Podcast Summary

The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
Episode: #BecauseMiami: Death of a Dynasty
Air Date: December 12, 2025

Episode Overview

Broadcast from the Elser Hotel in Downtown Miami, this episode of #BecauseMiami dives deep into the sweeping political changes in Miami's local government, the downfall of longstanding dynasties, contentious city legal battles, and exposes state-level corruption. The show balances sharp commentary, investigative journalism, and humor as Dan Le Batard, Stugotz, and their panel decode the most pressing issues impacting Miami and Florida.

1. Miami Political Upheaval: The End of Dynasties

[03:36 – 09:00]

• The Carrillo political dynasty in District 3 ends as Rolando Escalano, general manager at Sexy Fish and recent Cuban immigrant, defeats Frank Carrillo.

• No more prominent legacy names in City Hall: “No Suarez, no Carollo, no Diaz, La Portilla, no He had a Buta. None of these legacy names anymore.” [03:36]

• Miami elects its first female mayor, Eileen Higgins, who also becomes the first Democrat in 28 years to win, defeating Trump-endorsed Emilio Gonzalez, 59% to 41%.

• The panel reflects on the significance:

  “Our job here in a democracy… is to hold people accountable. That's it. We're not here to make friends. We're here to make sure that we elect decent people and we make sure that they do what they promise to do and help more people than they harm. And that's certainly not been the case for the last eight years in the city of Miami.” [05:00, Host Billy]

• National press coverage hypes the win as a Democratic comeback and a blow to Trump’s influence, but the hosts question this narrative, noting Miami politics aren’t representative of broader Florida trends.

• Notably, Higgins’ move from county to city actually flipped the county commission red, making the overall impact more nuanced.

2. The Symbolic Power — and Limitations — of Miami’s Mayor

[06:35 – 07:50]

• The role of Miami’s mayor is described as largely ceremonial — “a mascot sitting in the head coach's office with his feet on the table.” [07:07]
• The real power is hiring the city manager. Art Noriega, seen as emblematic of the "Miami Mafia," is expected to be ousted.
• The “Miami Mafia” operates on mutually assured destruction; political players protect each other to preserve power.

3. Local Races as Proxy Battles: Miami Beach

[09:20 – 12:45]

• Monica Matteo Salinas wins a landslide in Miami Beach’s runoff election, defeating Monique Pardo Pope (71% to 29%).
• Monique’s controversial background (corrupt, neo-Nazi cop father, allegations of concealment) surfaces on the podcast and in campaign mudslinging.

  “[Local politics] is just green. They are there for their money and their power, and they will do anything to preserve that, including protecting each other with mutually assured destruction.” [12:06, Billy]

• Despite formal nonpartisan races, hard party affiliations are made explicit, with Democratic candidates outperforming even increased Republican turnout.

4. Toxicity of Partisan Politics in Local Government

[12:19 – 13:20]

• The hosts bemoan the infection of local races by national partisan politics, which distracts from “bread and butter” municipal concerns like potholes, traffic, and affordability.
• Key insight:

  “In Miami Dade county, there's no red and blue. It's just green.” [11:40]

• Congratulations extended to Higgins, Escalano, and Salinas for their historic wins.

5. Major Lawsuits & Malfeasance in Miami City Government

[15:51 – 17:57]

• The new administration inherits a legacy of controversy:
  • $114 million parking tax litigation.
  • $76 million suit over building permit fee overcharges.
  • Ball & Chain lawsuit: city accused of weaponizing government against businesses and violating the First Amendment.
• Newest headline: homeowners Chad and Stephanie Troush, represented by the Institute for Justice (IJ), sue Miami for an alleged "extortion scheme" — the city demanded half their front yard in exchange for a building permit.

6. Interview: Chad & Stephanie Troush, and Saranjan Sen (Institute for Justice)

[17:59 – 31:13]

Background of the Case

• The Troushes moved from New York to Buena Vista East in 2021, looking to expand their house for a growing family.
• The city conditioned their permit on surrendering 100 sq. feet of their property (half their front yard) without justification.

  “The city said, oh, you have to give us about half of your front yard to get that permit for your addition in the back.” [18:23, Chad Troush]

• After months of “permit purgatory” and family hardship (Stephanie living out of state with their baby), the city dropped its demand only when IJ formally entered the case.

Wider Pattern Exposed

• IJ’s Saranjan Sen explains this is not an isolated case:
  • “Miami has been enforcing what I would call, frankly, an extortion racket across the entire city.” [22:30]
  • At least 66 streets and 1,000+ Miami homes and businesses have been, or could be, forced to give up private land for permits.
  • The scheme exploits homeowners seeking permits (“for anything,” from bathrooms to swimming pools) to expand public right-of-way—without compensation.

