The South Florida Roundup

On this episode of The South Florida Roundup, we speak with filmmaker Xander Robin about his new documentary The Python Hunt. The film examines the rise of Burmese pythons as “exotic pets” that often end up in the Everglades, and the state sponsored 10-day competition to hunt and remove them (0:13). Alex Harris, lead climate change reporter for the Miami Herald, also joins to talk about the impact of climate change in South Florida (20:28), featured in the film Facing the Future: South Florida vs. Climate Change. In an interview with Marshall L. Davis, Sr. and documentary director Brian Bayer (An Instrumental Start: A Model for the Nation), we learn about the development of Marshall L. Davis, Sr. African Heritage Cultural Arts Center., which provides access to educational and artistic resources for kids in Liberty City (33:56).

In this week's South Florida Roundup we discussed the disturbing allegations of child sexual abuse against the now suspended Palm Beach County Clerk of Court and Comptroller Mike Caruso, how warning signs get missed – and how victims’ privacy gets violated (01:03). We also looked at the controversial boom in so-called “Animal House” Airbnb rental properties – and that Brickell condo complex where the party just won’t stop (19:03). And we’ll examine how the TPS crisis has created a home healthcare crisis (34:35).

This hour we were joined by Florida International University politics expert Dario Moreno to unpack this week’s primary elections and what they portend for the November midterms. Has the left energized – or compromised – the Democrats? (01:03). We also asked what can be done to raise primary turnout here – especially in Broward County (19:03). And we looked at the record volume of smelly brown seaweed known as sargassum invading our beaches. What’s causing it? (34:35).

We're updating you on the situation in western Colombia after it was hit by a deadly magnitude 7.4 earthquake this week and how the community here is getting relief there. NPR correspondent John Otis will join us from Colombia (01:03). We’ll also take a deep dive into the controversial male dominance culture called the manosphere – and why South Florida is suddenly its epicenter. (19:03). And we’ll examine why it’s now harder to get by in Miami than it is in Manhattan (34:35).

In the next hour we will get you ready for the new school year that begins next week, starting with a conversation with Miami-Dade County’s incoming school superintendent Rafael Villalobos who’s got declining enrollment in his backpack (01:03). We’ll also talk with a nutrition advocate about what looks like the end of universal free lunch for many schools and with a pediatrician about student vaccinations (19:03). And a Broward teacher shares what it’s like to teach in Florida — on Florida pay (34:35).