WLRN News

For many people, South Florida is an escape.

Tourists and retirees come down to get away from the cold and soak up the sun. But before the skyscrapers and condos that now make up much of US 1, there was an array of small motels that lined that highway.  

After one stay, these colorful temporary homes charmed their visitors to come back for more the next year, and the year after that, and after that, and so on. Some tourists became regulars, others stayed forever.

The holidays are here and Floridians are bringing out the coquito, string lights and Christmas trees. But that might not be enough, a new study says Florida has about as much Christmas spirit as Ebenzer Scrooge.

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The results are in from yesterday's run-off elections in three Miami-Dade cities.

In Miami, former state senator Alex Diaz de la Portilla won over auto parts retailer Miguel Angel-Gabela to represent District 1.

Diaz de la Portilla won with 60% of the vote. He had about a 20 point lead on Gabela in the general election and won yesterday's runoff by a similar margin. 

In Hialeah, Jesus Tundidor, former vice-chair of the city’s planning and zoning board, won the race for the Group 2 council seat with about 65% of the vote.

The polls open today to settle elections for commission seats in three Miami-Dade cities.

Voters in Miami, Miami Beach and Hialeah will cast ballots in runoff races where no candidate received a majority of votes in the November 5th primary.

In the city of Miami, former state senator Alex Díaz de la Portilla is looking to return to public life -- as he faces off against auto parts retailer Miguel-Angel Gabela.

A new, permanent hospital building is being built in Marathon for Florida Keys residents.

The Fisherman's Community Hospital was flattened by Hurricane Irma just in September 2017. It's owned by Baptist Health South Florida. Ever since, the hospital has been operating out of tents, and then a year later, portable buildings.

For the next few weeks, getting in and out of downtown Miami will be a bit of a challenge for people who use I-95 to get there.

Starting this week, parts of I-95 will be shutting down for night-time construction.

Tonight, tomorrow night and Thursday night — all southbound I-95 lanes will be closed — from the Airport Expressway to the Dolphin Expressway between the hours of 10 p.m. and 5:30 a.m.

All northbound lanes on I-95 will also be closed from SR 836/I-395 to SR 112/I-195 on select dates starting Wednesday, also between the hours of 10 p.m. and 5:30 a.m.

Hurricane watches and warnings are old news for South Florida, but the rest of the state is not off the hook yet.

Hurricane Dorian is expected to remain offshore, but tropical storm force conditions are likely for the Space Coast and First Coast areas until this evening. The center of the storm is located 90 miles east of Daytona Beach, as it moves steadily toward the north-northwest at 8 mph as a category 2 hurricane with top winds of 105 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center's 5 a.m. advisory.

Updated on September 2, 2019 at 9:30 p.m.

Several hospitals in Palm Beach County have closed or limited access out of concern about storm conditions. 

JFK Medical Center closed both its Palm Beach Gardens and Boynton Beach emergency departments. Its main campus restricted visiting hours starting Monday afternoon. The hospital is still open to patients and fully operational during the storm. 

The West Palm Beach VA Medical Center, and its clinics, are closed Tuesday. So are the VA Centers in Jupiter and Greenacres. 

Updated on September 3, 2019 5:57 pm

Hurricane Dorian continues to weaken as it heads northwest through the warm Atlantic waters. As of 5 p.m., the hurricane warning from the Sebastian inlet to the Jupiter inlet has been downgraded to a tropical storm warning, but all tropical watches/warnings south of the Jupiter inlet have been discontinued.