The South Florida Roundup

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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