Issues - A Production of WPBT2

This Week on Issues 02/06 & 02/08

Friday, February 6 @ 7:30 PM
Sunday, February 8 @ 12:30 PM

ISSUE ONE: Interview with Lawton “Bud” Chiles
In January, lawmakers tapped into the Lawton Chiles Endowment for Children and Elders in order to balance the state's troubled budget.  We talk to Governor Chiles’ son, Lawton “Bud” Chiles, on how to alleviate Florida’s fiscal crisis and whether he will run for governor in 2010.

Guest:
Lawton “Bud” Chiles III, Lawton Chiles Foundation

ISSUE TWO: Marlins Stadium in Final Stretch?
The plans for building the Florida Marlins baseball stadium are still underway, with a pivotal vote scheduled to be cast next Friday by county commissioners.  We discuss the pros and cons of the project.

Guests:
Michael Burnstine, Coalition Against Marlins Bailout
Eloy Cepero, South Florida Hispanic Chamber of Commerce

ISSUE THREE: Florida House Speaker Saga
State Representative Ray Sansom temporarily resigned from his position as Florida’s House Sepaker amid an investigation of a possible ethics violation.  Joy Reid explains why we may have a Blagojevich-like scandal on our hands.

Guest:
Joy Reid, South Florida Times

This Week on Issues - 01/09 & 01/11

Friday, January 9 @ 7:30 PM
Sunday, January 11 @ 12:30 PM

 

ISSUE ONE: Interview with City of Miami Mayor Manny Diaz
As the president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, City of Miami Mayor Manny Diaz joins us to discuss the organization’s Mainstreet Economic Recovery Plan, and shares the latest in local projects such as the Port of Miami Tunnel and the Florida Marlins stadium. 

Guest:
Mayor Manuel A. Diaz, City of Miami

ISSUE TWO: Florida’s Education Quality 10th Best?
Respected publication Education Week released their annual rankings on Wednesday, placing Florida as the 10th best in the country in education quality.  How did the state place so high when public perception of our state's education is so low?

Guest:
Louie Rodriguez, Ed.D., Florida International University

ISSUE THREE: Lawmakers Tackle the Economic Crisis
The Florida legislature began a special session to balance their budget on Monday--amidst growing concern both at the state and national level of the strength of our economy.  We discuss how lawmakers are dealing with the fiscal emergency.

Guests:
Sean Foreman, Ph.D., Barry University
Manuel Lasaga, Ph.D., Strategic Information Analysis

This Week on Issues - 12/05 & 12/07

Friday, December 5 @ 7:30 PM
Sunday, December 7 @ 12:30 PM

ISSUE ONE: Miami-Dade Property Appraiser Run-off Election
Early voting for Miami-Dade County's property appraiser began this week.  The two candidates of this special election join us to discuss what it means to assess property values.

Guests:
Pedro J. Garcia, Candidate for Miami-Dade County Property Appraiser
Gwen Margolis, Candidate for Miami-Dade County Property Appraiser 

ISSUE TWO: Final Ruling on Marlins Stadium Lawsuit
The final count pending in the Florida Marlins lawsuit by philanthropist Norman Braman was cleared recently, allowing the baseball team to continue plans to build a new stadium.  Miami Today’s Michael Lewis shares his math as to why the investment might not add up.

Guest:
Michael Lewis, Miami Today

ISSUE THREE: Sen. Martinez Drops Out of Race
Senator Mel Martinez announced this week that he will not seek re-election, stirring up rumors from both parties as to who could run for his seat in 2010.  Will it be a Jeb Bush versus Alex Sink match-up?

Guest:
Anthony Man, SunSentinel

Florida Marlins Stadium Poll

A viewer emailed us earlier today suggesting we place a poll on our website in regards to the Florida Marlins stadium discussion.  Two weeks ago we featured an interview with Norman Braman who is challenging the stadium and the Miami Mega-Plan.  Last week we interviewed Florida Marlins' team president David Samson supporting the stadium.

In addition to being able to post your comments underneath each blog entry, you can now also vote.

Online Surveys & Market Research

For those of you unfamiliar with the project, the Miami Mega-Plan is a major works project that aims to do the following:  build a new baseball stadium for the Florida Marlins, build an underground tunnel to the Port of Miami for easier truck access, build a light-rail streetcar, and create a museum park at Bicentennial.

We've been following the Mega-Plan on Issues for some time. If you’re interested in seeing some of our older segments on this topic, check out the links below.  This information, along with segment descriptions, is available on our Previous Episodes page.

