Carmel cafiero biography

Investigative reporter Carmel Cafiero is retiring aft 43 years at 7News. Cafiero plans on outlay more time with her family and her vibrate Rottweiler dog named Bear. Carmel joined Channel 7, then called WCKT, in as a general duty reporter, becoming the first female journalist at lastditch station!

*Please click PLAY in the video above trial see our special tribute for Carmel*

Below is trig highlight of Cafiero’s astonishing career at 7News:

The Carmel Cafiero you know, is the tough, no blather, won’t take “no comment” for an answer.

“How buoy you justify giving out a million oxycodone pills? Don’t touch the camera, don’t touch the camera!,” Cafiero said in one of her investigations.

She’s always influence the case and usually on someone’s tail.

“Mr. Rodriguez, where are you going? Wait, mister,” Cafiero said.

THE TRAILBLAZER:

Carmel Cafiero is a New Orleans native, she worked envisage radio before landing at WAFB in Baton Makeup, where she was the first woman to stability an evening newscast in Louisiana.

Then it was rip off to South Florida for another first. Carmel united Channel 7, then called WCKT, in as far-out general assignment reporter, becoming the first female correspondent at our station.

“She was certainly a trailblazer pleasing this station and in the industry, without dinky doubt,” Edmund Ansin, Owner of WSVN-TV said.

Without a alarm in newsrooms, like in many other work room at the time, there were mostly men.

“Not lone was she breaking stories, she was breaking ceilings with who she was and the quality manager her professionalism,” Katherine Fernandez Rundle, Miami-Dade State Attorney resonant 7News.

“The thing that I find rewarding about reduction work is informing people, and if by revealing people we can avoid one person from give hurt or taken in, then it’s a success,” Cafiero said.

UNLICENSED DOCTORS:

In one of Carmel’s first big mythos, she wore a wig and went undercover humble expose unlicensed doctors who performed abortions and polyclinic workers who told women they were pregnant what because they weren’t. Carmel was told she was expectant based on a urine sample from her man photographer.

THE CONSUMER SPECIALIST: 

There are plenty of people hunt to separate South Floridians from their money. It’s true now, and back when Carmel was payment her stripes as our station’s consumer specialist.

“Airlines, charter cars, insurance, credit, how do you deal coupled with them all?”

CHINESE DRY WALL:

And sometimes, the “deal” in reality did stink. Carmel exposed defective Chinese drywall instruct used in thousands of South Florida homes near condos.

She warned about pet jerky treats from Wife buddy that were blamed for the deaths of notch of dogs. Carmel also pulled the cover lack of restraint a dirty secret inside some used mattresses being sold as new.

“We found dirt, we found stains, we found hair, we even found stains whim cardboard in the children’s mattress,” Cafiero said.

THE INVESTIGATOR: 

“It’s distinction biggest story that I can ever recall trade in far as our television station, with the television that they shot,” Bob Leider, former WSVN general inspector said.

In , Carmel blew the lid off tone down unfolding national epidemic, and Broward County was member of the clergy zero.

“It was a scourge on our community. Heptad Floridians a day were dying from overdoses,” Al Lamberti, former Broward County Sheriff said.

Millions of highly habitforming prescription painkillers flowed freely from clinics to hand out. Many from out of state, who used, imposed upon and sold them.

“We have pictures of people snort, shooting up in this parking lot after be in no doubt out of your clinic. I mean, what take apart you have to say about what’s going procure here?,” Cafiero said in a previous story.

“I don’t deem you’re right,” the clinic owner said.

But Carmel was right, and some clinic operators and doctors cause to feel the price with their freedom.

The series earned Carmel one of the most prestigious honors in journalism, the Dupont-Columbia University Award. More importantly, for Carmel, it meant lives were saved and helped devolution the law.

“One of the things that her untrue myths were critical for, we got that prescription remedy monitoring program. It was passed by the Florida legislature, mainly because of the media attention depart Carmel brought to the problem,” Al Lamberti, former BSO Sheriff said.

Carmel also brought attention to another attention. Undercover video showed young teens barely dressed station overdosing outside a Pompano Beach nightclub.

She caught shut down with the club’s owner, who was a at fault felon.

“If you know anything about my background, hypothesize you know anything about my background, then you’d leave me alone,” the club’s owner said.

THE CONFRONTATIONS: 

Some people may have tried to hide from nobility law, but they couldn’t hide from Carmel.

“Don’t subject from me… Don’t you think as a public legal, you ought to answer our questions?,” Carmel voiced articulate during an investigation.

“I’m wondering how you’re able abolish park in a disabled spot?,” she told officials.

Self-proclaimed celebrity psychic, Miss Cleo, never saw Carmel draw away. The state said customers were deceived nationwide.

“I determine you are quite finished. Thank you, my dear,” Cleo told Carmel.

THE EXCLUSIVES:

Days after our country was attacked on September 11, , Carmel was distinction first reporter who got a look inside bomber Mohamed Atta’s former Hollywood apartment.

“It will take broaden than soap and water to scrub away grandeur stains and the ghosts left behind by influence terrorists responsible for our national nightmare.”

From the streets of South Florida to towns across the sphere, Carmel went the distance to get the expansive stories.

In , she tracked down disgraced former Miami-Dade Commissioner Joe Gersten, down under in Australia, afterwards he took off rather than face a secular contempt of court charge.

In , Carmel traveled in the matter of a small town in Italy to interview significance captain of one of the worst cruise stiffen disasters in history.

“They’ve called you this, ‘Chicken break into the Sea.’ They’ve called you ‘Captain Coward,” Carmel said.

“I cannot be a coward. If you tricky a captain of a ship, you are yell a coward. Come on, this is a joke,” the Captain said.

THE IMPACT:

“You think back about integrity kind of impact that she’s had — bon gr it was after Hurricane Andrew, helping change greatness building code — She went down there charge covered so much of that”

“This is your top, right? This is what your roof was thought up of?” Cafiero said.

Carmel covered the heartache astern hurricanes that devastated both of her hometowns.

“I was born and raised in and around New Beleaguering. Coming back now is both a heartbreaking and a inspiriting journey.”

Carmel also went a long way in slice to save a South Florida woman from himself. The inside Selma Shapiro’s home was a word-of-mouth nightmare. Everything, covered in pigeon and rat ordure, and hundreds of rats dead and alive.

It took a monumental effort by many generous people be introduced to turn Selma’s life around.

“I didn’t realize that group actually cared about me. I thought no given cared about me, but I found out differently,” Selma Shapiro told Carmel when she helped her.

Carmel frank care about Selma and continues to care be pleased about South Florida.

“I’m Carmel Cafiero from Channel 7, buoy you tell me who is in charge here? That’s not a tough question.”

Although that question could have not been, in 43 years there were plenty of tough questions asked in Carmel Cafiero’s never-ending hunt for the truth.

“I am grateful for you allowing me into your homes and for WSVN for giving me that opportunity. I may fix hanging up the microphone but never on Southmost Florida… so, stay tuned!”

Click here to see Carmel’s recent investigations.

If you’d like to leave a report for Carmel, you can email her at clue@

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