Podcasts about Coconut Grove

The Grove Experts share their insight into the Coconut Grove real estate market for the first quarter of the year (2026)

Les Grove Experts partagent leur analyse du marché immobilier de Coconut Grove pour le premier trimestre de l'année (2026).

Las Grove Experts comparten su análisis del mercado inmobiliario de Coconut Grove durante el primer trimestre del año (2026).

Send us Fan MailWhat does it take to walk into a room full of strangers and walk out with real connections? In this episode of Navigating the Customer Experience, host Yanique Grant sits down with Alexandra Silva Labarr, internationally recognized speaker, author, and founder of Xandra Marketing and PR. Known as the Networking Queen, Alexandra brings over 25 years of experience in marketing, business development, and sales to a conversation that is practical, personal, and deeply inspiring.Alexandra's journey is one of remarkable resilience. After decades in corporate America, she bet on herself and launched her own marketing firm just before COVID hit, shutting down the in person networking she had built her reputation on. Instead of retreating, she pivoted, went digital, gave back to her community, and emerged stronger. Today, Xandra Marketing and PR helps businesses take full ownership of their marketing, from social media and branding to digital presence and messaging strategy.Her story starts at 13 years old, when she lost her mother. That experience taught her that finding the right people and leaning on them is not weakness, it is strategy. That understanding became the foundation for everything she has built since, including her Power of Networking Community, now with 15 chapters across South Florida. She is also the author of three books: The Power of Networking, Show Up Scared, and Show Up Scared: Teen Edition, which became an Amazon bestseller and has taken her into schools and universities across the country.In this episode Alexandra walks us through her Seven Essential C's of Networking and highlights the two people struggle with most: Courage and Common Ground. She explains why most people have courage and confidence backwards, and why showing up scared is the only real path to confidence. She also gets practical, giving you a step by step approach for exactly what to say at a networking event, how to approach a group already in conversation, how to introduce yourself without leading with a pitch, and how to craft a 30 second commercial built around the pain you solve.Alexandra also shares her thoughts on follow up, encouraging listeners to pick up the phone and let people hear their voice, because authenticity lives in your voice and people do business with people they can feel.Topics covered include the Seven C's of Networking, courage vs confidence, building common ground, crafting your 30 second commercial, follow up strategy, AI tools for entrepreneurs, and details on the Show Up Scared teen event at the Mayfair Hotel in Coconut Grove on June 23rd.Featured Resources:The Power of Networking by Alexandra Silva Labarr available on AmazonShow Up Scared by Alexandra Silva Labarr available on AmazonShow Up Scared: Teen Edition by Alexandra Silva Labarr available on AmazonHow to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie available on AmazonIt's Not Who You Know, It's Who Knows You available on AmazonBooks by John C. Maxwell available on AmazonBooks by Brené Brown available on AmazonClaude AI: claude.aiShow Up Scared Teen Event: June 23rd at the Mayfair Hotel, Coconut Grove, FL. Visit alexandrasilvabar.com for full event details and tickets.Connect with Alexandra Silva Labarr:Google her name and everything will appear including her website, social media profiles, upcoming events, and speaking opportunities. She is especially active on LinkedIn and responds to every message personally.Website: alexandrasilvalabarr.comConnect with Navigating the Customer Experience:Follow us on X @NavigatingCX and join our private Facebook group, Navigating the Customer Experience Community. You can also find us on LinkedIn and at yaniquegrant.com.If this episode added value to you, please share it with a fellow business owner, leave us a review, and subscribe so you never miss a new episode. Thank you for listening and until next time, keep navigating forward.

Fashion vocab talks - lista de espera: https://www.modanamochila.com/fashionvocabtalksTainã Facund é uma designer têxtil paulistana multidisciplinar. A Tai mora em Sydney, na Austrália desde 2019, e em poucos anos, ela conseguiu furar a bolha da moda australiana e mostrar toda a bossa da estamparia brasileira - sua primeira experiência foi na Longina Phillips - um renomado estúdio de estampas da Austrália. No Brasil, ela trabalhou em grandes marcas como Cavalera e Le Lis Blanc; hoje ela atua como design manager para a marca Coconut Grove do grupo Sunny Life. convidada: https://www.instagram.com/taifacundo/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/taifacundo/ Assine a Newsletter: https://modanamochila.substack.com/about Ig: https://www.instagram.com/modanamochila/

