Miami, FL
Coral Springs Marriott cancels Muslim conference, organizers call move
CORAL SPRINGS – The South Florida Muslim Federation is upset after a hotel canceled the group’s conference days before the scheduled event.
Critics claimed that speakers at the event would spread antisemitism. Marriott management heard enough to act. However, the response triggered cries of racism.
“We didn’t think racism would prevail in South Florida in this way,” Jalal Shehadah, a member of the federation said.
“There was so much evidence against this organization,” Joe Kaufman, a former politician who complained to hotel management about the event.
The federation represents all mosques in the region to promote unity and support both Muslim and non-Muslim communities according to Shehadah. Last year, the group partnered with the Miami Heat for “Muslim Night” at Kaseya Center during an NBA game. The federation also hosted a forum with law enforcement in 2020. Starting in 2023, the group began hosting a conference at the Marriott in Coral Springs.
However, Kaufman, who unsuccessfully ran for Congress three times in the past, wrote an article online that claimed the federation supports terrorism.
“We were concerned about a lot of the things the organization was promoting online and a number of the speakers who were supporting Hamas and antisemitism on social media,” Kaufman said.
The federation booked the hotel last May. The group sold 1000 tickets, hired 25 vendors, purchased airfare to bring speakers to the event and began promotion months ago.
One week before the conference, though, a petition that cites part of Kaufman’s article popped up online with thousands of signatures seeking to ban the conference.
Kaufman and four others met with the hotel’s general manager.
Then, Shehadah’s phone ran with bad news.
“(Management) described that there were undesirable circumstances and they claimed that they could not get enough security to cover the event to allow us to have the event,” Shehadah said. “Yet we’re the ones responsible for the security. They didn’t ask us if we could get the security.”
“Our top priority is the safety and well-being of our guests and team members,” Mark C. Cherry, General Manager of the Fort Lauderdale Marriott Coral Springs Hotel and Convention Center, said via email. “We have determined that there is an increased risk to the safety and security of hotel guests, team members and the community with the South Florida Muslim Federation’s upcoming event at our hotel. After careful consideration of these issues, we have made the decision not to host this event at our hotel this year.”
Shehadah said the federation and Muslims frequently use the hotel for other events. The former member of the Muslim-Jewish Advisory Council is more than hurt. Shehadah said the federation is scrambling to find a new home for their conference. He feels something bigger at stake too.
“We have not been provided one credible threat that would support (the hotel canceling the conference),” he said. “The only thing we’ve been provided are racist, baseless accusations that are built on an islamophobe’s bigoted point of view: that every Muslim is a terrorist.”
“If there were Muslims that wish to condemn Hamas and condemn this organization for having individuals speak here and promote Hamas and they’re condemning them with me I would hug them, shake their hand and want to work with them as I do many Muslims,” Kaufman said.
The federation is close to securing a new venue for the conference which begins Friday and ends Saturday, January 13th.
Miami, FL
CB Lucas leaves UW for Miami, bypasses portal
The lawyer for Xavier Lucas says the ex-Wisconsin player is transferring to Miami, even though the cornerback’s former school never entered his name into the portal.
Darren Heitner has been representing Lucas, who indicated on social media last month that Wisconsin was refusing to put his name in the portal and that it was hindering his ability to talk to other schools. Lucas had announced earlier in December that he planned to enter the portal.
The NCAA issued a statement Friday saying that “NCAA rules do not prevent a student-athlete from unenrolling from an institution, enrolling at a new institution and competing immediately.”
Yahoo Sports first reported Lucas’ plans to transfer to Miami, as well as the NCAA statement.
Wisconsin officials didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. Yahoo and the Wisconsin State Journal have reported that Lucas had entered into an agreement to continue playing for Wisconsin before requesting the transfer.
Heitner said in an X post that Lucas had agreed to a memorandum of understanding that was conditioned on the approval of the House settlement — which calls for schools to pay players directly for use of their name, image and likeness — and Lucas attending classes no later than this spring. Heitner added that Lucas has since unenrolled from Wisconsin.
