Podcast Summary

The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz

Episode: #BecauseMiami: Sabado Night at the Cockfight
Date: October 17, 2025
Hosts: Dan Le Batard, Stugotz

Episode Overview

Broadcasting from The Elser Hotel in Downtown Miami, Dan Le Batard, Stugotz, and the "Because Miami" crew take a deep dive into the unending spectacle of South Florida politics, focusing on the chaotic Miami mayoral debates, the ongoing scandal and corruption in Miami Beach, and the broader, systemic dysfunction that has come to define Miami's political culture. With a mix of satire, biting commentary, and local insights, the episode covers recent scandals involving public officials, the oddball cast of candidates for the Miami mayor's race, and a look at uniquely Miami stories that highlight both the city's farce and its enduring challenges.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Miami Beach Mayor Steven Minor Scandal

[05:00 - 13:00]

• Allegations & Resignation:
  • Miami Beach Mayor Steven Minor is under investigation for unwanted sexual advances towards coworkers, including interns and attorneys during his career at the SEC.
  • Notable satirical song and roast about Minor’s behavior and uncomfortable presence as mayor.
  • Minor continues to deny the allegations and positions them as politically motivated or antisemitic.
  • Minor left his SEC post amid an HR probe—his resignation form was fully redacted.
  • “Turns out, according to former colleagues, Minor wasn’t just enforcing securities law, he was forcing himself on young ladies in the office.” [12:30]
• Community Outrage:
  • General disgust and disbelief that such a figure is running for re-election even as absentee ballots go out.
  • “He’s a lecherous sex fiend lurking around the office – I’m very hands on. ‘Allegedly.’ And we made him the mayor of Miami Beach.” [05:30]

2. The Clown Car: Miami Mayoral Race & The ‘Cockfight’ Debate

[13:00 - 44:00]

• 13 Candidates Vying for Miami Mayor:

  • “It’s not just Miami Beach—election day looms for the City of Miami, where 13 candidates, including legacies, ex-commissioners, and politicians with checkered pasts, are running to replace the term-limited Francis Suarez.”
  • Miami politics compared to “a third world election… outright cockfights.” [15:00]

• Debate Highlights & Notorious Personalities:

  • Ken Russell, former city commissioner, is routinely attacked by heavyweights Alex Diaz de la Portilla (DLP) and Joe Carollo.
  • DLP had been removed from office on bribery and money laundering charges (later exonerated)—yet commands the debate stage.
  • Legacy politics: Xavier Suarez (Francis Suarez’s father) returns for another run, sparking talk of “dynastic” politics.
  • “[Ken Russell:] ‘I left early, but I didn’t leave in handcuffs like you did.’” [21:45]
  • “[Ken Russell:] ‘Every time someone mentions corruption, he gets a rebuttal.’” [22:10]

• Accusations on Stage:

  • Debate devolves into mutual finger-pointing about absentee ballot fraud, “pay-to-play,” and “cultural corruption.”
  • Russell: “We don’t recycle our garbage in Miami, we re-elect it—and generationally too.” [28:20]
  • DLP rejects the “dynasty” label, “That’s not a dynasty. That’s an election. That’s democracy. That’s what’s beautiful about it.” [29:15]
  • “[Suarez:] I’m not sure what you’d call a situation where a son leaves office, then his father runs for the same seat… inverse dynasty?” [29:35]
  • Joe Carollo attacked for city-funded legal bills topping $20 million.

• Narrative of Dysfunction:

  • “We are the self-licking ice cream cone for the legal community in Miami.” [31:57]
  • Emilio Gonzalez: “Travel the world, they look at you and say, ‘you live in Miami?’… There is a reputational cost to this dysfunction.” [32:20]

3. Throwback & Miami’s Enduring Political Dark Comedy

[44:00 - 56:00]

• Historical Perspective – Steve Kroft/60 Minutes 1998:

  • Intercutting debate soundbites with vintage pieces about Miami’s constant stream of criminal indictments and citywide corruption.
  • 1997 election reversed over widespread absentee ballot fraud—dead people voting, felons voting, ballots forged.
  • Joe Carollo ended up mayor after courts threw out fraudulent ballots.
  • Joe Carollo’s incoherence during debates compared to “carting Muhammad Ali out… one of the saddest days in the history of professional sports.”
  • “[On Carollo:] ‘His wife must have brought a defibrillator on stage, because he was comatose for much of the evening.’” [36:40]