In this episode of Gangland Wire, retired Kansas City Police Intelligence detective Gary Jenkins sits down with former drug trafficker Carlos Perez for a direct, unfiltered discussion about the evolution of the drug trade in America. Carlos has a new book out titled Pedro Pan: The Product of a Revolution Gone Bad The conversation opens with recent controversy surrounding the reported death of  the Jalisco New Generation Cartel leader El Mencho, and what that development signals for the balance of power among modern Mexican cartels. From there, Gary and Carlos trace the arc of the drug trade from the Caribbean smuggling routes of the 1970s and 1980s to the dominance of today's cartel-controlled corridors. Carlos reflects on the era of Ronald Reagan and the early “War on Drugs,” describing a time when enforcement was uneven and smugglers routinely exploited weak regulatory environments in places like the Bahamas. He explains how traffickers adapted faster than policymakers, using maritime routes, small aircraft, and coordinated pickup operations to move multi-ton quantities of narcotics. Gary and Carlos contrast those earlier days with modern interdiction efforts—advanced Coast Guard surveillance, satellite tracking, military-grade radar, and cross-border intelligence sharing. What was once opportunistic smuggling has evolved into highly structured cartel logistics supported by corrupt officials and narco-state dynamics. Carlos provides a candid account of his own rise in the trade. Starting as a construction laborer, he moved into pickup crews retrieving floating bales of drugs in open water. Over time, he became involved in larger-scale operations involving aircraft and organized distribution networks. He details the operational mechanics, the risks, and the constant calculation between profit and prison—or worse. The discussion also explores the blurred lines between political authority and cartel influence. Carlos explains how governments in certain regions became intertwined with trafficking operations, illustrating how power, money, and violence intersect across borders. In the second half of the episode, Carlos shifts to a personal reckoning. He discusses the moral compromises required in the drug trade and the toll it takes on family and identity. Ultimately, he chose to step away, prioritizing stability and long-term survival over fast money. Now living a legitimate life, Carlos has documented his journey in his book Pedro Pan: The Product of a Revolution Gone Bad, offering readers a firsthand account of smuggling culture, Cuban heritage, revolution-era influences, and the psychological weight of that world. His story reflects both personal accountability and a broader commentary on the human side of organized crime. This episode blends law enforcement perspective with insider testimony, giving listeners a rare dual lens: the cop who chased traffickers and the man who once outran them. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire Click here to “buy me a cup of coffee” Subscribe to the website for weekly notifications about updates and other Mob information. To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent ‘Brothers against Brothers’ or ‘Gangland Wire,’ the documentaries click here.  To purchase one of my books, click here. Transcript [0:00] Hey, all you wiretappers, Gary Jenkins, retired Kansas City Police Intelligence [0:03] Unit detective. It’s great to be back here in the studio. It’s a cold day in Kansas City, Missouri, but we’re going to talk to a warm state and with a man that lives in that warm state, Carlos Perez. Welcome, Carlos. How are you doing, Gary? Doing good? Yeah, I’m doing good. A little cold, and I know it’s much warmer down there. We talked about that. Carlos was involved in the drug business, which is quite topical right now, especially today. Now, this won’t come out today, but as of over the weekend, the Mexican government arrested the El Mencho, the head of that, I can’t remember the name of that cartel. It was a Western Mexico, the state of Jalisco cartel. And somehow he got killed on the way to Mexico City as they’re transporting him. And his guys, the cartel members, are going crazy. Carlos, let’s talk about that a little bit, about this new war on drugs. When I was in Ronnie Reagan’s war on drugs, it was different than it is now. Now we have this new war on drugs with blowing drug boats out of the water. And this guy dies on the way to the bigger jail. Well, let’s talk about that a little bit. Carlos, how would you, as a former drug trafficker, how do you react to that? [1:18] The laws change. And the more that the smugglers change, the more that the system to catch them changes also. In fact, when you’re talking about Ronald Reagan’s war on drugs, there was quite a few things that allowed the smugglers to succeed. One was, most of it, and I’m talking Caribbean now, most of it was going through the Bahamas. The Bahamas had laws at that time where anything governmental was not allowed to land nor dock a boat anywhere in the Bahamas without the permission of the Bahamian government. Which, by the time they got to wherever, if they reacted, if they were advised of some drugs coming in, it would take them a long time to react. I think they had two boats for all the islands that had to travel back and forth. You never, you couldn’t, they couldn’t, the DEA, the Coast Guard, they couldn’t catch you. [2:12] And when you fly a plane in, you just land anywhere and say hello to the DEA as they’re flying by because they can’t land. And therefore, you score the load that you have. Nowadays, Jesus God Almighty, now you’ve got the Coast Guard out there. You’ve got the Coast Guard citation constantly flying, plus Navy. But you couldn’t get it done. And back in those days, that’s the way it was done. It was the Bahamas played a huge part. The prime minister of the Bahamas was so heavily, even though he never. [2:42] Did any time or anything he was heavily involved he took payoffs to left left and right the whole the situation is completely different now you got AWACS flying overhead that can hear you when you’re in the bathroom anybody here’s my opinion on that I want to know who in the hell was in charge of sending those boats out of Venezuela that after the first one got blown up who was telling them to keep sending boats over now if maduro this is my theory if maduro was smart he would have stopped that if he was really the one in charge he would have gone god you got to make me look better you can’t keep doing it that tells me he was not in charge of the shit okay so there’s someone behind that kept going send them we got to see if we can score keep the score, i don’t know how he kept doing that that was to me that was such a stupid move especially when you You see that you’ve got half of America’s Navy sitting on your doorstep, and you keep trying to send drugs. What are you, nuts? The Pacific, they should have gone over to the Pacific, where there’s less surveillance, and maybe run it up the Pacific coast by land. [3:53] Okay. Try to get it into Mexico by land. Because back in the day, Mexico was not really involved at all in that. It was the Caribbean. And then when the Colombian cartel, which was Medellin cartel, when they stopped losing so many loads, they started to go to Mexico. And through Mexico, they just flew small planes, landed in the woods somewhere in Mexico, and then they moved it up. That was not – you weren’t doing that in the Caribbean by that time. And talking about Reagan’s war on drugs, I had two – this is the sideline. I had two little boats coming in from the Bahamas that had marijuana on them. [4:35] I still got to laugh at this freaking idiot. One of them, they were coming in from – Bimney’s only 47 miles away. You can almost do it on the fumes of a gas tank. This guy forgot to gas up. Coming over, he gets stopped by the Marine Patrol, right? As they’re searching him, the other boat had gone through but was wondering where his partner was, and he goes back to see where the guy is. [5:01] How’s that for – anyway, they get them both. It was a total of about 1,200 pounds. That had come from Jamaica, that’s about –, And the vice president, who was Bush, was at the Coast Guard dock when they were unloading the boats. And I was sitting there watching, going, damn, they look like my boats. And when I investigated, it was a—but that was one little incident that had happened. But the difference between yesterday, yesteryear, and now is chronologically things change. They trump the other everybody that was a president or that that had something to do with stopping the trade with drugs never really stuck their foot in deep to stop it it makes me feel like yeah you’re not really you’re talking a lot but you’re not really doing much because if i was a cop my god i usually i’d have had all kinds of medals from stopping these people because it’s an easy thing but no one really had the interest who was involved economically up the top god and only In the Bahamas, I knew who it was. It was the prime minister. Knew his people real well. In the States, everything changes every couple of years. And you don’t know what they’re thinking, what their process of thought is to try to stop this. You know what it was? None. They didn’t try. Okay, they did not try. [6:22] There used to be, oh God, probably about two or three DC-3s a night landing in Bimini, 47 miles away. Okay? Each one of them had 10,000 pounds on it. The boats were running up the river, the Miami River. Once you get inside on a river, inside land, you pretty much already scored. That changed. Then it went to freighters, fast boats going out, picking up, coming in. Then when the United States stopped that, when they declared, we’re going to be able to stop any boat anywhere in international waters. You couldn’t do it back then. [7:02] When that ended then you began with the airplanes the airplanes would take it this is still back when you when the US or any governmental agency could not, set foot in the Bahamian territory, Bahamian waters, without the prime minister’s knowledge. The prime minister’s involved. You’re not going to get it. It’s not going to happen. So that change, and it went to small airplanes. Fly it in anywhere you want in the Bahamas, and then get your boats, and from there on in, try to see what you’re thinking, your process of thought is going to be to get it from the Bahamas, some of the shorter points to the States and to Miami at that point. One of them for me was easy. And that was because I had information on the Miami tower and where in the hell everything was at any point in time. So I would sit and wait for my messenger to get back to me, to tell me where the smoker was, which was the big Coast Guard boat and where the citation was. Once I knew that, I knew I could come across. And the only thing I was going to run into was fishermen. [8:10] So things changed. And then they allowed things change after that. And obviously they were allowed to go into the Bahamas and do whatever they wanted. But that was when Pinland was finally out. I don’t know who the prime minister became after that, but it changed. And now it became, this is why I think that the cartels were stupid. They, instead of doing as much as you could without getting noticed, they started bringing in loads of 10,000 and 20,000 kilos. I was like, God, what the hell do they get all that? I know where they get it, but since I know how the situation goes, I want to know how they amass it and get it onto one boat or one container or whatever and not have it noticed. That’s just way too much to not notice at one point or another. People get edgy around shit like that. In other words, I could take two people and put them in front of a container and separate them and tell one of them, that’s full of drugs, and then tell the other one, no, that’s full of furniture. And then stand both of them there and see who gets nervous. [9:16] It’s human nature. It’s human nature. If you know something bad is going on, to feel it and to react. Why they did that, I don’t know. I was one of the ones, if not the only one, that was sent to Mexico to teach them how to put airstrips in the middle of the jungle, how to protect them, what to do with them, where to put potholes with certain rocks, get them out when they play in the stomach, put them back in when he’s done so if anyone else tries to land, they’re gone. But how it got so deep, I’ll never understand that. And I was pretty much in the beginning of smuggling as to notice chronologically how everything’s seen because I stayed for quite a while. Yeah. Now, Carlos, you’ve written a book about this. What’s the name of that book? The book is called Heisting the Beard. I just need the beard. The beard with a D, meaning Fidel Castro. Ah, interesting. Yeah, he’s just in Cubans when they go like this to their chin or they mention him and they mention him as the beard. He was heavily involved in the decision-making of Cuba running drones. [10:27] That book is about, oh, I ran into a guy. This is how this happens, which is really fun. I ran into a guy who I used to call him by the name of Banco. And he came and told me that he knew where there was a big load of drugs, jewels that they had pilfered from the ocean where they knew that shipwrecks have gone down. Because no one can dive around Cuba. And Cuba is a country that held all the gold before it went to Spain. Everything stopped there and went on. So he told me he knew where there was a warehouse that was holding that plus a lot of coke. And I had ways to get in. I have a friend who’s Bahamian, who was actually one of my partners, who’s from Ragged Island in the Bahamas. Ragged Island is maybe… [11:17] 20 miles off the Cuban coast, down on the eastern end of Cuba. So it was easy for me to sneak in. Everyone thinks of Cuba as this military power, Russia’s buddy. They didn’t have shit. They couldn’t put a plane in the air. They didn’t have patrol boats. They had patrol boats, but I swear I could out-swim them. It was ridiculous to see at what point they were developed as far as a country. And it was like, everything is going downhill as today, and it keeps going downhill. So I would sneak in on a Zodiac. [11:53] And I’d hit the coast, middle of the night. No one would see me. I speak perfect Spanish. I speak a Cuban dialect. So I wasn’t going to get caught by it because I looked like a black bean in a pot of white rice. It wasn’t going to be like that. So we figured out where everything was, and we went in and took a little look. And got awake after a lot of headaches, but we were able to do that. There’s other instances where there’s an airport right next to Havana called the Varadero Airport, and it’s a military airport. And I know that they were holding a lot of cocaine that was going in there. The reason I know that is because hearsay in the streets in Miami, you go drink a little Cuban coffee somewhere, you hear assholes talking garbage, and they would say that they were getting boats ready to go to Cuba to bring in whatever they had. So it’s not really why they make it a mystery as to why they were involved. If you think logically, let’s say you leave Colombia and you’re doing business with Cuba. Wouldn’t it be safe to just, oh, you’re chasing me, let me land in Cuba and I got no problem, not because they don’t want you here, but they want me here. That’s logically speaking. So why that… [13:11] That mystery among people that they weren’t involved. What are you, crazy? Not only that, recently, you might have seen it, they’ve had a Carlos Leder Riva. Okay. [13:27] Carlos, can you say that over again? It just zeroed out to say that over again. After you said Carlos Leder. Leder Rivas. Yeah. Now, whatever you said after that, say that over again. [13:45] Carlos Lerder Rivas recently has done some interviews on the drug trade. He did a lot of time in the States over the Norman’s Key transporting point where all the coke would go there. And then, like I told you before, they fly it into the Bahamas and then over into the States. He recently has been on saying how he was personally involved with Raul Castro. I have no doubt about that. I knew him personally. i flew a couple times into that island where it was transported out so i know what he was told the reason i also know that is everybody has this pablo escobar myth in their head he was neither the boss and he was neither the money man the money people were the ochoas the military his might and his force did not come from him and his mouth that he could do this and that it comes from rodriguez gacha who had a 2 000 man private army and he was one of the members of the cartel and they never tell you who started it all and it was carlos letter rivas he was the one that started the cartel he’s the one that wanted to be on in the colombian parliament and was looking for votes escobar is he was a he was a late comer into all that stuff the only reason they put him out there that I can understand is because they just wanted to figure out that they could knock the hell out of later on. [15:09] Okay? Because when he started fighting against Los Pepes, which was that organization that got together to try to kill Pablo, Pablo reversed it on those guys. He got rid of almost all of them, but it wasn’t him. It was Rodriguez. [15:24] Rodriguez gotcha. He’s the one. And he was involved in the Emerald business before he got into the coke business. He was the guy, let me tell you what, when Pablo was around, and I only saw that once, when Pablo was around Gacha, okay, this was down in La Guajira, in the high desert in Colombia. When he was around Gacha, you could tell that he was subordinate. He was scared. He was like, damn, if I mess up with this guy, he’ll take my head off. [15:53] So people really have the whole story, Pablo, Pablo, my, you know what, Pablo, my ass. There’s a lot of people who you had to have money to do those things yeah and in those days they were strong enough because of the ochoas well they could gather big loads a thousand two thousand keys and put it all together but as time went on chronologically that shit changed okay i can remember once getting a load where it had it damn you they labeled it they labeled everyone One had one name, one had the other So what they were doing at that time Was it got so tough on them Because of Pablo’s big mouth And because of his, I’m going to take over Blowing up a plane Doing a few other attacking parliament All those things You couldn’t put those loads together To me there’s no cartels anymore To me they’re government Narco systems You. [16:55] The Mexican government is definitely involved with the cartels. And as you saw, we went after a cartel in Venezuela, but the head of the cartel was the Venezuelan government. So what they are is narco states now. And you know how hard it is to attack or to deal with a narco state? Now you’re dealing with a government entity that has a lot of power. It’s a completely different ballgame. And Venezuela themselves, including Cuba, had a diplomatic immunity flying into different countries with the drugs. And they could put a load of cocaine on and fly into Spain, and they had no problem with it. And they were doing those kind of things, I would say, recently, like within the last 10 or 15 years. Maybe even since Maduro has been there, which is about 20 years, that they’ve been doing that. Really, the United States can get information on anything they want. They had this information but couldn’t do anything about it. [17:57] So chronologically, everything changes. Back in the beginning, let me tell you, the first time I made a little money was hauling some marijuana with old Touch Brown from the Everglades. And I worked like a Hebrew slave for four days in the swamp hauling bails from marijuana and into the into the everglades and then over into miami and it was completely different game and you know what they didn’t cheat me for one penny they didn’t cheat me for one penny and how much came in 40 tons on one of the boats yeah it was 80 000 pounds on a freighter and we worked like little like slaves and they paid me like two weeks later, they paid me $2. I’ll tell you that story in a minute. You asked me a while ago how I got started. Should I answer that, or you got another question you want for me? No, go ahead. How’d you get started in that? You started out as a grunt, as we say in the military. You started out as a low-end worker, a guy that transports bales. What did you do? You started saving your money up, and you knew where the connections were, and finally you You bought your own load and just kept getting bigger and bigger. [19:11] In a sense, yeah, it wasn’t drastic. When I came in, here’s the story. I’m in Texas. My mom calls me up and tells me I have an uncle who’s in Texas. He wants to see me. I get together with him, and he’s driving a brand-new Cadillac. This is a guy who, two and two to him is 22. I know he’s my uncle, but he’s a dumb son of a bitch. [19:35] He’s telling me that he’s got a, you know what a roach coach is? Yeah. with those construction things with food. He tells me he has a red smoke in Miami and that he bought a house, got a house, he’s doing really good. And I looked at him and I said, bro, you’re the one that’s crushed. You’re the wetback. I came on a plane a long time ago. He’s telling me stories. What’s going on here? So anyway, he tells me and I say to him, get me a job. I was working as a carpenter in Houston. Straight out of college, I’m banging nails. I said, God damn, I’m banging nails. but I got an education here. What’s going on? So anyway, I loaded up in Houston. I head and I end up in Coconut Grove working for one of the bosses. My job was $500 a week and I had to go and sleep on his yacht about 7 p.m. And by 6 in the morning when the workers started coming in, just go. That went on for about four or five months and I finally said, let me make some real money because I saw he was still moving and doing things economically economically moving forward, and I was sleeping on a boat. So he finally gets me an interview with two of the bosses. And this is a building in Miami that was called the DuPont Plaza building. [20:52] And so we go to the meeting, and I’m talking to the two guys. One of them, they called him El Coronel, and the other one, El Colorado. The Colonel and Red. They were the ones that were handling it. And this was, by the way, this was marijuana, coming from Colombia at that time. So we go in there, and he tells me, no problem. I’ll pay you $2 a pound. Now, understand that at that time, at that point in time, my mind is in Jersey and New York. And if you’re moving 20 pounds from one place to the other, it’s a lot. You’re not dealing with loads at that time. We’re talking, what, 1977 in New York? And I looked at him, I said, you’re fucking crazy. You think I’m going to risk my ass for $2 a pound? Even if it’s 300 pounds, that’s $600. Are you fucking nuts? [21:45] My uncle grabbed me by the shirt, stood me up and said, excuse me. Walked me outside and said, listen, there’s 40 tons coming in. You want the job or not? I went back in. I apologized to you guys. I said, no problem. I will go to work. From that point on, there wasn’t, that’s just, was right about at the end of the big freighters. And so now my uncle invites me to go to Bimini because he had a friend there and they were going to do some job. I don’t know. When we go, I end up running into a younger guy, Bahamian, and I became partners with him. We call him Dreamer. And I said, look, if you can set things up over here and gather up whatever materials you can gather up, I’ll come and get it and we’ll be partners. At that time, a lot of freighters and a lot of boats were being chased by the Coast Guard and what they would do is they would drop, they would dump it overboard. Oh yeah. Ergo the, what they call it, the square grouper. [22:44] Yeah, I’ve heard that before. Bales were floating everywhere. You could go out. So what he would do is he would go on a boat, find bales that were floating. He would call me up, and he would tell me, hey, I salvaged a 300-horsepower engine. Come and get it. I knew what the weight was, so I knew what kind of boat I had to take. So I bought an 18-foot formula. I dug out the hole in the bottom. I made a secret hole. What the what cubans call a clavo a clavo which is you’re hiding it underboard he called me up one day tells me there’s three he can get 300 pounds i left at eight in the morning was back in miami by 11 30 left at about 12 30 went back and picked up another load so in that first job we ended up making a couple hundred thousand dollars from there we bought a bigger boat, Now he started patrolling, All the area where the boats were coming in Because everything flows from the Gulf Down in this area, flows north The Gulf Stream goes north So everything’s going to float this way somehow. [23:54] We did that for probably a year Until one time, I was over there. We were going fishing, and we ran into a duffel bag. The duffel bag had 65 kilos in it that was just floating. At that time, it cost probably around $40,000 a kilo in Miami, let alone New York. We didn’t bother to take it up north. Sold it all in Miami. I used to say to myself, where in the hell does all this cash come from? Because they would pay. We made a lot of money that time. And then we had seen… Carlos, let me interject here. No, no. [24:38] You were making hundreds of thousands of dollars just by picking up cocaine and marijuana that had been thrown off other boats. So you didn’t even have to go buy it, really. You guys were just picking it up, the square groupers, and then putting it together and then bringing it to money. That’s crazy. You are an entrepreneur. You’re a guy that sees an opportunity and seizes it. Tell you what. And that’s exactly how it went, Gary. When we made that big chunk of money, we had seen how things were going because we knew that planes were coming in and landing. And they had whatever it is that they were hauling, either coke or marijuana. So with that amount of money, we bought a plane and I decided to become a pilot. I said, hell, we’re going to cut this down. I’ll fly. We’ll save money that way. And now we can talk to the people down in Jamaica or Columbia and say, hey, we’re coming together. We’re taking a responsibility. We’re not going to middle it. We’re not going to find it. We’re going to do the job. And it took off from there. [25:43] Took off real good from there. Eventually, I see that you are going to build in to have a legitimate life, become a horse breeder and a ranch owner and rub elbows with all the kind of the muckety mucks, if you will, down there in Florida. So tell us about that transition and how did your life change during that time? [26:04] I had a family. I had four kids by then. And I knew that I was in a business where the chances were threefold. I either score or I die or I go to jail. And I didn’t like any of those odds at that time. I was like, you know what? I’ve made enough money. I got a small little ranch out here. I don’t need to do anything. And I decided that was it. I don’t need to be doing this anymore. I’m set. And I’m the kind of person, I’m set with what I mathematically calculate. I’m not like I need almost $20 million. I calculated it to where I knew I could be comfortable. And talking about the mucks and the big famous guys, I had lunch with Sam Walton one time. How did you do that? [26:59] I was at his, his daughter, Nancy Walton, Laurie was heavily into the horse. And by that time I was into horses also. So we used to, I used to show them all over the country and we were in, in Illinois at a horse show. And the setup that his daughter used to put out there was unbelievable. It was like, whew, she really put out a spread. And he happened to be there one time. And it wasn’t like I went and had lunch with him, but a few people sat around, ate a couple of grilled burgers. And that’s my story of Sam Wolfe, the richest man in the world at that time. And look who he’s having lunch with. how really i’ve noticed going to horse races that a lot of the support staff are all hispanic i think because hispanic people know how to deal with horses have an affinity affinity for horses, you’re absolutely right the barn work even me and who as far as the horses went i was a nobody i just had my own little stretch even my workers were mexican they just are good at it they’re very good at that. Interesting. They understand country life, too. Yeah. [28:10] So, what happened? You’re like, you’re going straight. You haven’t really done any time. Surely DEA, I know enough about them that they keep files, and they may not do anything about you now, but they know a lot about you, and they don’t forget. So, what happened here? You can’t feed the government. It’s an entity, not an individual. You know, one guy prosecutes you and he retires. That doesn’t mean your case is over. He hands it over to somebody else and it goes on and on. They didn’t get, I didn’t get caught doing anything. I had too many ways to outmaneuver them and not because I was smarter than anybody else. It’s because I had contact. I had a contact, like I told you, at the Miami Tower where I would call him and say, hey, I need to know where this was. He would call me back and let me know exactly when I could cross. [29:06] So it was a matter of, in my case, I didn’t play Russian roulette. I tried to put things on more of the positive end of it on my side but i’m so they arrested me for money because they thought i had too much first the irs came in and they started checking out the next thing i know is i’m being visited by by the fbi but it was alphabet soup when they showed up at their hotel yeah not the farm i was like what the hell are these guys doing here anyway they grabbed me took me in and i’ll give you a funny story and you used to be a policeman yes all They pick me up, and I say to the guy, the old James Cagney state, I’ll be home before you tonight. Yeah, I’ll be home. You’ll be still writing your report when I’m back home. You’ll still be filling out the paperwork, but I’ll be sitting at home. [29:58] So I played that act. And actually, I did get home pretty quick. I was able to call my lawyer. He actually called up the mayor of Fort Myers. His name was Wilbur Smith. And he was a lawyer also. And Wilbur is the one that got me. It happened to have been on a Friday, which meant if they didn’t work something out, I was going to sit my ass in the jail until Monday. When the judge comes up. But Wilbur got me out of it. Wait a minute. Wait till the dogs get, okay. Can you start that with Wilbur? Wilbur got me out of that when the dogs quit. Let’s see. [30:38] Anyway, Wilbur gets me out of it. I’m walking down the hall with Wilbur to go see the judge real quick. And he says to me, he goes, do you do drugs? Do you have any drugs on you? And I’m like, oh, Jesus. I don’t know. I smoke weed, but I don’t touch anything else. I never have. And he goes, so, okay, we’re okay with that. And in my pocket. I had a joint in my pocket. I pull it out and I go, here. Oh, Jesus Christ, put that back. Oh, Wilbur. Oh, Wilbur’s shit when he saw that. But anyway, I was home. I was home that night. Now, here’s another funny story. I had a, along with this story, I had a maid at the house at the farm. And she was Brazilian. And she was not a resident or anything. That girl took, when they came, went to pick me up. And they took me into, it was a U.S. Marshall. She took off running into the woods. and I’m talking deep Florida woods and when I got back home about an hour later she ends up showing up and I said what are you doing why did you take off like that I was scared they were going to deport me, if you were scared what do you think I was. [31:46] And when they showed up that one time when they showed up you could have sworn that they were picking up Pablo Escobar it was alphabet soup long guns long freaking guns not just People holding their little long guns. Yeah. And I’m like, all this for me? Really? And you know what it is? It’s not long before that happened. They had called me in to do a polygraph. [32:14] The FBI did. I had no problem because they were trying to associate me with the head of the Indian cartel in America, the guy that handled everything, including the money. You might have, did you see Cocaine Cowboys Kings of Miami? Yeah, I did. Okay. The one guy, George Valdez, that was pretty much testifying against the other guys that he said he helped. Like how can you you’re snitching right in front of everybody bro anyway he i had a farm next to his, and the next thing i know because i guess they tried to associate me with him i had nothing to do with him next thing i know the fbi is calling me out they do a polygraph even my lawyer said don’t do the polygraph it’s not mandatory said i got nothing to hide now they told me they were going to ask me about horses they ended up asking me everything except horses until i finally yeah took those things off my fingers i pulled them off and i said this is done and i left not long after that is when they swatted in i was like jesus god who do they think they’re picking up here i’m just a in in uh in sense i’m still even if they know everything i’m still a grunt, I’m working for you. It’s not like I’m Mr. Put-it-together shit. You call me up, hey, we got a job. You want it? Yes or no? But it was unbelievable. [33:41] I went to jail. I did some time in jail. When I got out, I never once again really, even though I got 100 phone calls about you want to go to work, you want to listen to that, I never really thought about it again. My kids were growing up. The youngest one was six or seven by then. And they had suffered because I was gone. Yeah. And I didn’t like that. That made me feel like shit. [34:10] It just, it got to the point where when I was working, I looked at everything economically. Hey, this is what I’ll be able to have. Once you have what you want, economics is bullshit if that’s what you’re working for, because you already have it. Yeah. And when I got out, my thoughts were completely different. My thoughts were that the money is not going to solve any issues I may have. Physically, maybe. Mentally, no. mentally, I’ve got to learn how to deal with a little bit of reality here and figure out who is affected by my actions. And the people that were affected by my actions were people that were close to me. And I didn’t enjoy that. I didn’t enjoy that at all. It made me double take. It made me go inside and do a lot of things. [35:04] So from that point on, I really didn’t know what to do. And so I have a friend who is a big-time producer in Hollywood. We grew up together in Jersey, who told me, wow, you’ve got a lot of stories. You should start writing. I never thought about writing. So I started putting down ideas. I wrote a book. I wrote a bunch of political essays on what was going on in Cuba. See, I grew up in a revolutionary family. My father was in intelligence, and my uncle trained the troops that were going to go to the Bay of Pigs, among other incursions into Cuba. So I came over, I’m six years old. I’m a Peter Pan kid. I don’t know if you know what that is. Now, what is that? You’ve mentioned that before. What is that? Tell the guys. Peter Pan is, it’s not a good translation because it has nothing to do with Peter Pan. In Spanish, it’s Pedro Pan and had to do with a little kid eating some bread or whatever. But in 1960, the Catholic Church got together and decided to send the children out of Cuba so they wouldn’t suffer the wraths of the revolution. In essence, 14,000 kids were put on planes and sent into the States. I was one of them. Wow. I ended up in Miami. [36:27] I was one of them, and I was actually one of the lucky ones because I had family in Miami at that time, so I was able to stay with them. My parents were still back in Cuba applying to leave. Back then, they called the freedom flights. So a lot of those kids though they were sent some of them were sent to alaska montana wyoming really they were dispersed all over through families that were willing to help and and keep them until their parents came so i was one of them that grew up because of my father and my uncle the conversation most of the time if not all the time was around cuba and his freedom so the revolution at that time is going really strong in New Jersey. There’s a family in New Jersey by the name, the last name is Cook. [37:17] And they owned a big factory called Cook, Color, and Chemical. They were very wealthy people, but evidently they lost a lot of land or investments in Cuba. So they were willing to help the revolution and the revolutionaries. They had a big farm in this small little town called Hope. And that little town, you had all the Cuban revolutionaries up there getting ready. I’m talking about going into the woods with every kind of equipment you could think of. And they were training to go to Cuba. Now, here I am, six, seven years old. And I’m running around the woods with these maniacs. They would dress me in camouflage and tell me I was the next generation of Cuban revolutionaries. And I’m like, what the fuck is this guy talking? I didn’t. I was having a good time with all these guys. [38:06] And it ended up being that the new york times caught wind that there were these crazy cubans. [38:12] In the woods in jersey and they had to move their operations down to florida but about what happened in jersey in jersey the mafia at that time they were all involved with the kennedy and the prior to the assassination and everything that was going on they thought that the cubans did it they thought to the mafia. They didn’t know who did it. But there was a get-together one time. I was probably about seven or eight years old, and it was a dove shoot where they had a thousand doves, and they would all line them up and let some of them go, and then they would do a big dove fricassee. But that meeting, I just remember the names because I was being introduced, the son of, and this is Mr. Spud. The names never left me. One of them was Santos Traficante, who was the head of the mafia in in in tampa the other one was fat tony salerno who was the head of the mafia in new york there was my mom’s cousin who was an fbi uh agent and a bunch of other guys that looked exactly like him they dressed exactly like him well i could pick you out of a barrel boy and a lot of these other i grew up in the jersey new york area so i know what tough guys act especially of the Italian guys. So there was a bunch of them walking around like they could take on the world. And this is part of my life. I’m a young person doing it. I really don’t know what’s going on, but I’m picking up on all this stuff. [39:40] They moved to Florida. I’m away from all that stuff for a while. But my parents regularly go to Florida for a visit, for vacation. So every year, I’m running into my uncle and the things that he’s doing, what’s going on. [39:57] And so the life never mentally never leaves me. I’m always, I’m always hearing next year in Havana, we’re going to get them, all this nonsense. So the years go on and on and the situation, you wonder how the smuggling game got started. The smuggling games basically, and I saw a report on this not long ago, some lady reporting on it. You had a lot of educated men that were involved in the revolution that wanted to get their country done. The U.S. government, Secret Service at the ICIA, whoever they may be, cut off the funds when all the bullshit with Cuba was done. You’re not allowed to leave from U.S. soil if we cut you with any arms headed down. And they caught a lot of these Cubans trying to go to Cuba on little boats with all kinds of armament. They didn’t do shit to them. Okay, they just slapped them on the head and don’t do that. But it got to the point where the government was not funding that part of the Cuban Revolution anymore. What do a bunch of college-educated, university-educated men do? [41:06] They’re going to go work at the Fountain Blue? My father worked at the Fountain Blue when he first got to Miami. And there was water fountains that said whites, blacks, and Cubans. He was still trying to drink. It’s like my mother used to tell me. I didn’t know I was white until I got to this country. And now all of a sudden we have white Spanish, white this, white this. It’s ridiculous. So these men were not going to go to work with a little bacon with a little Cuban coffee. They have all these contacts all through Central and South America because of the revolution. So who becomes the primary smugglers? [41:44] Yes, the Cuban revolutionaries. And that’s how smuggling was started in the Caribbean. I’m involved with all these people because of my father and my uncle. My legacy is I can get right in. I don’t have to prove anything to anybody. And that’s how I got to my uncle and him giving me the job with the guy. No, that nonsense. So it’s like the grateful dad said, what a long, strange trip it’s been. It’s been. [42:13] So where are you at now with your life? [42:17] Right now, we’re putting together hopefully a TV show on basically my life, but my life in a novel way, not in a very direct memoir way. And I continue to write. I am married to a wonderful woman who actually led me down this path. I was sitting on my farm doing quite well. My wife at that time had passed away from pancreatic cancer. That’s a death sentence. Yeah, I’ve heard that. [42:52] I didn’t have a will, and everything was in her name because I wanted to protect the family. Yeah. So when she dies, everything’s gone. I’m not knowing which way to turn here. I was 50, 70 years old. I thought I was going to be relaxing and fishing every day, and it didn’t work out that way. I was going downhill like a sled in a snowstorm, boy. I was going to hit eventually. I don’t know what bottom would have been, but I knew there wouldn’t be good. And I ran into a wonderful woman who led me down the road of, we’ve got to write, we’ve got to do this. And she is my manager, and we eventually got married. And sometimes things are tough, but they’re a whole lot better than getting that bottom. Yeah, really. Better than you’re out of jail. You’re not in jail. Not there anymore. What a long, strange trip it’s been for Carlos J.C. Perez. [43:57] I want to know how strange it gets to the point where the DEA comes to me to get information. And I’m like, you guys got to be kidding me. I always knew that when you’re in law enforcement, you depend on information. You go wherever you think the source is, that’s for sure. You think you can get something out of them. Exactly. They ended up being great, by the way. Great guys. Super nice guys. Okay? And if I said any different, I’d be lying. [44:28] But it doesn’t sound like you ever particularly worked for them. You didn’t go back in undercover for them either. No, no, I didn’t do that. Luckily, when I was doing the stuff that I was doing, it wasn’t out. It wasn’t a guns and roses type deal. I don’t ever remember collecting any money or doing anything where I had to have a gun on it. I’ll give you a little tidbit of something that just happened recently. I had to go into a government and reinstate my license or something like that. The lady’s going through it. She comes up with a ticket that I got in 19—now, I’m talking in the year 2000 and probably 14. She comes up with a ticket that I got in 82. It was a ticket. Yeah. The ticket was for $52. Two different tickets, 26 each. Okay. Yeah. You know what that ticket was for? I had come in from the Bahamas in the hull of the boat. I had 800 pounds. The Marine Patrol pulls me over and says, let me see what you got. They go through the whole thing. He finds two lobsters that I had in the live $26 per lobster. I got the ticket. The guy never checked the boat, never did anything. And I got in with 800 pounds, which at that time was like a quarter million bucks. [45:50] Oh my God. Life is funny, man. Life is funny. Life is funny. That’s for sure. All right. Carlos Perez. Now the name of the book and guys, I will, I will have a link in the show notes to it. Remind me of the name of the book, Carlos. Pedro Pan. Pedro Pan, as in Peter Pan. And Ron is bred in Spanish. So there’s something to think about the little magical character, Peter Pan. Not a thing. Not a thing. And it’s a product of a revolution gone bad, which basically is me. I’m an unfortunate product of that. Revolution. You’re back around now. You’re contributing to society. That’s the only thing that’s important in the end. Hey, I have a quick question. Did you ever hear of a book called The Corporation written by a guy named T.J. English? Oh, hell yeah. Read it from cover to cover. As a matter of fact, I know the guy. [46:46] What’s his name? Batista? Was it Jorge Batista? No, Battle. Battle, yeah. As a matter of fact, I know the guys that own the manuscript. Okay tj what’s his name what’s his last name tj english english the only thing he did was write the book off of the notes that they had gotten from a guy that i know his name is tony gonzalez tony gonzalez has another partner by the last name of freitas and what they did was they investigated battle over the years and years and and then somehow ran into english because he had written a couple of books on Cuba. And then T.J. English ended up writing that. And by the way, Battle took the New York mafia and put it on its knees. Yeah, I did a story on the book. And that’s true. He had to get permission. Actually, he had to get permission from back in the 60s from Fat Tony Salerno, and they couldn’t get an approval until Traficante stepped in and said, work with him. And what the hell were they doing then? They were killing each other. They were blowing up their little bolita houses and all that. Oh, that was crazy. But you know what? He was never any kind of a Cuban mafia boss. [48:05] He liked to fight chickens and play the numbers. The Cubans don’t really have a mafia per se. They’re too splintered. And in the mafia, you’ve got to go ask permission to do this and that. These crazy guys, they don’t ask anybody permission for anything. [48:19] Interesting that’s a that’s an interesting world that’s a whole different world that cuban, You’ve got the revolution on one side, the Castro revolution, and then you’ve got the anti-revolution against Castro that’s been going on all these years. And in the middle of it, you’ve got some of these people that were kicked out of Cuba that can’t get jobs and they only want you to work as a waiter or something. And so you go into business and the best business going with your connections is the drug business. And so it’s just a really interesting millage, if you will, or mix of people and situations down in the southwest part or southeast part of the United States. Oh, yeah, you’re right. It is a millage of like, how does this work? [49:04] There’s no sense to it sometimes. No, that’s for sure. I guess I’m glad they weren’t blowing boats out of the water. They might have got you back then. I can’t tell you what. They wouldn’t have dared because I would have said, I said, why don’t you do that? Oh, you get somebody else to do it. Yeah, probably what would have saved my ass anyway is that I have never, ever been money hungry. My family in Cuba, my great-grandfather was a sugar baron. And I’ve heard all the stories about all the money, but I’ve yet to see a penny. [49:36] I don’t work that way. I grew up with a bunch of humble people. And it wasn’t, damn sure, it wasn’t about money. And when I’m young, I’m not thinking like that. But now at my age, I go, wow, man, if I knew then, what do I know now? Yeah, really. All right, Carlos. Thanks a lot for coming on the show. I really appreciate it. No, no problem, Gary. Thanks for having me on. Okay.

