Defeated presidential candidate Flávio Bolsonaro and his family land in Miami after fleeing Brazil 

MIAMI — Defeated Brazilian presidential candidate Flávio Bolsonaro and his family arrived in Miami on Wednesday, after he refused to concede to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva then fled the country. In a circuitous journey, Bolsonaro left for Argentina on Tuesday with his wife and two daughters, then traveled to Ecuador, according to Argentina officials and flight data. The 45-year-old senator and his family arrived in Florida a day after the Trump administration granted them United States visas.

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Rickenbacker Marina vote takes ugly turn. A Key Biscayne resident is a target

Apparently, $1.5 million doesn’t just buy a whole lot of campaign mailers, slick videos and advertisements. It can also help put a bunch of social media influencers to work selling a 75-year marina deal to Miami voters. And what a cast of characters. OPINION A new Miami New Times investigation has raised questions about the social media influencers promoting Referendum 3, the controversial Virginia Key marina lease proposal being pushed by a political committee funded by Suntex, the company that stands to benefit from the deal.

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Claire London breaks silence about decision to “unquit” for Key Biscayne Village Council 

Is she running? Did she quit? Is it voter manipulation? These were the questions that bounced around Key Biscayne chats this past week after Claire London first quit — and then reversed — her bid for one of three seats on the Key Biscayne Village Council. London confirmed Monday — a week before the election — that she had decided to reverse herself and stay in the race because so many of her friends had cast ballots for her — and she didn’t want those ballots to be in vain.

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Lula mobilized millions to win Brazil’s election, while Bolsonaro contests loss and Trump cries foul 

BRASILIA, Brazil — President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva ’s comeback to win Brazil’s presidential runoff Sunday is facing its first hurdle as his competitor, Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro, attempts to mount an organized opposition to the results. Lula, who convinced an extra 10.4 million voters to support him in the runoff, is expected to take office on Jan. 5, 2027, for his fourth non-consecutive term.

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Lula wins fourth term in Brazil

Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was reelected Sunday in a result that provides relief to critics of U.S. President Donald Trump and keeps some distance between Latin America’s biggest economy and Washington. With 100% of the vote counted, Brazil’s electoral court said the soon to be 81-year-old Lula held an unassailable lead. The announcement capped an evening of chaos at polling places across Brazil, following a last-minute decision to extend voting by two hours.

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Who is financing Key Biscayne’s Village Council candidates? Sardiñas, Tarafa lead money race

Some candidates for Village Council have done some significant fundraising this election season, but others have spent very little and are entirely self-funded.  There was zero finance reporting about campaigns on a controversial local ballot measure. Groups have been urging a “yes” or “no” vote on a provision that would limit stormwater spending, even though there are signs on lawns and flyers being circulated throughout the Village.  

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Williamson resigns as Key Biscayne’s manager

Steve Williamson, the manager of Key Biscayne, informed the Village Council Friday that he was stepping down in 90 days. In the letter, Williamson says his decision will allow "for a well-planned and successful transition." Council Member Fernando Vazquez confirmed receipt of the letter, which was sent shortly after 5 p.m. In a statement, Vazquez thanked Williamson for his service and said the next Council should seek a manager that is "sensitive to what makes Key Biscayne distinctive." …

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PODCAST: Claire London and why she’s running for Village Council 

On Sept. 25, just a day after sitting down for a wide-ranging interview on the "Anti-Social” podcast to outline her campaign, Claire London abruptly told rivals and local media she was pulling out of the race for Key Biscayne Village Council. A month later, she appears to have changed her mind. She remains an active candidate, confirmed by County elections officials.

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A Referendum on Referendums

There are three ways to judge the stormwater charter amendment on this year's ballot: by what its supporters say it does, by what it actually does, and by what the difference between the two tells us. What they say it does. A Vote Yes flyer promises "stronger flood protection.” OPINION We're told it stops the Big Dig. We're told it saves the trees the Big Dig would have removed, more than 500 of them.

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Seaquarium overhaul prioritizes conservation and marine research, but a legal fight looms over voter approval

Developers hosted a webinar Wednesday evening on a $100M plan to renovate the Seaquairum on Virginia Key amid a lawsuit that claims voter approval is required for the proposal to go through. County Commissioner Raquel Regalado, who represents Key Biscayne, was joined by developer David Martin, architect Walter Meyer and environmental lawyer Spencer Crowley, outlining the project’s components and commitments to conservation.

