Haiti

Mountains, the first feature by filmmaker Monica Sorelle, focuses on a Haitian American family struggling to get ahead in a South Florida neighborhood targeted by developers.

The Homeland Security Department says more than 300,000 Haitians already in the United States will be eligible for a major expansion of temporary legal status because conditions in the Caribbean nation are unsafe for return.

The landing Monday morning comes as the Caribbean nation is struggling with a surge of gang violence that has killed several thousand people in recent years and left hundreds of thousands homeless in the country’s capital.

Haiti's newly installed transitional presidential council has chosen former Sports Minister Fritz Bélizaire as the country's prime minister as it presses forward in its monumental task of trying to establish a stable new government amid stifling violence.

Authorities didn’t offer details of Thursday's flight beyond how many deported Haitians were aboard.

This week on The Florida Roundup, we discuss warm waters in the Atlantic and what it means for coral reefs, a legal settlement between Disney and DeSantis’ allies, why the Francis Scott Key bridge collapse in Baltimore is a reminder for Tampa Bay residents, ‘mangrove rangers’ try to preserve disappearing mangroves, and a conversation with photojournalist Octavio Jones about his reporting trip in Haiti.

On Tuesday, U.S. Congressman Maxwell Frost held a roundtable for Central Florida's Haitian community to brainstorm ideas for those seeking refuge from the ensuing violence and chaos in Haiti.

The group is asking Congress for financial aid for Haiti and for Temporary Protected Status for Haitians in the United States.

As the political and economic conditions worsen in Haiti, Haitian leaders urge Florida officials to support nonprofits on the ground and address the root cause of migration from the country.

Director Kevin Guthrie with the Florida Division of Emergency Management says more than 400 Floridians have been evacuated from the country.

This week on The Florida Roundup, we discuss a proposed federal bill to lower property insurance rates, concerns on Capitol Hill over Citizens, possible changes in real estate commissions and its effect on Florida realtors, this week's elections, an update on the turmoil in Haiti and its impact in Florida, why some state universities are giving students more time to decide, and March Madness meets spring training.

With Haiti's main airport still closed, Haitians in South Florida can only watch as gangs that control Port-au-Prince violently tear through their families' neighborhoods.