When one member of an affluent couple in Miami's Coconut Grove neighborhood dies in a home invasion, law enforcement casts their eye upon the surviving spouse.Sources:1. Soret Cope, Carol. In the Fast Lane. 1990.2. City Confidential. 2003.3. “Stanley Alan ‘Stan' Cohen (1934-1986) - Find a Grave Memorial.” Find a Grave - Millions of Cemetery Records, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/212584130/stanley_alan-cohen. Accessed 27 Feb. 2026.4. LA Times, 1989.5. The Miami Herald, 1986.6. The Miami News, 1986.This Week's Episode Brought To You By:Progressive Insurance - Discover better rates at https://www.progressive.com/ ****Shopify - $1 per month trial - http://shopify.com/lovemurderHers - Personalized, affordable plans for weight loss, hair, and anxiety - forhers.com/LOVEMURDERHomeServe – Home repair protection plans starting at $4.99/month. Learn more at homeserve.comQuince - Elevated essentials that feel effortless. Free shipping and 365-day returns at http://quince.com/lovemurderSuperpower - Head to Superpower.com and use code LOVEMURDER at checkout for $20 off your membership. Live up to your 100-Year potential. https://superpower.com/Find LOVE MURDER online:Website: lovemurder.loveInstagram: @lovemurderpodTwitter: @lovemurderpodFacebook: LoveMrdrPodTikTok: @LoveMurderPodPatreon: /LoveMurderPodCredits: Love Murder is hosted by Jessie Pray and Andie Cassette, researched by Sarah Lynn Robinson and researched and written by Jessie Pray, produced by Nathaniel Whittemore and edited by Kyle Barbour-HoffmanSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Enter the conspiracy hole, Tony and I broke into Coconut Grove and share what we found there! "Good Morning Toy World" Your Source for Semi-Premium Adult Related Toy Talk.

