Local News

They're a familiar sight and sound in South Florida’s Venezuelan community: videos of exiles defending themselves against accusations that they’re “Chavistas," or sympathizers of Venezuela’s authoritarian socialist regime, a government despised by almost every expat here.

But the “yo no soy Chavista” Facebook video Carmen Jaqueline Gimenez recently posted was of particular interest because she’s running for office in November – for mayor of Hallandale Beach.

Choreographed chants of “No Justice, No Peace” ricocheted from block to block  as hundreds of people of all ages and races gathered  in Downtown West Palm Beach on Sunday to demand justice for George Floyd.

The protest was peaceful and well-organized in the daytime, and tense by nightfall.

On this Monday, June 1st, episode of Sundial:

Protests Against Police Brutality Across South Florida

Robin Rokobauer doesn't like to chance it. When there's a hurricane, she almost always evacuates.

Rokobauer lives in Cocoa Beach, Fla., on a barrier island between the Atlantic Ocean and 153-mile-long Indian River Lagoon. Her mother is 93.

"She's got to have flushing toilets," Rokobauer says of her mother. "She's got to have fresh water. She's just got some physical needs that require that."

Updated Sunday, May 31 at 12:15 p.m.

Editors' note: Charles Durant Dandy Jr.'s name was misspelled in a previous version of this story.

Miami-Dade County is under a curfew Sunday from 9 p.m. until 6 a.m. The curfew will remain "until the order is lifted" after a protest Saturday afternoon led to clashes with police and vandalism.

In the city of Miami, the curfew on Sunday starts at 8 p.m.

Updated Sunday, May 31: Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez announced Sunday that beaches in Miami-Dade County will remain closed while there is a curfew, following protests against police brutality that were succeeded by looting and vandalism on Saturday night.

The county's curfew runs from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. In the city of Miami, the curfew starts at 8 p.m.

South Florida beaches and hotels are reopening under new coronavirus guidelines.

Students at Florida’s 12 public universities could be returning to campus this fall, according to a new plan approved by the Florida Board of Governors. The universities will use the blueprint to develop individual reopening plans following shutdowns due to the coronavirus.