4 January 22–28, 2026 miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com NEW TIMES | MUSIC | CAFE | CULTURE | NIGHT+DAY | NEWS | LETTERS | CONTENTS | | RIPTIDE | video had been posted, I promptly notified the Chief of Police to ensure transparency and com- pliance with departmental policies.” Espinosa tells New Times that the video was purely promotional, intended to create “hype” for his new butcher shop, which will open in the near future. He says that he just asked the officer to display the box for the video. MPD did not respond to New Times’ emailed requests for comment on the video or on whether there is an ongoing investigation. Last week, Espinosa posted a TikTok video documenting his birthday dinner. Lozano and MPD Chief Manuel Morales were both in atten- dance, sitting at the birthday boy’s table.”Happy birthday to me,” Espinosa wrote in the caption. “I spent an amazing night surrounded by friends and family — private, intimate, and truly beautiful. Grateful for the love, the laughs, and another year of life.” The unboxing video comes on the heels of al- legations that Miami Mayor Francis Suarez gifted Rolex watches to his four former sergeants-at- arms before leaving office. As the city conducts an internal affairs investigation into the allega- tions, the former mayor confirmed that he did give “a gift” to the officers who served as his se- curity detail. A week before Miami activist Thomas Ken- nedy filed his complaint, two of the officers, Pierre Cazassus and Stanley J. Paul-Noel, who allegedly received the Rolex watches, were de- moted from their sergeant-at-arms positions and had their pay docked. The department is also investigating whether an additional officer was offered a watch but declined the gift. [email protected] GOT THAT DOG IN ME DID MAGA MECCA MAR-A-LAGO HOST A FURRY PARTY? BY ALEX DELUCA O n Friday, January 9, President Don- ald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach hosted the American Humane Society’s 15th Annual Hero Dog Awards Gala. The red carpet gathering, orga- nized by the national animal welfare organi- zation, celebrated and raised money for dogs who work alongside law enforcement and first responders. Naturally, we pictured furry friends at the fundraiser, donning their best K-9 getups. But reality is stranger than fiction these days. The event at the MAGA haven included cocktails, dinner...and dancers wearing dog masks in 18th-century European aristocratic court costumes. Wait, what? Videos of the event shared online show entertainers dancing (in many cases, offbeat) to live renditions of “L-O-V-E” by Nat “King” Cole and “Valerie” by the late Amy Wine- house while wearing masks of huskies and Dalmatians and dressed in ball gowns, tail- coats, and other Rococo-era formal wear. In addition to being mocked online as “creepy” and likened to “the beginning of a horror film,” viewers quickly noted that the costumes bore a striking resemblance to those worn by furries — or, for the uninitiated, peo- ple with varying degrees of aesthetic interest in anthropomorphic animals or characters. “Furries at [Mar-a-Lago] wasn’t on my bingo card,” one person commented. “This is some weird ass dystopian shit,” another replied. “I’m hearing sources that there were litter boxes in the bathrooms of [Mar-a-Lago],” a third commented, apparently referencing the 2022 hoax that falsely claimed some schools were providing litter boxes for students who identified as animals. In response to several photos of the enter- tainers Meidas Touch posted on X, California governor Gavin Newsom asked: “Why is Donald Trump hosting a FURRY PARTY???” A video posted on Instagram shows Trump making an appearance at the event and jumping on stage to address the crowd. “I just wanna let you know the nation is going unbelievably well, we had one hell of a week, am I right?” Trump asked, before gloating: “We picked up about 4 billion dol- lars of oil in one day!” The American Humane Society, a non- profit with an office in Palm Beach, did not respond to New Times’ request for comment about the event, including questions about how much the gala raised and how much money Trump might have donated. In response to a request for comment, a White House spokesperson referred New Times to the Trump Organization. The orga- nization didn’t respond to our inquiry. [email protected] Present Company from p3 GET MORE NEWS & COMMENTARY AT MIAMINEWTIMES.COM/NEWS Photos by @usa_life_with_uma/Instagram Let them eat, uh, kibble? Children are facing growing online and offline risks —and silence allows harm to continue. The Missing & Exploited Children’s Network is a nonprofit organization that empowers families with practical education to recognize warning signs, understand potential threats, and teach children how to identify and respond to danger. Through prevention-focused programs, awareness campaigns, case amplification, and advocacy, we work to expose abuse, disrupt criminal activity, and ensure those who harm children are held accountable. We partner with families, schools, and community organizations to strengthen prevention efforts, promote early intervention, and create safer environments where children can thrive—both online and offline. Protecting children requires informed families, engaged communities, and the courage to act before tragedy happens. Awareness alone is not enough; action saves lives. Together, we can stop abuse before it starts and act decisively when it does—because every child deserves safety, dignity, and a future free from harm. Prevention starts with awareness —and succeeds with action. @MissingandExploited Stand with us. Get informed. Get involved. Share . Support . Donate