Heitner also said that Lucas hasn’t received any money from Wisconsin and therefore owes no money to the school.
Lucas, who is from Pompano Beach, Florida, had 12 tackles, an interception and a sack as a freshman for Wisconsin this season.
Miami, FL
Dolphins 2024 Top 10: The Biggest Stories
The Miami Dolphins’ 2024 season was disappointing for sure, but it most definitely wasn’t boring.
Between off-the-field incidents, some bizarre situations involving big-name veterans and an opening-day scene straight out of a movie, this wasn’t your run-of-the-mill NFL season.
So then, here it is, our list of the 10 biggest Dolphins stories of 2024:
This is a pretty easy choice, no? And any quarterback missing six games with injuries would be the top story for most teams, but it’s especially so when that quarterback has the kind of injury history (particuarly with concussions) that Tua Tagovailoa. This actually was a three-part story with the concussion against Buffalo, his impressive return against the Arizona Cardinals, and then the hip injury that cost him the final two games of the 2024 season.
Making the Tua story even bigger was how much the offense struggled without him in the lineup from Week 3-7, and it sure didn’t help that the Dolphins went through three other quarterbacks during that span between Skylar Thompson, Tim Boyle and Tyler Huntley.
Sure, this was a massively overblown story because expectations all along should have been modest for Beckham based on his previous few seasons. But he’s a big-name player who once was among the best in the NFL at his position, and star power sells. Maybe the biggest part of this story, other than Beckham being waived at his request, was GM Chris Grier admitting the Dolphins knew that Beckham might not be ready for the start of the regular season after undergoing a knee procedure in the offseason.
Calais Campbell’s performance at the age of 37 alone was worthy of constant attention, but the drama surrounding the NFL trade deadline added an interesting twist. Campbell made no secret of the fact he still played in 2024 because he’s looking for a ring and the Dolphins were ready to trade at the deadline when they were 2-6 until Mike McDaniel insisted he be kept because he was confident a turnaround was on the horizon and Campbell would be needed. In the end, the Dolphins did turn things around, just not enough for them to get into the playoffs and keeping Campbell until the end cost him his chance at chasing a ring in the playoffs.
Beckham was one of the four players who began the regular season on the Physically Unable to Perform list and once the four — Bradley Chubb, Isaiah Wynn and Cameron Goode were the others — were eligible to return, this became a weekly watch as to when each would return to practice. In the end, all made their way back to the 53-man roster except for Chubb.
What happened with Tyreek Hill being detained by police for speeding outside of Hard Rock Stadium and thrown to the ground, and then handcuffed being placed on Campbell for stopping to see how he could help always will rank as one of the wildest game-day incidents in Dolphins history.
For all the talk of the Dolphins not making their players more accountable, the team sure didn’t play games with linebacker David Long Jr. After he was voted a team captain at the start of his second season with the team, the veteran first was demoted in favor of Anthony Walker Jr. and later waive when the Dolphins claimed fellow linebacker Tyrel Dodson. It was quite the fall from grace.
Injuries are a part of the NFL, but the Dolphins caught a really, really bad break during the week of Tagovailoa’s return when team MVP Zach Sieler caught a finger in the eye and caused an injury serious enough that he was forced to miss two games. Perhaps not coincidentally, the defense didn’t hold up its end in either of those two games against Arizona and the Buffalo Bills and the Dolphins lost despite strong efforts by Tagovailoa and the offense.
Yeah, that Shaq Barrett saga was something. He pretty much was forgotten by the time Thanksgiving week rolled around, everyone now OK with the idea he had decided to abruptly retire before the start of training camp after signing with the Dolphins in the offseason. But then Barrett decided he indeed wanted to resume playing, with the Dolphins forced to make a quick decision on whether they activate him, keep him on the Retired list or waive him so he could sign with another team. The Dolphins choose a combination of B and C, making him a bit before waiving him (with a non-injury settlement likely involving some reimbursement of his signing bonus money).
