12 June 27-July 3, 2024 miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com New Times b e s T o f m i a m i ® 2 0 2 4 Energy Drink Sponsor Beverage Sponsor Thursday JULY 4 76 NEW LOCATION - Altos Del Mar Park • LIVE MUSIC • PLAY ZONE FOR KIDS • OUTDOOR ROLLER DISCO AT NEARBY MIAMI BEACH BANDSHELL • FOOD TRUCKS 3PM-9PM *9PM Drone and Fireworks Show BEST TV NEWS REPORTER Layron Livingston Local10 (WPLG-TV Channel 10) local10.com x.com/LJLiveTV He had style, he had flair, he was there, and that’s how Layron Livingston became the best TV news reporter. News reporters go where the wind takes them for work, like traveling circus performers, and they eventually all come to adopt a recognizable, universal baritone. Liv- ingston, however, scrapped that — and the suits — for a different approach. The young star on Local 10 is known to rock a T-shirt while on camera or look dapper with a three-piece beige suit to complement his just-the-facts-ma’am storytelling with his segment “Leave It to Lay- ron.” He can cut the stuffy air with a joke and a perfect smile that feels like he’s talking just to you. Having anchored in Texas, Ohio’s Miami, and now the Magic City, Livingston’s demeanor and style are perfectly fitting for these tropics. BEST TV NEWS ANCHOR Kristin Sanchez NBC 6 South Florida (WTVJ-TV Channel 6) nbcmiami.com instagram.com/kristinsancheztv When it comes to Kristin Sanchez, host of NBC 6’s midday lifestyle and entertainment show South Florida Live, the question is... what can’t she do? She’s a mom of three under three after welcoming twin girls in January. She’s out and about in the community supporting the likes of Miss Arc Broward, Rebuilding Together Bro- ward, and the National Pediatric Cancer Foun- dation. Sanchez is from Long Island, New York, went to college in Florida, and has called Fort Lauderdale home since 2018. In her six years here, she’s zipped around town and accom- plished as much as some South Florida lifers have. For her energy, pizzazz, and the voice she gives others, Sanchez really is the best. BEST TV SPORTS ANCHOR Mike Cugno CBS News Miami (WFOR-TV Channel 4) cbsnews.com/miami instagram.com/mikecugnocbs4 Let’s not beat around the bush — Mike Cugno isn’t your typical sports anchor. As CBS Miami’s lead sports anchor and host of multiple local shows, he looks as if he could suit up for just about any team in town. His energy for the local teams is infectious, and his delivery is down-to- earth with a tone that keeps you returning for more. Whether he’s covering a Miami Dolphins preseason game or appearing on the 560 WQAM Hochman and Crowder show to give the play-by-play of trying a McDonald’s McRib for the first time, Cugno has grown up in our liv- ing rooms, on our airwaves, and now, seems to be in his prime with decades left in the tank. We wouldn’t be surprised if, in 30 years, we’re writ- ing something similar, gushing about how the best sports anchor in town is still outworking the competition and looking frustratingly hand- some doing it. BEST METEOROLOGIST Chelsea Ambriz NBC 6 South Florida (WTVJ-TV Channel 6) nbcmiami.com instagram.com/c_ambriz She’s covered big-time weather events in Den- ver, Tennessee, and West Virginia. And, since 2022, boy, we’re glad to have Chelsea Ambriz giving us the scoop here in Miami. From loom- ing South Florida hurricane threats to that wild once-in-a-millennium storm that pummeled Fort Lauderdale last year, Ambriz keeps it as real as it gets alongside her NBC 6 First Alert Weather colleagues. Part of that realness is her Midwestern charm and passion for the South Florida community. She hails from Indianapolis and, locally, is an active member of the Junior League of Miami, regularly volunteering with a women’s shelter, food rescue organization, and more. A big-time local foodie, event-goer, and proud cat mom, she’s also a blast to follow on In- stagram. A perfect storm led Ambriz to Miami, and we’re glad those winds carried her here. BEST FESTIVAL Third Horizon Film Festival thirdhorizonfilmfestival.com instagram.com/thrdhrzn Third Cinema, the ’60s-’70s political film move- ment out of Latin America and Africa, decried neocolonialism and capitalism and aimed to rev- olutionize film. Third Horizon Film Festival channels that ethos with a focus on the future and an eye on the islands. Celebrating its seventh year, the organization highlights the rich and vi- brant cinematic arts of the Caribbean and its di- aspora. It uses film to speak truth to power and disrupt norms that simply just do not work for everyone. It’s a big idea, and each year its film- makers and crews bring it to life with screenings,
