On this Tuesday, Jan. 28, episode of Sundial:
Outdated prison sentences in Florida
An upcoming Florida State University study shows there are hundreds of Florida inmates currently serving outdated drug sentences that are no longer in state law. The study finds women (specifically Hispanic women) are being disproportionately impacted by these sentences.
Emily Mahoney, reporter for the Tampa Bay Times and Miami Herald joins Sundial to talk about the study’s findings and how Miami-Dade County is approaching things differently.
Miami Climate Plan
Miami leaders are preparing for the fight to protect the future of a city that is impacted daily by rising seas and changing climates. Last week, they launched “Miami Forever Climate Ready," an initiative that will look at land use and building policies, new mobility options and housing solutions. WLRN environmental reporter Jenny Staletovich joins Sundial to talk about the strategies the city is developing.
Where’s Hurricane disaster recover money going?
According to reporting by Politico Florida, $900 million for disaster aid has not been distributed to Florida residents affected by hurricanes dating back to Hurricane Hermine in 2016.
“The state agency has spent only $29 million of the funding as of Jan. 1, nearly $21 million of which went to Innovation Emergency Management, a consulting firm the agency hired two years ago to help navigate the grants,” Politico Florida reports. Politico reporter Arek Sarkissian joins Sundial to talk about disaster relief being kept from home and business owners in Florida.
The Super Bowl’s economic impact
Business projections from last year’s Super Bowl game in Atlanta were estimated around $400 million in revenues, but economist could be overinflating that number for Miami, says sports economist Victor Matheson.
“The rule of thumb among economists is, take that number that boosters are telling you, move that decimal place one place to the left, and that’s actually more likely what you’ll see in Florida,” Matheson says on Sundial.
He speaks with Sundial's Luis Hernandez about who are the real beneficiaries from the big game, how much money stays locally and why taxpayers should be skeptical of business projections.