Alex DeLuca
@alexldeluca21.bsky.social
journalist. formerly @miaminewtimes. alexdeluca21@gmail.com or DM for Signal
After 5+ really special years at @miaminewtimes.com — as an intern and then a fellow and then a staff writer — tomorrow is my last day. I’ve had the time of my life and love this paper so much (long live alt-weeklies!!!), but it’s time for something new.
New: Public records show Hollywood PD shares its license plate camera data with more than 360 agencies across dozens of states. www.miaminewtimes.com/news/hollywo...
Hollywood Police share license plate reader data with hundreds of agencies
Police in Nebraska can see where you've driven in Hollywood.
miaminewtimes.com
SCOOP: 404 Media placed a tracking device in a shipment of rare books to see which AI company was buying it. What did we find? It ended up at an Amazon facility where Amazon scans and destroys books. Yes. This is literally the logo outside the Amazon warehouse door. Read now:
We Tracked a Shipment of Rare Books. It Ended at an Amazon AI Training Facility
We placed a tracking device in a shipment of rare books to see which AI company was buying it, and found an Amazon facility where Amazon scans and destroys books.
404media.co
New: We found 50 cops who misused Flock cameras and other license-plate readers for personal purposes, often to spy on their girlfriends or ex-wives. He "watched every single move I made. ... Who do you turn the chief of police in to?" wapo.st/3S6rTuo
She left her ex. He secretly tracked her through a network of policing cameras.
Flock’s array of license-plate cameras was built to fight crime. But at least 50 law enforcement officers were charged with or accused of misusing it and other systems.
wapo.st
Someone melted (!) and cut down two Flock cameras in Fort Lauderdale last month, police say. www.miaminewtimes.com/news/melted-...
'Melted and slashed': Someone took out two Fort Lauderdale Flock cameras
Police say one pole had been cut from the ground, possibly with a knife
miaminewtimes.com
I profiled Clavicular (which, naturally, involved sitting in the operating room for his nose job last month) www.miaminewtimes.com/news/fear-an...
New: An old Facebook account belonging to Coral Gables Mayor Vince Lago recently shared a story with the words “Fuck Allah.” He says it wasn’t him. www.miaminewtimes.com/news/fuck-al...
'Fuck Allah': Coral Gables Mayor denies posting anti-Muslim slur from old Facebook account
This isn't the first time the mayor's social media activity has drawn scrutiny.
miaminewtimes.com
I wrote about Pickles the rooster, the beloved mascot of a group of SoFlo pickleballers, who vanished from his court last week. “There’s a void. It’s like, oh shit, Pickles isn’t here anymore.” www.miaminewtimes.com/news/pickles...
Pickles the rooster, South Florida pickleball mascot, is missing
"He would never leave," one pickleball regular insists.
miaminewtimes.com
BREAKING: Ex-Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine has been referred for criminal prosecution by the House Oversight Committee after a former Epstein assistant accused him of abuse. www.miaminewtimes.com/news/former-...
Former Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine referred for charges after Epstein hearing
Epstein's assistant Sarah Kellen (who worked for Epstein for 15 years) told the committee Thursday about the assaults by Levine.
miaminewtimes.com
I spoke to far-right Florida gubernatorial candidate James Fishback about his whirlwind marriage to a mystery woman (Spoiler: he says they met at a Miami bookstore) www.miaminewtimes.com/news/inside-...
Inside Fishback's abrupt marriage to mystery woman
Spoiler alert: they met two months ago.
miaminewtimes.com
I wrote about the Miami judge who mogged Clavicular www.miaminewtimes.com/news/meet-th...
Meet the Miami Judge Who Mogged Clavicular
miaminewtimes.com
Stop what you're doing and IMMEDIATELY read this @milesklee.bsky.social profile of Bottom G, the gay pop star/Andrew Tate impersonator who successfully scammed an online casino into letting him do splits and make out with guys on their stream www.wired.com/story/bottom...
Breaking News: Federal and state officials are said to be in talks to close the “Alligator Alcatraz” immigrant detention center in Florida.
Federal and State Officials Consider Closing Florida’s ‘Alligator Alcatraz’
The immigrant detention center in the Everglades, which Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, opened last July, may be too expensive to keep operating.
nyti.ms
@miaminewtimes.com interviewed the Ohio sculptor behind the gold-leafed Trump statue recently unveiled at Trump National Doral. “This was a clusterfuck,” he said. www.miaminewtimes.com/news/sculpto...
