taking the helm at colleges like Florida International University and Florida Atlantic University (20:09). And we examined the trial of Colombia's former president: is it politicized justice (35:33)?

On the South Florida Roundup, we looked at President Trump's alarming decision to revoke Temporary Protected Status for hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans here — who now face deportation back to a brutal dictatorship (01:06). We also looked at a Miami-Dade effort just underway that could turn traditionally Black communities into a new city (20:22). And we talked with the filmmaker behind a new WLRN-produced documentary that traces much of Haiti's crisis to the demise of the Creole pig (35:08).

On the South Florida Roundup, we took a deep dive into this region's deepening waste management crisis (01:02). We also looked at the University of Miami's new mission to test Elon Musk's brain chip to help paralyzed persons lead more normal lives (20:00). And we examined what's next for the undocumented residents known as Dreamers now that Florida may reduce their access to college (35:20).

On the South Florida roundup, we discussed the new proposal from Miami-Dade County's new property appraiser, Tomas Regalado, to calculate climate change risk into our home values (01:11). We also looked at the possibility of a resurgence here of the hate group Proud Boys after the presidential pardon of Jan. 6 convicts like Enrique Tarrio (19:25). And we examined President Trump's threat to take the Panama Canal — and drive away China (35:34).

On the South Florida Roundup we discussed the constitutional questions surrounding Gov. Ron DeSantis' demand that local authorities assist federal immigration officials. South Florida may not be on board (1:12). We also looked at a popular new program in Miami Gardens that teaches kids a vital but not always accessible skill: computer coding (19:28). And we examined the new deal that takes Cuba off the U.S.' state sponsors of terrorism list — and dissidents out of Cuba's prisons (35:21).

On the latest episode of the South Florida Roundup, we took a closer and deeper look at the decades of rapes of dozens of women allegedly committed by the wealthy Alexander brothers. Why is South Florida so often the scene of this horror (01:09)? We also examined a groundbreaking, $60 million effort in Palm Beach County to create a more modern and effective central mental health facility (19:34). And we discussed the drama unfolding in Venezuela today as the dictator who brutally stole an election swears himself in (34:33) .

On this week's episode of The South Florida Roundup, we reviewed 2024, and previewed 2025, for the paradise — or at least the traffic-jammed region — that we call South Florida (01:13), as well as for that annex of South Florida that we call Latin America and the Caribbean (34:47). Our panel of journalists and experts guided us through the good and the bad that shaped us last year and promise to define this year. Such as, where are we ever going to put that garbage incinerator and will Venezuela ever be free?

In a re-broadcast of The South Florida Roundup, we revisited conversations we aired last month with local Miami Book Fair authors. Asha Elias talks about her new novel of Miami Beach dysfunction, Pink Glass Houses (01:11); Haitian-American educator Isabelle Camille discusses her poignant memoir of her child's transgender journey, Sole's Mom (18:28); and Jamaican-American poet Geoffrey Philips tells us about his graphic biography of Black nationalist hero Marcus Garvey for young readers, My Name Is Marcus (34:56).

On the South Florida this week, we devoted the hour to the holidays — starting with just getting there: What to expect on the roads and in the skies, especially with Miami International Airport in the midst of a $9 billion makeover (01:12). We also looked at our community's growing number of interfaith programs and projects, whose efforts to build religious understanding matter a lot this time of year (18:13). And we looked back on some of the tasty holiday food stories WLRN has brought you in years past (34:07).

On this week's episode of The South Florida Roundup: Corruption charges against former Miami City Commissioner Alex Diaz de la Portilla collapsed – and why the watchdog in this case looks worse than the dog. We also ask why five of Palm Beach County's largest medical centers – all owned by Tenet Healthcare – just got F or D ratings by a national nonprofit. And we examine a new Broward school board proposal to keep religion – including Satanology – off school signs. Lastly, we look to the rise of gun violence in the Caribbean; Barbados, to be exact. This week regional leaders attended an urgent public security conference hosted by the InterAmerican Development Bank.

On The South Florida Roundup, we kicked Miami-Dade County's garbage incinerator can down the road once more. And we asked: is the plan dead in Doral because President-elect Donald Trump killed it (01:20)? We also looked back at this week's Condo Summit in Davie – and looked ahead to the pocketbook pain condo owners face starting this month with no deadline extension in sight (14:33). And we examined how bad the gang nightmare is now for women and children in Haiti. What can be done (27:00)?

On the South Florida Roundup, we talked with a Florida International University coastal expert known as "Dr. Beach" about the growing number of people caught — and dying — in rip currents. And it's not just a summer hazard (01:10). We also looked at Miami-Dade's recent resolution to ban single-use plastics at its county-owned venues — and how it reflects the national trend to quit the plastics habit, even in red Florida (20:13). And, we spoke with South Florida's leading hunger relief group about the holiday work ahead for all of us (35:44).

On the South Florida Roundup, we talked with three of the Miami Book Fair's featured local authors. Asha Elias' new novel Pink Glass Houses shows us Miami Beach social climbers battling for control of their kids' school PTA (01:11). Haitian-American educator Isabelle Camille's poignant memoir Sole's Mom embraces her child's transgender journey (18:28). And Jamaican-American poet Geoffrey Philip's graphic book My Name Is Marcus presents young readers to Black nationalist hero Marcus Garvey (34:56).

