3 OctOber 9-15, 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 | ▼ BROWNSVILLE STRIP MALL DRUG HAUL TRIO CHARGED WITH DEALING ILLICIT SUBSTANCES OUT OF A RETAIL PLAZA. BY NAOMI FEINSTEIN T hree Miami men are facing fed- eral drug trafficking and firearm charges after they allegedly dis- tributed fentanyl, cocaine, and heroin through a barbecue res- taurant and neighboring businesses in North- west Miami-Dade County. Late last month, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida announced a nine-count indictment against 45-year-old Antwan Bailey, 52-year-old Eddie Gene Wor- thy Jr., and 52-year-old Willie Weatherspoon. The charges include conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance, distribution of a con- trolled substance, and distribution of more than 400 grams of fentanyl and 30 grams of heroin. Bailey and Worthy were also charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of a firearm in further- ance of a drug trafficking crime, respectively. According to the complaint, the trio used a Miami retail plaza just north of SR 112 in the Brownsville neighborhood to conduct their operation. The FBI had received infor- mation last December that individuals were trafficking narcotics through a restaurant called Brother and Sisters BBQ Pit at 4530 NW 27th Ave. With the help of a confidential source, the FBI determined that the three men used three businesses inside the retail plaza — Brother and Sisters, Willie’s Late Nite, and Wet-N-Wild Tattoos — to distribute heroin, fentanyl, marijuana, and cocaine. The shared parking lot, according to prosecutors, served as the meeting point for deliveries. The complaint lays out the different drug purchases the confidential source made while working with law enforcement. “[The confidential source] made contact with Bailey in the parking lot at approxi- mately 3:00 p.m. on or about March 18. 2025,” the complaint states. “Bailey invited [the con- fidential source] to enter Willie’s Late Nite with him. [They] entered Willie’s Late Night through a black door marked ‘3.’ [The confi- dential source] observed Bailey retrieve a bag of powder and package the powder.” The source provided the suspected fen- tanyl powder to law enforcement. Testing confirmed that the power was a 112.9-gram mixture of fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, and other substances, according to the complaint. The Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office and the City of Miami Police Department assisted in the investigation. If convicted, the three men face up to life in prison. [email protected] | RIPTIDE | GET MORE NEWS & COMMENTARY AT MIAMINEWTIMES.COM/NEWS Prosecutors say three men ran a drug trafficking operation out of a Brownsville shopping plaza Google Maps screenshot ▼ MIAMI LOOK OUT BELOW! MIAMI HOUSING MARKET DEEMED MOST LIKELY TO CRASH IN U.S. BY B. SCOTT MCLENDON A fter soaring for the past 15 years, home prices in Miami may be on the verge of a sharp descent, according to UBS Global Wealth Management, a private wealth management firm. A recent study by the com- pany placed Miami at the top of its list of hous- ing markets most likely to burst. A housing bubble occurs when home prices rise far beyond their actual values, which is often driven by conjecture from investors and increased buyer demand, according to UBS. A so-called burst occurs when unsustainable home-price growth leads to fewer buys, which can eventually cause a dramatic drop in home prices. The warning follows a summer in which Miami homeowners began delisting properties en masse, at a rate more than twice that of the rest of the nation. The issue stemmed from homes lan- guishing on the market for far longer than in years past. Homes throughout the United States stayed on the market for a median 58 days, while Miami homes lingered unsold for an additional 16 days. By September, the mass delistings and lan- guishing properties gave Miami the strongest buyer’s market in the country, according to Real- tor.com. Miami shows the highest bubble risk among the cities UBS studied, beating out cities like Tokyo, Zurich, Los Angeles, Dubai, Amster- dam, and Geneva. “Historical data reveals patterns of property market excesses,” according to the study, noting typical signs include home-price growth outpac- ing income growth.The UBS index measures the likelihood that housing markets are in bubble ter- ritory. It doesn’t predict exactly when prices might drop, but warns that changes in the econ- omy, investor confidence, or a big increase in housing supply could cause home values to fall. The study also notes that, over the past 15 years, Miami has experienced the strongest inflation-ad- justed housing price growth among the major in- ternational cities it examines. That growth has cooled over the last year, UBS notes in the study. Though homes are less affordable than ever, purchase prices are still ris- ing faster than rental costs — a sign of high bub- ble risk. The relationship between the two prices in a given market is measured by what real estate experts call the price-to-rent ratio, a financial metric that helps experts determine whether it’s more cost-effective to buy or rent a home in a given market. Miami’s current price-to-rent ratio is 20, according to Stacker.com (based on a me- dian home sale price of $635,000 and median rent of $32,280 annually). “The current price-to- rent ratio has surpassed even the extremes of the 2006 property bubble,” the UBS index notes. Housing inventory in Miami is approaching pre-pandemic levels, as slightly lower mortgage rates have prompted some homeowners to sell. “While price growth is expected to turn nega- tive in the coming quarters, a sharp correction appears unlikely at this stage,” according to the study. “Miami’s coastal appeal and favorable tax environment continue to attract newcomers from the US West and Northeast, with real estate prices still well below those in New York and Los Angeles. International demand — particularly from Latin America — remains robust, especially in the luxury oceanfront condo segment.” [email protected] ▼ $UNSHINE $TATE GIVE US SOME SUGAR FLORIDA IS THE GOLD DIGGER CAPITAL OF THE U.S. BY ASHA ELIAS W e ain’t saying she’s (or he’s) a gold digger, but...a recent study ranked Florida No. 1 in the nation for those aspiring to marry for money. (Did we even need the data?) The study comes from the divorce app SplitUp, which derived its rankings using met- rics including income levels, the total number of millionaires and billionaires per state, inter- net search queries, and dating app behaviors. Florida and Nevada tied for the No. 1 spot, thanks to factors like the high concentration of millionaires and billionaires per capita in each state, and prolific Google search volumes for terms like “sugar daddy,” “sugar baby,” and — in the Silver State — “sugar mama.” (“Cause girls is players, too,” in the wise words of Coi Leray.) Florida, the nation’s third most populous state, is home to an eye-popping 97 billion- aires, while Nevada, the 32nd most populous state, boasts 17 residents with net worths ex- ceeding ten digits. Miami is home to a particu- larly high concentration of magnates. Earlier this year, five Miami billionaires — Jeff Bezos, Ken Griffin, Josh Harris, Orlando Bravo, and Micky Ari- son — made Forbes’ World’s Billion- aires List. Bezos is still the wealthiest billionaire in Miami. SplitUp’s research seems to support a controversial local stereotype that Florida, and Miami in particular, is a mecca for transactional dating. While that isn’t always the case, for those seeking a sugar daddy/sugar baby relation- ship in South Florida, there are plenty of places to do so. Texas came in a close third as a national gold-digging hotspot, thanks primarily to surges in Google searches for the term “sugar baby” in the past 12 months (and perhaps its 73 billionaire households). California and New York rounded out the top five due to their ex- tremely high number of in-state billionaires (186 and 135, respectively). Coming in last place for aspiring gold dig- gers, Vermont residents showed low interest in searching for “sugar daddy”/”sugar baby” keywords and content. They also appear to spend less time on dating services, suggesting that it might be a great place to find organic, real, IRL love and connection — and hey, the maple syrup isn’t too bad either. [email protected] SPLITUP’S RESEARCH SEEMS TO SUPPORT A CONTROVERSIAL LOCAL STEREOTYPE THAT FLORIDA, AND MIAMI IN PARTICULAR, IS A MECCA FOR TRANSACTIONAL DATING.