The former Kings Cross street kid on his time in prison, recovering from an alcohol-induced brain injury, the puppy called Sunny who showed him what love is and how buying car parking spaces set him up for the rest of his life.Warning: This episode contains sensitive topics and reference to physical violence against women.John Howard came from a dysfunctional and often violent home in the outer suburbs of Sydney, and when he was able to, he ran away to the dank but promising Kings Cross of the 1960s and 70s.He would see Abe Saffron having dinner at the local Bourbon & Beefsteak joint and John found himself doing odd jobs for his sex worker friends in exchange for somewhere to sleep.John was caught up in a horrific assault and in the following years he found himself in jail and then drawn to drinking.At his lowest point he was rescued by chance by a passing taxi, and taken to hospital to recover from an alcohol-induced brain injury.As he was recovering, it was a toy poodle puppy called Sunny who showed John what love and affection were — and from there he was able to build his life for the first time.Further informationYou can call the National Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence counselling service on 1800-RESPECT or 1800-737-732. This episode was produced by Alice Moldovan. Conversations' Executive Producer is Nicola Harrison. It covers topics like homelessness, alcoholism, prison escape, solitary confinement, toy poodles, lesbian separatism, disability support pension, brain injury, Callan Park hospital, Rozelle Hospital, getting sober, quitting alcohol, Kings Cross, street kid, sex workers, drug use, drug addiction, prostitute, Bourbon & Beefsteak, Abe Saffron, The Coconut Grove, doggy poo bags, pooper scoopers, Potts Point.To binge even more great episodes of the Conversations podcast with Richard Fidler and Sarah Kanowski go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you'll find hundreds of the best thought-provoking interviews with authors, writers, artists, politicians, psychologists, musicians, and celebrities.