Doral Trump Statue Sculptor Unveils Chaos Behind the Scenes
The techbro-funded, gold-leafed, skinny Trump was a "clusterfuck" to make, the sculptor tells New Times.
miaminewtimes.com
NEW: Looksmaxxing streamer Clavicular is facing criminal charges after appearing to shoot a dead alligator in the Everglades during a March livestream. www.miaminewtimes.com/news/clavicu...
Controversial Influencer Clavicular Facing Criminal Charges in Alligator Shooting
The charges escaped public attention — until Miami New Times got the scoop.
miaminewtimes.com
A social media influencer has accused looksmaxxer Clavicular of sexually assaulting her when she was underage and intoxicated. www.miaminewtimes.com/news/influen...
Influencer Accuses Looksmaxxer Clavicular of Sexual Assault in New Lawsuit
Alekandra Vasilevna Mendoza claims Braden Peters offered to help her become "the female face for looksmaxxing."
miaminewtimes.com
NEW: A recent inspection found widespread failures in suicide prevention protocols at a Florida ICE jail. Less than two weeks later, a teen died there in what authorities have described as a presumed suicide. www.miaminewtimes.com/news/report-...
Report Details Suicide Prevention Failures at Florida ICE Jail Where Teen Died
The detention center near Lake Okeechobee has a long history of alleged abuse.
miaminewtimes.com
A Ukrainian man in Miami ICE detention has been denied prescribed psych meds for months — despite reporting suicidal thoughts to staff + going on a 60-day hunger strike, per his wife and attorneys. www.miaminewtimes.com/news/ukraini...
Ukrainian Man in Miami ICE Custody Denied Meds for Months, Wife Says
The 46-year-old from Kyiv is in "terrible condition," his wife says.
miaminewtimes.com
A closer look at the litigious tech bro who's trying to knock the #Florida scrub jay off the endangered species list. www.miaminewtimes.com/news/whats-t... via @alexldeluca21.bsky.social
What's the Deal With the Tech Bro Taking on a Threatened Florida Bird?
The 32-year-old has been described by his attorneys as a "young, self-made tech entrepreneur."
miaminewtimes.com
New: A New Jersey transplant and “tech” bro is trying to strip federal protections from the Florida scrub jay so he can build in its habitat without paying a six-figure fee. Who is Michael Colosi? www.miaminewtimes.com/news/whats-t...
What's the Deal With the Tech Bro Taking on a Threatened Florida Bird?
The 32-year-old has been described by his attorneys as a "young, self-made tech entrepreneur."
miaminewtimes.com
In honor of 4/20, I tried finding the nun from that Miami smoke shop raid last month www.miaminewtimes.com/news/we-trie...
We Tried Finding the Nun From That Miami Smoke Shop Raid
Maybe the real nun was the friends we made along the way.
miaminewtimes.com
Another person has died of a presumed suicide while in immigration detention in South Florida, per ICE. www.miaminewtimes.com/news/cuban-m...
Cuban Man, 27, Dies in Miami ICE Custody
The 27-year-old died of a "presumed suicide," according to ICE.
miaminewtimes.com
BREAKING: A handful of FIU students have been hit with conduct charges after holding an anti-ICE protest on campus. www.miaminewtimes.com/news/fiu-inv...
FIU Investigates Students Over Anti-ICE Protest
The students view the investigations as an intimidation tactic by FIU.
miaminewtimes.com
Dozens gathered in Chiapas, Mexico, over the weekend to bury Royer Perez-Jimenez, the teen who died in ICE custody in Florida. www.miaminewtimes.com/news/family-...
Family Buries Mexican Teen Who Died in Florida ICE Custody
Royer-Perez Jimenez appears to be the youngest person to die in ICE custody since Trump took office last year.
miaminewtimes.com
Two Elon Musk-funded murals of slain Ukranian refugee Iryna Zarutska have appeared in South Florida. www.miaminewtimes.com/news/elon-mu...
Elon Musk-Funded Murals of Slain Ukranian Refugee Pop Up in South Florida
The murals have sparked controversy across the country.
miaminewtimes.com
