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On this week's episode of The South Florida Roundup, we discussed United Way’s discouraging new revelation that half or most residents in Broward and Miami-Dade counties are living paycheck to paycheck [01:11]. We also looked at the vote Miami Dade College's Board made this week to transfer a downtown lot to the state, which Gov. Ron DeSantis says it will be the space for the future Trump Presidential Library [24:47]. And South Miami Mayor Javier Fernandez discussed the less-than-clear end to his city’s suit challenging immigration enforcement cooperation [34:41].

This week on The Florida Roundup, we spoke with Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings about the recent state audits into the county’s spending (00:00). Then, we spoke about how the state’s DOGE efforts relate to property tax reform with Florida TaxWatch President Dominic M. Calabro (08:04) and later, Douglas Soule, Your Florida state government reporter (19:42). Plus, we spoke with a pub owner about why he won’t allow guns onsite despite Florida's new open carry rules (24:52). We also checked in with FPREN Meteorologist Megan Borowski for an update on the tropics (29:46). And later, Maeve McGoran, reporter and host of a new podcast that explores what went wrong in the sinking of the El Faro, joined us (37:36).

On this week's episode of The South Florida Roundup, we looked at the sudden revival of the plaintiffs’ case in their challenge to the state - or is it the federal? - migrant detention center in the Everglades known as Alligator Alcatraz [01:09]. We also spoke with a close friend of Dwight Wells, the beloved Liberty City community activist and mentor who was shot dead on Oct. 10 [19:07]. And we talked with Karen Dustman, the author of the book Miami’s Great Hurricane about how that storm a century ago made us better prepared in this century [35:03].

November 9, 2025 WLRN's local government reporter Joshua Ceballos helps "The Public Storyteller" celebrate our 16th anniversary with a story.

On this episode of the South Florida Roundup, we looked at the new Jeffrey Epstein revelations coming out of Washington and how they’re landing in Palm Beach County, the sex-trafficking scandal’s epicenter [01:09]. We also talked to Hialeah Mayor-elect Bryan Calvo about why the current mayor seems to be making the power shift there less than amicable [19:24]. And we examined the human targets of the U.S. military’s anti-narcotics strikes in the Caribbean — and what’s next for Venezuela as a U.S. aircraft carrier arrives [36:45].

This week on The Florida Roundup, as the longest federal government shutdown ends, we spoke with Florida Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz (01:50) and later with Dan McCabe with the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (10:04). Later, we looked at the record-breaking number of executions in Florida this year with Maria DeLiberato with Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty (19:34) and then spoke with the daughter of one of the men who was executed by the state earlier this year (22:28). Plus, we look at how one man in Central Florida is honoring fallen soldiers through an act of service (37:36), a week of record-breaking cold temperatures (45:26), and Northern Lights in Florida (47:36).

Opinion: Trinidad and Tobago's Prime Minister should be applauded for steering away from Venezuela's Nicolás Maduro — but questioned for steering into President Donald Trump's potential legal whirlpool.On the latest episode of Americas Decoded, WLRN’s Americas editor Tim Padgett says PM Kamla Persad-Bissessar appears to have made the right choice in turning her back on Maduro and letting U.S. warships dock in Trinidad as they target alleged narco-boats from Venezuela.But will she end up sucked into the serious legal issues that Trump — and she, if only by association — may face for subjecting alleged civilian criminals to military execution?You can watch the video for this and other Americas Decoded commentaries on WLRN’s YouTube channel on youtube.com/@WLRN or on WLRN.org/Decoded. You can read Tim’s digital commentary along with WLRN’s coverage of Americas news on WLRN.org/americas. Sign up for the Americas Report newsletter on WLRN.org/newsletters. WLRN is South Florida’s NPR member station.

On the latest episode of The South Florida Roundup, we discussed how the government shutdown could cause skyrocketing premiums for those who use government subsidized healthcare. In Florida, that's nearly 3 million people. And how SNAP running out of funding further compounds the affordability squeeze [1:06]. We also checked in on the recovery from Hurricane Melissa which devastated the Caribbean earlier this week. We heard from those mobilizing aid efforts here[18:30]. And we discussed Canvas, a 2006 film set and filmed in Hollywood, which comes home this weekend [34:10].

This week on The Florida Roundup, we talk about the impact the federal government shutdown is having on Floridians from those who receive SNAP benefits to what is happening to Head Start funding (00:00). Then, we are joined by Katie Roders Turner with the Family Healthcare Foundation to talk about changes to the ACA as open enrollment is set to begin on Nov. 1 (11:30). Plus, we spoke with PolitiFact’s Samantha Putterman about a recent claim Gov. DeSantis made about the proportion of revenue local governments receive from homesteaded properties (28:58). And later, we talk about how Florida’s Caribbean diaspora are helping with Hurricane Melissa recovery (37:30), hear about the Trump Administration’s airstrikes on on vessels near Venezuela (38:54) and learn about the many different types of “ghosts” that can be found in Florida (44:00).

