Mug-Shot Websites: Are They Extortion?

In 2010, a Florida man named Craig Robert Wiggen started the website Florida.arrests.org — after he himself had done three years in prison for stealing credit card numbers in Tallahassee. He began collecting free mug shots of people who had been arrested. His intention was not to humiliate people, he…

Rep. Patrick Murphy Talks About Nasty Lake Okeechobee Pollution

Yesterday afternoon, Rep. Patrick Murphy gave us a shout to talk about the briefing he’s holding in Washington, D.C., today for members of Congress regarding the nasty pollution that’s flowing from Lake Okeechobee through two rivers and killing everything all the way to the east and west coasts of Florida…

Four Reasons It Sucks to Be a Woman in Florida

Well, of course, there’s the dating pool. Without even counting that, the Center for American Progress — an independent, nonpartisan, left-leaning organization — last week managed to come up with a bunch of reasons it totally bites to be a woman in Florida. Oh, it wasn’t called that. The organization…

Boca Ranks as #2 Best-Dressed Small City

So…. the real estate website Movoto has ranked the Best-Dressed small cities in America, and Boca Raton has come in at #2 on the list — beating even Miami! It’s not because of your grandma’s pink flamingo-print Lily Pulizer ensemble, but because of cold, hard real estate statistics. So, thanks…

To Everyone Upset About That PalmCon Article…

On Monday, New Times writer Allie Conti posted a blog item about PalmCon, a comic book convention in Palm Beach County. This post upset a lot of people from the comics/cosplay community. Let us provide a little background and a sincere mea culpa from the editors. Our blogs are a…

Navy Yard Shooter Was Working for Fort Lauderdale Company

According to its website, The Experts, a Fort Lauderdale company, is “a global provider of IT, engineering, telecom and business process solutions” with operations around the world and “personnel supporting the war fighter abroad and domestic policy at home.” Apparently, one of those personnel members, 34-year-old Aaron Alexis, went on…

Florida Man Arrested While Protesting Red Light Cameras

A Central Florida man named Mark Schmidter is being celebrated among libertarians after he was arrested September 14 while protesting red light cameras at an intersection in Apopka. According to a police report Schmidter posted online, officer Robert Campbell saw him in the intersection. The officer claims Schmidter was walking…

Starbucks: Don’t Bring Guns Into Our Coffee Shops

Last night, Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz posted an open letter on the company’s website asking customers not to bring guns into the company’s coffee shops. He said that Starbucks employees had been stuck in the middle of too many uncomfortable incidents in the gun control debate. He also noted that…

Broward Mayors’ Climate Change Plans Sound Laughably Inadequate

Ninety-five percent of scientists now agree that global warming is a scientific fact — and , as one particularly terrifying Rolling Stone article explained in June, “South Florida is uniquely screwed, in part because about 75 percent of the 5.5 million people in South Florida live along the coast.” We’re…

Is Fort Lauderdale Style “Skanky”?

The hit Showtime series Dexter is totally addicting, and it’s extra fun to watch here in South Florida, because a lot of scenes are shot here. Any local will have fun picking out sites like the 17th Street Causeway in Fort Lauderdale, or the waters of Biscayne Bay. It’s easy…

Sun Sentinel Reporter Has “Meltdown” at Boca Meeting

A reporter from the Forum Publishing Group — part of the Sun Sentinel — was caught on camera having a “meltdown” during a meeting of the West Boca Forum Council. According to bizpacreview.com, and the YouTube video below, chiropractor-slash-political adviser Andre Fladell was lamenting the modern-day press during the meeting…

Food Pantry in Crisis, Needs Emergency Donations

The Pantry’s Facebook page makes it very clear: “Calling all supporters,” it reads. “We have NO FOOD on our shelves. We are in need ASAP of an emergency donation of funds or food or our clients will NOT EAT in September.” The Pantry of Broward helps seniors who are on…

John Martinez, Alligator Wrestler on Gator Boys, Dies at Age 30

Alligator wrestler John Carlos Martinez, a lifelong animal lover, a Marine, and a character on the reality show Gator Boys, died on September 3, New Times has learned. He was 30 years old. The show focuses on “the only bare-hand nuisance animal trapping company in Florida” — guys who trap…