Miami has become great at attracting wealth. Luxury towers reshape historically Black and working-class communities from Liberty City and Brownsville to Naranja and all of South Dade. Condominiums, hotels and restaurants are marketed as progress, fueled by wealthy and middle-class newcomers from New York, California, the Caribbean, Latin America and Europe.

When Miami-Dade County says it is investing in public safety, we have a question: Whose safety? The county’s newly adopted budget gives the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office more than $67 million in additional funding, bringing its budget to approximately $1.2 billion. County leaders also found $12.5 million to restore early-morning service on 45 bus routes. That is a real victory for workers who need to travel before 6 a.m.

For months, customers heading to Famous Car Wash in northwest Miami-Dade have had to navigate detours, barricades and side streets to reach the business.

Owner Eddie Young says many customers have simply stopped coming.

Florida is once again at the center of a fight to protect democracy against deliberate efforts to diminish it. 

The new congressional redistricting map approved by Florida lawmakers goes beyond party politics. It is a clear attempt to weaken the political power of Black and Brown voters and is part of a larger effort to reduce the influence of communities that are vital to Florida’s identity and future.

On a warm Saturday afternoon, a group of residents, activists and community leaders gathered at Gibson Park in Overtown not just to stroll through its streets, but to reclaim them as their own. The walking tour, coined “This Is Our City,” became the first in a series organized by The Black Collective, a grassroots group devoted to building Black political, economic and social power in Miami-Dade County.