Dear Francis X. Suarez, It was with great optimism and endearing faith in the potential of our elected politicians that I clicked on your recent “Open Letter to Miami” in the Huffington Post. Then I read this sentence: “With our magical coast and most enviable weather, a patch work of…
The plan to steer millions in public money to renovations for Sun Life Stadium is dead. It died Friday in the Florida house. There will be no public vote. No deal with the County. It’s dead. But what about the millions the Dolphins planned to invest in the project? Will…
The Miami Dolphins’ quest to secure public funds to upgrade their stadium might have gotten good news out of Tallahassee last night, but their chances of getting the public to approve a referendum remain slim. According to a new poll, only 22 percent of Miami-Dade citizens support the plan, making…
Polling sites will open today in Miami-Dade for an election that might not actually come to pass. Yes, you can head to several early-voting sites beginning today to cast your ballot on the contentious Dolphin Stadium renovation referendum, but the election might end up just getting cancelled…
Florida lawmakers don’t want you to relax with a hit off your bong, but apparently they don’t mind you winding down with wine. Lots and lots of wine. For the first time ever wine kegs will be legalized in Florida, assuming of course Rick Scott signs the bill into law…
A day after a bill that would ban the sale of bongs and certain pipes in Florida overwhelming passed the Florida House, its sister bill found similarly broad support in the Senate. The bill passed the legislative body 31-2 today, and will now head to Gov. Rick Scott. Though, the…
Perhaps Marco Rubio’s biggest flaws is his tendency to remain “open” to just about any right wing nonsense. He’s the kind of guy whose flirted with the Birther movement before, and he refuses to take a position on exactly how old the Earth is. He wants to portray himself as…
While other states are legalizing medicinal marijuana and decriminalizing possession of small amounts of pot, Florida is going in the exact opposite direction. A bill that would ban the sale of pipes and bongs that could be used to smoke marijuana passed the state House yesterday with a lopsided 112-3…
Your mother is the person who is supposed to believe in you no matter what — the woman who says you can be anything you want to be. Of course, Barbara Bush has never been a woman who’s afraid to tell it like she sees it, and on Today this…
The only time you hear the word “Retard” anymore is on middle-school playgrounds, bro-centric Internet message boards and, apparently, if you overheard someone reading Florida’s state statutes. Phrases like “mental retardation,” “mental retard” and “retard” are used frequently in numerous state laws despite the fact the phrase is considered outdated…
It’s no secret that Miami Beach Commissioner Ed Tobin is tight with ex-Bal Harbour Police Chief Thomas Hunker. Tobin has known the cop since he was a kid, and in late 2011, the 50-year-old Tobin even enrolled in the Miami Beach Police Academy with Hunker’s encouragement.But did that relationship cross…
Here are a few things that are true about politics in Miami: People love to spread crazy rumors about their political opponents; some of our politicians do indeed have quite a few skeletons in their closest; some of them (though, thankfully not all) are incredibly good at covering things up.So,…
Sorry snow birds, the Florida Senate is mulling whether to pass a law that would directly target one of your worst driving habits. A part of a new bill would make driving slow in the left lane a ticketable offense, meaning going 50 in the left lane on the interstate…
The City of Miami has taken to federal court to undo a 15-year-old legal agreement that protected homeless people from undue arrest and harassment by the authorities. The city is concerned the homeless population is stunting downtown’s growth, and want the courts to alter a 1988 settlement that bars Miami…
Norman Braman told Miami politicians once they were making a mistake giving public money to a wealthy team owner, and now he’s speaking up again. Unlike his ultimately losing fight against the new Marlins Park, this time he’s pledging to kill any deal to renovate the Dolphins stadium with tax…
Yesterday, Riptide reported on Rick Falls, a Miami Beach code enforcement officer who claims he was retaliated against for wearing a wire for the F.B.I. One thing that remains unclear, however, is how Falls’s supervisors became aware of his involvement in the first place.The FBI was brought in to help…
As the county commission meets today to consider a proposed deal to renovate Sun Life Stadium, news comes that the NFL has decided to chip in $150 million of the estimated $480 million it would cost to Flip This House, leaving the county and the Dolphins with $350 million to cover…
Breaking news: People want Jeffrey Loria to sell the Marlins. So much so, in fact, that someone has started an official White House petition to pass legislation that would force Loria to sell the team and allow him to get right back to selling artwork full time…
Ever think about uploading that sex tape you made with your ex to the Internet? Well, you might want to think twice about it if you live in Florida, because victims of “revenge porn” soon may not have to take it, uh, lying down anymore. There’s a bill working its way…
North Miami mayoral candidate Anna Pierre needs your prayers because someone has opened a can of voodoo on her ass. On Easter Sunday, Pierre says, she discovered what appeared to be your typical “Voodoo Starter Kit” in front of her campaign headquarters’ doors. Over the past few months, this twisted…
Florida Senator Bill Nelson finally got around to supporting gay marriage last night by penning a brief, sort-of-uncomfortable editorial for The Tampa Bay Times. Don’t expect him to talk much more about it, though, because today he’s gone back to talking about one of his favorite subjects: space shit!Today he…
Forgive Bill Nelson for taking his time. After all, the issue of gay marriage had nothing to do with his preferred issues of space and snakes.Ever a moderate, Nelson had stuck to a low-key position supporting civil unions. Apparently the 70-year-old senator finally realized he was just one of seven…