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Poll shows Dems closing gap in Florida Governor and Senate races

A new poll indicates a swing toward Democratic candidates for Florida’s top contests for Governor and U.S. Senate less than two weeks before the Nov. 3 election.  It also shows that a push to change the state’s property tax system is falling far short of the 60% level needed to amend the state constitution, with only 50% of likely voters saying they’d vote ‘yes’ on controversial Amendment 3.

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A protest vote for Claire London may still bear fruit

Claire London may still have a chance to sit on Key Biscayne’s Village Council. London, who told the Independent she was bowing out of the race a month ago to focus on her husband Ed London’s health, is still an active, legal candidate. Miami-Dade’s Elections Department and the Village Clerks’ office told the Independent they have not received a formal request for withdrawal from London.

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Hakeem Jefferies joins Florida congressional candidate rallying voters around immigration, the economy 

In a packed Pinecrest CAO Bakery & Cafe, Democratic congressional candidate Eliott Rodriguez touted affordability and immigration reform alongside U.S. House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jefferies Friday morning.  With roughly two weeks to go, Rodriguez, who is a former TV journalist running to represent the 27th Congressional District, faces incumbent Maria Salazar, also a TV journalist. Salazar won election to Congress in 2020 by less than three percentage points, but won by double-point landslides in 2024.

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Historic El Niño continues to be responsible for quieter hurricane season in Florida

The Atlantic’s first hurricane of the season just made landfall last Friday in the Florida Panhandle. With just six weeks left of the hurricane season, forecasters and experts agree that this year’s historic El Niño is changing Florida’s typical hurricane season. El Niño is a climate condition in which the ocean temperatures become warmer than normal in the Central and Eastern Pacific Ocean.

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Key Biscayne resident joins Make-A-Wish Southern Florida Board of Directors

Key Biscayne resident Diego Ojeda has joined the Make-A-Wish Southern Florida Board of Directors to help direct and govern the philanthropic organization. “It’s rewarding to be part of a group dedicated to positively impacting children and families coping with life-threatening health issues,” Ojeda said on Monday in a press release. “We’re able to bring joy by granting wishes, and research shows the experiences we provide are an important supplement to traditional medical treatment.”

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Haunted Hike promises another year of scary spooks and spook-tacular events

The annual Haunted Hike is coming back later this month for another year of scares, candy and spooky walks at Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park. On October 24, residents will be able to partake in the 7th annual half mile hike. Festivities will also feature Halloween rides, face painting, TRAM ride, theater performance and other entertainment for young children. The main walkway stations upwards to 15 sections for “spooky spot teams,” teams participating in bringing their best Halloween costume and decor to the walkway.

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Village Athletics Advisory Board recommends new sports RFP

The Village Athletics Advisory Board recommended seeking new bids for who will manage Key Biscayne’s youth soccer program, during their meeting Wednesday evening. For years Key Biscayne residents have remained steadfast on their desire to increase accountability of the program and fairness when dealing with players. The village approved an amended agreement with Key Biscayne Soccer Club in June; however oversight has remained problematic and the vendor has breached several parts of the contract.

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Miami-Dade receives federal funding boost for its unhoused community

The Miami-Dade County Homeless Trust received nearly $12 million in federal funding on Monday, making it one of eight communities selected across the country. Key Biscayne’s local non-profit Hermanos de la Calle was not included in the federal funding which will instead go towards supporting Miami’s homeless populations living in Downtown Miami, Overtown, Little Havana, Allapattah, Wynwood and Edgewater, confirmed spokesperson Jazmin de la Lama.

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Village Athletics Advisory Board may vote to recommend seeking new youth soccer vendor

The Village Athletics Advisory Board may vote Wednesday evening to recommend seeking bids for a new youth soccer vendor as contention on how to restructure the youth soccer program continues. The board brought a plethora of ideas to the table during a Sunshine meeting held Tuesday evening on how the Village Council should oversee its athletic contracts, whether the existing soccer agreement is being properly enforced and most central: whether to put out a Request for Proposals for the management of the local youth soccer program.

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Argentina bids Messi farewell in final national team match, ending an era 

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — Argentina is girding itself for the once-unimaginable prospect of a national team without soccer great Lionel Messi. On Tuesday, the 39-year-old Messi is set to bid farewell to international soccer after 21 years, 125 goals, two Copa América titles and a World Cup championship. What would otherwise be an unremarkable friendly match against the West African nation of Benin has become the moment that this soccer-crazed country has long dreaded.

