7 OctOber 2-8, 2025 miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com NEW TIMES | CONTENTS | LETTERS | NEWS | NIGHT+DAY | CULTURE | CAFE | MUSIC | MONTH XX–MONTH XX, 2008 miaminewtimes.com MIAMI NEW TIMES | CONTENTS | LETTERS | RIPTIDE | METRO | NIGHT+DAY | STAGE | ART | FILM | CAFE | MUSIC | sion, Pardo Pope said she was born into a working-class Cuban family with the values of faith, family, and hard work. “I do not come from money, nor have I built my career in politics — I come from a Cuban family that believed in deep sacrifice, service of others, and standing up for what’s right,” she added. “That’s precisely the kind of leadership I intend to bring to City Hall.” When reached by New Times for comment about Corben’s video, Pardo Pope sent a writ- ten statement. “My world was turned upside down when I was four years old because of my father’s ac- tions,” she wrote. “What he did was terrible, and I lost my father as a result. Every day, my heart is heavy knowing that my father not only destroyed my life but also caused pain and suf- fering for so many others. No four-year-old girl should have had to endure this, and my thoughts are with every family affected by these tragedies. By the statistics, I should not be where I am today. But I have overcome im- mense challenges, stood up to bullies, and re- fused to let my past define me. I am not my father — I am Monique Pardo Pope. “I am confident that voters will look past the sins of my father and understand that I too am a victim in this. These attacks on me are appalling and show exactly what’s wrong with politics today. I was four years old. I did not commit a crime. I have carried this burden my entire life, and I will not be shamed or intimi- dated now. Billy Corben has made a career of slinging mud, which has even resulted in los- ing a defamation case. The establishment is desperate and scared, throwing anything they can to distract from the real issues. I will not back down. I will continue fighting for honest leadership, a safer Miami Beach, and ensuring our police officers have the mental health re- sources they need so no family ever has to suf- fer like mine — or like so many others.” New Times followed up, asking Pardo Pope whether she felt people might rightly discern a disconnect between what appears to be a tone of admiration for her father in her past social media posts and her current campaign, in which she has not acknowledged his crimes or his notoriety. “The posts you’re referencing reflect a daughter’s love, but I didn’t get there easily,” she responded. “I went through a long period in my life where I was bitter and angry — an- gry that the man I loved, my father, could commit such a crime. But I understood that holding onto that anger and bitterness would destroy me; it would make me another statis- tic. I had to make a decision, between myself and God, to forgive him.”Even though I for- give him, it doesn’t mean I condone his ac- tions. The forgiveness wasn’t for him — it was for me. I needed to forgive in order to move forward with my life, to build the family I have, and to dedicate myself to a life of service and purpose. My campaign is about who I am today: a mother, an attorney, a small business owner, and someone committed to building a safer, stronger, more compassionate Miami Beach. My father’s actions shaped my child- hood, but they do not define who I am or the values I bring to this city.” When he learned of Pardo Pope’s com- ments, Billy Corben sent New Times the fol- lowing statement: “I stand by my story and note that Mrs. Pardo Pope did not challenge the substance of my reporting. Her assertion that I have ever ‘[lost] a defamation case’ is both false and de- famatory. She’ll be hearing from my attorneys.” [email protected] for conservative policies. Turning Point’s anti- woke messaging and grassroots mobilization of Gen Z and Millennials played an influential role in President Donald Trump’s second run for office. He is perhaps most famous for viral videos of him verbally sparring with college students over gun rights, abortion, immigration, and other hot-button issues. His death inspired a social media firestorm, where many who made light of the situation lost their jobs. Since his death, all kinds of Kirk quotes have resurfaced, including those where he suggested Black airline pilots are simply diver- sity hires and don’t deserve their positions, and that prominent Black women like Michelle Obama and Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson lack the brain-processing power to be taken seriously, according to re- porting from the Guardian. “If I’m dealing with somebody in customer service who’s a mo- ronic Black woman, I wonder, is she there be- cause of her excellence or is she there because of affirmative action?” Kirk infamously asked on his podcast last year. The student who spoke with New Times says that in comments that weren’t caught on tape, Babice stated that Black people should stop complaining because the U.S. has had a Black president and Everglades High School has a Black principal. She says Babice also claimed that Kirk had done more for Black people than people like Barack Obama. She says Babice booted the defiant student from the class, then explained to the class that “that ignorant Black kid” doesn’t know what he’s talking about. He then dismissed the entire class, instructing them to go to the classroom next door. The next day, she says, Babice made the class watch a Kirk memorial video and cursed at students who weren’t paying attention. “Kids are scared and don’t want to go back to class,” the student’s mother tells New Times. “I don’t know why that man is still teaching.” The woman says she was appalled to find Babice was able to keep his job after a 2019 inci- dent, also reported by New Times. At that time he made derogatory comments about women in a comment on a Facebook post from a former student who opined about laws restricting abor- tion rights. “When an irresponsible whore learns that a baby’s life has as much value as hers then maybe she’d use her mouth instead of her pol- luted vagina. Ignorant,” Babice wrote. [email protected] This Is a Recording from p4 What Is Wrong? from p6
