On this Thursday, June 30, edition of Sundial:
Miami Gardens and the World Cup
The dreams of local soccer fans are coming true.
South Florida is one of the 11 places in the U.S. that will host at least soccer games during the 2026 World Cup.
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More specifically, really, Miami Gardens will play host: The games will be held at the Hard Rock Stadium.
Miami Gardens' Mayor Rodney Harris joined Sundial Thursday to talk about what kind of credit and what kind of media and financial benefits the city is hoping to receive for hosting an event of this scale — and really get some love, compared to broadcasters mostly showing off Miami.
"It's great that we're at the table now. That's the major thing as mayor; I want to make sure that Miami Gardens is at the table when these events are being discussed or considered to come to this area," he said. "Because … the event takes place in Miami Gardens, not in the city of Miami. So we have to be at the table for any type of negotiations or any type of business dealings that involves our city."
"We're excited about it. And FIFA is one of those events that's world-class. It's a world-renowned event — international event. We've gotten to a point where we're sort of used to handling these types of events. Now we know the region around us is going to benefit from it, and so will Miami Gardens, " he said. "We'll make sure of that."
Your questions on solar power
Florida is one of the biggest producers of solar energy, right behind California and Texas, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association.
Sundial is hosting a series about solar energy to better understand how it works, how much it costs, and anything else the community wants to know about this type of energy.
Laura Tellez, the South Florida Program Coordinator for Solar United Neighbors, joined Sundial to answer listener questions on the topic. The nonprofit organization has been active in Broward County, playing a role in getting residents to buy into renewable energy.
Wildlife Thursday: WLRN’s environment reporter
It’s Wildlife Thursday and today we're going to talk about an array of animals — covering land, sky and water.
WLRN’s environmental reporter, Jenny Staletovich, joined Sundial to talk about the thousands of birds that cross our skies with the change of seasons, python surgery and a creature that often gets overlooked.
HINT: It works as an underwater housekeeper, and if you get too close, it could hurt.
We’re talking about sea urchins, which might be one of the missing pieces to save our coral reefs.