On the South Florida Roundup, we looked at the dispute between Miami-Dade County and Miami Beach that just resulted in the Beach ponying up $10 million to the County's Homeless Trust (01:11). We also discussed why President-elect Donald Trump won so many Black — especially Black male — votes in South Florida. Was it a sexist thing, as Barack Obama said, or something deeper? (20:22) And we examined what to expect from Marco Rubio, if he's confirmed as Trump's top diplomat, in Latin America — and its ties to China (35:48).

On the South Florida Roundup, we looked at the Trump triumph, the MAGA makeover, the GOP juggernaut, the Republican rout – whatever you want to call this week's general election in Miami-Dade County. You could also call it the Democratic disaster (01:06). Donald Trump became the first Republican and up and down the ballot, GOP candidates here marched in on his coattails. And, if you thought this was just a Latino thing — think again (37:10).

On the South Florida Roundup, a panel of South Florida journalists help make sense of what voters face on Tuesday (01:08). From a million-dollar Palm Beach County state attorney race and a competitive mayoral contest in Fort Lauderdale to the Miami-Dade Sheriff's election and Monroe County elections supervisor match featuring charges of election fraud. Plus, should newspapers still endorse candidates? (35:00).

On the South Florida Roundup, we discussed the all-out outreach to Latino voters on Florida's Amendment 4 – and other abortion access ballot measures across the country. Will Latinos be the issue's swing vote (1:10)? We also looked at the controversial company and candidate behind the admittedly popular new school bus traffic cameras now used in Miami-Dade County (21:27). And, we looked at the causes — and the possible fallout — of communist Cuba's chronic blackout nightmare (36:25).

On the South Florida Roundup we looked at the spate of deadly tornadoes spawned by Hurricane Milton last week — 26 of them — which made Florida feel more like Kansas (01:10). We also discussed WLRN's new series “Culture of Neglect,” which looks at efforts to restore Miami's important but too often uncared for cultural institutions (19:15). And we examined the violent Venezuelan gang known as Tren de Aragua that's now at the center of the presidential election's immigration debate (34:50).

On the South Florida Roundup, we focus on the Hispanic vote — one of the most important in this region and this state. We reviewed Vice President Kamala Harris' televised Hispanic town hall in Las Vegas Thursday and preview the one that former President Donald Trump will hold Wednesday in Miami (01:10). A panel of Hispanic journalists and experts helped us examine why election disinformation is so rampant in Spanish-language media (19:23) — and what, if anything, can be done about it (35:40).

On The South Florida Roundup, we discussed the so-called ghost candidate scandal of 2020, which rocked South Florida politics with a fake candidate siphoning votes away from a Democrat and helping the Republican win. That trial wrapped up this week and we have all the details (01:06). With election season in full swing, we looked at all the nuts and bolts of casting a ballot for the Nov. 5 elections. From ballot drop boxes to early voting dates, we got you covered (18:42). And, we discussed a new effort by Miami artists to better advocate for themselves with data (37:45).

On The South Florida Roundup, we discussed a major leadership merger of Broward County's taxpayer-funded north and south health systems. Can Shane Strum pull off this double duty (01:21)? We also looked at how arts institutions in Miami-Dade County are finding ways to overcome Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' elimination of state funding – because, well, the show must go on (14:32). And, we asked why it took hurricane-prone Monroe County so long to get a hurricane emergency center (25:36).

On The South Florida Roundup, we looked at the Miami-Dade County Commission's decision to delay its vote on a new, $1.5 billion waste incinerator – so it can find a site where it's actually welcome (01:23). We also discussed how a new state law has led to a sudden and controversial spike in the arrests of people experiencing homelessness (14:27). And, like many football fans, we asked if Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa's concussion crisis means he should leave the sport – and how unsafe that sport is (26:49).

On The South Florida Roundup, we examined the controversial body camera footage that's gripped our community. What does last Sunday's traffic stop involving Miami Dolphins star Tyreek Hill remind us about our police – and ourselves (01:11)? We also looked at some new WLRN reporting on what climate change is doing to the mahi mahi we so much love to catch and eat (20:45). And we discussed the deplorable lie Donald Trump and his campaign spread about Haitians in Ohio that resonates here (34:59).

On the South Florida Roundup, we looked at our deepening condominium crisis. As stricter new regulations come online, values are dropping – and so are sales. Could it mean a rental revival here (01:10)? We also examined an acute food-insecurity crisis in the Florida Keys, where cost-of-living struggles keep mounting for Monroe County workers (19:40). And we discussed why Elon Musk and his social media platform X have been blocked in Brazil — and how it mirrors our own disinformation wars (35:08).

On The South Florida Roundup, we discussed the end of Miami's police Civilian Investigative Panel – which a new state law has made illegal. We looked at what might replace it and why Miamians hoped to keep it (1:10). We also asked why Florida Governor Ron DeSantis suddenly ditched plans to turn state parks into what critics called commercial resorts (19:54). And, we examined Cuba's hard new obstacles for private entrepreneurs – and a supposed exodus of communist regime officials to Florida (34:26).