What we cover Why Wendi wanted the survival side of Survivor, not just gameplay The bathroom reality: no toilet paper, “Coconut Grove,” and leaf roulette The pre game survival briefing and what it does and does not teach you Fire making in Fiji, and why moisture makes everything harder Why digging a fire pit is basically impossible on volcanic rock The rule about losing flint, and how banking embers can save you Wildlife risks and what they warned contestants about The surprising reason bigger fish are discouraged What they actually ate: crabs, small fish, worms, and the hunt for fruit Food allergies on the island and how that changes everything The stingray moment: how it was caught, how it was killed, and how it got ruined Bug bites, scent differences, and why some people get wrecked and others do not Parasites, water concerns, and what contestants do after the show The deeper lesson Liz brought home: receiving grace, not just giving it Wendi's closing message: skills are a bank account that never depletes Memorable moments and quotes “Survivor is real baby. They do not give you toilet paper.” “Do not boil a stingray.” “Skills are what brings freedom.” “You can never deplete the reservoir of skills.” Listener question Would you go on Survivor? Be honest. Indoor toilets matter. Guest Liz Wilcox Instagram: @thelizwilcox (as mentioned in the episode)  

Les Grove Experts, Isabelle et Alba, partagent leurs réflexions et les dernières nouvelles concernant le marché immobilier de Coconut Grove pour le quatrième trimestre 2025.

The Grove Experts, Isabelle and Alba, are sharing their thoughts and updates on the Q4 2025 Coconut Grove real estate market.

Las Grove Experts, Isabelle y Alba, comparten sus opiniones y novedades sobre el mercado inmobiliario de Coconut Grove en el cuarto trimestre de 2025.

