Advertise on podcast: The South Florida Roundup

On this episode of The South Florida Roundup, we talked with Miami’s Roman Catholic Archbishop Thomas Wenski about the Trump Administration’s erasure of a program to aid unaccompanied child migrants — and the papal-presidential quarrel behind it [01:07]. We also examined a growing movement on Florida college campuses to rescind cooperation deals with federal immigration agencies [19:43]. And we discussed a new WLRN documentary that casts South Florida as a national climate resilience model [35:35].

On this episode of The South Florida Roundup, we talked with newly elected Democratic state Representative Emily Gregory about her surprise win — in President Trump’s district. Was it a harbinger of November’s national midterms? [02:46]. We also reviewed last weekend’s debut of Nu Stadium — the new home of our Major League Soccer club Inter Miami and megastar Lionel Messi [18:15]. And we looked at a Miami Film Festival documentary on Liberty City’s revered arts school — and the stars it’s trained [34:39].

On this episode of The South Florida Roundup, we devoted the whole hour going through two religious holidays that intersected Friday: Good Friday for Christians — leading to Easter on Sunday — and the weeklong Passover celebration for Jews, which started Wednesday evening. So, we hosted Jews and Christians for an important discussion about each other’s faiths. Important because these days new wedges are being driven between those two faiths — and South Florida should be the exception to that troubling trend.

On this episode of The South Florida Roundup, we talked about how a South Florida crackdown on immigration is impacting the community, despite the lack of national attention. We followed a family through the immigration court system [01:09]. Also, a Democrat has won a special election right in Trump’s backyard. Is reliably-red Florida in for a reckoning [18:31]? Plus, Zoo Miami’s Ron Magill announced his retirement after nearly 50 years [34:33].

On this episode of The South Florida Roundup, we discussed the racist, sexist, homophobic and antisemitic online images and chat groups that have cast Florida’s young Republicans in a hate-mongering spotlight [01:21]. We also heard from a group that’s responding to the humanitarian crisis in Cuba by ferrying tons of aid to the island this weekend [14:19]. And we looked at how Venezuela’s first-ever World Baseball Classic championship has lifted up Venezuelans worldwide — when they needed it most [24:00].

On this episode of The South Florida Roundup, we discussed new WLRN reporting that shows larger Miami-Dade County ties to a firm at the center of an investigation involving former schools superintendent Alberto Carvalho [01:09]. We also spoke with former CBS4 news anchorman Eliott Rodriguez about his decision to run for the Miami congressional seat held by Maria Elvira Salazar [13:16]. And we looked at a new effort to make Spring Break more relevant — and enjoyable — for young Black people [27:20].

On this episode of The South Florida Roundup, we looked at why Miami is now the “Billionaire Bunkers” capital [01:09]. More ultraluxury homes are sold here than any place in America — but where does that leave the rest of us? We also remembered Miami gunshot survivor Aaron Willis, who died by suicide last month — a reminder of the lasting pain young gun violence victims face [18:52]. And we talked with a local Iranian activist — and a local man stranded in the Middle East — about the hopes and risks of our new war [35:49].

On this episode of The South Florida Roundup, we discussed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ newest campaign to eradicate Diversity Equity and Inclusion: a bill to let him remove local officials who dare to engage DEI [01:07]. We also looked at why the FBI this week searched the Los Angeles home of former Miami-Dade Schools Superintendent Alberto Carvalho — and a home here [19:17]. And we tried to figure out the truth behind the alleged shootout between Cuban officials and Cuban expats off the Cuban coast [35:31].

On this episode of The South Florida Roundup, we examined legislative efforts to rein in systems like Palm Beach County’s that make early voting easier [01:07]. Is it part of a larger campaign to make voting harder in upcoming elections? We also checked out Miami Beach’s Spring Break reform campaign to replace beer chugging with beach jogging — and toga parties with yoga parties [19:52]. And we looked at the 25th anniversary of the South Beach Wine & Food Festival: the increasing presence of Afro-Caribbean chefs and the ever-important role of FIU students [35:32].

On this episode of The South Florida Roundup, we talked to Julie K. Brown, the Miami Herald journalist who’s done the most to keep the Jeffrey Epstein sex trafficking case alive. How does she assess the massive new release of files [1:09]? We also looked at disturbing complaints of alleged design errors and defective materials as Miami’s once celebrated Fountain bridge project faces even more delays and costs [19:33]. And we discussed the trials and triumphs of Puerto Rico that Bad Bunny was singing about at the Super Bowl [35:41].

On this episode of The South Florida Roundup, we went back to the future to discuss Florida’s new English-only drivers license test, which in Miami is a historically sore subject — and the subject of a new play that just opened here [1:09]. We also examined what’s feeling like a trend: cities in Broward County opting out of law enforcement contracts with the Broward Sheriff’s Office [19:22]. And we looked at what’s next after a federal judge blocked cancellation of Haitian TPS — and where TPS stands after 35 years [33:12].

On this episode of The South Florida, our show came to you live from the Little Haiti Cultural Complex in Miami, where we devoted the program to the immigration crisis facing our large and important Haitian community. Tuesday, Feb. 3, may see the cancellation of the Temporary Protected Status, or TPS, that has shielded more than 350,000 Haitians from deportation to Haiti — that is, back to a country that’s been rendered dystopian by the chaos of violent gang rule. Does Trump have a case? Or will the U.S courts block him?

On this episode of The South Florida Roundup, we looked at a citizen revolt brewing in Palm Beach County against those massive A.I., or artificial intelligence, data centers. Water waste. Noise. And big power bills (01:09). We also examined why a decade-old plan to create less driving and more walking along Miami’s iconic Calle Ocho in Little Havana is still in limbo (18:04). And after the Hurricane’s championship bid here Monday, we asked: Is there really such a thing as college football anymore? Or just money (34:39)?

On this episode of The South Florida Roundup, we unpacked what has happened in Venezuela since that stunning U.S. special forces operation that captured dictator Nicolás Maduro early Saturday. What is the Trump administration’s plan now for restoring democracy — as Venezuela’s regime holdovers order new repression? What about María Corina Machado — or is this just about oil? (01:09) And we also looked at the return of University of Miami football to national prominence (40:00).

In a re-broadcast of The South Florida Roundup, we revisited the stories WLRN reporters followed in 2025 on the South Florida cities that turned 100 years. It's 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. 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?