INSURANCE, REPAIRS and high costs are just some reasons being given for a downward trend in home values in South Florida of late, but out guest KEN JOHNSON crunches numbers across the nation and his conclusions are -- different. 

If you have to pay for a roof over your head -- buy, sell, or rent --- it's a show you don't want to miss. 

Ken Johnson is the creator of a widely-known index that helps buyers and sellers understand the value of their homes compared to general market trends -- and he shares his decades of insight. 

After years in South Florida, he is now the Christie Kirkland Walker Chair of Real Estate and Professor of Finance at the University of Mississippi School of Business Administration.

LINKS MENTIONED ON SHOW from  the Beracha and Johnson Real Estate Initiative

HOME PRICES

https://therealestateinitiative.com/housing-top-100/ 

BUY VS RENT 

https://therealestateinitiative.com/price-to-rent-ratios/#about-rankings 

 RENTS

https://www.ares.org/page/waller-weeks-johnson-rental-index 

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THE 2026 MIDTERMS ARE A LONG WAY OFF, but two Democrats are already vying to take on incumbent Maria Elvira Salazar. Sensing growing disapproval with President Trump on topics like immigration and the economy, businessman Richard Lamondin announced a bid earlier this year. He will face former Key Biscayne Mayor Mike Davey in August. We ask him about his background, the main issues, and how he expects to be viable in a district that has shifted to the GOP. 

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President Donald Trump wants to zero out funding to public radio and TV, cuts that would affect the programming you hear and see in South Florida. Measures in Congress would also cut funds for WLRN and WPBT, the stations that provide unique local news and entertainment programming, as well as bringing NPR and PBS programs free of charge to you. 

Our guest is Sergio Bustos, the vice president of news for WLRN, whose department creates strong local reporting in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach Counties. 

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ERIC LANG stepped down as Key Biscyane's fire chief recently, wrapping up three decades of service on the barrier island. A founder of the department, he's helped respond to tragedies large and small. We talk to him about his decision, and the safety issues he think the island faces now and in the future. 

And we also discuss the new plan from Commissioner Raquel Regalado for the Rickenbacker Causeway. It drew big applause, but faces many obstacles. 

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NOT EVERY TOWN of 15,000 can boast a homegrown player who's now a teammate of Lionel Messi. But Key Biscayne can. 

Our guest is Marcelo Radice, who's worked to build the island's soccer programs for both boys and girls. We ask him about how the program has grown, and the exciting goal of being connected to Major League Soccer. 

Jan and Tony also talk about some of the biggest local news headlines ranging from e-bikes to condos. 

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DAVID JOLLY is a former Republican Congressman from the Tampa Bay area  who is looking at the Florida Governor's mansion -- and in our podcast, says he's planning a run as Democrat. Can he successfully find a winning lane as a political moderate in highly polarized state ? His answers might surprise you. 

In our second segment, we talk about fluoridation and Immigration issues that  have divided officials in South Florida. 

With Special Guest host Thom Mozloom -- so brace yourselves. 

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EARLIER THIS YEAR, some of Miami's best-known charities agreed that local news in our community is in deep trouble. They joined a national program, PRESS FORWARD, to help make sure local news coverage in Dade, Broward, and Monroe counties survives. 

Our guest, is NIKISHA WILLIAMS of the Miami Foundation, who talks about why donors are stepping forward, and what the initiative hopes to achieve, and how the community can shape news coverage by taking a reader survey 

Click HERE to take the survey

If you believe local news matters, listen and take the survey! 

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SUNSHINE WEEK celebrates both press freedoms and the ability to get public records and know what's going on in your government. Our first guest is STEVE HERMAN, off the air after the Trump administration shuttered Voice of America. We talk about how listeners around the world have lost a key news source. 

Closer to home, we speak with Bobby Block, head of the Florida First Amendment Foundation about some legislation that could erase even knowing where your lawmakers live - and how you can support nonpartisan efforts to keep information open and public. 

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A FULL BLOWN TRADE WAR is now raging, after Donald Trump started slapping tariffs on goods from Canada, Mexico, China, and now, most of Europe. But what is his theory, and does it have any economic history? 

OUR GUEST is a JAMES FEIGENBAUM, a professor of economics who formerly worked for the Federal Reserve Bank, who says the president is following a centuries old script -- that most countries abandoned a long time ago. 

We also talk about another area -- the impact of illegal immigration on the economy, which Feigenbaum has researched and written about. 

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NO ONE KNOWS how deep the cuts are, but forecasters at America's weather agency, NOAA, say the quality of forecasts could be jeopardized with layoffs of scientists and other employees. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has a wide research mission that Floridians depend on for hurricanes and research into climate change and sea level rise. 

Our guest is JAMES FRANKLIN, a veteran scientist who has flown dozens of missions into the eyes of hurricanes. 

We ask him what's at stake. 

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