4 March 27 - april 2, 2025 miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com New Times | music | cafe | culture | Night+Day | news | letters | coNteNts | MONTH XX–MONTH XX, 2008 miaminewtimes.com MIAMI NEW TIMES | MUSIC | CAFE | FILM | ART | STAGE | NIGHT+DAY | METRO | RIPTIDE | LETTERS | CONTENTS | ▼ DOWNTOWN MIAMI “Y.M.C.A.” ON THE BAY DID A DONALD TRUMP DRONE SHOW LIGHT UP THE MIAMI SKYLINE? BY NAOMI FEINSTEIN D id you see Donald Trump danc- ing over Biscayne Bay Monday night? Apparently, you weren’t hallucinating. Miamians re- ported witnessing a drone show celebrating the president over Biscayne Bay, just beyond the Kaseya Center downtown. Late Tuesday evening, Miami Mayor Francis Suarez posted a one-minute highlight reel of the drone show on X, the platform for- merly known as Twitter. “ONLY IN MIAMI,” enthused the mayor, an unabashed Trump stan. The reel, which includes a theatrical- sounding soundtrack, depicts the drones fly- ing up to the sky to form a likeness of Trump performing his celebratory “Y.M.C.A.” cam- paign rally dance — the suited figure shuffles from side-to-side, alternating fist bumps into the air. The drones then spell out “A NEW GOLDEN AGE FOR AMERICA,” “A GOLDEN AGE FOR PEACE,” and “A NEW GOLDEN AGE FOR HOPE.” Next up: an American flag and an outline of Mount Rush- more (avec Trump, naturally).Then on to sa- lutes to a “HISTORIC PRESIDENT,” “WORLD’S BEST DEAL MAKER,” and — ac- companied by the form of a fierce-looking bald eagle formation, “LIBERATOR OF HOSTAGES.” Then the formation morphed to outlines of the United States and Israel, heralded as “DEFENDERS OF FREEDOM” and “STRONGER TOGETHER.” Next, an admonition to “FIGHT HA- TRED, FIGHT ANTI-SEMITISM, FIGHT TERRORISM,” and the return of a dancing POTUS, followed by a globe, and, to sign off, “THANK YOU, PRESIDENT TRUMP.” Suarez wasn’t the only Trumper who took to social media to geek out over the light show. Beating Suarez by more than three hours, right-wing influencer and podcaster Benny Johnson raved, “Watch this INSANE drone show put on in Florida last night in ap- preciation of President Trump .” Conservative influencer Riley Gaines, best known as the former collegiate swimmer fiercely advocating for the ban of transgender athletes in women’s sports, loved it, too. “People are organizing drone shows like this to show their appreciation for Trump, knowing the alternative was America-last elitists intent on aiding the country’s down- fall,” she posted on X. “This is incredibly cool.” The clip’s Tuesday-night tour of social media contrasted with Monday, when its os- tensible actual appearance was barely re- marked upon online. “One bowl in and I look up to see Trump dancing in the sky, Miami isn’t real,” photog- rapher Legend Saylor offered Monday just before 10 p.m., attaching an eight-second view of drone-Trump doing the “Y.M.C.A.” In response to a direct message from New Times, Saylor confirmed that he’d personally witnessed the drone show from his balcony overlooking Key Biscayne. As the footage made the rounds, reviews were mixed. “Hopefully taxpayers didn’t pay for this shit,” an X user wrote. On the popular Only in Dade Instagram page, commenters were quick to label the MAGA community a cult. “North Korea... is that you?” one user in- quired. Added another: “This is why I keep my curtains closed at night.” And another: “People from communist countries voting for another dictator.” New Times messaged Mayor Suarez’s spokesperson to inquire about the light show and whether he had any involvement. Like- wise, the Miami Police Department says they’ll get back to us about the matter. | RIPTIDE | GET MORE NEWS & COMMENTARY AT MIAMINEWTIMES.COM/NEWS Look! Out on the bay! Those hips! Those fists! Screenshot via @FrancisSuarez/X ▼ MIAMI-DADE COUNTY DON’T LET THE DOOR HIT— MORE PEOPLE ARE LEAVING MIAMI- DADE THAN ANY OTHER FLORIDA COUNTY. BY NAOMI FEINSTEIN B etween the high cost of living and unaf- fordable housing market, Miami-Dade County residents are being squeezed left and right. And evidently, thousands of people have had enough. According to U.S. Census Bureau data, be- tween July 1, 2023 to July 1, 2024, Miami-Dade experienced the highest net domestic migration of all Florida counties — meaning, domestically, more people are moving out of Miami-Dade than in. The data reveals that 67,418 people moved out of the county, either to other parts of the Sunshine State or to a different state entirely. The two counties to the north — Broward and Palm Beach — both experienced net domestic migration losses last year. More than 26,000 res- idents in Broward and 7,500 in Palm Beach left the respective counties they once called home. It appears people are no longer moving to South Florida in droves like they were during the pandemic as result of the state’s less restrictive COVID-19 policies, low taxes, and what was per- ceived as a more conducive business environ- ment. The soaring housing costs, nonstop traffic, and rising inflation rates in Miami, in particular, have left people no choice but to leave to other parts of the country. Residents have recently taken to the r/Miami subreddit to complain about their wages not keeping up with the rising housing costs. Yet, the data shows that, aside from 16, most of Florida’s 67 counties had a posi- tive domestic net migration in 2024. Pasco County, located on Florida’s west coast, saw the highest influx of new residents, with more than 20,000 people moving there. While people are leaving Miami- Dade, the county is still experiencing population growth thanks to interna- tional migration. Nearly 124,000 people came to Mi- ami via interna- tional migration in 2024. The county added 56,417 people in net mi- gration — domestic and international combined. However, there could be ramifications for Mi- ami-Dade municipalities like Doral, which is home to a sizeable Venezuelan community, as President Donald Trump and his administration crack down on immigration and end temporary protected status (TPS) and deportation protec- tions for Haitians, Venezuelans, Cubans, and Ni- caraguans. Here are the top ten counties in Florida where the number of people leaving outweighs the number of people moving in. 1. Miami-Dade County: -67,418 2. Broward County: -26,339 3. Orange County: -18,097 4. Hillsborough County: -11,188 5. Palm Beach County: -7,546 6. Pinellas County: -3,973 7. Seminole County: -2,080 8. Okaloosa County: -1,847 9. Leon County: -1,730 10. Monroe County: -1,374 [email protected] THE SOARING HOUSING COSTS, NONSTOP TRAFFIC, AND RISING INFLATION LEFT PEOPLE NO CHOICE.