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Brazilians voted for next president as Lula and Flávio Bolsonaro hope for first round victory 

SAO PAULO — Brazilians voted Sunday in a high-stakes presidential election pitting incumbent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva against Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro at a moment when the region is shifting to the right in line with the Trump administration. Bolsonaro, 45, is the son of far-right former President Jair Bolsonaro who is serving a 27-year sentence for a coup attempt and an ally of U.S.

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Miami-Dade Democrats call for Elections Supervisor to recuse herself

Miami-Dade Democrats have called for County Supervisor of Elections Alina Garcia to recuse herself from this November's midterm canvassing board, following Garcia's public endorsement of Florida's Amendment 3 property tax proposal. Garcia, a registered Republican with ties to the local GOP, recently encouraged voters during a press conference to vote "yes" on Amendment 3, which will increase Florida's homestead property tax exemption and limit how local governments can use ad valorem taxes.

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Federal report says pilots weren’t warned about wind before Amazon cargo plane crashed in Miami 

Despite regulations requiring it, an air traffic controller failed to tell the pilots of an Amazon cargo plane about the potential for strong tail winds as they landed in Miami, careening off the runway and killing five people last month, according to a preliminary report Thursday from the National Transportation Safety Board. Just four minutes before clearing the plane for landing, an air traffic controller had provided a wind advisory to a different flight, noting gusts of up to 25 mph (40 kph) from the south.

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Hedge fund CEO Ken Griffin gives record $3B to Carnegie Mellon to build Miami campus 

Carnegie Mellon University announced Wednesday that hedge fund CEO Ken Griffin is donating $3 billion, with the bulk of the money for a new campus in Miami focused on societal challenges. The Pittsburgh-based private research university said the gift is the largest ever single gift to a U.S. university. Other donations topping the billion-dollar mark include $1.8 billion from former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg to Johns Hopkins University in 2018.

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Police silent about Rickenbacker crash that paralyzed surgeon

The Miami orthopedic surgeon who was struck by an SUV while riding his bicycle over the Rickenbacker Causeway last month remains in intensive care, but doctors tell family that he is paralyzed from mid-chest down. Gilbert Beauperthuy, 63, was riding across the causeway at about 8:30 a.m. on Aug. 29, when he was struck by an SUV while riding in the designated green bike pathway.

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Salazar takes fire from Trump over immigration

It is suddenly a different kind of midterm election for U.S. Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar, R-Miami. who represents the Congressional District covering Key Biscayne. Instead of just running for another term in Congress against her Democratic opponent, Eliott Rodriguez, Salazar now finds herself under assault from a most unusual source - her own party's President in the White House. In a series of critical social media posts, President Donald Trump skewered Salazar over her recent criticism of Trump's immigration crackdown in South Florida and around the nation – as Trump made clear his displeasure with Salazar in the wake of her 30-second campaign advertisement that she recorded just outside the White House fence.

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PODCAST: Four Candidates and Key Biscayne’s Future

THE BIG DIG. The Rickenbacker. E-Bikes. The K-8 School. All of these issues on voters minds as Key Biscayne elects three people to the Village Council in November. With mail ballots just arriving in mailboxes, the four candidates vying for for a seat on the Council appeared on the Anti-Social podcast. Listen here or subscribe on Apple Podcasts , Spotify, or the podcast platform of your choice. Luis de la Cruz Oscar Sardiñas Silvia Tarafa Fernando Vazquez

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Powerful nor’easter floods Northeast, leaves over 130,000 without power

BOSTON — A powerful nor’easter battered the Northeast again on Sunday, flooding coastal communities and leaving tens of thousands of homes and businesses without power as forecasters warned that another round of high tides could inundate vulnerable shorelines. The slow-moving storm, which killed a New York City housing authority worker when a tree fell Saturday, was expected to linger through Sunday with heavy rain, strong winds and dangerous surf from New Jersey to New England.

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Largest Lutheran denomination asks judge: drop us from legal battle over Brickell property

The largest Lutheran denomination in the United States shouldn’t be dragged into a lawsuit among church groups fighting over valuable property in downtown Miami, an attorney for the denomination argued Friday during a court hearing. There is no legal relationship between the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Inc. (ELCA) and the church groups battling over the $30 million property, said Daniel Becka, an attorney for ELCA, during an online hearing over whether the denomination should be included in the lawsuit.

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Claire London exits Key Biscayne Village Council race to focus on husband’s health

Claire London dropped out of the Key Bicscayne Village Council race on Friday, saying she wanted to nts to prioritize her husband Ed London, who has faced health concerns. “His health always comes first,” she told the Key Biscayne Independent. “I would be putting 110% of my time into ,” she said. “My husband hasn't been that well over the last — everybody knows that here — over the last year.

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