  “One of the conditions they will attach to that permit is that you cede the land…[based on] the difference between the current public right of way and your building setback line.” [24:16]

Emotional/Moral Costs

• The Troushes shared significant emotional and financial burden:

  “We were supposed to have a home for our family... and things have been falling apart.” [28:41, Stephanie]

  • Most lawyers turned them away, fearing conflict with the city.

Call to Action

• IJ is seeking other affected homeowners through their site: ij.org

7. State-Level Corruption: The Hope Florida Medicaid Scandal

[33:40 – 46:04]

• Prosecutors are investigating a massive illegal transfer of $10 million in Medicaid settlement money through nonprofits to a political action committee (PAC) fighting recreational marijuana legalization.
• The funnel allegedly involved Casey DeSantis (First Lady of Florida), former DeSantis chief of staff and current Attorney General James Uthmeyer, and crony-run charities.
• Rep. Alex Andrade (R), who led the legislative investigation, asserts:

  “We have… information that tends to show that our attorney general committed money laundering and wire fraud.” [33:50, Andrade]
  “James Uthmeyer defrauded the state out of millions of dollars so he could spend Medicaid money buying political ads.” [45:13, Andrade]

Key Evidence

• $67M Medicaid fraud settlement: $10M redirected to nonprofits, not repaid to the feds as Medicaid money until scrutinized.
• Audacious timeline: Money routed through Florida’s First Lady’s charity. New nonprofit directors hired on the day of transfer. Within a week, $10M is split into two $5M grants and plowed into political advertising.
• Charities had never handled sums even close to this before.

  “A charity that had only raised $2 million… Within a matter of a week… sent two $5 million grants without board votes.” [43:10, Andrade]

On Investigative Motives

• Accusations that the inquiry is partisan are dismissed:

  “In the real world, if anyone defrauds a charity or the state of Florida or Medicaid out of millions of dollars, they go to prison.” [45:13, Andrade]

8. Florida’s Broken Sunshine Laws

[46:04 – 51:53]

• Andrade is also championing reforms to “put teeth back” into Florida’s transparency and public records laws (Sunshine Laws), which state and local governments routinely subvert by stonewalling, exorbitant fees, or ignoring requests altogether.

  “Public records, they're not an asset of any public entity. They're an asset of the people. You and I, we deserve… we are the ones that pay for them.” [48:30, Andrade]

• Le Batard and Andrade bond over the frustration of fighting for transparency:

  “You can't leak a public record. You could release a public record, but public records don't leak. We are supposed to have them.” [50:50, Billy]

9. Coda: Absurd, Poignant & Miami Moments

[52:11 – end]

• The episode ends as it began, reflecting on the Carrillo dynasty’s demise, Miami’s shifting landscape, and the cyclical drama of Miami politics.
• Memorable moment: Billy relives a heated exchange with Joe Carollo after a commission meeting, underscoring Carollo’s First Amendment hostility.
  • “It’s a press conference, Joe. It’s a public building... You can't weaponize government to arrest the press.” [53:31-53:51, Billy]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Miami’s shifting politics:
  “The Miami mayor doesn’t have a lot of responsibilities. They're effectively a mascot sitting in the head coach's office with his feet on the table, you know, or her feet on the table.” [07:07]

• On the local corruption suit:
  “Miami has been enforcing what I would call, frankly, an extortion racket across the entire city.” [22:30, Saranjan Sen]

• On Hope Florida scandal:
  “We have at this point information that tends to show that our attorney general committed money laundering and wire fraud.” [33:50, Andrade]

• On the challenges of public record access:
  “Public records… are an asset of the people. These are the public's records. You and I, we… pay for them. We should have access to them.” [48:30, Andrade]
  “You can't leak a public record… public records don't leak. We are supposed to have them.” [50:50, Billy]

• On enduring Miami politics:
  “New day, same Miami.” [15:51]

Segment Timestamps

• [03:36] – Miami political dynasty collapse & new leadership
• [07:07] – Symbolic powers of the mayor
• [09:20] – Miami Beach commission race and toxic partisanship
• [15:51] – Lawsuits & city malfeasance
• [17:59] – Institute for Justice and Troush family interview
• [33:40] – Hope Florida Medicaid scandal with Rep. Andrade
• [46:04] – Florida Sunshine Laws reform
• [52:11] – Epilogue, Carollo public confrontation, final reflections

Summary Takeaway

This episode captures a moment of extraordinary political and civic transition in Miami: the fall of powerful families, historic electoral milestones, and the persistent rot of municipal and state-level corruption. The panel pulls no punches, favoring candor and civic accountability over hometown loyalty or party spin, wrapping Miami’s chaos in a package of dark humor, outrage, and optimism for a new chapter.

Listeners will come away informed on the deeper context behind the headlines, the stakes for Miami's future, and the very real, human costs of government malfeasance at every level.