For the last story, we bypassed the bizarre Blake Ferguson saga that ended with him sidelined for the final 12 games after his coaches kept telling the media the long-snapper likely would return at some point in favor of the sad story of Jaelan Phillips seeing his hard work to come back from an Achilles tendon injury go to waste with an unfortunate misstep in the Monday night game against the Tennessee Titans that resulted in a torn ACL.
Miami, FL
Experience the Miami Concours Like Never Before With an Exclusive VIP Ticket for the Moore Private Members’ Club
Get ready to experience automotive excellence like never before as the eighth annual Miami Concours, led by visionary Craig Robins and duPont REGISTRY, transforms Miami’s Design District into a luxurious showcase of motoring perfection. For the first time, this year’s event introduces a groundbreaking VIP experience—both on and off the red carpet—in partnership with The Moore Miami private members’ club, located in the heart of this iconic neighborhood.
The Miami Concours is a celebration of the world’s most significant automobiles, showcasing exceptional modern design and engineering throughout the Miami Design District. This hallmark event in Miami seamlessly blends high design, luxury fashion, and architecture, all viewed through the lens of the automotive industry.
Exclusive VIP Experiences
Miami Concours VIP ticket holders will enjoy a Private Red Carpet Club on NE 40th Street, which includes:
- Access to an exclusive lounge at The Moore Miami
- An elevated culinary experience and signature bar by Elastika
- Private in-store shopping experiences and guided art tours at The Moore Miami and the Craig Robins Art Collection
- A complimentary one-year subscription to duPont REGISTRY Magazine and Design District Magazine
- Reserved seating at the District Sounds concert on Monday, February 17, along with live entertainment
- Complimentary VIP parking
- Access to the “Concours Talks: Design Driven” panel discussion and an exclusive car reveal
To secure your VIP tickets, please visit the link HERE.
A Spectacular Showcase Photo by: duPont REGISTRY
Photo by: duPont REGISTRY
Set against the vibrant backdrop of Miami’s most luxurious neighborhood, the Miami Concours features a hand-picked selection of the world’s rarest and most iconic automobiles. Expect masterpieces from legendary automakers such as Aston Martin, Bentley, BMW, Ferrari, Jaguar, Lamborghini, Maserati, Mercedes-Benz, Pagani, Porsche, and Rolls-Royce.
The Perfect Setting
The Miami Design District is a groundbreaking neighborhood known for its world-class shopping, dining, art, and design, making it the ultimate destination for culture and creativity. This innovative space provides the ideal setting for the Miami Concours, where visitors can immerse themselves in a masterfully curated car showcase.
Mark Your Calendar
Join us on Sunday, February 16, 2025, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., as this premier event becomes a highlight of President’s Day weekend festivities. Walk the red-carpeted streets of Miami’s design hub and witness automotive history unfold.
Photo by: duPont REGISTRY
Photo by: duPont REGISTRY
In addition, Jungle Plaza will transform into ‘The Enclave,’ offering a vibrant atmosphere with automotive installations, DJ performances, pop-ups, culinary vendors, and more—all free and open to the public. Then, on Monday, February 17, 2025 the celebration culminates with District Sounds, a public open-air concert, produced by Emilio Estefan, by the acclaimed Miami Symphony Orchestra, alongside other special performances.
Beyond the cars and culture, this year’s event will support Ride2Revive, a nonprofit dedicated to providing unforgettable experiences for children with life-threatening illnesses and their families. In support of this cause, Miami Concours will feature family-friendly activations creating an engaging experience for all attendees while raising awareness for Ride2Revive.
Become An Event Sponsor
Interested in becoming a sponsor for the event? Elevate your brand by becoming a sponsor of this exceptional event and be a part of an exhibition that aims to immerse, educate, inspire, and celebrate the rich history, art, and design of all kinds. You can learn more about sponsoring this event by clicking the button below.
BECOME A SPONSOR
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