Public Safety · Fort Lauderdale, FL
South Florida experienced its highest king tide ever recorded outside a hurricane on Tuesday, Oct. 27, with Fort Lauderdale and Miami registering about 2.5 feet of water above high tide, classified as "major" flooding by the National Weather Service. The Las Olas Bridge in Fort Lauderdale was shut down due to flooding, and Port Everglades broke its own flood record set in September 2025. In Miami-Dade County, flood control barriers at Miami Shores, Little River, and North Miami Beach failed as water flowed backward into canals, while Crespi Boulevard in Miami Beach was completely submerged. The king tide event began Friday and is set to continue through at least Wednesday, Oct. 28. Scientists attribute worsening tides to sea level rise, with Miami having recorded about 8 inches of rise since its gauge was installed in 1994.
Crime · Miami, FL
Twins Oren and Alon Alexander, 39, and their older brother Tal, 40, were sentenced to 30 years in federal prison each on Tuesday, Oct. 27, by U.S. District Judge Valerie E. Caproni in Manhattan. The Miami-raised siblings were convicted in March of federal sex-trafficking charges after a five-week trial in which 11 women testified they had been raped or sexually assaulted. Prosecutors said the brothers used wealth and access to luxury properties over more than two decades to lure and assault victims, with at least 70 women and girls reporting attacks. The brothers maintained their innocence and are expected to appeal. They still face roughly two dozen civil lawsuits and separate criminal proceedings in Miami-Dade County.
Local Politics · Miami-Dade County
Officials urge voters to approve renewal referendums for supplemental school funding in Miami-Dade and Broward counties on November 3. The measures, appearing as Question 268 in Miami-Dade and School Board Question #1 in Broward, extend existing property tax levies for teacher pay, safety, and mental health services. Approval would prevent the expiration of current funding streams, with Miami-Dade's extension running through June 2031 and Broward's through December 2030.
Local Politics · Miami-Dade County
A Florida International University poll found that 76% of Cuban Americans in South Florida disapprove of the Trump administration's increased deportations of Cubans with no criminal record over the first two years of his second term, yet 68% intend to support Republicans in the upcoming midterm election. In Florida's Senate race, 51% backed Republican Sen. Ashley Moody versus 26% for Democrat Angie Nixon, with 44% undecided. For governor, 60% supported Republican Rep. Byron Donalds and 24% backed Democrat David Jolly. Early voting is underway in Miami-Dade and Broward counties until Nov. 1 at 7 p.m., with Election Day on Nov. 3.
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Local Politics · Doral, FL
On Oct. 16, Doral Mayor Christi Fraga and Police Chief Matthew Castillo co-hosted a three-day golf tournament and black-tie fundraiser at the city's Trump National Hotel, raising over $400,000 for the Parks and Police 4 Kids Foundation. The event coincided with resident protests against Doral's 287(g) agreement, which deputizes local officers for federal immigration enforcement, and followed the November loss of Temporary Protected Status for Venezuelans, who make up 41% of Doral's population. City spokesperson Kamila de Tullio said the gala was a public-private partnership to fund programs for underprivileged children without raising taxes, noting Trump Doral itself was a sponsor and the only venue in Doral able to accommodate more than 600 guests. Local activists, including Project Pulso founder Liz Alarcón and Venezuelan-American activist Ade Ferro, criticized the event as tone-deaf amid community fear, business closures, and canceled events such as Doral's Oktoberfest.
Public Safety · Miami, FL
A two-alarm fire broke out early Tuesday morning on the fourth floor of a five-story apartment building at 53rd Avenue and Northwest Seventh Street in Miami. Over 100 firefighters took approximately 40 minutes to extinguish the blaze, which sent an elderly couple to the hospital with smoke inhalation. The fire displaced all 15 residents across eight units on the fourth floor due to extensive heat and smoke damage to the hallway. Red Cross personnel assisted displaced residents, while elevator damage left upper-floor residents with mobility issues unable to access their apartments. Miami Fire Rescue upgraded the incident to a two-alarm fire after encountering heavy black smoke and low visibility; the cause remains under investigation.
Crime · Miami, FL
Registered nurse Yanira Eguileor and her attorney Michael Pizzi filed a $5 million lawsuit on Tuesday against Jackson Memorial Hospital and the Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office, alleging negligence in protecting staff from violent patients. The attack occurred in May when alleged attacker Wenyou Rubin, who had previously been Baker Acted for mental health concerns, struck Eguileor multiple times at the hospital. Pizzi claims both organizations knew of the risks but failed to provide adequate security training and personnel. Rubin faces a felony battery charge. Jackson Health System and MDSO declined to comment on ongoing litigation.
