3 December 11-17, 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 | ▼ PALM BEACH HERE’S LOOKING AT YOU PLASTIC SURGEON SAYS ‘MAR-A- LAGO FACE’ IS IN DEMAND. BY ALEX DELUCA I f you look closely at many of the people in President Donald Trump’s orbit, you might notice something familiar. Puffy lips. Overfilled cheekbones. Pixie noses. Known as “Mar-a-Lago face,” the bold cosmetic look has swept through Trump’s inner circle — and not just among women like Laura Loomer and Kim- berly Guilfoyle (may we gently remind you of Rep. Matt Gaetz?). While many people who get plastic sur- gery typically seek subtlety, Mar-a-Lago face is “ridiculously blunt,” as Inae Oh described in her Mother Jones piece, “In Your Face: The Brutal Aesthetics of MAGA.” As recently reported by Axios, D.C. plastic surgeons have reported a surge of Trump insiders request- ing these over-the-top procedures since the president retook office in the White House in January. One surgeon said they’ve had to turn down many newly arrived political insiders seeking “a more done look, like that Mar-a- Lago face.” But while Washington, D.C. surgeons might be juggling their own influx of re- quests, few places are more primed for the trend than South Florida — MAGA’s Mecca and home of Trump’s very own Mar-a-Lago resort. Dr. Norman Rowe, a plastic surgeon with offices in New York, New Jersey, and Palm Beach (where Mar-a-Lago is located), says he’s noticed a shift toward what he calls a “hyper-aesthetic look” among his South Florida patients over the past two to three years. Rowe says that many of his patients in the Sunshine State see “visible work” as “aspira- tional, almost like a status symbol.” “They want to look like they’ve invested in themselves, and they’re not shy about show- ing it,” Rowe tells New Times. “You could call it the ‘Mar-a-Lago look,’ but really it’s part of a broader culture where bold aesthetics are celebrated.” He says that while people in places like New York and Los Angeles often seek more understated looks, people in South Florida typically equate looking “done” with “looking successful.” Rowe says patients float names like Ivanka Trump, Melania Trump, and Kristi Noem and bring in photos of celebrities who represent that “sculpted, high-gloss style.” “They’re usually asking for sharper cheek- bones, lifted eyes, fuller lips, and a smoother, tighter jawline,” Rowe says. “It’s not about being subtle. It’s about always looking pol- ished and camera-ready.” Named after Trump’s Palm Beach resort, the look “refers to a recognisable combina- tion of facial features and plastic surgery enhancements, often modelled after Ivanka Trump’s signature look,” plastic surgeon Matthew J. Nykiel told HuffPost. The key features include high, firm, overfilled cheeks, full lips, well-defined eyebrows, a strong jawline, and a narrow-bridged nose. Achieving the look typically involves a com- bination of surgical procedures and inject- ables, including Botox, a facelift, eyelid surgery, and fillers. Rowe says that while South Florida has embraced the trend “most openly,” elements of the so-called “Mar-a-Lago” look are show- ing up everywhere. “In New York, for example, people still want work done, but they prefer it to be invisi- ble,” Rowe says. “In Florida, the same amount of work is worn like a badge of honor.” As with other surgeons, Rowe says he’s had to reject some patients seeking the over- done look. He says his goal is to create “bal- ance and harmony, not distortion.” “There have been times when we’ve had to say no,” he says. “If someone asks for a proce- dure that would throw off their natural pro- portions or lead to an exaggerated result, we’ll guide them toward something more re- fined or decline altogether.” He adds: “Just because something is trend- ing doesn’t mean it’s the right choice for ev- ery person or every stage of life.” [email protected] | RIPTIDE | Former Fox News host Kimberly Guilfoyle is one of the most prominent examples of “Mar-a-Lago face.” Photo by Gage Skidmore/Flickr ▼ TALLAHASSEE SO YOU’RE SAYING THERE’S A CHANCE? PROPONENTS SAY RECREATIONAL WEED IS ON TRACK FOR 2026 BALLOT. BY CHRISTINE SEXTON F lorida’s latest marijuana-legalization push hit a legal setback after election officials ordered 200,000 petition sig- natures tossed as invalid. Smart & Safe Florida, the group behind the 2026 ballot effort, chal- lenged