Mission Miami cuts through the noise to uncover where your money goes, who holds the power and what politicians won't tell you. The show breaks down the stories shaping Miami, South Florida and beyond in under 30 minutes.
A special all-elections episode. One story, told in four zooms, from your city ballot out to the whole country.
Two years ago all 67 Florida counties moved right. This year 66 of them moved back left, and only The Villages went redder. We start hyper-local with the two City of Miami referendums we covered all season: voters killed the Virginia Key marina deal 65 to 35, then turned around and approved 450 million dollars in new borrowing.
Next, Amendment 3’s property tax cut passes at 62 percent, with roughly four in ten Democrats crossing over, and we unpack why affordability is the one force organizing this entire election. Then Tallahassee, where Republicans lost their House supermajority and “safe” statewide races got scary: Byron Donalds wins the governorship by about a point and a half, and Ashley Moody holds the Senate seat by under three points after the national party left Angie Nixon to fend for herself.
Finally we zoom all the way out to a national Democratic wave that, by one measure, is the largest House popular-vote margin since the Watergate era, powered by wins in Texas, South Carolina, Kansas, and Iowa, where you can draw a clean line from diesel, fertilizer, and equipment costs straight to a farm coalition walking away. We close by asking what era this actually resembles, and why a wave this big is a loan, not a gift.
Hosted by Andrew Trabazo with commentary from Emilio González.
27 Oct 2026
Buried Reports and Big-Money Bonds
A watchdog report arrives after Miami approves its $3.7 billion budget. The committee meant to scrutinize city spending has empty seats and questions about its independence. And developers, city vendors, and lobbyists are funding the campaign for a $450 million bond that could cost taxpayers nearly $800 million.
This week, Andrew and Emilio follow the money, question the oversight, and ask who gets heard at City Hall, and who gets left in the dark. Plus, Emilio shares what Miami voters should watch for in the November election over a cafecito.
20 Oct 2026
County Lawyers Get Paid. FIU Gets Played.
Who gets paid, who gets a say, and who gets overlooked?
This week, Andrew and Emilio examine Miami-Dade County's biggest government paychecks, including a county attorney whose salary tops the president’s. Then, they untangle two separate Virginia Key waterfront fights: City of Miami Referendum 3 and the proposed marina at the former Seaquarium site.
Plus, Carnegie Mellon’s planned Miami campus sparks a bigger question: can City Hall welcome a new university without dismissing the institutions already serving this community? The gang weighs in on Mayor Eileen Higgins’ remarks, and makes the case for giving FIU and other local institutions their due.
We close with Emilio’s Cafecito and what to watch next.
6 Oct 2026
A Record Budget, Barely a Debate
The City of Miami just waved through a record $3.732 billion budget in under an hour. This week we open the books and follow where the money actually goes.
Andrew and Emilio break down the $1.86 billion operating budget: the three-quarters of the General Fund locked up in salaries, benefits, and pensions, the $110 million "non-departmental" bucket nobody has to defend line by line, and the $100 million in unassigned reserves City Hall won't touch while warning that any tax relief will gut your services. Then there's the city's own five-year forecast, which quietly admits spending will outrun revenue.
Finally, the fight over Allapattah: why Miami is suing Miami-Dade County over a new Community Redevelopment Agency, why that agency amounts to a second checkbook run by the same commissioners, and whether a neighborhood that genuinely needs investment is getting accountability or just another bureaucracy.
Follow the money, question the powerful, and remember that government works for you.
New episodes weekly. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all platforms.
1 Oct 2026
Who Pays? Who Watches? Who Holds Power?
This week, Emilio and Andrew break down Amendment 3 and what the proposed homestead exemption could mean for Florida homeowners. They also examine what Miami loses as local newsrooms shrink and what happens when public officials treat scrutiny as insubordination. From property taxes to the importance of local journalism and abuses of authority, this episode asks three essential questions: Who pays, who watches, and who holds power?
22 Sept 2026
Big Money, Public Land, Little Trust
Miami is spending more than ever, but are residents getting what they’re paying for?
In the premiere of the Mission Miami Podcast, Andrew Trabazo and Emilio T. González examine the city’s proposed $3.6 billion budget, the $450 million bond headed to voters, and Referendum 3, the controversial Virginia Key waterfront lease. They break down what’s being promised, what it could cost taxpayers, and why questions of transparency, accountability, and public trust loom over all three decisions.
Public spending may sound boring. What City Hall does with your money and waterfront is anything but.
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6 ratings
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