Crime · Florida City, FL
Fifty-one-year-old Tangela Wright faces two counts of attempted murder after police say she accelerated into a couple crossing at Davis Parkway and Northwest Sixth Avenue in Florida City on May 9. Authorities state surveillance video shows Wright making a minimal stop before turning left and striking a man, who suffered a neck injury and fractured ribs; the woman walking with him was uninjured. The female pedestrian told officers she knew Wright and that the two had an ongoing personal conflict, and police say Wright admitted before officers arrived that she intended to strike the woman rather than the man. Wright has told investigators the crash was accidental and is currently on house arrest, with trial expected in February 2027.
Social Events · Miami, FL
Concacaf approved an exceptional hosting arrangement allowing Haiti to play designated home matches in opponents' countries due to the ongoing security crisis in Haiti. The Haitian Football Federation's Nations League match against the U.S. Men's National Team will be played at Nu Stadium in Miami on Nov. 14 at 4:30 p.m., replacing the originally scheduled venue in Jamaica.
Social Events · Miami, FL
The Pérez Art Museum Miami will open "Picasso-Klee-Matisse: Masterpieces from the Museum Berggruen" on Thursday, Oct. 29, at 1103 Biscayne Blvd. The exhibition brings nearly 100 canonical European Modernist works—including pieces by Picasso, Klee, Matisse, Cézanne, and Giacometti—from Berlin's Museum Berggruen into dialogue with Latin American modernists in PAMM's permanent collection. Curated by PAMM associate curator Maritza M. Lacayo and Museum Berggruen curator Natalie Zimmer, the show is organized thematically around still life, portraiture, interiors, landscape, and the emergence of Cubism. Admission ranges from $0 to $18; details at pamm.org or 305-375-3000.
Local Business
Miami and Fort Lauderdale have welcomed nine new restaurants since September, with several opening in late October. Key openings include Anako in Little River, A Pasta Bar in Sunset Harbour, Bazaar Meat in Miami Beach, and Naia and Caviar Club on Las Olas Boulevard. Other additions feature Southern European cuisine at Lito in Wynwood, upscale Italian dining at La Sponda in Coconut Grove, Vietnamese pho at Pho Nam downtown, and rotisserie chicken at Teo Teo in MiMo.
Education · Miami-Dade County
Miami-Dade College awarded its second annual Zeke Urrutia Firefighter Scholarship on Tuesday to Bryan Monzon, a first-generation immigrant student pursuing firefighting. The scholarship honors Ezekiel Urrutia, a 23-year-old FIU graduate and paramedic killed in a wrong-way crash along the Turnpike Extension in Miramar on Jan. 9, 2025. The other driver, 45-year-old Sunshine Perez, was sentenced to 20 years after pleading guilty in July. Urrutia's family worked with MDC to create the scholarship and unveiled a new van for impaired-driving awareness at the ceremony.
Community brief · Miami, FL
Miami-based vinyl-only label Sole Aspect Records, founded by Amaré in 2020, celebrates its fifth anniversary with a takeover at Dante's HiFi on Friday, November 13, at 9 p.m. The free event features Amaré alongside Kai Alcé, Karl Injex, Justin Chapman ("Just One"), and Michael Scott. The label specializes in deep and Balearic house music pressed on vinyl at Archer Record Pressing Co. in Detroit, with distribution to local Miami stores including…
Community brief · Miami, FL
Luna Pasta e Dolci Take-Away, a family-run pasta shop at 6815 Biscayne Blvd., Ste. 101 in Miami's MiMo neighborhood, was ranked No. 6 on Yelp's first Top 100 Pasta Places list, making it Florida's highest-ranked entry. Chef-owner Gabriel Medici's shop is the only Miami spot on the 2026 all-time list, with Hollywood's Mimi's Ravioli at No. 38 as the other South Florida pick. Yelp evaluated pasta shops using review volume and ratings, limiting…
Community brief · Miami Beach, FL
The FIFA World Cup 2026 Miami Host Committee, City of Miami Beach and Griffin Catalyst will hold a celebration event Thursday, Oct. 29 at 10 a.m. at Normandy Isle Park (7030 Trouville Esplanade) to mark a $1.5 million artificial turf replacement project under the ONE GAME ONE FUTURE legacy program. The turf upgrade is intended to improve safety, usability and long-term durability of the athletic field for local youth soccer. Griffin Catalyst,…