the move, but Leon County Circuit Judge John Cooper ruled in the state’s favor in late November. Smart & Safe, long funded by major contri- butions from Trulieve, said on November 24 it would not appeal Cooper’s ruling. The group says it still has more than 1 million valid signa- tures and remains confident it can qualify for the 2026 ballot if the state processes petitions in good faith. To make the ballot, more than 880,000 verified signatures are required, and the validation deadline is February 1. Backers of the legalization effort tried — and failed — to pass a measure in the 2024 election. Gov. Ron DeSantis criticized the amendment, and his then–chief of staff James Uthmeier (now attorney general) led the campaign urging vot- ers to reject it. The measure ultimately fell short of the 60 percent needed to pass. In early 2025, Smart & Safe renewed its push and mailed a revised initiative to millions of voters. Instead of including the full text, the petition listed a state-approved website direct- ing voters to the complete amendment on the group’s site. Byrd sent a cease-and-desist letter question- ing the legality of the forms and claiming they’d been altered without permission. State officials then demanded the names and addresses of ev- eryone who received them. By early October, the Division of Elections or- dered supervisors to invalidate roughly 200,000 signed petitions. Smart & Safe challenged the state’s direc- tive to local election supervisors, but after a one- day hearing, Cooper ruled with the state. Republican Party of Florida chair Evan Power applauded Cooper’s ruling. “Gov. DeSantis did the right thing by enforc- ing the law and protecting the integrity of our ballot,” Power said. “Floridians will not be mis- led. If you want to change our constitution, you follow the rules — period.” Editor’s note: New Times occasionally shares articles from the Florida Phoenix, part of the nonprofit States Newsroom network. Contact the Florida Phoenix at info@floridaphoenix. com or follow the site on Facebook and X. [email protected] ▼ PRIVACY THEY KNOW WHAT YOU’RE TOKING LAWSUIT: CURALEAF SHOPPERS’ WEED PREFERENCES ARE AN OPEN BOOK. BY THEO KARANTSALIS A new federal class action com- plaint filed in Miami accuses Curaleaf, one of the nation’s larg- est cannabis retailers, of secretly allowing ad-tech firms to monitor what medical marijuana patients searched, clicked, and bought on its website. According to the complaint (attached at the bottom of this story), filed on No- vember 8 in the Southern District of Flor- ida, Curaleaf allegedly embedded a tracking code on its website that allowed outside vendors to “eavesdrop” on pa- tients’ browsing activity and personal in- formation in real-time as they shopped. The anonymous plaintiff, identified as John Doe, says he used Curaleaf’s site on June 5, 2025, to browse and buy medical marijuana, the complaint states. As he viewed prod- ucts, added items to his cart, and entered his name, phone number, email, home address, and billing information at checkout, Curaleaf’s code enabled four third-party vendors: Google, SD Technol- ogies (Sweed), InRadio (AdPredictive), and StackAdapt, to intercept his actions and per- sonal details, the suit alleges. The complaint states that embedded scripts transmitted full URLs, showing ex- actly which products Doe viewed, what he added to his cart, every button click related to purchases, and identifying contact infor- mation. Taken together, the lawsuit argues, that stream of data reveals protected health information about a patient’s marijuana use and ties it directly to their identity, in viola- tion of federal and state privacy laws. Curaleaf, which reported roughly $1.34 billion in sales for 2024, operates in Florida as a licensed “medical marijuana treatment center,” a designation that carries strict rules under HIPAA and state law meant to protect anything that could reveal a pa- tient’s cannabis treatment. The lawsuit claims Curaleaf broke those rules “to boost marketing effectiveness and enhance medical marijuana sales.” Doe says he was never warned about any data sharing. The complaint states that during his visit to the site, he was not shown the terms of service or a privacy policy dis- closing that his medical marijuana THE CASE LANDS AMID GROWING SCRUTINY OVER HOW CANNABIS TECH COMPANIES HANDLE CUSTOMER DATA. >> p4
