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As congestion chokes Miami-Dade, transit on ballot as officials ponder Metromover to FIU

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As congestion chokes Miami-Dade, transit on ballot as officials ponder Metromover to FIU


MIAMI – Advocates say Miami-Dade voters have a choice on the Aug. 20 ballot.

“More highways, more congestion, or a new option?” Mark Merwitzer, with Transit Alliance Miami, said.

A measure on the primary ballot includes a non-binding question about expanding rapid transit in the county, specifically the existing Metromover and Metrorail systems.

It comes as choking congestion prompts county commissioners to look at elevated rail along the county’s East-West Corridor: a Metromover expansion along Flagler Street to Florida International University.

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“The number one complaint about quality of life in Miami-Dade County is the traffic,” Merwitzer said. “Traffic is a nightmare and public transit is the solution to that.”

Miami-Dade County Commissioner Eileen Higgins summed it up thusly: “People are trapped in traffic.”

“We, as most of us know, do not have a good solution to the congestion out in the western edge of our county,” she said. “Our busiest bus routes happen to be on Flagler Street, alot of people are riding it, but if you start in downtown (Miami) and take it to 107th Avenue to FIU you are (spending) an hour and half on that bus.”

Higgins said her colleagues have unanimously supported a partnership with the Florida Department of Transportation, which maintains Flagler, to build the elevated people mover system out to FIU.

“FIU is a giant place, not just a place where people go to study, but where people go to work,” she said. “During the day in the middle of the school year there could be 100,00 people on that campus, so reducing congestion along that corridor makes it better for students, makes it better for workers and it better connects the folks that live out west with jobs that happen to be in downtown or closer to perhaps the Gables.”

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Higgins also pointed out that there are “a ton of other things along Flagler, not too far from Marlins Park, not too far from the new headquarters building for Miami-Dade County.”

She said once the “spine” of the project is in place, the county is thinking of ways to add short connections to the system, perhaps by trolley or bus, to stops nearby, like downtown Doral.

FDOT, Higgins said, is expected to come back “in a few months with that they think this could look like and what it would cost.”

“We have a lot of space in the median to go down the center with elevated stations,” she said. “Metromover makes sense over Metrorail because (the trains) are a little thinner and they have rubber tires, so they are quieter and the structure does not require as must concrete as big, heavy loud trains require, so that is what FDOT is looking into .”

County Commission Chair Oliver Gilbert III was recently on Local 10′s “This Week in South Florida” to talk about the transit ballot measure.

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“Ultimately if we are going to develop along corridors, high rises, density to bring down housing costs, ultimately if we are gong to move people from the far reaches of this county ultimately it is going to be by rail,” Gilbert said. “We are the largest urbanized area in the state of Florida, the capital of this part of the hemisphere, but to truly be a world class community, we have to invest in rapid mass transit.”

Higgins told Local 10 News, “We need people to vote yes to signal to the commission that the people of Miami-Dade County are loudly and proudly for transportation solutions to give us the political power we need to move forward.”

“We have four great corridors we are in the middle of planning for and we need to make sure they go quickly we need to tell our federal partners that you are behind us because we are applying for federal money for these projects as well,” she said.

Merwitzer defined his organization’s support for expanded transit as being about providing a choice that many South Florida residents realistically don’t have.

“It is not about forcing people out of their vehicles to go to different places,” he said. “It is about giving people the option to go somewhere on their own time and on their own terms.”

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Car costs, he noted, are chaining people down financially.

“Auto loan rates are the highest right now as (they have) ever been, our insurance rates are almost as high as ever, plus the cost of owning a vehicle and housing is about 60% of median income for Miami-Dade County, 60% of their household budget, which is why households fall into debt because leaves little left for food, medical expenses,” Merwitzer said.

Higgins said she’s optimistic about the future of transportation alternatives in the county.

“The South Corridor (bus rapid transit) opens next April, the Northeast Corridor (commuter rail) will be under construction the end of next year,” she said. “We will have the North Corridor (Metrorail) and Baylink (Metromover) in process to finish the engineering and in the meantime we have Flagler off and running with the state. It is an exciting time. I think our commission is committed to not just talking about transit but doing something about it.”

Miami Beach officials have pushed back on Metromover expansion to traffic-clogged South Beach, however, the county does not need their approval for the project.

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The city is testing a new ferry service that connects downtown Miami with Sunset Park on the northern end of South Beach.