ISSUES - Downtown Miami’s “Mega-Plan”
AIRDATE: January 4, 2008

ISSUES - Should We Finance a Stadium for the Florida Marlins?
AIRDATE: February 29, 2008

ISSUES - Challenging the Florida Marlins Stadium
AIRDATE: April 25, 2008

ISSUES - One-on-One with Miami Dade County Mayor Carlos Alvarez
AIRDATE: May 2, 2008

ISSUES - Interview with City of Miami Mayor Manny Diaz
AIRDATE: June 27, 2008

uVu - Downtown Bay Forum: Mega Plan? Or Mega Scam?
DATE: July 30, 2008

ISSUES - Judge Rules in Favor of Florida Marlins Stadium
AIRDATE: September 12, 2008

ISSUES - One-on-One Interview with Norman Braman
AIRDATE: September 26, 2008

ISSUES - Interview with Florida Marlins Team President David Samson
AIRDATE: October 3, 2008

Florida Marlins Stadium

On this week's program we referenced an interview conducted last week with philanthropist and auto dealer Norman Braman.  To watch this segment, click here. 

To watch the segment with Florida Marlins' David Samson, click here.

This Week on Issues 10/03 & 10/05

Friday, October 3 @ 7:30 PM
Sunday, October 5 @ 12:30 PM

ISSUE ONE: Interview with Florida Marlins Team President David Samson
On last week’s program, auto magnate Norman Braman questioned the process used to approve a baseball stadium for the Florida Marlins.  David Samson joins us this week to offer a different perspective and to defend a judge’s earlier ruling in favor of the team and local government.

Guest:
David Samson, Florida Marlins

ISSUE TWO: Vice Presidential and Presidential Debates
We gathered a panel to discuss Thursday night's highly anticipated vice presidential debate and last week's first presidential debate.  Were there any winners and will independent and undecided voters be swayed?

Guests:
Sean Foreman, Ph.D., Barry University
Luis Lauredo, Obama for America
Marcelo Llorente, John McCain 2008
Robert Watson, Ph.D., Lynn University

Thursday Sneak Peek

Tomorrow we will premiere a new open and accompanying graphics for the first installation of our October election coverage, Issues: Florida Decision 2008.  We’ll review tonight’s vice presidential debate and last week’s presidential debate. 

Also on tomorrow’s program, Florida Marlins team president David Samson will join us to discuss why the baseball team should get a new stadium.

Additional Materials - Norman Braman Interview

On this week’s program, guest Norman Braman holds up a check he says demonstrates the “shell game” used between the City of Miami and Miami-Dade County to build the Florida Marlins stadium.  To view the check and its accompanying letter in PDF format, click here and here.

During his interview, Braman also references an article in the Miami Herald about bringing casino gaming to downtown Miami and Miami Beach.  To read the article, click here.

This Week on Issues - 09/26 & 09/28

Friday, September 26 @ 7:30 PM
Sunday, September 28 @ 12:30 PM

ISSUE ONE: Suspension of a Presidential Campaign?
The presidential race slowed down this week as lawmakers headed for Washington in an attempt to craft a rescue plan for Wall Street.  On Wednesday, Republican presidential nominee John McCain called for a suspension of his campaign and of the presidential debates.  How political has our economic crisis become? 

Guest:
Sean Foreman, Ph.D., Barry University

ISSUE TWO: One-on-One Interview with Norman Braman
Philanthropist and auto magnate Norman Braman sued local government over the way it managed a deal to build a new baseball stadium for the Florida Marlins.  He joins us on the program to discuss his future legal plans and defends his assertion that Community Redevelopment money is inappropriately being used to fund the stadium.

Guest:
Norman Braman, Braman Management Association

ISSUE THREE: State of the National Economy
The financial crisis can be felt in many areas outside of the business sector.  How is the economic meltdown affecting Florida residents day-to-day?

Guests:
Lloyd Mitchell, St. Thomas University
Stephen Morrell, Ph.D., Barry University

This Week on Issues - 09/12 & 09/14

Friday, September 12 @ 7:30 PM
Sunday, September 14 @ 12:30 PM

ISSUE ONE: New School Superintendent for Miami-Dade
Weeks of tension came to a resolve on Wednesday when the Miami-Dade school board settled with Superintendent Rudy Crew to buy out the remainder of his contract.  Was it policy or personality that led to Crew’s ouster? 

Guest:
Joy Reid, South Florida Times

ISSUE TWO: Judge Rules in Favor of Florida Marlins Stadium
Earlier this week, a judge sided with the Florida Marlins and Miami-Dade government by ruling the new stadium plans serve the public good.  We discuss the hearing and what the county still needs to do to proceed with the project.

Guest:
Charles Rabin, The Miami Herald

ISSUE THREE: Politics Influencing Hurricane Aid?
While most would agree that disaster relief is desperately needed in hard-hit countries such as Cuba and Haiti, Cuba's current political situation creates a challenge.  Should we lift the restrictions on remittances to Cuba temporarily for 90 days in the wake of Hurricane Ike?

Guests:
Jose Azel, Ph.D., University of Miami
Ralph De La Cruz, SunSentinel