Bait and switch on lifetime term limits proposal for Miami mafia politicos

Remember those lifetime term limits that Miami commissioners are set to put on the ballot? The one that would prevent legacy professional politicians from coming back again and again?
Not so fast, gente. There’s now a loophole for the most professional of all, current Commissioner and former Mayor Joe Carollo, who is threatening to run for mayor, and former Commissioner Xavier Suarez, who then went on to serve as Miami-Dade commissioner in District 7 and is still reportedly mulling a return to the Miami mayoral post.
What started as a bold move to end Miami’s reign of revolving-door political reyes y reinas is now looking more like a cleverly disguised no-bid traffic circle. And another huge bait and switch.
Commissioner Damian Pardo, who swore this change, which would have to be approved by voters in November, would be “transformational” (his word, not ours)—is suddenly looking super bendy after some behind-the-scenes tweaking ahead of a final vote this week. And surprise, surprise: the edits might just open the door for both Carollo and Suarez to run for mayor in 2026.
Because in Miami, “lifetime” apparently means “unless you wait a little while and come back with a different haircut.”
The original version of Pardo’s plan was simple and actually had teeth: two terms, period. Whether as commissioner or mayor, and regardless of whether you served a full term or just a couple of cafecitos’ worth of time in office. Even a single day would count. That would’ve effectively cut off career politicians like Carollo and Suarez from ever returning to the throne.
Pero no, caballero. That was before the city lawyers and political calculators got involved.
Now? The resolution on the actual language for the ballot includes a tidy little clause: “time served as a result of having been elected to fill a vacancy” won’t count toward term limits. Translation? If you got in through a special election, sorta like Commissioner Ralph Rosado did last month, you still get to serve two four-year terms after that. And if you only served part of a term, like Carollo and Xavier Suarez has, that doesn’t count.
¿Y entonces? ¿What was the point? Didn’t Pardo also champion the change in election year, effectively cancelling this November’s election for mayor and two commissioners, precisely to prevent this kind of thing from happening.
Read related: Miami lifetime term limits, election year change intertwined, like bait & switch
Pardo, who does not return Ladra’s calls anymore, has always insisted this isn’t about any one person. The Miami Herald quoted him saying, “I don’t know how it impacts Joe Carollo or anyone.” But, as Charlie Cale from Poker Face would say: BS. Even his advocates, the ones he recruited to support this on social media videos, are absolutely sold to the change in election year, which gives everyone an additional 12 months in office, because the “sacrifice” is worth getting rid of Joe Carollo forever.
Pardo says it’s about fairness. About legality. About making the reform “legally defensible.”
Does he really mean that this is what is needed to get the votes? Carollo should get on board now — even though this could technically prohibit his brother Frank Carollo for running for his seat again. And it also helps defend against a possible veto from Mayor Francis Suarez, if he wants to do his dad a solid.
“Joe Carollo has been mayor twice. Xavier Suarez has been mayor four times,” former Miami Commissioner Ken Russell, who is running for mayor, told Political Cortadito. “If this ‘lifetime’ term limit doesn’t apply to them, then it doesn’t mean anything.”
Read related: Miami Commissioners pass election date change — and steal an extra year
He also raises an interesting question: How did this language change from the first vote, which directed the city attorney to draft language that would exclude everybody, regardless of the length of terms they served? Did he get orders from Pardo to make the change? Who put their finger in the pot?
Did he get consensus from the commissioners? Like, finding out what it would take to get it to pass? Wouldn’t that be a violation of the Sunshine Law?
This change has gone under the radar. The Miami Herald’s Tess Riski wrote about it over the July 4th holiday weekend and most people, Ladra would argue, don’t even know about it.
The city commission meeting begins at 9:30 a.m. at City Hall and can also be viewed online at the city’s website.

The post Bait and switch on lifetime term limits proposal for Miami mafia politicos appeared first on Political Cortadito.

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