Copyright 2024 by WPLG Local10.com – All rights reserved.



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Pair arrested in connection with armed home invasion robbery in Miami, cops say

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Pair arrested in connection with armed home invasion robbery in Miami, cops say


MIAMI — Two men have been arrested in connection with an armed home invasion robbery in Miami last month in which investigators say masked suspects entered a home, pointed a gun at a victim and repeatedly demanded money before searching the residence.

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Miami police identified the suspects as 25-year-old Earl Gerry Baldwin and 21-year-old Zakis Kawone James, both of Miami-Dade.

According to arrest reports, officers responded to the home on April 4 after the victim reported that two masked men had entered the residence and robbed him at gunpoint.

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The report states that he victim told investigators he was in the kitchen when two men wearing ski masks entered through an unlocked front door.

Police said shortly after, one of the intruders allegedly pointed a handgun at the victim and demanded cash, repeatedly asking, “Where’s the money?” as the two men searched the home.

Investigators said the gunman took the victim’s iPhone 16 Pro Max while both suspects searched bedrooms for money. The victim told police the suspects also asked about his younger brother before continuing their search.

According to the reports, the gunman kept the victim at gunpoint while the other suspect ransacked rooms throughout the home. After failing to find any money, the men left the victim inside his mother’s bedroom, closed the door and fled, investigators said.

Authorities said the victim then ran to a neighbor’s home and called police.

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Detectives said surveillance footage obtained from nearby locations showed a silver Chevrolet Trailblazer parked near the home before the robbery.

According to the reports, video showed two suspects exiting the SUV and walking toward the residence before entering the home. Minutes later, the pair were seen running from the property and getting back into the vehicle, which drove away.

Investigators said license plate reader data identified the SUV and showed it traveling through Miami shortly after the robbery. Historical reader data and GPS records linked the vehicle to a residence in the 700 block of Northwest 65th Street, according to the reports.

Detectives said additional surveillance footage later captured Baldwin inside the SUV while wearing clothing matching what was seen during the robbery.

Investigators said they also identified him during a separate contact on May 15 and later obtained cellphone records and location data that allegedly placed his phone in the area of the robbery and traveling with the SUV before and after the crime.

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According to James’ arrest report, detectives identified him through surveillance footage, a resident database search and facial recognition software.

Investigators also obtained surveillance footage showing James making a purchase at a Walmart in Miami Gardens after the robbery using a debit card in his name, the report states.

Police said cellphone data associated with James’ phone also placed him at the robbery scene and traveling with the SUV throughout the day.

On Thursday, detectives executed a search warrant at the Northwest 65th Street residence and took both men into custody, according to the reports.

Baldwin was transported to the Miami Police Department’s robbery office, where he was advised of his Miranda rights and invoked them, according to his arrest report.

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James waived his Miranda rights and provided a statement to detectives, according to his arrest report. Details of the statement were redacted from the publicly released report.

Jail records show both men are each facing one count of armed robbery with home invasion.

As of Friday, both were being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, where their bonds were listed as “to be set.”

Copyright 2026 by WPLG Local10.com – All rights reserved.

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Ex-Miami Heat player Terry Rozier facing additional bribery charges in sports gambling sting

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Ex-Miami Heat player Terry Rozier facing additional bribery charges in sports gambling sting


Federal prosecutors have indicted ex-Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier on additional charges in connection with a sports gambling sting, alleging he took a hefty bribe to exit a game early in March 2023.

Rozier, 32, was charged Thursday in a superseding indictment in Brooklyn federal court with bribery in sporting contests and honest services wire fraud conspiracy. Superseding indictments are used when prosecutors want to change or add new charges to an existing criminal case.

Rozier has denied participating in the gambling scheme, and has been fighting to have the case dismissed after pleading not guilty to wire fraud conspiracy and money laundering conspiracy charges in December. His attorneys argue in part that the government’s theory of the case — that he prevented sportsbooks from making informed decisions about accepting certain bets — runs afoul of a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that narrowed the federal wire fraud statute.

The new indictment “just confirms that our motion to dismiss was righteous — new charges, new theories, but all just an effort to make something stick,” Rozier’s attorney, Jim Trusty, wrote in an email to The Associated Press.

