From South Beach to the panhandle, beyond

MIAMI -- Al Jazeera America’s Miami Bureau sits at the heart of the what has become America’s most international city. Often called the “Gateway to the Americas” Miami has become a nexus linking Latin America and the Caribbean with the United States and Europe. The result is a rich multi-cultural city and state that is pushing the world of art, fashion, business and technology into the new millennium while being home to some of the most significant news stories of the day.

It was Thanksgiving Day 1998 when 5-year-old Elian Gonzales rode an inner-tube onto a South Florida beach. His arrival sparked an international struggle over parental rights and the right to live in a free society. For many, the image of federal authorities forcibly removing Elian from his Miami family and returning him to his father in Cuba is indelibly etched in their memory.

Election 2000 -- with its hanging chads, charges of vote tampering and a U.S. Supreme Court decision -- put Florida at the center of national and international headlines. The election, and its 30-day aftermath, gave the U.S. presidency to George W. Bush after a struggle to determine who had won the Sunshine State and, with it, the White House. After recounts in several counties were halted while in progress, Florida’s Secretary of State Katherine Harris, bolstered by the U.S. Supreme Court, awarded the state's electoral votes and the presidency to Bush over Vice President Al Gore by a slim 537 votes.

The courtroom has also been the site of significant stories that played out in the national consciousness. Most recently, the trial of Andrew Zimmerman for the killing of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin had repercussions across the nation. Similarly, the courtroom saga of Casey Anthony, charged with killing her 2-year-old daughter, held the nation's grip and sparked outrage when an Orlando jury acquitted the 25-year-old mother of all charges.

In the world of sports, Florida recently held the nation’s attention when millions gripped the edge of their seat as the Miami Heat narrowly defeated the San Antonio Spurs for the NBA championship. It was only in the final minutes of Game 7 that LeBron James drove the Heat to the NBA championship for the third time and it all went down in Miami’s Triple-A Arena.

But the heat aren’t alone. From the Miami Dolphins to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Jacksonville Jaguars, Florida Panthers and Orlando Magic... there is something in the Florida water that seems to grow professional class athletes and sports teams.

At the center of it all is our Al Jazeera America bureau, poised to bring you in-depth coverage of the most important news stories in Florida and Puerto Rico. From the cities to the Everglades. From the panhandle to the Florida keys. From Tallahassee to San Juan. Our mission is to cover the most rapidly evolving state and our closest U.S. territory like no one else.

Florida is a place where news happens, and when it does Al Jazeera America will be there. Whether it happens in some of America’s most dynamic Latino communities, in an Orlando courtroom or in the Gulf of Mexico, our Miami bureau will cover it all. We’ll ask the questions you want to ask and bring you the answers from one of the most active news regions in the nation.

-- Charles Dabney-Perez,
Al Jazeera America Miami producer