What does it take to transform a neighborhood into a thriving business community? On Grow Your Business and Grow Your Wealth, Gary Heldt sits down with Mark Burns, Executive Director of the Coconut Grove Business Improvement District. Mark draws on more than 20 years of experience in real estate leasing, government property management, and community revitalization to explain how small businesses can tap into local resources, avoid costly leasing mistakes, and position themselves for long-term success. From negotiating city-owned properties to managing major Miami capital projects, Mark has seen it all. His insider perspective gives business owners a clear understanding of how government works, how Business Improvement Districts operate, and how to use these resources to grow stronger, smarter, and more sustainably. This conversation is packed with real strategy, clear examples, and lessons every business owner should hear. Key Takeaways → Why Business Improvement Districts give small businesses more power than acting alone → How Coconut Grove was revitalized into one of Miami's most desirable neighborhoods → The most significant mistakes business owners make when signing leases → Why business owners miss out on grants and free resources → How long-term planning protects businesses from future economic swings → How entrepreneurs can build influence and gain a board seat in their district Featured Quote from Mark Burns “The people who step out of their routine are the ones who succeed.” To learn more about Coconut Grove's Business Improvement District or to connect with Mark, visit CoconutGrove.com. Follow Grow Your Business and Grow Your Wealth for more conversations that help business owners strengthen their financial future. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What does it take to transform a neighborhood into a thriving business community? On Grow Your Business and Grow Your Wealth, Gary Heldt sits down with Mark Burns, Executive Director of the Coconut Grove Business Improvement District. Mark draws on more than 20 years of experience in real estate leasing, government property management, and community revitalization to explain how small businesses can tap into local resources, avoid costly leasing mistakes, and position themselves for long-term success. From negotiating city-owned properties to managing major Miami capital projects, Mark has seen it all. His insider perspective gives business owners a clear understanding of how government works, how Business Improvement Districts operate, and how to use these resources to grow stronger, smarter, and more sustainably. This conversation is packed with real strategy, clear examples, and lessons every business owner should hear. Key Takeaways → Why Business Improvement Districts give small businesses more power than acting alone → How Coconut Grove was revitalized into one of Miami's most desirable neighborhoods → The most significant mistakes business owners make when signing leases → Why business owners miss out on grants and free resources → How long-term planning protects businesses from future economic swings → How entrepreneurs can build influence and gain a board seat in their district Featured Quote from Mark Burns “The people who step out of their routine are the ones who succeed.” To learn more about Coconut Grove's Business Improvement District or to connect with Mark, visit CoconutGrove.com. Follow Grow Your Business and Grow Your Wealth for more conversations that help business owners strengthen their financial future. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's been too long. The twins decided to change that by showing up for episode 93 and diving into a conversation about one long summer on Tigertail Court in Coconut Grove before the third grade when they moved back to Miami from Crestline, California. They discovered boxes of old castoff records in their room and started playing them on the big Zenith console they rememered from the time they were toddlers.  Also - a recent series of gigs at House of Blues Myrtle Beach, chatter about audio interfaces, remote recording, the difference in the vibe when they shut off the video in Zoom and didn't have to stare at each other. SHOW NOTES:  0:00 - Interlude by Chris - sounds like a drug commercial. 1:15 - Greetings - Been a while / Our recent shows at House of Blues Myrtle Beach / Electro-Voice EVOLVE 30M (P.A.) 2:31 - Chris' upcoming trip to Walt Disney World - "I go where I'm told." / Universal Orlando / The Wizarding World of Harry Potter / The Tree of Life - Disney World 3:54 - More EVOLVE 30M / Powered monitor vs. power amp for existing passive monitor 5:26 - Discovering cast-off records as children in Miami / Ancient Zenith console / "Higher and Higher," Jackie Wilson / "Wipe Out," Surfaris / "Leader of the Laundromat," The Detergents / "Daydream Believer," Monkees / "They're Coming to Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa!," Napoleon XIV, "Green Tambourine," Lemon Pipers / "Monster Mash," Bobby "Boris" Pickett & The Crypt Kickers / "Next Door to an Angel," Neil Sedaka / "Funny Face," Frankie Valli / Beach Boys Concert LP / "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone," The Temptations / Florida Room / "For Once in My Life," Stevie Wonder / Longines Symphonette Society / K-Tel / Buddha Records / No rock in there / Them - Van Morrison / "Summer in the City," The Lovin' Spoonful / "Groovin," The Rascals 10:38 - Trying to remember Glendale 12:04 - More about the summer before third grade / Weird organ instrumental song we can't place / More about the Zenith 13:24 - Interfaces: Apogee Duet / PreSonus Quantum ES2 / ZOOM Livetrak L-8 / Behringer U-PHORIA UM2 / Podcast recording setups 15:06 - Roger using the L-8 for newspaper interviews / Microsoft Word transcription function / physical transcription vs. software 16:51 - About recording our sessions from Zoom calls / Jeffrey Toobin  19:07 - Chris' DAW work / Thoughts on DAW 21:05 - "My Life as a Rolling Stone"  21:57 - Chris riffing on his recent medical checkup  23:45 - Parting shots - Big Sur / Recording fears / Organizing audio files

Alan and Ian are back with a jam-packed episode covering everything from triathlon chaos to fitness racing futures: It's an episode that blends sport, storytelling, and strategy—with a splash of fermented orange juice and a dash of Coconut Grove confrontation

Good morning, ¡Buenos Días! Welcome back to another episode of Cafecito y Croquetas, brought to you by Stay Tranquilo and H&CO.Today we're joined by a very special guest — Chef Renato Viola, the Founder & Mastermind behind Mister 01 Extraordinary Pizza, one of Miami's most loved and fastest-growing pizza brands.In this episode, we dive deep into Chef Renato's incredible journey — from a small town near the Amalfi Coast to becoming a nationally recognized chef in the United States through the prestigious O-1 Visa. His story is one of passion, family, discipline, and a relentless commitment to quality.

Welcome back to another vibey Friday on Cafecito y Croquetas, presented by Stay Tranquilo ☕

In this episode we talk with Paul Yovino former executive producer of the Jerry Williams show and longtime Car Doctor radio family member who has now written his second book. We also discuss stability control, tire pressure and life in general. 

In this episode we talk with Paul Yovino former executive producer of the Jerry Williams show and longtime Car Doctor radio family member who has now written his second book. We also discuss stability control, tire pressure and life in general. 

Send us a textOn this episode of The Whet Palette Podcast, host Brenda Popritkin sits down with David Whitaker, President and CEO of the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau, to discuss Miami's ever-evolving culinary identity.The last time Whitaker joined the show, Miami had just been named Bon Appétit's Food City of the Year and was taking its first steps into the Michelin Guide Florida partnership. Fast-forward to today, and the Magic City's restaurant scene has exploded—claiming James Beard Award wins, Michelin Keys, and countless national headlines celebrating its chefs and culture. This time, Travel + Leisure reported on the  WalletHub report that officially named Miami the "#1 Food City in North America" in September 2025.Michelin, Miami, and Managing SuccessWhitaker credits Miami's success to both innovation and community resilience.“Once you get to the top, managing success is much harder than building to success,” he notes. “But what a privilege it is to maintain our position as one of the world's top dining destinations.”He highlights how Michelin's arrival didn't just reward 17 or so restaurants, it lifted all of Miami's culinary landscape. From Wynwood to Coconut Grove and Downtown Doral, fine dining has become a lifestyle, not a luxury.Beyond the Stars: Miami Spice and Local SupportPrograms like Miami Spice, which celebrates its 25th anniversary next year, continue to help both diners and restaurateurs thrive. In 2024 alone, a record 387 restaurants participated, generating more than seven million visits to the GMCVB's landing page.“Food is synonymous with lifestyle,” says Whitaker. “It's incumbent on all of us to continue to support our chefs. We can't take them for granted.”The Road Ahead: 2026 and BeyondWhitaker also teases a massive upcoming year for Miami:FIFA World Cup 2026 (nine matches hosted locally)College Football National ChampionshipNHL Winter ClassicFormula One and Miami Open returningAnd through it all, food will remain at the center of the city's global brand.“Miami is where you go if you want to make it big as a chef,” Whitaker adds.The TakeawayFrom Michelin stars to farm-to-table innovation, Miami's dining scene continues to evolve with creativity, resilience, and heart.

 In 1944, the Hartford Circus Fire turned the “Greatest Show on Earth” into one of America's deadliest disasters. Flames consumed the Big Top in less than 10 minutes. This episode of An Ounce takes you inside the Hartford Circus Fire — the spark, the panic, and the aftermath. Why was the tent waterproofed with gasoline and paraffin? Why were families trapped under burning canvas? And what lessons from earlier fires like Triangle Shirt waist and Coconut Grove went ignored until it was too late? If this story struck you, please like, subscribe, and share it with someone else who should hear it.

We hit the road and sat down with Michael Swerdlow, founder and managing partner of The Swerdlow Group, in his Coconut Grove office.From his humble beginnings in the Bronx, where he hated school because it was too easy, to buying real estate in the 1970s with $0 of his own money, Michael's story is a masterclass in hustle and vision.He walks us through flipping apartment buildings, discovering the power of net leases, and becoming one of the first to sell them to pension funds. His deep understanding of leases led him to be the go-to guy to liquidate the assets of major bankrupt retailers, and forever changed how leaseholds were valued across the industry.Today, Swerdlow leads a $295M affordable housing project in Little River, continuing a career building for the working man.Light up a cigarette and buckle in, this one's a wild ride with one of Miami's real estate originals.Connect with usWant to dive deeper into Miami's commercial real estate scene? It's our favorite topic and we're always up for a good conversation. Whether you're just exploring or already making big moves, feel free to reach out at info@builtworldadvisors.com or give us a call at 305.498.9410. Prefer to connect online? Find us on LinkedIn or Instagram - we're always open to expanding the conversation. Ben Hoffman: LinkedIn Felipe Azenha: LinkedIn We extend our sincere gratitude to Büro coworking space for generously granting us the opportunity to record all our podcasts at any of their 8 convenient locations across South Florida.

