Why Are We Like This?

The WAWLT boys catch up ahead of the holiday and discuss the ongoing controversy surrounding Miami City Attorney Victoria Mendez, who faces the chopping block on January 11th for her and her husband's rampant, blatant, predatory corruption.

Don't worry, of COURSE we talked about Christian and Bridgette Zielger's recent throuple issues and the sexual assault charges they are facing, as well as what it means for the Florida GOP and Moms For Liberty.

Plus: Movie and TV recommendations!

We talked with Adrian Madriz of Struggle for Miami's Affordable and Sustainable Housing Incorporated (SMASH Miami) about their new campaign to overhaul the unfair and predatory practices of Homeowners Associations and insurance companies in Florida.

Be sure to sign their petition and learn more by visiting SMASH Miami.

Afterwards, the boys get into a pair of recent crypto-focused newly released books, Zeke Faux's "Number Go Up" and Michael Lewis' "Going Infinite". We also talk about whether a Joe Manchin presidential campaign would have any actual, uh, support.

Things keep getting spooookier here in Florida, as all the worst people continue moving here for all the wrong reasons. We took a deep-dive into the forces behind the Great MAGA Migration to the Sunshine State and how Florida became the homing beacon for transplants who have irrevocably changed our cultural and political landscape.

We've got a two-pack of WAWLT topics today.

First, we talked with Hernan Reyes, a public opinion analyst based in Buenos Aires, about the ascendance of political figure Javier Milei, Argentina's very own Donald Trump, a Libertarian radical running as an outsider promising change, including an economic policy that would pin the Argentine peso to the U.S. dollar.

Then (33:35) we talked with Lawrence Mower, a reporter covering the capitol for the Tampa Bay Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau, about his recent coverage of the ongoing Florida property insurance crisis. You can read his work here and follow him on Twitter @lmower3.

This week, we focus on a name that not many folks know outside of the hyper-targeted world of lobbyists, consultants, pollsters, and special interest groups in Florida. Florida Politics at first blush looks like a finely tuned news-gathering machine, stepping in to provide deep, often well-reported coverage of the political landscape here during a time of retracting local news operations and outright news deserts. The website has grown from a simple blog to a full-service outlet and platform that doesn't do huge numbers, but has captured the right kinds of eyeballs to be relevant.

But a recent investigative report by NPR and Floodlight uncovered what's been called the "worst secret in Florida politics," that the outlet will run positive coverage for your candidate or cause if you write a nice, fat check.

We spoke with Floodlight's director of investigations, Miranda Green, as well as former State Senate candidate Eunic Epstein-Ortiz, who has direct experience dealing with the site and its publisher, Peter Schorsch.

Saddest four words in podcasting: It's just the boys!

We've got a lot to say about Florida Man Matt Gaetz's inevitable path to Florida governor, the current governor's qualities that would make him an awful Speaker of the House, and our favorite topic: Miami Mayor Frances Suarez, who's out with a fresh pair of scandals.

We also play a quick round of Canadian Wildfire Smoke Or Toxic Sugar Waste, the crazed conspiracy game sensation that we hope will be sweeping the state like carcinogenic particulate.

Finally, we get into the folly of hoping that simply voting for Democrats will patch the problems plaguing this state. We don't want to be negative... No really, we don't... It's just...

To celebrate a year of WAWLT, we welcomed back three-time returning guest Billy Corben to talk about the recent arrest of Miami City Commissioner Alex Diaz de la Portilla and to help tell the inside story behind our own Thomas Kennedy's ethics complaint against Miami Mayor Francis Suarez.

We also talked about New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez's contention that doing crimes and stashing gold bullion is just Cuban intergenerational trauma.

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It's Thomas' last podcast recorded from Florida as he makes his way up north, but rest assured, we will still discuss "Florida fuckery."

We empty the ol' Ron DeSantis notebook, catching up with our least favorite soon-to-be also-ran in the GOP presidential primary and his very funny failures in recent weeks.

We also discussed Proud Boys leader and local Miami boy-made-bad Enrique Tarrio, and how much of his 22-year federal prison sentence he'll actually end up serving. Tarrio is a useful entry point into our larger conversation about the degrading humanity and compassion of the actual people of Florida. Nazis in Altamonte Springs, Laura Loomer getting hatecrimed, Proud Boys, Mean Girls for Liberty, and much, much more.

About the Intro: Jacksonville was once known as "Stinky City" because of two paper mills that befouled the entire town. The documentary "The Smell of Money" was an expose of how commercial and business interests made the city so smelly, and how it eventually cleaned up its act.

In the episode: We talked with journalist Craig Pittman (@craigtimes) about his recent coverage of the Manatee County Commission's apparent takeover by realtors, developers, and folks whose environmental agendas aren't aligned with the best interests of the environment.

We also widened our lens statewide to discuss Florida's disastrous recent record stripping municipal environmental regulations and how it negatively impacts our lives.

Also... radioactive cancer freeways!

You can learn more about Craig Pittman and buy his books at craigpittman.com.

We welcome back Jordan Zakarin (@jordanzakarin) from More Perfect Union to discuss the difficult-to-watch uncanniness of the GOP debate on... Fox? Rumble maybe? Come for DeSantis campaign deathwatch and stay for our exploration of Eric Adams and Frances Suarez, two of America's weirdest and slimiest mayors.