On the South Florida Roundup we looked at the impact of two results from Tuesday's primary election: Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava's landslide re-election – and landslide approval of a call for expanded Miami-Dade rapid transit (01:10). We also examined why elite Vanderbilt University is opening an unusual satellite campus in Palm Beach County (20:18). And we discussed the drug trafficking and gang sponsorship sanctions the U.S. just slapped on former Haitian President Michel Martelly (34:58).

On the South Florida Roundup the WLRN team previewed Tuesday's primary election for South Florida. And we talked about a lot more than sheriffs. In Miami-Dade County voters are weighing in on a mayor – and Joe Carollo's gym equipment (01:06). In Broward County, Sheriff Gregory Tony faces real competition and most of the embattled school board's seats are up for grabs, too (21:58). And in Palm Beach County, there's a race to replace the first Haitian-American commissioner (34:49).

On the South Florida Roundup, we dove into the new school year with a panel of some of the region's best education journalists (01:10) and, more importantly, a teacher (33:47). We looked at urgent security issues like the current metal detectors debate, whether or not we've put the classroom culture wars behind us, the charter and private schools boom and a new law that may have the little kids starting school at the crack of dawn – while the teenagers sleep in. Put on your backpack and get ready for the bell.

On the South Florida Roundup we assessed what if anything the U.S., the international community and the diaspora here can do to dislodge Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro from power after his allegedly massive voter fraud (01:09). We also examined an Inspector General report that bears out WLRN's probe of Miami-Dade County's Guardianship Program for the vulnerable and elderly (19:45). And, we looked at a push in places like Palm Beach County to bring moviemaking back to the Sunshine State (35:33).

On the South Florida Roundup, we looked at the new independent constitutional offices voters in Broward and Miami-Dade counties will have to vote for in the August primary elections, and what do they mean for the way local government works (01:06). We also examined the state regulations passed after the Surfside condo collapse, which are coming into effect soon — and they are already impacting the real estate market (17:40). And we looked ahead to Venezuela's presidential election on Sunday. Will the Maduro regime allow an honest vote to take place? (32:53)

On the South Florida Roundup we discussed what went so wrong on Sunday at Hard Rock Stadium — when security lost control of gate-crashing (and air vent-crashing) soccer fans before the Copa America final. What lessons must Miami learn before the 2026 World Cup? (1:09) We also looked at the important impact developer Sergio Pino had here, before his life ended in scandal and suicide this week (23:09). And we asked: What's reality and what's myth regarding this summer's big fears about sharks? (36:06)

On the South Florida Roundup we examined new federal rules that preempt a Florida state law that preempts local government laws to protect outdoor workers from extreme heat. Given the new temperature norms we face, the stakes are high (01:10). We also looked at how local governments here are scrambling to adapt to a new state law that bans the homeless – with U.S. Supreme Court approval – from sleeping in public spaces (18:43). And, we assessed the future of Little Haiti's marquee institution (35:51).

In a re-broadcast of The South Florida Roundup, we looked back at our show from May 3 which was dedicated entirely to the ongoing housing crisis in South Florida. We explored how to create more affordable housing as the cost of renting or owning a home, from Palm Beach to Key West, becomes more and more out of reach. We also discussed the remedies that are gaining consensus across the region and across the state, from increased housing density to ramped-up housing vouchers. And we looked at how South Florida is or isn't putting those answers to work.

On the South Florida Roundup we looked at the ugly remains of what was supposed to be a marquee Miami attraction — and a potentially ugly threat to an actual Miami showcase: Wynwood. Does urban planning stand a chance in Miami (01:10)? After a Hialeah councilwoman is indicted and suspended, we also examined why that city is home to so much healthcare fraud (19:12). And we discussed how a multinational security support mission will help rescue gang-ravaged Haiti — now that it's finally there (34:54).

On the South Florida Roundup, we looked at President Biden's latest attempts to get ahead of the all-important immigration issue – and how profoundly they could affect families and communities in South Florida (01:06). We also discussed a long-awaited engineering firm's conclusions about what brought down the Champlain Towers condominium building, killing 98 people three years ago this month (18:42). And we welcome the Copa América soccer tournament as it kicks off in the U.S — and in Miami (35:36).

On the South Florida Roundup, we examined this week's flash flood emergency. How common are these once-in-a-lifetime rains becoming? (01:03). After another child drowned in a South Florida pool this month, we also looked into efforts to ramp up swimming instruction, especially for minority children (16:30). And ahead of the August primary election, we examined the epidemic of bogus candidates (33:19).

On the South Florida Roundup, we examined charges of rogue prosecutors under Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle. Will a new appointment restore public trust? (01:02). It's Immigrant Heritage Month, so we looked at a new study underway to profile the rich and indispensable legacy of South Florida's migrant farmworkers. (18:21) And with the Cricket World Cup coming to Broward – including a match featuring the U.S. team – we asked: how do you play this game? (33:55)