SPECIAL REPORT: Gov. DeSantis has declared Florida the place where “woke goes to die,” ordering state universities to list their diversity initiatives.

But just what kind of ‘indoctrination’ is he saving us from? Field trips to encourage girls’ interest in science, for one. 🧵 Or Charlie Mitchell’s theater appreciation class.

He couldn’t believe it when a reporter from UF’s student newspaper called and told him that his class was on DeSantis’ blacklist of diversity initiatives at universities. miamiherald.com/news/local/edu…

Twelve handsome new townhouses line a Coconut Grove block. Lushly landscaped, outfitted with high-end appliances and spacious closets, they’re in move-in condition.

But instead of “For Sale” signs, house hunters see “No Trespassing” notices posted along the street. 🧵 The townhouses, originally priced from $1.2 to $1.8M, are under contract to buyers who put down as much as $500K as far back as 2018. They were told by the developer the homes would be ready in six months — at the latest.

They’ve been waiting ever since. miamiherald.com/news/local/com…

The man known as the most corrupt agent in U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration history — José Irizarry — says he’s not going to take the fall alone. 🧵 He's accusing some long-trusted DEA colleagues of joining him in skimming millions of dollars from drug money laundering stings to fund a decade’s worth of luxury overseas travel, fine dining, top seats at sporting events and frat house-style debauchery. miamiherald.com/news/local/cri…

1/ When Marco Rubio tweeted that a GOP canvasser was brutally attacked in Hialeah last month over his politics, the fight became national news.

We’ve obtained videos leading up to the beating — and they raise more questions about whether that’s true.

miamiherald.com/news/local/cri… 2/ On Sunday, Oct. 23, Republican Party canvasser Christopher Monzon, 27, was brutally beaten by two men on the street where he was knocking on doors and passing out fliers in East Hialeah.

To recap what’s happened since, here’s a timeline of events:

miamiherald.com/news/politics-…

📰 IN TODAY'S MIAMI HERALD: It doesn’t matter whether you’re new here or have lived in Miami your entire life. There is never a shortage of mysteries and oddities here.

That’s where Curious305 comes in. 🧵 From navigating life with iguanas and all sorts of invasive species to really crucial information like who wrote the Santa’s Enchanted Forest jingle, Curious 305 has found the answers.
And you’ve sent us a lot of questions. miamiherald.com/news/curious30…

Many of those arrested in DeSantis’ push against voter fraud said they thought they could vote because the state had issued them voter ID cards. That’s key: To break the law their actions had to be “willful.”

So Florida quietly made a tweak that may boost prosecutions later 🧵 A week after those arrests, the DeSantis administration made a change: Floridians on probation are now required to sign an updated form placing the burden on them to determine whether they’re eligible to vote. miamiherald.com/news/politics-…

SPECIAL REPORT: It comes up after every near-miss: What if?

What if a Cat 4 or 5 hurricane like Ian made a direct hit on South Florida?

What if Irma made landfall in Miami-Dade instead of the Keys five years ago? Both storms underline the vulnerability of heavily developed coastal communities. Irma only sideswiped Miami-Dade. Most of the area felt little more than tropical-storm effects.

But that was bad enough. miamiherald.com/news/local/com…

Emmanuel, a 27-year-old Venezuelan migrant, saved Perla Huerta’s number in his phone as “Perla Hermosa” — Beautiful Perla.

He thought she was wonderful.

“You could see her happiness in her face,” he said.

Then everything fell apart. 🧵 While the media has focused on Huerta, a Miami Herald investigation found Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' San Antonio migrant relocation operation was far bigger and better organized than previously known. miamiherald.com/news/local/imm…

SPECIAL REPORT: Craig Ridley’s neck was dislocated when Florida corrections officers tackled him to the ground in the fall of 2017.

The incident wasn’t recorded, but what happened afterward was.

Warning: Graphic content. Instead of calling for a backboard, the officers put him in a wheelchair as he cried out in pain, video shows. miamiherald.com/news/special-r…

For those Floridians affected by Hurricane Ian, the immediate worries may be finding an air-conditioned place to sleep, getting warm meals and cold water, starting the tedious task of filing insurance claims. 🧵 But if the aftermath of past hurricanes is any indicator, residents, businesses and governments across Florida — particularly in the Southwest — will have to grapple with a state reshaped in ways big and small by Hurricane Ian. miamiherald.com/news/weather/h…

1/ If the migrants who were flown to Martha’s Vineyard on Wednesday were transported from Texas, then why is Gov. DeSantis taking credit?

There’s a lot of confusion surrounding where the flights originated.