On this episode of The South Florida Roundup, we tried try to understand why and how charter schools can literally move into public schools like South Florida’s — and enjoy public school resources…for free [01:03]. Is this the death knell for public education? We also talked to Elisha Wiesel, who's the son of the late Holocaust survivor and Nobel peace laureate Elie Wiesel about the new documentary of his life, Soul on Fire [20:11] . And we asked why this Sunday’s mid-term elections in Argentina matter so much here in America [35:37].

The tracks Brightline trains run on were already the deadliest stretch of railroad in the nation in the 1980s and 90s, according to federal data. Have local governments learned anything from that history?

October 12, 2025 Lisa Carrao Remembers Halloween.

Opinion: María Corina Machado deserved the Nobel Peace Prize for leading Venezuela’s nonviolent democracy movement — but what does it mean if that effort’s success relies on a U.S. military incursion?Machado’s win took place hours after President Donald Trump announced his Gaza peace deal – a combination that shows the power of the peaceful path. On the latest episode of Americas Decoded, WLRN’s Americas editor Tim Padgett says there is a “dissonance between the concord we hope is emerging in the rubble of Gaza and the conflict we know is brewing in the waters off Venezuela.”He argues that any military incursion into Venezuela could send the region the message that, in the end, nonviolent democracy efforts matter less than the promise of yanqui military salvation.You can watch the video for this and other Americas Decoded commentaries on WLRN’s YouTube channel on youtube.com/@WLRN or on WLRN.org/Decoded. You can read Tim’s digital commentary along with WLRN’s coverage of Americas news on WLRN.org/americas. Sign up for the Americas Report newsletter on WLRN.org/newsletters. WLRN is South Florida’s NPR member station.

On this episode of The South Florida Roundup, we took a look at the spate of elections that took place throughout South Florida this week, and how the political patterns of the past several decades seem to be shifting in some major city governments. We spoke with the two mayoral candidates for the City of Miami that are now set to battle in a runoff in December: Emilio Gonzalez and Eileen Higgins [01:09]. Then, we moved the conversation onto Hialeah to discuss the city's youngest mayor in its 100-year history — Bryan Calvo — and what the outlook is for a city facing economic uncertainty [22:43]. Finally, we rounded up local elections in cities on the coast and to the south from Miami-Dade to Monroe County [35:55].

This week on The Florida Roundup, we spoke with two of the prominent candidates in Florida’s 2026 Governor’s race. First, we heard from Democrat David Jolly, former Republican Congressman representing Florida’s 13th district (02:02). Then, we spoke with Republican candidate Paul Renner, former Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives (10:40). Plus, we heard from listeners about affordability issues facing Floridians (20:30). Next, we looked at spending at New College of Florida and the state of free speech on campus with Amy Reid of PEN America (28:14). And later, we share news from around the state including the impacts of the federal shutdown in Florida and local food drive efforts (37:48) as well as a story about Lakeland’s famed royal swans (47:02).

Over his short life, Daniel Weisberger went from Boy Scout and beloved older brother to killer. To understand why, we headed to the Florida Keys, where Daniel’s world unraveled. Listen to the trailer for the new WLRN limited podcast series Keeper and Killer, dropping on Nov. 19, 2025.

In the days after Pascal Weisberger’s murder, the tight-knit community in the Upper Florida Keys rallied around the grieving family. Between Boy Scouts and volunteer work at the local animal shelter, Pascal was well known. But the boys’ father needed the community to do something else: embrace Pascal’s killer.

Why are some railroad crossings more dangerous than others, according to federal data? Drivers who survived collisions with Brightline trains argue the infrastructure around the tracks put them in harm's way.

On this special episode of The South Florida Roundup, we looked at WLRN’s fascinating series “History We Call Home: 100 Years of South Florida.” The reports take us back to the epic real estate boom of the 1920s, which spawned city charters up and down our coast. The stories are captivating: Was Al Capone a founding father of Deerfield Beach? Why did all those pink flamingos stay in Hialeah? And how did Boca Raton become a reverse, North-to-South Black migration magnet?

This week on The Florida Roundup, we spoke with three authors for a special “winter reading” program. First, we spoke with journalist and author Carl Hiaasen about his latest novel “Fever Beach” (00:00). Then, we had a conversation with Michael Grunwald, journalist and author of “We Are Eating the Earth: The Race to Fix our Food System and Save Our Climate” (19:34). Plus, journalist and author Danny Rivero spoke with us about his book “Just Freedom: Inside Florida’s Decades-Long Voting Rights Battle” (37:26).