Anti-Social

TWO MAJOR  SEX CRIME cases are now top of mind for many Key Biscayne residents, with defendants facing potential life sentences. Our guest is a former state and federal prosecutor who now is one of Miami's top defense lawyers -- David S, Weinstein. 

We ask hin how these cases are likely to play out and how they will proceed in court, 

We also discuss the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to take Donald Trump's bid to stop his insurrection prosecution based on claim of "presidential immunity." 

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SEX ABUSE ALLEGATIONS and a fatal crash involving an e-bike collision. Idyllic Key Biscayne has been dealing with a series of serious problems that would challenge any town.

Our guest is former Anti-Social host THOM MOZLOOM, an expert in crisis communications and marketing. How can a government better communicate with its citizens?

We also discuss the new bid by former Key Biscayne Mayor Mike Davey to be the region's new member of Congress. 

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A series of sexual misconduct cases have  roiled the "Island Paradise" of Key Biscayne. Our guests are  two reporters from the Miami Herald -- Clara-Sophia Daly and Ana Claudia Chacin whose stories about accusations against gymnastic coach Oscar Olea have led police to consider reopening  an investigation. Some of the accusations  are more than a decade old. Olea has not bee charged. 
The stories came to light after the July arrest of a  Key Biscayne attorney William McCaughan Jr., on child porn charges.

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WALT DISNEY WORLD is Florida's largest private employer, but few know that it's also a heavily unionized workforce. Contracts at Disney influence the entire state. Our guest is Mike Schneider, an AP correspondent and author of the book "MICKEY AND THE TEAMSTERS: A fight for fair unions at Disney" which looks at a years-long battle involving the "cast members" who play Mickey, Goofy, and other characters. 

Plus, our regular discussion of upcoming news in the Key Biscayne Independent. 

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WITH CONDO COMPLAINTS rising all over Florida, State Rep. Vicky Lopez has filed sweeping legislation that would add new criminal penalties for wayward condo boards. She talks about why the legislation is needed -- and the support she expects to get when the Florida Legislature convenes January 9th. 

We also discuss the arrest of a Key Biscayne attorney accused of receiving child sex abuse images on his computer, a case that has many residents in shock. 

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WE CLOSE 2023 with something every Key Biscayne motorist sees every day -- the big new electronic sign welcoming people to the Island Paradise. But a local group wants to add some cheery messages to the sign to boost spirits and promote the sense of community.

Our guest Oscar Sardiñas, a member of the Village Council,  talks about this idea to promote goodwill.  

John and Tony also talk about our upcoming end-of-the-year news items, such as the first ever KEY BISCAYNE PERSON of the YEAR and the the top stories list. Plus the usual discussion of things on social media. 

Peace and Goodwill, everyone. 

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$300 Million, $200 Million, $100 Million?

 Next month, the Key Biscayne Village Council is expected to revise just how much flood water it needs to pump as sea level rise threatens the barrier island.

Our guest is Council Member Oscar Sardiñas, who is serving his first term and will be one of seven making this monumental decision

And we have a BIG ANNOUCEMENT about journalism for Miami. We're expanding 

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It's not Sundance yet, but Key Biscayne is getting its own film festival. Our guests Isabel Custer and Maite Garrado Thornton talk about the first event in January and how the festival uniquely connects with the Island Paradise.

You can learn more about the festival here

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DOMESTIC VIOLENCE is the leading cause of injury to women in the U.S. Every year, more than 3 million children witness domestic violence in their homes.

Our Guest is Miami's top prosecutor, Katherine Fernandez Rundle, who has worked for years to improve the criminal justice system's response to these family-destroying problems.

The hotline for domestic violence  305-547-0140, or call 9-1-1

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IT WILL COST HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS -- making Key Biscayne hardened against sea level rise, increasing rains, and hurricanes.  But protecting one of Miami's most scenic barrier islands is facing a big vote in the coming weeks -- a final decision on just how dry the streets should be, and whether there is the political will to borrow, spend, and manage a mammoth job. 

STEVE WILLIAMSON, a former Army of Corps of Engineers colonel, is Key Biscayne's village manager. We ask him the latest on the costs, the trade-offs, and why his adminstration is pushing hard to get work started. 

With Guest Host Jan Dillow -- and discussions on the latest news on social media. 
PLEASE SUPPORT THE SHOW - Your gifts are doubled from Nov. 1 through Dec 31

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Once a year,  Miami-Dade County comes together to support hundreds of nonprofits working to strengthen our community and is people. 