What if the fastest way up isn't founding a company but serving one—patiently, deliberately, and like an owner? We sit down with the CEO of Coconut Grove Hotels Mr Raphael Ayitey to unpack a rare leadership arc: 25+ years inside a Ghanaian brand, growing from frontline roles to the corner office by turning Ghana's famed warmth into consistent, professional service.We dig into the talent philosophy that kept attrition low and loyalty high: give young people responsibility early, pair it with clear SOPs and KPIs, and mentor with intent. From there, we tackle the overlooked twin of entrepreneurship: intrapreneurship. You'll hear why committing to someone else's business can multiply your impact, how layered transparency around revenue, costs, and promotions calms suspicion, and why governance rhythms—daily reports, one-to-ones, six‑month appraisals—create trust without micromanaging. We also go deep on attitude and work ethic: punctuality as preparation, customers as paymasters, and the shift from “nice” to truly “professional.”The conversation turns practical with the playbook behind Coconut Grove's resilience: weekly management huddles that blend purpose and planning, recognition programs that actually matter, and a local sourcing strategy that lifts community suppliers while protecting quality. We map the training gap in Ghana's service industries and argue for centers of excellence that turn good intentions into top-tier delivery. Along the way, you'll hear candid leadership lessons—closing gaps that tempt misconduct, staying curious enough to never want to leave, and building networks that teach more than any manual.If you care about building teams that last, staff who think like owners, and service that creates “memories worth repeating,” this is your blueprint. Subscribe for more conversations that challenge the default playbook, share this with a manager who needs new tools, and leave a review with your boldest takeaway.Support the showWatch the video episode of this on YouTube - https://linktr.ee/konnectedminds Host: https://www.instagram.com/derrick.abaitey/ Join Entrepreneurs Community: https://www.skool.com/konnected-academy

El segundo trimestre de 2025 refleja un mercado estable para viviendas unifamiliares y casas adosadas, mientras que el mercado de condominios continúa cambiando hacia un mercado de compradores a medida que el inventario alcanza nuevas alturas.

The second quarter of 2025 reflects a stable market for single-family homes and townhouses, while the condo market continues to shift toward a buyer's market as inventory reaches new heights.

Le deuxième trimestre de 2025 reflète un marché stable pour les maisons unifamiliales et les maisons de ville, tandis que le marché des copropriétés continue de se déplacer vers un marché d'acheteurs alors que les stocks atteignent de nouveaux sommets.

Alexis Garcia Alexis Garcia, born and raised in Miami, Florida, is an accomplished film producer, studio executive, and entrepreneur, widely recognized for his role in launching and scaling high-impact film ventures across the independent and studio landscape. He is the founder of CAT5, a turnkey production and financing company focused on high-concept, independently made action films, and co-founder of Brass Knuckle Films alongside acclaimed director Robert Rodriguez. Most recently, Garcia served as Head of Film at Fifth Season (formerly Endeavor Content), where he led the production and financing of over 40 films over 5 years. His portfolio includes major releases such as Ambulance (dir. Michael Bay), 80 for Brady (Paramount), The Peanut Butter Falcon (SXSW Audience Award), Monkey Man (dir. Dev Patel), The Long Game (SXSW Grand Jury Winner), Brawl in Cell Block 99 (starring Vince Vaughn), and The Lost Daughter (3 Academy Award nominations). In 2025, three of Garcia's movies reached audiences in a major way - A Working Man (Amazon/MGM, starring Jason Statham) opened #1 at the U.S. box office, Nonnas (Netflix) opened #1 on Netflix and became one of the platform's top titles of the year, and Friendship (SXSW premiere, starring Tim Robinson and Paul Rudd) opened as the year's top grossing limited theatrical release and was heralded as the return of the R rated cinematic comedy. Earlier, as a partner and agent at WME, Garcia helped package and sell hundreds of critically acclaimed and commercially successful films, including Drive (Nicolas Winding Refn, starring Ryan Gosling), The Nice Guys (Shane Black, starring Gosling and Russell Crowe), and The Favourite (Yorgos Lanthimos). He also spearheaded strategic initiatives such as the creation of foreign sales company Bloom, and led Endeavor's expansion into China, brokering talent ventures (Sylvester Stallone, David Goyer, Russo Brothers) and co-production deals with major studios like Perfect World, Tencent, and Village Roadshow. Garcia began his career as an entertainment attorney before joining Endeavor in 2007, rising to become a partner and later helping spin out the agency's content arm into what became Endeavor Content. He played a pivotal role in the division's growth from a sales and service operation into a vertically integrated production studio, culminating in its acquisition by CJ ENM. A graduate of Vanderbilt University with a JD from UCLA School of Law, Garcia continues to drive innovation in film production by bridging traditional Hollywood models with cutting-edge audience engagement and alternative financing strategies. He and his family (Tracy, Noa, Ozi and Busta) are proud Coconut Grove residents, having moved from Los Angeles in August of 2021.

Miami Condo Mondays™ is a live podcast hosted by Peter Zalewski of the Miami Condo Investing Club™ and veteran broker Jenny Huertas of CVRRealty.com providing an in-depth look at the latest residential real estate trends in South Florida.Recorded weekly in Greater Downtown Miami, the podcast offers a one-hour discussion on various real estate topics, including pre-construction condos, market trends and investment strategies.The hosts share their expertise, with Zalewski focusing on macro perspectives and Huertas offering micro insights from her on-the-ground experience.This episode explores discuss the current state of South Florida condo and rental pricing, factors influencing the market and key insights on specific submarkets like Miami's Coconut Grove, Fisher Island and Sunny Isles Beach.They also touch on the impact of rising costs, special assessments, rental market dynamics and insights into vintage condo markets.The last portion of the podcast is dedicated to discussing the best and worst condo markets based on the Miami Condo Cliff Index™ as of May 27, 2025.Tune in every Monday at 4 PM (EST) on the Substack of Peter Zalewski for more insights.

I've said before that one of the best parts of hosting Infinite Loops is the chance to connect with people who consistently make me think differently — and few do that quite like Tiago Forte. Tiago Forte joins Infinite Loops for the first time, and within minutes we closed the door on his best-selling “Building A Second Brain” and were off to the races: from digitizing 50,000+ words of personal data to build an AI-powered life coach, to the emotional intelligence hiding inside envy, to the surprising lessons he learned walking through a tiny historical museum in Coconut Grove. We also dig into the messy magic of identity shifts, how fit dads triggered a personal transformation, and why letting go of productivity-as-performance might be the most productive thing you can do. Plus: the power of NotebookLM, building AI-native systems of self-awareness, and why the future will belong to those who embrace the one-way door. Unsurprisingly, this was a fun one. For the full transcript, episode takeaways, and bucketloads of other goodies designed to make you go, “Hmm, that's interesting!”, check out our Substack. Important Links: Tiago Forte's Website Tiago Forte on X Tiago Forte on LinkedIn Tiago Forte's Annual Reviews Building A Second Brain Book The PARA Method Book I Replaced my $700/hour Coach with NotebookLM — Here's What Happened (YouTube) What I Learned About the Future By Reading 100 Science Fiction Books Show Notes: Closing the Door on Second Brain The Power of the Annual Review Tiago's Family: Incredibly Vibrant, Visual, Auditory Incorporating AI Into Work & Life Joe Hudson: Mentorship and Emotional Intelligence Miami: The Most Introspective Place on Earth Irreversible Decisions Archival Material: Underrated Forcing Function The Future of Book Publishing The Hard Truth on Performance Reviews AI Skepticism & Building Moats AI-First Mentality for Early Adopters Learning From Sci-Fi Books Cumulative Cultural Evolution Tiago as Emperor of the World Books Mentioned: Building A Second Brain: A Proven Method to Organize Your Digital Life and Unlock Your Creative Potential; by Tiago Forte The PARA Method: Simplify, Organize, and Master Your Digital Life; by Tiago Forte How Emotions are Made: The Secret Life of the Brain; by Lisa Feldman Barrett Tiny Experiments: How to Live Freely in a Goal-Obsessed World; by Anne-Laure Le Cunff Why Greatness Cannot Be Planned; by Kenneth O. Stanley and Joel Lehman Molecules Of Emotion: The Science Behind Mind-Body Medicine; by Candace B. Pert What Works on Wall Street; by Jim O'Shaughnessy The Beginning of Infinity; by David Deutsch One Summer: America, 1927; by Bill Bryson White Mirror; by Tinkered Thinking The Forever War; by Joe Halderman

Le premier trimestre 2025 marque un tournant dans le paysage immobilier de Coconut Grove, avec des signes de normalisation du marché après des années de croissance régulière.

El primer trimestre de 2025 marca un cambio en el panorama inmobiliario de Coconut Grove, con indicios de normalización del mercado tras años de crecimiento constante.

The first quarter of 2025 marks a shift in Coconut Grove's real estate landscape with signs of market normalization after years of steady growth.

Legendary chef and culinary educator Jacques Pepin celebrates his 90th birthday with a series of star-studded chef hosted events in 90 cities across the US. Seria Restaurant in Coconut Grove is hosting one event with Chef Miguel Massens and celebrated chef Norman Van Aken. They tell us their stories about Jacques and what will be served there. Sommelier Jacqueline Coleman talks with Alexa Ferra of Alexa's Wine Diary blog about Valentine Day wines. 

In this episode, we have the pleasure of talking with behavior expert, Jez Rose. With over twenty years of experience as a keynote speaker, Jez has dedicated his career to helping millions lead more meaningful lives. His work highlights the power of human skills and the true values of effective leadership. Mike and Jez dive into the significance of staying present, the human side of leadership and what it truly takes to achieve success. This podcast episode is sponsored by Mayfair House Hotel and Garden, a natural wonder lauded by Travel Plus Leisure and Conde Nast Traveler. Discover iconic architecture and an extraordinary location at this MICHELIN TWO KEY destination. Nestled in Miami's prestigious Coconut Grove, the hotel is a lush urban Eden featuring 179 spacious Magellan Awarded guest rooms, three signature restaurants and lounges, a dreamy rooftop pool, soaring social spaces and a dozen indoor/outdoor venues to host and celebrate.

