The South Florida Roundup

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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