It's called Give Miami Day  and Our guest is Rebecca Fishman Lipsey, the leader of the Miami Foundation to talk about how the entire community can benefit when it works to support worthy causes 

We also talk about how Key Biscayne's member of Congress voted in the selection of a new speaker of the house -- and local news headlines from the Island Paradise. 

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With the horror of the Oct.  7 terrorist attack on Israel by the terrorist group Hamas and the subsequent air strikes on the Gaza Strip, we asked Middle East expert Eric Lob to break down the complex issues that led to the massacre and the perils of the conflict for the United States. 

Lob is an associate professor at Florida International University in the Department of Politics and International Relations. His research focuses on the intersection of development and politics in the Middle East and on political violence and revolution.

Later in the show, Melissa White of the Key Biscayne Community Foundation joins us and talks about the planned vigil for Israel on Key Biscayne and how important it is to not lose sight of the human toll of the attack, as well as not to conflate Hamas with the plight of the Palestinian people.

John Pacenti also catches everybody up on the top news of the week for the island.

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Thom Mozloom returns to host this episode.

Miami-Dade Raquel Regalado talks about plans to refurbish Crandon Park golf course, those "bad trees" cut down on the side of the Rickenbacker Causeway and an issue close to her heart: employing the neurodivergent.

She also addresses rumors whether she would toss her hat in the ring to become Miami-Dade County mayor.

Amandi joins us for a freewheeling conversation about the body politic from city of Miami corruption, Gov. Ron DeSantis' struggling presidential bid and, of course, former President Donald Trump.

In the final segment, we talk about all that Thom's missed in Key Biscayne news over the last few months from the Vision Plan, to the arrest of the EmeraldBay property manager to all the drama surrounding the budget. 

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RON MAGILL says known to a worldwide audience for his passion about animals, his wildlife photography, and his job as spokesman for Zoo Miami. But he's speaking out forcefully about a plan to put a water park at the Zoo, a move he says will endanger wildlife. 

He says he's ready to put his job on the line. 

In Segment 2, we talk about opposition to the Key Biscayne Budget, which passed 6-1 on first reading. Some say it's time to radically reduce spending even as the Village faces threats of sea level rise and climate change. 

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KEY BISCAYNE families with special needs people recently succeeded in getting funding to enhance services on the island, but they're not done yet. Our guest is Dominique Breard, a member of the group "It Takes a Village KB."

We ask her about how local families organized, their challenges, and the future of special needs help for both kids and adults. 

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The sudden death of Lolita, the "killer whale" at the Miami Seaquarium, saddened animal lovers everywhere. But trainers had long warned of problems. 

Our guest is Mark Simmons, a former trainer and author of the book Killing Keiko talks about the orca's death and the what he thinks must be done in the future for marine parks 

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An arrest in a months-long investigation of fraud rattled residents at a posh Key Biscayne condominium this week.

We start our show with the latest news in the scandal and audio of police interviews.

Our guest is nationally respected journalist Sergio Bustos , who leads the newsroom at WLRN. Sergio tells us about the state of local journalism and how nonprofit news organizations are making a difference for democracy. We discuss the state of the presidential politics while noticing that some empanadas that kept disappearing during the show. 

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SOUTH FLORIDA is in the grips of an affordable housing crisis, with a combination of high rents, high values, and high interest rates making it difficult for many to make ends meet -- even though some values have leveled off in Key Biscayne

Our guest is Ron Shuffield,  president and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices EWM Realty, a market veteran who recently briefed members of the Key Biscayne Chamber of Commerce about the market. 

Unless you don't care about the roof over your head, it's an episode you won't want to miss. 

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THIS WEEK, we turn the microphone over to our summer intern at the Key Biscayne Independent about her real-world journalism experience covering big stories.

But ANASTASIA IVANOVA  has a story of her own - her family, refugees from Ukraine, is dealing daily with the ongoing invasion of their country. Her powerful first-person column is about  what it's like to be a high school student and to deal with surprising attitudes from her Miami classmates. 

Ana also talks about her experiences in journalism and how her social media feed is very different from John and Tony's. 

Plus the local news of the week including an attempted suicide of Miami's top cop, Freddy Ramirez. 

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JOE RASCO IS 233 DAYS into his term as mayor of Key Biscayne, and is fresh off some big wins. This week, after months of delay, the Village Council restarted a stalled $250 million project to protect the island from sea level rise. And the Village Council  achieved a rare 7-0 vote on a potential tax increase  for the 2024 budget -- but some 'wish list' projects may not make it. 

We talk  with mayor about all that -- as well as the iguana 🦎 problem. 

And John and Tony talk about their reporting pet peeves. 

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