New Year's Eve in Miami is like the Olympics of partying—every neighborhood competes to outdo the other. From South Beach's rooftop glamour to Brickell's LinkedIn-worthy vibes, Wynwood's artsy chaos, Coconut Grove's laid-back charm, and Little Havana's salsa-fueled fiesta, there's a spot for every kind of party animal. Come see me live at a Miami Comedy show tonight: https://miamicomedy.com In this video, I'll walk you through the best places to celebrate, sprinkle in some humor, and help you avoid rookie mistakes—like losing your flip-flops or ending up on a random yacht you can't afford. So, whether you're sipping overpriced cocktails or dancing with someone's abuela in Little Havana, I've got you covered. Hit play, and let's make sure you kick off 2025 the right way—Miami-style. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/miami-comedy-podcast/support

Isaac Kodsi, the real estate developer behind Coconut Grove's Arbor Residences project, shared his journey from law to development, inspired by his family's deep roots in the industry. He talks about the acquisition and revitalization of Arbor Residences, which is currently under construction. Listen in for an inside look at the development process, the vision behind Arbor Residences, and Kodsi's perspective on the future of Miami's real estate market. Guest: Isaac Kodsi Host: Omar De Windt Producer: Veronica Paris 

Today's cast: Dan, Greg Cote, Chris, Jess, Lucy, and Mike (while Jeremy strikes). Dan has no idea where to start the show after a chaotic weekend in sports, but for some reason he starts by talking about his hypothetical pig named Babe Laufenberg. Then, we run through some of the top storylines from the NFL including the Kansas City Chiefs being annoying, the Dallas Cowboys still being impacted by the sun, and all of the top QBs having bad weeks except Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow. Does Kyle Shanahan look like he has been ravaged by Key West? Also, Baker Mayfield made one of the greatest plays Tom Brady has ever seen, and Lucy keeps trying to get to college football as Dan continues to avoid it. Then, Tony joins us from the legendary Barracuda's in Coconut Grove to bring us his Top Five. Can we get a snapper sandwich over here? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Send us a textIt's a tough job, but someone has to do it. The hubs and I review our personal experiences from the last 16 (new to us) Miami restaurants we visited. This is OUR opinion on OUR experience dining at each. We chose and paid for every restaurant featured. Receipts? Got 'em! There's much to tell, so this will be a two-part episode. PART 1104 Amazonia105 Elastika106 Edan Bistro107 Livello108 Itamae AO109 Sereia110 Gran Central111 KrusFeatured in this episode: An exciting Miami Lakes nikkei spot, two very different Coconut Grove restaurants, a North Miami restaurant where we sampled an entire menu, a fancy new hotspot in the Design District, a notable Midtown counter experience, a tiny Biscayne Blvd gem with much potential, and our drive north to Coral Springs for some significant comfort eats. Hungry yet? Listen here:AppleSpotifyiHeartradioAmazon MusicAudibleVisit me on my other platforms: Instagram Twitter YouTube TikTok Facebook Like what you hear? Supporting my podcast is simple. Please share, review, and/or rate to help the episodes receive more exposure. It takes seconds, and it's incredibly helpful. Want to advertise your business or event in an episode or two? Want to sponsor the 2024 Palette Awards? Message me at thewhetpalette@gmail.com.  Thank you for listening. As always, from my “palette”  to yours,  Cheers!  Brenda#TWPmiamiPODCAST #miamipodcast #miamieats #restaurantreview #miamidining #miamichef #miamifood #miamifinedining Support the show

ℹ️ IntroductionWelcome to another insightful episode of *Frugalpreneur* with your host, Sarah St. John. Today, we're excited to have Liz Wilcox back with us. Liz, known for her prowess in email marketing and her dramatic survival on *Survivor*, where she placed 4th, brings a unique blend of reality TV insights and business acumen. We dive into her strategic, albeit challenging, journey on *Survivor*, including her famous meltdown over an Applebee's reward, and how she's leveraged that experience to forge ahead in her entrepreneurial ventures. Discover how Liz has built a successful low-cost membership business, the significance of thoughtful pricing strategies, and the crucial role of adaptability and collaboration in both survival and business. Plus, hear Liz's invaluable tips on leveraging email marketing and sustaining a large-scale membership. Whether you're an aspiring entrepreneur or a *Survivor* fan, this episode is packed with lessons, laughs, and practical advice. Stay tuned as we explore Liz Wilcox's incredible story and strategies for turning challenges into triumphs.List 7 key themes1. Survivor Strategy and Challenges2. Infamous Applebee's Meltdown Incident3. Public Reaction and Cosplay4. Coping and Moving Forward5. Email Marketing and Business Model6. Membership Pricing and Strategy7. Reflection and Personal Insights

Levi Meyer is an outside-the-box thinker, global networker, and Founding Agent for Compass Florida. A fifth-generation Floridian and Coral Gables resident, Levi offers a long history and deep-rooted knowledge of the landscape, lifestyle, and culture throughout Miami-Dade County. He is the host of Meyer on the Move podcast and represents luxury properties in Coral Gables, Coconut Grove, Pinecrest, Miami Beach, South Miami, Downtown Miami, Brickell, Edgewater, Miami Shores, and Biscayne Point.  Levi has dedicated himself to building a strong national agent referral network and travels year round to feeder markets to build and nurture these relationship. These referrals make up over 50% of his business! If you are ever in Corral Gables look him up and go take a Sunset cruise on his boat.  You won't be disappointed. This is how you network at the highest level.  School is in session. Steve Frankel http://instagram.com/themeyergroupre https://meyergroupre.com Danny Brown http://instagram.com/dannybrownla http://www.dannybrownla.com If you love real estate as much as we do please subscribe and leave us a comment at Apple Podcast to help our ratings! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-deal-with-danny-brown/id1456674115

The energy and enthusiasm of this week was infectious, but with the fanfare of the Democratic National Convention in the rearview, the campaign is gearing up for the battle to come. The Bulwark's Tim Miller joins former Senator Claire McCaskill to reflect on their favorite moments of the week, as they talk through strategies the vice president should consider as she moves forward with momentum well earned. Then, Harris-Walz campaign co-chair Cedric Richmond stops by for some perspective from inside the campaign.   Want to listen to this show without ads? Sign up for MSNBC Premium on Apple Podcasts. As a subscriber you'll also be able to get occasional bonus content from this and other shows. 

Doug Cox developed land and homes in Coconut Grove. However, he kept the down payment of potential buyers and canceling the sales, defrauding investors and buyers. Michael Coyne was one of those potential buyers. He joins Billy Corben to talk about the experience of being swindled. Ron DeSantis gave $8 million to Jorge Mas and David Beckham for infrastructure projects around what will be Inter Miami FC's new soccer stadium. Field of Schemes author Neil deMause joins us to talk about it. Plus...Wheel of Despair returns. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Miami real estate expert Alicia Cervera Lamadrid shares her perspective on the NAR settlement agreement, the Miami condo market, and key issues impacting South Florida real estate.   Often hailed as one of Miami's most influential power players, Alicia Cervera Lamadrid stands as an indomitable force in the vibrant South Florida real estate industry. Throughout her remarkable real estate journey, Cervera Lamadrid has worked alongside various iconic developers to achieve the successful sellout of more than 125 luxury high-rise condominiums across South Florida, facilitating over $20 billion in sales. Together with her visionary mother, Alicia Cervera Sr., founder of Cervera Real Estate, and her sister, Veronica Cervera Goeseke, she has played an integral role in the revitalization of neighborhoods across the region, including Brickell, Miami Beach's South of Fifth, Downtown Miami, Coconut Grove, and Edgewater.  Today, as Managing Partner of Cervera Real Estate, she oversees more than $4.5 billion of real estate sales in pre-construction and general real estate. Above all, Cervera Lamadrid remains more bullish than ever on the future of Miami and its status as a leading global city. Host: Omar De Windt Producer: Veronica Paris Guest: Alicia Cervera Lamadrid

The Panthers are back in the Stanley Cup Finals after sending the Rangers home. Solana goes off on a bar in Coconut Grove after they refused to play the Panthers closeout game on any of their 12 TVs Saturday night. Plus, Crowder tells us all about his experience at the White House Friday with the Kansas City Chiefs. 

We're celebrating the Panthers Game 6 closeout victory over the Rangers Saturday but Solana's experience at a local bar in Coconut Grove garners our attention: the bar refused to play the Panthers game on any of their 12 TVs and the manager told Solana it wasn't his problem because they didn't promote they were playing the game. 

We revisit the crazy scenario Solana was faced with Saturday night while out in the Grove to celebrate his 30th birthday at a bar in Coconut Grove that refused to change their TVs to the Panthers closeout Game 6 vs the Rangers. 

In March of 1974, a 17-year-old girl in Coconut Grove, Florida, headed to her father's workplace to collect a few dollars of lunch money. Last seen hitchhiking next to a major highway, she vanished before she made it to either of her destinations. What ensued was a relentless search by her mother, countless harassing phone calls from her alleged kidnapper, and rumors of a motorcycle gang abduction. This is the story of Amy Billig. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jessica tried to watch a scary movie at home alone last night, and it leads Dan, Amin, and the Shipping Container to a conversation on the best movie detectives. Then, is this generation missing out on delicious candy because of the peanut being weaponized? Amin launches an investigation. Plus, using cassettes to tape your favorite shows or music, John Taffer ruining a Coconut Grove staple, and the toxicity around the Arizona Cardinals organization. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices