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🥤Get your freakshake on
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🥤Get your freakshake on

The creation of a Vicky's House "freakshake" in action.
(📸: Lance Dixon/The New Tropic)

SHAKE IT UP

Whether you’ve tried one yourself or not, you’ve probably heard about those massive milkshakes a.k.a. “freakshakes” that have become super popular in the past few years.

They’re milkshakes packed with a bunch of candy, treats, and extra flair on top. They’re as much about the taste as they are about the presentation.

So we decided to check out how Vicky’s House in the Grove makes one of their popular shakes in a space that’s designed with a super ’80s vibe.

Check out the video over on our Facebook page and let us know if there’s any other fun food spots we should check out! And if you stop by Vicky’s to try a freakshake, snap a pic and be sure to tag @thenewtropic.

WHAT'S NEW IN THE 305

More to the story. Earlier this week, an auto shop in Homestead made national headlines as a 15-year-old Honduran immigrant escaped there from the nearby center for unaccompanied children and was later taken back to the detention center in handcuffs. Many reports said that the shop’s owner reported the emotionally distraught girl to police and he’s received more than 10 death threats since the incident. (The shop owner and police, said someone else actually called the cops and he simply cooperated with the officers.) Now, the teenager is back in conditions she described to activists as a “prison.”  (Miami Herald)

The end of “Dirty Purdy?” If some residents of the rapidly developing Sunset Harbour neighborhood have their way, one of South Beach’s most infamous late-night spots, Purdy Lounge, could be in serious trouble. Commissioner Ricky Arriola previously proposed rolling back alcohol sales in the area from 5 a.m. to 2 a.m. (an idea that voters opposed for Ocean Drive last year, btw), which would pretty much only affect Purdy. Meanwhile, some neighbors would prefer to see the space become a nice restaurant with an earlier closing time. (Miami New Times)

Not your average first day. As kids across Florida  prepare to go back to school,  the first day will look a lot different in a post-Parkland shooting world. The gun reform efforts passed in this year’s state legislative session mean that armed guards and beefed-up security will be the new normal at schools in SoFlo. Miami-Dade has also installed additional camera systems, improved communication systems and radios, and will have more police dogs at schools. (Miami Herald)

A different kind of federal aid. President Trump has thrown his full support behind Ron DeSantis in the Republican governor’s race, but his campaign will also be supporting a few SoFlo candidates. Reps. Mario Diaz-Balart and Carlos Curbelo, who has been a vocal critic of Trump, are both on the list that McClatchy reporters obtained. Curbelo’s office said they didn’t ask for or receive any financial support from the president. (Tampa Bay Times, McClatchy)

Filling the gap. Lower-income neighborhoods were some of the most impacted areas after Hurricane Irma, and many of those residents had to wait the longest for resources to arrive. Valencia Gunder, an activist who organized to feed thousands after the storm, wants to keep that from happening in case a big hurricane hits this year. She’s opening an emergency warehouse which will be the headquarters for post-storm assistance and a storage space for donations and supplies. (Miami New Times)

There’s only an app for that? Parking apps have changed the way we park in neighborhoods across Miami, and data shows that they are becoming the norm, despite officials’ claims that drivers can still find old-school meters. Data from the Miami Parking Authority shows that neighborhoods like East Little Havana, Little Haiti and Allapattah require Miamians to pay for parking, but don’t offer street meters as an alternative. About 27 of the 77 zones in the city only processed payments through the PayByPhone app. That’s no bueno for folks without credit cards or smartphones who have no alternative to avoid parking tickets. (WLRN)

BEFORE WE GO…

We’ve got a bunch of almost ambassadors we want to give a shout out to, including Margaux Herrera, who’s just one referral away from being a New Tropic ambassador. Props also to Zelalem Adefris, with seven referrals and Favi Budyszewick and Rodrigo Gonzalez with six. You need just 10 to join the tribe.

We’re super grateful to everyone who helps us grow by sharing this newsletter with their friends, and we love showering you with stickers as a thank you. 🙌 If you want to get in on this, just share this newsletter using the referral link below.

Join us!

And BTW, some pesky tech bugs we’ve fixed on our end mean that a lot of you may have seen inaccurate referral counts on your pages. We’re sorry about that, but the referral counts you’re seeing now are the real deal. If you have any questions or concerns for us on that, just hit reply or send a note to [email protected].

Ok, that’s all. We’ll see you tomorrow. 👋

– The New Tropic

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