Let’s break down why it matters.

miamiherald.com/news/politics-… 2/ A day after DeSantis took credit for sending the undocumented immigrants to Martha’s Vineyard, the governor suggested that his efforts prevented those migrants from ever making it into Florida.

miamiherald.com/news/politics-…

Less than two months after the U.S. Supreme Court reversed the landmark Roe vs. Wade decision, an Escambia County judge ruled that Jane Doe 22-B, a 16-year-old in the care of Florida child welfare authorities, lacks the maturity to be allowed to terminate her 10-week-pregnancy.🧵 She will have to grow up fast: Under a ruling handed down by an appeals court Monday, Jane may be forced to become a mother. miamiherald.com/news/politics-…

📰 IN TODAY’S MIAMI HERALD: Our reimagined newspaper dives into the debate about how to approach inevitable classroom discussions on topics that have been deemed inappropriate, and the heightened awareness teachers have ahead of a new South Florida school year. 🧵 That awareness is just one element that’s put a strain on an already thin workforce.

In recent years, teachers have endured stagnant wages, skyrocketing living expenses and a pandemic that placed them and their methods under a microscope. miamiherald.com/news/local/edu…

1/ Florida “will work to expand pro-life protections,” Gov. Ron DeSantis said after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade, ending nationwide protections on abortion.

So, what does that mean for you?

Here’s a quick explainer on where things stand after Friday’s decision. 🧵 2/ State lawmakers already imposed changes in April to Florida’s abortion laws, banning most abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy.

That goes into effect July 1.

Florida previously allowed abortions until the third trimester — about 24 weeks. miamiherald.com/news/nation-wo…

One year ago today, the tiny town of Surfside became a disaster zone when Champlain Towers South collapsed, claiming the lives of 98 people.

Survivors, victims’ families and residents say it’s a day they will never forget.
🧵 The victims ranged in age from 1 to 92, spoke an array of languages and hailed from everywhere. They were émigrés fleeing repressive regimes, retirees seeking repose and newlyweds embarking on new lives.

We remember their names and stories here:

miamiherald.com/news/local/com…

📰 IN TODAY’S MIAMI HERALD: Terry Williams Munz made history in 1973, but she didn’t know it until she ran into a Jeopardy question.

As Title IX turns 50, we explore the backstory on how UM sparked a college sports revolution. She vividly remembers scurrying into her Redland home to answer the phone in 1993.

A UM athletic official was on the other end to inform her that a “Jeopardy!” researcher had called to confirm the accuracy of a clue:

IN TODAY’S MIAMI HERALD: Our reimagined newspaper features an in-depth look at how the trial of Ghislaine Maxwell offered a glimpse into how she and Jeffrey Epstein operated, using offshore companies to build, disguise and conceal their wealth. 🧵 While Ghislaine, who will be sentenced June 28, may be the first of her infamous family to be convicted as a criminal, hers is just the latest flashpoint in a long list of troubling legal and financial conflicts involving her family and siblings. miamiherald.com/news/local/cri…

The Biden administration is reversing Trump era restrictions on U.S.-Cuba relations, including authorizing some private investment and relaxing travel restrictions.

Here’s a breakdown of what is happening 🧵

miamiherald.com/news/nation-wo… A decision that green-lighted an American company to invest in a Cuban private business could be the first financial transaction into private enterprise between the nations since the U.S. embargo on Cuba implemented in 1960.

miamiherald.com/news/nation-wo…

IN TODAY’S MIAMI HERALD: Our reimagined newspaper features an in-depth look at a large horizontal crack, maybe 20 feet long, that formed in the planter along the western edge of the pool deck just weeks before the collapse of Champlain Towers South. 🧵 The crack may have been a canary in a coal mine warning of the deadly collapse that would happen on June 24, six structural engineers who reviewed the photos told the Miami Herald. miamiherald.com/news/special-r…

The Miami Herald has won its 23rd Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News coverage of the Champlain Towers South collapse in Surfside that killed 98 people. 🧵

miamiherald.com/news/local/com… When Miami awoke to the stunning news of the sudden collapse of Champlain Towers South overnight in June, it was the Miami Herald’s reporting that readers found online first.

📰 IN TODAY’S MIAMI HERALD: “We needed a safe place to go.”

It was 2013, and Georgette Madison and her 6-year-old daughter were living in a home of violence.

But she had heard of a place in Miami’s Overtown called the Lotus House. She had seen their pink van driving around. 🧵 She heard it was just for women and children, and that it even had a culinary program. So she took her daughter and went there.

It saved her. trib.al/V1GBINC