• Humberto Hernandez—Perpetual Indictment:

  • “What happened in 1997… absentee ballot fraud, dead people voted in every election since their death in Miami.”
  • “Only in Miami do you have candidates… who were mayor 40 years ago saying shit like this.” [40:15]

4. Real Estate, the Trump Library, and Public Assets

[56:00 – 01:03:00]

• Trump Presidential Library Proposal:
  • Debate about gifting public college property (valued at $350 million) to a Trump casino/hotel/library project.
  • A new poll: 74% of Miami-Dade County respondents want the land to remain with Miami Dade College; only 14% favor the giveaway.
  • “None of this feels legal… everything in Miami is a real estate hustle.” [59:20]
  • Hosts note the irony of the proposed Trump Library being next to the Freedom Tower, Miami’s “Ellis Island.”

5. Corruption Update: Hope Florida Nonprofit Scandal

[01:03:00 – 01:09:30]

• Money Laundering & Political Dark Money:
  • Legislators allege Florida’s Attorney General James Uthmeyer funneled $10 million of Medicaid settlement money through “charities” into political PACs.
  • Funds, funneled quickly to defeat a 2024 recreational weed amendment, are now subject to a secret grand jury investigation.
  • “You’d hope the attorney general would be able to cover up his criming a little bit more efficiently.” [01:07:10]

6. Media and Reboots: Pop Culture Sidebar

[51:00 – 56:00]

• “Chad Powers,” “Ted Lasso,” and ‘Reboot Mania’:
  • Excitement for Hulu’s “Chad Powers” and general cynicism about the entertainment industry’s obsession with reboots/remakes of 80s and 90s properties.
  • “All we’re doing now is rebooting old stuff, and that’s all we’re doing because we’re the only people consuming legacy media content.” [54:58]

Notable Quotes & Moments

• Dan (on dynasties):
  “We don’t recycle our garbage in Miami, we re-elect it—and generationally too.” [28:20]
• Ken Russell (to DLP):
  “I did leave 10 months early on an eight year term, but I didn’t leave in handcuffs like that.” [21:45]
• Xavier Suarez (on dynasties):
  “I’m not sure what you would call a situation where a son leaves office and then his father runs for the same seat. Inverse dynasty.” [29:35]
• On Miami’s reputation:
  “There is a reputational cost to the dysfunction that exists in the city of Miami today.” [32:20]
• After a debate tangent:
  “It reminded me of when Jeff Lauria and David Samson carted Muhammad Ali to sort of, kind of, not really throw out the first pitch… that’s what it reminded me of with Joe Carollo, but not quite as sad.” [38:50]
• On the Trump Library giveaway:
  “None of this feels legal… everything in Miami is a real estate hustle.” [59:20]
• Corruption Update:
  “You’d hope the attorney general would be able to cover up his criming a little bit more efficiently.” [01:07:10]
• On legacy content:
  “All we’re doing now is rebooting old stuff… people of a particular generation, new generations don’t necessarily have those relationships outside of maybe Disney classics that we then kind of dragged our kids into.” [54:58]

Segment Timestamps

• Steven Minor Scandal—05:00 to 13:00
• Miami Mayoral Debate / ‘Cockfight’—13:00 to 44:00
• Miami Corruption History—44:00 to 56:00
• Trump Library / Land Giveaway—56:00 to 01:03:00
• Hope Florida, Dark Money Corruption—01:03:00 to 01:09:30
• Pop Culture / Legacy Media—51:00 to 56:00

Tone & Style

• Irreverent, satirical, insightful, and laced with local Miami flavor.
• Heavy use of sarcasm and dark humor to highlight the repetitiveness and absurdity of local political scandals.
• Genuine outrage and civic engagement mix with the show’s signature comedic banter.

Takeaways

• Miami’s political scene remains a hotbed of legacy politics, enduring corruption, and outlandish characters—often blurring the line between satire and reality.
• Even as specific scandals (like Steven Minor or Hope Florida) dominate headlines, the larger problem is a system that enables continuous dysfunction.
• The hosts champion transparency and civic engagement, urging Miamians to scrutinize where their votes—and their public assets—are going.

If you’re a Miami local or a politics buff, this episode is both a wild ride and an essential listen.