Local newspaper: The Miami Herald
1: The Keys are reopening and you’re
planning a visit. Here’s what you can and can’t do.
https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/florida-keys/article243027931.html
For
over two months, the Florida Keys have been closed to tourists, meaning only
residents can get in and out. This article details all the new regulations and rules
that tourists and residents must follow, including 50% capacity in motels and
hotels, the requirement of face masks in public, the continued closure of bars,
and more.
The
problem outlined in this story is the adaptation that visitors of the Keys must
experience. There are many new rules, and it can be difficult to navigate them
all at this time, considering the changes people have seen in their own hometowns,
as well. People must get used to less capacity in places of service, the continued
suspension of several tourist attractions, and more.
The
main group of people that will be experiencing this problem are tourists.
Not being familiar with the area, they will probably need to form of
transitional aid.
2: Audio glitches, lousy WiFi,
shirtless guests: Miami Zoom court expands despite limitations
https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/crime/article242820901.html
Miami
lawyers are now dealing with the issues that come with holding court
proceedings over Zoom. Problems include technical difficulties, the possibility
of the lack of adequate representation for defendants, maintaining integrity
(not being coached off screen, looking at notes, etc.) for witnesses, and more.
With the backlog of cases ever-growing, justice online continues to be a larger
and larger topic.
The
problem that is being faced in story is the lack of efficient and quick
law-enforcement over Zoom. One lawyer, in particular, was not even included in
a Zoom call the someone had assumed he was already a part of. To make matters
worse, his client was testifying.
Lawyers in Miami are the group experiencing this issue. Similar to
tourists going to the Keys, a transitional aid would benefit those trying to
hold court proceedings online.
3: Miami springs police nab porch
pirate accused of stealing Etsy necklace, pair of Crocs
https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/crime/article243081316.html
This story simply details the events of a man, named Ariel
Torres-Martinez, stealing someone’s packages from the front of their house. He
stole a necklace from Etsy and a pair of Crocs that the victim had ordered.
Eventually, Torres-Martinez was caught by police after he hid in the Clarion
Hotel.
The problem faced here is the lack of protection over packages
received at people’s houses. Right now, it is far too easy to go up to someone’s
porch and take any packages set there. There is no system of security for this,
except for cameras which, by then, don’t do anything to stop anyone. By the
time the victim sees someone stealing their packages on the camera, it is too
late.
The people experiencing this issue are Miami residents, A.K.A.
those who order packages in South Florida.
4: The school year wraps up Wednesday
in Miami. Do students need a grading curve?
https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/education/article242910036.html
Executives
in Miami are currently struggling with how to go about grading for students during
the COVID-19 pandemic. Generally, the story goes over how grading policy will
be reviewed, how anything other than giving grades will not be considered, and
how many have expressed complaints about minimum of three hours of interaction
between teachers and students.
The
problem here is about how decision makers in Miami must figure out their plan on
schooling for the ending of the school year. Students, parents, and teachers alike
have raised stress levels about grading, a possibly curve, and more.
Those
experiencing this issue are Miami’s district officials. They are faced with
loads of people in distress, and must come up with an efficient and quick
solution in a short amount of time.
5: Miami will ask voters: Should
airport screen all travelers for COVID-19 symptoms?
https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article243060736.html
Miami
commissioners are pushing for all arriving people in the Miami International
Airport to be screened for COVID-19. However, the mayor of Miami-Dade, Carlos
Gimenez, argues that Miami-Dade County does not have the authority to do
health-screenings; that only the CDC can conduct them, and only for certain
travelers. Furthermore, when discovering that commissioners wanted to put a
question asking if the voter would support these health screenings on the
ballot for the August primary, Gimenez believed that they were wasting the $120,000
of taxpayer money needed to do so.
The
problem here is the conflict between Miami’s commissioners and the mayor of
Miami-Dade. Both working for the same cause (ending the COVID-19 pandemic), they
disagree on the legality and logistics of the situation, with the commissioners
wanting to exercise federal action and the mayor refusing to do so. While the
Miami-Dade mayor has control over the Miami-Dade County Aviation Department, the
city of Miami’s mayor and commissioners do not.
Those
experiencing this problem are the city of Miami’s mayor/commissioners and
the mayor of Miami-Dade. They are struggling with issues of purview and
jurisdiction.
You have done a wonderful job covering local events in the Miami area, which was something that I found difficult to do. After reading through all of your topics, I agree that these are, indeed, viable opportunities to address. I have also noticed, and greatly admire, how you chose to highlight issues from a variety of facets ranging from issues distressing grade-school students to Covid-19 restrictions on local areas which could effect tourism. To add constructive feedback, I would suggest expanding more on the scope of “who is has the problem.” I may be wrong when assuming that due to your focus on Miami, perhaps you are a Miami native. However, if so, then I think, as a Miami native, you would have very keen insight into how expansive the affected group of people is, and perhaps you yourself have been affected somehow. This is only a suggestion though, because I have found it rather helpful in generating new ideas when I have connected my own life to an issue.
ReplyDeleteHi Sophia,
ReplyDeleteYou covered some great local topics in Miami. I especially found the grading curve topic interesting, considering how COVID-19 has negatively affected the learning environment for many students. When it comes to screening at airports, I think this is very important. Ideally, people should limit any travel as much as possible for at least a year to be safe, so it's definitely concerning that people will be in and out of the country. You did a great job on this assignment, well done!
Hey,
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting to read about local issues from other parts of Florida. I have heard that stealing packages has become a major issue in more than a few neighborhoods especially now that people purchase from Amazon so much. I wonder how much the pandemic has affected the rate that packages are stolen at. I would think that more packages are being delivered but more people are home to collect the packages on arrival.
Hi Sophia,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your post! I'm pretty far from Miami, and it was interesting to read about some of the current events down there. The article about Zoom court was pretty amusing to me, but I'm sure it's irritating for the people who's daily job it affects. It was definitely eye opening to see how the coronavirus is affecting other parts of the state, and to be able to compare it to my own local news. Stay safe and healthy!
Hi Sophia! Great job identifying some opportunities in the Miami area at this time. With businesses beginning to open back up and and so much uncertainty looming around that, there are certainly many opportunities for improvement and clarity. I found the article about the Keys particularly interesting having lived there before starting college. Opening back up will be a huge step for the people and businesses located in the Florida Keys and doing it right is a priority for many. Like you mentioned, tourists are not very familiar with the keys when it comes to the new regulations being implemented. Perhaps, the solution is to somehow make new regulations more clear and well-known to the weekend and summer-long tourists so they they don't run in to any trouble.
ReplyDelete