Normally this is the kind of thing I’d probably post on the premium feed for our Patreon subscribers (Patreon.com/Frotcast) but this interview seems, dare I say it… too important for that? Understanding what happened in 2000 in Florida, and specifically in Miami, and how it got us to where we are today seems like required viewing going into this election. That’s the subject of ‘537 Votes,’ the new documentary on HBO from director Billy Corben and his producing partner Alfred Spellman, whose films — Screwball, the Cocaine Cowboys movies, The U, Magic City Hustle… have largely all advanced the thesis that Florida and specifically Miami is a cautionary tale for the rest of America, culminating in their latest movie. In this chat, I pick their brains about why that is, how it came to be, and how they became the documentarian answer to Carl Hiaasen — making “Florida F*ckery” a genre all its own.

You can also read my profile of Billy and Alfred on Uproxx. Enjoy it and go vote even if it seems kinda pointless. 2000 was my first election and I voted even though it seemed kinda pointless then too but imagine how different things might be had it worked out a little differently.