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Rozier was arrested in October along with former NBA player Damon Jones, who pleaded guilty last month for his role in schemes to defraud major sportsbooks including DraftKings and FanDuel. Others charged in the case include sports bettor and influencer Marves Fairley, who pleaded guilty Thursday to conspiracy, bribery and other federal charges in connection with gambling schemes targeting basketball games in the U.S. and China.

Rozier remains free on $3 million bond. The case has kept him off the court this season.

The new indictment alleges that Rozier not only defrauded sportsbooks, but also the NBA and the team he was playing for at the time, the Charlotte Hornets.

Rozier is accused of conspiring with gamblers to leave a game early, citing a lingering lower leg injury, so they could cash in on more than $250,000 in bets that his points, assists and other totals would be lower than what the sportsbooks had set as betting lines.

Not all of the bets were successful because Rozier collected four rebounds, which was more than the betting line, the superseding indictment said. As a result, after the game, Rozier and his co-conspirators negotiated a discount on his bribe, cutting it from $100,000 to about $70,000, the superseding indictment said.

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The new indictment against Rozier was filed within hours of the guilty pleas by Fairley, who goes by the name “Vezino Locks” on Instagram. As part of his plea, Fairley admitted to prosecutors’ allegations that he used insider information to get an edge when betting on NBA, NCAA and Chinese Professional Basketball League games — including paying Rozier’s longtime friend $100,000 in exchange for a tip that Rozier was going to leave a game early.”

Fairley’s attorney Eric Siegle said his client “deeply regrets and is ashamed of his conduct.”

“By publicly acknowledging his guilt and conduct today, Marves is taking the first step toward atoning for his wrongful conduct and to starting his ‘second half’ on the right foot,” Siegle said. ____ Associated Press reporter Michael R. Sisak contributed from New York. Boone reported from Boise, Idaho.



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Miami’s Jai Lucas Tackles Year Two With A New Roster and New Goal

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Miami’s Jai Lucas Tackles Year Two With A New Roster and New Goal


One good season can set the standard of what the Miami Hurricanes can be for the future under Jai Lucas.

Lucas nearly broke many single-season records as a first-year head coach, but that didn’t stop him from learning from mistakes that could have helped him improve the following season. However, he has three returning players, so it is a brand new team for the upstart head coach.

Yeah, for me it’s like coaching a whole new team,” Lucas said on an appearance on the “Hoops HQ” basketball podcast. “I think something that goes into the past is you have something that fits, and you just try to rinse and repeat. That’s kind of how a lot of programs are built. But now with this portal era, you don’t know what you’re going to get every year. My team looks completely different than before, so I had to build it differently.”

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Lucas dove into some of his transfer targets and why they fit well with the Canes, starting with his new star point guard, Acaden Lewis.

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“It started with being able to get a really good point guard,” Lucas said. “We had one last year in Tre Donaldson, and that’s where Acaden came into play. Having somebody you feel can run the team, but also has the ability to take over games. Watching his stuff in the portal and doing the analytics, he’s one of the best point guards in the country pound for pound with what he’s able to do and how he’s able to create.

“Like I talked about earlier, we had a prior relationship that went back to when I was at Duke and we recruited him there. So it was kind of an easy recruitment once the portal opened and I was able to talk to him.”

Lewis is complemented with the Canes new star defensive anchor Somto Cyril.

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Mar 3, 2026; Athens, Georgia, USA; Georgia Bulldogs center Somto Cyril (2) on the court against the Alabama Crimson Tide at Stegeman Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

“Then I wanted a big, and that’s where Somto came in,” Lucas continued. “He played for a coach who is on staff now, Eric Pastrana, at Georgia, so that was kind of the relationship built there.

However, the biggest missing link from last season was shooting and depth. Lucas got that and loves how his team feels and looks heading into the summer.

“Once we got those two pieces along with Shelton and Dante, who we had coming back, the one thing I knew we missed last year and needed this year was shooting. That’s where Nick Dorn, Brent Bland, DeShawn Goode, and some of these other guys who will be high level complementary pieces came into play with our foundational pieces like Acaden, Shelton, Dante, Somto, those guys.

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“Then we wanted to get more depth than we had last year where we played about six or seven. I wanted to be able to play eight plus, maybe nine this year. So we focused on that, focused on the shooting, but also wanted to have size. Nick’s size at 6 foot 7 and his ability to shoot, and what he did at Elon and then having it transfer over to what he was able to do in a Power Five conference, I felt was a fit for what we want to do here.”


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